#it looks like I accidentally pressed tab a few times when I fell asleep

[melhekhelmurkun]

Falling asleep in the middle of writing is the worst because I’ll come back to find random letters and spaces all over 😭

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Investigations (Part 3): Ran Haitani x Fem!Reader

synopsis: when things are uncovered, can you handle the truth? Or are you doomed to make a mistake you can't rectify?

wc: 2.1k

tw: violence

masterlist

song recommendation:

Ran's past was a lie.

When you met him at the country club five years ago, your pasts had been explained in hushed tones and excited flurries of memories; sharing photos of the time before he was an executive of the communications company he worked in and the time before you were a journalist.

Ran said he had gone to jail twice, both for crimes he had been an accessory to as a delinquent kid, but that he'd cleaned up his act after and made his way up the corporate ladder. Nothing about gangs or being a Heavenly King in Tenjiku made it past his lips.

You had been honest, too. Your tales included the time you'd accidentally happened upon a massive gang fight, and that's how your investigative journalism skills began to bloom.

Who was fighting?

What were they going to do after?

Where did these gangs come from?

When did this argument start?

Why were they fighting?

How did gangs form in the first place?

Those were all the questions you sought out answers for that night and the next five years after, devoting your time and effort to finding the truth about everything.

"Babe?" You freeze, hands hovering over the keys at the sound of Ran's voice. You don't turn around - you can't even look at him the same these days - but he fixes that by walking over to you and turning you around in your chair. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Just doing some writing." His violet eyes search yours for the truth, but you know he won't be able to find it. Not while you're still trying to unravel his past. Ran kisses your eyelids sweetly, cupping your face in his large palms and littering his love across your face as you try your best to remain still and not confess about your research.

"Come to bed. It's late."

"I've got a few more paragraphs," you explain, motioning to the small print on your screen. "I'll be in bed soon."

But your lie is discovered shortly thereafter. It's five a.m. when Ran returns, seeing you slumped against your desk, arms cushioning your head, laptop screen blank. Instinctively, Ran pulls you out of your seat - making your notebook fall to the ground - grunting softly as he scoops you up into his arms and cradles you against his chest.

You willingly allow your husband to carry you to bed, where your two-year-old is also nestled among the sheets and pillows, thumb tucked into his mouth. And for a moment, Ran appreciates the view, seeing the two people he loved the most - besides his younger brother - laying in the bed he paid for, in the house he built, in the city he owns.

But then he remembers the slight disarray you left your things in at the desk and returns, picking up your pencil and notebook before laying them beside the laptop. Then his eyes catch "Ran's past?" written in bold, red letters, along with the words: "Tenjiku" and "Tandai" also written in the web of other words surrounding his name. "South Terano" is also on that web.

He'd have to take care of that in the morning.

And for the first time in a long time, worry bubbles to the surface of his mind, and Ran rips the sheet of paper from your notebook, tossing it into the kitchen trashcan and considering his deed done. He concealed his past to protect his family. And he's concealing the present to achieve the same goal; all for the future to be revealed later. That's how everything should be.

Right? _____________________________________________________________

"Ran," you whisper, lips running across his knuckles. His fingers cup your jaw, and his own lips press against your forehead, violet eyes darkening slightly. "It's six am. Where are you going this early?"

"I have to go into the office for a little while," he murmurs, kissing your forehead again. "I'll be back around lunchtime." Thoughts of Tandai and Tenjiku flash into your mind for a moment, but you smile at him sleepily anyway, absolutely sure these things are part of his past and not in the present.

"We'll be waiting for you, my love."

Despite all of your best intentions, though, you can't help but be consumed by the idea of Ran out, fighting, stealing, maiming... You consider asking him about these things, these concerns, but you decide against it as you're helping Kai with his lunch. If he wanted to leave it in the past, there's a good reason for it. He would have told you if it would be a problem later. Right?

Ran wouldn't jeopardize your family, your home, your life for something so... juvenile.

Right?

The clatter of keys on the counter in the living room brings you back to the present, and you perk up, your two-year-old mimicking your expression.

"Daddy!" Kai slides down from his seat and runs to greet Ran, clutching his father's legs with all his little might.

"Hey, buddy," Ran laughs, stooping to pick up his son with excitement. "How are you doing?" As son and father have a very stimulating conversation about playtime, you watch them in wonder, observing the way Ran makes his child a priority, just like he makes you a priority. But your countenance falls as soon as you see the blood spot on the bottom of Ran's lavender suit jacket. You know its blood because of the way it dried - that's no ketchup stain.

You fake a smile anyway, giving Ran a kiss on the cheek and tugging his jacket off after he sits Kai back on the tile floor.

"Hard day?"

"Kind of," Ran mumbles, and you catch the sight of a long scratch down the side of his neck. "But I made it through." You hum, taking the pin-striped jacket to the laundry room and slinging it over the side of the washer. You'd need that later.

"Need to relax?" you wonder, and Ran grins at you mischievously.

"Maybe later, after bedtime?"

_____________________________________________________________

But "later" never came.

Instead, Ran and Kai fell asleep on the sofa, watching a kid's movie, and you retreated to the office, powering up your laptop and pulling your notebook closer.

You immediately notice something's wrong, as the notes you had before were missing. Everything is gone. Not even a word of all the research you had done was there. Hadn't you written meticulous notes and names and things about Ran's past that could be interconnected? You break out in a sweat and search in every drawer of the desk, every place it could possibly be. You come up with nothing, and let out a frustrated sigh before slumping down in your seat and pulling up the computer history from yesterday. If you had to rewrite every single thing, that's fine. You'd just need more time to gather your evidence for the meeting on Saturday.

You're knee-deep in articles and police reports when you stumble across a more recent - actually as recent as this morning - article titled: "Ex-gangster found dead in meat factory". The picture of South Terano startles you, and you click on it, feeling a sense of dread as the article details how he was found hanging upside-down in the warehouse with a bullet hole in his head. And just like that, your newest lead has fizzled out. You groan, writing down "South Terano, deceased" on your notepad, then exiting the tab.

There had to be someone else you could ask. Shuji Hanma only provided you with Ran and Rindou's names, no one else.

"What's this?"

The door to the office shuts softly, and you look over your shoulder at Ran, who is walking toward you with measured steps, his eyes taking in your exhausted expression and the way you're hunched over that notepad. Again.

"What are you doing? You look tired, babe. Let's go to bed, yeah?"

Suddenly, pieces begin to click as Ran leans his hip against the desk, staring down at you in the chair with squinted violet eyes. "You threw away my notes... Didn't you?"

"What are you doing in my business, y/n?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were in two gangs?" you counter, fingers shaking slightly. "Ran, this is something I needed to know before--"

"You wouldn't have married me if I told you." Ran's tone is cold, almost as if he's turned into the past version of himself without batting an eye.

"You don't know that." Ran leans forward, coming to eye level with you a smirking.

"I know you. And that's all I need." Ran reaches out a hand to close the laptop, still smiling and maintaining eye contact. "Now here's what you're going to do. First, you're going to stop digging into my past. There's nothing there that you need to find. Second, you're going to come to bed. It's late, you're tired. Finally," Ran cups your chin like he did this morning, except his fingers aren't so tender this time. "You're going to cut off contact with both Shuji Hanma and Taiju Shiba. I'm not really fond of either of them, and I'm not a fan of having them tell my business to my wife."

"They were only doing it because I asked."

"Taiju, maybe. Shuji isn't so eager to fuck you. I doubt he did it out of the kindness of his heart." You can't say anything to refute his claims. Ran is probably right. But you can't get one question out of your mind.

"Why are you trying to hide your past? What's there that I won't like?"

"What isn't there is the real question."

"What can you tell me about the gang that's just surfaced in Tokyo?" Ran's face slackens, transforming into a half-surprised, half-blank look that you realize is one that means he's been caught. "Oh, my fucking god," you breathe, tears stinging your eyes. "South, the fish, the murders, the crime... It's you. It's been you this whole time. I've been chasing my own husband down." Panic begins to set in, and your mind whirls around as you shake in your seat, bringing your hands up to your head. "Just tell me Rindou isn't in this," you breathe, but Ran doesn't answer you, still wearing that dumb look on his face. You let out a cry of shock, covering your mouth and trying to back away from Ran as much as you can.

The source is a lot closer than you think.

You slide down the wall, shocked into stillness as your sobs quiet, and Ran straightens up, placing his hands in his sweatpant pockets. The long nights, the early mornings, the bloodstains, the damn suits... It all led to this. Ran had never really left his old lifestyle behind. He'd gotten caught up in it, and brought you and Kai into it unknowingly.

"I never meant for it to get this... unhinged." You can't reply, tucking your knees into your chest as you stare past Ran and at the opposite wall, wondering how you'd missed the signs, the obvious signs that Ran was up to no good. "I know this is a lot to take in, but we can--"

"I can't stay here."

The words fall from your mouth and Ran flinches, shaking his head.

"No. You can't leave."

"Yes, I can," you mumble, standing and wiping your tears. "I can do whatever I need to do to keep Kai safe, and--"

"Kai is safer here than out there," Ran snaps, pointing at the window. "I'm not letting my son out of my sight. Your snooping has caused enough trouble as it is; I wouldn't have had to go and clean up this morning if you hadn't--"

"Don't blame this on me," you retort, pointing at Ran accusatorially. "You're the one who joined a gang and is still in one! What kind of role model are you for our son now?"

"I provide the best way I can," Ran grits out, clenching his fists. "You've never gone hungry, cold, or ill-clothed a day in your life while you were with me."

"I would rather die than enjoy a life paid for with blood money."

"Blood money? You really think--" You try to push past Ran, but he grabs your shoulders, yanking you back in front of him. "You're not going anywhere except to our bed."

"Let me go, Ran Haitani," you mutter, hands balling up into little fists. "Or I'll scream."

"Who will hear you? Kai?"

How had you been so foolish? Ran's lips press together momentarily as his violet eyes run over your figure, taking stock of all your five-foot-six stature. You're no match for Ran. Not mentally, and certainly not physically. Ran notices your defeat and his hands slide down to your wrists, tugging your delicate hands up to his chest.

"Everything will be fine," he whispers, drawing you close. "I'm taking care of us. Just trust me."

Just trust me.

[bangtanloverboys]

kitten fever // myg

summary - min yoongi wants to be a daddy, but not in the way that you quite expect

pairing - cat hybrid!yoongi x gender neutral!reader

genre - fluff; hybrid au, established relationship au

word count - 7.5k

warning - yoongi being an absolute softie, hinted hybrid discrimination, YOONGI WITH A KITTY, yoongi and yn being domestic, KITTENS, overwhelming love for kittens, yoongi calling himself daddy

author’s note - this is for the bts ghostie dynamite dads event “new dad yoongi”, but make it new cat dad. i snuggled my kitties a lot writing this bc i love them and they are my inspiration for this. anything cat related on my blog is inspired by my own cats, enjoy. i may post a baby photo of one of them bc that’s how i imagine the kitty in this 

2:54 am read the small digital clock in the corner of the room. Yoongi couldn’t sleep. He turned his head over to you, still curled up into his side. Pressing a kiss to the crown of your head, he gently peeled your arm off of him and got out of bed. You let out a soft whine at the loss of his warmth, patting the empty space in a sleepy attempt to find him. He shook his head and chuckled at you, placing another kiss to your head and made his way over to the desk. Seating himself in the wheelie chair, he opened the laptop and typed away into the search bar. 

‘Newborn Kittens’.

He honestly wasn’t sure what was going through his head, but he was feeling something deep down inside. The feeling started sometime a little after you had adopted him and it had only grown stronger when the two of you had gotten together. Originally he thought that was the feeling, the need to be with you. You were his mate and you were it for him; he loved you with every little fiber in his being. But there was still something missing in Yoongi’s heart, and that is what it was.

He really wanted to be a dad. 

Not for like human babies though, no. He didn’t think that either of you were ready for that yet, not for a while. But he really wanted to care and love for something as his own, which has slowly led him down the rabbit hole of kitten videos. Volume set to low, he played videos and listened to the small innocent newborns cry and whine at the new world they were in. The cries resonated deep in Yoongi’s heart. He wanted to care for, guide, and love on a kitten so badly. The only thing is he had to convince you about it. 

After about an hour of him watching and holding back tears over the newborns, he let out a yawn. He exited the tab and cleared the browsing history, an extra precaution he’d taken to make sure you accidentally stumble across it. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about asking you, maybe it’s cause you never talked about having another pet or an actual animal? He vaguely remembered you mentioning the reason you got a hybrid in the first place. You wanted someone to talk to and to keep you in check, which Yoongi thought he did a pretty good job of. You were a bit of an idiot sometimes, but you were his idiot now. His idiot that he had no idea how to tell he wanted to have a baby kitten. 

He quietly tiptoed back over to the bed and carefully slotted himself to lay next to you, once again. You sleepily register the bed dipping next to you, turning over and wrapping your arms back around him; holding him even tighter so he can’t leave you again. He let out a low chuckle at your action, letting you mold yourself against him. With another kiss to the top of your head, Yoongi let his eyes slowly fall shut. Dreaming of the kittens he wanted so badly. 

You woke up earlier than Yoongi the following morning, which was strange, seeing how normally he’s the first to rise. As of lately though, he’s been sleeping in more. You didn’t mind, the past few times he slept in, he had the warmest smile on his face. It was so blissful and it always pulled at your heartstrings to see him look so soft. But whenever he woke up, he acted distant. Like he was holding his breath around you. You don’t know what led him to start acting like this, you tried talking to him about it, you really did. Everytime you brought it up, he acted like it was nothing and dismissed the issue or said he was in a funk. So you’ve taken a back seat, waiting for him to either truly tell you what’s going on or for him to pull himself out of his self-proclaimed funk. With a small sigh passing your lips, you kissed his cheek and gave one of his little ears a scratch, you pulled yourself out of bed to get started on your morning routine. 

With a yawn, you padded down the hallway of your small apartment towards the kitchen. Glancing at the calendar pinned to the fridge, you let out a low groan. Today, you had a lot of paperwork that you could thankfully do at home, but that didn’t help the fact you just wanted a lazy day to cuddle with your boyfriend. But you have work to do, then you can cuddle Yoongi to your heart's content. Quickly, you fashioned a breakfast milkshake; consisting of your last banana, an egg, milk, and some chocolate sauce. The roar of the blender must’ve woken up Yoongi, as soon as you turned it off, you heard his heavy footsteps get closer and closer. You don’t turn to look behind you as two arms and a tail wrap around your waist. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” You smiled as he buried his head into your neck. 

“Morning,” he grumbled, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine. 

You stop from finishing your shake to lean into him, nuzzling your cheek against his messy dark hair. “You sleep alright? I thought I felt you get up in the middle of the night.”

“I’m good, just. . . had trouble sleeping last night,” You felt him shift behind you, readjusting himself so his chin is now resting on your shoulder, watching you finish making your shake, “decided to have a wikipedia deep dive to try and bore myself to sleep.”

“Aw, I’m glad you were able to get some sleep though.” You said as you pulled out a metal straw from your utensil drawer into your finished banana-chocolate milkshake. However, Yoongi doesn’t loosen his grip on you. Carefully, you manage to twist yourself around in his arms to look at him. His face is still puffy from sleep, his eyes are blinking lazily as you give him a chaste kiss. “Sleepy kitty.” Upon saying that phrase, you felt Yoongi’s arms stiffen around you. It was only for a moment, then he relaxed and nuzzled his nose to brush against your cheek before letting his arms slip from around you. You don’t let the way Yoongi tensed up at your words, but elect not to bring it up. It’s too early.  

“What do you have planned for today?” Yoongi asked, stifling a yawn as he went to make himself some coffee. 

“Just paperwork,” you huffed as you siphoned through the utensils to find your precious metal straw. “You got anything? Besides taking a cat nap.” You smiled as you took a sip of your shake. 

Yoongi shook his head as he concentrated on his coffee making task, “I got nothing.”

“Maybe when I’m done, we can watch a movie?” You suggested, as you leaned against the countertop. 

“Mm, sounds good.” He responded as he mixed in his coffee creamer. Satisfied with his stirring, he turned back to face you. “There’s a few things I’ve found that I think you might like”, he said as he brought the mug to his lips. 

The small conversation fell and the two of you got started on your routines. You handed Yoongi your glass for him to clean then went to your bathroom to start the day. You couldn’t get over how he froze around you at the little nickname you bestowed on him. Sleepy kitty. Did he not like that? He never had any objections to your pet names previous to this. You couldn’t just chalk it up to it being one of his ‘moods’ because this was a constant thing now. You needed to talk to him, maybe before the movie.

Yoongi on the other hand, felt like banging his head into a wall. How could he be so stupid to have such a blatant reaction to the pet name?! He supposes it has everything to do with the dream he had after he had finally fallen asleep after an hour long cat video binge at such an ungodly hour. He had dreamt of a small tabby kitten, probably no more than 4 weeks old. It was snuggling into his shoulder while he slept, swiping at his tail while he sat and worked, nibbling on his ears- God even just reminiscing about the dream had his heart aching again. 

Shaking his head, tried to push past the consuming thoughts of kittens, refusing to give into his instincts. He focused all his energy into cleaning the dishes; totally not imagining the small cup he was washing as a small kitten, scrubbing it delicately and making sure not to go too hard on it’s small fragile head-

Yoongi dropped the cup in the sink, the plastic banging against the other dishes ringing in his ears as he held his head. He was going to lose it, he knows it. To his concern there’s only one solution to this issue: get a kitten and take care of it. Digging the heels of his palm into his eyes, he let out a deep sigh. There was no other choice he had, he had to talk to you about his kitten fever. 

Finishing up the last of what was in the sink, he dried off his hands and made his way back over to the room. You had already gotten to work, judging by how you barely acknowledged him as he walked in. Walking over to the bed, Yoongi stretched himself over the messed up covers. This was how the two of you did spend most of your days when you were allowed to work from home; with him laying down and watching you work. Resting his cheek on his folded arms, Yoongi kept his eyes on you. Trying his damndest not to let his mind wander from you and to imagining you working with a small kitten on your lap. Your hand caressing its small body while it meows loudly at you as you play with it- He let out a groan, burying his face in his arms to try and escape the mental image he created. 

Hearing him, you turn in your chair to face him, “Yoongi, are you okay?”

Peeking from behind his elbows, concern is written all over your face. He shut his eyes and sat up, “Y/N. . . Can I talk to you?” Your brows furrowed together, a look of panic dashes through your eyes as you nod. Taking a deep breath, he stood up from where he sat and walked over to your desk, leaning against it. “I-,” he started, “I want kittens.”

His admission out in the air, he closed his eyes, fearing your reaction. But no sound of rejection came from you. Opening one eye to peep at you, you were confused. Yoongi could also see the gears turning in your head as you thought of something, anything to respond to him.

“Yoongi, I-I don’t think we’re-”

“Not like that!” He stopped you, seeing how you didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. “I mean like, actual kittens. . . Cats. . .” He explained.

Your mouth parted, “Oooh.” The dots connected, Yoongi’s sudden mood changes started to make sense; especially this morning’s when you called him kitty. All this because he wanted to father kittens? “How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Hmm?”

“How long have you wanted kittens, Yoongi?” You questioned.

Bashfully, he looked to his feet, “I don’t know. . . Since we got together, I suppose?”

Your eyebrows shot up into your hairline, “That long?! Why haven’t you told me, baby?” You went to grab his hands, holding them in yours.

“You never said anything about wanting kids, animal or not so I just. . . didn’t say anything.” He responded, keeping his eyes on your interlocked hands. 

“Yoongi, look at me.” He raised his head to meet your gaze, “Human babies I never really thought much on, but kittens? I love kittens so much, of course I’d want to have them with you.”

“Really?” He felt like his eyes were going to pop right out of their sockets “You mean it? I can-We can get a kitten? A baby?” Yoongi couldn’t believe his ears; his vision started to blur as tears welled up in them. The blurry outline of you nodded as you stood, pulling him into a hug as the happy tears fell from his face. 

You cooed at him as you wrapped your arms around his neck, his face burying itself in your neck. “Aww, we can definitely get a kitten. I think having one might be a wonderful little addition to our family, don’t you think?” Yoongi only cried harder in response. You stroked the hairs at the back of his neck, soothing him from his happy tears. “I’ll take that as a yes, I’ll get all my work done today and tomorrow we can go to a shelter and adopt. Okay?” With a nod of his head and a couple sniffles, he pulled away from the hug. You moved your hand to lay it on his cheek, wiping away the remaining tears from his cheeks. “Let me finish this up okay? You do research on some kitten supplies and shelters nearby?”

With that, Yoongi immediately got to work on researching products (within your established budget) and found a shelter a few blocks away from your apartment building. You thanked whatever deity that was watching over you that allowed your apartment to put in a notice for a new pet so last minute. Normally you’d have no qualms about waiting a few days, but the way Yoongi had been keeping this to himself, you didn’t want him to wait any longer. He deserved to be a proud father of a little fur baby. 

All night long, you could feel Yoongi’s excitement radiate from him as he tossed and turned in the bed all night. You could hear him even giggle to himself, whispering how he’s going to be a dad. The words squeezed your heart as you turned to wrap your arms around him, partially to keep him still but also because you were happy that he was so happy about this step for the both of you. Maybe him a little more than you though.

You woke up to an empty bed, you patted around Yoongi’s side, noting it was cold. You were puzzled for a moment, wondering where he might be when the smell of bacon flooded your nose. You let out a light chuckle as you got out of bed, and shuffled down the hallway to see Yoongi in the kitchen, buzzing as he cooked breakfast. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d mistake you for a dog hybrid for being this excited.” You chuckled as you sat down at the table. He narrowed his eyes at you before returning to cooking. Normally Yoongi never went all out with breakfast unless it was a special occasion, you suppose that today might as well be a special occasion, it being the day he finally gets to become a dad. “Did you get any sleep?” You asked as he put some bacon and toast on a couple plates. 

“Enough,” he answered, placing a plate in front of you on the table. You rolled your eyes at his response, you should’ve figured he didn’t get much; but at least he got some of it. “Gotta get used to not sleeping all throughout the night.”

“Yoongi, it’s a kitten. Not an actual baby.” You chortled as you took a bite of bacon, “It’s not gonna wake us up in the middle of the night crying.”

“Yeah, but kittens in a new environment often are excited and don’t sleep much the first night or so.” He responded as he sat down in front of you, “While I’m not a full cat, you should remember how restless I was when you first got me.”

You do remember. He stayed up all night the first few days, getting a feel of your apartment; sniffing around and making some noise, but after that he started to settle in and get comfortable in his new home. “Yes, but cats don’t whine every few hours to be fed.”

“Touche,” he bowed his head in defeat before going to take a bite out of his toast. 

You watched him as he ate, nibbling a bit on your breakfast as you did. As you continued to eat, you noticed he was getting more and more fidgety. Figuring how he wasn’t very upfront with you about getting a kitten, he was waiting on your word to get ready to find a shelter. You smirked a bit as you took a few more bites of your toast before pushing your plate away. “Alright, ready to go?” Before you even finished, Yoongi jumped from his seat and kissed your cheek. You barked out a laugh as your hybrid dashed down the hallways towards the bedroom in a blur of black and white. 

Deciding to take it upon yourself, you cleared the table, seeing how Yoongi was too excited to focus on anything else. You shook your head as you picked up his abandoned breakfast on the table; if he was too excited to sleep, you should’ve figured he’d be too excited to eat. Better make sure the second that kitten crosses the threshold of your apartment that you feed him before he forgets completely to eat. As you finished up in the kitchen, said hybrid came back, “What are you doing?! Why aren’t you getting dressed?!” He exasperated at you, still dressed in pajamas, while he was all nicely dressed. 

“I’m sorry that I want to make a nice impression on the newcomer, when they arrive.” You chuckled as you walked up to him, ruffling his hair. “I’ll get dressed. You finish up here.” In a flash, he was at the sink, furiously scrubbing the pans and plates. You laughed at him again, you wonder how he’s going to react when you tell him that you’re not even gonna stop at the shelter first, seeing how you should get the products first before the kitten steps it’s paws in the apartment. No matter how eager Yoongi was, you needed a litter box first. Kitten second. 

Once you’re dressed and down the hall, your overly eager feline partner was frantically checking himself in the hallway mirror. Letting out a chuckle as he made his hair and ears look as neat as possible. You held up your keys, the jingling catching his attention, he beamed as you moved to put your shoes on and get out of the door.

“What kind should we get? I looked at some of the ones at the shelter and there’s this pretty ragdoll, she’s all white and fluffy- Ooh! There’s this siamese kitten that just had the most beautiful eyes-”

“Yoongi,” you cut off his rambling as you approached your car. “I love you, I really do and I’m excited that you’re excited. But don’t overthink it, let’s just go to the shelter first and see who speaks out to you more. Okay?” 

You watched as he bashfully scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry.” He chuckled nervously.

“Don’t apologize, baby. Now come on, we gotta get going.” You hopped in the car, Yoongi followed behind you, climbing into the backseat. The two of you sit in silence as you drive off, your hybrid humming happily as he stared out the window. It’s only when you pull up to the pet store does Yoongi let out a low groan. 

“This isn’t the shelter!”

You grabbed his hand as he pouted his lips at you, “I know. But we need litter, food, and toys. I don’t want to forget that on the way home.” You pressed a kiss to his knuckles as he dropped his pout. 

“Fine,” he sighed as he unbuckled and got out, clearly unhappy with the decision, but realizing it was the right one either way. 

“You’re acting more like a moody teen than a father to be, you sure you’re ready?” You raised a brow at him, which quickly had him standing up straighter.

“Yes, I am.” He gave a firm nod as he spoke, “Now come on, the fast we get the supplies, the faster we can get the baby.” He took your hand in his and led you into the store. 

You let Yoongi take the lead pushing the cart through the aisles as you searched for the supplies you needed. You could feel stares from other customers as Yoongi was looking at the different types of kitten litter and which one would be best. You felt like they were judging you for bringing your hybrid to the pet store, like you were going to make him actually use the items that were meant for his animal counterpart. 

“Can I help you with anything?” You both turned your head to see a young woman in a blue vest standing there, a confused expression on her face. 

“Actually yes, what brand of litter would you recommend? I’ve read all the reviews but, I’m curious about your opinion?” Yoongi rambled off as he stood, walking to get closer to the employee. “We’re going to adopt a kitten later today and this is both of our first times owning a cat.”

“Oh!” The employee's eyes widened and nodded, now understanding the situation instead of assuming the worst. “Well what age are you looking to adopt?”

“Not sure, I was thinking maybe four to six weeks?” He said as the worker’s eyes examined the wall of litter in front of her. 

“Hmm,” she stepped down and pulled out a medium sized pink box. “This brand is what I’ve seen the best reviews on, anyone with a kitten seems to like it before going on to other litter.” She handed it over to Yoongi, who was bowing his head as he accepted the box. 

“Thank you very much!” He replied, gracious for the help. 

“No problem, anything else I can help you with?” She responded with a grin of her own as she looked between the two of you. 

Yoongi glanced over his shoulder to you, waiting to see if you needed anything at all. You shook your head, “No. Thank you for the offer though, I think we got it.”

Yoongi thanked the employee again before turning to put the box of litter in the cart. “Got litter, got the litter box, food, what else?”

“Toys and a collar?” You noticed that was something lacking from your growing collection of cat necessities. Looking up to Yoongi, you see him with his lips pursed in thought as he stared down into the cart. “Something wrong with that?”

“Toys no,” he said, moving to push the cart forward towards the cat toy aisle. “Collar, I don’t know. I mean, it’s going to be indoors anyways. Does it even really need it?” 

He did have a point, a collar was to ensure that if it got lost you’ll be contacted as soon as it’s found. But considering how it is going to be inside all the time, and with Yoongi always around too, did you really need it? “You’re right, but we don’t know. Why don’t we skip the collar today, and get it when we know for sure. Does that sound good?”

You followed close behind him as he turned into the next aisle, thinking of what you said. “Yeah, sounds good. Just don’t want to make any unnecessary purchases.” You stopped in front of a small wall of colorful toys and stretching posts. Your eyes shifted towards him as he closely examined each and every toy in front of him. “There a limit on how many toys we can get?”

“Let’s start with three,” you laughed lightly as you moved to stand beside him, looking over the different options. “We do need a scratching post, so let’s get this one,” you move to grab a long cardboard scratcher and put it in the cart, “because we don’t need the little baby scratching up the furniture.”

“No we do not,” Yoongi returned with a chuckle, reaching out to grab a small pack of toys in the shape of mice. “These look fun.” 

“What are you gonna play with it too?” You elbowed him gently as he tossed them into the wagon. 

“I just might.” He teased as his attention went back to the wall of toys, he reached forward and grabbed a small plush octopus. He gave it a little shake and it chimed, his eyes immediately lit right up and placed it right next to the other toys. 

“I’m beginning to think those toys are for you more than the kitten,” you joked as Yoongi moved to push the cart out of the aisle and towards check out. He scrunched his nose up at you but didn’t deny your statement. 

Once at the check out, Yoongi put all the items up on the conveyor belt while you went up to the cashier, who was eyeing Yoongi carefully as he checked out each item.Not liking the way he was looking at your hybrid, you cleared your throat, directing his attention back to you. You knew there was still some judgement towards hybrids being out and about in public, but that shouldn’t matter because he was with you. His owner. 

“Did you find everything alright?” The cashier huffed as he bagged your items, going over the register to double check that he scanned everything. 

“Yup!” You gave him a tight smile, not wanting him to give away your displeasure at his behavior. You just wanted out of this pet store now. Yoongi, on the other hand, must’ve sensed your uneasiness and in an instant he stood right next to you, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze. Letting out a shaking breath, you returned his squeeze before finishing up your purchase. It certainly was a small hit to your bank account but this was worth it, it was for Yoongi. 

You both gave a quick thank you to the worker before you made your leave, cart full of brand new kitten supplies. As you were loading up the car, Yoongi placed a hand on your shoulder. “You okay?”

“I didn’t like those eyes on us, on you.” You muttered as you shut the trunk closed. 

“Y/N look at me,” he placed his hand on your cheek. “It’s alright, I can deal with a couple of staring strangers. But you’re with me that’s all that matters.” He smiled as his thumb caressed your cheek.

You stood there for a moment, letting him sooth your anxieties before you pulled away. “Okay, now let’s go get that kitten. No sadness today, this is supposed to be a happy time.” Soon as the words left your mouth, Yoongi’s entire demeanor shifted; going from a caring partner, to an excited child with only a few words. 

 “Right! Let’s go!!” With that, Yoongi gave you a chaste kiss before jumping into the passenger side door. 

The drive to the shelter wasn’t that long, and Yoongi was bouncing up and down in his seat like a child on his way to Toys R Us. It was cute though, seeing him this excited. You don’t think you’ve seen him this giddy; you’ve seen him happy of course, but not this kind of emotion. It looked good on him, you hoped he manages to keep it going as the kitten grows old. 

“We’re here!!” Yoongi announced ecstatically as you pulled up in the parking lot. The hybrid waited patiently as he could as you got out of the car, his eyes locked on the door of the small building. It was a bit on the smaller side, but it was a bit more of a homey feeling to it. Something that you thought would be good seeing how this will be the new addition to your family.

Soon as you stepped forward towards him, he bounded ahead of you, eager to get through the door. “Hurry up!” He whined as you leisurely took your time walking up the path to the door. 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” you huffed as you finally managed to get to the front door. Yoongi was grinning so hard his cheek muscles were sore, but that didn’t matter. It was finally happening. He was gonna be a dad! 

Door to the shelter opened, he followed you as you stepped inside, glancing around at the posters of various cats and dogs on the wall. He stared at them while a volunteer at the front desk asked to help you. He moved his head to pay attention to the conversation, but little meows echoed from the door where the volunteer entered from. His hand instantly grabbed yours as he heard the little cries; not coming from his computer, but from actual kittens. 

His attention was brought back to you at the sound of your laughter. “You ready, Yoon?” He nodded his head so hard, you feared his head might pop off. Your shoulders shook with another laugh as you looked back to the volunteer, “Can we see them now?”

“Of course!” She answered as she took a few steps back towards the door, holding it open for the two of you. Yoongi followed after her quickly, tugging you along with your hand still tightly grasped in his. The smell of all the other animals filled Yoongi’s senses as they walked down a short hallway. He could hear the sounds of them as well, all calling for the attention of the new people that they no doubt smelled. Soon enough, they approached a door marked CATS, Yoongi felt your eyes on him as the volunteer opened the door and walked in. 

“You ready to be a dad, Yoongi?” Your voice was soft as you squeezed his hand. All he could do was nod as you entered. 

The scent hit him first, the smell of fur and cat food, and litter boxes. Not the most pleasant thing in the world, but at that very moment, it was better than roses to him. Then the sound of dozens of cats meowing away filled his eardrums and he felt his smile get wider as he glanced around the small room. There was a small cat tree in the middle of the room, with silver kennels on either side of it. Some of the doors were open, the felines who inhabited them wandered about the room. The rest of them remained closed, but that didn’t stop them from sticking out their paws between the wires, going out to grab the other volunteers in the room. 

“So all our kittens are about four to six weeks old, all siblings are in the same kennel. Feel free to open them up if you want,” she explained as she walked over to another male volunteer to talk to him. “All their names are on that white board, by the way!” 

There was a small brush against Yoongi’s pant leg. Glancing down, he made eye contact with an orange tabby cat; rubbing it’s head against his calf. The creature looked up and meowed at him, curious about the two new strangers who came in. Ever so slowly, Yoongi knelt down petting it’s head and letting it keen into his hand. Above, he could hear you coo as at the sight before getting distracted with another cat that came up to you. 

Yoongi felt like he was going to cry, he had to only take one home? When there’s so many here that all need homes? He was so close to just begging you to take them all home, but he knew that that wouldn’t be a good idea. Taking a deep breath, he got back up to his feet and walked over to one of the kennels and peered in, looking at the small fluff balls curl together for warmth. Carefully, he moved to open the wire door without waking any of them, but it appears his presence was enough to wake them because sure enough, small mewls added into the already noisy room as he opened the door completely. 

“Hi,” his voice was barely a whisper as he reached in and let the kitten sniff at him, getting adjusted to his scent before moving to touch any of them. A small white kitten with the bluest eyes reached up to grab at his fingers, its small claws digging into his skin. “Ow,” he feigned with a chuckle as he lowered his head to scratch at the fur balls ears. “You’re a curious one, aren’t you.” He lilted as he turned his attention to another kitten. This one was black, but strangely enough has small light grey stripes decorated its body. It was a bit more separated from the rest of the litter, smaller too. Intrigued, he moved his hand over to it and let the kitten sniff it. When it seemed to accept him, he let his hand curl around its small body, lifting it out of the cage and into his arms.

“You found someone, Yoongi?” He heard you ask as you approach him, a small gasp leaving your lips when you see the tiny creature in his arms. “Oh my goodness! Aren’t you precious!” You melted as you reached your finger out to stroke its head. 

“I see you’ve found the runt of the litter,” the volunteer noted as she walked over to you both, a smile on her face. “She’s all healthy, so if she’s the one you want, she’s ready to go home with you.”

Yoongi could feel your eyes on him, looking for an answer on if this was the one you were going to take home. He stared down at the small cat in his arms, who’s big eyes stared right back at him. He could feel it deep in his heart, this was the one. This was his baby. “Yeah, it’s her.”

“Okay, babe.” You kissed his cheek before looking back to the kitten still in his arms. “Hi baby, you almost match your daddy.” You giggled as you gave her one last scratch before confirming with the volunteer that you’ll be taking that one home. 

With a smile, she nodded, asking you to follow her to finish up the paperwork while telling another volunteer to help Yoongi with getting her ready to leave. He readjusted the kitten in his arms so she was now laying against his chest, rather than in his arms. The other volunteer held a cardboard carrier with an old towel in it out. Yoongi was hesitant at first, not quite ready to let his new found child out of his arms just yet. 

“Come on, buddy. She’s gonna be okay,” he encouraged Yoongi as he reached for the cat. Holding back the urge to swipe at him and carry the cat out in his arms, he knew you wouldn’t want him to make a scene. So he complied, letting him take the kitten from him and into the carrier. The volunteer handed it over to him; but instead of holding it by the handle, he held it by the bottom in both hands. Not wanting to jostle her around before getting to the car. 

The volunteer escorted him back out to the lobby, where you were finishing up. “Yoongi, what are you gonna name her?” You asked. The question caught him off guard, he didn’t know what he was gonna name his kitten. He’s wanted one for how long and he never thought of one? He quickly racked his brain for names, not wanting it to sound too cheesy or weird but none came to mind. 

“I, uh,” he was embarrassed at the predicament. But you merely laughed at him before placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s just for the chip she got, I’ll just put down Min for now alright?” You looked to him for his permission. He nodded, the two of you will figure out a better name to call her in the meantime. But at least she’s got a nickname on her. 

Paperwork all done, and a car full of new cat stuff. The two of you drove back to your apartment, and all the while Yoongi was flinching with every confused little meow that came from the white box on his lap. Unable to take it anymore, he cracked open the carrier a bit, just enough to stick his hand in and sooth her of both his and her anxieties about the drive. You rolled your eyes at the action, mumbling something under your breath about coddling her before she’s even gotten to the house. But Yoongi couldn’t help it! He hated hearing the small and scared whimpers, he couldn’t just do nothing!

When the drive finally came to a stop, you handed Yoongi the key to the apartment. “Put her in our room, close the door and come back here to help me with the rest of the stuff. Okay?” You instructed, to which Yoongi followed to the T. Well almost to the T.

Once he got into the house, he opened up the carrier and pulled out the kitten. “This is your new home.” He started as he walked around, showing her the place. “This is the living room and the kitchen area, we’re out here a lot. Don’t try to scratch up the couch please, or Y/N is gonna kill us both.” He chuckled as he made his way down the hall, pointing at different photos and giving a story. “This is the bedroom, where we sleep. You can sleep here too.” He went on and he placed her down on the ground. “Now you can explore while we go get your things.” He said, but didn’t move. Watching how the kitten sniffed around the new place, getting a feel of it. A smile on his face, he slowly started backing out of the room, closing it behind him.

He rushed back out of the door, but before he made it to your car, he ran into you, an annoyed look on your face. “You got distracted with the kitty, didn’t you?” Yoongi looked down at the ground, feeling a bit guilty for putting the baby before his partner but thankfully you seemed to understand. “Fine, just get the cat litter. Couldn’t carry it all by myself.” You jerked your head in the direction of the car. Nodding, he ran down to go get the rest of the things.

Setting the majority of the cat stuff down, you quietly started towards the bedroom. Cracking open the door, you don’t see anything just yet. You push the door open a bit more, still nothing but there is a small little lump of poop on the floor, stinking up the whole room. “Gah,” you gagged as you quickly went to the kitchen to grab some paper towels and cleaner. “Knew I should’ve told him to get the kitty litter ready first,” you muttered to yourself as you cleaned up the little troublemaker’s poop. After being sure to toss it in a trashcan in the bathroom, you began looking for the little one.

Laying flat on the ground, you peered under your bed. The small outline of the kitten was seen in the middle of the bed, out of reach for you to grab. “Aww, come here baby. No ones gonna hurt you.” You stretched your arm out under the bed, the tips of your fingers barely grazing her soft fur. You could feel her lower her nose to your hand, sniffing you out before rubbing her head against your palm. 

“What are you doing?” You heard Yoongi’s voice called out from above you.

“She hid under the bed,” you explained as you pulled your arm out from underneath the space. 

Yoongi pursed his lips in thought as he leaned down, taking his turn to reach under the bed. “Come here baby, come on.” He made kissy noises, trying to lure her out. “Come to daddy.” But to no avail, she didn’t come out. 

Disappointment was written across his face as he sat up. “Aww, don’t be upset Yoon. She;s just scared. She’s in a new place,” you placed your hand on his cheek. “Why don’t we set up her stuff, maybe she’ll come out then.”

Begrudgingly, he agreed. You set up all the stuff in the room first, just to get her accompanied to the new place before the rest of the apartment. You had Yoongi handle setting up her litter box and opening up her toys while you set up her food and water. Cat stuff thoroughly thrown about the place, you saw small little paws peek out from underneath the bed. 

“Yoongi,” you nudged your hybrid to look at where you were pointing. 

Instantly, he began to lower himself to the ground, not breaking eye contact with her as she watched him slowly go down and down until he was laying flat on his stomach. Taking a few tentative steps, she got closer to him. Sniffing at his ear which twitched at the close proximity of her black little nose. “Those are my ears,” he stated simply as she started to swat at them and his hair. “Hey,” he chuckled, lifting his head away from her paws. “Don’t hurt daddy.”

“You’re really gonna stick with daddy?” 

“Got a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” you raised your hands in defense, not wanting to argue with him. He moved back to sit on the ground next to you and watch as the kitten curiously bounded around the room. She looked up at you before making slow steps over, before putting her paws on your thighs. You looked up at Yoongi who looked nearly green with envy. “Guess we know who her favorite is.” You teased. 

“No no no no,” he said as he leaned over before picking up the cat, plopping her on his lap. “She’s gonna be a daddy’s girl, if it’s the last thing I do.” You would’ve thought she would’ve hated being moved by force and would’ve jumped away, but she didn’t. She snuggled herself deeper into his lap and started purring. Now it’s your turn to be jealous.

“No fair,” you grumbled as you leaned forward to pet her again.

Yoongi only stuck his tongue out at you before turning his attention back down to the cat. “Moonlight.”

“What was that?”

“Her name is Moonlight. Moonie for short,” he said, his eyes never leaving her as he let his hand stroke her.

You leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the kitten. “Welcome to the family, Moonie.”

The rest of the day is spent with you and Yoongi on the ground, playing with her, completely ignoring the rest of the world. You took a lot of videos of her playing around Yoongi’s tail. It was precious to see how well he was with her; jumping into his new role as a cat dad. It warmed your heart. With each of her squeaky meows,  Yoogni would respond with one of his own; his deep voice making a low meow, sounding nothing at all like a cat. Yet she still responded, meowing back only louder and more pitchy.

As they continued to play, it became painfully obvious that Yoongi definitely bought those small mouse toys for him because he was playing around with them a lot more than her. Moonlight on the other hand, was approaching your bed. Pouncing on it in an attempt to climb up top. With a laugh, you helped her up onto the mattress, watching her as she waddled about the uneasy surface. 

Your stomach growled, hungry for some food. “I’m gonna go make something real quick.” You got up and kissed the top of Yoongi’s head before walking out of the room and towards the kitchen. You made a quick sandwich to refuel before getting back to playing. As you ate, you thought of how well this was going to be. Granted it was only the first day, but this was going to be good. Just by the look on Yoongi’s face you could tell. He was absolutely in love with that small little ball of fur, his baby. Your baby. 

Finishing up your little sandwich, you made your way back to the bedroom. It was quiet, you didn’t hear any more rustling or mewling. Brows furrowed, you opened the door and the sight you saw before you melted you. Yoongi laid curled up in the middle of the bed, similar to how he did when he first got comfortable with you when you got him. Moonlight was tucked close to his chest with an arm draped over her, fast asleep.

On your tiptoes, you made your way over to the bed to lay opposite of Yoongi. They both stirred as the mattress dipped beneath your weight, but both remained with eyes closed. You let your arm drape over Yoongi’s side, effectively sandwiching Moonlight between the two of you. There the three of your laid, tired smiles on your faces as you warmed the new addition of the family between you.

[angelsunflowers-fanfics]

The Invisible man x Female!reader (The beach)

The Invisible ‘Griffin’ Man x Female!reader (The Beach)

Part 2 to ‘The dance’

Request: Ok so is the prompt  66 good with you because I am thinking on how the kids like accidentally buried griffin and since the reader is the only one who can see him has to help get out(does that make sense?)

Fandom: Hotel Transylvania 

Genre: Fluff

Linktree

~~

The rickety and unstable plane was still making (y/n) a bit dizzy, she didn’t even know how long they were on that thing. It was kind of exhilarating to be on that, dangerous, but exciting at the same time.

(y/n) had personally never been on a cruise ship before and from the looks of it, neither have any of the monsters here. It was nice that Mavis invited (y/n) along, it was nice to be around Griffin. (y/n) didn’t get the chance to see him very often, living in the states and all.

Griffin was holding (y/n)’s hips lightly to support her body to the ground as the pair finally hopped off the plane, staring up at the large cruise ship in front of them. I guess he noticed how dizzy (y/n) was, he was very observant. (y/n) loved that about him.

“You okay? I know that plane made you dizzy. I wish we could’ve done better but--” 

(y/n) turned to face the invisible man and press a kiss to his lips, longer than she normally did in public. (y/n) was more than thrilled that I was to even be invited on a trip like this, a bonus was seeing Griffin after so long.

As Griffin quickly separated my lips from his, (y/n) spot a dizzy and lopsided grin adorning his features. She loved that, even after all of this time, she could still make him flustered like that. It was nice.

“Grif, it's more than fine. Come on, let's get on that gorgeous boat,” (y/n) said. 

(y/n) lightly laced my fingers with his before standing with the others on the large boat. The boat was bigger than anything (y/n) had ever seen, it was pretty. She turned to Griffin as she felt his eyes on her for far longer than normal.

“I think I know something that’s even more gorgeous to look at.” 

Of course, (y/n) already knew what he was insinuating. He was sweet. (y/n) gave him a small smile at the flirty comment and stand closer to him, (y/n) could feel how nervous he was. It was like the first night we met. That was like a Disney moment; love at first sight. (y/n) pressed herself close to his shoulder, watching as the Captain of the ship gave a little speech before all the monsters were let on.

(y/n) left the comfort of Griffin’s arms to stare out at the ocean, the waves were rumbling against the ship, but it was kinda uplifting.

The ride of the cruise ship itself was peaceful and almost quiet if (y/n) tuned out everyone. (y/n) leaned on the railing and breathe in deep… that smell, it was a beach! (y/n) wondered how near they were. The captain said that they’d be drifting for a while, (y/n) wondered how long.

Griffin was by Dracula and the others, it looked like they were teasing him about something. Curious. Dracula looked flustered, (y/n) had never seen him like that before. (y/n) heard snippets of their conversation but turned her attention to Mavis as she approached gently.

“Everything okay?” 

(y/n) gave her a small nod. She was fine, everything was kind of overwhelming right now. Mavis was already in her swimsuit, she looked cute.

“Yeah, everything’s just… A lot right now. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t get to see Griffin that often.” 

Mavis bit her bottom lip for a moment before grabbing one of (y/n)’s hands gently. What was she doing? Mavis looked more excited now.

“You could move into the hotel, free of charge if you help out,” Mavis offered. 

(y/n)’s eyes widened in surprise at the offer, she ran a hand through her hair to mess with it a bit. Moving into the hotel and seeing Griffin far more than she could normally? 

“Yeah, that’d be amazing. Thanks, Mavis,” (y/n) accepted. 

Without waiting for another second, Mavis wrapped her arms around (y/n), pulling her into a big hug. This would be okay, (y/n) wouldn’t have to say goodbye to Griffin for a while.

Mavis continued to talk with (y/n) for a while, mainly about dumb stuff our significant others do. But then Mavis asked (y/n) about my swimsuit. Of course, I dressed in my swimsuit under some light summer clothes, but there was only one problem. Griffin.

“I have it on right now, but Griffin-” Mavis nodded quickly, gesturing for (y/n) to take off the sundress and large hat hiding most of her facial features. (y/n) gave the hat to Mavis which she promptly put on.

“He gets jealous. I get that, Johnny had a phase,” Mavis said, understanding entirely. 

As the sundress dropped to the ground, (y/n) heard a few wolf whistles from behind. Both (y/n) and Mavis turned to see the commotion, just in time to see Griffin smack Wayne. 

He instantly noticed (y/n)’s stare and sent a pretty smile (y/n)’s way before complimenting her, “Looking good, Babe!” 

(y/n) turned away from him in embarrassment and covered her face with a hand, Mavis patted me on the back reassuringly. (Y/n) was still not used to his comments.

Her body lurched forward as the boat stopped abruptly. In a flash, Griffin was by (y/n)’s side to catch me before she could fall to the deck. He opened his mouth, but the speaker's overhead began to come to life. It was the captain.

“Sorry for the abrupt stop, Passengers, but our first stop is the beach! Please enjoy your time!” 

Griffin helped (y/n) to her feet, to finally become stable to the ground once again. He kept a tight hold on (y/n)’s hands and gestured toward the beach.

“A little alone time away from everyone might be nice.” (y/n) let Griffin pull her toward the beach, watching as most of the monsters stay on the cruise ship instead. “You know, you look amazing tonight.” 

(y/n) felt her face flare up again, but sat next to Griffin on the beach as he did, watching the waves crash onto each other hypnotizing.

“It’s nice out here, just relaxing on a beach instead of some wacky adventure.” 

(y/n) jumped lightly as Griffin slowly took one of her hands in his, drawing small shapes on the skin with the tips of his fingers. (y/n) knew that even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of the adventures that Drac and the others went through far too often. Did he want to settle down?

Griffin stared straight at (y/n) instead of the beautiful ocean in front of them. Why was he staring at (y/n) so intently? He looked serious.

“Yeah… Move-in with me.” (y/n) turned to stare at Griffin, did she hear that right?  A scattered blush slowly adorned his features. (y/n) could only give him a flustered nod before slowly standing up, brushing off the sand. “Wait, where are you going?” 

(y/n) gave him a small smile before gesturing vaguely to the boat. (y/n) thought she heard something about a bar. She needed to think things over on her own anyway.

“I want to get a drink. I’ll be back before you know it,” (y/n) said. 

Griffin stood up quickly, his pretty flannel shrugged halfway down his shoulders as he tried to offer it to (y/n).

“Wait, wear my flannel at least? I don’t want any other monster to ogle at my soulmate.” 

(y/n)’s eyes widened at the offer. She would love nothing more than to parade myself in his clothing because it was his… but the only ones who would know was the two of them. (y/n) gave Griffin a small smile before pulling his flannel back up to his shoulders. The thought was sweet, though.

“That’s sweet Grif, but--” 

His face went blank for a moment before he pressed his lips to (y/n)’s, pulling her closer by the straps of the swimsuit. (y/n) felt shivers climb up and down her back as Griffin messed with her hair lightly as he slowly pulled away, agreeing with her.

“Yeah. When I’m with you, I forget sometimes… that only you can see me. Don’t be too long,”  

(y/n) smiled toward Griffin lightly before slowly making her way back onto the boat, fully well knowing that Griffin hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.

(y/n) took quick steps to the bar and quickly sat on the corner seat, one drink couldn’t hurt. (y/n) knew when to limit myself. (y/n) smiled toward the bartender before asking for her favorite drink. (y/n) didn’t think that Griffin would ask her that, and so soon after Mavis’ offer. She wanted to, but what if it was too soon? (y/n) knew that they were soulmates, but anything could go drastic in a matter of seconds. Maybe She was just being paranoid.

(y/n)’s throat burned lightly as she swallowed the rest of her drink before paying her tab and leaving the bar to go find Griffin to accept his offer. (y/n) wanted nothing more than to live with him. She wouldn’t have to fly in all the way from America anymore. (y/n) didn’t get to see him nearly as often as she’d like to.

She’d say yes!

(y/n) steps were slow-paced as she made her way off of the large boat and onto the soft sand that was the beach. Griffin should be around here, it was where (Y/n) left him just a short while ago.

But he wasn’t here? That was odd.

“Grif? Honey? Where’d you go?” 

(y/n) glanced around the beach for a few moments, She still saw the shoes lying together, (y/n) forgot to put hers back on before she went to the bar. Where could he have gone? There wasn’t much room on this beach so he had to be here somewhere…

“Over here,” His voice called out. (y/n) scanned the beach for any sign of her significant other for a good 5 minutes before she spotted his head sticking out of the sand. What happened in the 10 minutes (y/n) was gone? (y/n) ran a hand over her face before she crouched down to where he was stuck. “The wolf pups found me sleeping and buried me… Can you help me out, Sweetie?” 

(y/n) laughed lightly at the predicament before she learned over to press a quick kiss to his lips before starting to slowly dig him out. She was only gone for a good 10 minutes, 15 at the absolute most. He fell asleep and got himself trapped in the sand that quickly?

She pressed another kiss, but this one to his forehead before continuing. Griffin wiggled beneath the sand to try an attempt of freeing himself.

"What would I do without you?"

[przmcn]

The lie that started in April-- A post that contains regrets

I was not into these kind of genre to be honest but I don’t know why I came across to this film. It was summer and I am too lazy to roam around the house and so I scroll down the tab to find a good movie but bump into an anime series instead as I sat down to my mom’s chair curling myself up like a baby/

The moment when the first episode was played, I felt kind of bored thinking that it was just all about a pianist and a violinist. I am not into a musical type of genre because I might fell asleep, but it turns out, I was played instead, lol. kidding aside, I was curious of how the movie will end, and so, I pressed the keys to my keyboard and the seconds started to go on.

It started off by telling about a former pianist prodigy. He was so good that a young age, he mastered all the keys and learned how to read a music note and I am not a fan of a music note haha but then again, I was drawn into the movie. I did not even realized that I spent my thirty minutes or so listening and watching him pressed the keys so beautifully but he already stop playing because her mom only wants him to play, however, he was still stuck to his mom’s cage, being her treasure to fulfill her dreams.

There this violinist who are full of passion and have her own ways to play the notes. It sound awful for the others and for the professional violinists but for me, it sounded so gracefully. She clearly express herself while performing on stage, holding up bow on her right hand while the other hand is the violin. She was so elegant in her long gown and the song that she just played makes her even more beautiful. This was just about a talented musicians or so I thought. 

As I was too busy with my judging the plot with my thoughts, The pianist heard a melodica playing in the park with three children and pigeons as the harmonizingly audience.  Making his first impression by accidentally capturing the performance with the girl up skirt blow by the wind in accident. It turns out, .the one playing the melodica was the violinist

Jumping on the next scene, They became friends because a friend of him was actually the one who’s gonna show up on the blind date set by his friends to met her, and then, next thing I knew, they practicing and performing together on stage. It was a memorable one for me because the characters really have too much going on with their lives and they just picked up their instruments and let the music convey their feelings and just left the problems behind on stage.

It happened so fast that I was starting to get uncomfortable on my sit and put all my attention to my laptop’s screen.  Everything happened between her and Kousei was actually planned by her. She was so selfish and desperate knowing she only has few months to spend and so she grabbed the opportunity to lie and just be with him without knowing her intention. She was the one who’s actually looking at him before without him knowing. She was so bright and cheerful or so everyone thought. 

Before I even hold my tears from falling, She was already having a hard gripping to her last days until she stopped playing her violin. I didn’t even realized that she loved him all along, even when they were child musician prodigy. The letter left by her contains all the truths she intends to hide until her last breath. She lied about having a crush on his friend where in fact, she was so deeply in love with Kousei, that she even sacrifice her days and just be contend being friends with him and let the truth buried under the lie she made.

I’m too weak for these kind of plot lol. I really hate these kind of ending where regrets and “what ifs” comes into my mind. This even made me stopped watching anime. I became more anxious when someone would recommend a good sum anime. I literally would ask for the summary of the plot or would do a research about the genre and everything that made me hesitate.

But it was really a good plot. After four years of being cautious with this kind of plan because I cried my heart out with the ending. I just dropped every list I had from then on and just continue to look back to Kaori’s character. She was amazing. She did lie but not for her sake but for everyone around her. 

And then the live action adaptation of these series was released. haaaa.. I was having a hard time making my decision to watch it and have the same pain again haha. but then again, a good plot with pain is good and so I had snatch a tissue roll to my mom’s kitchen and ready myself to be played once again to this movie. 

[whoever-iwant-tobe]

It wasn’t meant to be a long game (part 13)

David x Natalie: fiction. Attempt #2 at this chapter since one was lost to a chrome crash (I don’t want to talk about it)

No warnings for this chapter, just some miscommunications and light fluff

_________________________________________

You fought last night. It was yet another halloween week party. You were having a blast and drank a lot more than you realized. You didn’t notice at first, but David was almost nowhere in sight for most of the night at most of the parties you hit up. You were throwing back drinks with Zane and everyone and you just didn’t notice. What you did remember was snapping at him at the last stop of the night, something about letting you dance with Zane and you just remember feeling justified about it. Like he was being ridiculous and you were the rational one. He raised his voice for just a moment, then stormed off. When he came back, he acted like he was trying to have fun, but he had a drink in his hand like he needed it. David didn’t drink often, and even this night, he didn’t drink much.

When you got home, you stumbled onto the couch and you figure David helped you change or you figured it out yourself, because when you woke up, you were in his shorts and a hoodie and curled up on the side of his bed. But David was nowhere to be found. To be fair, you didn’t wake up on this particular day until well after noon, but it was still unusual for you to be asleep so much later than even David. You had a pit in your stomach though-- the pit that you get when you're pretty sure you did or said something you should regret, but can’t pinpoint what. 

When you did get out of bed, you took the advil Dave had left on the desk for you, grabbed some orange juice, and started responding to emails. You figured he’d be home soon, but he didn’t come. Not for a while.

When he walked in the door around 9, he was with Carly and Zane and Jason. He greeted you like he would any other time his friends were around.

“Hey Nat,” he called.

“Hey. You get footage?” you asked. Act normal. 

“Yeah, should be decent. We’re going to another Halloween party tonight. You wanna come?” he asked. That was a good sign, maybe everything is fine. He’s inviting you to go.

“I would, but I have a killer headache still. I don’t know if I can even stomach being around liquor right now” you answer, regretfully flopping your head back on the couch.

“That’s cool. Well we’re getting food and then will probably go.”

“Sounds good-- I can order it if everyone tells me what they want.” you offer.

“No it’s cool, I got it. I ordered your favorite too.” he said with a small smile. Another good sign. Maybe things weren’t as bad as you remembered.

You all ate, crowded on the big couch watching a playlist of David’s videos. He’d been rewatching them to get re-inspired. It was fun for you because you never watched his old stuff.

He gripped your shoulder before they all left, a subtle goodbye, and you were on your own again.

You kept working-- catching up from your late start in the day and then getting ahead for the next. You were supposed to fly to New York for David to do a bunch of press and you didn’t want to get behind with all the travel. 

Even though you woke up so late, something about a hangover sucks the life out of you. You wanted to wait up for David to come home. You wanted to talk and have that reassurance that everything was fine between you two, but you got to the point where you couldn’t keep your eyes open. You tried and tried, but resolved to go take a nap. You didn’t want to sleep in your own room in case David just went to bed when he got home, but you didn’t want to be in his bed either in case others came in with him, so you dragged your laptop to the love sac in his bedroom. Then if you fell asleep and didn’t wake up on time, he wouldn’t be able to avoid you. You worked for a bit longer before you passed out, laptop open on your lap. 

You woke up to the group chat dinging like mad. It was muted on your phone, but not on your computer. Something about Scott and Todd’s tour--they were probably drunk. You closed your laptop and grabbed your phone to check the time, then got on instagram just to check in one what everyone was up to. David looked bored at the party and so did Carly and Zane based on their stories. You were about to go back to sleep, when you accidentally opened your explore tab and saw a wall of this dark purple-toned picture. It was hard to make out, but everyone was tagging it as David and Liza. And it was from tonight. Like, now. 

Your heart literally sank. You loved David. You trusted David. But you hated this. You waited for a text to come through from him. Like ‘Hey, bumped into Liza at this party. Just wanted to let you know’ or something, but nothing came through. It was all over your mentions now, The people who were still holding on to Diza were thrilled. The people who wanted you and David to be together were panicking, and you were just sad. You put your phone down, grabbed a pillow to cling on to, and let yourself get swallowed up by the lovesac as you drifted back to sleep under a weighted blanket. You just needed to get your mind off of everything.

You didn’t hear David come home. You also didn’t hear him check the living room for you, then your own room for you. You woke to your phone ringing in your lap and David switching on his bedroom lights, phone in hand.

“Shit. There you are!” he exclaimed, pressing a button on his phone, causing yours to stop ringing. “I didn’t know where you went!”

You pulled the blanket higher over your body and slung an arm to shade you from the bright light now filling the room. “Sorry, I must have fallen asleep... I’ll go to my room.” You moved to get up, flustered now. Frustrated about what you saw online and still stressed about what happened in the argument you barely remembered from the night before. 

“What? No. Stay here.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just gonna go..” he blocked your path to the door.

“Nat, what is going on?” he questioned.

“What do you mean?” blocked again, heavy blanket wrapped around you.

“Why are you going to your room? Do you want me to come with? I’ve barely seen you all day.”

“No, you’re upset with me and I get it.. I’m just gonna..” you tried to walk around him, but he moved with you. 

“Natalie, stop.” he placed both hands on your shoulders. He looked you in the eyes. Whatever he saw must have made him sense your stress level, because he pulled you to his chest in a bear hug.

You let out a sigh of relief/release/something and rested your head on his chest.

“Will you tell me what’s going on at least?” He asked you, speaking into the space above your head.

You stayed silent for a moment.

“Come on, Nat.” he waited.

“It’s probably better... after last night... then Liza...”

“Wait what??” he stepped back out of your arms to look you in the face again. “Nat, we bumped into Liza at a party, we talked for a few minutes, then we filmed a quick bit when we drove past her walking to her car. It was literally a coincidence.”

“Yeah but last night, we argued.. I don’t even remember..”

“It’s fine! People argue. People who love each other argue. It was not even a big deal. I swear.”

You pondered over his words for a moment, head still hung. “You sure??” you asked.

“Yes. Babe. Come to bed. I’m tired and I didn’t get great sleep last night and honestly I just wanna cuddle. We can talk more tomorrow if you want, but please come to bed.”

You walked into his arms and his hands found yours. You held them and leaned up to kiss him. “Okay.” and then you crawled into bed and waited while he brushed his teeth, stripped down to his boxers and a t shirt, and joined you in bed.

He snuggled you into him and you peppered tiny kisses from his chest to his neck until he pulled you closer, dragging one leg across his legs and pulling you so you were laying on his chest. He kissed your hair and breathed you in while you released a contented sigh. “I do love you, Dave” you told him.

“I love you too”

__________________

Cross posted on AO3 as usual

[medievalmonk]

The Power Within: Power Trip Pt. 4

Your trip to space with Loki didn’t turn out exactly as planned, and now you were on your own, with a Ravager ship that you’d accidentally taken over as captain.

Now you had the means to track him down, however, the galaxy is so large that it could take years, maybe longer, to find him.

In the meantime, you learned the lucrative business of bounty hunting. If only the Avengers, and Loki, could see you now.

Loki.

He’d left you behind, locked in the Sparrow’s escape pod which was now being retrieved by the large ship that loomed above you.

Tears flooded your cheeks as you struggled to rise from the floor; you were finally successful but slumped into the jumpseat when your knees gave out.

You had known that he was hiding something, but not this. Something had prevented you from looking too deeply into his thoughts; you knew that he wouldn’t have reacted well, based on what had happened at the cabin, so you didn’t want to push the issue.

You now realized that you shouldn’t have so blindly trusted him; this was something that you’d learned the hard way with SHIELD and Tony Stark, but not with Loki.

After a couple of minutes, the pod jerked several times before coming to halt. You forced yourself to your feet; you were going to face this Salan on your own terms.

You closed your eyes, took several deep breaths, then blew the pod’s door off its hinges. The small group of ship’s crew was startled into inaction when you stepped forward, eyes and fingertips glowing.

“There she is.”

The low voice belonged to the person who’d contacted Loki aboard the Sparrow.

“Come along, little one. Don’t be afraid, you’ll be well taken care of.” Although his tone was gentle, you knew that he was lying.

You hit him with everything you had while tears continued to stream down your face. Lightning immobilized him while you picked his mind apart. Finally, he hit the deck, quite dead.

“Anyone else?” You asked, looking over the group of spacers. They were silenced by the sight of you.

Some of them shifted nervously while looking at each other.

“Who’s the captain?” You then rasped, throat tight with emotion.

Slowly, they pointed at Salan, and you then teleported him outside the ship, into space, and out of sight.

‘Who’s captain now?” You asked, inquiring about the first mate.

The crew all turned to the one individual who stepped forward, very slowly and cautiously. You could tell that she was female; she was tall, although not quite as tall as you, and was lithe, willowy even.

She held a cudgel in one hand, and stopped at what she deemed a safe distance away, since your eyes and fingertips still glowed.

“You. Kepptinn.”

It took you a moment to understand what she said, as you were sure your language implant had malfunctioned.

“What was that?”

“Kepptinn.” She pointed at you. “Kepptinn.”

Oh, ‘captain’.

“Are you first mate?” You asked, concentrating on what she said. “What’s your name?”

She nodded and said her name, which even with the translator was hard for you to pronounce. It sounded like “XO”, so you decided to try a nickname.

I’m sorry, I can’t say it correctly. Can I call you Exxo? On Earth it means executive officer, and kinda sounds like your name, You told her telepathically.

Exxo nodded before answering. Yes, I like it.

Is there anyone here who will give me trouble?

No, we hated other captain. He broke the Code.

You sighed then smoothed your hair. “Show me to my quarters.”

Exxo nodded and motioned for you to follow her. You did so, but you were still wary, especially when several of the crew followed. You kept tabs on them telepathically while Exxo guided you through the ship.

“Here. Kepptinn’s quarters.”

Exxo opened the doors and you realized immediately that she’d brought you to Salan’s cabin. You didn’t really care to sleep amongst a dead man’s belongings, so you asked her if there was an empty one that you could rest in.

So she took you to the one just across the hall, which was clean and clutter free.

“This will do, for now,” you told her. “Seal the other one until I can go through it.”

“Rest, I will guard,” she told you.

You nodded and waited for the door to close before sitting on the bed. Only then did you let your emotions run free. The purple in your eyes slowly faded; once your tears were finally spent, you fell asleep on the bed, thoroughly exhausted.

— — —

When you awoke, you weren’t exactly sure how long you’d slept; it could have been days for all you knew. Once you started stirring, there was a soft ping at the door that you didn’t recognize until it sounded again.

“Come!” You called out.

Exxo came in with another crew mate behind her that carried a tray of food, which was deposited onto a table. The smell of the food reminded you that you haven’t eaten for at least a day.

You climbed off the bed and then sat down at the table. Exxo poured water for you, then a pale pink liquid.

“What’s that?”

“Wine.”

You remembered the wine that Loki had given you that nearly burned your lungs out; you started to pass on it but decided that you needed alcohol.

“Sit?” You motioned to the empty chair while you tested the wine. It wasn’t anywhere near as strong as what you’ve tried before, so you emptied the glass.

Exxo poured more for you before sitting down. She declined food, but watched while you ate. You were hungry, everything tasted good to you, and you ate more than you normally did. Finally, you sat back, after finishing the wine.

“Hungry.” Exxo smiled tentatively at you.

“Yes,” you replied, nodding. “So, what is the first order of business?”

“Talk to crew,” she said. “They have grievances.”

“Such as?”

“No pay for several jobs.”

“Really? That's not very nice,” you frowned. “Where did Salan keep his credits?”

“I’ll show you. Also, Stakar will want to meet you, since this ship is now yours.”

“Who’s that?”

“Chief of Ravagers.”

Exxo explained about the Ravagers, and about Salan breaking with them and the Code they operated under. She explained a lot to you about how Salan ran his ship, and you knew almost immediately what you would change.

“Okay, first we will make sure everyone gets paid, then shore leave perhaps?”

“They like you already,” Exxo told you, smiling.

“Will you teach me?” You asked.

She nodded enthusiastically, causing you to smile in relief. You got up to stretch, then ran your fingers through your hair.

“Are there any clothes here that will fit me?”

Again, she nodded while getting to her feet. “Follow?”

She showed you to a store room stuffed with clothes, boots and anything you could possibly need. She helped you find outfits, and you chose clothing in buff or sand colors, with boots just a bit darker.

Exxo also gave you a matching helmet to use on planets that didn’t have sufficient oxygen. It fit behind your ear, and activated to cover your face with the press of a button.

Once you were satisfied with the clothes you’d picked out, you had her show you where Salan kept the credits he’d been hoarding. She explained how many crew members there were, and approximately how much they were owed.

“Call them together for a meeting.”

“Whatever you want, Kepptinn.”

— —

Your new ship was too big to land on a planet, so Exxo had docked it at a space station. She provided a list of repairs, getting your okay before starting the work.

Most of the crew were already gone for a few days’ R&R; you didn’t want to leave the ship, and Exxo wouldn’t go without you, despite your urging. So, you had her show you the entire ship, and ended up at Salan’s cabin, which was still sealed.

Together, you went through everything, returning some items to the storage room, and setting aside valuable artifacts that could possibly have a reward on them. These were then locked in the brig for safe keeping.

You both searched diligently for any hidden compartments until you were sure you’d found them all. Exxo was instructed to let the crew take anything they wanted, and if the artifacts had any kind of reward, it would be split among them.

Once finished, you asked Exxo to have it cleaned. It was larger than the one she’d shown you to, so you decided to move into it, after all traces of Salan were removed.

— — —

You’d now been captain for several weeks. Your crew was becoming fiercely loyal, and your ship was renamed to Corsair.

Exxo had already researched the artifacts that had been in Salan’s cabin, finding that they all carried a reward for their return, so you had her contact their owners to set up the meetings.

True to your word, you split the rewards from the items that had already been returned, and the ship was on course for another meeting. Exxo made sure that enough credits were kept for food and to operate the ship, but the crew was happy that they were getting paid regularly.

Exxo turned out to be a great help to you, teaching you about the ship, how to negotiate better, and more about the Ravagers, since Stakar Ogord and a couple other high ranked Ravagers had requested a meeting. You decided to meet with them after finishing the business with the artifacts.

In turn, you told her about Loki, but being careful not to tell her too much about him or what you were capable of. There was also something else you kept from her, as you weren’t certain yet, but you suspected you would know for sure in a few weeks’ time.

You knew that Loki wouldn’t voluntarily go back to Asgard unless he intended to take the throne, so he was likely just going to other planets to refuel and to create a little ruckus. He definitely wouldn’t return to Earth by his own volition.

Exxo understood that you wanted to find him, so she put out feelers with other Ravagers, asking them to keep an eye out for him.

— — —

Two months later, you had your answer when morning sickness hit with a vengeance. Nothing would stay down, but Exxo eventually found something that you could eat.

She was miffed that you’d didn’t tell her sooner, but you explained that you hadn’t been sure. She felt a little better after that, but told you in no uncertain terms that you were to tell her if anything didn’t feel right; she also had brought a healer onboard to check on you.

Once the crew learned your ��secret”, they grew more protective, insisting that you remain on the ship when possible.

— — —

After your first few months on the Corsair, word spread through the sector about a new captain that took no nonsense from anyone. Rumors also spread that no one ever saw this captain’s face, except select crew members, and that the captain was powerful.

Your crew also elaborated on the rumors and when asked, said that they’d never seen Kepptinn’s face either.

While you still didn't want to hurt anyone unnecessarily, you had no qualms about delivering prisoners or escapees to authorities. If they caused trouble, they were dealt with. No muss, no fuss.

Exxo helped you to modify your helmet so that you could cover only the lower part of your face when you wanted, then could lower the shield for your eyes when needed. The visor had the effect of enhancing the purple glow if you got upset. You also took to wearing gloves to add to the mystery.

Whenever you had to address anyone, you spoke through Exxo, with your mask in place. She and the crew thought it funny that a cloud of mystery had developed around you and the Corsair, and they perpetuated it.

Finally, you were in a sector where a meeting with Stakar and other Ravagers could be scheduled, and you were a bit apprehensive. Ravagers were more or less a criminal element, and you had always been law-abiding. At least until you had stolen Loki from Stark Tower, or liberated him, rather, since he didn’t object.

You decided that you would continue the habit of speaking through Exxo, with your mask in place, until you had a chance to study the Ravager bosses. Then you could decide whether to address them directly.

— — —

Exxo led you to the conference room on Stakar’s ship. She had also chosen one of the Corsair’s crew members as a second guard for you. They were each armed with a blaster, while you were glaringly unarmed.

You weren’t really showing yet, although you did have to get new clothes from the storeroom, and you selected items that would camouflage your thick waist.

You sat in the chair that you were directed to, then waited until the men got uneasy enough to talk first. They each shifted in their seats, feeling your mental touch but not really recognizing what was happening.

There were a total of three men, along with their guards or first mates, and you nodded at each when they introduced themselves.

“And your name is?”

“My name is not important. I go by Kepptinn now,” Exxo relayed your response.

“But that’s your title, not a name,” Stakar said, leaning back in his chair while he studied you. “You do have a name, do you not?”

You tapped the fingers of one hand on the table in irritation, and Stakar could swear that you had glowing eyes. The other men grew quiet while they waited.

“You may call me ‘Kyrie’ then, if you insist on a name.”

“Okay, uh, Kyrie, what’s with the mask? We usually meet face to face -“ One of the others asked, while peering at you closely.

You huffed and rose to your feet, ready to leave. There was work to do for your crew so that you could pay them. And there was still the matter of Loki.

If my lack of a name and the mask concern you so much, I will return to my ship. You requested the meeting and I’m sure there are more important things you wanted to discuss.

“You’re right, please sit down.”

After a couple of minutes, you sat back down and leaned back in your chair.

What other questions do you have, other than ones concerning my name or mask? Keep in mind that I will not answer if I feel they’re irrelevant.

You grinned when it became obvious that they didn’t know what to make of you. You could even sense Exxo’s amusement.

Careful, you warned her, even though you were ready to laugh.

Of course.  

You listened while Stakar and the others told you about the operations of the Ravagers, and that you could take Salan’s place once you’d earned it. You weren’t certain that you wanted to join the fold, so to speak.

“Why should I work so hard to earn his place? He had already broken from you and went his own way,” you asked, deciding to speak directly to them. “What is the benefit of that?”

“Because we help each other and..”

“You mean to take a cut from any credits that I earn, yes?”

“No. Your first mate can fill you in, but we don’t steal from each other, nor do we deal in stealing or selling children for any reason.”

“I would agree about the children,” you responded, quietly. “I will think about it, but for now, I have -“

“And there is the matter of locating your travel partner who turned you over to Salan.”

“Wh-what?” Your gloved hand clenched into a fist and the men were definitely unsettled when the visor of your helmet started to change from smoke colored to purple. Exxo shifted uneasily and debated whether to risk speaking to you to try to cause a distraction.

“We can help you find him.”

“I can do that on my own.”

“The galaxy is a very large place; it could take years for you to accidentally come across him.”

You knew that to be true, but suspected that if one of them found Loki first, they would ask a hefty reward for him. It would be better for you to find him first; when you did, he was in for a world of hurt.

“I will consider it,” you finally replied, rising to your feet. “For now, I have my crew to take care of. They’ve not been paid properly for some time and I mean to rectify that.”

— — —

Once you were back aboard Corsair, you hurried to your quarters, with Exxo rushing to keep up with you. Once there, you closeted yourself in the bathroom.

Exxo ordered food to be brought, quickly, while she waited for you.

“Sorry.” You finally came out while wiping your face with a wet cloth.

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” she replied, handing you a glass.

“What’s this?”

“Juice,” she replied, offering it again.

You accepted it and took a tentative sip before drinking it all. She poured more for you, then moved to open the door when the food arrived. When she motioned toward the table, you tiredly sat down to eat. Your stomach was doing flips so you ate slowly until you were certain that the food would stay down.

“What’s upset you?” She asked.

“Loki,” you sighed. “And the thought that it could take years to find him.”

“When the time is right, he will find you.”

“Yes,” you responded. “I need to rest for a bit. Please set course for Sovereign and let’s hear about those batteries.”

— — —

Once you were alone, you laid on your bed and stared at the ceiling. Loki was in the back of your mind every day. Thoughts of him while you were alone invariably led to tears; your emotions would shift from anger to hurt, then to shame that you had so easily fallen for him after setting him free.

Maybe you had been better off in the containment unit at Avengers Tower. You knew that there was no going back, as a simple apology wouldn’t spare you from retribution. Loki let loose on Earth was dangerous but him at large in space, with a ship, was simply disastrous.

Your thoughts were in such turmoil that the entire crew felt the upheaval; Exxo would have come back to your cabin to check on you, but she was on bridge duty, so she stayed where she was.

After a time, you fell asleep and the crew breathed a sigh of relief.

— — —

After meeting with the Sovereign High Priestess regarding stolen Anulax batteries, you decided to take on the task of finding the thief and gathering as many of the batteries as you could.

The theft was still fairly recent, so you hoped to find the thief with the batteries, which would save a lot of time and credits. Exxo helped to put out inquiries about anyone selling the batteries or for someone who suddenly acquired them.

The job took another six months, but you and your crew finished it. You had the thief and all but one battery to return to the Sovereign, who paid the reward gratefully.

From there, you decided to concentrate on collecting bounties and became good at it. You didn’t care to steal anything, and the crew was happy to track down the wanted criminals. You rarely had to leave the ship, to your relief.

To save time and resources, you’d capture as many as you could in one go, then would deliver them before starting the circuit again. Your crew was divided into teams, then you'd leave them until they had several captures.

On occasion, you would have to fight off another bounty hunter; if the crew couldn’t handle it, then you would step in. Word slowly circulated about Kepptinn and the crew of the Corsair, and more business was sent your way, enough that you could pick and choose which ones you took.

— — —

Once again, you & Exxo stayed aboard Corsair while the crew was on R&R. She reviewed the job offers that needed a decision, then recommended the ones to accept.

By the time the crew returned, they were ready to get back to work. One of the crew came to the bridge to speak to Exxo, and handed her a small crate.

“What’s that?” You asked, when she brought it to you.

“Samel has a surprise, and gift, for you,” she replied, with a smile.

You took the crate and opened it carefully. A small blue-grey head popped out, and it meowed.

“Oh! A kitten!” You took the cat into your hands. It meowed again then began to purr loudly.

“It’s a Flerkin,” Samel corrected.

“A what?”

“Flerkin, not a cat.”

Samel explained what a Flerkin was, and how to take care of it. You were concerned that it might be dangerous as it grew, but Samel and Exxo assured you that if it was treated well, there was no danger.

“What about with Wyatt?” you asked.

“No danger to him.”

“Okay. Thank you, Samel,” you told him. “It’s a lovely gift.”

He nodded before bowing slightly and leaving. Exxo scratched the kitten’s head as it crawled up to perch on your shoulder, then she laughed when it surveyed the bridge as if it owned the place.

“I’ll have to think of a good name for him,” you said, thoughtfully.

Exxo agreed as she continued to stroke the kitten.

“Alright, Exxo, please get us underway. I’ll be back in a while.”

— — —

You slipped quietly into your stateroom with the Flerkin. Emmi, one of the crew, sat on the floor playing with a small child. You observed for a moment, then the kitten’s meow got their attention.

When you sat on the floor near them, the boy came over to you.

“Hey, sweetpea,” you murmured, kissing his forehead. “Lookee what I have.”

The little boy reached out a hand to touch the Flerkin, then grinned at the feel of the soft fur.

“Be careful, be very careful,” you instructed, while guiding his hand to show how to pet it.

After a moment, you pulled him into your lap, then put the kitten on his legs where he could continue to touch it. It was such a peaceful moment, that you couldn’t help but hug the boy.

“Mama loves you, Wyatt,” you whispered.

“Wuv yoo,” the child responded.

Wyatt was just under two years old now, with dark hair, green eyes and the sweetest disposition. He was easy going, rarely cried, and the entire crew of the Corsair would die while protecting him.

The kitten jumped down to explore the room, with Wyatt walking unsteadily behind it. When it jumped onto the bed, it hid underneath a pillow, then playfully jumped out at him, making him giggle gleefully.

“He’s playing peekaboo, sweetpea,” you said, smiling at the sight.

“Boo!” Wyatt tried his own version of the game, and cackled when the kitten got the zoomies and ran around the perimeter of the bed.

The game continued for a few more minutes before something else got the kitten’s attention. Wyatt was fascinated with the animal for a while until he returned to you.

“We will have to give him a good name,” you commented, while running your fingers over Wyatt’s hair.

“Where Boo?” Wyatt asked.

“Boo?” You laughed in delight when Wyatt had apparently chosen a name already. “Boo, it is then.”

You got up and lifted Wyatt into your arms, hugging him again.

“Emmi, I’ll be back in a bit, are you alright with having a Flerkin nearby?”

“Of course,” she replied. “They are gentle unless mistreated.”

— — —

Several weeks after getting Boo, you were in your cabin with Wyatt when Exxo contacted you from the bridge.

“Kepptinn, there is distress signal from a small ship that’s nearby,” she told you. “Permission to assist?”

“Of course,” you told her. “Any weapons on it?”

“None, it’s a passenger ship.”

“Go ahead, I’ll be down shortly.”

— — —

Exxo took the Corsair to intercept the smaller ship, noting that there didn’t seem to be much damage. It was more likely that it had simply run out of fuel. She locked the tractor beam onto it so that it could be towed into the large cargo bay.

Once the ship was onboard, Exxo and a small group of crew waited until the occupant lowered the hatch to exit.

“Thank you for your help…”

Exxo drew a sharp breath when she immediately recognized the man who now stood on the deck.

— —

Loki was grateful that the captain of the Corsair had agreed to help him, and wary, of course. He was embarrassed that he’d let the Sparrow run out of fuel; he’d stopped at a space station to get more, but before he could get enough for a long trip, he had to leave abruptly.

Another hunter had caught up to him, as he had a bounty on him from several planets due to stolen fuel. He always managed to talk his way out of confinement, but since he really had no place where he could stop and lay low, he had no choice but to keep moving.

He realized that it was only a matter of time before he was caught up to again, and now here he was, stranded, and picked up by a much larger ship.

Now he was faced with a group of about twenty spacers, and none of them looked very friendly. His gaze swept over them, until one of them stepped forward.

“Kepptinn will greet you shortly,” Exxo said. “Please wait here.”

“Kepptinn?” Loki repeated. “The captain?”

“Kepptinn,” she repeated, before whispering in Samel’s ear. “Keep him here and in sight while I get her.”

— —

While Exxo headed to retrieve you, she worried about how you would react now that Loki had practically fallen into your lap. She went to your cabin, and brought Emmi along.

“It’s onboard already?” You asked, while giving Wyatt over to Emmi.

“Yes, it wasn’t very far away,” Exxo replied. “I told the captain that you would greet him shortly.”

You nodded after giving Wyatt a quick kiss on the temple.

“You and Boo behave for Emmi,” you told him while giving him a little tickle.

“Kay-kay.”

— —

On the way to the cargo bay, you could sense that Exxo was upset about something.

“What’s wrong?”

It took several minutes before she could reply. “It’s him.”

“What?”

“It’s him, Loki...he was on the ship.”

You stopped dead in your tracks, then leaned against the corridor wall. She was quite certain that you were going to faint.

“Are you alright?”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes.”

You took a deep breath, trying to get control of yourself. It had been over two years since he’d locked you in the escape pod and jettisoned it while he made his escape.

You had promised him that you would make him pay for that, and you intended to keep your promise.

— —

Loki waited patiently for the captain to arrive at the cargo bay. He’d tried to make conversation with some of the crew, but they never responded to him.

Finally, there was movement as the group slowly parted when a tall, masked figure walked through them, followed by the woman who had first greeted him.

Loki watched curiously before a tendril of lightning circled his ankles, while at the same time a sphere of energy hit him square in the chest, knocking him off balance. He fell heavily to his back when his feet were pulled out from under him.

He groaned, then gave a soft laugh when the masked figure leaned over to look at him.

“I’ve missed you, too, pet,” he said.

You deactivated your mask while keeping your eyes on him. Finally, you turned to Exxo.

“Bring him,” you told her, before you walked away without a backwards glance.

Bring him to my quarters but give me time to have Emmi take Wyatt with her. Samel, disable that ship, but don’t make it obvious.  

Loki was hoisted to his feet when Exxo motioned toward him, then she too turned to lead the way without speaking to him again. He was led through the corridors until they reached a stateroom.

Once deposited inside, he was left alone. Loki looked around the comfortable room, noting the large bed in one corner and a small table in a different one, which had a tray of sliced fruit, cheese and chilled wine.

He poured wine for himself, then selected fruit from the tray. When you came into the stateroom, he turned to look at you.

“Excuse me for a moment,” you told him. “Help yourself to the fruit. If you’re hungry, I’ll order more.”

Before he could reply, though, you went into the bathroom and closed the door. When you emerged, you wore silky leggings and a long tunic over it, and your feet were bare.

“You’re looking well,” you commented while serving yourself from the tray.

“So are you,” Loki replied.

You looked the same to him, with a slight difference: your hair was now completely grey, with a purple undertone. You kept it cut short, where the ends barely touched your shoulders.

Loki thought you were more beautiful than you were two years ago, and he truly was glad to see you.

“Can we talk?” He asked, a little uneasily.

“What about?” You asked, while accepting the glass of wine he offered.

“I’d like to explain why-“

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” you interrupted with a smile. “That’s in the past, right?”

“Right,” he replied. “But still, will you listen?”

“If you insist,” you shrugged.

You sat at the table to eat, and he joined you. He poured more wine for the both of you, then leaned forward.

“I’m sorry that things went the way they did,” he started.

When you said nothing, he continued. “I must admit that I didn’t plan properly for the cost of a ship, fuel, and food, so resorted to what I was familiar with: stealing if necessary.”

You nodded but kept silent. Loki watched while you ate before he continued.

“All the time that I spent teaching you how to handle a ship, and how to defend yourself, had a purpose. I wanted you to be able to continue on without me, if it came to that.”

Still, you said nothing, just waited for him to say what was on his mind. You listened so that you could choose your words, knowing that you had to be careful not to lie to him because he would know instantly.

“I would never have left you behind like that, and especially wouldn’t have sold you...I only agreed to that so that we could fuel the ship...Salan caught me by surprise, and the escape pod was a bad idea…”

You realized that he was telling the truth, or as much of it as he was willing to share.

“I see,” you responded. “Well, then everything worked out fine, didn’t it?”

“I suppose.” Loki wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or wary of your attitude.

“So, where are you headed to next?”

“I’m not sure. I still need fuel…”

“I will help you with that,” you told him. “I do need to make a couple of stops first, though.”

“Of course.”

You could tell that he was confused by your reaction to him; he’d expected something quite different.

Unknown to anyone but Exxo and yourself, you’d kept checking to see if any bounties came up for Loki. You knew that he’d be very hard to capture, due to his intelligence and seidr, but someone was bound to get lucky at some point.

Reports of stolen fuel followed Loki as he moved across the galaxy, along with bounties for him by the ones who wanted their money. There were several reports that gave you pause, since you’d been offered as payment to at least three dockmasters.

Exxo watched while you sat in stunned silence at what she’d uncovered. Loki had told you that he wouldn’t sell you, but deep down you knew if there was a choice between his freedom and you, he would preserve his own skin. You couldn’t blame him, really, if one of the consequences was to return to Asgard’s dungeons and possibly face execution.

After that, you paid Loki’s debts once the dockmasters agreed to cancel any outstanding bounties. Instead, you put your own bounty out for him, with the stipulation that Loki would be brought to you alive. It would take time for the change to filter through the galaxy, but you and Exxo were sure that it was now just a matter of time before he was found.

Now he was telling you that he never intended to sell you, he had just spun lies like he’d always done. You weren’t entirely convinced, but you did feel better that perhaps he hadn’t used you after all.

“Do you require more food?” You asked, after a couple of minutes.

“Not at the moment,” he replied.

When you got up from the table, he started to do the same, but he was stunned when you sat on his lap. One arm slid around his shoulders while your free hand caressed his jaw, then throat.

His hands tentatively rested on your waist and leg, and his eyes closed when you found the sensitive spot near his ear.

“I have missed you,” you whispered, against his jaw. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Loki relaxed with a sigh when you ran your fingers through his hair. You pressed your forehead to his temple while you breathed in his scent, just relishing the close contact and familiar smell.

— — —

“Sir?” Jarvis got Tony’s attention while the team had gathered for an early lunch.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“There are visitors on the promenade,” came the reply.

“On the - how’d did they - “

Tony led the way until they all stood across from three visitors, one of whom was Loki. His wrists were bound by chains and shackled to his waist. From the look on his face, he was absolutely furious.

“I have a gift for you.”

“What happened, Reindeer Games? You made her mad, did you?” Tony couldn’t help but laugh just a little.

Loki growled and struggled against the chain; he was angry enough to strangle Tony regardless of the consequences.

“Who are you, friend?” Thor asked.

You deactivated your mask but didn’t approach any of them; you did touch them all telepathically to see if anyone had alerted SHIELD. You had already decided to keep your distance, because any of them would be quick to try to detain or even drug you.

They all stood in shocked silence for a few minutes before Natasha took a couple steps forward.

“No.” You raised your hand to stop her.

“You’ve changed,” she said, softly.

“Yeah, well, lots of things have happened,” you replied, taking a moment to move in front of Loki.

You reached up to touch his face, then tiptoed to kiss him, but he wouldn’t unbend enough to allow that.

Don’t be like that. You told me once that you weren’t easily outgamed, remember? You told him. At first, I was angry enough to take you to Asgard, but I changed my mind. I don’t want you locked away from daylight and especially didn’t want you to be executed. You’re much safer here.

Loki nodded slightly, then did soften enough to allow you to press your head against his.

I love you, and it’s alright if you don’t love me back, you went on. I needed you more than you needed me, at least until I got you off-planet. And I do thank you for teaching me to be self-sufficient before we parted.

“Kepptinn?” Exxo caught your attention while you removed Loki’s shackles, then handed them to her in exchange for the item she had held out to you.

“Kepptinn?” Bucky asked. “What’s that?”

“Captain,” Loki responded, tersely, while he straightened his shirt. “That’s what they call her.”

“Who’s ‘they’?” Steve asked.

“Her ship’s crew.” Loki’s mood lightened a bit when he was able to tell the others something that they didn’t know.

“And you have a ship?” Tony asked. “There’s a story there.”

“Another time, perhaps,” you replied, not wanting to be off the ship any longer than necessary. “Would you or Jarvis be willing to update Exxo’s iPod? The crew has listened to all ten thousand songs, and want something new.”

“Ten thousand?”

“Yeah, it’s for karaoke night,” you replied, with a slight shrug.

“I’m speechless, but sure. Jarvis?”

“Done, sir.”

“Thank you,” you told him, then to Exxo: Are you ready?

You’re not going to tell him? He will never forgive you if you don’t.  

Maybe another time.

Eeee, who is that??

You grinned at the awe in her voice when Thor moved to Loki’s side.

That's Thor, his brother.

He’s big! I wouldn’t want either of them mad at me, she said, cajoling.

Alright, you’ve made your point.  

You looked at each person on the promenade, studying them briefly. Then you did another mental scan to be sure that there were no other people approaching the Avenger level.

I have someone that I want you all to meet, but before I bring him down, I want it understood that if anyone makes any inappropriate moves toward us, I will level this building from the top down. And SHIELD had better not show their faces.  

“Alright, you’ve got me curious,” Tony agreed.

After a burst of cool air, Samel appeared just slightly behind you, with your child in his arms. You turned to take Wyatt, who was taken with the sight of new people to meet.

“This is Wyatt, my son,” you said, hesitantly. Our son.

Loki gave a start before his eyes quickly scanned over you and the boy. You remained where you were, carefully watching his reaction.

“Thor...Wyatt is your nephew.”

Thor was clearly surprised, but his smile eased your misgivings, and you smiled back.

“Could I?” Thor asked, indicating that he wanted to hold Wyatt. “I promise, no funny stuff.”

You stifled a laugh at that; clearly Thor had been around Tony too much.

“Alright,” you agreed.

You met Thor halfway before allowing him to take Wyatt, and ignored Exxo’s appreciative gasp. You could understand her reaction, since Thor was easily twice her height.

Thor held Wyatt carefully, and chuckled when the child reached up to touch his face and to pull on a lock of blonde hair. Wyatt grinned at him before looking over at Loki.

“Loki?” You said, making a motion with your hand.

He reached for his son, who was more than willing to go to him. Loki touched the fine, dark hair while Wyatt returned the favor by grabbing a fistful of Loki’s hair.

“He’s a fine boy,” Thor said.

“Yes.”

After a few minutes, you reached for Wyatt, noting that Loki was reluctant to release him, but he did without a fuss. Samel took him from you, then you teleported them back to the ship .

”You won’t stay?” He asked  

“Not as long as there are those who wish to control me; and I have Wyatt to consider.”

You tiptoed to kiss Thor’s cheek while tucking something into his belt. He took a quick look at it before slipping the communicator further out of sight.

When he’s ready.

You looked up at Loki, with tears brimming your eyes. He gently pulled you close to his chest and held you to him.

“You should have told me,” he said, his breath tickling your ear.

“And I would have,” you replied.

He finally let you step back, and you zapped his butt to be sure that he hadn’t cast an illusion and to aggravate him a bit. Tony chuckled when you did so, and Loki rolled his eyes.

I love you, you told him again before disappearing with Exxo.

Never forget that I love you.

@sadwaywardkid @whothehellsbucky @littlemissunloveable @sllooney

[obwjam]

hear me out- Bucky having made friends with a borrower, and that borrower being tortured by HYDRA in order to bring back the winter solider

i have heard you. and i shall answer you. i actually LIVE for the “tiny comes from a place of torture and is rescued by a big friend” trope. like, absolutely obsessed. the dynamic is A++++++

(tw: mentions of blood, torture, guns)

taglist: @nightmarejasmine @burrpoetry @thepoolofthedead @the-original-space-cowboy @gttrash @smolkuriboh27 @bittykimmy @misfitsgalaxygt @a-black-pegasus @smol-jar-of-pickles @sanderssidestrash27 @snack-at-midnight@haveyouheardofborrowers @pomelo-chan @sammigruber @gttrash@tiefling-trickery @bittykimmy​ @random-sanders-dragon

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Bucky blamed himself.

There was no one else to blame. If he had never talked to you, you would have gone your whole life without getting into trouble. You would have kept borrowing peacefully, blissfully unaware that he knew your every move. He had been watching you for so long and you had no idea. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to finally meet the tiny that lived in his walls.

When he first saw you, he had no words. He had never seen something like you before. He watched in the shadows as you carried grapes in your arms like a giant beach ball. He was hardly upset; it was a treat just watching you do what you do.

He watched you for weeks. He found that you came out at the exact same time every night, because at that point, he was usually asleep. He never left food out on the counter per se, but he made sure to be a little extra clumsy while cooking from time to time. 

He was enthralled. He couldn’t stop. At some point, he figured, it bordered on creepy to watch you without knowing anything about you. It was hard pinning you down the first time he met you -- literally, he tried to pin you down -- but eventually, he found out the best way to talk to you was no grabbing and no looming.

You two were surprisingly similar. You were both pretty quiet and reserved, both had tough pasts. You both knew what it was like to lose friends and family. You knew what it was like to feel like you didn’t belong. 

Now, it all felt like a trap. Hydra had been hunting Bucky for months. They knew he now had the protection of the Avengers, so swooping in to attack him was no longer an option. Somehow, they needed to lure him back to their base.

And you were the perfect bait.

During a failed attack, Hydra had at least managed to bug the place to keep tabs on Bucky’s habits. They were pleasantly surprised to discover that he had a tiny companion that he seemed to be very fond of.

“P-please, s-stop-stop... “ you begged, but you knew it was worthless. You were going on your fifth--no, sixth?-- hour of torture. The first few hours, you just sat in a cage in a dark room. Complete and total isolation. The growing anxiety of when, who and what was coming for you next drove you into a panic so frantic that you spent a half hour trying to rip away at the cage’s wiry bars. 

Finally, when someone did show up, their presence was enough to make you cry. They opened the cage and lifted you up by your shirt, dangling you higher and higher in the air once they saw how furiously you kicked your legs. They moved their fingers from your shirt to your torso, spinning you around in the air as they observed you.

“What a sad little creature…”  they whispered, squeezing you incrementally harder and smirking as your face contorted from the pain. Your eyes felt like they were about to pop out of your head as the air flew out of your lungs like a vacuum sucking up air. 

You were dumped onto tables, prodded with tools, flicked by fingers, gazed down upon by dozens of eyes and held in place by pieces of tape. Oh, the tape was the worst. All you could do was look straight into the eyes of your captors. They would rip off the tape and replace it with new strips for fun, just to watch the tears leak from your eyes. 

You knew exactly why they were doing this, too; Bucky had told you just about everything. There was a part of you that was begging him to come and save you -- you had never felt this kind of pain before. But that was Hydra’s intention. You had to be stronger than this. Your best friend’s life was at stake.

Bucky’s hair was whipping so fast he thought it might fall out. He hadn’t eased his grip on his handlebars since he got on his motorcycle. How could he let this happen? Why didn’t he just let you come with him on his grocery store trip? To think that your safety was his concern…

He kept repeating your name under his breath. To say it out loud, it was his only way of convincing himself you were still alive.

You cringed underneath the magnifying glass being held over you. The heat from the lamp above you and the way it filtered through the glass made you feel like you were sitting next to the sun. You could feel your clothes soaking with sweat.

There was a loud bang somewhere off in the distance. Men were screaming, guns were firing and boots were thumping.

He was here.

Bucky hadn’t felt this kind of fervor in a long time. He was barely thinking as he knocked out agent after agent. He didn’t even feel like he could be touched right now. He wouldn’t allow himself to be. He knew it was a trap, but his only goal was to rescue you.

“Where ARE THEY?!” he screamed as he fired bullets into the chest of another agent.

The doctors who were handing you looked up. They almost couldn’t believe the anger in Bucky’s voice. They knew you were important to him, but they may have underestimated just how important.

“BUCKY!!!” you screamed, knowing full well you’d be punished for it. “BUCKY! IN HERE! BUCKYYYYYYYYYYY!”

You suddenly felt the force of a giant hand over you. One of the doctors slammed his entire palm over you, intentionally pressing it against your body. You tried to scream, but couldn’t open your mouth. You were lucky to get some breaths in.

Bucky heard something small. It sounded like his name. He thought it could be even more of a trap -- that whatever voice he was about to follow wasn’t actually yours. But in this dark, damp facility, it was all he had to follow.

“You little rat,” the doctor hissed at his hand.

“Take your hand off them. If they die then he’ll go mad,” the other doctor insisted. 

“If he hears them, he’ll come in here,” the first doctor said, sounding nervous. “And we don’t want him to--”

He didn’t get a chance to finish. The door burst open and Bucky ran through, gun pointed. The two doctors cocked their guns in response, finally giving you some air. Bucky immediately saw you.

“What have you done to them,” he growled. He could see the glint of blood dripping from your head. 

“Nothing permanent,” the doctor snarled, chucking his gun aside to lunge at Bucky. Bucky blocked every punch and dodged every kick, holding his own in this two-on-one fight in the small room. He put his gun back in his pocket so he wouldn’t accidentally fire it at you. 

As the giant men fought, you squirmed in the tape. The more you wiggled, the more you could feel the stickiness wearing off. Even though the tape dragged and pulled at your skin like a dog pulls on a rope toy, you managed to get one of your legs free.

“Longing,” one of the doctors yelled in Russian. Bucky’s eyes widened.

“No,” he whispered, taking a swing at the doctor. He missed.

“Rusted,” the other doctor yelled next.

“NO!” Bucky took another wild swing.

“FURNACE!”

“STOP IT!” Bucky swiped, missing the head of the doctor narrowly. His force propelled him forward and he smacked into the desk where you were pinned down. You looked up in horror as the bookshelf on the desk started to shake. Luckily, nothing fell.

“(Y/N!)” Bucky gasped before the doctors spoke again.

“Bucky, what’s going on, what are they saying, what’s--”

“DAYBREAK!”

Bucky clutched his head, his breath picking up. He looked down at you, bleeding, sweating, crying and shaking. He hadn’t seen someone so roughed up in a long, long time.

“I’m sorry buddy, this shouldn’t have happened,” he breathed. “I should have just-- I should have protected you.”

“Stop,” you said, hiccuping between breaths. “Stop, stop. Don’t blame yourself. I’m glad you found me.”

Bucky smiled -- the closest thing he’s come to a smile in a long time, anyway -- as he turned his attention back to the doctors.

“Seventeen,” one of them said. Bucky’s hand was shaking as he reached for the gun in his pocket.

“Bucky, whatever it is, don’t listen to it,” you pleaded. “Please… please, I need you!”

Bucky shut his eyes, repeating your name in his head over and over. He felt the cool surface of the gun’s handle scrape his fingertips.

“Benign.”

A flash of pain went through his skull. He gripped the gun.

“Nine.”

“Homecoming.”

“One.”

“Freight c--”

Boom.

The first bullet flew right through the chest of the first doctor. Blood began slowly leaking from the circle wound as the doctor clutched his chest and staggered backwards. The other doctor was taken aback, giving Bucky enough time to put a bullet through his chest before he could utter the last word.

In an instant, the two doctors were slumped on the floor, lifeless. Bucky dropped his gun and ran over to you.

“Please, hold still,” he said, raising his shaking fingers to the edge of the tape. You closed your eyes and gritted your teeth as he peeled it back.

“OwowowowowOW!” you said impulsively. 

“Sorry, little guy,” Bucky muttered, moving over to the next strip. He felt guilty for hurting you.

“This--ah!--isn’t your fault,” you said, reading the guilt all over his face. Your jaw was quivering at the sight of his giant trembling fingertips inches from your face.

“Stop saying that,” Bucky said snidely. “Just let me get this off of you.”

You wondered why it hurt less getting the tape off your leg, until you tried to stand up. You had lost all feeling.

“Woah!” Bucky stuck his hand out, extending his pointer finger. “How badly are you hurt?”

“Well, I guess I can’t feel my left leg,” you said, pushing on his finger and using it to stand up. “That’s new.”

“Aw man,” he said, starting to twist his hands underneath you. “Can I…?”

You nodded, letting him take the pressure off you as he lifted you slowly into the air. You fell back into his palm and leaned back on his curved fingers. Staring up at his billboard-sized face freaked you out for a moment, if only because you were still reeling from what just happened.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Bucky mumbled as he stepped over the bodies of the doctors. He looked back down at them one last time, just to make sure.

“It’s… it’s okay,” you said, staring down at the bodies with him. You had never seen a dead body before and you hoped you’d never have to again. “Y-you had no choice.”

“I should have never dragged you into this mess.”

“Bucky…” you sighed. “You, someone with a sick metal arm and literal superpowers, wanted to be friends with me. You thought I was cool. I still can’t believe that. And now you’re… you’re my best friend. I didn’t care that these goons took me. I only cared that you might get hurt trying to find me. Or that I’d never see you again.”

Bucky didn’t realize he was smiling, probably because he forgot what it felt like to do that. What you didn’t know was that Bucky thought you were much stronger than him, in all the ways it counted.

“I won’t let anything like this happen to you again, (Y/n),” Bucky said quietly.

You smiled. “Just let me come to the grocery store with you next time.”

Bucky laughed the smallest of laughs. 

“Only for you.”

[artboitrash]

His Bloody Rose (Stefano Valentini fanfiction) Chapter 9 - Morning After

I woke up wrapped in soft sheets. I felt my eyes flutter open, completely covered by the blankets.

Was it all a dream?

I begin to stretch, then clench up in pain. My entire body is sore, something I'm not used to. Something I don't think I've ever felt.

I felt my face heat up, pulling an aching arm to my face. Oh christ, it wasn't a dream. God, and I made such a fool of myself.

When I stopped stewing in my own embarrassment, I grasped the bed cover and pulled it down from my head. I blinked at the light streaming in from a window. I sighed to myself, realizing I was completely alone. I don't think I could face Stefano if I tried now. I looked around the bedroom, taking in what it looked like in the morning.

I sat up slightly, each of my limbs protesting as I moved.

I looked to the edge of the bed, seeing a glass of water and a card sitting on a bedside table. I leaned over and grabbed the card, bringing it to my sitting position. It was a handwritten note, elegant cursive writing on a blank piece from a note pad. I felt myself smile. Of course he would have such beautiful handwriting.

"Cara mia, good morning. I'm afraid I have to go out this morning because I got a call. Stay at my home as long as you need, I'll come back in a few hours. We will talk about my art when I come home. Please make sure you stay hydrated. There is some food in the kitchen if you can make it there. If not, I will care for you when I get back."

I giggled a little. I lay back, letting my eyes flutter back closed and my body rest some more. My face heated a little again, and I thought about last night.

--P.O.V. Shift--

_This damnable woman. _I thought to myself, walking down the hallway. She is making everything more difficult for me.

I knocked on the door to the office I had been walking to. My mind was elsewhere, keeping my eye out for inspiration, and perhaps some new materials if need be, for my work.

My mind constantly replayed how I met my current interest, how easy it seemed to make her enamoured and ensure she would trust me. She seemed entranced by me the moment we met, and it was simple to get her to open about her thoughts and get under her skin.

The office door opened, and I smiled at the woman standing before me. She smiled back, muttering an apology and gesturing for me to come in.

"I was quite grateful to receive your call this morning." I said, still thinking to myself. "I was worried we would never be able to speak again."

The head of the art department laughed slightly. Perhaps it was too early for jokes.

Rose. My mind couldn't slip away from her. She found out I was the one killing the models that I had made into art. More than anything, I wanted to know how.

She wasn't that of easy woman to get under the skin of, though I will admit our "relationship" progressed faster than any I recall being in. Most took me a long time to build, and I was surprised to hear her utter the phrase "I love you" in tandem with her understanding I was a murderer.

I was especially surprised to know she was willing to let me bed her after making that knowledge clear.

I shook the hand of both the head of the art department and the head of gallery planning. I sat down across from them, then I slid my portfolio to them again.

My newest creation, a play on Cinderella, was now in there. After Rose had fallen asleep, I processed the work. She hadn't noticed me slipping out of bed and going to develop the film. I wished for her to see it first, but she was still fast asleep in my bed.

Her dress fell to her knees, arms in a waltz without a partner. A single bit of hair extended over her mask, and a single rose sat in her fingers that pierced the skin, extending out as though to run away. Her blood spilled over her neck and over the necklace I had her wear, as though to soil the fine things she wore, turning them back to the tattered objects she wore before. Her hips were turned slightly away from the camera, feet turned in the step of the dance, body turned in the middle of a spin - something I was impressed she had managed to hold for so long. Her face - masked to hide her identity initially - was turned towards a soft light from above her. I didn't have time, and almost forgot to add, a clock face to the background of the picture, implying she had been caught at midnight during her dance, about to be revealed as nothing more than a common woman rather than an elegant creature. I had added in cascading rose petals and flowers in post, my personal favorite addition to my pieces. Perhaps it would read like a stage play to others, but to me it read a woman encased in a fairytale or story. Perhaps she has a happy ending yet.

Rose had hidden beauty that she wouldn't show. Not unless someone pushed her, of course. I was ready to completely kill her last night when I realized it wouldn't be ideal. I had to get out of her how she realized I was a serial killer, and if she had mentioned it at all to anyone, it would be bad if I were the last person she was seen with.

"This is new." said the gallery head, I believe her name was Carolinn. She pointed at the picture that held Rose in it.

I smiled. The most perfect image from the several I had taken. It was difficult to decide which one was better, as with each piece I created I always outdid myself, but this time I had changed the narrative and let her live. She wasn't the first model I let go, but she certainly was the closest I had come to killing that I allowed survive.

"Yes. A new model came to me yesterday, and we did some experimental shots." I chuckled. "I do not usually add new models to my portfolio unless they are complete professionals, but this one outdid herself."

"Do you mind telling us who she is?" The head of the art department interjected.

"Not at all. She is Rose Olian. She and I have been speaking to each other and bonding over art since the first day I came here." I kept smiling, shifting my face to read fond and almost nostalgic. "I had gotten lost while looking for your office, and she guided me via one of the downstairs maps. When I learned you weren't here just yet, I went back to the gallery to observe the latest installation and get to know her."

"Do you know where she is? She didn't report to work today. She usually checks in with both of us before she clocks in."

I felt my face fall slightly. "Ah, yes. Poor thing, she fell sick during our photo session. I had found her completely soaked in the rain before we returned to my studio. She stayed with me during the night because she was too sick to return home. She almost immediately fell asleep when I took her to my couch, so I decided she should stay the night to become well."

My mind cut to the image I had seared into my imagination. The look she had on her face as I stared down at her during sex the night before. She was scared of her emotions as I seduced her, and of whatever had occurred to her during other times she had sex. She was scared of how fast she had fallen in love with me, and I wasn't about to compromise the strange amount of trust she had given me.

Her reddened face, barely strong enough to look at me, tired arms laying above her head played in my head. The softness of her breasts pressed into me as I placed her chest against mine. Her skin, so so soft, pulling me to her as her fingertips caressed me as I made love to her.

The near melodic sound of her voice calling out my name.

If I was lucky, I would be able to seduce her again. I had almost forgotten how nice it was with someone else, how satisfying. It had been at least over a year since I had last slept with someone.

"I will make sure she calls you when I see her next." Then I made a face as though I had just realized a predicament. "I do believe I accidentally stranded her at my home. Oh dear. I will go straight there after our meeting to make sure she's safe and not too frightened."

The two women smiled in relief as I sat before them, and continued talking about my work. They discussed how worried they were about how my work would be received by the students and public, but insisted they were willing to take risks.

I suggested some of my simpler photographs be in plain view to ease the audience into the full installment. As I knew how my work was often perceived, I said, I am sure it might be ideal to catch their interest for a smoother understanding.

They discussed with me how it would be shown, what the opening and closing would be like. I suggested hanging some photos from the ceiling, implying imaginary walls, for the sense of surrealism that my work demands. We came to a finished idea for the gallery set up and atmosphere.

They seemed to like that idea. The meeting came to a close, and initially we began to leave.

As I exited, portfolio in hand, the gallery organizer, Carolinn, stopped me.

"I'm sorry, but I'm still a little worried about Rose." She said as we stood in the hallway. "Would you mind proving she's okay?"

I raised my eyebrow at her. "I can certainly try. I'm not certain how, other than ensuring she calls you."

"Can you call her? Do you have her number?"

"Ah, yes. She gave it to me on purely professional terms." I pulled my phone from my pocket. "I had almost forgotten, thank you."

The truth was I had found it in her bag, finding a number with her notebook and other supplies, in case she lost them. I'm not used to going through someone's things, but felt it was necessary to keep tabs on the woman that knows what I do.

I typed out her name and clicked the call button. I put it on speaker phone, hoping she would pick up.

After several rings, there was a click.

"Uh, hello?" Asked a very tired and struggling voice over the phone.

"Ah, good morning, bella." I said into the microphone. I watched Carolinn breathe a visible sigh of relief. "We were calling to make sure you were okay. I went off to my meeting with your boss and accidentally stranded you at my home."

"'We were calling'?" She echoed.

"Yes, miss Carolinn is here too."

"Hello, Rose!" She called out over the speaker. "Are you feeling better?"

"I... yeah, sorry. I forgot I had to come in to work today, since..."

"It is okay. Take the day off, we were just worried you hadn't come in or called. If you're sick you're sick. I'll hold Mr. Valentini accountable for your wellbeing if you don't get better soon."

I chuckled intentionally, then spoke towards the receiver again. "I'll come by shortly to pick you up and take you home. Please forgive me for leaving you there, I will certainly make it up to you in the future."

"I'm going to go back to work, make sure you get well!" Carolinn said aloud, then turned down the hallway.

I clicked speakerphone off, putting the phone to my ear.

"Dont worry, it's just me now." I said quietly, making my way to the stairs.

"Why did they ask you to call me? And how did you get my number?"

"I found it in your notebook. I wanted to make sure I could keep in touch with you."

I opened the door to the stairs in front of the main office.

"As for asking about you, I added your picture to my portfolio. They seemed to enjoy it, and I outdid myself in its perfection of course. Did you get a chance to see it?"

"No? Is it in your room?"

"Ah, no. I left it with the food I made for you this morning - it's in the kitchen."

"Oh, sorry. I've had a hard time getting out of bed."

I laughed, hearing the sound echo down the stairs. "I assumed; I know what I can do to the female body."

She went silent, and I couldn't help but imagine she was stewing in her own embarrassment, face filling with that lovely red as she was overcome with emotions.

"Now, I would like to discuss how we move forward from here, bella." I reached the bottom of the steps, freezing now that I knew the stairwell was empty, and seeing no cameras or sensors. "Obviously, I can't have you telling anyone about how I work, nor can I keep you there forever. If you disappear now, I'm afraid it would be the end of my artistic creations. So, I would love to hear your compromise."

She hesitated, only static emitting over the phone line.

I continued walking out the doors, leaving the stairwell and exiting the building. I saw the spot where she had kissed me, and I kissed her back in hope she would follow me back to my studio.

"I... I don't want anything from you, Stefano."

"Oh? I find that difficult to believe." A smile pursed my lips as I spoke. "Where's the drama, the tension of blackmail and waiting until one of us completely despises the other?"

She sighed. "I'm not that kind of person."

I smiled some more. "Of course not."

"Do you want me to ask you for something?"

"Perhaps. Maybe just to ensure you won't go and tell anyone too much."

She sighed over the phone. "Well... I guess the only thing I could ask for is for you to relieve me next time I'm feeling too emotional or suicidal."

"In what way?"

"... Be my boyfriend."

I stopped in my tracks. I laughed aloud, back arching as I let out the strongest belly laugh I'd had in years. I almost missed her next statement as I kept walking.

"--or friends with benefits."

"I'll tell you what, we can have a compromise." I smiled to myself as I walked up some stairs and to my car. "When you are feeling down, I'll comfort you. Perhaps act as your lover if you need. If you are feeling like hurting yourself, I shall use you as my model and create marvelous art with you in it. When I begin to lose interest, then I will turn you into a complete masterpiece. In turn, you stay by my side as my lover or girlfriend and don't tell anyone what you know. I can be affectionate to you when you need, but I'm not the stable relationship type, my dear."

"I... Okay. I'll do it."

I chuckled. "Then I'll be by to come care for you, cara mia. Make sure you are ready for me."

[lapetitebleu]

Hi! Saw that reqs weren't sent in so here I am sending one in to ya!! Although it was for another group and member but a GOT7 one doesn't hurt. :D anyways may I request one for Jinyoung where his S/O says they found a new 'jinyoung' to replace them but it's really just a pet or a stuffed animal to tease them with, please and thanks! I hope this makes sense because I did this to my male coworker who's name is Ryan and I told him I replaced him with another Ryan which is the kakaofriend Ryan. XD

Hi! Aws, thank you so much for the request! Sorry it took a while to answer, I was handling a few things from college. Also, I hope you like this… it’s my first time, so I tried my best. It’s no so long neither, I apologize.

Requests are still open!

“Hurry back or I’ll find another JinYoung to replace you,” you joked to your boyfriend on the last call you got to share together while he was in the middle of the tour, and he just laughed it off.

Whenever the boys went on tour, the final week was the hardest to bear with for you two since the anxiety to meet up again rose to the max. Part of JinYoung was sad that the concerts ended, but another was excited to be able to spend time together after not being able to text or call each other almost at all as he had been working on their next album with the rest of GOT7. That was exactly the reason why he was almost desperate to see you again as soon as they got back home, except he accidentally saw the texts Jackson and you were sending each other during their flight.

Jackson W: “So… how’s Junior doing?”

JinYoung frowned, for one, you both knew how over he was of that nickname, and two, why would Jackson be asking for him when they were a row of seats away from each other?

You: “Well… I hope JinYoung doesn’t find out about him yet. It’s awkward enough that they share the same name.”

Jackson: “I still think you should tell him the truth.”

“Are you reading Jackson’s chats?” JinYoung jumped up a bit, turning to look at JaeBeom. The leader arched a brow when the other half of JJ Project shook his head. JinYoung brushed him off with a shrug once he got a grip of himself, but his mind kept going on all the possible scenarios that included a man (named exactly like him) and you together and him not knowing.

He didn’t get to see you right when they landed, as they had to go back to the company for their closing meeting, giving and taking reports and tabs on everything from the tour. It was past midnight when he sent you a message asking if you could go meet him at the JYPE building since he was stuck working with JaeBeom on the last details for their comeback. An hour later, you were knocking on their studio with a bag of food in hand, well aware of how those two could forget to eat whenever they were focused on their music.

“Hey,” you peaked inside after softly knocking, your eyes warming up at the sight of JinYoung laying on the couch fast asleep. JaeBeom greeted you with a small smile, quickly snatching the bag from your hands. He left JinYoung’s portion on the small coffee table there, and excused himself out to give you some privacy.

You turned to look at your boyfriend, biting your bottom lip to hold back the emotions swirling inside for having missed him dreadfully. Taking a seat on the arm rest, you started combing your fingers through his hair, until he slowly blinked awake. His smile was dazzling, almost making your heart beat right out of your chest, and you leaned down to peck his lips. “Missed me much?”

“Mmh, I had a JinYoung that kept me company,” you teased him, but his expression changed drastically, taking you by surprise, “what?”

“You have another JinYoung in your life now?”

“It’s a long story…”

“Oh, I see, since I’ve been gone so long, you just went and found another JinYoung because there’s a lot of people named like that,” the situation was turning ridiculous, you just listened to him while biting back your smile. He wasn’t angry; he was just being dramatic, as always. “Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me!” he whined, but you just laughed.

~

“Is this JinYoung?” JaeBeom pursed his lips in order to keep himself from laughing, “Seriously?”

You held a small Pomeranian puppy in yours arms as you nodded, “Yep, isn’t he the cutest?” you pressed the puppy’s nose to yours, “I just love him.”

“Have you told JinYoung?” Jackson came in drinking some coffee, “Because he’s driving us insane.”

“Nope, I just think it’s fun having him think it's another JinYoung, as in a guy,” YuGyeom cackled from his place in the couch from their new practice room, “though I do know JinYoung from B1A4…”

“Don’t tell him that or he’s never going to stop complaining he’s not the only JinYoung in your life, please,” YoungJae begged as he looked at photos of Coco on his phone.

JinYoung had been checking a few scripts for possible upcoming dramas, so he was arriving late to practice, and didn’t know you went on a surprise visit with your new puppy named after your boyfriend just to tease him. He stood by the door at hearing your laughter, and didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but not really because he stood there watching your back as you spoke.

“It’s just that I couldn’t help it, I fell in love with him at first sight,” you explained whole-heartedly, “I knew I had to tell JinYoung, but I knew he’d be pissed that they even share the name.”

JinYoung almost kicked the door open, which scared the puppy who jumped out of your arms. You were so shocked that you could only call after him as he ran straight towards your boyfriend, “JINYOUNG!” both the dog and your boyfriend looked up at you; then, he looked back at the puppy. JinYoung took a minute to process the information before he picked the puppy up, “JinYoung?” he saw the dog turn to you too.

“IS THIS THE JINYOUNG YOU CHANGED ME FOR?!” You could only shrug with a smile while the puppy began to licked his cheek, slowly softening his expression, “… Well, he is cute.”

“Cuter than you.”

“Hey!” You just laughed before you came closer to kiss both of your JinYoungs’ cheeks.

[artificialqueens]

Something Borrowed 6/? (Witney) - Miss Bianca & jazz

Summary: This was going to be Courtney’s first visit to her childhood home in five years, and she’d made a lot of plans. Obviously, none of them had included falling into a whirlwind, summer love affair with her father’s 28-year-old fiancée, three months before the planned wedding. But sometimes, things just happened.

Miss Bianca’s A/N: And we’re finally back. I missed jazz and our girls so much, y’all have no idea (or maybe you do, idk). Just a brief reminder that this playlist made by @alaskasthrone exists, because we recently discovered that it’s been expanded since we last listened to it, and all the songs are still perfect. And, of course, you can always find us at @willamdelrio and @artificial-jazz , and this fic will be posted on ao3 as well.

jazz’s A/N: SO SO sorry for the delay with this chapter – real life got in the way a bit :((( Believe me, Miss Bianca & I missed writing this fic as much as you all missed reading it. Catch up on Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, & Chapter 5 here, my loves! Enjoy <3

Willam’s expression hardened the moment Dave’s voice boomed through the house, and Courtney felt her heart sink into her stomach. They were standing at the top of the stairs, holding hands, and Willam was wearing a full face of makeup and a tight skirt for the first time in what felt like forever. Impulsively, Courtney went up on her tiptoes, pressing a quick kiss to Willam’s cheekbone.

When Dave stepped into view, Willam dropped Courtney’s hand instantly, and Courtney watched helplessly as Willam descended the stairs.

Swallowing hard, she stepped backwards into the hallway, and then turned around, retreating into her room. She could greet her father later, she figured. Closing the door, Courtney sat cross legged on her bed, and waited for Willam’s inevitable knock or intrusion.

It never came. The sky went dark outside her window, and when Courtney finally emerged from the room to find something to eat, the house was quiet again.

She imagined that maybe, Willam would be curled up in the living room, or waiting spread out on the floor of the foyer, or perched on the counter sporting nothing but panties and a seductive smile. But there was no sign of the other woman anywhere, and by the time Courtney reached the kitchen, she’d realized that the house was empty but for her and the trail of lights she’d left on behind her.

She ate cold vegan pizza from the fridge as quickly as she could, hating how big and lonely the kitchen felt without Willam propped against the bar, watching her with a hip cocked.

The whole house felt lonely without Willam, Courtney realized. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood on the fluffy rug in the foyer, her toes digging into the soft fabric, and stared up at the balcony of the second floor landing. She couldn’t help but picture Willam there, in yellow-gold lingerie and matching heels, her elbows resting on the railing, fingers curled to beckon Courtney upstairs and a mischievous smirk daring Courtney to fuck her right there, make her moans bounce off the high ceiling.

The steps felt endless and tiring, and by the time Courtney had collapsed onto her bed once more, her limbs were as heavy as the weight in her chest. She checked her phone impulsively every few moments, hoping that maybe Willam had texted.

As she lay on her back, she found herself wishing desperately that they could rewind to this morning, with Willam pressed against her, breathing softly against her bare chest and slowly tracing her name on her hip.

Courtney waited until past midnight for Willam to come to her room like she’d said she would, digging the other woman’s fur coat out of her closet for some sort of company. Eventually, Courtney found herself curled up on her side, trying her hardest not to cry and wondering why all the color seemed to have been sucked out of the world.

She fell asleep accidentally with the lights still on, the coat pulled over her like a blanket, wrapping her up in the fading scent of Willam’s perfume.

—–

“Courtney?”

Burying her face in the covers, Courtney squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She’d hardly slept last night, and she needed a few more minutes.

“Courtney.”

The mattress shifted under her, and then there was brightness behind her eyelids as the coat that had been pulled up over her head was abruptly tugged away from her face.

“Wake up, princess.”

At that, Courtney’s eyes flew open as she suddenly processed who the voice belonged to.

Willam was sitting next to her, in a t-shirt stolen from Courtney’s closet. The sunlight from the window was making her eyes sparkle, and she was smiling down at Courtney, bright and warm, and Courtney thought she might burst.

Pushing the coat the rest of the way off her, Courtney sat up as fast as she could, practically throwing herself into Willam’s lap and wrapping her arms and legs around her tightly. After a few seconds, Willam hugged her back, and Courtney felt her laughter more than she heard it, utterly caught up in the softness of Willam’s body pressed close against hers again.

“Good morning,” Willam chuckled, and Courtney smiled into her neck.

“Morning,” she replied, her voice muffled. “You didn’t come last night.”

“I couldn’t, babe,” Willam said, rubbing her back. “Looks like you cuddled with my coat instead.”

“Shut up,” Courtney mumbled, stifling a laugh. “I missed you.”

“It hasn’t even been a day, Court,” Willam said, and Courtney could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Getting all clingy with me, as if I was the one away for a week.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t miss me too, you asshole.”

Willam ran her fingers through Courtney’s hair, and tugged at it gently, making Courtney lift her head. She was still smiling, a slightly lopsided grin, and Courtney was struck with the overwhelming urge to hug her again, even though she’d never stopped in the first place.

“I did,” she admitted. “But you gotta let go of me, though.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not gonna kiss you till you brush your teeth,” Willam said. “And you’re super cute right now, and I don’t wanna wait.”

“Well, you can wait another minute,” Courtney said decidedly, tucking her face back into Willam’s neck.

“Bossy,” Willam commented under her breath, and Courtney swatted her back. “Hey!”

With her qualms from the night before almost completely forgotten now, Courtney squelched the small voice in the back of her head reminding her why things couldn’t be this easy forever. In a few minutes she’d brush her teeth, then kiss Willam on the lips and everywhere else for a little while, or maybe for a few hours, and she couldn’t bring herself to care about much else.  

It was this same giddiness – the warmth that Courtney felt at Willam carving out a special moment in time for her that morning – that carried Courtney through the rest of her day. Nothing, Courtney determined, could take that away from her.

She was Willam’s best-kept secret, her favorite thing – Courtney could feel it in the intensity of Willam’s passing glances, in the way a small smile seemed to permanently hide in the corners of her mouth whenever Courtney was nearby.

She’d ride that high for as long as she possibly could.

Courtney even learned to love the game. She found herself staying up late and listening for footsteps outside her bedroom door, when it was quiet and dark aside from the moonlight casting shadows onto the wall, waiting with bated breath for Willam to slip in undetected.

They’d run “errands” for Dave in the afternoons, drive to the laundromat to pick up his dry-cleaning and fuck in the parking lot, Courtney’s sundress bunched at her waist.

Or maybe, if Willam wasn’t wearing a bra, Courtney would tug down the top of her dress until her chest was exposed, and fuck Willam hard, pressing her upright against the door in the backseat of the Jeep so anyone could see them, watching her breasts jiggle in time with her gorgeous little moans.

The scandal of it all seemed to make the whole affair sexier – Courtney soaked her panties through at the thought of getting caught, and noticed how much more desperately Willam bucked into her touch when she thought someone might be watching.

None of it seemed real, when Courtney took a moment to distance herself from the situation. They were two girls living out a movie plot, downsized to a screen that could be shut off as the credits rolled after a cheesy ending and a ride off into the sunset that solved all of their problems.

There were little things that poked holes in Courtney’s fantasy, though – things like Willam’s huge, ugly engagement ring slipped back on after she washed any evidence of Courtney from her fingers, like the way Willam disappeared into the master bedroom when Dave got home. Like the distant sound of Dave’s yelling later on, and the total lack of reply that made Courtney’s stomach turn.

Sometimes, Courtney secretly worried that maybe it wasn’t that kind of movie after all.

Even still, around the house, she graciously accepted the subtlest of touches: the brush of Willam’s fingertips against her side as they shuffled around the kitchen after dinner, or how she’d squeeze Courtney’s hand when she was sure no one was watching, a motion so quick that Courtney would’ve thought she imagined it if it weren’t for her racing pulse.

The alternative to it all was to acknowledge the fragility of their arrangement, its potential expiration date looming large on the horizon – and that wasn’t an option. Not for Courtney, at least. No, she’d keep things as they were for as long as possible, ignoring the wedding planning tabs constantly open on Willam’s laptop, thank you very much.

So, when Willam approached her in the hallway upstairs later that week, mumbling an incoherent request into Courtney’s ear while a hand on the small of her back guided her into her bedroom, the butterflies in Courtney’s stomach had her complying obediently.  

As soon as the door was shut and locked behind them, Willam’s mouth was on Courtney’s, biting and insistent, her hands gripping Courtney’s hips tightly to keep her steady. Courtney looped her arms around Willam’s neck, letting the other woman walk her backwards until her weak knees hit the foot of her bed and she sat down on the edge, breaking the kiss involuntarily.

She panted softly, trying to catch her breath. Her own cheeks were flushed, she could feel it, and her lower lip stung deliciously from where Willam had bitten down and tugged with her teeth.

“Baby,” Willam sighed.

Something tugged in Courtney’s chest at the pet name, and she looked up at Willam reflexively. Her breath caught at the intensity in Willam’s gaze, the raw hunger and the hint of something else, hidden in the affectionate tilt of her lips.

“Yeah?” Courtney managed to say, squeezing her thighs together.

“Baby,” Willam repeated, and Courtney swallowed the whimper rising in her throat. “Fuck, I want you. So bad.”

Willam bent at the hip to press a kiss to Courtney’s lips, slow and languid, her hand cupping Courtney’s cheek as she stole what little air was left in Courtney’s lungs and left her lightheaded.

Rendered completely speechless, Courtney gave a small nod in acknowledgment, ran her hands up the backs of Willam’s legs, letting her touch speak for itself. Willam pushed gently at her shoulders, and Courtney moved backwards onto the bed, watching Willam pull her skirt up around her hips and crawl forwards to straddle one of Courtney’s thighs.

Courtney wanted to say something, tell her how glad she was to see her, how insanely gorgeous she looked on Courtney’s lap, but Willam was kissing her again before she could get the words out.

Once she could get her brain to focus on anything other than Willam’s mouth on hers, Courtney scratched lightly up Willam’s abdomen, pushing her shirt up and running her fingertips all over the exposed skin. Willam hardly gave her a moment to breathe before kissing her again, and again, as if Courtney was addictive, a drug that she couldn’t get enough of.

When Willam finally broke the kiss and propped herself up with her hands on Courtney’s shoulders, both of them were breathing heavily, and Courtney could feel the heat and dampness of Willam’s panties against her thigh.

Willam’s eyes were almost wild, her lips pouty, and she dragged her nails slowly across Courtney’s chest, gaze following the movement of her hand. When she popped the top few buttons of Courtney’s shirt, scratching over the top of her bare breast, Courtney couldn’t help but whimper softly, needing more contact. As if triggered by the noise, Willam started to rock her hips against Courtney’s thigh, groaning low in her throat at the friction.  

Courtney settled her hands on Willam’s ass, encouraging her movements, and the Willam started to grind down faster, nails still digging into Courtney’s skin.

“God, look at you,” Courtney murmured, staring up at her. “I wish I had time to kiss you everywhere, make you feel as gorgeous as you are.”

Willam let out another moan at the praise, louder and needier than the first. Courtney let out a strangled breath, the sound of Willam’s voice sending a bolt of arousal straight to her core. She sunk her fingers into Willam’s ass, squirming and lifting her hips from the bed in an attempt to get some friction where she needed it most.

Clearly taking notice of Courtney’s desperation, Willam tossed her head back and moaned again. Her eyes narrowed almost playfully as she continued to grind on Courtney’s thigh without making any effort to return the favor.

“Do you think he can hear me?” Willam panted, letting out another groan, back arching. “Fuck, I almost wish he would. Then he’d know I fucking fake it with him.”

Courtney whined softly, flexing her thigh and pulling Willam’s hips down more roughly. Willam was only confirming what she already knew, but the wild recklessness in her words combined with the way she was using Courtney’s body to get herself off was enough to make Courtney want to cry out, beg to be touched.

“You know that, right?” Willam said breathlessly, her hand kneading at Courtney’s breast now. “You’re the one who makes me moan and scream, Court. It’s just – ooh, fuck – just you.”

“Good,” Courtney exhaled, reaching up to tug at Willam’s shirt, pulling her back down enough to kiss her. “I want you all to myself,” she added against Willam’s lips before wrapping her arms around her and sliding her hands down to rest on Willam’s ass again.

“You have me, baby,” Willam gasped, her head dropping to rest on Courtney’s shoulder as she moaned again, this time high pitched and through her teeth.

The sound was sharp, cutting, and for a moment, Courtney was positive that it must’ve been audible in the hallway and throughout the entire house. But there was no knock on the door, no footsteps in the hall, and Courtney wanted to hear that noise again more than anything.

Willam panted hot breaths on Courtney’s upper chest as she drove herself higher and higher, and then her teeth closed around flesh, biting down on the taut skin just below Courtney’s collarbone, and Courtney cried out, channel clenching around nothing as she moaned brokenly.

She almost didn’t hear it, the first time the car horn blared from outside. Her thigh was practically slick now, and Willam was moaning in her ear, but when the horn beeped again, three times in succession, everything came to a grinding halt.

“Oh, shit,” Willam hissed, her eyes wide and frantic. “Goddamnit, I fucking – Court, I forgot.”

“What?” Courtney demanded, as Willam scrambled off of her, swaying from side to side for a moment before stumbling towards Courtney’s closet. “What did you forget?”

Willam smacked her forehead with her palm, rubbing the heel of her hand against the space between her eyebrows as if she was trying to clear her thoughts. She wrenched open Courtney’s closet, rifling through the section that was now solely devoted to her own clothing.

“Willam!” Courtney exclaimed.

“It’s fucking – it’s date night,” Willam said finally, and Courtney could see how shaky she was. “He’s waiting for me in the car, I’m already late, I’m not ready -”

“Calm down, Bill,” Courtney said, sitting up. “It’s fine, he’ll understand.”

“You know he won’t,” Willam said, looking back over her shoulder at Courtney. “Cut the crap.”

She hastily took off her tank top and pushed her skirt down past her hips, stepping out of it quickly and grabbing a dress from the closet. It was tiny and shimmery, iridescent shades of teal and green and purple, and Courtney could practically feel how thin and slippery it was as Willam slid it over her head. With the way it loosely draped over her figure and hugged her hips, the way it rode up her thighs the second she started to move, Courtney’s hands were already itching to touch.

“You can’t just put that on and leave,” Courtney complained, watching the hem slide higher up her thighs as Willam reached up to tousle her hair into a shape that seemed intentionally debauched, rather than accidentally so.

“I gotta,” Willam said, looking over to meet Courtney’s gaze. “I’m sorry, kitten. I’ll be back soon, promise.”

With that, she spun around, and disappeared into the hallway before Courtney could protest any more. Courtney stared at the mess Willam had left in her wake in stunned silence, articles of clothing and discarded hangers littering the floor, and flopped back down on the bed with a huff of frustration.

Willam could be gone for hours, Courtney figured. She honestly didn’t know if she could bear it.

She could feel the heat pooling between her own legs, and her thigh was still slick from Willam’s wetness, and she wanted to punch something or someone out of sheer sexual frustration.

With her chest rising and falling heavily, the top of her shirt still open to expose her breasts, Courtney glared at the ceiling. She’d liked it much better when Willam was on top of her.

Now, she was just worked up, and more than a little bit annoyed to boot. In hindsight, Courtney realized, she probably should’ve grabbed Willam’s hips and pulled her up to straddle her face instead, so at least one of them could’ve gotten off before Dave had so rudely interrupted.

Selfishly, a part of Courtney hoped that Willam was just as wrecked as she was. From the wild-eyed look on the other woman’s face as she’d changed and stumbled around the room, Courtney was pretty sure that was the case.

She pictured Willam, legs squeezed together underneath the dinner table, squirming in her seat as she ordered an expensive cocktail on the rocks with too sharp a tone – or trying her hardest to maintain conversation and feign interest in Dave’s dull anecdotes, still in the pair of soaked through panties that Courtney knew she hadn’t changed, her nails digging harshly into her own thighs.

The image made Courtney feel slightly better, almost – but didn’t do much in the way of distracting her from the ache in her core. Briefly, she considered taking care of herself, but gave up the thought after a moment, realizing that it wouldn’t be satisfying after having Willam so close so recently.

“Fuck, I want you. So bad.” Willam’s words echoed in Courtney’s ears, and she took a shaky breath, crossing her legs at the ankles. Baby, Willam had called her. Over and over, making Courtney melt into the bed, soft and malleable and adoring under her. “You have me, baby.”

“Fuck,” Courtney whispered out loud. She grabbed a fistful of her comforter, wished desperately that it was Willam’s hair instead.

After a moment, she loosened her grip. Willam liked when she tugged on it gently, just enough to direct her but not enough to hurt. Willam liked everything better gentle, liked to feel pretty and soft and cared for.

Courtney doubted Dave knew that. Or cared enough to find out.

Men were pigs, she reasoned. And men like her father most of all, the ones who used money and power to manipulate women and then treated them like dirt for letting themselves be taken advantage of.

The combination of arousal and righteous indignation felt like an adrenaline rush, prompting a desire in Courtney to spring up and do something rash, like rush outside and cuss out the first wealthy-looking man she ran into, or video call Willam and make her wish she’d bailed on date night altogether. Clenching her hands into fists, she closed her eyes, and waited for the feeling to pass.

Except it didn’t.

While she possessed just enough self-control not to call up Willam, Courtney did still want to send her a quick text, something to remind her of what she was currently missing out on. After all, Courtney was suffering. It was only fair to let Willam know.

As soon as she had her phone in her hands, one text asking Willam to come back soon turned into three, then six, telling Willam without sparing any details what she wished she’d done to her in the short time they’d been alone together.

It was like shouting into the void. Each message was opened and ignored, until Courtney was gripping her phone tightly enough that she thought she might crack the screen.

Willam had some nerve, ignoring her like this. Courtney was aware that she probably seemed beyond needy and possibly annoying, but at this point, she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She wanted Willam’s attention, and she didn’t feel like waiting.

Making a split-second decision, she popped open the rest of the buttons on her shirt, and shimmied her shorts down her legs, leaving her in her panties with her chest bare. She crossed one arm over her stomach to push her breasts together, showing off the small amount of cleavage she had, and fumbled for her phone. The adrenaline was still coursing through her system, and she could practically feel her pulse under the fingers laid across her ribs as she found the perfect angle and snapped a few pictures.

Courtney chose the most flattering of the bunch and sent it quickly off to Willam without a moment of hesitation, refusing to give herself the chance to overthink it.

She only had to wait a few moments until the read receipt appeared, and only a few seconds after that before Willam finally decided to reply, spamming her with messages.  

The string of curses and exclamation points, along with a desperate inquiry as to what the fuck Courtney thought she was playing at, made satisfaction curl comfortably in Courtney’s stomach. She smirked at her phone screen and wiggled a little, feeling a bit like a cat who’d finally managed to get her owner’s attention. Or, rather, a kitten.

And Courtney was in the mood to play.

For good measure, she shrugged the shirt off her shoulders and took another few shots, free hand toying with her own nipple until it was stiff and sensitive under her fingers.

She figured that would be enough material to keep Willam’s mind on her and her alone until the date was over. And after that, if Courtney played her cards right and sent a few more choice messages later on, she was positive Willam would find a way to get her alone again once she arrived back home.

The next hour and a half crawled by slowly, and Courtney remained on her bed, lounging, occasionally texting Willam, almost painfully on edge. The moment she heard the car pulling into the driveway, she was on her feet, pulling her shorts back on and buttoning up her shirt just enough to cover herself, not bothering with decency.

She hurried down the stairs, and positioned herself against the open archway that led to the kitchen, pretending to scroll through her phone casually as she eyed the front door.

Dave was the first to step inside, not bothering to hold the door open for his fiancée. When Willam entered behind him, catching the door just before it slammed shut, Courtney’s eyes were glued to her immediately.

Willam had matched the tiny dress with a pair of thigh-high black boots, spiked heels and her toes peeking out at the front. Courtney barely even heard her father’s half-hearted greeting, too busy staring at the exposed skin between the hemline of the dress and the place where the boots ended, Willam’s flexed thighs practically daring Courtney to sink her fingers into them.

When she managed to tear her gaze away, Willam was looking right back at her, her cheeks tinted a shade of pink that didn’t match her blush and her pupils very obviously dilated.

It took every ounce of restraint Courtney possessed not to stride forwards and grab Willam, kiss her right there in front of her father. Willam’s tongue poked out to wet her lips, and Courtney had to bite the inside of her cheek to suppress a groan.

Seeming fully and thankfully oblivious to the palpable tension in the air, Dave plodded upstairs for the night, calling Willam to join him as he reached the second floor landing.

Courtney watched Willam take a deep breath, and then the other woman was walking up to her, grasping her hand tightly and leaning in to press a brief but heated kiss to her lips.

“Wait right here,” she whispered, the intensity in her eyes taking Courtney’s breath away. “Okay?”

Courtney managed to nod, and then Willam backed away. She was already halfway up the staircase by the time Courtney recovered her composure, ears straining to listen to Willam’s impressively convincing spiel: assuring Dave that there wasn’t a need for him to wait up for her, that she’d join him in bed after a quick nightcap.

Courtney wanted to tell her that it wouldn’t be quick at all, not if she had anything to say about it.

It was only a few minutes before Willam’s heels could be heard clicking back down the stairs, and Courtney felt like a coiled spring, wound so tight she could burst.

Willam stalked towards her with purpose, her hand landing flat on Courtney’s chest, pushing her back against the rounded frame that she was leaning against. Courtney reached for her instantly, grabbing her waist and pulling her closer – not unlike how she’d wanted to that first night after their family dinner, in the kitchen.

There was a moment of silent tension, Willam’s face just inches away from hers, her skin so hot that Courtney could feel the warmth through her dress.

Courtney’s lips grazed Willam’s, and the other woman exhaled a soft breath against her mouth.

“Goddamnit, Courtney,” she whispered.

When Willam’s lips finally met hers again, Courtney found herself smiling into the kiss, her arms wrapping around Willam tightly.  

“So you liked my photos?” Courtney giggled.

In lieu of a response, Willam snaked a hand underneath the hem of Courtney’s shirt, fingers pressing into her lower back. She sucked Courtney’s bottom lip into her mouth before resting her forehead against hers, reveling in the moment.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You almost killed me,” Willam muttered with a low chuckle.

Just then, there was a loud thud from upstairs, and both of them froze momentarily. Courtney tried to push Willam off of her, and the other woman made an affronted noise.

“In there,” Courtney explained, nodding towards the kitchen.

“Oh.” Willam nodded, keeping one arm around Courtney and leading her into the kitchen with her thumb rubbing lightly over Courtney’s spine.

The room was relatively dim, but neither one of them made a move to flick on a light switch. Instead, Willam guided Courtney around the bar, pressing her quickly against the counter and surging forwards to kiss her again.

Courtney allowed Willam to take charge at first, content to let her get out some of her pent up sexual frustration. Sliding her hands down to cup Willam’s ass and kneading with her fingertips, Courtney considered her options.

It only took her a few seconds to decide, and then she was spinning them around, pushing Willam back against the counter instead and swallowing her responding squeak of surprise. Pulling up the bottom of Willam’s tiny dress, Courtney slipped her thigh between Willam’s, breaking the kiss for a moment just to hear her groan at the contact.

“Oh my god,” Courtney breathed, rocking her hips to grind her thigh against Willam. “How did you make it through dinner like this, babe? You’re soaked.”

Willam whimpered, and Courtney leaned in to press another kiss to her lips before rolling her hips forward again.

“Good job, love,” she murmured, meeting Willam’s eyes just in time to see them glaze over.

She traced Willam’s curves with light hands, up the smooth scales of her dress and around her breasts. Courtney let her touch linger there for a moment before dropping to her knees, smirking at Willam’s audible gasp.

She pressed her cheek to Willam’s inner thigh, glancing up to watch the faint shimmer of the dress over Willam’s heaving chest. It was a gorgeous image, Willam practically buckling at the knees as Courtney’s breath tickled her skin, and Courtney couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

Pushing up the hem of Willam’s dress, Courtney leaned up, placing a kiss at the apex of her thighs, through the damp fabric. Willam shuddered, letting out a moan.

“Oh, Willam,” Courtney sighed, laying her cheek against Willam’s thigh again. “You’re gonna have to be quiet for me, you know.”

“But, baby,” Willam started, her voice weak and raspy.

“I can’t come up there to shut you up,” Courtney said, turning her head to kiss the front of Willam’s hip softly. “Can you keep quiet, love? For me?”

Willam’s hand slid into Courtney’s hair, tugging, trying to pull her face closer.

“I’m not gonna do anything else until you say yes,” Courtney added, nuzzling against the spot she’d just kissed. “And I want to so bad, Will.”

Willam bit her lip, nodding slowly at Courtney with a pained expression on her face. Her fingers coiled more tightly into Courtney’s curls, and Courtney didn’t need any more encouragement than that.

She pulled Willam’s thong away from her wetness, maneuvered it down her legs and over the tall boots, making sure the fabric didn’t catch on the heels.

Willam’s thighs were quivering under Courtney’s hands already, and she rubbed over them as she pressed kisses across the front of Willam’s hip, following the tug on her hair to where Willam wanted her so desperately.

One hand sliding between Willam’s legs, Courtney shifted slightly, gripping the back of her knee.

“You might wanna hold onto something,” she said, feeling Willam tense at her words.

Too impatient to wait any longer, Courtney lifted Willam’s leg, draping it over her shoulder and opening Willam up to her sight. She was so wet that her inner thighs were slick when Courtney kissed her there, and Courtney felt lightheaded, the scent making her head spin.

The point of Willam’s heel dug into her back, grounding her again, and she leaned in to lick a long stripe up Willam’s folds, suppressing a smile at the strangled noise that died in Willam’s throat as she tried to keep from moaning.

Not wasting any time, Courtney tilted her chin up, focusing her attention on the sensitive bundle of nerves, unable to resist teasing it a little with her tongue to make Willam whine.

“Court, baby, please,” Willam begged, her hips jerking.

She knew Willam was hardly staying upright as it was, and she couldn’t afford to draw this out, since the kitchen had no doors and they could technically be caught at any moment.

After a few more brief moments of teasing, Courtney made quick work of opening Willam up with her tongue, driving her to silent screams, her body shuddering as she pulled and twisted Courtney’s hair.

Wetness kept pooling at her entrance, dripping almost constantly onto Courtney’s chin and lips. In a split-second decision, Courtney slipped the hand that wasn’t holding Willam’s thigh up on her shoulder between Willam’s legs. She slid two fingers inside Willam, adding a third when she met no resistance, and this time, Willam failed to suppress her raspy moan.

The slick noises sounding from Willam’s core were enough to make Courtney dizzy with arousal herself, and the fact that she was causing it doubled the effect. She was intoxicated by the feeling of Willam practically throbbing under her tongue, the way her walls fluttered and grasped around her fingers as she pumped them steadily in and out.

When Willam said her name again, voice breaking on the last syllable, Courtney sealed her lips around Willam’s clit, sucking hard as she twisted her wrist to reach the sweet spot inside.

The muffled scream was audible as Willam came, clenching tight around Courtney’s fingers, wetness dripping onto her palm. She was tugging harshly at Courtney’s hair, heel digging into her back again, all sharp edges and soft warmth inside, and Courtney wanted the moment to last forever.

When Willam sunk to the floor, satiated and spent, Courtney was there to envelop her, placing a lingering kiss to the top of her head. She pulled Willam’s legs onto her lap, carefully removing her boots for her, keeping her eyes on Willam as she slumped against the cabinetry.

“Can we just… sit?” Willam asked, her voice sleepy. “I don’t wanna go upstairs just yet.”

Courtney’s heart fluttered, and she pulled Willam into her arms, breathing in the scent of her hair. “Of course,” she replied softly.

Willam hummed, tucking her nose into Courtney’s neck. After a moment, she let out a sigh, sounding so perfectly content that Courtney felt her chest expanding, wanting to give the entire world to this woman who was crumpled halfway in her lap on the kitchen floor.