#it's six in the morning and I've been awake all night
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nutklcker · 9 months ago
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HI (I LOVE THE PARAGRAPHS EACH OFYOU LEAVE IN MY TAGS SO FUCKIMG MUCH) do any of your ocs have ref sheets. or even just full-body drawings . totally not asking for any specific purpose ....
WE'RE SO GLAD YOU LOVE OUR RAMBLING you have such pretty art and reblog some of the best posts and you're so good at writing so we just have to explode in the tags sometimes hehe
Also we saw this ask like four? Five? Hours ago and went Oh Shit No We Don't and have spent the whole time drawing and we were like Oh we should throw our LC alters in there too since this is their blog and their mutuals should know who they're talking to! And then we got distracted and ONLY drew the alters and host's self insert and none of our OC's so :> we'll do that eventually though but we'll also do like another post with more info ANYWAYS here's the art we made of the self insert and the Lethal alters :3
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Info for each of us under the cut (also Rend and Anno are heavily derived from a fever dream March had after we got surgery and had complications, as such they have a story and are pretty attached to it)
[info removed for privacy reasons and because we got a nasty fakeclaimy anon ask about Rend and how delusional he used to be :(]
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kitscutie · 1 year ago
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hi! i saw your post about snow omg, can i request a coriolanus x mentor!reader where she’s similar to like clemensia but she’s more close to corio and they have a secret relationship? thank you in advance if you do this rq! love ur tsitp writings sm 🥹
snow and roses: part I (coriolanus snow x fem!reader)
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pairing: coriolanus snow x reader
warnings: none!
summary: you and coriolanus have been dating in secret for months, all it takes is one songbird for everything to come into the light.
a/n: first time writing for snow and I'm very excited about it! I've always loved the hunger games and this movie was insane in the best way so please enjoy! I will be making this a series and this is only part one so stay tuned for the rest!
word count: 2.2k
join my taglist here.
"You're going to get it Coryo, don't stress." You soothed the boy as you sat next to him. It was barely even six in the morning and the pair of you had woken up, well he had woken up and you with him as he blatantly needed your support, desperate for the Plinth Prize.
You didn't need the prize, already coming from a wealthy Capitol family and yet you felt the same hope that he would win as you would for yourself, stomach twisting into knots at the thought.
"There's good candidates Y/N, it feels as if the odds are already stacked against me." He sighed, leaning over as he sat so his elbows rested on his knees, head in his hands.
"The odds are in your favour Coryo, you're special. Different." With that he looked at you, a small smile gracing his pale lips. He leaned up kissing you gently, fully embracing the special moment before he got up from his place next to you.
"I'll see you at the Academy?" He asked, knowing you had to leave quickly back to your own house in order to change but also in order to avoid the suspicions of your own family who had no idea of your relationship with Snow.
"Of course." You replied, also standing up and pulling on last nights clothes as you left.
You studied the dark an empty halls of his house, ensuring Grandma'am was nowhere to be seen before you quickly walked to the door, exiting un-noticed until Tigris came around the corner, seemingly equally in a rush and holding a shirt you knew must be for Coriolanus.
"Oh, hello Y/N." She smirked as you both stopped, unsure how to approach the conversation. She was one of the only people who knew something was going on between the pair of you and still she wasn't quite sure what it was.
"Hi Tigris. You look lovely today." You said quietly, feeling like a scolded child even though you hadn't done anything wrong.
"Well if you're here I can only assume Coryo is awake, I'll see you again I assume?" She replied.
"Yes and yes." You answered awkwardly before hurrying away once again, letting out a sigh of relief as you heard her enter the house. You could only hope she wouldn't mention your interaction to Coriolanus.
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You walked into the Academy at the same time as you did everyday, conveniently when Coriolanus would also show up.
"Coryo!" You yelled, spotting him across the room. He turned his head to you as though it was a surprise to see you, it wasn't.
"Y/N. What a pleasure." He smiled with his typical Snow charm, allowing you to link your arm with his.
"How are you feeling?" You asked him, thumb gently rubbing his bicep through his shirt. You rounded the corner past the food and yet you both avoided it for different reasons. You having already been fed by your family and their lavish lifestyle and he too nervous to even look at it.
"Never felt better." He replied with false confidence but no one else around you had to know that.
"Snow always lands on top." You teased as you entered the hall, spotting your friends if that's what you could call them stood in the centre of it all, as they usually did, talking about everyone around them no doubt.
"Y/N and Coriolanus, finally some real competition has arrived." Said Arachne, a glass in her hand and a smirk on her face as she always seemed to appear in public.
"Be humble now Arachne, you never know who will be chosen." You smiled, turning on your Capitol attitude in order to fit in. You were Capitol born and raised but your family taught you to be humble and kind. It was clear this wasn't common among parents here.
"Have you tried this lamb? It's scandalous." Said Felix, it made you chuckle how he used such a word to describe food.
"Only the vulgar eat with their fingers Felix, daddy not teach you table manners?" Snarled Festus, it was as though there was always a secret competition between the two of them, never quite made clear, never making sense.
"Maybe he would've if he wasn't so busy running the country. Hey they called us here for the Plinth prize right? 'Cause I heard Doctor Gaul's in the building." Felix changed the subject, knowing he had won. It was impossible to lose as the President's son you supposed.
You hadn't noticed but now Felix had mentioned it you took in the strange atmosphere, tense and mystery lingering in the air. "That is peculiar." You said, holding onto Coryo's bicep tighter subconsciously.
"Plinth. Look at his spawn. Who would've thought you could buy your way into the Academy." Felix once again snarled, he was always filled with such anger though it seemed todays anxiety only heightened this.
"Well you can't buy class. Did you see his mothers outfit? Sorry his Ma's." Festus joked, seemingly over his small tiff with Felix.
"Dress a turnip in a ball gown and it'll still beg to be mashed." Said Coriolanus, playing into their pompous ways. You knew he didn't agree, not really.
"Don't do that we all know you like him." Arachne spat with her spider like venom, raising her eyebrows at Coriolanus.
"I don't like him Arachne, I tolerate him. He's district." Said Coriolanus and he seemed pleased with his answer as you felt him relax under your touch. You however did like Sejanus and weren't afraid to show it.
"If I hear one more time how immoral these Hunger Games are I'll put him in the arena mys- Sejanus. You made it to the Reaping for once." Festus cut himself off, caught by Sejanus himself.
"And you made it to graduation Festus, we're both shocked." Sejanus replied and you couldn't help but snicker, hiding it as you realised no one else shared the same reaction. "Y/N, always a pleasure." He smiled at you politely. You couldn't help but note the way Coryo's jaw clenched, neck twitching as he looked at you to gaze your reaction.
"As are you Sejanus." You nodded. Arachne scoffed quickly mentioning the only thing she really cared about, the prize.
"Spill it, who won the prize." She asked.
"Well, no I'm not gonna ruin my father's big day. No one here actually likes him, but they do love his money." He once again hit back at the group around him, you felt sorry for the boy. Alone in a room full of people. "You know what that's like don't you Arachne?" He dug the hole deeper and you internally smirked, grateful someone was brave enough to stand up to a powerful woman like Arachne.
As the Captiol's anthem began to play you made your way to your seats, sat next to Coriolanus you placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered 'good luck' in his ear, though you didn't really think he needed it.
Doctor Gaul's chuckle resounded around the room in a menacing echo that always managed to make you shrink into your seat.
She commended you all for being star students before untroducing the creator of the games: Casca Highbottom.
He went on to tell you all that today was not the day the prize would be given out but instead there would be one more task to challenge you all and gage your true worth. Everyone seemed confused but not Sejanus.
"What's going on?" You whispered to Coriolanus. He sensed your anxiety placing a calming hand on your knee but gave you no other response which reassured you that you had not been left completely in the dark.
"The Plinth prize will no longer be determined by who was the best grades. But by who is the best mentor in the Hunger Games." With that there was outrage, to you it was dehumanizing for the tributes, 'mentored' by people their own age but for the others they only seemed to care whether they were given someone strong or weak. A 'runt' in Arachne's words.
The reaping commenced and you couldn't help but wish to be anywhere but here. You didn't want to do this, you didn't need the money yet you were forced to have another's life in your hands.
You got a small girl from 8 named Wovey, seeing her face on the big screen left you determined, determined to help her in anyway you could on the path to being a victor. Even if that meant Coryo may lose the prize.
Snow's tribute left the room in horror, her stage presence and brutality sent shivers down your spine, though you supposed that the outer Districts had it harder and that sort of survival must be built into her.
Standing up on shaky legs you grabbed Coriolanus up from his chair and outside of the room, you needed fresh air and you needed to talk to him about what you were about to face, arguably harder than any other test the Capitol could give you.
"Slow down Y/N, I can hardly keep up." He said, words laced with worry.
"I don't believe I can do this Coryo, did you see my tribute? She's hardly eligible for school never mind to be put into an arena where she's going to be killed. She's only a child." You paced while he leant against a pillar, beginning to eat some food he a had smuggled from the buffet table.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice Y/N." He tried to help but only made it worse as you realised you were trapped in yet another one of the Capitol's games. He seemingly realised this. "Hey, hey. If there as anyone in that room who would get that tribute, I'm glad it was you. Arachne would've given up on her by now. With you she has a fighter. A chance at surviving." He said while grabbing your wrists to stop your pacing.
"It's not that simple Coryo-" You tried but he cut you off.
"It is Y/N." He said sternly and you understood what he meant. It was either play into their games or become apart of them, no other choice. "You're a born winner Y/N, give her some of it hm?" He stared down at you as he spoke and his blue eyes while at times piercing sucked you in, heart rate lowering almost immediatley.
"Okay." You said.
"Okay." He smiled, reaching a hand around your neck to bring you into a kiss. It started off slow and caring though quickly intensified as he turned you both around so now you leant against the pillar instead of him.
His hand tightened around your neck, not enough to actually cut off air but just enough to make you feel dizzy as he pushed his body further into yours, keeping you against the cold cement and trapped in his arms.
Your mouths clashed together intensely, tongues colliding in a rhythm you though you would only ever be able to find with him in this lifetime. He was your everything, your light in a blizzard.
"Ahem." Coughed Casca, drawing the two of you away from each other with baited breaths and rosy cheeks. "Just like your father, yes we were best friends. Once." He said, and with that it felt like you weren't even in the room.
"Tell me Mr Snow, what are your plans after these games?" Casca asked.
"I hope to go onto the university sir, naturally." Coriolanus answered, pulling his waistcoat straight where it had been wrinkled by your tight grip.
"And if you fail to win the Plinth Prize, what then?" Asked Casca, it suddenly became clear to you that he knew something, just what he knew you were unsure of.
"We'd pay the tuition of course." He scoffed, insulted at Casca's insinuation even if it was true.
"Look at you, in your makeshift shirt and too tight shoes. Trying desperately to fit in when I know the Snow's don't have a pot to piss in." Casca said. You felt your own heart drop and so you couldn't imagine how Coriolanus felt, the insult to his pride was one you knew he wouldn't take well and so you grabbed his hand subtly, hiding it behind your back as to not show any sign of weakness to Casca.
"Goodluck with that poor little Songbird." He said, and with that he left. Leaving you to do damage control.
"Ignore him Coryo, he's trying to get into your head." You reassured him, moving a Snow white hair from his face. His jaw looked similar to the way it did earlier when Sejanus had so much as acknowledged your presence.
"He's right Y/N. From the moment my father died I lost. The odds were never in my favour." He spat out, though his actions didn't match his words as he gently removed your hand from his hair before beginning his exit of the Academy. "Come on now Y/N, I've got a songbird to catch." He said sarcastically.
You sped after him hoping Casca's words hadn't knocked him too much, after all, Snow lands on top and he wouldn't be the one to change that.
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TAGLIST: @runningfrom2am, @riordanness, @suvgs, @charmed-asylum
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rootedinrevisions · 1 month ago
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Kinktober 2024: Day 20
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THIS IS PART OF THE FRIENDS (WITH BENEFITS) DON'T SERIES! T
PROMPT: “I love it when you say my name like that, baby.”
KINK: Morning Sex
WARNINGS: 18+ MINORS DNI. SMUT (P in V. Lots of kissing and touching.)
WORD COUNT: 3.5k
TAG LIST: See Comments
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm going to be honest I was really struggling with my original idea for Kinktober Day 20. It was a different Kink with a different character but it wasn't coming together like I wanted. I had started and scrapped it five or six times. But I also had this that I wrote a few weeks ago. I wasn't going to post it because I didn't think it fit with the story I originally was writing it for (a Jake series that I've since abandoned cause I wasn't loving how it was coming together) but I feel like it could fit the Kinktober theme so here it is! Hope you like it! xx
The morning sunlight filters through the blinds, casting a soft glow over the room. You slowly stir awake, feeling the warmth of Jake’s body pressed against yours, his arm draped comfortably over your waist. His chest rises and falls with the rhythm of his deep, even breaths, and for a moment, you let yourself relax into him, enjoying the unexpected comfort of waking up in his arms. This isn’t how things usually go.
Your relationship with Jake has been easy, with no strings attached. At least, it was supposed to be. But now, with the way he’s holding you so protectively, it feels different. You remember last night—how you’d planned for another casual hook-up, but instead, after, you’d ended up tangled together under the covers, watching a romcom of all things. And then, instead of leaving like he always does, Jake stayed.
Your heart pounds softly in your chest, the weight of the situation settling in. Is this still just a fling? Or is something else happening between you two? The lines are starting to blur.
You shift slightly, careful not to wake him just yet, and glance over your shoulder. His usually cocky, confident expression is softened in sleep, his features relaxed, and suddenly, you’re hit with a wave of vulnerability you weren’t expecting.
You know you should probably move, maybe get up, but something about this moment feels too good to let go. You bite your lip, torn between the easygoing fun of what you had before and the undeniable change that seems to be happening.
Just as you're lost in thought, Jake stirs, his arm tightening slightly around your waist before his voice rumbles low in your ear. “Mornin’, darlin’.”
His voice, deep and gravelly from sleep, sends a shiver down your spine, and you fight the urge to smile. You manage to reply softly, “Morning.”
Jake shifts behind you, pulling you closer for a second before he stretches and rolls onto his back, his hand trailing down your arm as he moves. The bed feels colder without him wrapped around you, and you can't help but miss the warmth. He runs a hand through his messy hair and glances over at you, his usual cocky grin making an appearance. “Sleep well?”
You nod, still feeling a bit off-balance by the situation, and try to keep things casual. “Yeah, I did…you?”
“Better than usual,” he says, surprising you with the sincerity in his tone.
You sit up slowly, pulling the covers around you, suddenly feeling a bit exposed—not physically, but emotionally. This isn’t what you signed up for. Friends with benefits doesn’t include waking up in each other’s arms, watching movies together, and it certainly doesn’t include the softness in Jake’s eyes when he looks at you right now.
You’re about to say something, maybe ask him about breakfast or make some quip to lighten the mood, but before you can get the words out, you feel Jake’s lips press against your bare shoulder. It’s not just a kiss—it’s gentle, lingering, almost like he’s savoring the moment. And it catches you completely off guard. Jake’s mouth has been everywhere on you before, but this? This feels different. It’s tender. Intimate. Too intimate.
Your breath hitches slightly as you glance back at him, and you’re met with a gaze that’s softer than his usual playful smirk. His green eyes seem to be studying you, watching your reaction carefully. For a second, your heart pounds a little harder, and all you can think is what are we doing?
“Jake…” you start, your voice barely above a whisper, unsure of what you want to say. You feel like you should address this shift, but before you can even form a coherent thought, he’s already leaning in again, his lips brushing against your collarbone this time, trailing upward to your neck.
The air between you thickens, and any words you might’ve had dissolve in the heat of the moment. Jake’s hand slides along your waist, pulling you back down onto the bed, your body instinctively responding to him. You should stop and talk about this, about what this all means, but when he moves closer, you can’t seem to find it in you to pull away.
Jake’s lips linger for a moment, his breath brushing against your skin. It sends a shiver down your spine, not from cold, but from something much deeper. Something you hadn’t expected to feel this morning, or maybe ever in this situation. Sure, Jake has touched you plenty of times before, in ways that have sent your pulse racing and your skin burning. But this—this feels different.
Your heart begins to beat faster as his hand, which had been resting on your waist, tightens ever so slightly, pulling you closer. You can feel the heat radiating from his skin, the way his muscles flex just beneath the surface as he shifts beside you. He presses another kiss, this time closer to the nape of your neck, slow and deliberate, as if savoring the contact. It sends your thoughts into a spiral, the question lingering in your mind—What is happening?
Before you can fully process it, Jake’s hand begins to move, sliding from your waist up along your ribs, his touch light and teasing. His fingers graze the band of your bra, tracing the edge in a way that makes your breath hitch. You shift slightly under the covers, your body responding to him even as your mind races to catch up. Every touch feels deliberate like he’s taking his time, savoring every second. It’s not the hurried, frenzied touches you’re used to—it’s slow, almost reverent, and it makes your heart pound in your chest.
His hand moves back down, slipping under the hem of your shirt, and in one smooth motion, he pulls it up over your head, tossing it aside. You don’t even think to stop him—you don’t want to. The cool air hits your skin, but it’s quickly replaced by the warmth of Jake’s hands as he cups your sides, his thumbs brushing against the fabric of your bra. His lips find your neck again, this time pressing a series of kisses, each one sending sparks through your body.
You open your mouth to say something—to ask him what this is, what it means—but before you can, his hand slides around your back, expertly unhooking your bra with practiced ease. He pulls it off, tossing it somewhere in the room, and you suddenly feel exposed in a way that’s both thrilling and nerve-wracking.
Jake doesn’t give you time to think about it. His hands are on you again, skimming over your bare skin as his mouth moves lower, pressing a kiss just below your collarbone. His touch is slow and patient as if he’s in no rush to get anywhere, and it drives you wild. You can’t help the way your back arches slightly, your body reacting to him before your mind can catch up.
As his lips trail down your chest, you feel his fingers hook around the waistband of your underwear, tugging them down with the same deliberate slowness. The way he’s taking his time—like he wants to memorize every inch of you—sends a flush of warmth through your body.
You reach up, your fingers threading through his hair, pulling him back to you. His lips crash against yours, the kiss deep and consuming, filled with a hunger that makes your head spin. There’s an urgency now, but it’s not the same frantic rush as before. It’s something deeper—something that makes your heart race as much as your body responds.
Jake’s hands roam your body with a familiar ease, but this time, there’s a softness to his touch, a kind of reverence that makes your skin tingle. His mouth moves back to your neck, trailing down to your chest, and you can feel the heat between the two of you intensifying. Every kiss, every touch, feels deliberate, like he’s savoring the moment in a way that leaves you breathless.
Before you know it, you’re completely lost in him. His mouth is everywhere—on your skin, your lips, your neck—and all you can do is let yourself fall deeper into the moment, feeling the weight of him, the warmth of him, as he moves against you. You’re no longer just two friends sharing a casual hookup. This is something more. And it terrifies you as much as it thrills you.
Jake pushes your legs a little further apart as he reaches down and wraps his hand around himself. He spreads the precum that formed at his tip around the head with his thumb before pumping himself a couple of times.
He then presses the tip through your folds as he gently pushes into you. His eyes find yours as his hips slowly move until they are pressed flatly against yours. Jake leaned in and pressed a kiss to your lips before he started slowly moving in and out of you.
Your breath started to hitch as he moved in and out of you, each thrust feeling like it was a little deeper than the last. Slowly his pace started to quicken.
“J-Jake,” you moaned as you started to move your hips up to meet his.
You feel his lips curve into a smirk against your neck before he whispers, “God, I love it when you say my name like that, baby.”
Baby. That was new. He’d never used pet names before.
But you didn’t have time to overthink it because his hand slid down your stomach until one of his fingers started rubbing circles on your clit. You felt your back arch up off the sheets as the knot in your stomach tightened even further.
“F-fuck,” you cried out, feeling your orgasm right there.
“Not yet. Wait for me, baby. I’m…I’m almost there,” Jake breathily said as he picked up his face even further. Your hands grabbed at the sheets as you tried to hold it off, but it was getting nearly impossibly.
“Okay, come with me baby.” He breathed after a few more thrusts. Your toes curled and you cried out as you felt your orgasm wash over you. It was the most intense one he had ever given you. It left you feeling slightly dizzy as you laid there trying to get the air back into your lungs.
Once the intensity subsides, your breaths gradually even out, but the room still feels heavy with the lingering heat of what just happened. Jake shifts beside you, his body slightly resting on yours as if he’s reluctant to let go. His skin is warm, slick with a light sheen of sweat, and his chest rises and falls against your back. Slowly, his arm drapes lazily over your waist again, pulling you even closer until there’s barely an inch of space between you.
He presses a soft kiss to your temple, a gesture that feels impossibly tender compared to what had just transpired. It sends a strange flutter through your chest, and you can’t help but close your eyes, sinking into the feeling. His lips linger there for a moment, as though he’s savoring the closeness, his breathing still a little uneven as it fans across your skin.
You lay there in silence, the warmth of his body cocooning you, and for a fleeting second, it almost feels like more than just a fling. Jake holds you like you’re something precious, his grip on you gentle but firm, like he’s afraid you might slip away if he loosens it. His fingertips lazily trace small circles on your hip, an absent-minded gesture that sends ripples of electricity through your skin.
But even as your heart skips in response, your mind is racing. The intimacy of it all—of him kissing your shoulder earlier, of the way he’s holding you now—feels too close. Too much. Like it’s crossing a line you weren’t prepared to cross. You stare up at the ceiling, the fan spinning lazily above you, trying to quiet the thoughts spinning in your head.
What are we doing? It’s the question that’s been eating at you for weeks now, but after moments like this, it feels impossible to ignore. You’ve been telling yourself for months that it’s just physical—that this friends-with-benefits thing is working. But lying here, wrapped in Jake’s arms, the weight of his body still pressed against yours, you can’t help but wonder if it’s something more. And if it is—what does that mean for the two of you?
Beside you, Jake’s breathing has slowed, becoming more even, and you can feel his muscles relax against you. He looks so at ease, so content, like this is the most natural thing in the world. It’s disarming, seeing him like this, without the cocky smirk or swagger. Just Jake, quietly holding you in the early morning light.
He doesn’t say anything—maybe he’s thinking the same things, maybe he’s not thinking at all—but the silence between you feels charged, like there’s a conversation you should be having but neither of you is ready to start. You know you’ll have to face the reality of what’s happening between you eventually, of what it’s becoming. But not right now. Not yet.
For now, you’re content to stay here, tangled up with him in this moment. His arm still draped over you like he’s anchoring you to him, his breath warm against your neck, and the lingering heat from the sheets creating a bubble you don’t want to burst just yet. It’s safe here, in the quiet aftermath, even if it’s complicated. Especially because it’s complicated.
Eventually, Jake shifts beside you, the movement pulling you out of your thoughts. His arm loosens around your waist, and you can feel him adjust himself behind you. There’s a slight pause before he moves, as if he’s hesitant to break the moment, but then he finally leans back. You hear him run a hand through his tousled hair, the sound of it brushing against the pillow beside you.
With a small sigh, you push yourself up slightly on your elbows, feeling the cool air hit your skin as the blanket falls away. You turn your head just in time to see Jake glancing at himself in the small mirror on the wall, running his fingers through his hair again, making sure it still looks good. It’s such a Jake thing to do—caring about how his hair looks even after everything that just happened—and you can’t help the small smile that tugs at your lips.
He catches your eye in the reflection, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a lazy grin. “Pull yourself together,” he teases lightly, the heat from earlier still lingering in his tone. “You look a little... well, you know.” His eyes flicker over you in a way that makes you feel warm all over again.
You roll your eyes, but there’s no bite behind it. Instead, you push the covers off and slide out of bed, your legs still a little shaky as you stand. You make your way over to the bathroom, splashing cold water on your face and doing your best to hide any signs of what had just happened in the bedroom. The cool water is refreshing, helping you regain some sense of normalcy after the heated intensity of the morning.
When you finally feel composed enough, you step out of the bathroom and make your way through your apartment, finding Jake by the door. He’s already pulling on his shirt, his movements casual and unhurried, as if the last hour hadn’t completely turned your world upside down. He glances at you as you approach, a knowing smile tugging at his lips, but he doesn’t say anything.
The two of you walk out together, the easy silence between you feeling both comfortable and charged, the weight of what just happened lingering in the air between you. The sun is just beginning to rise, casting a soft golden light over the parking lot, and for a moment, everything feels almost normal—like this could be any other day.
You head toward your car, the cool morning breeze brushing against your skin, but before you can reach the handle, you feel Jake’s arm snake around your waist. He pulls you close, his body warm against yours as he leans down to press a quick kiss to your temple. The gesture is light and easy, like it’s something he’s done a hundred times before. And maybe he has—but it still feels different now.
Your heart stutters in your chest as the warmth of his lips lingers on your skin. You wait for something more—for him to say something, to acknowledge the shift between you—but instead, Jake gives you a small smile, his signature smirk just barely there, and turns to walk toward his truck.
You blink, watching as he pulls open the door and climbs inside, the engine roaring to life. His truck pulls out of the lot, disappearing around the corner like it’s just another day. Like nothing extraordinary just happened. Like he hasn’t turned your world upside down in the span of a single morning.
And you’re left standing there by your car, fingers still hovering near the door handle, your mind spinning with a thousand thoughts. What just happened? He kissed you goodbye—and went on about his day like it was nothing. Like it was routine.
But it didn’t feel routine, not to you.
Your stomach twists, a confusing swirl of emotions rising inside you. You’re no stranger to Jake’s touch, to the way he holds you close in private, the way he knows exactly how to make you feel good. That was the arrangement—the simple, no-strings-attached setup that the two of you had fallen into. It had worked perfectly at first. Fun, light, uncomplicated. But this morning, something shifted. And it scares you.
You press your lips together, your fingers tightening around your car keys as you replay the morning’s events in your head. The softness in Jake’s kiss. The way he held you like it was more than just a fleeting moment. The way he kissed your shoulder earlier, something so intimate it almost felt like a confession in itself. But none of it made sense. You weren’t supposed to feel like this. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this.
Right?
You lean against your car for a moment, trying to sort through the haze of emotions clouding your mind. There’s an ache deep in your chest—something that wasn’t there before. It’s that feeling you’ve been trying to ignore for weeks now, the feeling that this wasn’t just about hooking up anymore. Not for you. And maybe not for him either.
But then why did he just leave? Why did he act like this was nothing more than your usual routine?
You bite your lip, trying to shake off the growing uncertainty. Maybe you’re reading too much into it. Maybe this is just what happens when you start spending too much time together outside of the original arrangement. Lines blur, things get messy, and suddenly it’s not just about sex anymore.
But the worst part is, you don’t even know what you want. You don’t know if you’re ready to confront whatever this is becoming. If you’re ready to have that conversation with Jake, to open up the possibility of things going wrong. Because things were good—before they got complicated. Before last night. Before this morning.
You sigh, the cool breeze brushing your hair as you glance toward the empty spot where Jake’s truck had been parked moments ago. Your mind is a jumble of emotions—confusion, longing, fear, and something else you’re not quite ready to name.
What if Jake feels it too? What if he’s just as confused as you are?
But then again... what if he doesn’t?
You unlock your car door and slide into the driver’s seat, the weight of uncertainty heavy on your chest. You don’t know where this is going, or what happens next, but one thing is clear: things have changed between you and Jake. And you can’t go back to the way things were, no matter how much you might want to.
As you sit there, staring out at the quiet street ahead, you wonder if Jake is thinking about you now, if he’s replaying the morning in his mind like you are. Or if, for him, this is still just part of the arrangement—a fun, easy fling that hasn’t crossed any lines.
Your fingers tap against the steering wheel, the echo of Jake’s kiss still lingering on your skin.
You thought you had it all figured out. But now, standing on the edge of something new and uncertain, you realize that maybe—just maybe—you’ve fallen in deeper than you ever intended to.
And the scariest part? You’re not sure if Jake’s ready to follow you there.
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spider-ghoul · 4 months ago
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Babysitting <3
Percy Jackson X gn!reader (fluff)
In which: a call from Sally Jackson leads you to help with her youngest, and spend the night with her eldest son. Lingering glances and sleepy confessions only to be forgotten by morning.
Warnings: Reader is mentioned to be smaller than Percy once, kissing, none I can think of but as always lmk if there's anything!!
this might be complete shit lmao I finished this at like 3:00 am last night but I wanted to get something out to feed the beasts of this website
~~𓈒ㅤׂㅤ𓇼 ࣪ 𓈒ㅤׂㅤ⭒ 𓆡 ⭒ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 🫧~~
At six o'clock on a Friday, normally I'd be rotting in my bed after the week of school. And that was the plan, until Mrs. Jackson mom called.
"Oh- (y/n) I'm so sorry for asking but do you think you could watch Estelle tonight? Me and Paul had a date but Percy was going to the movies with Grover tonight and we-"
"Mrs. Jackson, yeah, it's fine. When do I need to be over?"
"Six is when we're leaving."
"I'll be there at five fifty."
"You're a savior."
This was perfectly fine. Me and Percy were friends and i was the only half-blood who lived around here. I watched Estelle a few times before too. No biggie. Except for the fact I'd been in love with Percy Jackson for...a while.
I mean, he was  kinda my friend. But god, he was Percy Jackson.
At five forty, i headed out. I grabbed my backpack, making sure i had the baby sitting essentials for any four year old: nail polish, beads, and my old rainbow loom (i also spent a extra minute making sure my hair looked okay so that if i saw a certain older brother) I figured that and the t.v. would be more than enough to keep us occupied till her bedtime at eight.
I got there right on time (surprisingly), and Sally greeted me with another thank you. She tried to hand over a few bucks cash, but i pushed her hand away.
She rushed out of the door with Paul after a few more (failed) attempts of paying me, leaving me with an excited two four old. And before too long, she had me watching Bluey (Though i do thoroughly enjoy that show), and making bracelets for us.
She watched as i showed her how to bead the string and make sure the letter beads where on the right way, and then she helped me choose colors.
To start i made one with her name in purple and white. She giggled and slide it on her wrist. I started working on a second one, and she told me to tie hers. It was all blue and had me spell out 'Percy' with beads for her.
"Is this for your brother?" She nodded excitedly, "well, we'll give it to him when he get here, okay?"
I got a solid hour with the beads before she got bored, and by the end both of our wrists had a fair share of bracelets littering them, and a small pile of three bracelets for Percy.
I seriously hope she's awake when he gets here, I can imagine the teasing that would come with handing him bracelets and saying, "oh yeah sorry I'm at your house haha baby sitting- oh me and your sister made you bracelets-". Or i could imagine our hands touching causing me to panic. I could imagine a million things actually.
I think this whole crush is really getting out of hand, especially with me becoming his mom's go to sitter now a days.
Estelle broke me from my thoughts with requests to watch 'Nemo', her favorite. We've watched it every time I've babysat. Part of me wonders if Percy likes it too, I mean with the whole sea god thing. 
As for her request, I made a bag of microwave popcorn and set her down in front of the TV.
I vaguely remember the opening, and Estelle fell asleep next to me before i dozed off myself.
I woke up a bit later, maybe half an hour? The movie wasn't finished, but Estelle was already fast asleep. I took the liberty of scooping her up and placing her in her own bed before going to clean up the main room.
It wasn't bad, just putting away my beads, and getting the popcorn bowl out of the way. I was tired enough, school was rough this week. I just planted myself back on the couch, finding Nemo not quite finished as I did.
I'm not quite sure when i feel back asleep, just that i did.
I'm also not quite sure when Percy Jackson sat down next to me, but he did.
I woke up, curled around a throw pillow, the end credits were playing. I rolled onto my back, and that's when I saw him.
Maybe i was too tired, or maybe he was just smiling, but i didn't feel all that anxious. At least not like i normally do around the son of the sea god.
"Do you always fall asleep to Nemo or is this a special occasion?"
"Do you always watch me sleep or is this a special occasion...?"
He laughed and my heart fluttered.
"Uhm, sorry your mom had me come over to babysit, I didn't know you'd be home yet." I say awkwardly smiley as i sit up, yawning. 
"It's fine, y/n. She texted me, sorry to have you waste a Friday."
"Oh its fine, better than doing nothing. Your sis was an angel, like always." I say, shifting, my shirt bunched up around my waist while I was sleeping. I was also pretty positive my hair was a mess. 
"Oh and speaking of my mom- before i forget." He pulled out a twenty, "now I figure you aren't gonna want to take it, but it's sally's orders."
"I'd feel bad, its just a favor. Your mom is always so nice, she patched me up after a monster attack once, this is just me repaying her."
"She did? When?" His eyebrows furrowed together, his eyes filled with concern.
And i felt my face getting hot again.
"A few weeks ago, your house was closer than mine, it's fine." I mutter, looking down. 
He sighed, "what happened?" he said, reaching out to put his hand over mine. I short wire for a moment, looking back up at him. 
"Just something on my way home from school, it wasn't bad."
After a brief moment of silence, i wanted to crawl out of my skin.
He sighed, "as long as you're fine." he lifted his hand off of mine, though I could still feel his warmth. 
I smiled weakly, "oh uh..what time is it?" 
"Uh.. ten-ish?"
"I should be getting home." I say, sighing turning away from him. 
"It's pretty late, I wouldn't want you to walk back alone."
"It's not far-"
"I'm sure my mom would say the same thing, you know."
I sighed, knowing he was right, "i don't want to intrude." 
"Neither me or Sally would care."
"...."
"...can i bribe you to stay with waffles?"
"...yeah you can." I sigh, any of Sally's food was enough to make me do just about anything. 
Percy smiled, making my heart melt.
"Great, it'll be like a sleepover. Do you need to borrow a shirt or something?"
"Yeah, that uhm- that would be great." I mutter, pushing myself up off the couch. My neck was sore, who would have guessed that a throw pillow wasn't great for sleeping? I stretch my arms out over my head, yawning again. 
"tired?" He chuckles, raising his eyebrow. 
"well you did just wake me up-" I resort, rolling my eyes. I always forget how nice Percy is. I always worry about stupid things, but when I'm with him none of it really matters.
"You woke up on your own- I was simply..." He trails off, and I laugh:
"Watching me sleep?" 
"What can I say? You looked so.. pretty." He look down at me, and I could swear my heart stops, but I don't look away.
"...Yeah, whatever." I mummer quietly,  staring into his eyes and blinking a few times before finally breaking eye contact.
After a short moment, He mumbles something about getting me to bed. I nod quickly, following him to his room, which is surprisingly clean. He digs though his dresser drawers for a moment, pulling out some old band tee, and blue plaid pants. He hands them to me. 
"Is this fine for you? might be a big big, just let me know-" 
"it's fine. No worries." I say quickly, taking them, making sure to avoid his hands. "Thanks." 
He smiles again, and I leave for the bathroom, my heart pounding in my ears. 'pretty'? it's nothing, Percy is just nice like that. 
I change into his clothes, the smell of ocean engulfing me as the soft fabric hangs from my body.  I can't help but to push my head into my shoulder. It smells like him. 
I ball up my jeans and tee shirt, shoving them into my backpack. I slipped out the bathroom once I calmed myself down enough to talk to him again. 
I walk up to Percy's door, "Hey, I'm gonna go lay down do you have a blanket or something I can use..?" 
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at me from where he was laying on his bed, "You don't seriously think I'm making you sleep on the couch-?" 
"Well I kinda assumed..?" 
"Get over here you dork." He said, scooting over on his bed, "Plenty of room- you don't mind, do you?" 
Part of me lit on fire, and part of me was desperate to put it out. My ears got hot, but I managed to nod.
"No, I don't mind.." 
I place my bag on the floor by the door, walking up and sitting on his bed, sliding my legs under the covers and sliding down to lay next to him. I was stiff, worried to so much as touch him. But eventually, I relaxed, turning to lay on my side, facing him. 
I looked at him through half-lidded eyes, my body already starting to sink into his bed, ready to get a proper night's sleep. My eyelids slowly drifted shut. 
I was woken when Percy broke the silence. 
"Y/N?" Percy whispered, almost silent. 
"Mhm..?" I mumbled back, not bothering to open my eyes. 
"I really like you, you know that?" 
If I wasn't half asleep, maybe I would have said something different. If I had the energy maybe I would have been flustered. 
"... I really like you too." 
I only heard him chuckle before he placed a hand on my hip. 
"Get some sleep, yeah? I'll confess my undying love when you'll properly Remember it." 
I must have frowned, because he laughed lightly and pulled me a little closer. 
It didn't matter though. I slipped back to sleep, and when I woke up I didn't  remember. 
I remembered waking up some point in the night, but I didn't know what was said. 
And in the morning, I got the promised waffles and left the Jackson's apartment. 
The ever chivalrous Percy Jackson (who I woke up cuddling with), offered to walk me home. 
We took the long way, and when we reached my door step, he pressed his lips to mine and told me he couldn't wait for me to babysit again, though he wouldn't mind me coming around before then. 
He left me breathless and giddy, and so so happy to have accepted Sally's offer.
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shankss-magnificent-ass · 6 months ago
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Imagine inconveniencing Sir Crocodile with your fucked up sleep schedule
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Early morning
Crocodile: [finds you in the kitchen procuring a beverage for yourself] I'm surprised you're up so early.
You: I haven't gone to bed yet, but I'm just about to head off. Night. [starts the trek -+
Crocodile: [follows you] It's six in the morning, just stay up and go to bed at a normal time tonight.
You: mmm, no, I'm sleepy, and I get nauseous when I stay awake for too long.
Crocodile: I need you to help to review all the accounts, if I did it by myself I'd take two days.
You: [enters your room and gets into bed] Do what you can, I'll come to help you around noon when I wake up.
Crocodile: That's not long enough, you need eight hours to be at the top of your game.
You: since you insist, then I shall see you around midafternoon.
Crocodile: seriously, you need to fix your shitty sleeping habits.
You: [cocoons yourself in your blankets and nuzzles your pillow to get comfortable] I'm gonna do a wrap-around.
Crocodile: [cocks an eyebrow at you] the fuck does that mean?
You: I'm going to sleep later and later, and eventually it'll be normal.
Crocodile: you're a ridiculous creature if you genuinely believe that will work.
You: I meant it as a joke, I'm actually going to bed earlier than usual.
Crocodile: this is early for you? [sits on the edge of your bed]
You: I usually go to bed around eight in the morning.
Crocodile: You need more structure in your life from an outside source... [reaches over and strokes your hair] I've clearly been too lenient with you, so starting tomorrow, you must be in my office and ready to work by noon. You also have to wear people clothes, no pajamas or sports wear. I'll gradually have you come in earlier and earlier until you have some semblance of a normal sleep schedule.
You: [whines].... fine, now shoo, I need to sleep, also I'll be billing you for the clothing I have to buy because I don't own many 'people clothes' as you put it.
Crocodile: [rolls his eyes, and ruffles your hair] Try to keep it under fifty thousand berry, please. I'm not made of money.
You: no, you're made of sand, which you're getting in my bed.
Crocodile: [snorts, and flicks some sand at you] Sleep well, brat.
You: thank you, I will.
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List of Up-and-coming works || Master list || Twitter| Kofi || Patreon
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ladylannisterxo · 6 months ago
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... the one where spence takes an interest
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Pairings; Spencer Reid x fem!Reader
Words; 0.6k
Warnings; one use of Y/N but this was written back before I stopped using it lol but other than that, none, just fluff!
Summary; {requested} "Not to pester you, I had this thought and wanted to share is all, but could you imagine talking to Spencer about something you're really excited about (like a movie/tv show/game or something) and the next day he starts talking to you in length about it, and it turns out he went home that night and read/watched everything he could on the subject."
A/N; goodness, I wrote this years ago on another blog and since I've been rewatching Criminal Minds, I figured I'd go ahead and post it again (cause why not?)... the one and only thing I ever wrote for Dr. Spencer Reid ajdhsakdshak
{ masterlist }
You didn't plan this. Really, you didn't. But you know how it goes when you start binging a new tv series: just one more episode... and then before you know it, it's 2:00am.
Now you're sitting in the bullpen. It's 8:00am and you're constantly rubbing at your tired eyes and chugging coffee like your life depends on it.
And Spencer is wearing a curious expression, already extrapolating possibilities as to what could have kept you awake last night.
But he doesn't mention it. Not when the team is discussing the new case, not even on the jet en route to your destination. He waits until it's just you and him, paired off to go talk to the medical examiner about the latest victim.
"Are you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, just a little tired."
He smiles warmly, offering you an amused glance before fixing his eyes back on the road. "I gathered. What kept you up?"
"You know, I just..."
But then you realize you don't want to tell him, not really. To you, staying up super late to watch a tv show seems embarrassing when compared to how he most likely spent his night.
You imagine that he read around six books, most of which were probably in a language you didn't understand. Or maybe he called his mom to check in with her. Or maybe he had nightmares himself and so he thinks that's exactly what happened with you...
Any scenario you think of infinitely sounds better than oh, you know, I just stayed up super late watching some trashy guilty pleasure tv show because I have no self control.
"Nothing really," you settle on, "it's dumb."
"Try me."
So you cave, mostly because you're too tired to fight. He listens intently as you tell him about the new show you found, how it's completely ridiculous but it allows you to step out of your life for a bit and relax.
He doesn't say much, just nods along as you talk and before you know it, you've arrived at your destination and it's back to work.
Spencer actually doesn't mention your conversation again for the remainder of the case and finally, the unsub is in custody and the team is back home to enjoy a nice, long weekend.
You don't see or hear from Spencer during this time but first thing Monday morning, he's greeting you as you step off the elevator with a cup of coffee and a bright smile.
... and then he tells you he spent the weekend watching the first season of the show you mentioned and to his surprise, he really enjoyed it.
To say you're confused is an understatement but you listen as he discusses every character and what he thinks of the current story arc.
"Spencer," you laugh, resting your hand on his arm and halting his speech. "Not that I'm not thrilled to talk about this but I really wasn't expecting you to go home and watch an entire season of a show just because I mentioned it."
He smiles sheepishly, eyes lingering on where your hand still rests on his arm.
"You were really excited about it though."
"And?"
"And it seemed important to you... so it's important to me."
A smile pulls itself across your face and you open your mouth to respond when you're both interrupted by Garcia letting you know there's another case.
"Hold that thought," you inquire.
"It's impossible for me to forget it."
And just like that, you're discussing trashy tv with Dr. Spencer Reid during any downtime that you're granted. You gush about your favorite character and he theorizes future story arcs while simultaneously pointing out behavioral inaccuracies.
"People do not speak like that in that kind of situation, Y/N."
"It's tv, Spence, it's supposed to be unrealistic. That's what makes it fun."
+ Bonus: if it's a series that is currently airing, you both come into the office the next morning and excitedly discuss every single thing that happened and then theorize on what could possibly happen next.
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milfsloverblog · 1 year ago
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Secret Benefits (NSFW)
Part 2 (part 1 here)
Sugar mommy!Larissa Weems x fem!reader
A/N: This took a while, but it's finally here. And good news, I've got most of part 3 written already! In this part, Larissa and reader enter the vicious circle of both thinking the other one don't want them like /that/. We might be in for some slow burn, people! Hope you’ll enjoy! <3
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You startled awake, hair clinging to your sweaty forehead and an unpleasant, incessant throbbing between your legs. You had dreamt of her, again.
It had been four days since you’d met with Larissa, and you’d been having those wet dreams ever since.
It always started the same way, you’d go through the evening you’d shared at the restaurant, and everything was exactly the same except for what happened when she’d drop you off at your place. You’d invite her in and she’d agree to follow you. You’d barely have time to step into your flat when her lips would attach themselves to your neck, kissing and nipping at the sensitive flesh and making you lose all sense of time and space.
The rest of the dream would happen very quickly, Larissa would have you on any surface of your flat she’d see fit - which had included your sofa, the wall, the kitchen counter and your dining table. She’d hike up your dress and get rid of the lacy thong she’d bought you, shoving it inside her handbag.
“Don’t pout, sweetling,” she’d whisper in your ear, her slender fingers finding their way to your heat. “I promise to buy you more.”
You could only writhe and whimper as she teased you, her digits moving in excruciating slow circles on your clit until she’d decide you’d have had enough and would push two of her fingers knuckle deep inside you, making your breath hitch in a loud gasp.
Larissa’s eyes would never leave your face as she’d relentlessly pound into you. She delighted in the way the right corner of your mouth twitched with each thrust of her fingers, how your brows furrowed deeper and deeper each time she stroked that sweet spot inside you.
You would feel the coil tightening dangerously behind your navel, bringing you closer to your well-deserved release as you’d beg your lover to keep going. Please, Larissa, please, please, please.
And then you’d wake up. You’d find yourself staring at the ceiling of your bedroom, your core aching from another ruined orgasm.
You groaned loudly as you peeled yourself from your bed and headed to the bathroom, taking a single glance at your dishevelled form in the mirror before shedding your pyjamas and stepping in the shower.
How easy it would be, to slip your hand between your legs and give yourself the release that you’d been denied for the last four days. But it wouldn’t be right. You didn’t want this, whatever this was between Larissa and yourself, to turn into something sexual. She would provide you with money and you would provide her with company, as you had both agreed on. Nothing more.
Your phone buzzed on the bedside table right as you walked back into your bedroom to get dressed. You didn’t need to check it to know who it was, Larissa had been sending you good morning texts for the last few days.
You finished getting ready for the day before picking up your phone to read her message.
Good morning, darling. I hope you slept well! Have a good day. Xx
You were almost tempted to tell her you hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days but eventually refrained from doing so.
Good morning! Slept okay, hope you did too. Have a lovely day :)
You shoved your phone into your bag and hurried out of your flat, knowing you wouldn’t be getting another text from Larissa.
She’d text you once in the morning, then once or twice around noon when, you supposed, she was on her lunch break. After that, you wouldn’t be getting any news until at least 6 pm. At least, because once she hadn’t texted you before 8. You still didn’t know what her job was, but you couldn’t imagine being up at six in the morning only to finish your day so late at night.
As expected, you didn’t receive any more text until your own lunch break. You were out at a local cafe with your best friend, munching on your sandwich when your phone buzzed on the table.
Thinking of you, sweetling. Xx
A blush crept up your cheeks which you desperately tried hiding by taking a sip of water, but it wasn’t lost on your best friend.
“Is that your woman?” She smirked.
“Larissa is not my woman.”
“Oh right, sorry. Is that your sugar mommy, then?”
“Shut your mouth!” You groaned, swatting your friend’s arm.
You had told her about your evening with Larissa. Well, most of it. You didn’t mention the lacy thong or the fact that she’d picked your food.
“You still don’t want to do it?” She snapped you out of your thoughts.
“Do what?”
“Her.”
You rolled your eyes and put your sandwich down, wrapping it in its paper bag to finish it later.
“I’ve told you, I don’t want to feel like I’m selling my body for money.” You explained for what seemed to be the fifteenth time that week.
“Oh, come on! I would let a woman like her fuck me for free any time she wants.”
“Don’t be crass,” you said, shoving your sandwich into your bag. “Larissa is not like that, and neither am I. Now move, we need to get back to class.”
You typed in a quick answer to Larissa as you walked into your next class and sat down at your usual desk.
Thinking of you too. Wanna call tonight? I’d love to hear your voice and have a chat. No worries if not :)
Larissa was pouring herself a cup of coffee, her fourth that day, when she read your answer. You wanted to call her, to hear her voice. A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she sipped on her coffee and texted you back.
I would love that. I’ll text you when I’m done working. Xx
And so she did. You had been home for a couple of hours when your phone started ringing, making you run from the kitchen to the sofa to make sure you’d get it in time.
“Larissa! Hi!”
“Hello, darling. I hope it’s not too late?” Her British accent filled your flat as you pressed on the speaker button.
“No, no it’s not. Did you have a good day?” Truth be told, she did sound a little tired but you would never dare to bring it up.
“It was alright, not the worst day I’ve ever had.” She chuckled lowly, sending a shiver down your spine. “It’s a good day now, though. It’s nice to hear you.”
“It’s nice to hear you too, I thought it’d be better and easier than just texting back and forth.”
“Mhm…” Larissa hummed and you heard the distinctive ‘pop’ of a bottle being opened.
“Wine?” You asked, earning another chuckle from the woman on the phone.
“Red. Just one glass to help me relax.”
She needed it. She really needed it after the stunt that Wednesday had pulled that day.
“I wish I could share one with you,” you said, hearing Larissa pouring the wine into a glass.
“Do you?” Her voice seemed to have dropped an octave, and you wondered if her nostrils had flared like they’d done back at the restaurant.
“Yes, yes I do. I’d let you pick the wine, of course. I’d watch you pour it and wait for you to bring the glass to my lips.”
Larissa let out a shuddering breath, suddenly feeling extremely hot in her shirt. Her fingers swiftly moved to take care of unbuttoning the constricting piece of clothing, leaving her in a white bralette.
“Larissa?” You called when she hadn’t answered for a while.
“Yes, I’m here, darling. Simply lost in my thoughts.” Larissa admitted before taking a sip of wine.
“Are you thinking of me again?” You asked, deciding to try your luck.
Wine dribbled from the corner of Larissa’s mouth, rolling down her chin to quickly drip onto her chest. It would leave a stain, Larissa thought as she watched the crimson liquid soaking the lacy fabric of her bralette.
“Would you like that? Me thinking of you?” She eventually answered after another long silence.
“Maybe, yes.”
There was another silent moment as Larissa took another couple sips of wine before placing her glass on the coffee table.
She sighed loudly, wanting nothing more than to hike up her skirt and let her fingers explore her sex. It was such a shame that you weren’t interested in being intimate with her, she would have loved to listen to your heavy breathing as you’d touch yourself on the other side of the phone.
“I want to take you shopping this weekend, if you’re free,” She eventually said.
“Shopping?”
“Lingerie shopping, specifically. I want to treat you to a couple of sets. Would you be interested in that, sweetling?”
“Yes! Yes, I would love that. I’ve never really been lingerie shopping before.” But you wouldn’t pass on such an opportunity.
“Good. How about you call your work tomorrow, and let them know you won’t be able to be there on Saturday? I’ll take care of you.”
You knew what she meant by that, she’d hand you another one of those envelopes filled with a couple hundred dollars.
“I’ll call tomorrow.”
“Good.” Larissa sighed again.
She had emptied her glass, her right hand was groping at her body while the other one kept the phone pressed to her ear. She’d have to hang up soon, before she’d start fucking herself.
“Larissa?” You called again.
“Mhm? Yes, darling?”
“I should go, still need to take a shower and get everything ready for tomorrow… It was so nice to hear you, I hope we can do this again soon.”
“Any time you want, you only need to text me.”
“I will.�� You promised. “Well, have a good night, Larissa.”
“Have a good night, darling.” She answered, biting her tongue as she thought of adding think of me.
You listened to her breathing for another second before hanging up and dropping yourself on your sofa.
God, that woman was hot. Her voice through the phone had made you soaking wet and it had taken everything within you to keep your hand out of your pants.
Back in her quarters, Larissa didn’t have as much self-control as you did. Her skirt had been hiked as soon as you had hung up, her legs parting to let her move her panties to the side.
“Oh, darling…” She breathed out as she eventually let her fingertips brush on her clit.
You had bewitched her, it seemed. If she didn’t know any better, Larissa would have wondered if you maybe were a siren.
The tall woman was halfway through fucking herself, the coil in her lower stomach tightening with each thrust of her fingers, when she suddenly realised how wrong this was.
She immediately pulled her fingers out of herself, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. You had made it clear that you didn’t want to have sex with her, and it wasn’t right for her to be touching herself thinking of you.
Larissa made her way over to the bathroom to thoroughly wash her hands, eventually opting for a full cold shower to clear her mind from any more sinful thoughts.
As you both got into bed that night, only a few miles away from each other, you both shared the same thought.
How on earth am I going to survive a lingerie shopping session with her?
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bananayuyu · 2 months ago
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Cabin Fever [part 4]
Pairing: Yunho x f reader
Genre: fluff and smut
Word count: 9.9k
Summary: Sometimes actions have consequences for your fragile body, your morning getting off to a sore start. The day thankfully offers you a calm morning, a long-overdue conversation, and a desperate Wooyoung bringing laughter to everyone, in his own special way.
Warnings: MDNI, smut, fingering, voyeurism
A/n: Apologies for how long it took me to post this chapter, I kept editing and rewriting different sections of it because I wanted it to be perfect. I realized recently how much this series means to me, I think because of how much I relate to the main character, and the kind response I've gotten from all of you <3 I'm so glad to be finally posting, and will definitely continue to write the other parts I've planned. I really hope you all enjoy!
Linked here is my masterlist where you can find the previous parts. Again let me know if you'd like to be added to the taglist! (it will be six parts in total if everything goes to plan)
Taglist: @certifiedmoa @pautiny27 @luvbit3z @dawn-iscozy @artistic-rendition
@yeosangiess @drinkingrumandcocacola @smally97 @kierraperkins3 @newworldwritings
@peachyy-jooniee @lucid-galaxys-world @arigakittyo @staytinyroha @yoonjikim
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You wake in a blurry haze, the early morning light shining gently in through the window. You wonder for a moment if another storm rolled in last night, if the light is so soft because the sky is blanketed in clouds. A quick glance at your phone tells you it's just the light of dawn, the sun not risen enough yet to fully brighten the room. You groan internally, wishing your body let you sleep in after the crazy day you'd just had. You lay awake for a while, eyes still closed, as you hear Yunho's steady deep breaths of sleep. You try to let your mind rest more, but soon you can tell there's no point, your brain desperately chewing through every intense conversation you'd had the day before. As quietly as you can you sit up and scoot yourself off the bed, rubbing your eyes as you walk yourself to the bathroom.
Immediately upon standing you notice the feeling, a slight soreness deep in your core. It almost doesn't feel bad, at least initially, and it makes you giggle to yourself, remembering your previous night. You hadn't expected Yunho to fuck you so hard, and truthfully you loved it. Miraculously your body had been able to take it, maybe even needed it because of the emotionally exhausting day. But you also knew you might pay a bit of a price for it now. You'd certainly joked with people like Ari, or Wooyoung, about being fucked so hard you could still feel it the next morning. And in theory it sounded like the best case scenario, like something everyone would want. But now that you were here it also felt a little concerning, that your muscles were that sore.
You were quiet in the bathroom as well, not wanting to wake anyone in the living room. You carefully clean your thighs, wiping a damp towel over them, and gently brushing it past your core to clean yourself there as well. Immediately the contact feels a bit painful and you wince, frustration bubbling in you as you breathe deeply, taking a moment to let the pain subside. No matter how many times you try to pretend it isn't true, your body always has a way of reminding you how fragile and delicate it is. With a sigh you finish up, tossing the towel in the hamper, then washing your hands. Making your way back to the library, you open and close the door as carefully as possible, gently settling yourself down on the pull out couch that hadn't been used now in days.
You hadn't had a chance the whole trip to crack open your book, and with the chaos of the previous day some calm, focused reading sounds oh so perfect. You grab it out of your bag and begin reading, the sun slowly brightening as the day starts to bloom. Yunho is still sound asleep, his breaths so gentle you almost forget he is there. Eventually your stomach grumbles and you head out to the kitchen, being met with Seonghwa and Hongjoong sipping their first coffees of the day.
If you're entirely honest, it feels a little uncomfortable seeing them, especially Hongjoong. Though you tried the previous night to just move on, to forget what happened, the tension still lingers, especially now that you know so much of why Hongjoong acted the way he did. You aren't sure if he's told Seonghwa anything yet, and you don't want to say anything that could make things awkward between them, so you decide you'll take your breakfast and head outside, hopefully getting to spend a little more peaceful time by yourself. With a quick hug to both of them you head out to the fire pit, your tea in one hand, breakfast in the other, and book tucked precariously under your arm.
It's refreshing sitting outside by yourself, under the shade of the forest trees, your book the only company you have. You normally spend a lot of time alone, so sometimes on these trips you get a bit overwhelmed by everyone. As the sun begins moving across the sky the day gets warmer, Yunho's hoodie now feeling a bit too heavy. You realize you've been wearing it for days now, and probably should change into something else. But you kick that thought aside, relishing the feeling of being in it. You don't entirely understand your own feelings yet, but something about wearing his clothes feels perfectly right.
"Hey, nerd," you hear Yunho say, lifting your head up to see him walking over towards you, his own breakfast in hand.
"Hi," you respond, smiling at him, but returning to your book. You were just nearing the end of a chapter, and you really wanted to finish it.
"You'd rather read then talk to me?" he jokes, plopping down in a chair next to you.
"Just give me like two minutes," you say, eyes still not leaving the page. Yunho just nods and starts wolfing down his breakfast, glancing over at you occasionally to see if you're really that focused. Apparently, you are, which is something he loves so much. As much as he jokes with you, he finds it precious how lost you get in the things you read.
"Ok, we can talk now," you say brightly, sliding your bookmark into the page you just finished. It makes Yunho chuckle, his eyes bright with adoration.
"I wanted to ask you a question," he says, quickly taking another bite.
"Okay," you respond, not sure where he is headed.
"I wanted to see if you felt okay with everything that's been going on, you know, between us. Make sure I haven't crossed any lines," he says.
"Not at all," you say, looking back at him. You seem reluctant to talk much this morning, which isn't like you, and Yunho feels a bit concerned. But he really wants to know where your head is at; he just honestly didn't think he'd be the one to have to bring this up. You were the one who was so good at talking about your feelings, but you hadn't said anything specific about it yet. Well, maybe you did that night you both said 'I love you,' but nothing had been said since.
"So how are you feeling?" he asks.
"Well my vagina hurts, but otherwise pretty good," you laugh, adjusting yourself in your seat to try to alleviate the soreness.
"It hurts?" he asks, with genuine concern.
"Like it's sore, you know, from last night's activities," you say, cringing at yourself. You didn't feel like you couldn't say 'it's sore from you fucking me so hard,' but some part of you wishes you did.
"In a good way? Or bad way?" he asks.
"Um, kind of both?" you respond, not really sure yourself. "I don't hate it but it's, well, worse than ideal. I have to be careful when I sit," you say, trying to keep yourself from laughing again.
"What's so funny?" he asks you, thankful to see you laughing and not grimacing in pain.
"I just never imagined actually having this conversation with somebody," you say, smiling. You appreciate when ridiculous moments happen, and remind you that life doesn't have to be so serious all the time.
"Was I too rough?" he asks, making you giggle again.
"No, I liked it," you say. "I mean, I guess maybe, I just... I haven't really had this happen before," you say, still laughing. "It's probably cause your dick is, um, so big." You turn to see Yunho fighting to keep a smile off his face at your comment, his head turning away from you for a moment.
"Was it just too hard? Or too long?" he asks, making you burst into laughter harder. "I mean, how I fucked you y/n, not my di- ugh," Yunho covers his face, his cheeks reddening some.
"You're being so funny right now," you say. You can't help but find it terribly adorable how awkward he can sometimes be.
"I'm trying to be serious," he says, fixing you momentarily with a stern grimace, which only makes you both laugh harder. After a few moments you both calm down, making eye contact again.
"For real though, I don't want to hurt you. Was I too rough?" he repeats, truly wanting an answer.
"No, you really weren't. I liked it, I liked it a lot. It felt really good. Sometimes, with the way my body is, I have to sacrifice the future days of pain for doing something I really want to do. Sometimes I feel it's worth it. If I spent my life trying to prevent myself from ever feeling pain, I'd never get to do certain things. And obviously I have to be careful how often I do things like that, because usually it means I have to recover for a day or two, or even longer. But I can do it occasionally. I can deal with pain, extremely well," you finish, emphasizing the last two words.
"But I don't want sex with me to cause you pain," he says, eyeing you. "Is that really worth it to you? Aren't there things we could do that wouldn't hurt you?" he asks.
"Well, honestly part of the problem last night was probably that I just like, put your dick inside me without any warm up. Which was on me, I take full responsibility. But like, if you finger me first, it helps the muscles relax. Just doing that probably would have prevented most of this pain," you say.
"Thank you for telling me that," he says, his mind intently focused on every words coming from your lips.
"I liked what happened though, it was very..." you trail off.
"Feral?" he asks, making you laugh yet again. You put your face in your hands remembering everything, especially the way he grabbed you and flipped you over, and the sounds he made in your ear when he finally came.
"Yeah, I liked that," you giggle, face still hidden. You sigh into yourself, basking in the feeling of this conversation. You never thought you'd be having it with Yunho, and you realize that despite everything you couldn't be more comfortable. He knew you so well, and explaining all of this to someone who didn't know you at all would have been ten times more complicated.
"Y/n, I have to tell you something," he suddenly says, his tone completely different. You quickly put your hands down, turning your body in your chair to face him, as he sets his plate down on the ground, turning to face you as well.
"What is it?" you ask, trying to keep yourself from tensing up.
"I- I don't really know how to say this, I'm sorry if I start rambling. I just, I just need to say this, even though I think you already know, but in case it isn't clear. I-" he takes in a shaky breath, quickly letting it out. "I love you, obviously, I have for many years. But I'm also in love with you, and I don't know if you realized that. That's why certain things just keep coming out of my mouth, when we're having sex, and I'm sorry if it's weird. It doesn't seem to bother you but, I know we hadn't talked about it. I like calling you baby, it feels right, but if you want me to stop, or you want any of this thing, between us, to stop, you just say the word. I don't want anything that I ever do, or say, to make your life worse. You already deal with so much shit all of the time, and it would be my worst nightmare to know that I'm adding to that." Out of nowhere you feel a tear hit your cheek, quickly followed by one hitting your bare thigh. Yunho is staring at the ground between you, not able to stomach seeing your reactions in real time. "Above all I love you, and I want you to be happy, and even if tomorrow you tell me you never want to sleep with me ever again, I'd still love you, I'd still want to live with you and be your friend. I'm serious, I mean that. I would not hold it against you, I would not make things awkward. I don't feel like you owe me anything, at all. But you should also know if you want me to be more than a friend to you, I would gladly oblige. I know I should have probably told you this before we started having sex, but..." finally he trails off, looking up at you.
"Fuck, I'm sorry," he says seeing your tears, thinking he's upset you.
"No, don't apologize," you squeak out, trying to get ahold of your breathing.
"What's wrong?" he asks, coming to kneel next to you, taking your hands in his.
"I- I don't know," you croak, tears still streaming down your cheeks. You truly don't know why you suddenly burst into tears, after having such a calm morning. What Yunho said was sweet, unbelievably so. Your head spins, all the conversations from yesterday again playing through your head, like twenty radios going at the same time. It's incredibly overwhelming when your brain does this, and you grab your ears momentarily to try to make it stop. Yunho wipes the tears from your cheeks, sitting patiently as you calm yourself, as you finally wipe what you think are the last of the tears with the sleeves of his hoodie.
And when you finally look up you're met with big brown eyes that feel like they're looking into the depths of your soul, making your heart ache with a feeling so intense you can't name it. Suddenly the world slows, everything stops. It's just him and you, in this vast forest, and everything feels alright, like it's meant to be. Suddenly you're not feeling your sticky sweaty skin under the hoodie, or the ache in your core. You can't feel any of it when sat in front of you is your favorite person in the entire world. It hits you like a train, that realization. You'd never get over how kind he was to spend nights in the hospital with you, when you were so out of it you hardly remembered a thing. You could have said anything; you knew you acted strange when you were there. But still he was there for you, still he treated you the same. This beautiful, tall, talented man who could have been doing anything he wanted with his life. You could imagine doing everything with him, imagine living with him forever. You couldn't trust him more or respect him more if you tried. You realized the myriad dialogues playing out in your head had gone away, left with only one; a part of you, screaming at the top of her little lungs, 'how did it take you this long to realize?!'
"I'm-I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner," you stutter, leaning down to hug him, to hold him tight. You have so much you want to say to him, but it's hard to get words out with how overwhelmed you feel.
"Shh, it's okay," Yunho comforts you, holding your head in the crook of his neck.
"I love you too," you say, struggling to find the right words. "I mean, more than platonically, I love you. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it."
"I thought, maybe, that was the case," he says, chuckling into your hair.
"So even you figured that out before I did?" you ask, huffing out a laugh.
"What do you mean, even me?" he responds. You sit up to look at him again, putting your hands on his shoulders.
"Literally all of our friends knew we liked each other before I did," you say, like it's groundbreaking news.
"Does that surprise you?" he asks, incredulous.
"Well, yeah," you respond.
"They always do that though, don't they? I mean we all knew Hongjoong and Seonghwa liked each other since forever ago, it was just a thing. Sometimes I feel like they know me better than I know myself." You nod in response. It was definitely true with your friend group, time and time again.
"But Yunho, if you thought I liked you why didn't you ask me about it earlier?" you ask.
"I didn't want to put you in an awkward spot," he says, stroking his hand comfortingly down your arm.
"But, wait, how long have you suspected I like you?" you ask.
"Um, a while," he says, trying to think. "I don't remember exactly, but probably the last year or so."
"Year??" you ask, genuinely shocked. "How- what made you think that?"
"The way you are with me, when you're sick. I don't think you realize the things you say..." he trails off, grabbing your hands in his again.
"Oh god, what have I said to you?" you groan, trying to look away.
"It's nothing embarrassing, I swear. You just become so clingy with me, in a different way than you are with Seonghwa. Like, in a literal sense, not wanting me to let you go. You've asked me to sleep in your hospital bed before, and nurses have to kindly ask me to move so I'm not in the way. You will sometimes cry about how worried you are that I'll leave you, in a way that made it feel like we were already together. One time you said you were scared I'd stop loving you because of how sick you were. You'll profess your love for me, beg me to stay with you forever. Things like that."
"That sounds intense," you say, imagining it from his perspective. You shudder at the thought, a part of you feeling sick at how overwhelming it must be to care for someone like you.
"Well, yeah," he responds.
"I'm sor-"
"No. Don't do that." He grabs you tightly again, wrapping you in his arms. "I'm grateful for it all. I'm just so glad we finally talked about this. I'll always love you, no matter what happens. I want you to always remember that."
You nod into his shoulder, squeezing him tightly, just as you hear some foot steps approaching.
"Hi guys, I'm sorry to interrupt," Ari starts, speaking gently. You both break apart to give her your attention. "Can I borrow a pad, or a tampon or something?" she asks you, fidgeting. "I don't know why, but my period started today when it wasn't supposed to till like, next Tuesday."
"Oh my god, of course," you say immediately. "They should just be in my bag, easy to find. Feel free to grab whatever you need. Oh and my Tylenol, it might be in the bathroom if it's not in my bag."
"Thank you so much, you're a life saver," she says over her shoulder as she heads back in quickly, nearly breaking into a run. This cabin is messing with our hormones, you think. At first the thought amuses you, but then it feels scary too. Because what if everything that had happened between you and Yunho here, wouldn't feel the same back home? What if your feelings would change? It had taken the chaotic events of this trip to bring them to the surface, and would the monotony and business of real life bury them again?
There's also the possibility that it was inevitable, that all along this was going to happen. It certainly seems that everyone else thinks that, and that offers you some reassurance. But you can't help your own doubts, and your intense fear of what this means. It's all finally in the open, your feelings at least. But will you actually date? There is so much to discuss, and although he knows a lot, Yunho doesn't know the full of extent of your health issues. How much it can affect you, randomly for weeks or even months, how your sex drive changes, your moods change, your likes and dislikes even, if complicated medical issues are happening. You know you're bound to be pissed at him, to not want his attentions sometimes. You know he's bound to be way busier than you; which could be a good thing, you remind yourself. But if spending less time together feels almost relieving in a way, then is dating really the right thing to do? Maybe relationships with other people in general aren't really something you're built for. It's not like you've made many friends since high school, and the ones you have are almost exclusively online. You feel your soreness again, like a stabbing reminder of how messed up your body is.
"What are you thinking about?" Yunho asks you, cutting off your train of thought. It takes you a few moments, but you manage to collect your thoughts.
"Do do you realize how sick I am?" you ask, your voice small.
"What do you mean?" The look he gives you is one of genuine care. It makes your heart flutter.
"I- just- I don't know what this is going to be going forward, but like, I can't date someone in the normal way. No, that's not a good way of putting it," you sigh into your hands. Gathering yourself you start again. "Dating me isn't even like dating someone with a diagnosed disease or disability. My health issues are ever changing, and none of them have been truly figured out. Obviously I've fainted since I was young, but sometimes I go through periods where I barely do at all, and then other times it's super frequent. Sometimes I randomly develop an allergy to a new food, and I have to basically obsessively read through every item I buy at the grocery store to make sure I'm not accidentally injesting it. There was a time, three years ago, when I had no desire for anything sexual for like, half a year. My periods were so bad, and everything down there just always felt weird and it hurt, and I literally thought I might never feel horny ever again. These things just, happen, and there's no way for me to predict them. And it would mean that, being with me, would be different," you finish, with a huge sigh.
"I know all of that already," Yunho says, sighing himself.
"But, so- what do you want to happen?" you ask, finally getting to crux of what you wanted to know.
"Whatever you want," he says.
"That's not true, that can't be," you say, feeling dubious. "There must be something specific that you want."
"I want to date you," he says. "But I knew you might not want that, because of everything you have going on. So whatever you're willing to do, I'm in."
"Yunho," you sigh, frustrated. Frustrated because those words feel too good to be true, and as much as you trust him in so many ways, a part of you still wants to run away in doubt. It's a huge deal, trusting someone with this part of you, and it's just hit you now that you've been sleeping with him, in more ways than one, and you haven't batted an eye. If he ever did something, in any scenario but especially a sexual one, that hurt you, it would be so hard to recover. Things had happened in the past to make you understand that. You were so determined to never let those things happen again, that you'd basically stopped dating or even thinking about it. You could physically please yourself, and have your friendships to give you companionship. You'd never felt very centered on romantic relationships anyway. You had so written off the possibility of developing another romantic relationship that you'd stumbled into one without much of a thought. It made you feel so stupid, so immature. It was hard not to scream at yourself internally.
"What do you want to happen?" he asks you, placing a hand on your knee comfortingly.
"I- I don't want to lose you," you say, sighing into yourself. "And I don't want to get hurt. I don't want- I- I don't know."
"I won't hurt you," he says, squeezing your knee.
"I know you'd never intend to, but you can't guarantee that," you say. "And I can't guarantee I won't hurt you, either."
"Isn't it still worth it?" he asks.
"It depends what we decide to do," you say, eyes soft.
"I love you," he says again. It's all he can think to say right now, seeing how much you seem to be spiraling. And it works; it brings you back down into your body, into the chair you're sitting on. Suddenly you feel heavy, like the weight of all of your thoughts crashed down on you in an instant.
"I love you too," you say, nearly tearing up again. "This got way too serious and heavy," you say, trying to shake loose the dread starting to fill your veins.
"Why don't we do something fun today, then?" he asks.
"Like what?" you ask, nodding your head.
"Do you want to go to the falls, just the two of us? I felt bad you couldn't really join in the other day when we all went. If you feel up to it," he says.
"That sounds perfect," you reply, smiling at him. You're thankful he seems okay leaving the conversation where it was. You could feel yourself coming undone a bit, your thoughts running out of control, and you knew there was truly no use in continuing. You needed to reset, to calm down, and Yunho's suggestion seemed like just the thing to make you feel right again.
***
Inside you both change into your swimsuits, grabbing towels and water and snacks for your journey. Yunho liberally applies sunscreen to your body, obviously enjoying the proximity, but also genuinely wanting to protect your skin. You burn extremely easily, and sunburns always make you feel exhausted for days.
"Everyone, the two of us are going to the falls," he announces to the room as you head towards the back door. "Follow at your own risk. Consider this your official warning," he says, eyeing everyone, making you giggle at the implication. He hopes they know what he means.
You take the walk slowly, again picking flowers from the path and putting them in his hair. It's hard for you to resist your little habit, given just how beautiful the landscape is out here. You love the wilderness, but your friends and family and life are in the city, so you cherish your moments out in nature when you can. Especially when you get to place flowers in Yunho's shaggy hair, that you absolutely love. You still haven't told him that, and it gnaws at you now that things are different between you. It wasn't something you would have necessarily thought to tell him before. You generally avoided having strong opinions about others' appearances because you just didn't feel it was your place. But your opinions about his clothes, his hair, had always been a bit stronger. You'd certainly noticed it from time to time, that you reacted when he borrowed his dad's suit for a wedding, or when he'd cut his hair a certain way. Maybe a part of you felt awkward about telling him that, in a way you wouldn't about any of your other friends. You'd justified to yourself that you never said anything because he didn't care about those things either, so you didn't need to say it. But now you realized, maybe it was because you felt nervous. Because there were lingering feelings there that you weren't really aware of.
"I really like your hair right now," you blurt out, not wanting to wait any longer. You were done being distant from your feelings, not understanding them when it came to him. It was too important to you now.
"Oh, really?" he asks you, turning to you with a smile as you near the lake. "The other day my mom said I desperately need a haircut," he laughs.
"No, I like it long like this," you say, admiring your work. You know the flowers will disappear as soon as he dives in the falls, but for now they're beautiful.
"Then I'm keeping it," he says, sighing contentedly as you finally reach your destination.
The falls are beautiful today, the sky bright and blue reflected in the sparkly clear water. You set your things down on a smooth rock, far enough from the edge that they won't fall in. Quickly Yunho dives in, and you follow after him much more carefully, gently lowering yourself into the wonderfully chilly water. The temperature is a welcome pairing with the heat of the day, and you sigh, taking a deep breath before finally dunking your head under. You swim out towards the actual waterfall, breathing in the mist that forms at the bottom, the sound nearly deafening when you're so close. But it feels electric; moments like these always do, when your body is well enough for you to be out experiencing something intoxicating and brilliant. Yunho sidles up beside you, pulling you with him as he ducks through the water to come behind the fall. Behind there is a small cave, invisible to the outside world, with light bouncing across the ceiling as water droplets skip along the surface, finding their final resting place after their journey over the cliff.
Yunho's hands are on you quickly, as you wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders. He's holding you up, making it so you don't have to do any work, so that you can just breathe deep and enjoy the peace of the cave. In the water your bodies move slowly, sensually, and it makes you want to touch him as closely as you can. His wet hair sticks to his forehead, water beading down his face and shoulders. The gentle light dances across his face, and the steady sound from the falling water is almost hypnotizing. Your lips are on his before you know it, and it feels just right to open your mouth as he sucks on your bottom lip, letting out a soft moan. His hands are groping you, holding you up by your ass, snaking underneath your bikini bottoms. In here it truly feels like only you and him exist, and you release into that feeling, into the realization of just how strong your feelings for him are. You keep kissing him, small pecks of love, running your fingers through his hair and brushing it out of his face. You tug on it gently, not knowing if he likes that but so intoxicated by the pleasure you're feeling. Yunho groans, making you tug harder, your breathing speeding up from his reaction.
"I wanna fuck you out here," he says over the rushing water, his lips swollen from the kiss. You groan, grinding your hips into his as you lick across his lower lip, coaxing his mouth open again. Your tongues swipe over each other, you both incredibly hungry for more.
"Follow me," he says, starting to make his way back out of the cave. The bright sun feels shocking for a moment when you exit the dimness of the cave, but it feels wonderful. Like you've been transported back to literal paradise. You follow behind him as he swims towards the muddy bank of the lake, the part that boarders a bunch of trees and is relatively shady. When you arrive he lifts you up, sitting you down on the side of the lake where he can reach you.
His lips are back on yours in moments, his hands now able to explore the entirety of your bikini, snaking underneath your top to feel your chest, rubbing his thumbs enticingly over your nipples that are already hard from the cool water. A gentle breeze blows through the woods, making your wet skin feel cold. Your body shivers, from the breeze and from Yunho's touch, and you sigh in pleasure.
"Can I take this off?" Yunho asks as he tugs at your bikini, and you nod, starting to help him remove it. "Wait," he stops you, just for a moment. "You don't really answer me, when we're having sex. Do you like being so non-verbal?"
You just nod in response, showing him just how much it's true.
"Do you like me telling you what to do? Or do you want me to ask?" he continues.
"Either," you say, managing one word.
"And you'd tell me if you didn't like something?" he asks.
"Of course," you answer, feeling it's important. "I just don't like having to talk too much."
"I understand," Yunho nods, taking in your answer. He actually finds it incredibly hot, but again, it's not really something you've fully talked through yet. He so badly wants to know that he isn't hurting you, ever.
"Take this off then," he says, gently tugging on your bikini before pulling back from you. You throw it on the bank behind you, and it falls between two flowers in the grass.
Your feet sink into the mud as he pulls your legs again towards him, gently pushing them open. With your arms behind you, and bare chest to the sky, your naked body is on full display. Yunho's hands trace over the entirety of you, his legs still in the water as he kneels down, bringing himself closer to your center. He eyes your cunt hungrily, and it makes you throb, just how much his demeanor changes when he's finally truly in control. Your whole body buzzes from your surroundings, from the knowledge that you're in the wide open air and anyone could see.
"You like being naked in the forest, don't you," he says, seeing the way you so freely tossed your clothing, how comfortably you bore yourself to the world. You blush and giggle, soaking in the smells of the forest and grass behind you.
Yunho's hands slink down your thighs, finally coming to gently brush over your slit, when you jolt back in pain. The wimper that escapes you is pathetic, the realization of just how sensitive your pussy still is hitting you. It makes you upset, almost irrationally so.
"What's wrong baby?" he asks, immediately coming to comfortingly stroke your cheek.
"She hurts," you pout, looking down.
"Does she need a break today?" he asks.
"I guess," you say, frowning dramatically.
"That's okay baby, you don't need to be upset," he says, pulling you into a hug.
"But I want to do stuff," you whine into his shoulder.
"If your body needs a break, then we should give it a break," he says logically, making you roll your eyes. You feel petulant, and just want this time at the falls to be perfect.
"Is there anything that would help her feel better?" he asks, stroking a hand down your back.
"You could massage her," you say, smiling into him.
"What do you mean? Inside or outside?" he asks. You know it doesn't really make sense, the idea of massaging a pussy. But it makes sense to you.
"Just outside like, real gentle," you say, your voice small.
Yunho pulls back, gently bringing his hand down to your slit again. You inhale sharply at the initial contact, your body reacting without your control. But soon his methodical, slow movements up and down start to feel good. You body finally relaxes into it, your head dropping back as you soak in the warmth of the air. Yunho continues moving his fingers up and down, over and over brushing gently over your clit when he reaches the apex of his movements. The pleasure grows steadily each time and soon you're moaning softly, dropping to your elbows and spreading your legs even wider as your body starts to revel in the feeling.
"Does it feel good baby?" he asks you, and you nod your head, whining in response. He moves his thumb up to focus on your clit, gathering the wetness from your entrance and spreading it around. He adds more pressure to his small circular movements, the focus making your clit feel hot and sensitive. Waves of pleasure run down your legs and race up your abdomen, making your body feel sizzling hot in the summer air. You arch your back further, pushing yourself harder into his fingers, chasing the pleasure.
"You want more?" he asks, making you mewl in response. "I know you can take more baby, even if you're sore. Relax your pussy for me," he says before lining up his other hand, gently gathering more of your wetness on his middle finger before pushing it inside of you. You gasp instantaneously, again wincing at the initial pain. But with his other hand working your clit the pain quickly leaves you, your insides feeling like they're melting from the pleasure. His long fingers feel like they reach all the way inside of you, all the way into your guts, and it feels electric. Your breathing is ragged, your awareness no where else but your core and his fingers. "Good, you're so relaxed for me. I knew you could take it," he says, slowly pumping his finger in and out, focusing on putting pressure on that spongy sensitive spot that feels the best. "That feels good, doesn't it?" he asks, and you moan in response, almost whimpering. It makes blood rush to his cock seeing you so engrossed in how good you feel, the way you can so fully submit to him and your body and all the pleasure it gives you. "You need more," he says, no longer asking. He adds another finger, careful at first to not stretch you painfully fast. Once he can tell your body is ready for it he pumps faster, still focused on adding pressure in the right places.
Your moans are higher pitched now, your clit feeling red hot with pleasure. Your pussy is still sore but it feels so good, his movements mimicking the night before but not as rough, your body remembering everything that had transpired between the two of you the past few days. It's like everything with him; it builds, slowly, and suddenly you realize it's the best feeling in the world having him in control like this, able to read your body perfectly. A true dream come true, and it makes your head fuzzy with desire as you realize just how much you like it when he touches you all over, when he takes you out to a lake in the wide open air and touches you where anyone could see. Your careful, boring life would never have anyone suspect you like this and yet he could see, he knew. It almost feels fated that you went down this path, not knowing for so long what your true feelings were. Truly, how could this get any bett-
"Baby, stop thinking," Yunho says, bringing you back to him. And in a moment you're coming, the feeling ripping through you from your clit, making your whole body tingly with warmth and pleasure. The tightening muscles of your core are sore, but still clamp down around Yunho's fingers as you ride it out, your hips rolling to meet his movements. "Good girl, good girl," he repeats in your ear, or at least it feels like he's whispering into your ear, your eyes closed and taking in every sound so vividly. You finally lay fully flat on your back, riding out the last of your orgasm, your body limp and relaxed against the dirt and grass on the bank. Finally you blink open to look at him, seeing the blown pupils you love so much, taking his hand off your clit with a small 'too much.' He smiles at you, stroking that hand across your stomach and leaning down to kiss you, hungrily coaxing your mouth open and then pulling back to suck on your bottom lip.
***
And unbeknownst to both of you, Wooyoung watched on from behind a tree, his hand down his pants as he palms his painfully hard cock, trying to offer himself some relief. He understood Yunho's implication a mile away, and after spending a long time coming up with a good excuse, trekked his way up the hill to find you two. He really was getting incessantly horny on this trip, which wasn't completely out of the ordinary given his typical predisposition to horniness. But something on this trip especially, the amount of sex happening around him, made him feel insatiable.
As he crested the small hill before the lake he saw you two immediately, saw Yunho's hands under your bathing suit and your head thrown back in pleasure, the perfect curve of Yunho's back as he leaned into you, his hands possessively roaming. Wooyoung felt himself getting hard immediately, especially as he snuck around to between the trees, the threat of being caught adding to the arousal pooling in his pants. He saw you two talking, saw some exchange happen. And then your were stripping off your bikini, throwing it behind you, and your naked body was bare to the sky. He'd told you a million times how hot you were, and you usually laughed it off; but he truly meant it. Though he couldn't hear any of the words between you he could sense your submission and the way Yunho was taking control, the way he comforted you when you seemed to be in pain, and the way he reached down again and touched you differently. Wooyoung wished he could experience Yunho's domination, how kind and gentle it was. It wasn't his usual style, not what he usually wanted. But something about seeing the two of you together made him ever so slightly jealous; it made him think of the woman he was now involved with, how he missed her hands on him.
His hand provided him some pleasure but it just wasn't enough, just couldn't satisfy him the way he needed. His dick was hard and leaking in his shorts, and the longer he watched he just didn't care anymore; he pushed them down, his movements becoming more erratic as he chased his pleasure, not caring when he heard some twigs snap under his foot. The pleasure was good, so good, but he knew it couldn't be enough for him. Did he just watch you come? God he needed the feel of someone else, the intensity of fucking another person. He needed a better look at you, needed to see all that he could, so he stepped beside the tree, a larger branch snapping under his weight and echoing against the cliff, making Yunho's head snap up.
"Wooyoung, Jesus Christ," Yunho laughed, lifting himself off of you and helping you sit up, his two fingers still inside you.
"Oh my god, Woo," you laughed too, seeing his boner even all these feet away. It made you feel good, your core clenching a moment as your realized he'd been watching.
"Sorry, I-" Wooyoung sputtered, not sure what to say. Desperately he pulled up his shorts, his cock creating an obvious tent in the material. You both keep laughing, looking over at his pathetic face, his cheeks red from being caught. Painfully, it turned him on even more, the way you both were laughing at him. "This isn't fair," he whined, trying to look away from your naked bodies.
"What do you mean?" you asked him, still laughing.
"I'm fucking horny," he whined again, his tone still pitiful, but the smirk on his face betrayed just how much he was loving this. "And you guys just keep laughing at me; I'm not even trying to be funny."
"What are you trying to do then?" Yunho asked, eyeing him.
"I-" he started, stopping himself.
"Woo, just say it," you giggled, loving every moment of seeing Wooyoung like this.
"I'm trying to- I need someone to fuck me," he blurted out, finally.
"And you're hoping it'll be me?" you jokingly batted your eyelashes at him, making his head feel fuzzy. "Or, him?" you asked, pointing at Yunho.
"Either of you, I don't care," Woo responded, his whole body flushed with how turned on he was.
"You don't prefer me?" you asked, acting like you were hurt.
"Y/n," Wooyoung groaned, his hand coming put to cover his face. "I know you're fucking with me," he sighed, trying to collect himself.
"Yeah, stop messing with poor horny Wooyoung," Yunho laughed, his hand still inside you. He liked feeling the way your pussy clenched as you teased Wooyoung; you clearly loved doing it, and he filed that thought away for later.
"You both suck," Wooyoung groaned, carefully untangling his shoe from the broken branch, making his way back towards the trail.
"Woo, maybe just ask someone instead of sneaking up on them," Yunho called, his tone light as he chuckled. Neither of you really minded his intrusion, it just probably wasn't the way he was going to succeed at his little mission.
Tumbling down the trail Wooyoung almost broke into a run, adrenaline from the conversation he'd just finished coursing through him. As he neared the cabin he tried to slow down, steadying his breaths as he spotted Mingi shooting hoops by himself, shirtless and no doubt sweaty in the afternoon heat. Taking Yunho's advice he decided to play it as cool as he could, approaching Mingi with a clear goal instead of messily stumbling up a mountain in a pure horny haze.
"Mingi!" he called out, making his way over towards the court.
"Hey Woo," Mingi replied, passing him the basketball. Wooyoung wound up, missing the basket completely, the ball bouncing away into the grass.
"You really are terrible at shooting," Mingi laughed, jogging over to pick up the ball.
"Not nice," Wooyoung pouted, his arms crossing over his chest. "I'm very good at plenty of other things," he stated, jutting out a hip.
"Oh, sure you are," Mingi joked. You weren't the only one who enjoyed messing with Wooyoung; in fact, it was kind of a default setting for most of you. It was just too fun, seeing him get all flustered and bothered in the way that he did. The crazy thing was Mingi hadn't even seen Woo's shorts yet, too focused on retrieving the basketball a moment ago.
"I am," Wooyoung fixed Mingi with a steely gaze, just as Mingi wound up for a shot. The ball bounced off the backboard, headed straight for Wooyoung, but he didn't even bother catching it as he continued to stare Mingi down.
"Woo, what are you- oh my god," Mingi laughed, finally seeing the tent in his shorts. "Did I do that?" he joked, pointing. Wooyoung's face grew pink again, that feeling of being caught doing something bad returning in full force.
"Well, yeah," Woo responded, snaking his eyes down Mingi's entire body. "You're out here playing basketball shirtless, how was I supposed to react?"
Mingi smiled and laughed, honestly flattered by Woo's admission. "So you had an anterior motive, you didn't actually want to play with me?" he asked, jogging to the back of the court to pick up the ball Woo had let go.
"Mingi, I'm horny," Wooyoung groaned, eyeing him pathetically.
"I'm shocked," Mingi responded, laughing again.
"Mingi," Woo groaned again. "I need someone to help me, to, take care of it," he mumbled, his body tingling with embarrassment.
"Just go jack off, if it's that bad," Mingi replied, shooting the basketball again. It was all so casual to him, this conversation not affecting him the way Wooyoung hoped. Well, that was a failed attempt. Grumbling something incoherent Wooyoung walked away, heading towards the back of the house until he spotted Seonghwa and Hongjoong out by the trees, laying together in the grass. He walked his way over, determined to play it right this time.
"Hi guys," he said brightly, finally coming upon them to see Hongjoong on top of Seonghwa, their lips pressed together in a deep kiss. They were more tangled together than Wooyoung realized, and he braced for the response.
"Oh my god, Woo, you fucking scared me," Hongjoong sputtered, lifting himself enough to look at him. "What's up?" he asked, confused by the sudden interruption.
"How- how are you guys, doing?" Wooyoung asked hesitantly, trying to tread lightly.
"Um, good. We're kind of in the middle of something," Hongjoong replied, Seonghwa holding back a laugh underneath him.
"I know, I- um-" Woo stuttered, not able to come out with it.
"Woo, is something wrong?" Hongjoong asked, getting annoyed.
"No, I'm-"
"Okay then what are you doing! We're clearly in the middle of something!" he nearly yelled, his dick hard in his pants and frustrated with the lack of action he was getting. Wooyoung pouted, the sharp sound of Hongjoong's voice penetrating through him. He liked being yelled at like that.
"He probably wants to join us," Seonghwa laughed, his body still lax against the grass.
"Oh, I should have guessed," Hongjoong replied, laughing too. A moment lapsed, the two of them giggling into each other, before their faces came close again. But just before they could kiss again Seonghwa held his hand against Hongjoong's shoulder, stopping him.
"Woo, seriously, we want to spend some quality time just the two of us," Seonghwa said, his voice gentle but his demand clear.
"God, all of you suck," Wooyoung huffed before turning on his heel, stalking his way back towards the cabin. He now had his sights set on the bathroom, his needs growing too severely now for him to keep wasting time hoping that one of you would join him. It was time to deal with this himself, even if it wouldn't compare to what he really wanted.
When he busted through the door he didn't even consider acting normal for everyone; his desperation was too severe. Ari noticed his strange demeanor right away, pulling him aside in the hallway.
"What's wrong?" he asked, her voice soft.
"Nothing, nothing," Wooyoung replied, trying not to be driven crazy by how attentive she was being. God, he really just needed to lock himself in that bathroom and get this shit over with.
"Woo, clearly it's something," she said eyeing his crotch, wracking her brain for what exactly it could be.
"I really shouldn't have worn these damn shorts," Woo sighed, shaking his head at just how poor his choice was. They truly were the worst, the thin grey material leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. "Sorry, I'm just so horny right now and no one I asked was willing to, uh, sleep with me," he laughed. Saying it out loud made him realize how silly it all was, some of his tension melting away.
"Woo, I-" Ari looked over to San, seeing him engrossed in a conversation with Yeosang and Jongho. "Give me a sec, stay right here," she said before grabbing San, pulling him into their shared bedroom for a quick conversation. Soon she had returned, Wooyoung waiting patiently with his hands covering his crotch as he tried to act as normal as possible.
"Woo, come with me," Ari beckoned, holding out her hand. He grabbed it, following diligently towards the master bedroom. Once inside Ari sat him on a chair, her and San facing him while they sat on their bed.
"Woo, you seem very in need, and well, we're offering to help you," Ari started, not a single awkward pause tainting her sentence.
"Wait, really?" Woo asked looking between the two of them, absolutely shocked. They were the last people he'd ever have thought would be open to this, mostly because he'd never even met San and had no way of knowing what sort of thing he was into. But even Ari, she'd never seemed like the kind of person who'd want to share.
"Yes really. We can, tonight, if you want to," she finished, San nodding along. They'd actually discussed this possibility of this exact scenario about a month before, both laughing at the time about how unlikely it was to really happen. But they both found Wooyoung attractive, and decided they wouldn't rule out the idea of messing around with him together. At that time San had only seen pictures and spoken to Woo on the phone a few times; still, his interest was piqued.
"I-" Woo stuttered again, his words failing him badly with how fuzzy his head had felt for nearly the entire afternoon. "I don't know if, if my girlfriend will like it," he suddenly blurted out, surprising everyone, including himself.
"You have a girlfriend?" Ari asked.
"Yeah, that woman Mingi told you guys about, that choreographer," he responded.
"So things are really that serious, between you two?" Ari asked, so curious. There was no judgement in her tone, this was just truly a bit out of character for Wooyoung.
"We haven't discussed it yet," Woo replied, his own eyes still wide.
"Why didn't you invite her to come along?" San asked him, smiling at how genuine Woo's surprise clearly was.
"I- I didn't even think to," Wooyoung sighed, shaking his head.
"You should text her, we've still got a few days. And aren't your cousins leaving tomorrow morning? That'll free up some space on the couches," Ari said, smiling genuinely at Wooyoung.
"Fuck, I should," Woo smiled, the corners of his lips turning up ever so slightly. "I'm sorry guys, I hope I'm not making you feel rejected or anything, by saying no. I'd gladly fuck both of you, any day," he finished, making them both laugh.
"Don't apologize Woo, it's no big deal. Go, go text her," Ari responded, shooing Wooyoung out of the room. It was honestly so adorable how genuine Wooyoung was being, so careful with this woman's feelings, and it made Ari so happy to see her friend experiencing what all of you had wanted for him for so long.
***
The day pulled to an end, the sun starting to fall beyond the tree line, covering the sky in a beautiful subtle shade of orange. S'mores were on the menu tonight, the whole group of you gathered around the fire pit as Yunho and Mingi stoked the fire, their faces lit up with the brilliant light of the flames. You sat wrapped up in Yunho's hoodie again, yawning hard as you shivered in the cold air of the night. Earlier, when you'd finally made it back to the cabin, you'd realized your skin was burnt, and it only took a few hours for the exhaustion to start setting in. So much for trying to be careful, you thought. But it really was worth it today, getting to spend all that time alone with Yunho.
"How was everyone's day?" Ari asks from San's lap, a blanket wrapped around the two of them.
"So good," you smile at her, and she waggled her eyebrows at you, making you laugh. "I wish I could go to that waterfall, like, every weekend," you say, a murmur of agreement passing through the group.
"I'm sure Wooyoung wishes you could do that too," Yunho adds, looking over at Wooyoung with a smirk.
"Do tell," Ari prompts him, seeing clearly he has a story to share.
"Well, Woo came and interrupted me and y/n while we were, you know, in the middle of the things out by the lake. It was funny," he laughs, smiling at you.
"He did the same to us," Hongjoong responds, making both you and Yunho's eyebrows jump up.
"Woo I told you not to sneak up on anyone else," Yunho chastises him, laughing harder.
"Damn Woo, you really asked everyone today," Mingi laughs, smirking.
"You all are such cunts," Wooyoung responds, fighting back the laughter himself. "You just keep rubbing it in my damn face how you're having sex every goddamn day we're here."
"I haven't been," Mingi retorts, earning an eye roll form Wooyoung.
"Okay well you're rubbing it in my face how perfect your body is, so yeah, you still qualify as a cunt," Wooyoung responds.
"Did you text your girlfriend Woo?" Ari asks.
"Girlfriend?" you ask, looking at him expectantly.
"Yes, girlfriend. And yes I did; she said she has to check her schedule but she's probably coming tomorrow," Woo responds, looking almost nervous.
"Oh my god Woo, this is so exciting!" Ari responds.
"Wait, are you two like, together together? Officially?" you ask. Woo nods, that shy smile not leaving his lips.
"Look at him, he's growing up," Seonghwa sighs, making you all laugh. There is a palpable relief washing through the group, at seeing Wooyoung willing to explore a relationship again after swearing everything about love off so long ago. High school relationships can be so scarring, and a big part of you felt so thankful you never even considered dating at that age, despite at the time feeling like you were missing out on something to integral to growing up.
"And what's the deal with you two?" Ari eyes you and Yuho, smiling at the way your eyes can't even meet hers.
"We haven't talked about it yet, we'll tell you guys in our own time," Yunho responds, not angry by any means but firm enough to shut down the line of inquiry.
"Things are good," you add, seeing the curious looks of everyone.
"Your boyfriend is really cool, by the way," Jongho says to Ari, earning a small chorus of 'so true' and 'I agree' from the group.
"Thank you, that's so nice to hear," Ari responds, snuggling closer in San's lap. "You always worry what people will think of your boyfriend, especially your favorite people."
"He seems basically perfect," you say, Ari's face lighting up with a smile. San has finally lost the battle with himself, his own face curling into a shy smile that makes his dimples pop.
"Aw look, he's blushing!" Mingi calls, making you all break into giggles once again. "Here, who wants the first one?" he asks holding up a toasty marshmallow, Wooyoung holding out his plate of graham crackers and chocolate. "Be careful guys, they're gonna be really hot," he says as he pops another marshmallow on his stick, carefully holding it the perfect distance above the now-steady fire. Eventually you all have hot marshmallows on your plate, the chocolate melty inside the delicious sugary sandwich you all are enjoying. Well, everyone except you has melty chocolate, because of course chocolate was one of those pesky things you couldn't eat. Still you enjoyed the treat, resting your head against the back of your chair as you all chowed down, the group falling into near silence.
"She said she can come tomorrow morning," Wooyoung suddenly announces after checking his phone, the light from the sun nearly totally gone now. You all murmur in approval, genuinely excited to meet this woman who your dear friend so cares about. Soon everyone is done, wiping their faces as they finish the last of their s'mores, the fire slowly starting to die as Yunho and Mingi let it burn out. In the darkness of the night you can see so many starts, the sight always taking your breath away when you have the chance to see it. You lay staring up for a while, trying to find the constellations you know, your eyes eventually feeling too heavy to hold open. Soon you're woken from your slumber by Yunho, as he carries you inside to properly go to bed, your head resting against his shoulder as he carries you. You're out moments after snuggling into the soft sheets of your bed nook, your mind enveloped in a comforting darkness after the wonderful day you'd just had.
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batsplat · 25 days ago
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Wait what’s the tea on Valentino’s sleep patterns 👀👀 (fellow insomniac / recent motogp fan always looking for more representation)
oh yeah, if you're looking for representation for poor sleeping habits you've very much come to the right place. his sleep patterns are pretty remarkable you have to say. way too nocturnal for a professional athlete, reliant on naps to get through the race weekend, all power to him for somehow making that work and winning all those titles. pretty sure I've read somewhere that he's still known for doing sim races at ungodly hours these days, just how he lives his life
tbh I can't remember off the top of my head where I'd actually read about his sleeping patterns, but I've cobbled together a decent selection of quotes from the usual sources. the most interesting stuff he's said on the topic is in his autobiography - where he goes into rather a lot of detail about his preference for the night. given that it's quite a lengthy passage, I've chucked it under the cut. he frames his nocturnal inclination as not only suiting his natural body clock better, but also as a way of escaping the rest of the world - of being able to move around in peace and silence and anonymity. plus, he liked to spend his nights in the garage to... *pinches bridge of nose* have some special personal time with his bike, when it was just the two of them. take that as you will
before that, let's just start with a few more general descriptions of his sleeping patterns. from early in his career, jerez 1998 (from oxley's vr files):
The camper only holds two people, but that's okay. I don't like my dad to sleep with me, because when it gets to ten o'clock he starts saying: "Vale, Vale, got to bed!", but I can't go to sleep before one or two. We did share a motorhome in '96 and it made life very, very difficult for me.
and about brno 1999 (from oxley's vr files):
On weekends when I'm not racing, I never go to bed before six or seven on Sunday morning. If it's a party, maybe even later, but going to bed at six in the morning is quite normal for me! Even when I was 14 I used to go to bed at 4am. Quite often I'd be riding around the local minimoto tracks until after midnight! If I go to sleep at 11 or 12 I just lie there, my eyes wide open. Maybe I would be good for 24-hour racing!
and then a few years into his premier class career, valentino says the following (x):
'I have a lot of energy after 2am,' Rossi agreed. 'I like to sleep in the morning. I have some problems at the start of the day.'
we've also got a description of crew chief jb's influence in terms of making sure valentino wasn't slacking off by sleeping in (from oxley's vr files):
Burgess' talents aren't restricted to getting the best out of a 500. The Aussie has been in GPs for decades and knows how to extract the best from riders as well. He expects 100 per cent commitment both on the track and in the pits, and when he doesn't get that, he gives 'em hell. Some other crew chiefs won't do that - they're too overawed by their riders' superstardom. JB laid down the law last summer when late-sleeper Rossi turned up late for practice. Rossi suggested that in future one of the crew should be despatched to his motorhome each morning to make sure he was out of bed. No way, said Burgess, I'll be there to give you your wake-up call. Rossi's not overslept since.
and from 2001, in valentino's own words:
Q: Tell us about your sleeping habits, JB has had to wake you a few times for practice... VR: I never go to bed before 1 o'clock, and there's no limit on when I go to bed, but even when I go to sleep very late I always wake up at 8.30, though when I do wake up I always have a big confusion for the first five minutes, then after that I remember: "Oh fuck, I'm at world grand prix!" So I have a shower and then I'm okay. I never get up too close to riding time because the 500 is a dangerous bike so it's necessary to be awake when you climb aboard. Back in the afternoon after practice at four or five o'clock I'll sleep for another hour.
only semi-related but valentino's also talked about... you know, this generational shift - where the sport has become more professionalised, which is reflected in certain lifestyle changes (from barker's rossi biography):
"The next generation is always stronger. They are more professional, they put more effort in, they make a perfect life, they eat in a good way, they don't drink, they go to sleep early, they train every day from the morning to the night... I come from an era where the riders drank beer and smoked cigarettes!"
also plenty of talk of jet lag obviously... doesn't struggle with it too much headed westwards because he says he basically lives on american time anyway. the other direction is tougher, but in his youth he decided that he might as well try to continue living on italian time. so he essentially went racing at 5 in the morning (about phillip island 1998, from oxley's vr files):
I don't have a problem with jet lag, I always sleep. Last year in Indonesia I stayed on Italian time for the whole grand prix - so I was racing at five in the morning! But the difference is too great to do that in Australia.
how on earth are you racing motorcycles like that. mind you, he won that 1997 indonesia race
so yeah. king of disordered sleeping. given the nature of motogp schedules and how they do kind of require you to actually get up in the mornings, congrats to him for being remotely functional during race weekends. crazy how he even won the odd race
and here's the autobiography passage:
My day, usually, begins in the afternoon. It’s as if I exist inside my own personal time zone. I live at night, because I love the night. Now, this might make you think I do goodness-knows-what in the wee hours, or that I don’t live the life of a professional athlete. It’s true, I don’t live the life of an athlete in the traditional sense — early to bed, early to rise and all that — but this does not mean that I’m not careful about what I eat and drink or that I don’t train. In fact, I train a lot, both in the gym and on the bike. It’s just that I go to the gym in the afternoon, rather than the morning. Equally, when I’m training on the bike, down at the quarry, I always go in the afternoon, never at nine o'clock in the morning. My body has a certain type of metabolism. It is used to living according to a different body clock. That’s why, even if I’m travelling all over the world, I don’t experience jet lag and I rarely go to bed before 3 a.m. It’s much more likely that I’m just tucking into bed as people are leaving for work. As I say, I have a special relationship with the night. I like moving in it, living in it, thinking in it, relaxing in it. The night fascinates me, because it’s the period of least confusion. The world calms down, it goes quiet. And, besides, I’m Valentino Rossi. I’m wanted... I'm a fugitive. Yes, I’m always running away from my _ beloved countrymen. The Italians. I’m proud to be Italian, I'm proud of our merits and I regret our shortcomings. Italians are exceptional people. In every way. Even when they start loving you. Because that’s actually when problems can arise — if it’s you that the Italian falls in love with. Italian people are warm, empathetic, spontaneous. But they can also be excessive, oppressive and disrespectful. I don’t know who said that Italians will forgive everything except for success. Whoever it was, they were right. Because it’s absolutely true. After the 1997 season, I could tell I was becoming popular. Year after year, that popularity turned into fully fledged love. They’re in love with me now and, as a result, since the 2004 season, I’ve been a man on the run. And there’s no escape, no end in sight, because wherever I go they find me. There are simple things, the little pleasures in life, which I simply can’t engage in when I’m back in Italy. I can’t go to the bar and have a cappuccino, because I would not be able to drink it. To be fair, I can do it in Tavullia, but that's the only place. If I go more than a few kilometres in any direction from the centre of town, that's it, everything changes and I become, once again, a hunted man. I can’t walk into a store, look at something and decide what I want to buy. In fact, I can’t stop anywhere, not even at a petrol station. If I stop, I’m screwed. Somebody will recognise me (Italians are exceptionally good at recognising people), make a lot of noise, call other people and then, before I know it, I’ve been swallowed up by the crowd. If I schedule a meeting with someone, we have to meet in a secret, out-of-the-way location and, even then, we can't linger. I can't go to a restaurant if there are too many people inside. And if I do go, I can't go at a normal time, say eight o'clock. I have to go later, much later, when people are leaving. And I can't sit where I like, I have to hide away in a corner, in the shadows. As for places like cinemas or the beach, forget about it. They are just always off-limits.
Having said that, I do mix with people. I do it because I like doing it. It’s just that I wish I could do it as a normal person, because, deep down, I am a normal human being. This is part of the reason why I have to live at night. It would be that much tougher during the day, with all those people about. Plus, I don’t like the traffic, the chaos, the noise, all those people running all over the place, stressed out and out of breath. The night is different. Everything is softer, there are fewer people around and you are much more free. It’s like a parallel dimension. The world is different at night. Everything is different. That’s why I’ve assimilated the lyrics of a song by the Italian artist Jovanotti, “Gente. della notte” (“People of the night”). It has become my personal anthem. Jovanotti is one of my favourite singers and I find myself agreeing with him on most things. I love his work. What else can I say? The night is my reality. And I don’t change just because Grands Prix are scheduled during the day. My way of being and living is reflected in what I do during races. I don’t really change. Obviously, I don’t go to bed at dawn, but let’s just say that when I do, finally, go to bed, there aren’t many people around. Everything is better at night in the paddock. There is silence, the people _ have disappeared and, with them, the chaos. I can wander around freely, most of all I can enjoy the empty pit area and my bike. Yes, my bike. Because at night I often slip into the team garage. At some races I do it every single night, because I love being with my bike. My night-time activities can be traced back to the years racing in 125cc, and are directly tied to my passion for aesthetics and the stickers, which would later become my obsession. I don’t leave anything to chance'when it comes to choosing the colour or the stickers for my bike. That’s why I’ve always been central to any and all discussions when we were deciding the aesthetics of my racing bikes. I’ve done it always, with every bike, at every level, with every team. And, naturally, I still do it today. Nobody has ever been allowed to attach a single sticker to my bike, unless it was the logo of a technical sponsor. Until a few years ago I was totally inflexible about this. Now, Roby takes care of the number: he attaches it because then he needs to cover it in transparent paint. But apart - from -this, which is primarily a technical procedure anyway, I take care of everything else to do with the stickers. And this takes time and planning, which is why I started going to the garage at night. During the day it is packed with people. There are mechanics, technicians and others around. I would just get in the way, if I wanted to get near the bike just to check the stickers. As I got older and progressed from 125 to 250 and then to 500 and on to MotoGP, I maintained that passion for aesthetics and stickers, as well as the habit of dropping in on the team garage at night. I enjoy the bike during the day _ obviously, but my relationship with the bike is so special that I can spend hours with it, just looking and admiring it, making sure that everything is in order. Those are very personal moments which I find difficult to describe. The Japanese guys, both the executives but also the engineers never knew this, not the guys at Honda, not the ones at Yamaha. I don’t think they would really understand. They would probably view it as a waste of time, since I don’t actually do anything concrete. I never touch anything to do with the bike itself, beyond, obviously, the stickers. And yet I find it hard to explain to an engineer that I enjoy simply being near the bike, even when I’m not doing anything. It’s a complicated concept to explain: the risk is that people will think that you're crazy.
During the day everything happens so quickly, frenetically, neurotically. However, there is a sacrosanct moment when I need to step away and isolate myself. Once my commitment to the team is over, usually around 5.30 p.m., I retire to my motorhome, relax and take a nap. It usually lasts a couple hours and then I go out. There’s always something to do after dinner. Of course, the range of options depends on how many friends are around. I really start enjoying the paddock around ten o'clock at night. Before going to sleep I check on the bike again and then I go into the team motorhome, which serves as an office. Now that I’m at Yamaha, I have an office all to myself. That’s where I keep all my race gear. I do this for two reasons. My own personal motorhome is an absolute mess, nothing more fits in there and I probably couldn’t find anything amid all the junk. Plus, the office is where I change into my racing suit before going out on to the track. Thus, at night, after going to the pits to see the bike, I go to make sure that all my stuff is where it should be: gloves, suit, socks, boots . . . everything needs to be perfect, because I just don’t have time in the morning to hunt around for stuff. Thus, each morning I have to follow a very precise routine. I’m like a robot, everything is the same each day. Because the truth is that I need to be like clockwork. I just don’t have the time to think. Somebody generally comes to wake me up — usually it’s Jeremy, because he doesn’t trust my ability to wake up on my own! I then get up, wash my face (my eyes are still shut at this point) and try to stay awake as I ride the scooter from the motorhome to the pits. I then go up to the office and get dressed. There too everything is done mechanically. It takes the slightest hiccup to throw everything off, forcing me to be late to the testing.
"I find it hard to explain to an engineer that I enjoy simply being near the bike, even when I’m not doing anything. it’s a complicated concept to explain: the risk is that people will think that you're crazy" well -
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heart-of-the-morningstar · 5 months ago
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✨Dress Up, Part 4: The Anniversary✨
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Hey yeah, I know this fic kind of took a backseat for the other one shots I've been working on BUT it's here now! This chapter is a one year time jump from the last part!
This chapter was inspired by this fantastic artwork by @ferosmorningstar
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Lucifer x f!sinner reader
Summary: It's your one year anniversary with Lucifer and you decide to seek help from the expert...
Warnings: 18+, smut, use of pheromones (consensual), light bondage, oral (m & f receiving), p in v, biting, overstimulation, multiple orgasms
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"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Asmodeus," you greeted the King of Lust as you sat down across from him next to his hypnotizing fireplace with dazzling blue flames.
"Oh, your Highness, there's no need for formalities! You know you are more than welcome to just call me Oz," he spoke smoothly. "And it's absolutely no trouble at all! I'll always have time for the King and Queen. And speaking of, it's quite unusual to see you without the King glued to your hip; especially considering the day! I'm curious as to how you managed to slip away."
It's been a year since you and Lucifer tied the knot and what a wonderful year it's been! They say there's no such thing as a perfect marriage, but you're convinced that you and Lucifer had found it. Not a day goes by where this man does not kiss you awake in the morning or ask if there's anything that he can do for you to make your day easier. You both have been working your asses off to continue to help Charlie with the hotel. It's been promising for sure, a few handfuls of sinners have sought help and agreed to stay there, with most making incredible progress. Lucifer especially has been working himself to the bone as of late, doing everything in his power to support his daughter and to make sure no one stands between her and her dream. The poor king has been running himself into the ground, coming home later than promised most nights. Of course, he's always extremely apologetic and always finds a way to make it up to you. But you're never upset with him, explaining that you know what he's doing is important and that you understand completely. Although, you never turn down his apologies, not when he makes you feel the way he does. However, it was your anniversary, and you decided that you wanted to do something special for him, just as he always does for you.
Just within the past year, you found yourself visiting the other six rings of Hell that Lucifer had told you about. The other sins certainly were interesting, but after meeting each of them, you found yourself becoming closest with Asmodeus and Beelzebub as they had been the most welcoming and inviting. Bee was always inviting you to one of her parties and you told her sometime soon you would accept her invitation once the craziness of the hotel has subsided. And you found a kindred spirit with Oz, as he himself was also in a relationship with a demon considered far below that of a Sin. It was comforting to know that Lucifer was not the only powerful being in Hell who had fallen for someone whom many considered unworthy of his affection. It took some time, but you learned to ignore those thoughts, whether they came from the outside or within yourself.
Regardless, you knew that Oz was just the demon to help you.
"It wasn't easy, I'll say that much," you laughed, "I practically had to beg him to let me go off on my own today. He didn't want to be apart on our anniversary, but I had to tell him I was picking up a 'surprise anniversary present' and he wasn't allowed to know what it was until tonight."
Asmodeus chuckled. "And what sort of present did you have in mind?"
You looked away and rubbed the back of your neck. "That's the thing, Oz, I'm...not sure. My plan took me as far as meeting with you. I just knew you'd be able to help."
"I see," the demon smiled almost mischievously, "Well, you've come to the right place! You two are some of my best customers, after all." You couldn't help but blush from embarrassment at his comment, knowing full well he was right. "Nothing to be ashamed about, my Queen. It's great that you two find such pleasure in each other and I'm more than happy to provide! Now, do you mind if I ask you some more than personal questions? It'll help me greatly in determining how I can help enhance your experience."
"Umm, y-yeah, that's fine," you agreed shyly. What you and Lucifer did behind closed doors always stayed between the two of you, but Asmodeus was the King of Lust after all, he'd be able to help more than anyone.
"Excellent!" With a wave of his hand, a small notepad and pen appeared. "I promise not to get into the nitty gritty, just wanting to get a general overview. Now, how often would you say you two get down business?"
You gulped. "O-Oh, umm, at least once a day."
Asmodeus began to scribble on his notepad. "Ooh, girl, you really hit the jackpot! Is that full on action every day?"
"N-No," you admitted, "not every day, b-but there's always some form of...intimacy, even if it's small."
"There's no such thing when it comes to lust," Asmodeus winked. "How do you two go about trying something you haven't done before?"
"Well, we always discuss it beforehand," you answered, "we've never done anything that the other didn't agree to."
More scribbling. "Beautiful, a perfect answer. And how about-"
Suddenly, the door behind Asmodeus flew open with a crash. "Ozziiieee!" you heard a rough gravelly voice call out, "We finally got those new orders of vibrators shipped to us that we've been waiting weeks for, so if you wanna...OH SHIT!" Fizzarolli dropped the box he was carrying with a hard thud. The box itself began to vibrate with a loud buzzing noise. In a panic, the imp chucked the box out the door behind him and used his extendible arm to lock it behind him. "Y-Your Highness! I'm sorry for interrupting, evidentially SOMEONE forgot to mention he had an important meeting today!" Fizz glared at Asmodeus who smiled back at him cheekily.
You couldn't help but giggle. "It's alright Fizz, you don't need to apologize! It's always nice to see you."
"Likewise," the jester bowed. "So, what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Well, today's my anniversary with Lucifer and I-"
"Oh, I see!" Fizz cut you off, "You wanna get a special gift for the Big Boss, is that it?" You nodded wordlessly. "If that's the case, I have the perfect suggestion! Oz, did you tell her about the..." Fizz leaned into Asmodeus's ear to whisper, now unable to hear what he was saying. Fizz pulled away from him with a devious smirk while Oz's face had shifted to one of concern.
"Uhh, I don't know about that, Froggie," Asmodeus answered the unknown question. "That hasn't even gone to market yet."
Fizzarolli hopped in Oz's lap playfully, wrapping his robotic arms around his lover's neck. "Oh, come on Oz! We've had it tested countless times and it works like a charm! Besides, I don't recall you being this cautious when we used it, hehehe."
"Fizz!" Oz exclaimed only for Fizz to stick out his tongue in response.
"You know, I'd love to know what you two are talking about," you chimed in, both of them snapping their heads in your direction. You watched as Fizzarolli flashed his signature puppy dog stare at Oz. the king of Lust sighed in defeated and gestured for him to continue, knowing he couldn't say no to his boyfriend's adorable tactics. Fizz jumped up in excitement and made his way towards you, throwing his arms over your shoulder.
"So, tell me," Fizz began, "what do you know about pheromones?"
"Pheromones?" you repeated, "umm, not much honestly. Why do you ask?"
Fizz shot you an excited smirk. “Well, the long and short of it is that they work extremely well when you’re looking to boost attraction,” he said, emphasizing his seductive tone on the last word. “Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt that you and the King have the raging hots for each other! But Ozzie and I came up with a little something to…maximize the experience!”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Asmodeus chimed in.
Fizz rolled his eyes. “Okay, okay, yeah, there are a few little quirks with it, I'll admit it."
"Such as?" you asked, your curiosity piqued.
Fizz skillfully flipped and landed his backflip back onto Oz's lap and crossed his arms. "You know, I used to think there was no such thing as too much overstimulation, but uhh..." The jester looked up at Oz, "you wanna take this one, big guy?"
Oz cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, like Fizz said, it's extremely powerful. You don't even have to touch your partner for the effects to start take hold, they just have to be in the general vicinity of you. It's gonna take almost nothing to get them going. So, do you think that's something you're willing to try with your prince charming?"
Oz's explanation was intriguing to be sure, but a question still lingered. "You're selling it well, Oz. But what is it exactly?"
With a snap of his fingers, a small and skinny lavender colored vile appeared in Oz's hand. It was no bigger than your pinky finger. "There are very few things are more enticing to the senses than a good perfume."
"It seems...a little small," you joked.
"Oh, trust me, Your Highness," Fizz laughed, "that is way more than enough. One tiny spritz and you're in for a loooonnnggg night!"
Oz tossed the vile to you and you caught it with ease. You examined the bottle. The blue flames from Oz's fire pit reflected beautifully off of the pristine crystal container, almost as if it were sparkling. You couldn't help but wonder how powerful this substance really was, especially considering the King of Lust himself was skeptical. You turned the bottle around and found the warning label on the side. It had things like 'Increase in stamina' and 'Increase in sensitivity' listed, but one sentence had jumped out to you in particular.
" 'Lack of a refractory period.' " you read out loud. "Does...that mean what I think it means?"
Fizz chuckled at your reaction. "It sure does! You two will definitely have loads and loads of fun.~" The jester's innuendo was definitely not lost on you, and you could feel the heat rise to your face once again. "Don't stress, it doesn't last that long. Well, I guess it depends on whether or not you consider an hour a long time!"
Oz playfully squinted at the imp in his lap who stuck out his tongue in return. "Normally, I wouldn't give away a product that hasn't been sold publicly, but I'm more than confident you and the King will use it wisely. Hell, you might even be able to handle it better than most!"
"Thank you, Oz," you smiled. "How much do I owe you?"
Oz waved his arms in dismissal. "Oh honey, don't worry about it! Consider it an anniversary gift. Although, I do ask for one favor." You raised an eyebrow. "After your session, I'd love to know how it worked for you. It'll be another test run, for lack of a better term, and I need all the info I can get before we start marketing."
"Oh, yeah, n-no problem!" you managed to squeak out. “Thank you for everything. I should be getting back now, though. Knowing Lucifer, he’s probably on the verge of sending out a search party for me.” You stood up and snapped your fingers, creating a portal behind you that lead to your home. Becoming the Queen of Hell had its perks, and Lucifer was a fantastic teacher when it came to your newfound abilities.
“Before you go, I have one last thing for you,” Ozzie called out. With another snap of his fingers, rope with a shining light blue glow appeared in your empty hand.
“Blessed rope?” you questioned.
“It’ll come in handy, trust me,” Oz winked. “Use it as you please! Although, I don’t know how well it’ll fair against an angel like him.”
“Thanks again, Oz,” you smiled shyly as you stepped through the portal. “I’ll see you two soon!”
The couple waved back as the portal closed “Let me know how long it takes ya to learn how to walk again!” Fizz called out before disappearing from sight.
You laughed to yourself, now slightly more worried. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea after all, but you’ve already come this far. You sauntered through the front door and made your way towards Lucifer’s workshop, right where you left him. You knocked on the large wooden door. No answer. You slowly opened the door and realized Lucifer was not at his work bench. There was, however, a small handwritten note on top of his desk. You made your way over and picked up the beautiful handwritten letter.
Welcome home, my love! If you're looking for me, I'll be in the kitchen! I have a surprise for you! ♥
~ Your Luci
You smiled sweetly at his letter. Before you made your way to the kitchen, you took a small detour to your bedroom, hiding Asmodeus's gifts under one of the large pillows on the bed. The gears were turning in your head as you formulated a plan. Finding your way to the dining room, you were greeted to the site of a lovely set table complete with a large vase full of pristine red roses with petals decorating the tablecloth beneath, flickering candles, and golden cutlery that glistened in the candlelight. Lucifer always knew how to go above and beyond; the view was nothing short of perfection. You took a few steps more and pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen, at last laying eyes on your husband across the room. He mustn't have heard you as he hadn't turned around. The sweet familiar smell of chocolate chip pancakes permeated the air as you watched him effortlessly flip one of the pancakes back into the pan. Ever the showman even when no one was watching. Or, at least he thought as much.
"It smells delicious in here," you called out to him.
"GAH!" Lucifer exclaimed in surprise, losing grip on the pan which clattered to the stove top. He turned around, his face softening and flashing at you his signature toothy grin. "Oh, honey, you're back!" Quickly, he turned the dial on the stove to the 'off' position and discarded his 'Kiss The Cook' apron, tossing it to the floor and wrapped you in a tight embrace, his lips pecking every inch of your face before stopping at your lips. "You startled me! How dare you sneak up on me, and on our anniversary of all days!" he said playfully, placing another quick peck to your lips.
You could only giggle in response. "I'm sorry, Luci. I didn't think I had the power to frighten the devil himself, though. You're lucky I didn't try to give you a hug just now!"
"Oh, it would have been an unmitigated disaster, I assure you!" Lucifer joked. "But don't worry, all is forgiven. You're just in time too! Go have a seat out there and I'll be right behind you."
He gave you one last kiss on the forehead before releasing his grip on you and making his way back to the stove. You did as he asked and took a seat in one of the two empty chairs. Less than a minute passed before Lucifer threw his hip into the door carrying two huge stacks of pancakes in each hand, placing them down ever so delicately in front of you. With a quick snap of his fingers, your pancakes were doused in a cacophony of strawberries, bananas, and syrup.
"Bon appétit," Lucifer chuckled. He took his seat across from you, outstretching his hand to hold yours while you indulged in your perfect breakfast for dinner. "So, tell me," Lucifer started to say after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes, "where did you disappear to today?"
You stopped chewing for a moment and swallowed the bits of banana that remained. "O-Oh, nowhere special. I was just...looking for a special gift."
"A present for moi?" Lucifer feigned surprise. "Do I get to know what it is?"
"Soon, love, I promise," you reassured him, "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise too soon. We haven't even gotten to dessert yet!"
Lucifer leaned down and placed a small kiss on the back of your hand. "Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to prepare anything. Please forgive me," he looked up at you with a small seductive grin. "But there is something sweet I've been dying to taste all day, my darling, and it's sweeter than any dessert I could ever conjure. I'm practically starving!"
You felt your cheeks burn as you smiled back at him coyly. After patting your face with your napkin, you stood up slowly and took a few steps towards your insatiable husband. You bent down, pressing your soft lips against his ear. "You need to learn to control that sweet tooth of yours, Luci," you teased him. Lucifer let out a shallow breath. You took a few steps back, placing your hands on your hips. "If you want dessert, you’re going to have to earn it." You snapped a portal open behind you without so much as a warning. “Come find me!” You sprinted through the portal, finding yourself in the adjacent hallway across from where you left your ravenous lover. You heard the dining room doors crash open followed by an amused laugh.
“So that’s how you want to play it, huh?” Lucifer’s voice carried, “Alright, then…”
You chuckled just loud enough for him to hear before summoning another portal and jumping through it. You saw Lucifer turn the corner, a wide and almost feral smile spread across his face before the portal closed. You found yourself in his workshop again, just down the hall.
"You know, I'm starting to regret teaching you how to use portals," you heard Lucifer's muffled frustration through the doors. You decided to take it one step further. After all, what's a fun game of chase without a little risk? You kicked off your shoes in an instant and snapped your dress and bra away, letting it fall to the floor and leaving you in nothing but your lacy maroon panties. You opened the door to the hallway and poked your head out to see Lucifer standing further down, his back turned towards you as he tried desperately to track you down.
"You're getting colder," you taunted. You watched as Lucifer snapped his head around before closing the door and portaling away once more to the opposite hallway. You heard the doors of his workshop open with an almost sinister laugh following.
"Oh, you little devil," Lucifer hummed as he took notice of your recently discarded clothing. "It almost seems like my little mouse wants to be caught." He wasn't wrong. You heard the sound of a portal being opened. Then silence. When you popped your head around the corner, a cursory glance showed Lucifer was nowhere to be found. Your heart skipped a beat at the thought of not knowing where he had gone, but it excited you none the less. After a few moments, you decided to make your way back to your bedroom as quietly as possible. After carefully opening the door to the nearly pitch-black room, you tiptoed over to where you had hidden Lucifer's gift, hoping to use the rope to your advantage.
But there was just one problem; you weren't alone.
"Oh, darling," Lucifer's voice echoed in the darkness, "you should have known better than to venture into the lion's den." A small scream escaped you as your eyes darted everywhere looking for the fallen angel. After only a moment, you spotted his silhouette in the shadows in the corner of the room, his pale-yellow eyes illuminated in the blackness. He lunged at you with his teeth barred, forcing you back onto the bed with your hands now pinned on either side of your head. Lucifer had made quick work with his clothes after you had lost track of him as he was now only down to his duck printed briefs that left very little to the imagination. His tail appeared behind him, swishing back and forth excitedly like a predator who had found his prey. You were caught.
You swallowed hard as you gazed up at your capture. "Alright, alright, you win!" You tried to force your arms up in an attempt to escape, but Lucifer's grip held strong. "You know, if you don't let me go, I won't be able to give you your gift."
'Ah, ah, ah," he chastised sweetly, "I won fair and square! Like you said before, we shouldn't spoil the surprise too soon. Or maybe you just want to hear me beg for my reward."
Your face felt hotter and hotter with every passing second, his words flowing straight to your already soaking core. "I-It wouldn't hurt to hear," you admit. "I love when you beg for me."
Lucifer's breath hitched at your teasing as he raised your hands over your head, now gripping your both of your wrists with one hand while the other trailed over the mounds of your breasts, passing over your stomach, and stopping right at the hem of your panties. It took everything in you not to buck up at his delicate touch.
"P-Please, love," he murmured as he leaned down to capture your lips in a passionate kiss, your tongues entangling together as if it was a fight for dominance. "Let me devour you. Your taste is everything I could ever want. I'm addicted to it. To you." His lips found yours again, kissing you like his life depended on it. You felt his lips curl into a smile against your skin as he peppered kisses down your neck and collarbone. "Pretty please?"
Your chest heaved erratically at your husband’s tender display of affection. “Well, h-how can I say no when you’ve asked so nicely.”
Lucifer hummed against your soft skin, finally slipping his fingers underneath the fabric of panties and between your slick folds. Your breath hitched at the sensation of his hand explored your hot core. He found your clit easily, making small circular motions with his thumb. He captured your moans with his lips, finally slipping two digits inside of you without any resistance. Lucifer thrusted them in and out of you slowly, pulling as many noises as he could from you. You couldn’t hold yourself from bucking up to his touch, practically begging for more friction. He chuckled at your eagerness and started to curl his fingers inside of you, hitting the most tender spot and leaving you as nothing but putty in his hands.
“L-Lucifer, please,” you begged softly.
“Please what, my love?” he teased, his fingers’ pace quickening and causing you to arch your back. His tail made its way to your waist, wrapping around you snuggly. Your expression softened, your lower lip protruding as if you were being reprimanded. “Aww c’mon, that’s not fair,” Lucifer cooed, “You can’t look at me like that! You know I can’t resist that cute little pouty face…” You feigned a few sniffles while your bottom lip quivered, trying your best to not laugh at your own attempt to make him feel guilty. Lucifer quickly took ahold of your bottom lip with his mouth, sucking on it ever so gently. "You never play fair, you know that? But I can't resist you, not now, not ever."
His hand that had been holding your wrists finally released its grip and traveled down your body while his other hand retreated from your entrance. You let out a soft whimper at the loss. Instantly, your panties were slid down the length of your legs and were tossed away without a second thought. Lucifer shifted himself down between your thighs, still leaving his tail wrapped firmly around your midriff, the tip of his tail resting just below your breasts. He began to trail kisses up your inner thigh, starting on one leg and stopping his motions just before getting to where you needed him most to switch to the other leg, mirroring the same action. After what felt like a few lifetimes, you at last felt his forked tongue glide across your glistening cunt, dragging it in an upwards motion. Lucifer wrapped his arms around your thighs and dragged your body as close to his face as he could as he began to suck on your sensitive nub.
"A-Ahh...f-fuck Lucifer, fff-aahh," you stuttered out breathlessly. The only sounds you could manage were the cries of pure ecstasy. You heard a faint chuckle beneath you as he continued to lap at your dripping pussy. You knew how wild your taste made him; it's as if he couldn't survive without it. Lucifer bucked his hips into the mattress, his hardening cock straining against the fabric as he ate you out like his final meal. Through your half-lidded eyes, you watched as his tail twitched around you. In your haze, a devious idea popped into your head. Gently, you grabbed ahold of Lucifer's tail and ran your fingers over tip. The man beneath you stopped his ministrations, his breathing had become increasingly staggered.
"Honey," he stared up at you, "w-what are you doing?"
"I shouldn't be the only one feeling good, Luci," you replied sweetly, continuing your soft stoking motions on the tip of his tail.
Lucifer swallowed hard. "B-Baby, if you do that I - ahh s-shit...I won't be able t-to...HNNG-" his words fell short as you brought the tip of his tail to your lips, peppering kisses over every inch of it. "F-Feels too good, fuu-uucck..."
"Do you trust me?" you asked softly.
"Of course I do," he nodded.
"Then let me make you feel good. It'll be alright, I promise." You took your free hand and gently guided his face down towards your aching core. Without another word, Lucifer went back to licking up and down your folds, stopping occasionally to suck on your clit. You gripped his hair as you felt his long tongue darting in and out of you at a relentless pace as you continued to stroke his more than sensitive tail. He moans of pleasure reverberated of your skin, making his act all the more intense.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck," Lucifer murmured against you as he ground his hips fervently into the mattress. "Gonna cum if you keep doing tha-aaahhh FUCK!" He unwrapped one of his arms and plugged two fingers back into you with ease, pumping them in and out of you ruthlessly. You through your head back in such overwhelming pleasure, the coil in your stomach felt as though it was on the brink of snapping at any second. "Cum with me," Lucifer growled "let me taste you, ffffuck...please..." His thumb pressed into your clit, and the pressure was too much for you to hold back any longer.
"LUCIFER!" you cried out as you felt your soft pink walls clench around his digits, your release coating his face as he licked and sucked you dry. A string of curses left Lucifer's mouth; you had gripped his tail with so much force as you came. He couldn't stop himself. Hot streaks of cum leaked from his cock as his orgasm hit him without warning. You rode out your orgasms together and after a few moments were able to breath normally once again. Lucifer finally lifted himself from your thighs and unwrapped his tail from around you. He managed to drag his body upwards and lay his head down on your heaving chest.
"Sorry," he whispered. "I...I couldn't stop myself from...I'm sorry."
You stoked his soft hair as he nuzzled into you. "Please don't apologize, Lucifer," you comforted, "you did nothing wrong."
Lucifer shifted his head to look up at you with glassy yellow eyes. "I feel like I managed to cut this night way too short," he admitted. "We didn't even-"
You leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. "You did nothing wrong," you repeated, smiling down at him. "I asked if you trusted me, right?" He nodded. "I think it's time that I give you your gift. Sit up for me?”
He did as you asked, maneuvering himself off you and sitting on the edge of the bed, finally removing his ruined shorts. “Poor little ducks,” Lucifer laughed to himself. You laughed with him and made your way up the bed and grabbed the two gifts from under the pillow where you had hidden them earlier.
“No peaking!” you called over your shoulder. Lucifer brought his hands to his face and covered his eyes obediently. With the items in hand, you tossed your legs over the side and made your way over to Lucifer. You outstretched your hands, holding one object in each. “Alright, you can look now.” The man brought his hands down immediately, staring down at the tiny vial and rope in front of him.
“Gotta say, not what I was expecting but I’m intrigued to say the least!” Lucifer beamed at you. “So…I can take a guess at what this could be used for,” he said with a smirk as he picked up the blessed rope from your one hand. “Buuuut I’m stumped on the bottle. What is it?”
“A gift from Asmodeus,” you answered.
Lucifer picked up the lavender vile from your hand to give it a closer inspection. “Ahh, so that’s where you snuck off to! Very sly of you, sweetheart. But that still didn’t answer my question, am I going to have to beg some more?”
You laughed and rolled your eyes. “No, no, I’ll be nice. It’s a special type of perfume.”
Lucifer gasped dramatically. “But I thought you adored my fresh apple pie cologne! You wound me, my darling.” He crossed his arms and started to pout, feigning his offense.
“Always so dramatic,” you teased, pinching his cheeks. He stuck his tongue out at you with a cute smile. “I'll actually be the one wearing it, hon. It's a uhh...a pheromone perfume."
"Oh," Lucifer said nonchalantly. But it only took a few seconds for your words to register in his mind. "OH! O-oh...I see. Wow uhh, that's...wow," You watched his cheeks fade into a light yellow as he continued to stare at the bottle. He flipped it over, scanning over the label with great intensity. His eyes widened and he shot you a surprised glance. You nodded eagerly, knowing exactly what had caught his eye.
"We don't have to use this tonight, or at all if that's what you decide," you reassured him. "I know this is a surprise. I'd never want to overwhelm you or pressure you into something, especially considering I just sprung this on you. I-"
Lucifer dropped both of his gifts on the bed and stood up to capture your lips with his, effectively cutting you off. You melted into his kiss, letting your eyes flutter shut, opening your mouth wide for his tongue to explore. He pulled away after a few moments and gazed at you longingly.
"You're too good to me," he spoke softly, running his thumb over your cheek. "I’d love to try it, but only if you want to as well. Pheromones are a powerful thing, and it may be difficult for me to...control myself. It won't be impossible though; just means I'll have to use a bit more focus. The last thing I'd want to do is hurt you."
"Oz said something similar," you remarked. "But I trust you, Lucifer. I always will." You picked up the bottle from the bed and held it in your open palm. "Care to do the honors?"
With a soft smile and a shaky exhale, Lucifer took the vile from your hand and aimed it at your wrist. You felt a splash of liquid hit your skin as Lucifer pressed down on the top, the faintest hint of lavender filled your senses. You sighed in unison.
"The vile said it would take a few minutes to kick in," Lucifer nearly whispered, leaning down and taking a hold of the blessed rope, offering it to you. "I suppose it's my turn."
You nodded knowingly. You crawled onto the end of the bed and patted the sheets in front of you, offering Lucifer a seat. He sat down with no hesitation. "Arms, please." Your lover placed his arms behind his back with his hands together. You began to wrap the rope around his wrists, making sure it wasn't too tight but tight enough to make sure he couldn't break through. "You know, I'm surprised we've never thought about using angelic material before. Do you think you could get out of this if you wanted to?"
"P-Probably not without...hnng...a lot of effort," he mumbled out. You watched as his shoulders began to rise and fall as his breathing became harsh, their speed increasing with every passing second.
"Are you still with me, Luci?" you asked as you pulled the final knot on his ropes.
"M-Mhmm..."
"Deep breaths, love," you soothed.
Lucifer let out a low chuckle. "T-That's not going to help m-me..." You noticed Lucifer's body begin to tremble ever so slightly. You touched his shoulder only for Lucifer to let out a pathetic wail. You peered over him to see his cock had sprung back to life and leaking almost controllably. An odd mixture of lust and fear filled your entire body. "P-Please..." Lucifer's hoarse voice begged. You climbed off the bed and stood in front the shaking man. You placed your hand under his chin and tilted his head up, noticing his eyes now had a subtle tint of purple to them.
"I've got you, hon," you cooed, reaching down and gently grabbing the base of his cock. Lucifer's heavy moan echoed throughout the large room as he came from your touch alone, his cum spilling over your fingers. You couldn't help but smile just a little. "Wow," you marveled, "Oz wasn't lying. Are you alright?"
The fallen angel nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes...d-don't stop...f-fuck, please don't stop..."
You fell to your knees with your hand still firmly around Lucifer's hard cock. You pulled your hand away to lick up the mess Lucifer had made, causing him to let out a whimper in protest at the loss of your touch. "I wouldn't dream of it," you smiled before taking a long lick from the base of his shaft to the swollen tip. The sounds Lucifer was making were unholy, you'd never seen him in such a desperate and needy state. You delicately placed your hot mouth on the head of his cock, swirling your tongue around and swallowing the excessive amount of precum that continued to leak from him. Your lover was reduced to a whining mess as you took him into your mouth, bobbing your head up and down and taking him in as much as you could. You could feel his cock twitching in your mouth, and you looked up him to see Lucifer's eyes screwed shut with streams of tears falling down his cheeks.
"C-Can't...oh my G-God...I can't, I'm g-gonna..." was all he could manage to sputter out before you felt more ropes of cum shoot into the back of your throat. You swallowed as much as you could, a bit of his seed leaking form either side of your mouth as you helped him ride out his high. You let go of his still hard cock with a satisfying *pop*, wiping away the remains of his release on your face with a satisfied grin.
"That was more than I was expecting," you teased. Lucifer continued to tremble and was now straining against the ropes that held his arms together. But Lucifer didn't react to your words; it was as if he hadn't even heard you.
"N-Need to feel you," he whimpered, "N-Need to-fuckfuckfuck...please love, p-please let me go. I-I can't..." Lucifer continued to thrash around as he tried to escape his angelic bonds.
You stood up from the floor and patted his head, running your fingers through his soft hair. "Easy, Luci, easy," you spoke softly, "Try to relax for me, I'll get you out of them. Just-"
You heard the rope snap before you had the chance to finish your sentence. Lucifer's arms flew to your waist, his angelic wings sprouting behind him. He pulled you against his chest and took off into the air. You found yourself high above the room near the ceiling, wrapping your legs and arms around Lucifer for stability. You felt his cock twitching wildly between your stomachs, sending a wave of lust straight to your aching core.
"Sorrysorrysorrysorry," Lucifer begged into your ear. "I'm trying...I-I'm trying to...G-God damn it..."
"I-It's alright," you reassured him. He quietly sobbed into your shoulder, his wings flapping furiously and causing a few of his crimson feathers to float gently to the ground. "Shhh, hey, hey, it's okay, Lucifer. Please don't cry." You felt his nails dig into your hips as he tried to steady his breathing. You leaned your head forward and began to softly suck on his neck, a breathy cry escaping his throat. "I want you to take me," you murmured into his ear. "Take me now."
Within a second, you felt your body press up against the wall as Lucifer lifted you up by your waist and sank you down on needy length. His legs held firm as you bottomed out, unable to hold back your desperate moan. Lucifer made quick work of your request, relentlessly slamming you up and down on his cock, his tip hitting your most sensitive spot with each thrust. Lucifer's wings never faltered as he continued to fuck your tight dripping cunt, burying himself as deep inside you as he could. His one hand flew to the wall, unable to help himself as he dragged his sharp claws down, shedding the wallpaper next to your head.
"Feels s-so good, so good..." Lucifer snarled, locking your lips together in a fiery kiss. "Can't help it, c-can't help...fuckfuckFUCK!" He came again, painting your pink walls completely white. His orgasm triggered your own, feeling your coil snap as you milked his needy cock that hadn't ceased thrusting up inside you.
"L-Lucifer...I...I...g-aaahhh" you tried to choke out, but his consistent pounding into your pussy left you all but speechless. But after a few moments, his movement stopped, his cock still filling you to the brim.
"Need more," you heard Lucifer mumble under his breath. "More of this, m-more of you." He looked at your completely flushed and fucked out face. "A-Are you okay to keep going?" You nodded lethargically. "Words, l-love. Need words..."
"Y-Yes," you breathed, "keep going..."
You felt pain pierce your shoulder, your cries reverberating off the walls. Lucifer's razon-like teeth had sunk down into your flesh, just enough to pierce the skin. His grip on your hips tightened, his cock endlessly twitching inside your sensitive cunt. He removed his teeth and quickly lapped up the droplets of blood that had spilled from your inflicted wound. He switched to your other shoulder, mirroring his actions. The feeling of his teeth marking you as his own sent your brain into a meltdown. The idea of being claimed by him sent shivers down your spine. It hurt, of course, but if was a delicious type of pain that you couldn't help but crave.
"You're mine," Lucifer growled into your skin, biting down on any area of body that he could reach. "A-All mine. Mine. Mine. MINE!"
His horns burst from his temple and his tail reappeared, thrashing around behind him. He pushed away from the wall and flung both of you down against the mattress. At last, he finally began to rut into you again, his skin slapping against your own with each powerful thrust. You threw your arms around his neck like your like depended on it, guttural moans of pleasure fell from the two of you in tandem. Lucifer wings created huge gusts as he pounded into you, knocking everything around the room. He clawed at the pillows and bed sheets beneath you, all but ripping them apart in his chase for another release. The headboard hit against wall hard as his hips rocked into you mercilessly, creating deeper and deeper dents.
"I love you, love you s-so much, my queen," Lucifer breath was hot against your neck, his voice thick with desire. "So good, t-too good, my good girl...f-fuuuck."
You were on the verge of coming undone again as tears pricked at your eyes, the dim candlelight blurred in your hazy vision. But underneath the moans of both you and the fallen angel, you heard another sound. The splintering of the wood beneath you was growing louder and louder.
"Lu-Lucifer," you croaked out, "t-the bed, it's-GAAHHH...it won't hold much longer i-if we don't...O-OH FFFUUCK!"
Your words seemed to have the opposite on Lucifer, as he had started thrusted even faster into your soaking cunt. "Don't care...don't c-care," he spoke through his clenched teeth, "s-so close, can't s-stoo-aaahh...can't stop. What do you say, darling? L-Let's break this fucking bed!"
With a few more final powerful thrusts, the bed buckled beneath the both of you, falling to the floor with a thunderous crash. At that same moment, you felt another orgasm crash over you, your walls pulsating around Lucifer's cock. You felt him shudder above you as he cried out and released another load into your overstimulated pussy, feeling his hot cum dripping slowly down your legs and onto the tattered bed sheets.
In that moment, you both fell unconscious.
****
You don't know how long you had been passed out for, but you awoke with a start. Lucifer was resting peacefully on top of you, his demonic form completely subsided. It seems neither of you had moved in the time you two had fallen asleep. More evident by the fact you could still feel a certain pressure between your legs. You looked around your room, taking in all of the damaged that was caused during your intense lovemaking. Feathers from the pillows and from Lucifer fluttered around you as you shifted your arms and attempted to try and sit up.
"Lucifer, honey, wake up," you nudged his shoulder softly. His eyes fluttered open slowly, and you noticed the purple tint in them had vanished. You rustled his hair and sighed longingly. "I think we may have gone a tad overboard."
"Huh, w-what?" he yawned. He used his arms to push himself up, only to notice that he was still nestled inside of you. He blushed and quickly removed himself, throwing himself down to lay next to you. "So tired..." he grumbled.
You couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah, Luci, I would imagine so. You really went-OWW!" As you tried to shift your legs, you felt the soreness of your muscles being to crash over you.
Lucifer sat up in a panic. "Sweetheart, are you alright?! Shit, shit, shit, did I hurt you?! Oh God, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I-HMMPH!" You pulled Lucifer face down to your own, bringing him in for a tender kiss. You knew it was the best way to get him to stop apologizing."
"Luci, I'm fine," you smiled up at him. "I'm just sore is all. Last night was...a little intense. But I'll recover!"
Lucifer breathed a shaky sigh of relief. You watched as his eyes trailed over your newly marked skin. "Geez, I really did a number on you, didn't I?" he asked as his fingers traced feather-light touches to his own bite marks.
"I like them."
Lucifer couldn't hide his flushed face from you as he smiled down at you sheepishly. "But...are you sure you're alright? You don't have to lie to me to spare my feelings. If I'm honest, last night was somewhat of a blur for me..."
You cocked your eyebrow. "What do you remember?"
Lucifer shook his head. "I remember eating dinner, dining on a very delicious dessert," he winked at you playfully, "spraying that perfume on you, getting my hands bound...and it all goes fuzzy after that."
You smiled and nuzzled his nose against yours. "Well, I'm more than happy to remind you. It's definitely an anniversary I won't forget."
"I'd love nothing more, darling," Lucifer cooed as he brought you in for another kiss. "And there will be plenty more to follow, an infinite amount, in fact! But first, why don't we get you cleaned up, hmm? Extra pampering today since I crashed on you afterwards, very unbecoming of the King. Come here." He easily scooped you up in his arms and tried to swing his legs over the bed only for his feet to be met with the hard floor. "Honey, I'm almost afraid to ask but...why is our bed on the floor?"
All you could do was laugh as he carried you to the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and leaned down to capture your lips once more.
~~~~
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*Cut to Asmodeus getting a text from Lucifer asking him for 50 more bottles of perfume*
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avcdgrdn · 2 months ago
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── .✦ [ FIC ]: coffee date with ford ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝
stanford pines x reader fluff // based off of this headcanon post.
˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆。˚
you could tell that something was off as soon as you walked into the house.
the mystery (s)hack has officially run out of coffee beans ... and there's a grumpy grunkle to show for it.
"uuugh..."
six rough fingers moved to wearily rub the forehead of their owner: a sleep-deprived scientist who'd stayed up late last night working on a project. of course, whether the project was actually worth losing sleep over or not wasn't entirely relevant ... ford just didn't want to go to bed and deal with his thought-filled brain. despite his troubles with bill being behind him, there often are nights where he just can't fight the paranoia.
trudging out into the kitchen, the broad-built man leaned against a countertop with one arm, heaving a low and rumbling sigh.
"well, well. good morning, sunshine." a gruff voice called out from across the room, accompanied by the sound of cereal pouring into a bowl. stanley was ' making breakfast ' for dipper and mabel, who waited eagerly at the table. "didja get enough beauty sleep?"
"i'll answer that question after i have my coffee." ford huffed, eyes still half-shut and darkened with exhaustion. upon hearing those words, stan trailed out an 'uhhhh' and glanced towards the coffee machine.
"about that, sixer ... it's all gone. i was gonna grab another bag the last time i was out, but i got distracted."
if, by being distracted, he meant attempting to shoplift a twelve-pack of pitt cola and getting caught, he was technically telling the truth.
"what."
the corner of ford's left eye twitched. no coffee? how could he have overlooked such a possibility? great ... just great.
after a moment longer of taking in the unfolding scene from the open front door, you decided to speak up.
"uh, everything okay?"
everyone's attention shifted to you. you'd only been staying with the pines family for a few days as a temporary fix for your living situation, but somehow, it was beginning to feel like home. mabel grinned brightly upon seeing you, waving her small hands in the air.
"hiya, cutie !! back from your morning walk? how'd it go?"
you met her honey brown eyes, and a smile crept onto your expression.
"it was lovely, thanks." you made your way into the house, closing the front door behind you and promptly taking a seat beside the smaller twins at the table. the grunkles observed you, following suit and each coming over to fill the remaining empty seats.
"i hope ya like cereal, cause i can't cook for my life!" stan grinned, gave everyone a bowl of cereal, and the feasting began.
mabel scarfed down her bowl, akin to how waddles might eat his own breakfast. dipper and stan both ate slowly, while you were somewhere in the middle. the only odd one out was ford, who hadn't touched his spoon at all. his head was rested against one hand, and his eyes were shut, as if he were deep in thought or (more likely) dozing off. still, he looked like he should at least eat something ...
"ford?" you called from across the table, spoon in hand.
"i- wh- ... huh?"
he stammered, a faint shade of crimson tinting his cheeks as he snapped awake and stared at you like a deer in headlights. stan snickered.
"what's wrong?" your voice was concerned, with an undertone of amusement. it seemed unnatural for him to act so disheveled, considering how your first impression of him was extremely put-together and educated. although, you couldn't say you disliked this side of him.
he cleared his throat. "well, you see, we've ... run out of coffee. during days like these, i rely on the caffeine to keep me awake."
"i see." you crunched on another mouthful of cereal, swallowing with a thoughtful hum. "isn't there a good café somewhere near here?"
at that, ford raised his bushy brows. a café? that's a good point.
"it must be relatively new, because i can't say that i've ever been to such an establishment in town." he mused, stroking his chin stubble as he attempted to recall the various changes that had occurred in gravity falls since he'd returned after being gone for thirty years.
"i could take you, if you like."
"...what?"
and now, all eyes were on you.
blinking innocently, you restated your offer.
"i said, i could take you, if you like. i've been there a few times myself, and they've got a lot of good options."
"gasp !! like a date ??" mabel squealed, only to be elbowed by her twin brother. her comment earned a darker blush from ford and a choke from stan.
"u-um ... i wouldn't necessarily say a da-"
"ahem! i accept your offer. it would be good for me to get out of the house, anyway." ford hurriedly interrupted you, averting his gaze as he straightened his trench coat and adjusted his turtleneck. a stifled squeal of joy could be heard from the kids' end of the table.
and just like that, you found yourself strolling down the sidewalk, side by side with the tired scientist. he had freshened up somewhat, having taken the time to tame his bedhead hair and clean his dusty glasses. even while sleep deprived, he looked handsome in the warmth of the sunlight. catching yourself staring, you quickly averted your gaze to in front of you, focusing on where you were walking. ford had most definitely seen you looking, but chose not to say anything about it.
the silence wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it certainly was not commonplace for either of you. you've been living on your own for a while now, so you're acquainted with silence, but not the kind shared with another person. on the flip side, ford has slowly been learning to cherish peace and quiet again after getting rid of bill's voice in his head.
upon arriving at the café, the two of you took in the inviting atmosphere, inhaling the scent of brewing coffee and sweet pastries as the little bell hanging from the door jingled to signal your appearance. ford visibly relaxed, already pleased.
"you know what you want?" you questioned with a smile, glancing up to meet his eyes.
"mm, i think i'll have the cold brew with vanilla cream." he replied, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a somewhat shy grin. you swore you could feel butterflies in your stomach.
"alright." making your way up to the cashier, you put in your order for two drinks, pulling out your wallet and selecting the appropriate bills to pay for the both of you. ford was somewhat shocked that you had made the move to pay for his drink, and his bashful smile grew as you found a table to sit down at.
"thank you, that was very generous of you." he adjusted his glasses, sitting across from you and giving you a brief once-over. "i could have covered it, you know."
"ah, don't worry about it." now that you thought about it, this was the first time that you were spending one-on-one time with him, apart from the rest of the family ... was this really a date, like mabel had said? your face began to heat up at the notion, but you quickly distracted yourself by looking down to fidget with the edge of your sleeve.
feeling the need to break the silence, the silver-streaked man shifted in his seat. "so ... tell me about yourself."
he was clearly showing interest in getting to know you, which was flattering, and somewhat endearing. given his quiet demeanor, it was obvious that socialization was not his strong suit. still, you couldn't deny that he had a certain rugged charm about him.
staring out the window, you thought for a moment, then spoke. "for starters, you know that i'm working on moving into a house." there was another pause as you mulled over your next words. "i'm interested in the strange phenomenons here in gravity falls. i was raised in another state, but my family relocated here while i was in high school. that's what got me curious about certain ... abnormalities." you smiled softly, fixing your gaze onto him. "i think unusual things are wonderful."
stanford was practically slack-jawed, his dark brown eyes shining with the wonder of a child in love. any previous hesitation was completely abandoned.
"why, that's what i've dedicated my life purpose to for years!" his wide shoulders leaned over the table, bringing his face closer to your own. "i've been keeping journals-"
he was interrupted by a barista calling out your name across the café. regretfully, you had to tear your attention from his enthusiasm, standing to go collect your drinks from the counter. for some reason, the thudding of your heart was very loud.
returning to your seat, you put ford's cold brew in front of him before taking a swig of your own drink. he carefully picked up the cup, observing it from a few different angles before raising it to his lips. he took a long sip, then made a low, content hum. "yes ... this is exactly what i needed." you could already see the caffeine revitalizing him. "now, where was i? ah, yes! the journals."
the next hour and a half consisted of him infodumping about the journals and all of the wonderful things he's seen and done. he earned quite a few reactions from you, each of which inflated his ego even further. by the end of his rant, he was on an energetic and emotional high.
the two of you were laughing at some corny one-liner he'd thrown in, and ford leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his broad chest as it heaved with deep chuckles.
"you know, i haven't talked with anyone like this in a while, besides stanley and the kids, of course." a warm smile graced his features. "i'm glad that you invited me here. and ..." he trailed off, his eyes narrowing. "... i think you're an interesting person. clearly, we share the same passion."
oh, crap. why was he looking at you like that? why was it hot? you could feel yourself slowly losing your composure. why did your type have to be nerds?
"t-thanks. i think you're interesting, too." you blushed, smiling and feeling giddy.
"we should do this again, yes?"
"i would love to."
end (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)
author's note:
expect more ford content from me (he's literally my pookie)
also if you give me feedback i love you
if you have any fic ideas, shoot me a request!
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hunnylagoon · 10 months ago
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Take Me to War
PT1 Friendly Fire
Streamer! Ellie Williams x reader
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A writer, I think is someone who pays attention to the world. We are observers, it is in our nature to be off-putting and turn shallow things deep.
Premise: Your neighbour is becoming increasingly loud and you decide to do something about it.
PT 2 Here!
Two things I hate the most?
My neighbour and New York City.
They shared something in common, they never rest. I liked my quiet life in my small town until I was convinced that all of the greatest writers lived in the city, what a joke. I sold my virtue to move to New York and now my body burned with the shame of not belonging.
I worked as a journalist and in advertisement but it didn't fill the gaping mass that consumed me, I felt like a sellout so I quit to do freelance, and now I feel like even more of a sellout. Freelance is making me think that I hate ghostwriting more than I hate my neighbour and New York City.
It's like you do all of the work and get zero reward but I'm desperate to pay the bills and all that stuff I've been telling myself all my life 'I may never be a rich man but the rich man will never have me' well, the rich man most certainly had me. I was paid an almost criminal amount of money to pour my soul into art just for it to get stamped beneath a new name and make a gross income six times the size of what I sold it for.
I look for happiness everywhere but I do not find it. I search for it in things everyone seems to pry joy from; I go clubbing, walk in Central Park, and date around, but happiness doesn't seem to exist there for me.
I plead for it in my morning cups of tea with a spoonful of honey, the sunshine glittering in a puddle after a rainstorm, for a brief moment, it flickers in the light of my cinnamon-scented candle. The truth is I am almost comforted by my sadness and it is in my lowest moments that my creations are the most beautiful, it is like I am dead and I despise those who aren't for I enjoy the company of my silence more than anyone I have ever met.
It was my dream for my name to be above 'New York Times Best Selling Author' but instead, it is just my work beneath it and maybe that's why I'm so bitter.
Right now as I am trying to salvage the bits and pieces I was given by a washed-up pop star for her memoir my neighbour is screaming and laughing incoherently in their apartment, it makes me miss living in an actual house.
The noise usually started up when I would finish up my writing and get ready for bed, then it would go all the way through the night. The dumb fucker probably threw parties every single night; my roommate never faced an issue with this as she worked at a club and was usually working when the deafening noises would begin.
I on the other hand who lived in that apartment and worked from that apartment was always cursed to listen to the random thumps and spats of laughter that sounded all through the night. At least once a night when I'm sound asleep, I hear a bang against the wall and each time without fail, I'm brought awake with my heart thumping.
Trust me, I have retaliated.
On occasion when I'm sleep-deprived and at my absolute limit I'll bang on the walls, that only stops the noise for a minute. I've even complained to my landlord and that one week was heaven until it eased back to the clamour that I've almost grown used to.
Almost.
I still hate it.
I'm broken from my thoughts when my phone rings, it vibrates till it's almost at the edge of my desk and I feel for it; don't worry buddy, I wanna jump too. I read the caller ID and I almost wanted to gag, it was a woman from the publishing company who reached out to me and asked me to write Nicole Elliot's novel. Despite wanting to throw my phone against the wall to stop Noemi's constant checkups and get back at my neighbour while I'm at it, I answer the phone "Hey, Noemi!" I glance out the window where the winter sun has long set, leaving nothing but billboards, street lamps and neon signs to light up the New York night. Under the unforgiving lights I can barely make out the gentle snowfall.
"Hey," She draws it out and I can hear in her voice that she is smiling "I know it's a little late, just checking in, how is the draft coming along?" A loud thump sounds against my wall along with intolerant cackling "What's that?"
"Just some street noise," I dismiss "Anyways, the draft is coming along great, I'm a couple thousand words away from finishing it. I will of course send it to you and I would really love it if you could reach out to Nicole and ask for her opinion on it before I carry on with the final copy," I give a middle finger to my wall, even if my neighbour can't see me, it makes me feel a little bit more formidable "I did follow her outline, which was difficult but I think I salvaged it pretty well."
This time there is a yelp from my neighbour and what sounds like someone slamming their hands down onto a table, Noemi thankfully ignores it "You haven't been in touch with Nicole?"
My eyebrows furrow "She hasn't responded to any of my emails and she's been turning down all of our scheduled Zoom calls, so no, I have not been in touch with her."
"Weird," Noemi comments and there is a brief break of silence between us "She's been M.I.A on our end too," I could hear her scribble something down. "So can you get the draft to me by Friday?"
Two days? If I lock myself inside and don't see the sun then I totally can "Absolutely!" I do work better under a deadline.
"Great," She sounds almost relieved "We will hunt down Nicole, it would be nice to get her greenlight with this but whether or not she approves it, she has already signed off and it will be going to print."
"Okay," I fight the urge to respond with 'sick' or 'aight' because I'm an adult now and someone who is masquerading as a professional.
"Sorry, what was that you mentioned about an outline?" Noemi asks, she sounds more confused with each word "I wasn't aware Nicole made any-
She is swiftly cut off by a crash from the other side of my wall, when I say crash I mean it. It sounded like someone just bodied their car into drywall. My eyes went wide as I saw a crack splitting up my once pristine white wall. I hold my phone against my collarbone as I get up and pound my fist against the wall, giving it a kick for extra measure.
"Is everything alright?"
"Certainly," The nice thing about phone calls is that the person on the other end can't see your awkward habits or subtle outbursts (Or neighbours breaking through your shared wall). After I hit the wall, everything went silent for just a second before laughter sounded heavily from multiple people. "Noemi, thank you for sourcing me out to write this, I am really grateful for this opportunity I will send you that draft on Friday." I try to wrap up the call but she speaks up.
"Well, I've read your work and I was very impressed, I trust you will do well with this. Sorry to have called you so late-
"Thanks, have a nice night now!" I'm talking faster than I can even think, the only thing in my head is the fact that my neighbour is slowly deteriorating my wall.
"Wait-
Before Noemi can finish her sentence, I've hung up the phone. I'm leaning back in my cushy office chair, hands gripping my hair as I stare down the newly formed crack in the wall. I don't entirely like to be confrontational, even in school I hated drama, but I was beginning to think it was necessary.
I saved the progress I had made on the memoir and pushed myself up from my desk. I was clad in nothing more than a t-shirt and some plaid pants, it was my writing attire and in the moment I didn't care much to make a good first impression. It was fucking freezing the second I got up from my desk.
The moulding on my bedroom window was broken which allowed the frigid New York air to slip into my room and make me shiver with each breath. At my desk, I would usually have a throw blanket to shroud my freezing body but the moment I discarded it, I felt regret. I almost wanted to wrap myself in it to confront my neighbour but the pyjamas alone didn't help me look tough.
I did however shove my feet into some cow slippers and march right up to their apartment.
Apartment 2D stood in front of me, the pastel blue door making me angrier with every second that I looked at it. I rapped my knuckles on the wood and crossed my arms to stop me from shuddering.
My nerves built up as I slowly heard a door within the apartment shut followed by footsteps leading to the door. I would just ask them politely to quiet down and calmly work on a way to fix the shared wall that they are slowly ruining.
The door opens and staring me down is a woman. I had expected it to be a man to be truthful. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, the colour teetered on the verge of auburn and brown. The woman is clad in a black tank top and grey sweatpants, it's almost parallel to my outfit.
"You need to be quiet," I say the first words that come to mind "And stop assaulting my fucking wall."
She sucks a sharp breath through her teeth "Are you apartment 3D?" She asks to which I nod "I knew you would be stopping by soon." She has this sheepish and almost sardonic smile on her face and despite the amusement she's portraying I can see sadness brewing in her green eyes like a storm.
"I don't know what you're doing in there where you are up all night, I don't even have a clue how you sleep and work with all this time to spare to be a nuisance." I say and then swiftly feel the urge to backtrack "I'm sorry, that was a little rude, but mate, I can't sleep or work when you're being loud doing whatever you do."
"Fuck," She mutters looking back into her apartment and then at me "I'm sorry, I'll keep it down."
"What about the wall?"
Her eyes look me up and down, settling on my cow slippers "I'll find someone to fix the wall."
I press my lips tight together, looking dead into her eyes, scraping my brain for something else to say. It was almost like I wanted to fight. I had expected this to be a full-out conversation that ended in yelling but god she was pretty and she was telling me just what I wanted. "Okay."
"Okay?"
I regard her once more with what I assume is a cold glare before ushering back into my apartment and slamming the door behind me, the whole time, my neighbour watches me from her doorway.
That was the first night of uninterrupted sleep I'd had in a month.
-
I woke up earlier than I would've liked when my roommate Margot came home from work at 4:56 on the dot. She made sure to slam every single door and cupboard before throwing herself onto her bed in all of her makeup and musty clothes that had to endure whatever happens at a nightclub between the hours of 8 pm and 4 am, which I can't imagine is very clean.
Still, even though I was a little ahead of schedule I fell into my morning routine. It started with ignoring my phone, this was followed by a mug of Bengal spice tea with a teaspoon of honey and a splash of cream.
Sometimes I would curl up on the couch, though it snowed last night and I loved fresh snow. Freshly fallen snow absorbed sound, it was like soundproofing for the earth. There wasn't anything like the rare peace you could find in New York. I figured I would have my morning tea on the fire escape.
My peaceful image was destroyed the second I pried my window open and crawled through I was hit with the intense smell of pot. "Shit," I mutter, instinctively wafting the scent away from my nose.
"Sorry, man," I see my neighbour leaning against the railing of the fire escape, nursing a joint. It hadn't crossed my mind that I shared a level of the fire escape with her, I had never seen her out here but now the smell of weed that drifted through the damaged moulding on my window made sense, I had always assumed it to be Margot.
"Joint for breakfast?" I ask, half-joking. A dusting of powdery snow adorns each step and railing, creating a delicate layer of white that contrasts with the industrial gray of the metal though it looks like my neighbour has pushed all of the snow off the platform.
"Nah, for dinner I guess, it helps me sleep," She's in the same outfit from last night, except her hair is now loose around her face and she threw a hoodie over her tanktop.
I furrow my eyebrows "You've been up all night?" The slight tension from the previous night has dissolved completely.
"Yeah," She says it like it was a stupid question and it partially was but I hadn't stayed up that late since New Year only because I was the designated driver and was in charge of getting everyone home safe. "I don't sleep much, that's probably why I keep you up all night."
I mean, I'd let her keep me up in other ways "Honestly, I've gotten used to it, it's almost like white noise." I try to sympathize even if it isn’t necessarily true.
"Next time I'm loud, you have every right to bang on my door and chew me out." She takes a drag from her joint and I watch as the smoke escapes her lips, her cheeks tinted pink from the cold.
"Good to know," I glance behind her at the open window and all I see are purple LED lights cutting through the darkness of her apartment. "Now I know that we share a fire escape I'll just crawl through your window and yell at you that way," I joke, taking a sip from my snoopy mug.
This makes her laugh in the slightest, she crushes what remains of her joint on the cold railing and tosses the bud into the pot of a dead plant that's covered in snow and has lived on this fire escape long before I moved in; one time I just about removed it but I felt bad, it's like I was evicting it from its rightful home "Feel free."
"Am I allowed to ask why you're up all night breaking the sound barriers?" I ask, pulling my fuzzy robe tighter around my body to fight the bitter air. "Are you the leader of a cult? Would it be better for the world in the long run if I push you right now?"
The corners of her lips curl up into a smile once again "You've figured me out, just know I've got some big plans with Koolaid," She plays into my teasing.
"It was flavour-aid, actually." I don't know why I said that.
"What the fuck is flavour-aid?"
"Koolaid basically," Silence stretches between us "So what do you actually do all night?"
"It's a bit complicated," She says, of course, it was complicated. "I work from home," She couldn't do something normal, she probably did voice acting or ran a podcast or some weird shit like that.
"Sick," Don't worry, I made myself cringe when I said that too "I work from home too."
"Yeah, you said something about work last night, are you in marketing?"
I shake my head "I'm a writer," every time I tell someone that, I feel a twinge of embarrassment. I know it wasn't a noble career like my parents had hounded me over, but it felt noble to me. I had two absent parents and was raised by a pack of wolves, I would devour as much food as fast as I could because I didn't know when I would be eating next. I was far too emotional to be around all of the narcissists who preferred their own faces to my company, the only friend I had was the written word.
Since then I have been serving my soul up to strangers through word documents.
The thought makes me homesick for the arms that did not hold me and I truly expect my neighbour to make a mockery of me, the way others have. The way they've told me 'It's a tough industry but hang in there!' and pat me on the back like I'm a hopeful child clinging to her mother's skirts.
"That's really cool," She smiles while she gazes out to the skyline, I can see her perfect side profile and ski-slope nose "I wanted to be a writer, I thought myself to be a poet, and then I thought myself to be a scientist and wanted to be an astronaut. Now, I'm here."
"Where's here exactly?"
"Working things out, figure it out as I go," She shrugs like she is unsure of her answer.
I think it's beautiful how everything around me has been touched by human hands and carries so much history. For a quick moment, my mind wonders to those who built this building, the calloused hands that crafted the iron railing and now my neighbour who was leaning against it. "What's the end goal with this whole freefall thing?"
"To make it out alive."
"And your name?"
"It's Ellie."
-
That night Ellie stuck to being quiet as she promised. The next night was a different story. I was so close to finishing the draft of Nicole Elliot's memoir and was praying that the deadline would pass with no issue.
However, the noise began again. I was coming around to like Ellie and I didn't want to go yell at her again so I shoved my headphones in and turned up my playlist as loud as I could. There is no song I can blast in my headphones to drown it out.
She did say that the next time I was loud I could come and chew her out, I wouldn't do that; I would just knock on her door and quickly tell her that she was being too loud, and then we would both carry on with our respective work.
I stopped in front of the smooth door and raised my hand to knock. Ellie slips the door open just a crack, when she sees that it's me she opens the door. "Hey, Ellie."
"Hello," She smiles "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She had a very nice smile.
We both know the circumstances of my visit but I spell it out anyway "Dude, you're way too loud, it's disruptive and I'm working under a deadline."
"I know, I'm sorry." She looks genuinely apologetic.
"I don't know any office job that needs you to scream for hours on end," Alright, that blows what could've been a simple visit where she apologizes and I leave, I always had to add on.
"Right, sorry," She carries herself with so much confidence that it is like she is wearing armour made of gold though she has these subtle awkward tendencies of someone who has never been loved and was forced to improvise. "It's hard to explain,"
"Yeah, you've said-
"Do you wanna come and see?"
I'm taken a little aback and for a minute I think this is all a ploy for Ellie to lock me in her her apartment and kill me because she is sick of her neighbour banging on her door "What?"
"Well, you've asked a couple of times and if you have a minute I can show you."
I pause, mauling over her proposal. I think of my laptop on my spruce desk, open to the final pages of the memoir and I make up my mind "Alright, just not too long."
"If you say so," Ellie opens the door wider for me to move past her and then shuts it behind us.
Ellie's apartment is what I had expected from her even though it is surprisingly nice. She has a large L-shaped sofa in the living room adorned with throw blankets and pillows and a huge flatscreen with a coffee table in front of it. The layout is exactly like mine but inverted, her open kitchen has some odd knick-knacks that looked like they belonged on an Amazon must-haves list.
I don't go into her bathroom and the door leading to one of the rooms (What is equivalent to Margot's bedroom) is shut. The apartment itself is pretty sparse aside from little bits and pieces as she only moved in a month prior.
On the left side, I see that purple LED spilling out of what I assume to be her bedroom.
She walks in ahead of me and the second I follow in after her there is one question I have to ask "Ellie, are you a porn-star?" There are entirely too many computers in here. Her desk is set up with one of those fancy triple-screen PCs and she has a laptop placed seemingly randomly on a white loveseat that's pressed against the right wall.
There is one of those galaxy lamps that projects that trippy shit onto your walls and ceiling. The screen of her PC is facing our shared wall and I can see a huge hole where I assume that a loud crash from the other night occurred. Plastered all over the walls are posters from video games and movies, many of which I hadn't seen.
"What?" She sounds nearly offended "No," she grabs a folding chair from the corner of the room and unfolds it beside her black florid office chair. She sits on the folding chair and motions for me to sit in the office chair. "Come, sit."
I hesitantly sit in the chair "Are you going to attack me now?" I ask, getting defensive for no particular reason other than it was in my nature "Because I've read The Outsiders and I'm pretty sure I can fight."
She chuckles "I'm not gonna fight you."
"Because I'd win?"
She furrows her eyebrows but has this look of amusement on her face "Yeah, definitely."
"So what is this?" I motion around at all of her equipment.
Ellie puts one earbud in then hand me the other "Chat," She says, looking dead at the camera clipped onto her PC "This is my neighbour who came to yell at me for being annoying, she has every right."
"Who are you talking to?"
"I'm streaming," She said, clicking something on the screen so it changed, instead showing Ellie and I in front of the camera, I looked absolutely lost next to a rolling chat bar full of jokes that I didn't understand and people saying hello to me.
"So I was right," I turn my attention to Ellie "You are an internet person."
"Yeah, I'm an internet person but you weren't right, I don't do porn."
"Not yet," I shrug "Times are desperate," To this, the chats come in even faster than before. "So do you just sit here all night and scream at people?"
"I play video games and do challenges, sometimes I do just sit here and scream at them."
"That makes so much sense," I say "If there's any job that needs you to be obnoxiously loud and annoying, it's a youtube personality."
"Okay, well-
"So you're like Logan Paul?"
Her eyes go wide "No-
"What explains why your eyes are so bloodshot."
"You are a writer," She says it like it's a fact I wasn't aware of "You are in no place to judge, you probably spend as much time in front of a screen as me."
I nod "I hate to say you're right," My attention shifts to the hole behind me "Can you explain how playing video games put a hole through the wall?"
Ellie looks almost embarrassed, she doesn't say anything in response, instead, she just clicks something to screen share with us in a little box in the corner and then goes into YouTube. She types in 'Ellie Williams falls through wall' My eyebrows furrow as I read it, and she clicks the first video that pops up.
The video starts off strong; Ellie is cackling at something that her friend off-camera is saying, her friend then makes a comment that makes her laugh even harder and she throws herself back in her chair. This act breaks it, you can hear the chair snap beneath the pressure and Ellie just lets it happen as the chair crashes against the wall. Her eyes go wide when she realizes she's just put a massive hole into the wall and seconds later you can hear me on the other side banging my hands on the wall. Her eyes go wide and she stares at her friend off-camera, all of the laughter stops abruptly before her friend can't hold it in anymore and erupts in chortles, and the video cuts off.
My hand flies over my mouth to fight back the laughter I so badly want to let out. Ellie and I sit wordlessly, the only sound being donations on the screen and my giggles slipping through. Eventually, I manage to compose myself and look to Ellie, I don't have much to say except for "Oh my god."
A/N: Streamer! Ellie won the poll so here we are. As I was drafting out the other chapters for When I Was Your Girl, I decided that it is most likely to be discontinued unless I do a rewrite which will not be in the near future. I’m not rocking with the plot and there was a lot of mixed feedback, sorry if you were invested I guess, but you have this series to be invested in now!
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mickandmusings · 3 months ago
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sunday kind of love
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pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader
word count: 1.3k
summary: for six days a week, the miller household is nothing but hustle and bustle from the crack of dawn each morning until midnight each night. life is fast-paced and hectic between work and school, full of responsibilities and deadlines. but, for one day each week, all of it is forgotten for a day of pure relaxation.
or
why sunday is the best day of the week, according to joel miller.
warnings: pure fluff very little plot; reader is a housewife (not like 50's housewife don't worry, only mentioned); unmentioned but envisioned slight age gap; first piece with no y/n; I wanted it to feel like a cozy autumn morning; author is desperately in love with joel miller and wants to be his little wife; this was a random thought from my brain, so it's purely self-indulgent, enjoy :)
*this is probably the smallest and most plotless thing I've ever written, sorry friends.*
-
The air is still.
It lacks the usual chaos of a normal morning in the Miller household. Joel's alarm isn't blaring loudly enough to be heard in the hallway. Sarah's pitter-patter of footsteps down the stairs do not sound. The sound of Tommy's truck engine roaring in the driveway, and, eventually, his rattling for food in the kitchen, never reached the sound barrier. There's no bustle of Millers chattering aimlessly in the kitchen, or the clashing of various pans and plates for breakfast. The radio in the kitchen doesn't play the morning news after a Top 40 hit, and the TV hasn't been turned on since earlier the night before. The house is entirely silent, safe for the hum of the running central heating system, and the quiet clicking of the analog clock in the kitchen.
Up the stairs and through the door on the left lies one Joel Miller, weary brown eyes still closed in sleep, chest rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths. Beside him, or, more aptly, curled into his side and resting against his frame, is his wife. She's been awake for nearly fifteen minutes, simply watching her husband sleep next to her, watching his eyes twitch as he dreams, his lips parting with soft snores. She smiles, her heart warm with the thought of him finally getting the rest he deserves. She was grateful for her husband's hard-working nature. Joel's contracting business allowed her to stay at home, and she and Sarah always had everything they needed and most of what they wanted-Joel was hopelessly in love with his wife, and could easily be persuaded into almost anything by one look from his daughter. His wife did realize the toll it took on him, as much as he tried to hide all of his fatigued movements as he stumbled through the door each night. She'd pleaded and argued with him about contributing in her own way, but he'd shut her down with a sweet kiss and a stubborn refusal each time. Now, she watched him rest, the kind of deep sleep he needed.
For once in the history of possibly the entirety of its existence, the Miller house was quiet, mostly asleep, because there was nothing on the agenda. No work, no school, no after-school soccer practices or late night projects, there was simply rest, a whole day to do absolutely nothing.
She gives Joel's sleeping form one last smile before giving his bare bicep a light kiss. She slides out from under his arm as silently and stealthily as possible, not wanting to disturb his earned peace. She does so successfully, sliding the duvet back over her now empty side to keep the spot next to him warm even in her absence. She pads across the carpet, tossing one of Joel's well-worn sweatshirts over her frame to combat the chill. Autumn had finally fallen over Austin, and its bite was evident in the morning, but she welcomed it into their home like an old friend-autumn was perhaps her favorite part of the year.
Her sock-clad feet pad down the carpeted stairs with practiced ease, her arms stretching above her head, hoping to shake out the sleep still encasing her bones. She lets out a yawn, bringing her arms into her chest as she scrunches, finally releasing her sigh as she shuffles over to the kitchen. She makes quick work of starting up the coffee pot, watching as it drips for a moment before shuffling over to the living room. She greets their feline friend perched cozily in an old armchair by the window, scratching behind her ears as the furry friend nuzzles against her hand. Her hands move to push open the blinds of the windows, letting in the early morning light, which her aforementioned friend seems to enjoy, plopping into a spot where the sun shines on the carpet. She chuckles at the cat, moving over to light the fall scented candle sitting atop the tall entertainment system, she clicks the lighter and the flames flicker in a wave, as if to greet her.
The sudden quiet of the coffee pot alerts her that her morning caffeine fix is finished, and she hastily pads back into the kitchen and pours a hearty amount into an oversized mug. With the first sip, she feels her entire body sigh in content, the perfect start to her perfect day.
She finds herself gravitating back towards the dining room, plopping into one of the well-loved chairs and curling her legs up to her chest, enjoying the view out the glass of the back door. The trees had already begun to shed, the grass covered in shades of red and yellow. Joel would grumble about the mess, but she would speak highly enough of the changing scenery that he'd forget all about his complaints. She's watching a neighborhood dog make his rounds around the houses, sniffing mailboxes and greeting the morning runners, when footsteps on the stairs alert her of someone else's presence now up and awake. Judging by the heavier footfalls, she assumes it's her husband and she internally groans, she'd hoped he would get more sleep, he deserved it.
Sure enough, when she turns, she meets his big brown eyes peering back at her lovingly. He's clad in an inside-out shirt he'd likely pulled from the basket of clean clothes inside their bedroom-she hadn't got around to folding them just yet-and his gray boxers, hair sticking out in every direction, still messy from sleep. He yawns and rubs his face, rubbing sleep from his eyes as his steps draw closer and closer to her. He leans down to kiss her good morning, his mustache tickling against her skin. It's a sweet front for his real goal-quickly sliding the mug of coffee out of her hand for his own taking. She says nothing, letting him think she's fallen for his charms blindly, as if it was something he'd never pulled on her. He gives a sly grin as he brings the mug to his lips, taking a gulp before pulling a face and drawing the mug back to his wife's waiting hands.
"Should've given me a warnin', baby, that was...awful."
Joel did not much care for his wife's seasonal flavored coffee, and he particularly hated the pumpkin-infused brew he'd stolen a sip of.
"Oh boo hoo, Miller, you're the one who stole my coffee."
Joel rolls his eyes, shuffling to their kitchen to brew his own pot of coffee. He shuffles back over, quickly picking his wife up into his arms and slides into her chair before plopping her back into his lap. His wife rolls her eyes, leaning into his chest as silence falls over them. His left hand rests on her hip, his thumb rubbing small circles onto the spot, the morning sun bouncing off the gold band on his hand. The only sound between them was the dripping and soft rumbling of the coffee pot and the morning birds singing through the windows. Without a word, both halves of the couple enjoy their lazy morning, happy to have momentary bliss. Soon, Sarah would be trampling down the stairs in search of breakfast and coercing her father into taking her to the movies, but, for now, Joel sits half-awake with his wife in his arms, staring out at the beauty of an early Sunday morning in Austin. In a feeling he's only just grown accustomed to, Joel feels content, peaceful. Well, until he notes the heaps of leaves covering his front lawn.
"Damn leaves already fallin', have'ta to go buy a new rake."
His wife sighs as he plops her back into the chair, running his hands through his hair with a grumble as he fixes a steaming mug of his own coffee. So much for her lazy Sunday.
-
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megalony · 11 months ago
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Hypo State
This is an Evan Buckley imagine, requested by a lovely anon, (and reader is Bobby's daughter in this imagine) I hope you will all like it. Feedback is always amazing.
Taglist: @lunaticspoem@sj-thefanthefan@hellsdragon@im-an-adult-ish@crazylittlethingg@allauraleigh@onceuponadetectivedemigod@ceres27@avyannadawn@noonenuts@sleepylunarwolf@coverupps@justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @topguncultleader @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream
911 Masterlist
Summary: While Evan is at work, he gets an alert that (Y/n)'s blood sugar is starting to drop. Then he finds out his daughter has had to call 911.
Enjoy.
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A smile worked its way onto Evan's face and he kept his eyes closed to fight out the morning sun breaking through the curtains. He shuffled closer and buried his lips against the top of (Y/n)'s head in her hair and his fingers ran up and down her back like cold feathers tickling over her skin.
He could feel (Y/n)'s lips pressing into his chest, silently letting him know that she was awake too. His body clock had woken him a little while before his alarm and (Y/n) always woke up whenever she felt Evan awake beside her. She didn't sleep well without him which was one of the reasons why he didn't like doing many night shifts.
Her fingertips tickled along his back but it was her lips that caught Evan's attention and livened him up. Wet, hollow kisses pressed up his sternum in a slow trail as she tilted her head back until her chin pressed into his chest and she could shimmy up the bed a little. They usually woke up with (Y/n) halfway down the bed and Evan with his head bashing the headboard. He was over six foot so moving an inch down the bed caused his feet to dangle out the bed; something he hated.
The feel of (Y/n)'s lips pressing to his neck made him take in a deep breath but when she grazed her teeth along his skin, he growled into her hair.
This was a better morning wake up than he had a few days ago. He wondered why he dreamt he had been drowning until he realised he had been laid on his back with (Y/n) sprawled out on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Evan liked mornings like these the best when they woke up before the alarm went off and had time together. He used to be a morning person before he got married. Having (Y/n) in the bed changed his ideals and made it hard to get up now.
And when there was no little monster in the bed with them, mornings like this got even better.
"Do you have to go soon?" (Y/n) muttered the words quietly against his neck, her voice laced with sleep but her actions proved she was wide awake now.
"Hm, I've got time."
(Y/n)'s eyes shot open and a gasp tumbled past her lips when the arm around her waist tightened and his palm pressed flat against her lower back so he could flip them over. He rolled her onto her back, muffling her quiet laugh as he moved to kneel between her legs. Evan's hands planted down on the pillow either side of her head, caging her in beneath him like she was his prey and his teeth flashed in a sharp grin that looked animalistic.
She brought her hands up to cup his face, smoothing her thumbs over his cheekbones as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.
"This has to go," Evan muttered the words quietly against her lips, drinking in the taste of them until he was positively drunk and (Y/n) was gasping against his mouth. His hands moved down to her sides as his weight shifted to rest on his knees so he could scrunch up the bottom of her shirt that clung to her curves like a second skin that left very little to the imagination.
He didn't have to say anything for (Y/n) to lean up so he could slowly peel it off and her grin made his heart jump, especially when her smile was obscured by her teeth puncturing into her lower lip.
He threw the small, flimsy material down on the floor and gave the cover a nudge until it fell off his back and crumpled to the bottom of the bed. He was starting to burn up already, they didn't need any extra layers covering them.
While he took a moment to admire the view in front of him, (Y/n) took her chance to scrape her nails agonisingly slow over his skin, starting from his abdomen and she worked her way up until her hands were curved around his neck. Her fingers tickled the small hairs at the back of his neck and she sat up to meet him in the middle, moulding her chest against his before she pulled his lips down to hers.
(Y/n) could feel the fever behind his kiss and the way his fingertips dug bruisingly into her hips when she pushed her chest up against him just to irritate him and goad him further.
Her lips curved into a smile against his kiss and when she pulled back, (Y/n) sucked his lower lip between her teeth and gave a small tug until she could feel the growl deep within his chest, rumbling through into her own.
"Baby," Evan's groan was deep and the word was a warning. He didn't have a lot of time before the alarm was going to go off and he didn't like being teased.
Her fingertips slid away from the back of his neck and trailed their way back down the middle of his chest, covering every square inch that she could. Her plump lips left Evan's and moved towards his razor sharp jaw and when she could feel him starting to quiver beneath her, she started to kiss down his neck.
The moment her teeth grazed against the junction between his neck and shoulder, about to leave a mark, Evan suddenly clenched her wrists in a tight grip and leaned his weight onto her again. He pushed her down on the bed and fell forward until his chest slammed into hers and her hands were pinned down on the mattress. Evan tried to keep some of his weight pushed back on his legs and his elbows so he didn't crush his wife beneath him, but he could still feel every crevace of her moulded up against him.
And as always, he leaned slightly to the left so he wouldn't touch the small oval plaster patch on the right side of her abdomen.
Her Dexcom.
A small sensor just beneath the skin that took continuous readings of (Y/n)'s glucose levels so she didn't have to prick her finger and check her levels through her blood anymore. It didn't hurt but Evan never wanted to lean too close or press on it just in case he did one day hurt her or damage it.
"Hmm, my turn." There was something demanding and authorative in his voice that was not to be messed with and all (Y/n) could do was turn to jelly beneath his touch.
She barely had chance to gasp before Evan smothered her mouth with his and let his tongue explore past her lips.
Wet, panting kisses were peppered along her neck and down the middle of her throat so every time she gasped or swallowed, Evan could feel each movement. He let go of her hands and moved his fingertips across her sides and down the dips and curves to that special area just above her hips where (Y/n) was ticklish. He loved the way her stomach would pull in and she would jump against his touch when all he had to do was lightly trace the pad of his finger along her skin and it had her gasping and laughing beneath him.
"We won't be needing these any more." He hooked his fingers into the top of her underwear and shuffled back on his knees to remove them when (Y/n) lifted her legs.
She watched him throw the dark red lace onto the floor along with her top and a deep laugh rumbled past his lips when she pressed her feet against his hips and managed to push his boxers down rather easily from where she was laid on her back. If he wasn't going to let her sit up and do it manually, she had to get creative.
"That's both impatient and impressive, baby."
(Y/n) grinned up at him but she let her eyes fall down to watch him roll his boxers past his knees so he could kick them onto the floor. When they were off, (Y/n) sat up and looped her arms back round his neck, desperate to be as close as possible.
"Do you have to leave us for two whole days, Evan?" She knew exactly what kind of reaction she got from using his name and as expected, something burned deeper and darker in his eyes. He was going on a double shift today and wouldn't be home until tomorrow night.
She felt his hand move and his arm wrapped like an iron bar around her back just above her bum so he could reel her in and pull her closer. He held her so close and tight that he lifted her up from her bed and she had to shuffle her weight onto the back of her legs to stay tall against him like this. Her hands dug tightly into his shoulders to steady herself, but a silent gasp left her lips when his other hand dug lovingly into the underside of her thigh.
(Y/n) felt her back hit the headboard and her knees coiled up as Evan shifted forward so he was leaning on her chest and kneeled between her spread legs. He looked- and acted- like he had always belonged there between her thighs, and he always would.
"It's not by choice, baby, I'd much rather stay right here," His voice was gruff and thick but he barely got the last word out before he crashed his lips against hers in a silent battle. He dug his nails tighter into her thigh and moved her leg to hook it around his hip so he could brace his hand on the wall behind the bed. The last thing he wanted was to put all of his weight onto (Y/n) or give her bruises down her spine from the wooden headboard.
"Daddy!"
"Damn." Evan leaned down and buried his face in the crook of (Y/n)'s neck, feeling her shudder against him when he sank his teeth down into the soft flesh and tugged.
Lottie was crying.
That was a sure sign that she was now wide awake and wasn't likely to settle back to sleep or wait five minutes for one of them to go and comfort her. She was awake and already demanding attention which Evan was going to have to provide. He was going to be at work for the next two days without his wife or four year old in his sights or wrapped up in his arms. Evan needed whatever comfort he could grab with them both now before he headed off for work.
"I'll go get her," (Y/n) cupped Evan's face in her hands so she could peck his lips again. But she didn't get to move far before Evan nudged her back against the bed an gave her thigh another squeeze.
"Nope. She's mine until I have to leave," Evan grinned against her mouth but his attention turned to the bedside table when his phone pinged.
His thumb traced across her jaw and he pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek before he reached across and grabbed his phone. Squinting at the brightness to try and see what notification he had and trying to turn off his alarm at the same time, now that he was well and truly awake.
His lips curved into a smile and he set his phone down before he opened his top bedside drawer and rummaged around until his fingers found the sweetie bag stuffed beneath his wallet, chargers and loose change.
He relished the way (Y/n)'s eyes widened and followed his movements when he placed the bag of jelly babies down on the pillow next to her.
"Pop a sweet, baby girl. You need some sugar." With a lasting kiss to her lips, Evan grinned against her mouth and gave her a squeeze before he slowly climbed off her and stood up.
Her Dexcom was connected to her phone, but Evan got the alerts and notifications too. He wanted to be safe. If (Y/n) started having a hypo during the night, she didn't always wake up, she was a heavy sleeper whereas every little noise woke Evan. He would wake up when his notifications went off so he would know if her sugar levels were dropping or rising too fast.
He made it a point to keep glucose sachets and a stash of sweets safe in the jeep on the off chance (Y/n) needed them to boost her levels while they were out. And Evan always had some sweets around the apartment. Jelly babies happened to be his weakness and he knew they were good to boost (Y/n)'s levels if she ever needed them.
Evan rattled a hand through his curls, flopping them around his head as he looked around the floor for his boxers. He couldn't be too annoyed at Lottie, his alarm would have gone off in exactly three minutes anyway and ruined the moment. And Evan wanted to spend the morning with his little girl while he got ready for the morning. He would eat breakfast with his family, then head to the station and wait for the chaos to ensue and the weekend to drag out into a year.
When he found his boxers, Evan snapped them back over his hips and stretched his arms high above his head, hitting the doorframe as he headed out into Lottie's room.
As expected, Lottie was sat up in her bed, a few tears traced down her face and her baby blonde hair askew in every direction. Poking up into ringlets and curls like she had been electrocuted. Evan took a guess that she had had a bad dream to wake up crying. Usually Lottie was hard to get out of bed, she didn't like going to bed early and hated getting up before seven in the morning.
"Hi sweetie," A grin curved onto Evan's lips and he flashed his teeth and stretched his arms out to pick her up. "Are you gonna get ready with me this morning before I have to go?"
He lifted Lottie up into his arms and let her curl up against his bare chest with her head snuggled beneath his chin and both arms looped around his neck rather tightly.
"You off to see grandad?"
A soft smile flooded Evan's face that made his eyes crease at the corners and he grinned into the top of Lottie's hair, bouncing her higher on his chest as he slowly padded across the hall back towards his and (Y/n)'s room.
Lottie didn't understand what a fireman was, she was only four. But she understood that Evan's job was important and he helped people every day when he went to work. But most of the time, she seemed to think Evan went to work just to see her grandad. She thought Evan and Bobby went out driving around the streets and had so much fun without her.
"Yeah, sweetie. I'm gonna see pops."
***
"Here,"
Evan looked up from where he was slouched down on the sofa and he sat up a bit straighter when Chimney stood over him, holding out Evan's signature cup. His brows quirked and he reached out for his cup, grinning when he realised Chimney had made him a cup of coffee.
"Did you remember-"
"Four sugars, because you need to be tanked up to function." Chimney glanced down at the cup with a raised brow before he handed it over to Evan who instantly took a large gulp. He couldn't understand how Evan could have so much coffee and all the sugar he did but without it he got headaches and could barely function on his usual hyperactive level.
"Thank you," He murmured around the rim of the cup while Chimney flopped down on the sofa beside him.
Evan found himself grinning again when he looked down at the cup he'd gotten last year from Lottie. (Y/n) had neatly painted 'No.1 Dad' in italics and then either side of that, Lottie had dipped her hands into plum purple paint and done hand prints on the mug. The moment he got it, Evan brought it straight down to the station and proudly told everyone it was his new mug he would be using from now on.
"So how'd it go yesterday, with Lottie?"
A sigh passed through Evan's lips as he sat up and hunched forward so his elbows could rest on his knees with one hand curled around his mug.
"I walked her in all smiles but the moment I turned to leave, she screamed. I had to run out before I took her with me."
Lottie was having a hard time being left at nursery and it didn't matter who took her. She would scream, cry and throw a tantrum when anyone tried to leave her. Evan wasn't sure if she was panicking that they wouldn't be there to pick her up in the afternoon or whether she was having attachment issues and didn't want to be without her parents. Either way, it broke his heart to take her and watch her go red in the face, begging for him to take her back home.
"What if you threaten to call Bobby?" Chimney knew Lottie was attached to Bobby, she spent every weekend with him and Athena and she had her grandad wrapped around her little finger.
"(Y/n) tried that, backfired though when Lottie cried for him to pick her up and he practically caved."
Bobby prided himself on being level headed and fair with the team and he was the best captain any of them had ever had. But when it came to his granddaughter, he couldn't seem to say no and it broke him to have her on the phone, crying and begging for him to come and take her home. He didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't try and talk her out of it or calm her down like he would with the team.
When his phone buzzed in his pocket, Evan leaned forward and set his cup down on the coffee table. The smile faded from his lips when he looked at the notification on his phone.
Glucose level: 3mmol/l.
"Shit."
"You okay?"
"I just need to make a quick call," Evan was up and at the stairs before Chimney could give a reply. He swiped down onto (Y/n)'s contact and dialled her number.
Her glucose had dropped below the limit. His phone pinged against his ear with another two alerts from (Y/n)'s app, advising to sit down and have something to eat. He knew the third alert was a list of foods and drinks (Y/n) should have to boost her levels before she went into a hypoglycaemic state.
"Fuck, baby can you call me back or text me please? I'm starting to get a lot of alerts that your sugar is dropping. Please let me know you're okay." Evan tried ringing again after leaving a voicemail but he didn't get a reply and each ringtone that blared out made his heart beat faster in his chest. He sent three texts, one right after the other before he started to jog down the stairs.
(Y/n) couldn't be busy if her levels were getting this low, she would be feeling some sort of effect. She would be feeling lightheaded, dizzy, sweating and possibly confused. She had to ring him and let him know she was alright because if the alerts carried on he would be heading straight home to check on her.
When he got another notification that told him (Y/n) was in the danger zone with her levels, his body started to shake.
"Where's Cap?" His voice lowered an octave deeper than usual and his loud tone demanded attention with a force he didn't know he had. He watched Hen's eyes go wide as she silently pointed behind her towards Bobby's office, watching him with worry on her face.
Evan kept his phone in his hand as he jogged past the truck and down the small corridor, relief on his face when his father in law came into view.
"Buck… everything okay?"
"No. Look," He thrust his phone into Bobby's hand before he clamped both hands down on his hips and switched his weight from foot to foot in nervous panic. "(Y/n)'s levels are dropping and I can't get hold of her, she isn't answering me. I think I need to go check on her."
"Right. If you-"
Bobby cut himself off before he could properly start, tilting his head back when the siren started to blaze. He needed to go and check they had enough staff for this callout, then he could authorize Evan to head home and check on the girls.
The pair of them stood in perpetual panic, waiting for the first siren to start fading so the tanoid could announce their new call and tell them what kind of call they had. If it was a small one and not a huge pile up or a spreading town fire then Evan would be fine to leave.
"Medical assistance required at Suitcliffe apartments. Diabetic female, early twenties, collapsed and going into a state of shock. Repeat, medical personnel required."
Evan was running before Bobby could reach out and grab him. He skidded down the corridor, around the corner and towards the truck without grabbing his jacket or his helmet. His eyes locked with Eddie who had both their gear in his hands and a panicked expression on his face when he listened to the tanoid announcement repeat itself again.
"Buck, isn't that your building?"
"It's (Y/n)! She's having a hypo, get in the truck. Everybody get in the fucking truck now!"
***
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Hi… can someone help mummy?"
The meek, quiet voice on the other end of the line had shivers running up and down Josh's spine. He sat up straighter in his seat and pressed the GPS button to try and locate where the girl was calling from. She sounded young, he couldn't imagine her knowing her address or the name of wherever she was calling from.
"What's your name hun?"
"Lottie." She sounded sweet, there wasn't as much panic in her voice as some other kids whose calls Josh had taken before.
"Okay Lottie, why does mummy need help?"
His eyes narrowed in his screen as he started typing in her name and adding in the notes that a child was calling on behalf of a parent. He could tell he was going to need paramedics and possibly one of the fire stations if the girl and her mum were locked in their house and she couldn't unlock the door. Most little kids didn't know where the keys were kept or couldn't get to them. That left the fire team to bust down the door to get inside.
"Daddy said if… if mummy falls asleep on the floor, and shakes, I need to call for help."
That sounded like a seizure. And if the parent had briefed Lottie on how to call for help in this situation, that meant the mother was most likely an epileptic or had an ongoing medical condition that required a lot of help.
"Is your mummy shaking a lot? Does she have seizures?"
"No. She has sugary blood."
Josh leaned back in his chair and did a quick sweep of the dispatch centre until his eyes clocked sight of Maddie. Once the pair locked eyes, he lifted his chin and waved his hand at her to beckon her over to him. He had a creeping suspicion that the little girl on the phone might be the same Lottie Maddie was always talking about on her break.
"Everything okay?"
"I have a girl named Lottie on the line, her mummy had sugary blood… is it your niece?" His lips curled into a grimace and he sucked in a deep breath when Maddie visibly paled in front of him. She held her hand out to him and waited impatiently for him to hand over the mic and ear piece to her and they switched seats.
"Lottie, is that you sweetie? It's aunt Maddie." She wheeled the chair closer and bumped her knees against the desk, focusing in on the GPS location on the phone which made her stomach drop. This was her niece. The phone was in Evan's apartment.
"Maddie! Mummy needs help… I want daddy,"
"That's okay sweetie, I'll make sure your dad comes home. Now can you tell me where your mum is, where abouts at home are you?"
"She's in the living room, on the floor. She isn't talking to me anymore,"
There was no way Maddie could start to explain to Lottie about finding the emergency glucagon in the kitchen. She was too young to understand and far too young to be giving (Y/n) an injection or finding the powder or sachets to squeeze into her mouth. The best Maddie could do was rush paramedics to her family and stay on the line.
"How's her breathing? Can you hear her breathe or see her chest moving? Try to touch mummy's chest and feel if it's moving up and down." The chances were that (Y/n) was breathing okay but Maddie had to be sure. She had seen her sister in a lot of diabetic hypo or hyper states over the years. But Lottie had never had to call the emergency line before.
"She's panting."
"That's good." It was better than (Y/n) not breathing at all or wheezing or barely having any intake. "I need you to do me a favour sweetie, and try to push mummy so she's laid on her side. Daddy showed you the recovery position, remember? Arms stretched out, head tilted up, yeah?"
Evan wanted Lottie to know what to do in emergency situations, he, Bobby and Athena had talked her through various situations and told her enough stories about their work that she would know what to do. It was drilled into her about calling 911 for any sort of help and she knew the number because she always pointed it out whenever she saw one of the fire trucks.
With (Y/n) being type one diabetic, they needed Lottie to know what to do if (Y/n) became sick, collapsed or passed out and no one else was around. But every other time (Y/n) had collapsed, Evan had been home with them.
The one time they had been out in town together and (Y/n) couldn't control her sugar levels, she took Lottie with her to the station. And the team looked after them both.
"I've done it, mummy's very sweaty… daddy says that's a bad sign." Lottie laid her chest over (Y/n)'s arm and perched her chin on her mum's shoulder while she kept the house phone on the floor beside them.
Her mum was taking very shallow, panting breaths, she wasn't awake anymore and she was starting to sweat as well as shake.
When (Y/n) started to feel dizzy and felt panic bubbling up in her chest, she tried to get Lottie to sit and watch tv so she could go to the kitchen. She had some fruit juice to try and boost her levels but she still felt thirsty and like she was going to be sick. Then when a piece of fruit didn't do anything to boost her levels and she heard her phone alerting her, she began to panic.
Suddenly she was on the floor, trying to tell Lottie to call the emergency number before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she was a trembling, sweating mess on the floor.
"It's okay sweetie because you know what? Your daddy and grandad are on their way now to you. They will be two minutes and I'll stay on the phone with you until they get there."
Maddie was relieved to see that the dispatch notification had gone straight to the one-eighteen station since they were the closest to the scene and available to help. That meant Evan, Bobby or both of them would be on this call and would be able to calm Lottie down and look after (Y/n) because Maddie could hear her niece beginning to cry.
For a brief second, she muted the line to Lottie and switched to the one-eighteen radio. She had to let them know what call they were going into.
"Dispatch to one-eighteen, Captain Nash?"
"This is Captain Nash."
"Please be advised your daughter is the casualty and inform firefighter Buckley that Lottie is on the emergency line. (Y/n) is unresponsive and in a hypoglycaemic state, she's been put in the recovery position and is still breathing at this point."
"Copy."
A groan tumbled past Evan's lips as he clasped his hands together and pressed them against his temple. He leaned forward and spread his knees apart so he could hunch forward like he was going to be sick. He taught Lottie how to call 911 and what to say and how to get help but he never dreamed his baby girl would actually have to do anything like this. It was to keep her safe, to prepare her but Evan never wanted her to have to call for help.
He had to get home to his girls.
With one hand still pressed against his temple, Evan rummaged his other hand in his back pocket until he found his house keys. He began to swirl them around his index finger, moving faster and faster to try and level out the anxiety bubbling up in his body.
He was thankful Bobby wasn't the one driving, he knew the Captain could be level headed no matter the situation, but Bobby might have gone a little soo fast and sharp around the corners if he was driving tonight.
Tremors rattled through Evan when the truck finally pulled up and he could throw off the headset and jump down to the pavement.
He bolted across the pavement to the apartment complex and punched in the keycode, swinging the door open wide enough for everyone to filter in behind him. Evan knew waiting for the lift would waste time when his apartment was on the fourth floor so he led the march up the stairwell.
Hen was hot on his heels, medic bag on her shoulder with Bobby a few paces behind her. While Chimney and Eddie headed over to the lift and waited with the gurney between them. They weren't carting the gurney up the stairs, they would hang back and take a slow journey up the lift.
"Lottie? Lottie baby it's me, where are you?!" Evan started to speak before he got the door open and when it swung wide, he diverted himself towards the kitchen. As soon as he reached the medicine cupboard, he flung it open, knocked out a few items he would tidy away later and grabbed the black zip up case.
"Daddy!"
Spinning on his heels, Evan bypassed Hen, almost knocking her out of his path so he could speed past the stairs and head into the living room. He dropped down to his knees, dumping the medic case on the floor near his feet before his arms cocooned around his daughter.
He reeled Lottie into his chest and kissed the side of her head, closing his eyes as he leaned forward. One hand cradled the back of her neck and the other bound around her waist, keeping her cuddled up into his chest as she whimpered and cried into his neck.
"Alright baby, shh it's okay. You've done so well… look, you stay with grandad while I help your mum, okay?" He sank back on his heels and tilted his head up to look at Bobby while Hen bent down on (Y/n)'s other side.
"Come here sweetheart," Bobby bent down and held his arms out, reeling Lottie into his chest after Evan kissed her temple and lifted her up.
As soon as Bobby retreated towards the kitchen with Lottie perched on his hip, Evan turned around and leaned down to look at his wife.
(Y/n) was laid on her side, both arms stretched out awkwardly in front of her and her head tilted back. The trembling was worse than Evan was used to, it was as if she was being roughly shaken back and forth by invisible hands. And he didn't have to move closer to see the sweat glistening on her skin like beads sparkling in the light.
With a gentle touch, he rolled (Y/n) over so she was laid on her back and Hen stretched her legs out. They didn't need her in the recovery position anymore unless she was at risk of throwing up and Evan doubted she would be sick.
"What's in here?" Hen tapped the black case Evan had brought through from the kitchen while she rummaged around in her medic bag and handed the blood pressure cuff over to Evan. She placed a monitoring clip onto (Y/n)'s index finger and got out her stethoscope, moving it to (Y/n)'s trembling chest.
"Emergency glucagon injections… God, her BP's plummeting,"
Evan held the blood pressure monitor so tightly he was about to snap it in half when he watched the numbers fall lower and lower with a drastic beep that started to scream in his ears. Once it finally found the accurate yet worrying reading, Evan unstrapped it and left it beside them on the floor.
"Come here baby," He whispered quietly as he slipped his hands beneath (Y/n)'s shoulders and lifted her up so he could rest her head and shoulders over his lap. His fingertips rubbed up and down (Y/n)'s bare arms to try and stimulate her and calm them both down.
His eyes focused on Hen when she unzipped the case and got out the two small viles and a needle. She was quick to fill the needle and take (Y/n)'s arm, dosing her up on glucagon that would break down through her body and boost her levels back up. It had been a few months since Evan had needed to use the emergency glucagon. Normally when (Y/n) had a hypo, he got her sat down, gave her some sweets or fruit or a can of fizzy pop and after twenty minutes and a few different things to eat, her levels evened out and the episode wore off.
"Pushing fluids wide open," Hen laid an IV bag out beside her leg and capped the needle into the back of (Y/n)'s right hand, taping it in place.
Evan found his phone in his pocket and opened up (Y/n)'s Dexcom app, placing his phone on the floor between him and Hen so they could both keep check of her levels. If they didn't start to rise soon (Y/n) would need another injection and an overnight stay at the hospital.
"Hey there," Hen rubbed her hand up and down (Y/n)'s arm and tried to smile reassuringly when she noticed (Y/n)'s eyes begin to flutter.
"Baby? Are you back with us?"
A quiet murmur fled past (Y/n)'s chapped lips and she slowly turned her head to the left, brushing her nose into Evan's thigh. Her limbs felt like they were made of gold, weighing her down to the floor and her pulse was throbbing and making her skin feel like it was vibrating. She managed to move her left hand and her arm flopped around above her until her fingers curled around Evan's bicep and she gave him a tight squeeze.
Her head flopped forward until her chin was tucked into her chest when Evan's hands slipped beneath her arms and he gently hoisted her up. His knees parted to the sides so (Y/n) could slot perfectly between his thighs with her back resting up against his chest and his arms cocooned around her waist.
(Y/n) dropped her hand back down and clenched Evan's hand tightly, groaning when shakes and spasms tore through her body and had her jolting back into Evan's chest.
"Levels are starting to pick back up, we should still take you to the emergency room though, you're going into shock." Hen waved her hand over at the boys when Chimney and Eddie wheeled the gurney inside, looking around to see what they were walking into.
"Are you alright, baby? You nearly gave me a heart attack," Evan pressed his lips to the top of (Y/n)'s head, breathing into her hair as he tightened his arms around her.
"You c-came home?" (Y/n)'s voice was quiet and croaky. Her throat felt dryer than the desert and her lips were chapped and in need of a drink. One thing about having these hypos was that they usually made (Y/n) thirsty and no amount of fluids could quench her thirst when she felt like this.
"Lottie called 911, but I would have come home even if she hadn't."
A fire burned in Evan's chest when (Y/n) suddenly began to cry. Her eyes were half-lidded and barely focused and her lower lip trembled as her body started to shake worse. She tucked her face into the crook of Evan's neck, brushing her nose against his skin while she clenched both hands tightly over his wrists, unable to stop herself from sobbing.
What had she done? She had frightened Lottie. She had scared their four year old and made her call 911. Lottie had never had to do that before, (Y/n) had never gotten into this state when she was alone with Lottie.
"Shh, hey, no it's okay she's alright. Shh," Evan moved one hand up to cup (Y/n)'s jaw while he tilted his chin down and smothered her temple with his lips. He began to sway them from side to side to try and calm her down, he didn't want her to panic or get upset. She couldn't help being ill and they had prepared Lottie for this kind of situation and in a few days it would be long forgotten to Lottie.
His head turned to the right and he looked up when Chimney patted him on the shoulder and motioned towards the gurney. They should take (Y/n) down to the hospital now.
"Alright, ready?"
Hen picked up the saline bag while Evan tilted around and curved one arm behind (Y/n)'s back while the other went beneath her knees. If this were a normal call out Evan wouldn't dream of picking someone up like this. But this was his home, his family. His wife. He lifted her up and laid her down on the gurney while Hen put the saline bag by her ankle so it wouldn't get crushed or tangled up.
"Mummy's alright now, see?" A small smile pulled at Bobby's lips as he bounced his granddaughter on his hip and walked away from the kitchen towards his daughter.
He was used to being the one to give (Y/n) her injections after her sugar levels plummeted or rose too high. He was the one who used to find her collapsed in her bedroom at home or pick her up from school when she started to become panicked and confused during a hypo. It was strange for Bobby to take a step back and let Evan be the one to look after (Y/n) instead.
But he would gladly step back and switch to looking after Lottie instead. She had tired herself out in all the panic and was now curled up in Bobby's arms with one hand smoothing up and down the LAFD logo on his shirt. Her head was tucked beneath his chin and she was almost asleep since Bobby had been stood in the kitchen, swaying her from side to side while he told her a story.
And he had unzipped his jacket, moved Lottie against his chest and zipped his jacket back up around her like a blanket so only her head was on show.
Bobby moved towards the stretcher, keeping Lottie secure with one arm while he stretched his other hand out and placed a can of Dr Pepper against (Y/n)'s thigh. She would need to eat or drink something sugary to boost her levels before they dropped again.
"Do you feel okay sweetheart?" He smiled when (Y/n) reached out to take his hand and he squeezed tight as the team headed towards the lift.
(Y/n) didn't have the words or the energy to speak so she settled for nodding and pulling her dad's hand closer to her chest. She could feel Evan's hand on her shoulder and her eyes were locked on Lottie curled up against Bobby's chest, almost asleep despite the panic.
Her eyes flitted up to look at Evan and she leaned her head to the side and nuzzled her cheek against his arm.
"Good job I've got the app on my phone as well, huh baby?"
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neo-nomatrix · 1 year ago
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Just Stay
Miguel O’hara x reader
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word count: 885
synopsis: miguel is never there when you need him the most
warnings: SMUT!! not super explicit but a lot of dialogue and some descriptions
You’ve become used to waking up in an empty bed. Miguel was never next to you in the morning. Eventually you stopped reaching your hand to the left side of the bed, his side of the bed. Some part of you was always disappointed, though. There was still a small ache in your heart not being able to greet him in the morning.
“Are you going to work tomorrow?” You ask him, playing with the food on your plate.
“You know I have to,” he dismisses you, turning back to washing his plate.
You stay silent and fidget with your fork.
“You have me for tonight. Isn’t that enough?”
No, you want to respond. Of course that isn’t enough.
“Of course it is,” you smile.
On nights like these, which are most nights, Miguel doesn’t just fuck you. He makes love to you. He treats you so well you forget it’s his way of saying goodbye. He tells you he loves you and then doesn't even care enough to say good morning. Maybe he hopes you forget about it or forgive him. And you hate yourself for loving him so much to not care.
“Ay, i fucking love you, Cariño,” Miguel says so sweetly in your ear. Making your eyes roll to the back of your head.
The mix of your moans and his grunts drown out everything else. The world around you is completely blurred as he thrusts in and out of you. You could describe his kisses as sloppy but in truth they’re not. They’re given with such love and adoration for the brief moment you forget he doesn’t mean it.
“Say it, say it back,” he practically growls in your ear. His hands grip your waist, one slowly coming up to your neck squeezing.
“I-I love you,” you say reluctantly. Tears spotting in the corner of your left eye.
Your arms wrap around his neck and you grip at his broad shoulders. Hands scraping over the scars you scratched on his back the night before. He pushes his head into the crook of your neck to suck on your neck. His teeth digging into your neck and leaving marks everywhere.
He fucks you like he loves you. And you just can’t tell if he means it. Your hands pull at his hair as he finishes inside of you, pulling you in for one more kiss. Allowing his moans to melt inside of you.
Afterwards, you let him take care of you. You let him carry you to the bathroom and you let him tuck you into bed. You let him kiss you on the forehead and pull you to his chest as he gets into bed with you. You fall asleep in his arms fully knowing it won’t be like this when you wake up.
So of course, it surprises you when you wake up to Miguel’s arms around you. His breath on the back of your head and his arms squeezing around you like he’s afraid you’re going to run away while he’s not looking.
“You’re still here,” you whisper, half hoping he wasn’t awake.
“I know I'm not around a lot anymore. I’m trying, really,” he responds, loosening his grip on you.
“That doesn’t fix everything else.” You get out of bed and face him.
“I know it doesn’t. I know how much I've messed up, believe me.”
He sits up on his elbows, the duvet cover falling perfectly at his waist revealing his toned stomach. God, it is hard to be mad at that six pack.
“I hate the way you treat me, you know that? You’re never around and I fuckin hate it. When i’m alone and- and sad you’re supposed to be there to tell me it’s all gonna be okay but you’re not! And I am so sick of it. I want to be happy. I understand how important being Spiderman is but you have to learn to balance it out okay? Or else I can't do this anymore,” you exhale. Finally letting out what you’ve been wanting to say for months.
“You’re giving me an ultimatum?” He clarifies.
“Yes! I am! and you are in no position to question me,” you state.
“I get that, I do Cariño. But what I do decides the fate of the world. Of everyone, including you,” he tries to reason.
“Maybe we just shouldn’t be together then. If it’s that important. I shouldn’t be a distraction from that” you turn away from him. Unable to make eye contact with him.
You take his silence as an answer. You’re facing the wall, you’re hands on the edge of a desk. Biting your lower lip, wondering what’s going to happen next. After a few seconds you turn around to an empty room. The door just an inch open. He left.
He fucking left you. Again.
You’ve come to learn that Miguel will leave and abandon you when you need him the most. And you know that’s not what you deserve. But you also know that you love him, and that he hopefully loves you just as much.
You hate yourself for loving him. And he hates himself for hurting you. Maybe there’s a universe where the two of you are happy with each other, truly happy. No matter how much it hurts, you know you will love each other in every universe.
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lambtotheslaughterr · 6 months ago
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Something Wicked This Way Comes
A Rafe Cameron Oneshot
[THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN THEMES OF NON-CON/DUB-CON, MENTAL-EMOTIONAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE, ETC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 18+. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT]
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WC: 13.3k
Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics
OONA'S MASTERLIST
request for @namelesslosers
requests are currently CLOSED
all AI images are created from prompts i wrote. they are not real images.
Summary: Five years after escaping the cluthes of her violent ex, reader is preparing to spend Halloween night alongside her son, but she wakes that morning feeling something amiss...
it's Halloween, after all, & things are bound to give her a fright, even if it is her past catching up for a bite.
READERS, PREPARE YOURSELVES. I GIVE YOU...THE DARKEST FIC I'VE EVER WRITTEN.
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            It was like any other day. Except it wasn’t. From the moment you woke up, something was off. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but there was a tense sensation in the air around you. It left you feeling on edge all day, but you had summed it up to be your paranoia & anxiety kicking in because it was Halloween night. After all, it was a night of spooky scares.
            What didn’t help relieve your unsettled nerves, was the fact that you had woken up late. It was a little past 7:30 in the morning when you finally rolled over to see the time. The red lights flashing at you on your alarm clock shocked you awake, causing you to stumble out of bed.
            “Shit!” You hissed as you raced to your closet to pull out your outfit for the day.
            “Louie!” You yelled from your bedroom, listening for any sign of your son being awake. When you didn’t get a response you tripped into the hallway as you struggled to throw your dress on over your head. You were relieved you showered before bed, otherwise you would have dreaded going to work without one.
            “Lou?!” You hollered again as you stumbled into his bedroom.
            His bed was empty & unmade. You cursed again, knowing exactly where you’d find him next. Leaving his room, you succeeded in getting your dress on & tying the bow in the back before entering the living room. As expected, your son was on his stomach, his bent arms holding his head up as he watched cartoons. You spotted the bag of opened candy on the floor before him.
            “Lou…” You sped-walk towards him as he kicked his feet.
            He smiled up at you, that sweet innocent smile of his you loved so much.
            “You overslept again, Mommy.” He pointed out.
            You feigned surprise, “You don’t say. Maybe someone should have woken me up."
            Bending at the waist, you picked your son up, cradling him on your hip as you searched for the remote to shut off the TV. Lou rested his on your shoulder, his fingers tangling into your hair as he rubbed the strands between his fingers.
            “You were crying in your sleep again last night.” Lou revealed, making your heart stop. “I didn’t want to wake you up since you weren’t crying anymore.”
            “Oh, hon.” You paused in the hallway to placed him on the ground, kneeling down to be eye-level with him, “I’m sorry you had to hear that again.”
            Ever since you left your hometown, or rather ran away from there, you had the same nightmare. In the beginning they happened every single night, but now, almost six years later, they were few & far between. But it was Louie who suffered the most from them. You didn’t realize you were still having him until he was older & started talking. You remembered when he lied next to you in bed one morning, asking why you cried in your sleep. You never had any memories of the nightmares. But Louie remembered them for you.
            “Was the bad man in your dream trying to hurt you again?” Lou bit his lip, a small bout of fear appearing in his eyes.
            You tugged him into you, holding him tight against your chest as you hugged him, “All that matters is that it was just a dream.”
            Lou wrapped his tiny arms over your shoulders, his hands never leaving your hair. That had been a comfort mechanism of his ever since he was an infant.
            “I wish he would visit my dreams.” Lou shared softly, to which you gently pulled him away from you to stare at him bewildered.
            “Baby, why would you want that?”
            He lowered his eyes, “So you could sleep.”
            Releasing a saddened sigh, you ran your fingers through his hair, “Mommy is fine, okay? You keep dreaming your excellent, beautiful dreams. One of us has to, right?”
            Lou nodded at that but he wasn’t smiling.
            Wanting to lighten the mood, you gathered his hands in yours, “I tell you what, you hurry up & go get dressed while Mommy finishes getting ready & we’ll take the long way to school so you can see the kitties, yeah?”
            Louie beamed at that, “Really?!”
            “Yes, really.” You kissed his forehead before standing up, “Now, hurry! We’re late as it is.”
            Lou took off for his bedroom, cheers of joy left in his wake. You smiled after him before re-entering your bedroom. You closed the door behind you, resting against it momentarily as an old memory flashed before you.
            You couldn’t breathe, one of his hands wrapped securely around your throat as he fucked himself into you. His pleased groans filled your ears, forcing more tears from your eyes. A chilled shiver shot up your spin when you felt his lips kiss the tops of your breasts where his teeth marks remained. The weight of his body crushed against yours & you had never felt more trapped.
            “Mom!” Lou yelled from down the hallway, making you jump, “Can I wear my costume to school?!”
            “Yes, baby!” You hollered back, hearing the unevenness in your voice. Shaking away the awful sensations of that memory, you finished getting ready for work.
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            Lou skipped ahead of you as you walked down the main street of your small town. You had moved here shortly after Louie was born, wanting him to live in a family town that had a good school system. More importantly, it was a close-knit community. Almost everyone knew everyone. That worked in your favor & made you feel safe. It meant that if anyone new ever moved to town you would know about it. Your neighbors were your last line of defense against the man you escaped from over five years ago.
            “Look, Mommy, look!” Lou paused in front of the display window the cat adoption café. He had his face pressed against the glass, his ghoul makeup smearing as he did so. You laughed to yourself, knowing you would just have to re-do his makeup again before going into class with all the other ghosts & witches.
            “Wow.” You mused along with your son as he meowed at the cats chasing his finger on the other side of the glass. Lou had been asking for a cat for his birthday ever since he was three years old. Whenever he saw one on the street or in a neighbor’s window, he would race towards it at lay on the ground with it as the feline in question would rub along his face & body, making him as one of their own.
            But you always had to say no. A cat, or pet of any kind, would slow you down in the event you had to run again. There had never been a peep or warning from your few trusted friends back home, but you couldn’t risk it. You couldn’t live with yourself if you had to escape from your home with Lou at a moment’s notice, him crying over your shoulder as he begged for you to get his pet.
            And that made you furious. That you couldn’t give your son something he truly wanted & loved because you had to be ready for when your past caught up to you.
            As Lou continued aweing at the kittens behind the glass, you raised your head to peer inside the café. The elderly woman that was always there waved at you through the glass & you waved back. But as you did, you spotted another in the glass. Only they weren’t on the other side, but in the reflection. And they looked a lot like…
            A panicked gasp escaped you as you spun around, staring wide-eyed across the street. But no one was there. Your heart was racing as you looked down the street every which way. But all you saw were other townspeople going about their Friday morning.
            It’s in your head, _____. You calmed yourself. He’s not here. It wasn’t him. It’s just your paranoia.       
            Inhaling sharply, you stole Lou’s attention, grabbing his wrist softly, “C’mon, honey, we gotta go.”
            Louie allowed you to drag him away from the kitty café, his arm outstretched in longing.
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            You saw Lou off to his kindergarten classroom before speed-walking down the hallway to the main office. It was a massive relief to you that you managed to land a job in an administrative position at Lou’s school before he even started. Before that you were waitressing while taking online classes at the local community college, & once you got your degree in business administration, you scored a front office desk job at the only elementary school in town. All you needed was to be close to Lou because you never knew when you’d have to snatch him & run.
            “Hey, Miriam.” You greeted breathlessly as you raced into the office, tossing your purse on the floor under your desk.
            “Hey, you.” She eyed you mischievously.
            Miriam was well beyond her retirement period, but Principle Bentley couldn’t get rid of her if he tried. And tried he had. But it was all in good fun. Miriam was a staple of the school & the town itself. She was known as a hard ass but also a gossip queen. She always had all the tea o what was happening in the sleepy Northeastern town. It made your mostly mundane days more enjoyable.
            “Overslept again, I see.”
            “Yeah.” You sighed as you turned your computer on, “Don’t know what’s going on lately.”
            “Something’s in the air.” She commented, echoing your silent thoughts from earlier that morning. “You should relax, though, hon. You’re always wound so tight.”
            You raised your brows in agreement as you pulled up your morning duties, “Easier said than done.”
            Miriam chuckled at that. The door behind your respective desks opened & Principle Bentley stepped out.
            “Morning, ladies.” He greeted as he approached the coffee maker in the corner of the office.
            “Morning, Nicholas.” Miriam didn’t care for referring to him by his career name, after all, she did babysit him when he was only a child.
            “Morning, Principle Bentley.” You greeted him, to which he smirked sweetly.
            “How many times do I gotta tell you, _____, call me Nick.”
            Principle Bentley was young for his job. Thirty one, to be exact, & he was a well-known bachelor in the community. He was easy on the eyes, with dark brown eyes reminiscent of a puppy, & dimples that only added to his boyish charm. But he was your boss. And despite his mild flirtatious advances, you only treated him as such.
            If you couldn’t indulge your son by getting him a cat, you sure as shit couldn’t indulge yourself with a romantic partner. It was out of the question. Perhaps one day, when Louie was older & out of the house, but until then, you kept your mind distraction free.
            “And how many times do I have to tell you, you’re my boss.” You reminded him back, though your tone was friendly.
            Principle Bentley chuckled at that before pouring himself a mug of coffee, “What’s on the agenda for today?”
            You glanced back at your computer, knowing Miriam really only showed up to get paid & gabber with the mom’s & dad’s that came in to pick up their children.
            “There’s an assembly just before lunch, the usual ‘stay safe out there on Halloween night’ spiel followed by some games the teachers put together. And then during final hour the kids will be going from class to class as a precursor to their trick-or-treating.”
            He nodded in response, “Sounds like a normal day.”
            You smiled, “Pretty much.”
            “Alright, well, I trust you two to hold down the fort out here while I make some calls.” He began walking towards his office before stopping in the doorway, “_____?”
            “Yes?” You spun around in your chair to face him.
            “Before the assembly, I’d like to speak with you.”
            “O-okay.” You fumbled, your fingers clenching together.
            “It’s nothing bad. Just something I wanted to run past you.”
            “Of course.” You nodded sheepishly. Then he closed his door.
            Turning back to your computer, you rolled your shoulders, having felt them stiffen at his proposal to talk one-on-one.
            “Why is it they always say, ‘it’s nothing bad’, when it is indeed something bad?” You murmured out loud, not truly expecting an answer.
            “Nick?” Miriam chuckled, “Boy couldn’t hurt a fly even if he tried. You’re not in trouble dear. If I had to guess…”
            You rolled your eyes, recognizing that suggestive tone of your voice very well.
            “Nick is finally going to put his big boy pants on & ask you on a date.”
            You scoffed at that, facing her wide-eyed, “Miriam! He is not going to ask me on a date. He’s my boss!”
            “Oh, pish, posh.” Miriam waved your dismissal away, “I met my husband working for him. It still happens.”
            “No.” You chuckled, focusing on your computer as you read emails, “Not that. Besides, I already have a man in my life.”
            “Your son, as cute as he is, doesn’t count.” Miriam told you bluntly.
            “Yeah, yeah.” You waved her away before sarcastically responding, “Now, shut up. I have very important emails to get back to.”
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            Miriam left twenty minutes early for the assembly, leaving you to finish off your morning duties alone in the office. There was still five minutes to spare before the assembly started so you put your computer in sleep mode then stood up to head to Principle Bentley’s office.
            Knocking gently, you waited until you heard the familiar sound of his voice, telling you to come in.
            “_____!” He grinned, rising from his chair, “Please, take a seat.”
            Despite what Miriam teased you about earlier, you still felt nervous. Though she was right about Principle Bentley being a good guy, you still felt like you had done something wrong.
            “So, is this about my being late?” You questioned, your brows creasing.
            “You were late?” He replied, clearly only hearing about it now.
            “Oh…yeah.” You sighed, “I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again, I prom—”
            “_____, it’s okay. You’re not in trouble. Miriam bails on her duties all the time & have I spoken to her about it?”
            “Well, no, but it’s Miriam. No one really wants to cross her.” You joked, trying to lighten the anxiety bubbling in your chest.
            “Sure, sure.” He nodded in agreement, “Look, I don’t mind if you’re late. You could be two hours late & it’d be fine. I mean, what are you gonna miss, signing kids in & out? It’s fine, really.”
            “Okay.” You felt yourself relax, “If you say so.”
            “I do.” He chuckled.
            “So, what is that you wanted to discuss?”
            Principle Bentley sucked his teeth in awkwardly before finally leaning forward on his desk, his elbows resting there with his hands raised, “I know it’s a long shot, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in getting lunch together today.”
            “Oh.” You felt your smile drop. Oh. Miriam had been right.
            “No pressure, either!” He rushed out, “I know how weird it’s gotta be having your boss ask you out but I don’t know, figured I’d at least try.”
            “Yeah.” You chuckled awkwardly before gathering your thoughts, “The offer is nice, Nick. But—”
            “Nick?” He asked incredulously but was smiling nonetheless, “Using my name? I know what that means.”
            He was letting you let him down easily & you were grateful towards him for it.
            “But I’m going to have to decline.”
            “I understand.” He nodded, never losing his boyish smile.
            “Ya know, in a perfect world, I—” You stopped yourself, unsure if you really wanted to say what you were about to say, but the look on Nick’s face encouraged you to keep going.
            “In a perfect world, I’d say yes.” You admitted. Nick was a good guy. He always took care of you & Miriam. Plus he enjoyed working with the kids & all parents sung his praises. Nick Bentley was a good guy, & he’d be an excellent father. Truly, that was something you wish you could have given Lou, a father, but with your past still terrorizing you in your sleep, it just wasn’t possible.
            “And what is a perfect world?” Nick asked, his voice soft.
            You sighed, biting your lower lip in thought. “I love being a mother. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
            For some odd reason, you were ready to tell someone your life story, or at least the nicer parts about it. Something indeed was in the air.
            “But I had Lou when I was young, too young. I was nineteen. I wasn’t ready… & ya know, Lou’s father…” You inhaled sharply as those startling blue eyes of your ex flashed through your mind. “Let’s just say he wasn’t a good guy. I’m just not ready for another relationship. Or dating, even. I just want to focus on being a good mother to Lou.”
            Nick eyed you with admiration in his eyes. He nodded in understanding, “Your son is very lucky to have you. I hope you know that.”
            The praise made your heart falter with elation. Because you ran away from your hometown, & couldn’t risk your ex finding you, you were forced to cut off all communication with friends & family. No one had even met your son. Not your parents, not your best friend, no one. It was another aspect of your life that you were furious about. That Lou was forced to only call you family when he had so many more people out there who would love him just as much as you did. But to protect him most of all, you had to stay hidden. So, hearing those words from Nick made your heart swell.
            “Thank you for saying that.” You replied almost inaudibly.
            “Thank you for being transparent.” Nick responded in kind, “I can’t imagine it was easy to share.”
            “No.” You chuckled openly, “It wasn’t. At all.”
            “Well,” Nick stood from his chair, gesturing towards the door, “walk with me to the assembly?”
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            You laughed & clapped your hands as kids all over the gymnasium ran amok, your ghoulish son among them. After the usual ‘stay safe’ portion of the assembly, the kids were free to go around to booths the teachers had put together in the spirit of Halloween night. You took to the wall, your eyes following your son as he ran around with his friends, chasing one of the 3rd grade teachers dressed a ghost, playing a game they called ‘ghost hunters’.
            Nick was in the midst of it all, getting tangled up with the kids as they either wrapped themselves around his legs or tried climbing his black. You hid your smile behind your hand as you watched on.
            On the bleachers to your right was Miriam & a few other female staff members. They all appeared to be reacting in shock to something Miriam was saying. You were curious to what tea she was spilling so you found yourself joining them.
            “Why the shocked faces?” You asked. One of the first grade teachers, Isabella, handed you a Styrofoam cup of hot apple cider. You accepted it gratefully.
            “You haven’t heard?!” Sophia, one of the student teacher’s, turned to you in shock, “Someone broke into George Acosta’s barn last night & stole that ancient Chevy truck he’s been working on for ages.”
            You frowned at that. You knew the truck well, everyone did. But only because it made these awful metal, grinding sound as it ambled down the roads throughout town. You could hear it from two blocks away most times as it backfired, alerting anyone in the vicinity that good old Mr. Acosta was out & about.
            “I’m telling ya.” Isabella commented, “Whoever stole it has to be from out of town. No one is idiotic enough to steal from George. Remember when he threatened Sheriff Kaufman with a loaded shot gun just for pulling over a reckless driving teen on his property last year? Even the Sheriff was apologizing profusely to him.”
            The women cackled amongst themselves but you weren’t laughing. The strange occurrence & Isabella’s theory about it being an out of towner made your stomach shift into knots.
            It not him. It can’t be. Someone would’ve contacted you if he got wind of where you were. It was just a random crime, _____. It’s not him. You’re okay. Lou is okay. Calm down. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Ex—
            “_____? My god, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Isabella placed a hand on your upper back in comfort.
            You nodded shakily but stood up, “I’m alright. Just feeling sick all of a sudden.”
            “You don’t look good, hon.” Miriam added, peering at you with concern.
            “I’ll be fine.” You assured them, “I just need to use the restroom really quick.”
            Everything was okay. It was just your paranoia, you knew that, but you couldn’t deny how ever since this morning you felt like something awful was coming. But you reminded yourself that it wouldn’t be the first time you felt that way & ended up realizing eventually that it was just your nerves & traumatic responses acting up.
            “Nick.” You approached him as he assisted with the gym teacher in replacing a skeleton pinata with a pumpkin one.
            “Hey!” He greeted jovially but frowned when he took in your state, “Whoa, you alright?”
            “I’m not feeling well, all of a sudden. I don’t know what’s happening but—”
            “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He clambered down the ladder he had been on to gently grip your upper arms, “What do you need?”
            “I know I was late this morning but would it be alright if I went home for the day? I just, I don’t want to get the kids sick if it’s something contagious.”
            You were lying through your teeth, something you had gotten really good at, but it was for the right reason.
            “Yeah, of course, of course. Is there anything I can do?”
            Your eyes searched out Lou as he gathered around one of the teachers dressed as a warlock, listening intently to a story he was reading from a book.
            “Yes, but it’s too much to ask for.”
            “Hey.” Nick smiled kindly at you, “There’s no such thing, what is it?”
            “Would you mind bringing Lou home after school? Normally I’d take him with me but he’s having too much fun & I don’t want to ruin his day. Plus, I have no car to pick him up & I don’t want him walking home from school alone.”
            “Of course, yeah, I can do that, it’ll be no problem.” He nodded.
            It took a long time getting comfortable about Lou being alone with anyone who wasn’t you, but after living in the close-knit community as long as you did, you knew that Louie would be in safe hands with whomever you left him with.
            “Thank you, seriously, thank you.”
            “Yeah, yeah.” He stood up straight but remained watching you with concern, “What about you though? Do you need a ride home?”
            “No.” You mustered a grateful smile, waving away his offer, “I’ll be okay. I just need to get home & take a cold shower or something.”
            “Okay, yeah. Will you call me when you get there? Let me know you’re alive & what not.”
            The two of you shared a laugh but you nodded, “Of course.”
            “Alright. I’ll bring him back straight after school. You focus on feeling better.”
            “Thank you, Nick.”
            He gripped your shoulder in comfort before you parted from him to approach Louie. He was still listening to the warlock’s story when you appeared behind him.
            “Hey, baby. Mommy’s not feeling well so I’m going home. Principle Bentley said he’d bring you home after school, okay?”
            He spun around towards you, his youthful face frowning as he peered up at you, “Are you okay, Mommy?”
            “Yeah, I’m okay, I just feel sick, that’s all.”
            “Is it your dreams?”
            “No.” You shook your head rapidly, cupping his cheek, “I just need to lie down for a while.”
            “Okay.” He gave you that soft smile of his you adored so much.
            “Mommy loves you.” You hugged him, kissing him three times on the crown of his head, “I’ll see you later, alright?”
            “Bye, Mommy.”
            “Bye, baby.”
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            After seeking out Lou’s teacher & asking her to walk him to the office at the end of the school day so Nick could drive him home, you were finally able to leave work. Fortunately, you only lived five blocks away, so you would be home in no time to get your head together. You hated lying to your coworkers, more so, your son, but you needed to get home to ensure that everything was still ready to go in case you & Lou had to run. Never in the five years that you had lived in your town had you ever had a nasty feeling like you did today. And although you knew it was likely just the eeriness of Halloween mixed with your paranoia, you chose to be safe rather than sorry.
            But as you strolled home, your cardigan wrapped snugly around your front, you couldn’t help as your mind strayed to the past.
            You were in love, maddeningly so. He was everything you could have dreamed of. And the way he looked at you always had you feeling like a schoolgirl with a silly crush. You could never have imagined that you would have found your prince. And that’s just what he was. He was your prince charming & you were his darling princess.
            The two of you were inseparable. The honeymoon phase meant something new with the two of you. Your relationship was filled with laughter, friendship, trust, & most importantly, love. So much love. You never knew you could love anyone as deeply as you loved him, & you knew he felt the same.
            And for the first year of your relationship it was pure bliss. Until it wasn’t.
            Everything changed after you turned 18. You were ready to take your relationship to the next level. He had been ecstatic that you were ready to become intimate & finally have sex. It was how you knew he was one of the good ones, that he never pressured you or tried anything himself. He was respectful & kind & patient. Everything you dreamt about. But once you two did have sex, something changed in him. A darker energy you never knew he had emerged.
            It started out small. He would become touchier. You had reasoned to yourself it was just because now that you two were having sex he was antsy for it all the time. But when the times came that you wouldn’t want, whether it was because you weren’t in the mood or weren’t feeling well, he would make snarky remarks under his breath. And then it shifted again.
            He started to not want you going out with him, even if it was just to a friend’s house to watch a movie. He would text you the whole time, blow up your phone, leave you voicemails accusing you of not being where you said you were. Your friends pointed out to you that his behavior was problematic & that you should discuss it with. And so you did. Why wouldn’t you of? After all, you two had never had serious issues before. But you couldn’t have been more wrong.
            The night you told him that he was beginning to make you feel suffocated would be a night you never forgot. He has lost his mind. You had never heard him yell before, let alone raise his voice, especially at you, but he had done it all that night. When he got to a point where you felt scared to be alone with him you had tried leaving but he wouldn’t have any that.
            It was the first time he raped you. It wouldn’t be the last.
            After the first time though, he had apologized profusely, swearing it would never happen again. He confessed to you that he was just scared of losing you & that you were giving him mixed signals lately. You didn’t understand that, knowing that in your own mind you were definitely not doing that, but he looked so scared, so terrified of losing you, that it had convinced you to stay with him.
            You would live to regret it. His behavior didn’t change, it only got worse. But it eventually go to a point where you were practically chained to him. You stopped hanging out with your friends, quit coming out of your room to visit with your family, stopped posting about your life on social media. You became a scared little girl, & it was all because of him.
            Then when you thought he couldn’t get worse, he proved you wrong.
            The two of you had been attending a beach party. It was with his friends so you weren’t anticipating seeing any of your own, but one had been there. You had known Donovon your whole life, longer than any of your friends. Other than your closest girlfriend, Donovon was your next closest friend. So, when you saw him at that party, you were ecstatic to see a face you were forbidden to see.
            It was your mistake putting Donovon in the devil’s path. Had you known what your boyfriend was capable of, you would have never taken him back. But that didn’t matter. When Donovon saw you, he snuck up behind you, capturing you by your waist & lifting you into the air. You had squealed in fear at first, genuinely scared due to your ex’s mental, emotional, & physical torment, but when you realized who it was, you only felt relief.
            So, you hugged Donovon. Your oldest friend.
            And it would be the last time you, that anyone did.
            The devil had heard your screams of fear & came rushing forward furiously. You had no time to react or stop him as he tackled Donovon to the ground before beating him to a pulp. Donovon didn’t have a chance to defend himself as the devil knocked his head every which way. Others at the party managed to separate the two but the damage had been done.
            Donovon was in the hospital for two weeks before his family took him off life support. Your boyfriend had murdered your oldest friend. And he got away with it, too. Witnesses at the party protected the devil, saying that Donovon had started it. That it was just a fight that got out of hand. No one knew that it would come to that. And most of all, your boyfriend’s father used his influence to ensure his son would never see a sentence. Not even for manslaughter.
            Your boyfriend swore to you that he didn’t mean to lose it like he did but you saw that dark fury behind his eyes. He had. He had meant every single fist brought down onto your friend’s skull, & he would do it again.
            You weren’t safe with him. That much you knew, but you didn’t know how to get away from him. At the time, you were preparing yourself to be one of the women you had seen in those domestic violence movies who couldn’t find their voice to tell anyone the truth. But that all changed when you took a pregnancy test & it came back positive.
            That pink plus sign was all you needed to kick your flight instinct into gear. It took a couple weeks to get everything prepared, but you made it happen. They were the scariest weeks of your life because you were required to sneak behind the devil’s back to get the plan into place. After what he did to Donovon, it took little convincing from old friends & your parents to help you get out.
            But you didn’t want them to get hurt in the process. So, once you had the funds, the drive, & a bus ticket out of town, you told all of those who helped you that you wouldn’t be in contact with them, too scared that if they knew where you were that your ex would do to them as he did to Donovon just to find out where you were. You couldn’t allow that, not again.
            And so you ran, & you didn’t stop running until you reached the New England states. Throughout your relationship, you had revealed to your boyfriend many times how you dreamed of living in the Pacific Northwest. It would be the first place he looked for you. And he had the funds & means to do just that. So you went to the other end of the country, counting your days until he found you again.
            The backfiring of a nearby engine shocked you out of your reverie. You blinked away your memories, realizing you were then only a block away from your house. The backfiring of a nearby engine sounded near the end of the street you were on & you froze, remembering what your coworkers at work had just told you about Georga Acosta.
            You felt safe enough standing there on Main Street, surrounded by townsfolk as they went about their business, but you felt a chill roll up your spine. As if eyes were watching you. As if he was watching you.
            Your flight instinct from long ago kicked in & you rushed into the nearest storefront. It was a Halloween store. The man behind the counter smiled politely at you as he continued helping a customer. You backed yourself up until you couldn’t be seen from the street but could still see the street yourself. As you did, the engine grew closer. You stood behind a shelf at the end of an aisle as you waited for Acosta’s truck to appear. For him to be behind the wheel.
            But when the truck finally appeared, you felt a heavy weight lift from your shoulders. It was Chevy, much like Mr. Acosta’s, but not his. Instead, the truck that ambled down the street was filled to the brim with teenagers hooting & hollering as they wore Halloween masks, playing the iconic Halloween theme song on a boombox from the bed.
            You fluttered your eyes closed, your hand on your chest.
            “Miss, are you alright?”
            Your eyes flew open at the nearby voice. It was the man behind the counter, the customer he had been helping gone.
            “Yes, sorry.” You breathed out, a relieved smile on your face.
            “Did you need to purchase something?” You could tell he was curious about you but didn’t push.
            Your arm brushed against the shelves you had been hiding behind. On the display shelf was a witches hat. You quickly grabbed it.
            “Just this.”
            After paying, you felt safe enough to leave the store, now knowing your imagination was just that. Then you finished your walk home.
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            Someone was calling your name. It was like a whisper, close but far away at the same time. Your name was said again, over & over, & every single time it repeated it grew closer, louder. Until nothing. Then it was quiet.
            Then a pair of lips touched your cheek.
            You shot forward in bed, your face coated in sweat, your chest heaving. Your mouth & throat was dry. Holding your head in your hands, you focused on calming down your breathing. You touched your cheek where you had felt the kiss. It was warm to touch.
            It was just a dream. You had fallen asleep, not meaning to, just wanting to lie down for five minutes but it seems your body had other plans. Once you gathered yourself, shaking away the nerves, you stood from your bed, your muscles aching. But as you did you halted immediately.
            The door to your bedroom was open. Not all the way, just cracked open. You frowned. You were sure you had shut it. But ever since getting home, your mind had been a mess. All the anxiety & paranoia you were feeling was eating you away. You were losing it!
            Brushing the concern for you door away, you exited your room, heading down to your kitchen. The clock on the stove read 2:32. School would have just gotten out, Nick would be here any moment with Louie. You chugged a glass of water & opened the fridge, peering inside to get a snack ready for Lou, though you imagined he would be bringing home plenty of candy from the trick-or-treat at school.
            Just as you fingered a package of sliced ham, the doorbell rang. You felt your brows crease, checking the clock once more. 2:33.
            They must have left school early. You thought mindlessly, knowing it was Nick with your son at the door.
            Tossing the ham onto the counter, you rounded the kitchen to the front door. You unlatched the lock & swung it open.
            “That was qui—” Your words died on your tongue.
            There was no one. You frowned, stepping out onto your porch. Looking into your front yard & the neighbors, you saw no one in sight. Your street was quiet & bare of any life.
            So, who rang the doorbell?
            The question only left you reeling. Turning back to go inside, you stopped when something in the corner of your eye stole your attention. On the bottom step of the stairs leading to your porch was a few pumpkins you & Lou hard carved out together earlier that week. They appeared relatively normal except for one.
            Warily descending the stairs, you gripped the banister when you finally realized what was wrong with the single pumpkin. The handle of a knife glinted under the autumn sun as it stuck out from the top of the pumpkin. You covered your mouth with your hand, whipping around to check your surroundings once more. There was no one in sight, not even Eugenia May—the town recluse—was peeking out from her window.
            Your heart was hammering in your chest. You turned back to the pumpkin, kneeling down to inspect further. From what you could make out thanks to the cut-outs of the pumpkin, the knife was long, nearly piercing the other side.
            Why would someone—
            “Boo!”
            A scream tore from your throat at the booming voice behind you.
            Spinning around, you nearly toppled over before Nick managed to catch you by the elbow.
            “What the fu—” Your son looked up at you with wide eyes, “—dge?!”
            “Sorry.” Nick smiled uncomfortably, “It was your son’s idea.”
            Your eyes danced between the two of them as your heart began to settle down. You hadn’t even heard the hum of an engine, let alone their footsteps as they came up the walkway.
            “What are you doing outside, Mommy?” Louie asked, watching you curiously.
            It was then that you remembered, too, why you were outside. You stepped in front of the pumpkin with the knife sticking out, grateful Lou had yet to see it.
            “I was excited to you, baby.” You told him, ruffling his hair. He slapped your hands away playfully.
            “Hey, why don’t you go inside & get a fruit snack, I’ll be in in a moment, I just need to talk to Principle Bentley.”
            Louie charged forward. You smiled wryly, watching his small legs amble up the stairs & into the house.
            “Sorry ‘bout that. Your kid is hard to say no to.” Nick apologized.
            “No, that’s okay.” You waved it away, “I’m just relieved it was you & not someone else.”
            “Who else would it be?” Nick asked, not realizing the dangerous ground he was treading.
            “Maybe the person who stabbed my pumpkin.” You said, stepping out of the way to reveal the petty crime.
            “Oh, shit.” Nick eyed the pumpkin on the bottom step, “Who’d you piss off?”
            Of course you knew it was a joke but you didn’t laugh. In fact, it did the opposite. You frowned, staring at the deadly weapon.
            “Oh, hey, I’m sorry, I was only kidding.” Nick reached for you but you stepped away.
            “It’s—it’s fine. Forget about it.” Bending over, you snatched the knife by its handle before yanking it out. “Just me being fucking paranoid again.” You mumbled but Nick had heard you.
            You were climbing back up to porch when he caught up to you, blocking the way to your door with a concerned look on his face, “_____, I’m sorry, truly I am.”
            You stared at him, unsure of his words.
            “Are you really thinking someone did this to you on purpose?”
            His question unsettled you. You shifted from foot to foot as you avoided his eyes. You could feel your breathing begin to quicken, on the edge of hyperventilating.
            “Hey, hey.” Nick closed the distance between the two of you, placing his hands on your shoulders gently, “Talk to me. If you’re really concerned then we should call someone about it.”
            “No!” You rushed out, “No. It’s nothing. It’s just me being paranoid, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
            You tried to go around him but Nick blocked you once more.
            “I’ll get out of your way, I promise, but…I’ve never seen you like this before. This…scared. If something is happening, I want to help.”
            “You can’t help.” You sighed defeatedly. You were just so tired, so tired of looking over your shoulder, of worrying about if & when he would find you. You just wanted to live a happy, normal life with your son.
            “I can try.” Nick captured your eyes, “If you let me.”
            As you stared back at him, seeing the genuine care for you, the same look you had seen once before in the last man you trusted, you felt yourself soften. Nick wasn’t him. Nick was a good person. Unlike your past, he wanted to help you. And so, for the first time in five years, you let someone in.
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            It was nearly 5’o’clock when Lou took off from the dinner table to go wash his hands. Nick helped you clear the table of dirty dishes. You thanked him for his help before placing the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.
            “So, this ex of yours.” Nick began, “You think he’s found you?”
            “I don’t know.” You shook your head, peering out a window over your kitchen sink, “I’ve been living in fear of him finding us for so long that anything remotely out of the ordinary makes me think it’s him.”
            “Well, I can almost assure you that it’s not.” Nick kept his voice low as Lou entered the main room.
            “Go ahead & watch some cartoons.” You told him, to which Lou very happily obliged. Once the TV sounded from the living room, you turned to Nick.
            “How can you assure me that?”
            After Nick made his claim to want to help you, you had told him everything. Everything. Not a detail spared. You weren’t explicit in reciting your history with your dreaded ex, but you detailed enough to get the point across.
            “I called down to the station.” Nick revealed.
            Your eyes widened, immediately questioning if you were wrong to trust him, but Nick raised his hand in reassurance, already predicting your reaction, “I didn’t give any names, I promise. I just asked if they had gotten any complaints about pumpkins or the like being vandalized. You know Brenden Brennen?”
            You did. No one forgot an unfortunate name like that. He was a local teenager, known to be trouble.
            “Apparently Brenden & some of his friends have been going around scaring people. Throwing poppers into driveways, jumping out of bushes, prank calling. I guess even Stephanie Romero’s garage got tagged with fake blood.”
            You nodded, understanding where he was going with it all.
            “It’s Halloween. It’s a spooky night. Kids are just getting up to no good, that’s all. Things are bound to go bump in the night.”
            It did little relieve you but you accepted the likelihood that it was Brenden who stabbed your pumpkin.
            “But what about Mr. Acosta’s truck? I mean, Isabella’s right. No one in town, not even Brenden Brennen, would be stupid enough to mess with him, let alone that truck he holds near & dear to his heart.”
            Nick chuckled at that but shrugged, “Nothing so far as far as I know. But Mr. Acosta is getting up there. Way, waaaay up there. I hear his daughter complain every now & then that she swears he’s got Alzheimer’s, says he’s been losing track of things a lot lately.”
            “A truck is quite a big thing to lose track of.” You muttered.
            “Yeah, it is.” Nick nodded in agreement, “But think of it this way. From the sounds of it, your ex has money, & lots of it. If he were here, he wouldn’t be breaking into a barn to steal a beat-up old truck. He’d probably be driving through town in one of those nice sports cars that rarely come through here. And I say ‘rarely’ because folk like that stick out like a sore thumb. So, if he were here, someone would’ve noticed him by now.”
            Everything he was saying was making sense, & you knew it to be true. You sighed, smiling, feeling like a fool.
            “I just want it to end.” You admitted, your voice soft as you stared at Lou on the other end of the room, “I don’t want to live in fear for the rest of my life. I want Louie to have a normal childhood, not one that he looks back on wondering why his mom was always crying in her sleep or looking over her shoulder every day.”
            “Hey.” Nick approached you, his hand on your lower back in comfort, “You have done so much for him. He knows how much you love him, he sees that. And he loves you, too. It may not be the childhood you want for him but it’s better than the one he could’ve had if you hadn’t run away, isn’t it?”
            “Oh, god.” You marveled horrifically at the thought. You never thought too long, if ever, about what it would have been like raising Lou back home, with him always around.
            “See?” Nick consoled you, “You’re giving him the childhood he deserves. As long as that kid there has you, he’ll be alright.”
            You nodded, peering up Nick, “Thank you. For everything.”
            He grinned sheepishly at that, shrugging, “I’m here for you, _____. For as long as you need me.”
            It had been a long time since you felt like you found someone you could trust. You were happy Nick was the first.
            Surprising even yourself, you raised onto your tiptoes & placed a kiss on his cheek. You watched as Nick blushed at the affection. When you pulled away, you two stared at one another before laughing lightly.
            “Are you going to be my Dad, now?”
            Both of you jumped apart as Lou stared at the two of you from the other side of the kitchen.
            “What was that, buddy?” Nick played off your sons question as you tucked your smile into your teeth.
            “No, baby, Principle Bentley was just helping Mommy.”
            Lou made a questionable face but moved on, “When are we going trick-or-treating?”
            “Oh, um.” You eyed the clock on the stove. It was nearly 6. “Any moment! Go get a jacket on & we’ll head out.”’
            Lou began to run down the hallway before he stopped to stare at Nick, “Are you coming with us, Principle Bentley?”
            “Oh, I, uh, we haven’t discussed—”
            “Yes.” You answered for him, watching as Lou broke out into a smile in response, “Now go get a jacket, mister!”
            Once Lou was out of sight, you turned towards Nick, “It’s probably not the date you had in mind but if you’d like, Lou & I would love to have you join us.”
            Nick grinned that dimpled boyish grin of his, “Then I’d love to.”
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            Kids ran amok throughout the neighborhood as you & Nick walked side by side on the sidewalk, watching as Lou raced from house to house, filling his plastic pumpkin candy bowl to the brim. Every now & then, a candy or two would spill out as your son ran happily between yards.
            Lou had wanted you to dress up but you had forgotten to actually get yourself a costume. So, the witches hat you had purchased earlier that day was all you had for a costume. It was enough to satisfy Lou, though the same couldn’t be said for Nick. You ended up having to use some of your own makeup to draw a clown look onto your boss’s face. He looked ridiculous, but you supposed that was fitting.
            “He’s pretty great.” Nick commented, watching your son compliment another ghoul’s costume.
            “Yeah, he is.” You felt pride.
            “Ya know,” Nick began, his hands stuffed into his pockets, “I obviously don’t know anything about your ex except from what you’ve told me—which is all bad, bad stuff—but I hope you know that your son is yours. He’s not his. Even if he’s made up of half of him. Who he grows up to be, that’ll be all you.”
            The thought warmed you. That was all you could really ask for.
            The two of you watched as Lou ran down the stairs of another house before running up to you, practically slamming into your legs.
            “Oof, careful, babe.” You giggled. Lou grinned up at you, holding out a piece of candy.
            “Your favorite.” A Smartie was perched between his fingers.
            You accepted the candy, smiling down at you son, “Thank you, Louie.”
            Then he was off again, more candy spilling out behind him.
            “He has his eyes.” You shared. Nick peered at you as you continued. “At first, that terrified me, ya know, when he grew into them. So much of his father there. So much of…”
            You still couldn’t say his name.
            “But you’re right.” You sniffled, the chilly autumn air beginning to make your nose run, “Louie will be nothing like him, even if he resembles him. He’ll be soft, gentle, kind, so full of life & wonder & happiness. All the things he is now. All the things his father isn’t.”
            The three of you crossed the street once Lou finished up at the last house on the corner.
            “You’re a really good mom, _____.” Nick commented, “Louie is in good hands, your hands.”
            “Yeah.” You nodded, sharing a smile with him, though his smile appeared wider thanks to the red lipstick stretched across his lips & cheeks. You giggled openly, unable to take him seriously.
            “What?” Nick widened his eyes in feigned offense, “It’s not my fault you don’t know how to draw a decent clown face.”
            As you two laughed amongst yourselves, someone suddenly shouldered you, practically taking you off your feet.
            “Hey, watch it!” Nick caught you as you stumbled into a neighbor’s yard.
            You followed his line of sight, staring at the back of what you assumed to be a grown man as he stalked down the sidewalk, his hood pulled over his head. Nick grumbled in annoyance as he pulled you upright but you only remained staring after the man. But he never looked back & before you knew it, he had turned a corner & disappeared from sight.
            “What is it?” Nick asked.
            “N-nothing.” You faked a smile, shaking your head as you turned your attention back to him.
      ��     “Prick should watch where he’s going. Had we been one of these kids we’d’ve been flattened.”
            Nick continued walking down the sidewalk, following behind as Lou continued his night of trick-or-treating. You looked over your shoulder once more & were startled by what you saw.
            At the end of the block, where the man had disappeared off to, there he stood. At least, you assumed it was the same man, standing eerily still just staring at you. But you weren’t sure if it was you he was staring at. He was wearing a mask resembling a hockey mask, his face completely covered. There was no way to tell just exactly where he was looking but you felt it… you felt his eyes staring right back into your own.
            “_____!” Nick hollered your name. You spun back around, realizing they had moved a couple houses down, “Coming?”
            Looking back to the man, you were disheartened to find him gone, the corner barren of anyone taller than five feet.
            Frowning, you caught up to Nick.
            “Everything okay?”
            You weren’t sure, but you reminded yourself of everything Nick had said earlier. If he was here, you would’ve known by now. And like he also said, it was Halloween, there was bound to be scares in the night.
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            Lou was slouched against Nick’s chest as he carried him back to your house. He was already half-way asleep, the excitement & running around having finally caught up to him. You carried his pumpkin basket full of candy, leading the way back. Once you reached the steps leading up the pathway to your porch, you peered up at you house, ensuring that nothing looked amiss.
            “He’s gonna have one hell of a candy hangover.” Nick joked softly.
            You smiled back him, “Thank you again for carrying him all this way.”
            “It’s no problem.” He assured you, carrying your nearly asleep son up the stairs to your porch. You unlocked the door to your house, swinging it open so Nick could bring Louie inside.
            “Where’s his bedroom?” Nick whispered. You pointed to your hallway, “Last door on the left.”
            Locking the door behind you, you placed your keys & Louie’s basket of candy onto a counter in the kitchen before trailing down the hallway to his room. Inside, you found Nick gently tucking your son into bed. He was well asleep at that point. You smiled elatedly at the sight. It was a sight you had never seen before: a grown man putting your Lou to bed. It brought you more comfort than you thought possible.
            Nick tiptoed out of the room & you pulled Lou’s door closed until only a crack was left.
            Following Nick back into the main room, you grinned up at him, “You’re my hero.”
            “Oh?” Nick raised a single brow, “Why’s that?”
            “He adores you.” You nodded, “I remember after his first day of school he talked about how the principle came to his class to play games with the kids & get to know them. Of course, he doesn’t understand yet that you’re my boss, so he spoke about you like I had never met you before. You’ve made an impression on him ever since.”
            “I could say the same thing about him.” Nick returned.
            “Thank you again, for everything.”
            Nick approached you, smiling down at you, “This better mean you’ll stop referring to me as Principle Bentley at work.”
            You rolled your eyes playfully at that, “We’ll see.”
            He narrowed his eyes at you suspiciously but chuckled nonetheless, “Well, I better get outta your hair, let you get some rest.”
            You nodded, seeing him to the door. When you unlocked it, Nick stepped out, but before either of you could verbalize a parting, he turned back to you, “And thanks for the date. I enjoyed it.”
            “Me, too.” You admitted, unable to hide your smile.
            Then Nick crossed back to you, leaning down slightly to kiss your cheek, returning your affection from earlier, “I’ll see you Monday.”
            “See you.”
            Closing the door as he descended your stairs, you relocked the door before finally kicking your shoes off. It had been a long day. You were looking forward to winding down in bed with your recent Kindle purchase before dozing off. Turning off the lights in the front room, you grabbed a couple pieces of candy from Lou’s basket before retreating to your room, sure to leave the door cracked this time now that Lou was home. Unlike when you closed the door for your nap earlier, you never kept your door closed as Lou slept, always wanting to hear if any sounds came from his room.
            Getting undressed & into pj’s, you slipped under the covers of your bed, pulling your Kindle out from your nightstand. Settling against your pillow, you began reading the text but it wasn’t long before you felt your eyelids begin to droop. Then, before you knew it, you slipped into slumber.
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            A floorboard creaking somewhere in your house woke you with a start. It was dark in your bedroom as you wiped the sleep from your eyes. You moaned at your stiff muscles, having fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position for your neck. Your eyes flashed to your nightstand. The clock flashed 2:24 a.m.
            Your mouth was dry again, & you had forgotten to bring a glass of water to bed. Slipping out of bed, you exited your room. You stopped in the hallway to peek into Louie’s room. He slept soundlessly still in his bed. Closing his door most of the way once more, you trailed quietly down your hallway to the kitchen.
            Once in the kitchen, you approached the cabinets by the sink. You had pulled one open, preparing to reach for a glass, but a sight outside the window above your sink caught your eye. And when you realized what you were looking at, your breath caught in your throat. Nick’s car. It was still parked out front. But more horrifying than that was what lied just beyond it. Across the street, parked in front of your neighbor’s house, was Mr. Acosta’s beloved Chevy.
Before you had time to react, a hand fisting itself in your hair yanked you backwards. A scream about ripped from your throat, but a gloved hand quickly clamped over your mouth before it could.
            Panicked tears erupted from your eyes as you felt yourself being dragged backwards, the soles of your slippers failing to catch themselves on the hardwood. You struggled against the strong grasp of the arm that was wrapped around your middle as they yanked you back down the hallway towards your bedroom.
            You didn’t need to see them to know who it was. All day, your paranoia had been trying to warn you but you didn’t listen, & then when you did start to listen to it, Nick had reasoned it out of you.
            The force threw you onto your bed & you bounced haphazardly atop it before the room flooded with light.
            All of the nightmares you had had in the last five years were occurring before your very eyes. And the man that caused them was glaring at you through the slits of a hockey mask. The same eyes your son had.
            “Boo.” If the eyes of your ex wasn’t enough of a give away as to who wore the spooky mask, the hollowed out voice behind it was.
            He was here.
            Rafe had found you.
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            It took all off your strength & will to not scream in that very instance. Lou was sleeping safe & sound less than twenty feet away from you, totally unaware of the dangers in his home, you wanted it to remain that way. But damn it all to hell if you didn’t fear for your life at that very second.
            Fear racked your body & panic ensnared your heart as Rafe Cameron, the ex you had ran out on with his unborn child in your tummy, stood before you.
            Tense silence filled the room, save for the sound of your shuddering breaths. Tears blurred your vision as you stared wide-eyed in horror.
            Rafe was breathing heavily, his chest moving almost in perfect time with your own. Your eyes fell to his hand, the glint of a familiar looking knife catching in the light.
            He had been here all along. From the beginning. The cat store, Mr. Acosta’s truck, Lou’s stabbed pumpkin, & the man in the mask who stared at you on the street. All of it Rafe. All of it your past finally catching up to you.
            “Rafe…” You shakily cried.
            He cocked his head, the mask only adding more fuel to your nightmare. And though the mask kept his face hidden, you knew well enough that the man behind the mask was carrying a face full of fury. It was a face you never forgot.
            He raised a single gloved finger then, wiggling it slowly at you. Then he brought that same finger to the mouth of the mask. Shh, he was telling you.
            Tears burst from your eyes as you bit your lip to keep from whimpering out loud.
            Don’t make him angry, do as he says. Lou is depending on you.
            But images of Lou sleeping in his bed just down the hallway flooded your mind. Rafe was blocking the door. You wouldn’t have a chance to slip by him & race down there, & even if you did, you’d lead him right to your son. If you did that, there was no saying what he would do next, but you knew Rafe Cameron was capable of deadly things, & you were determined to keep your son ignorant to that.
            It took every amount of restraint you could muster up not to run for your son, to shield him from the devil that snuck into your home. You kept a baseball bat hidden beneath your pillows. It had always been there, & only on rare occasions in the past did you feel the need to bring it out when something went bump in the night. But those bumps always turned out to be nothing. This wasn’t nothing. It was time to really use it.
            Rafe only remained standing before you, his tall & solid frame filling the space of your room like a sleep paralysis dream. Though he wore a thick jacket to keep warm, you could see that he had grown over the years. He had always been tall, towering over you, but he was slender as well. Not anymore, though. It was obvious that he had gotten into the habit of working, adding muscles to his already destructive strength.
            Swallowing the scream that desperately wanted to erupt from you, you kept your voice hush as you spoke, needing to distract him with your words as you very slowly, very subtly inched your fingers towards your pillows.
            “What are you doing here?” It was a stupid question, you, especially as well as he, both knew why he was there. But you didn’t care. Just keep his mind distracted.
            But he said nothing, just shook his head once.
            You breathed heavily & sharply, your fingers managing to have slid under your pillow without drawing his attention, desperately seeking out the cool, metal touch of the bat.
            “You shouldn’t have come here.” Your voice shook as you spoke, “You should’ve let me go.”
            But Rafe exhaled heavily at that.
            A relieved, quiet gasp parted your lips when your fingers finally found the bat, fiercely gripping the handle of the weapon.
            Dropping your eyes to the open door behind him, you frowned, “Lou?”
            Rafe turned around at that, expecting to see your son standing in the doorway, but it was only a fake-out.
            Gritting your teeth, you yanked the baseball bat & raised it above you, quickly rushing to your feet to stand atop your bed.
            You let out a war cry as you swung the bat downwards, aiming straight for Rafe’s skull. But he spun around in time to duck. The full weight of your swing made you stumble & one of your feet slipped off the bed. You clambered harshly to the wooden floor, your grip on the bat still tight, but Rafe snatched you by the back of your neck, ripping you upwards. You blindly swung the bat a second time but you felt a force catch the other end before tearing it from your grasp.
            “No!” You cried out as Rafe threw against your dresser, a picture of you & Lou toppling over in the impact.
            You threw yourself back, crab-crawling backwards as Rafe marched towards you, now your bat in one hand, his knife in the other.
            “Rafe, don’t!” You screeched once you felt the wall against your back. But he only continued moving towards you. As he did, he tucked his knife away & raised the bat.
            Fear choked you as you watched your own weapon of defense prepared to be used on you. You raised your arms, readying yourself to protect your face & head from the blow. Your eyes were squeezed shut, waiting for the whisper of air as the bat swung before reaching you…but it never came.
            Breathing fearfully, you fluttered your eyes open.
            The room was empty. Rafe was nowhere in sight.
            “Lou.” Your voice shook with the realization.
            You threw yourself forward onto your feet, getting ready to race after Rafe, but just before you reached the doorway, Rafe appeared again filling the space with his large frame. But he wasn’t alone.
            To your horror, he had another before him, on their knees.
            Duct tape was wrapped securely around Nick’s face, his mouth & most of his nose covered to suppress his grunts. His forehead was swollen & bleeding, evident of him having been attacked by a deadly force. Nick was unable to fight back, as his hands too were securely taped before him.
            A shocked gasp left you as you backed up, taking in the nightmarish sight.
            Rafe entered the room, pushing Nick forward until he fell face-down onto your floor. Nick groaned on impact before struggling to roll himself over onto his back. It was then that you noticed his legs were taped at the ankle.
            Fresh tears breached your eyes as you peered at one of your only friends in the neighborhood. You made to move closer, to shield Nick from Rafe but as you did, you felt the cool touch of your bat catch the underside of your chin. Your eyes trailed the length of it until it led you to Rafe’s hand & arm, thus his face.
            He shook his head once.
            Shaking, you backed away as Rafe stepped closer.
            Nick, the whole time, trying to speak but his words were unable to be made out behind the tape. His flashing between you & your ex with a mixture of fear & anger.
            “Don’t hurt him.” You begged, “He has nothing to do with this. Please, just let him go, I’ll do whatever you ask.”
            Rafe sighed at that, his head cocking at your plea.
            “Please, Rafe.” You whimpered, snot running from your nose, “I’ll do anything.”
            His silence only added to your terror. He wanted you to suffer.
            “You’ll watch.” Was all he said. And before you could absorb what he had said, Rafe moved to stand over Nick & raised the bat.
            “No!” But your scream died in your throat as Rafe brought the bat down on Nick’s skull.
            Cries & choked sobs erupted from you as you watched on in horror as Rafe repeatedly bashed Nick’s face & skull in. You were forced to look away when blood spurted across your face & chest as Nick quickly became unrecognizable.
            You covered your mouth as hot tears fell from your eyes & over your hands. Your room was filled with the gruesome sounds of the bat repeatedly making impact with what was once Nick. Squelching of brain matter & the crushing of bones filled your years & you felt bile rise in your throat. A pool of blood threatened to cake the soles of your feet as it grew bigger, forcing you to pull your knees to your chest.
            The ghastly sounds stopped after another minute & by then you were numb to everything that was happening. Your body still shook, your mouth hung open in a silent scream, but you were no longer crying. Just staring dizzily at your headboard.
            A metallic thud sounded & your eyes betrayed you as you sought the sound out. Your bat rolled towards you, all of it covered in a deep, thick red color, chunks of brain, flesh, & bone texturizing it.
            A gag forced it’s way from your mouth & you crawled away from the monstrous sight, unable to look at what Rafe had done. But as you did, you felt Rafe eyeing you from the opposite side of your room. Before you could react, Rafe climbed on top of your, ensnaring you by the back of your head as he dragged you back over the bed. You thought he would’ve stopped there, but your horrors were only reignited when you dropped to the floor & were dragged into the hallway. Towards Louie’s room.
            “No!” You yelped but Rafe quickly swung you around to his front, covering your mouth. You smelled the scent of blood on his glove as he kept you quiet, knowing good & well that Nick’s blood was now caking your face.
            You fought against Rafe as he yanked you closer to your sons room, terrified that he would do to him what he had just done to Nick. At this point, you didn’t care if Louie woke up, if he woke to the sight & sound of you crying & screaming & fighting against the man from your dreams, thus shattering his childhood. You just needed him to run. Run as far as he could as you once did.
            Once in the room, Rafe forced you to face your sleeping son, none the wiser to the danger approaching. You whimpered & thrashed against Rafe, trying every which way to elbow him or knock your head back into his but his strength greatly outmatched yours. It always had.
            Rafe paused in the center of the room, crushing your back against your front as he secured you around the waist. He removed his hand from your mouth, but before you could scream a blood-curdling cry to alert your son, Rafe had swiftly produced the knife he carried & pressed the briny edge of it to your throat.
            The plastic of the mask moved against your ear, “Don’t scream. Or he’ll scream.”
            The threat was apparent. Your horrors were coming true. Everything you had fought for for so long were crumbling around you.
            “Don’t.” You gasped, desperately reaching to cling to Rafe’s arm.
            Your plea only forced the Rafe to press the knife harsher against your throat. Even you could feel your heartbeat pulsing against it. One swipe & Rafe would end your life before surely ending that of your sons. In a last ditch effort to save your sons life, you revealed the truth that Rafe needed to know.
            “He’s your son.” Sobs racked your body as the words parted your lips. “Our son.”
            Rafe stiffened behind you.
            “Are you going to tell him?” Your mother asked you as she helped you pack one of your go-bags for the great escape.
            “No.” You responded despondently, “If he knows I’m on the run with his unborn kid, he’ll stop at nothing, he’ll hurt anyone I love just to get to me.” You knew good & well that he would still do that, but he wouldn’t be in as such a rush otherwise.
            Your mother nodded in understanding. But her hands shook fearfully as she folded your clothes before handing them to you.
            “Are you going to go through with the pregnancy?” It was a question you asked yourself every day. “I love you, baby, I only want you safe. A kid will slow you down.”
            “I know.” You muttered in agreement, “I haven’t decided yet. I just need to get away first before I do anything.”
            “You’d deliver the baby alone.” She commented. Another thought that kept you awake at night. “We wouldn’t be there to hold your hand.”
            You nodded, tears threatening to fall. Though you were still on the fence about whether or not you’d fulfill the pregnancy, you were leaning towards terminating it. Being on the run was no life for a child. And, your mother was right, the kid would only slow you down if Rafe ever caught up to you.
            Your mother’s quiet sobs drew your attention. She had a hand over her mouth in an attempt to hide her cries.
            “I’m so sorry, baby.” She peered at you through her tears, “We never wanted this life for you.”
            You hugged your mother, & she you. Tightly, lovingly. You burrowed your face into her neck, savoring the form of affection. You didn’t know how long it would be until you ever felt it again, if ever.
            “There’s always adoption.”
            Rafe had tucked the knife away, but kept you quiet by grasping the column of your throat, your air restricted. He continued holding you just like that as he slowly approached your son, his son. He stood just beside Louie’s bed, his knees pressed against the bedframe as he leaned over to peer at the child’s serene, sleeping face.
            You felt as Rafe shuddered before you, his arm outstretched with you on the other end as he kept you at distance from your son.
            “My son…” Rafe’s voice was filled with wonder.
            Tears continued to fall from your eyes, dripping onto Rafe’s wrist where the skin was exposed between the glove & sleeve of his jacket.
            “Our son.” He whispered, but as he did, the grip on your throat tightened. Black dots filled your vision. Rafe turned away from Lou then, facing you head on, his eyes blazing behind the mask.
            You kept him from me.
            His fury was palpable. You tried to breathe, to speak, but Rafe only continued to claw his fingers into your throat.
            Then he began to back you out of the room fast. Your were unable to catch your grounding as your feet tangled beneath you. Before you knew it, you were back in the hallway, your back pressed harshly against a wall as Rafe used the wall to lift you off the floor, your toes wiggling.
            You latched your hands onto his arm, using every bit of strength you had left to try & fight him off.
            Rafe glared at you hard through the slits of his mask, his eyes red, watering, filled with betrayal, contempt, & murderous intent.
            “We could have been a family.” Rafe breathed out harshly, his grip tightening more than you thought possible. Your vision swayed.
            “You took that from me.” Rafe spit from behind the mask.
            “Plea—” You choked, the lining of your vision beginning to darken. Your muscles were loosening. Death awaited you. But Lou needed you.
            Then Rafe brought his other hand to your throat & squeezed. You thrashed weakly until you felt your consciousness begin to slip. Rafe’s hands around your neck were the last thing you felt before you stopped fighting, your body going limp.
            “He’s my family now.”
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            A cry tore from your throat as doctors & nurses alike rushed around you. A stinging, hot pain shot up your spine as you felt your insides contort & cramp within you. Your legs were splayed open, blood staining the white sheets that kept you from seeing what happening down below.
            “She’s losing blood!” A voice yelled.
            “Get the baby out!” Another responded.
            “We’re gonna lose both!”
            Tears erupted from your eyes, blurring your vision as you clung to the sheets of the hospital bed, your throat raw from screaming.
            Another pinch & you screamed again, sweat coating your face.
            And then cries filled the room, Lively cries of a baby having been born. You collapsed against the mattress, your body weak.
            “Baby’s out, we got him, he’s okay!”
            You felt your vision go in & out, but you reached your hand out blindly in search of your child.
            “It’s a boy.” A soft voice neared you. Cries continued to fill the room, but they grew closer to you.
            “It’s your boy.” A nurse appeared in your vision as it swayed.
            In her arms, she held something small as it wriggled about in her arms. A single hand stuck out in search of something.
            Then your fingers touched, & the small yet mighty grip of the child clung to your index finger.
            A weak smile crossed your lips, “Louie.”
            But your hand fell as you felt your heart rate slow.
            “We’re losing her!”
            “Louie.” You whispered, his name like a dream on your tongue.
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            A gasp choked you awake & you shot forward. Tears coated your cheeks & you were breathing heavily. You winced at the burning, raw sensation within your throat.
            The room, your room, was filled with morning sunlight. Your eyes flashed fearfully around the room. You were still in your home.
            Lou!
            Launching yourself forward, you halted to peer at the floor near the foot of your bed. It was empty. No body, no blood, no bat.
            You frowned. It wasn’t a dream, though. You touched your fingers to your neck, the skin tender as you did.
            He had been here, he had!
            Racing out of your room, you stumbled down the hallway to your son’s room, “Louie!” You screeched, despite the pain it caused you as you did, your throat burning in response.
            But your fears were instilled as you charged into your son’s room to find his bed empty.
            “Louie, baby!” You cried, retreating from his room & tumbling down the hallway, “Baby, where are you?!”
            At the mouth of the hallway, you halted, eyeing your son at the counter bar. His back was to you as he ate pieces of candy from his pumpkin basket.
            “Louie!” You released a relieved cry & approached him. But before you could reach him, another figure appeared in the corner of your eye.
            Rafe rested against a counter opposite your son, a mug of coffee in his hands. He was barren of any mask or clothes from the night prior. He grinned wryly at you, challenging you to attempt anything.
            You eyed him warily, furiously as you continued moving slowly towards your son.
            Lou looked back at you then, a chocolatey smile gracing his youthful features.
            “Morning, Mommy!” He greeted in his cheerful tune.
            Dropping your gaze from Rafe, you peered at your son. Closing the distance, you hugged him to your chest, crying into his hair as you kissed him repeatedly.
            “Don’t be mad. Daddy said I could have candy for breakfast.”
            You shook against your son as you raised your eyes to that of your ex’s.
            “That’s right.” Rafe smirked, crossing the kitchen to where the two of you were. You pressed Lou closer against you, your hands gripping him tightly, ready to shield him from Rafe.
            “And you can have it for lunch & dinner & dessert.” Rafe grinned down at your son, his son.
            “What the fuck do you want?” You sneered, uncaring if Lou heard the fear in your voice.
            Rafe eyed you then, “What we all should want.”
            He peered at your son then, “To be a family.”
            The thought unnerved you.
            “If you don’t get out of my house, I’ll—”
            “Careful.” Rafe cut you off firmly, before casting his eyes to an object on the counter only inches away from his fingers. The knife.
            “Sorry, buddy. Mommy had a bad night.”
            You felt as Louie stared up at you then, “Was it the bad man from your dreams again?”
            Rafe’s eyes stared coldly into your own.
            “Yes, baby.” You replied, your voice shaky.
            “But you’re okay now.” Louie attempting to soothe you as he fingered your hair, “Daddy is here to protect you.”
            His innocence, still intact as grateful as you were, only made you fearful of when Rafe would surely snuff it out.
            “That’s right, Louie.” Rafe peered between the two of you, “Daddy’s home, & we have a lot of catching up to do.”
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this is 7/10 requests from my 500 followers celebration request opening!
fuck. that's all i have to say.
big thank you to @namelesslosers for making this fucking AWESOME request, i hope you enjoy it as much as i did writing it, please be sure to share your thoughts w me.
as always! drop a comment, reblog w reviews, or talk to me in my ask box. this is one doozy of a dark fic that has me on edge just waiting for your feedback. so please provide some.
thank you for reading!
oona<3
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