#its so fucking irritating to have to just pack up everything and try to plan ur week in advance esp when u ALWAYS forget stuff

[muirneach]

at my mom's for the week so i cut fabric for three quilt blocks to sew while i'm here and so far 2/3 of these bundles are wrong and fucked. all wrong amounts of each fabric 😵��💫😵‍💫 i dont even wanna look at the last one out of fear it's fucked too. and i can't go back to my dad's where all my fabric is for a whole week!! not good for the quilting frenzy mindset i've been on since last week

[thegreatcaptainusopp]

The Separation

Ao3 link

The Seer, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Chapter 5: Sanji

“Fucking shit!”

Sanji staggers to his feet, trying to control his trembling legs. “Shit. Fuck. Fucking shit!”

The adrenaline is still coursing through his system, feeling like fire in his veins. He’d flown for…well, he’s not sure how long, but it had hit him hard again when he’d landed, like he’d been frozen in place and restarted once he met the ground again.

He turns in place, trying to take in his surroundings. He’s in some kind of forest: the trees and plants are all grouped together in close quarters, poking at his back, his knees, his face. He keeps flinching as he moves, the plants brushing against his skin feeling like hidden fingertips, ready to attack him as his back turns.

He stops, squinting out among the trees and trying to find a way out. The sun is out, but the plants are packed so close together in this forest that he’s covered by darkness. Everything seems to converge on him, looming up and out, covering him in shadow, staring down at him with eyes that resemble…

Sanji threads his fingers through his hair, closes his eyes, and shakes his head viciously. “What are you doing?” He hisses to himself, “You’ve been separated from everyone and you don’t know if they’re okay, and you lose it over a forest? Pull yourself together!”

He tugs on his hair, trying to make the pain and the pressure ground him a little, shake feeling back into his bones. Okay. First thing’s first. He needs to get out of here. But how?

He opens his eyes, slowly letting his arms fall back down to his sides. Forests are dangerous: you could be wandering in one for years, right up next to the edge and never know it. If he’s going to pick a direction and move, he needs to be sure he’ll hit the shore. Once he’s there…maybe he’ll hunker down somewhere, then figure out his next move.

Sanji glances around again. Now that he has…some sort of a vague plan, it feels lighter, somehow. The trees don’t loom as large, and he can breathe a little again.

Well. He’s alive, at least, and not badly harmed. He can work with that.

He looks up at the trees, and their vastness, and thinks a little. Maybe if he can get to the top somehow, and look around…maybe he can find out which direction the shore is and head that way.

Plan decided, Sanji makes his way to the closest tree, the lays a hand on the bark, testing its texture. It’s not slippery, not shiny, and seems like it wouldn’t be too difficult to climb.

A memory flashes in his mind. Robin-Chan, laying her hands on the bark of a tree in Skypeia, giving him the vaguest hint of a grin. I can see where we are from the top, She had said, crossing her arms. Just give me a moment.

The memory fills him with warmth. She had still been so new to them then. So quiet and reserved and baffled by them all, slowly coming out of her shell to bless them with true, genuine smiles, and even laughter…

The image of her hands on the tree bark and are abruptly replaced with a different set of hands, bigger ones, that grow and grow and grow, coming towards him at a more rapid pace, until—

“No!”

Sanji comes back into himself, and the pressure on his knees and palms tells him that he’s fallen to the ground. He grips at the dirt, then pushes himself back up, brushing at his shaky knees. I’m fine, he tells himself. So if I’m fine, they’re fine. They’re fine. They’re fine.

He takes a deep breath, then grabs onto a branch, pulling himself up into the tree. He climbs, carefully trying to find a grip with his dress shoes, wincing as his suit gets caught in the branches and rough bark. It’s going to get destroyed for sure…he’s going to have to try another way to put himself back together later.

Unfortunately, the top of the tree can’t handle his weight, so he slowly makes his way back down, muttering, irritated, to himself the whole way. He’s going to have to just pick a direction, at least until he finds a better tree.

Sanji orients himself in a direction and goes, keeping an eye on the trees as he walks past. The crew make their way back into his mind, as they tend to do, and he can feel the simmering worry start to boil over.

It’s possible they didn’t all get hit, right? Brook had, and Franky, and poor Chopper, and—

The image of Robin disappearing right before his eyes slams back into his memory, and it’s enough to almost make him lose his breath. She…he had a duty to protect her, and he had just…

He’d failed. He’d failed her, he’d failed the others, and he’d failed Luffy…

He purposefully draws in a deep breath. The rest of them have to be okay…they were probably on another island too, and they would all make their way back out. They’re smart, they’re capable, and they’re part of Luffy’s crew. He’ll see them again. He will.

The back of Sanji’s neck prickles. Somewhere in the distance, there’s a sharp scuttling sound, getting closer and closer and closer, until…

Sanji whirls around, leg up, a yell of “Hey!” Building in his throat. It dies before it gets out his mouth, and he freezes in place, eyes wide and a sweat instantly breaking across his forehead.

Because there, in front of him, is a giant cockroach. All legs and arms and clicking mandibles and huge.

Sanji breaths out a shaky “oh, hell no,” turns around, and books it. He’s not sticking around to deal with a cockroach, especially a giant one. No way in all the deepest hells of the sea is he dealing with this one.

He can hear the angry chittering behind him, and the falling trees and trampling plants behind him as he’s pursued. “No!” He pants out, continuing to run as fast as his legs can take him. “Go away go away go away go away—”

Another prickle at his neck, and he hears a subtle thwip in the distance. Months of time in Usopp’s company has prepared him well for the sound, and he can feel his body tense in panicked readiness.

With another call of “shit!”, Sanji throws himself to the ground, covering his head just as he feels something fly over him, breeze fluttering his hair. A shriek of…something emerges from behind him, then a thump, then another, before it all goes quiet.

Sanji leaps back to his feet and turns around, battle readiness pumping through his veins, preparing himself for the worst—

There, in front of him, is the corpse of the giant cockroach, half-stuffed into the dirt. It sends a chill up his spine and he instantly averts his gaze. He lands, instead, on another half-buried figure in all black, legs twitching.

Sanji takes a cautious half-step forward. “Hello?” He calls out, hesitant. “Oi, are you—?”

The earth seems to rumble for a second before the figure gives another large twist, and then pops back out of the dirt. Sanji stops in place, body going tense instantly.

The figure turns around, and it looks like a man, a man in full length black armor and a helmet obscuring his face. He stands still for a moment before lifting his arms then maneuvering himself into a self-assured pose.

“Hello!” The man cries, twirling the weapon in his hand. “Are you going to eat that?”

-

Sanji feels his brow twitch. The man’s energy seems…familiar. “No!” He exclaims, a shiver running up his spine. “You take that!”

The man shrugs. “Suit yourself!” He says, tugging at the cockroach’s large legs.

Sanji quickly looks away. “Oi,” He says, to the general direction of his left. “Who are you, anyway? And where are we?”

The man instantly shoots over to his line of sight. “My name,” he begins, striking another overcomplicated pose “Is Heracles! And you, my good sir, are currently in the forest of Greenstone, on the Boin Archipelago.”

Sanji sighs. “Haven’t been having the greatest luck with Archipelagos,” He mutters, suddenly feeling the great need for a cigarette. “I’m Sanji, by the way. Nice to make your acquaintance, I suppose.”

“Oh yes!” Heracles says, giving a flourishing bow. “How wonderful, how wonderful! If I may ask, how did you get here? And, in all honesty, why would you want to be here to begin with?”

Sanji digs around in his pants pocket, searching for his cigarettes. “It’s kind of a long story,” He says, not really wanting to get into it. “But in summary, I was not sent here by choice, and I need to get out as soon as possible. Oi, Heracles. Know a way out of this place?”

Heracles strikes another pose, somehow even more overstuffed than the first. “It will be treacherous!” He cries, putting a hand to his forehead. “This whole island is inhabited with creatures that will try to eat you…even the plants! Watch out, Sanji-n, or they will defeat you, and you will become food on this island.”

Sanji’s hand hits a mysterious piece of paper in his pocket. “Sure,” He says, distracted, as he fishes it out. “Don’t get eaten. I’m a cook, I think I can handle that. I’ll eat them, instead, nicely seasoned and plated.”

“A cook?” Heracles says, voice rising. “Oh my! Well, you must be extra cautious, as I’m sure the lure of food will appeal to you. You must make sure you stay away from the plants, or my name isn’t,” And here, he goes through the rigmarole of a performance again, ending with a flourish of “Heracles!”

Sanji’s eye twitches again as he folds open the paper. “So you’ve said,” He sighs icily, and peers closer at it. “And—”

He cuts himself off as he recognizes the paper, feeling his eyes widen underneath his bangs. “What the hell,” He mutters, shaking his head. “How do I have a Vivre card?”

Maybe…?

Well. He needs to find a way out of here before he figures out whatever the hell is going on here. “Okay,” He says, leveling a sharp look at Heracles. “I need to get to the shore, all right?”

“Well,” Heracles says. “About that. The island gets more treacherous the further out you go, so you should wait a moment. And I swear to you, upon my name of—”

“I get it!”

-

“Sanji-n, please reconsider—”

“No.” Sanji says shortly. The cigarette between his fingers has done wonders for his shot nerves. “I told you, I don’t give a single shit about whatever monsters are around here. I’m a bigger monster than any of them. They’ll run away from me, and then I’ll get to the shore and get out.”

“But, if you will wait a moment—”

Heracle’s words at abruptly cut off by the sound of a warbled screech, and a huge plant suddenly leaps at Sanji, petals opening wide to reveal a mouth with jagged, sharp teeth.

Sanji stubs out his cigarette, drawing back a foot and leaping forward, destroying the plant with one kick. “Goddamit,” He laments staring at his half-smoked cigarette. “I could’ve kept this on.”

“Incredible!” Heracles says, sauntering towards him. “You have the heart of a warrior indeed! However, Sanji-n, we’re approaching the Forest of Gluttony, so you may want to remain cautious.”

This makes Sanji stop in place. “The forest of what?”

“Gluttony,” Heracles confirms, then points to the distance. “Look”

Sanji looks. There, beyond the rows and rows and rows of trees is something different. Something colorful.

He breaks into a run, heart beating in double speed as he approaches closer, then stumbles out into a cook’s paradise. There are trees and crops as far as the eye can see, of every color and variety.

“See?” Heracles-n says, crossing his arms like a proud father. “Gluttony. Everything you could ever want to eat, all in one place.”

“How?” Sanji breathes out, staring at the miles and miles of food around him. “This doesn’t make sense. The crop distribution alone…”

He trails off, staring into the distance. Now that he’s closer, the river looks…not right. The color is off, and the smell…it smells like home-cooked meals and comfort.

Heracles nudges him, and he jerks away. “Go look,” He says simply. “You will not believe your eyes.”

Sanji glares at him, but moves closer anyway. The smell grows stronger, and Sanji is strongly reminded of Zeff, and of the times he’d given him lessons on comfort food.

You feed the body, He’d said, putting broth into a pot. But you also feed the soul. Food for comfort is the best thing you could offer a soul.

Sanji kneels down near the river, stares at the noodles and broth and vegetables, then collapses back into a sitting position in shock. “That’s ramen,” He says, stammering, then again. “That’s ramen.”

“Yes,” And that’s Heracles next to him, out of nowhere. “Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Fascinating? Hah. Fascinating…

Sanji leaps back up instantly. “Quickly!” He says, glancing around desperately. “Bowls! We need…anything that can hold this! Before it goes bad!”

“It won’t.”

Sanji clenches his fists. “What?”

“It won’t,” Heracles responds, shrugging. “I don’t know how it works, but it doesn’t go bad. It never smells off. All the food here is perfect, in pristine condition. Well. That’s the Grand Line for you!”

Sanji shakes his head, numb. “How? Why?”

“How, I don’t know,” Heracles says. “Why? Well. The island need to fatten up its prey before it eats them. This is how it does so.”

Sanji crushes the half-finished cigarette still in his hand. “Food?” He asks, voice hoarse. “It uses food? To kill people?”

“Well,” Heracles says. “Indirectly, I suppose. But yes. So be cautious, will you?”

Sanji stands there for a few moments, takes a few shallow breath, then turns on his heel and storms in the opposite direction.

“Sanji-n, wait!” He hears behind him, but he ignores it. Instead, he moves forward with even more renewed energy and motivation, body so tense that he’s starting to get a headache.

I have to get out of here, he thinks, then says aloud “I have to get off this fucking island!”

-

“What kind of fucking island is this?”

“Language!” Heracles protests, shaking his head. “Foul words won’t solve anything.”

“Who asked you?” Sanji growls, squinting in the distance.

“Who am I? Well, I’m—”

“That’s not what I asked!” Sanji snaps. “Anyway. Are you going to help me or not?”

Heracles is behind him, so Sanji can’t see what he’s doing. The tone of his voice sounds hesitant, though. “Sanji-n, I would of course he honored to help you, however—”

“If you’re not going to help,” Sanji snaps. “Then leave me alone. I need to get out of here, I have people who need me!”

He thinks about all that food, just lying there in the distance, luring people in until they’re ready to be eaten themselves. His jaw clenches.

“You’re going to the shore?”

Sanji glances back. “Yeah,” He says gruffly. “Like I said. I’m going to leave. So I need to sail out. Is it this way, or not?”

“Yes,” Heracles says, still hesitant. “We should arrive any moment, actually. But—”

Sanji just goes faster, practically running at this point. He can get there, try to figure out to do with a vessel, and then just…

Just what? Just go, without navigation?

He clutches the Vivre card in his pocket. Well. He does have some sort of navigation, right? He can go until he gets to the destination, or until he finds something familiar. Either way, it’s the best plan he’s got.

“Sanji-n, wait—”

The forest runs out with a suddenness that trips him up. One moment, he’s fighting through the trees, and the next, he’s stumbled over a tree root and fallen onto sand and open beach, and it’s so unexpected and welcome that he feels a smile grow across his face. “Yes!” He cheers, forgetting his hanger-on that follows him onto the beach. “Made it!”

He hurries right up to the surf, squinting into the distance. If he can chart some sort of path that’ll lead back here, then maybe he can try to see if Heracles has a vessel he can use, then—

A hand grabs the back of his jacket. “Sanji-n!”

Sanji can only squeak out an indignant “Hey!” before he’s dragged backwards with a speed that shocks him. There’s a prickling at the back of his neck, and then everything begins to shake, sudden and strong, and Sanji is instantly thrown to his knees.

“Get up!” He dragged back to his feet and tugged back and back and back until he’s surrounded by green again, by trees and forest and flora.

Heracles flings him towards a tree. “Hang on!” He cries, and Sanji does, clutching as hard as he can as the ground ripples and shakes, and muted roar sounding in the distance.

He doesn’t know how long he hangs on, but eventually the shaking lessens in intensity, before gradually wearing down and stopping completely.

Sanji takes a breath to find his solidity before shooting back up on his feet. “What the fuck was that?” He yells, marching towards Heracles, who had been clutching a tree of his own. “What the fuck?”

Heracles doesn’t mention his language this time. “It’s the island,” He replies, pulling himself back up and dusting himself off. “I’m sure you may have noticed…it’s alive, you know. You think it’ll let us go again that easily?”

Sanji’s teeth clench. “I don’t care!” He snaps. “I’m not letting this shitty little island make me stay. Like I said, I have people who rely on me, two of which are the most gorgeous women you’ve ever seen!”

“Oh?” Heracles says with interest. “Really?”

“Yes!” Sanji exclaims, heart filling at the thought of Nami-San and Robin-Chan. “They’re beautiful, and kind, and wonderful and need to be looked after! The others too, I guess. But, you see, I’m the cook. They all need me!”

“Sanji-n,” Heracles says, tone serious. “I understand. I’m trying to leave as well, but you must listen. This island is going to try to get you to stay. This island is going to try to tempt you into growing so that it can eat you with satisfaction. This island is actively working against us, trying to keep us here. It will take time.”

Sanji shakes his head. “I don’t have time!” He snaps. “I—”

“You don’t have a choice,” Heracles says, gentle, but firm. “Look. I have been working on a way out. I have a vessel that I’m working on. I have a route out that I’m planning. But, so that I don’t die in the process, I need time to build the plan. Help me, and we will leave together. That’s a promise from me, Heracles!”

Sanji barely notices the pose this time. It’s like there’s a line of panic running through his brain, and it’s chanting leave leave leave leave and it’s difficult to keep it quiet.

But on the other hand…

Sanji knows, logically, that Hercales is right. If he’s learned anything during his time on the crew, it’s that sometimes, lying in wait is the best thing he can do. How many times has he separated from the crew, then reappeared at the best time to help them? It’s a concept he’s very familiar with. It’s just…this time, he doesn’t know where they are, what they’re doing, if they’re okay…

He can’t spiral. The sooner he cooperates with Heracles, the sooner he can leave. This is his only shot.

“So?” Heracles asks, arms folded, cocking us head to the side in a move that evokes Chopper, somehow. “What are you going to do?”

-

What do I do?

The question plagues him. It plagues him as he follows Heracles through the forest, gathering supplies and building shelter. It plagues him as he attempts to put meals together from the things they hunt and plants they pick, even though Heracles gushes over the food. It plagues him as he fights day and night, defeating giant carnivorous plants and insects that he can feel crawling all over his skin, even after he kills them. It plagues him as he tries to stay clean and put together, desperately but delicately washing his suit daily even though he knows it can’t be saved. It plagues him whenever he catches the telltale smells of the forest of gluttony, making sure to turn away as soon as he can. It plagues him as they slowly work on the ship that Heracles had marooned on, trying to get it back to working order without altering the island to their plans.

It plagues him for a few weeks, following him around like a shadow, sneaking its way into his dreams.

He hasn’t known Heracles for very long, but the man seems to have keen enough senses, and knows instinctively that something is wrong with him. So, he gently tells him it’s time to leave the suit behind (we’ll get you some new clothes, Sanji-n) and follows his lead to avoid the forest of gluttony (ah, it was that way, Sanji-n), and tries to console him as they slowly work on their escape plan (soon, Sanji-n. The ship will be ready soon. You’ll see.)

At some point, though, enough is enough. And enough happens during a very normal day, consisting of Sanji looking up at the trees again.

This has been happening more frequently as of late, but Sanji can’t help it. As they trudge through the forest, his mind keeps going back to the image of Robin-Chan, hand on the bark, saying I can see where we are from the top.

He tugs on his new, hastily cobbled shirt, trying to get used to the itching. Maybe if he could do that, could navigate this goddamn shitty forest by himself, maybe he could actually make this thing go faster…

“Sanji-n? Are you thinking of the trees again?”

Sanji is snapped back to reality by Heracles’ concerned voice. “Yeah,” He shrugs. “When am I not? Can’t escape them here, after all.”

Heracles looks back at him, and then back up at the trees. His pace doesn’t slow as he leads them through with sure steps. “And you want to get to the top, you say?”

“Yeah,” Sanji says. “That way…I’ll have a good lay of the land. I’ll always know where the sea is.”

“Then why don’t you go?” Heracles says, still looking up at the trees as he walks. “Go up. What do you have to lose?”

“What?” Sanji asks, bewildered, looking back down at the ground. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Heracles says, voice steady and sure. “That you’re stuck here for the foreseeable future, correct? So, you might as well make the best of it. Learn how to make it to the top. Learn the fastest way to defeat the new enemies here. It’ll serve you well when you return.”

Sanji pauses mid stride. His gaze lifts from his new, wooden shoes, up to the tree closest to him.

I can see where we are from the top.

A grin spreads over his face: some joy, mostly determination. “You know what?” He says, crouching low. “You may have a point there, Heracles. And you know what I think?”

Heracles has paused too, a little ahead of him now. “What?”

“I’m not the strongest climber,” He says, tensing his legs. “I save my upper body strength for my food. But…if I can jump high enough…”

“Yes!” Heracles cheers, catching on to his plan. “Yes, indeed! Learn to fly, Sanji-n! Learn to fly!”

-

A few days after Sanji’s newfound determination, something happens.

He’s made good progress during the last few days: going up is not all that different than going through, with the exception of the extra enemy that is gravity. But he’s working on it: gaining height every day, getting closer to the top, using everything around him for momentum.

Heracles had also introduced him to a species of plant on the island, one that he called Pop Greens. “They’re useful as ammo,” He’d said, then visibly drooped. “You don’t use ammo though, do you?”

“No,” Sanji had said, staring at them thoughtfully. “I know some people who do, though. I’ll get back to you on those. For now: I have others things to work on.”

It’s at that moment, as he’s readying himself for another try, that something hits the top of his head. It’s not heavy, and doesn’t hurt much, but it’s enough for him to stop in his tracks, out a hand to his head, and stare indignantly at the sky. “Oi!”

“What?” Heracles pops up, covered in some sort of gunk from the aftermath of a bug battle. “What is it?”

“Something fell,” Sanji mutters, scanning the forest floor. “Fell on my goddamned…”

He trails off, seeing a small heap of white paper somewhere next to him. “What is this?”

Heracles approaches it cautiously, picking it up from the forest floor. “Oh!” He says. “Its a newspaper. Well, I haven’t read one of these in ages!”

Sanji had, in the month and a half or so he’d been here, filled Heracles in on some things here and there, but not more than that. Heracles is nice enough, but he doesn’t quite know if he can trust him with everything yet. Including certain world events, and his own identity and crew.

Heracles flips open the newspaper. “Hm,” He says. “It’s a bit of an older one…must’ve fallen out of a trash heap somewhere. I see there’s been a confrontation between the pirates and Marines…oh. Whitebeard has passed. A damn shame…”

Sanji sidles closer, curious despite himself. “What are they saying?” He asks, peering over Heracles’ shoulder.

Heracles steps to the side, allowing him access. “Look,” He says. “It was at Marineford.” He flips over a few more pages. “Several crews were involved, it seems, including…”

He flips another page, and Sanji’s heart drops. “Wait!” He says, and pulls the paper closer. Because there, on the page, is—

Sanji takes a shuddering breath. He can feel a relieved smile break across his face. “You’re all right,” He breathes out, automatically reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette. “And…okay. Fine.”

He returns the newspaper to a befuddled Heracles. “It’s okay,” He tells him, lifting a slightly shaking cigarette to his lips. “We’ll go on your schedule. I have about a year and a half or so in time now, so I can wait a little longer.”

“A year and a half?” Heracles asks, still baffled. “Why?”

Sanji blows the cigarette smoke out through his mouth, letting the nicotine calm him. “Heracles,” He says, “I’m going to tell you the story about a pirate in a straw hat…”

-

It doesn’t take long after that, only a few weeks, for the worst to happen.

“No,” Sanji says frantically, knees pressed up to his chest, one hand in his hair, the other clenched over the object in his palm. “No no no no no…”

“Sanji-n!” And there’s Heracles, shaking his shoulders, clearly terrified. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Unwell?”

Sanji lifts his head up, feeling the wetness in the corner of his eyes. The late afternoon sun’s rays dip, visible even beneath all the trees. “It’s happened,” He says, voice breaking.

“What?” Heracles says, looking seriously concerned now. “What’s happened?”

Sanji’s hand clenches, and he lifts it up, showing Heracles the empty box in his palm. “My cigarettes,” He says, voice shaking. “I’m out. I’m completely out.”

“Oh,” Heracles says, a slightly puzzled tone to his voice. “Ah, well. You’ve been smoking less these days, anyway.”

“Yeah,” Sanji wails, putting his head down on his knees again. “Because I had to! Because I was running out! Hey,” And he looks back up, a sudden thought occurring to him. “You think that we could find any nicotine growing around here?”

“I do not,” Heracles says, an amused note entering his voice. “Ah, well. Not to worry, Sanji-n. I, Heracles, will assist you through any withdrawals you may have. And who knows, you may find that your sense of taste may be altered by this change, which will help you with your cooking skills.”

Sanji humphs. “I suppose so,” He aquiesces, leaning back against the tree. “I’ll get more when we return, I guess.”

“I can check again,” Heracles offers, sitting on the ground in front of him. “The forest of gluttony sometimes has—”

“Pass,” Sanji says stiffly, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll just wait until we’re out of here.”

He sees Heracles shrug from the corner of his eye. “Whatever you say, Sanji-n,” He says. “It’s your choice, completely.”

Sanji nods, settling back out against the tree. Silence falls between them, but Sanji can practically feel Heracles preparing to say something.

He’s proven correct soon after. “So, I’ve noticed something,” Heracles says, leaning forward from his sitting position. “Now, you don’t need to explain anything to me at all, Sanji-n. Not if you don’t want to. But…I’ve noticed that the forest of gluttony makes you uncomfortable. And, as you are a cook, this surprised me. I would’ve thought you’d be interested in the food there.”

Sanji really wants a cigarette right about now. “It’s none of your business!” He snaps. “So I don’t want to go there? So what?”

Heracles puts up a hand in surrender. “It’s fine,” He says. “You don’t want to go. No problem with that. I just noticed, that’s all.”

“Oh, you noticed?” Sanji says, voice rising abruptly, without his permission. “You noticed that it’s all sorts of fucked up that this fucking island is using food to kill people? That it’s taking advantage of hunger? That it just…creates food out of nowhere and so many people don’t have that but it still uses that to hurt and kill? That it—”

He catches himself mid-yell, almost swallowing the words back just as they emerge. Heracles just sits and watches without saying a word. Sanji wishes he could see his face, get an idea of what he’s thinking, what expression he’s wearing.

The guilt hits him quick. “Sorry,” He says, dropping his voice down to a normal volume, hushed even. “I didn’t mean to do that. Sorry.”

He really needs a cigarette.

“Not to worry, Sanji-n,” Heracles says, and the gentleness to his tone makes Sanji feel even worse. “We all have our things to work on, hm? You can tell good old Heracles about them any time. Or not. Whatever you want.”

Sanji hadn’t known how badly this was affecting him, even now. “Yeah,” He says. Then, even more quietly. “Thanks.”

He’s going to have to face it at some point. He’s got over a year left here, he’s going to have to go back there eventually. And face it. Eventually.

Sanji looks back up at the sky. But not today.

“Hey, Heracles,” He says, maneuvering himself back to his feet. “I’m gonna work on getting up there, okay? I’ve been doing pretty well with that.”

“I noticed!” Heracles says, standing up with him then shooting him an enthusiastic thumbs up. “I saw you run up into the sky! You’ll get this in no time at all.”

Sanji nods at him before turning, revving up, and running, putting on a burst of speed and power that propels him into the sky. He goes, up and up and up and up, until he finds a sturdy branch.

He sits, watching as the sun sets into the tops of the trees in the forest around him. He’s almost there, almost reached the very top of the forest, but that hadn’t been his goal today. He just…he needs to think. To remember.

He takes a deep breath, faces of his crew flipping though his mind. That, more than anything, works wondering on steadying his racing and anxious heart. You better be safe, he thinks, for what feels like the millionth time. You better be safe.

They’re all strong, they’re all capable, they’re all—

The image of Usopp, eyes bandaged, throwing rocks and stumbling around, unsure, slams into his mind. I’m trusting you, He thinks. And in all your capabilities to be okay. If not, I’ll kill you myself.

He has to admit, he does miss them. All of them. Even the Marimo—

Sanji scrunches up his face in disgust. Ugh. Never mind.

He leans back against the branch, chuckling softly at the slowly darkening sky.

“Won’t be long now,” He tells the forest. “I’ll see you all soon.”

-

Everything changes on the day that she appears.

He’s about a year and a few months in now, he thinks. And in that time, he’s been laser focused on getting better. Better at everything. Better at fighting, at facing the bugs and plants head on. Better at running, and flying. He’d made it to the tops of the trees ages ago, and now he’s thinking bigger, beyond the trees and into the sky.

Better at managing the forest of gluttony, at walking in without feeling the overpowering urge to run, at using what he can find in there to make the dishes he can string up here more interesting. He’s been forced back to the most basic of ingredients and techniques, which has proved a welcome challenge to keeps things fresh, new, and different.

Sanji is…well, he’s not all right, per se. He’s managing, he’s fine. He’s counting down the days until he leaves, until he can put what he’s learned here into practice but also while feeling like himself again.

There’s been one thing, besides the obvious stuff, that’s been bothering him, though. And that is…

“It’s been over a year!” Sanji laments, flopping dramatically to the ground. “A whole full year!”

“So you’ve said,” Heracles says, distractedly gathering his pop greens. He’s used to this countdown by now.

Sanji stares up at the visible sun from beyond the trees. “A full year plus,” He groans. “With no women!”

“With no anyone,” Heracles chimes in, tone completely unbothered. “It’s just you and I on this island, partner.”

Sanji snaps back up into a seating position. “I know!” He yells. “And that’s whatever. But not a single woman for over a year! I’m dying here! I’m so empty! Meaningless!”

“Sure,” Heracles says mindlessly, examining a pop green critically. “Less than a year to go, Sanji-n. Do not worry.”

“Oh,” Sanji cries, falling on his back again. “If only my will was strong enough. Maybe, just maybe, I could summon a woman here to—”

“Watch out!”

Sanji doesn’t even register the words, too used to hearing just his and Heracles’ voices than anything else doesn’t even seem to reach him. By the time he realizes something has been said, a large weight has hit his face and he instantly gasps in pain, sitting up as it leaves his face. “What the hell?” He said, siting back up, clutching his smarting nose and readying for battle. “What was—”

“I said watch out!” The tone is upset, weary. “You didn’t listen!”

The voice knocks around Sanji’s skull, starting with not-Heracles and moving to not-man leading to…

Sanji’s head snaps around, all pain instantly forgotten. “A woman!” He cries, searching for her. “My prayers have been answered! Thank you, gods above, for listening to—”

He trails off as his gaze finally lands on the new individual, the first person he’s talked to outside of Heracles in over a year. His mouth snaps shut instantly.

Because standing in front of him is not a woman, but a girl. A little girl, no more than ten, with bright pink hair, small drawn lips, and a truly impressive scowl. She looks bedraggled and waterlogged, but that doesn’t seem to faze her one bit. “Hey!” She snaps at him. “What gives?”

Sanji tips his head back to the sky. “That’s cruel!” He wails. “You know I meant!”

“No matter,” Heracles says, cautiously approaching the girl. “Young one, how are you here? When did you arrive?”

Sanji looks back to the girl. Horror instantly fills him as he sees tears form in her eyes. “I’m a pirate captain,” She burbles out, angrily swiping at her eyes. “And…and I got caught by another pirate. A bad one. Blackbeard.”

Sanji stills. “Blackbeard?” He asks softly, images from his time in Marineford filling his memories.

“Yes,” The girl says, locking him in a defiant, teary glare. “But…they were gonna take me and my crew to the Marines. And…their ship flipped over and I was drowning and couldn’t control where I was going and then—”

“And then you ended up here,” Heracles continues, hand over his heart. “Oh, you poor child. Not to worry, you’re safe here. Sanji-n and I will protect you.”

The girl sniffs, wiping at her eyes again. “I don’t know you,” she says angrily. “How can I trust you? Stay away from me!”

Sanji stands up slowly, trying to look as nonthreatening as possible. “Hey,” He says, trying to stay calm. “I understand. We’re strangers, and you do whatever you need to do to be safe.” He moves a little closer, waiting until he’s a couple paces away to crouch down so that she’s at eye level. He makes sure to stand out of reaching distance. “But it’s dangerous here, so let’s stick together, okay? We’re the only residents of the island, and it’s carnivorous.”

“Wait?” The girl says, eyes widening. “The island? It wants to eat us?”

Sanji gives her a small smile. “Yeah,” He says. “We’re tying to get out of here too, but it’s going to take time. When we leave, do you want to come with us?”

The girl stays silent, eyeing him wearily. “Okay,” She finally says. “For now. But, if you cross me—”

Sanji nods. “Understood,” He says, mind whirling. He needs to make sure she doesn’t stay scared of them. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“…Jewelry Bonney,” The girl says after a slight pause. “And you?”

“I’m Sanji,” Sanji says, pointing towards himself. He gestures in Heracles’ direction. “And that’s—”

“My name! Oh, you wish to know my name, Bonney-n? It’s—”

“That’s Heracles,” Sanji interrupts, to Hercales’ disappointed wail. “We both got marooned here too. He’s been here longer than me, though.”

“How long?” Bonney sniffs, curiosity helping keep her tears at bay.

“Oh,” Heracles says, always recovered from the disappointment of not saying his name. “Ages, Bonney-n. Ages! But, if I may ask, how did someone as young as you become a pirate captain? It’s quite an impressive feat.”

Bonney’s young face grows serious. “Cause of my dad,” She says. “I want to be a great pirate so that we can meet again. And,” She looks around conspiratorially. “I have a devil fruit ability.”

Sanji nods enthusiastically. “That’s interesting, Bonney-Chan!” He says. “What do you have?”

Even though it’s unusual to be a pirate captain at such a young age, Sanji has seen stranger things during his time on the Grand Line. He’s not sure if he believes her 100% yet, but he thinks he does, mostly.

Plus, she’s a little girl that needs help. Sanji will never, ever ignore that call.

“This!” Bonney says, scrunching up her face. There, right before their eyes, she begins to transform: shooting up taller, face thinning out, hair growing longer, until…

A young woman stands before them, early twenties at most, waving happily. “See?” She says, and even her voice has matured, although there’s a lilt of childishness to the quality. “I can do it to me, and other people too. I can make anyone younger or older!”

“Incredible!” Heracles exclaims. “Phenomenal! What an fabulous ability!”

“Really?” Bonney says, scratching her head disbelievingly. “I mean, it’s cool and all, but maybe not that cool.”

Sanji smiles at her. She seems to be getting comfortable, at least. “I think it’s cool, Bonney-Chan,” He says. “But keeping a different form all the time must get tiring, right? You can switch back to yourself if you want.”

Bonney nods, face scrunching up again as she grows shorter, regaining her baby fat and youthful expression.

“I still don’t trust you,” He says suddenly, eyeing them wearily. “But I guess we have to work together to get out of here, right? So…let’s work together, for now. If you mess with me, I’ll make you a hundred years old!”

Sanji nods encouragingly. “Deal,” He says. “Do you have any more questions for us?”

Bonney nods. “Yeah, I have a question.”

Sanji grins at her. “Yes, Bonney-Chan?”

“Where’s the food?” She asks, a sunny grin finally splitting her face.

-

Getting Bonney-Chan changes life on Boin entirely.

For one, having someone under his protection on here has a huge impact on his day to day life. It’s dangerous here, even more so for children, and Sanji has to make sure that Bonney-Chan stays safe and that she can get back to her family.

So, he takes night watches where he hadn’t before, faces the bugs he’d rather not face (as it turned out, Bonney-Chan was also terrified of them), and goes into the forest of gluttony with increasing frequency (growing children need more nutrients, after all).

It’s funny how having a child around can change you, practically overnight.

Bonney-Chan herself also changes the more they get to know her. At first prickly and cautious, she slowly grows to trust them as they continue to show her that they are no threat, and can even be allies. Her true personality starts to shine through: cheerful, hopeful, and extremely intelligent, especially for her age. She also loves a good meal, to Sanji’s joy.

Getting to know Bonney-Chan also confirms that she is, in fact, an actual pirate captain. She begins to tell them stories of her adventures, of getting her crew, of her worries about their safety and their whereabouts.

Sanji can definitely relate, and tells her so. She’d heard of their crew before, and had not been pleased about it (their reputation, Sanji learns, is not particularly stellar, especially after Marineford) but Sanji had brought her around, particularly with his recountings of Luffy’s exploits. They’re so alike that Sanji needs to double take about it sometimes.

The biggest shock of all, however, is learning of Bonney’s father. She had been, as she often did, waxing poetic about her father and his kindness and love.

“…and then Dad used his devil fruit power,” She says, cross legged and grinning toothily. “And sent the guy far away, and—”

Sanji’s heart drops to his gut at the words. “Bonney-Chan,” He interrupts gently, jaw clenching in his attempt to keep calm. “What did you say your father’s devil fruit power was, again?”

Bonney-Chan blinks at him. “Oh,” She says, only a hint of suspicion in her voice. “He has a paw that sends people away.”

Sanji’s heart beats faster. “Is your father,” He begins, hesitant. “Bartholomew Kuma?”

Bonney-Chan’s eyes widen. “Yes,” She says cautiously. “Do you know him? He’s a warlord and all, but—”

“Kuma?” Heracles pipes in, swinging into the conversation with gusto. “Bonney-n, this is wonderful news! He’s a friend of mine, you know?”

“What?” Bonney-Chan says, sitting up straighter.

“What?” Sanji echoes, an ominous feeling growing in his chest.

“Oh, yes,” Heracles says, launching into his tale enthusiastically. “He’d come to visit here on occasion, and would meet me! He’s a good man, Bonney-n.”

Bonney’s smile grows tearful. “Yeah,” She says. “Which is why I need to save him, you see? I need to save him!”

Sanji sighs, running a hand through his hair. Maybe this is a bad idea, but…the coincidence is too strong to stay silent about it. “I know him too,” He finally admits. “He sent me here. He attacked my crew and sent each of us somewhere different.”

There’s a short silence, then:

“Oh!” Heracles says, a hand over his heart. “What excellent news bring us together today, my friends! We all have in common a good friend in Bartholomew Kuma.”

Sanji shoots a quick side glance to Bonney-Chan before replying. “Well…he did attack us, though. I’m not sure why, however, and he did seem to give me a Vivre card as he sent me away…”

“The Vivre card is from Kuma?” Heracles asks, and Bonney-Chan immediately runs to Sanji’s side.

“My father gave you a Vivre card?” She demands, crossing her arms sternly. “Will it lead to him?”

Sanji shrugs helplessly. “I don’t know,” He says, mind whirling with the possibilities. “It’s possible, I guess. But I don’t know why, because I don’t know why he would give it to me. Why would he attack us, then provide us a way out?”

“He was trying to help you!” Bonney-Chan exclaims, eyes fiery. “I don’t know why or how, but he was! Why else would he send you here to Heracles and make sure you could leave? My father is a good man, and whatever he was doing, it was to help you.”

Sanji sighs. “If you say it, Bonney-Chan,” He says. “Then it’s true. I believe you.”

“So will you help him back?” Bonney-Chan demands. “When I come back with you, I’ll follow you to him. And then help me save him? He’s in trouble, and I need to save him!”

“I suppose,” Sanji says, deep in thought. “I can’t make you go there by yourself.” He gives her a searching look. “I’ll help you get better at fighting too, if you want.”

Bonney-Chan’s chest puffs up in indignation. “I can fight!” She says hotly. “I can use Haki, too!”

This catches Sanji’s attention. “Haki?” He asks, remembering Rayleigh’s words on the subject, Usopp’s extraordinary abilities, the prickling he sometimes gets on the back of his own neck…

“Haki,” He repeats, frustrated. “Why does it always come back to Haki?”

“It’s accessible to anyone, Sanji-n,” Heracles chimes in. “A good tool to learn in a world full of devil fruit users.”

Sanji nods, a plan forming in his mind. “Bonney-Chan,” He says, crouching back down in front of her and meeting her eyes. “I need to ask a favor from you. Will you help teach me how to use Haki?”

Bonney-Chan nods fiercely. “Yes,” She says. “And…fine. You train me to fight better, deal? So I won’t be captured by any other pirate ever again. We’ll help each other, and then help my dad.”

Sanji sticks out his hand, pinky up. “Deal,” He says.

Bonney-Chan grins, then sticks out her own pinky, giving his a firm shake.

Sanji nods at her, then moves out of his crouch, stretching. “Ready to start?” He asks.

“I’m ready whenever you are, Sanji!” Bonney-Chan says, grinning wide. “Let’s work on some Haki!”

-

“All right!” Heracles stands on the completed ship, pointing at the sea. “Are you ready to set sail, my fellow seaworthy comrades!”

“Ready!” Bonney cheers, arms in the air.

“Let me finish inventory!” Sanji snaps from the back of the ship. “We need to make sure we have everything we need!”

Heracles glances at the two of them, hands on his hips. “Bonney-n!” He proclaims. “Tell Sanji-n to have some fun for once!”

“Have some fun for once!” Bonney parrots as Sanji finishes the last of his count.

“Oi, old man!” Sanji snaps, making his way to the front of the small ship. “You’re a full grown adult! Don’t bring her into your idiocy! We’re all ready now, anyway.”

“Excellent!” Heracles says, voice dropping its boisterous quality. “Now. Do we know the plan?”

“Yes!” Bonney cheers again.

“Yes,” Sanji says, with less enthusiasm.

Heracles claps his hands together. “Good, good,” He says. “Excellent. This plan has been a long time in the making for me, and I trust nobody more to help me execute it. Both of you have saved my life, enriched it in so many more ways than one. I owe you both more than you will ever know.”

“Heracles…” Sanji begins, but Heracles puts a hand out to silence him.

“Please accept my gratitude, Sanji-n,” Heracles says, laughing back to his regular, boisterous self. “Now. Hoist the sails, team! Let us sail out into the sea, and back home! Sanji-n, the Vivre card if you please.”

“Aye aye!” Bonney says, saluting.

Sanji ruffles Bonney’s hair. “Aye aye” He repeats, passing the card to Heracles. He looks out to the sea. I’m on my way he thinks, breathing deep. I’m coming home.

Chapter 6, Chapter 7

[aminiatureworld]

Disappearance III

Character: Childe, gn!reader

Word Count: 2,581

Warnings: None

Premise: In which there is an argument and the reader disappears.

Author’s Note: Childe my favorite character, how I love to torture you.

But genuinely I really like how this one came out.

Childe

Childe craned his neck to stare at the clock on the wall behind him. Sighing at the lateness of the afternoon he turned back towards the papers in his lap, trying desperately to focus, to not let his thoughts drift off to the argument that had taken place in the morning.

It had started out simple enough. Childe had informed you that he might be gone for some time, as the Tsaritsa had requested a high-level reconnaissance mission, and Childe was to be the one to lead it. He thought that you react much the way that you always had, assurances of his success, light-hearted reminders to stay safe, and a goodbye kiss as you two settled back into a normal routine before the day of departure. Instead however, your lips had slanted into a frown, and you stopped making your breakfast to turn and face your partner.

“Childe, I wish you wouldn’t always take things on yourself.”

“What do you mean darling?” Childe felt a wave of surprise wash over him. After all, what else was he supposed to do?

“I mean that you’re being entirely too reckless Childe. You know that you have too high a profile to be doing stuff like this. I… I would like you to sit this one out. Just this one.”

Childe couldn’t help but laugh, whether out of irritation or genuine amusement he wasn’t sure of. “As much as I appreciate the concern, I can’t do that. No leader worth their salt would send their underlings off alone, even if they are some of the weakest underlings in the world. No one’s been able to pull the wool over me yet darling, it’ll be perfectly alright.”

“You’re not listening to me,” your voice picked up in intensity. “Childe I really try, I try to remind myself that you’re a Harbinger and able to take care of yourself; but sometimes it’s just too much. This is too much.”

“You’re being silly,” Childe said, trying to keep his tone light. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I can’t disobey the Tsaritsa. She wishes me to do this so I will. It’s as simple as that.”

“The Tsaritsa is far away, she has hundreds, thousands under her command. She won’t bat an eye at your safety.”

“Like you said, I can take care of myself.”

“But what if one day you can’t? What if, what if one day you don’t come back. Please, just this once; just this once don’t go.”

“I know that the length of time is upsetting, but you can’t react like this every time I have to go away for a while. I promise that you’ll have me all to yourself afterwards.”

“It’s not about that Childe! Please, please listen to me. I’m worried about your safety. I’m worried one of these days you’re going to end up in a fight too big even for you. What will you do then? What will your underlings do? What will I do? Please, tell the Tsaritsa you have to stay and make sure the Bank stays out of trouble, or that nothing happens in Liyue. Please, don’t go this time.”

“You’re being irrational.” By now Childe was definitely irritated.

“No, I’m being realistic. You don’t take care of yourself enough.”

“You’re just underestimating me. Besides, I’m a better fighter than you’ll ever be. It’s not like you can protect me even if I stayed here.”

“What?”

“It’s not like staying in Liyue would be any safer, better to face things head on. For the Tsaritsa, for Snezhnaya, that is the most important thing. If you can’t see that, you’re just being stupid.”

Although Childe regretted the words almost immediately after they left his mouth he could see that saying that would’ve had no effect. So instead he watched silently as your face clouded over and you stormed out the door, not bothering to grab your food as you slung your pack around you back and walked out. A part of him wanted to call after you, but he knew that even if he did you probably wouldn’t listen. Even if you did, what could he say? After all, he had simply spoken the truth; even if you couldn’t accept it as such.

Now Childe sat on the couch, eyes glazing voer as he stared at all the paperwork that needed to be done before his mission. He had already spent a hectic, uneasy day at the bank. Though he knew that none of his underlings would be foolish enough to try to pull something while he was gone, Andrei would make sure of that and Childe would make sure of Andrei, it was still tedious, boring work. This was in no way helped by the lingering ill will from his fight with you earlier. Though Childe ultimately forgot fights relatively quickly the time right after was always an uneasy one, filled with sudden flashes of irritation replaced suddenly by the wish for it all to have never happened.

He had hoped that you might be home by the time he arrived, but your absence wasn’t truly much of a surprise. Besides the fact that you were still probably angry with him, something Childe couldn’t really fault, you had recently been involved with some project near the Chasm, and it was hardly surprising that something that big caused you late hours. Still he couldn’t deny the fact that he was somewhat disappointed, or maybe disheartened was a better way to put it. He hated fighting with you, especially fights that lasted. Even if he was irritated with you, even if he thought that you had demanded something impossible, he still regretted snapping at you. He just wanted you to come home now, that way he could apologize and explain the situation better. That way he wouldn’t leave with any ill will behind him.

The clock was excruciatingly slow, but the insult of that wasn’t registered until Childe dozed off. Waking up in the middle of the night he was surprised at your continued absence. Though he had expected that sleeping on the couch might’ve happened, your total disappearance was certainly something that threw him for a loop. Making his way to the bedroom and flopping down on the bed Childe closed his eyes, pushing away the anxiety that clustered at the edge of his thoughts.

Perhaps you’d ended up staying with Hu Tao, or maybe you’d gone back home to your family. He had been awfully mean after all, and you were never the kind of person to take his insults sitting down. Still, if that were true why hadn’t you packed more, or come back to collect your things? It didn’t make any sense. Questions and half baked reasonings floated through Childe head as he tried to delay the inevitable pull of sleep. The last conscious thought he could remember was the knowledge that at least you would be back tomorrow.

You were not, in fact, home tomorrow. The Harbinger’s time spent at the Northland Bank was almost completely useless, the meeting with the people he’d be going on his mission with even more so. Though Childe wasn’t necessarily the most attentive listener, often letting his mind wander when his fellow Fatui members fell into arguing about the most insipid things, he knew that paying attention to a plan as a whole was critical to its success. Even so he couldn’t bring his mind to focus on the maps and profiles that sat in front of him. Where were you? It seemed like such a silly question, but the longer it floated in Childe’s head the colder he felt.

Finally the meetings and the menial tasks ended and Childe could go home. Sprinting down the winding streets of Liyue, not bothering to hide the fact he was in a hurry, Childe burst into the apartment. His heart sank as he was met with the same image he’d seen when he’d left that morning.

Afterwards Childe wandered around the docks of Liyue, trying to keep the quickly fragmenting pieces of his mind together. He knew that he was probably overreacting, knew that you were simply staying away because of what he said, knew that it wouldn’t be forever – you would have definitely told him if that were the case. Still he couldn’t help but feel dread crawling over him, saturating the cracks of his brain as he wondered how he’d managed to fuck everything up so much. He had underestimate how much his words must have affected you, and that only made him feel worse. Finally exhausting his walk along the pier Childe set off towards the edges of the city and into the vast wilderness of Liyue. He needed to find something to fight.

The nightmare continued on into the next day, then into the day after that. Childe could barely remember what he did during those days, walking around as if possessed, unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few moments before his thoughts inevitably found their way back to you. Mostly Childe ended up sleeping, dozing off at his desk or on the couch, papers fluttering from his hands onto the floor. Mostly Childe dreamed of you.

They weren’t dreams of any particular note, their contents incredibly mundane. Not that it matter to Childe; within those dreams he felt nothing but happy domesticity, a calm that washed over him as he walked with you to the market or lay next to you under the stars. Always you would appear in his dreams suddenly, and always he would throw his arms around you, clinging to you as if even an embrace wasn’t enough. Always he woke up with a sense of desolation so vast it threatened to consume him.

Finally on the fifth day Childe couldn’t take it anymore. Waking up at almost the crack of dawn the Harbinger rushed to the Bank. He wouldn’t stay long, only enough to inform Andrei that he’d be out for the day. Then he’d go to the Guild and check and make sure everything was okay. Then, well he’d figure out what to do then. It seemed pathetic to chase after you, not to mention gross. He wouldn’t become a stalker, wouldn’t let himself fall into such pathetic behavior. Still, he had to make sure you were at least okay. As long as he did that, well, the rest could come later.

Striding into the Bank Childe was met with a surprising sight. Normally Ekaterina stayed firmly tucked inside her receptionist cubby, even more antisocial than the likes of the Balladeer or the Fatui that guarded Dragonspine. Now however she stood at the front of the booth, wringing her hands this way and that as she stared at a piece of paper in front of her. Feeling a sudden sense of dread Childe walked up to her.

“Ekaterina?”

“Oh!” Ekaterina whirled around, look on her face one of utter anxiety. “My lord, I was horrified to hear of the news, tell me, do you know if they’re almost free?”

“What are you talking about?” Childe narrowed his eyes.

“Why, your partner. I only heard today from Nadia; no wonder you’ve been so distant recently, if it’s not too much for me to say so. I only hope that they’ll soon be rescued, I’m sure you know about the situation better than I do though.”

“Ekaterina, what in the Tsaritsa’s name are you talking about?”

A shadow passed over Ekaterina’s face, a look of utter dread. Swallowing slightly she stared at a spot in the wall right to the side of Childe. “You partner, my lord, I’ve been informed that they have become trapped in one of the caverns of the Chasm. I thought that you knew about it, it’s been five days after a–”

Childe didn’t hear the rest of what Ekaterina had to say. Whirling around the Harbinger slammed his way out of the bank, aiming towards the nearest waypoint. Cold dread washed over him and with it desperate determination. He’d rescue you. If he had to tear apart the entire Chasm and raze all the mountains in Liyue to the ground so be it.

  Approaching the Chasm Childe felt a rush of adrenaline wash over him. He was terrified. By the Seven, he was utterly terrified. Images of you flashed in his mind, images of you cowering in the dark, stuck at the bottom of an endless pit, lying on the ground with no air or food or life in you. How could he have let this happen? How could he have not known of this before? Anger burned within Childe, anger at himself. He should have never let you walk out of your apartment without apologizing first. He should have enquired after you after the first night you didn’t show up. He should’ve been the first person there for you, instead of the last person to know. He was so utterly stupid.

Approaching what must’ve been the site of the accident Childe felt his stomach drop to his feet at the sight of you. You were covered in dirt, cuts spread across your arms and legs as you slumped against a Guild member, dragging your feet in an awkward shuffle towards the stretcher that must’ve been meant to bring you to the apothecary. There were a variety of Guild members flocking around you, along with one of the doctors of Liyue, who was scribbling notes down furiously. Your expression was utterly dazed, as if you weren’t exactly sure of what was going on, something that tore Childe apart.

Stepping towards you Childe called out your name. At the sound your head jerked up, and you gave a hoarse sort of cry before turning to make your way towards him. Sprinting towards you Childe stepped backwards as you fell awkwardly into him. Steadying you for a moment before wrapping his arms around you Childe felt all his emotions crashing over him, so intense that he couldn’t control them anymore. Ignoring the tears that tracked their way down his cheeks the Harbinger let out a shudder.

“Thank the Seven, thank the Seven you’re safe. I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. You don’t have to forgive me, alright? You don’t have to forgive me, but by the gods I’m so sorry.”

“I wish you had been there,” you mumbled softly. “It was so dark, I couldn’t see anything. I thought, I thought that I might never see you again.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said all those things to you, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You should’ve fold so easily you know, you should be really, really angry at me.”

“I don’t want to be angry at you though, I just want you to stay.”

“Then I will,” Childe tightened his embrace around you. “I promise I will.”

“Okay.”

Having apparently said everything that had to be said you let Childe sling you onto his back, refusing to be carried to the hospital in the stretcher. As you appeared to doze off on his back Childe made a promise to himself. Even if he couldn’t disobey the Tsaritsa, even if he couldn’t change who he was, he would never leave you when you needed him to be there.

You would never find yourself needing him to be there without the chance of your need being met. That he promised you.

[spencer-reid-in-a-pool]

Room For Dessert

anon requested- Can you do a smut where rossi has a dinner party but also has his Niece staying with him because her apartment is being fumigated. Her and Spencer hit it off and go at it.

anon requested- smut 54: you better be quiet or everyone is going to know what a naughty little slut you are. and 59: such a needy little thing, aren't you? with Spencer

Contains: fingering (female receiving), hand job (male receiving), mention of pregnancy/breeding kink, name calling, slight degradation, unprotected sex, swearing, sexual acts in a public setting

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I had never met my uncle David's co-workers before. He had always talked about introducing us, but it just never seemed to be the right time. It seems that today though, the world decided it was the right time.

He was having a dinner party tonight and my apartment needed to be fumigated. What luck!

I figured I would be staying with him for a couple days, so I packed my things after work yesterday. Now it was Saturday, the day of the party, and time to head over.

I had to admit I was nervous. A dinner party with people I didn't know? Talk about awkward. But I decided to make the most of it.

Once I was at his house, he took me to a spare room that would be mine for the next few days and showed me where everything was. Not that I would remember since we're in a mansion.

A few hours passed and it was time for people to start arriving. As I was getting my party clothes on, I could hear voices downstairs. Guess I should hurry.

Once I was done with my hair, makeup, and clothes, I made my way slowly down the stairs. The voices got progressively louder as I got closer.

A few people were scattered around the immediate area. A dark-haired woman stood talking to a blonde woman over near the far side of the room. Uncle David was talking with an Asian man and a dark-skinned woman by the entrance to the kitchen. And lastly, a well-built Hispanic man sat talking to a blonde woman in colorful clothing and a tall, slightly unkempt man.

I wasn't sure where to go first so I just kind of stood on the bottom step without saying anything. Then Uncle David noticed me.

"Ah there she is! We've been waiting for you. Come on and mingle while the food is finishing up."

At his words, the room full of people all turned their heads toward me.

Slightly taken aback by all the eyes on me, I gave a small wave and a smile before making my way down to them.

"It's nice to meet you guys! I'm (Y/N). Uncle David has told me about all of you."

The woman wearing bright colors made her way over to me first, a glass of champagne in hand.

"It's so nice to meet you! Your dress is to die for!"

She then enveloped me in a one arm hug. I hugged her back and accidentally made eye contact with the tall guy in the back. He quickly looked away. What was he staring at me for?

"I'm Penelope by the way!"

She pulled away and smiled at me once more before making room for the next person.

Emily, JJ, Luke, Tara, and Matt all introduced themselves. The last guy must be...

"Dr. Spencer Reid," he said as he stuck his hand out to shake.

Oh. Oh wow.

Now that I got a closer look at him, I could see why his nickname was "Pretty Boy." If we hadn't been in front of so many people, I would've had to jump his bones right then.

I shook his hand shyly.

"It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Aren't you a little too attractive to be in the FBI? How does anyone get their work done?"

Spencer cleared his throat and glanced around the room to see people start walking to the kitchen. The food must be almost done.

"Well, why don’t you sit next to me at the dinner table? I’ll make sure to tell you all about my...work,” he murmured as he made no attempts to hide his eyes roaming my body.

Did-did he just...?

Before I could think anything coherent, he began walking away. He was probably just messing with me. I’m just being stupid.

Still, my legs felt a bit weak as I made my way into the kitchen. They were all sitting down and the only empty seat was next to Spencer. As I approached, he jumped up and pulled out the chair.

“Here let me.”

He gave me a bashful look, not at all like the look he gave my body moments ago in the living room. What is this guy’s deal?

I gave him a small smile and took a seat. He pushed me towards the table and sat down next to me.

Uncle David did his toast thing to be thankful for everyone being here, and then we started dishing up our food. There was so much to choose from that my plate became full almost immediately.

“So tell me,” I said to the man next to me, “What’s it like to be the BAU’s resident genius?”

Spencer glanced at me as he gathered food onto his plate.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that an IQ score or any amount of knowledge makes someone a genius. Not that both of those aren’t high for me, but I don’t like to quantify the term genius.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“But between you and me, it feels pretty good.”

I giggled and he smiled at me. He has a nice smile.

“Hey I made you laugh and it wasn’t at me. Maybe I’m getting somewhere with women.”

I traced the rim of my champagne glass before looking at him. I know I’d like to go somewhere with him...

“I don’t see how women aren’t all over you, Doctor. I mean. Have you looked in a mirror?”

Spencer chuckled and smiled, almost nervously.

“I’d rather look at you.”

My cheeks got hot and I blinked rapidly. Oh no. This is it. It’s happening.

But I hadn’t forgotten that look he gave me before we sat down. I hadn’t forgotten the way he undressed me with his eyes. If he wanted to mess with me then I would mess with him too.

I leaned over slowly so no one would notice and began talking in a low voice in his ear.

“What parts of me would you like to look at, Doctor?”

Spencer choked on his drink when I finished speaking. I leaned away feeling accomplished and with a painful twitch in my chest from trying not to lose my shit at him sputtering like an idiot.

But it would seem that karma is, in fact, a bitch.

“How about I start with those pretty tits of yours?”

It was my turn to choke on my drink this time. This earned me a few glances from the people across from me at the table.

“You two okay over there?” Emily asked us, having no clue what was really happening on our side of the table.

Spencer gave me a fake confused glance and then met Emily’s eyes.

“Of course, why wouldn’t we be?”

She shrugged and seemed to leave it at that, turning back to her conversation with JJ.

“How about...,” Spencer began next to me in a low voice so that no one would hear, “We have a little fun?”

I raised an eyebrow at him, not really sure what he meant by that.

He widened his eyes and looked me up and down in response as if to say, “You know exactly what I mean.”

I tried not to smile as big as I wanted to, so I settled on a sly grin in his direction to let him know I was game.

His body seemed to relax in relief almost, something I wasn’t expecting. Was he genuinely interested in me or was he just messing with me because I happened to be here?

I tried distracting myself from these thoughts and started actually eating, since we were at a dinner party after all.

A few minutes went by of idle conversation, although I wasn’t really listening. I responded in short sentences and nods in between bites of food, but my mind was elsewhere.

It wasn’t too long though, until my mind went straight to my thigh, where a hand could be felt slowly making its way up.

Trying not to make it obvious, I turned towards Spencer with a shocked look on my face. He wasn’t even looking at me, he was looking ahead and having a full conversation with Matt and Luke. How is he multitasking this well?

His hand- his very large and warm hand- made its way even farther up, snaking towards my center with a painfully slow pace.

I knew what he was planning, and I was ready for it. At least, I think I am.

His finger brushed against the edge of my panties and he paused. When I looked over at him, he had his chin casually resting on his other hand and was looking at me sideways. He raised an eyebrow to ask me if it was okay.

In response, I took his hand that was so close to where I wanted it to be, and brought it down so that he could feel the wet spot forming just from thinking about what he was getting ready to do.

I think this shocked him a little, so he cleared his throat and looked ahead, picking up another conversation with Tara.

He made his way back to where he was and began slipping fingers past the hem of my panties. They were warm and soft, but still, I shivered.

I tried my best to continue on as normal while people talked to me, but as soon as I felt the pad of his pointer finger stroking my folds, I choked on my words.

No one seemed to notice, so I continued on like nothing happened.

He was teasing me now, touching around my entrance but never going in it. How irritating.

I’m sure he sensed my frustration, since he chuckled under his breath and immediately shoved a finger inside me.

I inhaled sharply, not expecting the force or suddenness. This seemed to please him; at least I’m assuming he was pleased based on the grin that graced his features.

He continued working while he talked, never stopping the motions of going in and out of me. He even began rubbing my clit with another finger while he fingered me. He must be really good at piano. And guitar, for that matter.

It was starting to get a little warm, and my body began reacting to the way he was relentlessly rubbing my clit in hurried circles.

“Spencer,” I hissed so that no one else could hear.

“Hmmm?”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I believe I’m trying to make you cum on my fingers.”

My breath hitched in my throat as I felt my core tighten. I looked around to make sure no one had heard us. The coast seemed to be clear.

“You’re gonna pay for this, asshole,” I choked out.

This seemed to only fuel him. His fingers began relentlessly attacking my swollen bundle of nerves and they did not stop. Not even close. He only got faster and faster, and I have no idea how that was even possible to begin with.

I wanted to smack the smirk that appeared when I tightened around his fingers right off his stupid face.

His eyes roamed my sweaty, slightly red face and he slowly pulled his hand from my panties.

Spencer then turned back to his plate and picked up the last bit of his dinner roll that was left. He placed it in his mouth, along with the tips of his fingers that were just in my panties. He pushed the roll farther in his mouth so that his fingers were halfway in. Then he slowly withdrew them, his lips never leaving those damn fingers.

“Mmm Rossi,” Spencer began, turning away from me and to the man he called, “These rolls are really good. Did you make them yourself? I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like it.”

This time I choked on my own saliva. So of course, I had a coughing fit that drew everyone’s attention to me.

“Oh my gosh, (Y/N) are you okay? Take a sip of water!” Penelope told me in honest concern for my well being.

I finished coughing and took a long gulp from my glass. I only wished it was whiskey instead of water right now.

“I’m okay, really,” I said, holding my hands up in front of me, “Just... swallowed my food too fast.”

This seemed to satisfy everyone so they all turned back to each other, Spencer’s comment about the rolls forgotten.

“That’s what you get for calling me those mean names, princess,” Spencer murmured next to me.

I stayed silent in response. Two could play at this game.

Without hesitation, I placed my hand against his crotch. And it was... something. I’m not sure if he was that hard or just- that big. Either way, my heart skipped a beat. But I didn’t let that stop me.

I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of his pants and made contact with what I was looking for. I felt him twitch under my touch, but his face gave nothing away to the others at the table.

So I started working. Tracing the length of what I could reach, and rubbing along his shaft with precision.

He took in a sharp breath as I made my way closer to the tip, and he quickly cut a glance my way.

I paid him no mind as I continued, making sure to eat off my plate like normal so as not to draw suspicion. Looking around, I could see that most people were finishing up their food, so I didn’t really have a lot of time left. I started going faster, putting more pressure onto his dick as I went. 

When I looked up to check the scene, I saw Spencer gripping his fork with white knuckles. He was holding on for dear life. Good. 

It was then that a few people began to excuse themselves from the table to go mingle some more before dessert. Shit. I had to hurry. 

I kept picking up speed, probably too much to be honest. But it worked. Spencer stiffened under my touch and a warm, wet spot was now forming in his pants, coating my fingers. He cleared his throat to try and drown out the noise he wanted so badly to make instead. 

I took a deep breath, satisfied with my work, and slowly removed my hand from his pants. It was just us, Penelope, and my uncle left at the table. They were in the middle of a conversation anyway. Luck was on my side tonight.

Spencer excused himself in a hurry, and I waited a few minutes before doing the same. I had no idea where he went, so I just had to walk around and find him somehow. We had unfinished business. 

A few minutes went by of me searching the halls, hopefully not drawing attention to myself. And then I found him, leaning against a wall and looking out the window in front of him. 

When I approached him, I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get any words out, he grabbed my wrist roughly and pulled me into a closet. Spencer shut the door quietly behind us, though I could tell that he wanted to slam it. Uh oh.

“What the hell was that?” he hissed through gritted teeth.

“I was just playing along! Isn’t that what we wanted to do from the beginning?”

Spencer ran a hand through his hair. Oh, how I wanted to do the same thing.

“Obviously. I’ve been wanting to fuck you senseless since I laid eyes on you.”

My heart skipped a beat and the pulse suddenly went down into my core instead.

“Well do it then,” I murmured while gripping onto his forearms. There was enough space in this closet for many different positions. I just wanted to be as close to him as possible.

“I don’t know if you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Spencer groaned while palming my ass roughly.

“Mmm, I don’t care. I’m on the pill, by the way. So I wanna feel you. All of you. Although I have a pretty strong feeling you’d get off on putting a baby in me, Doctor,” I whispered into his ear before pressing my chest against his. I felt his breathing stop for a split second.

“Shut up,” he growled. It seems I pushed a button.

“Make me.”

Without a word and without hesitation, Spencer shoved me against the wall behind me and locked his mouth onto mine.

It was better than I could’ve imagined. And I had imagined it a lot over the course of tonight.

His tongue immediately shoved past the barrier of my lips and teeth, finding shelter in my mouth. The groans that came from him could have undone me right there, so I held onto his shoulders for dear life. His hands found his way to my ass, and he pushed me against his erection. His very large, very intimidating erection. And then all too soon, he pulled away, a string of saliva and swollen lips the only evidence of what had just happened.

“Who said you were allowed to tease me, huh? You've been pushing my buttons all night, and now look at you. A writhing mess underneath me. Such a needy little thing, aren't you?"

I shivered as his words reached my ears. So he had noticed I was already falling apart once again.

“God,” he moaned into my neck as he pushed me against his dick.

I couldn’t help myself- I moaned with him. The friction of him against my pulsing core was almost too much to handle.

“You sound so good,” he growled in my ear.

We stopped suddenly when footsteps could be heard nearby. I glanced at Spencer in a panic and started to move away from him. But before I could, he hastily shoved his hand over my mouth.

"Oh no, we're not stopping. Not when it’s getting this good. So you better be quiet or else everyone will know what a naughty little slut you are. Understand?"

I whimpered against his fingers and nodded at him. He gave me a wicked smile in return.

"Good girl. Now take off your panties and wrap your legs around me so I can feel just how tight your cunt really is. I have a feeling my dick will feel a lot better inside you rather than my fingers.”

With shaking hands, I slid my panties off and kicked them away.

Spencer must have enjoyed what I did because he licked his lips eagerly, never breaking his gaze towards me. Before I made my way back over to him, I couldn’t help but notice how hard he already was. This wouldn’t take long. Less of a chance we would get caught, thankfully. 

He pulled down his pants and boxers roughly, quickly stepping out of them like I had done moments ago. He made no motion to remove the clothes on his top half, solidifying the thought that this would be over quickly. How bittersweet. 

Without another word, I practically jumped into his arms, our mouths meeting immediately and moving against the other ferociously. But all of a sudden, he pulled away, and it pissed me off more than it should have. 

When I saw why he did though, I wasn’t angry anymore. 

He had picked up the belt he had been wearing from the floor, and was holding it in front of me with a dangerous look in his eye. 

“I don’t trust you to be quiet. Open,” Spencer said in a gravelly huff. 

I did as he asked without hesitation, and he roughly shoved the leather belt into my mouth, commanding me to bite down on it. 

Oh shit.

Without missing a beat, he picked me up and laid me down on the floor, extremely gently compared to how he had previously put the belt in my mouth. 

“Good thing you’re already so wet,” Spencer purred, looking down at my exposed core. “Otherwise, this might hurt a little. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Unfortunately, it did still hurt. But God, did it hurt so good. 

[savorysatori]

DEJA VU. / SATORI TENDŌ! — dé·jà vu.

Deja Vu. /ˌdāZHä ˈvo͞o / a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.

synopsis. — you were both broken up. done with each other for the rest of your life, but, that one phone call always awoke something in you. bringing you back to where you used to be.

// warnings. smoking, car sex, tiny bit of angst. fem!reader, ex-lovers. possessiveness, toxic!tendō, face-sitting, daddy kink. + overstimulation, manipulation, non-con at first.

leader’s notes. my second attempt at writing angst and I hope I don’t butcher it, anyways, writing this hurt bad <33 but it’s also so hot because of toxic tendō. hehe! 💗

“You always babble on about us .. saying we can’t be together, and yet, you always pick up on my calls. You’re useless without me, dove.”

4:55 AM. — It was a soft breeze tonight, the birds were silent and the sun was slowly rising to uplift the night sky. It was a quiet night. Nothing to disturb your neighbors of their slumber, deep sleep with dreams of all kinds of things swishing between them and others. 

But, you, oh you. You were up, wide awake, awaiting that same message you get from him every single day. It had become a schedule to stay up this late, hoping the three bubbles would pop up beside his name. You yearned to see him again. And it was awful. An awful, awful thing. You fell deeper into his hole of games and tricks he played on you, unable to climb out from it. Fell deep into the love he provided you. But he couldn't love you back. That was the worst part of it, and the reason you could never tell anybody. You wanted to leave, and you did. You were the one who chose to break up, yet the one who kept going back and forth. This was the cycle of a pathetic relationship, and you knew it. You felt your cell phone vibrate in your hand. You felt a mixture of dread and excitement. Dread, because you knew who was texting.

“Come outside. I’m here.”

The message showed up. From there, you knew it was him. His words were short. Uneventful, but short. You opened your front door, walking out to the middle of the meadow behind your house, to feel the crisp air on your famished skin. The moon was high in the sky, and its light illuminated your surroundings. There was nobody else around, giving you a sense of isolation from any other living being. Tendō leaned against his sleek car, exactly where your visions had led you to expect him to be. His legs were crossed and his shoulders slumped as if he was trying to disappear into the dark color of the car. You couldn't make out much else about him, as he was keeping himself cloaked in shadow.

"Tendō," you uttered, walking up to him.

He slowly lifted his head, peeking out from the cloak of car. His eyes were lifeless. Empty. There was no emotion in those deep vermillions. They were cold. Hard. Like the metal of the car they were resting on.

"So, you did come,” he said, his voice monotone and emotionless, his mouth however was pulled up into a small smirk. He pushed himself up from the car, standing at its height. He brushed some dirt off his slacks, and pulled the car door open, climbing inside. You followed his example, climbing into the passenger seat.

Tendō’s car was spotless. Not a speck of dirt was anywhere to be found on the car's interior. The seats were equally as clean, with not a single stain or tear in sight. It was obvious that he took great care in keeping his car in pristine condition. It made all the memories flood back easily into your brain, having you remember exactly everything that happened in here. As you sat in it, the engine still idling, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulling one out and putting it in his mouth. He lit it with his flickery lighter, taking a deep breath in and releasing it through his nose.

“I thought you quit,” you repeated the same words from before, hoping he took them in. He didn't answer. Instead, he focused on the cigarette in his mouth as he drew it out. Pushed a button to raise the window, allowing the smoke to escape into the frigid night air.

‘Why wasn’t he answering you?’

The clock in your head ticked and tocked. Back and forth with you getting irritated with by the lack of response you are getting.

He slowly exhaled, the smoke leaving his lips in a thin stream.

"Quit your bickering, would ya’? "

The two of you sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Smoke filled the car's interior, clouds swirling around each other as they rose into the air. The smell of tobacco vanished when he crushed the cig in his palm, flicking the now burnt remains out the window. Once the window rolled up, you could see the uneasiness settle into your stomach.

“Ten- we gotta.. end this, tonight. Last time.”

You were sure about it. Hundred percent, sure. Even if the need of your body wasn’t. You could feel it. His words were vague, non-committal at best, but his eyes, that's what he was getting at. His dead eyes told you all you need to know. Tendō grabbed your hand, and before you could even think about it, your hand went near your mouth, coercing you onto his lap with a brutal grip.

His other arm wrapped around your waist, holding you in place. Your legs moved to straddle him, your knees on either side of his thighs. His hand left your mouth, finding its way onto your throat. You gulped in a breath, instantly feeling the pain of his fingers trapping your flesh. His face, so close to yours.

“You always babble on about us .. saying we can’t be together, and yet, you always pick up on my calls. You’re useless without me, dove.”

And he was right, so right. All of it. All of his games, tactics, his plans. You left him, yet you kept coming back. Why?

His eyes burned with a bright red, like two hot cinders. Tempting you to utter a word from your quivering lips, daring you to make a peep. And just like that, his found yours, smothering your lips. Soft at first, but soon they were hungry. They were everywhere, and you welcomed each one. Tongue pushed into your mouth; you tasted the blood from your bitten lip. The smoky flavor of his mouth was gone, replaced by the metal-like bitterness of his cold breath. You were weak. Powerless against him.

Your knees bent, your legs becoming wobbly, and you gave in. What else could you do? You couldn’t resist to his whims. His cold fingers rested against your burning cheek, his other hand grabbed at the side of your face, fingers digging into your jaw.

"You're mine." He breathed, his lips barely moving.

Dazed and confused, you didn't utter a single sound. His hand ran down your cheek, and he gave a light squeeze, holding you in place for his next move. His cold lips pressed against your cheek, moving slowly to your ear. "Say it."

"I'm yours!” The words escaped your lips, as if someone had pressed them in. They felt unnatural, wrong. It was like you was forcing yourself to say them. He let out a low chuckle, his hot breath causing you to shiver, no, to tremble. "Good girl."

The hand that was on your face moved down, and he grabbed at the front of your shirt. The feeling of his hand against your skin sent chills down your spine. You could feel him smile against your skin, his lips splayed on your chest. It all came too fast. One moment he was whispering dreadful words, the next he had the leather seat laid back, the remaining clothes thrown away with your legs fastened around each side of his head, cunt mere inches away from his hungry mouth. He had your wrists pushed against your head, and the leather seat belt were tied to your arms, leaving you unable to move them. Tied down, forced to watch, no matter how hard you tried to look away... he filled your glistening pussy with his cold tongue.

It was brutal. it was exquisite.

Moans came out of your lips with every thrust, and you couldn't help but push against his mouth. You wanted more. So much more. You could feel the warmth of his mouth, hear the slurping and slopping sounds as his tongue moved in and out, spreading the lips of your pussy to suckle. The harder you went, the wetter he made you, flicking at your clit. His stubble raked against your inner thighs as his mouth moved up to your aching sex. You rocked into his face, faster with a swirl from your hips. You could almost feel the heat of his breath against your clit as you loosed a torrent of dirty words, his name passed your lips in a long tone.

“Daddy! hah, ye- yes! ‘s good,”

He didn't need telling twice. Grabbing your hips, he steadied your gyrating body as he buried his head in your depths. He pushed your legs up, spreading you wide open. His tongue swept in and out, faster and faster. You could feel the air swirling around your clit as his nose pushed against your folds, sucking your sore bud into his mouth and biting down. You came hard, shuddering as your muscles tightened and unknotted themselves, unable to do anything else as wave after wave hit you.

Tendō’s tongue slid up from your sensitive bud, slipping back into his mouth with the filth of your juices splayed on it. He did exactly what he always did, make you dazed over him. Crawling back to him and his dick with need.

“Look at you. A fucking whore, whinin’ and squealing, you can’t go a fucking day without me — can you?” he urged you on with his harsh words, bringing you back from the aftershock.

You were addicted to him.

“No. I — I can’t, I love you too much,” a sniffle came from you, eyes settling to close. “But, please .. fuck me, daddy.”

A pleased look spread onto his face. He won. “You’re finally learning, dove. Now you know you can’t live without me, I’m too fuckin’ good.” you were swished from on top of his face, your legs being forced up, your knees drawn back as his fingers dug into your thighs. Gently, he guided his dick to you. His hands wrapped around your legs as he slowly started to push into you, rocking his hips as he found your warm, wet hole.

“Daddy! — ah, fuuck.” you hissed as he entered you, wincing as he twisted his hips, grinding the last inches of his cock into you. Cool air brushed against your raw neck and the inside of your thighs as his warm body pushed against you. With every thrust, his dick ground against your clit, sending jolts of delight through your body. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders as your fingers bit into his flesh. You didn't want it to end. This pure, unadulterated pleasure. He leaned forward, supporting his weight on his forearms as he panted.

You were tight. So fuckin’ tight, Tendō could barely move.

He thrust into you, hard. His pelvis slapped your ass as you took him in. You moaned into his mouth as his dick rubbed that sweet spot inside you, your body felt as if it was in a craze of desire. He steadied his breathing as he started to thrust harder, keeping an intent of driving you cock drunk. Tendō wrapped his hand around your throat, as his other hand raised your legs and wrapped them around his waist. His lips were messily pressed against your cheek as he kissed you with deep, raw animalistic lust. You bit your tongue to prevent yourself from making any noise, but your body betrayed you as a moan still slipped past your lips.

“I know you missed this from the way you look, I know you miss me. Let me hear you mutter it, baby.” he panted as your bodies' rhythm began to sync up.

Your nostrils were filled with his scent, your eyes were covered by your hair, but you could still see as he fucked you with kind-buttons, and the pain grew. “I’ve missed it!” And you did as you were told, jumping onto his cock and draining it dry with your whines. “I’ve missed you, s’so much, lo- love you too.”

“Knew it. I fucking knew it already, your mine.”

He was unrelenting as his cock mushed against your womb, his forehead pressed against yours. His fingers dug into your sweat-soaked back as he huffed, his breath coming out in heavy pants. You could feel the liquid filling your insides as his warm cum plugged you. His body kept on thrusting as he emptied himself into you. Your vision grew dark as the world turned all of its colors. You felt light-headed, but you didn't want it to end. You couldn’t have it end.

Tendō’s eyes ranked of desire and crave, he had you where he always wanted. Plugged you to be his, lure you back in with his lustful advances, have you stay up till the crack of dawn — waiting for that phone call from him. Make you whine just for the simplest touch from him. He drove you mad. That devilish grin on his face as he had you pinned down, that was all it took for you to fall into temptation's arms again. You were the king and he was the pawn, catching you in checkmate.

“You also still .. love me, right?”

A deep, guttural laugh escaped from him. One that would make someone wince, embarrassed of the question they asked. You wished you could take it back, wish you could go back in time and not say a peep. Wish you could disappear from reality. Just this once.

“Yes. Of course I do, my little devil. But that’s in another lifetime, one where I’m your actual boyfriend.”

You’ve felt this moment before. Tasted those same words leaving your lips, savored them to the hilt. This exact feeling felt familiar like you’ve experienced it before. You were trapped in a haze of deja vu, going around in circles and repeating the same actions from before. Just like now, what you asked him. You asked him before.

“Checkmate.”

[ablackfangirlwrites]

Jealous ll

Part 2!!!! I linked the sone again cause its a bop and I love it also heres pt one!

You had had enough

Thats what you kept telling yourself

As you got ready tonight

You weren't going sit in the house anymore waiting for keigo to show up whenever he felt like it

Tonight you were going out for you

You thought about how you used to have fun, how you used to be happy

And how miserable you had been lately and you decided

If Keigo didnt appreciate you anymore

Then you'd find someone who would

So thats why you found yourself looking in the mirror admiring how well you dressed up tonight to go out

You almost forgot how hot you were when you put in a little effort

You had originally stopped because keigo would tell you how beautiful and perfect you were without make up or anything

But now you were on the prowl for someone new to notice you and keigo's words meant little to nothing to you right now

Tonight you were gonna find someone to show you just a little bit of attention you craved so much and it wasnt going to be keigo

Just then you saw keigo staring at you from the reflection in mirror

he was home unusually eailer

"Dont you have to work?" You asked bitterly

"Where are you going?" He asked ignoring your statement

Sighed and rolling your eyes and picking up your purse you turned to him before leaving the bedroom, "Out. You don't have to wait up for me."

"You're being ridiculous y/n."

He said following you but you ignored him

"Y/n? Y/n?" He kept calling you, "You cant just go out an-"

"And why not?" You turned to him before you left the apartment, "according to you were not even really dating-"

"You know why that is." He told you seriously

You huffed out a fake laugh, "yeah, but its still okay for you to flirt with anyone?"

Keigo didnt respond to that making you chuckle, "Exactly...like I said im going out dont wait up." Then you slammed the door leaving.

You knew you were being unreasonable with him

You knew the two of you needed to just talk and make up

But you kept letting your anger from all your arguments cloud your judgment

Because you just wanted him to feel the same hurt and jealously you had been feeling more then anything

Keigo stared at the door you had just slammed

Things somehow got worse in the following days after your argument on your anniversary

You refused to talk to him

He tried to apologize to you but you basically brushed him off

Keigo wasn't sure what to think you said you hated him, you wouldnt sleep in the bed with him

Yet you hadn't packed up and left so that was good right?

But that distance that was growing between the two of you was wider then before

And he didnt know what to do to fix it

And now you were going out clearly dressed to find someone else

Did you really hate him? Had you really had enough of him?

Hell, he couldnt even blame you if you did he thought

You had put up with so much of him up until now

And maybe some of what you said the other night was true? Had he gotten too comfortable with you always being there?

But that was only because he loved you

Keigo was truly in love with you, and dispite you suspensions he never cheated on you

And he would never do that, you were the only one he wanted even now when you two seemed to be at each others throats

He still wanted you, and he couldn't picture his life without you

So thats why he ended up following you to the bar you were currently at

He made sure you hadnt noticed him staying in the back out of your sight

And he hated what he saw

He saw you having fun

You had met up with some of your girlfriends the three of you all laughing and drinking

You acting like you didnt have a care in the world, like the two of you didnt argue before you left out

Having a good time as if you didnt leave him alone in the house

He watched you dancing as though you were having the time of your life as other mean stared and gawked at you

He watched as a guy singled you out and was clearly flirting with you

And worst you let him and was encouraging him

You kept touching his shoulder laughing at his jokes letting him dance against you

Words couldnt describe the irritation he felt watching

He wanted nothing more then to rip that mans hands off you and fly away with you in his arms

But part of him felt like he deserved this

This feeling he had, was it how you felt?

If so he needed to fix this, was all that he could think

And he was about to go to you, but before he could someone called out his name

"Hey! Hawks is here!"

Fuck he said to himself when a crowd started to form around him

His eyes then connected with yours knowing you heard he was here

And for a moment he thought you were gonna come up to him

But instead you kept talking to the random guy ignoring him

Hawks wanted to go to you and talk to just take you back home

But was having trouble getting away from the crowd

He was all smiles talking to his fans but the whole time he kept his eyes on you

But somehow it became a battle to see who was going to be more stubborn

You continued to dance with the random guy, but now you knew keigo was here watching you

You convinced yourself not to care, you came here to have fun and he wasnt going to ruin it for you

But thats just what he was doing as you watched him talk to some random girl now

He was here to get under you skin, you were sure of it

But two could play this little game

Both of you having this little war with each other watching each other from across the room

And you couldnt lie you were enjoying it a bit

Seeing his eyes watching you, knowing he had to be feeling the sting of jealousy as another man held you close

But It all came to a head when you saw the girl he was dancing with lips on his neck

He wasnt looking at you when you saw that all his attention clearly on her

You couldn't deny the sharp feeling in your chest at the sight

And not wanting to see anymore you left the dance floor telling the guy you needed to go to the bathroom

Hawks pulled away from the handsy fan

Denying anymore of her advances

Yeah he had been trying to get under your skin now but thats was a bit much

But now when he looked up to find you again, only to see you were gone

His stomach sank

Where did you go? You had to had just seen that?

Did you leave with that guy? Hawks started to panic when he didnt seem him either

Where did you go? Why was he being so stupid just now? He should have just went to talk to you

Just then keigo noticed the guy you had been flirting with at the bar and went up to him

"The girl you were dancing with? Where'd she go?"

The guy looked at him like he was crazy "whats it too you?" He challenged him

But keigo wasnt in a playful mood and grabbed the man by the collar, "Answer the question asshole."

The guy quickly put his hands up in defeat, "she just said-

"Hawks?"

He heard his name called out and looked behing him to see you

"What are- you are so unbelievable." Yku shook your head storming off

You couldn't believe him he had the audacity to attack the guy you had been talking to

It didnt take much thought to figure out why

And it annoyed you to no end

So keigo could flirt and let girls kiss all over him but if you had a guy around you that was too much

He was such a hypocrite

You were angry your whole way back home

You stood in the mirror once you got back

But with a different feeling in your stomach then the feeling you had before you left

You felt defeated your plans of fun had been ruined and you felt like your back in the same spot you had been in

Hawks was giving you a little bit of space taking his time getting back home

Because now you were probably madder than before at him

When hr got in he saw you had just got out the shower

"Y/n..."

You heard him call out your name But you ignored him

Y/n, you have to listen to me."

You werent going to turned around but before you knew it he hugged you from behind

"Im sorry."

"Let go of me hawks." You spat out but he didnt budge

"Just listen to me y/n..."

"Why are we doing this to each other?" You asked quietly, "Why do you keep hurting me? What are we even doing? It clearly isnt wor-"

"Ive been an idiot, y/n."

Keigo buried his face in your neck, "I've been so stupid, but please please dont leave me."

You were trying to fight back tears, "I dont want to leave you keigo....but I cant-"

"Dont say you can't with me anymore. I need you." Keigo pleaded holding you tighter

You were so frustrated

You still loved him, you still wanted to be with him, because when things are good between you they're great

But the way your relationship had been it was becoming too much

But you wanted to stay with him

Because you loved him

You moved your hands and held on to his arms secretly enjoying his embrace that you missed so much

"I know you mean well keigo-"

"I love you so much y/n," keigo cut you off again, "I know ive been an asshole, ive been neglectful, ive been the worst, but dont give up on me. Please."

You finally turned around to face him and hugged him back

You could see the sincerity in his eyes as you did "I love you too keigo but I just cant do this- we keep hurting each other...thats not what your supposed to do to the people you love."

Keigo pulled back "You want me to tell everyone about us? I will." He told you, "You want me to tell you everything ive been doing I will, I promise you Ill to whatever it takes to fix us. I dont want to live the way we have anymore."

You knew he was serious and your heart leaped hearing his words but you werent sure

"You're the only one I want y/n" he said giving you a light kiss

Almost like he was asking for permission

"Ill do whatever it takes for you to forgive me."

He said inbetween kisses, "you're so important to me, im sorry i made you think you weren't."

You couldnt lie he was finally saying everything you wanted to hear

And you wanted to believe him

"You promise?" You asked him

"I promise."

[prurientpuddlejumper]

Cold Hands

Jackson Neill x Reader

For @storiesofsvu​​​’s Fall Bingo! Requested by @detectivebarba. Followed up in Cozy Sweaters​

Warnings: NSFW (smutty lines, no smut). Angst, cheating, breakup.

OK, so, my fluffy Jackson fics take place in a world where Sarah never happened or after she & Jackson broke up… But what if they didn’t? 

1,800 words

“Here’s another one: ‘Professor Neill is super dreamy. He’s a PILF.’ What’s a PILF?”

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t read these comments. I don’t care,” Jackson replied with irritation. He did, and he does, but he wasn’t going to let some cultist make him out to be an exploitative, charismatic leader.

“But you did ‘eff’ a student, right?”

Jackson laughed nervously under the hot stage lights.

“Any chance you had a sexual relationship with a student you used for a source in your article?” Cal Roberts, the man sitting across the news set from him, raised an eyebrow innocently, reveling in the way his little ace in the hole had Jackson pinned.

“Of course not. That would be unethical.”

“Right, right.”

How the fuck did he find out? When Sarah chose to go back to the Meyerist Movement instead of listening to reason, he didn’t think she would tell anyone. Their fringe movement was dangerous—restrictive to personal freedoms. Letting them know that she was his source would have put her in danger. The fact that one of its leaders knew blindsided him.

He was tense for the rest of the debate, and the cameras picked up on it. He looked like an asshole. The cult won this round as far as the audience was concerned.

As the cameras turned off and the PA came to unclip his mic, Jackson stepped close to Cal and said, low enough not to be overheard, “I did care about her. I do. Tell her I miss her, and I hope she’s OK.”

Guilt over their affair swirled in his gut as he walked off the set—and came to a screeching halt as he ran into you.

You had been sitting in the vacant live-audience area to watch the filming, but you were standing now, as if you’d gotten up to meet him but froze halfway there and were just… staring. Your eyes were dull.

“Who was he talking about?” you asked in a small voice.

Anger he could have handled. His ex-wife was always screaming at him for his screw-ups. But this was something worse.

He could have placated you with lies. Told you that everything with Sarah was before he met you, but you were too clever for that—too interested in his research not to realize when he started using her as a source. Besides, you didn’t deserve to be lied to again. If he hoped to salvage his relationship with you, then you deserved the truth from now on.

“Listen, let’s just… go home and talk.”

You silently nodded.

***

A thick silence haunted the car ride home, punctuated only by the howl of autumn wind through the dark city streets.

On the ride to the studio, you had been so animated, helping him prepare for the debate. You would pretend to be a Meyerist and argue against him so Jackson could practice his response. He put his hand on your thigh, and it was so warm. You squealed at his icy fingertips, but instead of batting them away, you shoved them deeper between your thighs. “Someone has to help your bad circulation,” you declared with a grin. “Can’t let you get frostbite.” He could barely focus on the road.

Now, when he tried to say something… to broach the subject… you only stared out the passenger window at the passing streetlights and bare trees.

He reached out to touch you, but you shrugged him off.

***

Jackson couldn’t have known the deafening chaos of that car ride home. His home, not yours, though you had all but moved in. You’d been planning to make it official when your lease was up, but now you would have to renew it.

You’d have to let your roommates know you’d be staying.

All these little thoughts swarmed through your head like post-it notes caught in a cyclone—reminders of a million mundane plans falling apart and being remade. The logistics of separating two entangled lives. Would you take your houseplant back or leave it in Jackson’s kitchen? There was never enough light for it in your apartment.

If you started thinking about the big things—who was the student? How long? How many nights did he say he was working late when he was with them?—then you might fall apart.

The car was silent, but inside your head was an endless dark roar.

Jackson parked in the driveway, and without a word, you began wandering through the house like a ghost, picking up your things and packing them up in a plastic garbage bag. Half your wardrobe was here. It should take two trips, but if you had to come back… if you had to see him again, and he asked you to stay, you might be too weak. So you’d have to get everything in one trip.

Your feet shuffled lifelessly into the bathroom to retrieve your toiletries when Jackson squeezed through the door in front of you and blocked the sink.

“Stop. Please. Let’s talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about? I don’t want to know his name.”

The obvious thought was, maybe it wasn’t true. That Meyerist guy would have said anything just to make Jackson look bad. But if that were the case, Jackson would have told you so right away. He didn’t, and he wasn’t even trying to sell you an alternate fiction to exonerate himself. For a cheater, he was honest. Jackson never lied to you, so you used to think. That was why this… this was so unexpected. You never saw it coming.

You tried to get around him, but he kept getting in the way of your toothbrush until you looked at him. “She wasn’t a student. She was participating in one of my classes as a guest speaker. She’s not even enrolled at the university. He made it sound as if—”

“DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT’S THE PART I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH?!” you screamed.

Your anger had been so seething, quiet, you didn’t even realize you were angry until you finally opened your mouth and fury poured out like dragon’s fire. It caught you both by surprise. You shoved past him to grab your toothbrush and marched back out into the master bedroom without another word.

Tears pricked the back of your eyelids. You didn’t like yourself when you lost control like that, especially knowing how his ex had been. How much he flinched at raised voices. Part of you wanted to turn around and hold him, comfort him, apologize. Then you felt sick that that was your first impulse after what he did.

Maybe the bastard deserved it.

“I… just wanted you to know I’m not some kind of… of predator.” He sounded like a child, his voice high and thin.

You turned.

He looked so pathetic standing there in the bathroom with his rumpled shirt hanging off fallen shoulders, his eyes shining wet and desperate.

“Why?” you asked. It was the only question you could ask. The only one that mattered—if it even mattered. You heard your voice breaking as if it were in another room.

“It was just supposed to be research. I chatted her up to learn about the Meyerist Movement… It wasn’t cheating, at first. I never meant to let things go that far. But she was so smart, but vulnerable… I thought I could help her get out. I thought she was ready to leave religion behind, like I did. She was so much like I used to be. Before I knew it, I was falling in love with her. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

Tears escaped your eyes, but you didn’t want them to. You didn’t want him to see you cry over him. “So you love her?”

“No! I love you—I chose you,” he croaked. “It’s been over for a long time. She was only using me to help her research the history of Meyerism. When I realized that...” He took a few steps toward you, but you took one back to stay out of reach.

You let out a bark of cynical laughter. “So I was your fallback? The one who actually cared about you? Supported you? It was too hard having this woman lean on you for help, so you just used me the same way?”

“That… that isn’t—”

“You don’t love me. I’m just a soft place for you to land. If she patiently waited at home for you, you would have left me, wouldn’t you?”

“It was a mistake. The worst mistake of my life. Please...”

“The worst part is, I thought you were better than this. I believed in you. You were always so cuddly and domestic, the kind of guy you settle down with—I thought I finally found a man I could trust.”

“You can. It will never happen again. I’ll spend my whole life making up for it if I have to.”

Unlike the tightly clenched tear ducts on your face, regularly scrubbed dry with the back of your sleeve, Jackson’s tears were freely flowing down his cheeks. He tried to hold you, but you shoved his cold touch away.

It was too late for that. His arms were not comfort anymore.

All you could see was him wrapping those arms around her. All while you were cooking him dinner, being so understanding of his late nights, waiting for him to come home. Never knowing. Never thinking he would betray you.

He must have washed her scent off him. Did he scrub his cock with soap twice just to make sure you wouldn’t taste her on him when you knelt between his knees? Did he think about her hair when he was pulling yours? Imagine her lips wrapped around him?

Was she better than you? Was that why he did it?

Did he finger her the same way, slow and gentle, before fucking her? You wondered if he murmured the same praises, told her she was taking him so well, if he gave that same breathy, “fuck,” just before he came inside her.

Weren’t you enough? What did you do so wrong that he needed to cheat?

Finally, you began to sob. Your whole body rocking, shoulders heaving in big gasping breaths. He took advantage of the moment and hugged you tight, whispering shallow promises meant to be comforting, and you could tell his heart was breaking at the sight of you in pain.

You let him hold you, just for a moment, because it still felt so good—he still felt like home.

But you were sobbing for broken plans. For the apartment lease you would have to renew when you had been looking forward to moving in. For the dog you and Jackson wanted to adopt from the shelter. For the Airbnb you booked in Vermont for leaf-peeping season that would have to be canceled.

His cheating hands felt cold on your back, but you let him hold you a little bit longer, because despite everything, your heart was breaking for him, too.

Because this would be the last time he ever held you.

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● • @beccabarba​ / @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ / @thatesqcrush​ / @dianilaws​ / @permanentlydizzy​ / @mrsrafaelbarba​ / @madamsnape921​ / @astrangegirlsmind​ / @neely1177​ / @onerestein​ / @dreamlover31​ / @isvvc-pvscvl​​  / @shroomiehomie / @storiesofsvu​ / @welcometothemxdhouse​​ / @feedthemadness-sweetie​ / @law-nerd105​ / @amelia-song-pond​ / @michael-rooker​ / @xecq / @madpanda75​ / @alwaysachorusgirl​ / @bananas-pajamas​ / @leanor-min​ / @mad-girl-without-a-box​ / @katierpblogg​ / @worldofvixen​ / @sassyada​ / @detectivebarba​

[brockadoodles]

ho ho hopefully - t. seguin

AN: This is like... PURE fluff. Pure soft, Christmas themed, fluffy fluff with our resident idiot, Segs. But like, kind of what we deserve for Christmas, no? Totally based on the BEST Christmas song in existence, Ho Ho Hopefully, by the Maine. Tagging the seggy queen @texanstarslove​ in this one, since I think she’ll enjoy it. It’s a bit shorter than most, but let me know what you think!

Word Count: 2222

Warnings: None.

December first, I’m in a foreign state, I’m running late, I’m all alone, wishing I was home with you, baby.

It shouldn’t have mattered. It shouldn’t have been a big deal to miss it. It was one year, objectively, you could start on December second, or third, or fourth, or all the way up until Christmas Day and it shouldn’t matter. But there was something about December first, how the first signs of Christmas would start popping up, with lights beginning to pop up on homes and trees slowly starting to be seen in the windows, families decorating together. You probably liked December first more than you even liked Christmas because something about that transitional time from autumn scenery into snow-covered streets that actually made sense was comforting, and with everything going on in your life as of late, the only thing you wanted was to be home on December first, with him.

Tyler knew that December first was special. He knew from the years of knowing and falling in love with you how your eyes lit up at the smallest things, like the first snowfall of the season, even though Vancouver rarely got snow. He knew from the way his own heartbeat faster around you that first year you insisted he help you with a tree, his own love for you he was trying to keep at bay trickling through to the surface. He knew that being home with you was inarguably the one thing you wanted, and there he was stuck in an airport lounge in Boston feeling the farthest away from you he could possibly feel on your favorite day of the year. 

Tyler looked out the window. His eyes were still as he watched the storm get worse and worse outside. Muffled airport announcements in monotone voices announcing delay after delay in flights. Boston was an eight and a half hour flight from Vancouver, and reality was settling in that his chance at maybe, just maybe making it to you with an hour to spare was steadily decreasing with each inch of snow that was falling onto the ground. 

Tyler knew when you started dating that it would be hard. The distance between Dallas and Vancouver was already a hurdle, but the added layer of his career and your own job made the relationship seem nearly impossible. It felt at times like you were two people dangling from a rope, trying to balance too many things at once simply just to be together. But he’d hear your soft voice on the phone, “I can’t wait to see you” murmuring from your lips and it made it all worth it, it made the time difference, the traveling, and the hardships worth it anytime you’d utter those words. 

He wasn’t even entirely sure how it happened, him falling so hard for someone who was almost always half a world away. Everyone in his life cautioned him against it, saying that there was no way it could work, you’re too different of people and too different of lives and it wasn’t rational. But Tyler didn’t care to be rational, because you were his best irrational choice he had ever made, and he knew he was lucky that he got to love you. 

Tyler held his head in his hands and tried to tell himself that it would be okay. He was still getting to see you later that month for Christmas and that was what mattered. But he also couldn’t help being unfathomably irritated at the bad weather that he couldn’t control, the watered-down shitty Dunkin coffee sitting next to him, and the repetitive cycle of delayed flight announcements ruining what was supposed to be an incredible surprise. The Stars had been in Boston finishing up a long road trip where they would now have two days off before a short home stretch of games. The timing had lined up perfectly so that if he flew straight from Boston to Vancouver, he’d get almost two days with you, one of which being your favorite day of the year. But now as he sat in the terminal, the hope of seeing you just kept dwindling bit by bit, and he was coming to the deafening realization that maybe it just wasn’t meant to work out. 

“Any news?” Tyler turned his head quickly at the voice coming from his left. Jamie sat down next to his teammate with a soft frown on his face. Tyler just shook his head and took a sip of his coffee, growing more irritated by the minute. The only thing getting him through it was knowing that even though his surprise was crumbling, you at least couldn’t be disappointed in it since you had no idea he was even planning to come in the first place. But what Tyler didn’t know was that Jamie Benn loved a lot of things, one of which being a classic romantic Christmas surprise, and you had been scheming up a surprise of your own. 

It was a last minute surprise, an idea that you had panickingly called Jamie over just the week prior. You had been going through what might have been the worst day you’d had in months, one of those days where every single event felt like the worst thing in the world. You remember curling up on your couch and crying as you looked through the calendar and Tyler’s schedule, trying to piece together how you could swing a surprise visit between their pre-Christmas packed schedule and your own lack of vacation time from work. It felt like the pieces weren’t fitting, and you were desperate to try. So that’s when you called Jamie, and he patiently combed through the practice schedule with you, helped you book a flight and promised to keep it an absolute secret from your boyfriend. 

The thing that Tyler didn’t know was that you were also sitting in an airport terminal with a shitty coffee in your hand, waiting anxiously for a flight of your own, the first flight of two that in six and a half hours time would land you back in the lone star state. The main difference was that there was no snow where you were, and all that you had to do was board the plane and show up, Jamie said he would take care of the rest. 

You had everything worked out, Jamie had made sure he wouldn’t suspect anything, his dog sitter knew when you were coming, and you had even packed a goofy Christmas sweater for him to wear while you hopefully decorated together. Long-distance with him was hard, but when the schedule seemed to allow for a quick visit, you gladly took what you could get, willingly ready to be tired from the flights even if it meant just a few hours with him. 

Each visit you found yourself breaking more and more when it ended, the days between were starting to feel dreaded. Your work was no longer enjoyable. It felt like you were stagnant in Vancouver, with most of your heart nestled safely in whatever city Tyler happened to be in that night. If you were honest with yourself, you knew that this was going to burn out, the distance was going to take its toll on the both of you, and sitting in that airport ready to go see him for the first time in a few weeks, you found yourself thinking for the first time about the idea of not coming back to Vancouver. 

Your phone rang in your hand, Tyler’s photo filling up the screen. You set your coffee down and slid your thumb across to answer, smiling slightly in excitement.

“Hey.” you hummed, hoping that your headphones would drown out any announcements about flights that were periodically coming through the speakers around you. The airport was busy, as was to be expected this time of year, but you had worked hard to keep this a secret from him and the last thing you wanted was a muffled airport announcement blowing the surprise fifteen minutes before you were set to get on a fight. 

“Hi, baby.” He sighed. You could tell something was off, you could always tell. You and Tyler knew each other so well, the distance between you forcing you both to pick up on things between each other. The things that were highs and the shifts in tone that indicated something was wrong, you both knew. You had memorized all of his little habits, from the typical stuff like how he preferred apples in his oats or how he had to nap at the same time before every game, to the things that people who didn’t know him didn’t have the privilege to see. Like the way he lit up when his sisters would call, or how he was really hard on himself, even when he shouldn’t be. You just knew him, all of his good things and all of his flaws and you loved him endlessly through all of it. You frowned slightly and opened your mouth to speak but he started before you could.

“I’m heading back to Dallas. Our flight was delayed, big snowstorm here.” He groaned. He hated that he was telling you this without entirely telling you why he was upset. But Jamie was next to him, and even if Tyler didn’t want to believe that he was right, deep down he knew the surprise wasn’t going to work, and as much as it sucked, he needed to just go back to Dallas and accept the fact that he would have to wait a few more weeks to see you not through a phone screen. 

“I just really fucking miss you.” He admitted and your heart cracked. You could hear in his voice how bad it was, and it only strengthened the feeling of stopping all of the distance between you altogether. 

“I miss you, too, bub. But, only a couple of more weeks.” You raised the tenor of your voice a bit, hoping that it would get him a bit excited about Christmas together. 

“Yeah, wish it was sooner, though.” 

You talked with Tyler for a few more minutes, tapping your foot slightly as you waited for your boarding number to be called. When you ended the call and boarded your flight, that feeling came back. The feeling of wondering if Vancouver could really truly be your home anymore when half of your soul was in Dallas. You spent the whole flight thinking about it, even though deep down you had no doubts about your decision. All it took to confirm it was his strained voice on the other end of the line, the pent of frustrations he was feeling about missing you just as much as you missed him. 

Tyler carried his bags through the entryway, exhaustion finally setting in right next to his already bad mood. Gerry, Marshall, and Cash came running up to him, excited to see him and lifting his spirits just enough as he greeted them and then combed through his mail that was sitting on the table. He tossed his bags down and kicked off his shoes, not wanting to bother with taking them upstairs yet. He knew that the dog sitter had left, he had told her when he was coming in. He was honestly looking forward to just relaxing on his couch, face-timing you, and going to sleep. He was supposed to be in Vancouver, walking up to your door and seeing you, and he didn’t have it in him to not sulk about that. 

He walked toward the kitchen, freezing a bit when he saw bags of Christmas decorations on the counter. He poked around, sifting through the various bags wondering who had dropped them off or if he had somehow placed an order for Christmas decorations that he forgot about. He got to one bag, a small brown one with a ribbon on the side. It was probably a gift, but when he saw the note with his name scribbled on the front he quickly opened it. 

We go together like the winter and a sweater <3 

He recognized your handwriting immediately as he opened the bag, pulling out a bright red sweater, laughing softly at the horrible snow-related Christmas pun that was screen printed on the front. He felt warm at how you somehow must have known he needed the pick me up. He kept combing through the bags, various ornaments, and knickknacks, and other decors were littered throughout them. He knew it was you, he wasn’t sure how you coordinated this but he knew you were the reason it looked like Christmas was about to throw up in his kitchen. He smiled a bit, his bad mood lifting when he realized what this probably meant. You probably wanted to decorate on facetime together, a compromise for not being able to actually be with each other and the idea melted his heart. 

Tyler walked over to the fridge, cracking open a beer as he unlocked his phone to call you. As the phone was ringing, the dogs started barking like crazy, running back from the kitchen to the front door. He didn’t think much of it until he nearly dropped his phone when he heard your voice. 

“Shh, shh, hi boys. Hi! Oh my gosh, hi Gerry.” You laughed, petting each of the dogs as you walked further into the house. You had takeout in your hands and were so focused on not dropping it from the dog’s excitement that you didn’t even realize Tyler’s bags were sitting against the wall in the entryway.

“You’re here.” You jumped at the sound of his voice, smiling big as he walked over to where you were standing. You were wearing one of his sweatshirts, his name sprawled across your back, a sight that he never grew tired of seeing and you were carrying bags of what appeared to be take out in your arms. You had slippers on and your hair up, an indication of how relaxed you were. He couldn’t help but internally groan, seeing how comfortable you were in his house, the one he wanted to be your home, too. You quickly set the food on the kitchen table, meeting him halfway. He pulled you in tight and you listened to his heart beating against your ear. 

“Fuck, I can’t believe you’re really here. I was going to surprise you.” He whispered, tilting your head up to kiss you. You smiled into the kiss, your heart already telling you what you needed to talk to him about. You didn’t have any doubts about it anymore. Dallas was where you needed to be. It was where Tyler needed you to be, and standing there in his kitchen with Christmas decorations littered all around you and him holding you like this, you were ready. Every buildup to this moment had led you here, in slippers in his kitchen ready to ask him to take another step with you, hoping that he’d grab your hand as he did so. 

“I’m really here. Jamie actually helped, he made sure I could get in and made sure you had no idea.” Tyler had never been more appreciative of his best friend. He should have known Jamie would have a hand in a surprise like this, this had secret softie Jamie Benn written all over it, and he adored you, often warning Tyler not to fuck it up with you. 

“Remind me to thank him, because wow. Best surprise ever, honestly.” He melted into you. He didn’t care if it was cheesy, or something straight from a bad Christmas movie. He’d watch 100 of those Lifetime movies because the feeling he was experiencing now with you in his arms was probably the exact emotion those cliche Christmas films tried to convey. 

“Tyler, I wanted to ask you something.” You said, pulling back just enough to look at him.

“Anything.” He kissed you once more, still in disbelief that you had pulled off a surprise when his had fallen so flat. 

“I don’t want to do this anymore, the missed calls, the flights, all of it. I just want to be here, all the time with you.” You smiled. Your stomach was bubbling with nerves as you studied his face for any reaction or reason that maybe he wasn’t ready for that yet. It would be complicated, figuring out how to actually stay in Dallas and be together. But a strenuous Visa application was the least of your worries if it meant that you’d finally get to be with him. Tyler grinned, picking you up and setting you on the table, kissing you hard as he stood between your legs. 

“Please tell me that means you want to move here.” He mumbled against your lips. You just kissed him once more. 

“There’s nothing else I want. Well I kind of want the food I brought, and maybe we could decorate for Christmas since it’s my favorite day, but like, definitely want to move here the most.” You laughed slightly as you spoke. Tyler just smiled at you, a breathtaking, heartfelt smile that made butterflies swirl around in your stomach. It was an exciting step in your relationship, and you couldn’t help but think about how much you loved December first again, this time for a new reason, because now it was the signifier in a new start with the person you loved. You didn’t care that it was only December first, because to you, this was better than anything you could have received on Christmas Day. 

[lost-in-the-80s]

City Of Angels

Pairing: Axl Rose x reader

Words: 3,820k

Requested by: anon

Summary: You and Axl have been friends since childhood, but you haven’t seen each other since he left Lafayette. What would happen if the two of you met again, years later, at the city of angels? (fluff)

A/N: Dear anon, I hope you like it! <3 

Tag list: @roger-taylors-car @ladieswttda @teasid @metalheartofgold @slashscowboyboots @ginny-rose-sixx @rumoured-whispers @normatural @bigdaddylars​ add yourself to my taglist :)

“Fucking hell.” Axl complained as he walked down the streets of Los Angeles, he didn’t know where he was going, he had no plans that night. 

He was angry and upset, he didn’t know the reason too, he had just yelled at his drummer and realized that he needed to disappear for a while to get rid of that heavy feeling in his heart. He needed to calm down. 

The sun started to set, spreading orange and pink tones all over the city, and he would’ve been able to see its beauty if he wasn’t so irritated. 

He stopped at a corner, taking a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one. Tons of people passed by him, going to one way or another and he couldn’t help but feel lost. 

He had left his home three years ago, coming to the city of angels to chase his dream of being in a successful band, and even though he had a band, it seemed that his dreams were always out of hand reach. His band worked really hard, going from gig to gig and never complaining, not even when they had nowhere to live, or nothing to eat, but still, the so-called success seemed to be so far away.

“Fuck” He sighed blowing out some smoke.

Throwing the remains of his cigarette on the floor, he crossed the street, stopping abruptly when the smell of apple pie got his nostrils. He felt his stomach growl. How many hours since he had last eaten? Six? Seven? He couldn’t tell. 

Looking inside he saw a 60s inspired cafe, with light pink walls and white furniture, inside there were a few customers as well as three waitresses, with their mint green dresses. 

Searching for his wallet he sighed in relief when he saw a ten dollar bill inside. At least he could eat. 

Opening the glass door, a bell rang and all the customers looked at him for a second before focusing their attention on their food again. Inside the cafe, the smell was even stronger, making his stomach growl again. 

Taking a table at the end of the establishment, he waited until a waitress around his age came towards his table. Her hair was up in a bun and she had white nail polish on her nails, there was something about the way she walked that seemed familiar to him. 

“Good evening, how can I help you?” She was looking at her notepad but her voice made him realize it, it was Y/N, Axl had no doubt about that. 

The two of them had been friends ever since they were children, she lived in the house beside his in Lafayette, and every time his stepfather went too harsh on him, he’d run to her house and sit on her white fluffy area rug, feeling safe for at least a few hours. 

They weren’t similar though, to be honest, they were the complete opposite from each other, but music always linked the two of them together. Both of them used to sing at the church’s choir and as they grew up the two of them fell in love with Zeppelin. 

To be fair, Zeppelin wasn’t the only thing they fell in love with, since they fell for each other, but their friendship and their differences always stopped both of them from making a move. 

She was sweet and delicate and lived in a pink world, not that her life had been easy, her parents always demanded a lot from her and she never had a day without being judged or pressured by them, but she always saw the bright side of the story. And if you asked Axl, he’d tell you that she was the definition of what an angel should be.

And he? Well, he was brut and angry, a kid born with no future, a kid born with nothing to lose but himself. He came from a violent home and even though singing hadn’t been his own choice, that was one of the few things that he could use to express himself, and even with his constant pressure on himself for being optimistic, he had to admit that he sometimes just saw the bad side of everything. And if you asked Axl, he’d tell you that he was the definition of chaos.

He always thought the two of them shouldn’t be close, always thought that she should stay away from him, but he was selfish and the calmness and safety she passed him were too good for him to be able to part ways from her. 

As teens, they would spend hours walking around in a nearby forest, they had a place there, a place they liked to call theirs, it was by the river, and every sunny day they’d bring a blanket and lay there, watching the clouds until the sunset. 

He could still remember the last time they had been there, it wasn’t sunny, on the opposite, it was raining, and she had heard screams coming from a discussion in his house and opened her window, waiting for when he’d climb it and lay his head on her lap, while she’d run her fingers through his hair to calm him down. 

But he didn’t even go in that direction, going straight to the forest, making her realize that something serious had happened. Jumping out of her window, she chased him all the way until they reached the river, the heavy rain hitting the water disabling them from listening to anything other than the rain. 

“Billy!” She shouted over the rain, and he turned around, facing her, her hair was all soaked, as well as her clothes, and he thought that he probably looked the same way. 

“Not now, Y/N!” He gesticulated with his arm before turning around. 

“Hey, talk to me!” She touched his shoulder, but he didn’t look, still facing the river. 

She moved, stopping in front of him. “What happened?” She seemed worried as she tried to take her wet locks away from her face. 

He looked into her eyes, but he had no words. “I’m leaving.”  He shouted over the rain.

“What?” She frowned

“I’m going to L.A.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow.” 

“What? Why?” She couldn’t believe what was happening. 

“There’s nothing for me here.” 

Ouch.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then he cupped her face with both hands, trying to catch all her attention. 

“Come with me!” 

“What?” 

“Come with me to California! Fuck this place, let’s go together, just you and me!”

“You know I can’t.”

He growled, letting go of her face and pacing around before asking: “Why?”

“My life is here, Billy, my parents would never accept this.”

“Fuck your parents!” He yelled, making her widen her eyes. “Fuck them! They will spend your entire life manipulating you, making you kill your dreams so that you can fulfill theirs, and you know that! You know that I’m right!” 

She opened her mouth, but no words came out of it. 

“What about your dreams of being a painter? Huh? What happened to that little girl who loved painting?” 

“It’s not like that. You know I would starve as a painter, no one can pay their bills by painting.”

“That’s bullshit! That’s what your parents want you to believe!” He stopped in front of her again, calming his tone of voice. “Please, Y/N, come with me.”

“I- I can’t.” 

So in the next morning, with all his stuff packed, he waited for the bus that would drive him to Los Angeles, he hated leaving her behind, but she had made her choice, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

The bus parked and he was about to climb its stairs when her voice yelling his name caught his attention. He stopped in his tracks, turning around to see her running towards him. 

She enveloped him in a hug, letting go of the floor for a few seconds, almost making the two of them fall. He dropped his bag on the floor, hugging her back, smelling deeply on her perfume and smiling. Maybe she changed her mind, he thought.

“I knew you would change your mind.” He said when they parted ways. 

But his smile faded as soon as he saw the sadness in her eyes, she wasn’t coming. 

“I’m sorry, Billy.” She tried to smile. 

“It’s okay, don’t be sad.” He caressed her face, trying to keep a normal expression, at least to avoid her from crying. “Take care of yourself, ok?” He removed his hand from her face, picking up his bag and turning around. 

“Wait.” She grabbed his arm, making him stop. 

He looked at her as she removed her necklace, a simple and delicate golden chain with her initial letter on it. “Take it with you.” She placed it in his hand, holding herself not to cry. 

He looked at the material for a while, before leaning in and kissing her forehead. “Goodbye, Y/N.”

He turned around and entered the bus. 

“Goodbye, Billy.” She whispered as a single tear left her eye when the bus drove down the street. 

And now, looking at her right in front of him, he couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. 

 He was taking a long time to reply, so she raised her head, ready to repeat her question when her eyes met his and a huge smile took over her face.

“Billy.” She whispered.

“Hello, Y/N.” He got up, and before he could think, her arms were around him.  

Someone clearing their throat in the background made them pull apart from each other. 

Looking to the side Axl saw an old lady with her nose crisped as she pointed at Y/N with a pen. She mouthed a “Sorry.” towards the lady before turning towards Axl.

“I can’t really talk now, but I’m free in one and a half hours, if you want to wait for me…” She bit her bottom lip, afraid that he’d say no and she wouldn’t ever see him again. 

“Oh sure, I’ll be right here….” He sat down again, looking at the table and grabbing the newspaper that was on top of it. “reading the newspaper.” He smiled at her. 

“Oh, okay then.” She returned the smile, turning around and starting to move behind the counter, before coming back to the table. 

“Ah sorry, I forgot to ask what do you want to eat?” She giggled and Axl smiled again, he had missed that sound. 

“Apple pie.” 

“Sure! Want some coffee too?”

“Sounds great to me.”

“Ok, I’ll be right back.” 

And that one and half hour seemed to pass by in just a few minutes, watching her kept him entertained enough to didn’t even see the time passing by.

She returned from the kitchen with a denim jacket in her hands as she walked towards him. 

“My shift’s over, lets go?”

“Ah, sure!” He got up, placing the money on the table and following her outside. 

They walked for a few minutes before they sat down at a bench on the sidewalk.

“You look so handsome.” She whispered, touching his face lightly. 

Axl leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again.” 

“Me neither, I spent a good while trying to find you and Jeff, but never found anything.” She shrugged. 

“It’s probably because nobody knows us by those names.”

She frowned. 

“I’m Axl now, and everybody calls him Izzy.” 

“Axl.” She repeated, seeing as his eyes shone with happiness. “It suits you better than Bill.” She giggled. “But I can’t promise not to get confused in the first days.”

“It’s ok, you can call me whatever you want.” He smiled. “For how long have you been here?” 

“Little more than a year.” 

“Fuck, so you’ve been around for more than a year and I had never seen you.” He shook his head. 

“It’s fine, everything has the right time to happen.” She smiled softly. 

“What happened to your Lafayette plans?” 

“I thought my life was there, I was happy and thought that I had everything I needed there, but after you left nothing seemed good enough, after you left nothing made sense anymore, especially living there.”

“Didn’t your parents freak out?”

“What do you think?” She laughed lightly. “But they couldn’t stop me, I had some saved money and was an adult, so I simply packed my stuff and left while they were in church.”

He laughed lightly, before reaching inside his shirt and holding a thin golden chain, the necklace she had given him, making her gasp. "I’ve been using it every day." He smiled slightly.

"I can't believe you still have it." She leaned closer, touching the pendant for a few seconds before returning to her previous position.

“And how are things going for you here?”

Axl’s lips turned into a thin line. “Things have been kinda rough, I got a band, this is actually my third band here, but it’s not easy to survive without a label.”

“Is it too difficult to get a label?”

“Yeah, we had an offer last month, but they wanted to change lots of things, we would stop being us, you know?” 

She nodded slowly.

“We have a meeting with another label next week, let’s hope they have a better deal.”

“They will, I’m sure about it.” She reached out, touching his hand. 

“Where do you live here?” 

“I share an apartment with the two other waitresses, it’s 10 minutes walking from here. What about you?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s complicated, we don’t have an official place yet, we’re staying at Izzy’s girlfriend’s apartment this month.” 

“Oh, I see. So he’s got a girlfriend.” She smiled. 

“Yes, her name’s Angela, she’s nice.”

“That’s good to hear, Jeff, I mean, Izzy has always been a nice guy.” 

“Yeah.”

“What about you, found yourself a girl?”

“I found one, a long time ago, but she never wanted me.” He looked straight into her eyes, burning her soul.

“She must be dumb then.” She smiled, touching his shoulder to comfort him, trying to hide her sadness.

“Yeah, she must be.” He shook his head. “You know what? I should introduce you to the rest of the guys, they’re gonna love you, and Izzy’s gonna be happy to see you again.” 

“Re-really? You want me to meet them?”

“Yeah! Why not?”

“O-Okay then.”

“Do you have any plans on Saturday?”

She shook her head. “Nope, it’s my free day.”

“We have a gig at The Roxy, ever heard of?” 

She nodded. “I saw a few gigs there.”

“Nice! Our gig starts at 2 am, but they’ll have bands playing all night. You should come over.”

She widened her eyes about the time, but agreed on going nonetheless. 

So here she was, entering The Roxy at 9 o’clock on Saturday, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top, she moved among the countless people inside, until she found a nice spot near the stage. 

Three bands played before Axl’s band and she had to admit that was having a good time, the bands were good, but her stomach flipped and twitched with butterflies just with the thought of seeing Axl again. 

His band came on stage and his eyes scanned the place until he found her, smiling in her direction. 

Guns n Roses, as they called themselves, were amazing, way better than the previous bands from that night, and even though she was slightly sleepy because of how late it was, she enjoyed every minute of it. 

Every chance he got, Axl moved near her, singing the lyrics to her, and looking at her at every moment to see her reaction towards his band and the ways he swayed onstage. 

The gig was finally over, another band took their spot and Guns n Roses moved backstage, but not before Axl could give her a gesture to go backstage with them. 

The place was the size of a normal living room, there were two dark purple velvet couches and one four armchairs with a black area rug, the walls were filled with pictures from bands that had played there and there was a large table full of booze near one of the windows. 

Members from the previous bands were everywhere, drinking, smoking and making out with girls, her eyes widened when she saw one of the vocalists receiving a blowjob at one of the couches, making her turn her head in the other direction, ending up facing Axl.

“Hey, sorry, I know this place’s a mess right now.”

“It’s ok,” she managed to say, even though she wasn’t comfortable there at all.

“Come, I’ll introduce you to them.” He offered her his hand, which she happily took. They walked to the other side of the room, avoiding the people who were in the middle of the way, until they stopped in front of the other couch, sitting there were his other bandmates.

“Y/N, these are Slash, Duff, Steven and you already know Izzy.” He pointed to each one of them. “Guys, this is Y/N.”

They all waved or said “hi”. They seem friendly, she thought.

“Wanna beer?” Duff asked as he got up. 

“Uh… sure.”

“Come, let’s sit there.” Axl pointed to a free armchair, where they had to squeeze to sit together. 

Soon enough, Duff came back with a beer for each one of them, before sitting in his previous place. 

And together, Y/N and Axl engaged in conversation and didn’t even see the time passing by, they didn’t feel tired, they didn’t feel lost, they felt at home, and that was the moment that the two of them realized that all these years, home had never been Lafayette, home had always been the two of them.

Even the guys noticed it, it was obvious, really, the way their eyes shone when they spoke to each other, the way they smiled all the time and how in peace they seemed to be. Even with the loud music and the stink of sweat and alcohol, they seemed to be fair away, in a warm and safe place, just the two of them. 

“I’m thirsty, do you want something to drink?” Axl asked, getting up. 

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” 

Nodding he moved towards the booze table, leaving her with an uncomfortable expression as she looked at the boys. 

“You didn’t change a thing,” Izzy spoke up.

“Your hair is longer.” She noted.

“Yeah.” He gave a nasal laugh. “It’s good to have you back Y/n/N, Axl’s better when you’re around.”

She smiled, feeling her cheeks burn as the other boys looked at her. “It’s good being around again.” 

Izzy focused on his cigarette again and Y/N looked back, trying to find Axl, he was talking to a blonde girl, she was touching him every few seconds, it was noticeable that she was into him. 

He probably wants to go home with her and I’m stopping him from doing so. She thought, as another wave of sadness took her.

“I think I’m going home.” She got up, stretching her jeans.

“Now? Won’t you wait for Axl at least?” Izzy asked. 

“Nah, he’s busy and I have to work early tomorrow. Tell him I said goodbye.” She started to walk. 

“It was really nice meeting you guys, I loved your gig!” She smiled, before opening the back door and leaving the place.

Outside, a cool breeze involved her, making her hug herself to try to keep her warm. She sighed before starting to walk down the street. 

“He’ll always see you just like a friend.” She mumbled to herself as she turned in a corner. 

On backstage, Axl came back, but found Y/N nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Y/N?” He asked.

“She left.” Slash replied.

“What? When?”

“A few minutes ago.”

“Fuck.” He sat down, running his fingers through his hair in an exasperated way. 

“Axl, go after her!” Izzy spoke up, catching his attention. “Ever since I know you that you like this girl, don’t let her go away, go find her.”

“Seriously, man, even we noticed the way you look at each other.”

Axl leaned against the armchair. “She would never want me like that. We are too different.”

“Bullshit,” Slash said.

“You don’t know her, man.”

“But I do, so listen to me:” Izzy started. “How many years have you wasted because of this stupid fear of rejection? Go after her and tell her how you feel before it’s too late, dumbass!” 

He said nothing, just placed his beer on the floor and thought for a few seconds, before standing up quickly and leaving the bar, running down the street as fast as he could. 

He ran until he started to feel tired and her figure showed up at the end of the street, hugging herself from the cold wind as she walked slowly towards her place. 

Jogging a little, he removed his leather jacket, placing it on her shoulders, making her jump startled. 

“It’s not polite to leave without saying goodbye.” He stopped in front of her, making her stop moving. 

“I told Izzy to say goodbye to me.” She moved to the side, trying to keep on walking, but Axl blocked her again.

“Why did you leave?”

“I thought I was stopping you from getting all the girls.” She replied simply, she was too tired and sad to keep on lying.

“Then you really are dumb after all.” He laughed slightly.

“What?” 

“I would never want them. You know why?”

“Because you are….” She stopped, thinking for a while and she widened her eyes before saying. “gay!?”

“No, idiot, because I love you.”

Her mind went numb for a second, and her brain just started working again when she felt his lips delicately press against hers for a few seconds before moving away. 

“Wait, are you telling me that you love me? Like love love? Not as in friends?” 

“Yess, dumbass, I love love you.” He laughed again, leaning in to kiss her again, but she stopped him. 

“Wait! Since when?”

“Since we were 15 or so.” He smiled, leaning in, just to be stopped one more time. 

“So you’re telling me that all this time we could’ve been together!” 

“Basically.” He shrugged.

“But-” He rolled his eyes.

“Will you let me kiss you or not?” 

She giggled, “I think you need a little more patience, Mr. Bailey.” 

He rolled his eyes at the sound of his last name, before leaning in and finally kissing her lips. She moved her hands to his face and his hands found her waist, bringing her closer to deepen the kiss. 

“I love love you too.” She said when they pulled apart. 

“Good to know.” He smiled before involving her in another passionate kiss.

[jaehyunspeachparty]

9. If Santa would know this… (m)

"Are we really supposed to go in there?" You stood with Johanna in front of the sex shop and look at the shop in disbelief. It didn't look like a real sex shop, but you had never really visited one in Korea. "Yes! I'm single now and my vibrator has stopped working." Johanna quickly pulled you into the shop and you try to meet her quickly. "Thank God the twins are with Mia. I couldn't have taken them with me," you say and Johanna rolled her eyes. "This is a child-free zone, which means that we are not talk about the children here too." Johanna went straight to the shelf where there is a large selection of vibrators. You had a massager, but somehow you never dared use a vibrator. "Wow okay, they actually look really pretty," you say and stroke the dark red silicone with the gold handle. "This is our luxury model. It can be easily charged via USB and lasts up to 30 hours." Suddenly there was a saleswoman with you and she smiled friendly. "And it's waterproof. So perfect for the bathtub," she said with a wink. You look at the dildo and you don't quite know what to think of it. "It looks so abstract," you say and Johanna laughed. "Where do you live, Y/N? Have you never seen a vibrator?" "Well, yes ..." You got kind of shy. You never really bothered with it. "No worries. We have women who don't come to us until they are 60 years old. It's never too late to start." The saleswoman was really cute. She looked so innocent and never thought she would work in a sex shop. "When I had toys, I got them as a present. But I've never had anything like that. I don't know how to use it." You look at the dildo again and it fascinated you. "This is a rabbit vibrator. It can be inserted very gently vaginally while the smaller stimulation arm lies on the clitoris. This can also be massaged with the thicker end of the shaft before insertion. If you want, you can use a water-based lubricant that makes things easier There are 2 motors that are controlled independently of each other. After just one push of a button, 7 varied vibration programs give you new feelings and intense orgasms. " "Okay wow. That sounds intense," you say and you're close to buying this. "Yes, intensive is the right word. I think I'll take that," says Johanna and immediately took a pack. "It sounds good, but I'm not sure ..." you confess, and it irritates you. "Why? It's just for fun." Johanna laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, my sex life is actually very good. I only used my massager during the time when Jaehyun wasn't there that often," you whisper and Johanna laughed. "That has nothing to do with it. It's just self-love, like a face mask. Even if Johnny fucked me good all night, I satisfied myself. It's more about that there is a time for myself and for me to relax." Johanna was right about what she said. This would be a nice change in the bathtub. So you decide to buy it. You also buy a lubricant. "Perfect. I am sure that you will have a lot of fun with it. And because it is Christmas now, all of our customers will get a present." The saleswoman packed your things and took out another small box. "What is that?" You ask and she smiled. "These are anal plugs in three different sizes. They fit really perfectly and enable stretching and training by wearing them. This not only simplifies anal intercourse, but also make sex much nicer and more intense. In there are the sizes S and M and you can wear them for as long as you want - whether shortly before anal intercourse to relax and stretch the anus, or longer to train." The cute little saleswoman smiled innocently and you never really know how to react in front of her. "Oh perfect ... thanks," you say uncertainly. "You can make your husband happy, because he loves anal so much." Johanna grinned and you blushed. You once told her that Jaehyun was sometimes really crazy about anal sex. "Well then it's perfect," says the saleswoman and smiled. "Okay these are my things." Johanna put the things on the table and took out her wallet. "If you buy something small, you will also get the butt plugs for free," said the saleswoman again. "No, I'm just divorced. That's enough for me." Johanna winked and the saleswoman nodded and packed the things.

When you came back, you put the dildo in a drawer. But in the next moment Jaehyun was already there. "Hey ..." He hugged you from behind and kissed your neck. "What do you have there?" He asked and you quickly close the drawer. "Johanna took me to the sex shop," you say and turn to him. "And you bought us something nice?" He asked, pointing to the bag in your hands. You nod and open the bag. Jaehyun pulled out the first part. "Lubricant ... always good," he said, grinning. Then he took the next box out of the bag and this time his eyes widened. "Wow. Is that my Christmas present?" Jaehyun grinned and looked at the butt plugs. "Well, we can try something different." You shrug your shoulders. Jaehyun was totally fascinated and barely took his eyes off. "Do you have any idea what we can do with it?" You ask and look up at him with wide eyes. Jaehyun nodded and came very close to your ear and whispered his dirtiest fantasy in your ear. He was really honest but you liked this. "Do you want to? It could be a lot," he said, but you didn't mind. "You stop when I want to, don't you?" You ask and you stroke his chest. Jaehyun nodded and kissed you gently. "Of course."

Jaehyun's plan was wild and you had never done anything like this before. But you were excited and wanted to try it. Jaehyun was even more excited because it had long been his fantasy. He didn't know why, but he was always obsessed with this. First you sleep in the day, because this was hardly possible with children. But as soon as you were awake, Jaehyun snuggled against your back. "Good morning," he whispered while his hands were already on your body. "Good morning," you say and smile. "Do we want to start right away?" He asked and you immediately raise your eyebrows. "Now?" "Well, I've just got my morning boner and I always need breaks to regenerate." You turn around and look at Jaehyun. "Okay, if you like, we can start." Jaehyun then kissed your shoulder and smiled. "You're the best." Then he reached on the small table next to his side of the bed and picked up the lubricant and the butt plug in the size small. He squeezed some lubricant out of the tube and rubbed it over the plug, but also over his length. Then he spread something over your back entrance. "Stay relaxed, I'm very careful." He continued to run his fingers and then gently pressed them into your ass. As always, it was a little uncomfortable, but over time your body relaxed and got used to the stretch. Then he took the plug and pushed it all the way in. Your eyes widened for a moment from the pressure, but then everything was okay. He then turned you around and leaned over you. "Now the pleasant one for you." He took his fingers again and began to massage your clit and Jaehyun was very good at this game. The length of his fingers, their thinness, everything was perfect. He pampered you with one hand and massaged himself with the other. You start to moan and Jaehyun had to let go of his length again and again so that he didn't cum immediately on you. It didn't take long to reach your orgasm. And when you moan and lift your upper body, Jaehyun watched you cuming and pleased himself at the sight. And after you were done, he took your body and lay himself behind you again. "I can't wait to cum inside you," he moaned into your ear and carefully pulled the plug out of you. Then he took lube again and spread it on his dick again. You push your asscheeks aside with your hands and Jaehyun groaned again when seeing that. "Shit, I'm so close." And he immediately pressed his length into it. He was careful, but it didn't take long anyway. He were so close that it happened to him in a moment. As soon as he was completely inside you, he already filled you with his cum. He quickly pulled out its length and put the anal plug back in. "And you think nothing is coming out?" You ask him and it was a strange feeling. "No, and if so, then we have to take the next size," he said with a wink and then kissed you.

Jaehyun stared at you during breakfast. He was curious about how you were feeling and it turns him on. "What do you want to know?" You ask him and you can already guess it. "How does it feel?" He asked, leaning closer to you. You sip your coffee and shrug your shoulders. "Can I see it?" He asked curiously and you had to laugh. You take off your panties and toss them aside, then sit on Jaehyun's lap. He then took a deep breath and stroked your thigh. His hand moved back and forth until he touched plug. "Everything is still tight," he said and bit on his lower lip. "I know," you breath and stroke his collarbone. "You know ..." he breathed and looked up. "The table is the perfect height," he said, grinning. "For what?" You ask and suddenly the Jaehyun picked you up and pushed the plates back. "You know that." He took your clothes off completely and pulled his pants down. "We just had...How can you ..." You couldn't say more, his lips were already on your neck. "You turn me on like that." He stroked your middle and tried as fast as possible to stimulate your clit. He was so ambitious that it even worked pretty quickly for you. And so you end up fucking on your breakfast. In the end he turned you around, pulled the plug out again and came in your ass. He made sure that not too much came out and then he put the plug back in you.

Jaehyun turned up the heat, because he actually liked the idea that you would run around naked all day. Since the children were with your sister and Xiao Jun, you had the whole weekend just to yourself. And it made his plan easier too. But you have to say it was nice walking around naked all day. You love to feel Jaehyun's body on you, even if it's just cuddling. You watch a bit of TV, but Jaehyun is slowly starting to prepare for the next round. He puts his hand on your pearl and massages it very gently, just so that you are stimulated very easily. After all, he still needed time to regenerate himself. He had already done two rounds. "Tomorrow everything will hurt me," you say with a sigh and Jaehyun smiled. "I'll take care of you. We'll take a bath, I'll make you coffee, I cook what you want to eat. How does that sound?" He whispered this in your ear and you smile. "Yes, that sounds very nice," you say and enjoy it as you feel his lips touch your skin. You can see a little further, but you could not concentrate more and more and after the time you come to your climax. "Oh nice. You are so hot when you cum," he breathed and now he started to play with himself. "Wait, I'll help you," you say and sit up. Jaehyun looked at you and watched what you do next. You bend down and start giving him a blowjob. "OH SHIT!" He got loud and buried his fingers in your hair. You press your lips together and do your best, but just before he climaxed, he stopped you. He sat up, turned and pushed your upper body down so that only your ass was up. He pulled the plug out and finished his orgasm again in your ass. He groaned loudly and you were surprised he liked it so much. Over the years, you have always been able to find out more about him. “I think I have to put now the bigger one inside you. Is this okay?” You nood and feel the pressure. "Are you still okay? You can always say it if it's too much for you," he asked carefully, but you didn't mind yet. "Everything's fine," you say with a smile and then kiss him.” "You know, I think that's so nice right now," said Jaehyun and put the blanket over your body. "The sex?" "No, I mean the time with you here. We're alone in the house ... we can do what we want ..." Jaehyun gently caressed your body and it was so relaxing to feel him that way. "Yeah, it feels a bit freer", you say and close your eyes for a moment. "We never had freedom in our relationship. Either we were in the dorm or we already had children," said Jaehyun then and kissed your shoulder. "Well, we had my little apartment." You now turn over to him and smile. "That's right. The time there was very nice." Jaehyun looked deep into your eyes and now begins to gently caress your stomach. "Do you miss it?" You ask him curiously. "Sometimes I miss the time alone with you..." He kissed the base of your chest and you start to stroke his hair. "Do you sometimes regret becoming a father so early?" You ask him and give him a worried look. But he shook his head. "No, definitely not. I have to say that I miss the sound of their footsteps on the floor." He had to laugh and so did you. "But since the twins, I think the time between us has been falling short. Which is clear because I work and we have four children. I just want to say that I am enjoying the time with you today very much." He then lays his head on your chest and somehow you had to agree to him. Four children were a lot of work and Jaehyun also worked a lot. You had a little time for each other, but never that much. "Maybe we should take a weekend like this from time to time, like now. The children can also visit your parents from time to time. Now the twins are no longer that strenuous and they can be kept busy." You especially didn't want to give the babies to them because it was exhausting because they were very hungry and always needed something. Since Jaehyun's mother was still not quite fit, you didn't want to overwhelm her with the children. "I think that's a good idea," he said, closing his eyes.

You didn't know how it happened. But you talked, watched TV and at some point you sat on Jaehyun's lap and rode him. The plug in you gave you a new kind of stimulation. The saleswoman was right, sex is more interesting with such a plug. Jaehyun, who had already cum in you three times, now had more stamina. "Yesss, that's good," you moan and get closer to your next climax. You liked the feeling and how much time Jaehyun took for you. The longer he fucked you intensely, the better your orgasm was. When the children were in the house, you were always quick because you could be interrupted at any moment. After you cum, Jaehyun did the same thing as before. He stuck the plug out, just stuck his tip in, spread his cum inside you and put the plug back in. Meanwhile, his previous orgasm ran a little out of you. Jaehyun cleaned you up and then kissed your ass. "What do you do in the end when everything has to go." To be completely honest, you didn't quite understand what he thought about it. "I don't know, the thought of all of my cum inside you just makes me hard." He grinned and you kiss him. Well, it was kind of a Christmas present for him and it was kind of satisfying for you too. But after a while it did hurt you. 

In the course of the day it cum again a few more times in you and at some point it was enough for you. "Jaehyun, please take it out", you say and already feel the pressure. "Does it hurt?" He asked and you nod. "Come on," he lifted you up in his arms and carried you up to the next floor in your bed. He then placed a large black towel under you and kissed you gently before spreading your legs. He looked at the plug and could see his cum already leak. Jaehyun groaned at the sight of it and you could already see his length starting to grow. How could he still get hard so quickly? "I see, you're already red," he said then and stroked beside the spot. "Can I still fuck you or is it too painful?" He asked and his dark eyes looked up at you. "Yes, fuck me." You grin and Jaehyun was excited like a little kid. He pulled the plug out and you can feel a surge coming out. You can also feel how Jaehyun got louder and he began to massage himself. The result turned him on and you had rarely seen him like this. "Can I then take a picture of it at the end?" He asked excitedly and you hadn't expected it at all. "WHAT?" You look up, startled. "Without your face. I would love to have it as a template for lonely hours." Jaehyun was really fascinated by his result and also kind of proud. "Okay good. But be careful that nobody sees it. Especially not the children!" "I promise it. I keep it safe just like the sex tape we made when you were pregnant," Jaehyun winked, and you had almost forgotten about it. "Okay ..." You lean back and Jaehyun just kept going. He pushed his length into your ass and immediately his eyes turned inward. He got loud, louder than usual. He let go of his inhibitions and he was just himself. You have to admit, you liked that. Because Jaehyun felt it so strongly and the tension between you was more intense than it had been for a long time, even you were really turned on. Hearing Jaehyun so loud was something new. He just let himself go and could now live out his most secret sexual fantasies on you. And so it came about that he cum loudly too. He sounded so satisfied, so fulfilled, and he stared at his result. Immediately he took his phone and photographed everything between your legs while his cock was still hard. Then he took the towel and cleaned you up. But you twitch a little, because in some places you were sore. "I'm sorry," he said then, looking a bit embarrassed. You sit up and take his face in your hands. "You should feel sorry for nothing. Everything is fine. If it had bothered me, I would have said something." You smile and Jaehyun looked up relieved. "I made quite a mess. What if we take a bath and I take care of you?" He looked at you with his puppy eyes and you nod. "That would be great." You kiss him and you only spent the rest of the evening with gentle kisses and tender touches. Just cuddle and be together.

daddy jaehyun masterlist

naughty & nice 2020 masterlist

naughty & nice 2019 masterlist

[petri808]

Pranks Are So Revealing Sometimes…

@itafushiweek One bed prompt

After everything had finally settled and damages were assessed to Tokyo jujutsu high following the Kamo incident, the faculty decided it was time for a full renovation. They would fix the damaged areas but also update other undamaged parts. Including the dorms according to their teacher. The students were given a schedule of when each of their rooms would be worked on and given boxes to pack their belongings for temporary storage.

“Don’t worry,” Gojo grinned. “Shouldn’t take more than a day or two per room.”

“Yeah, okay,” Megumi stared back up at his teacher after reading the information. “But where are we supposed to sleep if our room is being renovated?”

“Oh, well since the unoccupied rooms will also be renovated during this process…” the man tapped his chin. “Got it! You bunk with Yuuji, then switch when it’s his rooms turn.”

“Cool! A sleepover!” Yuuji pumped his fists in the air. “We can hang out and watch movies and eat junk food and just crash from a food coma.”

Megumi swallowed thickly with a groan. “I’d rather you give me your credit card,” directing his comment to Gojo, “so I can get a hotel room.”

“No, can do buddy. Come on, it won’t be that bad.”

Yuuji threw an arm over Megumi’s. “It’ll be fine,” his brilliant smile causing the man’s cheeks to redden. “Movies and food, we’ll have fun.”

Megumi looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. “Ugh! Fine!”

“Good.” Gojo patted his student on the shoulder. “Now that’s settled, get packing young Megumi. Tomorrow we’ll be starting with your room.”

With Yuuji’s help, it didn’t take long for Megumi to pack up his belongings. There really wasn’t much, fitting everything into 3 medium sized boxes. Mostly clothes, some books, and minor items. He packed a bag with just enough to be displaced a couple of days, and if the renovations took longer, he could probably just borrow clothes from Yuuji. They were roughly the same size anyway. The boxes were then taken to Yuuji’s room and stacked in a corner out of the way.

But the full toll of the situation didn’t really hit Megumi until the morning of the renovations. He was awoken around 7 am by Gojo, letting him know the construction workers would be there in 15 minutes. Great. So, he dragged himself out of bed and walked into Yuuji’s room planning to get a couple more hours of sleep. It should be fine considering Yuuji rarely got up early on a day off.

The problem was— ‘Only one bed…’ Megumi groaned internally as he swiped his hand down his face. Duh! How could he have missed this detail?! And there was no way to fit a second bed in the room since they were only designed for single occupancy.

“Ugh…” Megumi shuffled back out of the room in irritation. Guess he’ll just go get breakfast and figure out what to do next!

Look, he didn’t have a problem sharing a bed with another person. It’s just sleeping on a bed instead of the hardwood floor, what’s the issue with that? If it was anyone else, Nobara, Toge, Maki, Yuta, whatever— no problem. The PROBLEM is it’s Yuuji. Maybe one of them will let him stay with them? Megumi put his head down on the kitchen table with his arms over his head in frustration. No… that would be weird to ask. Gojo already made all the arrangements between everyone, so if he suddenly had an issue with it, they might find that suspicious and he really didn’t need them asking questions, or worse teasing him about it.

He could hear it all too. What’s wrong with Yuuji? You worried something might happen? Too afraid to confront your feelings. Wink, wink. Aww that’s so cute you’re embarrassed. But Yuuji’s a good catch. Yada, Yada. Maki’s monotone, “just man up” tone was not something Megumi wanted to hear. ‘It’s just a night or two… no big deal. He’ll sleep on one side; I’ll sleep on the other. What could go wrong?’

“Morning!”

Megumi’s body immediately went stiff at the sound of Yuuji voice. Damn guy was like a cat this morning, he never heard him come in! Or did he just miss it because he was too wrapped up in his mind?

“Yeah… morning,” Megumi responded as he sat up in his chair and pretended everything was fine. “Sorry, I didn’t make coffee or anything yet.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I can make breakfast. Want some?” Yuuji responded in his chipper way.

“Sure, since you’re offering.”

“I see they started working on your room. That’s what woke me up.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, That’s why I’m up too. Gojo kicked me out at 7.”

“Oh, if you were tired, you could’ve just gone back to sleep in my room.”

“Nah. I’m fine.”

“You still look tired.”

“I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Yuuji placed a plate of food in front of his friend, then sat down across from him with his own. “So, got any plans for today?”

“Not really.”

“I was thinking of grabbing some snacks from the store for tonight.”

“Something happening tonight?”

“Movie night! Remember?”

“You were serious about that?!”

“Of course! We rarely have time to relax, so this is a perfect opportunity.”

“Well, since I’m stuck in your room… what movie are you picking?”

“You can choose. I don’t really care. How about I’m in charge of snacks and you grab the movies.”

“Fine. I’ll dig something up.”

The pair part ways for the rest of the day. Megumi felt it best to keep himself occupied so he wouldn’t think about that night. So, after breakfast he got some training in with Yuta and Maki who between the two really kept him on his toes. The construction work on his room sounded a lot more extensive than Gojo had relayed based on all the noise coming from within. Someone had placed a “do not enter” sign on the door, and so when Megumi walked past it, he didn’t bother peeking. By the time he returned from shopping around 5pm, it was silent. ‘Guess they’re done for the day.’ But since the sign was still up, it wasn’t finished. ‘Ugh, it better be done by tomorrow night.’

“Hey, Megumi!”

Megumi froze in place. Damn it with Yuuji sneaking up on him! He turned around. “Yeah?”

“I got food!” Yuuji held up two plastic bags stuffed full. “Dinner, snacks, drinks. Did you grab the movies?”

Megumi pulled three DVD cases out of his shopping bag and showed it to his friend. Three movies would kill about six hours, which meant sleeping right after they were finished, equaled less dead time to worry about.

“Sweet! Let’s get started!”

The moment of dread was upon Megumi the instant he walked into Yuuji’s room and laid eyes on that single bed. And as the dorm mate puttered around oblivious to his nervousness, he just watched quietly as the man plopped the bags onto the bed and grabbed a laptop from the desk. This was it, no turning back now.

“Why are you just standing there?” Yuuji questioned with laughter in his tone and patted the bed. “Come on, before the food gets cold.”

Megumi rolled his eyes as if nothing was wrong, but his heartbeat picked up the pace with each step towards the bed. He should be happy that Yuuji was so oblivious to emotions, and yet a part of him was annoyed… maybe disappointed… Megumi quickly shut those thoughts down as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“So, just to get it out of the way. How is this gonna work? Like which side do I sleep on?” Megumi questioned.

Yuuji stopped fusing with a food container and looked over. “Oh, hmm, doesn’t matter to me. I can sleep on either side.”

Well since he was already on one side. “I’ll just take this side I’m on then.”

Yuuji gave him a thumbs up. “Pass me the first movie.”

The first movie… all the movies he’d chosen were just action types. Megumi wanted something with as little romance as possible and knew Yuuji didn’t mind action or horror. Frankly, he thought it was funny his friend still loved horror after becoming a jujutsu sorcerer. Don’t they see enough of it in real life? Between the movies and the eating, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Yuuji became so engrossed in what was on the screen, it helped his anxieties stay lowered.

Megumi had taken up a position with his back against the wall sitting upright, and legs stretched out in front of him, while Yuuji was next to him with about a foot of space between them. Mid-way through the third movie, Megumi was genuinely paying attention since he’d never seen it before, when he felt a pressure against his shoulder. His eyes flared, cheeks heated up, and adrenaline spiked his heart rate. Yuuji had fallen asleep against his shoulder. No kidding this guy could fall asleep anywhere! Versus him who was too wide awake now to even think about it.

The last thing he wanted to do was awaken the sleeping man and make things even more awkward. So, Megumi tried to gently push his friend away to simply rest against the wall. His first several tries failed, but on the fourth, success… briefly.

“Mmm,” Yuuji stirred without waking and shifted on his own to curl up in Megumi’s lap instead!

‘Fuck, my life!’ Megumi screamed in his head. Things just went from bad to a disaster!

Again, Megumi tried to shift the man away, but every time he tried Yuuji would whine.

“Stop moving…” Yuuji mumbled and wrapped his arms around Megumi’s waist, snuggling his face deeper into the man’s leg.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Megumi gritted out in a muffled anger. By now, his whole body felt like it’d been stuck in a furnace and was being roasted alive. Ugh! Yuuji had turned into a damn octopus clinging to its meal! And yet… Megumi had to admit the man was cute as he slept. Geez, he even smiled in his sleep!

Not much he could really do, Megumi exhaled in defeat. So, he did his best to turn off the laptop screen using his foot and shift it close enough to reach. He then grabbed it and placed it onto the nightstand next to the bed, leaving them in a darkened room with only the gentle breathing of Yuuji as any sound. Okay, fine! Megumi counseled himself. Just ignore the fact there’s someone attached to you and try to get some sleep. The faster he went to sleep, the faster the nightmare would end. So, he shifted his body to lie down, then turned over onto his side hoping Yuuji would also readjust.

And the man did, just not in a way Megumi wanted. Yuuji simply snuggled up to his back and weaved an arm around his torso like he was one of those giant stuffed animals you win at a fair! He pushed the arm away, but it sprang back into place.

Megumi screamed in his head. He was so tired… ‘just ignore it, ignore it, ignore it…’

The sound of birds chirping caused Megumi to rouse the next morning. Perfect, his torture was over, it was time to get up— ‘Why was the pillow so hard—’ his eyes opened in a panic as his hand felt the unmistakable sensation of muscle beneath clothing. Without moving an inch only his eyes shifted over and saw the outline of Yuuji’s body lying on his back and he was curled up against his side! ‘Oh, fuck!’

Fight or flight kicked into overdrive as Megumi sprang from the bed like a cat and bolted out of the room. Every nerve ending along his skin was on fire and his mind freaking out, praying Yuuji had slept through it all. ‘This is gonna be so awkward if— What the?!’

As soon as he made it out of the room, Megumi almost ran right smack into Gojo. The man had one hand on Megumi’s bedroom door and the other carried a cursed doll, like the one Yuuji had trained with to practice energy control. “What is that for?”

Realizing he was busted, Gojo slipped the doll behind his back. “Nothing. I was just gonna check on the progress.”

“Uh-huh…” Megumi’s eyebrow raised, instantly suspicious. “Well, let’s just check,” he opened the door himself and walked in. “What’s going on?!” He whipped around. “Are they finished?” Because his room looked exactly like he’d left it the morning before. And he meant exactly!

“Really?!” Gojo pretended to be surprised. “That was quick! Looks like you can move back in. Well, see you at breakfast.”

Gojo turned to leave but Megumi grabbed his shoulder.

“Oi! What the hell?! There was no construction was there you prick?!”

“Nonsense! They must’ve finished yesterday.”

Megumi narrowed a menacing glare at the teacher. “That damn doll was the one making all the noise, wasn’t it?”

“Um… no…”

“And you were about to plant it for a second day!”

“Of course, not! I’m just carrying it around…”

“You’re such a shit liar!”

“Careful Megumi, might wanna keep your voice down lest wake up Yuuji.”

“What do I care if he wakes up now?”

“He’ll find you missing and the bed empty and be sad.” Gojo grinned defiantly then took off in a sprint, cackling like a mad man down the hall.

Bastard pranked him! Megumi screamed as he took off after the man. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

[mandalorewhore]

Two Steps Ahead

PART THREE OF HUNTER (formerly hunter and prey)

gif by @princessxkenobi

Rating: Explicit Content Warnings: SMUT, Fighting as Foreplay, Rough Sex, Penetrative Sex(PIV), Unprotected Sex, Dirty talk, Praise kink, Size kink, Big Dick Mando, Top Mando, Sub/Dom elements, Very slight Pain Kink, possible CNC elements although I didn’t write that I also want to warn anyone who doesn’t want to read about rough sex with physical fighting as foreplay Words: 6.9k AO3 LINK

Summary: Reader and Mando start tracking their first bounty together

A/N: i believe things are happening...interesting

***

 “I feel like you have a distinct advantage here.” A bead of sweat drips over your brow as you mop at your sweltering forehead in irritation. Your temple throbs as you press on it, pain shooting down your neck at the pressure.

       It’s so fucking humid here. You’re tracking one of Mando’s bail jumpers in the middle of a boggy swamp planet that you never caught the name of and you’ve been walking through the forest for at least 24 hours, only stopping for water and ration breaks. Based on the holo-map you’re currently staring at, this entire planet is one big swamp, with no escape from the damp, sticky environment.

 The thing barely makes sense, a jumble of colors and shapes that worsens your headache the longer you try to figure it out. You had borrowed a thin shirt from Mando before setting out, but it does little to protect you from the buzzing swarms of insects, while at the same time it reflects just enough heat to have you sweltering.

 Mando acts unbothered under all that padding and armor, trekking through the trees without any visible sign of struggle. You don’t understand how he can stay awake for so long without caf, yourself being covered in caf-patches to keep from passing out. It’s probably somewhat dangerous to have so much of the stimulant coursing through your veins, but oh well. If my heart gives out then at least I’ll escape the bugs.  

       “Footprints aren’t the only way to track a quarry.” He returns mildly, moving swiftly over tangled tree-roots to avoid the pools of murky water that litter the forest floor. You move with less grace behind him, trying to climb slippery wood and juggle the holo at the same time. The twisted trees of this planet seem to reach inward to point at the forest floor, giving you the impression of being trapped within their clutches. The eerie feeling isn’t helped by the distinct lack of light, odd lichen tendrils drape between branches to create a blanket that absorbs most natural light from the sky. A faint glow emanates from the tendrils, basking the forest with ghostly illumination. You scramble to the top of the particularly tall root he’s perched on then plop down to catch your breath.

       “No, it’s not the only way,” you pause to take a swig from your water skin, dabbing off the spilled drops from your chin with your sleeve, “but the footprints      you    track are apparently all glowy and red. I get to look with my naked eyes for shit like depressions in the ground, which is so fun considering the only paths here are solid wood.”

       Mando rolls his helmet on his shoulders, the effect similar to someone rolling their eyes. When he speaks it’s short and gruff, annoyed by your attitude. Which is… appropriate. The hours you’ve spent walking in this heat together is starting to snap both of your tempers. “Stop complaining.”

 He’s not wrong about the footprints. You’re mostly annoyed because of how useless you feel, more like you’re tagging along than assisting him on the hunt. Drawing your eyebrows together you try to come up with a plan. Most of those mercenary skills you talked up for Karga don’t apply here, this naturalistic setting is too messy and... wild. Unpredictable. You’re used to the structure that comes with starships and cities, places engineered and civilized.

 Tracking people isn’t very hard, you’ve done it plenty of times before. The only issue is that all of your practice came from environments where they left clear signs of direction, displaced gravel indicating a shoe-print, broken branches, a trail in sand. It also helps that your targets didn’t know they were being stalked. The only path here is over hard wooden tree roots, with nothing to indicate direction, not even moss grows over the foot trail for traveling feet to mark. You take in a deep breath and hold it for several seconds before letting out all your air in one huge swoop.

       “I’m sorry, “ you tell him sincerely, “I want to help you -and not just for a bigger cut. Is there anything I can do?” You truly do feel bad for snapping at him even if you know you’re right about his advantage. Just because you don’t have fancy thermal settings and footprint tracking doesn’t mean you’re useless. The Mandalorian settles his hands on his hips and surveys the area, looking for a task to assign you. His helmet tilts up and lingers on the trees, and you’re already two steps ahead before he can voice his idea.

       “I can climb,” you interject, standing up swiftly and moving. “Trees can’t be more slippery than a spacecraft.”

       He nods in acknowledgment. “Find something and your cut goes up by five percent.”

       “Ten percent.” You grin at him cheekily, wanting to tease him even if he won’t give it to you.

       “Eight, if you find somewhere to camp.”

       “Deal.” You return, already halfway to the widest tree you can reach without getting your feet wet. The trunk is covered in knots and twisted vines, ugly but providing fantastic handholds for your hands and feet. Grabbing hold of a sturdy looking ledge you begin your ascent.

 The climb is fairly easy even with the woods damp surface, and you reach the forest canopy with minimal effort. Carefully squirreling around the thin top-most branches you attempt to find a break-through point, the wood beneath you bowing a little from your weight.

 When you finally poke your head through and see the sky you gasp, taken aback by the sight. You hadn’t hung around in the cockpit during landing, instead choosing to pack the bags while Mando skillfully piloted his ship. The forest floor is all you’ve seen of the planet and apparently you’ve missed a lot.

       The sky here is beautiful, a color palette that is completely opposite from the dark, damp underbelly of the forest ground. Swirling aquamarine clouds float lazily in the sky, speckling the orange hued atmosphere above you. There are at least 6 pale moons lined up on the horizon from edge to edge, stars twinkling around each orb as if drawn to their orbit. You drink in the sight greedily, the ache in your head lessening in the natural light. This is      so     much better than the cold stark metal of space stations that you’re used to living on.

 It’s hard to tell the time based on the sky alone, the moons must be constantly present in the sky no matter the time of day and you can’t find a single sun. Maybe this planet lives off the light and heat from each moon, reflected from a distant star? The thought is lovely but you don’t think it’s possible. You file the image away for your daydreams then divert your eyes back to the thick forest, searching for anything useful to tell Mando.

       The line of trees is unbroken, a sea of dark green leaves and glowing lichen. An orange sky helps to warm up the pale glow from the lichen but it’s eeriness still sends a shiver through you. Everything on the horizon is of even height, betraying nothing within its depths. It isn’t ideal. You gnaw your lip anxiously, dreading to return to Mando without any information especially on your first hunt together. Eyes flitting around desperately, you try to analyze any possible breaks in the natural pattern of trees.

     Could that be a settlement there? You think, looking at a slightly thinner section of forest that might roughly be three miles away. You aren’t sure about the planet’s curvature and how flat the terrain is so you double check the holo, looking for the information.

 Something catches your eye as you’re pulling up the data, just substantial enough in your peripheral version that you stop what you’re doing. There is a mist rising from that thinned area, far enough away that you mistook it as some sort of lighting effect from the overwhelming color palette here. That has to be steam right? It’s too thick to be naturally occurring from the bog. There must be machinery over there. A settlement hopefully.

 You’re about to climb down when you pause, looking at the still lit holo with renewed curiosity. Something about the map visually paired with your clear view of the forest allows the pieces to fall in place. When you compare the shape of the map to the trees you’re finally able to make sense of what you previously thought was a topographical mess. A built pathway lies here, a body of water there. And clearings. Several clearings not too far from where you are now, the perfect size to settle down in. Hopefully they’re dry.

 Either the caf-patches are finally sending you into cardiac arrest or you’re manically happy to finally be of help to your hunting partner, but either way, you’re grinning so widely that your teeth clatter together.

 “Hey Mando! Guess what you owe me?” You shout down at the ground, beginning to descend. You’re so excited that you practically slide down the vines, jumping to the ground when you’re several feet high in the air, sore muscles creaking at the impact. The Mandalorian is sitting now, resting with his elbow propped on his knee while he waited for you to come back. There’s a soft pang in your chest and you wonder if he’s tired. You brush it off, feeling as though you’re just projecting, and instead grin widely at him in triumph. “7 percent increase for me!”

 He lifts his helmet and looks you up and down. “What did you find?”

 You reply chirpily, hands grasped behind your back and shit-eating grin still plastered on your face. “There is a settlement of some kind roughly three miles that way,” you point in the direction where you saw the steam, “and several clearings nearby suitable to camp in, if we don’t want to head in right away. Oh, also we aren’t on the actual path used by locals here, the asset must be making an effort to hide.”

 “That isn’t very smart of them,” Din observes, shaking his head at the concept. “Busy path hides more prints.”

 “Hm…” You take that in, wondering what other techniques a quarry may use to shake its hunter.

 It occurs to you that there is a lot you could learn from the Mandalorian, since so far hunting someone has been notably different from your mercenary missions. You’ll find a moment to ask questions later once you’re settled down for the night, wherever that’ll be. “Do you want to camp or find the maybe-settlement?”

 “We should camp,” he responds immediately, rising from his seated position and walking closer to you, “we don’t know what we’ll face there. You can choose the area, since you climbed the tree.”

 You pull up the holo-map again and zoom in on the different options, feeling far more energized now that you actually know what you’re doing. There are two spots that seem encouraging, both a short hike away from where you are now but removed enough to grant you some privacy. You’ll still need to set up a watch to prevent ambush or stray travelers from finding you but it’ll be easier if you make an effort to hide. One of the clearings seems to have a running water source, you hope it’s cleaner than the still-water you’re currently surrounded by. Maybe you can bathe there too.

 “Lets go here,” you pull up the coordinates for Mando, “that looks like a stream, right?”

 He leans into your body for a closer look, broad chest just brushing against you in a way that sends flutters through your tummy. You know he can zoom in with his visor, there is no reason he needs to be so close to you except for your benefit. He seems to enjoy messing with you like this, throwing you off with unexpected touches, looks, and gestures. It’s like a game he plays and you’d be far more annoyed by his teases if it wasn’t so exciting.

 “Looks good,” he rumbles low in his chest. “Fresh water would be nice.”

 Your heart quickens, but you tried to hide your reaction by teasing him back, tapping your fingers on his helm and stepping away. “I was hoping to clean myself up, actually…”

 Mando straightens up at this, visor locked on your face.

 “Lead the way.” He returns quietly, giving away nothing. Trying not to smile, you start off in the direction of the clearing, for once moving faster than your armored companion.

 Your goal isn’t very far, only about 3 miles north of your previous position and a mile adjacent to the settlement you’ll pay a visit to tomorrow. Large, fuzzy fronds of an alien fern droop down the sides of the hollow clearing, providing a barrier between the forest and empty space in between. The trees still tangle above the open area, blocking out part of the beautiful sky, save a few of the large moons, and old pieces of charcoal are ground into the sandy earth here, a sight that makes you a little anxious. This spot must be used by others, you’ll have to be more careful with setting up the watch than expected.

 The water source turns out to be a small spring set on the edge of a cliff at the far end of the clearing, a sizable waterfall cascading down the side and gathering in a crystalline pool. Skipping ahead of Mando to the edge of the pool you crouch and dip your fingers in the cool water, sighing in relief as it relieves some of the warmth in your overheated body.

 You’re unable to hear Mando’s approach - how he is so stealthy under 50 pounds of metal escapes you, but you feel him behind you. You smirk. Arching your back as you rise, you turn around slowly and begin to make eyes in his direction however, when you actually see what he's doing, you cringe at yourself in embarrassment. He’s not looking like you assumed, instead he is surveying the clearing skeptically, body-language imbued with disapproval. Your heart simultaneously sinks to your stomach and contracts in frustration. You thought you had finally done something right.

 “What? Is something wrong?” You ask him tightly, subtly shrinking in on yourself in disappointment. You try to hide this by fiddling idly with a stray thread on your tunic, stubbornly keeping your head lifted high despite wishing you could disappear. He doesn’t respond right away, instead turning and walking the length of the clearing then back, stopping just in front of you sharply. You meet his visor with your eyes, holding the look until you feel like you’re burning up in shame from the pressure of it.

 “It’s too… open,” he finally says, voice halting as he tries to find the correct words. “Anyone could walk into our camp.”

 “I figured we’d set up a watch. There’s only one entrance-”

 He interrupts you. “One ground entrance. Anyone can climb down from the trees.”

 “Maybe, but this planet isn’t supposed to be dangerous, is it? Practically abandoned,” You huff out, fists clenching at your sides as you argue with him. “Besides. It’s… pretty here.”

 The Mandalorian sighs, pinching the helmet just below the visor where his nose bridge would be. “Fine. I’ll take the first watch. No fire.”

 Nodding in response, you cross the clearing and set your bag down on a log, letting out a sigh in relief. That’s fine by you, you don’t need the extra warmth and the glowing lichen provides enough light to get by. You really did not want to hike again after moving for 24 hours straight. Mando mirrors your movements, leaning his rifle next to your pack before settling on the sandy earth. A loaded pause passes between you, earlier implications at the forefront of your minds.

 Letting out a shuddering breath you crouch down and pull your old tunic from your bag, slinging it over your shoulder before making your way back to the small pond. The water is completely clear, an inviting sight after the marshy puddles that made up the forest ground on your way here. You’re facing the water now but you’re still well aware of the man behind you, the intensity of his gaze burning even through the impassive visor. The invitation is clear. Take it off.  

 But you aren’t sure if you want to give him that yet. The exhaustion from today has wrung you dry, small bickerings between you and your work partner dampening the sweet mood leftover from Nevarro. Apologizing with sex isn’t really your thing. You’d rather stoke the mutual respect between you as allies instead of start up a pattern of fighting then making up.

 You crouch at the water's edge, peering into the depths for a moment before splashing your face with cold water, fresh scar throbbing as blood rushes to the surface of your face. The spare tunic you grabbed just brushes the surface of the water, sending ripples throughout your reflection. Curious, you lean over and observe the way the mirror-like pond breaks off into fragments, bits of you here and there mixing in with the moons that lay on russet sky.

     Like a painting. You think in awe, having only seen a couple of the artifacts in person. The richest target you were assigned to owned two pieces of art, real paintings on real paper, encased in transparisteel viewing cases before you smashed open the backing to wonder at them. You close your eyes and try to recall the texture of the paint before the rest of your memory catches up and sours the whole thing. The man's home had to be burned in order to erase evidence, his paintings too large to smuggle out of the city.

 When you open your eyes the pond has settled with your reflection only- you’re not alone.

 “Maker!” You jump at the sight of the Mandalorians gleaming helmet appearing in the reflection. “What the fuck, you sneak.”

 He just chuckles in response and offers you a hand, which you take firmly while rolling your eyes and standing. He leads you back to sit with him on the sandy earth, taking ration bars out of his pack- not yours, and breaking them evenly between you. The gesture is surprisingly tender and none too appreciated what with your stomach growling audibly at the bland meal. All at once, you are reminded by the spattering of caf-patches on your limbs, the jitteriness becoming more apparent now that you’re finally still. You’re shaking. Mando notices as well.

 “You may explode.” He remarks, prompting you to start pulling off the stimulant, crumpling each piece and setting them neatly in a pile at your knee.

 “Good, let me explode. You’re too bossy to work with.” You return with a smirk, hoping your sarcasm lands. He hums in response, pulling one of the patches off of your forearm and flicking it in your direction for you to catch.

 Tutting, you roll the patch into a ball and set it at the top of your pile. “Don’t leave a mess, this forest is ugly but at least it’s untouched,” you tell him firmly. Mando just nods.

 The ration bars are hardly a delicacy but you shove them in your mouth all the same, appreciating the engineering behind them. They are so calorie rich that a piece the size of your palm can keep you going for hours. However, your body can’t seem to relax despite the food lining your belly- perhaps you actually overdid the caf. You should be tired right now. Staying awake for more than a day isn’t exactly the average schedule but your knee bounces uncontrollably in a frantic pattern, stirring up puffs of sand between you and the warrior.

 “You need to tire.” Mando mutters, firmly placing a glove on your thigh and holding the limb down. “Stop that.”

 “Sorry,” you reply, trying to freeze yourself and sit as still as he does. Mando always exists so sagely, like a monk. Completely calm when he wants to be before exploding into action, no warm-up necessary. You wonder if he had some sort of meditation training to achieve that. Is that why he sits like that in the cockpit, his back rod straight like a statue? Weirdo.

 “Hey…” The palm at your thigh presses again and you suck in a sharp breath. You didn’t even realize you were twitching again. “Do I have to hold you down?” He growls.

 You gulp. “Tempting. But no.” Your words come out steadier than you feel. The caf becomes all too much in that moment so you lurch to your feet, his gleaming helmet following your body as it rises jerkily. You feel far too energetic, needing to get the energy out somehow so you can finally pass out. Your idea leaves your mouth before you can truly think it over.

 “Wanna fight?”

 “...What?” Mando sounds truly surprised even if his body betrays nothing.

 “You heard me,” you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet, swaying back and forth like a green sailor on the oceans of Mon Cala. “Let's practice our combat, I rarely get to do that.”

 He’s standing before you can blink causing you to jerk back, startled by his speed. The Mandalorian poses right in front of you, too close to not be a challenge with his weight settled on one leg breezily.

 “Okay. Hit me.”

     What a taunting mother fu-  You swing your left hand out as if aiming for the unarmored spot on his ribs, which he blocks with ease… leaving his throat open for your right fist to sharply jab.

 The bounty hunter doubles over, coughing and clutching his neck with one hand.

 “O-Oh shit! I’m sorry, I- I didn’t mean, let me-” You scramble with lost movements, trying and failing to help him straighten upright. It leaves you awkwardly placing your palms on his back while the crown of his helmet presses into your belly. “I, um… Mando?”

 His arms wrap around your middle in a flash, pulling you tightly against his chest and throwing both your bodies to the ground. It happens so fast that you can’t even shriek before the air is knocked out of you, hitting the sand hard enough to throw it into the air around you. Gasping, you smack full force at the Mandalorian on top of you, his arms still crushing you against him while your legs lock straight together with his knees on either side. It’s sexy, but you’d really like to breathe. He lets up just barely.

 “Nice punch,” he rasps, throat clearly affected by the hit. “Don’t think I’ll hold back after that though.”

 “Don’t… want… you to…” You shoot back at him, sharp as you can manage while wheezing. Mandos visor raises ever so slowly and pins you, hidden eyes holding you down more effectively than his body. After a drawn out moment of this, your head spinning as you calculate your escape strategy, he crawls up your body to prop himself above you, locking your wrists in one large hand with the other presses against your chest, shoving your back into the earth. It is just enough pressure to squeeze some air out of your lungs and it is then when you know he isn’t kidding about not holding back.

 You’re so fucking happy that he isn’t letting you win.

 In other instances, you’d panic at the hopeless feeling of being trapped like this, by someone twice your size and clad in the galaxy’s most powerful steel. But the way he spars with you now, full force and not playing easy... it has implied respect for your skill. He knows you can fight and doesn’t spare you the opportunity to prove it.

 Only a second or two has passed since he fully immobilized you and you’re still locked in your flattened position. When he motions to stand, pulling your wrists as if to drag you, you know you must make your move now or it will be too late. The only spot he has open on his body right now is… well, right between his legs. The first thing a smaller fighter learns about combating larger foes is to fight dirty and there is no reason you should hold back if Mando isn’t. Your legs had been pinned tightly together before he moved to drag you but now there is just enough room to swing a knee up and hit him between the legs.

 Mando doesn’t wear a full codpiece but luckily for you, the padding on his groin isn’t enough to block your kick. A choked sound rips out of his throat and he falls to one knee, the fingers encircling your wrists loosening slightly while he struggles to fight his body’s natural pain response. You wrench one hand free and use it to grip his cowled neckline, planting your feet against his cuirass and swinging yourself into a hanging position before his grip tightens again. He's steady but you try to dig your feet in to throw him forward, hoping to twist around and land on his back with his face down. He totters for one frozen second, both your bodies on the precipice of falling but unfortunately, he manages to wrench himself backwards and land heavily on his back with you on top.

 You’re both gasping and groaning at the shock of hitting the ground so hard, and for one breathless moment all you do is stare heatedly at each other on the forest floor, eyes locking through his visor and somehow you know he is grinning.

 His smile mirrors on your face when you feel his hands rip at your clothes, wrenching the thin pants off of you down to your thighs forcefully enough to knock your legs together with a dull thud.

 “Did I not just kick you in the dick, Mando?” You laugh, working at his belt at the same time. He palms your ass through your underwear greedily, squeezing so hard that you know finger shaped bruises will blossom there.

 “You missed.”

 “Must’ve hurt either way…” You mutter, finally managing to reach under his thick layers and wrap your hand around his length, producing a low growl from the man beneath you. “Maybe, it's good I missed.”

 The only response you get is his hands pulling both your hands to lay on his chest plate then traveling back down your body to tug aside your underwear and grind you down onto his hips, rubbing your now bare slit against his bulge. You vaguely remember deciding against coming onto him as a form of apology, but for some reason, since he started first that all ceases to matter. It feels like a game you’ve begun to play with each other, playing with the tension between you and the Mandalorian until you find out what breaks your resolve. Maybe it started even before you entered this forest, perhaps back on Nevarro or even on the station.

 You can’t tell but you don’t want to question it either.

 A moan falls from your throat, your hands moving on their own volition to try and remove his belt entirely, or at least enough to pull his cock out. Mando’s glove flashes up again to circle your wrists, immobilizing them and harshly pinning you down with his vambrace lain across your back.

 “You yield?” He asks, voice dripping with a sickly triumph. A chill runs down your back and you feel as if he just dunked you into the pond.

 “W-What?”

 “You yield… I win?”

 “Wha- No!” You cry out indignantly, struggling against his iron grip. “I didn’t realize we were still sparring!”

 He laughs, fully bodied and dark with some emotion that swirls deep within your core, and you can’t put your finger on it exactly but you know you’ll have to do something before you’re swept up entirely. “Oh, but we are. What shall the winner gain?” He asks, so quietly that it is almost lost in the warped modulator, barely a question and more so a crackling of static.

 Fuck, you’re so wet.

 You lick your lips and shakily respond. “I am not one to give up, however-”

 “Then don’t. Keep fighting.”

 Oh, and you love what he implies. There is no reason to argue further and less time to act, so you immediately struggle hard with the upper half of your body, wrenching your wrists to try and distract him from the way your legs are free to swing into his ribs. But Mando doesn’t fall for your feint a second time. In fact, he seems to have expected it, his leg is more than prepared to hook around the back of your knees and hold you against his body, rolling to the side to throw you underneath him.

 You’re pinned on your back with nearly his full weight, unable to do more than weakly punch at what you can reach- unfortunately for you all you can reach is armor. Your cry of anger is cut short when Mando flips onto your front, your chest pressed roughly to the floor of the forest.

 The helmet appears over your shoulder, his ragged breathing right by your ear. “T-This okay? You want this?” You can’t find your words to respond with the way you're held so tightly against the earth, so you nod as best you can with one cheek pressed into the ground. Mando snarls something furiously, one hand leaving your back to fumble with his pants and pull his cock out, lining himself up at your soaking entrance and running the head through your folds.

 His helmet drops back down to your shoulder, the visor turning and burying itself into the line of your neck and you know that if he weren’t bound by his creed then he would be kissing dark bruises there.

  “You know this means I win,” he hisses, pressing his cock to breach your tight opening ever so slightly.

 “I-I know.” You whimper weakly.

 With that, he fully pushes himself into you and if you weren’t so wet you know his size would be unbearably painful. Instead, the stretch is pure bliss, a slow burning sensation that has a hint of sting to it, his dominance lending to complete submission and all you can do is lay there and take it. There is still the strain you grew to know from when he allowed you to use his body on Nevarro, but something about Mando topping you encourages you to open yourself for him with more ease.

 He quickly bottoms out then holds himself till, allowing you to adjust to his size. You’re writhing as much as possible under the way he crushes you to the floor, knees carving grooves in the soft sandy earth.

 “Fuck,” Mando grits, teeth clenched together so hard that you swear you can hear the grinding in his jaw. “You’re so fucking tight, fuck.”  

 The position is hard to maintain on the soft ground, his hands keep sliding ever so slightly on either side of you forcing him to adjust every few seconds. His patience breaks after the third time this happens, a growl crackling through the helmet as he settles his hands on your lower back and hoists his body up, knees planted on either side of your thighs, crushing them together with intense pressure on your clit. Your body is locked tight, pussy clenching harder around his cock when he rises into an upright position.

 You let out a genuine scream when he draws back then thrusts sharply into you, pain mixing with pleasure in a manner far more biting than on his ship, when he had let you take control entirely, never even doing so much as to thrust into you. It is almost too much for you but even while you struggle to take his cock, you don’t      dare    tell him to stop, nor do you want him to stop. You’re so blinded by the stretch that you don’t realize he is speaking until you miss several, distorted words.

 “Fuck, why did I wait, why did I wait? I should’ve fuck-fucked you back on the station, approached you in that hangar and made myself fucking clear-”    Each gritted word is accentuated by a mean thrust, his dick is so big that he has to shove himself inside of you rather than glide, breaking you open in a way that burns so sweetly. Your legs are held together, knees locked and straight, which doesn’t help how tight you are but you can’t budge at all to open yourself to Mando, his hands pressing down at your lower back so heavily that you’re short of breath.

 A garbled moan is forced out of you when Mando grinds his length into your pussy as deep as he can possibly reach, hips smashing against your ass while he pulses inside of you and for a second you think he's cumming. But no- he draws himself from your depths and starts to rut his cock between your cheeks, head resting on your upper back and hands by your head.

 A powerful hand wraps under your side and settles at your sternum, pulling you back against his cuirass and lifting so that you end up seated together, fitting against him without even an inch of space between your bodies. His hand lifts your hips, other appendage snaking around to position his cock back at your entrance before allowing gravity to do the work, your legs spreading to rest on either side of his thighs as you sink down on him to the hilt.

 Once settled, Mando starts to work you on his cock, lifting you like you weigh no more than a pebble then letting go. The head of his cock slams full force into your pussy with the weight of your entire body, each brutal pounding sending sparks of pleasure up your spine. Lungs free and no longer crushed to the floor, you’re unable to stay quiet, broken sobs and moans puffing from gritted teeth as he takes what he denied himself on his ship, the memory a thousand miles away as your processing center is fucked stupid.

 You can’t say how long this goes on for, maybe minutes, maybe hours, but the next thing you know is that your cheek is back on the sand, burning from the way it chaffs against the floor with each rhythmic thrust that claps against your thighs. You’re don’t even know if you’ve cum yet but it doesn’t matter, not with the way he is fucking the life out of you here in the wilderness. Mando is still talking, still uttering filth and praise through the helmet and all you can think about is how badly you want to hear his real voice speaking that way to you, you’re so close to asking him to take it off but you can’t find the words, you can’t think, you can’t-

 Abruptly, he grinds to a halt at the deepest point in your body then pulls himself free, pushing your shirt up lighting fast before cumming across your back with a choked exclamation. You’re both still for a second before your knees collapse, landing flat on your belly and gasping desperately. There is a shuffling noise behind you, accompanied with heavy breaths from the bounty hunter. It sounds like he’s rummaging through something then, yeah- your train of thought is confirmed when a wet cloth wipes his pleasure from your skin, gently trailing along your spine and ass.

 You reach behind you and hold his wrist, feeling the fluttering pulse there. “I’ll win next time…” You whisper, drawing his hand along the soreness on your bottom, the area he bruised, you suspect. He laughs- or pants you can’t really tell, but either way his touch becomes more gentle on your body, smoothing out the tense muscles and cleaning you up. Today's travels with the man have suddenly caught up to you and you might pass out right here, half clothed and dirty.

 “Come on, get up. Don’t sleep here.” Mando firmly states, helping you up and guiding you across the clearing after you pull your leggings up from where they gathered at your ankle. You’re trembling like a leaf, fragile in your spent state but glowing all the same. Mando sets you down on a log and brings you a canteen of water which you gulp down thankfully. He chuckles. “Wait up or I’ll have to drink from the spring.”

 That gives you pause, reminding you of something he said while you lay beneath him. You’re slightly nervous to ask but you do it anyway, warm and satisfied on your perch while he cares for you. “You.. When you were, um- fucking me. Well, you said something about how you shouldn’t have waited. Does that mean what I think it means?”

 He nods, “I noticed you for other reasons too, burc’ya.”

 “Maybe you should’ve fucked me back then.” Taking another gulp then handing the canteen back, you stretch then slide down to sit on the ground with him, back against the log. “You said that word before, ber-borshaw?”

 “Burc’ya.”He corrects,“It means friend in Mando’a.”

 “Oh.”You cheeks heat, feeling silly and rude for not recognizing the use of his people’s tongue, also noting that he used it to refer to you twice now, endearingly. It is an honor, one that makes you nervous. You feel like you should apologize, somehow. “Y-You speak Mando’a? I’ve never heard you use it before.”

 Mando settles against the log, leaning his broad shoulders to rest against the wood near your side. A few moments pass before he responds, “I chose to not use it around the others. Didn’t trust them.”

 “Oh, so you trust me?” You giggle, tapping the side of his helmet with your elbow. Questions burn within you and you may as well ask now, in the quiet afterglow of sex where everything is warm and slow. “Why didn’t you trust them if you started the company with Ran? How am I any different?”

 “You aren’t ruthless,” he surprises you by answering immediately, and you can’t decide whether you're insulted or not before he continues. “Ruthless and cruel is all that group ended up being, and it didn’t start out that way. We weren’t just mercenaries, we had a      code.    In the early days, attacking a slave ship would’ve been out of the question. Ran wasn’t always so full of greed.”

 Silence falls after he speaks, letting you mull over his explanation for a while while the waterfall rumbles in the background. Really, his perspective confuses you when you think back on your actions as a mercenary. Desperate to climb the ranks, to make a name for yourself, to earn credits and reputation. You suppose you conducted yourself with empathy, avoiding selection for hits that targeted innocent people if you could help it. You never had much choice in the area but it seems your actions spoke louder than realized. So much energy spent to avoid seeming weak and you never considered that your aversion doubled as strength.

 “Friend…” You whisper, not of your own accord. The word floats on your tongue, a specter within your vocabulary. In your adulthood you’ve had allies, you’ve had teammates, you’ve had acquaintances, but to have a friend… it terrifies you as much as it warms your heart. You considered yourself partnered professionally with the Mandalorian and didn’t      dare    to consider yourself lovers, no matter how much you privately hoped. But a friend is a luxury you didn’t hold close, mainly out of fear. You lost too many as a child. For a faceless man he manages to strike areas that are quite intimate.

 You decide that you’ll enjoy being his friend, a bit surprised that you aren’t too hurt by what is essentially a romantic rejection of the crush you held for so long. Probably because this is      real    , solid and built within reality instead of the silly fantasies you built prior.

     This is better than lovers, you tell yourself, the slight ache in your heart melting into the background of your desires, behind lock and key for another world.

 “I’ll take ‘friend’, Mando.” You grin, extending a hand to him cheekily. He stares for a second before taking it and shaking, helmet tilting in a respectful nod.

 His next words send an unexpected pang throughout your chest, taking all the careful walls you worked hard to set up and throwing them into a blazing inferno.

 “Let’s see where it goes.”

  Fuck.  

   ----------------

   Leather boots prance lightly through thick branches high in the trees, footfalls landing silently with all the grace of an athlete. Through the delicate glasses perched on the pursuers nose, a red glow blooms on the shadowy floor of the swamp, two sets of footprints lighting up to reveal a steady path made by the travelers. A musical giggle bubbles out of the darkly dressed woman as she pulls a small holo-watch from her bag and straps it onto her wrist, pale light mixing with her lavender skin, transforming it into a sickly grey.

 Xi’an claps a hand over her mouth to prevent her cackle from ringing through the trees as her plan takes form.

***

TAG LIST (working on it slowly, message if you want)

@velia27 @shrekscoochiehair @tbhitisdbh @sparklingwitches @lazyonasunday @peach-child @leah-halliwell92 @riot-sounds

[prose-for-hire]

All I want for Christmas is you

[This is a (late) part of my 12 Days of Chirstmas fics]

Pairing: Spike x fem!reader

Request: Hi! A spike request angst for the holiday collection. Where spike and the reader get into a massive fight and he says some really hurtful things. So its really awkward leading into Christmas and the reader considers leaving him. But then spike gives the reader a present on Christmas like a sorry present that changes her mind :)

Requested by: Anon

Warning: Spike and reader fight and say mean things. Swearing. Very light sex references.

A/N: I use the ambiguous phrase ‘jewellery’ rather than explaining what the object is because it’s a reader insert and some people like certain items and some people don’t like any jewellery (blame Buffy and Dawn sorry)

You and Spike loved each other, you knew this. But you and Spike also argued. All the time. You had broken up and got back together more times than you could count. It was a ‘can’t live with him, can’t live without him’ situation. And you were just going in circles.

This particular time, finds you and Spike finishing decorating the crypt. It had been fun, by all accounts. You had even got a tree. He had managed to distract you a lot, making an hour’s task lasting the entire day.

When you were loved up, it was bliss. It was fierce passion. Often languid and sensual. Even giddy and fun at times.

He hugged you from behind, closing his eyes as he inhaled, kissing the back of your head. His hands started to wander from your hips and you closed your eyes in delight. Pressed against him felt so right.

“Did you hear that?” You said, your eyes snapping open. It was bells. Little, twinkling Christmas bells. It was eerie, not cheery. You hadn’t bought any bells.

Spike groaned in frustration and looked around as if you had gone mad. You were always doing this. Driving him wild. Teasing him so.

“What in the buggering hell are you goin’ on about?”

“There’s something…” You said cryptically as you looked around, which irritated him to no end.

“It’s nothing, just- come here”

“Spike! Why don’t you listen to me?” You pouted slightly, hoping it was entice him to take you seriously, check if there was a threat. But it did the opposite.

“Oh, right, and what’s your plan then? Why don’t we scream and run away. That’s about the form of your fighting skills anyhow ain’t it?”

“Just shut up – it’s Christmas” You snapped, looking at him as if he needed to drop it. But this just irritated him, as if you were chastising him. Like he was someone you could control. Emasculate.

“Poor little y/n, making things up for a scrap of attention again” He stuck his lower lip out and tilted his head to the side, in a way that nobody would describe anything other than patronisingly, “You don’t know who you are, not without me” He added the end after a pause.

“You’re the one that followed me around for months on end before I agreed to date you!” You bit back. This is where everything tended to go south. Fast.

“Yeah? Well we’re only together after last time ‘cause I took pity on you and took you back – saw how I left you wantin’ thought we might as well. You’re attractive at least” He leaned in and took your chin, moving you to face him as he insulted you. You held back tears. He was supposed to love you, why was he always so mean?

“Fuck you, Spike!” You shouted, grabbing his wrist and moving him from touching you before adding, “You’re such a self-assured pig!”

“Yeah, you love it” He purred.

“I hate you”

“No, you don’t” He stated. Before dragging his voice out almost sing-song like but in a humourless way, “You want me. You need me” He bit his lip, moving closer and closer, making you shiver. He was trying to charm you into submission. Again.

Well, it wouldn’t work… not this time anyway.

“You’re the one that wouldn’t leave Buffy’s doorstep until I came back with you! You’re obsessive! You’re a slave to love, no - to pain, Spike!” You stated, moving away from where he had started to back you against the wall.

“Slave to you” He offered, that look in his eye. Offering to forget about it, although he had been the one that had been cruel. His look offering making up. In bed, wherever you wanted. He would even apologise if it meant you wouldn’t leave him again. But you were still mad, still angry at the way he spoke to you.

His look almost made you back down, he was hard to resist. You were addicted to each other. Even when you were fighting it could switch to sex so easily. To hot passion.

But not today.

“No. You’re not. You don’t want me. You want drama, a fight. I’m sick of it! Forget it” You shouted, continuing, “I mean it this time, Spike! We’re done!”

“Love, you don’t mean that – we’re-”

“Finished!” You ended his sentence for him, “Get out!”

“No- I’m the one with my name above the door, you don’t bloody pay the rent” He said, backing away from you as you had that look in your eye. You could be downright vindictive.

“Neither do you - it’s a crypt, you don’t pay shit!”

“You wouldn’t throw your fella out just before Christmas, would you, love?” He tried as you had walked him out of the front door, throwing his leather duster at him. He caught it in a ball and clutched it to his chest.

He sighed exaggeratedly. He really didn’t want to have to rough it somewhere, exposing himself to possible sunlight. He wanted you again. He cursed himself. Wished he had just kept his mouth shut.

But you weren’t so innocent. If he hadn’t created an argument, you would have done. It had been in the air. Building up over weeks.

“Bloody women!” He screamed at the door you had unceremoniously slammed in his face. He heard you slide the bolt across the door and he kicked it for good measure, howling in pain and hobbling away.

To add insult to injury, as he stalked through the streets trying to find a suitable crypt it had started to snow. The first bloody snow here in centuries and he had been caught up in it. It couldn’t get any worse.

Shit. Why did he have to think that? He rounded the corner and almost ran straight into the Slayer. He had been dragging his feet, kicking a stone until he looked up and saw her.

“There a reason you’re terrorising the sidewalk, Spike?”

“None of your business”

“Y/n’s kicked you out again hasn’t she?” Buffy’s face lit up as his face gave away she had guessed correctly.

She enjoyed seeing him like this. She was your best friend and she thought (no, knew) that you were too good for him. She told you all the time. But you were both too swept up in the animal attraction. In the possessive, heated entanglement you couldn’t escape if you wanted to.

“Betty the do-good…-er” Spike floundered. It wasn’t his best line. He was ridiculously sad. Mourning the loss of his relationship with you again. He craved you, he wept for you. There was a deep aching in his chest the further he walked from the crypt. The further he walked from you.

“That was tragic. You weren’t kiddin’ when you said you were bad” Buffy said, not able to hide the smile at her own joke.

“Yeah, well, just lost the love of my un-life here. Give a bloke a break” He snapped, sniffing and trying to wipe his eye on his sleeve subtly. Buffy rolled her eyes but for some reason, before she went over to the crypt to collect you and the overnight bag you had packed and re-packed more than you can count, she turned back to him.

“You know she feels the same. Maybe it’s time to let go, Spike. Or buy jewellery. I hear girls like jewellery” Buffy shrugged.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t know” He muttered, luckily she didn’t hear it or she would have spun back and staked him on site. She only hadn’t before the previous interaction because she knew you would never forgive her.

Your relationship was infuriating. And not just to you and Spike. It had a ripple effect, it was a part of your friends lives too. One day you would be shouting and screaming, the next passionately making love on the nearest surface. It was exciting and painful, like whiplash from a rollercoaster. The rollercoaster that was y/n and Spike.

It had been a few days now. You were staying at Buffy’s. She was a good friend to you. No matter how many times you and Spike yo-yo’d between love and hate she was there for you. With as little judgement as she could.

She comforted you while you cried, heartbroken despite Buffy being sure you would manage to find it in your heart to forgive him yet again. You clutched the mug of hot chocolate she had made, complete with marshmallows. She had learnt well from Joyce.

Dawn had slipped you some of her freshly baked sugar-cookies that she had made specially to cheer you up. She had decorated them with little Christmas characters which made you smile at her.

The girl adored your relationship with Spike, whether rightly or wrongly. She looked up to you, wanting to emulate a passionate relationship like that herself when she was older. It was like you were in a romance novel or something.

What you and Buffy didn’t know that since you had moved in, Dawn was Spike’s spy. She was, for the price of $5 and scary stories from his past, she told him all about what you said and how you were feeling. He now knew you were upset, missing him. Wallowing the same as he was. Well, good. But now, he had to make it up to you. He made Dawn help him brainstorm into the night.

She wanted to do it, she was sure it was for a good cause. In the name of true love, obviously.

Spike walked her back to Buffy’s where the Slayer was pacing and you were watching out for her to come home. You were going to give her the heads up that Buffy wasn’t pleased that she had gone awol. The snow had fallen thick now, anything could have happened and Buffy was scared Dawn was hurt.

You saw her then, with him. Your heart rose and your eyes glistened. You watched him trudge beside her, the white glow of the snow lighting up his face, making his cheekbones more prominent. He took a final drag of his cigarette before throwing it away, his eyes finally meeting yours through the window.

You walked to the door and unlocked it, whispering to Dawn that Buffy was gunning for her before turning back to Spike.

“Love…” He started. You just shook your head, you were still hurt.

“Goodbye, Spike” You said pointedly, closing the door on him once more. This time you turned with your back against the door, sliding down it as you started to cry. Dawn worried that it would take more than the Christmas gift they had been planning to win you back as Buffy scooped you up. She suggested that there was plenty of Christmas films you could watch, to take your mind off things. You nodded, leaning against her shoulder debating yourself whether to run after him or not. Buffy decided against any heavy romance-based films as you continued to sniff.

Eventually, Christmas Day came and it was the first that you spent without him in years. You usually made up before. You spent the entire day with a fake smile plastered on your face, not just at the slightly misjudged present from Anya (it was a vibrator, because you were on your own. You opened it in front of Dawn not realising and Buffy had to cover her eyes).

You thought about him the entire day. You ached, pined. You almost braved the thick snow, that you had almost been snowed in by, more than once before one of your friends distracted you with something.

As night fell, you gave up hoping. That was, until, there was a sharp knock at the door. His knock, you knew it. You had slammed the door in his face too many times not to know that knock. You sprinted over there, swinging the door open.

“Spike” You breathed, smiling. You had felt his absence so painfully.

“I know, I’m not stopping, wouldn’t wanna interrupt the touch-feely bollocks I’m sure is in full swing about now” He said and it made you smile, You loved the way he spoke. His accent. The way he phrased everything as if he had crafted it just for your ears.

He handed you a surprisingly well-wrapped gift as you smiled down at it, “It’s- for me? But I didn’t have time to get-”

“You know the only gift you could give me worth anything would be you” He admitted, which was how you felt for him. You didn’t need this, but you knew this was his way of apologising.

You opened the present and gasped, smiling wider. It was jewellery, just the kind you adored with a little gem that sparkled in the moonlight. You looked over at him, how could you ever have doubted him? He did his best by you, he always did. You knew who he was when you had started dating, just as he had known who you were.

“Spike, I’m sorry for how-” You started, but he shook his head, taking your hand.

“This- the way we- it’s not right, I know it” he admitted that the way things were, the bad seemed to take over the good. He lived in hope, though. He was convinced that this time it would be all love, “But I want you, I burn for you – it’s why the gem’s that colour, see? You’re the only one for me, the only one I could ever love through it all” He said it so honestly. So sincerely.

You invited him in after you whispered your own affections, much to everyone else’s chagrin. You showed them the gift and Dawn cheered, telling you she helped. You grinned at her and Spike had to convince Buffy not to stake him again. You both stayed in the living room for a moment, listening to the rest of them talking and just gazing into each other’s eyes.

Then you were kissing. His lips on yours hotly, you had missed this so bad. His lips were made for yours. He drank you in, all of you. Your flaws and your perfections.

He loved your everything. The good and the bad. And you matched his message. He felt it, deepening the kiss. Forgetting where you were for a moment. Until he heard your friends mutter insults at him.

He picked you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist. All the while, you had barely stopped for breath. You never wanted to part from him again. You were pressed close to him, willing him even closer.

His lips caught any exposed skin on your neck, your jaw as he carried you without word upstairs. You looped one arm around his neck, the other against his jaw so you could catch his lips again with heightened desire.

The others just watched you leave, trying to ignore the way you were all-but grinding against Spike in anticipation. None of them were surprised by the turn of events but they weren’t exactly pleased either.

Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles all shared a look as you and Spike thudded against the walls as you walked along the corridors upstairs trying to find a room to slip into.

They all wondered how long it would last this time as you gave yourselves a very merry Christmas.

[mostly-marvel-musings]

We were on a break - Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter has been sitting in the drafts for months now, and finally I’ve made some progress so yay! Hope you guys like it, feedback’s very much appreciated.

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Warning: Strong language, angst, some fluff.

Word count: 906

Series Taglist – @shipatheart​  @tone-stark​ @thevanishedillusion​ @loveisallyouneed1125​  @kaestatic  @lieswithoutfairytales​ @booktease21​ @panicattheeverywherekid​ @taina-eny​  @infirebaby  @buttercandy16​

Tony Stark Taglist - @raspberrymama​  @ladyeliot​ @boop-le-snoot​ @make-a-memory-drink-it-up​ @loveisallyouneed1125​  @ownsmyheart​ @anthonyjanthony666​ @downeyreads​

Everything Taglist – @godofplumsandthunder​ @ladyacrasia​ @agustdowney​ @swaggysposts​ @littlegasps​ @little-baby-vixen​  @another-stark-sub​ @supraveng​ @kahlanmars​ @marvelgirl7​ @disappointmentofthefam​  @pandaxnienke​ @tom-hlover​ @just-the-hiddles​  @fyreball66

Series Masterlist

…

“Look at all this Stark stuff you’ve got lying around. You have to get rid of this crap (Y/L/N).” Ward stated bluntly, scanning through your clothes and stuff you had lined up for packing.

“It’s not crap Ward.” You snapped snatching Tony’s T-shirt you always slept in from his hands, a little annoyed hearing his tone. He had invited himself over to your apartment to ‘help’ you get packing for your mission, only so far he had only managed to piss you off.

Sure Ward was one of your close friends but, he was being unnecessarily nosy at this point and you were irritated. Excusing yourself to get some water, you stomped out of your bedroom, with Grant following closely behind, noticing how upset you got. If only you had the guts to shoo him away directly.

“Look I’m sorry I was being rude but you know I’m right. You can’t move on with his belongings lying around.” He said, softly this time placing his hand over yours making you look up to find his face a bit too close to yours, making you uncomfortable.

“I’m only trying to help you move on (Y/N).”

Stepping away from him, you stormed back in your bedroom, hoping he’d get the idea that he was no longer welcome and leave you alone. No matter how awkward that encounter had been, you knew deep down Grant had a point, you weren’t supposed to cling onto Tony’s memories but when was that stuff ever easy?

His shirt was the last item left to pack, after much contemplation, you stuffed it inside your luggage, it was super comfy after all.

The plane ride to Seychelles consisted of you avoiding Ward at all costs and him trying to find ways to get you alone. Lucky for you, Agent Hill had sent Clint along for the mission, last minute welcome changes allowing you to keep busy with him to prevent Ward’s advances.

…

It was one of those uneventful afternoons when you’d found yourself going through Tony’s extensive accessories closet, watches you knew added up to a couple million dollars alone, sunglasses that he so pompously fashioned at every given occasion. You picked up the ones that had a red tint glass and put them on along with a matching tie that you draped over your tee before marching your ass out to the bedroom to check your avatar in the full-length mirror.

“Tony Stark - genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Well, ex-playboy. I’m with (Y/N) (Y/L/N) now.” You tried your best impression of the man, quite pleased with the enactment before FRIDAY’s voice nearly made you scream.

“Fucking hell FRIDAY!”

Apologies Miss (Y/L/N), Boss has requested your presence in the lab and he insists you keep his tie and sunglasses on.

Of course he’d spied on you at the moment you wished he hadn’t. You made your way down to his lab nevertheless, heart racing at the thought of what Tony might say about your shenanigans.

Tony picked up the red tinted glasses you’d once wore as a joke, that memory of your ‘eventful’ afternoon in his lab fresh in his mind as he got dressed to leave for Oslo for new leads on Ultron. He’d asked Natasha about you in hopes that she would reveal your whereabouts if he coaxed her enough, the spy was nothing but adamant though.

Everything that happened after Tony created Ultron, the visions that Wanda Maximoff planted in his mind - the Avengers all of them dead, because of him, all because he didn’t save them instead turned out to be the reason the team was divided and the world fell apart. It made him realize you’d been right all along and he’d been too stubborn and focused on creating something that turned out to be his doom, ‘typical Stark move’ as you called it. Technically it wasn’t the first time Tony had managed to royally fuck something up, only this time the magnitude of its repercussions was huge.

He had made him his mind to find you and make up right after sorting the whole Ultron situation out, if that was even possible. Given the current predicaments, it seemed like a distant dream. Still he wasn’t going to leave any stone unturned, he’d do his best to apologize, to get you to talk to him by any means necessary. Tony needed you now more than ever, he just hoped with everything in him that you still needed him too.

…

The salty balmy setting in Seychelles instantly lifted your spirits. Pristine blue waters with matching skies, white sands and stunning beaches, this definitely felt more of a vacation and less of a mission. The change of scenery you always wanted was just granted to you, albeit your mind couldn’t help but imagine visiting this wonderful place with the love of your life one day.

You and the team were residing in the same luxury resort Leeds was at with his family, The Four Seasons Resorts at Desroches Island and according to intel given by Hill, he was laying low until next week when a big event was planned in honor of his 50th birthday – which also happened to be the day his biggest deal with Hydra was going down. That meant you had some time to conjure up an effective plan to get his attention and time to unwind, the wheels turning in your head suggested you could do both.

Tags are open! If you wish to be tagged in future chapters, send me an ask or DM ;))

[luxekook]

bangtan host club ❯ part i

❯ pairing: ot7 x reader

❯ genre: ouran au, college au, crack, smut

❯ summary: when you had decided to take summer lessons at your college, you hadn’t factored in the impending presence of seven insufferably attractive and arrogant boys… the bangtan host club. 

❯ word count: 2.1k

❯ warnings: 18+, cursing, suggestive language, terrible pet names, excessive dramatics

❯ banner by: maggie @kimtaehyunq​

a/n: while this fic is loosely based off of the anime version of ouran highschool host club, it is set in university - meaning that all of the boys are of age (at least 21 years old)

host club members

❯ Kim Namjoon as “Kyoya Ootori” ❯ Kim Seokjin as “Tamaki Suoh” ❯ Min Yoongi as “Takashi ‘Mori’ Morinozuka” ❯ Jung Hoseok as “Mitsukuni ‘Honey’ Haninozuka” ❯ Park Jimin as “Hikaru Hitachiin” ❯ Kim Taehyung as “Kaoru Hitachiin” ❯ Jung Jungkook as “Haruhi Fujioka”

Taking summer classes had never been on my agenda, my studies having been mapped out in detail since the day I arrived on campus three years ago. And then the university’s president suddenly has this utterly groundbreaking epiphany and adjusts the curriculum to “ensure that all students will leave Bangtan University well-rounded”. 

Screw that. My ass is already well-rounded enough, thank you very much.

But despite my best efforts (i.e. begging President Kim to make an exception followed by crafting a petition that gained over ten thousand signatures), I have found that there is no avoiding the dastardly new physical education requirement. And since my schedule for my upcoming senior year has been planned and set for literal years, I’ve been forced to enroll in the sole summer physical education class offered at Bangtan University - Introduction to Weight Lifting.

I wish I was kidding.

To say that I am dreading the start of class tomorrow would be an extreme understatement. I’ll be lucky to escape this summer without physical injury or the loss of my dignity. Athletics have never been my strong suit, and I’ve only entered our campus gym to go to the smoothie bar.

Groaning at just the mere thought of working out and being graded for it, I trek down the streets of outer campus towards the library, swearing under my breath and sweating profusely.

It’s a blazing hot, blue-skied Sunday in July. Typically, I would be lying on a beach somewhere with a drink in my hand, soaking in the warmth of the sun with joy. But instead, here I am, sweltering and desperate for air conditioning after my ancient window unit wheezed its final breath last night. The comfortable chill of the library is my only hope aside from my landlord who promised to fix my air conditioning by tomorrow.

My frustration builds as I turn onto the block lined with imposing and picturesque estates in which the upper echelon of Bangtan University resides. I’d bet the very last ice-pack in my freezer that these houses have unfailing central air.

I pick up my pace, worn Doc Marten platform sandals slapping against the hot pavement. The pristine mansions seem to mock my distress as they exude the coolness of unbothered wealth. Despite there being no Greek life here at Bangtan University, the lack of letters emblazoned on the numerous estates I pass does not symbolize a lack of status. 

This block is home to the athletic teams who throw massive parties whenever they happen to be in the off-season. It’s also home to the legacy clubs - the exclusive groups of current students who are relatives of past alumni.

And last but not least, this block is home to the infamous Bangtan Host Club, a small group of idle rich boys with exceptionally good looks and a penchant for entertaining. 

The aforementioned group’s house comes into view as I draw nearer to campus. The host club’s mansion sits on the corner lot right across the street from campus. Typically, students are wary of such proximity - but not those boys. No, they’re un-phased, throwing massive parties every weekend without fail and without repercussion.

During my first semester, I had been confused as to why their parties had never been shut down; but now I know better. The host club’s president Kim Seokjin is the son of none other than the fucking president of the university - the very same man who damned me to my weight lifting fate.

In fact, almost the entire host club is related to someone with influence - either at the university or within the surrounding community. The only exception to the wealth factor is Jeon Jungkook, who attends Bangtan University on a scholarship not unlike myself.

About 99% of the university are host club stans. As for me? I don’t subscribe to that bullshit. And I do mean literally ‘subscribe’. They have newsletters, merch and everything. I would say I don’t understand it at all, but a small part of me does.

They’re fucking gorgeous. Like I’m talking Tom Ford at New York Fashion Week gorgeous. Armani catalogue centerfold gorgeous. Goddamn Sports Illustrated Men’s Swimsuit Edition gorgeous. 

In fact, I’m pretty sure Kim Seokjin actually does model in his spare time. With his long limbs, broad shoulders and pillowy lips, Seokjin certainly has the features for it. My freshman year roommate bought so many posters of Seokjin from the host club’s merch website I think I could identify him from a hundred yards away in the dark. 

“Hey!” The bellow emanates from the porch of the host club’s house and jolts me from my memories, “Hey, princess!”

I let out a snort. Whoever that pet name is directed at needs to shut that down immediately. I mean, ‘princess’? In this economy? Please. I need off this block ASAP.

“Hello? I’m talking to you, angel!” 

The voice sounds closer now, and my eyes squeeze shut. Oh god, this person cannot be talking to me, can they?

Princess? Angel?

The sheer absurdity pushes me onward, and I do not spare a single glance in the direction where the inane greetings originated. Alas, I barely make it two feet before a tall figure screeches to a halt in front of me, panting like he had just run a marathon. 

I blink as I take in the very boy who just crossed my mind a minute earlier. Kim Seokjin looms over me, chest heaving and smile gleaming.

“Cupcake, hello!” his smile grows wider, “Why didn’t you answer me? I was talking to you.”

My brain is trying to wrap itself around the unfathomable phenomenon I’m currently witnessing. The host club president is beaming down at me like I’m the last custom Rolex ever made. His white t-shirt that probably costs more than my rent stretches across his shoulders in a way that has to be illegal. 

A bead of sweat drips down my back between my shoulder blades. I don’t have time for this attractive detour; I only have time for a long sip of iced water and a seat under an air conditioning vent somewhere deep within the recesses of the quiet library.

“Were you?” I shrug, looking over his illegally broad shoulder and plotting my escape, “I didn’t realize, considering my name isn’t princess, angel or cupcake.”

I inwardly cringe at my tone. I have a tendency to be irritable when the weather is hot, and it seems like today is no exception.

Seokjin stares down at me, his cocky expression wavering for a split second before snapping back into place. “Well, tell me your name then, sunshine, so that I may cordially invite you to the host club’s latest summer extravaganza!” His dark brown eyes sparkle as he remains seemingly impervious to my building ire, beaming down at me.

“No, thank you,” I shake my head decisively and attempt to sidestep around him. 

None of my friends are on campus for the summer, and there is no way I'm going alone to a party full of strangers. That just screams bad decisions, just like the time I willingly ate the dining hall’s “Mystery Meat Special” during my second semester.

Seokjin cuts off my path yet again, and my scowl intensifies as I glare up at him, “Could you move, please?”

Seokjin gapes back at me, “D-don’t you want to come to our party?” I stare at him with eyebrows raised. He continues at a higher decibel, “Don’t you know who I am?”

The nerve of this boy. My eyes scrunch shut as I send a quick plea to anyone out there in the universe to send me patience and then internally count backwards from ten. 

“Yes, I know who you are, Kim,” I finally say, completely exasperated, “And no, I still don’t want to go to your party.”

Seokjin is gobsmacked, looking like he’s seen a ghost as he stands before me open-mouthed. For a second, I allow myself to indulge one more time in his attractiveness, my eyes wandering along his toned torso, his muscular arms, his high cheekbones, his messy brown hair. 

And then he bounces back, snapping his fingers, “Aha! I know what this is. You’re playing hard to get! Okay, I can play along with you, sunshine.”

It’s my turn to gape at him this time, watching as he mumbles to himself about how I must want him to beg for me and how he would just love to do so. I’m about to put a stop to this madness when he spreads his arms wide and announces loud enough for the entire block to hear, “Sunshine, please, attend our party! My heart longs for your presence, and I will only be happy if I can have your arm in mine next Friday night...”

I’m honestly beginning to worry about the boy in front of me. Is he completely unhinged? Am I being Punk’d right now? 

Seokjin prattles on, “So, my sun, my moon, my stars, will you please do me the honor of joining me for a night of fun courtesy of the host club? No guest has yet to be disappointed and—!”

I finally just reach up and cover his mouth with my palm, steadfastly ignoring how plush his lips feel against my skin. “Kim Seokjin!” I hiss, “I promise I am not playing hard to get. I simply do not want to go to your party. Now, please, for the love of god, let me walk by you in peace.”

Loud bursts of laughter sound immediately after I finish speaking, and I whip around to locate the source. Two boys jog over to where Seokjin and I are standing on the pavement. Their laughter doesn’t subside with their approach. If anything, it grows louder.

“Oh, come on, pres,” the pink-haired boy who I know to be Park Jimin jeers, his melodic giggles punctuating each word. “Is this how you plan on handling your first rejection?”

My eyebrows pull together in confusion as I turn to face Seokjin, only to find him lying dramatically on the lawn in front of his house with one arm throw over his face.

“Go away, Jimin,” Seokjin groans, ripping out a handful of grass and throwing it at the other boy. Obviously, he doesn't calculate for the wind and sputters when the grass blows back in his face.

“Boss, you’ve really hit a new low,” the blue-haired boy - Kim Taehyung - grins as he looks back and forth between me and the over-the-top performance happening on the lawn. All Seokjin does in return is flip Taehyung off, seeming to have learned from his grass-throwing lesson.

Well, there’s no need for me to stay a second longer within this realm of crazy.

I turn on my heel and head off towards the library, renewed in my desperation for the relief of blissfully cold air.

Alas, I don’t get too far before the two boys with colorful hair are in front of me - each with an arm thrown over the other’s shoulders. 

“Well, well, well… I must say,” Taehyung drawls.

“You’re quite an intriguing little thing,” Jimin cocks his head, looking me up and down. I try in vain to steel myself against the heated assessments both boys are giving me.

I’d heard a lot about these two - most of it being completely outlandish and borderline unbelievable. Do they really do everything together?

It’s as if that thought is written all over my face as the smirks grow on the faces of Jimin and Taehyung. “If you don’t want to come to our party for Jin-hyung…”

“Will you come for us?” Taehyung finishes Jimin��s thought, and I am almost certain that he intended for that question to be as suggestive as it sounded.

Before I can even attempt to answer, Seokjin launches up from the ground and barges in between the two boys. “Yah! That is no way to speak to a lady! Have I taught you nothing? Don’t you fools remember lesson number fifty-two on being a good host?”

“We didn’t say anything inappropriate, pres,” Taehyung shrugs, looking pleased with how riled up the older boy is growing. His pink-haired counterpart grins, “If anything, you’re the one with the dirty mind, twisting our innocent words into such filth.”

It’s as if Seokjin is struck by lightning - his shock turning him pale as a ghost before the redness overtakes him. I cannot tell if it’s due to embarrassment or anger. All I know is that I need to bounce.

When Mt. Seokjin finally erupts, I slink away and practically jog across the street to campus. Ah, free at last...

a/n: this is part one in my host club series! originally i was going to make this a giant one-shot but i figured i would just break it up into smaller pieces so that i could get some content out uwu

© luxekook do not repost, edit or translate

[writingletterstothefire]

hopeful silence

A/N: This fic has taken me a week to write and it’s only 3.1k words. Ugh. But anyway, this is based on a dream I had where I was an undercover DEA agent and Javi found me and stuff ensued. Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in any future work! I don’t have a taglist just yet, but if there’s enough interest, I’ll make one! Enjoy!

This mission fucking sucked. Why did you agree to this? Yes, it was part of your job description. Yes, you were one of the more talented undercover agents. You liked to thank your background in the high school drama club for those specific talents.

But, shit, this mission sucked. Peña had heard through one of his informants that one of Escobar’s most infamous sicarios would be at this brothel, and someone needed to get on the inside. Unfortunately, Peña being Peña, had to go “meet an informant�� immediately after delivering this information, so he was no help in the planning of the mission. With Peña clearly out, all eyes turned to you. You tried to put up a fight, you really did, but as the only female agent in the DEA, your protests meant very little. Trujillo, the bastard, had suggested you go in, under the guise of being a prostitute, and get close enough to be sure the sicario locked eyes on you. From there, you’d lure him into one of the private rooms in the back, where Carillo and his agents would be waiting to take him down and keep you out of harm’s way.

So that’s how you ended up here, in a packed brothel, tugging at your too-short, too-tight, lime green dress and trying not to muss your hair or makeup too much. You felt ridiculous, like a child playing dress up. Your ridiculously high heels were already killing you, as you smiled and chatted with the other girls. As far as they knew, you were new to the area, on the run from an abusive boyfriend, and had a small baby to provide for. Prostitutes with children were extraordinarily common in Medellín, so the girls immediately developed a soft spot for you. They were in the middle of telling you all of the secrets about how to get repeat costumers, when you felt a hand on your waist. It took everything you had in you to not immediately twist the offender’s arm back. Instead, you forced your most dazzling smile onto your face, and turned, ready to pretend to be interested in whatever sleaze had his grubby hands on you, when you got a shock to your system.

Peña. Peña was currently pulling you close by your waist, a half-hearted smirk on his face, but his eyes a mixture of concern and fear. He was pulling you close to look like he was just another paying customer, checking out the new goods.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He whispered roughly into your ear. You did your best to not let show how caught off guard you were, in case anyone was looking, wrapping your arms around his neck and smiling as if he said something flirtatious.

“Working, cabrón,” you whispered back.

“So, what? You’re a hooker on the side? DEA not paying you enough?” You felt his hands start to wander up your back, and then suddenly going down, down, down. He was enjoying this too much.

“I wouldn’t fuckin’ be here, had someone not run out to meet an informant before we had a chance to come up with a game plan. I’m here to help Carillo get the sicario. And watch your fucking hands, Peña, before I break character and put your ass in the hospital,” you hissed into his ear.

“You’re what?!” He pulled back, alarming some of the girls around you. He quickly played it off, yanking you closer, and turning so that you were pressed between him and the bar. “Absolutely not. What the fuck were you thinking, putting yourself out there like that? This guy will kill you if he finds out you’re DEA. No. You’re leaving, you’ll pretend you’re coming home with me and we’re getting out of here.”

“You don’t get to have an opinion on the game plan right now, Peña,” You ground out through gritted teeth, tugging him closer by his shirt. You were trying to play along despite your growing irritation. Speaking of growing—

“Are you really getting a boner right now?!” You whispered harshly, glaring up at him. He just smirked in response, his frustration momentarily forgotten. “You’re fucking impossible, Peña.”

The brothel door opened, and you froze, peering over Javier’s shoulder. Sure enough, the sicario strutted in with two other men flanking him. He had dark, slicked back hair and skin the color of café con leche. His green and blue floral patterned shirt had the top three buttons undone, and tucked into his tight, black jeans that sat low on his hips. You felt your mouth dry up as his piercing green eyes scanned the room. Fuck, if he wasn’t a sicario…

Javier snapped his fingers in front of your face, an irritated look in his eyes. “Where the fuck is your head at, muñeca?” He looked between your awestruck expression and the sicario. “Oh, fuck no. You’re not doing this.”

Your attention snapped back to him, angrier than it was before. “You don’t get to make that call, Peña.”

He tugged you closer, whispering in your ear. “Don’t. Blow. Your. Cover.” He was right. If you got too angry with him, your cover of prostitute and customer would be revealed to everyone in the building. You begrudgingly ran your hands up under his jacket slowly, feeling every ripple of muscle in his defined back through his thin shirt. “Good girl.” You tried to ignore the ripple of pleasure you got from hearing those words come from his mouth. “Now listen to me. You can’t handle that sicario. I saw it on your face, you’re already to attracted to him.”

“I’ll be fine, Javi. I can do this, I just need to get him to the back where Carillo is—”

“Would you let him fuck you?” The question was asked so bluntly, it caught you off-guard.

“I-I…”

“If he asked nicely, would you let him go down on you?” Javi’s hands slowly slipped down your back. “Or would you want him to take you without asking? Grab you and use you until there was nothing left for him to take?”

Your breathing was getting heavier and heavier, a high pitched whine escaping your throat as you felt him squeeze at your ass. You felt his mouth on your neck, hot and wet, leaving open kisses in between sucking and nipping at the soft flesh. Your mission forgotten as you pressed closer, you whimpered out, “J-Javi…”

You felt him smirk against your neck, his mustache tickling you as he moved. His hands kneading at your ass had you weak in the knees. You were putty in his hands, and he knew it.

You had never told anyone about your crush on Javi. You knew his reputation, knew he wasn’t the type to settle down. You admired him from afar, keeping enough distance to keep your crush under control, while staying close enough that no one would think anything was off. You were acquaintances. Co-workers. Nothing more, nothing less. But now, with one hand on your ass and one hand making its way to tangle in your hair, and his mouth on your neck, you were sure you’d never recover again.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, princesa. Would you let him fuck you?” Each word in his question was punctuated by a firm nip to the flesh of your jaw or your earlobe.

“N-No, Javi…” It was a lie. Or at least, it would have been a lie the first time he’d asked you. But now, the way he was all over you, all you could think was Javi, Javi, Javi!

He growled in your ear, violently pulling you so that your legs opened enough for him to press his crotch to yours. “Feel what you do to me? Feel how much I want you? I want to rip this stupid fucking tight ass dress off of you. Wanna take you to the back rooms and fucking destroy you, princesa. Make you scream loud enough for that fucking sicario to hear, and Carillo and his men to hear. Make sure everyone knows who’s fucking you so good.”

You gasped, grinding against him, momentarily forgetting that you were in public. “Javi, please!” You whined. “Please take me to the back, fuck--!”

You were near tears as he pulled away from you. He looked as ragged as you felt, pupils blown wide, and chest heaving. He used the hand still tangled in your hair to pull your face close to his. “You’re gonna bring that fucking sicario to the back, and then you’re going to come home with me. Everywhere that fucker touches you, you’re gonna feel me for a fucking week.”

You nodded, whimpering as his hands left your hair, heart fluttering at the way he smoothed it down and wiped some stray lipstick away at the corner of your mouth. You couldn’t wait for this mission to be over.

It took about a half hour of giggling and flirting, but eventually you were able to get the sicario, who was suddenly not nearly as handsome as you initially thought, into the back rooms. He was rough. Too rough for your tastes, but maybe that’s because you knew that his hands were calloused in the wrong places, and had held guns that fired at the people you worked with. The sicario pushed you onto one of the brothel’s hard, uncomfortable beds, and you fought to keep a seductive smile on your face as he crawled over you. After a few moments of kissing and fondling, Carillo and his men burst in just as the sicario was about to rip your dress off. You watched as they took him down, and ignored the Spanish curses he hurled at you. They held no weight for you, considering Carillo was going to off him once they extracted the information they needed from him. The fucker did manage to get a swing in once he’d realized you were in on the bust, and you now had blood trickling from the corner of your mouth, along with what you were sure was going to be an awful bruise on your cheek.

You looked up as the last of the men left the room, and your eyes met Javi’s dark gaze. He beckoned you forward, to which you complied. You couldn’t deny him if you wanted to. He cupped your jaw gently, examining your cheek. His gentle touch was a stark contrast to the way the sicario had handled you. You recalled Javi’s promise to replace the sicario’s touch with his own, and you suddenly felt dirty. You needed Javi to make you clean again. As if he could read your mind, Javi silently guided you out with a hand on your back, and led you to his Jeep, parked at the curb across the street from the brothel. You got in without a word, and watched him as he started the Jeep, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

No words were spoken the entire ride to the apartment complex, and the silence followed you into Javi’s apartment. He brought you into the bathroom and sat you on the edge of the tub. He grabbed a washcloth, running it under warm water to dampen it. He cupped your jaw the same way he did at the brothel, possibly even gentler. As he wiped the blood from your lip, you had the realization that he was also wiping half of your makeup away. You blushed, and went to say something to stop him, but he just pressed his thumb to your lips, shaking his head slightly. The message was heard loud and clear. Don’t worry. He continued wiping the thick makeup away from your cheeks, moving to your forehead, nose, and then ever so gently, your eyes.

When he was finished cleaning your face, he left the washcloth on the sink, and led you to the bedroom. You expected him to jump on you, but he simply sat you on the bed, slipped your heels off of your sore, sore feet, and dug around in his dresser. He pulled out an old shirt and some boxers, laying them on the bed for you. The fragile silence, a silence that had been full of unspoken, yet understood words, was finally broken.

“Shower. Take as long as you need. You can change into this when you’re done.” He cupped your jaw gently again, gazing down at you before pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head. He stayed with his lips pressed to your head for a few seconds, before slowly walking out of the room.

You stayed frozen for a few moments, before gathering enough strength to move into the bathroom and shower, letting the water rinse the filth of the sicario off of you. You rinsed out your hair, using the shampoo Javi had on a shelf. A scent that was inexplicably Javi surrounded you. It calmed the uneasy feeling that had settled in the pit of your stomach in the moments between entering the back room of the brothel and Carillo’s men bursting through the door. You hadn’t allowed yourself to think too hard about it while it was happening, but there was an overwhelming fear of what could have happened if they had taken too long to get into that room. You quickly shut off the water before you could slip back into the mindset of those moments.

When you stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in Javi’s clothes, you could hear Javi moving around the kitchen. You walked out to see two sandwiches sitting on the counter, and Javi popping the caps off two beer bottles. It was an oddly domestic sight. You wondered if he made sandwiches for every girl he was about to sleep with. You hopped up onto the counter, and Javi turned to you, eyes scanning over your body in his clothes. His lips quirked up in what was the closest thing to a smile you’d seen since before you approached the sicario.

He slid a plate towards you, and stood next to you as you both munched on your sandwiches. Javi finished before you, moving to stand between your legs as you finished. He didn’t touch you, but it was enough proximity to have you scarfing down the rest of your sandwich and pushing the plate aside. As soon as the plate was off your lap, his hands were on you, pulling you right to the edge of the counter. His lips were on yours before you could register what was happening, but you tangled your fingers in his hair the second you recovered. You tried to deepen the kiss, but each time you inched forward, Javi inched back. He was keeping the kiss soft, you realized.

In fact, everything was soft. From the way he gently helped you off the counter and led you to his bedroom, to the way he peeled your shirt off of your body. With every touch, his eyes met yours, searching for permission. That fragile silence was back, but this time it held a different weight. It became clear to you that Javi was doing everything he could to contrast the way the sicario had been touching you. While he’d promised to be even rougher earlier, you both knew that you needed something else now. You needed soft.

The way Javi seemed to know what you needed was enough to bring tears to your eyes. You were quick to reassure him when he froze after seeing your tears, kissing him and softly stroking his hair. You tried to communicate with your eyes, nodding at him, to keep the silence. He nodded back slowly, returning his lips and hands to your body.

Eventually, the silence was broken with the sounds of skin on skin, breathy moans, and the soft calling of each other’s names. When you climaxed, it was with the song of Javi, Javi, Javi on your lips.

When it was over, you waited for him to finish his cigarette before sitting up and swinging your legs over the side of the bed.

“Where are you going?” You had never, in all the years you’d known him, heard Javi sound so broken. You looked back at him, confused. His eyebrows were drawn together, and one hand was outstretched as if to grab you, but he held it back as to not invade your space.

“I-I thought…” Your eyebrows drew together to match his. “Isn’t this where you kick me out? I…um, I usually hear the girls leave after…”

Javi visibly winced at the mention of you hearing other women leave his apartment. Your apartments were across the hall from each other, and you knew he forgot how thin the walls were. Although, you had to admit that the sounds of women in Javi’s apartment had grown few and far between over the last few months.

“I didn’t…You have to know that those women…They were…” Javi was struggling. He’d never done this before, that much was obvious, but you needed to know what he was going to say. You gently took his still outstretched hand, nodding for him to continue. He took a deep breath before continuing, “Those women were informants or prostitutes. They didn’t mean anything to me. They were there for… information or stress relief. None of them were…were you.”

You inhaled sharply, eyes widening for a second. “So…you’re saying…?”

You didn’t want to get your hopes too high before. You didn’t want to give him the power to send you tumbling to the ground. But now, what he was saying was unmistakable. You just needed to hear him say it.

“I love you,” he breathed out, “and that’s fucking terrifying to me. But I love you. And I want you to stay, if you will.”

You released a long breath, before sliding your body back to its original position, pressed to his side. You looked up at him, gently cradling his jaw the way he’d done to you so many times that night.

“I’ll stay,” you whispered, thumb stroking along his cheek. “I love you, Javi. I’ll stay as many nights as you’ll let me.”

Javi’s hands rose to rest on your cheeks. “Every night, mi amor. I want you to stay every night.”

With that, your lips met. You allowed yourselves to slowly explore each other’s mouths and bodies for a second time that night. The silence that surrounded you now was not the same fragile one that had followed you that night—it was a perfect, light, hopeful silence. There was nothing left to be unspoken between you two. You had tonight and every night after that to tell each other everything there was to say.