#lads i'm fucking creasing

[rudjedet]

Me: Just to confirm, Romans considered trousers barbaric, right?

Hubs: I still consider them barbaric.

Hubs: The only true way to live is like Marcus Antonius.

Me: Cheeks out?

Hubs: Cheeks out.

[zablife]

John + Solomons!sister thoughts:

This chaotic woman babysitting his kids. At this point all of them call her "Aunt y/n" ❤️. The thing is she can't control herself so, she's telling them a story but in the same way Alfie did with her (can you imagine Alfie telling bed stories to his little sister? 🫠) Well, so, she's telling them something like: "then the princess, who was in the fucking castle, was forced to marry this man . He was a cunt! A fucking cunt..."

And in that moment John returns, and he's wtf! 🤷‍♀️. That's not the kind of language to use in front of his kids! But they're so happy listening to her that in the end he let her finish the story 😂. Probably he joins his kids, too.

The Runaway (Partners in Crime AU)

John Shelby x Y/n Solomons 

GIF credit @alicent-targaryen

Read previous part Shots Fired

John sat in pensive silence, hands clasped in his lap as his older brother’s shadow passed over him threateningly. He felt like a child waiting for punishment, but no one could make him feel worse than the condemnation that came from within. His mind had been on your disappearance all day.

“What the fuck were you thinking, John?” Tommy said pacing the floor as he pinched the bridge of his nose harshly.

“I swear it wasn’t my idea, Tom. You know what she’s like,” John protested.

Tommy stopped in front of a chair, fingers curled around the back tightly as he glared at his brother, “Is that what I’m supposed to tell Alfie?”

John looked away in defeat, shoulders hunched. Why did you have to be so bloody stubborn, he wondered, anger bubbling up inside of him. When he’d gone to check on you yesterday, the nurse told him you’d discharged yourself hours earlier. He’d flown into a rage, overturning the bed and table until she handed him a letter between shaking fingertips, begging him to leave.

“Tell me once more,” Tommy insisted.

“Here, read it for yourself,” John answered with a huff. He fished the note from his coat pocket and tossed it across the kitchen table. It was creased and torn at the edges from where he’d already read it many times over, trying to discern meaning from your cryptic words. 

Tommy snatched it up, scanning the hastily scribbled writing and squinting in the dim light at your poor penmanship.

I couldn’t stay here. I have a personal matter to settle, but I’ll see you again in a familiar place when I'm done. I owe you a black eye and two kisses xx

“The fuck’s she on about, eh?” Tommy said, hurling the paper back at his brother. “What place?”

John simply shrugged, too exhausted to speculate.

Tommy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Were you two fucking? If so, you need to tell me now.”

John’s body pitched forward with a burst of laughter. “Oh, fuck off, Tommy!”

Growing irritated Tommy stormed out, calling over his shoulder, “Find Y/n, NOW! Before Alfie finds out about this!”

———————————————

Three weeks later…

“You won’t believe what happens next!” you tease out slowly, watching the little faces gathered around you.

“Does he find the princess?” Clara asked, clutching her teddy bear.

“Yes! But that’s not all! Cheeky bastard leans over for some heavenly bliss,” you said, kissing your hand to demonstrate dramatically.

The children shrieked and squealed before Katie piped up excitedly, “He kissed her?”

You nodded, “I mean…not a proper snog cause she weren’t awake. And, more importantly, girls, he didn’t ask! A lad’s gotta treat you with respect,” you reminded them with a wag of your finger.

“Can we please have another story after this one?” William interrupted, chubby hands pushed together pleadingly.

“You tell stories better than daddy,” Katie proclaimed with a giggle.

Following the sound of his children's laughter, John climbed the stairs quietly. His heart thundered in his chest as he strained to listen for the female voice he knew well. A thousand questions crossed his mind, but the relief he felt quieted them all as he caught a glimpse of you from the hall.

You shifted in the small bed to make yourself more comfortable, adjusting the sling that held your bad arm. “No, this is the last one. I’m cream crackered!” you said, stifling a yawn.

“Why do you talk funny?” Katie asked, her lisp adorably more pronounced.

“Why do you?” you countered defensively.

“I can’t help it, I’m missing my front teeth,” she replied sweetly, opening her mouth wide to reveal a wide gap.

You leaned forward to examine her, pinching her chin between your thumb and forefinger. Nodding thoughtfully you exclaimed, “Oh, right. Got a man down at the bakery who looks like you. He’s called Walter.”

“Is Walter getting new teeth like me?” Katie asked hopefully.

You furrowed your brow and shook your head, “No, I don’t think so.”

John leaned against the door frame watching you with his children. He was somewhat surprised to see this softer side of you, though he always knew you must have one. He watched the corners of your eyes crinkle into a smile as you continued joking with the children and he found himself smiling as well.

“I feel sorry for Walter then,” Katie said, big blue eyes looking up at you sorrowfully.

“No, don’t trouble yourself, love. He’s a right cunt,” you said matter-of-factly. "And a dirty little snitch as it turns out. Do you know what we do to them?"

John leaped forward. “Alright, bedtime!” he announced. “Y/n, can I speak with you?”

You looked up, realizing he was home. “So you finally found me,” you said with a grin. “Did you come for those kisses?” you teased as you rose to greet him, batting your lashes at him playfully. The children whooped in delight, jumping up and down as they watched both of you carefully.

“Bed!” John instructed, pointing for them to lie down. Guiding you out into the hall, he closed the door to their room and when you attempted to walk away from him, he pulled you back to him demanding, “Where the bloody hell have you been?”

“You speak to me like that again and it’ll be a black eye for you, understand?” you warned him.

“Alright, calm down,” he said, relinquishing his grip on your wrist. “I was worried,” he admitted in a quiet voice.

Crossing your arms over your chest, you looked down at your feet and nodded in understanding. “M sorry. Sabini’s men came looking for me at the hospital. I had to leave.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve taken care of it,” John said lowly.

Your eyes flicked up to his, a sudden spark lighting within you as you shook your head at him. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”

John ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. “Fine, you don’t need me,” he said, pushing past you to take the stairs two at a time.

You followed after him into the kitchen where he was noisily opening cupboards to distract himself from your rejection.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m good at what I do so I don’t need my man to rescue me every time I’m in trouble, John."

“Oh, fuck off, Y/n!” he shouted, spinning around to look at you. "I may not be your man, but I'm still your partner. Why can't you trust me?” he asked, chest rising and falling quickly with his rapid heartbeat. You meant more to him than any woman had since Martha and he couldn’t understand why you insisted on shutting him out.

You stood staring at him, a lump in your throat in place of an explanation. Why were you like this? Was it years of working for Alfie or the fear of admitting you cared about someone? You couldn’t say. You’d never been good with words, but you had to try or this might be the end of your friendship.

“Look, I’m shit at telling people how I feel about them, alright? I learned everything I know about family from Alfie and you know what a numpty he is,” you let out a desperate laugh that fell flat when you saw John’s wide eyes staring back at you. “I couldn’t risk Sabini hurting you too. You’ve got kids to think of!” you said, eyes welling with tears. “I don't have anyone so it wasn't as much of a risk for me. You think I don’t trust you, but I’d fucking die for you, you arsehole.”

John exhaled the breath he’d been holding listening to you and rushed to embrace you, letting you cry into his shoulder. “Hey, you’ve got me. You’ve got all of us," he assured you as he stroked your hair gently. "Promise me you won’t do that again. I couldn’t lose you.”

You nodded against his shoulder, wiping your tears away with the back of your hand as embarrassment washed over you. John loosened his grasp on your shoulders and stepped back to give you space. Digging into his pocket, he bit his lip before offering a handkerchief. Looking up at you with a mischievous glint in his eye, he attempted to lighten the mood. “If you’re going to come round more often to see the kids, stick to bedtime stories, yeah?”

You hiccuped out a little laugh asking, “No small talk?”

“Not if it’s about Walter,” he joked, looking away with a chuckle. 

You blew your nose into the hanky as you mumbled, “Sleeping Beauty again, I reckon.”

John winced, “I hate that one.”

“Says the man who grabbed the tit of an unconscious woman,” you retorted playfully.

“How many times do I have to apologize for that? I did save your life that night you know!” John said, voice tinged with mild irritation.

A smile slowly began to creep over your face as you brought your hand up to caress his cheek softly, “Thank you, Barney.”

His bright blue eyes searched yours and found a sincerity he'd never seen before. “You’re welcome, alley cat," he whispered into the stillness of the night. His term of affection made you feel warm and comforted and for once you didn't feel like dismissing it with a joke or running away.

Read part 5 Plus One

[van-yangyin]

Following Custom Content I shared the other day, here is EyeTree Head Set that contain a EyeTree head and Eyes of Tree Accessory for all ages. Hope you enjoy this one! 💗

Short brief when this post is published: I'm currently without pc because it's being repaired since it was failing me, so I leave you this publication that I left prepared. Until I have it back, it's possible that I won't be much on my social medias. When I return I'll answer to your lovely asks and replies. @lea-heartscxiv will probably lend me his, but it will only be for occasional times like posting things we've worked on together or new CC if pc takes too long to repair. Thank you for your patience with me ❤

They look at you, they judge you, they discriminate against you. From a planet far away from Sixam, called Lerighett, reside these tree-headed beings with eyes. They're said to be of many varieties and species, though residents of the hidden lands of Heyadee are one of the most frowned upon for being so perceptive and judgmental. If they have more eyes around them, they may be even more judgmental for being able to see beyond your soul. 👁️🌳

Download under keep reading ↓

If you download my CC it means your agree with my T.O.U (English/Español/日本語).

EyeTree Head

General Info:

13 swatches

Base game compatible

Located on Detail Skin, Forehead

all ages

disable for werewolves (don't show good on them)

all LOD's

All Maps (Diffuse, Normal, Specular)

Mesh and texture made from scratch by me

Custom Thumbnails

Compatible with higher and lower game sliders

Known problems: Some parts of the trunk may go deeper into the skin. Since is placed in Skin Details, Forehead, both packages are shown, no matter the gender, but they're written as Male Frame and Female Frame on thumbnail so that they can be easily recognized. Try to use them properly so they don't look bad unless that is the result you want to achieve.

LOD Information: LOD0: 7232 poly | LOD1: 3615 poly | LOD2: 1806 poly | LOD3: 903 poly

IF YOU LIKE MY WORK PLEASE CONSIDER BECOME A PATREON OR TIP ON KO-FI. ANY HELP IS ALWAYS WELCOMED BUT ALWAYS OPTIONAL. YOU CAN ALSO COMMISSION ME HERE OR FROM TUMBLR, IF YOU WANT ME TO DO SOMETHING SPECIFIC FOR YOU.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

※Choose download the one/ones you want the most or only download Merged: "_T-E_Merged" or "_AllMerged" where all the files are together.※

✨DOWNLOAD LINK✨ (Patreon ~ Always free, no adfly) [Same link]

✨DOWNLOAD LINK✨ (SFS ~ Always free, no adfly)

Photo in CAS and in-game photo without shaders:

~���️~

Eyes of Tree Accessory

General Info:

1 swatch, since use eye texture

Base game compatible

Located on Detail Skin, Crease

all ages

all LOD's

Mesh made from scratch by me

Custom Thumbnails

LOD Information: LOD0: 2880 poly | LOD1: 1440 poly | LOD2: 720 poly | LOD3: 360 poly

Do you want to know what else I'll be releasing this month and on what day? You can support me on Patreon or Ko-Fi and find out in this posts, here (Patreon) and here (Ko-Fi).

※Choose download the one/ones you want the most or only download Merged: "_T-E_Merged" or "_AllMerged" where all the files are together.※

✨DOWNLOAD LINK✨ (Patreon ~ Always free, no adfly) [Same link]

✨DOWNLOAD LINK✨ (SFS ~ Always free, no adfly)

Photo in CAS:

Compatible with LightHead/EyeHead and without LightHead:

~⭐️~

Btw, do you saw my last CC post? ⬇️

HERE

This CC is made in part in honor of the fucking eyes (the big one and the little ones) of Arc the Lad the Twilight of Spirits, who gave me and Lea a hard time many many years ago to defeat them. They aren't the same, but every time I was doing it I was thinking about them. Has anyone else played this game? I loved it and I love it!

Let me know if you find any problem. 🙏❣️ Also if you use this or any of my CC, feel free to tag me so I can see your sims, it will make me very happy to see it!

👀👉MORE DOWNLOADS

Happy simming! 🍀

💛

🛹 You can find me also on Patreon | Pinterest | Ko-Fi | Blogger (Shared with Lea) | Instagram | X (Twitter) | My F.A.Q. | My T.O.U. | MORE DOWNLOADS 🛹

[darkstrawberrytimetravel]

Why don't you just give in? Pt.2

Fem reader

Pt.1

You

He's looking skinny, or as skinny as a man who's resembled a brick shithouse for the last two decades can be, less toned I suppose more lean. I watch as he turns away, the t-shirt he's wearing allowing for more creases, bagginess. He's forgone his mask, not that he needs it. He needs a shave instead, he almost resembles his Captain with that growth. His dirty blonde hair now sun bleached in parts and his tan somewhat deeper.

You know you want to run your fingers through it, feel the short hairs against the pads of your fingers as your hand moves against the grain. The last time you did that his hands were- My thoughts are both rudely and thankfully interrupted.

“Ohhh blimey you see the lads? Who's that with the scraggly face? The tall one?” I hear Laura beside me. Instantly the table I'm seated at falls into hushed gossip, as they always do when they see the task force. The SAS lads are a common sight around here, but the more specialist unit within it still garners mystique, enthusiastic and borderline obsessive gossip whenever they grace us with their presence.

“Ghost… you really don't recognise him without that rag on his face?” I murmur as I look down and bring my mug of coffee to my lips. Ghost... I still hate that callsign. Nickname. The lore. I mean I know how fucking vicious and brutal he can be. It's not learnt or adaptive behaviour since joining the military. As usual the table descends into the usual gossip, the girls wanting to follow them to the pub they'll inevitably end up at later on. Such is the routine when they land back on home turf, especially since they've clearly been gone a while. Eat, drink, fuck, repeat.

I zone out, leaving the others to continue their usual shite when they talk about the lads. Finishing up, I stand with my tray and head to the tray return carts, Laura shouts and tells me I will be joining them tonight and that it's final. Fuckin’ a! Wherever the lads will be, so will we, the sodding groupies they are. Though it won't take much to be out the way, they're only headed to a pub. No need to dress to impress.

Walking away from my table I steel myself, walking past Riley and his lot. I resist the urge to gob in his food, as usual. I would have done it years ago, but I've risen above that version of myself. I do however afford a quick glance down and I'm met with ochre orbs, his ochre eyes. This time I yield and look away, not wanting to walk into someone with a tray full leftover dinner.

Later I find myself freshly showered, the weather keeps flip-flopping so I decide on shorts with a tank and a hoodie with my favourite trainers. It's still warm and humid enough to warrant the summer gear, but as August stretches through to September there's a chill in the air. I look at myself in the mirror, my hair tousled and low key smokey eyes. I almost feel like I should scrub the makeup off, I'm in my mid thirties, why am I dressing like I'm fifteen years younger.

We all bundle in the taxi for fifteen minutes it takes for us to get to the town centre in Hereford. I listen as the others plan and scheme where the lads are, I give the usual non committal noises they'd expect but eventually I put my proverbial foot down. “Look, I don't want to spend all night with you lot drooling over them. We'll get pre-drinks at The Queen's Arms, some of you will get a quickie I'm sure, and then we should go somewhere better to spend our time.”

I'm met with eye rolls and smirks, it's no secret I'm not enthralled by the lads on the task force, and even under duress when plied with copious drinks I've still not spilt the beans. Finally the taxi pulls over and we hop out, the fare being prepaid since it was a group booking. I stay behind to organise a return journey later before following the girls into the pub. We're met with a wall of sound, almost raucous, as we filter in and find a table. I see Riley actually enjoying himself around the pool table for once.

Pt.3

[justanothergoldfish]

Greg Lestrade x reader

Handsome stranger - part two -

pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3

warnings: swearing, drinking

words: 2200

A/N: there will be a third part. I love Greg too much. Also in this part, reader is definitely written from a female POV. If i hear one complaint about my interpretation of Scottish English I'm burning down the internet.

---

It didn't take long for your boss to show up at the bar after that interaction. 

“Seriously? Ain't he a wee old for a lassie like you?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing together. With a feign look of innocence you shrugged, “What are you talking about?”

“I heard ya, young lady. Drooling over that poor fella.”

Hearing him call you out so shamelessly made it impossible to stay serious and to not grin like an idiot. 

“Oh can't I have some fun? Hey, maybe he'll tip nicely, alright? I'm just… boosting your business. Sales, you know?”

Gary rolled his eyes and shook his head, and you could almost hear him think ‘You're a hopeless case’ as he nudged towards the kitchen. “Go help the lad in the back, aye? I'll take it from here.”

You too rolled your eyes and clicked your tongue. “Hey, just to make this clear; men are like wine, they get better with age. Guess you might've gone bad.” you groaned in annoyance, throwing the linen cloth from your apron onto the counter before heading into the kitchen.

“Oi, remember who's paying your bills, lassie!” Gary called after you, his voice a bit elevated, earning a huff from you. It was all friendly banter, but it still made you pout, not to be able to serve Greg and have some fun conversation. You had been looking forward to another chat with this gorgeous man from London, he seemed… Interesting. 

~

After what felt like a thousand peeled potatoes later, Gary returned and slumped himself into a corner in the kitchen. 

“I feared the day would come…bloody shite…” he mumbled, looking pale as a ghost. The man shook his head, staring into the steamy kitchen air. 

Without looking at him, you already guessed what happened. “What's wrong? Someone discovered that the ‘monster’ is just a hungry dog you've sat out in the forest?” 

Gary's eyes drifted over to you. “That fella you've been drooling over… He's an Inspector.”

Oh shit. 

Instant panic broke out internally at his revelation and you basically dropped everything. “A Health Inspector? Bloody christ Gary, I don't have a fucking food or beverage certification! I'm only supposed to help you out until you find someone else! What am I supposed to do?!” you hissed, crouching down in front of him. 

Gary sighed and waved it off. “Not a Health Inspector. A Detective from Scotland Yard.”

Was that better or worse? 

It took a few moments to calm down and collect your thoughts. 

“So? What now?” 

With a groan, Gary buried his face in his hands.  “We told him everything, I can never look that man in the eyes again… He's only staying for one night, aye?”

You got back up and crossed your arms. 

A Detective from Scotland Yard? This man got more interesting by the minute. 

“Looks like I'll take it from here again. I'll make sure he’ll have a pleasant time and won’t close down your business.”

~

As you came to the front, you saw Greg leaning against the counter, scrolling through his phone. He nipped on his beer and locked his phone as you approached with light steps. Even though he had scared the shit out of the owner, he seemed so… relaxed. 

Once you cleared your throat you decided to speak up to him again. 

“So… You're a Detective? Is that what brought you here? Are we in trouble?” you tried to jest as he locked his phone and gave a reassuring smile.” I'm on holiday, no need to panic. I think the owner’s already learned his lesson and if I learned one thing in life it's to never mess with a lady who pours my beer.”

The way his eyes creased when he carried that beaming smile, it was honestly heartwarming. 

“You're a smart man then.” you chuckled, grabbing a small chestnut wood bowl and filling it with a bag of mixed nuts and crackers from one of the cabinets. 

“So, a Detective from London, all the way out here in the Dartmoor in our humble village,” you grabbed a tall glass and poured him another, noticing his drink was nearly finished, “You probably brought some exciting stories along. Care to share?”

Greg huffed as he supported himself on the counter with both arms in front of his chest and adjusting his seat on the barstool. “Rather gory than glory, trust me. Sure you can handle it?”

The teasing smirk on his face made your heart flutter and cheeks redden as you tried to contain yourself and served him his beer and the complimentary snack bowl. 

“You surely know the key to a man's heart. Thank you, love.”

Greg took a few peanuts, juggling him in his hand ever so slightly. 

"You'll probably hate me for questioning you about your job on your holiday, but I have to know. Have you ever seen a dead body?”

Greg munches on his peanuts as he nods along. Knowing that the hotel owner would scold you for just standing around and chatting, you decided to clean up a bit and do some side work during the talk.

“I've seen some, yeah. Part of the job.” He finally says after swallowing. 

From one of the drawers you gathered a bunch of paper towels and a tray of cutlery. Rolling silverware seemed like a perfect task to do right now, surely the conversation would make this eternally hated task probably more bearable.

Greg observed your hands working on the roll-ups with precision and skill as he took one of the crackers into his mouth, chewing on it while watching you.

“So, did you ever… shoot someone?” you asked, spreading out the next paper towel. 

For a moment, he went back into his thoughts. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before taking a sip of his beer. With the back of his hand he wiped off the foam from his upper lip and gave a half nod, half headshake. 

“Fire a gun at someone, yes. Killed someone, no. I think that answers your question?”

You raised your eyebrows and agreed with a simple nod before moving on to the next question. “Can I see your ID?”

The man grinnes and grabbed another peanut from his bowl, “You've seen it already.”

“Aw, not your personal ID, your police ID, you know what I mean” you mused. 

He chuckled as he reached into the inner pocket in the lining of his jacket and got it out, holding it up in front of your face.

“Wow…  Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade… Scotland Yard…“ you read off the card quietly, seemingly impressed before looking back up to him, meeting his brown eyes. 

“It's not as impressive as you think. Lots of paperwork” Greg explained as he stuffed his ID back into his inner pocket and straightened his jacket afterwards. 

“But- my turn to ask a question. I don't even know your name.”

“Then find out? You're a Detective working for Scotland Yard, I'm sure you've got your sources.” 

His expression instantly gave away that he was more than up for the challenge, despite being on holiday it seemed to be worth the effort. 

“Good, give me until tomorrow morning’” Greg grinned, looking at you all over again. Now that made your cheeks flush a bit, hopefully not enough to be noticeable in the dim light of the bar.  His smile made you completely forget about his age for a moment. Not that you truly cared. He was a fine man with an exciting job and probably made good money, what was not to like? 

You tried to get a glance at his hands as discreetly as possible. 

No ring, good. But it was visible that he'd been wearing one until recently.

Maybe that was your chance to get to know him better personally. 

“So, why does a handsome detective go on vacation all on his own?”

Greg can't help but smile bitterly to himself at your words, fidgeting with the beer glass in his hands. He felt flattered by your words, and after divorcing his wife, your words were like a balm to his sore heart. 

“Handsome, huh? Can't say I've heard that in a while” he said almost sheepishly before taking a deep breath, staring at the foam of his beverage for a moment. 

“Yes, i uh.. I'm divorced. Just happened a few months ago.”

You saw the sorrow creeping up in his face and tried to offer a shoulder to cry on as you sat away the tray of rolled silverware. 

“You know, bartenders are perfect to pour your heart out to, if you wanna get it off your chest?”

Greg hummed, his eyes scanning the liquors on the wall behind you. 

“Need something stronger for the nerves beforehand?” you asked, already reaching for a shot glass. 

He couldn't help but smile at your words, “You're a mind reader, my dear. Pour me anything.” 

After scanning through the variety of liquors the bar had to offer, you filled the shot glass with a clear, yellowish liquid and set it down in front of the Detective before returning to your tasks. 

Without any hesitation, the man downed his drink in one go and licked the excess off his lips. 

“That's a good one. Elderflower?”

You nodded and let him reach the empty shot glass over to get it cleaned in the sink. “Owner made it himself last year. Tastes awfully sweet but don't underestimate the alcohol.” 

“You've got quite the taste, eh? Well… pouring my heart out to a bartender, I'm not gonna pass on that opportunity.” He braced himself mentally and propped up an elbow on the counter, his warm eyes drifting off as he started to explain. 

“Been married for years, but due to the job, my ex-wife and I sort of drifted apart. We've been fighting constantly, thought it was getting better only to find out she…”

As hard as he tried to say it out loud, the words just got stuck in his throat. Not that he had to finish the sentence for you to understand. You shook your head, not understanding why people were that way. 

That was fucked up. And as hard as he tried to find his words, you tried to be empathetic but couldn't help to automatically think out loud “What a bitch.”

Greg blinked a few times at your blatant words before the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. He'd always felt his heart break at the thought of his failed marriage, feeling like it was his fault. He should've had more time for her, he should've showed her how much he loved her, but for the first time, he saw it all from a different perspective as you continued, “Communication problems or struggling to sort out your work - life balance don't justify cheating. Nothing does.”

You cleaned his shot glass and set it away to dry, still shaking your head. You kept on rambling about how wrong this all was, and it made him change the entire way he'd felt about this divorce prior to this conversation. 

Once you noticed how quiet he'd gotten, you too stopped talking and mustered him for a moment. He didn't say anything for a while, he just stared at his glass with a smile, realizing the final straw, his ex-wife's infidelity, was her choice. He never wanted to fight, he never wanted to neglect her or make her feel unloved. 

For the first time since the divorce he could look back at the situation without feeling like a miserable man who had thrown away his marriage himself. Your words had made him realize that this wasn't on him. 

“Greg? Are you alright?”

Finally, his eyes met yours, the outer corners of them creasing as he gave you a warm, honest smile. 

“Pour me two more of those shots, love” he said with an undertone of relief. 

So you did. Two more shots, onto the counter.

He took one of them and gestured for you to grab the other one for yourself. 

“Oh, I can't, not while I'm on shift-”

“Noone's looking. I'm off duty, I won't arrest you.” he says with a reassuring nudge to the other shot. 

If your boss knew… 

Ah, screw it. 

So you looked left and right quickly before clinking your glass against his, hoping no one would ever find out about it. 

“Atta girl. To the pretty lady pouring my drinks and opening my eyes.” he mumbled in a low volume before both of you downed your shot, while his words almost had you choking on the drink. 

He sat down his glass with a sigh and mustered you with care. “You know darling, I think I should come around more often."

[ghoulsbeard]

The nervous mite of an envoy stuck himself to Sev's side for some blight-fucked reason or other, certainly not for the company. Through each of the meetings and partings that night— Bodahn's son, tactics, treaties, Zevran's gashed arm— he could not shake the flaming bastard. At supper, the boy gawked at the rising swath of moons and stars and let his soup go cold.

"Eat," Sev barked at him, and snapped fingers in his face. "We march three leagues tomorrow."

"I've never..." he flung up a hairy hand, grinning at the skies. "It doesn't end?"

Poor little fledgling, Sev could hear in Morrigan's voice. Couldn't be much older than Jowan. "Go sail the Boeric and find out."

Laughter from the crowd at the fire; a lute being tuned. Leliana was in the mood for music. The boy began peering round, this way and that, about as obvious as the horns on an ogre. "Um. Are we alone?"

"We're encamped, man. No one's alone."

That got him a wry little smile. "Feels like home. A bit."

"You can reminisce with Surana. Tell me what you want."

He didn't like that, did he. He really was too young; young enough that Sev didn't know him by sight, he must've just harrowed a year or two ago. If he thought long enough he'd place a name to the narrow, fine-boned face. Patch of black fuzz over his lip. Cowlick. Someone had done his haircut with a pair of dull scissors.

The boy quailed under close examination. He'd taken to hiding behind his soup bowl as he gulped the cabbage, cold. "I don't want any, ah, favors. I don't mean— I'm sorry, I had to—"

"What d'you want from me that you can't have got for the last four bleeding Bride-forsaken hours?"

"Nothing, I swear! I had it... somewhere...." He was rummaging through his robes. Sewn a pocket in the lining, then. Good lad. "He told me to be careful about it. Don’t let no one see."

The letter was written on the back of a tincture for rashvine, in Niall's crabbed, scratching hand. Faint grids of charcoal behind the words.

A chuisle, it said at the first.

He folded it carefully along its creases to ration out later, one phrase at a time. "Thank you," he forced up, for this shivering boy who'd taken such a kind, stupid risk. "Conall, was it?"

"Colm," the boy said, breathing over his hands before he shoved them in his armpits against the night wind. "Where can I sleep?"

"Anywhere east of the creek." But don't be a wretch to the lad. The night was fair, he ought to practice holding the shape— he'd sleep in his fur. "See that tent— there? Beside the bard."

"The little one?"

"Hands off the bottles. They're poison. The blanket's yours." Young Theirin was ambling over, arguing with the dog. "Oi. Warden! Our envoy needs a proper coat."

The boy Colm was looking at him like Liathari in the warden camp: big eyes like stars. Circlers were a sorry lot. He ought to know, he'd gone barmy over an illegible letter. "Talk to Surana. She's archmage here. She'll see you sorted."

"I know," said Colm, through chattering teeth. "I saw her in the tower. Demons. And miracles." He leaned in, shivering hard. "I volunteered."

[saintsir4n]

19

WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF WAR

1914

"YOU'VE got a what?" Finn asked, the expecting couple.

Isaiah's gasped, "In where?"

Days had passed since the celebratory drink in honour of another Shelby baby and the boys were still confused about all of it, so Tommy and Eden pulled them aside from their learnings to explain as much as possible, considering he and his brothers would be leaving in very soon.

"How is a baby in there?" Isaiah turned to his best friend.

"Sex," Finn answered, despite not knowing what he was saying.

The couple looks at each other in shock watching the two interact.

"How does he..." Eden was too stunned so Tommy took over.

"Boys, Eden's got a baby in her tummy, just like Martha did –"

"-- she might again," Eden mumbled, luckily only Tommy heard but she gave him an 'I'll tell you later' look and he continued.

"The baby will come when I'm not here, so you two need to be on your best behaviour," Tommy instructed, leaning down as they stared up at him with their innocent faces, "no messin' around, no gettin' on her nerves, just be good, alright?"

His words went straight over their heads, "Does that mean I still get sweets?" Finn asked no one in particular.

Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose, "Finn you've been told you're gonna be an uncle for the second time and you're worrying about sweets."

The Shelby boy awaited an answer.

"Yes, you'll get sweets Finny and another niece," Eden reassured him.

His brows pinched together, "What's that?"

Finn understood that he was an uncle but nothing more than that.

"Is it a girl?" Isaiah questioned, folding his arms, when he received a nod, the boys exchanged grimaces, "Ewww."

Immediately they ran off and went back to their books, leaving the couple alone.

"What the fuck?" Eden blinked rapidly.

Tommy took her hand, before palming her stomach once again.

"Now that's done, let's go," he said, nodding to the basket on the floor.

"But what's up with 'em?"

"Fuck knows."

__

Two days, the lads were leaving in two days. Tommy's heart hammered in his chest at the thought, nevertheless, he promised Eden a perfect day, filled with chocolate slices, sandwiches and a flask of tea. She wore the sweetest frock she could dig out of her closet, it was cheery red, matching the colour of her lips. He adorned a crease-free shirt which was concealed by his favourite navy blue jumper, his shoes were polished, and the gifted horseshoe and box were in his slacks.

Despite not carrying his gun with him, he decided the blades in his cap would suffice and along with the knife he knew that clung to Eden's thigh, they would be safe.

They rode Shadow once again, this time Eden was much more relaxed and free, the light wind combed through Tommy's hair and luckily didn't move a strand of hers, being that she styled it into a low bun.

After tying the horse to a nearby tree, they found the spot overlooked the city, allowing them to spread out the blanket and sit down, basking in the heat.

The sun felt like hot kisses against Eden's skin, leaving her with tints of amber, drawing Tommy's attention as he pulled out all the food he'd spent making up that morning. She was everything he dreamt of and more, the very thing that he yearned for in both body and spirit, she challenged him in ways he hated to love and often drove him to madness, but brought him back with only the right sequence of words. Eden bloody Dawkins, she was his home.

"What?" she felt his stare.

Tommy simply cocked his head to the side, raising his brow at her as a smile tugged at his lips.

"Aren't I simply a dream Tom?" she teased, winking at the man.

"That you are my love."

Eden bashfully laughed at his response and started to dig into the spread, she carved anything and everything, the previous night she'd woken up Tommy so he could make her some rose tea, he didn't have a clue of what she was on about and cautiously told his aunt about it. Polly wasn't pleased with being pulled out of her slumber but aided him anyway.

"How's the little one treatin' ya?" he gently palmed the slight swell of her stomach.

"Can't feel much, bumps don't show properly for another two months," when you're away, she wanted to add, but decided not to, "nausea's died down for now."

"Can see that," he nodded to a half-eaten sandwich in her hand, making her snort.

"And you can say it's a girl, Tom unless you don't believe your aunt," she gave him a pointed look.

"I believe her, things might change, just being realistic."

"'Cause you want a boy?"

"Did I say that?" his hand didn't leave her stomach as he picked up the flask.

"Y'know she's a girl, so you're not havin' a peaky blinder," she narrowed her eyes at him, "but by the grace of god, we have a boy he ain't becomin' a blinder Thomas alright? Promise me." he shrugged, making her hit his forehead, "You promised a perfect day so promise me."

He nodded after gulping down some tea, "Alright, I promise... if it's a boy he ain't becoming a blinder," he paused, "I'll make sure he goes to London and becomes one of those established toffs."

She scrunched up her face, "Ugh, I think I'd prefer a blinder."

They both started to laugh, but in truth wanted a bright future for their child, their children, not wanting them to be subjected to the same misfortunes they inherited, but it was a lot to ask for, let alone dream about. Money could change a lot, but it couldn't change blood.

"You thought of any names?" she asked, as he rested his head in her lap.

His eyes fluttered shut, "A few."

She gently patted him, "Spill."

He inhaled sharply, "It's a lot to ask..."

"Go on."

"Somethin' to do with my mum," his reply had her intrigued.

"Mara Shelby," he stiffly nodded at her mention, "it's a pretty name," she said smiling.

"Esme too," he added, recalling how he and John were up a couple of nights ago talking about it. Arthur joined in, and so did Ada before they passed out in the front room.

"Esmerelda," she liked how it rolled off her tongue.

He chuckled before saying the next, "Pollyanna, but don't tell Pol 'bout that."

"Secret safe with me," she giggled.

"You thought of any?"

"Nothing's come to mind, none have felt right, my mum told me that she spent months thinkin' of what to call me and then changed her mind on the day," she said, combing her hand through his thick locks.

"Really?"

"Yeah, spontaneous thing right?"

"Sounds it," as a man who made part of their child, he didn't want to influence Eden too much with the name of the baby, but the fact she was taking his input made him grateful.

"Just picturing the little girl, runnin' 'round, with a dog chasing her..." her eyes fluttered shut at the image.

"A dog, what one?" he questioned, envisioning the image also, it made his heart swell.

"Bullmastiff," she breathed out.

His eyes fluttered open. "Those big dogs?"

"Yeah, family dogs apparently, but can be brutal when needs be," she continued with the vision, believing it would be the perfect addition to the home they already dreamt of.

"Ballmastiff it is, anything else Mrs Shelby?" and with that question her eyes snapped open, glancing down at the smirking man.

She swallowed the lump at the back of her throat, "Not Mrs. Shelby yet, haven't even popped the question."

"That's true," Tommy sat up, then rose on one knee, rendering Eden to softly chuckle behind her shaking hand, "Now, I was gonna do this a while ago, back when I got permission from your parents. And yes even your dad gave me 'is blessin', a shock to me and all, but I promised I wasn't gonna fuck this up, and I'm not am I?"

"No, you aren't, keep it up."

"Been thinkin' of all the ways I was gonna ask you this, dreamin', talkin' talk my self 'bout how I was gonna ask you to be my wife, did it so often Pol thought 'bout 'avin' me admitted," a teary laugh escaped her at his confession. "So I thought what would my Edie do when she's stuck? She'd write it down wouldn't ya love?"

"I would," she admitted.

"But I couldn't do that," he jokily tutted, making her laugh even more, "I scrapped the paper and thought speakin' from the heart was better, even though I think I'm doin' a crap job at it, but you're smilin'" her smile reached her teary eyes, making his heart hammer once more, "best smile I've ever seen, the brightest too," his voice cracked slightly, "and a great woman once said 'you have to be a bright ball of fire to be seen' and I've never not seen you, Eden. You're everything to me, my bright ball of hope, Christ how sappy is that?"

"Keep goin'" She softly nudged him, despite her tears.

"Oh right," he reached into his back pocket, "even before that little one starting growin' inside you, I was gonna propose. We speak about the future and mine wouldn't be right — it couldn't be without you in it. You've always been in it, so Eden Mary Dawkins would you –"

"Yes," she practically fell into his arms, covering his face with kisses.

"Darlin' I 'aven't shown you the ring yet or properly asked the question."

"Fine, ask me," she playfully rolled her eyes, not letting go of him.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, it was always gonna be yes," she exclaimed.

An uncharacteristically wide smile broke out on his face as he produced a small box, but that didn't stop her from kissing him and he immediately kissed back, flooding her with feelings that burst through his chest and she did the same, swirling his mouth with the joy that took over her.

Pulling away, he presented her with a ring, that she squealed out, much to his shock, sure it shone in the sunlight, but he didn't think it was much, in honesty he thought she would hate it, but it was the best he could do.

"Brought it for cheap, don't be mad," he said, settling down onto the blanket again.

Her brows furrowed slightly, "And why would I be mad?"

"You deserved better."

"It's perfect," she wasted no more time and slid it onto her finger.

She even laughed when he fitted his cap onto her head.

My secret blinder, he thought.

She wouldn't stop looking at the ring, so he took his time to speak again, "I want us to have the best weddin', but can't do it now only when I come back, so promise me you'll tell people we're married."

"For protection?..."

"Exactly, protection, our little Shelby needs it, just like you," he and his family agreed to it as well, making sure to spread the word that they'd wed, so no one questioned it. Even asking Jeremiah to pretend he performed the ceremony and Polly to put together a fake marriage certificate.

"'Course," she smiled at him, watching as he slipped on a wedding band of his own. "Should we make up our own vows then?"

"If you want," he couldn't stop smiling.

"Well, I... promise to be loyal to you, always, mind body and soul."

He let out a nervous chuckle, "Not to love ey?"

"You can love someone and hurt 'em right?" she blurted out, eyes widening at the words she spoke. It was out of experience she wanted to be cautious, she loved Tommy and he loved her, but the future they planned wouldn't be plane sailing. "I promise to always love you, also, but loyalty, our loyalty to each other can't be brought, or made, it was always there, alright?"

Tommy couldn't disagree despite himself.

"I promise to be loyal to you, always, mind body and soul."

They sealed that vow with a kiss, arguably far more meaningful and sacred than the last.

The sun brightened, bearing witness to the faux wedding, shining down on their rings with its harsh rays, before Tommy turned to whisper something to her bump, putting on voices for his daughter to hear, making his fiancé laugh at his utter foolishness as she ran her fingers through his hair. Thirty weeks left of her pregnancy to go and Tommy had to make the most of this moment, imagining what their child would look like before she popped out.

He was about to go through the flames of war, but right now all he could think of was his family, and how he would make sure to cherish them, despite how little time he had.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

a/n:

for a while, i was trying to figure out how far along eden is and she's roughly two months pregnant, give or take a week.

we all know when it comes to tommy loyalty is more vital than love, merely because he's committed atrocities in the name of love and family, so he's really not one to be trusted.

how did you find this chapter? the proposal? the happiness between teden?

next time chapter will be the last before the epilogue and bonus chapter, guys so might want to bring some tissues.

[your-divine-ribs]

The Devil Next Door Part 10

Words: 2.2k

Apologies for the gratuitous wanking scene, it’s absolutely completely necessary for the development of the plot, honest 🤭

The Devil Next Door Masterlist Main Masterlist

❤️‍🔥 Van's POV ❤️‍🔥

I'm lingering in that state just between sleep and wakefulness, that hazy realm where everything's soft and warm and cosy. I burrow my face into the pillow, closing my eyes, trying my hardest to shut out the reality that's threatening to intrude into my heavenly dream world. I've just been dreaming about Y/N, dreaming she was in bed with me, all soft lace and velvety skin, her delicious little moans and sighs travelling straight down to my cock which is achingly hard as I press my pelvis into the mattress, letting out a groan of pure frustration.

I could have quite easily stayed in that state for the rest of the day, languishing in my bed, my thoughts full of her. Her touch, her voice, her scent. In my mind's eye I had her pinned beneath me as she looked up at me breathless and needy, eyes heavy-lidded with lust and perfect pink lips parted to expel a sensual moan as I sank into her slowly. And she felt good... so goddamn good...

"Van mate! Got the kettle on. Wanna cuppa?" Bondy's voice is accompanied by a rap on my bedroom door, then his voice comes again when I don't answer immediately. "You awake yet?"

"I wasn't but I am now," I grumble, hoisting myself up to lean against the headboard. I frown as I look down at the bed-sheets tenting in my lap, my obvious arousal taunting me.

"How ya feeling today anyway?" My bedroom door's opening before I can protest and I quickly grab for a pillow to position strategically, embarrassed.

"How d'ya think I'm feeling? Like bloody shit."

"Head still hurting eh?" Bondy grins, more amused than sympathetic. "Or is it yer pride that's taken more of a blow?"

I force out a laugh but the truth is I'm struggling to see the funny side in the cold light of day. I mean yeah, the whole thing's certainly very humorous to an outsider. Getting caught spying on a girl you fancy in such a sneaky way, ending up sprawled in her flower bed in the middle of the night like some kind of weirdo? Lying blatantly to her face and making up a convoluted story in an attempt to spend more time with her but getting found out? Hilarious.

If it'd been Bondy caught up in the same predicament I'd have been creased over double with laughter and relishing winding him up about it at every opportunity. In fact I'd probably never let him live it down. But it wasn't Bondy. It was me. And I felt wounded about it.

"I wouldn't worry too much, she'll probably see the funny side of it eventually," my friend chuckles, leaning against the door frame.

"You didn't hear her," I grimace, recalling the furious look on her face as she'd told me I was a 'sneaky, lying piece of shit' before she'd manhandled me out of the door. "She was fuming! I swear I thought she was gonna swing at me. Said if she never saw me again it'd be too soon."

"It was a bit of a dick move," Bondy says, shaking his head, still smiling. "Whatever possessed you to climb her fucking flower trellis to snoop on her anyway?"

I wince in embarrassment, knowing I'm in for a complete roasting when the other lads find out about my antics.

"She invited that Tom in with her when we got back, didn't she? I just wanted to see if I'd missed my chance with her like... whether it was even worth me still going after her. And then the bloody thing came away from the wall and I went down with it."

Bondy's eyes widen in disbelief, deep, hearty laughter bursting from him as I tell him the whole humiliating story in detail rather than the brief version he'd got last night when he'd stumbled in at 2am.

Christ... I really am a loser. Hearing myself recount the story just makes me realise how much of a fool I've made of myself. And especially after the way Y/N had looked at me up on stage... I was never going to get that again now, was I?

"Well... you've spectacularly fucked that one up then haven't ya?" Bondy announces like I wasn't already fully aware of that very fact. "You know if you really liked her there's a million other more effective ways to show it... like inviting her out for a drink or something, or... ya know... acting like a normal human being around her. Just a thought."

"S'fine anyway," I say resignedly. "If I'm honest it's probably for the best. It's not even like I actually like her that much, I just fancy her, that's all. I'm not interested in a relationship, it's just been a while and she's fit."

Bondy's eyebrows raise up slightly and I know he doesn't believe a word that's coming out of my mouth, and if I'm being completely honest, I'm finding it hard to swallow too. I just can't admit to myself that there's a very real possibility that I'm catching feelings. I don't do feelings.

"You sure about that? I can't remember you acting this daft over a lass you just wanted to shag before."

"I mean it," I say, trying to convey a belief I don't really feel. "Tom's welcome to her, reckon she'd be too much like hard work. Ever since we moved in she's found a reason to snipe at me, and I know I'm at fault this time but it's not always that way. I think she actually enjoys fighting with me... gets some kind of a kick out of it. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. I'm dead peaceful me."

Bondy pushes himself off from where he's leaning, giving me a sly smile. "Sounds like sexual tension to me."

This time when I smile back it's genuine. "That's just it, that's exactly what I'm saying. It's nothing more than that... and I can soon scratch that itch with someone else... So who've you invited to this party on Friday then?"

❤️‍🔥 Y/N’s POV ❤️‍🔥

You'd thought a good night's sleep would calm you down but you're still fuming when you awaken the next morning. Maybe that's because it wasn't such a good night's sleep. You'd tossed and you'd turned, trying to get comfortable enough to just switch off and drift into a restful oblivion but your efforts had been futile. In the end you'd just given up even trying and had lain there stiffly thinking about Van, hands balled into fists at the side of you, getting more and more irritated as the minutes ticked by, stewing over the fact that he'd purposefully sabotaged your evening with Tom. You'd eventually succumbed to sleep but it had been restless and now here you were again, lying there awake far too early for saying you were on an afternoon shift at work, thinking about Van again.

But maybe that's not such a bad thing, you try to reason with yourself. Being mad with Van is definitely preferable to going soft on him like you were perilously close to last night when you were both cosying up together on the sofa. You should be indulging in these thoughts, seeing him for what he really is, and that's certainly not boyfriend material.

There's just one small problem. Every time you think about how much Van winds you up, there's an unexpected and very unwelcome by-product to those thoughts. In your mind's eye his infuriatingly cocky smile transforms into a sexy smirk and his piercing blue gaze gives you shivers for all the wrong reasons.

You groan in frustration, casting the duvet aside and hoisting yourself up and out of bed. You're intending to shower but you spot your running gear folded up on a nearby chair where you've not got around to putting away your laundry yet. Maybe a long run is just what you need to clear your head and work all of this tension out of your body and your mind.

Trainers on, you head for the door.

❤️‍🔥 Van's POV ❤️‍🔥

As soon as Bondy leaves my room I decide to get up, knowing if I linger in bed for much longer I'll just end up daydreaming about Y/N again. The fact that I know her bedroom's right next door to mine and she could easily be lying there in bed right now a few feet away from me is a dangerous path for my thoughts to be wandering down. Especially now I know I've completely blown any chance of anything happening between the two of us.

Maybe I need to actually start buying into what I've been feeding Bondy. The best thing for me to do is just accept that ship has sailed and get on with my life... one that doesn't involve her.

The only trouble is, the more I try not to think about something the more it tends to weasel its way into my brain. No sooner have I stripped off my boxers and stepped under the warm spray of the shower then she's back. Those big expressive eyes of hers framed by thick long lashes, her delicate curves, those luscious lips I can imagine trailing over every inch of my body...

I consider switching the heat of the shower to cool to dampen my desire but the warmth feels too good leeching into my muscles so I crank it up instead, steam rising and quickly filling the small cubicle, the hot spray raining down on me as I reach for the shower gel. Visions dance through my head of Y/N taking a shower, her skin slick and glistening as she runs her hands over her body, her head tipped back and her eyes screwed shut, revelling in the feeling.

"Shit," I curse, low and choked, blood rushing to my loins as my filthy thoughts intensify.

It's so vivid. She's in the cubicle with me now, gorgeous tits pressed up against my chest almost as hard as her lips are mashed against mine as we kiss passionately, her hands firmly tangled in the hair at the nape of my neck. Then I'm reaching down to curl my hands around each of her thighs, lifting her up to slide against the tiles until she's on a level with me, legs wrapped snugly around my hips.

"Fuck me Van," dream Y/N breathes into my open mouth as we kiss, a plea I'm only too happy to fulfil. "Right here, right now. I want you inside me."

A red hot ball of fire ignites between my legs at the thought as I finally give in to my urges, a hand trailing down my soapy frame to wrap around my semi-hard cock, sighing at the feeling as I swell and grow in my palm.

Christ... the things I want to do to her. I've not been this fucking horny since I was a teenager. It's shameful. Here I am, a grown man wanking over wet dreams like a fifteen year old. But now I've started I've no intention of stopping, it feels too good.

A throaty groan escapes me as I begin to slide my fist up and down my slick length, hanging my head to watch as the flushed, wet head of my cock disappears and re-appears at every stroke. I shoot out one hand to brace myself against the shower screen, the other increasing in pace as I work myself over, faster and faster, my hips shunting forward as I imagine thrusting into her.

My eyes are screwed shut now, chasing the fantasy, picturing her face creasing in ecstasy. She gasps as I fuck her hard into the cool, smooth tiles. She feels warm and wet and blissfully tight and I flex my fingers to increase my grip, trying to replicate what I can imagine would be the blissful sensation of her deliciously pretty cunt clenching around me.

"Fuck... Y/N... yeah... baby..." I mutter, barely audible over the drumming water which is cascading down my body in rivulets as I hunch over, pursuing my high. Sparks of sensation shoot through me as I jerk myself even faster, biting my bottom lip hard to stop my groans of pleasure spilling forth.

I'm going to come soon, it's inevitable. I can feel the pressure building steadily until it's past the point of no return, a knot of searing heat in my lower abdomen, my balls pulling up tight as my thighs start to tremble.

"Fu...ck," I hiss through gritted teeth as I feel myself finally let go, thrusting into my fist as hot spurts of cum spill over my knuckles and trickle down to the shower floor where they get washed away. I stay in that position for a while, catching my breath, chest rising and falling from my exertions.

The relief of my climax is instantaneous but there's little satisfaction in it. It's not followed by soft kisses and gentle caresses and whispered words of affection and praise. There's just an empty shower cubicle and my left hand for company, a little voice in my head taunting me that this is as good as it's going to get for me. Much as I keep telling myself that I don't want all those things I know deep down that I'm lying to myself.

I push the unwanted thoughts away as I rinse myself off and then I'm heading downstairs in search of breakfast.

[hearts4golbach]

Light Shower. (Sal Fisher x Fem!Reader.)

part 16.

-

"but you made me want to plan out my last days on earth eating you."

-

I sat in my bed, debating which outfit I should choose. I looked at both options, taking into consideration which one sal would like more. I eventually made my decision and changed out of my pajamas. I felt excitement built up in my chest as I heard my mother call me. I made quick movements out of my bedroom, wanting to avoid being late because of her.

My mom sat in the living room alone, her eyes burned with panic and worry. "y/n, something bad has happened."

I felt the blood drain from my face. "what? is it dad?" my thoughts raced as panic started to set in.

"your father is fine." her forehead creased. she set her head in her hand. "we have to move. I don't want you to worry. we'll be fine. we just have to leave these apartments for our own safety." her eyes glistened. "I'm sorry I have to take you away again, hun. it's just right up the street, though. you can ride your bike up here every day if you must." she gave me a small smile.

"but we're happy here? we cant just uproot again, even if it's just right up the street. it's not fair." I tried to reason as I shook my head. I felt my face heat up with anger.

"you're not seeing the bigger picture, y/n. it's a must, it's for our own safety."

I dug my finger nails into my palms. "okay, so tell me why we're in danger."

"i- you just won't understand. you're too young." she brushed me off.

"thats not fair." I said sternly.

"you need to pack."

I turned away, fighting off tears so I wouldn't ruin my makeup. "I'm going to Larry's birthday party."

"that's fine." she muttered, turning back to her planner.

I rolled my eyes to myself and slipped on my converse. I ran down to Larry's apartment, my mood completely ruined. I continued to fight the urge to cry. I felt like I was being dramatic. I was moving a block away, why was I so upset?

"yooo, y/n!" Larry cheered, wearing a cheesy party hat and a smiley face pin that says 'birthday boy!'

"I want a birthday boy pin." I teased, pushing his chest to remove him from the doorway."

"someone's a little cranky." Larry retorted.

"someone needs to shut the fuck up." I rolled my eyes.

"were meeting everyone else at the place." he mentioned, brushing his fingers through his tangled hair.

"alright." I flashed him a fake smile.

Lisa walked out of her room in mom jeans and a white tee. "hiya, y/n! how are you?" her bright eyes met mine.

"I'm okay, Ms. johnson." I hugged her. "you?"

"oh, I'm just dandy, y/n. my little boys growing up too fast." her eyes watered.

I hummed in response, following them out the door to their car. majority of the ride was spent listening to Larry ramble about he was going to kick my ass in lazer tag. all I managed to do was roll my eyes at him.

ash, sal, Todd, and Neil were all waiting outside of the building. "well, you're awfully early!" Lisa called cheerfully, locking the car.

"we wanted to watch you give Larry his birthday spankings!" ash hollered, walking over to larry and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I think you're the only one who wants to see that." todd said matter-of-factly.

"I've seen it many times before, this won't be anything new." sal joked.

"oh, shut up." Larry pushed past sal and walked inside. "I'm not that naughty."

"naughty?" ash repeated in a taunting tone. I snorted.

"naughty little lad, of course!" Neil smiled.

"you guys are bullies." Larry muttered.

we quickly checked in and paid, eager to 'kick eachothers asses' but I was positive that I was going to win along with whoever was on my team.

"I call sal and neil." Larry shouted, dragging them away.

"Wow, okay." ash scoffed. "at least I got Todd and y/n."

"sorry baby." Larry cooed.

sal looked at me and giggled. I smiled back at him weakly. he glanced at me once more, a worried glare in his eyes, before following Larry to the other side.

the three of is walked to the opposite area. we were the red team, I assumed, as the lights flashed and read 'red team.' the wall had an assortment of 10 vests messing hung up on hooks next to a rack holding toy guns.

ash and todd slipped on their vests easily as I stared cautiously at mine. "sals going to laugh at me, I'm going to look so stupid." I trailed off.

ash rolled her eyes. "be so for real."

"sal isn't like that, y/n. I'm sure you know that better than anyone." todd commented, wrapping an arm around me.

"I mean, yeah. but still-"

"y/n." ash interrupted. "don't overthink it." she gave me a gentle smile.

"okay." I sighed, putting on the vest and grabbing my assigned gun before following them out to the play area.

I heard Larry's maniac cackling from across the big room. "oh, fuck." ash face palmed.

"they're going to eat shit." Todd smirked. he rarely cusses, but when he does it never fails to make me laugh.

"okay, todd." I said sarcastically.

"what?" he was cut off by the buzzer, signaling for us to go.

the two of them branched off separate ways as I walked straight forward. I whipped around, hearing rustling behind me. I slowly took a step back gripping my gun like my life depended on my. hypothetically, it did. the silence that followed made my heart race faster than before. I quickly turned the corner to cover myself, making sure to watch my back. I bumped into a figure with a yelp. I quickly picked up my gun and aimed it at the blue haired boy.

"oh my god, sal. shoot me and I swear to God, I will-"

"I'm not gonna shoot you. truce?" he cut me off.

"I'm not so sure about that." I whispered, taking a step closer to him. I gave him a once over, i adored how the vest hugged his body. I would have been drooling if I didn't keep my composure around him. "go on, shoot me." I smirked.

sal laughed quietly, "I'll let you go this time, little missy."

I snorted. "little missy?" my hand ran down his arm.

"why are you fucking with me right now?" he hissed, lashes fluttering. "n-now is probably the worst time to seduce me."

"oh yeah?" I quickly lifted my gun and shot him in the chest. "that was my goal."

sals eyes narrowed. "You little traitor. I'm going to get you back."

"how are you going to do that?"

"just wait until my dad leaves for work." he leaned in, whispering. I turned to watch as he walked away, feeling giddy. I shook myself out of it, quickly turning the corner. I was stunned to see Larry peering around the corner. my heart skipped a beat. luckily, his back was towards me.

with a small smirk on my face, I called his name. he whipped around, gun pointed. I shot him first. "you little shit!" he shrieked.

I flipped him off. "eat shit!"

Larry looked at me stunned. "fu-" The buzzer went off, as if it was censoring the shit he was about to yap at me.

I can to the doors as Larry chased after me screaming profanities. I smiled as the light coming from the open exit doors drew closer.

I tripped. Larry let out a psychotic laugh, staring down at me on my hands and knees. i quickly turned around, grabbing the back of his knees, making him fall as well. While he was temporary disabled, I made a sprint for the door. I threw myself behind sal and Ash as larry came up the walkway red as a tomato. he glanced around before finally noticing me.

"come here, y/n! I'm going to-"

"What a sore loser!" Ash teased, catching Larry off guard.

larry just rolled his eyes in response and crossed his arms. he jutted his bottom lip out. "shut up."

ash rolled her eyes and turned to me, giving me a high 5. Larry rolled his eyes so hard, it looked as if he was trying to see his itty bitty brain.

I looked down at my crusty old shoes while the others bickered. I remembered the way my mom told were moving. it wasn't a huge deal, of course, we were only moving a few blocks down the road. but I knew it's affect everything. Maybe not in a bad way, but things

would change. I started hold back tears, I thought about how I was finally comfortable in the apartments. It but as if the rug had just been swiped from under me.

"y/n, you okay?" sal whispered, patting my shoulder.

"Uh, yeah." I stuttered. he squinted his eyes at me and tilted his head, signaling to the hall adjacent to the group.

I sighed and gave in giving a small nod before following him down the hall. I glanced back, watching larry is he pretended to make out with himself. I rolled my eyes and turned my head back to the blue haired boy walking in front of me.

as we approached the end of the hall. sal stopped and leaned against the wall, looking at me "whats wrong, love?"

I sighed, looking at him through my

lashes. "im moving. Not far, but im still angry about it. Everything finally started feel okay."

i could tell he was frowning under his prosthetic. "where are you going?"

"Right up the street." I leaned against the opposite wall. "It's less than a 10 minute walk."

"See? there you go. everything will be okay, y/n."

"Yeah, I know." I smiled softly, feeling the weight begin to evaporate off my chest.

"let's go back, sweetheart." He smiled.

-

I sat across from sat in his dimly lit dining room. His face was still mostly bandaged, leaving his bad age covered. my mother and his father chatted as we sat and stayed silent. I didn't want to interrupt, so we stayed silent as we made silly faces or played footsie, forgetting about our food.

"that's enough, you two." Henry sighed, rubbing his full belly. "either finish or off to bed."

we collectively groaned and made our way off to bed.

[quitefair]

WIP Ask: 9, 13, 14, 16, 21 :)

thanks for asking!!! (questions are from this ask meme!)

i'm going to answer this for The Dragon Age Fic because... well. That's the only things I've really been working on all these years.

Under a cut because it got Long. As usual.

9. What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

Here's the deal - I think I'm not good at dialogue. I struggle to write it, and what comes out often always needs editing. But this bit was the first that came to mind. For context: this is in reference to An Unexpected Engagement. Tashak is my Inquisitor and Sekhara is her younger sister.

tw: alcohol.

___________________________________

“Was gonna offer you this,” she ran a finger along the rim of the tankard she took from Bull. “But you seem to have taken care of yourself already.”

Tashak grunted. “Still not as drunk as I should be.”

“Well lucky I got here when I did, because from what I recall, you wanted to talk to me. Let’s do that before you get completely shitfaced, yeah?”

“Need another drink first.” Tashak waved down one of the serving lads, carrying a massive tray of tankards. Two full mugs were set down on the table, and within seconds one of them was half gone.

“You done?” Sekhara said drily as Tashak leaned against the table, head in her hand.

“Not quite. Still feel like shit.”

“Okay you’ve gotta start talking before you pass out because I am not going to carry you back to your room if you do, alright?” Tashak continued to stare intently at the table. Sekhara groaned and took a drink of maaras-lok. The fizzling in her veins turned into actual flame. “Besides, what are you doing here anyway? You’re usually cozied up with Josephine by now.”

That was evidently the wrong thing to say, judging from the way Tashak’s face twisted into something that made even Sekhara uncomfortable. The fingers around the tankard were now gripped so tight that the knuckles were turning white.

“Fuck, what’s wrong now? Did you go and fuck up something between the two of you again?”

“No.” The word seemed forced through gritted teeth. Tashak’s eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance. “It wasn’t me this time.”

“Tashak, for all that is good in this world, snap out of it and tell me what the fuck…”

“Josephine is engaged.”

There was a pause. The sound of wood cracking, a man swearing loudly before a fist connected with bone, the loud off-kilter singing, filled the space around and between them.

Sekhara blinked once. Blinked again.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Didn’t think you had it in you.” She leaned back in her chair, grinning at Tashak. “And to think you wanted to tell me first…”

“Wait what?” Tashak’s eyes widened. “No, no, no! What the fuck? I didn’t pro…”

She looked around, suddenly aware that her voice was carrying. Turning towards Sekhara she continued in an angry whisper, “… I didn’t propose.”

Sekhara’s brows creased. “Then who the fuck is Josephine engaged to?”

There was another pause.

“Please don’t tell me she’s in love with somebody else now.”

Tashak groaned and held a hand up but Sekhara was already standing up.

“I swear to all the fucking Old Gods, if she’s up and gone and dumped you after everything you’ve been through, I am going to punt her across the mountains so hard she reaches bloody Kirkwall…”

“Sit down, Sekhara.”

Sekhara sat down. There was no arguing with that voice.

____________________________________________

13. What common trope(s) do you feel are used in this chapter/fic?

I only remember very few tropes off the top of my head, and all of them are ship related. Let's just say this is a slow-burn, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers sorta deal. Also something something racism/generational trauma/discrimination and a whole lot of other stuff that I need to make a note of honestly.

14. What have you been finding frustrating with writing this chapter/fic?

Oh god where do I begin. I'm doing something horrible, which is a) rewriting an entire game, b) fixing what I feel is broken and c) adding to what's already there with my own characters and my own spin on a romance. It's Really Hard. And to top it all off, I have a very demanding day job and am starting my masters on top of that. AND also have very severe anxiety over my writing/posting things online.

So yeah.

16. Write the next 5 sentences and share.

This is most likely going to be part of Chapter 2. I need to fuckin sort out everything I've written.

____________________________________________

Her skin was a smooth grey, her hair an iridescent black. Two curling horns emerged from her forehead; their tips lost in the shadow surrounding them. In the candlelight, Josephine could not clearly catch the expression on her face, though she noticed the downcast eyes and the deep furrow in her brow.

She did not look up at either Josephine or the commander. But she shifted the arms that were in front of her, and the heavy jangle of the shackles around her wrist caught Josephine’s attention.

____________________________________________

21. Share 3 songs that would belong on a playlist for this chapter/fic. 

I'll do you one better and link my Tashak/Josephine playlist. I cry over them on a daily basis.

[nikatyler]

Zeph 1.0

can't believe that yesterday i was like eh i'm not sure about that armor, it looks so good on them

(x)

oooh a pretty evil lady!

(x)

same girl, same, about everything that has ever happened to me

(x)

it's been 84 years (more like 16 hours) but i'm finally opening bg3 again ✨

i think i'll do some more goblin camp shenanigans today if possible 👀

ohhh right. essentially i've already murdered like half the goblin camp so now the other half of the camp is trying to murder me, huh?

Me: "ah yes I'm far enough" *the explosion hits Zeph and Zeph dies* *reloads* "ah yes now I'm definitely far enough" *the explosion hits Zeph again and Zeph dies again*

"yeah we've got this" *the entire party dies*

Fucking gnolls man

yeah it's been a long bloody day

HELLO SAY THAT AGAIN

hUH

jesus christ this man is h🫣rny

Okay so I'll go watch a baking show with my mum in a bit and then we're going back and doing da thing 😏

Sorry for not giving updates if you were looking forward to them, anyway a little thing I love is how everyone sleeps on their back. I do that and apparently that's weird to everyone around me? 😂🤨

I will literally be in my bed like 🧍‍♂️

(x)

newest development in my bg3-rotten brain

did i mention this game is doing things to me because it is doing things to me

(x)

Anywayyyy you know what time it is 😌

I may have just spent an hour organizing everyone's inventories and figuring out who gets what armor and all but we're good to go now I think

Explosive shrooms, yay 🤩

(x)

I'm 💀💀💀 I need to go to bed lmao

Okay so basically what happened um. I don't know how but it did. So I wanted to help Astarion. But I clicked the wrong thing. And I pushed him off the boat. And he died.

I RELOADED BUT HOW DID I EVEN DO THAT 😭😭

If there's one thing about me it's that I'll accidentally murder my favourite vampires

(x)

I love Zeph so much they're so prettyyyyyy

Kinda wanna make a modern day version of them in ts4 and have them interact with my other characters. They'd fit right in

(x)

hole hehe. hole

(x)

my bi ass is having a bit of a dilemma rn

(x)

gay gay gay they're in love your honor

HELL YEAH KISS

(x)

Raw footage of me during my latest combat

I was actually so stressed dude 😭 thankfully we made it through but ahhhhh

Does anyone else apologize to the characters when they get hurt? Like sorry lil guy in my computer I'm sorry I'm putting you through this I promise you'll make it out I PROMISE ah fuck you're getting hit again oh no sorry sorry ahhhh

So uh. The adamantine forge fight huh. 🙂

(x)

Granted it doesn't count ts4 correctly rn probably because I haven't updated yet but…yeah 😅😅

(also I have way more hours on ts4 actually, this is just since Jan 2023, I played through Origin/EA app before and then switched to Steam for reasons)

(x)

my fucking thoughts exactly, i hate this battle 😭😭 on a real note i relate to him so much when he's whining DUDE WE LIVE

i should've known he wouldn't take that as a good thing lmaoooooo dude creases when you smile is the biggest compliment smh

FREN!!!

(x)

oops

(x)

I'm sorry what

(x)

pwettyyyyy

(x)

I'm sensing that I may have messed up real bad in Last Light Inn yesterday...ooops

I should've reloaded to see if things could turn out differently but I've done a lot afterwards, idk if I wanna go back now 😂 No spoilers pls, that's something for me to figure out in my next playthrough

"ooops" people DIED 💀 people i had previously saved died 💀

(x)

You're never gonna believe who I murdered again

(x)

I'm fucking crying I need you to resurrect him you moron stop shaming Zeph for having a sex life Update we are so back lads

(x)

Funny how fast I went from "I think Zeph is mostly good, they just want to get rid of the parasite and help people along the way" to "actually fuck it darling you're so right some power would be nice"

(x)

Crying laughing sending this to my sibling who's in art school. On point

(x)

"eh we'll be fine i don't need bonuses" *rolls 1*

(x)

daddy Ketheric omg💀💀

(x)

uh anyway

(x)

this is the best they are the best 🥹

(x)

Don't be upset, I will reload, just don't be upset with me pleaseeee 😭

The "please a videogame vampire at all costs" disease is real I'm afraid

(x)

Uh oh it's almost 3am, tomorrow will be an eepy day, well it's worth it

(x)

I'm so close to having a funny number of hours played 🤭

(x)

Killed the workout, now let's kill this guy that I struggled with for half an hour. Almost killed my whole party in the process so I quit and decided to kill my legs instead 😂

(x)

[autiezo]

PERCEPTION [Easy: Success] - You see the Kim's eyes linger onto the glorious page of your peak attractiveness. 5 seconds too long. Then, they dart back at you.

PERCEPTION [Impossible: Failure] - Check his ears. Oh, they're the same colour they always are. Makes sense. These are merely pictures of you, and he sees you all the time. The lieutenant wouldn't be moved by something so normal and regular.

COMPOSURE [Challenging: Success] - I wouldn't be so quick to judge. Observe him more.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - Oh, gladly.

KIM KITSURAGI - He clears his throat and shoves the book back onto the shelf. He presses his lips together, a small wince, as he accidentally gives the book a minor crease.

EMPATHY [Godly: Failure] - Kim respects knowledge and intellect, and books represent that. Even if the book is mostly eye candy junk. You remember how well he takes care of his personal property. The same rule applies here.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Success] - Snake Party, Five Senses, you guys are hopeless. The evidence is right there, how the hell do you not see it?? One of you literally sees shit as a JOB.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Oh shut up, we know our friend. He's perfect. He's eternally unfazed by human impurities. He is our saint and hero.

COMPOSURE [Legendary: Success] - Relax, EC. We'll reveal the truth to these two soon enough.

DRAMA [Challenging: Success] - Besides, Poker Face and I are in cahoots. My plan is in motion.

COMPOSURE [Legendary: Success] - And I am 100% sure I'd execute it flawlessly.

ENDURANCE [Medium: Success] - Go on, then. Kudos.

KIM KITSURAGI - He starts walking out of the pawn shop at a brisk pace. "Come on, let's go," He looks to you and jerks his head towards the door.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - Pssst. Buy the sexy gay man book. You have to.

YOU - With your eager, greedy hands, you grab the book. As you wave it by the spine, the pages flail around. You call out to him, ignoring the lone judgement of an elderly passer-by, "Wait, lemme buy this thing. It's evidence of my superstardom."

KIM KITSURAGI - His face falls, and he reluctantly nods. He sighs, muttering under his breath.

PERCEPTION [Formidable: Success] - You see his ears going red, and you hear him whisper, "God, please don't."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Wait, why is Kim shy about hot men pictures he doesn't own?

HALF-LIGHT [Medium: Success] - Zip it, idiot. Don't ruin this for us.

VOLITION [Challenging: Success] - Fine... I'm joining your circus to bring this to a halt. The book is for Kim, Em.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] - Oi, you fucking spoilsport! Now look what you've done.

EMPATHY [Trivial: Success] - Ohhh... then yea, let's put the almost-porno away.

DRAMA [Challenging: Success] - Wait, sire. A compromise can be made.

VOLITION [Easy: Success] - ... alright. This better be good.

DRAMA [Challenging: Success] - The plan is simple yet golden, my lord. We pretend that the book is ours. Leave it lying around in the living room often. In the shared living area. Then, pretend not to notice Kim engrossing himself in this art, in secret.

COMPOSURE [Heroic: Success] - I swear to never reveal that knowledge. You can count on me.

VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - Hmmm. This isn't a trap to embarass our roommate, right? You guys do realise Kim owns the house, he could kick us out.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - However, Kim Kitsuragi would never abandon us, his dear friend. Just like how we will never reveal to our colleagues, about how he loves Speedfreaks FM and overly-complex board games. Or how he can't resist geeking out over every single piece of fine machinery we come across. A steadfast, mutual loyalty.

VOLITION [Challenging: Success] - Fine. Against my better judgement, I'll trust you lads to take the lead. Let's do this.

Mr. February

[jaeminscoffee]

Drapetomania.

Drapetomania- An overwhelming urge to run away.

Pairing- Lee Taeyong x reader.

Genre- Angst, business!au

Word count- 2.73k

Warning- Mention of intake of alcohol, smoking and plans of running away.

Summary- A friend as good as ready to run away with you but you stop him dead in track, wanting solitude away from the cruelty of your world.

Ever felt like wanting to turn a blind eye towards all your responsibilities and just run away? 

The night was cold, gusty winds blowing through the open curtain of the ball room. Sounds of wine and whiskey glasses clattering filled the air. Sniffs of all sorts of cuisines from around the world had everyone's mouth watering. The entrance to the room leading up to the podium had a crimson carpet taut. All dressed fancy, women in gowns, men in tux. 

You yourself adorned a glitter black red flowing gown. Elegantly falling off your shoulder. The dress starting black, fading into red paired with a black bow heels, which was hidden by your gown pleats.

This was your life as the next head of your enterprise. Well, your father's company to be precise. It wasn't bad living in a world full of business talks, money exchange and complacency. 

Your company has earned its name as one of the top three of your country, alongside the Lee and Kim enterprises. The competition between all three companies was cut throat. All united and tranquil though, amidst all sorts of competition and the want to win, you were all acquaintances. 

All your parents dated a long time back, starting from their ancestors, passing through generations now passing onto you.

Business ran in all of your blood. 

As soon as you'd received your masters degree, your parents had immediately given you the post of the assistant manager at their company, not giving you a chance to state what your interests lie in. 

It wasn't half as bad as you'd thought it would be. You made a couple of friends going through the same as you, Lee Taeyong from the Lee Enterprise. Kim Doyoung and his younger brother Kim Jungwoo, from the Kim Corporations. Lastly, Jung Jaehyun from Jung Entertainments, CEO in training, a current partner and your fiancé. 

Yes, the Jung's and your family decided to merge ownership to create a much stronger stake.

This world, as lavish it sounds, snatches all types of freedom from you. Having money doesn't sound that bad, right? Having power sounds great, doesn't it? 

Well, it really isn't, you didn't get to enjoy the adult life you'd hoped for growing up. Not many stay beside you until you spend dollars on them either. The power either scared them or had their jealousy drive them away from you. 

Responsibilities came in one by one as a chain, giving you little to no time to breathe, adding onto that your wedding in a few months. You tried talking your way out of the arranged relationship, but it was futile. It was set once then it's set. No more turning points from there. 

The lad you're getting tied to wasn't bad, neither had he been rude to you, nor does he have that cockiness almost every other business man has. The arrogance was absent too. But rather, he was a gentleman, an absolute eye candy, a hard working young man. You were friends, as previously mentioned. You'd spoken the next day after the arrangement as you'd ran straight to the closest of your friends, Lee Taeyong, to bawl your eyes out of distaste. 

Jaehyun didn't want the marriage either, both of you were still so young, just starting your lives. 

Taeyong had to go through the same, but unlike your parents, they actually listened to him. 

That leads you to today, standing by the casement of your hotel room after exchanging a few formal greetings by the party hall, having Taeyong sit by the bed as your parents made their ments about the future of the company, possibly even announcing your marriage plan. 

"You know this hotel has a huge smoking prohibited board outside right?" Taeyong asked, clearing the air, coughing, watching you take swig after swig of your half burnt cigarette. You laugh at your friends' talks and silent complaints. This was the real you, you back talked, you screamed, you spent money on buying graphic t-shirts rather fancy clothes, you smoked, clubbed on the weekends. The real you was totally in contrast to you in front of the others. You were expected to be perfect, mannerisms on point not to disobey even.

"Yeah? And?" you said, puffing out the tobacco filled air right onto Taeyong's face, chuckling as he dramatically starts choking, exaggerating it a bit too much than required.

"I'm not going to help you when you get arrested," He said, shrugging his shoulders, standing up from the edge of the bed and standing beside you, taking the stick out of your hands, throwing it out of the window. You at him, looking up because of the height difference, "health comes first, princess" he said in feigned politeness, earning a smack on the shoulder as a reply from your end, "Oh fuck you, Lee" you reply with a petty tone having the toxic been taken from between your fingers. 

"So you dragged me all the way up to cuss at me or you have something to tell me?" he asked, breaking the silence taking over the air. You lean forward by the sill, looking outside the window as you let out a sigh, taking a whiff of the blustery night before turning towards Taeyong who already had his focus on you.

"It's about the marriage, and starting today, I-uh..I'll be taking over the company. I don't think I'm ready for it, Tae" you say, looking down at where your dress met the carpeted floor of your hotel room. 

You've had this talk with him multiple times, and he always had the same answer. What could the poor boy say anyways? 

"Y/n listen-" he was cut off by a soft knock on the door, the both of you whip your heads towards the door when the knocking occured again, "The door's unlocked!" you voice out. 

The door knob rattled the slightest, opening the wooden block by a little. "Y/n" a deep voice spoke, the door opening wider to display Jaehyun on the other end, a red velvet tux matching your clothing adorned his structure. "Jaehyun! Hey man!" Taeyong exclaimed, making his way towards the boy who stood with a wide smile after seeing his friend. "Hey Tae! Glad to see you didn't flee away from the party like you did last time" the boys laughed, embracing each other, you letting out a chuckle yourself. 

"Someone here, wouldn't let me run away until i take her along with me, I'm not stating names" Taeyong said jokingly, Jaehyun laughing at it, you poking your tongue out at the boys. 

"Can't have the spotlight taken away from the main, now can we?" Jaehyun said, the boys fist bumping at their adjoined 'tease Y/n until she's fuming' agenda. 

"Back to why I'm here, Your father's expecting you downstairs" Jaehyun looked over at you, your figure leaning against the now closed casement. "But i don't want to go down there" you reply grumpily, making your way towards the bed about to flop down, only to be stopped by Taeyong with his hands around your waist. "You're going to ruin your dress up, doll. Your mom won't let you breathe, then" he said pulling you up as you stand up right. 

"Right, almost forgot, thanks" you say, smoothing out the crease. Taeyong then pushed you towards your other friend, him catching you by your forearm. "Happy acting perfect! Oh also, all the best for the same" Taeyong said, waving as Jaehyun started pulling you out the room, ignoring your protests and whines. 

"Jae, i don't want to! They'll ask me to give speeches and you know how much i hate that!" you complain, trying to put all your weight onto the ground to make it hard for him to pull you, but he kept going with ease. "You don't really have to, we've finished that part of the day, thank the lords"

Jaehyun said, drawing a cross as you laugh at his antics. 

"Then why does father need me?" You see him pause the walk down the hallway towards the marble staircase, too fancy for your liking but already grown accustomed to it. 

"Because, they wanted to discuss something about the marriage" he said, resuming his steps. 

"What about it? There's still 7 months for it" you said, earning a sigh from the lad. This time, he stopped again, turning around to face you, gripping your shoulders in a soft, comforting grip. 

He looked at you hesitantly. Sensing something wrong, you grip his palms that rest on your shoulder, looking at him with a soft expression. "Jae.. Is something wrong?" you ask. 

"Y/n..about the marriage" he started, clearing his throat slowly then looking you straight in the eyes. "They.. My parents and yours.. They decided to.. Uh" he stopped, contemplating whether to let it out or not. 

"They decided to what? Jae just spit it out" you started to grow impatient.

"They decided to prepone our wedding"

-x-

You run down the hallway, towards the huge double doors leading to the party hall, frantically searching for your father, Jaehyun hot on your trail.

"Y/n wait up-"

"Father." you call out, finding him seated beside your mother, sipping on his whiskey. 

"Ah! If it isn't my pride! Y/n, your mom and Mrs.Jung-" he started, you cut him off. 

"Father, could i have a word with you in private?" you say, voice void of any form of emotion. 

"Of course, darling. Excuse me" he looked at the guests seated in the round table, smiling at them as you led him away from the crowd, to the hallway you'd previously run down.

"What is it, sweetheart?" He said, smile so wide it had to be fake. "You prepone the wedding?" your voice slightly quivered, crossing your fingers hoping it wasn't true. 

"Ah yes! I see Jaehyun already told you. I was thinking-" he started off again, with that honey coated voice of his. "why did you do that?" you step back, stumbling a bit. "Because the quicker the marriage, the faster the merge and more the profit, baby. It's all a full circle" he smoothened your hair out, you smack his hands away. "I'm not ready for a marriage yet, father! Two weeks? That's too early!" you scream at him, disbelief evident in your voice. "Oh of course you're ready! You're the daughter of a businessman, you're born ready!" he said, with pride, his shoulders pulled back. 

"I-i'm really not, dad. It's too soon, i don't want it. I'm going to call off the wedding-" you shakily say, turning around to make your way back to where Jaehyun stood, to be pulled back with much force. 

"Listen Y/n, It isn't about what you want or what you don't. You're ready when i say so, you get married when i say so. If you, ever, dare ruin our partnership with the Jungs, you see what you'll have to face." he said with a glare, giving you one last look before pausing to correct his bowtie, making his way back to the ballroom. 

Taeyong who had just so happened to make his way down the stairs, had unintentionally eavesdropped the entire conversation. He'd wanted nothing more than just to pull you in close, but after scanning the room, he saw your fiance standing there, by the corner, looking at Y/n then at him.

Taeyong nodded his head forward, wanting Jaehyun to come in and soothe you with comfort talks, but the latter shook his head. 

Your soon to be husband would probably be the last person you'd want to see, and so he faded back into the crowd. 

Taeyong hesitated first, having two successors seen together at a party isn't a news that should reach anyone, unless you're engaged, but seeing you let out a feeble sob, pulled his last string, and he made his way quick down the stairs, the hallway, pulling you into a tight embrace as soon as he reached you. 

"T-Taeyo-" you start between your feeble sobs, controlling yourself to not have a full on breakdown and create a scene at the party. "Shh doll, don't say anything, i heard it all" his voice calming, rubbing your back his palms in a comforting manner. "It's too e-early, Tae, i haven't even s-started living my life to th-the fullest yet and here-" you pause to inhale deeply, "-here i am, getting pulled in work after work, cutting my dreams out c-completely" you sob harder into his chest. 

"It's alright.. " he said, slowly starting to make his way out the crowded area, back up the stairs to where your rooms were located, unlocking your door upon reaching. 

"Is it? Of course it isn't Tae!" you let out louder now having the freedom to breathe normally, speak out all your pent up frustration. 

"It's just the stakes he cares about.. Not me, never has it been me and never will it be me." you spoke up before he could. 

"It was always about business. Never about me personally, and that hurts for thinking." you stop, burying your head into your palm, crying your heart out. 

Taeyong stood there, in front of you with a saddened glaze hooding his dark hazel eyes. The words you let out came from a very heartbroken, left to feel the pain alone girl. 

This is the harsh world of business and entertainment. 

He made his way closer to you, kneeling down in front of you, placing his hands over your legs to get you to look at him. No vail. 

"Y/n..doll, you see, we were forced into this world prior to adulthood, no consent whatsoever, we're just robot's basically, programmed to be perfect in all aspects." he started slow. "But there's nothing we can do about it"

With that the room went silent. The only sounds being from the loud acoustic downstairs and your sobs. 

You get up from your bed all of a sudden, sadness now turning to desperation and want for freedom. You make your way into the closet, taking out your already packed luggage, stuffing in whatever was left outside. 

"I'm really not ready-" "Y/n? What are you doing?" he said, voice panicked watching his friend throw random fabrics in. "And I'm tired of this-" "Y/n stop-" "-all of this" "Y/n-" 

"I should've done this long back-"

Taeyong grew even more panicked every second passing by, it only worsened when he saw you take the luggage and make your way towards the door. He took a hold of your hand in a tight grip as you felt the air turn black around you. It was hard to breathe with all the thoughts running through your head.

"Our world." you start, not trying to break out of his grip, slowly placing your hand over his.

"Our world Taeyong.. It's too cruel, harsh and dark even." you continue, stopping midway to look around you and then back at him, "none of us are safe in this world, none of us are happy, truly." you say removing his hands gently from the grip he had on yours.

Turning around once again, Taeyong was quicker. He caught your hands the second time, in a softer grip. 

"I know." 

"I know that our world is cruel. We don't experience the same as the others but Y/n..if you'd maybe, just maybe, -"

"Maybe if you'd let me, i could be your safe space in this harsh world" 

Taeyong stated, looking at you with nothing but sincerity. 

You contemplate for a while, option tempting. You could run away and not be alone. But that would only ruin his image. You blink your tears away, shaking your head. 

"No Tae.. You don't deserve to waste your life following me. You deserve so much better than that" you said, breaking free from his grip once again, smiling at him with a heavy heart before making your way out the door.

Taeyong felt his own eyes glaze over, watching his friend walk out the door, maybe now towards the exit and out towards freedom. 

When Taeyong looked at you, he saw a reflection of himself. A helpless, broken young adult wanting nothing more than love and solitude. 

But now that you're gone, Taeyong was left alone, with no one to confide in. 

And worse, he was left without a reflection. 

[solohux]

Random prompt, but we have so much about brothers Techie & Armitage—what about a third brother?? Kylo knows Techie, so when he hears that there is a third Hux (ffs) who is some sort of a gardener (but I'm thinking on a massive scale and potentially with some cutting edge genetic modification tech) in charge of supplying the FO, he thinks the guy will be like Techie, just w plants instead of tech. (1/2)

 (2/2) And then he meets Thomas 'would definitely transport cute garden critters on a planet and then blow it up' Hux. (Is Kylo smitten or horrified? I don't even know! But let's be real Thomas & Armitage are basically twins)

I switched up the dynamics of Hux and Kylo’s relationship because it felt easier for me to write. I hope that’s okay!

“You seem absent tonight.”

Kylo breaks his kiss with Hux to voice his concern aloud to his lover and finds the same distant, occupied with something else that doesn’t involve giving Kylo attention.

“Hm? Oh, I’m sorry, Ren,” Hux says, but Kylo has already climbed off of him and now lies beside him in their bed, propped up on his side.

“Something on your mind?” Kylo’s fingers graze over Hux’s bare tummy, hoping that he’ll become the something that clearly has all of Hux’s thoughts right now.

“My brother.”

Kylo scoffs, “You’re thinking of your brother whilst we were kissing?”

“No,” Hux rolls his eyes and gives his love a playful slap on the leg. “I’m worried about him.”

“What’s wrong with Techie?”

“You mean Tiarnán.”

“No. I mean Techie. You’re the only person who calls him by his actual name. He likes his nickname.”

“Irrelevant,” Hux shrugs. “I’m his older brother, I’ll call him by his name. But no, I’m not worried about Techie.”

“But,” the Knight frowns, “You said you were worried about your brother.”

“I am. Just…not that brother.”

“What?” Kylo sits up in bed, mouth open in shock. “You have another brother?”

“An older brother, yes” Hux pushes himself up and rests his back against the headboard, ruffling his hair anxiously. “I’m the middle child.”

“That explains so much,” Kylo mutters to himself so Hux doesn’t hear him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He doesn’t associate himself with the Hux name,” Hux explains. “So he likes to keep his relation to me a secret, but we look almost identical so he works off-ship on the base on Felucia.”

“What does he do?”

“He makes cutting edge bioweapons.”

“Shit. And why are you worried about him?”

“He’s coming to visit tomorrow to pick up some pollen samples we collected on our last away mission. And Techie doesn’t get along with him.”

Kylo frowns. He finds that hard to believe, seeing as Techie Hux is the opposite of his older brother in almost every way, including having an ability to make friends and a conscientious attitude to be kind to everyone.

“Why not?” Kylo asks, resting an elbow on his knee and putting his chin in his palm, intrigued. “Techie gets along with everyone.”

“Let’s just say that Thomas doesn’t like animals—”

“Thomas?”

“Oh. My brother.”

“Thomas? Huh.”

“What, Kylo?”

“Why does he have a boring name and you’re Armitage and Techie is Tiernán?”

Hux rolls his eyes, “Thomas isn’t his real name. It’s an alias. He doesn’t want the name that our father gave him so he took his own. Not a great choice, in my opinion but he likes it.”

“Right,” Kylo says, knowing more than anyone that shedding an old name can feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. “So, he doesn’t like animals?”

Hux shakes his head, “And Techie loves them. On more than one occasion, Thomas—uh—disposed of Techie’s pets in front of him.”

“Fuck.”

“So,” Hux folds his arms across his chest. “You can see why I’m worried about Thomas’s visit tomorrow. He’s already said that he’s excited to see his two younger brothers after so many years but what if he upsets Techie? The poor lad has come so far out of his shell and I do not want Thomas to put him back down.”

“Maybe if you meet Thomas on his own first and tell him to be nice.”

“Amazing plan, Kylo,” Hux laughs. “No wonder you’re famous for your strategic advice.”

“I’m trying to help you and your dysfunctional family. If you don’t want him to be mean to Techie then don’t let him be mean to Techie. You’re Grand Marshal.”

“I’m also his younger brother.”

“So?”

“How can I order him around?”

“You do it to everyone else with no problem. Even me, and I’m your Supreme Leader.”

“You’re my Supreme pain in the arse.”

Kylo smirks before leaping on Hux and tackling him back to the bedsheets with a fervent kiss. This time, Hux seems more attentive, more focussed on Kylo; the Thomas issue doesn’t arise again for the rest of the night.

And the next thing that Kylo knows, he’s standing beside Hux in the hangar bay, watching a moss-covered Imperial shuttle come into landing. The Grand Marshal is tense; Kylo doesn’t need the Force to be able to sense it. It’s evident to anyone by the way that Hux’s shoulder are raised and the way he’s wearing his gold-embellished greatcoat—one that only comes out of the protective casing in his closet on very special occasions.

“Relax,” Kylo mutters. “He’s your brother.”

“You don’t know him like I do. He’s a little…intense. He has a love for killing things. And he has some abandonment issues.”

“So do you,” Kylo huffs, chuckling. “Hux. He sounds more like your twin than your older sibling—ow!”

Kylo’s toe pains where Hux has just stomped on it, and the former wears a satisfied smirk on his face but before Kylo can retaliate, the shuttle’s door lowers and outsteps a tall, lean man with perfectly-groomed brown hair. He’s dressed in standard First Order uniform, not a crease to be seen; he’d give Hux’s sense of neatness a good run for its money.

“Armitage,” Thomas greets, halting in front of his brother. Kylo glances from one to the other. Hux was right; other than the hair colour, Thomas and Hux are practically identical.

“Thomas,” Hux offers his hand. Thomas takes it, and formally shakes it. “You’re looking well.”

“So are you, Grand Marshal. I never congratulated you on the promotion.”

“A sore point, I’m sure,” Hux smiles. “I know how much you desire to be the top of your field.”

“And are you the top?” Thomas asks, turning his attention to Kylo.

“Excuse me?” Kylo can’t help but blush.

“I mean, are you Supreme Leader Ren? The man at the top.”

“I am,” Kylo says. “And your brother’s partner.”

“Charmed. Where’s Techie?”

“He’ll be meeting us later,” Hux says, showing Thomas the way to the labs. “We’ll get your ship cleaned in the meantime.”

“Yes,” Thomas raises an eyebrow. “Harrods could use a little bit of a clean-up but I quite like the effect of the moss.”

“Harrods?” Kylo asks.

Thomas smiles dreamily, “It’s the name of my ship.”

[systems-alliance-pilot]

Final message:

-----

His search for a private place for this recording had led him home; the message began with one very tall pilot shuffling in his well worn but still surprisingly small cockpit. "You'd think after all these years I'd have figured out the best way to get in here, and yet....gah." Stretching his neck and shoulders, Owen finally stopped moving around and looked to the console above his flight controls. "Right: that'll do for now."

A warm smile spread across his face as Owen pushed the longer strands of hair back off his forehead. "Hi, J." He paused and took a moment to think about how he was going to word this. "I've...honestly, I don't know what I've been doing. I keep trying to think how I'm going to say everything but nothing seems right, y'know? I don't want this to sound rehearsed but I also don't wanna miss anything..."

Relaxing back into his chair, the pilot looked up through his canopy. "I can't believe it's nearly done. All these years, all this fighting and it's just....ending." He closed his eyes. "Seems too good to be true." His eyes opened and returned to the screen in front of him. "And this whole....thing...is in case it turns out to be."

His infamous smirk appeared for the first time in months. "You didn't think I'd leave without a contingency plan, did you? I'm not about to fly into Hell itself without a cheeky little message to my best friend and greatest rival." Sitting back, he absent mindedly began playing with some of his controls and fell into another temporary silence.

"When I joined the Alliance, all I wanted was to escape; to run from what I was. I didn't want anything beyond a new start....but I got so much more." Owen bit his bottom lip as his eyes began to water. "Skills, friends...family. J, meeting you is, without doubt, my greatest memory of this whole gig: you are my best friend and you are my brother and I....I fucking love you, man. I don't say it but you, Gunny, your mam and dad....you made me feel wanted and loved and I've never....I'd never had that before and I can't...I can't thank you enough for it."

A shaky breath left him as he looked back to the heavens and laughed at his current situation. "Fuck...I really am shit with emotional stuff, aren't I?"

His left wrist illuminated as he activated his omnitool. "One last present from me, lad." Within moments, the message was encoded with dozens of vids and holos. Some were from Arcturus, a few were proof he could have shot him down when he stole the original Normandy, but several were from the few periods of leave he got to spend with the Moreau family. He'd marked one vid and one holo in particular as his favourite: the picture was of two baby faced pilots and one very young girl, Owen - arm in cast - was wedged between a beaming Joker and Hilary. The vid was of Owen picking up and spinning 'Gunny' onto his shoulder so she could pretend to fly and attack her brother.

Owen sighed as the beep of a successful transfer reached his ears. The crease between his eyes deepened as the order for all officers to report to the war room boomed throughout the ship.

With a deep inhale, he brought a genuine smile to his face and looked directly at the camera. "Let's show these marines how it's done ey, lad?" He chuckled and reached for the disconnect button.

"Ad astra, per aspera, brother. I'll see you soon."

-----

@facedtogether

Song - x

[captainjamesjoneshook]

@apirateslifefor--smee

The only family I've got.

That had James looking up again, face creasing with confusion because...what? Had he known that? That Mr. Smee didn't have anyone else out there? He guessed it made sense, why else would he have spent all the holidays with them and not going out to visit someone? James had just assumed that there had to have been someone else.

James knew his dad's family was still out there in high society somewhere, cracking along as those sorts of people did. Like cockroaches, lad, the old man had told him. They'll always be lurking about but don't fret, they won't come sniffing us out. And he didn't know about his mum's family. Didn't know if he wanted to know about them if they were alive either, given the genes they'd passed down his way.

So while he had family, he didn't at the same time. He didn't know those people. Didn't love them.

Not like he did Mr. Smee.

Which was why he felt shattered to pieces over the thought of Mr. Smee hating him. How could he not? And if he didn't now, wouldn't he grow to resent him? When tomorrow came and his dad wasn't there? Or the day after that? And the one after that? James didn't know how he was going to stand it, getting up and knowing he was gone and being unable to escape the confines of his own body, the person responsible.

"No," he shook his head minutely, the corners of his mouth tightening and pulling down in a brief frown. A subconscious mirror to the one his father sported often. "Look, I'm– I'm not going to keep you here. You don't have to stay. He– he isn't here to get angry at you if you want to go, alright? And neither am I. Because I'm–"

James turned, eyeing the window that was blocked by blinds. They had been twisted to let in a little of the morning light, the greyish blue of the sky the only thing he could see through the slats. "I'm not going to stop until that fucking thing is dead. Even if that means I go down with it. I don't care how long it takes. How long I've got to train, how many other monsters I have to kill to learn how to do it. I'm not letting it get away." He looked back to Mr. Smee. "But I'd understand if that's not how you want to spend your life anymore."

Déjà Vu || Jolly Roger II