#like I know he's your newly crowned alpha

[xiaq]

Ok so I read TJ Klune's Wolf Song on the plane for my work trip and I have THOUGHTS I would like to discuss. (spoilers ahead)

So to start, I quite enjoyed it. There were portions that were just so lovely and lyrical and I fell in love with the found family dynamics and the fleshed out, 3-dimensional characters. The thing I'd heard from others as a negative, the age gap between Joe and Ox, didn't really bother me because I cut my teeth on fic and nothing sexual happened until they were in their 20's.

But.

Joe's character/decisions/the way he treated Ox drove me crazy. Did anyone else just want to throw the book across the room when you found out that three fucking years pass while Joe and half the fractured pack are cavorting around accomplishing nothing and not so much as texting updates to the rest of their grieving family?? Why? There was literally no reason given for it that made sense. And the supposed impetus for their return didn't seem all that pressing considering that the home-pack had been in danger multiple times during the prior THREE YEARS they'd been gone?? Did I MISS something??

Anyway.

I've already ordered the next book because I'm bought in, but can someone tell me if I should prepare for similar frustrations re Gordo and Mark because judging by the already established dynamic between them I fear I am going to be in another book-throwing mood at some point during this story too.

[arthurthepeoplesprincess]

Merlin fandom try not to act like the Knights of the Round Table were secretly pro-magic activists challenge (impossible). Why do you act like they weren’t grown ass men who willingly chose to work for the system oppressing magic users?

it wasn’t a secret to anybody that one of the obvious job requirements was occasionally murdering people.

But but you don’t get it! When the magic reveal happens, they’re all going to be protecting babygirl Merlin against bad alpha Arthur (as if they weren’t all following the same fucking system).

You can’t possibly believe these people actually give a fuck about magic. I’m so sorry but that’s ridiculous.

Controversial opinion, but when you think about it, Arthur was actually the least worst of them all because, unlike the rest of them, he was the only one who had no choice in doing this job. He was canonically groomed into becoming a child soldier and was brainwashed and abused directly by the fucking dictator himself. He canonically said that if he had a choice in his life, he wouldn’t be here, and if I’m not mistaken, he was the only one of them to ever question if the system was wrong. The rest of them were just going with it with no second thoughts and didn’t give a fuck at all.

A lot of people fail to remember that 1) Uther is the only family Arthur ever knew, 2) his only family also happens to be the narcissistic tyrant who we saw committing all types of atrocities, 3) he was isolated (he didn’t even have friends before Merlin arrived), and 4) he was only fed lies and half-truths his entire life.

Like, is it crazy that he was brainwashed?? No?? Why do you act like he was like that solely because he’s an annoying brat lol.

And imagine this: after all that brainwashing, where your abuser drills 'Magic is evil' in every possible way, he unfortunately gets proven right multiple times (82.05% of the times Arthur was aware of magic being used, it was used in a harmful way, based on a meta made by anarchycox, thenerdyindividual on AO3).

So, considering all the brainwashing, the abuse, and magic being used to hurt Arthur or someone he loves or the entire kingdom, he still has it in him to try and think that maybe there’s good in everyone, that maybe Uther was wrong.

Do you know how crazy that is?? I want you to stop and think: would you do that if you were in his situation? Because I’m definitely not going to, but maybe I’m just an immoral person lol.

And also, stop acting like Arthur wasn’t doing anything when he became king. He stopped the mindless murder of anyone who had magic and only punished those who used it to do harm and that was after a trial.

You might say that this is just the bare minimum, which is somewhat correct but not entirely because 1) Arthur only ruled for four years, meaning he didn’t have time, 2) there were tensions and wars started by Uther that he was trying to undo, meaning the magic situation wasn’t the only thing going on, and 3) the entire population had been brainwashed for 30 years and was terrorized by Morgana’s followers very recently. Like, sure, it’s definitely a good decision as a newly crowned king to just suddenly repeal the laws and no one would mind not Uther's followers, not the nobles, and certainly not the average citizen, right?

Also disclaimer: this is neither me hating on the knights nor saying you can’t like them, nor is it me excusing everything Arthur ever did or saying that he was 100% innocent, because he definitely wasn’t. It’s just me saying that maybe you should consider his trauma and point of view before making him into the bad villain and then believing that the knights were better people, because they definitely weren’t.

[hischiersjohnston]

oooo can i get a snippet from "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" and tbd abo nylander/mitchy :3

of course you may! "heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i" is the fifth fic in the 'i was made for loving you' series. putting it and the a/b/o snippet under read more bc it might get long and it is... most definitely not safe for work sdsdf nothing explicit but! just to be safe sdfdsf

snippet from 'heaven is not fit to house a love like you and i'

"YOU'VE SENT away everyone?" Nico asked breathlessly, nipping at Roman's throat. "Yes... Only the bodyguards are outside. But I've ordered them to not linger nearby," Roman whispered. The newly crowned king and his husband (newly crowned King Consort) were alone in the throne room. Roman was on the throne, while his husband was sitting on his lap, legs draped on either side of Roman. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but he could ignore the need for comfort whenever his darling husband was involved. Roman craned his head slightly, allowing Nico to continue to kiss and nip at his throat. It didn't seem the best idea, what with the crown that now sat atop Roman's head. It nearly fell from his head when Roman's head would move, and he reached up to try and take it off. But his husband stopped him by grabbing his wrist. "Don't," Nico whispered breathlessly. "Leave it on, my King." A shiver ran down Roman's spine. He reached to take Nico by the chin, gazing at him with nothing but love and desire in his eyes. "You're demanding things from your king now, husband?" Roman questioned. Nico whimpered, but there's a little smirk on his lips. "But what if I tell you that I've fantasized about riding your cock while you sit on the throne, looking regal, my liege?" he asked. His voice was innocent. But his face and words were far from it. "What if I wish for you to knock me up while you sit on the throne with your crown? For your first act as king to put a baby in me?"

snippet from 'tbd: a/b/o william nylander/mitch marner'

"I'M NOT an invalid, you know," Mitch sighed exasperatedly. He should have expected this, really. Alphas were said to be even more protective of their Omegas when they were pregnant. But he thought Willy was not going to be that protective. After all, Willy was different than most Alphas. Willy had the audacity to pout at him. "I know you're not invalid. But I can't help but worry. I want to make sure that you're well-rested and not overexerting yourself." Mitch understood. This was his first pregnancy, and it'd be a lie to say he wasn't scared. He loved the pup that was growing inside of him already; a product of the love that he shared with Willy. "Reaching for a mug is not overexerting myself, though," he pointed out gently. "And you know I can't just expect you to wait on me hand and foot. I like it to an extent, but not always, baby."

[enchantedlandcoffee]

Happy 28th of March everyone! It has been a fun month for fic reading and I wanted to share a few of my favourites that I read this month. I've also included some WIPs that I'm reading that are really good!

take my hand (and my heart and soul) by bananasandboots @anylessreal (45k)

Mature - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Alternative Universe, Amnesia, Angst)

Harry feels nauseous when he opens his mouth. "Hey. Um, hi. It's me," he mumbles before realizing with a jolt that Louis might not have his number anymore. "It's Harry... Styles," he tacks on, screwing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. This was a terrible idea.

There's silence on the other end for a long time. Harry understands. He shouldn't have called. He tries not to let the static swallow him whole.

"I – yeah. Hi," Louis finally answers, slowly, awkwardly. "I um. Sorry. I heard about your accident. You're alright?"

Or, the one where Harry hasn't spoken to his best friend in sixteen months and can't remember why.

led by your beating heart by missandrogyny @missandrogyny (33k)

Explicit - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Famous Harry, Non-Famous Louis, Sexual Content, Coming Out, Fluff, Banter)

Nick leans over. "Oh," he says, his voice smug. "Who is that?"

Harry just blinks at his phone. "Um," he manages to stammer out.

"Who's that, Harry?" Nick asks again, but this time he raises his eyebrows and smirks. Harry knows Nick is just teasing, and that he's not really looking for new Harry Styles gossip, but, um. He might have found something. Accidentally.

Harry opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is another 'um'. He really needs to work on translating his thoughts into words. But then it probably wouldn't be any help right now, would it? His mind is as blank as a newly erased etch-a-sketch.

"Oh," Nick says again, this time gleefully, seemingly having picked up on Harry's distress. "Looks like we've got a story here! Are you going to call or delete her number?"

Her number. So Nick thinks it's a girl. Well, Harry can't blame him: 'Lou' is kind of an androgynous nickname. His stylist's name is Lou.

But this Lou, well, Louis, he's kind of, really, really not a girl. He's really pretty though, which, is something.

(Or: AU where Harry's in One Direction, Louis isn't, and they reconnect over a game of 'Call or Delete'.)

got my heart beating fast (it's cardiac arrest) by DaddyAlphaLouisBabyOmegaHarry @bottomhaztoplou (2k)

Explicit - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Fluff, Smut, Nesting, Harry is Louis' baby, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics)

Harry's in preheat and Louis just wants to take care of him until they bond.

painting flowers for you by DaddyAlphaLouisBabyOmegaHarry @bottomhaztoplou (4k)

Mature - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Harry Styles wears Flower Crowns, Punk Louis Tomlinson, First Time)

He was hard in his blue jeans, his hips moving forward just slightly to meet Louis’. “Love you more, Lou,” the younger man whimpered. “Please.”

“What is it, love? What do you need?” Louis murmured back to him, drinking a kiss from his plush lips before letting him respond.

Harry blushed harder and dropped eye contact before speaking. “Want you to fuck me,” he whispered.

Sail Across Me by iwillpaintasongforlou @canonlarry (21k)

Explicit - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Pirate AU, Prince(ss) Harry, Pirate Louis, First Time)

Harry is a prince that is about to be forced into marriage against his will and running away to sea seems like a much better option. Louis is the captain of the infamous pirate ship The Rogue and he has a thing for helping defenseless creatures. Especially when they're as pretty as this one.

The Pros and Cons of Breathing by HelloLovers13 @hellolovers13 (42k) WIP

Explicit - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan/Zayn Malik (Alpha/Omega, Arranged Marriage, Historical Fantasy)

Omega Harry has always known he'd be married off someday, so when he's betrothed to Prince Louis, he's anxious about having to leave his life behind, but hopeful for a happy marriage.

The hope doesn't last long, with his husband avoiding him at all costs and Harry being left to fend for himself.

Can he find happiness even in a broken marriage?

you are my destiny (you are the reason that i still believe) by alwaysxlarrie @alwaysxlarrie (71k) WIP

Explicit - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson (Cinderella (Fairy Tale) Elements, Boss/Employee Relationship, Banter, Flirting, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Being a new employee at a company means that you have to learn to brush off the shitty bosses, shitty coworkers, and not getting the credit you actually deserve for things. At least, that's been Harry Styles' experience. Coworkers who steal his ideas in pursuit of getting praise and a raise, and a boss who's indifferent at best and condescending at worst. Harry has learned to expect this reality for the foreseeable future. He's accepted it.

What he hadn't expected was for Louis Tomlinson to waltz into their company, and his life, and change around everything he thought he knew about fate. -- A Cinderella AU.

Unrequited by babyhoneyhslt @babyhoneyheslt (8k) WIP

Omega Prince Harry of England has been engaged to Prince Louis of France ever since he was a young boy. Having met him at four and forming a bond, Harry is upset to find that Louis no longer treats him like a friend, instead treating him coldly.

However, Louis has his own dark secrets and Harry doesn’t know just how many dangers linger in French Court.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Do you know if there are any Bridgeton AU between stiles and derek? if not any historical au like pride and prejudice?

Not many Bridgerton but some other regency fics.

I Can’t Even Drink Champagne by sparkandwolf (thatnerdemryn)

(1/1 I 2,668 I General)

You never said sorry, I guess you forgot. Or maybe you’re not sorry at all.

At least, Stiles wanted to believe that. Derek was chatting with people Stiles knew he could care less about and ignoring every glance that Stiles sent his way. Maybe he had read their relationship all wrong. He had thought that their fire, the spark they had between them, meant they were worth fighting for, but maybe Stiles was just as much of a fool as Derek had accused him of being. Maybe he should take one of the offered hands and run away forever without giving a second thought to Derek Hale.

Things We Lost by Dexterous_Sinistrous

(2/2 I 20,039 I Explicit)

“Who … who am I to wed?”

A small flash of guilt covered the king’s features before he was able to recover. “Your union will join the royal families—joining our family to the Hales.”

Dread and sorrow sunk in Stiles’ stomach as he closed his eyes.

There was only one Hale left unharmed by the great fire that nearly wiped out the entire royal family—the Dread Wolf of Triskelia, Crowned King Derek Hale.

Consort to the King by Ember

(8/8 I 26,257 I Explicit)

King Derek, alphas of alphas, ruler of the realms, lord of the city of Beacon Hills, has just asked newly discovered omega Stiles to be his consort and mate. And Stiles, being the lowly commoner that he is, has no choice but to say yes. Will the King's past allow him to love again? Will Stiles ever escape the confines of his new mate's possessive will? Can there be love once more in the castle? Or perhaps, yet again, another betrayal?

Wolf Winter by DarkAthena (seraphim_grace)

(30/30 I 76,239 I Mature)

Stiles is the legitimate omega son of King Deucalion, tricked by his brother Theo into running away he is trapped, ruined and unable to return home he finds himself stuck, captured as a poacher by the infamous Hale clan he claims sanctuary in their small chapel and Peter puts him to work, with Derek just returned from the crusades he needs a new healer and the only option they've got is the boy in the chapel who is pretending to be a beta

[lululawrence]

lululawrence's October 2021 Fic List

Previous Fic Lists / Lulu’s List Podcast Masterpost

October has come and gone already and the kids are ready to go trick or treat, and it just doesn't feel like it should be this late haha I had a lot of opportunity to read this month, and I read some incredible fics! It was a fun variety regarding length, topic, style, pairings, everything really, and I loved every minute of it. I'm excited to talk about all the things I loved about these fics below.

Sadly, my allergies have gotten the best of me and I currently don't have much of a voice, which does make it difficult to record a podcast. Once I have my voice back, I'll do my best to record it for you and link it here. Sorry for it being late, but thank you for your understanding!

As always, be sure to show your love and appreciation for all of the hard work our fandom authors have put into their fics with kudos, nice comments, and (when applicable) reblogging their fic posts!

Still by @dandelionfairies / dandelionfairies (12k, G, Niall/Liam, Heartbreak Weather Fest, song fic, based on Still, exes to lovers, accidents, hospital, hurt/comfort, this fic was GORGEOUS and the dynamic between niall and liam for the entire thing, beginning to end, was so incredibly lovely)

Best Butt Ever by @hazzabeeforlou / Throwthemflowers (1k, M, Harry/Louis, alternate universe, crack fic, awkward flirting, children's birthday party, literal roleplay, so much awkwardness lolllll, this fic was hysterical, the most peak ridiculousness, and bad bottom behavior lmaooooo, just please read this)

the butthole series (parts 5 and 6) by @kingsofeverything / kingsofeverything

Picture This (3k, M, Harry/Louis, acquaintances to lovers, bartender Harry, awkwardness at its prime, clueless Harry, awkward Harry, honestly he's a disaster gay and so is Louis and I love them for it, miscommunication, it's more like a mis-assumption?, yeah you know what it's a hysterical butthole series fic so just read it lol)

Hot Chocolate (6k, M, Harry/Louis, meet cute, baker Harry, specialized chocolate maker Harry, artist Louis, sculptor Louis, Harry's horribly awkward attempts at flirting while getting a mold of his asshole made by Louis, are just insanely funny to me)

Tiny Penis Fics (parts 2, 3, 5, and 6) by @kingsofeverything / kingsofeverything

A Small Matter (A Matter of Trust) (19k, E, Harry/Louis, grindr hookups, secret friends with benefits situation, teacher Louis, teacher Harry, pretty much all the guys are teachers, secret tiny dick, jockstraps, this fic had so much vulnerability on both sides, and it made me cry a little bit too, which I wasn't expecting from a tiny dic fic but it is what it is lollll, i fucking love this series so much)

Be Mine, Little Valentine (7k, E, Harry/Louis, unashamed of his tiny penis Louis, meet cute, I guess lolll, Valentine's Day, Louis just wants a guy who will appreciate and love his tiny penis as much as he does, but he doesn't think he's ever gonna find that, and then he meets Harry, i fucking LOVE THIS SO MUCH)

Snow Big Deal (8k, E, Harry/Louis, Olympic snowboarder Louis, photography assistant Harry, small penis, micropenis, this fic has such a visceral way of showing Harry's inner struggles as well as the constant changing of the dynamic between Harry and Louis as they try to work it all out, all crowned with nudity and randomly pulling out their bits, and I love it for the comedy but also for the sheer brilliance of it all, plus as always the VULNERABILITY!, just give me soft vulnerable boys!!!)

Birthday Princess (5k, E, Harry/Louis, bartender Louis, newly legal Harry, birthday celebrations, propositions, meet cute, public sex, car sex, this fic was just fucking adorable and silly and sweet all wrapped up into one, how does Lauren continue to do it)

Scent Partner by @daggerandrose / amomentoflove (4k, E, Harry/Louis, A/B/O, alpha Louis, omega Harry, strangers to lovers, heat services, Harry finds Louis through a scent matching system, It's a super fun concept for the worldbuilding I'd never read before and i love it, it was a soft fic and made me feel safe while reading it while also just, it was fab all over, loved it)

Dancing Barefoot by @quelsentiment / wordsnnotes (19k, T, Zayn/Louis/Liam, cliche fest fic, single parent Liam, single parent Louis, uncle Zayn, model Zayn, artist Zayn, footie coach Louis, firefighter Liam, meet cute, flirting, honestly the way they all dance around each other, and learn about each other, and figure out their dynamic and have it be kind of jokes, before they all slowly shift into the realization of it all, and the way the POV is split up, it's all so perfect, it's a soft and intimate and glorious dynamic, with teacher Gemma and all of their kids/niece in the background, it's just lovely)

Why Didn't We Make Out the Night We Met? by @berzerkshires / berzerkshires (52k, E, Harry/Louis, meet cute, famous/non-famous, long distance relationship, chat fic, most of it happens over the phone or by texts, sometimes by voicemails, pop star Harry, university sports fields caretaker Louis, American Louis, assumed pseudonym, lying about Harry's real identity, angst with a happy ending, covid, truly though the structure of this fic is so unique and the rhythm of it is so cool how it builds up because of it, and the repetition but slight changes of the title of the fic being used in every chat they have, is so brilliant and endearing and heartbreaking and lovely)

Jaerie's Kinktober (parts 1-6) by @jaerie / jaerie

Jaerie's Kinktober: Bestiality (1k, E, Harry/Louis, shifters, werewolves, pack fic, roommates, friends to lovers, A/B/O, recreational drug use, casual sex... listen if you don't know what you're getting from Jenna fics, her kinktober might not be the best place to start cause she jumps right in, but it's fucking fantastic if you're up for a wild ride)

Jaerie's Kinktober: Water Sports (2k, E, Harry/Louis, famous/non-famous, voyeurism, exhibitionism, semi-public sex, singer Harry, crew member Louis, basically after the first time Harry had to take a piss during a concert beneath the stage she wrote this fic, and now it's basically canon, you're welcome, also please note i am not a watersports fan, but damn the way she did it i LOVE)

Jaerie's Kinktober: Hypnosis (2k, E, Harry/Louis, aliens, alien sex, tentacles, rape/non-con, coming untouched, obedience, praise kink, basically this fic is dirty dirty dirty and FAB)

Jaerie's Kinktober: Hybrids (2k, E, Harry/Louis, hybrid Louis, implied mpreg, mummy Harry, lactating Harry, lactation kink, breastfeeding, comfort, this fic is both soft and fucking hot at once and I am just constantly amazed by Jenna's ability to do that lol)

Jaerie's Kinktober: Pet Play (1k, E, Harry/Louis, master/pet, undernegotiated kink, roommates, friends to lovers, size difference, tiny penis, this fic is so vulnerable and open and the reaction they both have to Harry walking in on Louis like that is stellar)

Jaerie's Kinktober: Self-cest (2k, E, Harry/Harry, there is also established Harry/Louis but that's not the point of this one lol, canon compliant, lactation kink is touched on, time travel, age difference, non-binary character, butt plugs, listen this fic was fascinating and a fun look at several things, It was a fun way to explore something new, typing that out makes me feel so fucking ace like who talks about a kink fic like that but whatever)

No Such Thing As Second Choices by @slashter / slashter (30k, E, Liam/Louis/Harry, established Harry/Louis, neighbors, camboys Larry, flirting, polyamory negotiations, misunderstandings, communication to work out their problems, seriously when it finally happens the communication is fucking hot, listen this fic has everything i love about a fic, and then some amazing poly aspects added in, there is literally everything to love about this fic and i fucking adored it)

Old Photographs & Times I'll Remember by @jaerie / jaerie (54k, E, Harry/Louis, Big Bang fic, time travel, historical fic (for the times in the past), Eroda, photographer Harry, closeted Harry, internalized homophobia, period typical homophobia, innkeeper Louis, Louis travels back through time to Harry through his photographs, this story is so deep and touching and lovely, and I think it might be my very favorite of all of Jenna's fics I've ever read, that's how much I loved it)

Lost in your Paradise by @sadaveniren / SadaVeniren (6k, E, Harry/Louis, bottom Harry fest fic, A/B/O, omega Harry, alpha Louis, famous singers Ziam, public sex, strangers to lovers, tiktok, single mum Harry, reconnection, this fic is hot and funny and sweet and I enjoyed everything about it)

Make a Heart Dance: Give it a Beat by @ladyaj-13 / LadyAJ_13 (3k, G, Harry/Louis, canon compliant, exes to lovers, Harry is a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, Louis doesn't want to admit to watching and supporting him, and gahhhhh the ending is so lovely and perfect I cryyyyy)

Candles and Clocks by @ladyaj-13 / LadyAJ_13 (1k, G, Niall & Louis, canon compliant, X Factor Era, Homesick Niall, cuddles, comfort, friendship, this is the most soft fic you'll ever experience in your life, so pure and sweet)

The Only One (when it's said and done) by @londonfoginacup / LadyLondonderry (6k, T, Harry/Louis, pack alpha Louis, a/b/o, omega Harry, neighboring packs, hurt/comfort, nesting, SO MUCH NESTING I LOVE IT, protective Louis, pack dynamics, I loved the descriptions of the packs and how they lived and where, as well as the relationships between them all, it made the fic truly feel alive it was incredible)

Freeway of Love (In a Pink Cadillac) by @mizzhydes / MsHydeStylinson (33k, E, Harry/Louis, sugar daddy Harry, accidental sugar daddy Harry I feel like, though Louis defo wants that lol, sugar baby Louis, vacation in Florida, age difference, daddy kink, exhibitionism, role playing, this fic was so much fun and I loved their dynamic so very much)

But If This Ends by @absoloutenonsense / nonsensedarling (107k, E, Harry/Louis, Big Bang fic, vampire Harry, secret vampire Harry, friends with benefits, kinda, more like casual hookups, but trying to make it more, anyway, soulmates, angst, angst with a happy ending, bartender Harry, writer Louis, pet names, role play, plot twist, blood, magic, science, this fic was filled with the most full characters and relationships, all the complexity between them and the way it all developed, there was so much detail and it was so gorgeous, the absolute perfection in the storytelling and the pacing and the reality of how everyone reacted to the various situations, it was just all so real and believable, and I cannot rave about this fic enough, I absolutely adored it)

[shades-of-stony]

Royalty Stony AUs

A King for Christmas by iam93percentstardust

Summary: In 1867, Tony Stark flees New York after refusing to marry the alpha his parents chose for him. His money runs out in the small kingdom of Dacia, ruled over by King Steven of the Rogers line. Somehow, and he’s not entirely sure how, he ends up accepting the position of nanny to the king’s four children: Harley, Peter, Sarah, and Morgan.

Tony bonds with the children easily but their father is harder to get to know. Steve is still grieving his wife’s death four years earlier. His continued mourning has turned the once bright halls into dark and somber shadows of their former glory. Tony isn’t entirely certain what he can do but he knows that he has to do something or else the whole country, so attuned to their leader, will sink into despair. He begins by reconciling the king with his young children.

Meanwhile, the children have decided that it’s high time their father fall in love again—and Tony is the obvious choice. They concoct elaborate plans to force the two together, hardly realizing that Steve and Tony are falling in love, not through their shenanigans but through the quiet moments they share bonding over the love they have for the children.

A Higher Form of War by sabremc

Summary: Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

Basically one of those bodice-ripping romance novels I don't read (ahem) but with far more gay.

rearrange my heart (to fit your smile) by starklystar

Summary: "You dare," Howard's chair makes an ugly noise as it scrapes against the stone floors, the chatter of the room shifting into hushed whispers and stolen glances. "I am your father and your King!"

"My King is my husband," Tony tips his chin up, defiant. "And I refuse to hear you suggest that my husband has been anything other than good to me."

Next to him, he feels Steve's shoulders stiffen in surprise.

Howard's fist slams loud on the table. "Your husband does not even love you!"

Tony jerks back, burned. He knows that. Knows that Steve did not marry him for love – does not need any reminder of the cold truth, of what he desperately yearns for and can't even hope to have – but the harshness of Howard's words was scalding, and Tony can't afford for this to go any further.

----------

Or, King Steven marries Prince Tony, Tony is pretty sure he shouldn't panic when he falls in love with his own husband, and Steve tries his very best not to cause diplomatic crises.

Keyword: try

Fealty by  Lasenby_Heathcote and Robin_tCJ

Summary: Steve Rogers is Lord of America, and was gifted his corner of the kingdom of Starkland after amazing acts of heroism in the war against Hydra. A long, brutal winter forces Steve to go to King Howard for aid, and Howard agrees – under the condition that Steve bond with his Omega son, Tony. Steve agrees, of course, for the good of his people. Prince Tony is a trained Omega Consort – an Omega of status sent to a prestigious academy to become the perfect Consort Mate to high-status Alphas throughout the kingdom. At this academy they learn diplomacy, negotiation, proper manners, and, of course, the various ways to pleasure their Alphas.

I will wait by Shellhead616

Summary: Prince Stark was to marry a Prince he never met, for money he never wanted, to reign over a realm his father didn’t care for. But the Prince did care for his people. So he ran away, accidentally joined a group of misfits calling themselves the “Avengers”, with their fierce leader “The Captain". Although, when he discovers the secret the Captain has been keeping, everything changes.

one day by mvrcredi

Summary: One day.

One day Prince Steven would be king. One day he would have all the qualities to be an even better king than his father.

And maybe, one day, Tony would be his husband.

(But maybe, before that one day, Steven should reveal his secret to the man.)

My Loyalty to You by Hazein, Shi_Toyu

Summary: The Israelite nation has gone to war, Howard is acting erratic, and it’s everything Tony can do to argue with the war council to find the most advantageous strategies for their men. Then Thanos strides out of the enemy ranks and issues a challenge unlike any Tony has ever heard. If an Israelite can defeat him in one-on-one combat, their entire army will surrender. Too bad Thanos is twice the size of any man they have. Enter Steve Rogers, local sheppard and the king’s newest harp player, who claims he can fell this giant with nothing but a sling and a stone.

Whether he can manage it or not, Tony is just trying to figure out how you get to looking like that by tending sheep...

Arranged by NotEvenCloseToStraight

Summary: Royalty AU-- Howard arranges a match between Tony and Steve, but when Tony tries to run away with Tiberius instead, Steve goes after his betrothed and brings him home. Things are difficult between the couple at first, but an impulsive kiss leads to softer moments, and finally the arranged pair find happiness together.

Knight of Wands by  Sineala

Summary: Steve has reigned as king for ten years, and in a few days peace will finally come to his kingdom. Representatives of the Kree Empire are soon to arrive for the negotiations that will end the war between them once and for all. Steve is looking forward to settling down, with his hand-picked Avengers at his side -- led, of course, by the masked knight Iron Man -- and also his trusted advisors, the most beloved of whom is Tony, his court magician, the most powerful mage in all the land.

But when Steve's life is endangered, Tony makes the greatest sacrifice of all to protect his king, a sacrifice far greater than his life. And when Tony disappears under mysterious circumstances, Steve learns that even his closest friends keep secrets that he could never have suspected.

Chasing Daydreams by comecatchmeifyoucan

Summary: “Promise you’ll be there?” He mumbled into Steve’s chest.

“Of course.”

“Good.” Tony separated from Steve but his hand was still gently gripping the blond’s wrist. “Because the party only starts when I arrive, and I’m obviously not going if you won’t be there.”

Steve felt the brunet’s hand slip down to graze his, and he let it linger there for a second before it was suddenly pulled away from him. He could only hope that he had hidden his disappointment well.

Fortunately, Tony didn’t seem to notice Steve’s abrupt drop in mood.

✧ ─────── ♡ ─────── ✧

After years of pining for the brunet, Steve was finally going to get his chance to confess his feelings for Tony. If only he could find him in the crowd of masked-people first...

Luckily, when his hopeless crush is nowhere to be found, Steve meets a beautiful stranger to keep him company throughout the night.

heavy is the crown by theappleppielifestyle

Summary: “Why did you pick me? As a match. Howard forced you to marry, but you had - there were other options. Many of them.”

“Maybe I wanted to help you,” Tony says. “To help - anyone, for once. Your people needed it.”

Oh, Steve thinks dully. So it wasn’t about him at all. It’s - a comfort, in some ways. In others, it’s… less so.

“And-” Tony hesitates. "Everyone said you were kind. I thought… if I had to marry, I’d prefer to marry someone kind.”

(Or, Arranged Marriage AU.)

WIP:

The Crown- the stony au nobody asked for by Jo_StClaire

Summary: Tony is the sole Omega prince of Angsold, who falls in love with the Alpha Army Captain of a neighboring nation. When his father, King Howard, suddenly falls ill and passes, Tony's life is thrown out of wack when he becomes a reigning monarch at 25. Follow Tony through the struggles of being a newly-wedded Omega as well as a leader of a nation. He must learn to balance his love for his people with his love for his husband Steve. (Loosely Based off of the Netflix series The Crown)

No More, No Less by ABrighterDarkness

Summary: His father had been discussing it again, amongst his advisers. He was barely eighteen , what did he need of a wife at eighteen? Frankly, he was already tired of hearing about it. Tired of meeting the daughters of the various men that were deemed important enough. None of them had caught his attention in the least and he suspected that they never would. Not when his daydreams already consisted of intelligent brown eyes, rich brown curls and a wickedly charming grin.

Protea by Anonymous

Summary: After witnessing the injustice done onto his parents, Steve Rogers sneaks into the Ferrite Royal Palace to try and find answers. Fate decides to saddle him with solving shady scandals while unknowingly becoming involved with the nation’s omegan king, Anthony.

And deal with all the baggage and drama that comes along with it.

Or…

A Concubine!Steve AU

they're both princes in this one by vapaad

Summary: Steve Rogers is the first son of the United States The entire nation sees him as America’s golden boy. Handsome, smart, charming, and overall perfection– Steve is an icon to the youths of America. But Steve, well he has one little issue. He thinks Prince Anthony, yes the british prince, is a big jerk. Arrogant and an overall asshole.

So when an encounter between the two results in chaos, Steve and Anthony “call me Tony” are thrusted into a PR stint of being best friends. But soon enough, they both come to the realization that they want more, and there, bloomed a secret relationship between the first son of the united states, and the prince of England.

tell me i'm your national anthem by oopshidaisy for chasingconstellations

Summary: Red, White & Royal Blue AU. Tony Stark is the unwilling First Son of the United States, whose rivalry with beloved Prince Steve threatens UK/US relations. After an international incident involving a wedding cake, Steve and Tony are forced to fake a friendship for the public eye - a fake friendship that evolves into something real, and dangerous.

[liangxinn]

a stray minwon idea

It’s highly unlikely that I’ll ever turn this into a full-fledged work (I actually don’t care all that much for writing my own royalty AUs) but I will offer the crumbs...

Crown prince Kim Mingyu is to be married in the spring, and he must receive etiquette lessons to become the perfect alpha for his future spouse. He'd honestly rather pass; the idea of spending hours playing pretend lovers with a stranger doesn't exactly fill him with joy.

The catch? Jeon Wonwoo, the omega he's been in love with for years, is going to be his teacher. Naturally, Wonwoo falls for Mingyu too, and what ensues is essentially a sex tutor au ft. the sweet pain of making love and knowing that Mingyu has already been promised to another hahaha.........

Venture beyond the cut and you will find a NSFW-ish snippet! 

"You don't look as... well, what I mean to say is that you seem more interested than I had expected."

Mingyu’s teeth dig into his lower lip, debating for a moment as to whether or not he should speak his mind. He chooses to go ahead, murmuring, "Would you believe me if I said I was just excited to spend time with you?"

One very lovely thing about Wonwoo is how his cheeks show colour so easily. His skin tints a pale pink, delicate as a newly blossomed flower. Mingyu wants to kiss him there. He wonders if he would be allowed to. Perhaps not yet, perhaps that lesson will come a little later.

"I suppose that I don't need to teach you about flattery, then," Wonwoo responds in a light tone that carefully masks any effect that Mingyu's words might have had on him. It's slightly disappointing, but mostly charming. It makes Mingyu want to find out what he needs to say to truly get Jeon Wonwoo flustered, how much further he needs to push to put a real blush on Wonwoo’s face.

//

Mingyu knows now that he isn't just being taught how to fuck an omega, no, he's being taught how to fuck Wonwoo. How to please him and make him feel good, where to touch him to coax out the loveliest noises from his pretty mouth. He simply can't help but to lean down and slot their lips together without being instructed to, and Wonwoo's soft moan of approval spurs him on further.

In a daze, Mingyu realises that he wants this to be his forever.

He doesn't want the nameless and faceless omega he's supposed to call his betrothed. He doesn't want anyone else. How could he ever want anyone else now that he knows what it's like to have Wonwoo underneath him?

"The important thing is that- ah... that I feel like- oh! I f-feel like..."

Like I'm fucking you so well that you can't even get your words out, Mingyu finishes in his head.

"I must feel like you'll take care of me," Wonwoo says in a breathless rush before dissolving into sweet moans again. His blunt nails ghost along the nape of Mingyu’s neck, sending a shudder skittering down the length of his spine.

"I will," Mingyu vows as he presses kisses across Wonwoo's heated cheeks. "I'll take such good care of you."

He means every word of it.

[sisterofleatherfrog]

Star Wars Kinktober day- 1

Prompt: Symbolic jewelry

Sub! Tup x Female (AFAB) OC

Hello! Willkommen to the grand opening of me doing Kinktober (even if this post is a few hours late for the actual 1st 😅)! Here is my prompt list derived from Kinktober lists by @ink-and-flame. Their prompt lists are phenomenal, but for the sake of my ADHD I had to whittle it down into a more finite list of interests that I am comfortable writing and know at least a little about it, or else I’ll just get lost in the sauce of prompts! But seriously, go check out their lists, they’re incredibly varied and have something for everyone! 

And now without further ado:

Tags: some drinking, sub male, femdom, nudity, almost pussy eating (working up to it in part 2!), pussy worship, praise kink, worship kink (is that a thing?),  there’s no sex in this fic it’s just the lead up (she is spoicy tho)

Words: 1609

🍑🍑🍑

Under his shirt, the chain and pendant Tup wore brushed cooly against his chest. As unpleasant as the gooseflesh it raised was, the reminder it gave him was anything but. 

From the moment he’d awoke that morning, wrapped in arms as pale as the thin sunlight at that hour, he knew what he wanted and began to get ready. A few kisses pecked around his groggy girlfriend, Aurelie’s, face placated her awakening at his rising and he moved to her dressing table to grab the aforementioned necklace. If she wasn’t interested in playing, it would have been put away the night before in it’s felt case, but this morning he plucked it from it’s customary open place before the mirror. 

Catching the morning bus he felt it leap and jump with the rhythm of the air vehicle as the pilot navigated Coruscant air-traffic. After the war ended and the clones were given their freedom, sentient rights, and a hell of a lot of backpay, there were questions of what was to be done with them. As it turned out, there wasn’t such a mass exodus from the GAR as previously thought there would be, though many opted to retire from combat positions. Tup chose to oversee the supply requisition and organization for the newly formed Search & Rescue Ops, a subsidiary of the Disaster Relief Squadron, helping places around the galaxy affected by natural disasters. It felt meaningful and good, and he could honestly say he didn’t miss having to carry a gun and constantly keep an eye out for clankers.

After a day of approving supply drops, running reports, and the pendant lightly caressing his chest with every slight sway, he was back on the bus home. A man scowled at him from among the crowd; some people would never see the clones as anything more than meat-droids undeserving of even the life they were given, but the pendant mocked that man’s ideas from behind Tup’s shirt. It was a gift of love freely given to him and he was worthy,

When he returned to his apartment Aurelie was still at work, not getting off until late. As he waited for water to boil he straightened up around the place, clearing dust from the nooks it always returned to settle and gathered laundry. When he came to the bed in their room he came to a spot by the bed and stopped, considered, and opened a drawer to reveal a medium sized case which he deposited neatly on Aurelie’s side of the bed. He already had the necklace, it never hurt to be proactive in terms of their play. 

Half an hour later dinner was had and a portion of it was squared away in the fridge with a reminder to reheat it and enjoy and Tup was ready to meet a few of the boys at 79’s. As he changed from his work wear into something light blue and more casual, the afternoon sun caught the silver pendant resting on the tan skin of his breast bone, dying it almost the same shade of pink- before he could finish that thought a beep from his comm sounded informing him that his taxi had arrived outside.

20 minutes, a few levels down, and a familiar neon sign later, Tup was walking into a familiar bar. Nothing had changed about the place, only now armour and dress greys were a rare sight to be seen as the open opportunity for individuality to flourish among the clones led to some, interesting, experiments in style. ‘Speaking of which,’ thought Tup as a discordant but jovial chorus of his name called him over to a table in the corner. Fives, Jesse, Kix, Rex, Waxer, Boil, Cody, and even Wolffe, to his surprise, sat there having already gotten a small headstart on happy hour. It wasn’t a full reunion, others still at work or spread across the galaxy exploring life, but it was always nice to see familiar faces.

They took their time and paced themselves drinking, it was still early and they didn’t have to run off in an hour to prepare for a campaign and weren’t shotgunning a train of shots to try and forget one. Some of them had to be able to operate tomorrow morning though and they parted as the night lowered it’s curtain over day; Jesse and Kix remained however to scope out some of the ladies coming in with the party crowds.

As good as the times spent together were, Tup silently willed the air-taxi to carry him away faster through the legendary Coruscant traffic and back home. He’d worn the necklace, the empty place it would otherwise occupy obvious, if she hadn’t noticed then she would certainly see the familiar box he’d left resting by her pillow. Stars he was ready, the anticipation had built all day, the secret only he kept feeding his need. He was thrumming for whatever Aurelie had to give him.

The taxi stopped and he cursed the second it took for the payment to transfer, the minute in the elevator, the short march down the hall, and the door code he had to spend time punching in-

The entry was dark with the exception of a string of pink fairy lights strung along the wall and leading around the corner to their room. He grinned and, remembering to turn back and lock the door when he was already halfway across the room, soon came to the closed panel that marked their space. He knocked, “May I come in mistress?”

“Enter, darling.” A high, breathy voice answered.

As the door opened Tup entered the threshold and lowered himself to his knees, his hands finding their place on his lap as he gazed upon the shining woman perched on the edge of their bed (somehow, someway, his girlfriend, a part of his brain never ceased obsessing). She regarded him warmly, “Have you been a good boy today Tup? You took your necklace and I really hope it didn’t make you do anything naughty.”

“I was very good, mistress, just for you.” His voice was breathy and quiet, he had been good, and he anticipated his reward. His eyes drank in the milky skin that clothed the leopardess in repose before him, partially obscured by the long, wavy strands of pearly blonde hair.

“Oh I know Tup, you’re such a good boy. You wake me up with kisses, make sure I have food to eat when I work late, and you were so considerate to get our box of toys out for me. I don’t know where to begin, but good boys deserve to be rewarded, isn’t that right my beautiful boy?” 

Aurelie’s voice caressed his every synapse as he breathed in air that still held the trace of a burn from a heavy incense and he was already in a state. Her words of praise had passed straight down from his ears to his cock, bringing him to a full erection from the half mast he’d been sailing at since walking through the front door. “Yes, please mistress, yes.” If it sounded like he was begging, Tup didn’t care. Her soft thighs were resting atop one another, hiding from him what he’d been craving all day. Just one simple shift was all it would take to reveal to him where she was no doubt already soft, sweet, and wet.

Her legs uncrossed, but she stood instead of spreading wider and came to stand before him, her curl-crowned mound a tease before him that turned his need to a desperate clamour within him. He held still, eyes glued to hers as she leaned down to him and brought her pillowy lips to kiss him, one hand coming up to cradle his cheek and the other fiddles with his collar for the necklace she’d gifted him. His hands were curled hard on his lap, restraining himself from the urge to reach out and touch; being so, so good and waiting.

Drawing the pendant along the chain away from Tup’s racing heart, Aurelie held it between them and teased: “Is this what you want Tup? Do you want to eat my pussy until you’re begging for me to fuck you, until you cum in me? Or maybe I’ll ride that handsome face of yours all night and let you cum in my mouth while you’re hard at work.” Tup could only manage a tortured moan, the pictures being painted in his head making him dizzy. She lightly laughed and graciously accepted that as her answer, gently leading him across the floor as she walked backwards with the chain still in her hand, him crawling on all fours after her. When she returned to the bed she sat as he looked up at her with lust and adoration.

Still holding the pendant, she slowly drew her legs apart, raising one to rest on the bed so her pussy and the glorious pink of her vulva were wide open on display for Tup in his current position. Aurelie considered the pendant again for a moment. “I’m glad I found that artist, it’s a wonderful likeness, isn’t it darling?” From the petal-like folds of her labia minora to the majora that protected them and the unique hood that shadowed her marvelous clit, it couldn’t belong to anyone else. The highest honour Tup felt was being lucky enough to be the one person allowed to worship it. 

“Stars yes, mistress!” He agreed emphatically and Aurelie laughed lightly again and let the necklace fall back into its place from her fingers. 

“Well, come and get your reward Tup.” He gladly obliged. 

🍑🍑🍑

So yeah, Tup as a Sub wears a necklace of his girlfriend’s vulva when he really wants to be her good boy (; It also helps that it’s really pretty ✨👀✨

Also sorry if this is a little off, this wasn’t even alpha read, let alone beta read.

Aurelie is one of a few OC’s I’ve used in my daydreams, she may make another appearance in another story if I think she’ll fit! I may try and do some art too…

As for the boys at the bar, I came up with ideas for what they’re up to now and may either write other Kinktober stuff in this AU, or do some drabbles later (though I could include the Kinktober stuff in an AU drabble, right?). I didn’t include it in the story though because I felt like it would disturb the flow too much. I’ll probably detail the AU in another post if I do end up doing that.

Kinktober works so far

Masterlist

[siremasterlawrence]

A Royal Coronation

Newly crown King Joel Kellen awoke in a strangely dark lit room, candles light up

throughout the room.

His shadow waves heavily over the four walls that contain him and he can only do one thing.

His eyes fixating on his surroundings is a amusing scenario for the mastermind in a hidden room.

A man of mystery he is rarely ever seen out of his castle, and mostly quick photo ops behind the gates of the castle.

Nobody remembers much about his brief appearances except it a huge spectacle to his subjects.

“You finally woke up, excellent! We have much to discuss.” The voice speaks out through the speaker.

“Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am?”

“Yes King Joel, but I am in charge here from this point on.”

“What do you want with me? Release me”

“Turn around and face me, yes let me see”

“Why don’t you accept your faith?”

“Soon this will a be a awful dream of your subconscious fear to lead a kingdom”

“Fear of what? I have no fears a real man here, and a true alpha.”

The room is padded all over with heavy patches of white paint and cleanse to

perfection.

Behind him hears a sudden sound of rattle and shackles as the door slides open.

King Joel closes his eyes using his palm to rub them, returning his gaze he believes it’s real alright.

He flashes a bright exiting the room in to a cold, hollow and brightly lit hallway miles down.

The lights begin to blink on and off in a consistent rate first blinding him in to a trance like state.

His mind boils over leaving him in power of mindless, suspended state of hypnosis

“Foolish King Joel, you are a credit to your feeble, fragile race, a man caught up in his own privilege.”

“Your country needs a true ruler, a man who owns your forever and rules swiftly.”

“Any resistance is foolish, any desire to be anything else then what you are is a pipe

dream.”

“No, nooo, I can’t give in, this is all lies, a bunch of fabricated lies.”

“Oh really? Why is that? Your cock is rock hard and you know why”

“Because it’s true, feels so good to obey and do as commanded.”

“Where are you? Why do you hide?”

“Approach me, find me truly”

-snap- “Wake Up”

“I surrender, I want to obey “

“I willingly became your property “

“Yes, my love “

“I am on my way, wait for me”

“Don’t move”

“Don’t disappoint me”

“Oh! I won’t “

“I love you sire”

“Of course “

He arrives shirtless in just a pair of jeans, socks and sneakers.

“May I pour myself a drink?”

“Go ahead “

“What? Disappointed?”

“Never sir”

“I love you “

“You fucking saved me”

“You brought me back to life”

“Never have I felt this good before “

“Only you can do that”

“I love you “

“So you say”

The end

[uncrownedmox]

Entanglements Part 1

The Rigmarole: Mention of sexual contact / descriptive- dirty language. Swearing. Character(s) being a dominant cocky asshole. Sexual shenanigans (oral, male/female giving, toy play, alpha status)  18+ only.

Summary: You are the adopted sister of one Jon Moxley who has just recently lost his AEW championship title. You have been with him through it all. The Shield break ups, the injuries, the jump to AEW. But nothing has her big brother down or more laser focus than Kenny Omega. 

She won’t let Kenny Omega destroy her big brother, even if she has to destroy herself in the process to save him. Or the growing relationship between her and a certain relentless newly crowned TNT champion. 

Rating: MC+

Entanglements

a complicated or compromising relationship or situation.

We do this together, understand.

You knew Jon would say that; looking at your phone, you also knew you had to do this before he suspected anything. You two weren’t blooded brother and sister, but since your debut in the WWE and your injury, the two of you were tight. He and Renee had been the only ones to care a damn about you, so when Jon had left, you had been all too happy to follow him. The only hiccup along the way was - HIM.

If you did this and went after Kenny without Jon, you would need extra help. Kenny had The Elite and now the Good Brothers to watch his back; you knew you couldn’t help in those regards. Not physically. But if you got in close- plus you had heard certain things. Jumping when a hand came to rest on your shoulder, “Jumpy tonight, Rainbow Brite?” Turning to face the one person that you and Jon had come to trust. ”Not at all, Walking Dead.” Darby rolled his eyes at the nickname, snorting as you pocketed your phone for the time being. Reaching up to push back some pink strands of your hair, you blew a bubble with your gum.

“So, what’s it like getting all buddy-buddy with the great Sting?” Darby looks down at you, and you see it again, the storm of emotion that rolls through his ice-blue eyes. Sucking in a breath, you lower your eyes. “Darby, you can’t keep doing that.” His finger comes up to ghost trace your cheekbone, turning your head away with tears forming. There is a loud boom. Then, you can feel the heat vanishing as he lowers his hand. “This conversation isn’t over between us, Rainbow Brite.” 

Watching him walk away was hell; he was taking your heart with him. But you had work to do. Your brother needed your help. Taking out your phone again, you scrolled through your contacts and took a deep breath. Tapping out a text message.

You are doing great. Keep it up. Keep him pissed off, it will keep him off his game. 

This isn’t how Jon wanted it to go. Jon wasn’t one for reverse psychology; mind tricks weren’t his forte. You were laughing softly back in the day; that used to be Rollins trick. Sure Jon learned some of them, applied some of them. But this was a different time, a different place, and they were without the would-be Architect. You felt like you had to keep your head on a swivel to keep up with your brother these days. His acting career, his MMA, his pending fatherhood. 

You took up MMA and even got a part in a Netflix series to keep up with him. Jon had rolled his eyes at your Netflix series; fantasy and magic weren’t his cup of tea. Renee had loved it. You HAD loved it.

Suddenly your phone buzzed in your hand, signaling a return message. 

High praise coming from his baby sister.

You were smirking because the jackass had responded just the way you wanted him to. This might be slightly easier than expected. Tapping out quickly, you hoped you were playing this game correctly. If not, you stood to lose everything. EVERYTHING.

Care to rephrase those last two words, champ.

Tapping your nails on the back of your phone, you waited to see if he would take the bait once more. If he would read in-between the line, see what you were throwing down. Moving to catering as you waited, feeling ice-blue eyes on you as you moved, you felt your heart skip a beat. Moving past Britt and Rebel, who was talking about Matt and Reby Hardy announcing that they too were having a little girl.  Smiling in thought, how that covid was bringing out these life-changing positives.

Grabbing some fruit and some cream cheese, you move to sit down in a far corner when your phone buzzes again. Popping a piece of cantaloupe into your mouth, you slowly move to look at your phone, only feeling one more set of eyes on you. 

My apologies. I am a busy man, after all.

You were nodding your head, yes. You are, and I need you. And the access you have. Smiling as you toss a strawberry into your mouth, you know this might be your chance. That your game plan might die here and now if he doesn’t take the bait. Taking a drink of a bottle of water, you move to tap out.

I understand. Make it up to me?

Blinking in confusion as you hit the send hit, you suddenly remember not grabbing a bottle of water. Eyes are darting up and round, gasping when your light green eyes connect with ice-blue ones. “What shit are you getting into, Rainbow Brite?” Darby stood in front of the table you have chosen, his hands flat, on either side of your plate. You are freezing as your heart threatens to explode. 

You are licking your lips, watching as Darby’s eyes drop to follow the movement. The air seems to snap in static electricity; that’s when you see Jon enter the room out of the corner of your eye. Swallowing hard, you strangle out, “Darby, don’t, please.” He cocks his head down and to the side but murmurs, “So this fuckary has to deal with your big brother?” Choking and jumping when the table vibrates loudly when your phone goes off. 

Watching as Darby swings his beautiful ice-cold eyes to look at the offending device, but he makes no move for it. Quickly making a grab for it, lower your eyes at the message screen, you close your eyes at the message.

Enlighten me; how would I do so? 

Feeling Darby’s gaze on you, feeling Jon zero in on you. You took a deep breath and nearly jumped as Jon snarled when he finally made his way to the table you were at. With shaky fingers, you quickly tapped out before Jon could speak, before you change your mind.

A change of scenery? 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Glancing at your brother, you forced a smile on your lips and sweetly asked, “what do you mean, Jonathan?” He simply rolls his eyes at his full name, plops down in a chair, throws a glance at Darby in the ‘wtf are you doing here’ fashion but continues. “Three fucking days, no texts, no calls, no visits. No, nothing.” Rolling your own eyes as you give Darby an apologetic look. You know Jon gets tunnel vision.

It’s how he has missed this growing-breathing thing between you and Darby for so long. You are pretty sure he knew of your friendship with one another. But you don’t think he has picked up the hot flame burning between the two of you. Most haven't, not with Darby’s recent divorce and the well-known fact you didn’t date wrestlers. You have been a wrestler yourself for only five years now, and your first bit of advice was. Don’t ever date a wrestler. 

It’s so funny; you didn’t start in this business as part of the talent. Nor sleeping with anyone. You were a mere happy gymnast, then one day, Paul Levesque had scouted you. After a year at the WWE performance center, you have been labeled the newest and hottest thing. Within the WWE, you have held their women’s division, helped their revolution. Now it was to learn about yourself. 

And yet, here you were.

“Jon, I have a life outside you and Renee, believe it or not.” Knowing this is where you have to start the plan, glancing at Darby quickly, you hoped he would understand. If not, he would at least forgive you someday. Jon snaps, “I get that doll. Quit twisting my fucking words.” Snapping, you gathered up your trash as your phone went off again. Darby straightened, and you wanted to whimper; instead, you hissed out.

“Jesus, Jon can’t a girl get laid without her big brother getting up all in her business?” With that, you go and toss your trash away. You feel both Jon’s surprised eyes drilling into your back and Darby’s more cold, calculating look roaming your body. Looking down at your phone, you smirk in success.

How does Memphis sound? 

---(0)--(0)---

It has been three weeks.

You have alienated yourself from Jon AND Darby. Darby has stopped approaching you after the first confrontation with Jon. But Jon has picked up the pace not only against Kenny Omega but YOU as well. Almost like he knows what you are doing, planning?

You have been careful, explained it to Kenny, not to show all the cards just yet. Hit him when you got him down and bleeding, baby. It all comes to a head the night Kenny offers Jon his rematch. The Good Brothers have him tied up, bleeding, and spent. Kenny grabs the mic and pushes the title in Jon’s face.

“Is this what you want, Jon? Truly? Cause let’s be honest here, pretty platinum is NOT the ONLY thing I have taken from you.” 

Backstage you move into position, and you see Tony Kahn suck in a breathe. His eyes go wide as you pick up a mic and start to walk. Kenny keeps on talking.

“NOT only have I reclaimed MY number one position in this world, Jon, but I have claimed the spot no one else could do for months. And that was to take you OUT. But I found I wasn’t satisfied with that. No Jon, I want to BREAK you.” 

You see the ring action as you start to step out of the tunnel. The crowd reacts instantly. Kenny smirks and bellows into the mic.

You see the ring action as you start to step out of the tunnel. The crowd reacts instantly. Kenny smirks and bellows into the mic.

“So I took something ELSE that was precious to you, Jon!” 

Stepping out to the ring, you see that Good Brothers have let Jon move his head so he can look your way. You see the look of surprise in his baby blue eyes. Then Jon, misunderstanding, snarls. 

“Don’t you touch her, Omega.”

Shaking your head as you bring the mic to your lips, you mockingly add.

“Ohh, he has done more than touch me, big brother. Did you honestly think, I as your BABY SISTER, wouldn’t become a target in your war Jon?” 

Gliding to stand next to Kenny, you lay your hand onto his chest and snuggle into his body, laying your head onto his shoulder and letting everyone think that you were now Kenny Omega’s new flavor of the week. You continue to speak as though Jon’s eyes are hardening on you. 

“I simply made my move before that happened, Jon. Kenny Omega is a smart man!” 

Taking a step forward and leaning down, you look Jon Moxley right in the face and snicker into the mic.

“And oh so good with his hands. Pure magic.”

There is a heat in Jon’s eyes that has you stepping back, then Kenny explaining the exploding barbwire match to him, and his eyes flicker to you. Afterwards, in the hallway, you see Darby Allin and his cold blue eyes drill into you. When Kenny steps away for an interview with Don Callis, you sigh in relief. His voice makes you jump a little, “you are playing a dangerous game Rainbow Brite.” Looking at the man you want with every fiber of your being, you swallow hard and smile weakly at him. “Hello to you too, Walking Dead.”

He invades your personal space in an instant, hands on your hips, lips against your ear. “You don’t think Jon doesn’t see what you are doing??” Blinking, you jerk back at look deep into his eyes. “What do you mean?” Then behind you, you hear a bellow. There are people shouting; your name is being yelled.  Turning halfway around, you met Jon’s enraged eyes. “Get your ass over here.” Blinking as you watch The Bucks and Cody attempt to hold your brother back. Suddenly there is a hand snaking around your upper arm, “time for us to go, princess.”

Casting your eyes to Darby, you can only swallow hard and fight back the tears as Kenny pulls you along behind him and away from the two men you love most in this world.

I N S P I R A T I O N S Q U A D

@snarkwriteswrasslin : @dilfmoxley : @ofdreamsandomens @thewrestlingobsessor : @writingrose : @deepdisireslonging

S P I C Y S I S T E R S

Holls | Tay | Kay | Crystal

A O 3 S U P P O R T

SethMoxslady = RuinousOmen = Anne Carter

[winchest09]

Hello! I hope you're doing well! I was looking for some new Supernatural stories and was wondering if you knew any good Royalty AU ones or where the reader or oc is not a hunter? If you don't, it's fine! You always seem to know the best fics though!

Hey sweetheart! Sorry it took me a day or two to respond, I was on the hunt for some Royal AU and was asking some mutuals for recs too! So...this is what i’ve compiled: Knight!Sam by @thinkinghardhardlythinking Saira has a collection of pieces, each one named, all around Knight!Sam...and it’s DELICIOUS. 

~

The Woodsman by @thecleverdame

Summary:  A/B/O Fairy Tale - You’re a sheltered, thirty-something princess on the run from your brother, the newly crowned ‘Mad King’ of France. When you’re waylaid by marauders and left for dead in the forest, a gruff woodsman nurses you back to health.

~

This Is Not A Fairytale by @thecleverdame

Summary:  You’re a suppressed Omega who is forced into servitude after the death of your father. Your stepmother Naomi is a heartless woman who forces you to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off her own two daughters, Alex and Claire. But your life takes a wonderful and dangerous turn when you meet the charming Prince Sam who also happens to be an Alpha.

~

True Loves Kiss by @carryonmywaywardbucky

Summary:  When word of a cursed prince reached your kingdom, your king knew exactly who to send to try and wake him up. The king treated you like the daughter he never had, so question never crossed his mind when he gave you what he hoped would be your final mission.

~

Knight Winchester by @luci-in-trenchcoats

Summary: The reader is tired of looking for a suitable future husband but she’s not having much luck. Especially when one of her Knight’s betrays her…

~

Royal Duties by @becs-bunker

Summary: You’re a knight to the royal family and the personal guard of Prince Dean. Your friendship with the Royal is surprisingly good, until you discover a secret that could threaten the entire kingdom.

~

How The Mighty Fall by @becs-bunker

Summary: Prince Dean doesn’t make your life as his bodyguard easy. After crossing one too many lines, you quit your job at the palace in hopes of finding a more agreeable clientele. You think you’re finally free of Dean, until sudden circumstances pull him right back into your life, and your heart.

~

The Royal House of Winchester by @oneshoeshort

Summary: In this alternate universe where the American government is run by a modern royal monarchy, King John IX of the Royal House of Winchester is dying. One of his sons, Prince Dean, Duke of Virginia and Prince Samuel, Duke of Maryland, must now prepare to take their father’s place on the throne. When Dean refuses to become the next king, preferring to live in the country with his pregnant wife, his brother becomes the Heir Apparent to his father. Sam now knows in order to become King, he must find a wife to be by his side. Fortunately, he’s got his eye in a particular princess who not only has familial connections to the House of Winchester, but has captured his heart in a way that will make for a good Queen. This love story will follow one young man’s journey from Prince to King, with a strong female standing by his side through it all. ~ Annnnnnnnd that’s all I have right now. Ahaha I hope there are some on there that will keep you busy!

Also if any of my mutuals/followers are reading this and know of any good ones i’ve not mentioned, please comment and reblog and let us know!

Much love babes <3 xox

[aion-rsa]

Clark Gable and His WW2 Death Wish

https://ift.tt/3oDIaDK

Clark Gable did not intend to see action when World War II came to America. Which is not to say he ignored the war. Gable was there that day in 1940 when President Franklin Roosevelt gave his famous “Arsenal of Democracy” speech from the Oval Office. And, indeed, the first thing the movie star did when he heard about the Pearl Harbor attack was cable FDR to offer his full support—and, tellingly, the besieged president promptly answered right back.

But then in the 1930s and early ‘40s, Gable was “the King of Hollywood;” the reigning movie star who could sell more tickets than anybody this side of Shirley Temple, and he didn’t have to sing or dance to do it either. He was a mustachioed and muscular alpha who appealed to everybody, even presidents, and was one of the few leading men who would tell Louis B. Mayer no (at least until casting for Gone with the Wind came along). The government saw the value in that kind of celebrity when the dark storm clouds of war gathered over Europe and the South Pacific, and so did Gable. Still, he was practically 41 when the bombs fell in Hawaii and more than happy to support the war from afar.

As he told fellow MGM stablemate Jimmy Stewart at the latter’s going away party in 1940—Stewart had just happily joined the Army—“You know you’re throwing away your career, don’t you?” When Stewart answered yes, Gable added, “You won’t catch me doing that, but I wish you godspeed.”

Gable had success, Gable had power, and for the first time in his four decades on this earth, Gable had something approaching peace thanks to his marriage to Carole Lombard, the firecracker screwball star. Yet in less than a year, all of those things turned to ash following Lombard’s violent death. When her plane went down in a fiery blaze, it was treated as a national tragedy around the country, and for her husband it was the beginning of the end.

The King became broken, despondent, and finally disillusioned enough to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps. To this day, some say he went to Europe with a death wish, and on at least one bombing raid, Capt. Gable almost had it granted as a Luftwaffe shell passed right between his feet.

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard posing for photographers shortly after their marriage in 1939.

The King and Queen of Hollywood

Women were always easy for Clark Gable, and for a time so were wives. The first Mrs. Gable was Josephine Dillon, 17 years his senior, and she was introduced to him as an acting coach by another woman who was his then-fiancée. As a handsome, if unrefined son of an Ohioan farmer, the 23-year-old Gable was perfect clay for Dillon. She turned him into her greatest student, teaching him how to lower his voice and hold your attention. As his patron and wife, Dillon also introduced Gable to all her Broadway connections and the adjacent stock companies. It was even as the star of one of those companies that he met Maria Langham, a wealthy widow and oil heiress who was also 17 years his senior. 

As the second Mrs. Gable, Ria introduced Gable to Manhattan’s high society and exquisite living, teaching him social etiquette and the value of a finely tailored tuxedo. One wife taught him how to play at being an actor, and the other taught him how to play at being a gentleman. They served their purposes and they were both brushed off.

But Lombard? He couldn’t brush her off ever.

The first time Clark met Carole, it was a surprisingly chaste affair. The two were cast as the leads of 1932’s No Man of Her Own. Unlike many of his leading ladies in the 1930s, Gable made no passes at Lombard, who was married to movie star William Powell at the time and intended to remain that way. Nevertheless, they hit it off, as the breathlessly quick-witted Lombard did with almost everyone.

Gable wasn’t yet “the King of Hollywood” then, but he was well on his way. Two years later, he’d star in the film that popularized screwball comedies, It Happened One Night (1934), which won him an Oscar for Best Actor, and two years after that he would lead the granddaddy of all disaster movies, San Francisco (1936). By ’38, he was already Tinseltown royalty when then-gossip columnist Ed Sullivan overheard Gable’s drinking buddy and sometime-rival, Spencer Tracy, affectionately refer to him as “King.” Sullivan immediately lit upon the idea of holding a national poll for the “King and Queen of Hollywood.”

More than 20 million people voted and, by a huge majority, Gable was crowned “King” for the rest of his career. Meanwhile, Myrna Loy was elected “Queen of Hollywood.” The fact they were then filming MGM’s Test Pilot (with Tracy) certainly suggests the results might’ve been tampered with. It also likely struck Loy as ironic since her first encounter with Gable ended with her pushing him into a hedge bush after he drunkenly bit the back of her neck while his second wife, Ria, was sitting in a nearby car. Gable refused for years to talk to Loy socially after that rejection, including between takes on film sets.

So yes, the King was a womanizer—complete with a secret baby born out of wedlock to co-star Loretta Young—in a sham marriage at the beginning of his reign. But things began changing when he finally ran into Lombard again, and at last he found his matching monarch.

It was at the White Ball in 1936 that the pair’s paths crossed a second time. By now, Clark was fully estranged from Ria, and the two lived in separate houses. Lombard, meanwhile, had risen to her own stardom by bringing her transgressive life-of-the-party persona to recent screwball comedies directed by Howard Hawks and Ernst Lubitsch. Vivacious, whip smart, and an eventual inspiration for Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lombard was a hard-drinking and giddy star with her own orbit.

According to Clark Gable: A Biography by Warren G. Harris, when Gable saw Lombard on the dance floor, he went up and said, “I go for you, Ma.” After a moment’s confusion, Lombard realized he was quoting their characters’ nicknames for each other in No Man of Her Own from four years earlier. She responded, “I go for you too, Pa.”

For the rest of their lives, they’d always refer to each other as “Ma” and “Pa.”

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard play with horses at the Encino ranch in 1939.

The Love of His Life

That first night on the dance floor actually ended in the pair’s first of many fights. But in a trick that would come to define the pattern of their relationship, Gable woke up the next morning in his hotel room with two doves sitting on his chest. They’d been secreted there with a note on one’s leg: “How about it? Carole.” 

Unlike Gable’s other romantic entanglements, Lombard always controlled the tone and tempo of their courtship while Gable offered Lombard an escape from the glamour goddess, society girl image she’d molded herself to in Hollywood. She was an athlete growing up and, alongside Pa, she picked up outdoor-living again.

Clark taught Carole rifling, skeet-shooting, and camping. In ’38, she joined what had up to that point been Gable’s all-male hunting club with fellow actors and Hollywood talent. When the other men complained about a woman being present and sharing their bathroom, she brought along her own trailer with a private bathroom—taunting Clark and the others by then keeping him out. She crawled in the mud next to the dudes, and would soon be on all of the Gables’ hunting trips.

The pair eloped in ’39 after three years of courtship. This occurred in large part because Photoplay magazine revealed the two were living in sin (Gable was still married and too chintzy to get a divorce). Shortly after the embarrassment, however, Gable paid off his second wife and Lombard became the third Mrs. Gable.

“I just think of that husband of mine all the time,” Lombard once said with her usual candor. “I’m really stuck on the bastard. And it isn’t all that great lover crap, because if you want to know the truth, I’ve had better. No, I’m nuts about him and not just about his nuts.”

When the two moved into their Encino ranch, Gable made his gun collection the centerpiece when you walked in the front door, and Lombard began raising chickens and cattle. It was about as far from Beverly Hills as you could get, or as Lombard enthused, “The best little shit house in the San Fernando Valley.”

It was here that Lombard planned to soon retire, beginning with a one-year sabbatical in an effort to have children. Yet after a year of trying, they only had two miscarriages to show for it. They agreed to keep trying, but they’d soon run out of chances.

Clark Gable and wife Carole Lombard circa 1940.

The Loss of His Life

When the bombs fell in Pearl Harbor, it was Carole who urged Clark to telegraph Roosevelt as soon as possible. She was also in the White House for the president’s fireside chat in 1940. And unlike Gable, she was furious when the president responded, “You are needed where you are.”

With the war finally here, Lombard urged Gable to join the Army in December 1941 while she hoped to join the Red Cross. For Christmas, instead of her usual lavish presents she sent all her friends engravings announcing she’d made a donation to the Red Cross in their name. And when she got wind of MGM publicity chief Howard Strickling trying to position Gable for a safe desk job in Washington D.C. for the course of the war, she told both men, “The last thing I want for Pappy is one of those phony commissions!”

Gable preferred helping the war where FDR told him he should—from the comfort of Hollywood. On Dec. 22, 1941, he presided over the first meeting of the Screen Actors Division of the Hollywood Victory Committee as its newly appointed chairman. The committee functioned as a way for Hollywood stars and leaders to organize all activities in support of the war effort. His wife was the first at the meeting to pledge her cooperation in donations, bond rallies, and touring the troops.

When a request came from the Treasury Department for the Victory Committee to launch Indiana’s participation in the national campaign of selling war bonds on Jan. 15, 1942, Gable recognized his Indiana-born wife as the perfect talent to send along. Carole was thrilled to go, although apprehensive about leaving Clark behind.

Gable couldn’t join his wife on her journey by train because he was about to start work on Somewhere I’ll Find You: his second film with Lana Turner. Up until then, Carole had been very open-minded about Gable’s continued infidelities and little affairs, even after they were married. She turned a blind eye to more than one rumor of him sleeping with a co-star here, or a starstruck journalist there, because she assumed you had to let Clark Gable be Clark Gable. But she drew the line over rumors about Clark and Lana, the latter of whom was infamously dubbed the “Sweater Girl” when she was discovered at a soda fountain at age 16. Blonde and buxom, Turner was 20-years-old when she first worked with the 40-year-old Gable. These stories did get to Lombard.

The evening before she left for Indiana, the couple had a huge blowout during which Clark failed to convince his wife he never slept with Lana Turner. The last night Gable and Lombard were under the same roof, they slept in different beds. The next morning, he did not see his wife off to the train station.

As with many of their fights, things cooled almost immediately. Before she left, Lombard still delivered a pack of handwritten love letters to her live-in secretary Jean Garceau to deliver to Clark, one at a time, everyday she was away. She also had the prank she planned before their fight still be delivered, so when Gable returned home from work that night he found a naked blonde dummy in his bed with a note. “So you won’t be lonely.” Gable reportedly laughed until he had tears in his eyes.

According to Garceau when the two talked by phone the next night, they sounded like “lovebirds” again. And according to the You Must Remember This podcast, Gable had Carole’s hotel room in Indianapolis be covered in red roses when she got in. But before even then, Lombard’s train stopped in Salt Lake City where she saw the troops marching and immediately telegraphed her husband, “HEY PAPPY, YOU’D BETTER GET INTO THIS MAN’S ARMY.”

On Jan. 15, Lombard intended to raise $500,000 in war bonds. Instead, she raised over $2 million. Afterward, she was so eager to get home to Gable following their fight that she decided she’d fly back to California instead of returning by train. This was expressly forbidden by the Treasury Department. Commercial travel was still relatively dicey, and they feared she’d be a target for Nazi saboteurs. Additionally, she was traveling with her mother Elizabeth Peters, a superstitious woman who’d never flown and was deathly afraid to start now. She was also there with Otto Winkler, Gable’s publicist and buddy who was best man at their wedding.

The morning their flight was to leave Indianapolis, Otto got Carole to at least agree to a coin toss. Heads they fly, tails they take the train. Carole won. From Indianapolis, they would make multiple stops, including Wichita, Albuquerque, and Las Vegas. TWA Flight Number 3 never reached Burbank.

That night Gable arranged a surprise party to welcome the three heroes back—as well as a surprise male dummy with an erection waiting for Carole upstairs. He was reportedly giddy waiting for the phone call from limo driver Larry Barbier, who was supposed to report when they landed. Instead, Clark got a call from MGM fixer Eddie Mannix.

“Can I get back to you?” Gable asked. “I’m expecting word on Ma’s arrival any minute.”

Mannix cut him off. “King, that’s why I’m calling. Larry Barbier just phoned from the airport. Carole’s plane went down just a few minutes after it left Las Vegas.” She was gone.

Clark Gable stands next to co-pilot Lt. Col. Robert W Burns beneath B-17 “The Duchess” after bombing raid in September 1943.

Clark Gable Goes to War

The fallout from the literal wreckage of Lombard’s flight was national news. A bewildered Gable joined Mannix and other MGM brass for their own chartered flight to Vegas. He could see the burning debris that Lombard’s flight smeared across Table Rock Mountain from the air. Locals in the city described it as “apocalyptic” and like an “inferno.”

Mannix refused to let Gable go on the rescue party climbing the mountain—convincing him Carole, Otto, and Bettie might have survived and were now walking to the city. So the star stayed behind and drank. The next morning, he received a cable from Mannix. “NO SURVIVORS. ALL KILLED INSTANTLY.”

In truth, the bodies of Lombard and everyone else on board had been more or less cremated by the fire after impact. And while Mannix couldn’t be certain, he believed he found what was left of Carole: a decapitated, charred body with a few blonde strands of hair and the remnants of a ruby and diamond pin Gable had given his wife the year before. He never told Clark about what he saw, but brought back the hairs and piece of ruby.

The next day, FDR sent Gable private condolences and publicly awarded Lombard a medal as “the first woman to be killed in action in the defense of her country in its war against the Axis powers.”

The official and (likely) reason for that flight’s crash is it was overloaded with servicemen and movie star luggage, and the pilot failed to see the mountain in front of him, on which all lights had been turned off to preserve wartime power. Although, according to Orson Welles (as per You Must Remember This), Hollywood and government insiders all knew Nazi saboteurs did in fact bring down the plane, and Roosevelt covered it up to prevent a nationwide panic.

In the months that followed, Gable grew quiet and despondent, losing 20 pounds despite drinking untold amounts of Scotch every day. He dined alone for all meals and began wearing a locket with Carole’s hair and ruby remnants within. According to household staff, he rarely slept and stayed up all hours of the night watching 16mm prints of Lombard’s old movies he had sent over (she’d given him the projector as a Christmas present). Now he had time for no woman except the one he lost.

When he discovered MGM was still trying to keep him from being drafted—with the age range now being raised to 45—Gable grew furious. A scriptwriter pal put him in touch with Col. Luke Smith of the Army Air Corps, who told Gable he should consider applying for training as an aerial gunner since it’s one of those jobs no one seems interested in.

“Everybody wants to be a pilot,” Smith told Gable. “Your becoming a gunner would help to glorify the plane crews and the grease monkeys.” Gable made up his mind to enlist in spite of the wrath of MGM head Louis B. Mayer. He also defied the constraints of his age of 41 by passing the physical—save for the need of getting triplicates of his new dentures (Gable had false teeth his whole career).

On Aug. 12, 1942, Gable enlisted into the Army air force. Right beforehand he told Jill Winkler, Otto’s widow, “I’m going in, and I don’t expect to come back, and I don’t really give a hoot whether I do or not.”

Capt. Gable posing for the press with a gunner’s weapon in June 1943.

The Aerial Gunner with a Death Wish

There is still much speculation over whether Gable actually wanted to die in World War II. His superiors eventually reached that conclusion based on his cavalier attitude, and he at least seemed ambivalent about the whole affair. However, it is interesting he joined the air force considering that, after Lombard’s death, he developed a fear of flying for the rest of his life. Following the war, he would always prefer to make his transatlantic crossings by ocean liners instead of planes.

But during the war? Frankly, he didn’t seem to give a damn one way or the other.

Gable’s biggest fear during the whole conflict was his struggle to pass officer’s training in a 90-day course stateside. A high school dropout, Gable was challenged by the academic course work, which he ultimately got around by treating each textbook like a script he needed to memorize.

Once he was an officer (and allowed to grow back his trademark mustache), he seemed in relatively good spirits for the first time in months. Before going overseas, he told Garceau, “I have everything in the world anyone could want, but for one thing. All I really need and want is Ma.”

In April 1943, Gable was shipped off to join the 351st Heavy Bombardment Group in Peterborough, England, about 80 miles north of London. Gable also received an automatic promotion to the rank of captain, although this had as much to do with the heavy losses of Allied officers as it did with Gable’s leadership.

In truth, Gable likely enjoyed playing the part of officer more than he entirely became it. The military loved letting him pose for the press as a gunner with a bombardier’s bullets wrapped around his neck, but that wasn’t his actual job. While Gable did on at least two occasions take on the role of aerial gunner in combat, his official role was as an observational gunner—he was there to pick up the weapons in the side or rear of a B-17 if the gunner operating it was injured or killed (which did happen).

Otherwise, Gable was there because the Army wanted him to film footage they could use as propaganda, glorifying the role of gunners. While in officer’s school, the Army reunited Gable with cinematographer Andy McIntyre, who would become his sidekick and cameraman in the air. And after his graduation, Gable arranged the transfer of his scriptwriting buddy John Lee Mahin, then a lieutenant serving as an instructor in Combat Intelligence, to join them. In all, Gable and McIntyre built a film crew of six men to film the other fliers on B-17 missions. They were called “the Little Hollywood Group.”

More than twice the age of many of the pilots and gunners he flew with, Gable found himself facing heavy skepticism in his early training.

“None of the kids believed he was going to do anything at all,” Mahin recalled in Warren’s Clark Gable biography. “They never thought he was going to expose himself to any kind of danger. They said it was all a lot of bullshit. It really killed Clark that the kids shunned him.”

The brass, however, loved Gable at first. Many of his superiors invited him nearly every night to dinner, an annoyance he’d soon relegate to one evening a week. And while he welcomed the press to photograph him at the planes, he also refused the special treatment of having private quarters set up, which earned him more respect from the young fliers.

He’d also soon prove himself as a member of Col. William Hatcher’s Chickens (a nickname for his bombing group) when he went up in the air on May 4, 1943. Hatcher was onboard the same B-17 that day as group commander and co-pilot; the 351st were tasked with taking out several factories in Nazi-occupied Antwerp, Belgium.

During Gable’s first combat mission, flak from ground defenses took out one of the plane’s four engines and its stabilizer. More unnervingly, after delivering the plane’s payload, a German’s 20mm shell pierced the center of the plane, with the corner of the shell passing through the heel of Gable’s boot—lifting it clean off—and then exiting the aircraft inches above Gable’s head.

On another mission, Gable took over for gunners who were wounded or killed (there was at least one of each that day). Fifteen holes were found in the fuselage. For Gable, such horrors were also a vindication, as he fully won the respect of the kids around him.

“They adored him,” Mahin recalled. “They couldn’t stay away from him. And he was proud that they accepted him.”

Portrait of Capt. Gable after arriving in England in 1943 as part of the the 351st Bombardment Group.

Hitler’s Prize

At Peterborough, Gable grew increasingly chummy with the other fliers serving. He bought a used motorcycle and would make small talk on trips around the base. And on more than a few weekends, he would head to London to screen at MGM offices some of the footage he shot in the air. He also would meet with his pre-war Hollywood chum, David Niven, who was serving as an instructor for British Commandos and had recently married and had a son.

“From then on our cottage became Clark’s refuge from military life,” Niven recalled. “With Carole’s death, he had been dealt the cruelest of blows, but on the surface at least, he was making the best of it. In his own deep misery, he found it possible to rejoice over the great happiness that had come my way, and he became devoted to my little family.”

Niven added, “Clark’s personal wounds seemed to be healing, but Carole was never far from him, and the very happiness of our little group would sometimes overwhelm him. [My wife] found him one evening on an upturned wheelbarrow in the garden, his head in his hands, weeping uncontrollably.”

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Still, Gable seemed to be settling into a new happy rhythm of camaraderie on the base, frequent trips to London, and even playing the field. He renewed an affair with a pre-Lombard paramour in London, the English (and now married with children) Elizabeth Allan. Nonetheless, he may have been enjoying himself too much for his superiors’ liking.

Robert Matzen, author of Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe and Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3, told me he believed Gable had a death wish.

“Carole Lombard, his wife, wanted him to go fight and she’s killed,” Matzen said. “So he then decides, ‘Alright, I’ll go fight and hopefully I’ll be killed too.’ That’s why he wanted to be in the Eighth Air Force, because he wanted to die in a plane crash.” Also, unlike Stewart, Matzen stressed, Gable never fully adapted to military culture.

Said Matzen, “Gable was much more interested in being Clark Gable in England than Jim Stewart was interested in being Jimmy Stewart in England.” This weighed on the mind of Col. Hatcher, as did the growing understanding that every B-17 Gable was on became a prize for Nazi Germany.

The day the 351st arrived in England, Nazi radio propagandist William Joyce, aka “Lord Haw Haw,” broadcast from Berlin the following: “Welcome to England, Hatcher’s Chickens. Among whom is famous American cinema star, Clark Gable. We’ll be seeing you soon in Germany, Clark. You will be welcome there too.”

Adolf Hitler apparently adored Clark Gable, considering him his favorite American actor. A movie nut with a love for British and Hollywood cinema, Hitler even allegedly smuggled a film print of Gone with the Wind before it opened in the UK. Hitler therefore marked Gable as one of the most prized “war criminals” in the Allied Forces, offering a handsome reward to any German soldiers who can bring Gable to him alive.

The actor was terrified of being paraded through Berlin like King Kong and was only half-joking when he told a friend, “If Hitler catches me, the sonofabitch will put me in a cage like a gorilla and send me on a tour of Germany. If a plane that I’m in ever gets hit, I’m not bailing out.”

While his superiors might’ve appreciated the sentiment, they feared the humiliating spectacle of one of their gunners becoming a Nazi political tool—or the actor putting a bigger target on their bombing group. Additionally, Gable didn’t follow protocol as intended, at one point threatening a military doctor after the physician apparently said nonchalantly that Gable’s pal had hours to live while the young man was awake and listening. And, again, the opinion became that he wanted to be shot down.

So it was in October 1943, after only five combat missions, Capt. Gable was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for “exceptionally meritorious achievement while participating in five separate bomber combat missions.” Hatcher apparently pulled the strings to get Gable out.

Clark Gable in 1960 on the set of his last film, The Misfits, with Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift.

The End

Even though Gable’s time in combat ended in October of ’43, he still wound up with 50,000 feet of film at his disposal. He was apparently shocked when he learned the air force really didn’t care what he did with the footage since gunner recruitment was up. So he returned to Los Angeles, having been reassigned to the city’s photographic division. Allowed to cut the film at MGM, Gable put together five short films that could be used for instruction on operating B-17s. But by the time it made its way through the Pentagon’s chain of command… the war was over. The footage mostly still lies unused in government archives.

After finishing the films, Gable had expected to be assigned to a new bombing division in the Pacific Theater. As he waited months for the orders to come in, he found out on the news about the D-Day landing in Europe on June 6, 1944. Feeling forgotten and discarded by the Air Corps, he requested to be discharged on June 12, which was his right as a volunteer over the age of 42. A captain named Ronald Reagan granted Gable his discharge after 670 days of service.

Clark eventually re-acclimated to Hollywood and restarted his career, but by 1945 his days as “the King” were waning, and he saw more flops accompany his diminishing hits. He also had many more affairs with leading ladies, extras, and socialites. But for years he refused to marry, telling friends, “It wouldn’t be fair. I have nothing left to give.”

For the rest of his life, Clark mourned Carole, including on Jan. 15, 1944 when he was on hand for the launch of the SS Carole Lombard. Gable was supposed to speak at the event. Instead, he mostly cried.

Eventually he did remarry, twice, and finally had one child who wasn’t disowned in secret. But after the star died of a heart attack at age 59 in 1960, his fifth wife, Kay Williams, honored his final wishes: Gable was interred at Glendale’s Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Next to Ma.

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[mirkwoodshewolf]

Chapter 8; 5 years later

*Author’s note*

Hey all, well been a long time hadn't it? I am so sorry for this delayed chapter. I got so involved with other requests and then school that I had to set this aside even after getting half the chapter done already and then finally finishing it just a second ago. So I apologize for the ending of this chapter, I didn't know how else to end it but I hope it's not too terrible for you all. I hope to get the next chapter up quicker than this one but we will just have to wait and see. Anyways I hope you all enjoy this next part of Mother Raksha :)

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural

@plethora-of-things

@ixchel-9275

@waddles03

_____________________________________________________________

*3rd Person POV*

Five years. Five years since Thanos had revealed that he had only used the stones after destroying half of the universe, just to destroy the stones.  The Avengers were devastated, families were beyond hope.  But as the saying goes; ‘Life goes on’ and for this case, it’s as best as it can.  People who had survived tried to continue to make a living.  

Some joined other families to help raise children that had lost their parents, some joined in group talks to discuss everything that has happened and how they are slowly trying to move on, however there are some that couldn’t move on.

They feel the guilt of why they are still alive and hundreds of others including those that they loved had to get snapped away into oblivion.  Why those people, not them?

At the Avengers facility, Natasha who had grown her hair back out and was back to it’s natural red state at the roots but at the end was the blonde hair she had sported five years ago.  

She sat at a desk cutting up her midnight snack, a peanut butter sandwich while on four holograms in front of her were as followed from left to right; Rocket and Nebula, Okoye and Morowa, Carol Danvers (who was sporting a new haircut as well, a sort of mohawk style hair), and Rhodey.

“Yeah, we boarded that highly-suspect warship Danvers pinged.” Rocket said sarcastically.

“It was an infectious garbage scow.” Nebula stated in disgust.

“So, thanks for the hot tip.” Continued Rocket as they both turned towards Carol.

“Well you were closer.” She said.

“Yeah. And now we smell like garbage.” Complained Rocket.

“You get a reading on those tremors?” Natasha asked Okoye and Morowa.  Morowa, sporting the reigning Queen of Wakanda crown on her head stated.

“It was a mild subduction under the African plate.”

“Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?”

“Nat. It’s an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it, by not handling it.” Answered Okoye.

“Carol, are we seeing you here next month?” Nat asked turning to Carol.

“Not likely.” Captain Marvel answered.

“What? You gonna get another haircut?” questioned Rocket.

“Listen fur face. I’m covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth are happening everywhere. On thousands of planets.” Rocket then began muttering in understandment, knowing that she was right.  She then turned back towards Nat and spoke the honest truth, “So you might not see me for a long time.”

“Alright. Uh, well…..this channel’s always active. So, if anything goes sideways….anyone’s making any trouble where they shouldn’t….comes through me.” They all agreed and then one by one each transmission ended.

*Morowa’s POV*

I removed Ramonda’s crown from my head revealing my newly short cut raven black hair.  I sighed heavily and leaned up against the throne.  Ever since that day five years ago, with all members of the royal family gone, I was forced to take the throne of Wakanda.

All the tribes have been trying to survive and adapt from the blimp.  Many of us lost family, for me it was like a triple blow.  I already lost my first family, with T’Challa, Shuri, (y/n) and Ramonda it was a double blow, and now…..Rauri and the Chimeras.

One day after Rauri, Dean and Mitchell returned from finding Thanos.  All of them were gone, the remaining chimeras all just left without a note or a word.  

And so far no one has been able to find them, I’ve had the remaining Wakandan spies that were still spread out across the world looking for them, I even sent out other Wakandans to find them, and so far nothing.

I refused to tell Nat because this wasn’t something she needed on her plate right now.  I knew the chimeras better than anyone, and they weren’t gonna listen to an Avenger, they needed the Alpha female’s mother.

“Morowa, you’ve done all you could do.” Okoye tried to assure me as I felt her hand at my shoulder.

“But is it really enough?” the doors opened and walking in was M’Baku and two of his Jabari members, Azizi and Kamari who were forced up the ranks after his true second and third in command were snapped away.

“My Queen.” He greeted solemnly in Wakandan.

“Brother.” I greeted back. “Any word?”

“We may have found something.” I looked at him desperately and he continued, “There’s been rumor sightings from one of my Jabari spies in Ireland, in a wooded area just 10 miles from Bristol.”

Of course, Bristol was where both he and Connor were from.  Guess he thought with the wider greenery passages, he’d be able to fit what’s left of the chimera pack there.

“Okoye, you’re in charge till I get back.”

“You’re going to find them?” she asked me.

“That or die trying.”

“Morowa, my sister. Are you sure that’s a good idea? When Rauri returned with Dean and Mitchell, none of them reverted back to their human forms. And in his mouth Rauri carried the body of Thanos. How do we know he’ll want to see you?”

“That’s the risk I’m willing to take. I’ve…..I’ve already lost so much in my entire life. Five years ago I lost twice as much. I promised (y/n) that I would look after her husband from doing something reckless. And you both know that I never break a promise.” They both nodded.

I grabbed my old Dora Milaje spear and wore a similar teeth collar that Shuri had made for T’Challa as an improved Black Panther design, however it would turn into my Jaguar armor.

I opened up a portal to Bristol and I turned towards my two friends and remaining brother and sister.

“I leave Wakanda to you till I come back. And if I don’t……the throne belongs to both of you.”

“Yes my Queen.” They both said in Wakandan. I crossed my hands over my chest in the Wakandan salute and they did it back to me then I stepped through the portal and closed it up behind me.

It was cloudy and foggy, not good weather for tracking down a bunch of grieving probably pissed off animals.  I walked along the acres of woodlands and ranging hills. I must’ve hiked for what felt like hours till I finally came across a pair of tracks.  I raced up to them and knelt down.  I stroked along the outlines of the paws till I realized that they were bear tracks.

“Dean.” I whispered.  I heard the sound of a twig snap and I quickly ducked for cover behind a nearby boulder and kept low.  I began hearing the huffing sounds of a bear and when I slowly turned to look past the boulder there I saw a great grizzly bear that was twice the size of a normal one. It was Dean.

He turned towards me but I quickly ducked back and I could hear him softly roaring and sniffing the air.  I bite my bottom lip as I tried not to make a sound, especially since I could hear his sniffing and growling coming closer.

Very slowly and as silently as I could, I slide around the boulder, in case he decided to peek over and would find me. But it wasn’t until I heard the sound of a dog’s howl in the distance.  Dean ceased his sniffing and took off running.

I looked over the boulder and trailed after him. I couldn’t let him out of my sight but through all the fog and mist, I could hardly see where I was going.  But using my mystical arts abilities it made guiding through the mist slightly easier as I tracked him down.

I didn’t want to suddenly cause a change in the weather, that would just startle him further and then I’d never be able to find him while also maintaining control of the weather.  I soon came to an open field and it was just dead silence.

No birds, no small critters, nothing not even the wind.

Suddenly out of nowhere I just felt something charging at me.  I leaped over in the air to see this giant mass of fur running under me.  I landed on the ground and soon standing well over 10ft was Dean in his bear form.

“Dean.” I said warily. He growled at me before finally roaring and leaned forward to swipe his huge paw at me.  I cartwheeled backwards and warned him as I took out my spear. “Don’t make me do this Dean!”

He suddenly charged forward his mouth wide open as he let out a roar so I put the handle of my staff between myself and his mouth as he forced me down and the two of us were at war with each other. He shook his head trying to take the spear away but I kept a strong grip.

I knew I had to snap him out of it, but at this point it was like all humanity was gone from him, all that was left was the grizzly bear.  So when I found an opening, I lifted my spear up with my left hand to ensure his head raised up, so that with my right I palm-strike him in the chest, in order to reach deep down and push his astral form out.

I soon saw his human astral form come out as his bear body collapsed right on top of me.  I let out a groan and tried to get his body off of mine.

‘Wha—what the hell is this? Morowa how did—when did you get here?’

“Explain later.” I groaned out.

‘Here I’ll—’

“It’s no use. Your astral form is useless in the physical world.”

‘The what form?’ I groaned as I finally managed to get out from underneath the giant soulless bear.  I panted and as he reached out I told him to back up as I stood myself up.

“The astral dimensions is a reality where the soul exists a part from the body. Your current form can’t touch or affect what is out here in the physical world. You are in one of the billion realities known only to the sorcerers.”

‘So basically I’m a ghost?’

“In a way. But now’s no time for a sorcery lessons. Where’s Rauri?”

‘Wouldn’t we all?’ he said.  At this point I was confused.

“What do you mean?”

‘It’s exactly what I mean. No one has seen Rauri for over 2 years now. One morning Mitchell and I went to talk to him only to see a note telling us that we were in charge.’

“Goddamnit Rauri.” I muttered. “So where is everyone else?”

‘We made camp base about 5 miles East. Rauri said it’s along the very village where he and Connor used to grow up in. Thought it’d be the best place to live since it’s been abandoned since Hydra invaded their village.’

“Take me there.” He sighed heavily.

‘You sure about that Morowa?’

“From the moment you all came to Wakanda and were saved from Connor, (y/n) made it her responsibility to look after all of you. She’s my daughter and now that she’s gone, that makes all of you my responsibility.” Dean just looked at me grimly before saying.

‘Alright. But I warn you it’s not gonna be pretty.’

“I understand what I’m about to see.” I then slowly swerved my fingers into a fist lifting his bear body up which absorbed his astral form and Dean’s bear eyes soon woke up.

Instead of the soulless black ones, they receded and had a more human spirit to them.

‘Hop on.’ I mounted his back and he took off eastward.

As we now came to a clearing, what I saw stunned me.  For mounted along a pike of quills, claws and teeth marks was a skeleton of sorts.  A skeleton belonging to only one deity.

“Is—is that…..”

‘Yeah. The skeletal remains of Thanos. Since the rest of the chimeras didn’t get to have their fun, Rauri brought his beheaded corpse to us to have our own go at the bastard. Animals take grieving very seriously. We also have this up as a warning. To warn anyone still around who somehow venture this far to turn back, for here lies the beasts that ended the bastard who started all this.’

I felt a shiver of fear run up my spine as Dean walked further into the thick forest.  Already I could hear the sounds of animal growls.  Then I saw them.

The remaining big cat chimeras all lowly growled from their dens.  Already I caught some glimpses of bones near them, the same sized bones as from the Thanos display.  Their eyes were cold and soulless like true big cats eyes were as they all began growling and roaring as we walked past them.

“You weren’t kidding Dean.” I muttered.

‘While humans all around the world have tried to move on. Animals don’t. Thanks to these animal instincts the pain humans went through five years ago is ten times stronger. Animals never forget, nor can some of us forgive.’ We stopped at a small rock formation and I hopped off of Dean but stuck close to him. ‘You all remember our Alpha female’s mother Morowa.’

At hearing my name I only got roars and snarls in response.  Not just from the big cat chimeras but the crocodile ones, some of the ape chimeras all huffed agitatedly and I got thunderous rumbles from the elephant chimeras.

“You shouldn’t have brought her here.” We turned around and coming out of the darkness of a cave nearby was Mitchell. He definitely looked different the last time I saw him, he grew his hair out down to his shoulders and he started to slightly grow in a beard.  Around his neck was a necklace that looked like fingers.

“Mitchell.” I greeted him with a simple nod.

“No offense Morowa, you can’t be here.”

“I know, I only came to talk to Rauri and find out where exactly you all went to.”

“Well….”

“I know Dean told me that Rauri left. And you have no idea where he could’ve gone to?”

“Not a damn clue. Though to be honest I think he couldn’t take the heat anymore. He think he’s the only one who suffered. We all suffered! I lost my girlfriend of over 12 years because of Thanos!”

“Alright Mitchell calm down.” Dean now in human form tried to hold steady.

“And you Dean, you’re whole family is gone. And you’re acting like it’s not even bothering you!”

“You think it doesn’t? My brother, my wife, my sister in law, everyone is gone from me. But if anyone needs to keep their heads on straight it’s me. And it should be you. You’ve always been the collected one while I’ve been the hotheaded one. So don’t you talk to be about suffering dog boy!”

“Alright, alright you two break it up!” I came between them.  “Look; no one has forgotten about all that’s happened. And I don’t expect all of you to forget and forgive just as easily. Your alpha female and savior was my daughter. I’ve already lost my real child and my husband years before I met her, and losing her five years ago was like reopening those wounds.”

Everyone was silent and that’s when Mitchell said.

“Then what do you expect us to do?” Honestly I didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Be there for each other. Cause all I’m seeing now is that you all are even more divided than five years ago. You’re all that’s left of your family. Don’t turn on each other.” At hearing my speech, the chimeras all seemed to let go of their savage animalistic instincts and turned to look at each other.

“And you two. Being the only Betas left, you both are in charge in making sure none of your pack members tear each other apart. I’ll try my best to find Rauri.”

“You promise you’ll find him?” asked Mitchell.

“I’ll keep you updated.” I hugged him and I whispered in his ear. “Just don’t fall off the deep end. Not again this time Marine.”

“I’ll try.” He said as he slowly embraced me back. I then turned to Dean and I hugged him.

“Thank you Morowa, for—snapping me back into reality.”

“My pleasure, keep an eye on these guys. They’re going to need you more than ever. You and Mitchell.” He nodded.

I hopped off the rock formation and the chimeras let me pass by.  Every now and then I stroked their heads in comfort or grazed their trunks and tusks as a promise.

As I left the forest that’s when I got a beep from my kimoyo beads bracelet.  I activated it and forming before my eyes was Okoye.

“What is it Okoye?”

“Nat just contacted us. She said her and Captain Rogers found something.”

“Found what?”

“A way to bring everyone back.” At hearing this my eyes widened.

“Tell me more.”

[thecleverdame]

The Woodsman - Part Five (finale)

Series Masterlist

Alpha!Sam x Omega!Reader

Summary: A/B/O Fairy Tale - You’re a sheltered, thirty-something princess on the run from your brother, the newly crowned ‘Mad King’ of France. When you’re waylaid by marauders and left for dead in the forest, a gruff woodsman nurses you back to health.

Warnings: A/B/O smut, knotting, language, violence, assault, non-con

Word Count: 32,000

-

“Forgive me, m’lady, but it doesn’t feel right to leave you here, especially alone.” Leopold stands next to Ferdinand, looking at you with a skeptical eye. The two imposing knights have stayed for the better part of a week in an attempt to convince you to accompany them back to France. You’ve known Leopold for years, he’s not much older than you, and he was part of your father’s detail for several years up until his death. He’s concerned and you can’t blame him really, you suspect he’s only partially worried about your well being and more focused on the consequences when he returns sans the princess he was instructed to collect.

“One of us could stay behind to ensure that you’re looked after.” Ferdinand offers. “King Philip will not be happy if he finds out we’ve left you here to live in th-” He struggles to find a term for Sam’s cottage that won’t be insulting

“My brother doesn’t need to know the details of my lodging. Just tell him I am happy and content where I am and give him this.” You thrust a letter in front of you, holding it with two hands. You’ve done your best to explain your reasons for staying while purposely keeping your correspondence vague. If you were to detail that you’re in love with a dirt poor forester and still unclaimed you suspect Philip would only send a second regiment to collect you, possibly by force. The letter outlines that, while you initially fled with the hope of returning home, you’ve found yourself quite in love with a man and have made a new life for yourself in the Scottish countryside. Philip can surmise what he likes from the rest. “Have a safe journey back and bring my family all my love.”

They look to each other before finally taking their leave. You watch as the final link to your old life fades into the distance and the two forms disappear over the horizon.

--

The wait for Sam to return feels like a lifetime. You fill the days completing the day to day tasks that come easier the more you do them. You feed the chickens and milk the cow, in addition to what seems like a hundred other chores that Sam does on a daily basis. It's unbelievable how hard he works, your muscles ache after just one day of hauling water and feed.

Sam is gone longer than you expected. The days turn into a week and you find that you miss him in a very physical sense. You’re heart aches at the thought of his confession of love. If someone would have told you a year prior that you’d be in love with a woodsman you would have dismissed the idea without a second thought. But things change, and Sam’s life doesn’t feel like that of a peasant, or at least what you previously imagined. This existence doesn’t seem lacking in any way. If anything it’s the opposite, his home is rich with love and affection and hard work - the things that truly matter in this real world.

You’re filling the water bucket at the edge of the stream when you feel it. It's a faint, long forgotten twitch from where deep inside, pulling just inside your belly button. It’s just one lone pain and then it’s gone and you don’t think much of it.

That is until it returns.

You’re tucked into bed, just on the edge of sleep when the dull ache springs to life. At first, you convince yourself it’s from the manual labor. You’re not used to hauling water and it’s only natural for you to be sore. But an hour later when a familiar throb beats to life between your legs you know beyond a shadow of a doubt what’s happening.

You’re in heat.

---

Sam’s still a hundred paces from the cottage when he smells you. It’s a thick, heady scent hanging in the air that makes his balls tight. There’s no question it’s your scent and that you’re in heat. Whatever kept your Omega at bay must have resolved itself because he can practically taste your pussy from the barn.

When he opens the cottage door he’s met with a rush of your delicious aroma accompanied by the faint sound of you moaning softly. The only light is a warm glow coming from the bed-loft. He steps up two rungs of the ladder before he’s met with the sight of you writhing on your back, nude on the soft fur. The scene before him is sure to be the true test of his self-control, because he’s never seen anything as enticing as the sight of you naked and the smell of your body calling to his.

You’re wet, thighs glistening in the shallow light as your slender legs squirm uncontrollably. One thing is clear, you’re in agony. He’s not sure how long you’ve been like this, but enough time has passed that you long ago gave up on the idea of self-pleasure and are now the throws of spine-curling pain.

“Sam,” you says his name without opening your eyes. You don’t need to see him to sense his presence; you can smell him, feel him right down to your bones. You feel confused, unsure if he’s really there or this is just a hallucination, a product of your unabated heat.

“I’m here,” he rumbles, climbing on all fours onto the bed.

“Alpha,” you breathe, reaching out to bring him down to you. There’s nothing like the sound of that word coming out of your mouth with such desperation. Sam allows you to pull him in, his mouth covering your own, his lips pressing hard into yours as your tongue curls past his lips and into his mouth. He tastes salty and wonderful as you gasp against him, balling the material of his shirt into your small fists. “This hurts.”

“I know,” he hushes, stroking hair away from your sodden forehead. “I’m here now.”

Sam grabs your hands, pulling them above your head and holding them taught. You whine into his mouth, rolling your hips again as the slick of your wet pussy rubs against his trousers. His cock is painfully hard and he ruts forward, relieving the pressure but only for a moment.

Sam wants nothing more than to turn you over and fuck you until you come with his thick knot inside your cunt and his teeth in your neck. If the two you had the opportunity to clarify what you want from him, he wouldn’t hesitate. But this woman under him, the woman urgently humping up into his crotch as if her life depends on it, isn’t capable of giving him what he wants.

He won’t claim you, not tonight anyway.

“I need you,” you mumble against his lips, tugging on your arms when they’re pinned above you. “Please Sam, oh please.”

“Fuck’s sake,” Sam groans, between kisses, your mouth and body getting more frantic by the second. He pulls away and the cry you let out hits him right in the stomach. “Don’t worry, I’m going to make you feel better.”

He whips his shirt over his head, then shimmies out of his trousers so that he’s just as naked as you are. On his knees, he fists his bobbing cock before crawling back over you. He settles between your thighs, letting you take the heavy weight of his body. You moan, arching up into him, pressing your chest into his, the feeling of his skin on yours sends unbelievable pleasure through both of you.

“Take me,” you beg, clawing at his back. Your hips stutter upward, begging to meet his as your pussy slides along his cock until the swollen head of his dick catches between your folds.

“Shhh,” he hushes, pulling your arms away from his shoulder before sliding downward. Your fingers curl into his hair, tugging on his scalp and he sucks one of your hard nipples into his mouth. The noise you make is otherworldly and he reaches down between your legs as his thumbs find your clit. You’re already wet, slick on your thighs and the fur beneath you, so the pad of his finger easily slides back and forth across the bundle of nerves.

“Sam,” you hiss, head thrashing to the side as his touch intensifies.

His cock is trapped, pressed between the hard muscle of his stomach and your thigh, grinding downward as he leaks arousal. If he had any less restraint he’d fuck his pups into your belly before you had the chance to blink.

His mouth trails down your abdomen with a scrap of his teeth as you roll your hips upward, desperate for something more and he gives it to you by sealing his mouth over your clit with a wet, desperate sound. You buck upward, crying out as one hand tugs on his hair and the other reaches out, clutching his discarded shirt.

You taste salty on his tongue, slick and delicious just as he imagined you would. With every flick of his tongue under the hood of your clit, you shove yourself toward him, groaning and twisting his hair until his scalp burns.

You come quickly the first time, crying out to him and legs stiffening but Sam doesn’t stop. His touch just moves, sliding over the lips of your pussy, before shoving his tongue into your drenched hole. Your thighs lock around his head and he just grunts in response, pressing his whole face into your cunt, his nose just under your over sensitive clit. You thrash when he moves his head side to side, growling and fucking you with his tongue while smothered between your legs.

He couldn’t hold you still if he wanted to at this point, you’re shoving your entire body toward his mouth, chanting Alpha, Alpha, as if your repetition of the words ensures he won’t stop.

With a mouthful of your snatch, he strokes his cock with one and swipes his finger through the wetness of your folds. His reach is long enough to shove his sullied fingers into your mouth, pressing two over your tongue as you suck, cheeks hollowing when you taste yourself.

You come again with his fingers pressed into the back of your tongue, wiggling toward the back of your throat as you clench and tug at the fingers he’s now shoved inside your cunt, and his tongue still lapping without pause over your little bud.

It’s too much. It’s been years since anyone made you feel anything close to this amount of pleasure. Reaching your peak, again and again, leaves you lifeless and spent, as you shake from the force of your climax. Clenching your thighs together you pull at his shoulders, making it clear that you can’t take any more of his mouth or his fingers, at least not tonight. You’re raw and wet and glowing from efforts as he gets to his knees.

Fisting his cock he strokes himself faster and faster, bottom lip caught under white teeth. You watch as he comes shooting over your belly and breasts until you’re covered in his warm seed and he’s panting with his cock in his hand.

Seemingly satisfied he lays down beside you, pulling you to him. He seems unphased by your slick skin, the wetness of his seed painting his chest as you lay over his, nuzzling, tired and happy, into the crook of his neck.

“I feel I could sleep for a week.” You sigh, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling of his arms cradling you to him. “It felt like forever, waiting for you to return. I could not find peaceful rest without you here.”

“I am here now.” He sighs a wonderful content sound that relaxes every inch of your body against his. “And I have no plans to leave you again any time soon.”

You fall asleep with the muted sound of Sam’s heart thumping strong and constant below your cheek.

--

You wake up before the sun has crested over the horizon. There’s a soft glow from the fire below and a twinge between your legs. While you were sated enough to fall asleep, you suspect it was more exhaustion than satisfaction that allowed you to rest. It’s been four years since your last cycle and impossible to know what the future will hold but right now you’re still in heat, its ebb, and flow controlling every inch of your body.

Rolling your neck you work out a few kinks before turning to the large body sleeping sound beside you. Sam’s on his back, one hand holding the blanket at his waist. You watch his naked chest rise and fall slowly, admiring his body, free of any audience. His arms are strong and thick and you shudder as you remember what they felt like holding you down as you came on his mouth the night before.

In an effort to reward him for his generous efforts between your legs, you reach over, gently pulling the blanket away from his torso. His cock is warm and soft, laying against his thigh and you delight in the thought of being the one to bring it to life. You check to ensure he’s still sleeping inch your way down this until you’re on your side with his manhood inches from your face.

If there’s one thing you’re both good at and well versed in, it’s this. You’re a skilled lover and while you might be a bit out of practice, it doesn’t stop you from polishing your talents.

Urged on by the growing ache between your legs you lean in, nestling your nose into the baby soft skin of his balls and press a kiss to his thigh. He makes a small sound, but when you check his eyes remain closed. With one hand you cup his sack and use the other to grasps his cock and bring it to your mouth. You suck him softly, just enough to get the reaction you’re looking for. He’s not yet awake but his manhood stiffens with each sweep of your tongue under the head of his cock until he’s thick and erect like the night before.

You move onto your hands and knees, bending down to bob on his length as your fingers stroke him, your tongue lapping at the little v under the head of his cock. It’s when you take him fully into your mouth, letting him tap the back of your throat that Sam groans. There’s a hand in your hair, fingers tugging as he grunts louder this time and you swallow him whole, taking him into your throat until your eyes water.

You come off him with a wet smack, wiping spit from your lips as you look up only to find him staring down at you. His eyes narrow, darting from your mouth down to his shiny cock standing at attention.

“Good morning.” You grin, moving back to take him into your mouth. He stops you, one hand in your hair, the other cupping your cheek.

“You don’t have to do that.” His tone is soft and sweet. He truly is full of surprises.

“Are you not enjoying it?” You inquire, sliding your thumb under the sensitive head of his prick.

“I am.” He grunts. “But I don’t want you to feel that I expect anything from you-”

“Samuel,” you cut him off. “Stop talking. I want to taste you.”

He chuckles, his laughs stopping short as you take him yet again. “As you wish…”

You suck and stroke him with your tongue and mouth, enjoying the strained noises he makes in return. But your mouth soon proves to be too much and he reaches down, grabbing your arms and pulling you off his cock.

“You’ll finish me too soon like that and I have no intention of being done.” He speaks casually as he hauls you up his body, clearly enjoying his view as you straddle his waist.

“I hope you intend to finish what you started last night.” You roll your hips, sliding downward until your sex finds his cock.

“You look disappointed.” He observes, his frown dissolves as his mouth falls open in pleasure.

“I am,” you whisper, rubbing your cunt over his cock, letting him slide between your wet folds, base to tip before rocking back again. “Why didn’t you claim me? You could have easily. You didn’t even fuck me.”

You whisper the word fuck, bold enough to say it to him but still unsure because of how unnatural it sounds.

A smile pulls at the corner of his lips, he could get used to hearing such vulgar profanity out of your sweet mouth. Sam lays back, enjoying the view of you sitting on him. He reaches forward, spreading a hand over your stomach and rubbing his thumb over your clit. You groan as he works in small circles, your head tipping to the side as you bite your lower lip. As a reward, you slide along his prick again.

“Don’t be upset with me.” Sam places his free hand at your hip. “I could have asked you to roll in mud and hop on one leg for me last night. You would have done it. You were so desperate for relief you would have fucked anything that crawled between your legs. I didn’t want you like that. Not the first time. I want you like this.”

“Good answer,” you lean down to kiss him, sliding your tongue along his lower lip before sealing your mouth to his.

“But this morning you seem to be of sound mind and body. I have no qualms about taking advantage of you now.” He grins, his eyes sweeping across your breasts and down further as you slide over his cock.

“I won’t protest.”

“I’ll make you mine, Princess. If it’s what you want?” It’s the first time he’s ever used the moniker with affection. Pure joy shoots from your heart to your head and you laugh from the anticipation.

“I want it, more than anything.”

“Say it, tell me.” He insists.

“I want to be yours.” You confess feeling heat rising to your cheeks.

“If I were to put my pups in your belly and watch you grow with my child, would you want that as well?” His words make you clench, empty cunt tightening at the thought of bearing his children.

“Yes but…” you hesitate, hips coming to stop. “I’m not as young as I once was… and I did try before.”

“You’re plenty young.” Sam spreads a hand across your stomach, “You’ll give me a child. I’ll make sure of it.”

Reaching behind you he slides both hands under your buttocks and lifts you with a flex of his biceps. You reach between your bodies, grasping his cock, just enough to catch the head between your lips and then he lets go and you sink onto his length until your clit of flush with his pubic hair. He’s big and thick, certainly larger than any man you’ve been with and it’s a glorious stretch that forces you to concentrate as he nudges deep inside.

Sam makes a noise, the likes of which you’ve never heard before, a low growl of approval that spurs you into action. Using your thighs you lift yourself up, nearly letting him slip out before sinking back down. Sam moans, both hands clasp your hips to make sure you don’t stop moving.

“Have you ever taken an Alpha knot before?” He asks. The very thought of him knotting you makes you tighten around his prick.

“No,” you pant, shaking your head adamantly. You can only imagine what it feel like when he claims you, stretched beyond reason.

“My blushing virgin,” he chuckles, his smile fading into lust when you rock your hips with more fervor, riding him at a pace just fast enough to quell the fire in your belly.

Sam sits up with you in his lap, holding you close, his chest pressing against your breasts as your nipples drag across his sparse chest hair. His cock feels hard and thick as you move with him inside you, his lips sucking at the skin of your shoulder. Moving to peck at your breasts, his teeth scrap softly along the swell of your bosom while cupping one of your breasts in his hand. His lips are still on your skin as he looks up to you, speaking softly. “Shall I make you my wife as well?”

Your heart nearly stops at his suggestion and you kiss him before responding, tangling your fingers into his hair, using the force of your grip to bring his mouth to yours. “I should like nothing more.”

He kisses you deep and strong, his tongue darting past your lips and you wrap your arms around him, holding him close. When he pulls away from you he cups his hands under your buttocks once again and lifts you off his cock in a single, swift motion. You lay back, spreading your legs, but he taps at your side, leaning forward to kiss your forehead before giving further instruction.

“Roll over.” His voice is soft and but the words seem powerful, sending a pang of excitement through your entire body. You look at him, blinking and a bit overwhelmed before rolling onto your belly. His finger curls around your hips, pulling your backside into the air. “On and your hands and knees.”

You assume the position feeling rather prone, but any flicker of hesitation leaves when you feel him settle between your calves. The blunt head of his prick presses between the folds of your sex. Sam surges into you from behind until his hips are pressed into your backside and the whole world stops for a moment. He stays flush inside as you try to stifle the string of moaning babble that falls from your mouth. He’s deeper like this, deep and thick inside where you’re tight and wet. With a satisfied grunt, he pulls back and shoves forward, thrusting with a long powerful stroke that you make you see stars.

“Is this too much?” Sam’s fingers trail across your back, over the curve of your buttocks.

“No,” you sputter, reaching behind you, trying to anchor yourself to something. “Please don’t stop.”

He doesn’t say anything, just pumps his hips forward, again and again, fucking with the entire length of his hard cock. After the first few minutes, your body adjusts and you’re able to get your wits about you, moving with him, rocking steady with his increasing rhythm. The pleasure from him being inside you is more than you thought was possible, he’s thick and stiff moving into you but it’s more than just that. You love him completely and the idea that a man who you care this deeply for can also make you feel this pleasured feels too good to be true.

Sam’s grunts and groans are increasing in volume, as is the sound of his skin smacking against your backside. He doesn’t have to tell you what’s happening because you can feel his knot swelling until he has to really work to get it inside you with a final thrust that lodges him securely inside. It doesn’t exactly hurt but it’s uncomfortable, an expanding pressure stretching the walls of your cunt to the absolute limit. He’s spurting hot and sticky, offering a new grunt with each of pulse of his cock as he fills you with his seed until it’s leaking from around where your bodies are joined and coating your thighs.

It’s when he curls over your back and his knot tugs inside your clutching pussy that you come. His chest presses against your shoulders as your orgasms explodes, tearing through your body as you sob with pleasure, writhing under the weight of him. Still in the throws of ecstasy, you feel his teeth at the bend of your neck, clamping down and then sinking deeper as he tears into the tender flesh.

This part does hurt. You squeal, lurching forward, the pain only slightly tempered by pleasure, but not enough to overshadow the sharp burn of his teeth breaking the skin and blood pouring from the wound as his mouth seals over it. Collapsing onto your stomach, Sam’s weight falls onto you, pinning you under him.

“Sam,” you howl, flailing beneath him as he holds you in place, his tongue lapping over the broken flesh. You don’t want the tears to fall. You want to be strong and find a way to appreciate this moment because he’s just claimed you, made you his with this bite -  but you weren’t prepared for the agony of it and can't hold back a sob.

‘Don’t cry my love.” He nuzzles into the side of your face, both arms framing your shoulders. “ I know it hurts but it’s only this one time and it’s done now.”

“I’m sorry,” you sputter, choking back tears.

“Don’t think about the pain.” He kisses your shoulder, then your neck, his mouth reaching its final destination at the shell of your ear. One hand slides under your belly, finger brushing over your clit, then down to where his cock is firmly tucked inside your body. “Concentrate on how you feel here.”

You close your eyes, focusing on his touch as he glides over your little bundle of nerves, coaxing out enough pleasure to help you momentarily forget about his bite.

“You can come one more time for me?” He inquires, voice low and even.

“I think so.” Shuttering, you rock slowly under him, his cock tugging inside your cunt as you undulate to the rhythm of his hand. It doesn’t take long, you reach your peak with Sam inside and around you, every inch of your being connected to his as you gasp and writhe.

Sam pulls you with him onto his side, careful of his knot locked inside you. He’s able to pull out after a few minutes and instead of falling back to sleep you fight exhaustion and turn in his arms to face him.

The two of you lie in silence for what feels like a lifetime, staring at each other in a lovesick haze. His hands are everywhere, trailing up your back and cupping your face. You kiss him soft and slow, enjoying this moment when everything is new and seemingly perfect.

How different your life will be from here. What a strange series of events led you to this moment… and neither of you would change a thing because fate’s given you both a second chance at love and you’re ready to embrace it.

--

"Does it still hurt?" Sam inquires, his hand swinging out to grab yours as you walk side by side. The afternoon is warm and you’re happy to be out of bed for the first time in two days. Sam kept you well satisfied until your heat broke and even then took more pleasure for himself, much to your encouragement.

"Your bite?" You confirm his question, raising a hand to your neck as you turn to look up at him. "A bit I suppose, but it's not altogether unpleasant. It's a nice reminder."

A familiar red flushes your cheeks, you can't stop blushing as your mind replays the events of the previous two days. It's amazing how confident you feel naked in his bed and what a contrast to the embarrassment you feel as he looks at you now.

“You’re blushing, Princess.” Sam chides, pulling you to him where you find yourself tucked under his arm.

“Am not,” you refute softly, leaning into him, arms wrapping around his waist.

“So, tell me, where do we go from here? Do you plan on learning to cook and clean as a wife should?” You don’t even have to look at him to know he’s laughing, you can feel this body shaking in amusement.

“Be careful of your words. I might just make another stew that you’ll be obligated to eat.”

“I take it back.” He chuckles, tightening his grip around your shoulders. “I want you to know that I’ll always take care of you, protect you. Always.”

“Well,” you look up at him, placing a hand on his chest. “I promise to love and take care of you. Always.”

“What a good match.” He utters, leaning down to kiss you.

And this is truly where your story begins. The first moments of a lifelong love that’s worthy of a fairy tale.

-

Tags: 

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[solastia]

Break My Stride | 1

Pairing: Yoongi x Jungkook

Word Count: 2,102

Summary: Yoongi is an Omega that has managed to escape the annual mating run without an Alpha for seven years in a row. He has no plans for that to change, but he's unaware of his latest opponent: the newly presented Alpha Jeon Jungkook, his very determined childhood friend.

Genre & Warnings: A bit of everything. Smut won’t happen until a later chapter and I will, of course, post warnings for that. 

Notes: Don’t worry, I’m still working on the stuff you actually want to read, like Tuqburni. I just had this fic floating around in my head and wanted to get some of it out so I could move on. Enjoy! 

The thing about small towns is that there are usually only one or two good hangout spots. This makes it really easy for people to track down their friends after work without the bother of calling or texting them all because chances are high that they’re already going to be there. This is why Min Yoongi finds himself walking into the same pizza joint he’s been going to for twenty-something years, tired from work and looking to share a few pitchers with his friends.

The owner, Mike, greets him from his usual spot behind the counter, a quick nod towards the back signaling they were already here. Yoongi doesn’t have the energy to force a smile, so a simple nod back does the job before he heads straight to their usual table.

There used to be a couple sets of booths in the back corner when they were growing up, and those were fine for a while. By middle school, however, their little group had grown too big and they’d tried to steal tables from other parts of the restaurant to be more comfortable. Mike had not liked that. Around the time eighth grade had rolled around, the owner had finally had enough and put the booths in other parts of the place and now the entire back section housed a huge round table. It was perfect for them, and except for the two months that Seokjin had worn a plastic crown and declared himself King of the round table, they were content with their own little chunk of the town.

As Yoongi neared the table and heard the familiar sounds of his friend’s laughter and general noisiness, he could feel the stress of the day lifting from his shoulders. He loved his job working for the only Veterinarian in town. However, between everyone’s expectation that he’d be taking over the practice someday and his own tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist, it could be difficult. After the day he’d had, he was probably going to need a pitcher to himself first thing.

The boys cheer and shuffle around a bit when they see him, allowing him to sit in his usual spot. Namjoon and Hoseok were already being ridiculously gross and feeding each other because nothing says romance like greasy pizza. Jimin and Taehyung were being equally gross, being entirely too handsy in public. Thank God for Seokjin, who mostly kept his hands to himself, although his heart eyes towards Namjoon and Hoseok were not as subtle as he thought it was. The table was already well into two pitchers (no doubt one being devoured by Jimin alone) and an extra large pizza, but he knew Mike would come along with some more now that he was here too. He had a feeling like something was missing, but he was so exhausted that he couldn’t figure out what.

“You look really wiped out, Yoongi. Hard day?” Seokjin asked as he passed him a plate with a couple of pizza slices. He accepted it with a nod and took a bite, groaning as the hunger of skipping lunch caught up with him.

“Today was mostly just really busy, but Mrs. Moon let that mutt of hers go running free again and he was nearly stomped to death by a horse. Luckily he made it out with only a broken leg. Doc had me take lead for the surgery,” he explained tiredly, pausing to let Mike slip a new pan of pizza on the table and fill his first cup of beer. He sips loudly, sighing in contentment as the cold brew hits his throat.

“Congratulations! That’s a big deal, right?” Jimin exclaims, smiling widely.

Yoongi nods, “Yeah, I guess it’s a big deal. Means he trusts me. I did well too, it’s just really tiring and stressful. There’s no room for error with that kind of thing.”

“So the dog is still alive then?” Seokjin asked with a mouth full of breadsticks.

Yoongi glared, insulted. “Of course he’s alive.”

Seokjin shrugged, taking another bite. “Just wanted to be sure. Didn’t want to congratulate you for killing a dog.”

Yoongi shook his head and started picking the olives off his slice of pizza. When he turns to his right to give the olives away, he realizes why he’d felt something was wrong.

He turns to Seokjin with a worried frown. “Where’s your brother?”

Seokjin’s grins and waggles his eyebrows. “Jungkook presented.”

The table goes wild, everyone trying to ask questions at once. At twenty-one, Jungkook was really late. The average age for presenting was eighteen, although quite a few presented even earlier. Everyone had assumed that Jungkook was a beta at this point, even Jungkook.

“What is he?” Yoongi asks when the noise died down enough for him to be heard.

“He told me not to say anything. He wants it to be a surprise.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes and goes back to eating, depositing the olives he’d normally pawn off on Jungkook into a napkin to be thrown away instead.

“It went well though? He’s okay?”

Seokjin nodded, grimacing a little. “He’s okay now. It was a little difficult at first, as I’ve heard it usually is with late presenters. Horrible fever, lots of pain. But he’s strong, our Jungkookie. Made it through fine and was eating us out of house and home within a few hours.”

“Oh, this means he can go on the run next week!” Jimin exclaims excitedly, “He’ll be good at it too. If he’s an Omega, no one could catch him unless he wanted them too. If he’s an Alpha, no one would get away. It’s a win-win situation for him.”

The annual mating run was pretty much the only thing their town was really known for. It used to be optional to attend. However, as secondary genders were slowly becoming unbalanced with betas being the most common, the government had declared runs mandatory. Well, for everyone except betas, the lucky bastards. Their preserve was one of the largest in the country and left largely untouched except during the run. Their small town of maybe five thousand would be bustling with life as people traveled from all over the country to attend. Alphas and Omegas all desperate to finally be claimed.

Yoongi himself had been through the run seven times, and this upcoming run was going to be his eighth. He was happy with his life the way it was, and he had no plans to become some Alpha’s bitch. He didn’t care that the pitying looks increased in number every year when he showed up to the starting line. He wouldn’t even go if he wasn’t forced to. Luckily, he only had a few more years left, since the law allowed anyone thirty and over to be exempt from the run if they wished.  

At least this year he’d have a little something extra to keep him occupied. Instead of camping out in his usual cave, he’d try to keep an eye out for Jungkook. He doubted that the muscled monster would need much of his help, however. He was smart and agile, and there was pretty much zero chance he’d leave the run unmated. The thought of Jungkook going on a mating run makes Yoongi uncomfortable for some reason. Maybe it just made him feel old thinking about the kid who used to follow him around like a duckling being of age for finding a mate. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the image of Jungkook finding someone during the run made him feel...itchy.

“Has he said anything about his plans for the run? Like if he has anyone in mind? He’s never shown any interest in dating someone in town, so maybe he’s planning on seeing what the city has to offer,” Taehyung asked with a disgustingly full mouth. Yoongi really needed friends with better manners.

“No, he hasn’t really said anything. Although...I suppose I could give you a hint,” Seokjin grinned mischievously, his eyes traveling around the table. They stayed on Yoongi a little longer than was comfortable, in his opinion.

“Jungkook was yelling a name during his...episode.”

“Oh! That means it’s someone we would know! He doesn’t know anyone from the city, right?” Namjoon asks, to which Seokjin nods in the affirmative.

“Right. It was someone that we all know. Very well, actually. But I won’t say, because I promised Jungkookie. He’s really excited and wants to do everything the traditional way.”

“So cute. Yoongi, you’re going to run again, right? You and Seokjin have to be our eyes and watch out for Jungkook. Our babies first run, how exciting,” Jimin giggles.

Yoongi grunts, which Jimin thankfully takes as a legitimate answer and moves on to another topic, leaving him to brood in peace. He was already tired from his long day, and now he was irritated thinking about having to go through the fucking run again, hiding from stupid Alphas that didn’t know he wanted nothing to do with them chasing him all over the damned place. He was annoyed that Jungkook wasn’t sitting in his usual spot next to him eating his god damn olives…

Yoongi sighed, recognizing that he was now just getting annoyed at everything and his exhaustion was getting the better of him. He quickly finished the slice he was working on and downed the rest of his beer before pushing away from the table and standing up.

“I’m gonna head home. I’m tired as hell.”

“Okay, hyung. You need a ride?” Namjoon peeled himself away from Hoseok long enough to ask.

“Nah. Just gonna walk since I’m not far. Probably won’t see you guys tomorrow, just a heads up. I have the day off and I’m going to just rest and start planning for next week.”

“Good idea, you’re going to need all the rest you can get,” Seokjin says with an ominous smirk.

Yoongi just shakes his head and takes off with a little wave, striding into the night.

He was about halfway home when he pulls out his phone, deciding he should probably send Jungkook a text if he wasn’t going to be able to see him for a week.

Yoongi: Hey, just heard the news. Congrats.

Jungkook: Thanks hyung! I bet you were pretty surprised, huh?

Yoongi: Probably not as surprised as you. You good now, though? I’m near the convenience store if you need anything.

Jungkook: I’m okay. It’s mostly over and now I’m just really tired.

Yoongi: You sure? Hyung can get you pads if you need them. Maybe some nice fluffy blankets?

Jungkook: I see what you’re trying to do! Nope. You’ll find out my presentation next week like everyone else.

Yoongi: I’m shocked and hurt. I thought I was your favorite hyung.

Jungkook: You are ;) You’ll find out soon enough. I know you’re almost home, so goodnight!

Yoongi: Fine. But let me know if you need anything. Night Kook.

Yoongi sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment, tucking his phone into his pocket. He went straight for his couch and practically collapsed into it. After a few moments of letting his body relax, he let his eyes wander around the place, taking in the minimal amount of decor and general emptiness of the place.

The truth was that he felt lonely at times. Certainly during moments like this when he came home to a barren apartment. During times like these, he was almost tempted to let someone finally catch him during a run. However, he figured it was better to be miserable and alone than to be taken by some asshole who would try to control him and treat him like he was useless simply for being an Omega. He’d seen it happen way too often and there was no way he’d let it happen to himself.

He was fine with being alone, and now it was time to plan yet another run that would ensure he stayed that way.