#long as the voice inside me says go i will ALWAYS KEEP ON RUNNIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry

[lowpolyshadow]

15 and 28 for the sonic ask!! :D

omg tumblr user fernsnailz .... im ur biggest fan (flushed emoji) ............

15. Favourite Sonic level(s)?

ok with my expert knowledge of having personally played two (2) sonic games but seen MANY playthroughs and speedruns .... i really liked final rush (sa2), white jungle (sa2), honestly probably every sonic stage from sa2 except for the desert one only bc it wasn't too memorable to me for whatever reason,

stardust speedway my beloved + radical highway like conceptually is really sick but idk i think i haven't replayed it enough yet . i still need to nail grinding down the golden gate bridge to truly embrace the experience but fuck that one badnik right in front of the goal ring (hilarious)

28. What do you like about Sonic? (the character)

ohhh my god he's just such a the dude ever .... how he . how it. it doesn't matter now what happens etc etc he just truly does not give a single shit except he DOES he does a lot he has a lot of love and care for the world he just thinks there's so much beauty in being alive and experiencing the moment .... he's so happy to just wake up and see a new day and what new adventure awaits him

so simple. he wants for nothing bc all he wants is to have a good time (and therefore he's always having a good time) and just he's just so FUCKING SPHERICAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i get very emotional over sonic "what you see is what you get just a guy that loves adventure!" "every world has its end, I know that's kinda sad but that's why we gotta live life to the fullest in the time we have" "it won't change how he feels inside, will it? his heart will still remain in turmoil and his anger just won't vanish!" the hedgehog

[eupheme]

Um I don't know if anyone's requested this yet but uh.... The Ghoul x Reader cockwarming? 😳 Maybe she's being punished and has to sit in his lap... And we all know how patient Cooper can be.

oooh omg yes!! 👀💖 I couldn’t stop thinking about this!!

— he’s a demon, he’s a devil

cooper howard | the ghoul x f!reader

rated e | 900 words

tags: power dynamics, cock warming, begging, mirrors, punishment, references to rough piv & overstim

“Stop your squirmin’.”

Cooper’s voice is harsh - a hot fan of breath in your ear, as his fingers tighten against your hips, “Supposed to be your punishment, for runnin' off like that.”

Too curious, too foolhardy. You hadn’t meant to leave his sight, but the pull of the empty house and the possibility of food inside had been too great.

He had been furious with you - bared teeth and snarling when you’d nearly upset a nest of radscorpions.

“Teach you a little somethin’ about patience.”

Teeth nip at your neck, then - a reminder to pay attention to what he’s telling you. Knowing that your mind is currently more occupied with much more pressing matters.

Like how he has your thighs spread wide, hooked over is. Unmoving for some unknown amount of time now - you’re not sure if it’s been minutes, or if time has been creeping closer to an hour.

It’s almost as if time has no meaning for him. As if it stopped ticking a long time ago.

Content to keep you here, just like this.

But all you can think about is the thick stretch of him inside you. Stuffing you to the brim while three fingers tuck against possessively against your cunt.

Two split to frame, the middle pressed right up against the tight, slick bud of your clit. Just enough pressure to keep you leaking around him, wound up.

Pinching, whenever you move. A silent warning.

You wonder if he can feel your pulse. The rapid racing of your heart, how it flutters behind your ribs. How much you need him.

The rough texture of his skin nudges against your walls each time you squirm - an effort to feel him move, just a little. Exactly what he was scolding you about now.

It’s not your fault. You’re not used to this.

Too used to him taking. Cruel thrusts that seem to carve you out from the inside, only so he can fill you himself.

Bruises that match the grip of his fingers, denting your skin. The too much of him giving you one, and then another, and the one more - just to hear the way you beg, only to turn around and sob with overstimulation.

This withholding - it is more torture than you can say.

Your toes curl inside your boots. Fingers pinching against your bare thighs, nails biting into your palms until they leave crescent-moon marks.

Trying to ignore the brush of his broad chest against your back as he breathes. The rough sound of it in your ear, making you shiver - resting the urge to clench down around him, because he will feel it and he will know.

Even trying to distract yourself brings no relief.

The room is plain - yellowed peeling wallpaper, a sun-bleached floor, broken furniture. The patterns all ones your eyes have already grown tired of tracing over.

Always going back to tipped-over vanity against the wall, the mirror spider-web cracked in its frame. It’s impossible not to look into it, at your angle.

To be drawn to it.

To the spread of his thighs reflected within, the lean stretch of his legs in the oversized chair. Fractures of where he splits you open. The broad cup of his weathered hand. The thick base of him, his sack beneath hanging full and shining with your slick, where it’s dripped down from your pussy.

Seven years bad luck, and right now it feels like you’re the one that broke it.

His fingers twitch and you can’t bite the soft moan back, as it slips from your throat. The slightest buck of your hips before the hand at your waist tightens. Pinning you firmly against him with a growled-out warning.

“Don’t make me start over.”

The thought of that has your heart plummeting, your words coming in a rush.

“No, I’ll be good. I’m sorry-” You beg, voice pitching up with your whine.

He clicks his tongue, and you swear you can almost feel him throb inside you.

“Are you, now? ‘m not so sure.” He rasps, “Can feel just how much your cunt wants to squeeze me. She’s aching’ for it’, ain’t she?”

A low drawl, as his fingers press slightly against you again in a cruel tease. Trying to coax you into moving again, though this time you try hard to stay still.

But you still can’t help the desperation that tinges your words, the syllable drawn-out.

“Please-”

The hum he makes is paired with a long sigh of mock-disappointment. As if this is torture, in any way, for him. As if he’s not getting off to it.

Just how needy you are for him. Testing the limits of your obedience.

“Maybe when I see some tears leakin’, sweetheart.” Cooper husks, his drawl making each word come out syrupy-slow. Sealing your fate.

“Then I’ll know you’ve learned somethin’.”

The ragged sound you make is pathetic.

Eyes flitting to the mirror again, and they meet his this time - a kaleidoscope of hazel in the cracked pieces of glass.

Where he’s been keeping an eye on you this whole time. Each greedy glance at where you’re joined, every shift of your hips.

Cooper hums, a rough sound of amusement, when he sees your expression. A silent answer with the tilt of his head, a sharp peek of teeth.

It tells you that you can whine all you want.

He’s got all fuckin’ day.

thank you so much for sending this in!! so perfect for him! 💖

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers BLOODY BOUQUET Vol.8 Mukami Yuma [Track 3]

Original title: 抗い続��る

Source: Diabolik Lovers Bloody Bouquet Vol. 8 Mukami Yuma [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: Yuma is such husbando material in this, there is just no way anyone could say ‘no’ when he asks to marry you. Seeing him so motivated to save his S/O really warmed my heart. ;w; I know these boys do a lot of horrible things to you in some of the other CDs but when Rejet gives us fluff, they do it RIGHT. That being said, I am curious how the final two tracks will play out since it seems Yuma has entered detective mode right now. >3

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 3: Continuing to Fight Back

You flee inside a room and lock the door.

*THUD THUD THUD*

“...Open up!!”

You remain quiet.

“Haah, haah...Can ya not hear me!? I said open the damn door!!”

You refuse.

“Listen to me...!! At this rate, you’ll die! Are ya ‘kay with that!? Don’t ya wanna live!?”

You insist that you don’t mind dying if Yuma stops suffering.

“Keh...You bitch! Do ya any idea what nonsense you’re spoutin’...!? Don’t be sayin’ ya wanna die! No way in hell I’d let ya get away with that! Don’t run from that stupid curse! Fight back against it! Like I do! I promised I would save ya no matter what, remember!? Is it really that hard for ya to put some faith in me!?”

You deny that.

“Then what!? Are ya sayin’ that I can’t save ya!?”

You repeat that you don’t want to make him suffer.

“Just leave me be. All you need to think ‘bout is yerself right now! ...You idiot! ...Cough, cough...!! Uu...”

You ask if he’s okay.

“Kuh...’Course I’m not fine...If I wasn’t this weakened right now, I could easily punch my way through this door...Ugh...At this rate...You’ll get away from me...Guess I have no other choice...”

Yuma pretends to collapse.

*Thud*

“Ugh...Haah, haah...”

You open the door and run up to Yuma.

“...Gotcha! I’m not lettin’ ya go again ...Not until I break this damn curse...”

You realize he was faking it.

“Heh...I had no other choice, right? If I didn’t do this, ya would have stayed locked up in there forever, no? But well...The poison is definitely startin’ to get to me...Ugh...Kuh!!”

*Rustle rustle*

“Haah, haah...Don’t be gettin’ worried or runnin’ away...Messin’ with me like that...I swear, if any other person tried to pull that shit, I would punch them across the face.”

You apologize.

“Sorry is really the only word ya can say, huh? Like this, I almost seem like the bad guy. ...No, I might be. I had no clue that you were hidin’ somethin’ at after all.”

You shake your head.

“If ya don’t think that’s the case, at least try and work with me a lil’. I wanna save ya, remember?”

Yuma bites you.

*Sluuuuurp*

“Haah...Guess I’m startin’ to get used to this flavor...Cough, cough...! Haah...Not yet...Mmh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Mmhpー!? Cough, cough...! Cough, cough...!! ...Ugh...”

You grow worried again.

“Argh...You’re so stubborn...!”

*Rustle rustle*

"It’s yer fault for tryin’ to make a run for it. ...Besides, if you’re prepared to die anyway, you won’t care whatever I do to ya, right?”

*RIIIIIIP*

“Phew...Ya better don’t believe I’m gonna let ya do as ya please...Now behave. If ya move, I might just hang ya on the wall by yer wrists... (1) I should have just done this from the very beginnin’... Mmh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Nnh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

*Gulp*

“...Cough, cough...! Fuck...This curse is gettin’ on my nerves...When will it break!?”

*Sluuuuurp*

“What? Ya feelin’ it? ...Heh. You’re such a cheap woman in the end. No matter how hard ya struggle, ya can’t resist my fangs. Just be honest with yerself already...I definitely won’t let ya leave me at this point...Ugh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“...Does it hurt? Guess that makes sense. I’m doin’ it on purpose after all. Mmh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“It left some nice marks...Deep, large ones. Ya like it when I bite yer neck, don’t ya? Go ahead and drown in the bliss...and then, you’ll forget all ‘bout that stupid death wish of yers. ...Haah...Say? Where do ya want me to suck from next? ...I’ll go for that spot.”

You shake your head.

“Nowhere, huh? In that case...Mmh...”

*Smooch*

“Nn...”

*Smooch*

“Will ya give me an answer if I do this? ...Ya like kisses, don’t ya? ...Don’t ya want me to do more? If ya won’t tell me...”

He moves towards your wrist.

*Rustle*

“I’ll suck from here. The blood has piled up from my grip, it looks delicious.”

Yuma bites you once more.

“Mmh...Nn...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Don’t move...I can’t suck well like this...Nn...That bein’ said, this curse really is a pain in the ass...Even though I’ve had this much...Cough...I don’t feel like I’m any close to breakin’ it...But well, I’ll keep goin’ till the bitter end...”

You beg Yuma to stop pushing himself.

“Keh...You’re still sayin’ that? Ya really are one hell of a stubborn woman, tsk...I told ya I’m fine, remember? All ya need to think ‘bout is yer own body.”

*Rustle*

“I tought I was all ya needed? So don’t try and make the selfish decision of leavin’ me. Stick with me till the very end...”

He pulls you close.

“I’m beggin’ ya...Don’t go anywhere...Don’t just vanish in thin air...I don’t wanna have to admit defeat. I don’t want to lose ya...to some stupid curse or whatever.”

Your eyes widen in surprise. 

“Heh. ...Fool. Ya only realized my feelings right now? Lil’ late, no? ...I definitely won’t let ya die on me. ...When ya go, we’re goin’ together.”

You protest.

“If ya don’t wanna die together, then let’s live together? ...I always keep my promises. So ya better don’t give up either. Trust me when I told ya I would break the curse.”

You tear up.

“...Heh. Don’t start cryin’, idiot. ...But, thank you. Don’t try and leave me again, ‘kay? Talk to me before ya do anythin’ reckless. That’s what I’m here for after all. 

*Rustle*

“So...Endure it just a lil’ longer, ‘kay? Haahn...”

*Sluuuuurp*

*Gulp*

“Hahn...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Ah...Your body has started warmin’ up...The curse might be slowly fadin’ away...Nnh...Cough, cough...! ...Ahー ...My bad. I’ve seriously become a weakling. But I’ll hang in there a lil’ longer...and keep goin’...”

You ask if he is okay.

“This is child’s play...Ah, right. There’s somethin’ I wanna tell ya tho...Ready?”

You listen closely.

“...Once the curse has been lifted, how ‘bout we get married?”

You are startled.

“What’s with that face? Am I not enough for ya?”

You shake your head.

“Then rejoice right away. Ya scared me just now. ...I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout what I should do this whole time...Lookin’ for a reason for us to remain together forever...”

*Rustle*

“Ya need somethin’ bindin’ us together, no? Then I’ll give ya exactly that. Marry me. I want ya to vow...that you’ll stay by my side forever.”

You nod.

“Yeah. As long as I have this promise, I can keep pushin’ through.”

*Rustle rustle*

“Haah...You’re the only chick I’d want to save...or keep by my side forever...So I’ll lift this curse for sure. I’ll be the one to rescue ya. ...I love ya. More than anythin’ else in this world. More than anyone else. ...’Kay?”

*Ping*

*WOOSH*

“...!! Oh...Eh!? ...!! ...What the hell was that just now? ...Didn’t ya see somethin’ shimmer? ...I guess it was just my imagination...I’ll keep goin’ then, ‘kay?”

Yuma sucks your blood again.

*Sluuuuurp*

“...Mmh?”

*Sluuuuurp*

“...Hm? ...!? Your blood’s back to normal...The fuck? It tastes comepletely different from before...”

*Gulp*

*Sluuuuurp*

“Don’t tell me...Has the curse been lifted? ...!! Hey, how do ya feel!?”

You tell him you feel fine.

“For realー!? ...But why so suddenly...!? I don’t get it...! ...Ah, fuck! For some reason it doesn’t sit right...Those roses and the curse...Aah, I still don’t know who that voice belonged to either...Haahー... Haah...Tsk...Well, I guess there’s no point in rackin’ my head over it. It’s not like fussin’ ‘bout it will change anythin’...Heh, more importantly...Say...”

He pulls you close.

“Let’s keep goin’...Lemme feel ya thoroughly...”

*Rustle rustle*

“What’s this? Ya can be pretty bold when ya want to as well, huh? Keep yer arms wrapped ‘round my back like that. Like you’ll never let go again. Well, I don’t plan on lettin’ ya go either. Mmh...”

*Sluuuuurp*

“Hah...Aah...It really is delicious...You’re mine for eternity now...So I’ll devour ya whole once more. Nn...”

*Smooch*

( ーー That bein’ said. I will never forgive the jerk who put us through all of that, without havin’ the guts to show his face even once. To ensure this never happens to us again, I need information. Guess I’ll ask Ruki and the others for some advice. )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) 貼り付け or ‘hari-tsuke’ literally means ‘to crucify’. 

[spir1tfar3r]

Miss my Lover Man

「 summary: Long distance relationships weren’t always smooth sailing, Iwaizumi knew that. But no one told him just how hard it really would be. He didn’t realize just how badly he missed you until it was too late. You were already gone. 」

Warnings: Death

Words: 1287

a/n: This is a repost from my old account

reblogs are appreciated <3

The alcohol served its tour. And it's headed straight for my skin, leaving me daft and dim

“So... you’re really leaving huh?” Your voice broke the rather comfortable silence that had stretched between you two. You didn’t look up at him, your gaze trained on the cup that was resting in your hand. But you felt his eyes on you, watching the way you swirled the dark liquid in a circle inside the cup.

“Yeah. I’ll be gone in a couple of weeks...” He seemed worried, scared even by the way his voice shook. As he turned his attention over to your mutual friends wishing Oikawa luck in Argentina you let out a bitter laugh. Of course you would be losing not one but two people that you cared about. You didn’t blame them however, knowing that this was a great opportunity for the both of them. You just wished everything would be the same as it was these past few years.

You were hoping this situation wouldn’t ruin the relationship you had with Iwaizumi. You loved him and you didn’t want that to change. Before you spoke up, Iwa’s voice cut through. “I don’t want to break up just because of this. I know it’ll be hard but I want us to work if you’re willing to try.”

He was looking at you now as you glanced up at him. You took notice in the way that he was trying to blink the tears in his eyes away, probably not wanting to cry in front of your friends. You didn’t say anything, moving quietly next to him and resting your head into his shoulder. As he rested his head onto yours, you quietly whispered what he hoped you’d say. “I want to try.”

I’m Mr Loverman. And I miss my lover man

“Hey loser! How’s America treating you?” Your voice relaxed your boyfriend as he set his pencil down onto his homework.

“It’s surprisingly well. I actually ran into Ushijima earlier which… was really weird.” He replied, stretching his arms over his head as you snickered. “How are you doing?”

“Besides missing my boyfriend, I’m good. Matsukawa and Hanamaki hung out with me for a couple hours earlier! So that was really nice. They and Tooru asked me to tell you hi by the way.”

“Did you talk to Shittykawa before talking to me? How dare you.” Iwaizumi teased and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him, momentarily forgetting that he couldn’t see you.

“Since when did you get so dramatic?” You asked as you opened the door to the university you started attending earlier in the year. Thankfully you both found the best time to call each other relatively quick whenever he moved away. Of course there were times that either one of you were busy but neither of you minded.

“When you’re friends with Oikawa for well over ten years, you pick up on his dramatic antics.” He replied through a yawn. A smile disappeared just as quickly as it appeared on your face. A small pain formed in your chest, though you thought nothing of it.

“Hey.” You spoke quietly. The only indication you got that you knew he heard you was the soft hum that left his throat. “I miss you.”

Iwaizumi glanced at his phone, looking at it with so much love that he wished you could see it. “I miss you too Y/n.”

The way you call my name. Have me runnin’ on and on

Tossing the blanket off of you, you headed into the kitchen of your apartment. You weren’t really sure why you had the sudden urge to go into that room. You weren’t sure hungry nor thirsty so there really wasn’t a reason to be in there. That was until your eyes landed onto your phone on the counter. As you went to pick it up, it lit up due to a call coming through from Iwaizumi. You smiled as you picked up “Hey aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Your voice actually startled your boyfriend, not expecting you to pick up. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep?” He retaliated and you muttered a ‘touché’ in response.

“How is school going for you?” You asked and all you got back was an annoyed grunt. You laughed at his response, leaning onto the counter closest to you.

“It sucks. I… just want to see you. I miss you so much.” His voice was barely a whisper and you frowned. You both knew this was going to be hard. Being 4,986.91 miles away from each other and being in two different time zones was clear just how much you both had to make this work. Though it was rough whenever you both couldn’t even video chat.

“Hajime.” Startling your boyfriend yet again from his thoughts, he hummed in response. “I love you so much. We’ll see each other soon ok?” You sounded so sure. Neither of you realized this promise was going to be broken.

“Ok.”

I’ve shattered now, I’m spilling out upon this linoleum ground

“Makki I appreciate you calling but I don’t have time to talk. Y/n’s going to be calling me soon.” Iwaizumi said as he placed his bag next to his desk.

“Iwa—” Hanamaki began, his voice breaking. Iwa immediately knew something was wrong. You sent him a message saying that you were heading to your friend’s house twenty minutes ago and you’d let him know when you got there. You should’ve been there by now. “Y/n got in an accident. They’re in surgery now but it’s not looking good. We don’t think they’re going to make it… I’m so sorry.”

Iwaizumi’s thoughts raced, trying to comprehend how this happened. You always took the exact same route going there so what changed? Did you take a different way? Did you hit someone or some animal? Did someone hit you? He didn’t even realize he was crying until a tear hit his phone. “Can… you please keep me updated?”

Makki nodded, hearing the way his voice broke even though he couldn’t be seen. “Of course. I’ll let you know the moment we get updated.”

“Thank you.” Before Hanamaki said anything else, Iwa hung up the phone. He slumped into the floor crying and holding his phone tightly. He begged whatever god there is that you’d recover. Just so he could keep the promise of seeing you soon.

Oh what am I supposed to do without you?

Throwing his bag by the door, Iwa headed towards his bedroom. He heard the news of your passing a couple hours after the initial phone call. While he hadn’t seemed to be acting any differently, the people close to him could tell how he really felt. Even Ushijima caught on and told him that he was there if Iwa had needed anything. Oikawa began calling more often, sometimes even accompanied by Hinata just to keep him occupied. He appreciated it, he really did but it never seemed to change anything. He still called your phone to check in on you. He always looked at his own, expecting a good morning text from you as you got ready for the day.

Going back to Japan was much harder than he thought. It was three (3) months since the accident but he refused to go near the road it had happened on. Sometimes it even felt like you were there with him. Your familiar warmth had passed by him as he let out a soft sigh. “Hey baby…” he muttered as he took off his shoes and went onto the bed. “I miss you.”

I’m Mr Loverman. Oh, and I miss my lover man

[estrel]

The Christmas Compromise

merry christmas, @lilliankayl !! ‘tis i, your secret santa! this ended up getting a little long, so there will be multiple parts up...soon. here’s the first one, which you will also eventually be able read on ao3 when it’s complete. hope you enjoy!!

Part One.

Dean feels his mouth start to form a lazy smile.

Through the winter chill and the foggy annoyance that his blankets are skewed around him to provide the least amount of heat and warmth, there is a distant recognition that the smell of coffee in the air isn’t just any brew.

Despite the effort to untangle the sheets from his legs and feet, Dean manages to bare his skin to the winter cold of his room, provided the damage to his heater. He makes a mental note to fix that later, after they come back. Dean can last a few days until then.

He can practically see his breath hanging in the air when he yawns, pulling on warmer clothes as quickly as his stiff muscles and numb fingertips will allow him. Sweats, then t-shirt, then hoodie, because he isn’t expected to be anywhere until later and he can always change before that if he needs to.

Better to die comfy than in plaid.

It’s early morning, judging by the darkness outside and Dean’s alarm clock that blinks 5:30 AM at him in white block numbers, but he can’t find it in himself to care that he’s awake to see hell freeze over. Lucky for him, there’s a quick fix to his sleepiness less than twenty feet away.

The socks take entirely too long to fit onto his feet. When they finally do, Dean yanks his door open and pads down the hall, stopping at the entrance to his kitchen.

It’s a modest kitchen—a modest home, really, but it does it’s job—and it’s empty save for an occupied chair at the kitchen table.

Dean stares for a second.

He’s allowed to notice clothes and posture before that second is disrupted by Miracle making a racket coming into the kitchen, and Cas turns to face them.

“Morning,” Dean greets him. The smell of coffee is much stronger here, and Dean can feel his mouth beginning to water.

Cas pushes a full mug towards Dean’s seat.

“Good morning, Dean. I made you—”

“My favorite brew,” Dean finishes for him. He sits, letting his fingers thaw under the ceramic of the mug and breathing in the heavy scent of Cas’ coffee.

“It’s everyone’s favorite brew,” Cas says, taking a sip from his own cup. “That’s why it’s the priciest.”

Dean levels a look at him.

“I have to make money somehow,” Cas defends.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean waves him off, bringing the drink to his lips. The first taste is hot—too hot—and it burns his throat on the way down.

“You never learn,” Cas says. Dean doesn’t need to meet his eyes to know that they’re squinting at him. “You’ve been burning your tongue on my coffee for years, you’d think it’d make an impact by now.”

Dean only frowns and mumbles into his coffee something about “not every time,” to which Cas rolls his eyes.

They can only pretend to be angry with each other for a few more minutes before it subsides into companionable silence. Dean lightly kicks Cas’ foot under the table to get his attention.

“You gonna need a ride to work?”

Cas sets his mug down and shrugs. He’s still in his night clothes: a white t-shirt—Dean has never understood how Cas can stand the cold—and borrowed sweats, but he’ll probably burrow through more of Dean’s wardrobe to get his outfit for today. The guy might as well live here with the amount of time he spends at Dean’s place and the fact that Dean’s closet is practically Cas’, too, now.

I could always just ask him…

Dean swallows the last of his drink and stands before he can contemplate the question again. He busies himself at the sink, and then ducks under the counter to get Miracle’s food from the cabinet.

“Yes,” Cas says eventually, evidently having gone through every other option before arriving at that one. “Is it a bother?”

Dean pokes his head over the counter to look at him.

“No, man, you know I like driving Baby around. Besides, I’ve got some shopping to do, and, y’know…”

“Free breakfast,” Cas adds for him, a teasing note in his voice. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed the muffins that go missing every time you drop by.”

Dean sets down Miracle’s food and whistles softly, standing straight once Miracle trots into the room and to his bowl to eat.

“Hey,” he points a finger at Cas, “Consider it a compromise since you never pay for gas.”

“It’s not like I haven’t offered,” Cas meets Dean by the sink to wash his cup out. “Do you want me to pay for gas, Dean?”

He’s standing close in that way that Cas always stands close—in the way that Dean has stopped correcting for years now. That’s just how he is, he reminds himself, and puts visible effort into keeping his eyes trained on Cas’ blue ones.

“No,” he says, “You don’t need to pay for gas. All I’m asking is that you look the other way when I happen to find a cookie just laying there for the taking. Do that, and it’s free rides for life.”

“When you say ‘laying there,’ I assume you mean in the casing, behind the counter, where only employees are allowed,” Cas sasses back, face stripped of emotion except for the slight furrow to his brow. Imperceptible, if it wasn’t Dean that was staring.

“So now I’m an employee?” Dean asks, finally pulling away from their bubble to pretend to clean the counter. “Jee, Cas, you shoulda told me. I would have put my apron on.”

Cas punches him lightly on the shoulder, done with washing his cup but fingers still wet from doing so. It leaves an imprint on Dean’s hoodie, which Dean acts like he hates, but it gives him a motive to attack Cas back.

They scuffle, elbowing each other and pushing each other around the kitchen—Dean even manages to try for a few tickles to Cas’ armpits and stomach, but still to no avail—until Miracle joins in and they stop so as to not accidentally step on a paw.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Cas says, once they’re done with the rough housing. Patting Dean’s back once, he leaves the kitchen and enters Dean’s room down the hall.

Warmer, now, with the extra movement in him, Dean leans against the counter to catch his breath. At least that’s what he tells himself, watching Cas mill around from door to door until he hears the bathroom shut and the shower start.

When Dean is sure that Cas is out of hearing range, he pulls out his phone.

“Bitch,” Dean starts, pressing the cold surface to his ear and cheek.

“Jerk.”

He smiles. “How’s it goin’?”

“Same old, same old. Got a case about to close up here real soon, so. Expect to see me at the Bunker in a few days.”

“You’ll be there,” Dean confirms. “Glad to hear it.”

“And you? Everything good?”

Dean shifts at the accusatory tone in Sam’s voice.

“Yeah, man. All good. Shop’s runnin’ just fine. Bobby says hi.”

A huff of laughter. “He still kickin’ your ass?”

Dean nods, even though Sam can’t see him. “Bobby’s Bobby. You know how he is, never a moment’s rest. Come to think of it, I actually had to remind him that it’s Christmas this week. The guy was asking if I’d be in on Friday. Had to tell him he wouldn’t be in on Friday, crazy bastard.” He hears Sam chuckle. “Oh hey, by the way, I think Rufus is coming with this year.”

“Really? Haven’t seen him since—”

“Yeah, I know. Well, he’ll be there—you can recount the tall tales of Rufus and Sammy to everyone as a Christmas present.”

There’s a pause, and Dean checks to see if the call had cut off before returning his phone to his ear.

“—coming?”

“Sorry, what?”

“Is Cas coming?”

Dean hears the shower shut off. The guy makes quick work.

“I was assuming,” he says.

“Well, you should ask.”

“Why?” Dean scoffs, “It’s pretty much a given, dude, he always comes.”

He can practically feel Sam’s eye roll over the phone.

“What?”

“I dunno, Dean, c’mon. You can’t just expect him to come whenever you call. He’s got his own family, you know, and—”

Dean grimaces, folding an arm over his chest. “No, he doesn’t. We’re his family. Those dickheads are—” He sighs, tries to contain the outburst before it can be unleashed. In…out.

“Trust me, Sam, he doesn’t want to see them. He’ll be at ours on Friday.”

“Dean—”

“Nice talkin’ to you, Sammy. I’ve gotta go, taking Cas to work.”

“Wait, he’s there?! Hang on a second—”

“Bye!”

He cuts the call before he can hear another word out of Sam, and just in time to see Cas in the bathroom doorway. He’s looking at Dean with his head tilted curiously, and Dean’s breath immediately catches in his chest.

“Was that Sam?” he asks. As if his hair isn’t all wet and towel-rustled, as if he isn’t dressed in Dean’s clothes.

“Yeah,” Dean croaks. He clears his throat. “Yeah, yes. He says hi.”

“I’m sorry I missed him,” Cas frowns, making his way over to Dean. Dean stills.

“It’s six,” Cas continues, “I should be at work by seven, if you can manage it.”

When Dean just stares back, Cas adds, “You should get dressed.”

“What’s wrong with this?”

“You’ve been wearing that hoodie for three days straight and you’re beginning to smell like Miracle,” he deadpans. “Go shower, I can wait.”

Dean pushes himself off the counter and brushes past him. “Thanks, Cas. How considerate.”

-

When Dean parks Baby in front of Heaven and Hell Cafe, he does so in his grey henley and several layers of long-sleeves, with jeans that do nothing to combat the cold.

Shivering, he follows Cas inside, and warmth envelops them upon entry, along with the jingle of the door bell.

“Cas!” comes a familiar voice. Dean hears more than sees a set of doors opening, and Jack is suddenly in front of them wearing a huge smile.

“Oh, Dean! Good to see you,” Jack lifts a hand in greeting, but it looks more like he wants a hug. Dean smiles back at him and waves.

“Hey, kiddo. Everything alright?”

Jack nods. “Yes. Although, I…I do need to see Cas for a second.”

“Oh, um. Of course.” Cas glances at Dean with a look that says ‘I’ll be right back,’ and follows Jack through the double doors that lead to the kitchen.

Dean trails after them half-way, stopping behind the counter to sleuth after some morning treats. He decides on what he thinks is a cinnamon roll, pulling it out of the casing and shutting the door as quickly as he’d opened it.

He stuffs the pastry in his hoodie’s pocket for later, and thanks the universe that it’s wrapped and won’t get covered in fuzz this time (he’d learned the hard way).

“—makes sense. Just let me know if anything changes.”

Cas appears through the doors looking slightly stressed. Dean fights to urge to get up and soothe, to run his hands across Cas’ shoulders and ease the tension there.

“You good?” Dean checks instead. Cas nods.

“Fine. Just…It’s fine. Didn’t you say you had shopping to do?”

“Are you kickin’ me out?” he jokes.

“No, but the shop opens in thirty minutes. Feel free to stick around if you’d like.” Cas’ eyes drop to Dean’s crotch area, and he quickly looks down to see what Cas is looking at.

“You can eat that here. No point in hiding it since the gig is up.” Dean lets out a breath. Cas had been staring at the lump in Dean’s hoodie pocket, where Dean was keeping his breakfast. What happened to ‘looking the other way?’

“Thanks, but you’re right, I should probably get going. I’ve gotta do errands and be at the shop later to work for a few hours. You coming over tonight?”

Cas pauses in the middle of putting his apron on, contemplating the question.

“No,” he says slowly. “Not tonight.”

Dean tries not to frown. Suddenly the weight of his phone in his pocket is ten times heavier than it was a few seconds ago. ‘Well, you should ask,’ the little voice inside his head that sounds like Sam, says. He sighs softly.

“How about, um. You’re—you’ll be there on Friday, right? Do you need a ride? I was planning on leaving on Thursday, if you wanted to come with. I know Claire’s heading out earlier. Jody, and all them, too…so.” Dean forces himself to meet Cas’ eyes. Something in his chest feels tight when he notices Cas’ expression has only gotten worse.

“I,” Cas starts, gaze falling to his shoes. “I don’t know, Dean.”

That thing in Dean’s chest solidifies and sinks to his stomach, settling there uncomfortably. 

“Don’t know what?”

Cas starts rummaging through the bakery cases, adjusting things that don’t need to be adjusted, meticulously cleaning crumbs from platters and making sure the little banners with the pastry names on them are all straight and perfect. 

“If I’ll be able to go,” he says finally, not looking up. “It’s the holidays and I’m busy here this season, people have been ordering pastries for Christmas, and I don’t know if I plan to close on Christmas day, because my regulars might want to come in still, and—“

“Cas,” Dean stops him, leaning over the counter. Cas notices and lightly tries to push him off so he can start on the counters, but Dean grabs his wrist to get his attention. 

“You’re going to work yourself to death, man. It’s the holidays. Your regulars will understand if you don’t show up on Christmas, okay? And you’ve never had this issue any other year, so...” Dean makes Cas look at him. “What’s really bothering you?”

to be continued...

-

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[earthfire-75]

I don't know what to say about it,

When all you ears have turned away,

But now's the time to look and look again at what you see,

Is that the way it ought to stay?

Kashmir

Chapter Two, Part One:That’s the Way (Sleepwalking)

(Author’s notes: co-written with @nature-and-music and beta’ed by @lady-jane-revisited )

I woke up the next morning and got out of bed. It was then I realized that I was indeed in a bed, when I had fallen asleep on the couch. Robert must have moved me when he came up to the room. I shook my head and went back out into the main room to get my clothes, quietly and quickly getting dressed. Sure enough, there was Robert in my place on the couch. I took the room key once more and made a dash out to the hall. Unfortunately, I was stopped by Cole.

“Enjoy yourself?” He asked sarcastically. “Honestly, though, I figured you’d be coming out of Jimmy’s room. Since he found you and all. Such disloyalty.”

“Do you actually know what happened last night, or are you just talking out of your ass?”

“I know how things work around here, girl. More than you do. It would have been bad enough if you had been with Jimmy. But Robert? That just looks bad for you. Half the other roadies already think you're getting special treatment just because you’re a girl. Myself included. This? Just reinforces that assumption.”

“I’m sorry, should I have slept out in the hallway? You know what, I don’t have time to stand here and justify to you where I slept last night. I have things to do before I officially start my job this morning. If you’ll excuse me.”

I stepped forward, trying to walk past Cole, but he stuck his arm out to stop me from leaving. Thankfully, before he could say anything further, G came around the corner. Less fortunately, Rogina was right beside him. It seemed they had been talking, but stopped upon seeing the scene in front of them. Rogina came to my side, glaring up at Cole, but it was G who spoke.

“Is there something wrong?”

Cole immediately dropped his arm and straightened his posture. “I was just explaining to the newbie that employees don’t sleep with the band. Even if she is a girl.”

G’s eyes narrowed at Cole. “I wasn’t asking you.”

“And I was explaining that it’s none of his damn business and I got a couple of things to grab from the drug store across the way because I currently have no toiletries or anything to pack my stuff in.”

“You’re right, it isn’t any of his business. That being said, you were supposed to get everything you needed yesterday.”

“I know and that’s on me, but everything was so rushed yesterday. And I know it’s not going to be any less so today.”

G sighs but nods. “Five minutes. That’s all I can give you, my dear.”

“You’re just going to let her go?”

“Yes, and if you’re the reason she’s late coming back because you refuse to get out of her way, not only will you be picking up her slack, you can carry her things as well!” G boomed at him.

Rogina piped up beside me, “I’ll go with her, help her get what she needs so it goes faster.”

Cole just threw his hands up and stepped to the side. “Fine!”

Rogina roughly bumped her shoulder into Cole as she walked past him, glaring daggers at him before we headed to the elevator. We were silent for some time as we made our way to the drug store across the street.

Rogina grabbed a shopping basket, “Sorry that you had to go through with that Anj. Cole’s always been fucking prick that loves to cause trouble.” She tossed in hair brush, “If he or anyone gives you trouble, let me know.”

I smiled as I added in shampoo and conditioner bottles, “Thank you. I’ll be okay, I can handle him.”

Rogina sighed as she placed a tube of toothpaste in, “Well let me know if he does anything, okay?”

“I will. Come on, we better hurry.”

We had managed to grab what we could during those five minutes. Having her here was great, given the time crunch and that she could help me find the necessary items that I would need, plus a backpack to my belongings. She offered to help pay for some of the items, but I let her know that I could take care of it. Once we were done, we hurried back to the hotel and found everyone in the lobby. G and Bonzo were conversing with Cole, their arms were crossed as they stood before the bearded man.

Robert spotted us and walked over, “There you are, is everything alright?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I just needed to get a few things-”

“No I mean, I heard about what happened this morning. G told me. I’m sorry Anjelika,” he continued.

“Really, I’m okay Robert. Besides he can say and think whatever he wants to,” I assured him. “I doubt he’ll be much of a problem anyway.”

Robert’s eyebrows pulled together, “Even so-”

G’s voice bellowed, “Alright everyone, make sure that you have what you need! It’s time to head out!”

And with that, we all grabbed our stuff and made our way out to the buses.

Robert had been kind enough to already have my things with his, so I was able to quickly transfer it all to the backpack. He mentioned something about needing a bag for my dresses so they wouldn’t get all wrinkled, but I didn’t have time to respond, quickly closing up the backpack and getting on the roadies’ bus. At least the trip to the venue wasn’t all that long.

Once there we got out and started unpacking the equipment to take inside and set up while G took the bands to go talk with the venue owner and crew. The whole process took quite a few hours and we took a break for lunch before resuming. We finished about three hours before the show was to start and slowly, everyone else left the stage.

Alone at last, the other roadies, Cole included, left the stage after everything was set up, I went to pick up the acoustic and sat at one of the stools and began to play. I didn’t know it, but I was being watched by Robert and Jimmy at one side of the stage, Rogina on the other.

“Life detaches

Much less loved

A taste familiar

But watered down

And each day passes

Into the next

Like television

Flickering unseen”

“She sounds so sad,” Robert whispered to Jimmy.

“She sounds…lost,” Jimmy responded thoughtfully. “There’s something else, too. I get shivers whenever I hear her sing.”

“I breathe

But I don't often think about it

Anymore

It's become a habit

Those embers fragment

That fire was

Just a fracture

In the ice“

Bonzo came up behind Robert and Jimmy. “Hey, guys!” Robert and Jimmy shushed Bonzo at the same time.

“Okay…” he responded in a whisper. “But why are we watching Anjelika like a bunch of creeps and whispering about it?”

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking“

“Because,” Robert whispered sadly, “I don’t think she would keep doing this if she knew she was being watched.”

“She’s turned down every opportunity to play in front of an audience, even as a backup. But, for me, it isn’t just that. I get the feeling she isn’t telling us everything.”

“And poetry

Fills an empty room

With science broken

And confused

And my desire...

Becomes a pacifier

I need to feel

Alive & awake”

“Everyone is allowed some secrets, Jimmy. You, of all people, should understand that,” Bonzo said pointedly.

Jimmy finally looked at Bonzo with a raised eyebrow. “You know something we don’t, don’t you?”

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking”

“S’pose I do?”

“Care to share with the class?

“Not my story to tell, Jimbo,” Bonzo shrugged .

“Something aging

In the water

In the damage

To my soul

The wishing fire

Is still alive

And I think his heartbeat

Will not die

How can I give

Anymore of my life

Away…”

“Fine, keep her secrets too.” Jimmy walked away.

Robert and Bonzo sigh and shake their heads at their friend. Both of them know that Jimmy won’t let it go so easily. He never did.

“Do you hear me?

Can you hear me?

Do you hear a voice from my side?

Sleepwalking.”

“I just want her to be ok. No, more than that, really. I just…don’t know what to do.”

From her side of the stage, Rogina finally stepped out of the shadows toward me, a broad smile on her face. “That was beautiful, Anj. Robert’s right, you really should show off your talent.”

I smiled and ducked my head, given that my face was red. She had been nothing but good to me and for some reason, I had a harder time resisting her charms. Not that it was easy resisting Robert’s. Instead of answering her, I started to play again, something that might be more familiar to her. Tom Petty’s Breakdown, even taking on the singer's more southern dialect.

“It's alright if you love me

It's alright if you don't

I'm not afraid of you runnin' away, honey

I get the feeling you won't”

“There is no sense in pretending

Your eyes give you away

Something inside you is feeling like I do

We said all there is to say”

“Baby, breakdown, go ahead and give it to me

Breakdown, honey, take me through the night (baby, baby, breakdown)

Breakdown, now I'm standin' here, can't you see?

Breakdown, it's all right”

“It's all right

It's all right”

The next thing I knew, Rogina sang along with me as well. Her singing started out softly at first until she reached the chorus and her voice came out strong and powerful like a mountain. While I was familiar with Daltrey’s voice, to hear it before me was something else. As we continued, we found ourselves singing in such a lovely harmonious manner that the world around us seemed to have stopped.

The song came to a close, she placed a hand on my shoulder, “You have a great talent Anjelika.”

“Well compared to you, I seem like more of an amateur,” I joked.

“No Anj, your voice is lovely and so is your playing. That song you were singing before, I’ve never heard of it.”

I looked down for a moment, “Oh it’s just a little something that I’ve been working on.” I stood up from the stool and placed the guitar down, “I better get back to work.”

“Anj-”

I had already made my way off the other wing, only to see Robert, Bonzo, and Jimmy there. My face was flushing as I walked past them. I felt like such an idiot! What on earth was I thinking? The show was to start fairly soon and I had a job to complete. The ticks on the clock continued as everything from lighting, technical matters, clothing, and the instruments were put into place. The doors to the stadium opened and the fans made their way inside. The more dedicated fans were attempting to do what they could in order to get as close to the band members as possible. Security was already on the matter and they kept their composure as they desperately hoped to catch a glimpse of their idols.

I walked through the hallway with a black coffee in hand, hearing the echoes of varying conversations going on between roadies. I would offer a smile as I passed by, some would offer one back, others would give me a look of disdain. Cole was within my sights and so I kept my eyes facing forward. I kept my distance from him as I moved out of the way.

Cole blew a cloud of smoke in my direction, “On your way to give ol’ Plant a little ‘warm up session?”

I kept my back to him, “Why don’t you go do that yourself? Since you seem so keen on the idea.”

G walked over, “You two ladies fighting again?”

Cole answered back, “Actually I was just about to check on the boys.”

G raised a brow as he watched him walk away, “How are you doing Anjelika?”

“Well things seem to be going well for my first day.”

“Good. Now since this is your first night, I don’t expect you to know everything that happens. You might feel a little confused about how we do things at first, but you’ll learn pretty quickly.”

I nodded, “So how long do you think tonight’s show will be?”

G took out a cigar and lit it, “I reckon about three and half, four hours tops. I’ll have you out on the wings to help with instruments for right now. I want to see how you do tonight, then I’ll add more duties to your list.”

“Thank you Mr. Grant.”

I felt a gloved hand on my shoulder. Following the black leathered glove, I was greeted with the sight of Alice Cooper wearing a leather ensemble. His eyes and sides of his mouth were marked in his signature look.

“How do I look?” He asked

“Like a freak,” I answered with a smile.

“Why thank you,” he responded kindly with a genuine smile. “See you after the show.”

He and his fellow bandmates excitedly made their way down the hall, ready with their instruments in hand. They greeted the cheering crowd with the first notes and so the first act of the show began.

I gave all the support I could from the sidelines and adjusted guitars, restringing them when needed. His act lasted for a little under an hour and I gave him a hug in congratulations when he came off the stage. The Who were next and as Rogina passed me, I gave her a hug as well and a kiss on the cheek, despite my better judgment. “For luck.” I explained with darkened cheeks when she gave me a questioning look.

“Thank you,” she responded with a smile, then headed out onto the stage to join her bandmates. Halfway through their act, Rogina made some anecdote about life on the road and as a woman in rock music. She mentioned me, though not by name and dedicated the next song to a “special someone”, all the while looking at me and began to play ‘Love Ain't for Keeping’.

When their act was done and Rogina came off the stage, she came up to me and gave me a proper, if chaste, kiss before going back to the changing rooms. Then it was time for Zeppelin, the last act for the night. I hated how heartbroken Robert looked as he walked past me on his way to the stage. I had been so worried about getting my own heart broken…

“Wow, Anj…Rogina too? And poor Robert had no idea, did he?”

“Shut the fuck up, Cole,” I seethed.

“Or wha-“

I was beyond done with the man, if he could be called one, I whirled around and decked him, knocking him to the floor. Standing over him now, I took a fistful of his shirt and hauled him into a sitting position and got in his face. “You really need a lesson in minding your own fucking business. Do yourself a favor and keep Rogina’s name out of your mouth and the next time you decide to butt into my life outside of actual work, I’ll shove my foot so far up your ass, you’ll be eating my steel toe boots!” I hadn’t realized it, but my eyes were glowing as I spoke.

I stood back up to find G standing there, but he didn’t say anything to me, just gave me a nod and I went back to doing my job. G had security take Cole to another room to get looked at and bandaged up as his nose was bleeding a little.

I marched into the hallways, grabbed myself a beer, and found an isolated area to sit and cool down. The day hasn’t ended yet and Cole continues to be a nuisance. I had hoped that after today he would have gotten the message. I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and quite frankly I wasn’t in the mood to talk. At this point I didn’t care who came over, I was angry and I needed some time to be alone. Yet my ears perked up when I heard a familiar voice.

“Anjelika,” Rogina softly called. “Are you alright?”

She took a seat next to me, but I scooted away, keeping my eyes on my beer, “I’m fine.”

“I saw what happened from the changing room.”

I uttered under my breath, “So? It’s resolved, let it go.”

[givemeonebreath]

A big, messy Linked Universe playlist

Link for Links

Heavy on the angst, because of who I am as a person. (At the same time, don’t take it too seriously, man.)

Influenced by canon, manga (TP Link is really Going Through It™ ), my personal perceptions, and popular fandom canon.

A pretty wide variety of genres, with a bias towards metal and prog rock.

I kept snippets of lyrics for most songs, also because of who I am as a person. (Some were particularly hard to narrow down to just one verse or chorus.) Those - and a little more rambling - are under the cut if you really want, in the order of the playlist. But. It’s long.

I didn’t initially make this with the intent to share, but hey. Throughout my past year+ of listening, I’ve been haphazardly adding songs to a playlist I very creatively named Links. If something reminded me of them, whether through the music or lyrics or both, I threw it on the playlist, so some songs might seem odd or vague. Some are really on the nose, as subtle as a sledgehammer. (Sky for Sky? Dude. Sorry.) Some are there because of a fitting line or two that stuck in my head. Ultimately, music - like any form of creative expression - can be interpreted in a multitude of ways. 

My listening habits and tastes are erratic, which is why this is one big, jumbled playlist and not separated for different Links. Not to mention if I did that, some (Wild, Legend) would have a lot and some (Wind, Four) would have none, both because of my own familiarity with them, and because of the general themes of the music I tend to listen to. Most songs are a general ‘hero’s spirit reborn’ mood, anyway - those are the first part of the playlist. The second half is more nuanced to specific Links, plus a few Ganon vibes.

1. Deep Purple - April (Koji Kondo, composer of the original Legend of Zelda theme, was into Deep Purple as a kid, and it shows.)

2. Kamelot - Regalis Apertura

3. Au4 - So Just Hang On, Beautiful One (I’ve posted this here before. I can’t hear it without thinking of LU now.) So I slipped in through the gate almost unknown. All my border stamps were late. Seven days old. Cold hand griped my shoulder blade, broke the bone. Bloody nose and turned away, all the way home.

4. FC Kahuna - Hayling Don’t think about all those things you fear, just be glad to be here

5. Glass Animals - Youth Boy, when I left you you were young I was gone, but not my love You were clearly meant for more Than a life lost in the war

6. Pain of Salvation - Restless Boy A restless boy in a world too slow A flame born into cinder, ash, and glow I've given everything I gave it all Yet find myself alone

7. Haken - The Endless Knot Our design shifted frame by frame! Across the line our cycle starts to fail. Our design shifted frame by frame! Across the line we die to live again.   We need a story to believe in. We need a hero to prevail. We need a challenge we can overcome, it takes a tragedy to make us one 

8. Kamelot - Memento Mori (I particularly associate this with Time and Twilight) I am the god in my own history The master of the game I may believe if she would come to me And whisper out my name Sometimes I wonder where the wind has gone If life has ever been Sometimes I wonder how belief alone Can cut me free from sin

9. Katatonia - Fighters Look I told you so We never stop If we said that We'll back it up For sure You know We're fighters

10. Megadeth - This Day We Fight! (I mean, all Links, but particularly Warriors) For this I was chosen, because I fear nothing With confidence I tread through the dead of the night Off to another war-torn, faraway battlefield Wherein lies a demonic enemy horde

11. Moon Tooth - Igneous Well, the spirit took me And this old broken body leapt up and danced Settin’ out Settin' out with all my heroes in a bundle at my back Hawk am I More wings span in my shadow than overcast Yeah, you know what they say Always need something to look up to, ha

12. Samael - Moongate Destiny, tomorrow is today Destiny, without boundaries How many nights will we spend together traveling infinity back and forth and again How many times will we go together questioning eternity about us about our wonders...

13. TOOL- Parabola This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion

14. Lunatic Soul - Blood on the Tightrope No matter how hard you try To shut down your feverish thoughts They hunt you down with no regret Cause you have to fix it all

15. Hybrid - Keep It In The Family

16. Soul Savers - Unbalanced Pieces Gone, now carry on Through violent seasons I call you mother, mother, mother In vain, absent chain The twilight's bleeding And the playing board has two unbalanced pieces

17. Steve Von Till - Valley of the Moon All she gives is a stone facade Like ill-given flowers at a dead man's wake Here we slave for the dreams of another And fight over scraps like wayward dogs

18. Ludovico Einaudi - Experience

19. Lunatic Soul - Summoning Dance Three stones on the right side Three stones on the left My vicious circle of life and death   “Oh you want it” I hear it again “Oh you want it” My burden Curse to break

20. Lunatic Soul - Through Shaded Woods Run through your shaded woods Run through your shaded mind Run through the night Run away Run through the darkness Run

21. Lunatic Soul - Naavie

22. David Bowie - Nature Boy There was a boy A very strange, enchanted boy They say he wandered very far Very far, over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye But very wise was he

23. The Dandy Warhols - Sleep Well, I could sleep forever But it's of her I dream If I could sleep forever I could forget about everything 

24. Au4 - Everyone is Everyone (and Everything is Everything) Tripping and tumbling, Flipping and fumbling. Flowing on the rivers of sadness That have been forever rumbling.   But from dawn until now Of all the paths that I could have gone down Of all the valleys That I could have been flowing through.   In spite of all the chaos And all that has come between us, How is it I still find myself Here with you. 

25. Kingcrow - Everything Goes Your hands again upon the ground Falling rain for hours and hours As you learn the game Time dispels the fog ... Ever been there? Ever felt like prey? Ever thought your mind was feeble? Lot of things that don’t make sense

26. Pain of Salvation - Icon As a child I felt too old And now when I'm grown-up I feel too young A different kind so I've been told Just slightly out of reach and out of time

27. Sophia Loizou - Divine Interference (I got spooky dungeon vibes. Also, the title.)

28. Carpenter Brut - Fab Tool Runnin Gunnin Forward in the phantom shatter so grand Splatter grand, arcanum fuel Wrought iron out of the sky Over me, tells no lie

29. Blue Stahli - Death Will Have to Run All on the open road Where none will ever grow A journey toward the known With countless miles to go

30. Gyroscope - Mistakes & Ladders I am the first? No I can't be the first A continuous nothing, destined for something Tell me who you are and why you trapped me here

31. Queens of the Stone Age - Run, Pig, Run Run, pig, run Here I come

32. Chali 2na & Krafty Kuts - Guard The Fort The swords are drawn and odds are stacked And we clash the impact's a thunderous clap Calm demeanor Even though we are under attack [...my turn to guard the fort ready for combat]

33. The Great Discord - Army of Me (lol)

34. Kongos - Terrified I think I'll start again and change my name You only live once or twice, what a shame Somebody fucked up when designing this game

35. Woodkid - Run Boy Run Run, boy, run! This ride is a journey to Run, boy, run! The secret inside of you Run, boy, run! This race is a prophecy Run, boy, run! And disappear in the trees

36. The Beta Machine - The End A million miles away from you this time I'll do what it takes I'm on my way If lines are in the sand I'll go under If I can make it in time I will bring you back with me

37. Devin Townsend Project - Gump When we last met who was I? I'm sorry we no longer see eye to eye The energy to keep you in while keeping myself out I'm sorry how you'll take this  But I just don't have the patience anymore 

38. Arrested Youth - Riot! I can't get much satisfaction living in this cave It's tough to breathe, I'm in the belly of the beast Can't sleep with all my rage With me and all my generations living in this cage Pick up your guns and tell your sons, tonight we break the cage

39. Led Zeppelin - Friends So anytime somebody needs you Don't let them down, although it grieves you Some day you'll need someone like they do Looking for what you knew

40. Faunts - M4, pt 2 (Wild) Fight your foes you're not alone Holy war is on the phone Asking to please stay on hold Bleeding loss of blood runs cold And I need you to recover   Because I can't make it on my own

41. Faith No More - Ashes to Ashes (Wild) I want them to know it's me, it's on my head I'll point the finger at me, it's on my head Smiling with the mouth of the ocean And I'll wave to you with the arms of the mountain

42. Devin Townsend - Jupiter (Wild) I know you At least I think I do Everything's changed But in the days that are so dark It's wonderful

43. Katatonia - Neon Epitaph (Wild) Shadow of my shadow Cling not to my grief I am long left behind now You are free

44. The Smashing Pumpkins - The Beginning is the End is the Beginning (Wild) Time has stopped before us The sky cannot ignore us No one can separate us For we are all that is left The echo bounces off me The shadow lost beside me There's no more need to pretend Cause now I can begin again 

45. Katatonia - Lacquer (Wild) My voice travelling Soaring bird above your head The house we lived in Ridden with disease ... The levee breaking I can't live to fight once more The road to the grave is straight as an arrow I'm just staying around to sing your song, baby

46. Eskimo Joe - This is Pressure (Wild) There is no romance in suffocation  The walls fall down like your expectations You want to scream  And you want to shout But you've built up steam  And you can't let it out This is pressure 

47. Portugal. The Man - 1000 Years (Wild) We'll wait 1000 years  Until the end of time We'll wait 1000 more Dressed up in gold and white We'll climb the mountain sides  To find what's in the sky We'll dig through mountain sides  To find what's deep inside

48. Au4 - An Ocean’s Measure of Sorrow (Wild) Forgot my name and who I was. Memories of nothing floating up. All of the sorrow we once knew, Colours the ocean's water blue.

49. Band of Skulls - Carnivorous (Twilight) I am corrosive and cohesive Like a chemical bond I'm all together undone I am the broken kingdom I'm just so, so, so  So carnivorous

50. Glass Animals - Flip (Twilight) I wanna go back with a club and attack I wanna take to my guns and break you I gotta make my little foe take his own

51. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me (Twilight) My mind has changed my body's frame, but, God, I like it My heart's aflame, my body's strained, but, God, I like it

52. Kamelot - The Spell (Twilight) All my demons cast a spell The souls of dusk rising from the ashes So the book of shadows tell The weak will always obey the master

53. OSI - Radiologue (Legend) I was dreaming I was heading west thirty days faster Had a fever woke up in a sweat bailing out the water  Can't go on Can't go back   Heard your voice coming through the noise wrote it in the radio log Hurt my head, wondering what you said so I threw it overboard  

54. Katatonia - Don’t Tell A Soul (Legend) I have been destroyed by the perfection that is a lie see I'm moving soon see my feet are already on the road and if you know where I’m going don’t tell a soul

55. Haken - The Mind’s Eye (Legend) The shape of things to come are closer than they seem Changing your design every time you disappear I'm planning my escape through portals of your mind Where people seem to drop like flies

56. Pain of Salvation - Species (Legend) Sometimes I hate my fucking species Yet most days I'll do anything to please it  My generation was fooled to pursue our dreams But it is not what it seems You never need what you want And you rarely want what you need

57. Euringer - Do You Kiss Your Mama with That Mouth? (Legend) All my life, misunderstood I'm fuckin' too smart, too smart for my own good The last question, before I go is "Hey motherfucka, do you kiss your mama with that mouth?"  Yes! I kiss your mama with this mouth

58. !!! - Pardon My Freedom (Legend) Like I give a fuck, like I give a shit Like I give a fuck about that shit Like I give a fuck about that motherfucking shit

59. Team Sleep - Ataraxia (Legend) Froze asleep Coma deep I dream I'm out with you Alone at sea

60. Oliver Tank - Embrace (Legend) You're in my dreams The world is torn apart at the seams And I don't wanna leave Wearing my heart on it's sleeve

61. Machine Gun Fellatio - The Girl of My Dreams (Is Giving Me Nightmares) (Legend) The girl of my dreams is giving me nightmares I don't know what it means but she's got multi-coloured hair When she stands in the sand I dream of peaches And I'm not sure what that means either

62. Earl Greyhound - Shotgun (Legend & Hyrule) I am nobody, nobody is who I am I am a traveler on this land And nothing, nothing, nothing in my hands

63. TV on the Radio - Staring at the Sun (Hyrule) You're staring at the sun You're standing in the sea Your mouth is open wide You're trying hard to breathe The water's at your neck There's lightning in your teeth Your body's over me

64. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon (Time) Fate Up against your will Through the thick and thin He will wait until You give yourself to him

65. Sufjan Stevens - Sugar (Sky) Don’t break my heart, don’t break my flow now And all this rage has got to go now Let’s take up this lifeline Come on, baby, gimme some sugar Don’t make me wait Don’t make me wait too long Don’t make me sing the sad song Come on, baby, gimme some sugar

66. Obsydians - Ascension (Sky) Rise above the hardships you’ll face I will sign and keep on rising As long as you are giving me your soul and keep me awake Feel like home and spread your light around I will listen and just be there As long as you are giving me your love I’ll give you my soul

67. Sonique - Sky -_-

68. Enter Shikari - The King (Ganon) Watch your back, my friend I'm about to kickstart a cycle Of never ending revenge And this time it's primal, it's tribal

69. Saul Williams - WTF! (Ganon, Hylia) "You've been polluted, uprooted by time You have been muted, computed but I'm A living vessel of the one, of the moon, of the sun" Hey! You ain't as dead as you seem, what the fuck? Hey! But you keep living your lies

70. These New Puritans - We Want War (Ganon/ Dark Link/ any nemesis I guess) Shadows dance back up, it's happening again If you listen carefully you might hear them whisper: "We hold all the secrets, we hold all the words; But they're scrambled and broken so you'll never know" Can't you see them Floating like black ash? Can't you feel them Crawling down your back?

[fraidy-farfelle]

Hey, for the ask game. Maybe 19 with either Frankie or another character of your choice? Thank you and hopefully this ask is good and helpful

Ok so I got WWAAAAAYYYYYY too carried away with this. Thank you for the ask! I’ve only ever written for a female reader, so I hope that this is okay. I’m still working out if I want to take the time to write out Frankie’s lines with his accent or not, so any feedback on that would be appreciated! I hope you enjoy it!

“Where would you Mark me? Could you point it out?”

It was a crisp morning in Toria. Autumn had made its debut; biting winds carrying the colorful leaves in beautiful patterns. Frankie turned up his collar and huffed in annoyance at the latest breeze. Why, he wouldn’t even be out if not for-

“Frankie!~” He instinctively snapped his head in the direction of the voice calling for him. ‘Ah yes, the Dame of the hour…’ He thought to himself, a smile disguised as a smirk made its way onto his face. A woman came into his vision, running towards him with a radiant smile, her cheeks red from the cold. He couldn’t help but muse over how angelic she looked with her (h/c) hair flowing behind her, almost looking metallic in the pale sunlight. She screeched to a halt before him and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Whaddaya think ya doin, runnin around like a chicken with its head cut off?” Frankie said, gently brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “I had to swing by my place to grab some stuff, and Jack decided he was in a talkative mood. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long!” She said once she finally caught her breath.

“Ya gotta learn how to tell people to fuck off, (y/n). You certainly ain’t beholdin’ to that striped bastard.” He said with a frown, taking the backpack that he noticed slung over her arm from her. She reached to take it back, but he gently batted her hand away. “You know I’m too nice to do that. Besides, we both know what he’s capable of. It’s better to be kind to him.” He nodded his head in reluctant agreement, and busied himself with buttoning up her coat. He opened his mouth to chide her for trying to catch a cold, but she rolled her eyes and held her arms up to accommodate his mother hen nature.

“Ya still ain’t told me where we’re goin, love.” He said, finally satisfied. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?” She said with a giggle and took his hand. “Ready?” “You lead, an I’ll follow.”

After walking through the woods for a bit, they came to the shoreline of a lake. Frankie had been to this lake before, but he noticed something new. “Has that cabin always been there?” She laughed and shook her head. “No, you haven’t missed anything. This is what I’ve been working on this past month. Shall we say, somebody owed me a favor?” Frankie was in awe. The cabin was small, but had a covered porch and the timbers seemed to fit seamlessly together. He didn’t get much time to think on it, as she tugged him forward. She used a strange looking key to unlock the door and they stepped inside.

The inside of the cabin was a single room; a kitchenette on the left side, and a bed and wardrobe to the right. A rustic fireplace dominated the back wall, with a door on either side. “(y/n), what exactly is this?” A bashful look adorned her face, and she held his hand in both of hers. “Well, in the simplest of terms, I built it for you. I know how hard it is for you to live at Hookman’s and I also know we can’t just go on vacation. (He opened his mouth to apologize, but she squeezed his hand to silence him.) I knew what I was signing up for when we started dating, Stitches. It’s okay. But, I see you getting so stressed out. Between Jack, Will, and now Issac, and all of the jobs Bell sends you on, I had to find you someplace where you could get away from everything. I didn’t find one that already existed, so I decided to make one! I called in favors for the materials and the actual cutting of the logs, but I brought them here myself. You and I are the only people who know about this place.”

She looked down nervously, unable to meet his gaze. Frankie dropped the bag unceremoniously to the floor, and pulled her into a warm embrace. (y/n) immediately melted against him and held on to his jacket. After a moment, he pulled back and cupped her chin with his fingers, forcing her to look at him. He had happy tears in his eyes that fell as he tried to blink them away. “Thank you, (y/n). I love you. So much.” He then pressed a gentle kiss on her lips to drive his words home.

Later in the day, after they had caught their food from the lake and had a fire roaring in the fireplace, they spent the day walking in the woods. Unfortunately, (y/n) had tripped and fallen on a tree root, and had managed to bring Frankie down with her, leaving them both covered in cold mud. Laughing at themselves, they made their way back to the cabin.(y/n) made her way to the door to the right of the fireplace, motioning for him to follow. Behind was a small bathroom with a shower, and the room was heated by the bricks of the fireplace. “Oh! Um, you use blockers so I can’t really tell. You’re not nearing your rut now, right?” “No.” “Just checking! That means we can share. If you’re comfortable, that is!” Her face was now tinted red in a blush, unused to speaking so candidly. He smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s alright with me if it is with you.” With that, they shed their clothes and hopped in.

“Sorry, the hot water doesn’t last long. This way we won’t freeze to death.” She said, starting to lather up her hair. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I may be an Alpha, but I can control myself.” “Woah!” (y/n)’s foot suddenly slipped, sending her face first into Frankie’s chest. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her. “...I have to admit, this does make it more difficult.” Frankie quipped. (y/n) knew she should apologize and right herself. But with Frankie holding her so closely with nothing between them, she finally could make out his scent. Notes of sandalwood and leather completely enveloped her. With the warm water coming down on them and the warm feeling of Frankie’s skin, she couldn’t find it in herself to pull away. Frankie made no move to push her away. The contented sigh he heard from her made it impossible. He closed his eyes and relished in this moment, while doing his best to not get too excited.

The Omega in his arms suddenly spoke. “Frankie?” “Hm?” “We… we are going to be mates, right?” “What brought this up?” She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. “I’ve wanted to be your Omega for some time now. I just… didn’t want to push you. I figured since you lost Amy, bonding with someone would be too painful. But, I love you more than anything! I’ve noticed your jobs have been more dangerous lately, and now I’m terrified that I’ll never have the chance to be with you!” Frankie was stunned into silence. He could see the worry and love in her expression clearly, and he realized he hadn’t been good at conveying his feelings at this point. The stress of her emotions was causing her to emit a sweet smell subconsciously, and it made his mind reel for an answer. “I… didn’t mean to make you feel so anxious. I’m sorry. You’re right, as usual. I was afraid. I love you more than I thought I had in me. I’d be proud to be your Alpha.”

Squealing with joy, she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oi! Careful, it’s slippery in here!” “Where?!” “Where what?” “Where would you Mark me? Could you point it out?” “I’ll just show ya.” Frankie said with a smirk and lowered his face to the left of her neck. He started leaving open mouthed kisses between her neck and shoulder, until he found her sweet spot. She sang his name out like a hymn and with a triumphant “There!” he gently broke the skin just enough to leave a love bite. Resting his forehead against hers, he said, “I promise to make it official once we’re done here.” “Well then, what are we waiting for!” She exclaimed and happily hopped out of his arms, nearly making him lose his footing. “Jesus Christ, Woman!” he yelled out, but could only shake his head when all he got in response was laughter.

[in-my-jamiebower-era]

Lights up. Rafe Cameron.

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Summary: You’re John B’s sister but secretly dating Rafe Cameron. Sounds like a plan for disaster. Although things might just work out in the end...or not?

Warnings: A few curse words, implied smut, and probably grammatical errors.

Words: 4K+

A/N: I am so sorry it took this long to post. I had to deal with some personal things. So this song is basically about being who you are no matter what. Just doing what you love. So I thought it was fitting Y/N be a Pouge while Rafe be a Kook. Anyways, I just want to say once again that all of you are incredibly sweet!! Thank you for all the love and support. Don’t hesitate to message me if you have any constructive feedback or requests. I really love it when I hear from all of you. Also I know times are hard so if any of you need to talk, please message me. I promise I’ll listen. Anyways once again thank you and I hope y’all enjoy your day! Don’t forget to TPWK!!💓

What do you mean?

I'm sorry by the way

Never coming back down

Can't you see?

I could, but wouldn't stay

Wouldn't put it like that

What do you mean?

I'm sorry by the way

Never coming around

Be so sweet if things just stayed the same

Being a John B’s twin sister definitely came with some perks. Everyone knew not to mess with you or else he would beat their ass. It was like you were untouchable. It was a great feeling. Although growing up a Pouge is great, it still has its not so great moments. Sometimes not know where your next meal is going to come from. Better yet, not having hot water. Sometimes not having water at all. Although one day your life got flipped all the way upside down.

You didn’t expect it to happen, it just did. One minute you were at the chateau than the next you were in bed with Rafe Cameron. You always had a little crush on Rafe but you had to keep that deep down inside and locked away. Until that one crazy, insane, amazing, and almost too got to be true night?

You were drunk as shit, wondering the beach all alone. Just to come across a drunk as shit Rafe Cameron. “Oh God,” you thought. Although when you got a closer look at him, he was beaten and bruised. You secretly brought him back to the Chateau to get him cleaned up. Then came the kiss, then they sneaking over, then the sex, then the “I love yous.” Time really flew during the last year you’d been macking on Rafe Cameron. You enjoyed it though.

It was currently 3 AM in the morning and you were sitting cross-legged on Rafe's bed watching the news because nothing was on. Suddenly you heard the bathroom door creak open, which cause you to jump lightly. The next thing you saw was Rafe Cameron with his towel on his hips, hair still wet and messy. God the sinful things you were thinking of at the moment.

“Hey Y/N, you okay?” Not trusting your voice you just shook your head up and down. He had no idea the effect he was having in you at the moment. Your sex life was not it’s best right now, seeing as though Rafe was always trying to please his dad. Also that no one technically knew about you and Rafe. He promised he would make time for you but it was hard. So you decided to savor the little moments.

He turned around to get some clothes out of his drawer and you trailed your eyes up and down his body. His body was amazing. It’s like he could sense you because he turned around and saw you staring.

“Alright now I know something is up with you Y/N, so it’s better you tell me because I don’t want to force it out of you.” You really didn’t want to tell him that you needed a good fuck. You just really wanted to be intimate with him and show him you loved him. You had been feeling empty inside for the last week and you needed him. So you made the choice to say “Rafe, do you still love me?”

He was still in front of you but he grabbed your ankles and pulled you to the end of the bed. He leaned down with just his towel on. You had a clear view of his glistening chest. He put his hands on your thighs and looks you in the eyes. In a deep voice, he said “of course I do baby girl, did I do something to make you doubt that?”

You signed then you looked down but he grabbed your jaw and said “answer the question.” You knew he knew what you wanted. This is why he got dominant all of a sudden. So you decided to play into his game. So you gave him a sad face and said “it’s just that we haven’t spent any intimate time together in a while and I miss your touch.” You ran a hand over his stomach up to his shoulders. Then you lent over and whispered in his ear “I want to feel you.”

He slowly leaned in and attached his lips to yours. He straddled your hips and pushed you back onto the bed losing his towel. You whimpered at the sight of his semi-hard cock. “You want that baby girl?” He rasped. You nodded your head and he quickly disposed of your shirt and shorts.

He took a look at you and stared for a while, making you very insecure. He hadn’t seen you like this in a while so maybe he didn’t like it? His voice went deep and said, “Don’t cover your beautiful body.” He always hated it when you were insecure about yourself, so he always reminded you of how pretty you were. You were ripped from your thoughts when he kissed behind your ear and whispered: “tonight I’m not just going to fuck you, I’m going to make love to you.” That alone made you moan.

He was clearly turned on, seeing as though he hadn’t had you like this in weeks. He all of the sudden pushed into you slowly, in and out. Whispering sweet nothings in your ear. You moaned “Baby I’m close” he gave you the cockiest smile. You kissed your neck leaving apparent red marks. You both were a moaning mess as your highs hit. You both lay there panting for a while.

He went to the bathroom and got a washcloth and cleaned you up and made sure to be sensitive around your entrance. You found one of Rafe’s shirts and you out in your shorts. He was sprawled out on the bed motioning for you to come to lay down with him. You layed your head on his chest while he played with your hair. He rasped “I love you, baby, I’m sorry I don’t spend enough time taking care of you. I promise I’ll be better because you mean the world to me.”

You smiled up at him and gave me a kiss on the nose “I love you too Rafe.” Then you both drifted asleep with the news still playing in the background.

All the lights couldn't put out the dark

Runnin' through my heart

Lights up and they know who you are

Know who you are

Do you know who you are?

You were suddenly awoken by the sound of Rafe's door being slammed open, Sarah came running in. Sarah was incredibly sweet and kind. She told the Pouges that you stayed at her house with her. When in reality you only stayed over most nights because of Rafe. You basically lived with them. Ward really didn’t care because since Rafe was with you, he had changed for the better.

You heard Rafe holler from beside you “Sarah get the fuck out of my room and leave us alone.” You smacked Rafe but in return, he only pulled you closer. Sarah unexpectedly screamed, “Your brother and the rest of the Pogues are almost here.” That was enough for you to bolt to Rafes' closet. You kept all your clothes there. You heard a loud knock from the door downstairs and froze.

Sarah whisper shouted “both of you get dressed, I’ll stall them. You quickly put on your high waisted shorts and an orange crop top, with some white converses. You ran Rafe's brush through your hair and decided you looked presentable enough. You kissed him on the cheek and told him to wait a while before he came down.

You ran down the stairs and saw all your friends, their faces immediately lit up. John B engulfed you in a hug. “Woahhhh Booker, you’re going to kill me. Have you been working out?” He laughed and playfully elbowed you. As he was pulling away he noticed your neck, purple bruises, curtesy of Rafe Cameron.

“Y/N. What the hell are these?” You felt your stomach churn. Oh God, you are done for. Then all of your friends were looking at you, JJ was seething. He was always really protective of you. You confidently tried to say “I know it looks bad but I have an explanation.” Kie glared at you and said, “who was it?” Sarah could sense something was about to go wrong so she said “It was me!”

Everyone looked at her in shock and so did you. Sarah happily said, “I was trying to teach her and yeah that’s what happened.” No one bought that story what so ever. As if matters couldn’t get worse Rafe Cameron strutted down the stairs.

Your eyes followed him and so did everyone else’s. Pope leaped up and rushed over to examine Rafe's neck. Then Pope shouted, “He’s got them too.” Everyone in the entire room started to see red. You didn’t know what to do. Was this really happening? No more hiding. John B hollered “Are you macking Rafe Fucking Cameron.” Everyone was staring at you, even Rafe. Okay, here it goes.

“Listen before I say anything I need you all to sit down.” With help from Sarah, you got all the Pouges to sit down. You were standing with Rafe behind you. “Yes, I’ve been dating Rafe for about a year.” The whole room erupted into chaos. There were screaming and hollering. All you wanted to do was disappear. You turned around and Rafe saw a few tears fall from your eyes. He hated this for you. He held you close as everyone watched. He kissed your forehead and said, “come on baby it’s going to be fine.”

You wiped away your tears and said “I love him.” You glared at everyone. John B stood up and said, “Dad would be so disappointed in you.” Rafe felt you tense up and he knew what was coming. He wouldn’t get in the way because you needed this.

You were the one seeing red now. “John booker Routledge. Don’t you dare tell me what my father would think of this situation. Dad would be happy for me. He would be jumping off the walls knowing that I’m happy. The truth is you’re scared of me growing up and you still see me as a little girl. You think the entire world revolves around you, well guess what it doesn’t. Also guess what John B, DAD IS DEAD AND HE'S NOT COMING BACK. Get over yourself, I accepted and moved on. It’s your turn.” You didn’t mean to be that harsh but it definitely came out that way.

Everyone looked at you with shocked expressions, even Rafe had no idea what to say. It was an unsaid rule that no one mentioned your dad around John B. That was the first time someone had confronted him about it. John B looked at you with pain in his eyes and said “Don’t bother coming home. As for your boy toy, I hope that he gets a couple of good fucks out of you then runs away.” Now it was Rafe's turn to see red “what the fuck did you just say?” He seethed. You pushed his chest back, telling him to just leave it alone. With that all of the Pogues left, leaving you and Rafe.

You broke down into sobs and curled into his touch. After a while, he willed your tears and said “I know baby, I know. He just doesn’t understand. I love you so much. I promise I’m not here just for a couple of good fucks.” You sheepishly said, “I love you too and I’m sorry for this happening.”

He looked you in the eyes and said “Do not be sorry for your brother's actions. Now come one let’s go back to bed.” So you both played in bed all day just enjoying each other’s warmth.

Shine, step into the light

Shine, so bright sometimes

Shine, I'm not ever going back

Shine, step into the light

Shine, so bright sometimes

Shine, I'm not ever going back

Shine, step into the light

Shine, so bright sometimes

Shine, I'm not ever

You woke up once again feeling like shit. It had been exactly a week and 3 days since your fight with John B. It never got easier through the days, every word said replaying in your mind. At least you got to wake up to the man you loved every morning. This morning you woke up with Rafe watching you. He seemed all too excited to be waking up at 7 AM on a Saturday. You groaned at how happy he looked.

“Y/N, I have an idea.” Oh, great an idea from Rafe Cameron was never good. You muttered an “mhm” which meant keep going. “So there’s a movie night on the beach tonight and I was really hoping you and I could go. We could go to the beach, have a picnic, then go to the movie thing. We could make a whole day out of it. Please?” He looked at you with his bright blue eyes. How could you say no to that? Seriously how?

“Fine. But only because I love you and you’re adorable.” He tackled you in kisses and hugs. “Oh my God Rafe please do not suffocate me.” He practically pulled you out of bed and forced you into the shower. You did your hair and decided on wearing a flowy summer dress and sandals over your red bikini. When you walked out of the bathroom his jaw nearly hit the floor. That was the first time you had actually got dressed in a week.

“Y/N. Baby, you look amazing.” You smiled, you honestly felt amazing. He layed kisses all over your face again. “Come on Rafe, don’t make me change my mind!”

Rafe drove the newest model of a jeep, which you absolutely adored. He held your hand the whole way to the beach and he occasionally kissed it. Every time you felt a little blush creep to your cheeks. It was amazing that he still had that effect on you, he thought.

When you guys first got there you decided to read “Pride and Prejudice.” You loved reading, it was your favorite thing to do (besides Rafe.) Rafe really was happy that you were enjoying yourself but he decided it was time for you to get in the water with him. He didn’t want you to overheat after all. “Come on Y/N, it’s time we got in the water, yeah?” You knew he would not give up. It was better to go then let him pester you for the next hour.

So you stood up and pulled your dress off in one quick motion. You looked at Rafe through your sunglasses and saw he was staring. “Well, are you coming or not? Because if you want to keep staring at me, I’m going back to reading.”

He jumped up and walked towards you mischievously. You could see that sly smile playing in his lips. That stupid, beautiful, amazing, and cocky smile. You were ripped from your thoughts when you were being thrown over Rafe's shoulder. “Rafe! Put me down, I can walk by myself.” You screamed.

“Oh Y/N, not after that smart comment you made.” He was about waist-deep in the water when he flung you back in the water. When you hit the water it was cold but it felt nice. It was good you were finally enjoying yourself. When you emerged from the water Rafe was laughing at your soaking state. “Haha. Very funny.” You stated.

When you both decided it was time for lunch, you watched Rafe get out of the water. His hair was wet and messily styled. He was dripping water and his swim trunks were fitted perfectly. He whispered in your ear “now who’s staring?” You took your book and whacked him with it. “Ouch,” he exclaimed in an overdramatic way.

You both sat down and ate the ham sandwiches Rafe had packed. They were actually not half bad. He had packed a few bears but you guys shared one, you always like it that way.

After a few hours of swimming, sleeping, reading, eating, listening to music, and other stuff, you decided it was time to pack up. The movie was going to start in a little bit and you guys had to go to the other side of the beach. When you both got to the car, you changed into underwear and out your sundress on. Rafe changed his shorts quickly and put on a polo shirt. Rafe started to drive and when you looked in the car mirror your mouth opened wide.

“Rafe Cameron! Why didn’t you tell me I had mascara all over my face.” You quickly wiped it away. He giggled and said, “you looked beautiful either way.” You gave him a death glare.

You guys arrived and Rafe set out two chairs, a few blankets, two pillows, and his two beers under one of the blankets. “Here you go, princess.” He said. You looked at him and just pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Thank you” You muttered against his lips. He pressed a kiss to your temple and said “You’re welcome baby girl.” You heard Topper holler something about Rafe being “pussy-whipped.” Rafe was focused on the movie, but you turned around and winked at Topper.

What do you mean?

I'm sorry by the way

Never going back now

Be so sweet if things just stayed the same

That’s when you saw them. The Pogues. They were all there. When did they get there? Rafe could sense your tension. So he turned where you were looking and he saw them too. He whispered in your ear “It’s okay, nothing is going to happen. I have you.” He gave you a reassuring squeeze and you both continued to watch the movie.

When the movie was over you packed up your things up but Rafe said he had to wring it out. You rolled your eyes at his choice of slang. As you were bringing stuff back to the jeep a teenage boy came up to you. He just stood there for a second but then he said: “hey baby girl, you looking for a man?” You cringed at him calling you “baby girl.” Only Rafe could call you that.

You merely just glanced at him and shoved him off. “Oh come on princess don’t be a bitch. I could show you a good time. You would be lucky to have me.” He said. He started to feel you up.

“Get off of me you asshole.” You hollered.

He was grabbing you in places that even Rafe wasn't allowed to do in public. You pushed him off again but all he did was back you against the car. He ran his hand up your side and said “It’s going to be better if you just comply. Let a real man show you how it’s done.” You were about to spit in his face when you felt about 200 pounds pulled off of you.

“Oh, God.” You thought. This was about to be bad. Your boyfriend Rafe was definitely a hothead. He called it being protective of his girl but it was definitely anger issues. The next thing you saw was the boy pinned to a tree by Rafe. The boy was obviously afraid of what was coming next.

Rafe hollered “You have 5 seconds to explain yourself before I break your neck.” Luckily there were only a few people there. You looked around hoping they wouldn’t be there and sure enough they were, looking straight at you.

The guy wheezed back “Dude she has a nice ass on her, I just wanted to hit that.” He let out a little chuckle. This wasn’t going to be good.

Rafe's fist collided with the boy's face over and over and over and over again. He hollered through the punches “Don’t ever disrespect a woman like that ever again. Women deserve to be treated with the respect you would give to a man.” (I find it extremely disappointing that the only way to get a man to back off of me is to tell him I have a boyfriend. They will respect another man before a woman)

You screamed “Rafe! Stop it. He’s had enough, he gets the point.” There was no way you were getting him off. Then you saw someone running over. You thought “Who is that, wait that’s John B! What’s he about to do?”

John B grabbed Rafe and pushed him away. He stood between the boy and Rafe. John B grabbed the boy by his shirt and said “If you ever touch my sister like that again I will not hold him back next time. Now get the fuck out of here before I beat your ass.” The boy just ran off looking as if he’d seen a ghost.

You ran over to Rafe and held him. He looked and you and said, “Are you okay?”

You playfully hit his arm and said “what the fuck do you mean am I okay? You’re the one who just beat the shit out of that guy.” He was about to respond when you heard a voice clear behind you. You were met with 3 pairs of eyes watching you.

John B said shyly “can we talk?”

You laughed dryly. “Why” is all you said.

“I just need to say a few things,” he replied. You nodded telling him to continue. “Okay so first of all I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’re truly sorry. We have treated you like shit for the past week. What you said was completely truthful, I don’t want you to grow up. I remember you as this little girl that I always feel the need to protect. I know that it’s your life and you can make these decisions now. I support what decisions you make. After what I’ve seen Rafe do for you, I understand. I don’t want you to get your heartbroken and from what I can tell he won’t break it. I love you and I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I want my sister and my best friend back.”

You ran over to him and gave him a big hug. “I’m sorry for being harsh about dad.” You replied. You motioned for the rest of the Pogues to join the hug. Kie had a tear running down her cheek and she said “I’m really sorry Y/N. I miss you.” You only cried in response.

Then the unthinkable happened, JJ motioned for Rafe to join the hug. He was hesitant at first but he joined. You all stood like that for a while before JJ said: “okay enough with the circle jerk.” All of you laughed through the tears.

When you all pulled away John B bro hugged Rafe. You were so proud of them both. Pope then said, “anyone want beers at the chateau?” Everyone raised their hands.

All the lights couldn't put out the dark

Runnin' through my heart

Lights up and they know who you are

Know who you are

Do you know who you are?

You all got back to the chateau and decided it was time to put all the tension to rest. John B brought out all the beers, of course, you and Rafe shared one. You guys were all laying in the hammocks talking of various things. Then JJ said, “so now that we’re going to be seeing a lot more of him, I need to know his intentions.”

You leaned into Rafe's chest and muttered “oh my God.”

He sarcastically replied “fine I’ll let John B handle this.” You turned and looked at John B, giving him a warning glare. He gave you a smirk then said “As long as you guys don’t fuck on my couch or hammocks I’m fine.” Rafe practically died choking on his beer. All of the Pouges burst out laughing.

“Too late.” You said quietly. Rafe looked at you with wide eyes. He heard you. He ran his hand up and down your back. Then gave you a kiss on the temple.

You couldn’t be happier that the Pogues and your boyfriend were getting along. Everyone deserves love right? It doesn’t matter what kind. Love has no labels. You loved Rafe and he loved you, there was no doubt about it. It worked out in the end. That day John B came over and yelled at you had been the worst. Rafe picked up your missing pieces and put them back together. The principal of the thing is don’t be ashamed to do what you love. When the lights come up, just be who you truly are.

@afterglowsb-tch13 @country-club

@starrystarkey93 @trashmouthpogues

@elegant-daisy @sortagaysortahigh

@girlsru1eboysdroo1 @gimmethejohnd

@obx-direction-sos @lahey-paradise

@drewsephsmiles @annedub @peoples-trash

@drewswannabegirl @snkkat @nina1800

@fangirlfree

[samwilsonsbabymama]

If I Want To

18+

Pairing: Sam Wilson x Black Reader

Summary: Sequel to All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do) After finally breaking up with your crappy boyfriend, how long will you wait before you finally let Sam make you his?

Warnings: Smut, cursing, fluff, and a bit of angst lol

A/N: So @princessmisery666​ gave me the idea to use If I Want To by Usher and this is the result lol the break-up scene was inspired by two really good movies lol try to guess what they are!

Word Count: 4,100 ish

v1- This version has text message photos, I have another version that has them typed out.💖

A few days after your not-a-date with Sam, you finally broke up with Ty. While he was at work, you packed all of his clothes into boxes and sat them outside your apartment door. When he got there that evening, he banged on the door demanding that you let him in.

“Open the door, Y/n! My key don’t work,” Ty screamed as he pounded on the door with his foot.

“Go away, Ty!” you moved from your spot on the couch to stand in front of the door.

“Baby, I’m sorry for how I treated you, I shouldn’t have taken you for granted,” he said loud enough for you to hear him. “We can work this out.”

“You’ll never realize that you had something good,” you stepped closer to the door. “I took a lot of shit from you, and it’s cause I thought I loved you. 

“I understand okay,” Ty pleaded. “Please open the door so we can talk about this on the inside. I won’t be selfish anymore.”

You nodded your head and reached for the door.

“I’ll do better, baby, I promise.”

“No, Ty,” you snatched your hand away and crossed your arms. “You don’t mean that shit. You just runnin' your mouth like always.”

“OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, Y/N!” he yelled once again and kicked the door.

“Stop kickin' my damn door, Ty!” you yelled through the door. “Get yo shit and leave!”

���You raggedy bitch!” Ty yelled as he continued to bang on the door. “Fuck you, Y/n. Where the fuck am I supposed to go? How am I supposed to get there?”

“I don’t care, Ty. Just leave!”

“You’re gonna miss me, Y/n. You’ll never find anyone like me!” you could hear Ty moving around outside your door, presumably moving his boxes down the steps. You refused to look through the peephole, you needed to stay strong and stick with this break-up.

A few minutes passed and you didn’t hear any more movement from the other side of your door. You chanced a look through the peephole and sighed with relief that all of Ty’s stuff was gone.

You flipped off the living room light and went to your room. You contemplated whether you should tell Sam or not, but you didn’t want to jump right into a relationship with him. So you chose to keep it to yourself for a while.

Sam had been adamant about being present in your life since he came back. He called and texted you multiple times throughout the day just to make sure that you were okay. He would randomly drop by the bookstore to see you, sometimes bringing Steve or Bucky with him. You didn’t mind at all; it actually made you feel good knowing that he still wanted to be around you. You still hadn’t told him that you’d dumped Ty, it just never came up.

In the middle of one particularly boring shift, Sam came to visit you at work alone. He followed you around the store and flirt with you as usual.

“Ya know, sweetpea,” he said as you reshelved some books. “We’re having a cookout this weekend at the compound. You should bring your boyfriend. I want to finally meet him.”

You turned to face him and smiled, “Who? Ty?”

“Yeah, unless you have another boyfriend that I need to worry about?” Sam said as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I dumped him weeks ago,” you shrugged and resumed stocking the shelves. You could feel Sam burning holes into the back of your head but you chose to ignore him. You attempted to move past him, but he blocked your path with his large body. You still hadn’t looked at him, but when he refused to move, you had no choice.

“So when were you going to tell me that you were single?” he said with a mock attitude. You knew that he wasn’t upset, annoyed yes, but not upset.

You shrugged, “It never came up.” you attempted to move past him again.

“Nah, baby girl,” Sam shook his head and took a step closer to you, backing you into a bookshelf. “So you mean to tell me that we could have been together for weeks? And all you can do is shrug?”

You didn’t move a muscle as he lowered his face to yours. You knew that if he kissed you, you would throw caution to the wind and end up in his bed by the end of the night.

“Sam,” you whispered, placing your hand on his chest, causing him to stop just millimeters from your lips. “I don’t wanna rush into things.” your voice was weak, but you needed to make sure that Sam understood you.

He nodded and moved to place a kiss on your forehead, “I respect that, but you still should come to the cookout this weekend, Bucky misses you.”

You nodded as your head cleared now that Sam wasn’t crowding your space. “Yeah, I’ll come, but only as your friend Sam, nothing more.”

He grinned then licked his lips. “Yeah, friends and nothing more.”

You watched as he backed away from you before he left the store. You needed some time to compose yourself before the cookout.

The few days before the cookout passed by in a blur, almost if the universe was gearing up for something.

On the morning of the cookout, you made sure to take extra care in your outfit. You opted for a yellow spaghetti-strapped sundress and brown gladiator sandals. You put your hair into two space buns and put on a layer of glossy lipgloss. You were feeling yourself and you lowkey might have been dressing up for Sam.

You stepped out of the bathroom, finally ready to go when your phone dinged.

Your heart skipped a beat when you saw a message from Sam and your smile grew.

You rolled your eyes at his teasing even though he couldn’t see it. Your stomach was full of butterflies. You hadn’t seen him since he had invited you over, due to him going on a short mission.

You looked yourself over once again in the mirror before grabbing your purse and the bowl of potato salad that you made and headed out the door.

As you drove to the Compound, your music selection mirrored your mood. You happily sang along to every song in an attempt to calm your nerves.

When you arrived at the compound, Sam was there waiting for you. He greeted you with a large smile and helped you out of the car.

“Y/n, I’m so happy that you made it,” he said as he pulled you into a hug. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

You shook your head no, “Your directions were great, and honestly, almost everyone knows where this place is.”

Sam laughed and took a step back from you, holding your hands out at arm’s length as he looked you up and down. “Damn, Y/n, you look radiant today,” Sam complimented as he spun you around. “Reminds me of my favorite flower.”

Your eyes lit up and you smiled. “Really?” your voice was small as you felt your cheeks heat up and butterflies fill your stomach. You had half a mind to ditch the cookout and drag Sam to the nearest empty room and let him have his way with you.

Sam cleared his throat, “Y/n, you can’t keep looking at me like that if you want us to stay friends.” His voice was lower than usual and you knew from past experiences not to push him any farther.

You grabbed your bowl of potato salad and locked your car door and allowed Sam to give you a tour of the Compound.

“Hey, everyone,” Sam yelled when the three of you made it to the back of the compound. “This is my friend, Y/n.” You took a step closer to Sam when you looked around and all eyes were on you. You’d never been around so many important or famous people before.

You spotted Steve and Bucky as they made their way over to you and Sam took the bowl of potato salad and sat it on a nearby table.

“Y/n! I’m really happy you came,” Steve smiled as he pulled you into a hug. “Bucky here has been begging me to go with him to the bookstore for a few days now.”

“Really?” you laughed as you pulled away. “You guys are more than welcome to come and visit! We just got a new shipment of books the other day. You should come and check them out.”

Bucky nodded and pulled you into a side hug. You loved how easily Steve and Bucky accepted you, you never felt like they were judging you or your relationship with Sam.

After Bucky released you from his hug, he and Steve pulled Sam off to the side, for a quick chat. Before he left, Sam placed a gentle kiss on your temple and He whispered that he would be back. You began to feel nervous about being alone, but through the excitement of meeting the Avengers, you forgot it.

As the introductions died down, you found yourself hanging out with Wanda, who you recognized from the bakery. It didn’t dawn on you, until you saw her at the cookout, that she was the Scarlet Witch. Even though you had only met her once, you felt comfortable enough to spend time with her alone. She introduced you to some of the other people that worked at the compound.

You were having a great time, eating and drinking with the Avengers and people that worked behind the scenes. You were laughing at a joke that someone had shared when you felt Sam wrap his arm around your waist.

“Having fun?” he asked as he handed you a plate full of your favorites then led you to a seat and sat down across from you.

You nodded. “Everyone is so nice. I thought I would be scared to be around them, but everyone’s been so welcoming.”

You two ate in silence for a while before Sam spoke again.

“I’m glad you came, Y/n,” his knees bumped against yours as he turned to face you.

“Me too,” you agreed. “I haven’t had fun like this in years.”

“Imagine how things will be when we’re finally together,” Sam replied with a straight face.

“Sam, you can’t say things like that,” you mumbled. “Someone might overhear.”

“So, let them hear,” he sat up and straightened his back. “Everyone here knows that I want you. And they know that you want me.”

You looked around to see if anyone was watching the two of you. When you realized that no one was watching, you looked back at Sam. “Ty and I were together for-”

“I don't really care how long you were together with your ex,” Sam said, cutting you off. “It's just a matter of time before I make you mine. I wanna make it clear, so there are no misunderstandings, that I get what I want, when I want.”

You sat there looking at him wide-eyed. “You don’t mean that,” you denied.

“When have I ever lied to you, baby girl?” Sam leaned forward and ran his thumb under your bottom lip. Without thinking, you opened your mouth and caught it in between your lips and gently sucked. His answering moan snapped you back to reality and you moved away from him once again causing him to smirk.

“I’m wearing you down,” he stated.

“We’re just friends, Sam,” you repeated, though you weren’t sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself.

“Sure we are.”

You chose to continue eating and to not reply and when you finished eating your food Sam took your trash and walked away leaving you to your thoughts. You hadn’t been alone for more than a few minutes when Steve came over and sat down.

“I have never seen him look so happy,” Steve remarked, and you turned to follow his gaze. Sam had been forced to play as the server in an impromptu volleyball game.

“Really?” you reached for your drink and drained it as Steve nodded.

“Ever since you came around, there’s been a glow about him. He’s been taking on easier and shorter missions almost as if he’s planning on a change or something.”

You remained silent wishing that you hadn’t drank all of your drink.

“You know he loves you right?” Steve said absentmindedly.

“What?”

“Sam. He’s in love with you. He’s been in love with you since you two were in college,” he elaborated. “And from the way you look at him, I can tell that you’re in love with him too.”

You remained silent, refusing to affirm or deny his statement.

“My advice? Listen to your heart. You’ll only regret it if you don’t.” Steve patted your arm before he left you to your thoughts.

You continued to watch Sam play volleyball. You knew where your heart was, where your heart had always been, so why was it so hard to dive in? Sam was who you wanted to be with, and you both deserved to be happy.

Still deep in your thoughts, you got up to go to use the restroom and on your way back you collided with none other than the man that plagued your thoughts.

As Sam helped steady you, you took the chance to search his face. “What am I doing?” you whispered.

Sam quirked an eyebrow at you.

“You’re absolutely right, Sam,” you continued. You were fully aware of Sam’s hands on your hips as you pressed your body flush against his. “I do want you.”

Sam’s eyes crinkled with his smile, the gap in his teeth on full display as he cupped your cheek with his hand.

“Took you long enough, baby girl,” he whispered.

You leaned forward, your lips seeking his, but he held you at a distance and continued to smile.

“As much as I want to kiss you, Y/n, I can’t,” he mumbled as he leaned his forehead against yours. “You’ve been drinking, and I want you to make sure that this is what you want because this is it for me. You’re it for me.”

“Sam, I am sure,” you pouted. “But I respect your wishes.”

Sam pulled back and kissed your hand. “Let’s go back out and have some fun.”

You turned over in Sam’s bed and snuggled deeper into the covers. You were warm, a little too warm, but you didn’t mind as you moved closer to the person laying next to you.

Sam wrapped his arms around you, and you slowly blinked your eyes open. You were thankful that Sam made you drink water after each of your drinks the night before. You were completely hangover free.

You watched Sam’s chest as it slowly rose and fell with each of his breaths and your fingers began drawing random circles over his chest. You remembered Sam refusing to kiss you because you were drunk, but you weren’t drunk anymore.

You pulled away from him, gently enough to not wake him and moved to straddle his hips. You stared down at him as he slept and took note of how peaceful he looked. You watched him for a few more seconds before you slowly lowered your lips to his and kissed him. Sam responded to the kiss the moment your lips touched his, almost as if he had been awake the whole time, but you didn’t mind.

You sighed at finally being able to feel his lips on yours once again, and it was exactly as you remembered. You gently rocked your hips, and Sam snapped his hands to them, holding you still before pulling away from your lips.

“Y/n, are you sure?” he asked, and when you whispered yes he rolled you over so that he was on top and attached his lips to yours once again.

Sam kissed down your neck after helping you out of the shirt that he let you sleep in. He attached his lips to your nipple while he played with the other. You thought of how good Sam made you feel all those years ago and you knew that he would make you feel better this time around.

He kissed down your stomach, along your stretch marks, and licked along where your thigh met your hip. You knew where he was headed, and you were getting frustrated with how long he was taking.

Finally locking eyes with you, Sam slowly lowered your panties and tossed them onto the floor. His eyes glinted and he licked his lips before he pressed your thick thighs to the mattress. You’d never felt so exposed before, but you were comfortable in this position with him. And with one last look, Sam dove in.

He ate you like a man starved and you wanted to cry because it felt so good. You kept one hand on the back of his head urging him deeper and one alternated between grasping the sheets and the headboard. Sam kept your legs pinned to the bed as he fucked you with his tongue, his moans vibrating through your body, pulling your orgasm closer.

“Sam, please!” you begged as you felt the coil in your lower belly tighten. Sam latched his lips around your clit and began to suck and flick it with his tongue when he slipped two of his thick fingers inside of you. He watched you as he fucked you with his fingers and sucked on your clit before curling his fingers inside of you and rubbing your walls. You screamed as your orgasm washed over you, your free leg kicking straight out as you tried to push Sam away. He used his body to hold your leg down as he continued to finger fuck you through your orgasm and ripping a second one from you.

Sam slowed his movements but didn’t withdraw his fingers from you. He released your clit with a pop and smiled up at you.

“Do you know how good you look right now?” he asked knowing that you wouldn’t be able to respond and he laughed when you moaned instead. “You ready for more?”

You panted out a yes and Sam smiled before finally removing his fingers. He held the by your lips and without hesitation, you drew them into your mouth and sucked your essence off them. You held his gaze as you moaned around his fingers before he removed them from your lips. He placed his hand at the base of your throat before he leaned down to kiss you letting you taste yourself on his tongue.

Sam continued to kiss you as he removed his boxers and threw them on the floor. You clenched around nothing in anticipation of what was to come when you felt his dick against your thigh. Sam reached up and gently tugged on your scarf. “Might as well take this off, Y/n,” he joked.

Your hands flew up to the tie and undid it allowing your curls to breathe. Sam pulled on one and watched it spring back before he bit his lip.

You reached down between the two of you and gripped his dick before you stroked it. Your lips quirked up into a smirk when his eyes rolled back into his head. He stopped you after a few pumps and you guided him to your opening. You ran the head of his dick through the seam of your pussy lips and you both groaned.

“Y/n” he whispered. “Are you really okay with this?”

“Yes, Sam. I want this with you,” you consented and he kissed you as he slid inside of you.

You tried to keep up the kiss and he moved within you, but it became too much. You pulled your lips away and panted, releasing a heavy breath as he steadily pushed inside of you. He was bigger than you remembered, thicker, and wider than you were used to, but you were determined to take it all. You clawed at his back when he finally bottomed out. His breathing was heavy in your ear when he placed his head in the crook of your neck. He held your hips down with his hands to keep you from moving as he calmed himself down.

“Fuck, Y/n, you feel so much better than I remember,” he growled in your ear after a few minutes.

You clenched around him, silently telling him that you were ready for him to move. He hitched your leg around his hips before he slowly pulled out of you then pushed back in. He kept his slow and steady pace up for a while, but every few thrusts were hard and fast catching you off guard each time. You held onto him for dear life, bringing his lips down to yours and crying out when he thrust just right.

He brought you to the edge multiple times only to back off leaving you dangling there, wanting more but never getting it. Your pleas of needing a release played into his game of not giving you what you want. After the third time, you begged for release only to be denied once more.

Sam kept your hands locked in his grip as he pounded into you, the rhythm of his thrusts never consistent enough to give you the release you craved. Tears fell as you cried from the pleasure of his treatment. He whispered filthy words of encouragement as you cried for him to let you cum, but deep down you knew that he wasn't going to let you. He was playing dirty, and luckily enough, you knew how to play dirty as well.

Finally having enough, you locked eyes with him and whispered three words you’d never thought you'd say. “Cum in me.”

Sam’s hips stilled when his brain registered your words. And with a devilish smirk, he released your wrists and pulled out of you and flipped you over. He maneuvered your body so that your back was arched and slid back inside of you. The grip he had on your thick hips was almost bruising as your cheeks clapped against him. You held onto the headboard as he fucked you and you met him thrust for thrust.

“Want me to cum in you?” he growled from behind you. “Fine, I’ll cum in you. I’m gonna fill this pussy up.”

You looked over your shoulder and clenched your walls once again catching him off guard causing his hips to stutter. Sam dug his nails into your waist when he locked eyes with you and finally came inside of you with a shout.

The feeling of his warm cum filling you up tipped you over the edge and you came right after him. Sam continued to weakly pump his cum inside of you as you both came until he was completely spent. He fell on top of you and wrapped his arms around you as he tried to catch his breath. You moved against him loving the feeling of his weight on top of you. You whimpered when he attempted to move off you. You pulled him back on top of you and clenched around him.

“Stay in me please,” you whispered in a small voice. You felt safe in his arms, and you didn’t want him to let you go.

Sam moved around so the two of you were laying on your sides, his dick still inside of you. You felt his cum begin to leak out of you when he moved and you frowned. You wondered how long it would take for his to begin fucking you again. Sam moved once again before you felt him pull a blanket over the two of you. He placed a gentle kiss behind your ear and moved his hands so that one was playing with your clit and the other was playing with your nipple.

“Spread your legs a bit wider, Y/n,” Sam whispered in your ear. “I wanna cum in you again.”

[aellynera]

Slingshot (Llewyn Davis x Reader)

SLINGSHOT

(this was inspired by the song “Slingshot” by Ellis Paul, which i think is one of the loveliest love songs ever written, and is something i could hear Llewyn playing on his guitar.)

Word Count: 2412(ish)

Summary: There are many different kinds of storms. Some are fierce, some are quieter, and some walk around with a name and show up in your apartment at three o’clock in the morning.

Warnings: Not really. Maybe a bad word or two.

It was late, almost three in the morning, and you had tried all you could to fall asleep. Mindlessly watching some TV. Listening to soft music on your old second-hand record player. Hot shower. Hot cup of tea. Cold shower, since it was getting more humid outside and therefore hotter in your apartment. Glass of water. Another shower, but just warm instead of hot.

Still awake.

You sighed and filled the kettle again, preparing to make another cup of tea. You knew it was probably useless, but thought perhaps, just maybe, it would work this time. At least your lip had stopped bleeding and the side of your face was now a dull throb instead of the excruciating, blinding torment it had been a few hours ago.

You sighed as you set the kettle on the heating stove and turned to search for a clean mug. There was exactly one, of the entire three you owned, that wasn’t in the sink to be washed. Grabbing it, you unceremoniously tossed a tea bag in as you waited for the kettle to boil. And then you almost dropped it when you heard a voice coming from the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?”

You sighed as you just barely managed to keep a grip on the mug. Dropping it and watching it shatter across your kitchen floor would have made this horrible day infinitely shittier. You should have been more surprised but the sudden appearance, but in all honesty, you really were not. It was more surprising that it was about to rain. The weather had been calm and tranquil no more than twenty minutes ago.

“Llewyn!” you hissed. “What the hell.”

He motioned over his shoulder towards the living room. “I was passin’ through, and I saw your window was open and it’s about to start pouring, and I figured maybe I didn’t have to get drenched so I came up the fire…” he paused as you closed your eyes and blew a breath out your nose. “Baby, what happened?”

You turned back to the stove. You forgot about your lip and winced when you went to bite it. Thank god your back was turned and he didn’t see it. All you wanted was to go to sleep and this was the last thing you needed right now. He was the last thing you needed right now.

“Don’t you baby me, Llewyn Davis. I haven’t seen you for weeks and now you...technically, you just committed a B&E, and you scared the shit out of me.” He didn’t, really. More like annoyed the shit out of you, after the day you’d had and the fact that you hadn’t seen him in weeks.

He huffed. It sounded slightly offended. “No I didn’t. Well, not the breakin’ part, anyway. Sorry if I scared you though.”

“Llewyn, you came in my window. Unannounced. No warning.”

“But there was no breaking,” he stressed, “because your window was open. So yeah, I only entered. Christ, anyone coulda come in here.” He motioned over his shoulder again and leaned on the doorjamb, idly picking at a stray thread on his glove.

An annoyed sort of squawk left your lips as you put the mug on the counter and pushed past him into the living room. Oh for the love of...you could do this, you could do this. Count to ten. Breathe. Think of harmless, inconsequential things like puppies and unicorns and daisies. Anything except how frustratingly...frustrating...the man in front of you could be. And how he’d disappeared for weeks and now just entered your apartment at nearly three o’clock in the damn morning like it was nothing.

But with Llewyn, it was never nothing. That was the problem.

“The window is open because it’s hot and it gets stuffy in here. And you didn’t answer my question,” you snapped, even as you pushed the window closed, maybe just a little harder than you meant to. You snapped the lock shut for good measure.

Llewyn shrugged, still eyeing your slightly swollen cheek and puffy lip. “I was around, just, y’know...and then I went to Chicago for a little while, and…”

“Chicago?” you raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, long story.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away for a second. But it was only a second before his deep, dark eyes were back on you.

“They usually are, with you.”

“I write songs and stories, what can I say. Seriously, what happened to your face?”

You sighed and flopped onto the couch, grabbing one of the throw pillows and hugging it to your chest. The sky outside was lighting up, rapid streaks of energy piercing the falling darkness. Fitting for how your whole night was still going. “It’s nothing. A couple of drunks got into a fist fight and I got caught in the crossfire.”

Now Llewyn raised an eyebrow. Both of them. “Things gettin’ more exciting at the Gaslight since I’m outta town? Christ, I didn’t realize folk music was so explosive.” He moved over to the couch and sat down next to you.

“Folk music, not so much. Stray elbows to the face, a little more so.”

“Damn, sweetheart.” He reached a hand toward your cheek and you flinched. “Hey, I just wanna make sure you’re okay.” His voice was soft. So soft.

The kettle whistled shrilly and you sighed, started to get up. Llewyn stopped you and stood himself, then placed a kiss to the top of your head and went into the kitchen.

“Whose ass do I have to kick?” he asked as he poured boiling water from the kettle.

You snorted. “What, you gonna take on all the drunks in the Village?”

“If I have to. You gotta put the lunatics back in place when they think they’re runnin’ the shop.”

He came back into the living room and handed you the steaming mug of chamomile tea. You took it carefully from him and inhaled some of the steam as he returned to the spot next to you on the couch. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, stretching his legs out and leaning back against your shoulder.

Thunder rumbled loudly, the lightning strike that caused it close enough to make your window shake. It rolled in on itself several times, the sound slowly draining away as the air temporarily settled again.

You considered this for a few minutes as your earlier irritation with him began to dissolve. Llewyn was hard to figure out sometimes. He was cynical and rude and prone to misanthropy  on a fairly disturbing level; on the other hand, he could be hopeful and sweet, caring and at times even romantic. You were used to him coming and going, it was just part of who he was, but honestly...you wished more often than not that he would just stay. Things felt more right when he stayed.

You took a sip of tea and turned your head towards him, offering a wan smile. “I’m fine, really. It was just a couple drunk preppies. I can take down drunk preppies.”

He smiled back. “I know you can. You’re tough as shit. I wouldn’t wanna meet you in some dark alley. I’m just sayin’...I got your back, you know. If you need backup, I’m your guy.”

You hid your smile behind the mug now. “What are you gonna do, beat them over the head with your guitar?”

“Hell no. Jesus, what do you think I am, some kind of savage?” You had to giggle. Llewyn honestly did look offended now, at the mere thought of any damage coming to that beloved instrument. 

“Nah, my nephew Danny gave me his slingshot. I’ll make sure I always have it in my pocket with a couple of rocks,” he continued, running a hand through his hair. “Pop the drunk preps in the head a few times, get their attention. Maybe get ‘em to stop being douchebags.”

The laugh that was about to escape your lips stuck in your throat when you looked at Llewyn again, really looked, and saw the turmoil reflected in his eyes. He was trying to be light, but there was definitely a heaviness that overshadowed his mood.

The sky outside finally broke and rain lashed wildly at your window. A flash lit up the room briefly, followed by another resounding boom that rattled the pane of glass in its frame. And then the lights went out.

“Shit,” you muttered, finding the side table in the darkness and putting your mug down. You slipped your shoulder out from under Llewyn and started to get up. “I have candles in the drawer by the sink.”

“I know where they are, I got it,” he replied, getting up before you could. He went to the kitchen in the nearly pitch black, like he could see in the dark. You heard the drawer open and him rummage around, and then he was back in the living room, lighting a candle with his cigarette lighter and placing it on your coffee table.

You couldn’t quite explain the twinge you felt in your chest at his actions. It felt so casual, so normal, that he just knew where things were in your apartment because he was there often enough. That tickle of thought that I wish he would just stay crept into the back of your brain again.

You said nothing as Llewyn settled back down on the couch again. This time, he reached over and pulled on you gently so you were laying your head on his shoulder. The breath you let go was deep and entire, as if it were coming all the way up from the tips of your toes. He idly stroked your hair as the elements continued to thrash against the walls around you.

Neither of you spoke for a long time. You just watched the candle flicker and listened to the rain steadily bounce off the window.

“Sorry I disappeared on you,” Llewyn finally said, his voice low and quiet.

“You wanna talk about Chicago?” you asked, leaning into his warmth, not taking your eyes off the dancing flame of the candle.

You felt his shoulder move slightly as he shook his head. “Not really.”

You fell into silence again. The light touch of his fingers on your hair and the sound of the rain outside began to make your eyes heavy. The air inside was getting stuffy, from a combination of the humidity outside and the gentle heat from Llewyn’s arms and chest. The last bits of tension eased out of your limbs and you swore your face even stopped aching as much. Finally.

“You ever think about getting out of here, for real though?” your words were becoming tinged with sleep, soft and low and nearly a whisper.

“Out? Where would we go?” Llewyn chuckled, tilting his head down to place the lightest kiss on top of your hair.

We. He said where would we go, not where would I go, you realized. And he had apologized for leaving. You really started to wonder what had happened in Chicago.

“Dunno. Anywhere. A cabin in the middle of the woods.” Despite your suddenly sleepy comfort, a hint of amusement crept into your voice. “A hut on a beach somewhere.”

“Cabins in the middle of the woods are kind of horror movie,” he said. “And I’m not really big on sand.”

“Mmm. Okay, how about...a castle? We could build a castle somewhere, I’ll be the princess in the tower and you can be my one-man army, defending the keep with that slingshot in your back pocket,” you giggle. The rolling thunder of sleep was definitely starting to win over you now.

Llewyn stopped moving, then pulled himself out from behind you. For a few seconds you worried that you said something that was too much, that even suggesting that you be somewhere together and that he stay for once might be too much. The sudden loss of his comfort felt more stifling than the hot, uncirculated air in the room.

But he had said we, not I.

Where would we go?

Llewyn leaned over and blew out the candle. The next thing you knew, he had picked you up in his arms and was carrying you back towards the bedroom. The lights were still out, but your eyes had adjusted well enough to the dark to function. And Llewyn knew where he was going anyway.

He gently set you down on your bed and then, somewhat your surprise, stretched out next to you. Normally he would have just made his move to the couch. You made a note in your sleep-addled brain to ask him again about Chicago in the morning. Something had definitely happened, but...it could wait until morning.

He looked at you nervously, as if he were afraid you might decide to kick him off the bed and out into the storm outside. You gave him a sleepy smile and reached for his hand, intertwining your fingers and pulling it to your chest, asking him to stay. Telling him to stay.

Some of the turmoil in his eyes seemed to disappear as he realized you were not, in fact, going to kick him out. Part of you realized that the storm outside had settled, the rain had stopped, with just a few distant peals of thunder clinging to the atmosphere.

He moved closer to you, pushed a stray lock of hair off your face, and kissed your forehead. “Don’t need a castle,” he whispered. “I got my princess. And I’ll protect this with a whole lot more than just a slingshot.”

“You sound like you’re writing a song,” you sighed. You turned onto your side and curled up into his chest.

“Hmm, maybe. That’s what I do,” he smiled into the dark.

“Llewyn…” you mumbled, the last flicker of consciousness slipping from you as the last flares of the storm outside faded away, “Stay.”

There was a magic cure for your sleeplessness and your pain. It wasn’t mugs of chamomile tea or warm baths or vapid images on your television screen. It was thunderstorms and mysteries and open windows by your fire escape.

It was Llewyn.

The last two things you were aware of were his arms slipping around you to hold you close and his hushed reply.

“There’s no place I’d rather be.”

~end~

tag list: @anetteaneta @darksideofclarke @girlwiththemostcake @rosemarysbaby13

(if you would like to be tagged in future fics, just let me know!)

[atlafan]

happy belated mother's day!!! I was thinking, perhaps harry is an insurance agent and y/n calls to complain about her policy. perhaps y/n needs to bundle her home and auto policies. anyways, y/n likes talking to harry so much she keeps finding different things to call him about. and perhaps he likes talking to her too so he keeps calling her to follow up on her feedback for his services. just thoughts. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, MOM

a/n: MY SWEET ANGEL BABY YET AGAIN YOUVE GIVEN BE A BRILLIANT IDEA! THANK YOU!

Safety First

“What the fuck?! This can’t be right.” You groaned as you looked at your new auto policy that came in the mail. 

It was about $200 higher than it was last year, which made absolutely no sense to you. You hadn’t gotten into accidents, and you hadn’t bought a new car. There simply had to be a mistake. Usually your dad helped you with these kinds of things, but since he had passed away a year ago, he couldn’t exactly call the insurance agent

You dial the number and wait for someone to answer.

“Safety Auto Insurance, this is Harry.” 

“Hi Harry, this is Y/F/N Y/L/N, I got mailed my new auto policy for this year and it’s wrong.”

“Oh hi. Y/N!” Harry knew exactly who you were. His mother owned the insurance company, and he remembers your dad quite well. 

Harry never thought he’d end up working the family business, but he actually liked selling insurance and helping people with their claims. 

“How are you?”

“Um...not good Harry, my policy went up $200! That can’t be correct!”

“Okay, let me just look everything up for you so I can see what happened.”

You hear typing and a few clicks. You can hear him reading to himself. You sigh heavily as you continue to wait. 

“Ah! I see what happened, my sister added in the Rental Car option for you. It’s so if you end up needing another car-”

“I know what it’s for, and I’ve refused the service before. I’d still have to pay a fee if I rented a car, I’m two years away from being twenty-six. Please remove it.”

“Certainly.”

“I don’t appreciated you guys just sneakily adding things in.” You huff.

“I don’t think that was Gem’s intention, Y/N.”

“And what was she doing renewing my policy? You’re my insurance agent, Harry, not her.”

“I see, so you only want me taking care of you?” He clears his throat. “Taking care of things for you, I mean.” 

“Yes. You’re the one that used to take care of things with my father, not her. You know my family better.”

“Technically my mum knows your family better...”

“Yeah, well, you took over for her didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.” You hear a few more clicks and typing sounds.

“Okay, I took the rental option out. I’ll mail you a new paper copy, and email it to you as well.”

“Thank you. I usually just pay for half up front, can I do that on the phone with you now?”

“Sure!” 

//

Harry always liked when you’d come in with your dad. Your dad would often tell his mum about how you were doing in high school, and then in college. You would always blush and tell him to stop. You would always just ask to get your car back on the road already. You loved driving. Harry rarely got to speak with you, but he got to speak with you dad a lot. He was a nice guy, but much like you, he didn’t take any bullshit. 

Harry noticed that your address had changed. It seems as though you had moved out of your house and into an apartment, and didn’t have renters insurance yet. You could save a lot of money by bundling, so Harry took the excuse to call you. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N, it’s Harry from Safety Insurance. Is now a good time?”

“That depends, are you trying to sell me something?” You hear him chuckle softly. 

“Sort of, but just hear me out before you hang up, yeah?”

“Alright.”

“Did you move recently? I noticed on your last statement that your address changed.”

“Yeah, I was finally able to get an apartment in the city.” 

“That’s great! Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“Have you looked into renters insurance yet?”

“Not really...isn’t that just a scam?”

“Not exactly, it can be really helpful if someone broke in, or if your place flooded or caught on fire. Or like if a tree branch broke your window, stuff like that. You can actually save a lot of money by bundling.” 

“Do you call all your clients like this?”

“You told me you wanted me taking care of your things, so here I am doing that before other agencies try to swindle you. Your dad bundled with us too, if that makes any difference.”

“I’ll have to come in so you can walk me through everything, this is too much over the phone, you know?” You couldn’t see it, but Harry had a huge smile on his face at the thought of you coming in.

“That works for me. Let’s set up a time for you to come in.” 

//

You weren’t thrilled to be using your Friday afternoon to go hang out with your insurance guy, but the more you thought about it, the more you figured renters insurance was a good idea. When you walked in, you had wished you dressed a little nicer. You had a messy bun on the top of your head, some jeans a t-shirt on. No makeup, no nothing really. You saw Harry laughing over something with is his sister. It had been a long time since you had stepped foot in here. You hadn’t realized how handsome Harry had gotten. 

“Y/N!” He beams when he turns to see who it was that came through the door. “It’s great to see you.” He extends his hand to shake yours. 

“Um, it’s great to see you too.”

“Let’s go use the office in the back. Gemma’s got some clients comin’ in and I fear it’ll get too loud out here in the open area.”

“Okay.” 

You wave to Gemma and follow Harry in the back. He gestures for you to sit, and he goes around the desk to sit in his chair. He grabs some papers and puts them in front of you. 

“Right, so, we’re talkin’ about bundling home and auto today?”

“That’s what you called me about...” He hums his response and flips to a page to show you some figures and what adding renters insurance would mean. 

After an hour or so of him explaining things, and you trying to understand, he convinced you to bundle your home an auto.

“Your payments won’t change much since you already paid for so much in advance. I hope this gives you some peace of mind, and you don’t feel like I was trying to just get more money out of you.”

“I did at first, but everything you said made sense.” You shrug. “I’m sure my dad would be at peace knowing I’m being extra careful.”

“He used to talk about you all the time whenever he’d come in here. I think he liked doing everything face to face.”

“God, it was always so embarrassing whenever I’d come in with him to put my car back on the road.” You groan. 

“No, it was sweet. We’re a family business, so it was nice to see another close family.” 

“How’s your mum been?”

“She’s loving the retired life that’s for sure. Gem and I like runnin’ the place. Of course sometimes we have that needy clients that don’t like it when she and I switch places from time time.” He smirks.

“Needy, huh? As I recall, you called me for this specific thing.”

“Only after you insisted on me being the one to handle any and all things that had to do with you.”

“Not just me, my mom too.”

“How’s she been...?”

“She’s started to go out on dates again which has been nice for her. Nothing serious of course, I think she just likes the company. I felt bad for moving out, but it was time. It was too depressing being reminded that he wasn’t gonna be walking through the door after work.” Your voice crack and he hands you a tissue. “Thanks.”

“Sorry...I shouldn’t have pressed. I know things are still really fresh.”

“It’s okay. Some days are just easier than others that’s all.” You look at your watch. “Well, I’ve taken up a lot of your time. I’m sure you have plans or something tonight.” You stand up and shake his hand. He follows you you. 

“Actually, I, uh, don’t have plans...”

“Oh, well, I’m sure you’d like to get home at any rate.”

Gemma makes a gesture to Harry to just go for it.

“Y/N?” He grabs your wrist and you look at him a little surprised. 

“Yes?”

“Do you have plans tonight?” 

“Um.” You look down at your schlubby appearance. “No.”

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind waiting, I just need like thirty minutes to wrap some things up for the weekend...”

“And what would I be waiting for exactly?” 

“I was sort of wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat...” 

“You wanna take me to dinner to dinner?” 

“Well...yeah.” 

“Oh.” You think to yourself for a second. You needed to change. There was no way you were gonna go out looking like this. You still had some things at your mom’s house. That would be faster than going all the way to your apartment. “Okay, but I need to go change...I could meet you back here in an hour if that works.”

“Sounds great.” 

You smile at him and leave. Harry turns to Gemma, and she gives him a thumbs up as he goes to sit down at his desk. 

//

“Hi honey!” You mom says to you as you come flying into the house.

“Can’t talk, I think I have a date!” You run up the stairs and she follows you. 

“With?!”

“Harry Styles.” You mumble as you enter your old bedroom.

“Oh, that nice boy from the insurance company.”

“He’s not a boy anymore mom, he’s like, a man now. And super cute. I went into bundle my policy, looking like this, and he asked me out. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Oh, I can. His face would always go bright red any time we’d bring you in with us.” She laughs. “Him and his sister have taken over the business now right?”

“Mhm.” You find a nice sun dress hanging in your closet and right now you’re thankful you left it there. “I need to borrow some makeup, there’s no helping my hair.”

“Honey, I’m sure he doesn’t care how you look.”

“I know, but if we’re going to dinner I’d like to look somewhat put together.” 

“Your father always liked Harry, I’m sure he’d be thrilled you’re going out with him.” 

You smile at your mom and get ready. You had back to Safety Insurance and go inside. Harry and Gemma turn to look at you.

“Well, look who got all dolled up for my little brother.” Gemma jokes. “You two kids have fun.” She waves you and Harry off as you leave the building. 

“Wanna take my car?” He asks. “I can drop you off here after.”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” 

You get into his car. It’s a bit awkward at first, so he tries talking.

“What are you in the mood for?” He asks.

“Oh, anything’s fine, I’m not picky.”

“How about Joe’s Grill?”

“Sounds great! I haven’t been there in forever.” 

He drives you there, and you both go inside. Things are still a little awkward when you get sat at your table. A waitress comes over to give you some water, and leaves. 

“Harry...”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you ask me to dinner?”

“Um, well, to be honest I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while, but I just figured you had a boyfriend or something. I also didn’t know if it would just be weird in general...”

“It’s a little weird.” You giggle. “I feel like I’ve known you for years, but at the same time I have no idea who you are.” 

“Yeah, it’s like, we’ve been acquaintances for years, but you and I never really spoke.” 

“Exactly.” 

You each order a burger and a drink, and keep chatting. You get to know him a little better, and you tell him what you do for work.

“Wow, it must be nice having an entire summer off.”

“It is! It’s definitely a perk to being a teacher.” 

Harry was a really nice guy, and he had a great sense of humor. He drops you off back at your car, and you thank him for a nice evening.

//

A few days had gone by and he hadn’t heard from you. He wasn’t sure if he should be the one to reach out or not. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N...it’s Harry, uh, from Safety Insurance...”

“Ah, so this is a business call?” You joke, and he laughs. 

“Well, I wanted to see how your renters insurance was treating you.”

“Haven’t had a disaster yet, so that’s good.”

“That is good!” He takes a deep breath. “Did you, um, have a nice time the other night?”

“I did.”

“Oh, good, so did I.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” He can feel his face heating up. 

“Could I...see you again sometime?”

“Well, that depends.”

“On?”

“Would it be for an insurance thing, or to actually take me out?”

“To actually take you out of course. I think I’ve gotten you down for just about everything you need on the business end.” 

“I won’t be free until Saturday.”

“Saturday works! Would you want to meet up in the afternoon and take a walk on the beach?”

“I’d love to.”

“Great, uh, this is your cell phone number, right?”

“No, this is a land line.”

“It is?!”

“I’m joking!”

“Oh!” You both laugh. 

“Of course it’s a cell phone, why?”

“Well, I was just wondering if it would be alright if I called sometime you from my own phone, and not my work phone.”

“Yeah, of course it would.”

“Alright then...well...I’m sure we’ll speak before then, but I’ll see you Saturday!”

“See you Saturday, Harry.” 

[thiswasinevitableid]

17, indruck, nsfw if you want would be awesome. Your writing is incredible btw and reading (and re-reading) your fics always makes my day!

Thank you so much! And here you go, it is indeed NSFW

17. i get your name during secret santa at work and use the same wrapping paper for my gift to my friend, so…sorry about all the sex toys 

Duck adores the way work does secret santa; random assignments, followed by dropping the gift off on the 20th. Simple and to the point, and no gathering where everyone is judging everyone else’s gift choices. 

Plus, this year he got Indrid as his person to buy for. He’s head of marketing and design for the Arboretum, and Duck’s been looking for new ways to help him feel welcome. He started up in February and is a little reclusive, seeming to think his work is so different from that of the rangers, gardeners, and researchers that they won’t want to talk with him. 

Duck finds him fascinating, if a bit weird. They worked together to design new promotional art featuring native prairie plants, and Indrid soaked up everything Duck told him. And it’s remarkable to see the familiar ecosystem come to life through a new set of eyes. Light brown, curious eyes that Duck’s sensed watching him appreciatively from time to time. No harm there, Duck’s stolen more than a few peeks at Indrid when the artist is otherwise occupied.

So, yeah, he’s glad the gift gives him another way of making Indrid feel like he’s a part of the team.

When he steps through the office door, Indrid perks up, spinning in his chair. 

“Good morning Duck! You caught me just in time, I have to take Thacker his gift.”

“Ain’t that a coincidence. Here” he produces the flat, rectangular box wrapped in pine tree paper, “Santa’s makin an early delivery.”

Indrid flaps his hands with a delighted smile, so Duck sets the box down on his desk. 

“Thank you so much, Duck. I have a meeting right after seeing Thacker so I can’t open it now-”

“No big deal, man. Just wanted to get it to you in case you were runnin around all day. Merry Christmas, ‘Drid.”

That smile follows him all the way to his office, then out into the freshly snow-covered woods. Indrid always seems so happy to see him. Unlike some people.

He checks his phone. Still no texts. He left Jason’s present on his front porch, some part o him hoping that it would strike the right balance between “it’s cool if we stay friends with benefits” and “but I would really like something more serious. Really. Would it kill you to go on an actual date?”

It’s not like the other guy isn’t willing to demand lots of Duck’s time and energy. It’s just that whenever Duck needs even a smidge of the same, he’s nowhere to be found. 

As he’s eating lunch, his phone buzzes. 

J: Dropped wrapped box back at your place. Been leading up to this for awhile, but I’m gonna end things. I know a cuffing move when I see one. 

Well, that explains the lack of contact for three weeks. 

He groans, closes his thermos. Has be really been that desperate for romance that he spent all this energy on a guy who acts twenty-five rather than thirty-five? It’s not that much to ask, right? He just wants someone who thinks he’s worth their time, who likes talking with him, who wants to get to know all the messy, overgrown parts of him. 

Ding

It’s an email from Indrid, asking if Duck will stop by his office after he locks up the visitor center so Indrid can thank him for the gift.

He responds in the affirmative, soothes his bruised ego for a few more minutes, and then dives back into his reports on the health of the Lost Forest section.

By the time he locks up, the only cars in the parking lot are his truck and Indrid’s VW Van. He heads to the lower floor and follows the clicking of a keyboard to Indrid’s office. 

“Hello, Duck.” Indrid ushers him in, shutting the door behind the ranger, “I’m glad you didn’t have to rush off. Please, ah, have a seat.” He gestures to the chair across from his desk, which he then leans back against. Duck could be imagining it, but it looks as if his usually messy, dyed silver hair has been brushed down. And he’s not in the thick coat and hat he wears on his way out the door at the end of the day; he’s still in his black cardigan and light green shirt, black pants showcasing the long lines of his legs. 

“I, ah, I really like the gift, Duck. And I was, ah, was wondering if you’d like to go get dinner before we make use of it.”

“Uh, how would we both use a sweater?” Duck’s heart ping-pongs between his throat and his stomach. 

“......What sweater?” Indrid’s eyes are wide behind his red glasses. 

“Aw fuck” Duck drops his head into his hands, “knew I shoulda bought more wrappin paper.”

“To be certain I am understanding correctly, this is not what you meant to give me?” Indrid bites his lip, tilting the box so Duck can see the contents. 

“Yeah, I did not mean to give my coworker a vibrator and a fuckin paddle.” He flops his head back, covering his face with his hands. Maybe he can hide like this until Indrid leaves or the world chooses to mercifully strike him dead. 

“Oh.” Indrid puts the lid back on the box, “it was for someone else. That makes more sense.”

He sounds sad, and that’s a million times worse than if he were angry or mocking. There has to be a way for Duck to salvage this. 

“Uh, you can keep ‘em. If, uh, if you want. Person I got ‘em for don’t wanna see me anymore.”

“I don’t have much use for them on my own. Well, I suppose this could be fun” he picks up the vibrating plug, one that can sync to music, speech, or an app, “but not as fun as it would with someone else controlling it.”

“You tellin me there ain’t someone chompin at the bit to get you into bed?”

“I’m not really anyone’s type.”

“You’re mine. Fuck. I, uh, I mean, uh-”

“Duck, while you recently got dumped, I assure you, you can do better than me.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I thought about you way more in the last month than I thought about him.” 

Indrid’s eyebrows leap up his head. Then his expression does a series of acrobatics, landing on disbelief. His friend looks down at the floor, arms crossed comfortingly around his stomach.

Duck stands, the few feet between them as charged and uncertain as a crumbling cliff edge. Carefully, he sets his hands on Indrid’s shoulders. 

“‘Drid, is there somethin you been meanin to tell me?”

“I like you a lot, Duck. And I find you painfully attractive.” Indrid refuses to look up, not even when Duck rests a hand on his cheek.

“Why didn’t you say anythin sooner?”

“I didn’t think you felt the same way.” 

Duck guides his face so they’re looking at each other, takes a deep breath, and leans up to kiss him. 

A fluttery sigh as Indrid’s hands settle on Duck’s body, starting on his hips and then boldly slipping into his back pockets. He keeps the kiss slow and chaste, holds off on parting his lips or nipping at the curves of Indrid’s mouth. Duck’s never had to reassure someone with a kiss before and he’s not going to fuck it up. 

He shifts forward, encouraging Indrid’s exploration of his body, and accidentally presses the taller man into the desk, pinning him. Indrid “eeps” into the kiss, going rigid in Duck’s arms.

“Fuck, sorry” Duck tries stepping back, only for Indrid to grab his ass, keeping them chest to chest. 

“Don’t be.”

Duck considers the flush crawling up Indrid’s neck and the hopeful look hiding behind his glasses. He sets a hand on each bony hip and gives a short, sharp shove, growling a little. Indrid moans, louder this time, and yanks him into a kiss by his hair. When he lets go Duck gulps for air before biting his ear

“You like it when I’m mean, sugar?”

“Like does not even begin describing it.”

“Here I thought I was gonna have to romance you some.”

“I am in favor of romance as well.” Indrid wriggles his hips, grin wide and eager. As much as Duck wants a look at the cock currently hardening against his thigh, he has an even better idea. 

“Think I can do both. It’s real clear tonight, whole place’ll look amazing with a full moon on the snow. Howsabout you and me take a little walk?”

“That sounds-”

“With you wearin this the whole time.” He whacks the gift box towards Indrid.

“-Perfect. Give, give me one moment.” Indrid grabs the plug and one of the packets of lube Duck put in it for courtesy and dashes from the room. Duck downloads an app onto his phone, and holds Indrid’s coat open for him when he gets back. 

As they set off down one of the short loop trails, he casually asks, “you turn it on?”

“Of courseAHhnn” Indrid shudders, stumbling on his next step. 

“You know much about that model?”

“I aAAAhhsumed it’s remote controlled”

“It is” Duck pulls his phone out, shows Indrid the corresponding app, “but it syncs to music too and, uh” he smirks, leans closer to the phone, “speech.”

Indrid yelps as the toy buzzes again. Duck happens to know it has multiple speeds and a thrust function, and he wants to know just how Indird looks when those kick on at the same time. But he pauses, waiting to see if Indrid needs to stop and go back inside.

“In, in that case” he flicks a strand of hair from his face, “why don’t you tell me about the nest you’ve been watching.”

Duck takes his arm, guiding them along the path and explaining all about the Great Horned Owl nest he’s spotted, and how he’s not sure why it’s occupied right now since nesting season isn’t for months for that species. He keeps his phone in his free hand the entire time to better pick up his voice. Indrid nods, doing his best to listen, but by the time the hit the clearing in question he’s having a hard time walking. When he’s busy looking at the stars, Duck finds the button on the app to turn on the thrusting function.

“FUCK!” Indrid hunches forward, bracing on a tree trunk, “ohgoodness, that’s, that’s so good.” He’s working his hips and ass against nothing,whimpers filling the night air. 

“Yeah? You like the fact I can fuck you without eve touchin you?” 

Indrid whines, manages to turn around and lean on the trunk, right hand frantically pawing his crotch. 

“Keep your fuckin hands off you dick.”

The whine jumps several notes in the scale as Indrid slams his palms flat on the bark, face turned pleadingly to the sky and hips jerking helplessly in a futile search for friction. He looks so debauched and just a little out of place, the sweet little artist who strayed too far into the woods and is at the mercy of the big, bad, wolf. 

This big bad wolf has no interest in mercy. 

“Lookit you. Gonna make a mess of yourself just from some teasin.”

“This is haAArdly teasing, oh, ohgod.”

“I’d say it counts. I mean, I may not let you cum at all.”

“Please” The whimper gives way to a sob, Indrid thoroughly cornered against the tree as Duck lunges forward.

“You’re on my turf now, sugar, so you don’t get to make a demand. We’re gonna do this my way, and I ain’t decided if that means leavin you to walk back hard or to make you cum so many times you make a mess of those pants and gotta drive home wearin a reminder of how fuckin needy you are when it comes to my dick.”

“Yes, yesyesyes”  Indrid tries to grind forward enough to hump him. Duck drops his phone in his pocket, figuring it’ll still pick up enough, and traps his hips back. 

“Yesss, Duck, sweetheart, please, please kiss me.”

“Can’t do that and talk at the same time.” Duck rips off one glove.

“BuMPHmmmmm”  Indrid hums around the fingers in his mouth, still writhing weakly against Duck’s hold. He has to be close, and Duck is harder than diamond.

The wolf pounces. 

He spins Indrid away from the tree and brings him gracelessly to the ground, climbing atop him and working his hips hard, rutting against his trapped dick. Indrid’s feet kick in the snow and he clings to him, babbling as Duck chases his orgasm.

“So good, so good sweetheart, please, please I’m going to cum-”

“If you cum before I finish I’m fuckin leavin you here.” 

“I can’t, it’s, it’s so much, I’ll make it up to you, oh, oh Duck, AHhnnn”  Indrid tenses under him, cumming with a cry.

“Fuck it” He grunts, grinding as hard as he can even as Indrid squirms from the overstimulation beneath him. It’s not always easy for him to cum like this, but goddamnit he’s soaked his boxers and Indrid is still here, willing and submissive, taking whatever Duck gives him, letting the beast in the trees have his fill. 

He cums with a gasp, dropping forward as it races through him. Over the rush in his ears, Indrid is murmuring sweetly, telling him how wonderful it was. 

Why are his knees so fucking cold?

Oh, right, the snow.

With a groan he sits up, standing on wobbly legs and helping Indrid up. When the other man whimpers he fumbles his phone, turning the toy off.

“C’mon, let’s go back and warm up.”

Indrid grins, looping their arms together and leaning against him. It’s not just the post-orgasm haze that has him giddy; he realizes he feels like this whenever he and Indrid are together.

“‘Drid will, uh, will you come home with me?”

“I have an alternate proposition. I need to change my clothes, and need to feed the mischief at home. How about you meet me at Blue Plate in an hour? After all, I did promise you a date.”

Duck brushes snow from Indrid’s hair as the taller man embraces him. Indrid is watching him, and it’s the first time a long while that Duck’s felt fully seen. 

“You did, didn’t you.” He sighs, resting his head on Indrid’s shoulder.

“Is that a ...yes?”

He tips his head up, kissing Indrid’s cheek, “Yep. It’s a date.”

[cryptidofthekeys]

Yandere Chase x Reader (An Average Day in Hell)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: YANDERE BEHAVIOR, KILLING/BEATING TO DEATH, DEATH, SLIGHT MANIPULATION??? (unintentionally and intentional technically speaking), MENTIONS OF A CAR CRASH BUT NOTHING TOO IN DETAIL OF THAT, ALSO DIVORCE MENTIONS, AND SOME SLIGHT ABUSE AT THE END PLEASE KEEP THESE IN MIND BEFORE READING

im not good at titles either also this one is like SUPER fucking long as well- so a keep reading is 100% needed also probs gonna tag it with long post just to be super safe

also wanna interact with the yandere egos? Well, shoot me an ask and I’ll post a link to the sideblog on my main (not gonna copy n paste that here, it took a good few minutes to get this story off my docs n shit lmao)

You were out for a nice walk on one of the trails nearby your house, it was one of the trails you could walk on without worrying about running into anyone, and you liked it that way… You’d rather not deal with a lot of people, you continued onward, taking in the beautiful scenery of the trees, the forest surrounding the area was so beautiful this time of year… The trees were all turned to such pretty colors, that doesn’t mean they weren’t pretty before of course, they just became even more beautiful than before that’s all. You were so distracted you hadn’t even noticed the man that was suddenly walking next to you, you were so fixated by trees until the man coughed into his sleeve and this made you jump and stumble backwards until you were suddenly on your ass.

The man looked down at you and he almost seemed panicked “Oh shit dude! I’m so sorry! I didn’t like, mean to spook ya!” He extended a hand “Are you alright, bro?” You looked at the man for a moment, he had a dark gray heather shirt on, black denim jeans, combat boots, and his hair was a grassy green color, and he wore a baseball cap of sorts with a skull on it, his eyes were a bright ocean blue, overall he looked like a pretty average dude, an average bro some would say (that was the stupidest thing thats ever come outta my mouth imma shut the fuck up now), you realized you had been staring at him for the past few moments, to avoid making this any more awkward, you took his hand and thanked him for helping you get to your feet.

The man grinned happily “No problem, I mean, it was my fault after all, I scared the absolute fuck outta ya” There was a pause before he cleared his throat “My name’s Chase, Chase Brody!” He offered a hand for you to shake, of course, not wanting to be rude you returned it “It’s nice to meet you, Chase… My name is (Y/N)... I uh, don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before?” You questioned which made the man chuckle a little bit “Yeah, I uh, I’m new here technically, I just like, needed to go out and get some fresh air ya know, that’s all… I take it that not many people use this trail here, yeah?” You nodded “Yeah, it’s rare to see ANYBODY on this trail, well, except for me that is, I always use this trail for that reason” You smiled, this man was at least friendly enough… The two of you continued walking up the trail, might as well at least have someone to converse to while you're walking “Sooo…” The man began “How long ya lived in these parts, because it’s like, really beautiful!” You nodded “Yeah, it’s one of the reasons I moved here actually, because of the beautiful scenery…”

Chase nodded at this “Same, I mean, don’t get me wrong, where I lived before?” He paused, rubbing his shoulder rather awkwardly “Aha… It had SOME beautiful areas but nothing compared to this!” Chase looked as if he were about to say something else but he must’ve decided against it because he just paused for a few moments, trying to think of something else to say “So uh, what do you do exactly? Like, do you have a job? Orrr any hobbies?” You shrugged “A few things here and there, as for a job? Uhh, well… I work at that old timey family diner in town actually” Chase’s smile widened “Oh damn, that sounds cool, I don’t think I’ve been to that one yet, I have explored a little bit of the town though…” 

You nodded “Well, I mean, there’s always time to check it out!” Chase nodded and looked up towards the sky and frowned “Ah shit, it’s getting a lil late… I need to like, go pick my kids up from school n shit, you know how it goes”

You blinked in surprise “You have kids?” Chase nodded “Yep! Two boys and one girl!” Damn… You didn’t expect that, but then the man began to run off, he turned back to wave "Gotta hurry n go! I’ll seeya sometime maybe!” You gave him a wave back and just like that he was gone… You smiled, that was a nice conversation at least… Even if you usually liked to be alone on this trail and not to talk, in fact this time it was the exact opposite… You hoped you’d see him again, truth be told ...Maybe one day, for now you focused on getting through the rest of the trail, and maybe then after this, you’d head into town if you still had time for it… Eventually, you did manage to get through the trail, it took a long while, longer than you would’ve liked but you still had some time to kill for the day, so you headed back and then off into town you went, you’d just browse around for the day… Seeing what was at the shops today and such as that.

You headed into one of the bookstores to see if they had anything you’d be interested in reading or purchasing, you looked around each aisle and looked at each genre, you found a book called an 'An Average Day in Hell' ...You inspected the book and skimmed through some of the pages, it was about a man ironically enough named Chase, you snorted at the title, the dialogue and narration was just... "...This all sounds cheesy as fuck..." You then put the book back and finished up in the bookstore, nothing really caught your eye so you then headed for the next shop, it was a clothing store, maybe you could find some cute outfits in there! You headed inside and glanced around at all the options, this store had a lot of things... There were fancy suits, casual clothing, etc. As you browsed around the shop you suddenly paused and shivered, you had a feeling... A weird feeling, like someone was watching you... You casually turned around and saw that nobody was there ...Maybe you were just imagining things.

(this is future me at past me while breaking the fourth wall there: ...Hm, not the WORST but definitely not the best use of fourth wall breaks, im, not proud of that part okay moving on)

You shook your head and continued to browse around, you pulled out one of the outfits that had particularly caught your attention, and went into one of the changing rooms, you tried on the outfit and examined how it looked on you, you liked this one, you liked it a lot ...You just needed to make sure it was within your price range before you actually bought it, you looked at the price and it was... Way too much for you to afford unfortunately, you sighed and took the outfit off and put your original clothing back on, you then put the outfit back on the rack and went on your way, you headed for one of the ice cream shops, some ice cream would cheer you up for sure! You were about to head inside before three kids rushed into the shop, practically pushing you aside, a very familiar voice called out to them in a scolding manner "Now kids! It's rude to push people like that! No ice cream until you apologize!" The man turned towards you and was about to apologize for his kids before... "No way... (Y/N)? Is that you?" 

You smiled and turned to face Chase "Hey Chase! Takin' the kids out for some ice cream?" The man grinned and nodded "Yepperino!" The kids came up to you "We're sorry for shoving you (Y/N)! Very sorry!"

You shook your head "It's alright, I imagine you were just excited for the ice cream, yeah?" The kids eagerly nodded and were about to run off again before their father stopped them "Now now, don't just go runnin' off! Ya need to meet daddy's friend!" The kids came over and Chase pointed at the eldest son "This is Trey" then to the second eldest, the daughter "This is Chelsea" and then finally to the youngest son "And this is Greyson...!" 

(looked on wiki for the potential boys, so two potential canon names and one I just bullshitted til I got a girl-esque name in my brain)

Greyson hid behind Chase, the boy seemed pretty shy... Meanwhile Trey and Chelsea greeted you instantly "It's nice to meet you (Y/N)!" You smiled "It's nice to meet you too kiddos!" Greyson grabbed Chase's shirt who knelt down instantly "What's up kiddo?" Greyson whispered into Chase's ear who smiled "Greyson says it's nice to meet you too..." Chase stood back up and whispered to you "He's a very shy kid around strangers, he'll get used to you eventually" You nodded and with introductions and such out of the way, you all proceeded to get some ice cream, Chase insisted on buying you some but you refused, you were not going to make him pay for you like that.

Eventually after defeating Chase and getting him to relent from his actions... All of you then sat down to enjoy your ice cream, Trey got some vanilla, Chelsea got some strawberry, Greyson got some chocolate, Chase had gotten some cookies and cream, and you had gotten your favorite as well 

(i'm not gonna specify that, i mean y'all know what ya like)

 As you were eating some of your ice cream, you sighed and set the cup down for a few moments, Chase noticed this and he looked concerned "Is somethin' wrong (Y/N)?" You looked up at Chase before leaning in to whisper, you didn't exactly want the kids hearing this "I dunno... It's just... I was browsing in the clothing shop near here and I just... I got the feeling someone might've been watching me..." Chase's concern grew at this as he whispered back "Oh? Did ya like, manage to see anybody...?" You shook your head "Not at all... I dunno, maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me or something..." Chase shrugged "I'd hope it's just your imagination... I'd be pretty spooked if someone was followin' me for sure..." Chase then paused to...

...No, no, he did not just do that... He did not do what you think he just did ...Oh my god he did, he did the absolute thing you thought he did, it's evident in the ice cream... ...Chase just bit. Into. His. Ice. C r e a m... You cringed at this "Chase, Imma be honest with you, if you do that again in front of me, I WILL get up and leave this table" The man grinned and let out a little laugh "Aww c'mon bro! Don't leave me!" ...His tone sounded off there, maybe his voice cracked, because it definitely sounded like a bit of one, either way you couldn't help but giggle "I'm kidding, but please, resist from biting your ice cream like that" Chase chuckled "Okay, okay, I won't bite my ice cream again ...Maybe..." You gave him a playful glare to which he just grinned and finger gunned at, the rest of the evening was spent cracking jokes back and forth, Chase threatening to bite into his ice cream again and then threatened to bite yours, to which you responded by holding the cup near you and muttering out a 'my precious...' in a low raspy voice.

The way you said that and the sheer silliness of the situation caused Chase to practically burst with laughter, you joined in as well, it did turn a few heads but the two of you didn't seem to care, his kids had finished their ice cream a good bit ago and were just sitting there, they seemed... Really happy at the scenario right now... Eventually you looked out the window and your eyes widened as you immediately stood up, this caused Chase to pause before tilting his head "What's up?" You sighed "As much as I've enjoyed our evening... I really need to get going... It's getting super late, and I just, I hate walking home late at night..." Chase nodded "Ah yeah... I should get the kids home too, if ya want, I can drive ya back to your place" You smiled "Oh no no, I don't wanna trouble you..." Chase reached out and gently grasped your hand "(Y/N), I promise, it isn't any trouble at all, you didn't let me buy ya any ice cream so at LEAST lemme do this for ya" You sighed, you couldn't argue with this one and you nodded "If you insist"

Chase smiled and nodded, standing up and getting out of the booth, motioning for his kids to come on which they did, you all headed out and hopped into Chase's car, he cranked it up and then off he drove, in the direction of your house, there wasn't much talking in the car, as both Chelsea and Trey had fallen asleep, Greyson was in the seat twiddling with his thumbs, eventually Chase did make it back to your house, he pulled into the driveway "Welp, here we are, home sweet home! Er, for you that is I guess" You smiled and turned toward Chase "...I just, thank you Chase... Really, you know... I had a lot of fun tonight, that's the most fun I've had in awhile..." The man smiled "Honestly? Me too... I uh, I'm glad you had fun..." You nodded "...If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to do it again actually..." Chase's face flushed immediately and his eyes were wide, he turned towards you in shock "R-Really? You... Want to... Meet up again?" You nodded "Yeah, I mean, er... If you want to do that!" Chase had the biggest and happiest smile on his face "YEAH!!" He shouted, startling his kids awake and then he cleared his throat and spoke much softer to his kids first "Sorry...!" And then he reiterated what he said before "Yeah, I'd love to meet up with ya again...!"

You smiled “Hmm… Ice Cream shop meet up again?” Chase chuckled and nodded “It’s a date! ...E-Er, wait no… I didn’t mean it like that, I-I meant…” He was getting nervous to which you responded by resting your hand upon his “...It’s a date, for sure, I’d like to get to know you better actually! So how about… Six PM?” Chase’s breath hitched, whether it be at your hand upon his or your words, but he had the biggest smile on his face “O-Oh… Ye-Yeah… Yeah, okay…!” You then hopped out of the car, thanking Chase for the ride home, he gave you a thumbs up and then you headed quickly inside your house, it took Chase a few moments before he pulled out of your driveway and headed off. You smiled to yourself, Chase was such a sweet man, sure, it hadn’t been too long ago since you had met him but you already wanted to hang out with him again, this time, you wanted to get to know him a little better… Calling it a date out of the blue like that was weird, but you… You were beginning to really like the guy! 

… You then paused your thoughts, that dude must’ve been a single father, you didn’t see a wife or partner of any kind around, maybe he has been divorced or he divorced someone, you don’t know how someone could divorce someone who seemed so sweet, so loving, so kind! Then again, you also didn’t know the full story... Divorces and stuff can be a tricky mystery, it’s not really any of your business anyways so either way, you headed off towards your bedroom and got changed and ready for bed, tomorrow was going to be an eventful day, you had to get some sleep for sure, you flopped down onto your bed and closed your eyes, slowly drifting off into dreamland…

And then it was morning, you slowly opened your eyes to the sun shining brightly on your face, you squinted and slowly rose up from bed, rubbing at your eyes and looking around at your room, you looked at the time… 10 AM… You slowly got up and opened your closet, for now you’d put something comfortable on… You were going to save your best outfit for tonight! You smiled at the thought of getting to see Chase again, for now you had to make yourself some breakfast and then clean up around the house, really just so you can get that out of the way but also to kill some time today, after putting on your outfit, you then went to the kitchen, fixed yourself some breakfast and then got to cleaning for the rest of the day, you had some extra time so you freshened up a good bit and then put on your favorite outfit.

And with that you headed out the door, rushing off to the ice cream place, you had to admit while there was a nervous feeling building in the pit of your stomach you were also very excited for this… In your excitement you had arrived at the shop a little earlier than you intended, but either way, you took a seat at one of the booths and waited for Chase… When the clock hit six, he had practically rushed through the doors, a smile on his face as well, he looked just as excited as you were, he scanned over the shop but he didn’t see you which worried him for a moment… You then waved him over and he strode over towards you immediately, he didn’t have the kids with him this time “Hey (Y/N)!” He greeted you and sat down, he then took a proper look at you and he looked surprised “Woah… You look… Awesome…!” You smiled and blushed at his comment “Thank you Chase… You look awesome as well…” You looked at his outfit, it uh, was the exact same one he usually wore but you liked his main outfit, it was cute and fitting for him.

Chase was blushing as he suddenly pulled a box out and slid it over to you, it was a fairly large box and it was wrapped so neatly, you looked up at Chase who was rubbing the back of his head awkwardly “I got this for you… I hope you like it…” You looked down at the gift and slowly began tearing into it, once you got the wrapping paper off you opened the box and gasped at what was inside… ...It was an outfit, but not just any outfit, this was the EXACT same one you had wanted at the clothing shop nearby! ...You looked up at Chase in shock, you then bit your lip “O-Oh jeez… This is the EXACT outfit I wanted... Chase… I… I didn’t even get you anything in return… And this was… So expensive… H-How?” Chase smiled and laughed “Don’t worry about gettin’ me anything! And besides, I thought it’d look good on you!” You reached over to hug him from across the table which surprised him, Chase’s hands twitched for a moment before he slowly reached up to hug you back… This felt… So good to him…

“So… Warm… And soft…” Chase muttered, you blinked and pulled back from him “What was that?” Chase’s eyes widened, he had a blush on his face,  before he shook his head and just smiled “Oh nothing… I just… Was saying thank you for the uh, hug…!” You smiled and nodded “No problem!” Chase nodded and then he realized “Oh uh, we should, probably like… Get some ice cream, if ya want of course” You grinned “I’m always up for some ice cream!” Chase and you had gotten up from your seats, getting in line to get some ice cream, when the two of you got to the counter, Chase was absolutely refusing to let you pay this time, you sighed in defeat after a moment of bickering but gave him a smile nonetheless, a stubborn man this one could be… Either way, he got a milkshake that the both of you could share and you headed back to your booth, sitting down and enjoying the milkshake together. You took a few sips before pausing and looking at Chase “Soo… Were you, uh, married at one point…?”

Chase frowned suddenly and sighed “...Yeah, I uh used to be… I’d… Rather not talk about what happened of course, I’m sure ya understand…” You gave him a sympathetic look and nodded “Of course, we uh, don’t have to talk about it… Sorry for bringing it up” Chase shook his head and gave the milkshake another sip before continuing “Nah, don’t worry about it…” You sipped on the milkshake as well, trying to think of another question to ask, something that… Wasn’t, a marriage themed question… “So, why did you move here exactly? Aside from the beautiful scenery…” Chase looked as if he were in thought for a moment “Eh, to be honest? I just needed to get away from it all… Where I lived before was alright but like, I needed something new, something fresh! I got so used to seeing the same ol’ same old… And the kids did too… They were getting bored of the old place… I do feel a little bad because they did have some friends back there but… They don’t seem to mind at all, in fact, they’ve made more friends here actually”

You smiled at this “Well… That’s good, at least they have made new friends here, the people of this town are… Pretty friendly, I’ve made a few friends here myself actually” Chase seemed to perk up at this “Really? I mean, like, I wouldn’t be surprised because you’re an awesome person!” Chase paused for a moment before getting embarrassed “I-I mean…” You shook your head, not giving him time to finish his sentence “Thank you… I’m glad you think so…” You then paused and sighed “...I am worried though… I haven’t heard from one of my friends in awhile… I hope they're doing alright…” Chase gave you a nod “I’m sure they’re just fine… Maybe busy with some stuff, I’m sure they’ll call ya soon enough” You looked at Chase, he was so sweet… “Yeah… I hope so” And then there was a pause, the two of you taking the time to enjoy the milkshake in silence before you looked at Chase “What do you do for a living exactly?” Chase shrugged “Meh, I’ll take what I can get really, gotta support the kids ya know… I mostly do youtube stuff of course but I gotta do a lotta other shit, I don’t want… I don’t wanna risk them going hungry or some shit” You gave him a sympathetic look “Sounds really rough… I’m sorry…” Chase shook his head “Don’t be, there’s not much you can do about it anyways, it’s not your fault”

You nodded and offered Chase the cherry after finishing the milkshake to which he shook his head “Nah, you have it, I insist” You shook your head and used one of the knives at the table to cut it in half and you offered one half to Chase “We’ll just share it then, how about that?” Chase gave you a smile and took the half of the cherry, the two of you clinked your halves together

(listen, i know i said its an ice cream shop but they have knives there for some of the other desserts, its not just specifically ice cream, just- sh- sh, let the plot advance okay?)

“Cheers” and then popped it in your mouths, giggling slightly at the silliness of that situation before you stood up and stretched out and looked out the window “Hm… We still have some time left, is there anything else you had in mind for the night?” Chase shrugged “I mean, if ya want, you can come back to my place and we could hang out, I got some video games we could play together!” You grinned and nodded “Sounds like fun!” Chase smirked at you and stood up “Just be warned though… I’m one of the best gamers around! Although, I could let’cha win at the very least” You chuckled “That’s very bold of you… And very naive to think I need or want you to let me win, do NOT underestimate me, Chase~” The two of you exchanged a playful glare as you headed out of the ice cream shop, hopping into his vehicle and heading back to his place.

Once Chase pulled into the driveway, you looked at his home, it wasn’t.... Too terribly big, in fact rather small to have three kids in but you wouldn’t say that, it wasn’t really any of your business anyways, and besides maybe it was bigger on the inside than you thought, looks can always be deceiving you know… Chase hopped out and you soon followed, he gently opened the door after unlocking it and it wasn’t as small as you thought it’d be inside but it’s definitely not large either “I uh, it isn’t… Much, but at least it’s a roof over our heads, ya know?” You nodded at the man’s words, you then both turned around upon hearing the kids voices call out, they immediately ran up and hugged their father and gave you a smile and a wave, then another voice called out “Oh! I didn’t expect you to be back so soon, Mr. Brody!” Chase nodded “Well we didn’t have much else to do in town really, so, (Y/N) and I decided to come back here and play some video games” You assumed this was the babysitter, they approached and smiled “Ah, so you must be (Y/N) then, actually… The kids have been talking about you nonstop tonight…” They extended their hand for a handshake, you smiled and exchanged a handshake with the other, meanwhile Chase had bit his lip and looked away and toward his kids, who seemed preoccupied and happy they’re father was home.

Chase then grabbed his wallet from his pocket and paid the babysitter who then waved goodbye to the kids, Chase, and you as well and headed out, you noticed Chase staring them down as they went out which made you raise a brow, you gave him a nudge “You okay?” Chase looked back at you and smiled “Oh uh yeah, just… Thought I saw something out there?” Oh, maybe you were quick to assume he was staring at them then… Either way, you were excited to play some games with him! You quickly grabbed his arm which he gasped at, he barely had time to react as you dragged him off to the couch, the kids giggling while following the two of you. He had quickly gotten the game set up and tossed a controller your way, Chelsea had a grin on her face as she read the title of the game once it popped up “Oooh daddy’s really good at the super smash bros games! He’s gonna kick your butt (Y/N)!” Trey then interrupted “Yeah he’s the king of these games!” 

You chuckled “I hate to be the bearer of bad news kiddo but… Your daddy’s about to lose that crown of his~!” Chase raised a brow “A very bold claim your makin’ there, eh (Y/N)?” He had a cheeky grin on his face, you challenged his grin with a playful glare “I don’t plan on losing tonight Chase, you might as well kiss that crown goodbye” He chuckled at that “Alright then, whatever ya say… We’ll see what happens” And then the game booted up, Chase chose a character called Ridley (I like to imagine he has a few mains but you know he be choosin that one especially) and then you chose Isabelle (listen I’m sorry if this ain’t y’alls main but just trust me on this one okay? It’ll be worth it in the long run and I know the match up itself is… a lil silly but just shh) Chase couldn’t help but snort at the selection you made, although Chelsea seemed happy enough, she must’ve liked Isabelle a lot! And then the game began, before Chase did anything he paused it and looked at you “Ya need any tips or you good for this one?” You shook your head “Nah man, I’m good, I’ve got this… What, you scared to lose your crown?” Chase snorted “Not a chance, ya really are full of yourself sometimes (Y/N)” He unpaused it and then the fight began.

The fight… T’was an epic battle of skill and wit… This battle was like no other, the children cheered with each punch thrown, each move made, and to Chase’s surprise, you were REALLY good at this game, you were almost giving him a run for his money! BUT the fight wasn’t over yet, he was still on the stage and kicking, at first there was some banter, some swearing under your breath so the children wouldn’t hear, but now? There was nothing but pure silence and concentration, complete focus and even the kids had fallen silent now, watching in sheer awe at how good you were, and now… It was time for the ultimate end game, as you hit the buttons and watched Isabelle unleash her Final Smash and this caused Chase and the kids jaws to drop to the floor, you all watched as Isabelle delivered her move and then it was endgame… You sat the controller down, crossed your arms and had a wide smirk on your face as you looked over to Chase who wasn’t even mad, he merely looked over at you and solemnly tipped his hat to you

“Damn (Y/N)... That was e p i c… You’re really good at this!” He grinned and he seemed happy enough, which you were glad of, you nodded “I told ya, not to underestimate me, that’s what’cha get!” Chase nodded “Yeah, I did kinda do that, didn’t I?” he chuckled nervously, to which you only gently punched at his shoulder “No hard feelings of course!” The kids were clapping, Chelsea was practically beaming “Wow!! (Y/N) that was so amazing!! I’ve never seen anybody as good as dad!”

Trey nodded “Yeah, that was awesome!” You smiled at this, and then Chase was looking up at the time and then he stood up “Alright, it’s time for bed kiddos” And at this the kids pouted “Aww dad, do we have to?” Chase nodded “It’s a school night, gotta get a lotta rest so you can be ready for tomorrow” And despite the kids not really liking this reasoning, they agreed and headed off to go get ready for bed, you looked at Chase “Hey, uhh, where’s your bathroom?” Chase pointed down the hall “At the very end of the hall and to the right” You nodded and headed down that way, upon getting halfway down the hall you felt a tug at your shirt and looked down to see Greyson, you knelt down and looked at him “What’s up buddy, need somethin’?”

Greyson twiddled with his fingers and looked down, keeping eye contact with the ground before suddenly reaching out and hugging you “...T-Thank you…” He stuttered, you raised a brow at this “Uh…” You paused before carefully hugging him back “Why are you thanking me exactly buddy?” There was a pause before Greyson pulled back “D-Dad… He… He um… He seems m-much more… ha… uh… He seems to be m-much happier… Ever since… h-he fir-first… me… first met you…” You were… Shocked by this…  “Greyson’s right you know” Chelsea called out, a smile on her face, Trey was also smiling as he began “Yeah! Please… Don’t tell dad we told you this… But, we’ve noticed he didn’t seem as happy as he used to be… The last time he was happy was before… Before…” Chelsea interrupted, a hint of sadness in her voice “...Since mommy left…” You felt sorry for the kids and for Chase but even then you didn’t know the full story, and you sure as hell weren’t going to ask why, it wasn’t in your place to just ask about personal things like that… You only smiled “Well… Hey, kiddos… I… I’m glad I’ve made your dad happy at least, I’ve had a great time with him, really, he’s a sweet man and he seems to care a great deal for all of you… I’m sure things’ll be just fine, yeah?” Chelsea nodded “I hope so, just um… Please don’t tell daddy about this, he doesn’t like talking about mommy or the past really… Don’t tell him we told you” You nodded “Don’t worry, I won’t” The three kids hugged you tightly and then ran off to go to bed.

You smiled at this, they really did seem like such nice kids…  They just wanted their father to be happy again, you would try your best to help them out with their little wish, you headed to the bathroom finally to do your business and then finally back to the living room, you saw Chase laying there on the couch scrolling mindlessly through his phone, upon noticing you he gave a friendly smile and a peace sign “What took ya so long dude? Get lost down there?” You glanced back to the hallway before laughing “Nah, nothing like that… It was just that… The kids were still amazed at how I beat you at the game like I did~” You grinned to which Chase scoffed at “I let you win just so you know, just to be nice…” You laughed at this and walked over, moving his legs out of the way so you could sit down “Mmmhhmmmm suurrree you did, you just can’t admit or accept defeat can you?” Chase cheekily grinned as he rested his legs over your lap now “Nope, I can’t and won’t admit defeat, not ever, you might have won the battle but you won’t win the war! You’re going d o w n next time” You rolled your eyes at this “Yeah right” you tried to push his legs away and off of you but he seemed content just leaving them in place “C’mon Chase, get your legs off me, don’t be salty just because you lost” This made the man playfully glare at you and then he went back to looking at his phone, ignoring you for the time being as you tried to push his legs off, he was a stubborn one for sure.

Although you knew he was just messing with you, it was nothing serious, nothing serious from you either, honestly… You were having a lot of fun tonight with Chase… You sighed, you felt content “You know, Chase… I’ll be honest, I’ve been having a lotta fun with you tonight, it’s the most fun I’ve had in awhile actually” And that made Chase smile, a genuine smile… “I’m glad, I was worried I’d bore you or some shit ya know? I uh, don’t consider myself to really be any fun to hang around with” You looked at Chase and shook your head, placing a hand in his which made his breath hitch in his throat “That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Ya don’t need to be so hard on yourself Chase, you are a really sweet man, you are kind, caring, and-” And then you were trailing off, your face turning bright red as you realized what you were saying to him… 

“I uh, I mean…” Chase only smiled at this, his face also a bright red “Hey… Uh, (Y/N)...? I actually have something I’ve been wanting to ask you…” He began rather nervously, and you were curious as to what he was going to say before your phone buzzed in your pocket “Oh uh, hold on a second, then you can tell me” Chase nodded at this and watched as you pulled out your phone, he watched your eyes scanned through whatever it was and he could see the look of shock and worry on your face “...(Y/N)...? I-Is everything alright?” You immediately got up from the couch and looked at Chase in a panic “O-One of my friends is in the hospital… I...I fuck… It sounds serious too, they were in a bad car crash!” Chase’s eyes widened at this statement, while he didn’t like to see you so stressed, he didn’t like the fact this little nuisance had interrupted his confession “I mean, maybe they’ll be fine? I… I mean like, I’d hope so anyway is what I’m trying to say!” You barely registered his words and quickly shoved your phone back into your pocket “I’m sorry Chase but, I gotta go! I promise you can tell me what you wanted later, but right now, I need to go be with them, I just… oh god, fuck... ” There was a pause before Chase nodded, he wanted to clench his fist but to avoid suspicion he stood from his spot “I’ll drive you over there, you’re panicking too much to drive by yourself right now, what I want you to do is take some deep breaths while I get stuff ready” He gently placed his arms on your shoulders for a moment.

“Can you do that for me, babe?” You slowly nodded “I-I’ll try…” Chase smiled “Good, just, stand here and take some deep breaths for me, I’ll be right back” And with that he was off, he had to go get a pencil and a piece of paper JUST in case the kids woke up, he didn’t want to worry them if he wasn’t back in time… He quickly wrote a note, putting his eldest in charge until he got back, mentioning if they needed anything, they had the babysitter’s phone number and his as well, it was extra precaution, and then he grabbed his keys, looking back over at you “C’mon (Y/N), let’s go” you immediately came running over and the two of you headed out the door, quickly hopping into his car and then speeding away, he knew how to get to this particular Hospital, after all, you can never be too careful when you have children, and knowing how to get to things like that is very important, the drive was mostly in silence, until you looked over to Chase and you wouldn’t deny, something about him seemed… Off…. He had a darker look in his eyes “...You, uh… Okay…?” Chase looked over to you, that darkness quickly fading “Oh uh, yeah, even though I don’t know ‘em personally, I’m still worried about your friend and I know your worried sick too” Ah, so that was what the weird look in his eyes was for, Chase was so nice…

He cared about his family, friends, and you as well it seemed, hell, even people he didn’t know, complete strangers he had a great deal of care for, he was such a sweet man, and it felt like no time at all had passed and then you were both at the Hospital, Chase got out quickly as did you and he let you lead the way, you knew what room they were in so it’d probably be for the best if you led him there, one of the nurses had came over and stopped you both “Excuse me, are you (Y/N) by any chance?” You nodded quickly and pointed toward Chase “He’s with me as well” The nurse nodded and began to escort you both to the room “Your friend really desperately wanted you here with them, you two must be very close”

(i know thats probs not how it works in hospitals, they probs dont let’cha visit like that but listen, its just for plot- just s h h-)

You nodded at this “Yeah, we’ve uh, always been pretty close” Meanwhile Chase’s eyes darkened momentarily, he didn’t like the sound of that but, nonetheless, he just needed to calm down, before something v e r y bad happened… Eventually you both reached the room and immediately you ran over to your friend’s side “I’m here (F/N)! I’m here” (just give them whatever name ya want) Your friend looked at you and shakily reached out a hand to grasp at yours “(Y/N)... F-Fuck… Everything hurts like hell, th-that accident really did a number on me, one of the nurses just gave me s-some pain meds though” They laughed a little dryly, they looked to be in pretty bad shape “I just, I’m glad you’re alright, er, well, I mean not dead or anything… Jeez, what the hell even happened to you?” Your friend sighed “Some shithead wasn’t p-paying attention to… To where they were… Were going… I don’t even… I don’t even fucking know wh-what happened to them…” Your friend then turned over toward Chase “Oh? Who’s this guy?” You looked over and then back to your friend “Oh uh, this is Chase, we’ve uh, just been hanging out today ya know, had some ice cream and then went to go play some video games” Your friend then gave you a look and a weak smirk “Oooh~ So (Y/N)’s got themselves a lil date, yeah?~” Your eyes widened and you blushed a little “W-Well uh, I dunno if I’d call it that…”

Your friend then grinned “C’mon, (Y/N), really, your literally blushing…! It’s gotta be a date if your going that red faced over my simple question…!” And then a pause before a genuine smile crossed their lips, or well so you thought anyway “I uh… I’m… Really glad for you… Glad you found someone you like to spend time with…” Even though you couldn’t really see it, Chase could, that was no genuine smile… They were hurt… And for what? It’s not like you would have ever fallen for them, you two were just friends! ...And yet, the thought of them taking you away made Chase clench his fist and his breath hitch, he jumped however as you called out to him “You okay over there?” Even the nurse had looked concerned who was in the room, mostly checking to see if everything was still okay with your friend, Chase stood up and awkwardly chuckled “Oh uh, yeah I’m fine… I uh, I feel a bit awkward just idling here so Imma step outside, give ya some alone time with your friend…” And with that he stepped out of the room, pulling out his phones and earbuds, he leaned up against the wall and placed the earbuds in, although he definitely wasn’t planning on listening to music, he was just going to pretend he was so he could listen in on your conversations with t h e m…

Once the nurse had deemed everything was in order, she had left the room, on the way out she gave Chase a look who only flashed her a peace sign, and with that she walked away, you looked at your friend who was staring out of the room and you looked at them confused “...Uh, why are you just… Staring…?” Your friend looked back to you with a concerned expression on their face “Just, just be quiet for a few seconds…” You were confused but you did as told, staying quiet and for a few moments that’s all it was, except for the, well, the sounds of the Hospital, and then your friend turned to you “Just… Thought I heard something… That’s all…” There was a pause before you spoke “Are you like, okay…? You’re acting a bit weird…?” 

Your friend only smiled “I’m fine, I swear, don’t worry so much (Y/N), I just genuinely thought I heard something, that’s all but I guess it was nothing, aside from that, I do gotta ask… Are you REALLY on a date with this uh, Chase guy…?” You shrugged “I mean… I dunno if I’d call it that…? I uh, I mean, I do like him honestly, he’s very sweet and kind…”

Your friend looked down at this “...I just, listen, I know this might sound outta place, and hell, it’s probably not even my business… But, I dunno about the guy… He gave me some, strange vibes… How did you two even meet?” You looked at your friend, a little offended at that statement but you’d carry on for now “Well, he bumped into me while I was out for my usual walk on the trail” Your friend looked over at you “...On the trail… That nobody but YOU usually goes on, yeah?” You didn’t like what they were trying to imply but you needed to keep your cool “(F/N), I mean, come on, there’s other people out there that walk the trail I’m sure of it” They only looked at you quizzically “...Have you ever seen these people…?” You were about to argue with that but then you thought about it and your friend did have a point at that, you really never saw anyone out there… However before you could speak out against them, they continued on “Like, what if he was stalking you or some shit?” And that’s when you narrowed your eyes “...(F/N), I really don’t like what you're implying here… I’m sure there are other people who walk the trail aside from me, I just so happened to run into one of them and that was Chase that day”

Your friend looked at you, almost glaring “I just, I dunno I don’t trust this dude… There’s something off about him” You looked offended at that “(F/N)...! I don’t exactly appreciate you saying that, Chase is a lovely man, he’s so sweet, kind, and honestly very caring” Your friend rolled their eyes “I dunno I just, I just don’t think he’s good for you…!” You glared at them and crossed your arms “I don’t think this is really any of your business, he’s treated me so nicely so far, and I think if there was something off about him I woulda noticed…” Your friend shook their head “I just, like, dunno about him! ...During your date or even before, did anything strange happen?” You were surprised by your friend’s sudden change in behavior, you didn’t understand this at all and honestly, you were beginning to feel a little hurt by it before you began remembering something… “...Well, before the date, I was just browsing through the shops, and I…” You paused, pondering for a moment before you frowned “...I… I DO remember getting a sensation of being watched while going into the clothing shop though now that I think about it…” And then the more you thought about it… Your eyes widened as you realized something “...And… And I was looking at one thing in particular… And, then I left because I couldn’t… I couldn’t afford it…” Your friend was looking more and more intrigued and concerned “And then what happened…?”

You looked up at them “...I remember Chase giving me… The… The EXACT same outfit…” You then shook your head “But there’s no way, he would NEVER do that” Your friend only sighed “How do you know that though?! You don’t KNOW him as well as you think you do, I guarantee he’s got some dark weird shit to hide…” Meanwhile outside, Chase was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he immediately stepped away and headed off to the bathroom, he had to… He couldn’t explode right there because then he’d scare you off… Eventually he found his way and slipped into the bathroom and he snarled, looking at himself in the mirror “...They're trying to take them away from me…” He muttered to himself.

He took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair, gripping it tight and tugging at it, he was s o fucking angry… How DARE they… First they interrupt him from telling you that he loved you, he was SO fucking close to FINALLY making a proper move… But nooo, that dumb b i t c h just HAD to get in his way… … He stared into the mirror for a few moments before glaring and punching it, he didn’t put enough force to break it but it definitely made a noticeable crack “...I need to take care of them… Before they take (Y/N) away from me,  before they convince them with their shitty little ‘assumptions’... I… I just…” And then his eyes went wide a bit, he began shaking not only out of anger but also, there was fear, fear of losing you… Fear that you’d believe them, fear that you’d… You’d fucking h a t e him “God, oh god… Fuck, I can’t… I can’t lose them… I can’t lose them like I lost h e r…” 

He tugged at his hair again, heavily breathing, he slumped to the floor, dropping his hat and mumbling over and over the words of ‘I can’t lose them’ mumbling all kinds of things, all the things he would do to your friend… But you’d never know about it, oh no, god no… Chase would never want that, he’d never want you to be scared of him, he loves you so much and he just… Needs to show you his love, that’s all… Needs to prove your friend wrong with the assumptions about him... After a few moments of panicking, he took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself down and focus, he knew what he had to do... He then picked his hat back up and stood up, placing it back on his head and storming out of the bathroom, he knew his plan, he’d come back when you weren’t here, that’s when he needed to strike… Meanwhile, back inside the hospital room, you and your friend had gotten into a heated argument, you not being able to believe that Chase would stalk you or be weird like that.

“Fucking hell (Y/N)! Are you that fucking dense?! There’s NO fucking way he got you the EXACT same outfit you were JUST looking at just, fucking randomly like that! He’s a fucking stalker! He was stalking you on that trail too I GUARANTEE it!” You shook your head “You don’t know that!! I… I just…” And that’s when you broke down… You were crying now, falling by their side and just sobbing, you just… Couldn’t believe this, you didn’t know if you should… They WERE your best friend, they always looked out for you, but… You really liked Chase so far, he seemed so genuine, so sweet and caring and just… Your friend’s gaze softened and they put a hand on your shoulder, maybe, maybe they took it a bit too far this time…  “I… I… …(Y/N)... I’m sorry… I just, I’m scared for you… I don’t want you to get hurt, especially not when I can’t fucking be there to protect you… I… I’m sorry for calling you dense, and being so hostile… Please, just, be careful around him okay? Stuff just… Doesn’t add up with him…” You nodded, still face down by their side, all this had made you feel sick… Your friend patted your shoulder a bit “I mean, I’ve always looked out for you, usually I know what’s best and I just… I dunno, he gives me bad vibes… ...I-I’m not, just, look I’ll be honest… I was a bit jealous of him at first but-” Before your friend could finish you roughly pulled away from them and stared at them in disbelief.

“...You…. Your jealous of him…?” Your friend had realized perhaps that was a bad time to say that but before they could speak again and clarify, you glared “No, just fucking s t o p… I’ve heard enough from you, I don’t NEED your fucking ‘protection’ I see exactly how it is… THAT’S why you’ve been acting so weird since you saw him! You’re only protecting me because of jealousy” You paused before shaking your head “Listen to me, we’re JUST friends, I’m sorry… I just, I’ve never felt THAT way about you… And I NEVER will… I can’t fucking believe you tried to fool me into thinking Chase was a bad guy! When really YOUR the bad one here!” You yelled, standing up and then storming out, ignoring your friend calling out to you, you bumped into Chase who looked confused now “(Y/N)...? What… What’s wrong? You look angry…” You only looked at him then back at the room “Go ask them, I’m going back to the car okay? Just… Whenever you get ready you can come on…” 

And then you left without another word, before Chase could even say anything, the man bit his lip and then wandered into the room, looking at your friend who laid there, sniffling just a little bit “I...I’m sorry…” They mumbled, and now, if you had been calm they might would have gotten sympathy from you, but from Chase, there was never going to be any fucking sympathy from him, he casually sauntered over to where your friend lay and startled them once he sat down in the chair “Care to explain to me why (Y/N) was so pissed? Like, damn, I’ve only known ‘em for awhile but still, ain’t seen ‘em that angry even yet”

Your friend only glared at Chase “Shut the fuck up… This… This is all y o u r fault… You sick fuck, you were following them, weren’t you? You were fucking stalking them! Nobody else but me and (Y/N) has ever walked that trail, and the EXACT same outfit they just so happened to want?! That’s not a coincidence, listen to me you shithead… I might not be able to get up and go with them right now or anything like that, but when I get out of here, I swear… I’ll p r o v e to (Y/N) that you’re a sick bastard, I’ll fucking p r o v e it to them” Chase’s eyes darkened, however there was a sly smirk playing on his lips “...Aren’t you the jealous type? Fuckin’ hell dude… And I thought I could be jealous sometimes… But you? You are really ridiculous…!” Chase leaned closer, causing them to try and lean away in case the man tried something “...What makes you think even for a second (Y/N) would even believe you…? You really shouldn’t have admitted your jealousy to them, that’s such a rookie mistake…!” Your friend’s eyes widened “You...You fucker! You were listening in on our conversation! I… I…” They immediately tried to sit up and Chase grasped at them, not too roughly of course, he didn’t want to hurt them ...Yet… However at that, they immediately smacked him in the face “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!” And that made Chase yell for one of the nurses who quickly came running in “What’s going on here?!” Chase feigned innocence at this “I… I don’t know…! Something’s wrong with them…! They were trying to get up and walk outta here and then when I tried to stop them, they hit me…!”

(I thought for a moment that i fucked up but Chase, had probs come back from the bathroom and was right there as they admitted jealousy maybe? Idk, just- gonna cheese this part n say that- also I really dont like how the friend fight went, if I had time or patience, I’d genuinely probs try to re-write it but you gotta understand, this is already a LONG ass story so thats a big oof, and a big goof on my part so yeye)

The nurse was shocked by this, and even your friend was shocked by this, damn… He was good… Real good… They tried to explain as the nurse got the doctor and then they came over with a needle, they struggled, trying to kick at the doctor’s and nurses, trying desperately to explain that Chase was lying… But they didn’t believe it for one second, just thinking they were in pure hysterics, they gasped as Chase took a hold of them and smiled so sweetly

“Don’t worry (F/N)... I promise you, I’ll take EXTRA good care of (Y/N) while you’re here...” And with that, the doctor managed to FINALLY sedate them, the last image running through their mind before passing out was of you, of Chase doing so many horrible things to you… Chase then sighed deeply “Phew… I don’t know what happened… I just didn’t want ‘em tryna get outta here, I uh, know a thing or two when it comes to bein’ in hospitals, and in their case, I guess it’s like, really important to get rest n stuff like that” The doctor nodded “We do appreciate your help and for you notifying us Mister…?” Chase smiled and extended a hand “Just call me Chase, dude…” The doctor nodded, returning the handshake “Of course, thank you very much Chase” And with that the doctor began looking over the other’s vitals, and honestly, he seemed to be pondering what on EARTH could have caused a reaction like that…? The nurse came over to Chase and looked at the bruise forming on his cheek “Sir, would you like me to help you with that…? They must’ve slapped you pretty hard…” Chase shook his head “Nah, trust me, I uh, I’ve been through worse… Imma go, (Y/N)’s waitin’ for me in the car… I should… Definitely get them back home” The nurse nodded, waving as Chase left the room, he was turned to where they couldn’t see but he had a pleased smirk on his face, he’d be back for them tonight…

There’s no way he could just let them live now, they knew too much, they’d get in his way… He had to eliminate them but first things first, getting back to you so he could comfort you, after all, the fight you two had must’ve been pretty severe… The thoughts of your friend upsetting you in such a way only fueled his anger and hatred toward them even more as he made his way into the parking lot and to his car, he saw you through the window, he could tell you were crying and his gaze softened, a frown on his face, that fucker… They made you c r y… Oh the t h i n g s  he wanted to do to your ‘friend’ more than likely former friend after all that’s happened… He wanted to just strangle them, beat them to death with his bare hands even, he wanted to feel their blood on himself but given they were in the hospital, he needed a quicker method, luckily… He had something but, not now… He took a deep breath and hopped into his car, noticing how he startled you “Sorry! Sorry…! I just, uh, had to use the bathroom…” You looked at him, not caring if he saw your red and puffy eyes really, because you had noticed on his cheek, a large bruise forming “What happened to you…? Did you get into a fight in the bathroom?” Chase looked down “Not… Exactly… U-Uh… I just…” He took his cap off and ran a hand through his hair before putting it back on “...Your friend, was like, trying to escape the hospital and shit like that… And I just, didn’t want ‘em hurting themselves more than they already were and then they hit me… They called me a sick fuck, a stalker, all kinds of things… I just… I don’t, understand… Did I do something wrong...? Why do they hate me already?”

You gently placed a hand on his cheek, making sure not to apply any pressure to the bruise “...No Chase, no you haven’t… They were just fucking jealous, and I don’t even know w h y… I don’t like them, not like that, but… Now, I’m not sure I like them at ALL… Not even as a friend anymore, they literally just fucking HIT you…! And for what?! Because they were jealous?! That’s NO excuse to hit anyone!” You sniffled, and at that Chase pulled you into a hug “(Y/N) just, sh… I… I… I’m sorry… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to come between you and your friend… I… I never wanted to do that…” ...Well, part of that was technically a lie, Chase couldn’t care less about coming in between you and t h a t friend in particular, they are too much of a hazard…

He knew, if they had continued to live, the moment they got out of the hospital, they’d try taking you away from him ...N o t. This. Time… He might have slipped up and let h e r escape but not you… No n o… You are so much more special to him than she was anyways at this point… You wrapped your arms around him “C-Chase, please… It’s not YOUR fault… I just… I dunno about them, g-god if they hit you… Oh jeez, what if they hit me…? What if they tried to hurt me…?” Chase gripped you tighter, that thought not sitting well with him at all “...I wouldn’t let them, not ever” You couldn’t help but smile at those words, your friend was wrong, so wrong about Chase, he wasn’t a creepy stalker, he was a nice caring man, it was THEM who was bad, hell, for all you knew excluding the outfit THEY could have been the one stalking you earlier… You just didn't know… This was all too much for one night “Can we, uh, go back home…? I… I don’t wanna be here anymore…” Chase nodded “Uh yeah, I do have something to tell you though… I’ll make it quick I promise” You looked at Chase, a bit confused by this but then you remembered earlier “Oh yeah, go ahead and tell me, what’s up?” Chase bit his lip and he was shaking suddenly, it was now or never… He took your hand gently in his “(Y/N)... I genuinely care so much about you, I’ve needed to get this off my chest for a while now… I love you, with all my heart, you mean the world to me… And I… I just, uh, do you… Feel the same way…?” He looked so nervous and scared, you had honestly felt bad for him but you simply smiled and placed a quick peck on his cheek “...Despite what my ahem, ex-friend had to say… I don’t think you're a bad guy, you’ve been nothing but kind and sweet to me… And, if I’m being honest, I’ve had a wonderful time with you so far, so what I’m trying to say is, yes, yes I do feel the same…”

And that’s when Chase could swear, had it not been something cartoon-y or in drawings, his eyes would have formed into hearts right there (cursed thought: Chase doing the very stereotypical yandere pose and you know he’d have them heart eyes motherfucker) he had so much adoration and love for you, he really did… He then pulled you into almost a too tight hug and began sobbing into your chest “I… I was so…. I was so scared… Scared yo-you’d say no, scared… You wouldn’t… Love me back…” You were a bit shocked by that but you only held him back “Chase…” You spoke, your voice soft “I promise, to love you, forever… You’re the sweetest, kindest man… It’s okay hun, I promise, I’ll always love you no matter what” (-eyes reader nervously-) That made Chase smile “...Thank… Thank you… I’ll love you too… Forever and always… I promise, I’ll take good care of you…” And with that Chase let go, wiped some tears away and cranked up his vehicle “C’mon, I’ll get you back to your place, it’s uh, been a l o n g ass night…” You nodded and the ride was mostly in silence, apart from you leaning over onto Chase’s shoulder, the man smiled at that, he seemed so happy… So much more happier now that you had both confessed your love for each other “Go ahead and sleep a little babe, it’s gonna be a pretty long ride back to your place from here…” You nodded and yawned, nuzzling into his shoulder which he blushed at, that happy smile never leaving his face.

You then slowly fell asleep, comfortably nuzzled into Chase’s shoulder, now… Chase hadn’t forgotten what he had to do, but first thing was first, getting you home safe and sound… Blissfully unaware of the man’s intentions and he’d try his damnedest to keep it that way… Eventually he pulled into your driveway and looked over at you, he nudged you a little and you stirred slightly, rubbing your eyes and looking around a bit disoriented “Mm…?”

Chase then carefully hopped out of his car and made his way over to your side, opening the door and scooping you into his arms bridal style, he was careful to not jostle you too much “Don’t worry (Y/N) my darling… I’ll take ya inside... I put my kids to bed all the time, so this is a piece of cake” He grinned, and you only grumbled at that “I’m not… nng, a kid… I’m a gro...grooowwwnnnn asssss…. Adult…” You slurred, making him chuckle a little bit “I know babe, I know…” He made his way inside, furrowing his brows a bit “...Honey, you need to remember to lock your doors next time… No tellin’ what kinda freaks and sickos could get in here…” You only nodded, half-understanding what he said, he made it to your bedroom finally and laid you down carefully into your bed, letting you get into your most comfortable position and then proceeding to tuck you in, you mumbled a soft goodnight before passing out once more and Chase only softly chuckled, leaning forward to brush his fingers against your cheek before giving it a quick kiss “Goodnight babe… Seeya tomorrow…” He whispered, and with that, quietly made his way out of your room and out of your house, he crept back into his car and pulled out of your driveway carefully, his car… Wasn’t the MOST silent on the planet but he was sure it wasn’t enough sound to wake you up.

Now, before he headed home… He had one more thing to take care of, the night was going to be over soon so he had to act fast… He drove back toward the hospital, he kept thinking about your little friend or as you said earlier, former friend… But even then, that wasn’t enough because he knew, deep down, that if your friend had made it out of that hospital then they would definitely take you away from him, the thought of them trying to take you away made him grip the steering wheel tightly in anger, no… There was no fucking way he was going to let that happen, no one would take you away from him, not EVER! And with the last thought going through his head, he sped up, luckily he had the perfect weapon in the back of his trunk, perfect for this particular occasion… Eventually… He reached the hospital, slowly getting out of his car and retrieving said weapon, he looked toward the building in question, a sick grin spreading across his face “...Let’s take care of ‘em before they become a b i g g e r problem…” He muttered to himself, heading toward the building in question, he knew his way around this hospital so far, it wasn’t too terribly hard to navigate the place, and of course likewise he knew exactly where their room was now…

He headed toward the back of the building, it’d be easier to enter from there and he also wouldn’t be spotted too easily, however upon getting back there he saw your friend limping away, looking back at the door and around to make sure nobody was around to see them, however when they locked eyes with Chase their eyes widened, they immediately limped over “What the fuck are YOU doing here…?!” They half-whispered, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves, Chase only raised a brow at this, a small smirk on his face “I could ask you the same question bro, what’cha doin’ sneakin’ outta here?” They shook their head “None of your business, now get the fuck out of my way, I’ve got things to do…!” They tried to move past but Chase only shoved them back, they glared at him but he only chuckled “Now see… I can’t let’cha do that dude… I KNOW exactly what you’re gonna go and do… I can’t let you take (Y/N) away from me, I love them t o o much for that…” He paused before grinning “And besides… They k n o w what you did, they saw the bruise on my cheek, and now…”

He paused for a few moments, the weapon in question he had pulled from his car earlier was a baseball bat, he revealed it to the other and their eyes widened, suddenly their confident demeanor had changed and Chase seemed to get a chuckle out of that “They’re afraid of you… Afraid you’ll hit ‘em or do some other awful shit, I promised (Y/N)... I’d never let you hurt or take them away from me… ...And I came here to make g o o d on that promise…” They backed up as Chase came closer “...You… You are fucking insane… No w a y (Y/N)’s afraid of me…! I… I would… And I’d NEVER fucking hit them…! They don’t know what you said to me, if they did, they’d understand WHY I hit you then…! You manipulative piece of shit…!” Still had so much spite, despite their confidence going down the drain “...They even said you were their former friend now, it sounds to me like (Y/N) doesn’t wanna associate with you or be around you anymore…” Chase spoke and that made them pause, their eyes wide “...They… You… No, NO! You’re fucking lying!” They paused for a moment, even though Chase had a bat and the crazy bastard probably wanted to kill them, they still had one trick up their sleeve “I’m not going to let you manipulate and hurt my friend like this…!” Chase only smirked and tilted his head “I would n e v e r wanna hurt (Y/N), you ain’t gettin’ it through your thick skull are you? I l o v e them with all my heart, I just want to make them happy… I just want (Y/N) to be happy, with me… And besides, just how exactly are ya gonna prove to ‘em what I said? They’ll NEVER believe you now…”

A pause before he continued “They’ll never believe ya if you told ‘em I was listening in to your conversations, they’ll never believe you if you tell ‘em I stalked them on the trail and of course at some of the shops, but ya know… I’ll go ahead and admit to ya right now, seein’ as they’ll never believe shit you say… Oh and of course, the fact that I’m gonna kill you... I w a s stalking them… They were just so beautiful… I needed to know what (Y/N) liked, what they wanted, and from the very first moment I laid eyes on them I knew… They were the one for me… They were m i n e… And I just had to have ‘em” They only glared at Chase as he spoke, wrinkling their nose in pure disgust, before they suddenly grinned, this caused Chase to raise a brow “...I’ve got proof… At least now I do… See, I figured you would come back… I KNEW you’d want me outta the picture so you could be with (Y/N)...” They pulled out their phone and showed him it had been recording all this time and now it was Chase’s turn to lose his confidence, his eyes widened as he watched them put it back in their pocket “...And once I get out of here, I’m going to let them hear e v e r y t h i n g you said… The part about you stalking them, you listening into our conversations, even you threatening to kill me! I’ve got it all recorded, your ass is as good as gone when they find out, they’ll leave you, they’ll never want to be around you EVER again!”

((BTW: Here’s the fight/beating/death part, just as a reminder to you all okay?))

Chase hadn’t accounted for this… For them to plan this far ahead, if he didn’t get rid of them right now… If he didn’t finish them off right now, they really WOULD be able to take you away from him… Slowly, he began to spiral, the thoughts of losing you to anything really made his heart hurt and his eyes then darkened, he clutched his bat and immediately lunged for the other, knocking them down on the ground, their eyes widened and they pulled a scalpel from their pocket, raising up to cut into Chase who grunted and then backed off to avoid anymore cuts, despite being small, if he let them, that scalpel could do a hell of a lotta damage if he wasn’t careful, all he needed was a good hit with his bat and it could stun them or maybe even…

Kill them immediately… However, that’s not really what he wants, he wants to drag this out for a bit, he really wants to make them suffer, suffer for them for getting in his way so much, for trying to tear his beloved (Y/N) away from him, eventually they made a move and tried to get past him, not really wanting to fight him or even kill him, they just needed to get back to you with the evidence before it was too late, however… Chase saw the opportunity and swung the bat at them, hitting them in the back mostly but it was still enough to knock them down and then the scalpel had unfortunately fallen out of their hands and onto the ground, before they could manage to crawl over and get it, Chase had stood his boot onto their ankle “No, no ya fuckin’ don’t…! I’m NOT letting you take (Y/N) away from me! You just can’t STAND us being together! And for what?! Because you’re fuckin’ jealous or some shit? Lemme make it VERY clear for ya… (Y/N) is not and will NEVER be interested in you…! They are MINE…” He snarled, venom lacing every word he spoke as he leaned down to spin them onto their back, he then raised the bat up and proceeded to hit them over and over, repeatedly, as they screamed for help he leaned down and roughly slapped a hand over their mouth “Shut the fuck up…!” He spat, giving them a harsh punch with his hand, then he raised back up and continued his onslaught with his bat, making sure to deliver heavy and harsh hits to the other.

They coughed up some blood and looked up at Chase, their vision blurring as they whimpered and cried out “P-Please… I… I… I won’t… I’ll leave… you… alone… Just… F-fuck…” They groaned in pain, their eyes staring up into Chase’s “Please… Please don’t kill me…” They begged, but Chase only laughed at that “No way…! After ALL the bullshit you’ve tried to pull you HONESTLY fuckin’ think I’m going to spare you ANY mercy…?” He lifted the bat high above his head, a sick grin spread across his face “Go to hell!” He yelled, slamming the bat down hard on their head, blood splattering all over the pavement, the bat itself, and even over Chase, with that last hit they fell limp, no life detected in their eyes whatsoever, just to be sure however… Chase leaned down and checked their pulse, checking for any breathing as well, he smiled to himself when he heard nothing, not even the faintest sign of breathing, he reached into their pocket and grabbed their phone, looking over the recording and sighing, he dropped the device to the ground and smashed it underneath his boot, no way in hell was he going to let that thing stay in tact… Now however, came the big problem of getting the body out of here, and just where the hell was he going to put this thing…? Before he could even decide, he heard someone coming up and his eyes widened, he made sure not to leave his bat behind and ran off into the darkness, he needed to get back to his vehicle and quickly before someone caught him.

He could hear the scream in the distance as he made his way back to his vehicle and hopped inside, placing the bat in the back underneath one of the seats, luckily the blood was beginning to dry, well, okay no, that wasn’t THAT lucky… Considering he wanted to clean the bat later but oh well, he then sped off into the night, not even glancing back at the Hospital, he smiled to himself, very pleased with his work, at least they wouldn’t ever come between him and you anymore… No more worries, all he needed to do now was get home and- ….THE KIDS! His eyes widened as he sped up a little more, while, preventing them from becoming a nuisance was very important, he still cared about his kids, and oh god… He didn’t want them to see him like this, not with blood all over his clothes, how would he ever even explain that to them…

Eventually, he made it back home and slowly opened the door, looking around to make sure his kids weren’t awake yet, it was almost time for them to get up given it was a school day so Chase quickly crept off to his own room, firstly he put the bat into his closet, outta sight outta mind he thought before grabbing another shirt and jeans, he didn’t really care what he put on so long as it WASN’T bloodied… He went to the bathroom and looked over the wound from the scalpel, frowning slightly, he had a med kit, okay, well… A few med kits lying around, he wanted to be extra prepared just in case, he then began cleaning the wound of any blood, disinfecting it which made him hiss in pain, damn… Stab wounds are a bitch to deal with, after making sure it was disinfected properly he wrapped it up with some bandages, he then ran some water and scooped some up in his hands to splash on his face, cleaning himself up just a bit more, once he was finally free of any and all the blood stains he put the new shirt and jeans on and smiled “That’s better…” He then headed out to go wake the kids up, even though they didn’t really want to but really what kid ever wants to get up that early…? ...Eh, either way… He fixed them some food, helped get them dressed, and then waited with them until the bus arrived, he then kissed their foreheads and waved them off as they headed off to school. Now… He needed to do some laundry, get those bloodied clothes outta the way…!

Some time later in the day, you woke up with a groan and looked around, you remembered what had happened the other day and you honestly still felt like shit because of all that… You wanted to just relax for the day… Maybe later you would go and visit Chase but for now you just slowly got out of bed and headed for the shower, taking a quick one and changing clothes just to get freshened up a bit, which honestly had helped you feel just a LITTLE better… You then went off to grab some cereal, taking it to the living room to watch some tv, you had turned on the news not… REALLY to watch the news portion of it but you just wanted to know the weather for today before planning anything, as you were watching for a bit and eating your cereal slowly, your eyes widened slightly as the headline read ‘’(Friend’s full name) was found last night by one of the nurses, the reports say what likely caused their death was more than likely a baseball bat and a very nasty blow to the head, there is no information on whom the killer may be at this time but we’ll keep you up to date with any new information.’’ you stood up and accidentally dropped your bowl, it came crashing to the floor, bowl shattering and the rest of the milk and cereal pieces splattering everywhere, you were shaking as you raised a hand up to cover your mouth, tears beginning to pool around your eyes, you… Despite claiming they were a former friend just the other day, th...that was just out of anger!

You didn’t want anything BAD to happen to them! You DIDN’T want them to fucking D I E! You had broken down into sobs and almost borderline screaming, you whispered your friend’s name a few times, muttered so many apologies to them and wishes that it wasn’t them… Why did it have to be them? Why couldn’t it have been YOU instead?! You regretted the big fight you two had, you regretted calling them a former friend, you regretted it all… You wondered if they had regretted it, you wondered who could have even done such a thing?! Who had it out for your friend?! ....It… No... You didn’t want to start thinking like that… Besides, Chase would NEVER do something that cruel, that horrible! He’d NEVER fucking murder someone in cold blood!

You just wondered… Who could have done this? You just… You couldn’t… You continued to sob and wail, the grief was overwhelming, you didn’t even hear the door open… Chase sighed “Again, babe, the do-” before he could finish his scolding, his eyes widened when they landed on you on the floor, practically bawling your little eyes out, a broken bowl and a mess on the floor, he immediately dashed over and was going to reach down to pick you up but then he paused “H-H-Hey… hey baby, darling… What’s wrong…? Can… Can I touch you…? I wanna, like, help you up outta the floor…” He needed to be sure, once he got your nod he carefully picked you up and placed you on the couch, he noticed you had gotten some milk and remains of the bowl on your pants, he’d deal with all that in a moment however, first and foremost… He sat down beside you, placing a hand on your back and rubbing in soothing circles “Honey… What’s gotten you THIS distraught…?” You continued to sob, your throat was growing hoarse and you felt like vomiting, you couldn’t even manage to tell him what was wrong, you just pointed to the tv and Chase looked over, since it was still fairly early and it hadn’t been too long, the news, weather, and all of that repeated, the same story you saw about your friend came on and Chase’s eyes widened, he figured this was the case…

He would have hidden the body where no one could have found it had he had the time… He hated to see you this upset and distraught “O-Oh… Fuck… Babe, I’m so sorry for your loss… I-I know, you both had that big fight… And just… That makes it… just, fuck… C-Come here, do you want me to hold ya? I-I mean like, is… is that okay dude?” You slowly gave a nod and Chase leaned over, gently taking a hold of you and embracing you in a tight hug, it wasn’t tight enough for any discomfort, quite the opposite actually, his arms around you and being this close to him was what you needed, you sobbed into his chest and he began slowly stroking your hair  “Shhshhshsh… It’ll be okay…” He paused before whispering little reassurances into your ear “I...I know how it feels… To lose someone close to you… I-I mean, I don’t… I don’t know if she’s dead or not… But… My… My ex-wife, she left, a l o n g ass time ago, left me, the kids, all by ourselves… And it, it still hurts even to this day… Just, not as bad as it USED to... Grief… Look, I’m no expert, but grief can come in many forms but eventually… you’ll… You’ll get through it, eventually, it, it won’t hurt as bad ya know? And baby, listen, Imma be right here with ya every step of the way, I promise…” He smiled slightly, pulling you a bit closer, you listened to his words and you didn’t have the ability to speak at this point, your voice was hoarse from all that sobbing but you slightly smiled at that, you were… Glad he’d be there for you… The one thing you managed to utter out was a “sorry… about… the shirt…”

Chase chuckled and shook his head “Eh don’t worry about it, I have plenty more shirts where this one came from… Now just… Here, lemme get this cleaned up for you and then I’ll getcha some water, and then we’re gonna head over to my place, or if ya wanna stay here at home that’s fine too, I just gotta be back before my kids get home from school today though…” You looked at Chase and he could tell you were about to argue with him “Before you even try to say what I think your going to, please baby, I insist, I’ll clean this up for you, it isn’t a problem” You then sighed and just let him do what he wanted, first and foremost he grabbed some water, tossing it your way and he was surprised when you got it “Nice one babe!” He called out from the kitchen proceeding to go and look for the tools he needed.

He came back over, proceeding to sweep up all the bowl shards, he didn’t know whether to be lucky that the milk had dried up or not but either way, he managed to get the shards into the dustpan and then he began mopping up the milk, eventually he managed to get it all cleaned up and threw the shards into the trash can, and then he came back over and looked at you “So… You wanna stay here, or head on over to my place? Ya… Ya don’t gotta speak if ya don’t wanna, just hold up one finger for your place, two for mine” You smiled at how thoughtful he was being, you then took a few sips of water and held up two fingers to which he nodded at, he then scooped you up “Welp, c’mon then, let’s go chill for awhile, take our minds off all the bad shit!” He grinned and carried you out the door to his vehicle, opening the door and putting you inside, you slowly managed to get buckled as he hopped in the driver’s seat, he had really wished he had time, time to hide that body, time to prevent you from seeing that tragedy on the news, from making you bawl your eyes out, part of him felt guilt, not for killing them, oh n o… The bitch deserved it, but… You didn’t deserve to see that, you didn’t deserve to hear them announce their death, you shouldn’t have even known about that in the first place…

That was the only reason for guilt but at least you didn’t know he was in fact the one that did it… Nothing could get in his way now! Nothing could come between you, nothing could ruin this day! The drive back to Chase’s place was mostly in silence aside from Chase cracking a few jokes, he really was trying his best to help you feel better, and you won’t deny some of the jokes definitely made you crack a smile, as he pulled into his driveway, he hopped out and helped you out and inside, he sat you down on the couch and then grabbed some controllers, he handed you one and then turned on Minecraft “Let’s uh, play a more chill game this time around, yeah?” You smiled and nodded, watching as Chase created a new world for the both of you, he kept it on survival mode but he then set the difficulty to peaceful “Next time if ya want, we’ll play in easy, normal, or hell- hard if you’re feelin’ brave enough! But for now, let’s just gather supplies, food, and have some fun” You nodded, still not really wanting to talk, you didn’t want to wind up straining yourself… So you two sat in silence, just gathering up some food, supplies, and various other items, honestly this was pretty relaxing, it was really helping you de-stress… You even managed to find a good amount of diamonds which Chase seemed proud and impressed by “Guess the seed we spawned in is a pretty damn good one ain’t it, babe?” You nodded at his words.

You two played Minecraft for a long time, it was more than likely hours actually, minus getting up to fix some food or grab a snack or something to drink, eventually you got tired of playing Minecraft and cuddled up next to Chase who smiled at this, he placed an arm around you, pulling you closer to him, the embrace felt so nice… Your eyes fluttered shut as you leaned in a bit more, snuggling up close to him, you were just beginning to get comfortable before your eyes opened “...Annnd I have to pee…” You groaned in frustration and shot up from your spot and you heard Chase snickering as you walked down the hallway, you looked at his room and noticed the door was cracked open, now… Going into someone’s bedroom all of a sudden without their permission was… Pretty bad to say the least, but something in your head was telling you to go satiate whatever curiosity that had just sparked in your brain…

(it's the writer astral projecting curiosity onto the reader bc he needs them to go into that room to advance the plot- im kidding ofc but still tho)

You quietly crept toward the door, looking back to make sure Chase wasn’t there, you didn’t… Really want to upset him by doing this, all you wanted was just a quick peek and then you were done… Upon pushing open the door your nose scrunched up, you smelt something awful… It smelled… Metallic… It was an absolutely rotten stench that had plagued your nose, you looked over toward his closet, whatever the smell was it seemed to be coming from that direction, you were thinking now that maybe you shouldn’t have come in here, for some reason… The Closet had given you an unnerving feeling… You felt as though you should just turn back now and forget you ever came in here, however… It was too late to turn back now, your curiosity was too strong, just… One quick peek and then you’d forget the whole thing… You stepped closer to the closet, your body growing tense as you shakily reached out for the knob, you then pulled the door open and your eyes widened at what you had seen on the ground… It was a baseball bat… Your mind flash-backed to this morning, the reports on the news had said the weapon was a baseball bat… ...No, just no- There was no way… Chase would never- this had to be a coincidence, you noticed some dried red stains on the bat, the closer you got the more that smell overwhelmed you, you knew that scent, after all… Blood, even when dried, is a hard scent to mistake…

You slowly backed up from the closet, eyes wide and in shock, how… why… Why would he?! There’s no reason, this HAS to be a misunderstanding surely, you jumped and almost screamed when you heard a small tsk sound come from behind, you spun around quickly and looked Chase in the eyes, he was leaning on the doorway, arms crossed and a neutral expression on his face, he didn’t look angry but then again he didn’t look happy either “(Y/N)... Hasn’t your parents ever taught ya not to snoop through people’s shit…? We all have our private stuff dude, that’s so not cool…” You looked at Chase then back at the bat then back at him “Ch-Cha...Chase…” You whispered, this seemed to catch his attention and his expression softened a little bit “...Babe… I’m just, look, I’m not mad I promise… I AM disappointed however” He was scolding you, as if you were like a child… “Cha...se… did…” You took a shaky deep breath, your hands and legs beginning to shake, you… You just needed to know “...Did you do it…?” The man still had a smile on his face as he tilted his head slowly “...Did I do w h a t, baby…? Are you… Trying to accuse me…” And then there was a pause before slowly he stood, still blocking your exit “...Are you seriously trying to accuse me of murdering your friend…?” There was some hurt to his voice but something was off, he didn’t have that loving and caring aura around him anymore, you felt… Nervous… More nervous than you should have ever felt around someone you had come to love.

“You… You di….You did, didn’t you…? I….I… You… You got mad… That they hit you… d-didn’t you? You killed them didn’t you?!” You suddenly yelled and Chase looked taken aback before he frowned “...Babe, I think you’re overreacting and jumping to conclusions here… I didn’t touch your friend, I swear…” You shook your head “How...How can I trust you, how can I believe you? That bat has fucking dried blood on it!” Chase shook his head “It’s just a design!”

You then glared at him “IT EVEN SMELLS LIKE BLOOD, CHASE!” You shouted, tears welling in your eyes, this wasn’t… This couldn’t be happening right now, this wasn’t… You couldn’t… Just… Chase seemed to notice your panic “H-Hey… Heyy… Sweetheart… Please, just… Calm down, it’s alright… This is all one big misunderstanding… I promise you…” He tried to step closer and you immediately backed up “S-St...Stay away from me, Chase… Just… Just stay away… I… I don’t… I think… I-I just…” You were breathing heavily, staring into his eyes “I...I just… wanna go home… I just… I just need some rest I think ahaaa… I-It’s been a long day already and just…” Chase nodded “C’mon then, I’ll drive you-” You interrupted him “NO!” You shouted but then coughed and shook your head “I-I mean, no, no… I...I’d rather just walk…” Chase’s eyes darkened and he clenched his hand into a fist, the next sentence he seemed to grit his teeth as he spoke “Then how about I walk ya home, s w e e t h e a r t…?” You shivered as he stepped a little closer “I… I… C-Chase please-” He interrupted you “Baby, I don’t know why you're acting like I’m some kind of monster, I told you already… I didn’t do SHIT to your little f r i e n d… And b e s i d e s… Just…” He took a deep breath and looked at you, pure adoration in his eyes “Baby, I love you, so much… I’m not a monster, I didn’t kill your friend… I would n e v e r do that… Please, you have to believe me…” You looked at him, you just… You thought back to what your friend had said.

“...Maybe they were right about you… Th… Oh my god…” You had just realized something “...They told me they had a bad feeling about you, I thought they were just jealous…” Chase then tried to interrupt “Because they w e r e honey, they were jeal-” You shook your head and cut him off “No… No they weren’t just jealous, maybe there was something there but… They… They’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember… They’d never lie to me… I… Fuck, I’ve made a mistake… I just, Chase, I just… I don… I don’t think… It’s going to work out between us” And that made Chase snarl, he reached out and gripped your arm tightly, this made you cry out in pain “(Y/N)... No, don’t you d a r e say that… I just- Listen… I have TRIED my damnedest here… But if this is how your gonna be... You wanna know the truth? Do you REALLY wanna know the truth? About EVERYTHING?” You looked at him confused before your eyes widened, the sudden grin on Chase’s face made your stomach churn “...I did it… But, I didn’t do it to hurt you… Baby… They wanted to get in my way… In OUR way… They were going to get out of that hospital and try and take you away from me… I just… I couldn’t, I couldn’t handle the thought of losing you… I… I know what I did was wrong, I know… But I just… You have to understand, I do NOT want to lose you…”

(Another BIG reminder: Abuse is bout to happen!! Chase is about to do something he regrets MORE SO than forgetting to expose that bat fkjdslfdjsl)

You felt sick, you felt absolutely sick and disgusted with what you heard “...Chase… You fucking killed my BEST friend! YOU FUCKING KILLED THEM, YOU FUCKING BASTARD- JUST LET ME GO- I DON’T WANNA BE WITH YOU ANYMORE!” You began thrashing in his grip, trying to get away from him, but suddenly out of the blue, a fist had came crashing down on your cheek, it wasn’t hard enough to break a bone but it was sure gonna leave one hell of a mark, your eyes were wide and so were Chase’s as he let you go for a second, you stumbled and fell onto your ass and held your cheek, tears beginning to well up in your eyes as you stared up at Chase fearfully who looked… Regretful, looked shocked even, he placed a shaking hand over his mouth as he stared down at you “I…” He began, but then paused, what could he say now…?

He knelt down and tried to get closer to you only for you to back up in fear, your heart beating out of your chest right now as tears ran down your face, little sobs escaping your form as Chase shook his head “No… No no no… Babe…. That… I didn’t… Please, I’m sorry… Really I am, I didn’t mean to hit you… I just… It’s just, you… You promised to be with me forever, you promised you’d love me no matter what, and I just got angry and just… Please, c-come here, let me see…” He reached out to grab you again and you went stiff even if his touch was gentle this time, he moved your hand from the bruised area and gently and ever so carefully ran a finger down it “F-Fuck… I did the one thing I said I was never going to do… I s w o r e I’d never fucking hurt you… I’m such a fucking idiot…” Tears were now in his eyes as he thumbed over the bruise “J-Just… Come with me… I’m going to take care of this…” You were like a deer caught in headlights as he pulled you up and along with him, he wasn’t being as rough or forceful this time but you were fucking terrified, terrified he was going to hit you again if you tried anything or said anything… You flinched away as he began doctoring the area he just hit, you really didn’t want him touching you, you really didn’t even want to be around him anymore, but you had a funny feeling if you said that again… Well, there’s no telling what he’d do, after he finished doctoring the area he leaned in and kissed it better, you cringed in disgust at his actions.

“T-The...There… All… All better now… I… I, (Y/N)... I know you don’t believe me right now… I k n o w you probably even fucking hate my guts right now but l-listen… I… I genuinely d o n ‘ t want to hurt you, my anger just… Got out of control but I can promise you, I can and WILL control that from now on, I won’t ever hit you again… I swear, I...I know it’s hard to believe me right now, but I’ll show you… Jus-Just, just please, give me another chance? Whatever you want, I’ll give you the fucking WORLD if I have to just… pl-please… oh god, please… Please don’t leave me… Please don’t…” Tears fell from his eyes and sobs racked his body, he… He really did regret that, but you said nothing… You just let him hold you there, too frightened to move or say anything… But Chase only looked at you, a pleading look in his eyes “...(Y/N)...? I… I can be good, y-you just… Need to trust me again… Th-That’s it… I… Look, if I could have I would have just hidden your friend, that way, you didn’t even have to see that tragedy on the news, besides… Y-You really don’t understand j-just…” He let out a heavy breath as he stroked your hair lovingly “Just how much I love you… Th-They were literally going t-to… to… Take you aw...away from me… I can’t lose you… I had a fucking panic attack in the hospital after I heard all they said… I just…” Your heart twinged at that but… N-No! NO! You… You shouldn’t feel sorry for him, he killed your best friend and then he fucking HIT you! ...T-There was no way you’d feel sorry for him…

Yet… There was something… About it… He seemed so genuine, so genuinely desperate and guilty… It made you feel… Conflicted… Chase then pulled his shirt down a little to expose a bandaged wound “This, is what your friend did to me last night… They stabbed me with a scalpel, t-this wasn’t like… This was b e f o r e I did what I did…” Chase looked as if he were about to say something before he heard the front door open and his kids all scream for their dad, they sounded so worried and both your eyes immediately widened “...(Y/N)... Please… Don’t tell the kids… A-After all… A-Ahh… Haa…” He chuckled dryly before continuing, his tone reeked of panic and desperation as he spoke.

“Y-You wouldn’t wanna upset the kids, yeah? If you tell anyone about what I did, if you expose me… Y-You’ll make these kids lives a living hell… You’ll hurt them, and I’ll be honest (Y/N)... While I love ya, I won’t allow you to hurt my kids… Nobody gets to hurt them… So please, for me, but more importantly… For the kids, please… Stay…” (despite being a yandere Chase does truly care about his kids and he won’t ever let anything bad happen to them or do anything bad to them, he’s still a monster but not THAT kinda monster) You swallowed, hard, your throat felt dry but you nodded at his words, the thought of breaking these kids hearts was too much… You remembered how happy they said you had made their dad, reluctantly you finally spoke “O-Okay Chase… I- I promise, I… I won’t… I won’t tell anybody…” Chase then looked at you quizzically “...Annnd…?” Your eyes widened “A-And I won’t leave you!” You quickly added in fear he’d get angry at you again but then he smiled, just then the kids burst into the room and saw you two there, they noticed the bruise on your cheek and Chelsea was the first to speak up “D-Daddy?! Wha...What happened to (Y/N)!? Who hurt them?” Chase only smiled nervously “U-Um…” You quickly spoke up then, the fear of the kids finding something out too much to bear, the kids didn’t deserve to have their father ripped away from them, they seemed to care so much about him “I had a little accident kiddos but, I-I’m… I’m fine now…!” You sounded strained unfortunately but the kids still seemed to believe that part “A-And yo...your dad… He was just, um… Helping me! Yeah, I’ll be fine, I promise”

Chelsea smiled “Oh…! That’s good then” Trey spoke up next “We just got worried when you weren’t at the bus waiting for us, Greyson almost started crying” And Greyson frowned at that and turned to Trey “D-Did not…!” Trey looked at him and grinned “Did too!” And oh boy, you and Chase both knew where this was going… Chase quickly spoke up “Kids, now, come on… That’s enough, how about you go, wait in the living room and I’ll be right there with you, okay?” The three nodded and went off, you both could still hear Trey and Greyson arguing albeit a bit more quieter, and then you and Chase looked toward each other, you wouldn’t deny, you were definitely still afraid of him, but you had every right to be! ...But you just, you couldn’t hurt those kids like this… and Chase, you could see it in his eyes, he was desperate “...(Y/N)...” He began and you couldn’t help but flinch as his hand reached out which he quickly retracted back “S-Shit, sorry… Sorry… Listen, I know… You really don’t like, believe me and shit right now… But, I...I promise, it’ll get better… I just… When you said you didn’t wanna be with me anymore… It just, it really fuckin’ pissed me off… but, th-that… That’s not an excuse, and I know that…”

Chase paused and looked at your arm, he winced at the bruising he seen there too “F-Fuck… We’re REAL lucky the kids didn’t see that but I-I’ll get to that in a second…. Just, look… (Y/N), I promise I will NEVER hit you again… I don’t want to hurt you, I genuinely don’t… I just… I just wanna be happy together, I want to be with you, and I don’t want you to like, be with me out of fear and shit, I genuinely want you to love me… I’ll... In fact, actually... I’ll prove to you that I’ll NEVER hit you again! And… Listen, y-your friend… I’m… Just, I was just so scared they’d get in our way, scared they’d take you away from them and y-ya know they say f-fear… Fear can make… Can make you do some crazy shit… Y-Ya know…?” You looked at Chase and bit your lip, damn this man… Even after all this bullshit, your heart can’t help but twinge, he sounds so genuinely upset and sorry… Your head was a mess of emotions and thoughts, it honestly made your head hurt…

You felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion even, then Chase looked into your eyes “B-Babe…? Pl-please… Please talk to me…?” You sighed and there was a brief moment of silence before you spoke up “A-Alright Chase… I...I’ll stay… I… I won’t… I won’t leave you…” You shouldn’t be saying that, you shouldn’t but really, what would happen if you said no again, what would happen if you had denied him and told him you wouldn’t stay here? ...The thought of that made you shudder, you weren’t… Secretly, deep down, no, you weren’t… You were NOT doing this because you felt sorry for him, you didn’t feel any pity for him, you were doing this for his kids… You were doing this to protect the kids, and… It’d break their hearts to see their father so unhappy, just… You could get through this, yeah… I- Maybe… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, you flinched as Chase started bandaging your arm up next “T-Thank you… Thank you so much (Y/N)... I promise… I’ll make it up to you…” And then he smiled and gently took a hold of your face, his hands were definitely shaking as he touched you and then he gave you a gentle kiss “...I promise… We’ll all be one big happy family… You and me, together f o r e v e r… And of course don’t forget the kiddos… We’ll all be happy, okay?” You nodded at his words and he seemed ecstatic “Love ya babe… I really do” You glanced at Chase, together with him forever… Christ, this… What the hell had you gotten yourself into? You did regret not listening to your friend when you had the chance but it was too late now, it was f a r too late to turn back “...I..I… Lov… Love...you too…” That made you want to retch but Chase seemed so fucking happy.

...This truly was going to be hell, your hell, and honestly, you didn’t see any ways out of it, you were trapped in a bad situation, between a rock and a hard place, you were going to be stuck here, with him, forever… If there were ever a next time, you would definitely listen to your friend instead…

(An Average Day in Hell? More like an Average Eternity in Hell amirite? Lmao anyway this shit is long and honestly I never intended it to be- And I know y’all probs wanna finish this and be done with it already so lemme clarify a few things here, 1: I completely forgot how I was supposedly going to like end this thing, I forgot a few plot points and I just went in the direction my brain told me too and now we got this. 2: In the Yandere AU I have here technically speaking, these are NOT his canonical kids names, I ripped some of these from a wikipedia page I saw, the only canon name I MIGHT keep for one of his kids is Greyson bc that’s fitting, I just needed some names for the story, im sure y’all understand.

3: Im not gonna defend Chase, but I will say, he can be… Well, hm, how should I put this… I mean sometimes im sure he can do it intentionally, but half the time his manipulative tones and the shit he says is by sheer accident, and him hitting the reader? Well, I can absolutely say this would be the only time EVER Chase did that, he genuinely means it when he says he doesn’t want to hurt ya, but you see… Rage in the wrong hands, in a person’s hands who’s heard those exact same words from a certain… OTHER person can definitely be a potent and fatal combination… Aside from that shit tho.

He genuinely just like, wants you to be happy, he wants to be with you because he really does love ya ….but, the shit he can do can make loving him a bit… Difficult to say the VERY least.

Anywho I feel like that’s enough explaining how this process went, just one more thing and I promise it’s the last thing then you can go do what’cha wanna do n shit yeah? There was going to be an alt ending but I’ve got too many other stories to do already so I present you with the alt ending summarized p much

1: Chase successfully hides the body, now on this path you probs would still find out on the news or some form of device that your friend is missing but, it’s like a 1 in one million chance you’d find out Chase did it so bam, happily ever.  Alright, im done)

[bee-kathony]

Walking the Tightrope - Jamie and Claire AU

The year is 1919, and a 13 year old Claire Beauchamp has just lost both her parents to the Spanish Influenza. Alone in the world, and out of options, Claire runs away, stumbling across train tracks. When she wipes away her tears, she discovers a train, and is welcomed aboard. 


What happens when Claire finds out that the train is home to the Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey Circus? Luckily, she meets a family – The Fraser’s, who help her learn the circus life. But, will she always want to stay? Or will she eventually grow up and realize it’s time to leave the circus and her best friend, Jamie… behind?


This is the first 3(ish) and only chapters of this fic. I will also add the outline for what this story was going to be at the end. I hope you enjoy it and I was excited to get into the twists of this story. Moodboard by @beaauchamp xx

Chapter One 

Boston, Massachusetts 1919

Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp was 13 years old when she ran away to the circus. Normally, young girls don’t run away to join circuses — especially not young British girls who had just moved to America.

Claire and her family were originally from England, the beautiful city of Oxford, and had relocated to the United States for Henry Beauchamp’s job. He was a veterinarian, and had been offered a position to teach the subject at Harvard University, an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Their family packed up their small home and moved across the Atlantic. Claire found it was rather easy to leave her home country, she hadn’t always been the best at making new friends. And besides, she had her parents to keep her company. Henry’s brother, Claire’s Uncle Lamb, was an archaeologist and had traveled with them to stay for a few months in between digs.

They had only been in Boston for eight months before the sickness came. It was 1919 and the Spanish Influenza was spreading rapidly throughout the country and throughout the world. Claire felt helpless as she watched people around her die.

“You must stay with Lamb, darling,” her mother said, voice barely above a whisper. “He’ll take good care of you.”

“But I want to stay with you, mum,” Claire gripped her mother’s hand, aware of how hot her skin felt against her own. “I want to stay with you and papa.”

Julia Beauchamp had woken up that morning with a chill that rapidly turned into a fever. It was a miracle that Claire wasn’t ill. Her father, Henry hadn’t been so lucky. He lay in the bed next to Julia, chest rising and falling slowly, skin moist with fever.

“We won’t be here much longer,” Julia said and did her best to squeeze Claire’s hand. “You must make a good life for yourself. I know you can.”

“Mother!” Claire weeped as her mother’s grip loosened. Bent over the bed, she threw herself on top of both her parents, desperate to give them all the life that was in her.

“Oh, Claire, dear,” her uncle Lamb raced in and pulled her off the bed, his own eyes filled with tears as he watched his brother and sister-in-law leave the earth. “You mustn’t look, child.”

“I want my parents!” Claire cried against her uncle’s chest, her body shaking and not able to contain the grief she felt. There was nothing that could have been done — nothing that anyone could have done.

She had just lost both of her parents, what could have been worse?

It was barely twenty-four hours later that her favorite Uncle Lamb had fallen ill and died of the Spanish influenza. Claire Beauchamp was now an orphan with no one to turn to and nowhere to go.

An orphanage was the only suitable place for a girl like her. The thought of being stuffed into a house with tens of other children without a family made her stomach twist into knots.

Claire stood by herself, hands clasped firmly in front of her, trying not to cry as she watched her parents and uncle’s caskets be lowered into the ground. It took everything in her not to throw herself down and demand to be buried along with them. What did she have to live for?

Alone in the world and with nowhere to go, she ran from the funeral with nothing but the black dress on her body and the Oxfords on her feet. She thought she could make it on her own — survive all by herself.

There was no particular destination in mind, but the air around her was suffocating and every look of sympathy shot her way made her want to scream. So Claire turned, tears streaming down her face and began to run even faster.

The wind whipped past her face, salty tears flying behind her as she pumped her arms and legs to carry her as far away as possible. No one stopped her. No one knew her.

It wasn’t long before her chest began to burn and the tears filled her eyes to the point where she had to stop. When she looked up, she saw iron train tracks and followed them, only hoping that soon something would come and take her away.

As the sky darkened and the night grew cold, Claire shivered and wished more than anything for her family to be alive. But wishing wouldn’t bring them back. So with every step, Claire pushed out the memories she had of Henry, Julia and Lambert Beauchamp — because thinking of them only brought pain.

Stumbling along the tracks, her feet aching and stomach rumbling, Claire knew she needed to find a place to sleep. Lifting her head up, she saw lights in the distance — lights of a train. A train would have food and people, surely someone would be kind enough to help her find her way, or perhaps they would let her ride along.

With careful steps in the dark, Claire made her way to the last car of the train and stepped off the tracks to peer at the side of the boxcar.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

A circus.

Claire’s eyes went wide, wondering what kind of animals lived inside the small confines of the boxcars. She had never been to the circus, but had always wanted to go. Claire loved animals and was always quick to make friends with them in whatever country they were visiting.

Voices came from further down and Claire walked forward into the light.

“Psst,” came from behind her and she whipped her head around, back into the dark. Not seeing anything, Claire shrugged her shoulders and kept moving forward. “Psst,” she heard the sound again.

“You!” A voice said quietly from above her. Claire looked up and gasped, jumping back to see a head sticking out of the boxcar. “I’m talkin’ to ye lass!”

“Me?” Claire pointed at herself.

“Do you see any other little girls around here?” The man said in a thick Scottish accent.

She shook her head and before she could do anything else, the man stuck his hand out, offering her a way up. With no other option, Claire reached up, grabbed it and was pulled up into the boxcar.

“Yer a wee thing,” the man said and for the first time, Claire got a good look at him. He was tall, with wide shoulders and had jet black hair. “What are ye doin’ out here so late at night?”

“I—“ She stammered, suddenly wondering if she made a mistake running away.

“Where are yer parents, lass?” The man said and when Claire met his eye, it hit her, the fact that she would never wake up to the smell of her father’s chocolate chip pancakes again or hear her mother sing along to the radio every evening. Tears fell down her cheeks and her chest caved in. The man with the jet black hair caught her in his arms as she began to fall to her knees and he held her against his chest.

“Shhh, I didna mean to upset ye,” he spoke softly. “Tis only it’s no every day young lasses come walkin’ beside the tracks.” The man ran his hand gently over Claire’s head, smoothing down the unruly curls.

“I have a lad about yer age, maybe a couple years younger. My daughter is probably near yer age though,” he said, trying to soothe her with conversation. “Usually the brothers dinna take a family on the road wi’ them, but they’ve allowed it this time.”

“Y-you have children?” Claire stammered as she wiped her face on her sleeve and looked up at the man. He released her, making sure she could stand on her own two feet.

“Aye, two of them, the wee numpties,” he laughed. “And my wife, they’re all part of the act, ye ken.” Claire raised her brows, unsure of what “act” he was talking about. He saw the confusion on her face, “Och, have ye never been to see a show before?”

“No, never.”

“My wife Ellen and I are lion tamers,” he said proudly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall of the cart. “My son and daughter are what ye could say cub tamers in training,” he laughed.

“You tame lions?” Claire asked, eyes wide for the second time that night. “I’ve never even seen a lion!”

“Ah, I thought I detected an accent,” he smiled. “That makes this even more curious. What’s a Sassenach like ye doin’ here?”

“A Sassenach?” Claire asked as she took a seat on a cot nearby, her legs unable to hold her up after a day of running and walking along the tracks.

“An English person, just a wee nickname,” the man smirked.

“I moved here with my parents about a year ago, we’re from Oxford.”

“Ah, Oxford,” he smiled. “I went there once as a lad, beautiful place. Yer parents, ye say? Where are they? Do they ken their daughter is runnin’ away from home to join the circus?” He laughed and then the laughter died as he caught sight of her face.

“My parents are dead,” she nearly whispered and the man dropped to his knees in front of her. “My uncle is dead. I have no one.”

“Oh lass,” he took her small hand in his. “I’m sae sorry, I— I’m sorry for yer loss.”

“Their funeral was today, it’s why I’m dressed like this,” Claire pointed at her dress. “I did run away, but I didn’t know where to run to.”

“It’s every kids dream to join the circus is it no?” The man put his thumb under her chin, lifting it up. “Ye’ve a place here, if ye want it.”

“But I can’t join the circus!” Claire laughed, her emotions running on overdrive. “I’m just a girl and a circus is no place for me.”

“Try tellin’ that to my daughter Jenny, she’ll be sayin’ the opposite,” he smiled. “She loves the animals, helps take care of them when she’s not performin’. She’s wi’ her Mam and brother up in the car ahead eatin’ dinner.”

Claire didn’t know what to say at this offer. Join the circus? It all felt like a fantasy. No one really ran away to the circus and certainly not young girls like her. But she didn’t exactly have a lot of options — no family, no house, no money.

“I’m Claire Beauchamp,” she offered her hand to the man.

“Brian Fraser, lass. Pleased to make yer acquaintance,” he kissed the back of her hand. “So is that a yes? Are ye runnin’ away to join us?”

It could’ve been much worse and as Claire looked around the small train car, she thought she might as well give it a try — the least she could get out of it was a hot meal and a night’s sleep.

“Yes. I’m running away to join the circus,” she smiled for the first time in days.

“Tha!” Brian smiled. “Ye’ve just made the best decision of yer young life, lassie. Now,” he stood up, taking her hand. “We need to feed ye and then find ye some place to sleep. I expect ye’ll be needin’ a wee nap soon.”

Claire followed Brian through a small door and through another into another train car. They walked through several others, past people with curious eyes and hushed tones, wondering who she was no doubt. Claire had never seen so many people crammed into such a small space before. They finally came into the train car Brian was looking for and he let go of her hand to walk over to a red headed woman, kissing her on the mouth.

They seemed to be in a train car where people ate, the place was lined with small tables and chairs, plates of food in front of everyone. Brian motioned for her to join him and she stood shyly next to him while he introduced her.

“I found a young lass outside,” Brian smiled, placing his arm around her shoulder. “This is Claire Beauchamp, she’s from England and she’s run away to the circus.”

“Run away?” The girl who must be his daughter Jenny said from beside her mother. “I didna ken anyone like ye would want to come and live here.”

“Who wouldn’t want to live here, Janet?” A young boy said beside her, looking at her with the bluest eyes Claire had ever seen.

“Claire will be joinin’ us for dinner tonight,” Brian smiled and then pulled up a chair for her. “Jamie, Janet, say a proper hello to the lass.”

The young girl stuck her hand out over the table, “I’m Janet, but you can call me Jenny. I’m fourteen. This is my younger brother, James.”

“But ye can call me, Jamie,” the young boy offered her his hand from beside her. He had a mop of curly red hair and mischievous glint in his eye. “Did Da tell ye we tame lions?!”

“He did,” Claire nodded. “I’ve never seen a lion before though.”

Jamie gasped, frightening Claire and he grabbed her arm, “Ye’ve never seen a lion? Jenny, did ye hear the lass?”

“I heard her fine well, Jamie,” Jenny rolled her eyes, but then smiled at Claire. “We can show ye them tomorrow when we unload”

“Unload?”

“Aye, when we unload to set up for the circus, we’ll be in Boston for the next two nights and then it’s on to another city,” Jenny smiled.

A plate of food was set down in front of Claire and her stomach made a very loud noise at the sight of it. She hadn’t eaten all day — she hadn’t eaten much of anything since she found out the news about her parents. She grabbed the fork and began to eat quickly, not caring if the food was too hot.

“Slow down lass,” Ellen smiled from across the table. “Ye need no worry about it disappearin’.”

“Sorry,” Claire said shyly, her cheeks turning bright red.

“Dinna fash, lass. I just dinna want to see ye gettin’ a belly ache. My Jamie gets those when he eats too fast,” Ellen smirked.

“Mam!” Jamie shouted. “Dinna talk about my belly in front of her!”

Brian snorted over his food, which only made Claire blush harder. She took her next bites a bit slower, savoring the taste.

“I never asked before,” Claire said to Brian once her plate was clean. “You’re from Scotland. You all are,” she looked around. “What are you doing here then?”

Brian glanced around at his family, then finally his eyes focused on Claire. “I suppose ye can say that we ran away too.”

Ellen took her husband’s hand, squeezing it so tightly her knuckles went white.

“We still need to find ye a place to sleep, lass,” Brian said a moment later. “There’s probably room for ye to join in our car tonight.”

“I can show her, Da!” Jamie said beside her and he nearly jumped out of his chair.

Laughing, Brian smiled, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Aye, son. Take her to the car, we’ll be there in a minute.”

“Follow me, Claire,” Jamie smiled, offering his hand to her. She took it, following the boy back through the train cars she had come through. They found themselves in the same car Brian had pulled her into. As she looked around now, she saw that it was rather cozy — as cozy and nice as a train car could get she supposed.

“This is where I sleep,” Jamie said as he pointed up at the top bunk. “Then Jenny sleeps in the middle and there’s actually an empty bunk on the bottom. I guess that’s where ye can sleep.”

“You all sleep in here?” Claire said.

“Aye, Mam and Da take the cot in the corner, tis small, but it’s enough,” Jamie smiled. He couldn’t have been but a couple of years younger than her, but he was just as tall as her, if not taller. He seemed kind and not for the first time, Claire wondered what an entire family was doing joining the circus.

“My Da said ye were runnin’ away…” Jamie said to her as he came to stand in front of her. “Why, Sassenach?”

“Oh you too?” Claire smirked. “Your father called me that earlier, I suppose I better get used to it.”

“Och, I didna mean any offense!” Jamie put up both his hands. “Yer English is all.”

“No, it’s alright,” Claire smiled and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

“Ye didna answer my question…” Jamie said softly.

“I—“ Claire felt her chest tighten and her eyes water. “I’d rather not talk about it just yet.”

“Oh that’s fine, Claire.” Jamie reached for her hand, squeezing it tight. “Ye’ll see soon enough how great this place really is. It’s like a dream!”

“I’ve just woken up from a nightmare of my own,” Claire said, her shoulders drooping. Jamie lifted her chin with his fingers.

“Ye’ve nothin’ to be scarit of, Sassenach. Not so long as I’m wi’ ye,” he smiled, squeezing her hand again.

“You’re very kind, Jamie. Much kinder than I deserve,” Claire smiled. She had to admit that Jamie was rather cute and very charming. Perhaps this circus thing wouldn’t be so bad after all. “I’m feeling rather tired.”

“Och, of course,” Jamie smiled. “As I said, the bottom bunk can be yers.”

“Thank you, Jamie.” Claire let go of his hand and climbed into the bottom bunk, sighing as she slipped off her shoes. She winced as she felt the blisters, but tried to keep quiet as Jamie climbed up to the top bunk.

“I’m glad yer here, Sassenach,” he said a few minutes later as they both lay quietly. “I was wishin’ for a friend.”

Claire didn’t know what to say so she turned over on her side and let herself weep. Only hours before, she had buried her family and said goodbye to the life she knew and now she was lying in a bunk on a circus train.

Her eyes grew heavy and soon the tears stopped as she slipped into a deep dreamless slumber.

Chapter 2

Claire woke to the quiet whispers of Brian and Ellen Fraser. She didn’t want them to know she was awake just yet, so she kept her eyes shut tight and face buried in the pillow.

“What is she going to do here, Brian?” Ellen said softly and glanced over at Claire lying still asleep on the bottom bunk. “Ye ken fine well that this is no’ a proper life for a girl like her.”

“Jenny’s here is she no’?” Brian said.

“Aye,” Ellen clicked her tongue. “But she’s our daughter, and she didna have much say in the matter at the time if ye recall.”

Brian rubbed his hands over his face, sighing as he looked at the young girl.

“She’s got nowhere else to go, Ellen. Her parents and uncle died of the influenza,” he said softly and Claire realized that his own children must still be asleep above her.

“Christ,” Ellen muttered under her breath. “So she really did run away to the circus, the poor lass.”

“Ye ken just as well as I do what that grief feels like,” Brian said to his wife. “The poor lass is heartbroken, I’m sure we can find somethin’ here for her to do.”

Ellen leaned against her husband, silent for a moment before nodding. “We must help her.”

“Aye,” Brian kissed his wife’s forehead. “I’ll go and talk to the brothers. Let them know about our newest passenger. I’ll find ye and the bairns at breakfast after setup.”

A sliding door opened and closed and Brian Fraser left the small boxcar. Claire could hear sniffling from the corner and opened one eye to see Ellen wiping away tears that fell down her cheeks. Compassion stirred Claire to rise from her bed and she sat down beside Ellen on the small cot.

Without saying anything, she took Ellen’s hand in hers and squeezed it. The older woman smiled down at her, squeezing back.

“I’m glad that yer here, Claire,” Ellen smiled and ran her fingers softly over Claire’s cheek. “We’ll do the best we can to take care of ye, and make ye feel at home.”

Claire’s throat felt tight, and she knew that if she spoke she would burst into tears, so she wrapped her arms around Ellen and buried her head against the woman’s chest. There was nothing quite like a mother’s embrace — warm and soothing, like being wrapped in the arms of an angel.

The two of them sat there for a moment longer, quiet as they both grieved for their own loss. Claire looked up and finally released her arms from around Ellen when Jamie and Jenny both started to wake up.

“Morning my darlins,” Ellen said to her children.

“Morning mam,” Jenny said, wiping her eyes as she jumped out of bed, landing on her feet.

Jamie yawned and jumped down as well, rubbing his hands over his eyes. He blinked and looked at Claire, as if remembering that she was there. “Morning Mam, Claire,” he smiled softly.

“Are ye ready for yer first day at the circus, Sassenach?” Jamie asked, a grin spreading across his lips. It was infectious, and Claire found herself smiling too.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

++++++

“So, what exactly do you and Jenny do all day?” Claire asked as they walked over to where the large tents were being setup. It looked like quite a job to do. Men and women were lined up in a circle, each holding rope, and tall wooden beams were on their sides, ready to be lifted. Claire didn’t envy their job.

“We help wi’ anythin’ that needs to be done,” Jenny said. “I usually help wi’ the cookin’ and feedin’ everyone. Well, as much as our cook Mrs. Fitz will allow me to since I’m only fourteen. She’s Scottish as well!”

Jamie bumped against Claire, “And I help with the animals! No’ the big ones though. Mam willna let me near them.”

“That’s cause you’re a wee ten year old,” Jenny smirked and winked at Claire.

“I’m turning eleven next month!” Jamie scowled and kicked at a nearby rock. He hated to feel like the odd one out. “I usually just walk around and see who needs help. Since I am ten…” he sighed. “I can only do so much. The circus is a tough job, ye’ll see soon enough, Sassenach.”

“It sounds like it,” Claire agreed.

They found the food tent, which had already been set up the night before. The smell of fresh eggs and bacon made Claire’s stomach growl and they got into line. Claire looked around the tent and saw mostly women there, as the men were still setting up the larger tent that would house the main event.

“Are you the only other kids here?” Claire asked the Frasers. She hadn’t paid much attention to anything when she boarded the train last night.

“Aye,” Jamie nodded, scooping a large helping of eggs onto his plate. “We’re also the only family here too. The circus is no’ exactly a life most people choose to raise bairns in.”

“But, we havena been here our whole lives either,” Jenny added. “We were both born in Scotland. Ye see, we moved here five years ago.”

They found Ellen sitting at a table, a plate of food already in front of her.

“Good to see ye, Claire,” Ellen smiled gently. “I hope my bairns havena been tellin’ ye too many wild stories?”

“No,” Claire shook her head. “Jenny was just telling me about when you moved here.”

At that, Ellen froze, her complexion going pale and she looked over at her daughter who shook her head slightly.

“Ye’ll have to forgive me, Claire,” Ellen said. “I dinna like to talk about our life before the circus. Those times are better left in the past.”

“That’s all right,” Claire nodded. That was certainly how Claire felt now. She would much rather leave all of her pain and grief behind her, and try and start a new life. Granted, this wasn’t what she had in mind, but it was better than living in an orphanage.

A few minutes later, Brian Fraser came over with his own plate. He was sweaty from putting up the tent, but didn’t seem to mind. Most people here were covered in a thin layer of sweat and dirt. Living on train wasn’t exactly all that clean, Claire realized.

“After ye eat, Da, can ye come wi’ us to show Claire the lions?” Jamie asked his father.

“Aye,” Brian nodded, chowing down on piece of bacon. “But ye kids ken the drill. Dinna stand too close while we feed them.” He turned to look at Claire, “The lions will be hungry this mornin’ and it only takes almost gettin’ yer hand bit off once, to practice extreme caution around them.”

“I don’t want to get too close at all!” Claire squeaked. She had been around animals all her life, her father had been a veterinarian. But, he had never worked on a lion before — only house cats and dogs, with the occasional horse.

Once Brian was done with his breakfast, Ellen and Jenny stayed behind to help with the food and cleanup, while Brian, Jamie and Claire went to see the animals. They were still in their cages, but would be unloaded into their own tent before the show.

“We have the lions of course,” Jamie said excitedly, almost bouncing as they walked. “Then we have the horses, pigs, giraffes, one elephant, monkeys, zebras —“

“Zebras?!” Claire gasped.

“Oh yes,” Jamie grinned. “They’re my favorite after the lions. A bit like horses, really, which I also love, but the stripes are the best!”

Claire could immediately tell when the reached the animals cages, as the smell was quite strong. As was the loud roar that one of the lions gave as they approached. Another man was already there with a bucket full of meat, which the lion was eyeing and trying to get through the bars.

“Stay back here,” Brian instructed them before going to join the man.

“That’s auld Alec,” Jamie pointed. “He’s in charge of takin’ care of the animals.”

“All of them?” Claire said, awestruck.

“Aye, I help sometimes, but he does most of the work,” Jamie said. They watched from the trees as Alec and Brian began to feed the lions. Brian distracted the lions, moving them to one side of the cage, while Alec opened it up and set the bucket of meat inside. Then the lions pounced on their food and ate it ferociously.

“Wow,” Claire gasped, grabbing onto Jamie’s arm.

“Dinna fash, Sassenach,” Jamie grinned. “They’re no’ as scary after they’ve eaten. Later, I’ll show ye how to pet one. They can be quite friendly.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Claire laughed.

Brian returned to them, and auld Alec followed closely behind. “This is young Claire Beauchamp who has come to join us,” Brian introduced her.

“Tis nice to meet ye little lass,” Alec offered her his hand and she shook it.

“We need to find somethin’ for the lassie to do,” Brian quirked his brow.

“My father worked with animals,” Claire said shyly. “All kinds, but not any lions or elephants.”

“He was a veterinarian?” Alec asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, perhaps some of his skills rubbed off on ye lass,” Alex grinned. “How’d ye like to come wi’ me and see the rest of the animals? I could use all the help I could get!”

Claire looked over at Jamie who nodded encouragingly, as did Brian. Jamie stayed back with his father, leaving Claire to follow the animal carer. The thought of being around animals was a small comfort, at least she had vague knowledge of their needs.

She would never forget one warm afternoon when her father was seeing to a pregnant dog. Claire had stayed up with her father all night, comforting the dog as she gave birth, and making sure the puppies were seen after.

“Is she in pain, papa?” Claire asked, petting the head of the golden Labrador.

“A bit, my dear,” Henry Beauchamp replied. “Giving birth is no easy feat. But she’s a strong girl,” he stroked the dog’s bulging stomach. “It should be within the hour.”

Claire and her father had stayed up late into the night, watching over the dog. She belonged to a woman from town, but all Claire wanted to know was who would keep the puppies.

“How many puppies will she have?”

“I think perhaps four,” her father said as he moved his hand over the dog’s belly. “But we won’t know until she has them. Why are you asking my love?” He cocked a quizzical brow at his daughter.

“Oh, you know,” Claire grinned. “Maybe Mrs. Wilcox doesn’t want four new puppies. Maybe she only wants three!”

Her father laughed, “That’s something you can ask Mrs. Wilcox tomorrow. And of course, you’ll have to ask your mother.”

“I will, papa,” Claire smiled and went back to petting the dog’s head. “When I grow up, I want to do what you do. Being around animals all day must be fun.”

Henry rose to his feet to check that he had everything he needed — sutures for after the birth, plenty of towels. “It is rather fun, my dear. But, I will warn you, that it can be quite hard too.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s never easy telling someone that their pet is ill,” Henry frowned, coming back to join Claire on the ground. “Or feeling like you can’t do anything to help. Not everything can be solved with medicine, I’m afraid. But I try.”

At this, Claire felt sadness wash over her. As little girl, they had a pet cat, but he had passed away before they moved to Boston. She knew all too well what it was like to be told that your animal was sick.

“Well, you can still be there for someone and try and make them feel better,” Claire replied. “I think I still wanna do what you do.”

Henry reached out and smoothed back his daughter’s unruly curls. “Then you shall, my darling. You shall do whatever your heart desires.” He bent and kissed her forehead. “Your mother and I will always be here to support you.”

Auld Alec showed Claire all the animals. Claire was gobsmacked seeing so many creatures she had never seen before. She had heard about the circus coming into town, and thought about asking her parents to take her, but that was before…

“I bet yer Da never worked on zebras, aye?”

“No,” Claire shook her head as they approached one. “A few horses, but never a zebra.”

“They’re a lot like horses, of course,” Alec said and reached his hand through the bars. “Go ahead and reach yer hand in, she willna bite.”

Slowly, Claire approached the cage, trying to be careful as she reached her hand inside. The zebra nodded her head forward against Claire’s hand, letting her pet her. The zebra made a snorting sound, and Claire laughed.

“Does she have a name?”

“Zoe,” Alec smiled down at Claire. “Zoe the zebra.”

“Fitting,” Claire nuzzled Zoe’s nose.

As the morning rolled on, Claire stayed with Alec and watched as he interacted with every animal. Treating them with such care and gentleness, as if they weren’t really animals at all, but humans.

Finally, they got word that the animals were set to be moved into their proper tent. Men came to unhook their cages and wheeled them into the tent. The horses were let out to walk and stretch their legs, and Claire immediately gravitated to them.

She was barely half the height of the horse, so she came up to it carefully, not wanting to disturb it. Alec had tied them up to a nearby pole and they were munching on a trough full of hay.

“Here,” came a voice from behind her, making her jump. She turned to find Jamie, holding a bright red apple. “Donas loves these.”

“Thank you,” Claire took the apple from Jamie and walked around to the horse’s head, and held out the apple. He snorted, looking her up and down before placing his wet mouth on her hand and snatching the apple up. “He did like it!”

“Aye, told ye,” Jamie grinned. “I love the horses.” He came to stand beside her, reaching out a hand to rub over Donas’ nose. “Tha thu nad bheathach math,” Jamie said in a foreign tongue.

“What did you say?” Claire asked.

“Oh,” Jamie’s cheeks blushed. “I didna even realize I was speakin’. Twas Gaelic. Just callin’ him a fine creature. I find that speakin’ to the animals in Gaelic helps to calm them.”

“Would you teach me some then?” Claire asked. “It looks like I’ll be helping auld Alec with the animals!”

“That’s great!” Jamie smiled. “What I say to the horses is really just gibberish. No’ meant to even mean anythin’, but try sayin’ what I did — tha thu nad bheathach math.”

It was a language Claire had certainly never heard before. Her mother spoke a bit of French and had taught Claire a few words and phrases, but Gaelic was very different.

“Tha thu nad,” she said slowly. “Be-heath-ach math?”

“Let it roll off yer tongue,” Jamie said the phrase again.

“Tha thu nad bheathnach math,” Claire said again, this time getting it as closely as she could to how Jamie had said it. “Well, with practice, I think I’ll get there.”

“Aye, ye’ll do great,” Jamie smiled. “I’m glad ye found yer place, Sassenach. It’ll be nice to have ye here.”

“Yes,” Claire rubbed her hand along the side of Donas’ neck. “I think it will be rather nice here after all.”

She hadn’t even been at the circus for a full twenty-four hours, but already it was beginning to feel like home. The animals would be her new companions, as well as the Fraser’s who had welcomed her in as one of their own. Running away to the circus was the best idea Claire ever had.

Chapter 3

7 years later… New York City 1926

Claire thought often of her first night on the train — how alone she had felt and like she would never belong anywhere. It had been nearly seven years since then and the circus was now her home.

She wasn’t properly educated, but her love for animals kept her with a full time position with the Ringling Brothers. Jenny Fraser was her best friend, along with her younger brother Jamie, of course.

They traveled from city to city, amazing people with the greatest show on earth. Wonders and mystery surrounded them and Claire felt she was part of something truly spectacular.

There were times she thought she should find proper work, especially on her eighteenth birthday two years ago. Jamie had set up a picnic by the horses, Claire’s favorite of the wild menagerie.

“I think I need to leave, Jamie,” Claire said as she took a bite of a strawberry. They were sitting under the tent where all the animals were kept and it was rather smelly, but Claire had grown used to it over the years.

“Leave? Why would ye do that?” Jamie said as he reached for a cracker.  

“I don’t know,” Claire sighed. “I’m an twenty year old girl, traveling around with a circus, surely I can find a real job out there.”

Jamie grew quiet, his brows knitting together and he crossed his arms over his knees. “If you want to then you should.”

“I didn’t think you would want me to go,” Claire said.

“I don’t,” Jamie looked up at her. “But if ye want to go…”

Sighing, Claire laid back on the blanket, followed by Jamie. They had grown close over the years, able to tell each other anything and everything. He had always been there for her as he said he would be. On the anniversary of her parents death, he always made sure she was alright and was there to distract her if she needed — or to be a shoulder to cry on when she needed that.  

“It’s not like I want too… I just feel I should. Make a proper life.”

“Ye have a family here, Claire,” Jamie turned onto his side, lifting his head up on his elbow. “Ye ken that.”

“Of course,” she smiled. “It was just a silly thought, Jamie. Nothing more.”

“I hope so,” Jamie said as he brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. Something in Claire’s stomach fluttered whenever he touched her and she wanted him to do it again. Jamie was much taller than her now, and had grown into handsome young man.

“Sassenach,” Jamie said. “I dinna want ye to leave.”

“I won’t,” she whispered and then his lips pressed against hers. A small sound left her lips in surprise, but then she relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck. Before she could really taste his lips, Jamie pulled back, rising quickly to his feet.

“I’m sorry, Claire, I dinna ken what came over me,” his face was bright red and he was turned away from her.

“It’s alright, Jamie,” Claire sat up, her heart hammering. She had always wondered what it would be like to kiss him, but he apparently regretted it.

“I shouldna have done that,” Jamie cursed in Gaelic and before Claire could say that she liked it, Jamie had stormed out of the tent, leaving Claire alone, sitting on the picnic blanket.

++++++

Neither of them had spoken of the kiss since then and that was two years ago. Claire wondered if Jamie even remembered it had happened or maybe it had been so bad, he had forgotten it.

Claire thought he liked her, but clearly he didn’t and things had gone back to how they were before. Claire knew she fell in love easily — she always had a crush and for a long time her crush had been Jamie.

She would watch him nearly every night in the show, holding up hoops for the lions to jump through, admiring the hard muscles of his body. He was just two years younger than her, but already he looked like a man.

It came to no surprise, however, just how fast she fell for a man one night when Claire was introduced to a young investor by the name of Philip Wylie. He was in New York to see the show and was interested in becoming a partner with the Brothers.

“You’ve been with the circus for seven years?” He asked her over a drink one night. The show had just closed and people were still loitering around. She knew he was an important man by the fine material of his suit. Claire wanted to impress him, and help the circus bring in more money.

“Yes,” she smiled, “Joined when I was just a young girl.”

“That’s quite impressive,” Philip smiled, his hand resting lightly on her knee. “What is it that you do?”

“I help with the animals. Taking care of them, checking that they’re alright to perform for the night,” she placed her hand over his. Philip was at nine years older than her, and already she was smitten.

They talked for the rest of the evening and he escorted her back to her train car, kissing her on the cheek and promising to see her soon.

Blushing, Claire placed her hand over where Philip’s lips had just been, sighing as she leaned against the wall. Just then, Jamie came through the door, still wearing his costume from the performance.

He glanced over at her, his fingers deftly unbuttoning his coat. “Ye look happy.”

“I am,” she smiled. “I’ve just had drinks with a man who wants to invest with the circus.”

Jamie stopped undressing and stared over at her, noticing the glossy look in her eye and the red tint to her cheeks. “Ye mean that stuffy old man I saw ye wi’?”

“He is not stuffy! And he is not old!” Claire picked up a shoe nearby and tossed it at him, narrowly missing his head. “He was kind and charming, much nicer than you,” she rolled her eyes.

“Och,” Jamie grunted and finished taking off his coat. “Just be careful wi’ him. Next thing ye know, he’ll be wantin’ to take ye away.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Claire crossed her arms, becoming annoyed with him.

“Well ye said ye wouldna leave,” Jamie turned to her. “Not for a proper job as ye say so I wouldna like to think ye’d leave for a man either.”

Claire’s mouth dropped open in shock and she crossed the small space to stand in front of Jamie, having to look up at him. “I’ve had a couple of drinks with the man, Jamie! Not accepted a proposal!”

“Forget I said anythin’,” Jamie ran his hands back through his hair, turning to leave to another car.

“Fine,” Claire huffed. “I’ll do just that, Jamie Fraser.”

He glanced at her, his eyes full of something Claire didn’t quite recognize before sliding the door closed and leaving her there on her own.

She knew it was important for Philip Wylie to want to invest in the circus, so perhaps she had flirted a bit too much and let him place his hands a little too high on her leg. But nothing would come of it, and besides… Claire would never leave the circus. Not for a real job, and certainly not for a man.

Outline for this fic:

Chapter 1: 1919. Claire’s background. She runs away to the circus, meets the Fraser’s

Chapter 2: 1919. Claire’s first day at the circus, she helps the Fraser’s and then Brian asks her what she’s good at. She tells him that her father was a vet and she was always around to help. He tells her they have a vet but she can be his young apprentice.

Chapter 3: 1926. Claire meets Philip Wylie. Two days later one of the animals gets sick and she stays overnight to keep it company. Jamie finds her and stays with her, on the other side of the train car. They talk more about what Claire would do if she left. Jamie tells Claire about Willie and how he died of the Spanish influenza when they came here. Claire asks him why they came to America, but he won’t talk about it.

Chapter 4: Jump forward two weeks later, and Claire has drinks again with Wylie. She kisses him and he puts his hands on her. Jamie sees them kissing and thinks that Wylie is trying to hurt Claire so he goes over and punches the guy. The next morning, Wylie shows up with a black eye and forgives Jamie, and says he’ll invest in the show on one condition - that Claire marries him.

Chapter 5: Claire feels like she has to marry Wylie to save the show and also she tells herself she loves him. Jamie is jealous, because he’s been in love with Claire since he first met her. That night he gets distracted at the show when he sees Wylie whispering into Claire’s ear and the lion scratches him. Jamie is rushed into the medical tent and the show continues. Claire helps tend to him and cries over him. Hours later as he is recovering, Claire tells Jamie that she’s going away with Wylie.

Chapter 6: Two weeks later, it’s Claire’s last day of the circus. Jamie tells her why they came to America. His father owed his uncles money, and after a time when Brian couldn’t pay, Colum wanted to show him a lesson. So he told one of his men to set fire to the small chicken coop, but a wind caught and it ended up burning down their house. They all escaped. Finally, she won’t have to be a girl on the run anymore. She will live with Wylie in New York City, and still be able to come to some of the shows on the east coast.

Chapter 7: Two months later. It’s two days before Claire’s wedding to Wylie, and she hears from him that the train crashed. He’s angry about losing money that he just invested and Claire keeps asking him if anyone is hurt. He finally tells her that six people died in a fire. Wylie tells Claire that she can’t go back to the circus, she left that behind and she belongs to him now. “I belong to nobody.” Claire leaves in search to find out if Jamie has died.

Chapter 8: Claire makes it to where the train car is. There’s still smoke from two days before and Claire finds Jenny who is crying. Claire thinks immediately that Jamie is dead, but Jenny is crying because one of the animals died. Claire cries with her and then asks about Jamie. Jenny tells her that all wounded men and women are at the hospital and so she takes her there. Claire finds Jamie and he’s badly wounded. Burns on his arms and legs. She sits with him and while he is asleep she tells him that she loves him and that she isn’t with Wylie anymore.

Chapter 9: Jamie starts to recover. He admits his feelings for Claire. He says they don’t have to get married just yet since they’re both young. He knows now that with a few of the train cars damaged, it’ll be weeks maybe months before they get back on the road. Jamie says that he wants to go to school and become a vet. Women aren’t allowed at school yet. They make plans to one day open up their own vet clinic.

Chapter 10: Once Jamie is out of the hospital, they walk back to the site of the crash. He tells Claire just how horrible it was. They both feel sad that this part of their lives is coming to an end. Jamie’s parents tell him that they will stay with the circus as long as they need. Jamie takes Claire back to the small hotel room and they make love for the first time with each other.

Epilogue: nine years later, Jamie has graduated from vet school and they have their first clinic open. They already have two children and live in the country, where Jamie travels to work. They have a whole farm of animals.  

[yikesharringrove]

How about Steve standing up to Neil for the sake of both Billy and Max? All righteous fury and every inch King Steve as shield between this human monster and two of his precious people with Hopper showing up just in time to keep Steve from killing him.

I put it under the cut bc Neil and talk of abuse.

Steve woke up to pounding on his door.

He was sleeping fitfully, startled up right with the first knock. He shuffled down the stairs, pounding back on the door to let whoever it was, probably Billy looking for a fuck that we was there, to chill.

He swung the doors open, and of course it was Billy.

But Max was there too.

And Billy’s eyes were red.

And Max had a bruise on her cheek.

“He hit her.” Billy was holding her hand tight, was standing slightly in front of her, protective.

“Get inside.”

Steve has seen his fair share of Neil’s handiwork. Has patched up Billy’s face and ribs and back enough to realize what he’s like. But every time Steve talked about running away he would look sharply at Steve, would tell him as long as I’m in that house, he won’t touch her.

But he did.

Steve lead them to the couch. Billy kept Max tucked under one arm, kept her close.

“What happened?”

“He was goin’ off on me, and he said, he said obviously he’s not teachin’ me my lessons the right way, and he fuckin’, he slapped her.” Steve ran his fingers softly over her cheek. She was looking hard at the floor.

“Fuck this.” Steve was at the door, lightning quick. He took up his bat, slammed his way into his car, flying down the streets of Loch Nora. He couldn’t hear Billy calling his name over the sound of his own blood in his ears.

He was over it. He had seen Billy hurt too many times, had held him while he cried, while he raged and screamed. While he questioned why he was so unlovable.

His vision was tunneled as he slid into park in front of Billy’s house. He had his bat over one shoulder, stalking towards the front door. He kicked it open.

Neil was on the sofa, watching baseball like he wasn’t a fucking monster.

“What the fuck are you doing in my house.” He was on his feet, yelling and red-faced. Steve’s ears were still ringing. Susan was in the doorway of Max’s room, looked small and scared against the frame.

“You’re a piece of shit.” Steve’s voice sounded foreign to his own ears. “You are a monster.”

“Who even are you?”

“Apparently the only fucking person who cares about the goddamn children in this house. This children you abuse.”

“So you’re the queer my son’s been runnin’ around with.” He was coming towards Steve, getting right in his face, obviously wasn’t looking at the fucking nails in the bat.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” He went to swing, to hurt. But something stopped the bat, something ripped it out of Steve’s hands. He turned, livid.

“Kid, no.” Hopper tossed the bat behind him. “What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking, that I had to do something, fucking anything.”

“He hit Max, after Goddamn fucking years of hitting Billy, of yelling at him, calling him horrible names. He’s a monster and no one is doing anything about it!”

“My son got what he deserved. He needs to learn respect, responsibility. He’s a shitty little pillow-biter and a-”

But whatever Billy was, nobody got the chance to find out.

Hopper had slammed Neil against the wall, was holding one arm behind his back.

“You wanna finish that sentence?” Hop was cuffing him, worked quickly as Neil raged, was reading him his fucking rights.

“How did you, how did you know I was here?”

“Billy called it in, said you were, not you.” Steve sat on the curb as Hop shoved Neil into his truck. He tugged on his hair, the adrenaline coursing through him, bringing him crashing down.

“I don’t even know what I was gonna do. I was just, just so fucking angry.” Hop sighed as he plopped down next to him.

“What happened.”

“Bill came over, said he, said he hit Max. She looked do fucking scared. And you know, Bill he always, he always just fucking took it, he said as long as it wasn’t Max, but then it was and they don’t deserve that, don’t deserve being hurt, and I am angry. I’m angry that fucking pain and fear is all Billy knows.” Hop was patting him on the back awkwardly.

“I get it, Harrington. I do, but what were, what was your plan?”

“I don’t know,” Steve looked up at Hop, his eyes were wide and hazy. “I just saw red and wanted to, to protect.”

“Honestly, kid, I know that feeling. You get it a lot when you’re in my position. But I got him. And we can do this the right way. But you need to talk to Billy. We can put Hargrove in jail, or at least get a protection order for those kids, but Billy’s gonna have to testify, gonna have to talk about everything he’s been through.”

Steve was nodding, his brows furrowed.

“I’ll talk to him.” Hop had a weird look on his face.

“What he said, about you and Billy. Are you two, together.” Steve looked away, nodding slowly. “That’s okay, kid. I was just, was just wondering.” He clapped him on the shoulder, he groaned as he got in his truck, barking over his shoulder at Neil to shut the hell up, you bastard.

Steve was left sitting by the road, didn’t know what he was going to tell Billy.

He slunk into his car, tossing the bat in the backseat, just sitting for a moment in the darkness, thinking of something to say, anything that wasn’t I think I was gonna kill your dad and know you have to talk about your life-long abuse in court.

He kept thinking as he drove slowly back to his house, shell-shocked.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Steve.” Billy pulled him into a tight hug, held him close the second he was over the threshold. “You just fucking left.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I was-am so fucking mad. You don’t deserve that. Either of you.” Billy held him at arms length.

“Did Hop find you.”

“He arrested Neil. Said he can, can put him away, or at least do some stuff to help you guys but, but you’re gonna have to, to testify.” Billy took a step back, staggering to the living room, sinking into an armchair. “Bill? I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, Pretty Boy. I always, I always thought this would happen if he, if he got caught or whatever. I just, I know he fucking sucks, but he’s still, he’s still my dad.” He pulled Steve onto his lap, buried his face into Steve’s neck.

“Where’s Max? She okay?”

“Yeah. She went to bed. I put in one of the guest rooms.” Steve pressed a kiss to the top of Billy’s head.

“Good. It’s been a shitty night.” He ran a hand softly through Billy’s hair. “Are you okay?”

“I mean, like, no.” Steve hummed, his cheek resting on Billy’s head. “I don’t know, I don’t know if I can do this, Stevie.”

“You can. You are so strong, and brave. And I’ll be there. If you need me.”

“Always need you, Sweet Thing.”