#made this as i waited for a storm to pass so i could finally shower without dying eletrocuted

[mallowsweetmiri]

Need you to continue Best Friend! Fred please… PLEASE… I am begging on my knees… You write so well… I will be waiting right here… Oh how I yearn for Best Friend! Fred…

Merry Christmas sluts ❤️

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Bestfriend!Fred with no boundaries teaches you how to have sex pt 2

summary: its the day after you asked Fred to teach you about sex, and he's keeping up on his promise.

warnings: smut, cursing

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It wasn’t unusual for you to think about Fred first thing in the morning. You often walked to breakfast with the twins and saw him within your classes on a daily basis. But it was unusual to wake up with your panties completely soaked while thinking about him. Was this something that happened the morning after, or did you just not shower well enough after last night?

Either way, you ended up taking a very cold shower before breakfast. By the time you came down to the common room, Fred and George were waiting by the couches. Fred smiled as he watched you come down the stairs.

“Good morning, lovely,” Fred said as you approached them. He pulled you under his arms as the three of you started towards the exit.

“Good morning,” you smiled, happy to start another day by your best friends side.

“What am I, a flobberworm?” George scoffed sarcastically from behind. You rolled your eyes playfully and looked back at him.

“Good morning to you too, George,” you teased, walking through the portrait hole. The day seemed much brighter in the halls, and it looked surprisingly nice out. The three of you walked into the Great Hall and sat down where you normally did, next to Hermione usually at this time of the morning.

"Good morning," she chirped, her head buried in a book.

“Morning, Hermione,” you greeted, taking a seat.

“Whatcha reading there?” The twins sat on the other side of the table.

“Ancient Uses of Mystic Herbs,” she replied, sitting up straighter and flipping her book up to show the cover. “Trying to find something that could help Harry.” You hummed in interest as Hermione sank back into her book. George pulled out a paper and began writing at the bottom.

"What’s that?" you asked, buttering your toast. George smirked and gave you a funny look.

"The Herbology assignment that's due today?" George said questioningly, raising his brows at you. Your brows shot up in response as you remembered the blank paper in your bag.

"I completely forgot about that assignment," you gasped. "Fred, can I please, please copy yours?" You pleaded, sticking your bottom lip out in persuasion. He shot you back an amused look as he gathered sausages onto his plate.

"Y/N, you're usually such a good student,” he teased, shaking his head at you in disapproval. “Were you distracted yesterday?” You sharpened your eyes at him and he laughed, passing you his paper. You felt your cheeks heat up. At least he was letting you copy off of him.

"You're too nice to her, Freddie," George joked, shaking his head at him.

"Ah, it's the least I can do for my best friend," Freddie grinned, leaning over the table to pinch your cheek. You batted his head away and started furiously copying his work, ignoring George laughing at you. As you copied his work, he filled your mug with tea. Earl grey with a dash of cream, just the way you liked it. By the time breakfast was over, you had finished the assignment and were off to your first class of the day.

The day dragged on per usual. In Herbology, Fred and George rubbed sneezewart on the observation sheets causing multiple students to rush out of class in a fit. You had a few classes without Fred and George, and Ancient Runes was your final class for the day. You stared out the window as dull clouds began to roll in from the forest. You tried to pay attention to Professor Babbling, but her droning voice quickly became background noise. The clouds came in closer to the castle, the sound of thunder rumbling through the windows. Rain storms always made you feel cozy, and you wished class would end so you could curl up in your favorite jumper. It was Fred’s Gryffindor sweatshirt and the memory of its smell reminded you of yesterday. His skin had been so close to you, and while it was comforting, there was something else. A want, a yearning to just press your hips against his. Your head snapped away from the window as your peers began to gather their belongings. You began to do the same, noting the slickness between your thighs. There it was again. You needed to find Fred and ask him what you should do about it. Was it pathetic that you knew virtually nothing about sex? You slung your bag over your shoulder and left the classroom, moving hastily towards Gryffindor. You knew Fred wouldn’t judge you and would actually teach you, that’s why you had asked him in the first place. But would he pity you for barely knowing anything at all?

By the time you got to the tower, it was pouring outside. There was the usual chatter and rough housing in the common room, but your failure to spot Fred had you climbing the stairs to his dorm. You were frustrated and cold and you just wanted to be near your best friend.

When you opened the door after a hurried knock, you were happy to see only Fred in the room. He was laying on his bed reading his book.

"Hi Y/N," he greeted, looking up from his book. "How was class?" You huffed as you moved towards his closet, pulling his hoodie out and slipping it on over your head.

"It was terrible," you pouted, coming over to his bed. Fred put his book down and opened his arms to you. You fell gladly into his chest.

"Why was it terrible love?" Fred mumbled into your hair. You groaned and buried yourself deeper into him.

"It's just..." you hesitated, always losing the courage to talk about stuff like this.

"Is it about yesterday?" Fred asked, his hand petting the back of your head. He always knew what you were thinking and you were relieved that he had caught on.

"Yes," you fussed, sitting up from his grasp. Fred huffed out a chuckle and followed suit. "It's just that, I can't stop thinking about it, y'know?"

"Oh, I know," Fred mumbled. You continued on with your ramblings.

"It's like I'm in class and I'm just distracted," you explained, your hands gesturing wildly. "And my underwear has been wet for hours. How do I make it stop?" Fred swallowed and dropped his gaze to your skirt.

"Darling, it's not something you can just stop," Fred explained, his eyes coming back up to yours. "Your body just wants more." You pursed your lips as you pondered this for a second, listening to the rain pelt against the window. Maybe you really did want more...

"I want to go all the way," you declared, sitting up straight and nodding your head. Fred couldn't help but smiled at your naivety.

"You want to go 'all the way'?" Fred chuckled, teasing your choice of words. He found this entire situation charming.

"Yes," you huffed defiantly. "I want you to have sex with me." Fred chuckled in disbelief and ran his hands through his hair. Your bold innocence made his head spin.

"It's going to hurt," Fred warned, trying his best to properly inform you before you made the decision to lose your virginity. He wouldn't be able to say no to you.

"Okay," you nodded, your fingers playing with the hem of your sock. "What else?"

"You might bleed," he said. "And it might not feel good at all this time." Your brows furrowed.

"But everybody says sex feels amazing?" You questioned, tilting your head. Freds half smile made you heart skip. That was new.

"It does," he chuckled, his eyes falling to your lips for a moment. "But it might be uncomfortable your first time. Especially with me,” he teased. You rolled your eyes at his insinuation and he laughed again. "I'm serious, Y/N. I don't want you to do something you don't want to do." This was clearly the wrong thing to say as you leaned forward to roughly grasp his shoulders.

"Fred, I want this. I want to know what it feels like and there's nobody else on this entire planet I trust more than you," you stated, gripping his shoulders as he watched your declaration.

"Well if I'm going to fuck you we need to kiss first," he grinned cheekily, watching the heat rise up to your cheeks.

"Oh, shut the fuck up," you huffed, finding the courage to lean forward to kiss him. He laughed into the kiss but gladly gripped your hips in return, his mouth moving in tandem. You kissed him greedily, your body moving on its own. Fred swept you onto your back, crawling over your without breaking the kiss. Within seconds, he had taken the control back from you, his kiss melting away your sudden burst of courage. He clearly knew what he was doing and you didn't put up a fight for dominance. The ache in your core surged as his knee pried open your legs, causing a moan to leave your lips. You felt more confident this time, less embarrassed of your noises of ecstasy as Fred's knee applied a much needed pressure to your cunt. You let your hands grip his hair, then run down his back. You felt him groan and it made you want to do it again. You were surprised at your self assurance, and even more surprised that you seemed to have to same effect on Fred that he had on you. His teeth bit softly into your neck in a change of pace.

"Fred," you moaned instinctively, you back arching off the mattress against your will. He didn't stop, instead tearing off your sweatshirt. This prompted the two of you to hastily take off all your clothes, only stopping to laugh when your hand accidentally whacked Fred in the face. The laughter faded as he came forward again, this time kissing you with such tenderness, you thought you were melting back into the mattress.

Fred was hopeless; he had been ruined since yesterday. He knew from the moment he kissed you that he'd been a complete fool. All day he'd been trying to convince himself otherwise, that he didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards you and you were still just his bestfriend. He wasn't going to bother lying to himself any longer. He was hopelessly in love with you.

His kiss began to trail down your neck again, then to your breast, then down your navel. Fred wanted to devour you. He wanted to watch as you came again for him. It drove him crazy that he was the only person to watch you unravel.

"F-Fred," you breathed, your hands tugging at his hair. "What are you doing?" His brown eyes peered up at you as he pressed his mouth into your thigh, making your hips buck.

"Before you have sex, we need to get you nice and wet for me darling," he breathed, kissing closer to your cunt. His fingers ran up your slit and you shivered. "Although, it doesn't seem like you need much help." You didn't have time to respond before he pressed a kiss into your clit, effectively sucking the rest of the air out of your lungs. You shuddered repeatedly as he licked gently on your sensitive clit. It felt so different from his fingers, so wet and warm. It took you a moment in your daze to realize he was moaning into your pussy, greedily lapping at your clit and pushing his tongue inside you. Fred wasn't even trying to hold himself back, his arms wrapping underneath you thighs and pulling you into his face. You tried to press him off of you, embarrassed at how close he was to you heat, but his grip won over you. His tongue lapped in circle, his gentle suck and kiss pulling terrible noises from your mouth. With every movement, the pressures built up inside you, sensation washing over you as you rocked your hips against his tongue. It felt like only a minute had passed when the tightness in your core suddenly snapped.

"Oh, fuck-" you cried as you came unexpectedly onto his tongue, the waves of intense pleasure taking away your ability to breathe. He sighed deeply as he lapped it all up, his grip not loosening for a second. It was only when he felt your legs kicking and your needy pleas for him that he gave one last gentle kiss to you clit. You stared at him breathlessly, unsure of what to say after you just came all over your bestfriends face. Luckily for you, Fred didn't miss a beat.

"You taste so fucking good," Fred praised, kissing up your stomach as you caught your breath. “You’re so good at this Y/N. Did that feel good?" He asked, coming up to hover over your face and brush the sweaty strands of hair off your face. You nodded shyly as you breathed, leaning up to catch his lips in a kiss. He chuckled as he accepted your kiss before saying, "Use your words, darling."

"Yes," you panted, pulling the back of his head down towards you. "That felt so good, Freddie." Fred groaned as his mouth came down to savor your kiss. You stayed like this for a while, kissing as Fred gently pressed his hips into yours. After a while, your hips began to rock with his, naturally moving with the rhythm he had set. There was nothing between the two of you besides his thin boxers, and you could feel his hard length rubbing against you. Occasionally, his tip would catch your entrance, and the pressure made the both of you groan.

"I'm ready," you mumbled into his lips, the two of you unable to break your kiss. He hummed into your lips and kissed you hard for a few more second before he pried himself off of you. He kneeled over you, freeing himself from his boxers with a slap. Your mouth parted slightly at the sight of him, and you were starting to believe him when he said it might hurt. His smile was more adoring than teasing as he watched you gape at his size. You watched breathlessly as he stroked himself a few times before coming back over you.

"Are you sure?" He asked once more, rubbing his tip up and down your slit, spreading your slickness. You weren't sure you could even speak as you watched him do this, you were mesmerized.

"Yes," you breathed, you gaze coming back up to his. His eyes searched your face for any hesitation, and when he found none, he lined himself up with your entrance.

"Just tell me if you want to stop," he soothed, brushing your fallen hair behind your ear. You nodded and tightened your grip on the back of his neck. He pressed a kiss to your lips and pushed himself inside of you.

Fred felt like an idiot as he exhaled into the kiss, his thumb rubbing gently across your cheek. He couldn't believe he didn't realize how much he liked you, how much he loved you. He wanted to swallow you whole. He wished that you knew how much this meant to him, but he knew you were too distracted to be thinking about anything else but his cock inside your tight pussy for the first time. Fuck.

"How does it feel, love," Fred asked, his voice nothing but a raspy whisper. You buried your face into his neck and whined.

"Just keep going," you whispered. "Please." Fred tried not to groan at your pleading as he pulled back again. He knew it must hurt for you, you were so tight. It was taking everything inside of him not to groan uncontrollably and push himself fully inside of you, you felt so good. His lips fell to your neck and left soothing kisses as he pushed himself into you again, this time going deeper. He felt your breath hitch into his neck as your eyes clamped shut. Fred's fingers gripped the sheets for his life.

"Just one more, darling. You’re doing so good," Fred muttered, pulling back gently once more. You nodded into his neck, making some sort of noise of assurance. With a final push, Fred bottomed out and let out an irrepressible moan. You cried again, your fingers digging into his shoulders as you felt his full length. He stayed like this for a moment, his lips encouraging you to return his kiss. You obliged and felt yourself relax, the feeling of his lips against yours softening your face. After a moment you let out a soft moan, the fullness inside of you finally satisfying what you thought would be a never ending ache. You moaned again into his kiss, this time louder as he became less controlled, his mouth eagerly devouring your own.

"It feels better now," you whispered into the kiss. Fred hummed and began to move with small and gentle pumps, letting you get used to his size. Fred's fingers were losing circulation as he gripped the bedsheets in an attempt to control himself from fucking you senseless. He fit perfectly inside you, and your breathy whimpers and pants were sending him over the edge. He made a critical mistake by pulling back to watch you as he picked up his pace, your watery eyes and swollen lips looked like heaven.

"Fuck, Y/N," he grunted, fully moving with his entire length at this point. "I'm not going to last long." You didn't seem to be able to form any coherent words besides your whines so you just nodded instead, overwhelmed by the unexpected knot forming in your stomach. He watched your eyes as he thrust into you over and over again, the pleasure on your face growing with each movement. His hand gripped your waist as he drove himself into you at his full capability for the final few thrusts. He couldn't help himself and from the noises you were making, you seemed to enjoy it. "Fuck," Fred whispered as he pulled out of you, pumping his cock a few times as he came on the sheets next to you. You watched in awe as he spurted hot liquid onto the bed, some of it falling onto the side of your hips. It made you buck you hips as the emptiness began to creep up, his warm cum dripping teasingly down your side. Fred finished and promptly smothered you in kisses, the two of you groaning as you rode out the last moments of euphoria with each other. Breathless and spent, Fred rolled off of you and pulled you in his chest.

"Are you okay, my love?" He asked, kissing the top of your head and your ears and your cheeks. You giggled and sighed into his kisses, coming up to place one onto his lips.

"Yes," you sighed. "More than okay." Fred smiled and huffed out a laugh, burying his face into you neck as his arms pulled you in tighter. You both sighed contentedly and rested like this for a moment, wetness and warmth in between your bodies.

"We need to get you cleaned up," Fred hushed, reaching over to his bedside to grab his wand. He quickly cleaned up the bed before moving to you, carefully casting the proper charms to get you clean before doing himself. "You should definitely use the bathroom soon and shower before you go to sleep tonight, love." Fred pressed a kiss to your lips again before pulling his sweatshirt over your head and finding you a fresh pair of his boxers to slip up your legs before pulling his sweats back on.

"Mmm," you groaned, closing your eyes and falling back onto his pillow. You were sapped. Fred chuckled and came to join you again, wrapping himself around you.

"Are you listening, love?" Fred teased, rubbing your back with his soft and sturdy hands.

"Mmm," you hummed again, burying yourself deeper into his chest, relishing in his comfort. He huffed out a laugh and buried himself back into your neck.

"Well, I'm getting you up in a moment to use the bathroom," he said, pressing a kiss into the fabric on your shoulders. "And you're not getting out of it. I'm not going to succumb to your cute little noises." You murmured again into his chest and smiled when this made him laugh.

"Can we do this again?" You asked quietly, almost hoping he hadn't heard you. He chortled at your question.

"Yes. Yes, we can do this again."

[harena--tigris]

i did a silly

free to use btw (credits are appreciated but not necessary)

[cheyisagirlkisser]

MY KINK IS KARMA

MODERN AU ELLIE ONESHOT (Ellie Williams x Fem! reader)

Content: NSFW themes, Ellie's a bit toxic tbh, vaginal fingering and tribbing (no strap-on in this, sorry..), mentions of alcohol and weed, college setting, I love cannon Ellie but this isn't gonna be that type of fic, body hair. Word count: 3.3K

Description: Based on My Kink is Karma by Chappell Roan. After Ellie breaks up with you in the most cruel way possible, time passes and leaves you in a better place. However, after a run-in with her during an awkward situation, you forget how well you had seemed to move on..

You were sitting on your bathroom counter, your hands holding a small eyeliner pencil. You studied yourself intensely, wondering if you should actually get all dressed up tonight. It didn't matter either way, since you knew you weren't trying to impress anyone. You hadn't cared too much about that after Ellie Williams had stormed her way into your life.

You had met her through Dina and you thought her rugged look was attractive; something about the way she always carried herself in a careless manner had you on the edge of your seat with her, and you did enjoy it in the beginning. But Ellie wasn't the best partner, you had come to learn. She would come home late at night drunk and mean and you could always tell things weren't gonna end well. But did you stay? Absolutely. You stayed for a total of two months, which was enough time for the two of you to rent out an apartment together after she insisted. She confidently told you she was gonna put a pretty little ring on your finger and that you just needed to trust in her. And so you did. But living with her caused you to see sides of her you hated to be involved with. And after one, final altercation, she snapped. She had yelled in your face and ushered you out of the door. She screamed as you stormed down the hall, telling you she hated you and that you were the worst. For about a week, you had to stay in Dina's dorm room where you cried to her, telling her just how much Ellie had ruined your life. But things hadn't remained like that and life went on..

You moved into your old dorm and though it was never the same feeling as when you had first moved in, the feeling of innocence and excitement, you still enjoyed putting the pieces of your messy life back together. You got a job at the local library and you began regularly attending parties with your friends. Dina told you that you were glowing again, and Ellie hadn't seemed to matter at all anymore. She barely showed up to any classes and you had heard humors that she would get into fights at the bar downtown for running her mouth about you. To tell the truth, part of you enjoyed that. You enjoyed knowing that as much as Ellie may have hurt you, she just had to have known that you were moving past her, your life full of bliss and healing while hers was spiraling. But you were still dumb and you actually believed that you had moved on from Ellie Williams..

You heard a knock on your door and you quickly jumped off of your counter, still in your towel from your previous shower. However, you knew who it was. You opened the door to see Dina standing in front of it, smiling at you and creating a low whistle sound like one you'd probably hear at a gas station from some pervy old man.

"No clothes on, huh? I'm not complaining one bit but you should get ready soon babes. We gotta go soon, remember?", she spoke teasingly. You and Dina were as close as friends could be and anyone else talking to you like this would've made you uncomfortable. But Dina had Jesse and she was smitten, and girls like Dina weren't as much your type anyway.

You responded in the same playful tone, "Sorry, Dina. I just had to give you a little show, ya know? Let me get these clothes on and let's hurry, I wanna get there before everyone buys up all the joints from that sketchy guy!!" Dina laughed at your comment and she entered, waiting patiently on your couch. You quickly got ready, slipping on a short, black skirt along with a mesh tank top that only really had some solid fabric around your breasts. You wore a grey leather jacket on top of this and a pair of heeled boots. You looked sexy as fuck and you knew you could get laid tonight, finally get some action after Ellie..But did you want to? You'd just have to wait and find out where the night takes you.

You and Dina had finally arrived and you stepped into the apartment building looking for room number 20. That was the location the two of you were given, afterall. The building was older and kind of run down, and the faint scent of alcohol and weed spread throughout. But that probably signified that you were at the right place.

Dina grabbed your shoulder and turned to you before you before speaking sweetly, "I know you've had a rough couple months, babes. Please promise me tonight that you will at least TRY to get some action?"

You smiled at Dina, a reassurance that you were gonna at least try. "Yeah, yeah, I'll try.. why do you think I got all dressed up tonight?", you replied, your voice relaxed and quiet. And unbeknownst to you, you were gonna get some action that night. But who you took you home that night was someone who you would never had guessed.

As you finally entered the party, you quickly spotted Jesse. You and Dina approached him and Dina gave him a quick kiss before greeting him. You turned away and gagged in mock disgust, pretending to be offended by their PDA. You were a little jelly, but you thought they were cute together.

The party made time go on fast even though you hadn't even stolen a single shot from the kitchen. You figured you'd wanna be sober for the girl who you'd be hooking up with tonight, if you did find her. You danced with Dina who was quite tipsy for about 30 minutes before you pulled away, breathless and in the mood for some adventure.

Your voice was loud over the multiple others that crowded the cheap apartment. "Hey, Dina, I'm gonna go piss."

She laughed heartily and gave you a little wave, "Aw babes, I hope you come back. If not I'm calling you tomorrow and asking how good the sex was", she teased.

You roll your eyes at her suggestion and squeeze your way through the crowd to the bathroom. You knock on the door first. No answer. You then try to open it but it won't budge. You groan, really needing to piss now. Some guy with a couple piercings and a large tattoo on his arm sees you and confidently walks toward you.

"Hey princess, that bathroom's off limits." His voice was low and gross.

"Where am I supposed to piss then?!" You hear yourself slip an attitude into your tone but he kind of deserved it because of what he said next.

"I don't know, but that's not my problem, is it, babe?.." The way his words drip with shameless flirtation make you want to slap away the smug look on his face, but you decide to be responsible and resist the temptation. He sees you turn away and grabs your hand. "Listen, there's someone who lives at room 21. She's a bitch but she likes pretty girls. Just be nice to her and maybe she'll let you use hers."

You quickly slip out of his touch and find yourself out of that smelly apartment. You walk down the hall, the lights flickering above you. You see a room, room 21 to be exact. You brace yourself and knock softly on the door, standing outside and impatiently waiting for this girl to open the door. Part of you was nervous from that guy's words. She was into pretty girls? Maybe you could land some action tonight. But when she opens the door, you see Ellie staring back.

She looks at you with the most disgusted expression, a hint of irritation in her face. But also something else that you can't quite ignore, like a hint of sadness.

"Ellie?! What the fuck are you doing in this shitty apartment? You just kicked me out of ours so you could move here?" You yelled loudly at her. Part of you, though, deep down inside of your heart, wanted her to just drag you back into her shitty apartment and never let you go. You hadn't even realized how much you missed her gorgeous face and her messy auburn hair until now, but your hatred for her was still apparent.

"Well..I guess things change. I lost my job," she mutters out, her voice low and uninterested in this conversation. However, there was a twine of embarrassment, as if she hated admitting to you of all people that she had lost her job. "What the fuck are YOU doing here?"

You swallow back any feelings you were holding onto and try your best to sound just as laid back as her. "I had to use the bathroom and someone directed me here. Said you were a bitch, which checks out."

Her eyes meet yours and you could tell that hit a nerve. There was something different in her expression, something that you had never imagined to witness in Ellie before. She was vulnerable. "Why should I let you, huh? And you're no better." she snorted, her voice still low and irritated.

You realized that if you did wanna relieve yourself, you'd have to at least try to be civil. "Look, I don't wanna argue. I just want to piss. Can I please use your bathroom?"

You saw her sigh, and you could tell she was gonna give up. "Fine. Hurry up. I don't really like that you're knocking on my door and insulting me, but I guess you can come in." You noticed a slight softness to the words that made you wanna crumble. It made you want to take her back as if you were the one who dumped her, because in the moment, that's what it felt like. You never imagined when she kicked you out that she'd set herself up in a way that left you better off. She practically ruined your credit months ago, though! You couldn't exactly pretend like she didn't deserve this.

Instead of dropping to your knees and confessing how much you've dreamt of her since the breakup, you walk past her and enter her apartment. She guides you to her bedroom, into her bathroom, and walks back out. You wanna ask her to stay, to take you back and kiss you. Part of her imagines that too, to have you again. But Ellie, she was too far gone for that.

You, from Ellie's perspective, were a fake bitch. At least that's what she told herself. When she kicked you out, she felt like shit. She wanted to beg you to come back and to hold you tight, to at least attempt to fix her mistakes. But she indulged in her ways. She believed that was gonna kill her in some way. However, Ellie Williams was far too stubborn to admit that, or to even give much of her time to thinking about that. Instead, she lost it when she found out you were doing better. Dina had informed her that you had been doing amazing and moved back into the college setting, while she was slipping back, smoking weed on the regular and passing out, dreams of you and her in bed together always preventing her from waking back up. She was pissed off, hating herself, hating you for being so hard to forget, hating all her emotions for running at insane speeds in her head. What she hated about herself most of all was that she had let you go.

You finally relieved yourself and washed your hands. Part of you wanted to stall, to take your time and try to experience Ellie's presence again. But you still hurried, unable to face Ellie's griping if you had taken your sweet time. When you opened the door, Ellie was sitting back on the bed with a neutral expression. It pained you to see her so differently, so stone cold. Many people in her life witnessed her like that, but she was soft for you. She used to be, at least. She'd hold you close to her and kiss you at all hours of the night. She'd always make sure you were happy, all before her recklessness ruined your relationship. But now, seeing her on the bed, memories flooded back to you.

She was gorgeous, but a mess. You noticed now that she was in black jeans and a dirty wife beater. Her hair was messy and her appearance overall was disheveled. But her face was another story. Her arms and hands, and her perfect skin. Even at her sleep deprived, lowest look, you found her strangely angelic looking. Her warm, freckled skin had always filled your senses in ways not imaginable to anyone else, and in that moment, you swore she was probably the one for you. You wondered if that was just some passing thought that would fade with time, however, you were quickly snapped out of your head with her confession.

"You know, when you left, it was easy for me to pretend you didn't exist." Her voice was low and pained, but clear. You tried to bite back at the agonizing feeling of want inside you, telling you to step closer to her.

"But when Dina told me how happy you were, how you dressed up all pretty tonight to go get fucked by some other girl, it pissed me off. It pissed me off, also, to hear about your new job. How well you were doing without me.." As she spoke, her fingers wiggled, telling you to even dare to step toward. You obeyed, your body heating up as you stood in front of the beautiful woman.

"You kicked me out. You pushed me away and I bet you fucked other girls after it too!" you attempt to defend yourself from the obviously in-the-wrong auburnette.

She quickly catches your hands and growls. "Oh really, is that why you're acting all high and mighty? You think I've been fucking random girls? I haven't touched a single girl after you and you know it. God, this is why I kicked you out. You're always bitching and moaning." Part of you wanted to turn away and cry, to forget you came here in the first place. You could already feel tears welling up in your eyes at her harsh words, but it made you feel butterflies hearing that she was just as heated about the breakup as you.

"Is that really it, Ellie? Are you pissed about me doing better in life? That I'm happy without you?" Your voice is strained and quiet and you can feel tears gather in the corner of your eyes. A moment of thick silence before her lips met yours.

Ellie closed the distance with a kiss that you didn't know existed. It was soft, yet so rough in all the right ways. her plump, slightly chapped lips moved against yours hungrily, pouring out all of her emotions onto your lips. You swallowed every bit of her need into your own mouth, desperate to show her how much you missed her too. It's only a few minutes of desperate kisses before her hands snake inside your shirt to massage your tits, her mouth leaving yours to leave wet kisses all over your neck. You can't help but moan at the feeling of Ellie's touch; you missed more than anything. You shimmy off your leather jacket and Ellie pulls your tank top over your head. Her eyes immediately take in your braless state, and you feel your face redden.

"No bra, babe? Were you planning on getting fucked tonight?" She tries to sound demeaning, but the girl is too far gone thinking about how good your pussy would feel against hers to put any real degradation into her tone.

Your response to that was only silence, and Ellie's impatience led to your tits in her mouth. When she'd lavish her attention to one nipple, her thumb would graze over the other. It was a cycle that lasted until you were aching for her.

"El, I've missed you so much..please fuck me again." You felt a hint of shame at the way you so quickly begged for her, especially after all she had done. However, that shame soon vanished out of thin air as she laid you down onto her bed and began to slip off your skirt, her thumb finding your clit to rub softly over it through your panties. You let out a soft moan and Ellie lost all patience. She looked up at you to make sure you wanted this and when you nodded, she hooked her fingers into your panties and pulled them down your thighs, throwing them carelessly across the room. She stared down at your bare cunt in awe, fingers immediately grazing over your wet folds with care.

"You're so fuckin' wet, baby," she teases and without warning slips two fingers into your sopping cunt. You let out a shamelessly loud whine, forgetting how thin her new apartment walls must've been. But god, you could never forget the feeling of Ellie's fingers buried deep inside you. The way they always stroked your g-spot like your pussy was her religion, her tongue slipping into your open mouth at the same time. She fucked open your tight hole until you were in absolute bliss. You missed the way she fucked you so passionately, and Ellie missed how your walls fluttered around her digits as you got close. However, right before you could cum, Ellie pulled her fingers out and licked up your arousal on them. You groaned and Ellie just laughed at your frustration.

"Nuh uh baby, I wanna make you cum against my pussy..." You felt your need come back only more at the thought of her cunt fucking yours and Ellie began to undress.

Fuck, you missed her body. Ellie was skinny with her ribs visible and her hip bones jutting out; to anyone else, she wasn't the conventionally attractive. However, to you, she was perfection. The way freckles splattered across her broad shoulder should've been illegal because you couldn't resist the urge to plant kisses all over them as she moved to grind her arguably wetter cunt onto yours.

Ellie's bedroom was soon filled with the sound of breathless moans and sharp gasps at the feeling of being connected again. You had felt her like this countless times before, yet nothing could prepare you for what it'd feel like to have her clit bumping so deliciously against yours after so long, her bush tickling your skin as her hips rolled against yours. You couldn't help but buck your hips against hers, feeling so fucked out before you two had truly even been aquatinted again. It wasn't long before both of you had erupted into a series of pleas.

“Please, please, please… I’m wanna cum for you, Els..”

“Fuck, you feel so wet, babe… you’re doing so good, gonna make me cum all over your pretty pussy.”

“Ellie!!!”

Ellie was sliding her cunt against you ruthlessly, now chasing her own pleasure, obsessed with the way your voice went raspy with pleasure as you moaned her name. It wasn’t long before she came, covering both of your cunts with her essence and causing you to see stars as you hit your climax as well. You continued to ride out the orgasm with your hips frantically grinding against Ellie’s before the overstimulation began and your movements finally ceased.

Then, you two were left with the feeling of being back in each other’s arms after so long. You didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, if things would last or end in chaos like last time. But one thing you did know was that you felt so warm with Ellie’s soft skin pressing against yours, and all worries were left for tomorrow as you drifted off to sleep in her strong arms.

[purplelupins]

Lamb

|Midnight Mass|

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

Father Paul Hill/John Pruitt x fem!reader

Word count: 13.7k

Summery: An entire life of being a good girl was a difficult cross to carry...especially in a tiny town with 127 residents on a good day. You kept the town fed and spirits as high as you could, but when a new face steps off the afternoon Breeze, things around you start to change; you don't even know you're in the eye of the storm.

Warnings: nsfw, reader is religious, religious symbolism, ideology, explanations and general conversations of religion, age gap (like this man is 80 technically and he watched reader grow up, and can remember reader as a little girl so if that’s creepy to you then go no further), stalking, manipulation, murder (hello have you seen the show?), drinking of blood, hunting of a person, grief, description of animal death, reader is described as blushing, character death, non consensual help showering, guilt and god maybe more but I think that’s it…this is not really a fix it fic

Notes: this is it…the final chapter of Lamb! Thank you all so much for reading…thank you to everyone who has supported me and commented and given me feedback. I love each and every one of you. It’s been a pleasure.

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It was nearly noon when you stirred.

You had expected to awaken in bed, just as you usually did these days when you dozed off; it was not a pillow under your cheek that morning, though. There was a steady rise and fall under your ear, and a security to where you lay. You slowly cracked your eyes open, and took in where you were. Certainly you remembered falling asleep on the couch, but you did not recall laying on Father Pruitt. And yet there he was slumped uncomfortably against the wooden arm on the couch with you pulled over his chest and into his lap like a makeshift blanket.

You had assumed he generally didn’t sleep- either didn’t need it or didn’t choose to. However as you looked down at the peaceful man, you found you were wrong. As you rose your head, those dark lashes of his brushed his cheeks as he lay under you in a slumber. You stilled and stared so as to not rouse him; whether it was out of fear of waking the beast, or manners for not stirring your host, you were not sure.

It seemed fate would come to your aid. Father John’s brow twitched in the same way it used to when he would start to fall asleep during a lengthy conversation after Mass when his hair was grey. His wrinkled face would go lax, and he would slump slightly then catch himself and pass it off as him thinking.

You watched his eyes slowly crack open, then it seemed his senses returned to him all at once as he sat up a fraction a little too fast. You fell a little forward and caught yourself on his shoulder and he caught your waist and your upper arm.

“Oh I’m- I must’ve…-“ he trailed off as sleep still gripped him.

You watched him wake up and laugh a little at the slight awkwardness of it. Then he seemed to finally realize that you too had only just awoken.

“You slept.” He stated, voice thick with tiredness.

You nodded.

“I’m sorry I- well I would have moved you, but I didn’t want to…” he could have stopped there and it would have been true too, “…wake you.” He added.

Your silence made him swallow. Making him nervous was not your intent, though somehow seeing him a little uncomfortable made you enjoy your position a little more.

After a moment he sighed and gently guided both of you to sit up and he pulled at the neckline of the sleep dress you wore. You tilted your head away from him for a better view, and the action itself made his nostrils flare.

So trusting for me…

“No more bleeding. Well done little one.” He hummed.

You waited for him to put the fabric back, which he did after another moment; a gentle sweep of his fingers over your collar bone. Soft and unhurried. Nothing like you had seen and felt from the other men of the island. Rough hugs and claps on your shoulder or an entitled hand on your back. Anything but ginger and gentle.

“Why me, Father?” You whispered suddenly. It was a question that you had repeated over and over until your throat went dry. Why me? Why me God, why me?

John sighed out through his nose. You had always been one to not shy from difficult questions. He could remember your mother chastising you when you would pose such queries to the aging Monsignor at 10 in the morning. He tucked his chin to his chest as he thought then turned back to you, eyes soft.

“Because you were perfect.” He muttered.

Neither Eve nor Lilith. You were neither made from his rib nor from the same soil as he, and John basked in that realization. You were his lamb. A willing and trusting creature who only wanted a Shepard, yet so tempting in its soft flesh and sweet smell.

His words hung in your ears. You nodded- not in understanding, because you did not understand, but because it was a truth he believed. You hoped you would come to understand it, too.

You sat up off his lap, and stretched- the bones in your back popped and your tentons pulled against tissue until you were satisfied.

John watched you unabashedly, a small smile on his mouth at the sight of you.

“I don’t think you know this…but you were always my favourite.” Came his low rumble of a voice beside you.

You settled, and looked over to where he was already turned towards you. “What do you mean?” You asked.

He breathed out a laugh, “It look me a while to remember, but over several months the pieces of my fading mind slowly fell together. I remember always enjoying your company…your dedication, your selflessness and selfishness…your curiosity…so sweet.” John recalled the last twenty odd years following your birth. The birth of a child on Crockett was always a true gift. He had watched you go from smiling and wailing in your mother’s arms to walking down Main Street as fast as your chubby legs could, to you being the last remaining light of the island as you pedalled to the marina with the stiff sea breeze sobering you.

Even in his deteriorating body he loved seeing that little face, in and outside St. Patrick’s. Your wit and comforting nature. The look of regret and apology tugging your pretty mouth into a frown when you would see the filthy floors of the church after a rainy day. How the sunshine of summer mornings would reflect off your face through the church windows. Those dresses you would wear under your warm sweaters; colours of lush fauna, blue skys and spring.

You listened to him, and watched as the good Father seemed lost in thought.

“I don’t know if you remember when my family left…but I was so scared. Independence had always been something I was used to, but something about loneliness…I suppose what I’m trying to say is St. Patrick’s was a home for me.” You returned his thoughtfulness with your own.

John smiled again to himself and patted your hands that sat on your thighs, “And it will always be a home for you…even when it stands in ruins.” He murmured.

You sucked in a breath, and looked away. His stare grew far too intense for you at times.

“Come…you need to eat, sweetheart.” Father John sighed and stood, his hands outstretched to help you up. You took his hands, and let him make you food.

The supplies for the island were simple and repetitive. Nothing fancy. It had been months of similar meals and uninteresting ingredients, but you found that you couldn’t complain. You were alive, and that was what mattered.

“Can I ask you something?” John’s chest rumbled as he spoke across from you at his desk.

You looked up from the book you had been reading- your knees tucked up to your chest in the old chair. “Go ahead.”

The Father took a moment to think of the best phrasing while he put his pen down. This had been something that ate away at him for months, but it had never been an appropriate time to ask it. He prayed this was a corrected time now.

“That night…Easter…you came back. You didn’t look afraid…sad and horrified, yes, but not afraid…” he said, “I was afraid. I was grieving…why were you not afraid?”

You looked away, and thought.

“I was afraid but not…not of what you think,” Your eyes glazed over as you recalled that night. How the church smelled of candle wax and iron and wet wood, “I thought I was going to die that night. I did. And I was okay with that. It wasn’t death that frightened me. There was something else that did.”

He hung onto every word, “What was it, my child?”

You swallowed and finally looked up at him, “You- you weren’t violent. When you first got back to Crockett you weren’t violent.” You shook your head.

Your statement surprised him.

“Well- I - had my limit…Joe- well…he suffered but…I suppose that was a circumstantial thing…for the majority of the time yes I was…fairly docile.” He nodded along.

You felt your throat tighten and your nose prickled, “Then why did they rip their families to shreds? Why did they attack like that…they were possessed,” you said and shook your head, “What scared me and still scares me, Father , is that I think those people were just looking for an excuse to be savage. I knew Wade and Dolly so well and I had to pull a Leeza away from them…their own daughter…are we all just…savages safeguarded by laws and manners and faith? What scares me is that I wonder what they really are capable of. And now that…I’m weaker than them, I would be defenceless. It’s the suppressed urges that scare me.” Your voice trembled.

Father Pruitt hadn’t entirely thought of it in such a way. But once you laid out what the islanders had done in that manner, he found himself a little more horrified.

“I can understand why.” He leaned back and rubbed his brow, “I haven’t…I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

You nodded, “It’s why I run, I can handle dying. I can handle God. But the thought of being torn apart and drained by people I loved is what scares me.”

John regarded you- his cupids now pulled into a straight line.

“I know you’re sorry, Father…it’s not you that scares me.” You said gently. You opened your book and picked up where you had left off; leaving the older man to stew and mull over your answer to his question.

Father Pruitt pulled his messenger bag over his shoulder, and sighed as he readied himself for Mass. The black button-up plus that crisp white collar were back in place from his sweater. He took a quick breath as if to say something, then he seemed to decide against it.

You watched from your spot on the couch, and waited to see if he would give into the itch and say what was on his mind-

“You…you can come. If you’d like.” He tried to say it far more casually than he felt, and it showed.

You stifled a laugh, “To a church full of v-“

“I know…just…I thought you might miss it.” He stumbled a little to correct himself. He missed seeing you there. He missed feeling your glow.

You thought for a long minute. You did miss it. You missed the church, you missed seeing other faces…you missed hearing his sermons and the hymns.

“I do…” you whispered.

“Then come. I promise you will not be harmed, there’s been a steady supply and everyone is fed. I promise you.” He spoke almost pleadingly.

You stared up at him, and clenched your jaw.

John’s chest ached. Too soon. “I’m…I’m sorry I shouldn’t have-“

“Okay.”

The ache tightened, but it hurt so nicely. He looked at you in the eyes, “…okay?” He repeated.

You nodded.

A rush of air left Father Pruitt’s lungs in shock, “Okay. Okay…okay, c’mon, little one.” He held out his hand to beckon you to him.

You stood and padded to the bedroom to retrieve a pair of wool tights and a sweater to have over your dress. When you returned, Father John already had your coat and boots ready for you. It was only a short walk, but the church had always been drafty, and winters were not kind on Crockett.

He helped you into your shoes and closed your coat, “There. Now come along. You’ll sit at the front…no one sits there anymore.” He thought aloud.

But you weren’t listening. You were watching that handsome face as he fretted over you. It was so much all at once how he looked after you. Too much but not enough.

What you didn’t expect was how he took your hand in his larger one and guided you down the rectory steps and out past the cemetery and the rec centre. You had noticed ages ago how many new graves there were, though you never mentioned it.

Father Pruitt drew small, soothing circles along your knuckles and led you up through the back vestibule of the church.

You held your breath and paused in the doorway. The last time you had been there, Erin had shot Bev in the chest. You sucked in a sharp breath suddenly and it hurt your lungs.

You needed to do this.

Closure.

Though you wished that Bev was still on Crockett. You would have enjoyed giving her a piece of your mind now that you weren’t terrified. But alas, she was a long gone pile of dust.

“"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"…He is with you, little one. If I am not enough then know that He is with you.” The Father bent to murmur in your ear.

You swallowed the saliva that had pooled in your mouth and nodded.

He took that as an invitation to proceed. You stayed with him as he retrieved his green chasuble and slipped it over his head.

“Ordinary time…” you whispered to yourself.

John pretended not to hear you, and continued on. He knew you were reliving and processing what he had put you through.

When he filed out to the body of the church, he placed a gentle hand on your back and pointed to the front pew where Beverly used to sit, “Everyone thinks that spot is haunted by Ms.Keene. I assure you it is not. You can sit there.”

You looked from the pew to him and felt anxiety start to fill you.

John turned back to you and brought his hands up to cradle your soft face.

“I am with you. You will not leave my sight I promise.” With that, he placed a small kiss on your forehead, and released you.

Trust.

You took another shuttering breath in, and out, then stepped out into St. Patrick’s. It was still empty, and your footsteps echoed in the bare building. You looked down at the floorboards, and at the stairs to the pulpit, then finally you dared to look down the aisle to the door. Flashes of Easter make you blink hard to force them away. Now there was no blood, nothing left to portray the carnage that occurred there.

You eyes fell upon the crucifix, and you forced yourself to sit down in the pew. You needed watchful eyes on you that night. Your fear began to bubble up into your throat and constricted it. You needed to not be alone.

You reached into your coat pocket, and clutched your rosary, and you began to pray.

“Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God's love commits me here, Ever this day, be at my side, To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen.” You whispered to yourself.

John still stood in the vestibule, readying the communion when he heard your little voice start to pray. He swallowed thickly at the memory of last muttering that same prayer; clutching at his stomach and screaming for that winged beast to come to him…he might have given into the grief, but John had long since worked through the guilt that did eventually come, contrary to what he told Riley. Instead, he blinked a few times, and began to recite the prayer with you under his breath.

The doors to the church were opened, and your baby hairs stood on end.

“Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God's love commits me here, Ever this day, be at my side, To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen.” You finished and crossed yourself.

There were slow footsteps as parishioners entered, and noticed you. You knew they noticed you by the way conversations stopped and whispers began. You didn’t dare look behind you.

No one approached you, just like your Father had told you. You kept waiting for someone to grow bold and take a seat beside you, but it never came. Even as you all rose for the hymn, and began to sing, you remained alone and untouched.

You sang quietly, and kept your eyes low until Father Pruitt passed you and took his place at the pulpit in front of you. You had to crane your neck now to look up at him, and you found a twinge of pain there in your shoulder from the bite. A cruel reminder.

“Good evening everyone…here we are again as Christmas approaches and the New Year. It’s during this time of year when I am reminded of gifts. Gifts come in so many shapes and forms…at so many times. A shiny new bike, a gift card, a new dress…wrapped up and then torn apart to emphasise the excitement…then there are other kinds of gifts. The gift of seeing a loved one again. A child, a new house, a hot meal. Sometimes a gift can come in the form of a person. Jesus was a gift to mankind…our Lord and our Savour who leads us even though he has left us…” he spoke gently, and you found yourself softening. You felt like you were listening to your Monsignor again. No agenda…no manipulation. Just a man with a collar trying to remind people of God.

“People can be the biggest blessings…we give each other connection, and we empower each other. We can remind each other of better times and push each other to move forward. To recover, to learn, to get out of our comfort zones. To be more pious and to think of God more. People can be reminders for each other just as much as a crucifix…Gifts. Meant to be treasured…” he glanced down at you, and his heart swelled at the sight of you being there, “And cared for. We must nurture and care for those around us who remind us of God, and who push us to be better. We must be selfless for them.”

You listened to him, and rolled your rosary over your fingers. Like little drops of water. The last memory you had of being in church was full of so much fright and anxiety as you tried to get a grip on yourself- telling yourself everything was fine when it evidently hadn’t been. You sometimes wondered what would have happened if you had listened to your gut and left long before Easter. Would you have lived? Or would you have returned to Crockett after to come home only to be devoured at night because you didn’t know about the islands nightly tendencies? Was there any way to escape or were you doomed from the start?

You didn’t stand in line for the Eucharist. You didn’t watch the rest of the flock accept it. But as the final person left to sit down, you heard your name being called gently. You slowly rose your gaze, and met with Father Pruitt standing just feet from you.

“Body of Christ, little one.” He said to you, wafer in hand. You took a moment to catch up with his offering, and when you saw a paper cup in his other hand, you gave in.

“Amen.” You held your hands out to accept it the wafer, and let it dissolve on your tongue.

“Blood of Christ, little one.” He said, holding out the cup to you. You flicked your eyes up to his for just a moment.

Trust.

“Amen.”

You leaned forward, and let him tip the cup’s contents into your mouth. Your tongue was flooded with grape juice.

John watched you proudly, and finished service.

You didn’t stay. You couldn’t. Of course you wanted to see Annie, and to hold Leeza and to look Dolly in the eye. But you couldn’t. The thought alone had your stomach churning with upset. You wordlessly brushed past Father Pruitt as he descended the stairs to bid his parish a goodnight, and he watched you go. You slipped out the back door and ran back inside the rectory and slammed and locked the door.

You ripped off your coat and hung it up with shaking hands, and toed off your boots and yanked off your tights because everything felt too tight and too warm and too itchy all at once and you couldn’t breath.

You turned off the lights and ran into the bedroom and pulled the blankets up and over your head as you tried to find an equilibrium in your breathing. Your ears were ringing and your stomach felt uncomfortable like you had either eaten far too much or far too little.

After a while, you heard knocking on the front door. Your nerves lit up at the idea of one of the islanders being the visitor. Your stomach only dropped further when you heard keys. You knew Father Pruitt was the only one with keys, or so he said. What if this was all a trap? What is he asked you to come that night so he could let the parishioners on you? What if he was lying all along? What if-

“Y/n?” Came that low hum of a voice that you had grown to know. You still didn’t move. What if he had other people with him?

You could hear footsteps coming closer. You pulled the covers closer, and tried to hold your breath.

“Little one, what are you doing?” Came his gentle whisper.

You didn’t reply, staying as still as you could.

He sighed.

“Give me your hand, my sweet girl.”

You didn’t.

“Trust me.”

You slowly moved your arm and released the death grip you had on the blanket to produce your hand to him.

John tutted your palm where little crescent moons were etched into your skin where you had clenched your fists.

You felt him take your hand, and raise it up until you felt him press it against his cheek.

“See? I’m here…you’re okay.” He whispered into your skin and leaned into your touch. You moved your fingers over his cheekbone and along his jaw, then down over the corner of his mouth and over his Cupid’s bow until you returned to holding his face. You felt the light press of a kiss to your palm, and your breath hitched.

“Come here, sweetheart…”

You very slowly pulled the blanket off your head and turned your head up to peak around the room. It was dark. So dark. You knew he didn’t need the lights on to see you clearly, and when your eyes found his, his gaze were two pinpricks of light bouncing off his pupils.

With his other hand, he coaxed the blanket off you a bit further until your thighs poked out.

“There she is…” he whispered, and pulled on your hand to sit up until he was sitting beside you and guiding you into his lap,“You did so good, I’m so proud of you, my girl.”

Your limp grip on his shoulders tightened quickly until you were wrapping your legs around his hips and locking your arms around his shoulders; face buried in his neck.

John exhaled into your hair as your scent flooded his senses.

“I’m sorry I ran…” you murmured.

“Shh..nothing to apologise for.” He kissed your temple, and pretended to not notice how your legs tightened around him. How close you were.

“I know they want to see me…I just…I don’t think I can…” you sniffled.

“That’s alright…they understand.” He cooed, stroking your hair.

You sighed and suddenly felt so embrasssed for running. You felt like a child.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” He breathed against the crown of your hair.

You shook your head.

“Do you want to come sit with me? I can read you one of those terrible German fairytales.” He offered.

You laughed shakily, “I’d rather go back to the church, Father.”

He laughed with you, and you enjoyed the vibrations it made in his chest. You slowly pulled away from him, but kept your gaze lowered to his chest. You thought you were stronger than that.

His sigh fanned over your forehead, and his finger came under your chin to tilt your face up to his. Your eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and you could see his face. His breath mingled with yours, and you swallowed it down.

“Come sit with me.” He said gently, “Keep an old man company.”

You relented and untangled yourself from him.

“Slowly…there you go.” He helped you to stand, and put a hand on your lower back to nudge you out from the bedroom.

Your bare feet were cold against the wooden floors. When you sat, you immediately tucked them under you to warm them; you didn’t want to ask for a blanket, you had been enough trouble already.

John shucked off his coat and hung it while watching you in his peripheral. You were cold.

He walked past you and retrieved a blanket from the closet, and grabbed a book he had seen you eye, then returned to you.

You looked up when you heard Father Pruitt round the couch, and your cheeks went warm when you saw the blanket.

“Sorry…” you whispered and accepted the plush quilt.

“Hush.” He whispered and took a seat beside you, then held his arm out for you to come closer. You shuffled tentatively towards him, and he tsked you before putting the book down momentarily to pick you up and slide you over his thighs. You gasped a little and tried not to be uncomfortable for him; squirming to keep most of your weight off him while he pulled the blanket around the two of you and up around your torso.

“Better?” He asked, leaning away from you to see you.

You nodded, and he hummed before picking the book back up and flicking through to find a spot to start.

You sighed, and still felt ridiculous. But then you remembered the last time you had felt silly, and you had had every right to feel what you did. Terror or embarrassment, it didn’t matter. With that thought, you allowed yourself to settle into his collar which dug into your cheek.

Father John began to read aloud. After several minutes, you felt his free hand leave you and reach up to his white collar, and pull it free. You watched him put it down beside you, then return to undo a few buttons as he spoke. You were transfixed by his hand, and then watched it stop and return under the blanket to your thigh.

An odd sensation filled you then. One that caught you as off guard as when you had compared Father Hill to Jesus Christ. It was something that coiled low in your belly…constricted yet not unpleasant. You shifted to alleviate it, and while it did dissipate, it didn’t disappear.

You tried to focus on the Father’s voice as he read to you. But it felt as if his words went in one ear and out the other- all that was left was the gentle hum that resonated from his throat.

“I liked your sermon, Father.” You interrupted him.

John paused at your comment, “I’m glad you did.”

“Reminded me of the ones you’d give when I was little.” You said.

He smiled, and patted your thigh, then continued his reading.

After an hour, your eyes began to droop and your head grew heavy.

John could feel your heart rate slowing, and your weight leaning into him more. He finished the paragraph he had started, the snapped the book shut and placed it beside him.

“Let’s get you to sleep, little one.” He whispered and worked his hand under your legs and the other behind your back before standing up with you in his arms.

You nestled further into his arms, and protested when he went to let you down at the bed for your nightly prayers.

“Just a few more minutes then you can sleep.” He chastised you, putting your feet onto the floor.

You nodded, and stretched then carefully got to your knees; the Father joining you.

You both crossed yourselves and began to pray.

“Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, go back into my memory as I sleep. Every hurt that has been done to me, heal that hurt. Every hurt I have caused to someone, heal that hurt. But Jesus, if there is anything I need to do, if a person is still suffering from my wickedness, bring to my awareness that which I have hurt and need to remedy. I choose to forgive others and I ask to be forgiven. Remove whatever bitterness that remains in my heart, and fill it with Your everlasting love. Amen.” John murmured beside you.

Your heart ached, and you sobered at his words. “Amen.” You whispered and after a moment you looked over at the man beside you. He returned your stare; the light from the living room outlining his face.

You swallowed, and forced yourself to stand. John followed you up and bent his neck to look down at you at his full height.

“Good night, my sweet girl.” He whispered to you, and tucked a stray hair behind your ear.

“Goodnight Father.” You replied, and sat down slowly. John picked the blankets up, and helped you under. You noticed his hesitation. And you waited.

He stared down at you for a long moment, then leaned over you and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek.

“Sleep well.” He whispered just a breath away from you.

You felt that warmth coiling in your belly again, and you blinked more than you should have in an effort to force it away. “Thank you.”

He sighed, and leaned away from you. You watched him clench his hands, and you wondered if he had eaten recently. Just as he went to turn away, you put your hand on his arm, “Father?”

“Yes?”

“Are you…you…you don’t seem yourself, have you eaten?” You asked quietly.

John gulped down some air and looked down, “I’m just fine, thank you. Not to worry.” He tried to reassure you, inching out the door.

It isn’t thirst that ails me, little lamb.

He was never one to brush you off. Which was why is attempt did nothing to smooth you. You sat up, “Have I done something? Did something happen?” You asked.

“No…no nothing. I just…I just need some air.” He tried, his smile tight.

You felt a pang of hurt at his stiltedness, but you didn’t press him anymore. “Alright…goodnight.” You whispered.

He nodded and closed the door halfway.

“So you’re saying you grew up on the Mainland, became a priest…did a little preaching in the cities but said “no thank you.” then came to Crockett in your late 20’s?” You asked as you made yourself a cup of tea.

John nodded from his place at his desk, “It was the 50’s and there were just…so many domestic issues at that time. By the end of confessional I wanted to go home and cry. Crockett was simple and a breath of fresh air. Dull, I know. ” He chuckled.

Your face flushed, “No! No I just…always wondered.”

He smiled, “It’s only natural…I grew up in a non-religious household…Christian but not really practicing…my sister’s passing led me to God. Your curiosity is genuine and fair…who knows where it may lead you.”

You sat down across from him and looked over at his writing.

He peaked up at you and tutted, “Nosey.”

You looked away, and took a sip of the hot drink with a little smile.

It had been over a week now since you had been bleeding out in the cellar. You were completely healed, and truly faced little danger, but both of you refused to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

You didn’t want to go home.

And you weren’t sure if that was a good thing.

“I always wanted to travel.” You mused.

“Where would you go?” John asked you, slowing his writing.

“…I think Spain first. See the Vatican…go down to Italy and Croatia then back up to Germany to curse whoever came up with those grim fairytales.” You smiled into your drink.

The Father laughed at that then put his pen down, “I’m sure you will see all of those places and more.”

Your smile faltered a little. If you could get of that island, maybe. Did you want to get off Crockett? Would it be so horrible if you died there?

Your mood dropped.

Father Pruitt’a mouth sat in a straight line when he saw your smile drop. You deserved more. A part of him wondered if the reason you weren’t fighting to leave anymore was because of him. Was he keeping you there? Clipping your wings?

You hadn’t attended Mass since that night. John didn’t ask you to come, he knew you would go if you wanted to. You prayed together every night, and listened to him talk about God in your private hide away. Where you could ask questions and interject.

“Your family called today?” John asked to change the topic.

You sucked in a breath, “Yes…a short call but it was nice to hear their voices…they want me to come for Christmas.”

John clenched his jaw, “I see.”

“I told them the ferries aren’t running very well. Not a total lie.” You shrugged and took a long drink.

He stayed quiet for a long moment.

“Why don’t you go?” He asked.

You looked up at him and laughed a little, “I think we both know the answer to that, Father.”

John looked away, and down at his pen, “If it weren’t for the…what happened, what would you do?”

“I’d…I’d probably go. Take some time away. Maybe book a ticket somewhere and see a piece of the world that isn’t Crockett shaped.” You thought aloud.

He nodded.

“That sounds nice.” He smiled quickly.

“We all have dreams, Father.” You replied.

You finished your drink and stood to place the cup in the sink. When you went to pass by him to return to your seat, the Father’s hand caught yours.

“Come here.” He hummed and pointed to the paper infront of him, “What do you think of this?” He asked you.

You looked down over his shoulder and saw a paragraph he was writing for his sermon. You pursed your lips, and found that your neck was growing stiff at the angle, so you scooted between him and the desk and sat on his lap to read better. You had grown used to sitting in close proximity to the Monsignor, and simply began to read.

John’s breath hitched at your action and he went still for a moment. Certainly you had both been close, but you had never plopped yourself over his legs before. He knew it was just you gaining comfort around him, which was positive, but the action still had him swallowing thickly. Closeness was still something he was being accustomed to after a lifetime of so little. It used to be so easy to ignore any sort of…feelings such as this, but since his regained youth he truly felt like a young man again, and found himself relearning to temper his humanity.

“Well?” He asked in your ear, steadying his breath.

You shifted a little and cleared your throat, “Um it’s good.” You said, “You might want to rephrase this part…sounds a little “holier than thou”.”

His brows pitched up and he leaned closer to read. He looked over the sentence you pointed to and nodded along, trying to ignore the warmth your body bled into him. It seeped into his skin and heated his veins.

“Good…thank you, my dear.” He murmured from behind you, and you turned your head a little to see him in your peripheral.

“My pleasure, Monsignor.”

He grit his teeth at the name. It wasn’t that it bothered him. There was just something about you saying it that reminded him of himself. He gave you a tight smile.

You went to stand, but he slipped an arm around your waist to keep you there, “Sit with me for a while.” He hummed, but had already begun to rewrite the section. You might have protested…or your might not have. You didn’t know which you would choose if you did have a choice.

With his large hand planted against your stomach, and curling to your hip, you stayed put. You shifted to let him see what he was doing, and rested your head into the crook of his neck. He wore no collar nor black shirt…just a tshirt and cardigan. You reached out and picked up his rosary from the desk, and toyed with it. After a moment, you opened your hand, and placed the cross against the little scar you had from your own digging into your hand on Easter.

“Must’ve hurt.”

You jumped a little at his voice and looked up. Your nose bumped his. You hadn’t noticed he had stopped writing altogether, and had been watching you.

“Not as badly as you’d think.” You whispered, looking away quickly to stare down at your hand again.

You saw his arm move from around you to grasp your fingers and bring them up to his mouth where he placed a kiss over the pinkish scar. You felt your ears grow warm, and you tried to pull your hand away, but he wasn’t done. John stroked his thumb over it, and leaned away from you to relax into the back of his chair.

“We should get you to bed, little one.” He mused.

You nodded, though you didn’t feel very tired.

He helped you to stand, and guided you into the back of the rectory. You both knelt facing the cross above the door, but when you went to hand his rosary back to him he shook his head and took yours from the bedside table. It felt oddly intimate to be using each other’s rosary for prayer, and you found your cheeks warming again at the thought of it.

You heard Father John begin a prayer for the night, and you forced yourself to focus on it. Not on how his voice dipped into a low hum that vibrated in your ears and made your fingertips tingle. You told yourself it was just the proximity of someone you had once admired. Someone who, despite the horrible things he had done, cared for you. Not the warmth that simmered just below your pelvis.

“Amen.”

You blinked and glanced at the man beside you and muttered a quiet amen like you had been listening. When he went to rise, you found yourself still rooted to the spot; John halted his movement and settled back down next to you. He didn’t ask any questions nor made any comment. He was patient for you, and if you needed a moment longer, he would join you.

Your eyes were glazed over as you stared at a chip in the paint on the wall, but your ears were alive with the memory of that song the Father danced with you to.

Hallelujah…hallelujah…

You blinked, and sucked in a breath, then released it slowly through your nose. Father John tilted his head to watch you thoughtfully, and you copied his movement. The dim light from a single lamp in the living room cast a warm glow over half his face; one eye glinting in the darkness. Your gaze met his, and you felt your lungs beg for air when you saw reminiscent of the man he used to be. His face soft and vulnerable as he watched you with such fondness.

The selfish and childish part of you whispered to itself in question, “Did love feel like this?” And your other part wished so badly to say no, but it stayed quiet because it didn’t know…and it let that other half wonder idly.

You repeated that question over and over in your mind. Is it? You didn’t know. Not that you had to wonder for long, not when he bowed his head and pressed his lips to yours…and the question vanished. It wasn’t answered, but when he kissed you again, you had no space for wonderment. His hand came up to the nape of your neck to cradle your jaw, stroking small, encouraging circles there. If they could speak they would whisper, “That’s it…that’s it. I’ve got you.” in your ear.

You timidly brought your hands up to his shoulders, not certain if you were to push on them or tug them closer. Your uncertainty seemed to have an answer when he gently ushered his tongue into your mouth. Your little fists slipped over his shoulders just as they did when he carried you to bed at night, and his hand eased around your waist like he did when he held you in his lap while he wrote.

You let him press you close, and you could feel his lean frame flush against you; he elicited a moan from you that he gulped down.

A precious sound.

Then as you sunk into one another, he pulled away just momentarily to pick you up and ease you onto the bed. The plushness enveloped you and his hand slipped to the back of your head to cradle your skull as he returned his mouth to yours and climbed over you carefully. This time you tentatively licked into his mouth, and received a pleased hum in reply as he allowed you.

You repeated the action as you welcomed him over you, placing your knees on either side of his hips. This time he shuttered ever so slightly, and pressed himself closer. You felt one of his hands move to your thigh, stroking it softly like he cherished it, while his other had his fingers twisting into your hair to hold you in place as he grew greedy, and stoked your pining.

Slowly, John pulled away, pecking light kisses to your lips until he was bracing himself over you.

““He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”…I would happily let you be my ruin.” He whispered.

You stared up at him, eyes heavy, “And what of my ruin, Monsignor?”

He smiled thoughtfully, brushing hair from your forehead, “You will have no ruin. Sunlight cannot be ruined.”

“And what about nightfall?” You countered as his face inches closer to you.

“The sun will always be shining somewhere…and if not then let me be that temporary darkness that borrows your glow if only for a while.” He spoke against your lips, and kissed you slowly.

That warm constriction in your belly wove and churned until the heat of it gave you made your toes curl in your warm socks, and arch your back into him like he wasn’t close enough. You hadn’t the faintest idea a body could be capable of such want, and you were intent to allow it to run its course.

That fist that cinched your hair tugged when your thighs tightened around him to draw him closer. A gasp pulled from your lips and John pressed his hips into you, and the rough jean rubbed you so suddenly you cried out into his mouth and along his tongue that knew your taste.

You whined and tugged at his shoulders; that feeling inside you becoming overwhelming. You were at a loss for words to communicate what you wanted, and it was as if he could feel your need for something…something.

He slowed his mouth and pulled away just a breath, “Tell me what you want.” He hummed.

Your eyes went wide and you looked away only for him to chase your gaze, and tut you. “Cmon.” He cooed. You might have thought he was teasing you if he had been anyone else. But John Pruitt was staring back at you like your answer to his question would determine the course of the rest of his life.

“I-…I don’t…I don’t know I’ve never…” you stumbled over your confession.

John nodded, gaze locked on you intently, “Of course…I understand.”

A beat passed between you two, and you were preparing yourself for him to pull off of you and tell you that he couldn’t-

“I’ll be good to you…if you’ll let me.” He whispered.

Trust.

You bit the inside of your lip as you thought; he didn’t move an inch.

Very slowly, you nodded, “Okay.”

He grinned ever so slightly, just enough to show those pointed peaks of his teeth. “Okay.” He repeated.

He leaned away from you then, and helped you to sit up while he rocked back onto his heels to give you room. He pulled off your sweater just as carefully as he had when he had undressed you after your attack.

“Arms up.” He murmured and you did as he said for him to tug your dress over your head.

A part of John was wailing at him to look away from you and to let you keep your dignity. Told him to dress you and take you home and tell you that he wasn’t a good person. But John had always had a tendency for selfishness, and he knew you were letting yourself be just as selfish as he. He knew you were likely having the same or similar thoughts.

So when he let himself look at you.

He let himself gorge on your beauty.

Greedy. Gluttonous.

He remembered then when he was on the cusp of priesthood when he must have been just a little younger than you. How his mentors would remind him of the perils of the seven sins, and how they would test him when he least expected it. How he would have to employ the Lords graces to overcome them. But John more vividly remembered how those same priests would overfill themselves at holiday feasts, and how he had caught a few staring a little too long at women and girls during services. It was difficult to fear their words when they themselves betrayed them.

Which was why John felt guiltless as the fabric came away from you.

Because he would much rather fear the true wrath of God than the intimidating warnings of men. And if God disapproved of the admiration of one of his creations, then John would take the punishment if he was granted this one time to fill his senses with you.

Your hands shook. And you dropped your arms back down as he placed the garment to the side. You half expected him to remain clothed, but he remained where he was and shrugged off his sweater, and grabbed the back of his plain shirt, and pulled it over his head.

You stared up at his form- still and curious. John took your hand in his, and placed it on his chest where his heart used to beat. Feeling his skin somehow made him feel so much more human. Like there wasn’t a lifetime between you and different blood in your veins.

He sighed at your touch and closed his eyes when he sunk back down to you and your hand moved along his collarbone to his neck to the nape where his dark hair curled. Your other hand joined, and tugged a little on the tender hairs there.

He took his hands away from you for only a moment to kick his jeans to the floor, then he returned to you- skin against yours and the veil of your underwear between you. It felt so foreign to know what his flesh felt like. Of course you knew he was born to this world just as every other being- bare as a babe. But he had become so superior in his status that the idea that he had calves and biceps and skin and hair under his chasuble took away so much of that inhuman pedestal you had unknowingly put him on.

Heat seemed to radiate between you both, and your skin became sticky against the winter chill that crept inside through minor holes and cracks in the old building. You pulled at him and tried to press him closer but it wasn’t enough. You didn’t know what it was, but your greed that you had so perfectly neglected since childhood seemed to rear its head with the Father against you.

You found your dwindling strength to push him away and he chased your mouth for a moment and you let him- open mouthed kisses from afar.

“F-father I’m- I- I um…” you tried to shift and squirm to get your point across but even you didn’t know what you wanted.

The older man above you watched intently with almost a paternal care as you tried to explain yourself.

“Is there a gluttonous warmth that’s settled in that belly of yours, sweet girl?” He asked with a small smirk that truly caught you off guard. You suddenly remembered that he was not entirely inexperienced such as yourself, and you briefly wondered if he has always been a little domineering, or if his age had snubbed it or perhaps it was an embraced trait with his renewed youth.

Your mouth lay agape for a moment, then you nodded and squeezed your thighs around him. The stiffness you felt there pressing insistently against your clothed flesh managed to intimidate your insatiability, but didn’t curb it.

“Would you allow me the gift of bringing you to rapture?” He asked so softly, pecking a kiss to the corner of your mouth and caressing your cheek while his other hand’s thumb stroked under your bra’s band.

Your poor mind attempted to catch up, but his touch was making your head spin and melt. His purred question had you recalling everything you had been taught since childhood by your family, “Father isn’t…we…it’s a-“ you started.

“You might think that…but it cannot be a sin. Not when you are this lovely and willing…You are no temptation…you are a gift.” He countered easily. Like he had thought about this before in detail.

“What if you are the temptation, Father?” You asked.

He grinned a little at your retort. Always one to keep him on his toes.

“If I am that, then is it not better to indulge in me than an irrefutable sin another time?” He nudged your nose with his.

You realized then that never once had you ever heard him preach the sins of the flesh. Indeed that temptations were made to misguide us, but never specifically that.

You breathed his air, and flushed your eyes between his, “Then bless me, Father.” You whispered before you could tell yourself it was wrong.

John’s breath caught in his throat, and he could almost feel his pupils expanding into dinner plates.

Cheeky girl.

“It was always going to be you…” he mused aloud, looking over your face, “No disobedience like Adam and Eve listening to the serpent… no you are…you are too good. My holy deliverance.” He kissed you so tenderly.

Then he kissed your cheek, and down your neck to your shoulder where he pulled the strap of your bra down. He followed the elastic to your chest and he helped you remove the article entirely. You looked away shyly, but he brought your attention back to him with a finger under your chin.

“There we go…look at me…you’re alright…” he whispered, a slight shake to his hand, “I’m with you.”

You nodded and sighed as you fought to not overthink.

Once Father John was certain you were alright, he kissed you one more time and began kissing your chest. His hands were a little timid and out of practice as he squeezed your opposite breast, though did not fail to make your toes curl as he pulled sounds from you that you stifled late at night and shamed yourself for; Hail Mary’s falling from your lips like breaths. He lapped at your skin as he descended down over your belly where your ecstasy lay tightly wound and molten.

He stopped then, and looked up at you , face a little shy in his want.

“Your fruit is the only harrowed offering I desire to eat…and if that makes me a sinner then I will humbly accept my punishment.” He murmured.

Your face was so warm you thought you may faint. You didn’t know the man with the stiff white collar and slightly nervous disposition could have such a blunt, honeyed tongue.

You leaned up a little then to look down at him as he kissed at the top of your panties.

“What are you…” you trailed off. You had had an educational sex talk with your mother when you were a teenager, and had read mentions of the various acts you could do, but you were at a loss with how Father John seemed to wish to venture further than just your stomach or hips.

It was no willing education that the holy man had gone through for sexual acts. It had been decades of confessions from islanders and tourists alike back when the island was alive. Some explicit ans some leaving him curious. Tales from visitors he didn’t know who came to spend a few weeks on Crockett and took advantage of the anonymity of the village confessional booth with a young pastor to hear their sins and absolve them before they returned to the city.

It took years, but after a while, he began to piece things together. They made his ears grow hot and his hands grip his rosary a little tighter.

But curious he remained.

Was a woman’s body so wholly splendorous that a man desired deeply to kiss upon her lips where no tongue sat between them? Would she taste as addictive as they said?

“I’d like to kiss you h-here…”he whispered, and so gently ran his index finger down the edge of your underwear where it curved down your thigh, “…please.”

His eyes were wide as he stared up to you; still so unsure but so lost in his desire to think twice.

“…okay.” You managed. Just as lost as he.

His veiny hands ran gentle trailed up and down your thighs, and he peppered kisses in their wake. You shivered and squirmed under the sensations he drew forth, and you wished you knew what to do with them. Were you supposed to moan or tell him what to do? Were you supposed to ask for more? You didn’t know. What you did know was that you wanted his hands to touch you, and that seemed like a good place to start.

It seemed you hadn’t been paying full attention for a moment, though your focus returned tenfold when you felt a warm kiss there against you. You twitched in surprise, and stared down at the man sat between your legs; his dark hair all tousled curls that fell over his forehead and gaze intently immersed in your reaction. He repeated the action, his lips caressing the fabric that still covered you. Your breathing became something you had to actively remember to do when he grasped the undergarment and pulled it down your legs.

With yourself bare to him, you reflexively notched your knees together, though he easily parted them with a little coaxing from his tongue running up your inner thigh.

“Fa-Father Pr-“ you stuttered out breathlessly.

“Shhh…I know…”he whispered against your hip where he kissed and ran a pointed tooth over your skin. He could barely hide the fact that you using his title affected him more than it should have. “Say a Hail Mary with me, sweet girl.” He said.

Your eyes went wide, and the devil in him reared its head for just a moment. He liked seeing you so shocked. But when he began to recite the prayer and you followed his lead, that heathen calmed a little.

“Hail Mary, f-full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed…” you realised the Father had stopped speaking and had begun running his lips down your hip to your pelvic bone, and he tilted his head to nestle his cheek against you for a moment.

“Continue.” He murmured.

You remembered to breathe, “B-blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb-“ you lost any ability to talk when Father Pruitt leaned down and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the delicate flesh between your thighs. You felt the tip of his tongue against you, and his large hands held you firmly in place.

“J-Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” You rushed the end.

John looked up at you and kissed your thigh with a proud look in his dark eyes. “Amen.” He whispered.

Then slow and deliberate, he leaned back down and kissed you again, this time ushering his tongue into the slick pedals of skin. You stuttered out another deep breath, and clutched at the sheets beside you. He lathed his tongue in you and swallowed greedily, rutting himself into the bed while his long legs braced him. His hands began to guide you to roll your hips up into his open mouth and you found that sensitive spot that had your squeezing your eyes shut and your mouth dropping open in sinful gasp.

When your movements became more bold, and your fingers wove into his thick hair, Father John settled deeper into your flesh. He worked his jaw slow and steady. He was an attentive learner and listened to when your breathing stopped and felt your legs shake or your fingers pull him closer into you.

Then like he could hear your mind, he removed one of his hands from your legs and ran his index finger down the curve of your thigh to your entrance when he carefully pushed in; just as careful as when he turned the pages of the Bible. Your body jerked, and you couldn’t help the cry that he pulled from you as he sunk into you to the knuckle.

“How’s that?” He asked you just as breathless as you.

You couldn’t speak, and you found yourself starting to grow far too warm all at once.

“Good?” He prompted, patient as ever, “Tell me if it’s nice, young lady or I’ll have to stop.” He chastised you.

His comment curled deep inside you like his finger as he stroked you and lapped at your tender clit.

“I-it feels go-good Monsignor.” You managed to shoot back.

He grinned and suckled you into his mouth as he pumped you firm and slow. He knew there was somewhere inside you that would make heighten your pleasure, and he slowly teased and touched every inch he could reach until he found that patch of membrane inside you that had you bolting up and pushing his face into you harder.

“S-sorry I’m- I- Fath- Joh-“ you began to babble and try to form an apology as you immediately backed off, but his used his free hand to bring yours back to his head and had you push down again as he sucked and kissed and lapped at your sweetness.

The pressure of his touch had that coil in you start to vibrate and heat up to uncomfortable heights. Your moans came in constant succession, and you found that you couldn’t breathe without making a needy sound.

You were so lost in your own building euphoria that you didn’t see how Father John devoured and held you with such need that he shook and shuttered. A voice in his head asked him if this was for your pleasure alone, or was this his devout need to know what heaven was like when he was surly damned. His hips rocked and ground into the mattress making his ears ring with want.

Your movements met with his and he let you use him to catch that pleasure you had worked so hard for until your body went ridged. A relieved cry tore from your throat and your muscles constricted around his fingers- when had he added another?- and coated his tongue in his prize. You muscles ached from the tension you endured as you rocked against him to ride out your ecstasy. He licked at you gingerly, helping you through it as the blood stopped rushing in your eardrums.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, your eyes lost their glaze and you could look at him. John kissed your thigh, and slowly drew his fingers from you. You winced slightly, and your eyes grew heaviler when he lifted them to his mouth and sucked them clean like he had been waiting for that.

“There she is…” he whispered and kissed you one more time before climbing up your body and nestling his face into your neck. You locked your legs around him and pressed him against you, your breath hitching at the firmness there that prodded at you insistently.

“Wa-was that okay?” He murmured, and kissed your cheeks.

You nodded lazily and laughed a little. So old fashioned at heart, even in his youth. He smiled back, and blew air over your flushed face. He might have been about to say something else, but you tugged him down to your lips before much more than a muffled sound could come out. It couldn’t have been important as he gave into your want and returned your kiss.

It seemed you both grew aware of the heady need that still hung in the air and your joined lips slowed and stopped until you were both simply laying there with your mouths close to one another.

You flushed with embarrassment when a thought crossed your mind- one that belonged in the gutter. Evidently your burning cheeks were observed by the older man, and his eyes grew searching.

“Tell me…” he whispered, and kissed your temple.

You looked away and fidgeted, then subconsciously looked down.

John tracked your gaze, and when it flickered between you, he had a small idea of what was ailing you.

“We- we don’t…” he started, but you shook your head.

“Its not…I- can- can I-“ you fumbled and squirmed.

He stared at you, and felt your hands toy at the nape of his neck.

“Touch me?” He asked, seeing if that was what you wanted.

You couldn’t look at him, but you nodded ever so slightly.

He sucked in a breath to steady himself as he grew lightheaded.

“…give me your hand, sweet girl.” He shuttered and swallowed.

You timidly removed one of your hands from his neck, and gave it to him. The good Father paused for just a moment to check on you, but you bit at your lip and nodded again, and he continued. He rolled a little to the side, and guided your hand down to his waistband. He didn’t take his eyes off you for a moment, and you followed suit in staring back. He helped you slip your little hand inside, and you could feel him pulse against your palm.

Johns breath caught in his throat, and he closed his eyes when you shyly touched him. You ran your hand gently up his shaft, and grew a little more empowered when his hips jerked towards you. Then, you slowly wrapped your hand around him, and his eyes fell shut and his mouth dropped open with a sigh.

You watched him closely, completely unsure of what you were doing as you moved your hand up and back down. You squeezed him slightly, and his head fell into your shoulder with a soft groan. You dragged you hand back up to the tip, and found a wetness there that helped you. It only took a few moments before he was gently taking your wrist and rolling you back under him.

“I’m- I’m sorry…I can’t- please…” he murmured and you nodded again as he took himself out slowly. John braced himself above you, just a few inches away to see you properly, and he sighed. You really were so…so beautiful.

So lovely.

He blinked, and swallowed.

You started breathing deeply when you felt his slick skin against you, and he kissed you again.

“Shh…take a deep breath for me, litttle one.” He said calmly like his own hands didn’t have an elated tremor to them, “C’mon, with me: in…” he took a breath in, and you followed his lead; his eyes held yours in the dim light, and you felt safe.

There was a pressure at your tender flesh that you seemed to crave as your cramped muscles relaxed and gave away to his body.

“And out…” he imitated for you, and you did as he said, though you found it difficult to breathe. The fragile skin slickened, and welcomed him inside you, and you found yourself pressing every inch of yourself against his damp skin to touch, touch, touch.

John sighed and buried his face into your shoulder where your scar was still fresh. He kissed there and scraped his teeth over the unevenness; your nerves were set alight, and you constricted around him suddenly at the sensation. He smiled and kissed again then trailed up your neck to your cheek where he gathered your lips with his again and swallowed your gasp as he pressed himself further until you couldn’t take anymore.

“There you go…such a g-good girl…you alright?” He whispered as he gasped in his own euphoria.

You took a couple breaths then nodded; the stretch that your muscles completed to accommodate him made you ache, but when his addictive kiss coated your lips with his saliva, it ebbed away.

“Deep breaths…there we go just like th-that..”

He started slow. Gentle rocking of his hips into yours as he stroked your thighs and distracted you with sweet encouragement in your ears. Introducing your body to sensations it began to crave and demand. And after a few minutes, your pelvis began to chase his as he moved until he started to lengthen his rocking- drawing further and further out of you and rooting himself inside you like a plant looking for soil.

Your whining in his ear only furthered his chase for pleasure. Your pleas and moans that he savoured and swallowed. Then when one of his hands left you and disappeared between your bodies, you tried to see what he was doing, but your curiosity was sated when you felt him press just above where he entered you, and stroked you so gently. The sounds you cried out into the small, dark room were enough to summon angels and demons alike to bear witness to your willing invasion.

“How’s that sweet girl?” Came his whisper that curled in your ear and peaked your nipples.

“I’m- I-“ you breathed out an attempted response to convey your approval but to no avail.

You could feel his smile against your skin, and you let him touch you like it belonged to him. You rolled your hips to meet his- slow and steady. You began a succinct string of breathless supplications that played in repetitive order in Johns head as he felt you begin to constrict around him. It took his well practiced willpower and patience to remain composed with you. The selfishness in him wished for him to lock his arms around you and take his pleasure from you as if it was something owed, but he knew he was better than that. He was more than the poison in his veins.

For you he would be better.

Then your nails found purchase in the skin on his back as his pace grew insistent, and he groaned a low hum into your neck. But despite the mounting pressure of sybaritism, he kept his hand steady and calm as he helped you meet your own bliss. It wasn’t that he was well practiced or that he knew what he was doing, but he had hearing that could detect every time your breath caught and when a secret gasp would sit in your throat. Just as he had been with priesthood, he was an eager and curious learner, and he was just as dedicated to knowing what your body craved.

John paused for only a moment to readjust you against him; he knelt before you and shifted your hips up to compensate for the change, then his hands gripped your thighs and pushed them down to your torso and guided your hands to hold them. As he slipped back inside you, your swollen mouth dropped open and he crawled back down to you.

“There we go…that’s it.” He whispered, voice shaking so slightly.

So many explicit confessions from his youth had initially made his ears turn pink and his hands shake from the salaciousness; yet now here he was murmuring those same words into your eager ears.

Any Hail Mary’s he might prescribe after having you under him would be hollow. Not when he knew the enjoyment of such tender flesh. You were the epitome of sublime in your chase for pleasure, and he knew he shouldn’t find such carnal desire in seeing you lose yourself. Yet there he was, wanting to savour every moment of your young body falling apart for him to devour.

Your eyes grew heavy and nearly slipped shut. That furnace in your belly was on the brink of combustion, and the good Father only stoked it. So you let him. You relaxed completely and let your mind go blank as he moved you to completion. You could feel your muscles start to tighten around him, and curl to pull him deeper and closer.

Then bliss…

You could barely register your elevated cries into his shoulder as he brought himself closer to you, his eyes crinkling with pride. You rolled your pelvis up to meet his at pleasure overtook you and used you like a marionette to procure every ounce of your deserved euphoria.

Warmth filled your tummy when Father Pruitt went still. He shuttered and sighed low in his chest as he held you tight and filled you.

Your heartbeat pulsed between your chests, and was like thunder in John’s ears. The rush of your blood through veins and your body trying to recover were like music to his ears. John kissed your shoulder, and sighed.

Neither of you spoke…no words to say or sound to make. A mutual silence.

Slowly, he drew away from you, and you found yourself feeling empty. Had you always been so empty?

He lay to your side and pulled you back against him like you used to embrace a pillow on stormy nights as a child.

It was only when he brought your hand up to his mouth to press a kiss there did you both notice that you still clutched his rosary; an imprint of its beads and cross evident in your palm.

“Amen.” He hummed and looked up at you softly.

You faintly smiled and he savoured the expression. A look of fondness.

There was a peculiar feeling inside you, and it wasn’t the way you ached from him or how warm you were. It lasted days as they passed, and only seemed to grow with the more kisses you shared.

When he would run his nose along your neck and hold your hips against him or when he would tilt his head down to you when in the middle of reading and taste your tongue with his if only for a moment.

But also when he would remain calm and honest when his hunger grew. When fear never returned to you. When you both would visit Hassan’s grave at night and he would tell you stories as you readied for bed.

It was the startling question of whether you wanted to stay. And what that would entail. When he had asked you just days ago about your wishes, you had of course wanted to see your family and travel, and in the depths of your heart you still wished to do those and more. But the longer Father John held you, the further those dreams seemed to be.

Would it be so horrible if you stayed? If you lived there forever with John Pruitt and rebuilt your routine there? Would it truly be sinful to alter Gods plan and will and give in to eternal life? Something you had so greatly feared?

Which was why you turned to John one night as he lay beside you. He held you in his arms and was waiting for you to fall asleep before feeding when you sighed.

“Father?” You asked.

He smiled, “You know you don’t ha-“

“Force of habit…forgive me.” You smiled a little too, “I…I’d like to stay.”

Johns brow pinched, “At the rectory? My dear I think we’re past-“

“No I mean…I mean here. On Crockett.” You murmured into his clavicle, and he took a steady breath, “I’m ready.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he nodded, “Alright.” He whispered and kissed your hair.

You thought he sounded pleased. In a way he was. Turmoil had been making his stomach sour as he dreaded that moment. Wondering what your choice would be. But as you said those words into his skin, it was as if a weight had been lifted.

This was his moment to set you free.

You fell asleep on him just as you had often now, and he let himself indulge in your sweet warmth for a while longer.

His last selfish act.

They say if you’re hungry enough, you’ll start to eat your own heart. John’s was gone long, long ago, with only a cavernous need to adore and worship left behind. He knew that one day his hunger would grow too much for his abilities to curb it, and he was not about to let you meet that same horrible fate.

He needed to do right by you.

For you, he would be better.

He knew that having you to hold each day and converse with and grieve with and laugh with would be a paradise, but he knew it wasn’t what you deserved. John hoped you would forgive him one day for what he would do.

But he knew it was what you needed, just not what you wanted.

He slipped from your grasp and found that bag that you counted as your home. He gathered all your little trinkets and books, and found that knife you had long forgotten about. John found his eyes start to prickle as he finished. Your little life in one bag all because of him.

Next, he sat as his desk, picked up his pen, and began to scrawl a note on a piece of paper.

What have I done…

John sighed and continued. His chest ached a terrible pain, and he feared it may fall right out of his chest. Of course it didn’t, but somehow he was certain the pain still wouldn’t have surpassed what he felt then.

He signed it, and folded the paper into his pocket, then he began writing another note entirely. This one he didn’t fold- instead this one would sit atop his desk for the time being.

Then, he picked your bag up and slung it over his back, and moved back to where you lay. It took him half an hour to sit you up gently and slip your coat on without you waking. He knew he didn’t have long. John finished dressing you- socks and boots and all- and hoisted you into his arms.

He forwent his own coat, and cast a look around the rectory to see any last reminders of you. There was only a cup in the sink from you. And he smiled at it.

With you tight against his chest, the Father left the rectory, and strode through the damp grass to the main road. The stones crunched under his boots, and he let his vast memory overtake him as he walked. Memories of seeing you that first morning when he returned. How he had danced with you; how he had looked forward to seeing you. How badly he wanted the best for you, and how poorly that had turned out. He thought of how wonderful it had felt when you finally let him help you…your smile, your kindness, your resilience, your intelligence, your selflessness. He let it all fill him up. John pressed a kiss to your head when you stirred a little, and shushed you until you settled.

His precious little lamb.

You didn’t even bleat as a wolf held you.

A chill brushed your cheeks as you awoke. There was a calm rock that soothed you and kept you just on the edge of opening your eyes. You nuzzled your face further into John’s chest , but something felt off. You sighed, and thought nothing of it until you realized it was your own arm that you were laying on.

And you were cold.

You jolted awake and sat up. Your eyes flickered around in a fright. Under you was a bench, and as you looked at your surroundings, there was water. You were on the Belle.

Alone.

A lump rose in your throat as you pushed yourself up and nearly tripped over your bag that was at your feet. You ran to the railing, and saw that you still weren’t too far from the marina. The next thing that dawned on you was that it was getting light out.

As you gripped the railing, you felt something dig into your hand, and when you looked down, you fought for breath.

“No…” you whispered, “No, no…”

Father Pruitt’s rosary was wrapped around your hand, securing a note to it.

You unwrapped it frantically, and opened the note with shaking hands. At first you didn’t look down at it as you began walking down the side of the boat to look back at the dock. A single tear broke free from your eye when you saw that familiar figure standing on the edge of the platform staring back at you.

You gasped for a breath, and finally began to read. But as you did, you had to fight against tears to see the elegant handwriting.

“Hello little one,

You may not understand now, but I need you to know that you are free now. You had always been sunshine, and you deserved to shine. I have been a selfish man for much of my life, but you would be my one selfless act.

You will find a church with a preacher who reminds you of God and lights your soul. See the world that is not shaped like Crockett Island and breathe in its splendour.

Look for me in solar eclipses, sweet girl; when the moon touches the sun just as you let me grace your glow. You might think of me in years to come as a dark time in your life…and know that I will indeed think of you.

You were a blessing.

You were everything.

Saying goodbye isn’t close to what I want to say, but it is what you need to hear.they say that the worst farewells are the ones unsaid and unexplained. I do not wish to give you any more grief. Which is why I must hurt you this one last time…then no more.

I am with you, sweet angel girl.

Always.

Yours,

John M. Pruitt”

Your head felt far too light at your body far too heavy. You felt bile rise against the lump of grief in your throat.

“John…” you whispered like you had never spoken before. You could barely hear yourself against the ringing in your ears. Then all at once, you realized how bright the sky was, and he wasn’t moving from his place on the dock.

You cried his name louder than you thought you could.

John stood, watching you from the pier.

You screamed his name.

You were terrified for him.

John knew he had to hurt you one last time. Just one. He needed you to never come back.

One more time and then you would be free. John knew better than anyone that grief was just love with nowhere else to go. It was bottled up and leaked out through your eyes and scraped at your esophagus.

“It’s alright, little one…” he whispered, “You don’t need me anymore.”

His dark eyes gleamed with tears that once would have been hot against his cheeks as they fell. Grief. Just love compressed with a cork.

You frantically looked from him to the thin white line that was beginning to form on the horizon as the sun rose. You saw him say something, and somehow you knew he was trying to comfort you.

“John!!! JOHN GO HOME!” You cried, anxiety starting to squeeze your throat, “Please!!”

You could see a fond smile on his face as he gazed at you, and he extended his arm in a wave as if to say “See you again old friend.”

Come back soon.

But you knew then that he had no intention of letting you see him again.

He was setting you free.

And John knew then.

He knew that when you finally passed and you drew your last breath, you would feel a spring breeze against your skin and smell fresh flowers and live in the sunlight for eternity.

But with that realization came his own fate. John knew that when he had enough, and he let his body burn, he would only awaken to the scent of scorched forests and stale air.

Much like the smell following the Easter vigil all those months go.

And John realized that he had indeed already been living in his own death all along.

His own personal hell.

And John remembered then how he had once compared you to a person trying to stay afloat in a body of water with nothing but hope to keep you going. But he saw then that you had never been near drowning; you had never been on the cusp of being dragged down into the depths of the ocean.

He had been the one astray.

And John saw that now, as the sun crested over the empty horizon.

So he took a breath…and let it out.

And he let the cold swell of his fate pull him under.

His eternity.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

@littleredwritingcat @zaunite-leo @f4er1e-g1rl @purplemotif @vampyre-kin @hamishlinklaters @spacechupss @pansexualpamandabear @ebiemidnightlibrarian @erialuna @nilla-bear @vintageglassheart02 @ethanhoewke @dancingisdangerouss @cherrysugarx @daisychainsinknots @thesoundresoundsecho

[stevierogersbabygirl]

Forbidden love

(Stepfather!Steve Rogers x Reader AU)

Run-through: Your mother just passed away and your stepfather, Steve fills in the hole he has in his sex life, with you.

Themes: angst, smut, age gap

A/N : READER IS 22

A month ago, devastating news arrived.

Your mother passed away from a long battle with breast cancer, leaving you alone with your step-father, Steve Rogers.

Your mom gave birth to you as a teen, and divorced your abusive biological father when you were 12, and since then you have cut contact with him.

8 years later, your mother meets Steve, and gets married to him only a year later, and he becomes the man in your life that you've never had.

You've always had a small internal crush on the man. He is handsome, tall, muscular, and has beautiful blue eyes, and you knew all your girlfriends had some sort of jealousy about your father-daughter relationship with him. All of those physical traits would not come into value if it wasn't for his beautiful personality. Never have you ever heard him have horrible fights with your mother, he was just perfect. Wait.. no this is totally wrong.

You should not be crushing on your father figure and mom's new husband like this, so you've never acted out on these feelings, but no matter how much you convince yourself it's wrong, you always feel the same way about him. So incredibly hot.

You could not wrap your head around the fact that it's happened, that she's gone, and you'd never see her again. It's been really tough for you and Steve.

A month has went past and you notice Steve has started behaving oddly, he was trying to get closer to you in a way that was unusual.

It started with walking around the house shirtless to 'accidentally' walking into you showering, all just to see your reaction, which was an uncomfortable frown on your face.

Today you've decided to finally confront him.

It was around midnight, and the reason it took you until midnight was to gather up courage to confront the guy. You were scared if he would react negatively, as that man is generally intimidating, but finally you've gained all the courage.

You stormed down the hall to the master bedroom with heavy footsteps, and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Steve opened the door and casually asked with that warm smile on his face "What's up?"

You replied, trying to calm down your angriness, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, come in." He said, gesturing you to come inside the room.

You'd stand by the door while you faced him, and you started with, "What's up with all of that shit you do?"

He'd smile wider, looking more innocent, "What shit?" oh you wanted to punch that dumb, innocent smile.

"Walking around the house shirtless, confiscating my sex toys, walking into me showering, why? What do you want?" You'd ask, sounding angrier, crossing your arms, which he thought was cute.

"Doll," He'd say, moving to the front of his bed to sit down, patting the space next to him which gestured you to sit next to him.

You subconsciously followed as instructed.

"Y/N, I've observed how you look at attractive men about my age. I've observed how you talk about my attractiveness to your friends, and I've noticed you staring whenever I got shirtless." He'd say shamelessly, with that same smile on his face.

You'd look at him speechless.

"I know you want me, and I want you too." He said, his smirk widening, as he tucked a hair strand behind your ear.

You'd have that same look at him, out of words.

It all made sense now. Ever since his wife passed away, there was a big hole in his sex life, and the only one who can truly fill it, is you.

"Say something, doll." He said softly, in contrast to his words seconds ago.

"Steve.. but my mom.." You said quietly, stuttering a bit.

"Don't worry about her, sweetheart. Enjoy the moment." He said, gently placing his hand on your thigh and moving it upwards and downwards.

You had felt like Steve betrayed your mother by acting out on his sexual urges towards you, but you've also wanted this for a long time.

Your breathing would fasten, as you turned to look into his eyes as he looked back at yours.

"Are you up for this, Y/N?" Asked Steve, as a tent began to rise in his boxers.

You nodded, your underwear getting increasingly wet.

Steve smirked devilishly, pushed you back-first onto the bed, pulled down your underwear slightly and placed a finger on your folds, making you jump a little. He'd massage your folds slowly, and would go faster, using his thumb to massage your clit.

He'd then insert a finger and slowly move it in and out of your walls, making you have faster breathing and moan in pleasure as your hands grabbed the bedsheets tighter. Then he inserted a second finger and went faster, making your breathing a lot faster as you grasped on the bedsheets tighter.

Steve then leaned down to have a deep kiss with you as he fingered you faster, and finally you felt your walls tighten as you came violently around his fingers.

You'd pant a lot, face reddened, as you decided to look at Steve to see him undressing.

In no time his cock was infront of your mound, as he dragged it up and down your folds.

"I want you to beg, doll." He'd say, still dragging his cock up and down your folds, and you'd reply with "Please Steve I'll be a good girl I promise."

"I want you to call me daddy." He'd say, staring deep into your eyes with his sea blue eyes. So you begged with that nickname multiple times, until he decided it was enough and pushed his cock slowly into you as he stretched you out, making both of you moan simultaneously.

He'd first fuck you slowly, occasionally leaning down to give you kisses, but in no time he'd be fucking you faster and rougher, sometimes even choking your neck and spitting into your mouth.

"Are you close baby?" He'd ask between thrusts. You'd reply with a yes and beg even more, which made him fuck you even harder until you came. He came right after, coating your womb with his cum.

He slowly pulled out and enjoyed the little view of his semen trailing out of your pussy. Both of you were panting hard.

You thought at that moment, damn, this will change everything forever.

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - A House Is Not A Home Part 1/8

It's finally here! So excited for this new fic!��😊

Ruben's wife dies during childbirth along with their son. Ruben hasn't been in a relationship since. Y/N is a single mother to a four year old boy. She buys a house in the small town that Ruben lives in. The house needs alot of fixing which Ruben helps with, resulting in him slowly falling in love with Y/N. However, falling in love with Y/N makes Ruben feel like he is betraying his dead wife.

Enjoy!

You were stringing along an old country road on your way to your knew house. The gravel made the tires swerve beneath you but your grandpa's old Chevrolet was up for the challenge. It would be dark soon and light rain already tapped the car windows. By the time you arrived at the adress that you had been given, the breathtaking landscape was already swallowed by the night, preventing you from seeing anything beyond a two kilometer ratio. From the driveway of the house you could see a shed rising in the fields. Must be the barn, you thought. You had been informed that there would be a barn. You didn't own any animals but you could do other things with it, like turn it into an atelier to hold your art.

"Shit!"

You rushed towards the house as the rain was pouring now. Upon turning the key in the lock you were welcomed into a dark house with silhouettes of overcast furnitures.

"Shit."

You were told that the house was left furnished for the next owner, however you had not been informed about the absence of electricity. Seeing as there was a storm, you suspected a power outage. Despite this knowledge you kept flipping the switch, with nothing happening. The house remained in darkness.

"Come on." You sighed. It had already been long journey and all you longed for was a hot shower before bed. Getting started on the house would have to wait until tomorrow.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Ruben Dias?"

In case of any emergency, you had been informed to call the number of a local bar, perhaps the only bar in what appered to be a very small town. Despite the storm it only took you a couple of minutes to arrive. Since there was no power you hadn't been able to call. You had entered the semi full bar, asking for the name that was written next to the number you had been given.

"How can I help you sweetheart?" Said the man tending the bar. It was a Saturday night and the bartender found a way to take the next man's drink order, at the same time give you his full attention.

"A...are you Mr Dias?"

"Dias?" The man snorted. He looked to be in his late fifties, but it was hard to tell because of his vibrant personality and youthful smile. "As in Ruben Dias?"

"Yes. Are you him?"

The man laughed. "I'm afraid not. You won't get a hold of him tonight, I promise you that."

"B...but I was given his number to call in case of an emergency. I just moved into the house down the road but because of the storm I have no power."

"No?" The man looked genuinely concerned. "I'll see what I can do." He took a step back from the bar, grabbing the home line that hung on the wall behind him. As a call was made you took a seat in one of the stools before the counter, curiously turning your head. The people here looked different from the ones in your hometown. People back home looked more diversed, and younger some how. On a Saturday night like this one the bars back home would be swirling with loud college grads and well dressed people from the city. The people in this town looked old, you observed. At least the majority of them appered to be over forty years of age. There was a young man though, sitting on a stool not too far from you. Sitting was the wrong word to explain his posture. The man lay passed out drunk, his limb body collapsed upon the bar counter. He appeared to be asleep, snoring peaceful despite the noise around him. He wore flannel, typical attire for the majority of the men in the bar. It seemed to be the typical attire for all men of small towns in the English country. That and heavy boots that came in handy during their hard labor. To your surprise the drunk man wore black sneakers, Converse, for those who are interested in knowing the brand. As you focused more on the man's facial features you could tell that he was handsome. Beyond his thick beard and untamed hair, lay a young man with fair skin.

"Alright..." Said the bartender as he hung up the phone. He had noted your fixation of the man laying passed out on his bar table, causing you to feel embarrassed for staring. "My wife is on her way. She can help you." He said.

"Is she an electrician?"

Again the man's face flared up along his marvelous laughter. "No she is not, but I dare see her try. She is truly stubborn like that."

"Why is she coming then? How could she possibly help me?"

"Well, you are in a need of a place to stay, are you not?"

Because of the power outage you had no place to stay for the night. At least not if you wanted somewhere dry and warm to sleep.

"I would've taken you to her myself, but as you can see..." The man gestured at the sea of people before him. "....I am a little busy."

"Aren't there any hotels in town?"

Not to be rude, but the thought of being taken in by strangers automatically raised a red flag within you.

"Hotel?" The man frowned. "Aren't those for tourists, thought you were a local now?" There was a twinkle in his eyes, one that instantly made you feel at ease.

"What are you drinking sweetheart?" He asked, grabbing a glass from a trey.

"Um...somthing hot." You were shivering in your seat, your hair still wet from the rain.

"Tequila shot?"

"Not that kind of hot." You laughed.

"Hot chocolate it is." He winked, disappearing into the kitchen in the back. He would return with the tastiest hot chocolate that you had ever had.

"Oh poor girl..."

The bartenders wife arrived a few minutes later. She was a short and plump woman with platinum white hair.

"David, get her a towel." She said, ushering her husband back into the kitchen. Whilst he was gone you two made acquaintance. You told her your name and she told you hers, which was Katarina. You told her about moving into town and the power outage at your house, most likely caused by the storm.

"Not the warmest welcome huh?" She chuckled as she tried to warm you up with a blanket that had been draped over your shoulders. Her husband, David, returned with a towel, actually a table cloth, for your hair.

"Make sure to tell Ruben to come by early tomorrow." Katarina told her husband. "He might have to help Y/N clear up her yard after the storm."

At least they didn't lack hospitality in this town, you thought.

"Alright Y/N, I'm taking you home with me so you can take a hot shower and get yourself cleaned up."

"That's so kind of you, thank you."

You stood, your body shivering with cold. Katarina held you close, ready to escort you out of the bar. She turned to her husband. "You make sure he gets home too." She said, reffering to the man passed out drunk by the bar.

"Always. " David winked.

They were so kind and thoughtful here, you thought. You already felt at home.

[simpywriter]

Flames (Bonus Chapter - 2)

Hot fire

Pairing: Zuko x Reader Universe: Canon Words: 3.2k

Flames - Main

Summary: With his new position of Fire Lord, Zuko is so stressed that not even you can calm him. After a big fight with him you both need to reconcile, what a perfect opportunity to finally take that step. (This is a bonus chapter for my three-chapters fic ‘Flames’, but you can also read it separatly)

Warnings: emotional sex, kinda bossy Zuko, 18+, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

‘I’ll kick his ass’ You kept thinking as your clenched fists were surrounded by flames, crankling your toes to get rid of the sand between them caused you to constantly lose balance, losing control over every technique you tried. Frustration and anger stiffened your arms, making your movements clumsy and unsuccessful.

This all started a little less than a week ago, when you and Zuko moved to Ember Island together with Katara and Aang, in order to have a quiet and calm place to discuss some matters about the four nations; Sokka and Suki caught up with you a day later, Toph shortly following. The first days were peaceful, you spent your mornings on the beach, writing down ideas you discussed over lunch and in the afternoon, while the evenings passed while sitting in front of a bonfire, telling each other about your lives now that you weren’t all together anymore.

But then the topics became heavier and more complicated. And Zuko started to freak out. Every word, every doubt you tried to bring into conversation was an excuse to get mad and lash out on you or the others; his role was difficult and his father left on his shoulder a big burden, but it couldn’t be an excuse to treat poorly the friends trying to help him. So, you decided to hang out more with Katara and Suki, train your bending on the beach and ask Sokka for help in hand-to-hand combat. But avoiding him seemed to make the situation worse, Zuko started sending you digs whenever he could, the little gestures he usually reserved for you, like pouring your tea first or intertwining your fingers under the table, were gone, replaced by huffs and clenched fists when you stood up to get away from a discussion.

«You know what? Tonight you stay alone», you once bust out during dinner after yet another contemptuous comment about your laziness. «I’m done with you for the next twelve hours» «Oh yeah? And where would you like to sleep?», the others were looking between you two without a word, their eyes scanning rapidly your expressions in turn. You were almost embarrassed to be fighting with your boyfriend in front of all your friends. Almost. «It’s not of your business. And you made clear that you don’t care about me. That wouldn’t be the first time either», you could see a glimpse of pain in his eyes and immediately regret saying those words. However, you didn’t had time to go back on what you said because Zuko quickly got up, sending you and icy glare. «Then I won’t care» He stormed out of the door without a second thought.

«So… are we still going to the theatre tomorrow?». Katara quickly summoned a wave from her cup, showering her brother’s head.

You tried to convince Toph to let you stay with her since she was the only one with a free spot in her room, but the little girl was strict about sleeping alone; after nearly an hour of prayers and promises, you found yourself forced to knock on the door of your and Zuko’s shared room. ‘Spirits, that girl is so bossy. Ugh.’ «I don’t want to talk Aang. Just leave me alo-» «It’s me».

You could sense him freezing just from the soft gasp he let out. You impatiently waited for him to open the door, dreading the thought of sleeping on the little couch in the living room. Just as you were preparing yourself to relight the fireplace, Zuko opened the door, leaning against the frame with a tired expression. You regretted your previous words even more: his hair was a tousled mess, the robe asymmetrically tied on his waist. «I…», you couldn’t look at him in the eyes «Toph wouldn’t let me stay…». Without a word he moved away, letting you in. You nodded in gratitude and quickly found yourself climbing into the bed next to him, facing the other side. At first both of you remained silent, listening to the waves shattering on the beach; then, you sensed him moving on the mattress, leaning closer to you «Y/N… Can we talk?», he brought his arm around your side, squeezing you lightly against him, but you moved away, standing up quickly to prevent him from trying again (also because you knew you would give in easily, especially when he was giving you the puppy eyes… Focus).

«I’m still mad, Zuko. You’ve been awful to me these days» «Excuse me??» He got up, harshly throwing the blankets away «I may have treated you badly, but you told me that I don’t give a damn about you. Even though you know how bad I feel about everything that happened!» «Don’t scream» «I know», he took long steps in your direction «And then it’s you who is… well…». «I what?» «You know it…» «No, I don’t», you said, crossing arms against your chest.

You could see his cheeks flush even with just the little light coming from outside «It’s not important» «Evidently it is!» «Don’t scream» «I know», you sighed «Tell me» «No» «Zuko» «You’re… You’re always clinging to Sokka» «It’s not… huh?»

You blinked, replaying his words in your mind two or three times more before you really understood what he was saying. And when you did you had to turn to all your self-control to not start laughing right there in front of him, Sokka came here with Suki, they were like glue and the water tribe boy always looked at her with heart-shaped eyes. You couldn’t believe what your boyfriend just said. «Oh Spirits… you’re jealous». Zuko felt even more ashamed hearing the amusement in your voice «I’m not jealous! It’s just… you’re mine», he muttered the last part, face twisted in a pouting frown.

«You just… always ran to him and… ask to practice together, on the beach. And that happen every single time I can’t stay with you because of the work or after a fight, a-and… maybe you think I’m not enough and-» The words died in his throat as you took his face in your head, delicately holding his gaze «Just calm down». His golden eyes stared into yours, the pupils were shaking in a whirlwind of self-doubt. When he saw the corners of your lips curl up, his ragged breath calmed. «I’m not going anywhere», thumbs traced gentle circles on his cheekbones «I know it’s hard for you, but don’t you ever think that you might not be enough. Okay?», Zuko nodded shyly, never making a move to distance himself from your grip. «Even if sometimes you piss me off a lot», you stifled your laughter as you saw his skin turning crimson, from neck to ears. «You’re so cute~», you teased him, giggling even louder when his eyes widened and he hurriedly hid his face sinking it into your neck, muttering a ‘Stop’ against your skin. The boy felt the vibrations of your laughter across his chest, making his heartbeat even faster; but along with that familiar feeling that came over him when he heard you laugh he felt something else, something heavier.

«I’m sorry», he whispered, and you closed your eyes as he wrapped his arms around your sides. «I’m really sorry for everything I said to you», his voice trembled and you could feel him seeking refuge in the warmth of your body, just like you had done with him years before, when your family abandoned you: «It’s ok», you reassured him «I’m sorry too, I know you care.». His hands moved from your hips to both your cheeks as he rested his forehead against yours with shaky breaths. He gave you a little peck and you couldn’t contain a soft smile, «I love you», he whispered before kissing you again, and again, and again until your lips were glued together; you could feel the passion Zuko was conveying in his kiss, the previous softness left space for something warmer. His hands moved from your cheeks down your neck, caressing you back until encircling your waist. His naked forearms were hot against the soft fabric of your nightgown.

Before you knew it you were pressed against a wall, Zuko’s finger kneading the skin of your hips, moving awfully close to your butt. You ran your nails through his hair, shivering at the sound the boy made when you scratched his nape. He muttered your name, being quickly silenced by your tongue on his. A leg found its way between yours and you let out a trembling moan, a warmth in the pit of your stomach, forcing you to clasp a hand on his shoulder. «Are you alright?», he slightly pulled away, just enough to leave your lips touching. Your mind took a bit to regain control over your body, the way his breath grazed your skin didn’t help. At all. «More than okay». Your hand traveled across his robe, moving the hem to expose his skin, the soft light from outside highlighted the muscles of the chest, tensing under your lingering touch. Zuko had to summon all his willpower to hold your gaze; he was sure he was red all the way to the tips of his ears but at least your cheeks looked flushed too (he just didn’t know it was because of his sudden exposure).

He was gathering his thoughts when you spoke, fingers timidly going their way through his hair. «You know all those times we… we kiss» «Yes» «And we kind of… kiss really…», you moved a hand between your two bodies, trying to push the concept out of you without words. But you just got a quizzical look from your boyfriend, making you let out an exasperated sigh «We kiss hard, Zuko» To this the Fire Lord’s face burst out in flames «O-Oh yes. Yes! We kiss h-hard», the way his stuttering was interrupted by an embarrassed cough was nearly enough to make you forget your own uneasiness. Nearly.

«We’ve never gone further than… your hands» «M-my…», he gulped «Hands» «On my body» «On your body» «Over the clothes» «Over your clothes» «I think I might want them under» «You think you might want th- what?! Oh Spirits». He tried to escape, turning his head toward the wall, the bed, the window, anywhere but you. At this point you wouldn’t be surprised if you saw smoke coming out of his ears; his lips moved hysterically, but you couldn’t really get what he was trying to say. With a small chuckle you cupped his face. 

«Is it because of Mai?», you asked, as gently as you could. Zuko opened the mouth to contradict you but was quickly silenced by your soft look, he just couldn’t lie to your sweet gaze. With a sigh he leaned forward, pecking your lips, and caressing your cheekbone he whispered «Yes. I know you’ve never done anything and I don’t want you to feel forced by the fact that Mai and I…» «I don’t feel forced», it was your turn to kiss him «I appreciate your caring and I love how thoughtful you are. But if I’m telling you this it’s because I want this». It was as his golden eyes lit up for a second, the warmth from his body completely overwhelming yours. «Are you sure?», he asked, lips grazing yours with every word. «Yes»

And the same heat from before was back in a second. It was back in his kisses, in his touches around your body, in the feeling of his tongue exploring your mouth. It was back in the way you two stumbled across the room, trying to find the bed without distancing from one another, as both of you pulled on your night clothes. When you finally felt the blankets under your back Zuko’s robe was completely off, the hem of your gown rose as the boy moved his leg between yours, straps sliding down your shoulders. Both your hands explored his body, drawing imaginary patterns on his exposed skin; the goosebumps raised with your touch made him shiver with a sigh, hot fingers tracing your sides, playing with the silky fabric, lifting it until you helped him taking the piece of clothing off. You always thought that on this occasion you would’ve been ashamed as hell, that you would’ve wanted to grab the sheets and hide from every gaze. But you were proved wrong. You didn’t feel the need to cover yourself, you let his eyes scan every inch of you that was uncovered.

«You are beautiful», Zuko wasted no time before kissing you again, taking your breath away before trailing his lips down your neck; a surprised moan left your lips as his teeth and tongue played with your skin and his hand kneaded your left breast. The lower part of both your bodies began to move in unison, making the desire of both of you evident, «Can you feel what you’re doing to me?», you heard the boy whisper and you couldn’t respond with anything other than another moan. You could feel how much he needed you against your thigh, his erection pressing to be freed from the boxers; your skin was on fire, you could feel the heat that spread from his hand as it traveled down the valley between your breasts, tracing the curve of your abdomen until he hooked two fingers inside the hem of your panties.

You could feel only the warm and pleasure he was giving to you, trying to let out only whimpers and soft moans, not willing to risk the others hearing you. «You’re so wet…», Zuko’s fingers traced your slit under the panties, his mouth glued to your neck. The others might not even hear you but certainly the marks the boy was intent on leaving on you would be very visible the next day. It would’ve been difficult to hide even those on your chest, considering the hunger with which the boy sucked the skin of your breasts. He inserted two fingers inside you and another moan, higher than the others, left your lips. «Zuko…», you whimpered, hips moving on their own to follow his pace «I need you» «I know». He shifted, propping himself up on one elbow and giggling breathlessly when he saw the look of frustration on your face when he pulled his fingers out.

You kicked off your underwear as he slipped off his boxers, stroking his shaft before aligning it to your entrance.

Zuko bent down to kiss your neck, moving up your cheek, towards your temple, the heated passion temporarily replaced by his usual sweetness as he intertwined the fingers of one hand with yours «It'll hurt a little… tell me if you want me to stop, okay?”, he whispered against your skin. You nodded, bringing a hand to stroke his hair, grazing the back of his neck with your nails «I trust you Zuko». He pulled away just enough to peer into your eyes, leaving his body on yours, careful not to weigh on you but close enough for you to feel all the comfort that the warmth of his body gave you. He smiled and immediately entered you, leaning in to kiss your temple as you let out a pained moan. He continued to enter, slowly, feeling your walls tighten around him with every inch.

«Zuko…!» you breathed out, clawing at his back almost in panic, torn between pleasure and pain. The boy squinted, cursing «Fuck, Y/N… you’re tight» The way his expression changed made your cheeks heat up. His mouth was half open, neck muscles tense and eyebrows furrowed in a pleasured expression, your whole body reacted to the idea of being the cause of what he felt and you immediately warmed up. The burning you felt between your legs began to ease and when Zuko narrowed his eyes to look at you, his breath caught in his throat. «You’re beautiful», he whispered. His lips assaulted your neck, leaving a trail of rosy hickeys up to the front. «Zuko…», you moaned, scratching his shoulders with your nails «Move». «Yes», he smirked before starting to rock into you.

It was like something exploded into your chest, the pain disappeared almost completely, just a small hint that made the pleasure stronger. You were overwhelmed by him, by Zuko. He was on top of you, inside you, all over you… His hands were grabbing the pillow next to your head, tightening at each thrust of his hips inside of you. He moaned against your ear, making the tightness you felt in the pit of your stomach even tighter; you felt the need to feel him deeper and before you knew it you had wrapped your legs around his waist, pushing him with your heels to go deeper. Zuko let out a surprised noise, immediately broken by a more pleasured one, his knuckles turning white as he bent down to take a nipple between his lips. «F-Fuck! You’re… mh… good», you murmured, causing a chuckle from him that vibrated against your skin. «Thanks, love», he whispered flicking his tongue and making your walls tighten around him.

His hands left the pillow to grip you thighs in a way that would surely leave visible bruises the next day, but you would worry tomorrow about which bathing suit to wear to cover them, what was occupying your mind at the moment was the way Zuko spread your legs, holding your pelvis up and starting to rock again leaving you to appreciate the new angle. His thrusts hand become erratic, his labored breaths sent shivers across your skin. He leant into your neck again, hiding in the crook of your shoulder. «I’m close» he whispered trembling against you, his tone was enough for your entire body to shake with a jolt of pleasure. «Me too», you panted «Please Zuko, I need you.. ah!» You were interrupted buy your own moan when he brought two fingers between your bodies, rubbing against your clit. The combination of his thrusts and fingers sent you over the edge, soon followed by Zuko, who moaned your name before pulling out and coming right away.

You fell into bed next to each other after cleaning yourself up, letting each other’s bodies warm you. You had a happy smile as you absentmindedly caressed Zuko’s chest, cheek resting on his collarbone. He had an arm embracing your waist, two fingers grazing your skin. «How was it?», he asked in a whisper and you felt yourself blush, instinctively snuggling into him. «Perfect. I didn’t think you had such a dominant side inside. You’re usually so shy…» This time it was his turn tu blush, you could tell simply by how he held his breath for just an instant, it wasn’t necessary for you to look at him. After a few more seconds of silence Zuko called your name, softly, his grip on your hip tightening almost imperceptibly. «What» «Let’s not fight anymore for these things»

You turned slowly, lifting your head to get a good look at him. The boy had a few strands stuck to his forehead and reddish cheeks. But you stopped with your gaze on his eyes, shiny and insecure. You immediately leaned towards him, kissing him slowly but deeply; he kissed you back, flicking his tongue against yours and stroking your cheek with his free hand. When you pulled away it was only a few inches. «Let’s not fight anymore for these things »

| The End |

Heyyy, so sorry for the late late late late so-much-late update but you know... things. Hope you liked this juicy bonus chapter! See you next fic!

[sinsandsweetness]

Downpour (sex and zombies- chapter 7)

pairing- {Rick x fem!reader}

summary- Reader gets caught in the rain. And again in the shower.

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI! smut, shower sex, getting caught by rick again...

You giggled hard as an arm pulled you around the corner, into a stairwell and out of the rain. 

“You are totally soaked!” You laughed at the hair sticking to Daryl’s forehead. 

“Oh shut up,” he grumbled. 

Both of you were absolutely drenched. Your shirt was definitely see through. And the sound of thunder and rain pouring was not letting up. Everyone saw the lightning hit the tree outside and Rick quickly told you all to get inside. It wasn’t exactly safe to be out in a storm. Not with all the metal surrounding the prison. 

“Holy shit. Did you see that?” You asked him. 

“Of course I saw it, it was on fucking fire,”

You threw your head back. No idea why you were laughing so hard. The rain was cool. But it made you feel alive. And it smelled so fresh. Clean. Unlike the damp smelly concrete inside the stairwell. Unfortunately you two were stuck inside of one rather far from the actual prison.  Finally your giggles died down and you started to shiver in the cool cement of the watchtower  

“Should we make a run for it?” Daryl asked while peeking outside the door. Droplets of rain wetting the floor. 

You probably should. Rick would get worried.

“I don’t think they saw us over here,”  You knew he would freak if he couldn’t find you within the next ten minutes. Almost everyone had ran to the same main entrance. But you were in shock from the tree. And Daryl had called your name but you could barely hear him over the thunder. So he ran after you and dragged you into the nearest watchtower.  

“We could wait it out…” Daryl seemed unsure of his own suggestion. 

“It’s just rain,” 

“It’s lighting. Could hit one of us,” 

“It’s actually really uncommon to get struck by lightning.” 

“Fine then. If it’s so fuckin' safe, let's go. It's getting cold.” he pulled you up by the arm from your seat on the stairs.

You both sprinted through the rain to the other gate. The water was pouring down on you like a shower. You were smiling the entire way. 

Finally you made it to the door and stood in the entryway with Daryl. Hands on your knees. Catching your breath. 

“Shit that is cold!” you laughed. You stood up, breathing heavy with your hands on your hips. 

“Yeah, I can tell.” Daryl’s voice was low. His eyes were on your chest. 

He stepped close and brought his hand up to touch your breast, thumb rubbing over your very evident nipple. His touch made your breath hitch in your throat. 

With Daryl’s hand on your chest and the other coming up to your face. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on your lips. Closing your eyes at his touch. Hand grabbing at his vest, to pull him against you. 

He slipped his tongue in your mouth and you couldn’t help the fingers reaching up to tangle in his damp hair. 

The hand around your waist quickly moved away when you both heard a familiar voice behind you. 

“Nice of you to join us,” 

You stepped back from Daryl and looked up at Rick. His eyes glancing from your wet tank top clinging to your chest, and back up to your face. A moment of silence passed between the three of you. 

You bit your lip to not smile. Not that it was funny. It was just so awkward you didn’t even know what to do. Rick definitely saw.

“I have to change,” you told them both. Crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Yeah. You do.” Rick didn’t seem really mad. But you weren’t sure what was going through his mind. 

You walked towards your cell block, letting the men have their own awkward interaction without you.

--------------------------

The steam settled in the cool air of the bathroom. The mirrors were all fogged up and you could still hear rain against the roof and walls of the prison. You grabbed your towel and started making your way over to the sinks.

“Jesus fucking Christ Rick get out!” You wrap your towel around your body quickly once you noticed the man standing by the door.

“Sorry,” he looked away. Letting you adjust yourself. 

“Seriously, what are you doing?” It was the women’s shower room after all. There could have been more than just you in there. 

Still turned towards the wall he started to speak, “I just wanted to talk,” 

“And you couldn’t wait for five minutes?”

He let out a puff of air that you could only assume was a laugh. He ignored your question.

“It’s fine, you know. You and Daryl I mean.” 

“Oh my god ” you did not feel like talking about this right now. You didn’t even have any underwear on. 

Rick chuckled again. “Are you decent?” 

“Mhm” 

He turned around with a grin and leaned up against the wall. Your towel was barely covering you. He glanced down at your bare legs. And then back up to your face. 

“I’m serious. I get it. You two always had this thing right from-“ 

“Rick stop,” 

He raised his eyebrows.

“I just want you to know it doesn’t bother me-“ 

“Stop,” you cut him off. Stepping closer to him. You were up in his face now. Inches away. “If it didn’t bother you then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now."

He smiled in a way that told you he wasn't really listening to you.

"Why wouldn’t you let me go on that run yesterday, huh? Or leave the yard to check the traps with him? Don’t even try and tell me that it doesn't b-.”

He was shaking his head. Smile still on his face. Maybe it really didn’t bother him. 

“It doesn't-“ he started but you tried cutting him off again. 

“Don’t interrupt me-“

“It doesn’t .” His hand came up to your jaw, thumb pressing on your bottom lip. “You like me better. Right? I mean it is my bed you keep sneaking into at night. Begging me to make you feel something. Something I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been able to do for you.” 

He licked his lips. You had no answer. Stunned by his forwardness. Cockiness?

Confidence. 

“You’d take me over him any day. Over and over again.” You catch yourself nodding unknowingly. Thumb tracing your lip. Making your skin tingle. “So no. It doesn’t really bother me.” 

You swallowed. Not really sure what to say. It was true. You had wanted Rick from the very start. Daryl just happened to be there. 

“We said we’d take it slow. There weren’t any ground rules.” He reminded you.

You were nervous at first when he kept trying to kiss you. Sneak you into the watchtower. Pull you away from the campfire at night. He was still mourning after all. His wife had died. Sure it had been a month or so. But you didn’t want him to regret anything with you if he ever came back to his senses. You’d always wanted him. And now that he actually wanted you back… it made you nervous. Shy even. 

"I could have asked you to stop. And I'm sure you would have. You'd do anything I tell you to do."

You glared up at him. No answer came to you though. He was right. You would. And for the last couple weeks you had. You were too busy sneaking around with Rick to even bother with Daryl. 

"So why didn't you?" You asked him softly.

"Because you'd do anything I tell you to," His hand moved to the bottom bottom edge of your towel, plucking at the fabric. "And I don't want that. Who am I to tell you what to do, or not to do."

He had a point. If he had asked you to stop things with Daryl, you would have. In a heartbeat. And in Rick's eyes, that would have been taking advantage of you. Using whatever trance he had you in, to get what he wanted. He told you that he was worried that he was taking advantage of you, or manipulating you somehow. But he seemed to forget that you'd wanted him since the second you met him in Atlanta. 

“I'm not saying I don’t want you all to myself,” he clarified. Moving in on you. Cornered against the counter, the cold tile hit the back of your thighs. 

“Because if I'm being completely honest, I do,”

"You do?” Your voice was hushed.

His hands grazed up your arms.

“All to myself,” he clarified. His lips were so close to yours you could feel his breath. Thankful that you’d brushed your teeth in the shower not even five minutes ago. 

He was too selfless. To keep you from seeing Daryl, if that was something you really wanted. He wanted for you to be his. Only his. But he didn't want to ask you to stop, because he knew that you'd do it. And that you'd be doing it because it's what Rick wanted. Not you. Rick wanted you to belong to him. But he wanted that to be your decision. 

He didn't realize how much you wanted him to just tell you what to do. For him to take you, claim you, and make you belong to him. You needed that kind of reassurance. The kind that let you know how much he actually wanted you. Because something about him being so unbothered made you question things. 

You brought your hands up to the back of his neck. Pulling him closer. 

“I want to be,” you breathed out against his lips. Not quite kissing but lips grazing in a way that sent butterflies to every inch of your abdomen. 

“Want to be what?” His eyes were fluttering closed at your touch. Your fingers tangled in his hair. It was clear that your mind wasn’t the only one that fogged up when the two of you were this close. 

“All yours.” 

He closed his eyes and kissed you, opening your mouth up with his tongue. Kissing you slowly with his whole mouth. You moaned into him, his body pressed against you, separated only by a towel hanging on for dear life. 

Well for a moment anyway. Rick untucked the fold in the towel and it fell to the ground. Leaving you naked in front of him. He locked the door behind him quickly and you grabbed onto his button up, nearly popping buttons off. Stripping him of his shirt. 

Unbuckling his belt clumsily, his mouth moved down your neck, teeth scraping against your throat, sending a shiver down your spine. 

“Do you want me to make you mine?” He asked as if he didn’t already know the answer. 

“Yes,” you moaned. Unintentionally. That’s all you’d wanted from day one.

His hand moved to your clit, starting to rub sweet circles on it. 

“Rick please-“

“I’m just getting started, be patient.” His movements slowed. You wanted him inside of you. 

“Rick-“ but your voice was cut off by the feeling of his finger being pushed inside of you. Curling upward and sending a flood of warmth through your core. He kept curling his finger. Adding a second one and started pumping. His other hand was on your leg, keeping you pressed up against the counter. 

You let out a sob when his thumb came up to rub your clit at the same time. 

“Please I want-“  Him. All of him. Right now.

“Shh” he leaned in close to kiss you again. Shutting you up with his tongue. God his tongue. You blushed remembering exactly what that felt like. 

He pulled out of you gently, and lifted your hips up so you were sitting on the edge of the counter. He replaced his fingers with the tip of his cock. Hard and throbbing, and slick with pre cum. He ground himself against you a few times, sending a shockwave each time he touched your overly sensitive clit. You were so wet for him.

He pushed into you painfully slowly, and you couldn’t even help the sound that you made against his mouth. Grinning against your lips he kept kissing you, eating up your sounds with pride. 

“How’s that?” He asked against your lips as he began to fuck you into the counter. A steady pace, but hard. 

You moan. He takes that as something good. Wrapping your legs around him, you could feel the sweat on him and the leftover steam from your shower. Hot and wet in the air. And all over you. His mouth. His hands. Grabbing and kissing at every square inch within his reach. 

He wrapped his arms around you even tighter, flush with his chest. Lips still catching yours at any given chance. 

You whimper against his wet lips. “I’m so close,”

“I know,” he grunted “fuck, you feel so good,”

His arms felt like heaven wrapped around you. The muscles flexing against your soft skin. His body was so close to yours, that on every thrust, he ground his pubic bone into your clit. 

Feeling overstimulated in every way, you let the feeling wash over you, warming your stomach down to your thighs. Squeezing at his arms to let him know you were coming undone. You were sure he'd be able to feel your pussy convulsing around him. 

He moaned your name against your mouth and you felt him pull out. Immediately, you took him in your hands and finished him off, feeling his hot seed spill onto your hand and your stomach. He held you close as he caught his breath. Still kissing you, biting your lip and dragging it out slowly. 

When he finally leaned back, you took your fingers covered in his cum, and licked them clean. Knowing you’d get a reaction. Rick watched, breathing heavy, eyes still filled with lust. As if he hadn’t just finished you both off ten seconds ago.

“Looks like you need another shower,” he pulled you against him again, lifting you off the counter this time. 

“You too,” you bit your lip and smiled as he carried you both back towards the shower. 

He turned the hot water on and let it pour over the both of you. Not caring that his jeans were getting absolutely soaked. You giggled as he shook his wet hair, like a dog. Spraying water onto you. Then after getting you all wet again under the stream, he slowly let you slide off his body and onto your feet. You kept your arms around his neck, and pulled him under the water, kissing him with a huge smile. Droplets from the shower catching your lips. The warmth from his touch sending your head spinning.

The way it always did.

[dumbslxtclub]

you're on your own, kid | e.m - part eleven

eddie munson x singlemom!reader

summary: set after the events of season four, Steve has disappeared and is presumed dead in the upside down. broken and now left to deal with your pregnancy alone, Eddie takes it upon himself to support you to the best of his abilities in Steve’s absence.

chapter summary: a changing of seasons brings everyone out of their comfort zones, and a moment of honesty brings you and eddie closer together

content warnings: fem!reader, adult language, adult themes, unplanned pregnancy, angst, hurt/comfort, some canon divergence/au, mentions of death, reader is 19, anxiety, angst, fluff, no use of y/n, slow burn, brief mention of past abuse

word count: 8.3K+

a/n: the calm before the storm is here. i've had a lot on my plate recently so apologies for the wait, i hope you enjoy and once again thank you for all of the love xx

taglist: @lezzy-bennet @harrypotteranna23-blog  @reidstea @sashaphantomhive  @bexreadstoomuch @audhd-dragonaut @littlepotatobeansworld @ches-86  @tlclick73 @fckyeahlames @gnocchey @astrolockley @sidthedollface2 @micheledawn1975  @3rd-conchord @eddiesbabe95 @taintedcigs​

↳  one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight  / nine / ten / eleven

Part Eleven: I'd Love It (If We Made It)

How strange, to peer into a crib and see your best friend in a rabbit-print onesie. 

With her thick crown of once dark strands now softening to a caramel-brown. Wide chocolate eyes, lashes that people would pay good money for. Anyone with half a clue could deduce that’s Steve’s kid. And god, it causes Robin’s heart to lurch every time she sees Squid. A spitting image, her annoying co-worker turned closest friend now confined to the tiniest body she’s ever seen. It’s been hard not to wonder how Steve would be with her. Any air of confidence crumbling at the sight of his gurgling lump of a daughter. Nervously shushing her over his shoulder as she fusses, trying his hardest not to get water in her eyes while he gives her a bath. He’s had lots of training with kids, but not ones this small. Robin knew he always longed for a brood of his own, a family to take on holidays out of town and send out cheesy Christmas cards to loved ones. He’d make countless mistakes, putting her diaper on backwards or forgetting the stroller at home. But god knows he’d wake up everyday and try his best. Delicately, she reaches down and brushes the back of her finger across Audrey’s flushed cheek. She doesn’t stir, eyelids remain heavy and lips parted while her chest steadily rises and falls. So peaceful. The front door clicks open behind her, and she glances over her shoulder to see your shadow enter the living room.

“How’s Eddie?” She asks, propping herself on the arm of the couch.

“Yeah, he’s alright.” Your reply is hushed, so as not to wake Audrey. “Andy’s fists must be as thick as his head, he took a few solid hits.”

“Lucky he knows how to take ‘em.” Robin shoots you a wry smile, trying to lighten the room somewhat. “You want me to stay the night?”

“Sure, I might just grab a shower and then join you in bed.” Kicking off your shoes, you give her shoulder a squeeze as you pass her on the way to the bathroom. Curiosity gets the best of Robin as she watches you, the faintest traces of a smile playing on the corner of your lips.

“You were over there for a while.” Raising her eyebrows, her playful insinuation isn’t lost on you. “Anything happen?”

Your cheeks flush, and you let out an incredulous, yet unconvincing scoff.

“No! God, I just helped clean him up and left.”

“Like, ‘scrubbed him off in the shower’ cleaned up?”

“You’re sick, Robin.” 

Robin breaks into a smug grin, shaking her head. “Just… remember what we talked about. Taking it slow?”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Thanks, mom.”

“Anytime, darling!” She calls out behind you as you disappear into the bedroom. Stealing a final glance at Squid, she flicks off the living room light. “Lucky kid, getting two badass dads.”

“Nope. Absolutely not.” For all his virtues, Eddie can be so stubborn when he wants to be. And today is no exception. 

“C’mon, just give him a chance! I’ll be back at work next week, it’s only for the days when you are Robin are working-”

“Zero chance I’m letting Henderson look after Squid. The kid misses his own mouth when he’s eating, how do you expect him to feed her?”

Huffing, you pace around the living room anxiously. Eddie is laying down in the middle of the carpet, Audrey perched atop his stomach, holding her hands to keep her upright. Toys are discarded around them, a mess of Fisher-Price to clean up later. 

“Well, I don’t really have any other options, Eddie. I mean, I don’t have the money for daycare-”

“I’m happy to spot you some cash for that.”

“That’s not the point!” You groan, plopping yourself down beside him. “I don’t want your money, and if I’m gonna pay someone, I’d rather it be someone she knows.”

“Sweetheart, she doesn’t know who anyone is.”

“Well, she knows you.”

Eddie’s lip’s spread into a shit-eating grin, lolling his head to the side so you can bear witness to his smugness.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m her favorite.” Rolling your eyes, you heave your weary body down parallel to the metalhead. “Tell you what- I’ve got Tuesday off, so I'm on the first babysitting shift. Henderson can come around and help me, and I’ll be the judge on whether he’s ready to look after her on his own. Make sure he doesn’t let her chew on the electrical cords and whatnot. Deal?”

Intellectually, you know this is as good as it’s going to get, so you concede this battle.

“Fine. More electrical cords for you, then.”

Dimples settling deep into his smile lines at your quip, he turns his attention back to the attention-starved baby situated on his abdomen. He lazily maneuvers Audrey’s arms around like a tiny puppet, and you can’t help but smile at the show they’re putting on for you.

It’s hard not to study the way Eddie’s face subtly transforms when he looks at Audrey. Crow’s feet permanently plastered around his temple, lips pressed together so minutely that anyone could miss it. Like he’s bursting at the seams with adoration. Pulling your gaze away from his lips proves to be a mammoth task you have no interest in partaking in. There’s an air of tension between the two of you, existing as a fine mist like a cloud around you. Neither of you have addressed the kiss since it happened, so it’s been easy to chalk it up to an adrenaline-fueled urge. You need to tread carefully, just as Robin suggested. Prioritize yourself and Audrey before adding anything complicated into the mix. But you hope, underneath it all, it was something real. Right now, you’re happy to just exist in this moment, watching Eddie fussing with Audrey’s jumpsuit and squeezing her sides. It’s simpler like this.

-

Tuesday afternoon rolls around, and you’re a mess. Every intention was there of cleaning the trailer before the boys came over, but you’ve spent a good majority of the afternoon scooping out piles of clothes searching for your work vest. As you throw another handful aside, you momentarily wonder if Audrey has been buried under the ever-growing mountain on the bed. But, from the next room, you hear her happily cooing at nothing from her crib, likely vying for your attention post-nap. The hideous green vest makes itself known beneath an old floral dress, and you snatch it up greedily as if it could grow legs and run away from you. Sliding your arms into the vest, a knock rings out at the front door.

“It’s open!”

It’s unlikely that two elephants just entered the room, but with the excitement and shuffling between the two, one could be mistaken. Following the procession into the living room, Eddie and Dustin are unloading the contents of a plastic bag onto the cluttered kitchen bench.

“Hey, momma bear!” Dustin beams at you, quickly abandoning the joint activity to pull you into a tight hug. 

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Love what you’ve done with the place.” Eddie’s tone is dripping in sarcasm, brushing aside a pile of unopened mail.

“Ha ha. Would’ve cleaned up but it took me ages to find this fucking thing.” Eddie glances over his shoulder at you, drinking in the image of you dressed in the ugliest green known to man.

“Got all dressed up for us? You shouldn’t have.” His hands dive into the bag, withdrawing assorted-sized Tupperware containers.

“What are you doing in there anyway?”

“Wayne had a pot-luck at work, dunno what he was thinking bringing home all these leftovers. Would rather them clogging up your fridge.” It’s kind of amazing how he can twist his kind gesture into an inconvenience for you. 

“You’ve still got the caterpillar I got for her!” Dustin’s voice draws your attention back to the living room, where he is standing over the crib. Dangling the colorful insect above Audrey, the sound of the beads jingle throughout the room, somewhat covering the noise of Eddie haphazardly shoving the containers into your small fridge.

“Of course, she loves it.” 

It strikes you now that Dustin hasn’t seen your daughter since the kids came to visit in the hospital. Against the nurses wishes, they broke the two-person limit to cram into the room, excitable faces peering down at your newborn daughter. Surrounded by so much love in her first days on Earth.

“She’s looking more like Steve now, don’t you think?” Dustin asks, dropping the toy onto the couch. A sad smile dances on the corners of your lips, crossing the room to stand next to the younger boy.

“Yeah, she is. She’s growing into her head, though. Or maybe it’s just covered in so much hair that it’s balancing out.” Habitually, you gently comb your fingers through her bed head, never tiring of the feeling of her soft skin against yours. Dustin, all the while, just watches completely awestruck. “You want to hold her?”

“Hell yeah!” He doesn’t miss a beat. His reaction is a stark contrast from when you first asked Eddie the same question, his enthusiasm causing you to grin.

“Here-” Cupping your hands beneath your squirming baby, you gingerly bring her up to Dustin’s awaiting arms. He quickly adjusts to distribute her weight comfortably, making sure to support her head. Robin must have been spitting facts out at him in preparation for this moment, and you beam with pride. “Look at you, you’re a natural!”

As if she’s got any sense of comedic timing, Audrey lets out a small squeal, as babies do. Dustin practically breaks into a cold sweat at this sudden noise, quickly pacing around and giving her a gentle rock.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Squid. Your Uncle Dustin’s here now.”

“Uncle Dustin?” Eddie re-enters, shrugging off his jacket, and you hate the way his ¾-sleeve shirt clings to his frame, highlighting the sinewy muscles of his forearms. Entirely too distracting.

“Yeah!” Dustin quips back. “Y’know, like we’re all her uncles and aunts now.”

“Sure, whatever you say, kiddo.” Eddie places his hand atop Dustin’s baseball cap, rolling it around like an arcade controller. “You got everything?”

Grabbing up your handbag, you shuffle through the contents in search of your wallet. 

“Yep, I think so. Shit, this is gonna be so weird. I haven’t gone this long without being with her since- like, before she was born.”

“And she’ll still be here when you get home. Just go and concentrate on making the big bucks.” Eddie gives your shoulder a comforting squeeze, settling the sea of emotions brewing in your stomach. Sure, it’ll only be a few hours but you’re going to miss her so much. Strolling over to Dustin, you give Audrey’s chubby cheek at least half a dozen kisses, eliciting a wide grin from her.

“And me?” Dustin’s playful smile spreads across his cheeks, which he presents for kisses. Obliging, you grab his face and press an obscenely loud squelching kiss to his skin, the wet kind grandparents give. He grimaces, realizing he can’t wipe it away with his hands full. You save him the pain and do the honors yourself, but not before giving his cheek a firm pinch. Eddie stands somewhat awkwardly, waiting for his farewell gesture.

“You play nice, okay? Let Dustin do the dirty work, and help if he needs it.” 

“Cross my heart, sweetheart.” 

Heart skipping a beat as you take a step closer to him, you catch a whiff of his woody aftershave before landing your lips on his cheek. As much as you’d love to linger, there is a teenager and baby present, and you’re running late for the closing shift.

“Stay out of trouble, kids!”

Two men and a baby. Alone in the trailer. Under any usual circumstances, they would be shitting themselves. But not these men. They’ve fought monsters. They’re changing diapers with confidence by the bucketful. Getting a bit of spit up on their shirt is nothing compared to the sludge and grime coating the Upside Down. Zero reservations or shame around doing what it takes to get Squid to crack a gummy smile. They’re loving every second of it. But it’s hungry work. And it’s everyone’s dinnertime, the last of the sunlight turning golden through the windows. 

The boys settle on a delectable takeout menu, consisting of shrimp fried rice and lemon chicken, courtesy of Dustin’s fresh babysitting payment. The succulent aroma fills the small living room, with the two boys scattered across the sofa. Squid, as it turns out, has zero interest in being put back in her crib as long as the boys are around. If she’s excluded from the fun, it’s hell to pay, every time. And so, Eddie resorted to bottle feeding her with one hand with her propped up to his chest, while shoveling rice into his own mouth with his other. A comfortable silence, bar the clattering of plastic utensils and low hum of the TV in the background.

“Gotta say, Henderson. I’m impressed.” Eddie awed, taking extra care not to let the piece of chicken balanced precariously between chopsticks land on Squid’s head. Marinade in her hair is the last thing he wants to deal with, and he wouldn’t know how to explain that one to you.

“You doubted my babysitting skills for a minute there? Ouch.”

“I’m just saying! Wasn’t sure you even knew how to change your own diaper.”

Dustin scrunches his nose up at the older boy, who relishes in his perfectly-landing insult. 

“Ha ha. Very funny. ‘M sure you’ve been getting in lots of practice, playing mommy and daddy.”

Eddie’s eyes narrow, a playful glint dancing in his dark-brown irises. 

“Is that what you think goes on over here?”

“I mean, it’s clear that you two have some serious chemistry-”

“We’re friends, dingus.” Eddie retorts.

 “- Add on top of that the fact you ransacked your own fridge to bring her dinners-”

“I told you, Wayne had a potluck.” 

“- not to mention you beating up the only other guy she’s gone on a date with since Steve.” 

The older boy scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Yeah well, you would have too…”

There’s a strange silence between the pair, each picking around at their plastic containers of lukewarm takeaway. Dustin’s gaze lands on Squid, whose eyes are growing heavy as she gradually grows happily milk-drunk.

“I think it’s good.” He mumbles, sheepishly returning to his meal.

“You think what’s good?”

“You know, her-” Dustin points his fork in the infant’s direction. “-having someone like you around. I mean, my dad was never around so, I don’t know, just makes me happy to see kids with someone like that in their life. I think it makes a difference.”

Eddie snorts, traces of cynicism palpable.

“Yeah, not always.” As far as Eddie’s concerned, Wayne is practically his father. Not the deadbeat criminal he’s spent his life distancing himself from. Like a reptile shedding its skin, navigating the world raw and free from the binaries forced upon it. When you’ve been stuck in the middle of a situation like that, it’s not hard to gravitate towards people with similar upbringings. Which, of course, led him to Dustin, who has become something akin to an incredibly annoying younger brother that he happens to love to death. His adopted sheep, and Eddie proudly playing the role of the group’s shepard.

Squid, polishing off the remainder of her bottle, burbles contently in the crook of Eddie’s elbow. Abandoning his meal, he heaves her onto his shoulder as he has many times before, and begins patting her on the back. He can’t help but think how much she takes after you, you’re always most content after a big meal. Squid looks incredibly dopey, not too dissimilar to the crowds Eddie would see shuffling out of The Hideout late at night. All the while, Dustin watches him with a smug smile, looking entirely too-pleased with himself for the older boy to let it slide.

“What?” 

“Nothing!” Dustin quickly returns to his meal, the grin still playing on the corner of his mouth.

“Spit it out, or I’m making her spit up on you. I’ve got a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Dustin lets out an on-brand giggle, turning his attention back to the older boy.

“I was wrong. We’re all uncles and aunts, but you- you are daddy Eddie.”

“I will punch you, Henderson. And I’ll enjoy it.”

You return home long after the sun has gone down, face shiny with congealed sweat but a smile plastered on your face. A smile that only grows at the sight in the house. Dustin, heavy-lidded with an equally tired Audrey clinging to his chest like a baby sloth to its mother, all arms and limbs. Eddie recalls the way you pried her off his torso, a day of longing for your child finally drawing to a close. And the immense joy seeping from your pores at the connection with her, infecting the entire house and its inhabitants. A working mother. You felt useful. Confident. And completely fulfilled.

It stung Eddie’s skin like a rash, welting flesh until it was blistered and tender. He wished it didn’t. But the creature now occupying the recesses of his mind had no interest in pure moments, making itself known at the most inopportune times.

He said his goodbyes. Dropped Dustin home, smiling and nodding along as the younger boy recounted his successes with the baby, like changing diapers was his biggest triumph since fighting literal monsters. 

He meant to return straight home. But he didn’t. Couldn’t.

The moonlight bounces off the thin veil of the lake, calm from the clear night existing above him in the form of an uninterrupted sky. The only other sound being the occasional clattering of his empty beer bottles at his feet, glass meeting stone. Carbonated liquid trickling down his throat, doing little to inhibit the ferocious war waging internally.

He longed to grant himself the happiness you dish out so freely. Not only to yourself, but to everyone around you. He wanted to accept it. Hold it tight in firmly clenched hands and never let go. But it sits like an ice block, stinging his hands and dripping through his fingers every time. 

One word continuously pierced his ears over and over again through the quiet shore like white noise.

Daddy.

What the fuck.

An off-handed comment by Dustin, now stalking him like his own shadow. It disgusts him, how two syllables took his heart in a vice grip and hasn’t let go. As if it’s unlocked something deep within his soul, a purpose he never knew was accessible to someone like him.

Eddie doesn’t know the first thing about being a dad. The closest he’s ever gotten is petty crime, abandonment and cigarette burns on his prepubescent forearm. That’s the hand he was dealt, the masterclass he was given on what a father should look like. It shouldn’t matter regardless, if he knows how to burp a baby or not, because it’s not his place.

Not his role.

It never was.

Eddie scoffs to himself, how selfish it is that he’s indulged in the coulds for so long. But beyond that self-criticism sits temptation, seductive with its alternate narrative. In another universe, another lifetime, he could be Squid’s dad. He could hold her small hands in his own, as chubby, unstable legs find the unconditional support of the ground beneath her feet to take her first steps into the world. He could bring you and her to this very same lake, when the weather is warmer and the shore is filled with sun-kissed skin and beach balls. He could tighten the strap on her bucket hat, dipping her tentatively into the lukewarm reservoir, her first visit to a natural body of water. He could parrot words back to her babbling mouth for hours, clinging to the hope that her jumbled consonants miraculously form that word he loves. 

Or loathes. 

He’s not sure yet.

Ignorance is bliss, and Eddie has existed in a state of euphoria for so long that he’s not sure if he can go back to the pain of knowing. He’s tasted a life so far removed from anything he’s ever known, relished in its sweetness and left him wanting more. He’s never known how good it feels to be needed.

Not that you ever needed him, Eddie is perfectly aware of that. He’s never met anyone as strong as you, full to the brim with resilience. 

But he sees it. 

In glimpses. 

A low sigh as you attempt to fold laundry with one hand. A hopeful glint shot his way while the room fills with a putrid smell. Fleeting snores as you doze off on the couch, your baby happily staring up at her barnyard mobile. 

Moments of unspoken safety, because he’s there.

To lend a hand, skirting around the edges of your life in contented devotion. 

Needed.

Wanted.

He’d be lying if he said he hasn’t thought about leaving. Heartache follows him like a specter, waiting for the perfect time to announce itself. The rational side of his brain screams out to go, get away before he gets hurt or worse, hurts you. Solitude is lonely, but at least it’s consistent. 

But he knows he never could, not willingly. To leave you, to leave Squid, would be a fate worse than death itself. That kind of heartache would consume him, destined to end up as his father did abandoning him all those years ago. 

He won’t.

He can’t.

The clock is ticking, and time is running out. With every trip Dustin makes to Hawkins Lab, returning not with answers, but with hope. Filthy, addictive hope. Every tick of the minute hand taunts him, echoing his inner sabateur’s monologue louder and louder. 

You’re gonna lose them.

Once Steve’s back, they’ll be gone.

And you’ll be nothing again.

Here’s the thing about babies. They grow. Fast. It seems every time you blink, Audrey is practically hulking out of another shirt. At this point, the only top she’s comfortably fitting into is the formerly-oversized gray one that appeared one morning in Eddie’s presence. She’s wearing the very same shirt as you push the stroller across the tiled floor of the thrift store, ready to pour your entire paycheck into a new wardrobe. They don’t have a huge selection in the way of baby clothes, but enough to get her by for a month or so. 

Trinkets line the walls of the intimate store, haunted-looking dolls peering down at Eddie and Robin. They’re looking at some of the smallest dresses you’ve ever seen, clearly thinking ahead to the impending warmer months. 

You’ve always loved thrift stores. The welcoming, musky smell that is so distinctive, a collective odor of multitudes of families. Well-loved utensils that have lived a thousand lives sitting patiently on steel shelves, ready to be passed onto the next person. Shoes of all different sizes and conditions, either outgrown or abandoned. It’s strangely comforting, you think. Even as you donated the tiniest of Audrey’s newborn onesies, the somber feeling morphing into peace as you think of the next baby to wear them, not yet known to the world. Always cyclical, give and take.

Finding your way down the knick-knack aisle, something at the end catches your eye. A wicker picnic basket, with delicate linen lining the interior. Leather straps secure two plates to the cover, along with some old utensils. The wicker on the outside is fraying, clearly from years of love. There’s something so innocent about it. From the cream fabric to the metal latch, it evokes memories of a childhood you never had. The kind of life you only see in films, perfectly manicured families sitting in green pastures on spring afternoons. 

A life that has always felt so far removed.

Until now.

A small smile creeps across your face as technicolor versions of the future cascade through your mind's eye.

“Oh good, you’ve found the pots and pans.” A sarcastic voice quips behind you. Eddie saunters up to your side, a finger dusting the shelves. “They’re not quite as good as drums, but Squid’s gotta start somewhere if she wants to make it.”

“Are you ever going to call her by her real name?”

“Sure, when she’s old enough to hate it.”

“You’re an idiot.” The metalhead chooses to ignore your remark, following your eye-line to the shelf.

“This is cute.” Eddie delicately picks up the basket from its home on the shelf to examine it closely. “Could double as a baby carrier. Put a few pillows in there, maybe take out the sharp objects and boom. State of the art baby-mobile”

You sigh. “I miss buying things just because they were fun.”

“I mean, it’s your money, so why don’t you?”

“Let’s call it a change in priorities.” Taking the basket out of Eddie’s grip, you place it back where it belongs. “How’d you and Robin go with the baby clothes?”

“Terrible. She hates everything I pick out, it’s all ‘put that down Eddie, she doesn’t need a tiny leather jacket’, or, ‘I don’t care that you’ve got matching sneakers to those ones, she’s got enough shoes’. Talk about a buzzkill.”

“My ears are burning.” Robin emerges with what appears to be the contents of the entire baby clothes rack stacked up in her arms. “Wanna come and help me sort through this?”

Eddie shoots you a look that can only be interpreted as ‘good luck’ before you trail off behind Robin, a mountain of second-hand clothes demanding your attention.

-

Whether it's the warming weather or your new routine, but you’ve found yourself with an extra spring in your step. One shift a week grows to two, then three. Your rotation of babysitters make themselves available at your beckoning call, each accepting a different form of payment. Dustin is happy with a couple of bucks to blow at the arcade, and maybe an R-rated film rented on your behalf. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Eddie, who refuses any form of payment outside of cuddles with Audrey. And Robin exists somewhere in the middle, not taking any monetary payment but will absolutely help herself whatever lives in your pantry. 

Audrey hits the twelve-week milestone before you know it, and it’s bittersweet in the best possible way. The newborn phase is drawing to a close, your tiny baby is now not-so tiny. She’s just discovered her hands, which is the most exciting thing in the world to her. Putting them to work by sucking her thumb or taking her toys in a vice grip, it’s amazing to watch her discover the world around her in a more tactile sense. And the kicking. Excited, chunky legs flailing wildly while she gazes up at you, reminding you of the sharp blows you’d receive to your bladder while pregnant. She’s growing, no longer a tiny frog curled up on your chest but a cheeky little human demanding to be seen. And demand she does. Trips to the grocery store have become an ordeal, with older ladies crowding around the stroller to peer in at Audrey. And she eats it up every time. All gummy grins and babbles, she knows how to work her charm. Definitely got that from Steve. 

Weekends are reserved for the pair of you, and when Saturday rolls around, you’re ready for some mother-daughter time. A quiet day was planned, a walk around the neighborhood followed by some ice-cream and then ringing around to the usual suspects for a makeshift-family dinner. It’s been a long time since you felt this happy, this fulfilled. A tiny cheerleader now lives in the back of your head, reverberating shouts of ‘you can do this!’. Little things hold much more weight now, like how you’ve dressed Audrey in a summer dress similar to one that’s been living in your bottom drawer for years before adorning the old garment yourself. She was occupied with staring at her fingers for most of the morning, leaving you to do your makeup in peace. With your matching dresses on, hair brushed and a milk-drunk baby in your arms, the pair of you are ready to take on the day.

Until you hear a familiar knock at the door.

Swinging it open, you find Eddie equally dressed for the spring weather. A cut off singlet allows for his tattoos to be on full display, contrasting against the un-sunkissed skin of his forearms. He drinks the two of you in, a grin spreading across his face.

“Aren’t you two a pretty little picture?” He gives you a final once-over before pulling you in for a hug.

“What’re you doing home? I thought you were working the Saturday shift.”

In the time it took you to form those two sentences, Eddie has robbed the baby from your arms. Not that Audrey was complaining, her hands greedily grabbing at his face for whatever she could reach. Her smile only grows wider as he takes a mock bite out of her hand, causing her to erupt with a ballad of giggles.

“On a beautiful day like this?! Not a chance.” Audrey manages to grab a good fistful of Eddie’s hair. “Just thought I’d- ow, come and visit my favorite girls.”

Cheeks flushing at his choice words, you’re grateful for your daughter’s distraction to keep the metalhead from seeing your giddy expression.

“If you say so. We were about to go for a walk. Wanna come with us?” You drag Audrey’s baby bag from its home beside the front door and hoist it onto your shoulder.

Freeing his curls from Audrey’s grasp, he gives her fist a sprinkling of kisses. She thanks him by smacking her palm down on his nose with as much force as she can muster.

“Actually-“ His tone is uncharacteristically bashful. “- I uh, sort of had a surprise planned. You up for an adventure?”

Eddie Munson has a baby seat in his van.

You’re not entirely sure how or when it appeared, but it now lives as a piece of decor along with the metal cassettes and fast-food wrappers. And even more out of place is Audrey, all smiles in her summer dress against the dim and worn interior. Her energy knows no bounds when she’s awake, legs kicking excitedly to the tune of Iron Maiden coming from the car’s stereo while Eddie smiles at her through the rear-view mirror.

Looks like someone is a little metalhead in there.

Eddie may have been right, after all (unfortunately). Casting your mind back to that sunny afternoon post-ultrasound, the two of you with bellies full of greasy burgers. Singing at the top of your lungs, the way Eddie swerved off the road at the false signal of distress. That was the first time Audrey kicked. And now, here she is, jumping around in her seat to heavy metal like it’s a nursery rhyme. Nothing has changed.

Through the window, you watch as the landscape of Hawkins changes from metropolitan streets to grassy pastures, further out than you’ve ever been before. Expanses of green rolling hills take shape while the van clutters along the asphalt, sunlight trickling through the brush of trees lining the road.

“Nearly there, I promise.” Like a mindreader, Eddie answers the question before it’s had the chance to leave your lips.

“This looks like the perfect place to hide a body, you know.” You joke, noting the total lack of human presence surrounding you.

“Still think I’m gonna make you a human sacrifice?”

“Not if I get the chance first, pal.”

“I’d like to see you try.” Eddie smiles, eyes still locked on the road. As the car reaches the peak of the hill, he pulls off the road onto a dirt path, the wheels kicking up a myriad of pebbles along the way. Bringing it to a halt, he turns off the engine and swings his door open.

“Stay here.” A giddy smile is plastered on his face as he closes the door behind him, a scuffle of shoes on the dusty ground outside can be heard. The sound of metal doors swings open as Eddie yanks something out of the back and then disappears. A few minutes pass, and Audrey begins growing cranky due to the lack of heavy metal in the vehicle. Gingerly, you reach over and unclip her from the car seat to pull her into your lap.

“What’s he doing out there, huh?” Pulling her up to eye level, you watch as a steady stream of drool trickles down her chin. “He’s been telling you secrets, I know it. C’mon, spill the beans, Miss.”

Audrey replies by shoving her fist into her mouth, an indication of her oath of silence. The passenger door flings open, and an out-of-breath Eddie grins at you.

“All ready.”

Propping Audrey onto your shoulder, you swing your legs out of the vehicle and follow Eddie. He leads you to the back of the van, and your breath catches at the image before you.

From here, you can see the entirety of Hawkins, a model town existing in the distance. The grass spread out before you is soft, untouched by human activity, a hidden nook only known to a few people. The scattering of trees part for a perfect view of the landscape, so picture perfect as if a cinematographer had framed it up just for this moment. And sitting in the middle of the plush grass, is the blanket from the back of Eddie’s van. The edges are smoothed down, with half a dozen pillows skirting around the border and Audrey’s baby bag placed to the side. As you approach, you can make out the object placed in the center.

The picnic basket from the thrift store.

“Oh my god…” Your voice trails off, heart swelling to double its normal size at the gesture.

“Pretty sweet, hey?” Eddie grins proudly, hands on his hips as he admires his handiwork. “I went back the next day and got it for you, thought you deserved to have something fun.”

Eddie takes Audrey from your arms in your awed-state, holding her like a teddy bear, front facing to the world. “C’mon, grab a seat.” 

As if in a trance, you follow him to the blanket and take a seat beside him on one of the pillows. Eddie places Audrey in his lap, who is already trying to beat you to open the basket with greedy hands. He reaches over and swings the lid open, beginning to unload the goodies inside. Two cans of soda are placed on the makeshift picnic rug, followed by a punnet of ruby-red strawberries and some biscuits. 

“And…” Tucked into the corner, Eddie retrieves a small disposable film camera. “Cool, huh? Jonathan had it lying around and gave it to me, maybe you might want some new pictures taken. Now she's chunking up a bit and growing into her skull.”

He hands you the camera, and takes to rummaging through the baby bag for something to keep Audrey occupied. The plastic on the camera is flimsy, likely something bought from a corner store, a cheap means to an end. But you love it. You love all of it. Peering down the viewfinder, the world contorts beautifully through the glass, streaks of light fracturing across the landscape. Turning in the direction of Eddie, you watch as he hands Audrey a brightly-colored baby rattle with a grin. Clicking down, you capture your first image on the fresh roll of film with a whirr.

“Woah, don’t waste the pictures on me, sweetheart. This is for you.” 

Thoughtful doesn’t begin to cut it. You understand what he’s saying, he wants you to have pictures of the pair of you together to look back on. Images to fill photo albums, documenting Audrey’s life from day one. But, to you, it’s more important to immortalize the people you love, loving her. 

Pointing the camera at them one again, you give Audrey’s leg a tickle to draw her attention in your direction.

“Say cheese!” 

Rolling his eyes, Eddie lifts Audrey up off his lap, holding her like a trophy. She squeals with delight as Eddie grins to the camera, another click goes off. As you roll the film over, Eddie repositions Audrey on his thigh while he opens a soda can with his spare hand.

“Dig in. Got the best the supermarket has to offer, I wasn’t sure what kind of snacks you bring on a picnic…”

“No, it’s- it’s perfect, Eddie.” Your gaze returns to the landscape, breeze brushing through overgrown weeds springing up through the soil. “I don’t remember the last time I went on a picnic.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever been on one, so just let me know if I’ve totally screwed everything up.”

You chuckle, in no position to criticize this kind gesture. “How did you find this place?”

Eddie takes a sip of his soda before placing it down beside him, retrieving the rattle that Audrey had impulsively thrown an arm’s length away onto the rug.

“I used to come up here a bit when I was younger. Y’know, when things sucked at home. I’d bring a few beers, blast some music and just unwind. It’s nice, no one ever comes up here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know there was somewhere as peaceful as this in Hawkins. Thought chaos came with the territory.” 

“You can say that again. I mean, even before the whole Upside Down shit, this place was hardly paradise.” Eddie tries to pry the toy from Audrey’s grasp unsuccessfully, stubborn fingers remaining firmly wrapped around the rattle.

Popping open the lid, you grab out a strawberry and pop it into your mouth. Without Robin’s insistence, you wouldn’t ever have fresh fruit in the house. So the sensation of sweet tanginess on your tastebuds is an indulgence you rarely grant yourself. 

“Can I ask…” You pause, choosing your next words carefully. The topic of Eddie’s family history had never come up, but something compels you to dig regardless. “You said ‘when things sucked at home’, what was that usually about?”

Eddie scoffs, averting his gaze to the horizon for a beat.

“Most of the time it’d be when my dad came back. He was in and out of jail a lot, usually petty stuff getting him locked up for a year or so at a time. There’d be a month or two in between - before he went and did something else stupid - where he’d come back. Trying to make amends and all that shit. And it just-” His nose scrunches up at the thought. “- it just kills you after a while. All these empty promises and nothing to show for it. I had Wayne, so as far as I was concerned, I didn’t need him. So I’d book it as soon as I heard his car pull up in the driveway.”

His honesty hangs in the air, dense with suppressed emotion.

“I’m sorry about that, Eddie.” 

Shaking his head, he distracts himself by wiping the drool from Audrey’s chin.

“It’s fine. I think the worst thing is the aftermath. Like, once the grenade went off there was still shrapnel everywhere. People around town knew what kind of guy my dad was, so it was easy for them to make assumptions about me, too. Call me a screw-up, just like him. For a while, I just went with it. Y’know, if no one expected anything from me, I might as well live up to the Munson name.”

Your gaze doesn’t break from him, patiently giving him the time he needs without rush or pressure. Holding the space for him until he feels ready to continue.

“But then, uh- last year happened. The whole thing with Chrissy-” His chest rises with a sharp intake of breath. “- and it felt like I was back to square one. That’s not the kind of thing you can shake easily.”

“You know the truth, Eddie, and that’s what's important.”

“Yeah.” He replies, a hint of sadness to his tone. “I wish it were that simple. I don’t think there’s anything I could do to change what the people in this town think of me. It just follows me everywhere. Sometimes, I think- I dunno…”

“You think what?”

Eddie takes a moment to sip from his soda can, mindlessly drumming his rings against the metal can.

“I think it’d just be easier to go.”

“Like, move away?”

“Yeah. Y’know, a fresh start, all that shit. Somewhere where people don’t know my name, try to, like, make something of myself.”

“Then why don’t you?”

Your stomach feels heavy, awaiting his answer. He deserves that, a clean slate away from all the rumors and assumptions. But selfishly, you’re not sure if you could handle that.

The cogs are turning in Eddie’s head, willing away the truth mindlessly spilling from his lips. Emotional availability doesn’t come easily for him, and you hope you haven’t pushed him too far.

“You want an honest answer?”

“Of course.”

Eddie discards his drink to the side, taking to fidgeting with the cotton dress Audrey is wearing. The silence feels eternal, you’re hanging onto his every word. The breeze feels more pronounced against your skin, pollen dancing through the air creating an all-too nostalgic atmosphere of spring’s past.

“Because of you.” Gaze finally meeting yours, the chocolate brown of his eyes swimming in vulnerability. His lips purse together, likely chewing on the tender flesh of his mouth to quell his feeling of total exposure. “I uh- I remember when I was walking back home, the night it all happened. And I felt- fuck, like my life was over. Done for. There was nothing to go back to, anyway. I had no idea what to do with myself, I couldn’t bring myself to the trailer yet. And then I came to see you and you- you were so broken.”

A mistrusted exhale brings a swelling of unwanted tears to your eyes, wishing them away immediately. But the visceral reminder of that night transports you back instantly, scabbed over wounds suddenly bursting open with fresh pain.

“So, I just thought, ‘right, if you can’t be strong for yourself, be strong for her’. So I did, or I tried to. I sort of went on autopilot for a while, and I knew I should have felt grateful for what Hopper did, but it just felt like so much nothing. It didn’t fix anything, I just… And then I went into Family Video that day, and that’s when I found out about Squid. And, shit- it’s hard to explain, but it just felt like hope, y’know? Like something beautiful to come out of this shitstorm. And I just felt like- like I needed to protect that. I didn’t want to lose that feeling. I couldn’t…”

At this point, you’re making no effort to conceal the steady stream of tears cascading down your cheeks. All you can bring yourself to do is to shuffle in a little bit closer to him. 

“Eddie…” Your voice is barely more than a whisper.

“You know how I hate you thanking me for shit? Yeah, it’s not because I feel like I’m doing you a huge favor or something. It’s because I should be the one thanking you. For a while, I felt like I was gonna spiral out of control. Like all the gravity had disappeared and I was just going to spin into oblivion. But you- you kind of gave me a purpose again, in a weird way. Just a reason to get up every morning and do better than the day before. For you, and for this little hellraiser.”

Eddie’s composure is wavering, but far stronger than your veil which has begun pooling around your ankles.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is- is that I get what it feels like. To just feel totally fucking alone, like it’s you against the world.” Eddie chuckles, remembering how it literally was him against the world in the Upside Down. “And I’m just grateful that you’d want me to be in your life, Squid’s, too. So, yeah. Safe to say, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here as long as you’re willing to have me.”

He shoots you a sheepish smile before brushing a stray hair off Audrey’s forehead. The pads of his fingertips dancing across her skin while she tries to fit the entire toy into her greedy mouth.

It’s as if someone has switched off the world. Like a child digging beneath their doll’s clothing for the on/off button, rendering time in a complete pause. The distant noise of cars and bustling life dulls, muffled by the glass casing delicately placed down around the picnic rug. Three tiny bugs encapsulated under a perfectly sized dome, nothing else existing beyond the parameters of their new world.  A fragile environment, maintained only by its inhabitants. So delicate.

Your limbs gravitate towards Eddie before your brain has the chance to catch up. Driven by sheer desire for closeness, to extend comfort to the man beside you, hard exterior all but dissolved. Quivering fingers find his cheek, prickly with day-old stubble. Your thumb caresses the rough surface, so warm. So comforting. 

“You care about us that much?” It comes out as a sigh, heart pumping blood through your veins in double time. 

Eddie stills, the tendon in his jaw clenching as he chokes back the cascade of emotions threatening to erupt. His palm snaked its way across your hand on his cheek, clasping it before pressing it to his lips.

“I care about you so fucking much.” He mumbles against your skin.

Seven words spoken so softly, yet they silence your whole universe. Perhaps you should say something in return. Utter his two least favorite words, barely grazing the surface of your gratitude, your loyalty. But no sentence could hold enough weight to articulate how you feel about him right now. It’s beyond vocalization, any attempt would be completely unjust in doing service to this man. What exists between the pair of you is intrinsic in nature, a harmonious dance of understanding. Care beyond anything you’ve experienced. Dare you say, even more than you experienced with Steve. It’s scary, completely disarming. Vulnerability at the forefront of your heart, with no threat of a piercing blow. Open. Unguarded. Instead, you press your forehead to Eddie’s and allow the dam to run dry. Filled to the brim with affection, it needs to be purged. It demands to be felt, as terrifying as it may be. Hot tears fall heavily, half a dozen making themselves known before Eddie’s thumb meets your tear troughs with a delicate brush. The two of you remain wordless, Audrey still babbling contendly in Eddie’s lap. He holds you. You hold him. And that’s enough.

“Can I…” Eddie’s voice is meek, lowly held in the base of his throat. Uncertain. Eyes locking with his, your walls completely drop as you coerce the remainder of his sentence out. “... can I kiss you?”

A small nod of your head is all it takes. The minute distance between you is closed with a ghosting of breath dancing across your lips. It’s deliberate, how his lips consume yours with total tenderness, a complete absence of the unadulterated neediness of your last embrace. Slow. Direct. Subconsciously held muscles in your shoulder relax as you sink into the rosy sanctuary, fingers brushing their way to the nape of his neck. The sugary-sweet soda still lingers on his supple lips, the taste making itself known on your tongue as it finds its way through your parted mouth. The tip of your tongue brushes against his nerve endings, his hand finding its way to your waist with earnestness. Yet another exposing layer is shed with this new contact. You know your body is not the same as it used to be. Firm skin and taut muscles softened and stretched to make way for a growing baby, a shell of its former self. An area of insecurity, now being explored in the most intimate of ways. Eddie’s fingers press into the fabric of your dress, kneading the soft skin beneath. Without judgment, as if every inch of your body is sheer perfection. Designed to be discovered and worshiped. The sigh choking up in your throat is indecipherable, a manifestation of your physical refuge. Eddie tugs you closer, thumb caressing the seam of your dress comfortingly. And it’s so much more than enough. 

Would it be too much to ask to remain here forever? To indulge in the luxury of his lips eternally?

Audrey thinks not. Fed up with the lack of attention, she hurls the rattle across the length of the rug with Herculean strength, the clattering enough to pull you back to reality. Breaking apart, your faces remain an inch from one another, a smile playing on each of your lips. Collectively, you erupt in a fit of laughter at your daughter’s antics, glancing down at her. Greedily, Eddie steals one more kiss from the corner of your mouth before hoisting Audrey up to eye level.

“Sorry, little Miss. Didn’t mean to leave you out.” He pulls her in and lands a few firm kisses on her plush cheek, satiating her. “Now, how do you feel about Uncle Dustin keeping you company next week so your mom and I can spend some alone time together? Maybe hit up a bar or something- adults only, I’m afraid. It’s nothing personal, I promise.”

Brows furrowing together, you try to play off the giddy smile announcing itself on the corners of your lips. “You mean… like a date?”

“Yeah.” Eddie’s attention turns back to you, repositioning Audrey comfortably in his lap. “But, like- no pressure, of course. Only if- if you wanted to.”

It’s adorable, how he can parkour so quickly between confidence and total shyness, the latter now taking over. 

“Yeah, I do.”

“Cool.” Eddie feigns being sly, but is clearly about to burst at the seams with excitement. “It’s a date.”

[honorary-knight-of-favonius]

Communication - Dainsleif

Summary: Your husband is a terrible communicator.

Warnings: Mentions of potential divorce, Dom!Dainsleif, Sub!Reader, Possessive Sex, Nervous sex, First time with Dain, Angry!Dainsleif, Fem!Reader

Dainsleif, a man of few words even with me, his wife. He would respond to my questions with a mere hum or a disgruntled groan. He kept his word minimal, when I arranged to marry him I was in awe by his looks and his voice as it was deep and alluring. However I never heard his voice much after he said his vows. Yet I couldn’t simply divorce him as both our families pressured us in this spot. The one time I went to his work I was curious how he managed a company but when I got to his office he was already busy. And from the secretary’s expression I knew it was more or so with another woman, or man. 

So I left his office and went home. When he came home he didn’t look any different, he looked nonchalant and emotionless he only mumbled a short half-assed ‘hi’ before going to the bathroom. When I learned of his affair partner I wanted to end it there but my parents forbade it and so I had to suffer this loveless marriage for years until my parents passed and Dainsleif’s mother stopped caring about his affairs. I waited at the table like many other times and the moment he walked in he mumbled his ‘hi’ then went to go shower but I stopped him. 

“Can we talk?” I ask, the blond looked at me puzzled before nodding and sitting at the table. When he did I pushed the paper towards him and he read it through as he did his eyebrows knitted together then furrowed in anger. I suspected he would just sign it but he picked it up and tore the paper several ways before getting up and storming off to the bedroom. I thought he would sign it with no questions asked but instead he got angry and tore it up. He didn’t even ask why I wanted the divorce, he didn’t utter a word. I sighed and took out my phone to call the lawyer for another paper but my phone was snatched away the moment I said divorce. 

I looked to see Dainsleif who had my phone in his hold and his eyes were furrowing. Dainsleif looked at the phone before hanging up and taking my phone, I chased after him but even when I managed to touch my phone he wasn’t letting it go and instead he placed it in his safe with his sniper rifle before going to the bathroom to shower. 

“You can’t hold my phone like it’s police evidence!” I snapped, following him into the bathroom, he remained unbothered as I watched as he undressed. 

“Answer me you asshole!” I pushed him, or at least I tried, he looked at me with that annoyed expression and huffed, “Return my belongings you prick!” I shouted 

A scoff came from the blond and I furrowed my brows, “You’re unbelievably! Why won’t you sign the papers! I’m sure it’s something you want!” suddenly the man placed a hand on the back of my neck and face before planting his lips on mine, I hummed slightly as his tongue entered my mouth, when he pulled away from me his pulled me towards him by taking my bottom lip between his teeth in a rather gentle way which only made my head fuzzy and I dove right back into those lips and he continued exploring my mouth to his heart's content. When he pulled away for good his expression was still angered. 

“Never assume stupid shit like that ever again!” He scolded, before getting in the shower and I was left there standing dumbfounded as I registered that my husband of six years had held me and kissed me until I was breathless. When it finally settled I rushed out of the bathroom holding my reddening face. I felt like a  teenager who had just kissed their crush, but scratch the inexperienced crush and replaced it with a very experienced man who could make me soak my panties with his voice alone. 

I gathered myself and placed myself on the bed in our shared room and he came in to throw his clothes in the laundry basket before looking at me with a cocked eyebrow. 

“Need something?” I say, at my words he smirked and came close. He put his arms at either side of my waist before one of his hands went back to my neck, his hand massaged my neck as he leaned in close and without his lips even on mine he was making my head fuzzy. I placed my hands on his shoulders and he began backing away. 

‘That’s not what I wanted! Damn it! Come back here!’ I thought wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him back in harshly, he chuckled and leaned our foreheads together. I tried to kiss him but he wouldn’t let me and I had to tangle my fingers in his hair to even try to get him to kiss me but he still wouldn’t kiss me!

“You’re adorable when you're frustrated.” He chuckled. I hit him, “Ok, ok, don’t hit me,” 

“Why won’t you do it!” I  grumbled. 

“Do what?” He asked

“Y-Y’know what! You did it in the bathroom!” I whined, he chuckled again and placed one of his hands on my thigh. 

“We did something in the bathroom?” He asked, which made me realize he was teasing me! And as much as I wanted to hit him he was incredibly sexy doing it. 

“W-we did.” I said. He hummed, and pulled away. 

“Refresh my memory, what did we do in the bathroom?” He asked

“W-we. . .k-kissed.” I say, under his gaze I felt so embarrassed whatever he was doing had to be some method of humiliation. 

“So, what did you mean by ‘why won’t you do it?’” He asked

“I. . .k-kiss me please?” He smiled. 

“If you want something from me you just gotta ask for it.” He said before easing me into a kiss, he was being gentle as I whined, he managed to work me up as he kissed me though and he even laid me down on the bed as the hand on my face was used for stability besides it and his other hand on my thigh rose to fall on my hip which had me short circuiting. However as the kiss continued my breath was running out and I pushed his shoulder to signal I needed to breathe. He of course pulled away and planted a kiss on my cheek before standing up. I reached out to him, and I managed to grab his forearm. 

“Where are you going?” I asked, he chuckled. 

“Well I’m going to eat and then watch TV.” I looked at him in disbelief. 

“Don’t you want to finish what we started?” I ask

“Hmm? I don’t remember you asking me to do anything else besides kissing you.” I was stunned. Dain left the bedroom and ate dinner before he went to the couch and found an action movie and all the while I was close by hoping he’d take the hints, but nothing, after two action movies I was becoming restless and I took the initiative. I straddled his lap and he looked at me. 

“How can I-” I planted my lips on Dain’s and he responded in an instant I began rolling my hips and he pulled away but I wasn’t having it so I brought his lips back to mine but he noticed I wouldn’t let him run away and moved so he could pin me to the couch. 

“Hey!” I protested

“I thought I was pretty clear, tell me what you want and I will do it.” I furrowed my eyebrows. 

“That makes me sound like I’m forcing you to do something.” I retorted. 

“So do you rather I force myself on you?” Dain asked, “Or maybe you’d prefer it if I just used you like a toy anytime I want?” Dain asked, I looked at him. 

“Y’know what forget it,” I pushed him off and got up from the couch to go to the bedroom, “I guess you’re too tired from doing it with your mistress anyhow.” I began walking away but in an instant I was pinned against the wall. 

“Repeat that,” I groaned and repeated myself louder. 

“I guess you're too tired from doing it with your mistress anyhow!” I shouted, Dain seemed annoyed. 

“Who the hell has a mistress, because I know damn well it’s not me!” Dain’s lip twitched in annoyance. 

“It’s obviously you!” I said. 

“Uh huh, why do you think I have a mistress?” He asked

“Because she’s always in your office at work! Even your Emma said you were in your office with her.” Dain scoffed. 

“I fired that bitch the moment she tried unzipping my pants! And to put it clearly my mother is a meddler! She was always at the office meddling until your parents passed!” I stopped. 

“Emma tried unzipping your pants?” I ask

“Yes, I was on a conference call when I felt my pants being pulled when I looked under my desk that bitch was under with my zipper in her hand. I called in my bodyguard and she had charges pressed against her.” Dain said, “regardless of that I never heard anything about you coming to the office from anyone.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me any of that?” I ask

“Because what kind of wife wants to hear how their husband almost had their cock pulled out by another woman?” Dain asked. 

“Wait a second, then what about the past six years?” I ask

“What about them?” 

“The barley talking to me, the no intimacy, the fact we lived basically like roommates who hated each other? What was all that?” I asked

“Archons, I’m terrible at conversations my mother signed me up for lessons in conversations and whatever else she thought would help before our wedding because I  -in her words- ‘be able to talk to my drop dead gorgeous woman of a wife and I won’t allow my grandson to become as strange as you’. So the first two years of our marriage I was still doing that but it could never make out more than a few words before coming flustered, and then the intimacy. . .L-listen I’m not inexperienced in that department but I mean it’s different when your doing it with someone who you met at a masquerade sex club then your wife who’s showing herself entirely and I didn’t know if you lost your virginity and well I didn’t want to hurt you so I controlled myself -which might I add is extremely hard when your not used to sleeping next to someone-.” He stopped and took a deep breath and backed off. 

“And about the roommate thing, well. . .I never hated you, I don’t know if that wasn’t mutual but I without a doubt never hated you, in fact I hated myself. I couldn’t be the ideal husband and that is extremely hard but that is what I wanted to be for you. And I couldn’t.” I took Dain’s hand. 

“B-but you said your vows well.” I said

“B-because I wasn’t looking at you, I was looking out the window at a bird.” Dain confessed. 

“B-but. . .s-so Emma lied to me, your mother is a meddler, you're so shy to an anti-social point, you slept with someone who wore masks, and you never hated me? Woah, I think I learnt more about it in five minutes than I have in six years.” I say

“I guess I know why you wanted the divorce now.” Dain said, “I mean, look, this is the first conversation we’ve had since, what, our match making?” He said

“I don’t entirely think that counts.” I say

“Yeah, I didn’t talk at all then.” Dain said. 

“So, the thing about me needing to ask you for something?” I ask

“W-well, god, my mom always told me to make sure you wanted anything I was going to do, I’m sure that’s partly to blame on my father, as he’d never ask anything of my mother and would instead force it upon her. I always assumed if you wanted something from me whether it was sexual, romantic or anything else you’d simply ask, but I guess it did kind of sound like you’d be forcing me to do it. Which isn’t the case at all!” Dain explained. 

“So, you wanted verbal consent not just physical?” I ask

“Yeah,” Dain said, I smiled and went closer to him before hugging his neck. 

“If you needed that you should’ve told me, I would’ve given it happily.” I smiled. Dain looked down and smiled too, “So, Dain, please take me to the bedroom and fuck me.” Without holding up Dain picked me up by my thighs and carried me to our bedroom where he laid me down on the bed and went to get rid of my clothes. But stopped halfway and I took note of why, he still didn’t know if I needed to know how I wanted it. 

“Slow, at first.” He smiled and got on his knees the moment my pants were off he leaned in close and used his tongue to earn a long awaited taste of his wife. When his mouth filled with the taste he pulled away and kissed my thighs. 

“Fuck, I really should’ve tried harder to talk to you.” Dain said before diving into my cunt once again. He swirled his tongue around my clit and even with all the toys I’ve used in the past six years Dain’s mouth was the best out of all of them. I tried closing my legs to keep him in place but Dain held me open by my thighs making sure I was on display for him. I felt something in me and I saw Dain’s eyes glimmer slightly before that thing intruded further. I looked and still saw Dain’s hands, so using my limited braincells I knew that ‘thing that intruded was his fucking toungue!

“H-Holy shit, holy shit! D-Dain~” I whined, he hummed, adding vibrations onto his tongue that I couldn’t help but moan at. I grabbed Dain’s hair and he nuzzled his nose into my cunt having his nose brush against my clit. It was insane the sensation at minor things was clouding my mind. As a knot began forming in my stomach I knew that I wasn’t going to last much longer. Dain had casted a spell on me and I was practically begging for it to never end. 

“I-I’m gonna. . .I’m Cumming~” I moaned, Dain pulled away slowly and used his fingers to help me through my orgasm by playing with my clit. When my body finally relaxed Dain began praising me. 

“Good job, you did very good.” He said as he situated me into a better position on the bed, “You did so good, how are you feeling?” 

“P-princess.” I say, Dain tilted his head with a look of confusion, “P-please call me princess.” I say Dain smiled. 

“You tasted so good princess, thank you for letting me eat you out.” I looked at him and I noticed the innocent eyes he held even though his words were far from that. Dain went to go but I  weakly grabbed him and he hummed. 

“Something wrong princess?” I nodded

“W-we don’t leave this room until I cum on your cock and you cum in me so get back and listen to your wife.” I scolded, Dain smiled and got undressed and he got back in between my legs and helped me take off my shirt before he lined up to my expecting cunt, when he began making his way inside. I have to admit it was painful, since I didn’t have a dildo his size but it was a good pain. 

“How are you feeling?” I looked at Dain and smiled. 

“G-go slow,” Dain nodded and started moving his hips slowly but with the curve of his cock he managed to hit my g-spot without fail and it was mind numbingly good. I quickly wrapped my arms around Dain’s neck and pulled him close. 

“Shit, f-faster,” without any verbal confirmation Dain began moving faster which had me digging my nails into his back, Dain praised me without any pain in his voice and kept moving in me. This was the first time I was having sex with my husband and he was gentle, soft, understanding, he was following my words and made sure to pay attention to my body in case I didn’t tell him my pain. It's like he’s filing each one of my reactions into his mind as reference material. 

“Fuck~ D-dain!” I held him impossibly closer, I felt his lips on my neck and he continued his movements, Dain didn’t speed up or get rougher he kept that same mind numbing pace and I was so close to unraveling but he stopped. I pushed Dain to look at his face. 

“Dain~ I was so close~” I whined, Dain smiled. Before kissing along my collar bone. I tried to grind against his hips to finish but Dain held my hips securely waiting until my impending orgasm left. I whined and hit Dain since I was so close. 

“Ouch!” Dain said as I hit his chest to which he responded with pinning my arms down, “Come on now princess, be good for me.” I tried fighting him but Dain kept my hands down without much force. 

“I was so close!” 

“Oh I know princess, I know, but I haven’t shown you all my party tricks yet.” I huffed at his words. 

“You’re more of a knight than a Jester.” I retort, Dain came close and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. 

“Oh princess I can be anything you want, Jester, Knight, or even a dog but allow me to show you a party trick I know you’ll like.” I pouted but agreed. Dain pulled out and I hadn’t registered how but he got behind me and I was using my arms as a leverage point Dain slipped back inside and he managed to feel bigger and before he started moving he snaked one of his arms around my hip while the other went to my chest. It made me feel like I was in a warming hug despite being naked, cold. But when I noticed where I was positioned I noticed those blue eyes looking at me in the mirror right across from us. 

“Fuck, your look amazing like this princess.” Dain whispered as I looked ahead into the mirror, “This almost makes me want to throw away my plan and tie you up.” Dain spoke in a low voice, he was giving off the possessive husband aura and I couldn’t handle just how good he was at that. 

“You’d look irresistible with a pretty collar on this neck, don’t you agree?” Shit he wasn’t even moving but my head was going fuzzy just by his words. 

“D-dain~” I whined, I felt a slap to my ass when I whined. 

“Bad girl, my name isn’t Dain, come on say it.” I whined, what the hell would his name be? I was going blank but then I spit out the only name that came to mind. 

“Master~!” Dain chuckled and began kissing my neck. 

“Good job princess, now does my good girl want to cum?” Dain asked, with a hint of condescension.

“Please, please, please, master~ wanna cum please~” Dain bit my shoulder leaving a nice indentation before he started moving again. I wasn’t sure how I managed to get close to orgasm in just a minute but I did.  

“M-master~ G-gonna cum~!” I whined, 

“Not yet, you’ll wait for me.” I whined but listened, after a few more thrusts Dain began using his fingers on my clit which made it that much harder for me not to cum I was so fucking close but forced to keep it at bay. 

“You fucking need it don’t you? Your cunt is practically begging to cum, you wanna cum pretty girl?” Dain asked

“Please Master, please let me cum~” I whined. 

“Ready princess?” I nodded, he placed a kiss under my ear before whispering, “Then cum.” 

My body convulsed as my orgasm washed over me but my moans didn’t cease in fact Dain was still going at it which drove me crazy until I felt something warm paint my insides, finally dain stopped and instead of pulling out he moved to lay us down on bed and he began praising me again. 

“Good job princess, you took me so well. You did such a good job for me. You can go to bed, I'll clean you up.” I felt soft kisses and I have to admit his voice made my eyes feel heavy and I fell asleep in his arms.

[petkittymeowmeow]

An fairytale of fictional characters for novella.

upon a time, this bitch, this fucking chick Tita boom decided she was done being a slave and escaped human trafficking that was keeping her under locking key much into like Rapunzel without but without a fucking weave

Chiquita boom struggled mightily for many years, thinking out and planning her escape from these horrible horses forces nightmares Barbarian dragons dragons Thar be!!!! Dragons!!!dragons, dragons,

tho light she wasn’t like a fairy nor shoes number nine the psychological tournament is what really motivated her because anytime it is trespassed upon it made her incredibly sick and all systems and all dead drift away in the wind o current

Relentless, assaults , torment, tortured, horrible anguish bringing around the brink of annihilation.

so. . Just wanted to die couldn’t handle the second more

These folks eat. Monsters. that’s what they love to do that bondage. strangling choking in bondage causing severe trauma injuries like the fetish Clinical. DEATH

so rather than face it another second longer this horrible backing hacking of Satan‘s claw reaching into the earthly realm, she fled fucked off ran into a cold winter storm. one night into the rain with the broke down old car no wind wipers windows stuck down it Kept stalling because the water was too thick in the air for the distributor fire properly and she becomes stranded all sorts of places, boom game no fuck she left she just what she put in her car

exhausted she bind herself at the center of a very obscure island. Mission Bay called Paradise point thinking how appropriate

I mean if you’re not in Paradise, what. Huh?

She finds herself rock bottom the only fucking person there was supposedly your best friend are the ones there therefore you rock bottom errors no one but Zach, the park maintenance man for eight months this dude had my back. Not just me but any other vulnerable person up there in the paradise point across from Dana Landing Ventura Cove, Where’s Ryan Bay, and Bahia Point

The big tall redhead with the beautiful red beard. He was there for me more than anyone so big and strong to help me stay grounded and when I arrived there, I was so weak and sick and tired and afraid and abused and scared on empty ATM card would not work. My phones died Working with solar powered dead battery in my car no food, except for water and flour. No music, no weed no kitty cats no friends no gas no chances no nothing just laid out in the public restroom. He’d find me or on the sidewalk or Margaret a regular there one time told him to call the ambulance and I felt so bad. he’d sit there and work overtime just to sit with me when waiting for the ambulance to be working overtime and hanging out for like ever all the ambulance firetrucks came to take me away. Nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. I just could not walk or talk or function at all. Take me like half hour to walk to the restroom like a blocks away Was stuck.

I had no choice drinking water fountains eating food from a trash cans stuff people leftover picnic tables like rock bottom skid row fuck all this here. I am passed out again. The girls restroom Cold but always clean. Grey made concrete steel porcelain cold water shower, which didn’t really bother me it’s just I’d passed out and fainting falling. H ed, call ambulance for me. Just stay with me On the sidewalk. So professional kind to me. Long story long long long story shorter too long read version turns out, 15 trips to the emergency room later, and I had a very active internal bleed in my gut from a whole bunch of internal scratches and cuts and injuries

Stomach ulcers upper gastrointestinal tract infection and it’s full of germs and bacteria or some kind of virus calls ulcers and eight months living like that on the street you know rock bottom they finally figured out I was bleeding to death. That’s why couldn’t couldn’t talk kept fainting ,

low blood pressure. I mean it was all my organs , I had heart failure and needed 4 units blood that s crazy major transfusion had to be transported to a bigger hospital and it took eight months before they gave me tiniest bit of acknowledgment that I wasn’t some stupid piece of shit and I finally have a way on track to heal, but anyways, I wouldn’t be alive today, but it wasn’t for that dude Zach, who works at the park at paradise point making it beautiful The city of San Diego I don’t know his last name but I’m gonna give you a picture of him that I drew. I love to thank him. I can’t really rest

Rest till I tell this dude I owe him my life

i give it to him freely and he is free to do what he wants. It’s just the rules it’s just owe him the world. my life is his to with what he wants

in all gratitude grace divine sincerity

Dana Venzor

6 19 539-9979

840 Loquat Ct

El Cajon California 92020

[milawritesstuff]

Does He Know: Part 11 (Gavi/Pedri Love Triangle)

A/N: Here’s a little surprise… sorry I didn’t update in a few days but hope you guys like this chapter. :)

You can read part 10 here: Part 10

•••

Sara’s POV

A few days had passed since I had seen anyone other than my family. Without uni I had nothing else to do. Gavi hadn't answered any of my messages until this morning. A simple hey is what he responded to my countless of messages asking for him to forgive me. Eventually agreeing to meet with me.

We had agreed to meet in the afternoon at a cafe near my house which was usually less crowded than the city center and where we had less chances of someone spotting us. Or of someone spotting him since he was the famous one. I got up, took a shower, and put on jeans and a shirt before heading out. I arrived to the cafe at about 5 minutes to 3, sat down and ordered a drink.

A few minutes later Gavi showed up and sat in front of me. I smiled at the boy in front of me, wearing white cargo pants and an orange sweater. 

-Thank you for coming.- I said offering him a smile.

He looked up at me with his big brown eyes and a slight frown on his face.

He didn't wait for me to say anything else and began to speak as his eyes locked with mine. He always spoke with the heart and I felt like shit knowing I had taken that for granted. His eyes always said what his heart felt and it made me sad that I couldn't do the same for him.

-I didn't want to be upset at you. After seeing how much he meant to you I knew there was no point in fighting for you. You were never truly mine.- He said. -But hearing him say you two had kissed messed with me. I don't want to hate my best friend.-

We sat there as silence overtook the small table we were sitting at. His eyes now fixated on his hands which were interlocked in front of him.

-I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything. Please don't be upset at him.- I finally managed to say to disrupt the awkward silence.

-I'm not. I'm upset at you.- The brown haired boy said point blank. His words took me by surprise and I felt a pit open in my stomach. I had let Gavi down and it wasn't even about what I had done but what I hadn't.

-Despite what he did, he accepted it. You didn't, Sara. How difficult would it have been to just let me hear it from your mouth instead of his?-

I looked down at the floor, he was right. After all, I was his girlfriend. I had a responsibility to him which I threw out the window the moment Pedri was in front of me. I didn't care about anyone else but the beautiful dark haired man when we were inches apart from each other. 

 -I'm sorry.- I mumbled.

He looked at me and smirked. That smirk that many times had meant something different, that he wanted me, that he needed to feel my lips against his. Now that smirk meant something else, it meant that an "I'm sorry" wasn't enough. 

-I'll forgive you, Sara. Maybe not today, but I will, eventually.- He finally said.

-Pablo, I truly care for you.- I managed to say as I felt a knot form in my throat. It was strange. All of this time I took him for granted. His kisses, his touches. And now here I was on the verge of crying because I could see the hurt in his eyes. 

-But you don't love me, not the way you love him.- He spat back. -You never said te quiero back. You wouldn't have cried the way you did if I had been the one in that hospital bed.-

-Don't say that. I care for you Pablo. Maybe not in the same way, but I do.-

We stayed there in silence, which was eventually interrupted by a waiter who came by to see if Gavi wanted to order something. He asked for a glass of water, which gave me hope that he wasn't going to storm out of the cafe in a few seconds. I felt the need to close this chapter in the proper way. Even if I had done everything wrong leading to this moment.

He took a sip of his water. -Well, have you talked to him?- He asked. 

I shook my head in silence.

-You're telling me I got my heart broken so that you don't even end up together?- He said in a slightly playful way which caused me to smile at him.

-I was rude to him, I yelled at him while he was in a hospital bed. And he has Alice.-

Gavi scoffed. -Alice is nothing for him. I know him, he's in love with you and I can't believe I didn't see it sooner. I'm sure he wants nothing more than to see you.-

-Have you seen him?- I asked knowing Pedri had been ordered to stay away from practice for a few days. Gavi nodded. -I went to see him yesterday. He's better. We didn't talk about you.-

Despite Gavi speaking with me about Pedri, I knew deep down he was still hurt and rightfully so. I knew it would take a lot of work and patience for us to be friends, something we never truly were since we began to date so soon after meeting each other. But I was willing to work on it.

His words kept on replaying in head as I was heading home. I'm sure he wants nothing more than to see you. With a quick rush of courage I began to drive towards Pedri's house instead of my own. I knew where he lived thanks to Val but had never been there. I parked in front of the building and brought my mirror down to fix my makeup. Thankfully I hadn't spent the last few days crying so my eyes weren’t puffy. It was more like I was numb. I couldn't cry, but I also couldn't laugh. Nothing made sense.

I grabbed my purse and began to walk up to his door. I knocked, once, twice and heard footsteps approaching. My heart began to race, I could feel my heartbeat in the palm of my hands which were beginning to sweat at the sheer anticipation of seeing Pedri. In the few seconds that it took for the door to open in front of me a million scenarios played through my mind. What if it was his brother who opened, what if he had people over, what if Alice opened?

The door opened and I was met with brown eyes that showed a hint of light and surprise when they saw me standing there in front of him.

-Sara.- He said.

I felt my eyes begin to get teary eyed and I could hardly say anything. -Pedri, I...- 

But before I could continue he took a few steps forward and I felt as his lips crashed against mine. His lips took mine in and he left a feverish kiss against me. We both opened our eyes and looked at each other's seconds before he went in again. He pushed me against the wall that faced his front door and I felt his warm body hit mine. His body so close that I could feel his accelerated heartbeat against my chest. My hands went to the back of his head as his hands rested on my waist. His lips on mine, his kisses felt like home. It was where I belonged, there in his mouth. Every movement his lips made against mine made me realize I was starving, his kisses burned me alive. Maybe I didn't know before but I knew now, Pedri was the person I had been waiting for forever. He kissed me in the same desperate way that I did. He slightly parted his lips and caught my lower lips in between. His lips were soft and fit mine perfectly, as if they had been made for each other. Our tongues seemed to dance a beautiful love song. After all of these days of not seeing him or talking to him it was surreal that now I had him in front of me and we were kissing. Our kisses went from desperate to slow, both still with fear but in the most beautiful way possible. His kisses ate the moan I couldn't control when he pressed his body even more against mine, now my body in between him and the cold wall. I kissed him like my life depended on it, because in a way it did. He kissed me like it was the first time, and the last, every time.

It was then that I heard a woman's voice from inside Pedri's house.

-Pedri, who is it?-

The voice took Pedri out of his trance, he stopped his attack on my lips and before I knew it he pulled away from me. He walked backwards leaving me out in the hallway. 

-Pedri?- The voice said again, I could hear it was getting closer. Pedri stood there, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breathe. His lips swollen from my kisses. He took his right hand and with his thumb cleaned off around his lips. 

-Its nobody.- He said as he stood there, our eyes locked with each other, and with his left hand managed to slam the door in between us.

My heart dropped and I felt tears fall down my face as the door shut in front of me. I knew I deserved it, but it didn't make it any less painful.

TAG LIST: @cinderellawithashoe @httpswiftie @simpingmyassoff @bubblebeep69 @fictional-l0v3r @httpspedri26 @0alanasworld0 @l0verl4ne @gaviypedrisbride @footballerficsposts @fashphotolife @beaschampagneproblems @jvsgnjrtpdar5stkd-tv-m @ikkehehe @jjishotasf @quemirasboboandapaya @maricciardo @gaviswh0re @pedriwifefrfr @dustell @elijahslover @formula1mount

[lifeofkaze]

A Search for Balance

CHAPTER 32: FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Find the masterlist with all chapters of this story here, the previous chapter here, and the next one here.

Tagging: @flareshogwarts

Warning: narcissistic rage, language

Waking up with Lizzie in his arms was like stepping from one dream into the next. Not willing to destroy the fragile moment of peace, Orion kept hovering on the border between sleeping and waking for a while, enjoying the warmth of her body and steady breathing, but when Lizzie eventually stirred and turned to him with a smile, both his sleepiness and calm were gladly forgotten.

The two of them spent most of their morning together. In the light of the new day, all Orion’s doubts from the night before had disappeared. The storm that had swept across the coast had cleared both the air and his head, and all that remained was bright and colourful. 

It was already past lunchtime when Lizzie eventually had to leave. She took her time to do so, and Orion was reluctant to let her go. It still felt surreal, holding her in his arms, and he was almost afraid to wake up and see everything return to normal once the door had closed behind her. 

“Do you really need to go?” he asked, pulling her back from the door and into his arms. Lizzie let him do so with a giggle, smiling against his lips as she kissed him. 

“As much as I appreciate the look, I really should get changed,” she laughed, pointing at the clothes she had taken from his wardrobe and transfigured to make them fit her. “And a shower wouldn’t hurt, either.”

“I could provide you with the latter.”

“Tempting. I might take you up on it later.” 

Her answer made his heart beat faster. “So you’ll be back?”

The look on Lizzie’s face softened. “Of course I will, and this time for real. So don’t run from me again, alright?”

“I’ll be here,” Orion smiled, gently brushing the tip of his nose against hers, “as sure as the sun rises every day.” 

With a last, lingering kiss, Lizzie finally let go and Disapparated. Orion absentmindedly watched the spot where she had disappeared, then shook himself out of his thoughts and went back inside. 

Lizzie hadn’t been gone for long when a knock sounded on the door. Surprised, Orion went to answer it. Lizzie had told him she’d be back, but he hadn’t thought it’d be so soon. 

“Have you forgotten something? I’ve -”

His words died on his lips when Orion saw who it was standing on his doorstep. It wasn’t Lizzie at all. 

It was Matthew. 

“Good morning,” Matthew said, his eyes sweeping over Orion’s casual clothes and tousled hair before glancing pointedly at the heavy watch on his wrist. “Or should I rather say good afternoon?”

“Matthew,” Orion said, his mouth suddenly dry as parchment. “What can I do for you?”

“How about asking me in?”

They looked at each other for a long moment, each trying to take the other’s measure. Then, Orion stepped aside.

“Be my guest.”

“I’d rather not. This won’t take very long.” 

He walked inside without waiting for Orion to lead the way. There was a belittling smirk on his face as he passed through the hallway and into the living. 

“Next time, consider cleaning up. I’m told women prefer a cleanly home,” Matthew called over his shoulder, inspecting the two tea cups still standing on the table. “Tea, huh? Funny, she won’t drink anything but Italian coffee when she’s with me, but I guess it’s only fair. Different means make for different expectations.”

The tension building in the room was palpable, but Orion didn’t let it take hold of him. Meeting an energy as strung up as Matthew’s with an equally aggressive attitude wouldn’t lead him anywhere, so Orion took a deep breath and let the answer burning on the tip of his tongue pass. 

“Some prefer tea, some coffee,” he replied instead, making sure his tone was casual. “There’s no account for taste.” 

“Clearly,” Matthew said wryly. For a brief moment, his eyes narrowed on Orion’s neck. “But no matter the circumstances, some habits tend to stick.” 

Orion had to fight the urge to lay his hand over the red mark Lizzie had left just above his collarbone. Matthew nodded knowingly at Orion’s lack of comment.

“Such a terrible habit. I don’t know how often I told her to drop it.”

Despite the heat creeping up his neck, Orion forced his face to remain unmoved. “I’m afraid your meaning escapes me.”

“Does it?” Matthew said coolly. “Come on, I can smell her on you even from here.”

There was a plummeting sensation in Orion’s stomach. “If there’s anything you feel the need to say, go ahead. If not, I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”

“On the contrary,” Matthew sighed, setting the cup he had been turning in his hands back onto the table with a heavy thump. “See, I’m under the impression you fucked my fiancée. Twice.” 

The silence following his words was deafening. Questions exploded in Orion’s mind, each of them gone too quickly for him to grasp them. How could Matthew know? Had anyone seen them? Had Lizzie told him? But why would she?

Matthew’s icy voice pulled Orion from his thoughts. “Anything to say for yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he managed to rasp out, to which Matthew shook his head.

“Disappointing. I would have thought that you’d be man enough to at least own it. I’d congratulate you on your catch,” he went on, ignoring Orion’s attempt to speak, “but Lizzie has always been rather easy to get. I thought I had gotten it out of here, but you know what they say - a Nundu doesn’t change its spots, no matter how well you treat it.”

Anger flared up in Orion’s chest, sudden, surprising, and fierce. “Lizzie is not an animal that needs to be trained.” 

There was a look resembling one of triumph in Matthew’s eyes, but his voice was hard. “If she acts like a bitch in heat, she’ll have to deal with being treated accordingly.”

“How can you talk about her like that? She’s your fiancée!”

“Exactly!” Matthew snarled, the controlled expression vanished from his face. “She is my fiancée, and I can talk about her whichever way I like. She is mine, and mine alone, and yet you can’t seem to keep your filthy hands off her!”

Orion made himself draw a deep breath. “I understand that you feel wronged, and for that, I’m deeply sorry, but -”

“Sorry?” Matthew laughed bitterly. “I’m the one who’s sorry! I’m sorry you thought it was fine to come back from wherever you pissed off to when you realised Lizzie was too good for you. I’m sorry you thought cosying up to her again and crashing all our plans for our future was perfectly acceptable.” 

“Lizzie and me crossing paths again may have been the stumbling block, but your relationship has been on a downward slope long before. Can’t you see that she isn’t happy with you? All her light, all her fire, is stifled by you and your expectations.”

“What do you know of expectations?” Matthew sneered. “Lizzie was perfectly happy before you came and put ideas inside her head. We had our life planned out together, and she was fine with all of it.”

“Then you never knew anything about her.”

“I know everything I need to know,” Matthew said fiercely. He took a step towards Orion, his face twisted with rage. “I know that she was all too eager to jump into my bed when she saw the opportunities I could give her. I know that she took my love and my ring when she thought it suited her. And I know that she dropped me like a hot stone when you came along and stole her away from me.”

“That’s not how it happened.”

“That’s exactly how it happened. Lizzie used to be happy to let me take care of her, and now she’s completely out of control.”

There it was again, the strange feeling of fury rising in Orion’s chest. “She  is not a pet you can put on collar and leash.” 

“She is what I want her to be!” Matthew shouted. “And how do you even speak about knowing her? You never knew her, because if you did, you’d have known from the start that you could never be good enough for her.”

Orion felt the blood draining from his face. “What Lizzie and I have -”

“What you have? Face reality, mate. Every time she comes running to you, it’s because she’s angry with me. The only reason you get to fuck her is that she thinks she can get back at me like that.” 

Orion knew that Matthew’s words were aimed to hurt him, but he couldn’t help the unbidden whispers surfacing in the back of his head. He tried pushing them away, but Matthew pressed on mercilessly.

“Let’s run with the thought for a second, for the fun of it. Let’s imagine you find a way around the rules, and Lizzie professes her undying love for you. What could you even offer her? I have an estate for her to live in. I can give her a family, a name, I can fulfil her every wish with a snap of my fingers. I can give her the world, and all she has to do is ask for it.

“What about you?” he continued, looking Orion up and down with a derisive sneer. “All you ever did for her was let her down when she needed you. She put her future on the line for you, and you ran from her like the spineless coward that you are.” 

Orion had to look away from Matthew’s burning eyes, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt. What Matthew said wasn’t true; he wasn’t that person anymore. He had returned because he had wanted to face his demons, to own up to his mistakes. He had changed, for Lizzie and himself. 

“Be honest with yourself, Orion,” Matthew told him, his voice now surprisingly gentle. “You and Lizzie, you two just don’t fit. I get it that you want her back, I really do. But in the end, all you can do for her is keep her from her true potential. And you? You’ll be stuck inside your cage again.”

Matthew’s words hammered themselves into Orion’s brain, the awful truth of them making it impossible for him to speak. As if he knew about what was going on inside him, Matthew carried on.

“Someone like you can’t be tied down, but Lizzie? Lizzie needs her roots. She needs a home. She doesn’t deserve for it to be taken away from her every time you grow restless. And you don’t deserve to be stuck in the same spot for the rest of your life. Do you really want to make both of you unhappy only because you’re too stubborn to admit you can’t give each other what you need?”

A kind smile formed on Matthew’s face. “Look, here’s what I can offer you. We’ll forget everything that’s happened and carry on with things how they’re supposed to be. It might hurt right now, but before long, you’ll see that it’s the best for all of us. All you need to do is forget her and leave. Find a new life somewhere else and give both of you the happiness that you deserve.”

Orion’s head was swimming with what Matthew was suggesting, but even over the pounding of his heart, only one thought was clear enough for him to voice. 

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can, and you will.” The understanding look on Matthew’s face had disappeared. “You will leave Lizzie alone, or I swear I’m going to send you back to whichever gutter you’ve crawled from.” 

He cleared his throat, suddenly nothing but polite and professional again. Taking a step back, he checked his watch. 

“What a nice little chat that was. I’d say see you soon, but… you know.”

A satisfied smirk playing around his lips, Matthew clapped Orion on the shoulder and walked past him towards the door. Only when he heard it shut did Orion allow himself to breathe. All the tension left his body at once, and he slumped against the wall, staring at the ground without seeing it.

Every one of Matthew’s words still echoed in his ears, rattling the fragile foundation he had rebuilt himself upon until he felt like the very ground beneath him was shaking. His thoughts were reeling, creating a vortex of doubts that kept spinning around itself, pulling him deeper down with every turn. He tried holding onto something - anything - to keep himself grounded, his fingers closing tightly around the stone of his necklace.

Forcing himself to take a shaky breath, Orion held it in his lungs, imagining how it soaked up all of his old fears and doubts before he let it go. He pushed himself off the wall and wandered around his house, throwing open every door and window he could find. 

When that didn’t help, he walked out into the garden, feeling the cold grass beneath the bare soles of his feet. Brushing his hair from his face with both his hands, he let them rest on top of his head as he dipped it back to let the sun shine onto his face. He concentrated on the warmth on his skin, the tickle of the grass between his toes, imagining his energy flowing into the ground beneath him and taking root there. 

He recalled the last time he had felt like this. It had been years ago, but he remembered the morning Lizzie had been supposed to visit him in Montrose like it was yesterday. For weeks, she had talked about nothing but moving in with him and starting their life together. Back then, Orion had thought that the idea of giving up that last little bit of himself that wasn’t firmly in her hands already had been what had made him so uneasy about the idea.

Now he knew that his love for her had never been the problem. Matthew was right; he had been afraid, and he still was. Afraid that Lizzie would eventually see that he wasn’t the person she thought him to be, that he would never be able to give her the life she deserved, that there was no promise Orion could make without having to fear that he would eventually break it. 

Having thought that the doors of his cage were about to close for good, he had done what he had deemed his only option. He had left, thinking from the bottom of his heart that, without any constraints to hold him down, he would roam the skies and never look back. But for all that he had flown, all that he had seen, he had never found a place to land until he had come home. 

He knew he couldn’t leave a second time. He couldn’t do that to Lizzie, and not to himself. He was better than that. He had overcome this. But no matter how much Orion told himself, there was still this voice in the back of his head, whispering unbidden things to him he didn’t want to hear. There was no hiding from himself. 

He knew he had to stay. He knew that he couldn’t. 

Without him even noticing, Orion’s feet set into motion again. He returned inside the house, his steps carrying him into his bedroom. The sheets on his bed were still rumpled, the scent of Lizzie’s perfume hanging faintly in the air. Orion kept his eyes away from it, and the window, and the red dress he had hung over a chair, too. He walked into his wardrobe and grabbed the first bag he could find, stuffing a handful of things into it. He wasn’t paying attention to what he was packing; he wouldn’t need much where he was going.

He left his room without looking back. He tried not to think about the consequences of what he was about to do, and it didn’t matter, anyway. All that was important was that the voice in his head would finally be quiet.

Standing by the fireplace, Orion grabbed a fistful of the glittering Floo Powder from the bowl on the mantelpiece. Emerald flames flared up as he threw it into the fire, the rush of hot air stirring his hair as he waited in vain for his heartbeat to slow down. 

Calling out his destination, Orion swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped into the fireplace. The flames blazed up once more, dousing the room in light, and then he was gone. 

[lysol-wipe]

* “ Awe… fuck “ *

Obsessive!Hurt!Tomura Shigaraki + F!quirkless!reader

1 / ??

May 16 2032 - 5:43pm - Cloudy with light showers - low breeze

~ Y/n, her family is known for their outstanding cloud abilities. For example, her younger brother attends UA High School. His quirk is being able to create storms with the cloud like fog that seeps from his skin

He graduates from there soon. Very soon, and yet here you are. Working the secretary position. Running off of energy drinks and 4 hours of sleep. You get off soon and then you will be able to finally take a day off. You had convinced yourself to take a break, even if it was in the middle of the week.

Once those three hour’s passed, it was around 8, the sky had flipped over to the night sky and the bright and blinding sun as settled down, giving way to the waning crescent moon to thrive in the sky of small dots of stars. Collecting your belongings, you made your way out of the building. You didn’t really live all that far, which is why you chose this job. A mere 3-4 blocks away wasn’t bad. Plus, walking can help lose the tummy pudge you oh so hated. Well, it was a love hate relationship.

Walking down the city lit sidewalk, you noticed there were far less people walking around than usual. Closing in on your home, you hurriedly passed by alleys and garbage bins. About a block away you hard a crash, shaking you to the core and making you jolt upwards. There was silence, even the chirping of insects hushed as if they were an audience waiting to see what happens. A pained groan came from the alleyway and it sounded so helpless.

You couldn’t make up your mind on if you wanted to check it out or go home and call the police. ‘ Shit… they sound like they need medical attention… fuck it. ‘ You rushed down the alley. Looking around and squinting in the dim area to try and adjust your eyes to the worst lighting.

The front of your heel stepped on something rather squishy, feeling rather unsettled and nervous, Y/n quickly lifted up her shoe. Looking down and squinting into the darkness, a mess of pale blue hair was the first thing she saw. Looking further, the head then the torso. There was an entire man here.

* ‘ Awe… fuck. ‘ *

You kneeled down and shook his shoulder, quite roughly the first time. This was only to not waste any time if this person was hurt. Leaning down, you tried to listen to hear if he was breathing. In which he was but just barely. In a hurried and scared rush, you flung one of his harms over your shoulder, trying your best to carry the male but he was surprisingly heavy.

Grunting, you tried harder to lift him up using your legs this time. ‘ Agh! ‘ You finally lifted him up off the ground and began trudging your way to your front door. Once you arrived there, you slipped your keys from your back pocket. Slipping them to your fingers then into your dominant hands. Pushing the key into the hole and twisting multiple times just to make sure it was unlocked, you snatched the key out and twisted the door knob. Pushing the door open and hurrying inside, slamming it shut unintentionally strong with your foot, you took a deep breath before using the last of your strength to push him onto the couch. Sighing heavily, your chest heaved up and down slowly. Taking deep and long breaths, you got yourself together and looked at whoever this person was.

* ‘ Well… it is a he… I think. “ *

Looking in better light at the male, he wore a sleeveless skintight turtleneck with black cargo pants on, his feet were covered with thick black boots. His physique had explained why he was so heavy, no he was not overweight, he was just built. Slim but anyone could tell he had strength. “Alright, Y/n just… be careful. You just let a random man into your home… this is fucking crazy.” You spoke to yourself as you walked to the body, inspecting its injuries. It seems he had some scratches, some deep cuts and a gash on his torso, thus leaving blood to leak through his shirt. You rubber your forehead in a distressed manner.

* “ Alright… let’s get this over with. “ *

[journey-of-the-ip]

May 10th

Today, I feel young.

We haven’t had this much spontaneous energy in a long time! remember to write more here when you’re not on mobile please

Me from May 12th, I didn't forget! Today was a fantastic day. It was a Friday, and work was mostly meetings. Oh yeah its not on the blog, right now I work for Inscopix, I've been working here for almost exactly a year now, and I'm working on getting our first internal users to use the toolbox creator app. I'm also working on making some basic activity metrics tools for the platform. That seems really boring to me now, but its always weird to see what I remember and what I forget when I look back in time haha.

Anyways! On to the more exciting things. After work Vanessa and I went to our dance class, which is a beginner/intermediate hip hop class with an emphasis on popping and waving. We spent the first half of class just focused on the popping and waving practice, doing grooves and working on fundamentals which I really appreciated. Then the second half of class was only cleaning the parts of the choreo that we had already learned! Our teacher Sean is actually really good at cleaning, I feel like in the past so far cleaning has really just meant "we're going to run it a bunch and you figure out what it means for you" but Sean was really explicit. He was like here I want your weight to move like this, I want your arms to have this energy, lets do this 4 count really slow, etc. and it really made a difference! We talked with Sean a little after class and he gave us good advice on how to practice being groovier and how to make things feel looser and stuff.

We went home and some how it was already 9:30 so we went to shower and get ready for the aurora!!!! Oh Shit I haven't even mentioned that in the text yet, so this morning Vanessa heard that there was the biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years or something, and that there was a chance to see the Aurora boralis here in seattle! So we made plans to go out near snoqualmie pass to get away from the light pollution and try and see it.

Okay now its 9:30 and its almost time to leave already, I kinda expected there would be a lot of time to chill and wait for the aurora, but we had to shower really quick and then headed out right away.

As we were driving, there was still a ton of traffic even though it was probably 10:40 at the time, Biden is in town right now, but I think some of the traffic was actually a lot of people also trying to get away from the light pollution!

As we were driving out, Kimmie started to notice what she thought was an aurora, but Vanessa dismissed it as a cloud, because with all the light still around it was really hard to see the any colors, and also we've never seen a aurora in real life before lol. But as we continued driving out, it became more and more distinct! Interestingly, for some reason, the camera was able to pick up the aurora waayyy better than our eyes, which I guess makes sense? But I started using my camera as a viewfinder to help me know where to look and then I'd stare at it to see if I could actually see it haha.

Eventually we got to the trail head (Props to Seyoung for driving, the traffic was really turbulent and unexpected and Kimmie, Vanessa, and I were all clamoring about the aurora but he kept it cool and safe for us on the road). There were so many cars at the trail head! Literally on both sides of the trail for half a mile down the road. We parked pretty early and got out, walking past all the cars still trying to find parking, which was a really good call.

We were blinded by headlights for a while before actually getting to the trail head, but finally we got out to where it was dark out and it. was. crazy.

You could see the aurora so clearly! There were parts that were barely colored, but there were definitely areas that were bright pink or green. It was really cool because the aurora was constantly changing, every time you looked up it was a little different, or there was a new light curtain. We spent about 20 minutes taking pictures and marveling, it was amazing but I also for some reason expected it to idk, feel like I was being spiritually blessed? Or unlocking my avatar chakra? but it was just a really beautiful sight haha

After we spent a decent amount of time gazing at the sky, we went back to the car, and I jokingly suggested that we get dimsum, but surprisingly pretty much everyone was down! So we spontaneously got dimsum at 2am on the way back home. I was so happy, it felt like undergrad energy again where you're just doing fun stuff with your friends and you feel unlimited.

We got back home and crashed into bed almost immediately.

What a wonderful day. I hope I remember it for a long time

[poesbeforeprose]

Chapter 3:

It took me all of fourteen hours to screw up. I was torn from my slumber in the middle of the night by Price. He had pulled me awake to give me a few orders before he, Soap and Ghost left. “Whatever happens, do not let Cadaver leave this house.” Before I could even for a rational thought that would develop into a sentence he was gone from the room. My heart began to hammer against my ribs. Was he serious? Did he not know who she was? Did he not know who I am? “Price I…” I began to plead. I leapt from my bed and pulled the door free to see an empty hallway and a dead quiet house. God dammit. Hours had passed and I didn’t get another wink of sleep. Instead, I just lay in bed waiting for the sun to break but I heard the creak of a floorboard across the house. I bolted upright as she opened the door. I pulled my cover across my chest as I had been lying there shirtless and in boxers. “Where did they go?” Is all she said. “Hmm?” I said sleepily. “Who?” “Price. Soap. Ghost. Where are they?” Her voice was cold, venomous. I sat up a little more, really playing into the exhaustion I portrayed. “Not sure. They left before I was awake.” She slipped through the door and was a foot from the bed, “Bullshit. They went after Sokolov.” “I’m not sure who that is.” Nyx was hovering over me, bloodlust in her eyes. “Don’t lie to me. I know Price told you.” I’m not sure if it was the sultry yet demanding overtone in her voice but I couldn’t help but stare at her agape. My eyes met hers; pools of dark caramel that reflected bitterly in this beautiful sunlight. I could see her heartbeat through the pulsing vein in her neck. It curved up her nape and disappeared into the wash of her raven colored hair. To say I was aroused by this woman was an understatement, but the important part was that she was inches away from murdering me where I sat. I blinked slowly, “Nyx.” “Stevenson.” She corrected. “Stevenson. Okay. Look, I don’t know what the Captain has told you. I’m not your enemy here. I can honestly say he told me nothing. I give you my word.” Her eyes flicked down my chest to where my heart lay. I could tell she thought about how much force it would take to rend it free from my ribcage and dangle it above my face as I bled out. Watching her eyes trace my future corpse was like watching a viper eye it’s prey before striking. “Piss on your word. It means nothing to me.” She turned from me and stormed away. As she did so, I couldn’t help but allow my eyes to fall on her curves as she left. Even though she was barely over five feet tall, her commanding presence took up the entire room. Her hips tapered away into firm thighs and chiseled calves. I’m not sure if she meant it, but there definitely seemed to be a sway in her walk as she left; smooth, precise, and calculated. I exhaled quickly when I heard she was safely down the hall. I looked down the length of my chest thinking of how I was seconds away from death. Further down, past my navel, I had become fully erect from fear and then, embarrassment.

———

I managed to avoid her for most of the morning. I was also extremely careful to give her plenty of space as we navigated this open house together. At one point, I wanted to take a shower and made sure that she was nowhere to be found. She doesn’t leave this house. I heard Pierce say again. I held my hand on the curtain and waited for any sound from outside. Nothing. I left the bathroom and crept through the house actively listening to anything. “Stevenson?” I finally said. No answer. I reached the living room and there she was sitting in the chair motionless. Her leg seemed to be propped up on the rest in front of her. Her head held back against the headrest.

“Stevenson?” I said again, softer this time. I couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not. I slowly approached her and called out her name again. When I was finally close enough, I realized the true reason I was here. Beneath the cold and sharp exterior, I looked down at her legs to see a dark stain around her right lower leg. “You’re hurt.” I whispered. Suddenly, a pistol appeared from her hip and was tightly gripped in her hand. “Excuse me?” My nerves ran ice cold. It wasn’t until now that I had ever had a gun pulled on me. Her right index finger gingerly caressing the trigger. My throat closed around the fact that I was only a few ounces away of a squeeze with death. “Your leg. What happened.” The gun was still trained on me. I almost felt my feet once turning to slush began to root in their spot. Her eyes flicked open slowly, “Nothing. I fixed it myself. I’m fine.” So many insults I wanted to hurl at her, but knowing a piece of lead could be buried in me at any moment made me quiet. Still, something in me burned to push forward. The hollow feeling twisting in my guts began to solidify and my sweat broke across my forehead. “I’m sure. I just, want to make sure how good you did.” Her dark brown eyes fell on me again, I felt a shiver run down my spine. That look of bloodlust again and I could barely make out her finger twitch. “Please Stevenson.” I said. My voice slowly moving from quiet pleading to firm dominance. Even as I said it, it had been so unlike me to be aggressive. That feeling in my stomach slowly churning and burning into a spike in my lower abdomen. We held a gaze for a moment, and I finally saw her eyes begin to falter. Now or never, I would have to seize my moment with her. “I’m thousands of miles from home. I wasn’t told any details about why I was brought here. Price woke me up at the crack of dawn and I miss my cat.” I spat. It all fell out of me like a curse. She raised a single eyebrow at me. I lowered my hands from their submissive state. “Let me fucking help you. Please.” The silence returned to the house and the sunlight broke through the window. It fell on me enough that something changed in her face. She lowered her pistol and adjusted her leg. When the tension finally broke, I went back to my room to get my kit. When I returned, she was lying back on the chair further and had her leg fully resting on the small seat before her. I pulled up another chair and sat down less than a foot from her and began to dig through my bag for supplies. After I had pulled some gauze free, I looked down at her pant leg. “I uh, wait.” I didn’t have the nerve to ask her to outright strip down for me. Although my mind had the intrusive thought to really tempt the viper lying prone next to me. In that brief nanosecond, my brain shot several images across my eyes that ultimately ended in my death. Thus I decided to fall silent and just gesture at her pant leg. I closed my jaw and began to carefully roll it up her leg. She tensed. It was further up than I expected. “I’m sorry. I uh…” I started to mumble but she just looked down at me. Her eyes went to the ceiling as she unhooked her belt and unbuttoned the top of her pants. I quickly spun away from her to give at least a little privacy and decency. When all was quiet again, I turned slowly back to her, and my breath caught in my throat. She was stunning. Although her eyes were closed now, every part of her was battle hardened and sleek. My eyes danced across her bare skin with furious excitement. I swallowed hard against the bitter pill in my mouth. Her single leg had been effortlessly pulled free and was resting upon the seat. The other half was still dressed with her torn pants. Her waist had beads of sweat lingering around her navel as she pulled her tank top down. This caused my eyes to turn away quickly. I realized I had hungrily devoured every inch of her in moments and yet I was still famished. I cleared my throat. “Okay, let’s see the damage.” I said jokingly.

———

The process itself was done in minutes. My hands flew across her with deft precision as I mindlessly talked her through the procedure. I calmly asked her questions about herself but strayed from prying too much. I had to commend her on her thoroughness. She had dressed the wound itself as efficiently as she could have. Doused bourbon over herself to cut the infection, used a mix of torn bandages and perhaps her shirt sleeves as wrapping. The most impressive part was that she had used what appeared to be fishing line as stitching. “This is so good Stevenson. Did you do this last night?” I asked. “About a day and a half ago. Price must have known something was wrong with me.” She muttered. Her arm covering her head. She had been taking drinks of bourbon as I worked to dull the pain. “Ah. I see.” I clipped the line free to clean the gash out more. “Known him long?” She flinched as I swabbed the wound for her. “A few years now off and on.” I smiled, “I get that. He seems like a father figure.” I didn’t think anything of it at first but then I saw her face grow cold again. Okay, don’t bring that up I mentally told myself. A few minutes passed as I was wrapping up her leg. Carefully passing the gauze around her thigh, under her leg, and around again. Something about this motion was so tantalizing I almost forgot to make sure the bandage was relatively tight. I was too focused on not allowing my hands to not drift higher up her legs without permission. God I wanted her permission so bad. I mentally scolded myself and she noticed. “Something wrong?” I looked up to see her eyes meeting mine. I smiled as sincere as I could, “Not at all. We’re all done.” “Good.” She stated and, in a rush, pulled her pants back on and sat upright in a smooth motion. I held up my hands still holding the gauze in my off hand. “Easy! Easy. You’ve got to let yourself heal.” “No.” Nyx said, her eyes swaying across my face. My smile faded, “Seriously? Is this what you do? Get hurt, patch yourself up and try to rush back into combat?” She glared at me as if I twisted some knife, I didn’t know I held. “Excuse me?” I sat up on the seat. She was still taller than me by a small margin in this seated position and I felt my voice become matter of fact with her. “Stevenson, your leg is hurt. A vital artery was missed just barely and you’re wanting to get back out there? I admire your tenacity but for fuck sakes, give yourself a break.” She recoiled as if I had slapped her. Then her eyes narrowed again, “My men need me.” “And if you don’t get lucky again? What then? Are you trying to prove you’re as strong as them? Regardless, this is a serious wound and you have to rest. You won’t mean shit to them if you’re dead.” Her lips curled into a snarl, “I’m stronger than them. I’ve survived this long.” Something in me finally snap. I threw up my hands in defeat. “Fine. Cadaver is a helluva callsign for you to have but I don’t want you to end up one.” Her face curled as if to quiz me. She scanned my face, my eyes, poring over every part of me trying to chip through. I held her gaze and my breath. “You don’t know me. You don’t have to care.” Although I wanted to roll my eyes, I stared deeply into the pools of amber she possessed. “I do care. I care about every soldier that I can help. Even if I didn’t care, I know Simon does at least.” Her hand flashed across my cheek before I had a chance to react. The strike dazed me for a moment and then we were staring at each other in silence. Without another word, she left and slammed her bedroom door shut. I didn’t flinch at all. I could still feel every finger on my face.