#my brain is fried this turned into such a long chapter

[flywolfwriting]

TMITDE Ch 16

Lucifer still sat in the chair previously occupied by his daughter, head in his hands, when Alastor left to go find her. Lucifer had offered, but both Hartfelts insisted it would be best for her adoptive father to bring her home. Lucifer knew Alastor was hurt by her words no matter how well he hid it, but he trusted the man - despite learning such a terrible thing about him.

Rosie began clearing their plates, half-eaten dinner already growing cold. Lucifer looked up. “Oh, let me help with that,” he said, jumping up, only to be stopped in his tracks by a firm look.

“Now what kind of host would I be if I allowed you to work? You sit right there and relax.”

Her tone was so firm Lucifer hastily obeyed without even a token argument.

“What would you like to drink?”

Lucifer blinked at her. “Oh um,” he paused. He'd been about to say ‘water,’ but given the night's events, and that it wasn't likely to get any better, he said, “I'm sure Alastor has some of that good Rye somewhere; I'll have a couple fingers of that, if it's no trouble?”

Rosie’s eyes glittered and for some reason Lucifer felt he'd said something wrong. “No trouble at all, darlin’!” She said cheerfully, quickly pouring him a drink and placing it before him. “You two been friends long?”

“Erm, I don't know the correct answer to that,” he said. “I don't want to end up dead.”

She laughed. “Oh I won't kill you, silly! The correct answer is the truth.”

He eyed her. “No offense, ma'am, it's not you I'm worried about.”

Rosie paused her washing and turned to look at him, her sharp smile sending a chill down Lucifer’s spine. “You should be,” she said sweetly, and it was eerie how much she sounded like Alastor had earlier that night. “Alastor is not the only killer in this house, and I specialize.”

Two. There's two serial killers in New Orleans, and nobody knew. Lucifer swallowed hard. Took a drink. Drummed his fingers on the table. And I'm sitting in their fucking house. Willingly.

“If I wanted to leave, would you let me?” Lucifer asked.

Rosie's smile returned to a more genuine look. “Oh of course I would, sweetie. Alastor says you don't belong on the List, and he does his research. Besides, if he planned on killin’ ya he would have done so by now.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Lucifer asked wearily. “Surely it would be better for me to know as little as possible.”

“I suppose.” Rosie turned back to the sink. “I don't think you're going to turn us in.”

Lucifer sighed. She was right. He should. The police would believe him, and he'd get his daughter back - and in the process he'd probably lose her. Even if she escaped the law itself he didn't think she would forgive him for sending the people who raised her to what was sure to be a death sentence.

They were quiet for a while, Lucifer sipping his Rye while Rosie finished the dishes and settled across the table with her knitting.

“Soooo,” Lucifer said, deciding to ask about something that has been nagging at him. “Al said your marriage was one of convenience.”

She smiled up at him. “It is!”

“You don't… love each other?”

“Of course we do!” Rosie said without hesitation. “In our own way. Alastor is my best friend. The only constant in my life - until Charlie came along - and I would be absolutely devastated if something were to happen to him. We may not love each other romantically, but we will do anything to protect our family.” She looked up at him, serious as the grave. “Anything. Even if it means breaking our rules.”

Lucifer took a deep drink to hide his nervous swallow. “Rules?”

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[emotionoitme]

i didn’t know

i didn't know - skinshape

final part of don’t call my name

warnings: some fighting at the beginning, but it’s mostly just one big love and fuckfest, mommy issues, slight mention of disordered eating, carmy is a PERV!! unprotected sex throughout but what else did you expect, shower sex (water off for SAFETY), teasing, play fighting (like shoving), brat/brat tamer themes, f receiving oral, fingering, major voyeurism (while otp with richie because i have a crush on him), spanking (and mention of skin being red), slight dacryphilia, sexy pictures, face fucking (m receiving oral), he spits in her mouth, kind of rough handling (thank u dom carmy), but it’s sweet and sappy too, breeding kink oop, bittersweet ending, pls let me know if i missed any warnings my brain is fried from looking at this for so long.

wc: 21k - but tumblr has a 1k "block limit" so this chapter is broken into two posts

a/n: sorry that took me so long i took a grippy sock vacation lol. wow i am so excited for all of you to read this. and the only way i can apologize is with 21k words of the nastiest smut i’ve ever written. LET THERE BE LIGHT!!! (part two of this chapter will be linked at the bottom! no more waiting i promise!!)

playlist

knock knock 

he calls her name. 

she rolls her eyes, brushing out the tangles in her hair. “i need to talk to you.” his voice comes sternly.

she cracks the door, continuing to detangle. the plan was to ignore him, yet she can’t help but seethe at the fact that she had to deal with claire again.

“go talk to your girlfriend” her retort comes sharply.

“can you not start this shit?” his face scrunches.

“i’m not starting anything,” she defends, “you’re the one who keeps inviting that girl over here.” 

“she forgot her scarf,” he states, “she just came to pick it up. that’s it.”

the girl scoffs. 

“i’m sure she wanted a lot more than her scarf from you, carm.” 

“you-,” he rubs his forehead, sighing, “i told her that we’re together, okay?” his eyebrow twitches from the argument.

“you only told her that because she saw me in your shirt,” the girl argues stubbornly, “if i didn’t walk behind you, you wouldn’t have said anything.” she turns the shower on.

“yes i would have,” he contests, “and even if she didn’t see you, i’ve got these fuckin’ things all over my neck,” pointing to the dark purple hickeys that lay on his skin, “thanks for those, by the way. gotta go into work tomorrow like this.” 

she bites her lip to hide a smirk. 

he catches it and raises his eyebrows in response. 

“payback.”

“what?” he stutters, shaking his head. 

“those are nothing compared to what you gave me.”  

he scoffs and crosses his arms. tries to push away how roused he becomes when they bicker like this. 

“i didn’t hear any complaints while i was giving you them,” he counters. 

she rolls her eyes.

“can you get out? i need to shower.” 

“m’not done talking to you,” his eyes lock on her face. 

she puts her hand on her hip and scoffs, staring at him for a moment, studying his features. cursing how her body tingled from the argument. deliberating. 

“fine,” she concedes, threading her fingers under the hem of the borrowed shirt, lifting it up over her head to reveal her nudity. if he won’t leave, she’ll just shower anyways. 

carmen fights a groan at the sight, instead forcefully exhaling through his nose. 

she was right, the marks on his neck were nothing compared to the bruises littering her skin, trailing from her neck all the way down to her chest, ranging from red to purple to brown.

the girl turns to open the glass door of the shower, stepping in, watching as the man shamelessly admires her figure. she goes about her business as if he’s not there, submerging her head under the stream of water, carding her fingers through her hair to scrub her scalp. 

he’s not done talking to her, yet he can’t seem to remember what he even wanted to say, transfixed by her nude, wet body just feet away. she begins to hum a tune and lather up her hair with shampoo. 

carmen approaches the glass. 

“hey,” he tries with a knock, eyebrow twitching. something else twitching, too. 

she glances at him, suds dripping down the side of her face, sliding down her breasts. she smirks knowingly at the sight of his flustered face, pushing her chest out slightly before drenching her face underneath the water again. 

he knocks on the glass door again, jaw tightly clenched. she rubs the water out of her eye and turns to him, cracking the door of the shower open. 

“hm?” she questions, gazing up at him. 

“we gonna finish talking?” he asks. he looks angry, but she knows better. the way his chest puffs out. the way his jaw clenches in that certain way. he looks hungry, and she’s tempted to keep pushing.

“i can’t. i’m in the shower,” she bites down on her lip to refrain from smirking. 

“why-” a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, “why you being such a brat today, huh?” he strains, giving great effort to keep his gaze from trailing down. 

“because i want you to myself,” she bites, “i’m tired of sharing with claire.”

“will you knock that shit off? y’not sharing me with anyone.” 

“uh, i beg to differ,” her eyebrows scrunch, “you’ve been fucking around with her since i moved in.” 

“fucking around?” he scoffs, “she was getting her scarf.”

“there was the other time, too, carm,” she reminds him. 

“that’s because-” he lets out a sigh of exasperation, hand carding through his hair. “listen. she’s the last person i wanna be with. we just…weren't good together.”

“why not?” she presses 

“there just wasn’t…i dunno, sparks? it was like dating a friend.” 

“okay.” she’s still mad, but she likes the words that come from his mouth. because if she has one thing with carmen, it’s definitely sparks. 

“yeah?” he tries, leaning to see her face, “you know i’m yours, right?” 

“yeah. whatever.” she doesn’t want to concede, too fired up about claire coming back over. “you should’ve told me.”

“i knew it’d make you mad,” he defends. 

“not as mad as it makes me thinking that you invited her,” she scoffs, “fucking hate seeing that girl bat her eyelashes at you.” she lathers shampoo between her hands and begins to wash her hair. 

“yeah?” he raises his eyebrows, “feeling jealous?” 

“shut up.” she can sense the stupid smirk on his face. 

carmy’s concentration breaks, and his gaze flits down to her sudsy chest. fuck. he clears his throat before speaking. 

“didn’t know girls like you could get jealous.”

“girls like m-what? what is that supposed to mean?” she cracks an eye open. 

“means you’re too fuckin’ pretty to worry about that shit. so just lose the attitude.”

his answer catches her off guard. the pulsing between her legs catches her off guard too. so she just turns away from him, scrubbing her scalp with her soapy fingers and shutting her eyes tightly. 

he chides her name and pushes the glass door open further. 

she ignores him, soaking her hair under the stream of water, muffling his voice. her eyebrow twitches. 

carmy steps partially in and turns off the water, getting his shirt wet in the process. the girl’s eyes shoot open and she whips around to face him.

“what the fuck, carmy?!” 

“i need you to fuckin’ hear me.” his comes louder than he anticipated. “i don’t. want. claire.” 

she doesn’t even care anymore. his lips look so inviting, she thinks. his white shirt clings to his chest in the spot that got wet. 

she just looks at him for a moment. studies his frenetic expression. looks at his lips again. 

“are you gonna keep fucking fighting with me or are you gonna take that wet shirt off?” 

it takes him a half second of firm deliberation before he’s yanking his shirt over his head and pushing his sweatpants off. she grins as he roughly grabs her face and slams his lips against hers. 

he kisses her with a hungry frenzy, like he has something to prove.  

and they apologize to each other with their bodies yet again, as carmen lifts her against the cold tile and fucks her, coaxing and kissing and thrusting an orgasm out of her. 

he fucks her until it feels like all the hurting is gone. until she gets lovey and desperate for him. until he gets so worked up he groans promises about finding her in california and giving her a ring. 

by the time they finish, the water is cold and the girl begins to shiver. so the two quickly finish washing up and carmy wraps her in a towel. 

he retrieves one of his sweatshirts for her to wear, smoothing his hands over her arms to help warm her up. 

without many words exchanged, they decide to cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie together. she lays her head on his lap and he cards his fingers through her hair absentmindedly. exchanging tenderness to help mend the argument. forgetting feelings of jealousy and shortcoming and guilt. 

they cozy up in carmen’s bed that night, taking a moment before falling asleep to just lay staring at each other. joking softly, touching each other sweetly.

he asks her about california, and watches with fascination as she lights up telling him about the beach she grew up next to. tells him about how when things would get bad at home she would sneak out her window and spend hours swimming in the salty water. letting the waves lap at her skin. letting the sun kiss her better. how it seems so dangerous looking back at it, but as kid nothing ever seemed that dangerous. it felt like nothing could hurt you. 

carmy enthusiastically agrees with her. follows her memory with his own anecdote of when donna took him, mikey, and nat to lake michigan and little carmy got separated from everyone. how he would have otherwise panicked and ran around and made the situation worse, but it was such a beautiful evening. so he decided to just sit on a rock and watch the waves roll in. 

a big smile grows on the girl's face as he recounts the moment when his mom found him. how she threw her arms around him and cried. how he was too young to understand why she was so scared when it was such a lovely evening. 

she wraps her arms around his shoulders and their chests press flush together. she kisses his neck, and they stay quiet for a moment. 

“i wish i didn’t have to go back,” she whispers her admission.

“me too.” he keeps playing with her hair.

it’s quiet for a moment. there’s a heaviness that fills the room. 

“how long you gonna have to end up staying?” carmy asks softly, leaning away from her to study her eyes. her face. trying to memorize every detail. he doesn’t miss the way her expression falters at his question. 

the girl doesn’t answer, and her eyes become glossy. 

“shit,” he breathes. her eyes dart to his. “you’re not coming back, are you?” 

“my whole family is there,” she whispers, “my friends. there’s nothing for me here.” 

“really?” he scoffs, “nothing at all?” 

“don’t start, carm.”

“y’know i fuckin’ love you,” he harshly whispers. she flinches slightly at the word. it feels so much heavier without the haze of lust. 

“all we ever do is fuck and fight.” 

“that’s not true,” he argues. 

“it is.” 

the man lets out a sigh of frustration, studying her eyes. her face. her lips. 

“it just…it feels right with you,” his tone softens. 

she doesn’t say anything for a moment, and fantasizes about leaving everything behind and building something in chicago, no matter how much she had grown to hate the weather. she fantasizes about the man in front of her. how she wants to build a life with him. how makes her feel like no other man ever has.

it’s hard to verbalize as her mind racks back and forth, so instead she just leans forward and kisses him softly, fingers threading through the hair at the nape of his neck. 

carmy reciprocates hesitantly, mind racing with the things he wants to tell her. how he doesn’t care about the distance. how he’ll call her every night. how he’ll keep her room vacant incase she wants to come back. he softly groans into the kiss when she slips her tongue into his mouth, feeling her press her chest flush against his. it feels so good, but he knows it’s wrong to keep pushing the hard conversations away with more sex. 

the girl finds his hand and softly guides it under the hem of her shirt. carmen lets her, fingertips finding the softness of her skin. but when she tries to pull his hand up to her breast, he stops the attempt, fingers firmly pressing against her ribs. 

the girl whines against his lips, moving closer. 

carmy indulges in the taste of her for only a moment more before pulling back and saying her name. she ignores him, chasing his lips, hand moving to grasp his strong bicep. 

“hey,” he turns his head and her kisses land messily along his jaw, “c’mon.” 

she ignores him, knowing he’ll want to keep talking about california, pressing herself closer, wanting to indulge in the feeling of him without thinking about the end. 

he calls her name again, voice coming out strained. she can feel his erection pressing against her, and keeps peppering kisses along his jaw and face. 

“just make me feel good,” she begs against his skin, “please.”

carmen feels himself throb against her, wanting nothing more than to give in. knowing it won’t fix anything. knowing it’ll only complicate things more. 

“thought you said all we do is fuck and fight?” his fingers grip into her, jaw tightening, feeling his resolve begin to crumble beneath her lips. 

“mhm,” she breathes into his skin, “so fuck me again,” trailing her hand down his bare abdomen.

he grips her wrist before she can move any further down. her eyes come up to meet his, taking in the stern look on his face. 

“i know you wanna,” she breathes, a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips, “can feel you throbbing against me.” 

carmen harshly exhales, trying to keep his mind focused. she’s completely right, he thinks, he’s stiff as wood. but he has to stay strong, prove to himself he has control around her.  

“stop fucking around. i wanna talk to you.” his voice comes more sharply than he means. 

the girl stiffens at his tone, pulling away to sit up and retreat. he doesn’t release her wrist. 

“let me go,” she tells him. 

“no. we’re gonna fuckin’ finish this,” his eyebrows furrow, “i didn’t even know you weren’t coming back until now.”

“i don’t wanna talk about it anymore.” her throat feels tight. 

“no? just want me to make you feel better? that all this is to you?” he can’t help the harshness of his tone. 

“carm, i-”

“y’know i’ve never fuckin’ felt this way about anyone? never said ‘i love you’ to anyone but you?” his nose scrunches, eyes appearing glossy. 

“we’ve only known each other for a few weeks.” her tone comes hushed as her chest painfully tightens. 

“yeah, well, i know you enough to know that this is real. that i don’t even-” a sigh, “ i don’t want anybody else but you.” 

“everything you’re saying is just gonna make it harder when i leave.” her voice breaks. 

his furrowed brows soften at the sound, releasing her wrist. she says seated on the bed, trying to take deep breaths and stave off the hot tears that threaten to form. 

“fuck, i-” he pauses, harshly rubs his hand over his face, taking a moment before meeting her eyes again and saying her name. “i like you. a lot.” 

“i know. i like you too, carm.” she rubs the tears away harshly.

“so why can’t we just…enjoy it? while you’re still here? go all out on this?” 

she stares at him blankly for a second as a cue to elaborate. 

the man exhales and shakes his head, trying to piece together what to say. he can’t seem to find the words. she thankfully cuts in. 

“go all out on this?” she asks.

he nods. 

“like, you wanna be my fuckin’…. boyfriend?” 

carmen can’t help the small smile that flashes across his face at the title. he tries to turn his head to hide it but she catches it, playfully shoving his arm. his smile turns to a chuckle. 

“shut up,” she grins, wiping the last stray tear away, “you so wanna be my boyfriend.”

he bring his arms to rest behind his head, staring up at the girl with a lazy smile. he studies her smile. her pretty face. they way in which she’s leaned in closer. 

“fuck yeah, i do. you kidding me?” 

her eyebrows raise at how assertively he says it. her head falls back, and she begins to laugh. partially out of joy and partially out of disbelief. the sound is hearty and sweet, and carmy finds himself wishing he’d make her laugh more. 

the girl leans over him, smile still gracing her face, and she plants a tender kiss against his lips. 

carmen gazes dreamily at her as she sits back up and tucks her hair behind her ears. her face is flushed, and she’s wearing an expression he can’t quite read. they keep staring at each other silently. 

“this is gonna be a bad idea, huh?” she asks after a moment. 

“why?” 

“why wouldn’t it be?” her eyes take in his handsome face. she thinks about how hard it’s gonna be to leave. 

“well…i like you,” he clears his throat, “a lot. actually i’m kind of fuckin’ crazy about you.” 

her gaze softens at this. he continues. 

“and i’m very attracted to you. and we, uh… we have great sex…”

“yeah, we do,” she concedes, “these are all good points.”

“so then, you’re my girlfriend.” 

“carmy…” she sighs, pausing. thinking of what to say. “i don’t like it here. i’ve felt homesick for the past year. i’m really not coming back.” her voice is quiet.

“yeah.” he nods, clearing his throat, “i know you’re not.” he knows, but it’s still hard to be reminded of. 

“so, you’re gonna be okay with that?” 

“i mean…i’m not okay with it, but i’ll deal with it if it means we get to spend these next few weeks together.”

she thinks for a moment, studying his genuine expression.

“okay…but if we do this, we have to promise each other that we’re not gonna get too attached. i really don’t want this to be messy. i like you too much.”

“it won’t be,” he assures, although it feels more like a prayer than a fact. 

“okay,” she whispers, “then you’re my boyfriend i guess.”

his eyes light up a bit at this, and a boyish grin breaks his face.  

“nice.” 

“you’re stupid.” she laughs at his response, lightly shoving his chest again. 

he reaches up and shoves her shoulder back playfully. 

“you are.” 

she scoffs and goes to shove him again, harder this time. he catches her wrist and pulls her forward so she can’t. the girl lets out a yelp of surprise, splaying out over him, face inches from his. 

the simple display of dominance makes her feel dizzy, placing her free hand on his firm chest to center herself. 

“why you like fighting so much, hm?” he asks, his breath ghosting over her lips, “you’re always testing.” 

she tries to pull her wrist away, but his grip is firm. 

“cause you’re…sexy when you’re mad,” she admits, eyes drooping to his lips. 

“i’m sexy when i’m mad?” he has a slight mocking tone. 

“mhm.” she can’t keep her eyes off his lips. “if i worked at your restaurant, i’d probably mess shit up on purpose just so you’d yell at me.”

“jesus,” he lets out a laugh, rubbing his free hand over his face, “what, you like when i get a little rough you?”

“n-no,” she blurts out. the way she averts her eyes immediately reveals her lie.

“yeah, i think you do,” he grins. 

she goes to defend herself again, but shuts her mouth when she can’t think of anything to say. it is kind of true, anyways.

“shut up,” she pushes his face away from her gently, “or else i’ll break up with you.”

this makes him fully laugh. it’s a really nice sound. she watches the way his face crinkles with the big smile. when his laugh fades, he reaches for her chin and pulls her into a gentle kiss. she sighs into the feeling, settling her body closer to his. 

“m’tired,” she mutters into his lips, “you exhaust me.”

carmy rolls his eyes at this. “c’mere.” he says, pulling the sheets back for her. 

the girl slips in next to him and presses her back against his chest, resting her head on his bicep. 

carmy reaches behind him to turn off the lamp, then wraps his arm securely around her. he plants a kiss on her neck and nuzzles his nose into her hair. 

boyfriend. 

he could get used to the title. 

-

carmen gets home late from work on a cold night, late into november, crashing down onto the couch and basking in the silence of the apartment. 

it was a long day in the kitchen, followed by meeting with a contracting crew to update some structural components after hours. 

he had finally taken off after being there for almost 12 hours straight, begrudgingly leaving the renovations to be overseen by richie after having snapped at the crew for the third time. 

he hears soft footsteps padding down the hall, and opens his eyes to see his girlfriend. his sweet, perfect, sexy fucking girlfriend. and it’s like a breath of fresh air, especially after not having seen her the past few days. and she’s wearing a tiny pair of shorts with a crop top that barely covers the curve of her breasts. 

it’s like a reward, he thinks to himself, for all the bullshit he put up with today at the restaurant. 

“welcome home,” she greets, walking past the couch and into the kitchen. 

“hey,” he returns, eyes following her, gaze raking down her backside as she gets herself a glass of water. 

“how was work?” she’s oblivious to the way he’s hungrily looking at her, oblivious to how pent up he feels. 

“long,” he responds, eyes trailing up the length of her legs. 

she lets out a hum of acknowledgement, turning to face him and taking a long sip of water. she catches him watching her intently, his arm stretched out over the back of the couch and neck craned. 

“enjoying the view?” comes her tease.

“y’look good,” he defends. 

“yeah?” 

“mhm.” 

the girl sets her glass down and begins to saunter to the couch. carmen’s eyes follow her closely. 

“how good?” she stops in front of him. 

“good enough to eat.” a small smile twitches the edge of his lip. 

“yeah? wanna taste?” her hands come to her hips, and she pushes her chest out slightly. 

fuck. he shamelessly looks her up and down. this was getting to be dangerous territory. 

“do you wanna go to out to dinner this week?” he changes course, watching her brain stutter for a second. 

“wh-dinner?” 

he nods, resting his head against his hand. she pauses for a moment, studying his face. 

“where?” 

“wherever you want.”

“like…a date?” 

“mhm,” a smirk tugs at the edge of his lips, “cause you’re, uh…my girlfriend now.” 

a grin breaks her face. she thinks for a moment. 

“can we go to your restaurant?” 

“uh…yeah, i guess we can.”

“you guess?” she asks. 

“yeah, we can go. but you’re probably gonna get a lot of, uh…attention.” he admits hesitantly. 

“from who? your staff?” 

he nods. they would probably lose their shit seeing him bring in a girl to eat dinner with. not to mention a girl that looks like her. 

“okay,” she nods, “i’ll dress cute. you can help me pick.”

“yeah?” he likes the sound of that. 

“mhm. whatever you want.” 

carmen rubs his hand over his face then locks his eyes on her again. this girl is going to be the death of him. 

“c’mere,” he beckons.

the girl gently steps forward, standing in between his spread legs. his hand comes to the back of her thigh as he sits forward, gazing up at her with those big blue eyes. he looks so handsome, and she can’t help but place her hands on his face and lean in to kiss him. 

it’s gentle and sweet, and it only makes him want more, tightening his grip on her leg as she pulls away. 

“you taste minty,” she says softly, still leaning over him, stroking her thumb across his face. 

“you sure?” he’s fixated on her lips, “might wanna check again.” he definitely is minty from the nicorette gum he’d been chewing. but it’s worth a shot.

this makes her smile. and she does check again. decides it’s spearmint she tastes. 

before she can pull back, carmy pulls her forward to straddle him. she makes a sound of surprise, but leans into it, wrapping her arms around his neck and continuing to kiss him.

“missed you today,” he slips in between kisses.

“liar,” she smiles against his lips. 

his hands come to her hips, pulling her against him. 

“nah, it’s true,” another kiss, “couldn’t stop fuckin’ thinking about you.” 

“prove it.” she grinds against his bulge, making him tighten his grip. 

“lay down,” he growls, pulling away. there’s a dark gleam in his eyes. 

“or else what?” she challenges 

he grabs both sides of her thighs and stands up with her still straddling his waist, turning and dropping her back onto the couch. 

okay, he’s not in the mood for arguing anymore. good to know. 

carmen cages her with his arms and kisses her deeply before trailing his lips down her jaw, neck, collarbones, only being stopped by the neckline of her shirt. he glances up at her, and she eagerly takes it off. he smiles at the silent act of obedience and continues kissing down her body, barely giving any attention to her breasts before his lips come to her stomach. the girl huffs at this, and he pretends to not notice. 

“what are you doing?” she strains, watching as his lips come to rest just above the waistband of her shorts. 

“m’getting my taste,” he replies casually 

“carmy,” she chides, face becoming red and hot. 

“what?” his fingers hook her waistband, “you embarrassed or something?” another kiss on her hipbone. 

she is, inexplicably. and vulnerable and exposed and horny all at the same time. she hides her face in her arms instead of responding, feeling him slide the shorts down her legs, left clad only in a thin pair of panties. 

carmy hooks his arms around her legs and pulls her closer to his mouth, pressing slow, firm kisses to her covered mound.

the girl lets out a labored breath at the heat of his lips against her clit as he begins to place wet, open mouthed kisses on her covered pussy. her cotton underwear becomes damp with his tongue, and she arches into the feeling with a sharp breath in. 

carmy nuzzles the fabric and deeply inhales, letting out a low groan.

“ah- don’t do that!” the girl tries to clamp her legs shut out of embarrassment, but he holds them firmly in place and presses his face closer to her core, continuing to kiss and suck her through the fabric. 

“you smell good,” carmy defends. “and these are cute,” he snaps the band of her panties. 

she can hardly even process the statement before he starts sliding them down her thighs, bunching up the fabric and putting it in his pocket. 

“hey, you can’t have those,” she strains. 

there’s a delay in carmen’s response—too busy studying her soft pussy up close, lips gleaming with wetness, bundle of nerves twitching under his gaze. 

“i’ll, uh…make it up to you,” his eyes stay fixed on the glorious sight upon him. 

he leans in, flattens his tongue against her clit, and begins to gently lick. 

the girl gasps, and her hands fly down to grab his hair as she releases a whine of pleasure. 

the tantalizing licks to her clit are gentle. almost not enough. she tugs on his hair and tries to scoot forward, so he eases his tongue back. 

when his eyes flicker to her face. her skin is flushed, lip clamped between her teeth, and she’s looking at him hungrily. 

“y’so pretty,” he presses a kiss to her clit, “taste so fuckin’ good.” 

her head falls back and she breathes out sharply. it’s too much to keep making eye contact with him. the slow, teasing licks are the only thing she can concentrate on. 

“you gonna say thank you?” it’s more of a demand than a question, as he glides his finger over her entrance, collecting her syrupy wetness. 

“n-no,” she struggles, face hot and red. 

thank you, really? how embarrassing. 

his tongue flicks over her clit repeatedly, his finger dips inside of her opening ever so slightly. 

“no?” his lips close around her clit and he sucks, cherishing the sound of the first moan she allows to slip out. 

“mmm,” she whines in response, beginning to pant at the feeling of his mouth. 

“c’mon, be a good girl for me?” unlikely, but he asks anyways

“i am,” she argues, pulling his head towards her needy heat. he scoffs at this and continues to swirl his tongue around her clit.

“then say thank you.”

“carm, i’m not saying-ah thank you!” she cuts herself off with a moan as he sinks his finger inside of her. “y’welcome” he replies lowly, a smirk fighting to break his face. 

“shut up. i didn’t-mmh! …mean it like that.”

she sits up onto her forearms, watching him curl his digit upwards inside of her, trying to keep it together. 

“you’re so fuckin’ cute.” he growls, then dives forward to taste her again. his fingers curl rhythmically, tongue lightly swirling her sensitive clit, giving her barely enough stimulation to get by. 

“more,” she whines, bucking her hips up slightly. he gives her a disapproving glance, so she adds a “please”. 

“yeah?” he kisses her clit. 

she frantically nods her head, trying to scoot closer to the man, trying to buck her hips against his hand. 

carmen speeds up the pace of his fingers, sucking her clit into his mouth, free hand gripping onto her thigh. 

“yeah,” she moans, “fuck, you’re so good at that.”

he preens at the praise and swirls her clit with his tongue, beginning to lap at her pussy. when he adds a second finger she cries out his name.

the view above him in combination with how sweet she sounds leaves his cock pulsing beneath his denim. he reaches down with his free hand, undoing his belt buckle and unzipping his pants. he just needs a little something to keep him from fucking her into the couch. 

as he goes to wrap his fingers around his cock, he’s interrupted by the harsh buzz of his phone on the table.

the girl startles at this, and both of their eyes dart to the contact tag. 

fucking richie. 

he doesn’t stop the movement of his fingers, and leans back in to taste her again, ignoring the loud vibrations. he begins to softly stroke himself, groaning into her pussy. 

“do you need to-ah… to get that?

“no,” he replies sharply, “y’taste too fuckin’ good to stop.”

the girl whimpers at the sound of his voice. at how low and raspy and hungry it sounds. 

“let me taste,” her plead comes breathily. 

carmen nearly groans at her request, more than willing to happily oblige. he licks a long stripe up her pussy, collecting her slick on his tongue, then leans over for a kiss. the girl eagerly (and messily) accepts his lips, swirling her tongue around his own, tasting her juices. she tasted herself before off his fingers, but it’s so much better off his tongue. she moans appreciatively and holds the sides of his face, pulling him in for deeper, sloppier, wetter kisses. the vibration of the phone stops, and his fingers continue their pace, curling into her heat, beginning to produce a squelching sound from the slick of her arousal. 

“yes!” she cries into his lips, eyes nearly rolling back into her head. 

“so perfect, y’know that?” he punctuates his words with the thrust of his fingers, gently biting at the girl’s bottom lip. 

she’s only able to muster a moan in response, trailing her hand down her stomach to circle her neglected clit, babbling out a string of “yes yes yes yes.”

the phone vibrates harshly atop the edge of the table again, falling to the floor with a loud thud. 

“fuck!” carmen exclaims, ripping his hand out of his pants. he stops curling his fingers inside of her and leans down to angrily grab his phone. the girl lets out a cry of protest. 

“carmy m’so close, please,” she begs pathetically. grabbing at his arm. 

“be quiet,” he hushes her, scooting back down to his previous position between her legs, “can y’do that for me?” 

she nods eagerly, biting down on her lip. 

carmen answers the call with a harsh “what?” and rolls his eyes at the voice that blares through the other line. 

his fingers remain engulfed in her heat, and he begins to slowly curl them again. the girl lets out a sharp breath and he shoots her a warning look, mouthing a stern “quiet.”

he puts the call on speakerphone, then places it on her stomach, leaning down to softly lick her clit. the girls eyes widen in surprise. a loud voice begins to come through the phone. 

“-that he was going to do it anyways, but i said ‘no way, carmy would have a fuckin’ bitch fit if we didn’t ask!’ so don’t answer the phone all fuckin’ mad, it’s not my fault,” the voice at the other line loudly rambles. carmy lifts his mouth from her pussy to respond

“jesus, richie, just look at the fucking floor plan.” 

“you don’t think we tried that? the vents aren’t lining up with the floor pla- what is that sound?” 

carmy curls his fingers a bit faster, pressing his tongue flat against her clit instead of answering. the girl gasps, convinced her lip is going to start bleeding from how hard she’s biting down on it. 

his eyes flicker up to her, and she mouths a “what the fuck?” 

like an asshole, he just grins in response. 

“hello?? earth to asshole,” richie’s voice cuts in loudly, “what the fuck are you doing over there?” 

carmen pulls away from her pussy with wet lips. he looks pretty, she thinks, like he has lipgloss on or something. 

“m’eating dessert,” he responds truthfully. the girl’s faces grows incredibly hot. 

“you wh- dessert? what is it, is it good?”

“fuck, richie, you-” he sighs, “forget about the vents,” he begins to rub gentle circles around her clit, “just have them do the pipes and go home. and stop fucking calling me.” 

“you think i wanted to call you, you fuckin’ baby? it’s gonna be an extra $200 for them to come back tomorrow and…” he continues to ramble on. meanwhile the girl holds onto carmy’s shoulder, digging her nails in, trying to anchor herself. the feeling of his fingers plunging into her is incredible, and there’s an unexpected rush at the risk of being listened to. of being caught.

carmen laps at her pussy, then closes his lips around her clit and sucks gently. he keeps doing this rhythmically, curling his fingers up into her core, continually switching between gentle licks and slurping and sucking. it’s a particularly deep thrust of his fingers that make her release her lip from her teeth and cry out loudly.

“ah-!” 

carmy’s eyes dart upwards at the moan, watching as she claps a hand over her mouth in shock. 

“what the fuck was that?” richie’s voice sounds after a pause. 

carmen, without a care that they could be caught, continues eating the girl out, giving her a look that says “you are so getting it.”

“hello?? are you watching porn or something, you fuckin’ weirdo?”

he rolls his eyes at the accustation, why would he be watching porn while on the phone? 

“no, i’m not watching fucking porn, richie. finish the vents tomorrow, i’m not arguing about this anymore. goodnight.” he grows increasingly impatient, and it reflects in the quickened pace of his fingers. 

“wait, wait, one more thing-”

“fuck, what?!” carmen snaps. 

the girl lets out a sound of exasperation, coming up on a perpetual orgasm then being denied every time he removes his mouth. the pressure is growing to be unbearable, and she softly whines a “carmyy.”

“i know, baby, i got you,” he whispers back, barely loud enough for her to hear. he brings his mouth to suck on her clit again while richie continues yapping about the fucking vents. fuck the vents. 

carmy just watches the girl’s face, tuning out the voice from the phone. he studies how flushed she is—from her cheeks all the way down to her chest. how she seems like she’s barely holding on. how her legs begin to tremble. how she tries desperately to keep from making noise, pressing her lips together firmly, eyes screwed shut, breathing ragged. 

the wet, squelching sound from her pussy begins to sound again, juices flooding down his fingers, soaking his hand. it feels unbelievable and she begins to lose patience. 

“carm, hang up,” she cries, much louder than she means to. richie’s voice stops in its tracks. 

“are you f-what the hell are you doing?” he asks, “who is that?”  

“none of your fuckin’ buisness,” carmy snaps, “the central vent is the one that’s the most fucked up, so get it sealed and go the fuck home. and don’t fucking call me again.” 

“yeah, yeah, whatever. you have fun over there, assh-” carmy hangs up the phone and tosses it onto the floor. 

“what the fuck, carm?” she asks exasperatedly, face fully flushed. 

“you’re not very good at staying quiet.” 

“you were- ah!” she loses her sentence as he dips back down to swirl her clit with his tongue. 

“i was what?” he mutters into her wetness, slipping his free hand back into his pants. 

“you were doing that!” she cries, tangling her fingers in his curls.

“it feel good?” he laps at her cunt, rhythmically curling his fingers. 

“yeah,” she cries, “please don’t stop again. please.” 

a small smirk breaks on his face at how nicely she’s able to ask, even after being tormented with interruptions moments ago. he rewards her by continuing his steady pace, keeping everything constant, coaxing an orgasm out of her. 

he squeezes the head of his cock, stroking the length of it faster now. she tastes so good, and the sounds she’s making are so pretty, it’s easy to lose himself in the pleasure. 

she bucks her hips against his face, getting his nose wet. her grip on his hair tightens. her body feels hotter, hotter, hotter and-

“carm-!” she gasps, “fuck, baby, that’s so good. m’gonna cum. please keep doing that pleasepleasepleasebabyyesyesyes,” she babbles, grinding her hips against his face, practically riding his fingers which curl so deliciously inside of her. the man has to force himself to not stop and make a snarky comment about how cute she sounds when she’s all fucked out like this . 

with a final few curls of his fingers and another swirl of his tongue, she’s coming completely undone. her head falls back and she rides out the orgasm shakily. 

he bucks his hips into his hand with fervor, groaning into her pussy as he feels himself approaching an embarrassingly easy climax. 

she clenches around his fingers, and he wriggles them as deeply as he can, swirling her clit with his tongue. 

the girl lets out a cry, feeling herself be pushed far past her peak, hand flying down to grab his wrist. 

“ah-carm, s’too much.” 

“you can take it, yeah?” he growls, rutting into his hand. he’s so close. just needs to taste her for a little longer. there’s a hot pulse surging throughout his body. 

the girl’s breathing becomes loud, a rapid inhale exhale inhale exhale. 

at the labored sound, he takes some mercy on her and stops moving his fingers, focusing solely on lapping at her throbbing clit. his cock twitches in his hand, and with a few final frenzied pumps, he cums into his palm.

“fuck,” he groans, resting his head on her pelvis for a moment. the two of them bask in the post-orgasm high, catching their breaths. carmen’s jaw aches a bit. he plants one last kiss on her oversensitive clit, then pulls away, easing his fingers out slowly.

“kiss me,” she pleads breathily, feeling slightly dizzy from the orgasm. 

“yeah? wanna taste yourself again?” his voice is low, kind of raspy. 

she nods eagerly.

he leans over and, to her surprise, shoves his fingers in her mouth, swirling them around her tongue, making sure she gets every drop she left behind. the girl enthusiastically cleans his fingers, taking them deeply into her mouth. 

the moment he eases them out, he dives into her lips hungrily, shoving his tongue in her mouth, tasting the heavenly mix of her saliva and arousal. 

she grabs his face and licks her cum from the side of his lips, from his chin, gathering it before kissing him frantically again. 

“mm, thank you,” she mutters against his lips sweetly. 

“y’welcome.” he loves how she thanks him. 

the taste is intoxicating, and he’s tempted to lick her pussy again just so the both of them can continue to indulge. but there’s a sticky mess on his hand and the inside of his boxers, so he pulls away from her lips, and grabs a tissue from the box on the coffee table. 

the girl’s eyes widen in surprise as he eases his cum-covered hand out of his boxers.

“is that- did you..?”

he wipes the white substance off his hand, small small teasing the edge of his lips. 

“uh…yeah. that was, um… that was really hot,” he admits.  

“yeah, except the part where you put me on the phone with your employee.”

“nah…” he shakes his head, a smirk on his face, “i think you liked that.”

“wha-no i did not,” her eyes widen, “it was so embarrassing.” it was embarrassing, but it really turned her on—not that he needs to know that.  

“embarrassing?”

“yes, embarrassing! get that dumb grin off your face, it was!” 

this only makes him smile harder, beginning to laugh. 

“yeah? that why you soaked my fuckin’ fingers?” 

she sits up and reaches for her tank top, a bashful expression on her face. 

“no. that’s just because it felt good.” 

“you were squeezing me like crazy trying to stay quiet,” he continues to try and provoke her, liking how feisty she becomes. 

“give me my panties back.” the girl rolls her eyes and ignores his statement. 

“what panties?” he asks cluelessly. 

“carmy.”

“yeah, baby?” 

she scoffs and mutters a “whatever” before standing up and slipping on her shorts. pantiless. there’s a creeping blush on her face as she wonders what he even wants them for. 

“so, tomorrow?” he asks before she can walk away, “for our date?” 

she pauses, then nods. 

“but we’re not going to your restaurant.” 

“why not?” there’s a small smirk on his face. 

she gives him a look that says, because you just ate me out on the phone with the guy that would probably be serving us, dumbass, but stays quiet, beginning to walk to the stairs 

carmen lets out a chuckle, and stands to follow her after cleaning his hand off. he hooks the waistband of her shorts and pulls her back. hands coming to her hips to steady her, his chest flush against her back. 

“c’mon, don’t be like that,” he leans down to kiss her neck. she can feel his smirk against her skin, “you hungry? y’eat yet?” 

she shakes her head no, closing her eyes at the sensation of his kisses. 

“no you didn’t eat or no you’re not hungry?” he asks, nipping the skin below her earlobe. 

“both,” she exhales, leaning back against him, her hands coming overtop his. she suddenly notices how big they are splayed out over her hips.

“you haven’t eaten dinner yet?” he stops kissing her. 

“m’not hungry,” she breathes, “keep kissing me there.”

he removes his hands from her hips and steps back. she lets out a noise of disappointment and turns to face him with a pout. he doesn’t see this, though, already walking to the kitchen and turning on the light to make her something. 

“carmy,” she calls, following him, “it’s late. let’s just go to bed.”

he ignores her, opening their cabinets to retrieve a box of spaghetti. 

“hey,” she grabs his arm, leaning to meet his eyes, “come on. i wanna cuddle.” 

“we will. but i’m gonna make you dinner first.” his voice is firm. he pulls his arm away from her and reaches down to grab a pot. 

he’s so demanding. but the gesture makes her feel incredibly affectionate towards the man, so it’s hard to be mad at.

as he fills the pot with water, the girl snakes her arms around his waist and hugs him from behind, pressing herself flush against his back. 

“thank you,” she mumbles into his shirt, taking a deep breath of their shared laundry detergent. her hand sneaks under his shirt and she drags her fingers into the deep cut of his v line. 

carmen reaches his hand behind him, caressing her hip without saying anything in response. 

she pulls away after a moment and he puts the pot of water on to boil. 

“you eating enough?” 

his question catches her off guard. 

“i- what?” 

“you heard me.” he crosses his arms.

she stares at him for a moment, studying his tightly set jaw. the way it twitches a bit.

“yeah, i am.”  

“yeah?” he looks like he doesn’t believe her. 

and maybe she had been a bit forgetful lately, missing breakfast, oftentimes coming home too tired to make dinner and opting for a snack instead. she didn't think he had been so observant, though. 

“yes.” her tone is quiet. 

he just stares at the girl silently, striking blue eyes boring a hole into her. she crumbles under his gaze. 

“i’ve just been…stressed. i don’t know. haven’t had much of an appetite.”

“what are you stressed about?” 

“going back home i guess,” she admits quietly, shuffling on her feet. 

he doesn’t respond, giving her the opportunity to elaborate without pressure. 

“i just- it’s gonna be hard. y’know when i told you my mom and i have a complicated relationship?” 

he nods, and she continues. 

“yeah, that was like…understatement of the year.” 

he nods, a knowing look on his face. 

“yeah, no. i, uh…i know exactly what you mean.” he really does. 

“and um, she’s sick. like, not entirely there,” she points to her head, “so she gets really mean. but then she can also be the nicest, most motherly person. its just…really unpredictable.” 

it was almost uncanny, the way in which he pictures donna as she gives her description. 

“i, uh…yeah. i get it,” he clears his throat, “i’ve dealt with someone like that my whole life.” he intently locks eyes with her, wishing he could say more to alleviate her dread. 

“how did-how do you deal with it?” she asks quietly, after a moment. 

“i, uh…i don’t really?” he rubs his neck, letting out a sardonic chuckle, “i haven’t talked to her in…months probably.”

“really?” 

“yeah, i’ve, um…been kind of an asshole, actually. my sister is really the only one that deals with her.” 

“you’re not an asshole,” she locks eyes with him, “well, sometimes you are. but not cause of that. that’s more like a…i dunno, a defense response.”

he laughs at her bluntness. 

“so i am an asshole, just not for that?” 

“correct.”

“how am i an asshole?” 

“you’ve been trying to make me jealous since i got here.” 

“not trying. it actually worked very well.” he has a stupid smile on his face when he says that. 

“shut up!” she laughs, shoving her hands against his chest as hard as she can. he barely moves from it, grabbing both her wrists firmly with an amused look on his face. she struggles against his grip, trying to shake the feeling of arousal that comes with how easily he’s able to overpower her. 

“why’re you so fiesty, huh?” he grins, pulling her closer. 

“cause you’re a fucker, that’s why.” she tries again to pull her arms back, but to no avail. her face feels hot, and she becomes hyper aware of the fabric touching her skin, the hair on her neck, the tingle of the rough grip on her wrists. his face is much closer now, and she fights the urge to lean forward and indulge.

“yeah?” 

“mhm,” her response overlaps his. 

“what are you gonna do about it?” he mocks, “huh?”

her eyes flicker down his face. he has a stupid fucking smirk plastered on his lips. fuck, she wants to kiss him. 

an idea pops into her head. 

the girl leans forward, gently ghosting her lips over his own. her tongue darts out and she licks his bottom lip, then sucks it into her mouth and bites softly. then she gives him a soft and gentle barely there kiss. 

she feels his grasp on her wrist loosen, so she splays her hand over his chest. 

her lips hover over his for just a moment more, and then she shoves him. 

carmy stumbles back slightly, less prepared that time, hands coming behind him to steady himself on the counter. when he meets her eyes again he has a dark glint in his eyes. almost like anger, but hungrier.

the next thing she knows, he yanks her into his chest, grabs her hip and roughly bends her over the countertop. 

she just thinks to herself, finally. 

carmen tugs her hips back until her forearms fall to the counter and she arches her spine. until she’s flush with his pelvis and he’s pressing his achingly hard cock against her ass. 

“such a bratty fuckin’ girl,” his tone is rough, strained.  “you know that? fuckin’ had it with you.” 

“i’m n-” she cuts herself off with a gasp as he harshly tugs the waistband of her shorts up, wedging the fabric between her cheeks and giving himself a nice view of the supple skin.

“you’re what?” he smooths his hand over her ass, watching her arch into his touch. watching as she opens her mouth to say something, then close, staying silent and shuffling her hips against his groin. 

carmen lets out a groan—half frustration, half arousal, smoothing his hands over her hamstrings and firmly squeezing the soft flesh before trailing back up to her ass. 

“you doing this on purpose?” both hands grab her ass, kneading, pulling her closer against his hardness. 

no response. she can’t, not without moaning. 

“hmm?” he shoves his hips forward into her, “you trying to get a reaction outta me tonight? or are y’really just that fucking bratty?” the hand gripping her flesh squeezes harder. 

“i-mmh…that-…keep doing that.” she chooses to ignore his question. 

“answer me.”

still nothing. 

“you want me to spank you? cause that’s what’s gonna happen if you keep this shit up.”

his words make her stomach flip. of course she does. she hides her smile in her arms and stays quiet, pushing back into him. hoping he’ll stick to his words. 

carmen raises his hand, and cracks it down on her right cheek, grabbing the flesh immediately after to ease some of the sting. 

“ah-!” she grips the countertop, arching her spine. his hand leaves behind a hot, tingling sensation, flooding through her body like a wave. 

“y’okay?” he tries to sound caring but his tone comes out rough, heavy with arousal. 

“yeah.” better than okay. incredibly horny, actually.  “that hurt?” his hand smooths over the reddening skin. 

“no,” she shakes her head, pushing back against him again, “thought you were gonna spank me.”

she cranes her neck trying to get a look at the man. his pupils are blown, face is rosy, and when she meets his eyes there’s a dangerous glint to them. 

he wedges her shorts up higher, exposing more of her ass, then smacks her in the same spot without warning. harder this time. 

“fuck-!” she gasps sharply. it hurts, but in a way that has her pressing her thighs together desperately to try and get some relief. 

“can you take one more, pretty girl?” 

“yeah,” she whines enthusiastically, shuffling her hips back against his groin. 

“yeah? y’so tough, baby.” his voice has a slight mocking edge to it as he does everything in his power to not yank the shorts down her legs and fuck her into the counter. 

“just…shut up and do it.” she tries to mask her eagerness, but it doesn’t work very well. 

he scoffs, and rubs his large hand over her supple skin. when he feels her relax, he raises it and cracks down on her other cheek. 

she partially muffles the loud cry by biting down on her forearm, feeling a few tears begin to form in her eyes. 

“you have such a cute ass, y’know that?” he squeezes both of her cheeks in tandem, pulling them apart, pushing them together, “can already see the handprints forming.” his voice is low and rough.

“wh-really?” her brain feels fuzzy with desire as she tries to switch gears. 

“you wanna see?” 

she nods her head frantically, butterflies arising at the thought. 

carmen pulls his phone out of his back pocket and holds it over her, snapping a picture with a low groan. 

“look back at me,” he demands softly. 

she does, peering over her right shoulder to see him holding the camera facing her. the embarrassment makes her face feel hot, but she lets him take the picture anyway, looking into the lense with a small pout on her face. 

“so fucking pretty,” he growls, lowering the phone and clicking on the picture he took, admiring it for a moment before turning the phone so she could see. 

it was quite the picture—cherry red handprints over her round ass, shorts wedged up so far they look like underwear, the curves of her body accentuated by the angle. 

carmy swipes to the left and reveals the photo of her looking back at the camera, all flushed cheeks and pouty lips and misty eyes. she knows she should probably feel embarrassed, but seeing herself like that just makes the throbbing between her legs intensify. 

carmen turns off the phone and puts it back in his pocket. he leans over and grabs her face, studying her with furrowed brows before leaning down kissing her firmly. 

“you okay?” another kiss, “really?”

she nods, eagerly reciprocating the kiss, moaning a soft “mhm” against his lips.  

“didn’t hurt too bad?” his brows are furrowed, their movements beginning to quicken. she slips her tongue into his mouth and she begins to kiss him faster, losing herself in his lips. 

carmy reciprocates for a moment before muttering a gentle “hey,” pulling back a bit, “answer me.” his gaze flickers over the sheen on her cheeks, left behind from a few stray tears. 

her eyes flutter open, fighting the urge to not chase his lips. 

“it didn’t hurt,” she affirms hazily, “felt good. can you put it in? please?”

“jesus, christ” he groans, dipping back in for another kiss, “want me to fuck you? needy fuckin’ girl.”

she nods with a small, bashful smile and softly nips at his bottom lip, fighting the urge to bite harder. 

carmen straightens to his previous position behind her and slips his fingers beneath the hem of her bunched up shorts. he pulls them to the side to reveal her glistening pussy, letting out a sharp exhale at the sight. he’s about to reach out and touch her when she gasps.

“carm, the water.”

it angrily bubbles and pours down the sides of the pot, sizzling when it splashes onto the flames. 

“fuck,” he pulls away from her, quickly moving to turn off the burner. “stay right there.” 

and she would’ve, had another fucking phone not started ringing. 

the girl cries out his name frustratedly, just wanting him to come back over and fuck her brains out. 

“it’s not mine this time,” carmy defends, adjusting the tent of his pants. he’s so hard it’s almost painful, increasingly eager to get back behind her. 

she huffs and straightens, readjusting the uncomfortably wedged-up shorts as she follows the sound of the ringer. when she retrieves her phone from between the couch cushions, her heart drops at the contact name. 

mom.

in a single moment it’s like the air gets sucked from her lungs. her skin stops tingling with that warm heat, body stops buzzing with pleasure—all the good feelings flood from her suddenly. 

carmen wipes down the stove, drying the water that had boiled over before refilling the pot and turning the heat back on. his roommate talks in a hushed, urgent tone in the living room, and he tries to refrain from curiously moving closer and eavesdropping. curiosity almost gets the better of him, but a few more moments pass and he hears delicate footsteps approaching. 

he looks up, and catches the sight of her tear-streaked face. her big, sad eyes. a pit forms in his stomach. 

“everything okay?” he’s unable to hide the concern in his tone. 

she doesn’t say anything. she can’t. so she just rushes forward and crashes into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. 

“hey,” he soothes, tightly reciprocating the hug, “what happened?” he kisses the side of her head. 

it takes her a minute before she’s able to verbalize, just wanting to nuzzle herself as far into his chest as she can, wishing she could just disappear into him completely. 

he says her name, pulling away slightly to get a look at her sweet, sad face. “what’s goin’ on, huh?” 

“i’m going back next week,” it’s hard to make eye contact with him, so she looks to the side with blurry vision. 

“what?” it’s like a punch in the stomach. 

“i-…my mom,” she sighs exasperatedly, “she’s just getting worse,” at this point the tears stream down her cheeks. 

he cups her face with both hands, wiping them away with his thumbs. he just stares at her, not knowing exactly what to say to make this shitty situation better. 

“i’m-….fuck, i’m sorry.” he puts his forehead on hers, “m’so so sorry.” he doesn’t know exactly what he’s apologizing for—the state of her mother or the dread of her sudden departure. either way, there’s this overwhelming feeling of loss trying to wrap his head around how soon next week really is. 

“m’gonna go to bed,” she mutters, tightly closing her eyes to stop the flow of tears, nose brushing against his. 

“you don’t wanna eat with me?” 

she gives a small shake of her head, having lost her appetite at the news. 

carmy wants to push it. but she just looks so tired and sad, he figures it’s better not to. his hand comes to the back of her neck, and he pulls her into a bear hug, kissing the side of her head. 

“go wait in my bed for me,” another kiss, “i’ll be up in a bit.”

“i need a shower,” she mutters into his neck, “you made me all…sticky.”

he can’t help but let out a humorous exhale, finding a small bit of relief from her words. 

“yeah? sorry about that.” he has a soft, barely there smile on his face. 

“you know i love you, carmy?” 

her quiet confession stops his train of thought. stops the noise of it all. it kind of feels like it even stops his heart, just for a second.

it was something she hadn’t yet said to him without the hazy high of lust. something she had been waiting on until it felt real. 

carmen eases away from the tight hug, getting a good look at her face. she’s entirely genuine, brows furrowed and eyes glossy, searching his expression for reassurance. he dips forward and kisses her softly, hand caressing her cheek. 

“i know,” his thumb traces along her jaw, “i love you too.”

she turns her head to the side and kisses his hand.

“you gonna come to california with me?” she softly bites his thumb. 

“yeah, baby.” he nods. it’s a lie, and they both know that. 

sometimes it’s easier to fantasize about what could be than accept what never will. 

-

it’s far too late into the night by the time carmen has eaten and showered. he blearily trudges down the hall and pushes his door open. and like a breath of fresh air, there she was. cuddled up in his blankets, face buried in his pillow. it feels incredibly domestic, and he finds himself wishing he could come home to this every night of his life. 

carmen eases into bed slowly as to not wake her, shuffling his body against hers. then he just watches her for a bit. 

he watches her chest rise and fall. watches the way her lips slightly part with her heavy breaths. she looks so peaceful unconscious, like there isn’t a worry in the world. 

he thinks about how selfishly he wants to keep that placating expression on her face. wants to keep her to himself. thinks about how selfishly he wishes she didn’t even have a family to return to—how fucked up is that?  it’s almost surreal, staring at her sleeping form, mourning her loss while she’s still in front of him. tangible and soft and beautiful and sleeping right there. 

carmen reaches out and strokes her cheek at the thought, then leans in to press a gentle kiss to her resting lips. it doesn’t make him feel better like he thought it would. 

he turns off the light and pulls her in close. 

-

pt 2 of i didn't know

[catsannie]

IM JUST EMBARRASSED

SYNOPSIS~ when your friends reach out saying you need to be more “social” and need to talk to more people, your friend tells you she “knows a guy” for you to get aquatinted with, what she didn’t tell you is he’s in another country and doesn’t speak the same language. will this work out?

AUTHORS NOTE ~ heyyyyy guys im starting to get back into writing this again, ive just been so busy 😔 but i hope yall enjoy this chapter! i apologize if its boring and if its ass😭, im still getting back into the hang of things

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Putting down her phone defeated, y/n looks over at the character that has been idling on her island. ‘why did i have to say i only knew animal crossing, i could have lied. or tried to change the conversation to something else.”

As she was about to turn off the switch a buzzing came from the couch. Looking towards the phone, it was yeri.

“Hey yeri, what’s up?” Y/N asked while trying to put everything away.

“you’re never going to believe who i got a message from!!” she squealed. Knowing yeri it was either a new guy she was talking to, or seunghun and yonghee trying to get her help on something.

“i don’t know yeri, was it seunghun telling you he got his foot stuck in a pot again?” Y/N asked. Knowing seunghun it was a possibility. “cause i can’t deal with having to put butter around his ankle because he’s too afraid to break the pot.”

“uhhhhh no, it was San!” Yeri exclaimed. “ he felt bad with how the conversation went and wants to try again!”

With a sigh, Y/N sat back down on her couch, ‘San? feel bad? why would he feel bad?’ does he just want to feel bad cause he can? or is there another reason. “Yeri, why does he feel bad? i should be the one feeling bad, cause clearly animal crossing wasn’t the greatest answer to give him.”

It was embarrassing. Since he clearly didn’t play the game or possibly like it. But there are more conversations to have that does not involve video games that neither of them play… for certain reasons.

“It is just who he is as a person Y/N. He feels bad that he asked a stupid question and didn’t ask a more straight forward one. He was also nervous.” Yeri Added. Y/N could hear some shuffling from the other end of the phone, yeri was either fidgeting because she’s nervous or getting onto her couch.

At this point, she was willing to play the long game. Test out the waters with San and see where things go. It could either go good and she learns the language, or it goes bad like all the other men she’s talked to in the past.

“Fine Yeri, if that’s how he feels about it i’ll send him a message tomorrow. I just want to turn off my switch and watch some tv. My brain is fried.” Y/N chuckled while picking up the switch controller.

“Your brain wouldn’t be fried if you went outside instead of playing animal crossing all day. But anyways, i’ll talk to you later i think seunghun actually got his foot stuck in a pot.” Yeri sighed while abruptly hanging up.

It was a normal occurrence for their friendship, Yeri being the sweetheart of them all. She sees the good in everyone, it doesn’t matter if you screwed her over in the past. If there was one person Y/N could trust with her life it was Yeri.

Looking at the time on her phone, Y/N stands up and cracks her back.

“yeah it’s about time i get my ass off this couch and do something.” Y/N mumbles while turning off the console.

Tomorrow will be the day she reaches out to San again to have an actual conversation.

TAGLIST~

@tiddygang2020 @1lovejinki @astrid-potato @potatos-on-clouds @staytinyluv

[smut-anarchy]

Own Me - Chapter Four

Tags: Dom!Mattheo, Gryffandor!Reader, Cursing, Blackmail, Anxiety!Reader, Dubious Consent, Spanking, Language, M**blood Slur

Word Count: 4,187 Words

Chapter Four: Reaping Rewards... And Punishments Too

How did my life turn into this?

After kissing you stupid in the broom closet Mattheo only interacted with you during classes. You were thankful for the break from him, your neurons still fried from his amazingly wicked lips. You felt lost, there was the part of you with hatred for his arrogance and the manipulation he’s put you through. But smaller, growing part of you was feeling the sweltering heat of lust, an ache not only wanting a repeat of the kiss but even more than that.

You’d only shared two other kisses in your time at Hogwarts, one an extremely awkward moment between you and Neville Longbottom during a game of truth or dare in your third year. Needless to say, it had been nothing you were interested in repeating with the fellow Gryffindor, and it took a year and a half for Neville to make eye contact with you again. The other had been a simple cheek kiss from Harry after giving him some valuable information you’d known of the Hungarian Horntail dragon he was set to face during the Triwizard Tournament in your fourth year, and though pleasant it hardly awakened any feelings inside you the way Mattheo had with his teeth and tongue.

On Friday night, your owl, a barn owl you affectionally named Hootie-Pie, flew into your room with a black paper bag and a green envelope. Softly petting her soft feathers and cooing a thanks to her you accepted the bag, tearing open the letter immediately. 

Halloween party tomorrow - 7PM. You’re serving drinks, Kitten. 

Part one of your punishment is in the bag.

M.R.

You felt your stomach plummet, terrified of what punishment could be in the bag. To your horror it was a black velvet strapless bodysuit with matching elbow length gloves, a cat-eared headband, a cat tail attachment and a chunky collar with a comically huge bell and large green tag that said ‘Kitty’. You didn’t know where Mattheo could even get something this tacky or racy, but you were pissed. 

Your rage only grew further when you’d slipped the costume on an hour before the party, that fucker had charmed the ears and tail to twitch and sway like a real cat, the movements being attuned to your mood. 

This was only part one of your punishment, so the logical part of your brain pleaded with you to behave tonight. You often had to remind yourself that Mattheo held your future in his cruel hands while you dressed in the costume, only adjusting it to add some long black thigh high stockings to give you a semblance of covering. 

You’d worn your robes down to the Slytherin common room, not willing to risk being caught by a professor or Filch in such an indecent costume. When you got close enough you saw Theo leaning casually against the wall, a mischievous glint in his eyes upon seeing you.

“Piccola leonessa, I’ve been asked to retrieve you this fine evening.” He greeted, doing a small bow in front of you. You couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at the ridiculous image of the tall boy bowing to you, his joke slightly setting your nerves at ease. 

“Such a gentleman, Nott.” You grinned, “Maybe I got stuck with the wrong Slytherin.” He chuckled, his eyes dropping to look you over. 

“I wouldn’t say that too soon Piccolina. The robes, I’ve been told to take them from you.” He held his hand out expectantly, giving you a playful lopsided grin. You scowled back at him, but nonetheless shrugged off the fabric providing you coverage and dropped it into his awaiting hand. You refused to let any shame grow under his inspecting eyes, straightening yourself and sliding your hand to your hip in a challenging pose.

Theo let his eyes wander over your figure shamelessly, a whistle coming out of his mouth as he stared appreciatively, “Merda, you look good enough to eat.” 

Theo’s reaction was definitely a confidence booster; You felt weirdly naked without one of your chunky sweaters, not used to showing as much skin as you were. Still, you steeled yourself, embracing the boldness within so you could get through this night.

“Thank you, Nott, though I can hardly take credit. Mattheo picked it out.” You mused, growing more brazen under Theo’s gaze. 

“Remind me the thank him then.” He mumbled, his eyes finally reaching back to yours, the steel grey orbs filled with heat.

“Not that I mind the attention but don’t you and your little friends have a rule about mixing with mudbloods, Nott?” You wondered aloud. Since you and Draco’s little tiff the question has been on your mind, as long as you’d been serving Mattheo no one else had elected to use the word to you or in front of you. 

“The only one that cares is Draco,” Theo chucked, “And that’s mostly because he can’t handle that he wants to fuck Granger but has to settle for Parkinson. The rest of us enjoy our muggle relations studies from time to time.” Your mouth dropped open in shock.

Oh Godric,  I can’t believe Luna was right!

“You bunch of sluts!” You’d gaped, the information far too mind blowing for your brain. Theo laughed, amused by your astonishment. 

“Well then,” He cleared his throat, “Shall we, piccola?” He outstretched his arm to you. You rolled your eyes, but looped your own through his. He spoke the password and the door appeared, Theo accompanying you down the stairs. 

“So be honest,” You started, “Am I the only one in costume?” Theo wasn’t wearing one, if you were you going to have to fight embarrassment all night long.

“No, everyone is wearing a costume.” Theo answered, his voice betraying his laughing smile. 

“But you aren’t wearing one.” 

“I have a mask, I’ll put it on later.” You nodded. The closer you got to the common room the more your nerves started to rile up in your body. Theo, somehow sensing your unease, stopped right before the opening. 

“A word of advice, leonessa?” Theo offered. You shook your head at him, with the bundle of nerves in your stomach you’d take any advice. 

“Behave tonight. Make him happy and he’ll reward you.”

Your face scrunched up at the thought, making Mattheo happy seemed impossible, there was no telling what the unpredictable boy wanted from you. However, the prospect of a reward was enticing, you looked at Theo with curiosity, lips ready to ask questions. The Slytherin must have anticipated this, ushering you into the full common room with an impish grin.

You followed Theo through the throng of people, the seemingly endless waves of people parting for him with ease. He led you to the couches in the middle of the room where the group had set up for the night. Enzo, dressed as a pirate, was filling up two fire whiskey shots. Next to him was Blaise, who opted for his quidditch Jersey over a traditional costume. Across for them sat a bored looking Draco, a silver crown atop his head and a green fur cape around his shoulders, across his lap was a laughing Pansy Parkinson, matching his price costume with a princess costume of her own. 

Between the couches, lounging on a green armchair was Mattheo, a white button down shirt with splatters of red stretched across his lithe and muscular torso, a red tie loosely around his neck. When he noticed you and Theo he smiled, revealing two fanged teeth. 

He’s a bloodsucker alright.

“Well, don’t you look fucking bitable, Kitten.” He welcomed. His voice broke Blaise and Enzo from their discussion, their eyes landing on you.

“Holy shit!” Enzo gasped, his eyes rapidly roaming over your costume. Blaise nodded in agreement, looking over you with subtle interest. 

You felt your body warming in a flush, their attention and appreciative looks making you feel bashful. You forced yourself to walk with confidence, nodding greetings at everyone, even Draco and Pansy who elected to huff and turn their noses away at you. 

“I’m glad you like it sir, thank you so much for picking it out.” Mattheo’s dark orbs gleamed in satisfaction. Theo’s words echoed in your mind — behave tonight, get a reward. 

Though the other boys eyes had wandered on your body, taking in your formally hidden curves and skin, it hadn’t sent chills over you the way Mattheo’s was. Mattheo’s gaze slowly crawled up your body, from your heels to your faux ears, his observing, dark irises licking lustful paths of heat on every inch of your skin.

“You’re being so good today, Kitten.” Mattheo praised, his approval sending a spark of yearning into your gut. 

Merlin, if he complimented you like this all the time you’d be a gooey mess.

“You wanted me to serve drinks?” You questioned, hoping to get away from his eyes and the seductive powers they held over you. 

Mattheo nodded, pointing at a little alcove to the left where stockpiles of alcohol sat. “Do a couple laps and then come right back here. I’ll be paying attention so no funny business tonight.”

You chirped out a cheerful, ‘yes sir!’ and skittered to the table, filling a nearby tray full of as many shots as you could carry. Your eyes were on the prize of whatever kind of reward Theo hinted at, so you’d smiled at everyone, offering them a drink. Most of the partygoers didn’t recognize you, which was made apparent the more you’d walked around. Many of the pureblood supremacist students accepting drinks with thankful nods or lustful comments towards you. Still, you ignored everything, taking it all in stride and making several loops around the room until most of the bottles had emptied. 

When you figured Mattheo would be happy with your work, you weaved your way through the bodies back to the couch area. Breaking past the crowd of people you’d found him, though it was no longer only the usual group surrounding him. Leaned over his chair with her polished claws gripping the armrest was Daphne Greengrass in a fucking angel costume.

Yeah fucking right, if she’s an angel I’d rather be in hell. 

Mattheo looked as bored as Draco did, though Draco was at least partially entertaining Pansy with a few words here and there for the gossiping Slytherin girl. Mattheo looked as if he was completely ignoring the girl, his eyes searching the crowd. 

When he saw you approaching his smile appeared, face alight in interest. “There you are Kitten, you did so good tonight. I’m almost impressed.” You couldn’t help but preen under the compliment, a slight blush finding its way to your cheeks.

Godric, if he keeps this up this might not be so bad.

“What are you doing here lion, wander into the snake den on accident?” Daphne’s voice cackled, her face contorted with malice. You could feel your temper rising, the fangs of your anger ready to tear into the girl.

“I’m doing Mattheo a favor tonight.” You curtly responded, your voice holding a chill to withhold the animosity buried in your throat. Daphne looked between you and Mattheo, eyes darting trying to make sense of the scenario no one in the castle outside of Mattheo and his closest friends seemed to be privy to. Another one of her shrill laughs burst out of her.

“So the rumors are true! Riddle is slumming it with a mudblood! Mattheo, baby, you don’t need her, I can give you everything and more.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him, making you want to retch. Her implication that Mattheo was ‘slumming it’ with you made you seethe in annoyance, as if you’d be here if it wasn’t for her!

“Nice costume, I wasn’t aware you could dress up as a pigeon.” You growled, your eyes rolling at her desperate attempts of seducing Mattheo. The boy in question seemed amused by you, his attention away from the Slytherin girl. This drove Daphne mad, the boy of her affections seemingly discarding her for what she believed to be an inferior witch.

“Excuse me? I’m an angel, you mangy cat.”

You strode over, now directly in front of her and Mattheo. “Oh my mistake, my second guess was going to be Buckbeak’s ugly sister.” You snarled. Behind Daphne you heard Enzo and Blaise snort, Theo’s soft chuckling next to them.

Buckbeak, forgive me for using your name to roast this bitch.

“Kitten, heel.” Mattheo’s deep voice cut through the rising friction between you and Daphne. He pat the arm of his chair and you followed the silent command to sit down on it, still choosing to glare a Daphne. 

“Oh, I understand,” Daphne fumed, “She’s a little fucking pet for you.” Daphne’s smugness seeped out of her every pore, her hurt pride fueling her foul words. “What would your father think?”

Though the party was still going on at full force, the bubble you were in was stilled to the point you could hear a pin drop. Draco’s gasp and Theo’s ‘oh no’ was distantly registered, though you couldn’t take your eyes off Mattheo, his entire body shaking in fury, his muscles tensed and jaw tightened. 

You almost fell off the arm of the chair with how fast he stood up, his face set into a menacing glower, the veins of his neck straining under his skin. “You don’t get to say shit about my fucking father. Get the fuck out of here.” 

Daphne sputtered, attempting to take back what she said but Mattheo only sat back down and glared up at her, eyes daring her to stay and test his wrath further. In an attempt at saving face she backed away a bit, before settling her eyes on you. 

“You’re just a pet Lion, you’ll never be worth anything to him.” She snapped. This time you were prepared for Mattheo’s wrath, settling a hand softly on his chest to keep him from storming over to her. You don’t know what came over you, but you kept your hand on his chest, sliding down the arm of the chair to settle right in his lap. His raging, fevered skin seeping through his clothes, warming you instantly. If he had not been such a ticking bomb right now his warmth would be almost comfortable for your state of undress. 

“You’re right,” You admitted, her face briefly quirked smugly, “But that’s still more than you’ll ever be.”

Daphne scoffed, scowling and stomping away muttering a string of unkind curses under her breath. 

“Gods, I hate her.” You released, looking at Mattheo. His amber irises darkened, resembling hot coals. His eyes bore into yours, behind them flickered something you couldn’t identify, but as fast as it came it went and was replaced my a mischievous glint. 

“C’mon you troublemaker.” His gruff voice demanded. Without any further word he scooped you up in his arms and threw you over his shoulder. 

You squealed, arms smacking his back as he walked away from his laughing friends, Enzo cheering loudly. 

“Mattheo put me down! This is embarrassing!”

“Don’t make things worse for yourself, Kitten. You’re already in trouble.” You slumped on his shoulder, surrendering under the promising threat in his voice. You sighed grumpily, frustrated that you’d no longer receive the reward you’d been aiming for now. 

Damn it all! It was going so good until that bitch showed up!

Mattheo took you to what you assumed was his dorm, kicking the door closed and tossing you on the solitary large bed in the room. Like you, it looked like Mattheo had no roommates. You wanted to look around and be nosy, curious about the things Mattheo would have in his room, but your curiosity was shattered after hearing Mattheo place silencing charm on the room. 

“You can be so mouthy, you know that?” Mattheo asked sardonically, “I wonder if it’s a habit you’re ever going to break.” 

“She deserved it though…” you’d argued weakly, not sure if putting up a fight would be worth it at this point now that you’re alone with the unpredictable boy.

Mattheo hummed in agreement, slipping his tie from around his neck. The motion chilled you, you were alone in his room and he was undressing. A stone of panic settled in your gut, your eyes flickering everywhere but him and hands fidgeting into the soft sheets under you. 

You were a virgin, you can’t do this. 

“Stand up Kitten.” On shaky legs you followed the command, your body tingling with waves of anxiety. He took your place on the bed, sitting down on the edge and stretching his long legs out. He motioned for you to stand between them and you hesitantly did. 

He pulled you closer by your hips, causing your breath to hitch, his warm large hands summoning terribly dirty images to your mind. His eyes raked over you, inspecting every inch of skin available to his greedy orbs.

“Fucking hell, Kitten. You look damn good like this.” His deep voiced rumbled, sending heat straight to your stomach. 

“Mattheo,” you breathed, your voice coming out like a sigh, “I-I can’t — I mean…” You stumbled over your words, choking on a mix of lust and anxiety gathered in your throat. 

“Did you think I was going to fuck you, Kitten?” 

All of the air left your lungs, your heart pounding in your chest like a bludger, every thump cracking against your ribs and reverberating throughout your bones. Your face flamed up in a blush, you chewed on your plump bottom lip, nodding wordlessly. 

“Don’t worry Kitten, your virginity is safe,” He cooed, his eyes betraying the sweet tone of his words with a mischievous twinkle, “Though I’m afraid everything else is mine.” He punctuated that wicked sentence by sliding his hands from your waist to cup your perky, round bottom. 

You slipped out a gasp as his fingers groped and squeezed your backside, the sensation igniting desire that rippled through your entire being. “H-how?” You released, utterly breathless by his hands again.

“It’s simple,” He chuckled, his mouth curved into a teasing smile, “Your face and body say it all. You act like every time is the first time anyone’s touched you. You’re stupidly easy to read, Kitten.” He pinched your butt cheek, causing your breath to stutter out of you. 

“Tonight is part two of your punishment. I’m going to bend you over my knee, you get five spanks for breaking Malfoy’s nose and five for taunting Greengrass tonight. Then you’ll leave this room, your ass red with my handprints, understand?” His voice drawled sadistically, his fingers still stroking the soft skin of your ass. 

“I didn’t taunt her! She started it!” You argued. 

“Oh yeah?” He hummed, removing his hands from you completely. You hadn’t realized until he removed them how warm they were on your cool skin, your brain yearning to call them back to touch your icy skin. “Then what was all that at the end? Sliding into my lap? Face it, Kitten, you were claiming me.”

You shook your head, mouth opening and closing trying to protest his absurd statement. Of course Mattheo wasn’t yours, you’d only done that because Daphne was being a bitch. You weren’t jealous, you couldn’t be, you had no right to be. Anything between you and Mattheo was strictly contractual, born out of your stupid decision to climb into a magical vase and break it. No, you told yourself, there was no way Mattheo was right, if it had been any other girl it wouldn’t have mattered, Daphne was just an evil bitch that needed to be taken down a peg, and you were fit to give it to her that’s all.

“Regardless, Kitten,” he interrupted your boundless thoughts, “That’s your punishment. If you take them like a good girl, I’ll give you a reward.” 

Your body vibrated with nervous energy, Mattheo patting his knee with a smirk on his face. You braced yourself before gently lowering yourself over his lap, your stomach flush with his muscular thighs. He trailed his hand down your spine, eliciting shivers throughout you, before he settled on your plump ass. 

“You’re going to count each one Kitten, you stop we start over.” 

You inhaled a deep breath, stuttering out a small agreement. His fingers traced the edges of the fabric bodysuit you wore, sliding it further to one side to fully expose your cheek to him. The air was charged with electricity, the tightness waiting to break upon Mattheo’s movements, you held your breath in anticipation. 

He brought his hand down sharply, the sound echoing throughout the room. Out of instinct, your hips bucked in his lap, a mix of pain and pleasure flooding you.

“One.” you whispered, Mattheo let out a hum of approval.

His hand cracked down on you again, harder than the last time, the sting making you cry out.

“Two.” You whined, your voice growing more soft. His hand lightly caressed the skin he’d just smacked, the featherlight touches juxtaposed against the stinging skin. Three consecutive slaps met your ass, each one harder than the last, and you crying out to count out each one. The burn of the five spanks was intense, the throbbing ache lingering on your skin where it would likely remain for days after this.

“So good, Kitten. You’re halfway done.” Mattheo praised, his voice slightly breathless. He slid the bodysuit’s hem from your other cheek. A part of you was relieved that no more would come down on your already blushed cheek, another part of you was mortified at having both sides of your ass be a matching shade of red. 

You shifted in his lap, though the slight movement was enough to have you notice a familiar wetness building between your legs. You hung your face, cowering in embarrassment that you were starting to like this. 

A sharp whack rang throughout the room, his assault on the uncolored side of your ass beginning. 

“Six.” You huffed, breathing heavily as the impact of his hand seemed to cup the entire fleshy mound of your ass.

Another one. Another count from your breathy voice. 

 “You know,” He mused, the deep timbre of voice murmured, “You should have seen the looks you got. I think everyone’s eyes were on you, Kitten.”

Thwack.

“Eight.”

“You know, I think even Theo and Enzo were looking at you.”

Thwack.

“Nine!” You moaned, the wetness between your legs no longer a small growing amount but rather proudly collected in your sex that you felt with every movement and spank. You vaguely registered what he’d said, deciding to file it away for later, too caught up in the mix of pain and pleasure.

“Maybe I should call them in here, so they can see how well you take your punishment.”

Thwack! 

The final slap on your cheek leaving an exploding quake on the abused skin, your piercing shriek calling out the final number. Tears were welled up in your eyes in shame but drool pooled in your mouth from pleasure, you forced yourself to swallow before he could see. 

Mattheo scooped you up and let you lay on his bed. The soft sheets bringing no comfort to your stricken ass, your fingers lightly prodding the tender skin. You squirmed, your breath coming out in shaky gasps as you tried to soothe yourself from the rough and arousing treatment. 

“You did such a good job, Kitten.” Mattheo soothed, his hands softly stroking the fiery skin. “Would you like your reward now?”

You nodded, sitting up expectantly. Mattheo brought out his wand pointing it at your necklace, mumbling an incantation you didn’t recognize. When he finished he tossed his wand somewhere in his messy room. 

“Now you have fifteen minutes instead of five to come when I call you.”

Relief filled your chest, you fought the urge to hug him, instead choosing to smile softly. “Thanks.” You uttered, somehow this felt more intimate than what you’d been doing before, even though your ass was burning in protest. 

Mattheo pulled your face close, grasping your jaw in his hands that were inflicting stinging smacks on you just moments before. “Now go out there, with my marks on your body and remember that you’re mine. They can look all they want but every fucking inch of you belongs to me.” He growled, a devilish grin taking over his face as he drunk your flushed appearance. 

You’d nodded, wincing out the door with a stumbling walk, your mind far too drunk on Mattheo to pay any mind to the party still going on. Theo happened to be leaning against the wall near the stairs, his arms holding your robe which you gratefully accepted. He cast a knowing look your way but didn’t say anything further as he guided you to the exit.

“Goodnight piccola, I hope it was what you wanted.”

I don’t even know what I want anymore.

You brooded, waving goodbye at Theo and hobbling your weak legs up the stairs. Your ass rosy and ablaze with arousal dripping down your thighs.

[rokishimizu4]

Harley (Fucken) Quinn’s girls’ night out!

(I love Harley to the moon and back! But I have a special chapter for her when my story comes out, that I refuse to spoil!)

When Selina called her to inform her that Wonder Woman would be joining them, which she then had inform Dinah and Ivy, she was both super excited and nervous. (Since she used to have a big lesbian crush on Wonder Woman)

It took less time for Selina and Diana to show up than it took for Harley to set out more booze and order another batch of junk food. But before she could say something stupid, Ivy stepped in and got everyone settled down

”Pardon the intrusion, but Cat Woman informed me of a party only for the females and I wished to invite myself to partake in the festivities.” Diana explains as she finishes dragging Selina into Harley, and sometimes Ivy’s when they weren’t arguing over Harley being a sometimes hero, and towards the beanbags.

”No problem girly! The more, the merrier!” Harley returns the joy, pleased with herself when she didn’t stutter like a school girl.

”Honestly, I was hoping that Diana would be joining us, Ollie was telling me about the strangest kidnapping attempt just a few days ago. I’m kind of disappointed that I missed it.” Dinah chuckles as she picks up her wine glass and takes a sip of the dark red liquid.

”Oh yeah! Something about an attempted poisoning and a drug dealer getting her shit rocked by a thing of goop!” Harley adds, as she seen the thing on the news and became interested when she learned that the woman was actually attempting to the sell the kids to some couple at the gala, at least according to theories from certain rouges.

”Yes, speaking of that incident, Diana has some questions for you darling.” Selina gets straight to the point as she pours herself a tall glass of red wine and drowns it, knowing that she might as well be tipsy for this.

Harley stuffs a thing of nachos in her mouth, before turning to Diana (who was also devouring a whole box of Meat lovers Pizza and drinking from a can of cheap beer, as if she hasn’t eaten anything all day) and giving a her a look.

”Excuse me, it has been quite a week of searching for any leads to the mysterious child of goop and the warriors that follow it. It also takes a lot of energy to contact the Olympians to seek guidance and wisdom.” She excuses herself as she takes the napkin offered to her, and wipes the grease and crumbs off of her lips and hands.

”I was hoping to seek your wisdom Dr. Quinzel, as a woman trained in the mind.”

Harley blinks, and blinks once more before she realizes that Wonder Woman, The Wonder Woman, was asking for her professional help as a psychiatrist. ‘This is the best night of my life.’

”Hold up, I got to get my professional glasses on! And my notebook!”

Cue Selina, Dinah, Ivy, and a slightly drunk Nora Fries, clinging to the sides of walls, furniture, and other objects to get out of Dr. Quinzel’s way (Not wanting to be ran over or be dragged into a therapy session.)

Ivy and Selina grab and moves the table of food closer to their side of the living room/Kitchen area, as soon as Harley comes back in with her glasses on, her blonde (with some reds and blues dyed in) tied up in a ponytail, comfy pjs on, and a huge notebook in hand.

”Sorry that we can’t do this in a more professional setting, but I know that these girls can keep a secret. Well as long as it doesn’t bring harm to Nora and Selina, or Ivy.”

”Yes, I believe that the women you surround yourself with are trustworthy friends, and the advice I seek might benefit them as well. As I believe it is best to get more opinions into the matter at hand.”

Diana then goes onto to explain the warning her mother gave her and what her and the JL have been experiencing for the past few months: From the strange message on a copper spider to Luther asking the JL for safety for himself and his personal staff.

Cue a mix of fierce determination, fear, and just WTF that sparks a realization in Harley’s PHD brain.

Cue her spending the rest of the night creating a timeline, including the information that Nora gave her in a private session (aka weird people asking about Dr. Fries experiments and his knowledge on Cryogenic technology, and how long someone could last inside a Cryotube), which she made sure to keep private.

It takes a few more rounds of drinks and food before the rest of the ladies pass out (from the alcohol or exhaustion, she didn’t question it) and for Harley to set up a private meeting with the Riddler and Scarecrow (both who were still in Gotham Asylum for….reasons).

Harley checks her notebook one more time, before she carefully puts into her bulletproof, lock breaking proof, explosion proof, safe and locks it up for tomorrow afternoon, before taking a double shot of straight vodka.

’Life was soooo much easier as a supervillain. But, being under John Doe’s thumb was a lot worse.’

[angeliqueiguess]

“Focus!” (j.jh)

015. contract? warnings: swearing, kind of short (srry in advance, studying gives me writers block)

Friday was dragging on, and for Y/n, every second felt like torture. She walked through the hallways of the building with Ten, venting her frustrations. ''Seriously, I run into him everywhere'' said Y/n, tossing him a knowing look.

''You’ve gotta stop giving it so much importance. How many times have I told you that? You still haven’t learned, have you?''

''Yeah, yeah, I know...'' Y/n groaned. ''But every time he walks past me, he huffs like I'm bothering him just by existing. And, I swear, it makes me wanna spin his head like in The Exorcist.'' She said it so deadpan that Ten burst out laughing.

''Sorry! It’s just... you said it with such a straight face, I couldn’t help it.''

''Alright, enough'' she muttered, rolling her eyes ''I just don’t get why he’s wandering around the building all the time. The only thing he needs to do is show up for the photos and leave. That’s literally it.''

They kept walking until they reached their office. Y/n stopped and turned to Ten. ''Oh, and remember, Ash is coming in...'' she checked her watch. ''In about two hours. We need everything set up by then so we can go over the plan, mkay?''

''Yes, ma’am.'' Ten straightened up with an exaggerated salute, making her snicker. She reached for the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t budge.

''Ugh, this fucking lock! I swear it’s out to get me'' she grumbled, twisting and pulling the handle to no avail ''No... not again.''

After a bit of struggling, the door finally clicked open.

''Okay, seriously, I need to get this shit fixed...'' she muttered with a half-smile. But before she could say anything else, a familiar voice cut through the moment.

''Yeah, you should fix it. Don’t you think?'' Y/n froze on the spot. Standing right in front of her was Jaehyun, calm as ever. He looked at her briefly, then added, almost casually: ''And, by the way... in case you didn’t know, Im kinda sealing a deal with your brother, that's why im roaming aroung as you say.''

Without waiting for a response, Jaehyun turned and walked off, leaving Y/n and Ten standing there, too stunned to speak. After a beat, Ten turned to her ''Girl... we’re so fucked.''

Ten opened the door and found Y/n looking at him with eager anticipation. She hurried inside.

''Come on, spill the tea!'' Y/n said, grabbing Ten by the shoulders and lowering her voice since there were staff members wandering around.

''I overheard Ash and Jaehyun talking'' he paused, and Y/n raised an eyebrow ''Ash was laughing about something Jaehyun said, and it was loud enough that I thought everyone in the building would hear'' Ten continued, waving to a passing staff member.

''And then what?'' Y/n asked, clearly interested.

''Then Jaehyun hugged her, like, by the shoulders and whispered something in her ear, but I couldn’t catch it'' Ten said, mimicking the scene, which made Y/n frown. ''And that was it.''

''Seriously, Ten, if you were sent to rob a house, you’d probably knock on the door first'' Y/n joked, smacking her forehead in mock frustration.

''What do you want me to do? I can’t just creep around and spy on them!'' Ten protested, but before Y/n could respond, someone called out.

''Hey! Y/n, how have you been? Long time, no see!'' It was Ash, who rushed over and pulled Y/n into a tight hug. Y/n felt a bit awkward at Ash's enthusiastic greeting because she was really calm and collected, y/n hugged her back, stealing a glance at Ten, who looked just as baffled. Ash pulled away and grabbed Y/n’s hands. ''I’m so excited to work with you again!'' she exclaimed, and without waiting for a reply, turned and dashed off, leaving Y/n with a mix of confusion and amusement.

''What the fuck'' mouthed Y/n looking at Ten who had the same confused expression.

---

prev//next masterlist.

Angie's note: sorry in advance for this shitty chapter (my brain is fried from studying) hope you liked it and dw, i'll update again in a few hours <3 love u! don't forget to take care of yourselves and drink tons of water <3<3

Taglist: @apolloxxivmin @milanco @sibwol @neocupidd @minkyuncutie @miniature-tragedy @tenjyucat @aerivrs @chan-yeoldelling @cryingforjae @kukkurookkoo @kodasity @injunnie-lemon @thegracerammy @livingdoll-hara

[johnwickb1tsch]

andar conmigo ~ epilogue

A Walk in the Clouds/Don John crossover outline/fic- Paul Sutton x fem!Reader x Don John triangle ~ You grow up at Las Nubes vineyard, and have to go home to your dying father. You take your fake new husband, Sgt Paul Sutton, with you...Your old flame don John does not like this at all. Warnings: FLUFF chapter map

Author's Note: I just want to say a quick THANK YOU to everyone who followed along and supported this story! Girl Genius @scarlettspectra who helped me with the original idea, my utterly beloved @treedaddymcpuffpuff , the SWEETEST @sweetwolfcupcake (who fried my brain with that gif of Paul, thank u! 😘 , the always RAZOR sharp @discoscoob, the hilarious @lilithlinen , the insightful @reallongwire , emoji queen @thesecretlifeofmo , 🖤 @lonelyspadez and SO many others, I wouldn't have finished this without you, it wouldn't have been as much fun, and it CERTAINLY wouldn't be the fic it is without your amazing input!

-You’re going to have to rewrite the train station scene in your story, because you take him with you at the platform, and you are smart enough not to let go. 

At first, you stay together in your tiny apartment with its fetching view of a brick wall. The arrangement was fine, if not a little cramped. You spend most of your time in bed, anyway, but you find you don’t mind sharing your space with Paul, or your cooking, or your time. Goddammit if Anjelica wasn’t right about that. 

But maybe he knows you better than you know yourself. 

Without you needing to ask, [and you’re not sure you even would have, truth be told], he eventually gets his own place. Yet, you are still inseparable, barring the hours you go to work, and he goes to school. 

You find that you are equally happy to have your own space back, yet unbearably restless for the next time you will get to see him. It is a strange medley to balance in your life, and a part of you hopes that someday maybe you really will score that apartment with enough room for the two of you, and a typewriter overlooking the Bay. 

On the odd days you do not see each other, he writes you a letter, and you always write him back. 

As it turns out, Paul Sutton likes things that go, and he enrolls to study engines at a technical college in San Francisco. 

The day he roars up to your apartment in a leather jacket on a Norton motorcycle with a big grin, you cannot help but laugh. It seems like a ridiculous machine, and yet after the first time he takes you for a ride–it becomes one of your favorite things to do with him. You tear up and down the coast in your free time, picnicking at the beach or beneath towering sequoia trees. 

You have both healed from your misadventure, withstanding the occasional cough, or the odd nightmare...on a whole, your life together is so sweet, and the irony does not escape you that on more than one occasion you have to restrain yourself from asking him to marry you. But Paul is starting to find himself, given time in which he’s not running between raindrops, enemy fire, or immediately jumping into the responsibility of supporting a wife and children. 

He does not always take you on his motorcycle trips, often going on long rides to clear his head. He says it helps ease his mind, when his memories from the war become too loud in his head.

Most of the time though, he seems content, and you are so happy for that. 

-The first time after he dropped into your office at the publishing house to bring you flowers, just because, bless that man, your boss asks, “So that’s Peter?” 

“No, that’s Paul,” you tease him, aware that your beau’s good looks have a certain effect upon both sexes, no matter their preferences. 

You’d let your superior read your manuscript of your book, after catching you working on it at your desk during a break. You decided to title it, “A Walk in the Clouds.”  You’re not getting your hopes up, as he hems and haws over it. He keeps proposing changes to the story that would be untenable to you, as well as writing under a man’s pen name, or a less Spanish-sounding surname, in the interest of appealing to a broader audience. Maybe someday, you’ll find an agent who will champion your vision, and a publisher who won’t hold it against you that you are an intelligent self-taught Hispanic woman with opinions that challenge the conformity of post-War America.  

Maybe someday, things will be better…

Until then, you’ll just have to keep writing. 

-A year later, the two of you are out to lunch at a North Beach café, when a slick-looking man in a dapper suit passes by your table, then does a double-take at Paul, who was engaged mid-bite with his open mouth over a fork full of pasta. 

“Hey kid,” he says. “Ever thought of being in movies?” 

Taken aback, Paul wipes his lips with his napkin, regarding the man quizzically. “Ah…no, never occurred to me,” he admits to the stranger with a quizzical lift of eyebrows. 

“You got the look. Call me.” The Hollywood man flips a card onto the table, then strolls off like he has somewhere important to be. 

Paul looks at you, then laughs, shaking his head as he looks at the card. He is so humble about his dashing good looks, finding it embarrassing when women slow down to ogle him on the street, (or in one amusing case–to you at least– trip over the sidewalk). 

“How silly,” he says with a little smile, tearing off a piece of bread. He’s playing it down, but you think you see a glitter of intrigue in those polished ebony eyes.

You shrug. “Who knows?” you say playfully. “You’re certainly the best-looking man I know.” 

After all this time, his cheeks still pink for you, his ears turning red at the tips. 

“Well, that’s all that matters to me,” he tells you, reaching across the table for your hand. You slide your fingers into his, so happy you could die. 

Afterwards you go for a stroll, hand in hand, looking in the windows of the shops and laughing together, your head on his shoulder.

It’s hard to imagine that life could get much sweeter than this. Deep down, a tiny, selfish part of you hopes he doesn’t call that Hollywood headhunter. How drastically would your life with him change, if he became a star on the silver screen?

That’s when you know you absolutely believe he’s got what it takes–and you beat back your ugly little fears, resolving that you won’t stand in his way, if he wants to try for it.

You realize you’re squeezing his hand too hard when he looks down at you with a question in his eyes. “Sorry,” you apologize, tilting your head for a kiss. 

He grants your request, and his soft lips on yours still curl your toes. He rests his forehead against yours with that little smile, just for you…and your fears go quiet, replaced by the soft glow this man always inspires in you. 

“Just in case you didn’t know…I would marry you in a heartbeat, if you ever change your mind about all that.” 

You blink, your heart a sparkling firework trapped in your chest. 

You have to try twice before you can find your voice. 

“I think…I would like that, Paul Sutton.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He laughs out loud, that beautiful sound that fuels you as surely as food or drink or air. He picks you up right in the middle of the sidewalk, spinning you around in a circle before his lips find yours again. 

Suddenly, you’re not worried about anything.

-Paul drops you off at your apartment after a lingering kiss before rumbling off on the Norton. He has to study up for a test on Monday, and you’ve found when you try to help him with his studies more often than not you just end up in bed together. 

There are worse things, but this is an important exam. You’re sure he’ll pass with flying colors, then you can reward him properly. 

You practically skip up the stairs, still giddy from earlier. Are you and Paul actually engaged? Promised to be engaged? Merely in talks? You’re not really sure, but it doesn’t matter. You’re together, and you feel like you have all the time in the world to figure it out. The whole country is in such a hurry now that the war has ended, but the two of you have learned you don’t mind taking your time.  

You almost step on a little lump of something left before your door. Puzzled, you pick it up. It reminds you of the handmade little ragdolls you and your sisters used to play with, made of cloth and thread and horse hair.  

But this toy is burned, half her hair singed away, her blackened face pulled in a terrible grimace. 

With a frown you lay it back to rest on the floor beside your door. 

Maybe the neighbor’s girl down the hall dropped her toy. She might want it back. If it’s still there tomorrow…you’ll throw it out. 

Your earlier elation dampered by a weird feeling weighing in your gut, you let yourself into your apartment, and go about the rest of your day. 

Yet as you sit down with your notebook and a cup of tea to warm the chill inside you, you cannot stop thinking about it. 

There’s no way in Hell that terrible man survived that fire… 

Is there? 

The End…

Or is it?👀

[luvangelbreak]

Deprived | Sixteen

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 matthew sturniolo x layla venita (female!oc) summary: everyone knows the story of the bad boy and the good girl but what happens when the school's most popular boy, Matthew Sturniolo, and the girl who notoriously is never there, Layla Venita, cross paths. warnings: swearing, drug use (weed), mentions of drugs (cocaine, weed), suggestive, NOT PROOFREAD!! word count: 4.8k a/n: dramaaaaaaaaa. i was really on a roll with this chapter it’s so long LMAO

pov: layla

"You doing anything after school?" Matt asked me as he stole some of Nick's fries, causing his brother to hit him on the arm and I shook my head.

"No, but you are," I pointed out and he furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, "Training, Matthew."

"How did you forget you have training when you have been playing hockey for the last 5 years but she remembered?" Nate chuckled in disbelief from across the table and Matt shrugged.

"Oh Layls!" Allie chirped up from beside me, interrupting her own conversation with Mia who was sitting on her right, "Do you have a dress for prom yet?"

"Uh, I'm probably not going," I told her honestly and her face dropped sadly.

"What? Why not?" she asked, disappointment clearly in her tone and I shrugged.

"It's just not my thing," I answered honestly and she pouted slightly.

"Come on, it will be so fun! I can help you pick out a dress and everything," she pleaded with me and I gave her an apologetic look.

"She doesn't wanna go, Allie. Drop it," Mia grumbled from beside her, making my face drop at the rudeness of her tone.

"I'll think about it, okay?" I said kindly and her face lit up again before nodding, "Are all of you going?"

"Yeah," Chris nodded, clearly seeming unimpressed but agreed to go nonetheless, "No thanks to Al."

"You could've said no," Allie shrugged, smiling at him widely and he smiled, shaking his head and I leaned over, placing my hand under Allie's chin.

"How can you say no to this adorable face?" I asked sarcastically and Allie tapped my hand away lightly, a snicker falling out of her mouth.

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes playfully and Matt nudged my thigh with the back of his hand, making me look at him.

"You wanna come over after training?" he asked and I pursed my lips, giving him an apologetic look.

"I can't. Maybe tomorrow though," I told him and he nodded before turning his attention back to the group, "Nick, we still need to get our suits."

"I can't get mine till Allie tells me her fucking dress colour because we have to be matching," Chris chimed in again and I looked at Allie with raised eyebrows.

"You are going together?" I asked and she nodded happily.

"He said the only way he'd go to prom is if I agreed to go as his date that way he isn't stuck with anyone he doesn't like," she laughed and I smiled, nodding my head before I glanced at Chris.

"Matt," Mia chimed in catching not only Matt's attention but mine, "Remember your tie has to be red because my dress is red."

I felt a wave of jealousy pulse through me and I looked at the table before me. I had no right to be jealous, Matt and I weren't together in any capacity and he and Mia had been friends for years. It was just the fact it was Mia he was going with that pissed me off.

Of fucking course he's going to prom with Mia.

"Right," Matt nodded, seemingly ignoring Mia for the majority of the day. My brain had been wracking what they could've talked about to make him give her the cold shoulder like he was, I wanted to know if I caused it.

I didn't care about Mia but I knew Matt didn't want to lose her as a friend. So instead of starting an argument or causing a fight, I remained silent and chewed at my lip.

"Nick," Nate spoke up again catching Nick's attention and I pushed my food away from me, suddenly losing my appetite completely, "Are we matching too or what?"

"I thought you were going with Gemma?" Nick asked, clear confusion on his face and Nate shook his head, taking a sip of his water.

"Decided not to. Would rather be with you guys," he shrugged and Nick nodded in response.

"Why don't one of you take Layla?" Allie spoke up and I turned my head to look at her with a frown, "That way she also has a date because we can always bring someone else."

"Allie, I don't even know if I'm going yet," I responded and she shrugged, looking at me as she sipped on her iced tea.

"Just as a backup plan," she answered and I chuckled with a shake of my head.

"I was planning on bringing Jake since Nate said he was already going with Gemma," Nick answered honestly and Allie raised her hands triumphantly.

"Great! Nate, you can take Layla that way we all have a date!" Allie cheered and I looked at Nate, studying his reaction and he shrugged.

"I'm cool with that. Layls?" he asked, seemingly unbothered about whether or not he had a date.

"If I'm going, then sure," I shrugged in response and he nodded, taking another sip of his water.

"What colour dress are you thinking?" Allie asked, whipping her phone out of her pocket and I gave her a deadpanned look before her gaze met mine again, "In case you want to come! Nate is buying a suit regardless so might as well match it to a colour you like if you do come."

"Probably black," I shrugged, not wanting to argue with her and she nodded, tapping away on her phone.

"Makes my life easier," Nate shrugged, an amused smile on his lips and I smiled at him, both of us finding humour in the situation.

"What about this?" Allie leaned over, shoving her phone in front of my face catching me off guard as my eyes adjusted to the screen. It was a sparkly black strapless dress and I shrugged. I looked at the price and my eyes widened.

"Allie, I can't afford that," I answered quietly and she dismissed me with a wave of her hand.

"Don't worry about the price. I'm looking for dress styles you like," she answered quickly before tapping away on her phone again. Matt tapped my thigh once again before leaning over.

"Are you really gonna go with Nate?" he asked and I turned my head to look at him, a small expression that showed he was displeased written on his face.

"I don't know if I'm going at all yet. This is Allie's doing," I shrugged and he hummed, looking down at the table again making me smile as I leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Now who's jealous?"

"What about this one?" Allie once again leaned over, showing me a photo of a black halter neck dress that seemed to be a silk material. I shook my head knowing the shape of the dress would look awful on me, "Okay we need to figure out what kinda dresses you like."

"I don't wear dresses Allie," I gave her a half smile as Matt wrapped his arm around my shoulders and she nodded.

"Even more of a reason to find a dress you actually like," she announced as she went back to her phone making me smile in amusement.

"You could just not wear anything," Matt whispered into my ear and I punched his thigh making him groan.

"Don't be such a guy," I rolled my eyes, a smile still on my lips as I looked up at him. He shook his head, a slight smirk on his lips. He placed a kiss on the side of my temple.

"What's going on here?" Nate asked causing us to turn our heads to look at him.

"Oh, Matt didn't tell you guys?" Chris asked, a malicious smirk on his face and I let my smile drop.

"Chris," Matt said in a warning tone but Chris, as per usual, didn't listen.

"They fucked last night," Chris said casually and I threw my hands to my face, my cheeks lighting up red.

"What?" Allie gasped next to me and I didn't dare take my hands away from my face.

"For fucks sake Chris, don't say that! We didn't!" Matt protested and I curled closer to him, the embarrassment making me hide like a child.

"So you didn't sleep there last night?" Chris retorted and Matt sighed, running a comforting thumb up and down my arm.

"Yes, I stayed there bu-"

"And you said that you did stuff," Chris taunted further and I sighed, not wanting to look at the judgment on their faces yet.

"Chris, shut the fuck up," Matt mumbled through gritted teeth and I finally pulled my hands away from my face. Nate's face just looked surprised and Allie looked somewhat happy but Mia had the biggest scowl on her face I'd ever seen.

"Are you fucking serious?" Mia screeched causing Matt to whip his head to look at her, "You had sex with her?"

"I didn't!" Matt said in the same tone and I closed my eyes, heads turning to look at us from all around the cafeteria.

"And I'm supposed to believe that? Look at you!" she replied loudly motioning between us and I looked at Allie who was frowning at Mia.

"Mia, calm down. It's not the end of the world," Nate raised his eyebrows at her and she scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"I guess whoever wrote that shit on your locker was right. You are a slut," Mia mumbled so quietly I almost didn't catch it but when I did, my blood ran cold with nothing but rage.

"Mia, what the fuck?" Allie said in disbelief of her best friend saying such a crude thing.

I took a moment to think whether or not it was worth it to fight her and get myself expelled. I had been trying so hard to keep up with school and I wasn't going to throw it away for her.

So instead, my mind travelled back to when I saw the locker and looked around the room. I never once saw Mia and I know Matt had gotten rid of it by the time I went back to get my things for English.

"Hey, Mia?" I said, grabbing her attention and she looked at me with annoyed eyes, "How do you know what was written on my locker?"

"I saw it," she squinted her eyes at me and I nodded, leaning forward so Matt's arm slid off of my shoulders, now wrapped around my lower back.

"When did you see it exactly? Because I didn't see you anywhere when I first walked into the school," I raised my eyebrows and she stilled for a moment, "Did you guys see her when I went to the bathroom?"

I looked around the table and everyone shook their heads before I looked back at Mia who grumbled, "I saw it before you guys got there."

"Why were you there before us? You never come to school early," I pointed out and she once again stilled, her pissed demeanour turning nervous as she glanced between everyone.

"I had to do some stuff for cheer," she shrugged, trying to play it off and before I could speak again, Allie interrupted me.

"Practice isn't till after school. No one ever comes to school early for cheer, Mia," Allie deadpanned, calling her own best friend out and Mia shook her head.

"What are you trying to say? That I did it?" she asked, placing a hurt hand on her heart.

"Nope. You made that connection on your own," I told her, not letting my rage shine through at her as the guys just looked between us like a tennis match with slack jaws, "It's a funny coincidence though, isn't it? The one time you were at school early there's shit written on my locker."

"I didn't do anything!" she huffed and I hummed, nodding my head once again as I smiled at her sweetly.

"For the record, Mia, Matt and I didn't sleep together. In fact, the people that I'm rumoured to sleep with I never have. I can't say the same about you," I shoved away from the table, picked my bag up from the floor and walked out of the cafeteria without another word.

"Mia, what the fuck is wrong with you?" I heard Matt's voice yell at her as I walked out of the cafeteria doors and towards the exit of the school. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, sending Matt a quick text to say I wouldn't be at school for the rest of the day before I exited the grounds, beginning my trek home.

+++

After messaging Wes and telling him I was going to deliver for him earlier than originally planned, he agreed it was a good idea and invited me to stay for a bit.

"Why does it look like someone shit in your breakfast?" he asked as soon as he opened the old green apartment door, paint falling off at various places.

"Just had a shit day," I shook my head, stepping inside the small compound before I closed and locked the door behind me, "You wanted two ounces, right?"

"Yeah. You got the coke too?" he asked and I nodded, picking up the two ounces of weed out of my bag and throwing it on his kitchen counter before I pulled out the small bag of coke.

"He only had an 8-ball but I can get you more next week," I told him honestly and he nodded, counting up the cash before handing it to me and I placed it in my bag. I went to turn around and exit the building again but I was stopped.

"Where you goin'?" he asked and I spun around, looking at his long mop of blonde hair, "You look like you had a stressful day, babe. Chill with me for a bit."

"I don't know Wes," I trailed off, not knowing if I wanted to hang around here for too long.

"Come on. I got this new shit from Chase. It will make you see God," he said, holding up a small bag of weed and I chewed my lip, really needed some sort of a relief.

Unfortunately, I caved and said, "Fine. But I'm only staying till six."

"Fine by me," he nodded, taking the packet and throwing himself on the old leather couch. I sat beside him since it was a two-seater, not allowing much space between us but I was used to it at this point.

I'd been delivering to Wes for 2 years now and he never once made me uncomfortable, except for the time he smacked my ass 2 months ago because he was high off his ass and thought it would be funny. Since then, he'd apologised multiple times and I let it go.

"More shit at school?" he asked in regards to my tense demeanour and I nodded, falling back into the couch as he grabbed the rolling paper.

"Just some bitch saying stupid shit," I mumbled angrily and he hummed, quickly rolling a joint like I'd seen him to hundreds of times.

"Rich?" he questioned and I chuckled, nodding immediately and he rolled his eyes, sliding a filter into the joint, "Of course."

"There's this guy though," I told him honestly as he began sealing the joint with the moisture from his tongue as he looked at me with raised eyebrows, "He stayed over last night."

"Look at you! Finally getting some dick," he chuckled to himself and I shoved his shoulder with a roll of my eyes, "They grow up so fast."

"Shut up, dude. We didn't go the full mile," I rolled my eyes and he chuckled once again.

"It's a start. I don't remember the last time you told me about anyone," he pointed out and I shrugged as he picked up one of the many lighters littering the coffee table in front of us.

"Yeah well," I trailed off at he lit the end of the joint, "His friends are nice too. One of them wants to take me dress shopping for prom."

He took a hit of the joint, keeping the smoke in his lungs for a moment before he passed it to me, "I thought you hated that shit."

"I do," I replied as he handed me the joint and I took a hit before continuing, "But she really wants me to go for some reason and one of their friends said he would take me as his date if I do go."

"Why isn't Romeo taking you?" he asked as I took another hit before I handed it back to him and I let out a bitter laugh.

"The girl who's being a bitch is one of his friends and they've been planning on going together way before I came into the picture," I explained and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, taking a moment to inhale before he spoke again.

"I'm so glad I dropped out this shit sounds way too confusing," he mumbled and I took the joint from him again, taking two more hits in a row, "Alright chill out. You're gonna green out if you're not careful this shit is strong."

"I'm fine," I shrugged, handing him the joint again as I sunk back into the couch further, the effects of the drug already hitting me, "I needed something to take the edge off anyway."

"You already finished that bag I gave you?" he asked and I nodded, rolling my head to the side to look at him as he joined me in sinking back into the couch.

"Dad took half of it so yeah," I replied and he rolled his eyes, jumping off the couch and walking to the kitchen. He returned moments later with another small bag in hand and threw it into my lap, "Wes, I don't need it."

"Take the fucking bag, Layla," he smiled down at me and I pursed my lips before nodding, sliding the small plastic-wrapped weed into my bag.

"Thanks," I gave him a thankful smile as he took another hit, sitting back down on the couch beside me, handing me the joint once again. We continued handing the joint back and forth in silence until it was down to the filter before he threw it in the ashtray on the table.

"Ya know," he started, making me turn my head towards him lazily, "You're always one of my favourite people to smoke with. We should do it more."

"Because I'm just so charming," I smile at him dopily making him chuckle, the drug taking its full effects slowly on both of us.

"You're just chill," he shrugged, sliding further into the couch and I chuckled, laying my head back on the top of the couch as my eyes began blurring in and out of focus, the ceiling seeming so far away.

"You think I should go to prom out of spite?" I asked, my words mumbled from my dry mouth the drug had created and he hummed.

"Show up hot as fuck, make her mad and make him regret his decision of not taking you instead," he laughed to himself and I smiled, nodding my head in agreement even though I wasn't sure he could see me.

"Sounds like a plan," I answered and he hummed in response, my body going limp from the strong weed, "What is this shit?"

"Blue Dream," he responded and I lifted my head to look at him, "Isn't it sick?"

"Dude," I squinted my eyes at them as they now felt heavy, "You know this shit is supposed to make you mad horny, right?"

"Oh fuck," he began laughing to himself and I couldn't help but smile at his idiocy, shaking my head in disbelief, "I had no idea. Chase just said it's hella strong."

"On that note," I leaned forward and stood up lazily, "I'm gonna go."

"No come on," he whined and I looked down at him, my eyelids heavy and my breathing laboured.

"I'm not about to stay here and watch you get a fucking boner," I laughed as I picked up my bag, "I like you dude but not that much."

"Next time we'll smoke something else I swear," he leaned forward, holding out his hand for a fist bump which I quickly reciprocated, "You gonna be good to walk home?"

"Yeah, no worries. I'll see you next time," I waved as I unlocked the door, swinging it open before closing it behind me. I waddled down the steps of the apartment, making my way onto the road where the sun was starting to go down.

As I walked down the pavement, my legs wobbled and my vision became less focused. I was used to walking around high but I'd never had Blue Dream and I could tell its effects of horniness were hitting me. I could barely focus, the wind around me swaying me as I walked. I almost tripped onto the road and I sighed, deciding to sit down on the curb for a moment.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, realising it was already 5:30 and Matt would be done with his training by now. Through my foggy thoughts and wanting to be with someone right now, I clicked on his contact and waited as it rang in my ear.

"Hey, Layls," he answered after two rings and my fave immediately lit up, the sound of his voice bringing joy to the chemicals in my brain.

"Hey baby," I mumbled, the words falling off my tongue like honey, "Whatcha doin'?"

"I just got out of the shower. Are you okay, pretty girl?" he asked, sounding confused by my tone and I nodded regardless of if he could see me.

"I'm great! I just miss you," I whined, throwing my head down onto my knees that were pulled to my chest. A car drove past me quickly and I lifted my head, the sound startling me.

"Where are you?" he asked, his voice laced with concern but all I could focus on was the rasp of his voice, heat travelling directly between my thighs.

"On the corner of Valine and West Street," I mumbled, throwing my head back down onto my knees and I heard shuffling on his end of the phone.

"What are you doing there?" he asked, his voice still laced with worry and I sighed dreamily.

"I just had to drop some stuff off to a friend but my legs are tired. I don't wanna walk home," I whined loudly and I heard him hum, doors closing before a click.

"I'm coming to get you, pretty girl. Can you stay on the phone?" he asked and I hummed in response, my stomach igniting at the thought of seeing him right now.

"I'll do anything for you," I responded, my voice filled with seduction and lust before I giggled at myself.

"What did you take?" he questioned and I rolled my head to the side, the cold breeze feeling nice on my skin.

"Just smoked a little bit," I answered honestly and he sighed before mumbling something I didn't catch, "Can you keep talking to me?"

"I'm almost there. I'm like three minutes away, okay?" he responded and I sensed a slight annoyance in his tone but I brushed it off as I hummed, squeezing my thighs together, "Are you alone?"

"Yeah," I sighed, lifting my head and looking around at the lifeless street around me.

"Okay, I'll be there in a sec. Just don't move," he answered hurriedly and I sighed dreamily once again.

"I like your voice," I mumbled, closing my eyes as I listened to the sound of the engine revving as he drove and I heard him chuckle, my heart filling with joy at the sound.

"Thanks, pretty girl," he answered and I could hear the smile in his voice making my smile widen.

"I just like you in general. You're really nice to me," I mumbled, a dopey smile on my lips as I let my eyes flutter open and I once again heard him chuckle.

"I like you too," he answered softly and my smile widened, "I'm a minute away."

"Thank god," I let out a breath of relief, making sure my bag was on my shoulder as I began standing up, losing my balance briefly, "Whoops."

"You okay?" he asked and I hummed, regaining my composure, sliding my bag further up my shoulder as I pressed the phone to my ear. I looked up to see headlights coming towards me before Matt said, "Hey, pretty girl."

I smiled at him, despite being blinded by the headlights before I waltzed over to the car, hanging up the phone as I pulled the passenger door open, "Heyyy."

"Oh my god," he shook his head with a smile as I jumped in the car, slamming the door behind me before I clicked my seatbelt in.

"You look good," I smiled at him as I leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. My eyes scanned his body, noticing that he was wearing a white hoodie, blue plaid pyjama pants and not shoes, "You didn't even put shoes on."

"Shoes weren't exactly my concern when I left the house," he raised his eyebrows at me and I pursed my lips, holding back a giggle.

"Sorry," I bit my bottom lip and he shook his head, a soft smile on his lips, "Can I be honest?"

"Of course," he nodded and I smiled up at him dopily again.

"I'm really high," I giggled, tucking my messy hair behind my ear.

"Really? I didn't notice," he answered sarcastically and I hummed, leaning over the console as I placed my hand on his jaw, pulling his face towards mine. I pressed my lips against his, the feeling of his body so close to mine making heat travel directly between my thighs.

"I missed you," I mumbled against his lips and he took that as an opportunity to slide his tongue in my mouth dancing with my own. I got lost in the feeling of his mouth against mine, my heightened sense making it feel like I was in heaven.

"Okay," he pulled away from me before placing another quick peck on my lips, "I'm not about to get into this while you're high."

"No," I whined, pulling his face to mine once again and he snickered against my lips making me smile once again before he pulled away again.

"Baby," he whispered, placing his hand on my cheek to lift my head to look at him, the pet name making my heart swell, "I'm not doing anything unless you're sober."

"But I'm so horny," I whined, leaning my head on his shoulder and I felt his chest shake with a laugh.

"I'm aware," he said through a laugh before I lifted my head to look at him with a pout, "But that's because you're high."

"Why do you have to be such a morally right man?" I rolled my eyes, a smile still on my lips and he brushed my hair behind my ear as I melted into his touch.

"You want me to drop you home?" he asked and I shook my head, my face turning sour at the thought of having to face my father.

"Can I stay at yours? I don't wanna deal with my dad," I frowned and his face softened, "I don't wanna go home."

"You can come to mine, it's okay," he began stroking my cheek with his thumb and I let my head slump against his hand, the touch making me feel calm again, "You can lay your head on my shoulder, pretty girl. I gotta drive."

I nodded lazily, moving my hand off of his hand and placing it on his right shoulder. He took the car out of park and drove down the road. I hummed to the song playing on the radio and he used his right hand to reach over the console, placing it on my thigh and running his thumb up and down.

"Don't do that," I mumbled, moving his hand further down so it was closer to my knee, "You're just gonna make me wanna fuck you even more."

"Sorry," he said through a chuckle as I closed my eyes, adjusting my head on his shoulder, "You have no filter when you're high."

"Why do you think I made you put my hand up my hoodie the first time I was high around you?" I mumbled, smiling to myself and he hummed, "Wes didn't tell me the strain until after we had it and he didn't know it made you horny."

"Wes?" he asked and I forgot he didn't know who Wes was.

"Mhm. Been friends with him for two years," I explained and he hummed, sounding slightly annoyed, "I left after he told me though. He had no idea."

"I'm sure he didn't," he grumbled and I smiled, looking up to see a frown now covering his face as he drove with his left hand.

"Don't be jealous. He's like a brother to me," I leaned up, kissing his jaw lightly making him sigh.

"Mhm," he hummed and I trailed kisses down his neck, sucking the flesh under his ear making him let out a heavy breath, "Layls."

"Yeah?" I mumbled against his skin, getting lost in the way his body reacted to me.

"I'm driving," he mumbled, his grip on my thigh tightening slightly making me smile against him.

"Then focus on the road," I smirked into him and he let out another breath, tilting his head to the left to give me more access. I continued to suck and kiss all over his neck as his breathing got heavier.

Suddenly, the car turned a corner before coming to a halt and I looked up to see we were already at his house. I pursed my lips, hiding my smile as I looked at the purple dot I had created on his skin.

"Let's go," he said, pulling his hand off of my thigh as he turned the car off before jumping out of the car and I followed his actions as he walked inside quietly.

tags:

@ilovechrissturniolo1 @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @sturnfix @lilsstvrn @sturniololol @dsturniolo @sturniolowhore @jebbie-project-blog @chrisstankyleg @lov3bug @pinklittleflower @thatcrazybitch-69 @trinity2058 @alorsxsturn

[dangerousduckcloud]

Flowerbeds make up for a nice eternal rest

Read it also on AO3

“Thank you.” You whispered, knowing full well he’d heard you clearly, as he had to get really close to your face. Your gaze immediately fell onto his lips, something he must’ve caught up by the slight upwards curve they got. He was supposed to back up now, to go back to see the sunrise. Instead, the faint undertones of his cologne got stronger, his eyes focused on your lips as well. He was awfully close now you could feel his breathing on your face.

Chapter 14 < > Chapter 16 [soon]

Pretty short, pretty late and pretty awful but I’m sorry, my brain is fried

Taglist in the comments, if anyone else would like to be added to the taglist, let me know!

The city was as calm as your heart, a wild contrast to the thoughts in your head, as rowdy as the wind blowing your hair.

With Jason sitting so close to you, you could feel his body rising with every breath, his body heat helping you with the cold. After he sat down, it didn’t take more than a second for his hand to find yours, neither of you saying anything but taking in the presence of the other.

You turn to look at him, not subtly this time. The sunshine bathing him made his hair look redish, the white streak standing out. He noticed you staring, of course he did, yet instead on calling you out, he lolled his head to smile at you before turning his gaze to the sunrise once more.

Despite all, your face was impassive, glum. You couldn’t help but think back to Tim’s unfinished words from last night, before Damian found you.

‘It’s not that…’

Not, what? Not possible for you to go back? Not going to be easy to explain an almost two-month disappearance? But why would he worry about it? As long as they get their dad back, any other issue that arises for you will be of no concern to them.

Do you even want to go back?

What did you have, besides painful memories and brisk nightly companions?

But what made you think they would even want to have you here for long?

“Here, let me.” Jason was the one to break the silence, seeing you battle with the wind blowing your hair and obstructing your view for the fifth time. The hand that was holding yours let go, and the breeze hadn’t felt so cold until now. You saw him place his hand inside the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out the bat-shaped hair clip, gathering your hair in a loose, poorly done bun, but it got the job done. “There.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, knowing full well he’d heard you clearly, as he had to get really close to your face. Your gaze immediately fell onto his lips, something he must’ve caught up by the slight upwards curve they got.

He was supposed to back up now, to go back to see the sunrise. Instead, the faint undertones of his cologne got stronger, his eyes focused on your lips as well. He was awfully close now you could feel his breathing on your face.

“So, uh…” You turned your head, clearing your throat and speaking louder to drown out the cries from your heart. “What’s in there?”

He sighed, closing his eyes for a second before turning to see what you were looking at.

“Oh, I almost forgot about it.” He grabbed the woven basket, placing it between the two of you. You thought you’ll see fruits, ice-cream, maybe mini sandwiches, anything that wouldn’t taste bad if it was cold.

You didn’t expect to see a metal box inside. “Oh, steel. My favorite.”

Jason laughed at your lame joke, pressing a button on the top of the box. “I borrowed this from the old man. Let’s see if it works.”

The container opened with a slight hiss, the top folding in itself to the sides, revealing an assortment of sweet foods, going from donuts, waffles and muffins to berries, fruits, and chocolate covered strawberries.

In the middle of all, two large cups of hot chocolate were still letting out steam, Jason handed you one, cupping the mug with your fingers to warm them up, relishing in the heat.

You were taken aback by how perfect Jason was trying to be, so thoughtful, and romantic, straight out of a romance book. He was the type of man you ever dreamt of dating, yet even though he was sitting as close to you as physically possible, he still felt distant, unreachable, as if he was still just simple words inside a screen.

Because at the end of the day, that’s all he was. And that’s all he’ll become again when you get home.

“And after that mission,” You didn’t even realize Jason was talking, unaware of the internal struggle you were going through. “B began developing a prototype for this thing, to keep things warm for long periods of time. Looks like it works.”

“Yeah…” You took a donut, amazed at how warm it was, tasting as if it was just out of the oven, the filling of it so rich and full of flavor.

The sun had already risen, with more cars roaming the streets, honks, and shouts, and motors creating the sound pollution you were used to.

“So, what did you used to do? Back home.” Jason asked between sips of his cocoa.

“Nothing too exciting, I’ll tell you that.” You chuckled, taking a sip of your drink, only to purse your lips after being burned by it. “I was just a hotel receptionist.”

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah, I did. Sometimes. I mean, it wasn’t what I expected to be when I grew up, but it paid the bills, and it wasn’t that bad, so…”

"What would you have wanted?"

“To marry rich.” Jason laughed, taking hold of your hand again. “No, but I… Ugh, this is so lame but… I wanted to do something to help people, like you guys do. Maybe not vigilantism, but something my own way.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Like I said, hotel receptionist pays the bills... Must be nice to have a billionaire as your dad, not worry about that kind of thing.”

“Must be nicer to have been raised by your parents.”

Your blood went cold, body even colder. You’d said it as just a lighthearted comment, something a lot of people would joke about, it was easy for you to forget the reason as to why he’d come to live with Bruce.

“I’m so, so sorry Jason, I didn’t–”

“’s fine. You’re not the first one to say it.”

But it wasn’t fine, the way his jaw clenched, and his posture turned rigid proved it was not right. The way his fingers slithered out of your hold, no matter how much you tried to keep them intertwined, hurt more than the icy cold biting your cheeks, the temperature dropping with every breath.

“So, uh…” You poorly attempted to change the topic, to get him to talk and think about something else instead of the lingering uncomfortableness that didn’t seem it would disappear any time soon. "What do you do when you're not... Working overnight?"

“Not much. Mainly just detective work. You can’t do a lot when you’re dead.”

“Have you ever thought of changing that? I’m sure Tim–”

“Tim can do everything, can’t he?” He spat the words with so much hate it actually made you jump in your place. “You think I can’t do it on my own? I’m too stupid to handle a fucking computer? No, the replacement’s gotta do it. That’s why it didn’t take Bruce long to give him my place, ‘cuz he’s so great at everything he does.”

Dark clouds were moving slowly behind him, eating away the beautiful rays of sunshine that just a few minutes ago had shone so brightly.

“Why do you always have to call him that? Tim didn’t replace you.”

“Then what did he do? He took my place at the manor, he took Robin away from me, he took my 'dad' away from me. That seems like something a replacement would do.”

The first few drops of rain began falling onto you. Taking away any warmth the sun had given you. “Tim didn’t want to be Robin, he tried to get Dick to get back. He only did so when he saw how violent Bruce was getting after you were gone.”

“After I was gone? What, like I was gone on vacation? Like I abandoned him like Dick did? So, it’s my fault, isn’t it? Bruce was finally doing what the scum of Gotham deserved but no, we can’t have him do that, we can’t have him throw away everything for a street rat he found, the great Timothy had to save him.”

You knew the reason as to why Jason could be mad at him, but it still angered you a lot that Tim was getting blamed for something he didn’t do, for something he tried so hard to save only to be rewarded by two assassination attempts.

“What’s the matter with you? Why can’t you just let it go?”

“Let it go?” Even though his voice had gotten lower, his anger was louder and more powerful than the thunders. “Sure. Let it go and act like nothing happened, huh? Act like I wasn’t brutally beaten, tortured with a crowbar and then be blown up?” Was is the raindrops falling down your face, or were they your tears? “To act like my resurrection wasn’t traumatizing enough, and that the person that was supposed to love me didn’t care enough to kill his son’s murderer, even though he could? That he simply took in another child, another soldier for his stupid, never-ending battle, even though he knew what the outcome was?”

You opened your mouth, only to close it again because you knew there was nothing you could say.

“What? Bat got your tongue?”

A second passed, but the fury in his eyes never disappeared. The worst part is that you knew he was right, he had every right to be angry. You fucked up like crazy and there probably was nothing you could do or say to ever apologize.

You made the mistake of turning away for a second, to organize your thoughts and at least attempt to apologize, and when you were ready, the only thing next to you was a half-empty cup of cocoa and a soggy muffin, the paper wrap dissolving in the water.

You turned around, looking for him, hoping he had just stood up to breathe fresh air, to calm himself. You didn’t want to believe he left you here alone, yet there was no one else on the roof with you.

The sound of a bike speeding away made you stand, taking hold of one of the railings to prevent you from falling. And sure enough, Jason’s bike was getting further and further away from the building.

When the downpour was starting to get too strong, you let go of the railing. Jason had been gone for a while and it dawned on you that he wasn’t coming back. You took three steps backwards, the splashing puddles barely heard over the torrent, afraid that if you turned away, you’ll miss your chance of seeing him come back, even though deep down you knew he wouldn’t.

Your shoe hit something metallic that finally made you turn, a low ugh leaving you at seeing the metal container filled to the brim with water, pieces of soggy bread floating around. You dumped it out in a nearby trashcan, taking with you the metal container, as you were sure no one would be happy to know you left valuable bat-equipment behind.

Once the warmth of the elevator was enough to not hurt your fingers typing, you took out your phone to send your location to the only person that came to mind to pick you up, a wave of guilt at seeing how early it still was.

After going down from the 64th floor –were you really that high?– to the lobby, the elevator doors finally opened, the woman in the lobby throwing you a mixture of confusion and annoyance at seeing the large puddle of water you’d left behind and she’d have to clean up.

“Excuse me.” Her gangly voice said once you passed in front of the desk. “Are you a guest here?”

“No.”

She didn’t follow you outside the building, and you didn’t see her try to call the cops on you, living in Gotham, you were sure they wouldn’t bother with just an unknown girl soaked to the bone, she’d probably seen worse.

You didn’t have to wait long before you saw a black car coming your way and stopping right in front of you, the door opening and a hand backing up to give you space to get inside. “You okay?” You closed the door after you, the sound of water droplets falling onto the leather seats made you cringe, knowing the fabric will be ruined. “What are you doing here, alone?”

“Jason.” You said, your voice already hoarse. “I was with him.” You clarified a second later.

“Oh.” Dick said, starting up the car and taking a turn towards the manor, turning on the heat all the way up. “I didn’t know you two were, err, talking.”

“Not anymore, now.”

[hellfirenacht]

Reader ==> Enjoy Your New Car!

Summery: Through no powers of your own, you end up in Hawkins 1985, in a tv show that you once saw on Netflix. Slow burn, Eddie Munson x Reader will be canon, choose your own adventure to a degree, monkey’s paw author.

Isekai Chronicles Master List

START HERE <<<--- FIRST CHAPTER HERE

Chapter Summery: You get a new (old) car! That should help you get around Hawkins... right?

Tags: Eddie and Reader, sfw

Work Count: 2.8 k

Reader ==> Enjoy Your New Car!

The junk car that you managed to scrape together a couple hundred dollars for worked well enough for the first two weeks. It had no heating, no radio, the seats were uncomfortable, and there was a lingering scent that you couldn’t get rid of no matter how much you tried to clean it, but it drove you to the Hideout and the high school, and to the trailer you now called home. 

That was until about a half hour ago when the key snapped in the slot to turn the engine on. Could you ever catch a break? Just fucking once while you were here? 

You nearly jumped out of your seat and through the roof of your rust bucket when you heard a tap at the window. You looked to see Eddie, frowning at you and you manually cranked down the window. 

“Evenin’ officer. How can I help you?” you asked, trying not to sound as defeated as you felt in that moment.  

“This is a no parking zone.” He said, leaning over and resting his arms on the open window. It was late November, and the cold was consistent now, but you hardly noticed with how you’d been just staring out the windshield for the past thirty or so minutes. “Neighbors have been sending in complaints.”

You looked behind you at the neighboring trailers. There were at least 2 that had broken down cars within the block, one that’s been sitting on cinder blocks since before you arrived and one that the neighbor had been working on for a few weeks on and off. Other cars were scattered and parked near their own trailers, haphazardly. 

“I’ll be sure to move it.” you said, more dry than intended. 

“So why are you sitting out here in your car, staring out into space?” Eddie asked and looked out the way your car was facing, as if trying to see if there was anything interesting in that general direction. There wasn’t. 

“Car’s broke.”

“How broke?”

You held up the piece of plastic where your key had been attached to. 

“So the car’s fine, but the key broke.” Eddie clarified.

“Is there a difference?” You asked. 

“There is. If the car was busted then you’d be fucked out of this rust bucket-”

“Eddie, you can’t say things like that.-” you rubbed your face, now feeling the cold in the contrast to the warmth in your cheeks. 

“What I’m saying is I can help.” He continued. “Do you have any tools?”

“Uhhh....”

“Follow me.” 

You got out of the car, not bothering to roll the window back up, and followed Eddie back to his trailer across the park. It wasn’t a long walk, you had already come to visit your friend more than a few times since you moved in. You felt a little bad, you found yourself spending time at Eddie’s place more than your own. 

“So, what brought you to my end of the park?” you asked as the two of you walked. The ground was covered in a thin layer of frost that wouldn’t fully commit to snow or ice.

“Boredom.” he said honestly. “I fried my brain trying to learn this new riff I’ve been working on and I needed a break.” 

“New song for the set?” You asked. “It’s about time, I get that one Judas Priest song is a staple, but you’ve beaten it into the ground at this point.” 

“Prowler isn’t going anywhere as long as it’s the one song everyone can play consistently.” Eddie protested. “And it’s a new original song I’m working on.” 

“That’s actually really cool.” you followed him into his slightly warmer trailer and watched as he opened a tiny closet and pulled out a tool box. “How many original songs do you have?” 

“Three and a half.” Eddie said. “We uh.. We started with a song that Ronnie and I wrote together. We don’t play that one anymore, but we’ve got one other song, and this one that I’m working on now.”

“Why don’t you play the first song?” You asked as you followed him back out. 

Eddie’s face went stoic for a moment, staring at the dirty green toolbox. “It just didn’t work out.” he finally said, and you had a feeling he wasn’t interested in talking about the song. “The second song is called Litch and if Jeff can commit to learning the vocals then we’d actually be able to play it at the Hideout at some point. They always hesitate on playing our original songs.”

“I’d like to hear your original stuff at some point.” you said, following him back out into the cold. 

“If I can get the guys to commit, then you’ll hear it at some point.” Eddie said, leading the way back to your car. 

There were times where the two of you couldn’t shut up for five seconds, and then there were times where the silence between the two of you was deafening. Sometimes you felt like you were getting somewhere with your friendship with Eddie, and sometimes... sometimes you wondered if he thought about you at all when you weren’t around. 

He came over to see you. Of course he thinks about you. You told yourself, watching the subtle way his hair moved as the two of you walked together. 

Eddie hopping into the driver seat of your car and you moved into the passenger side seat next to him, with the toolbox between the two of you. He immediately pulled out some pliers and started messing with the key slot, trying to get the broken bit of metal out. 

You focused on his face, watching the way his eyes narrowed in concentration and the way his tongue subtly poked out from between his lips. That was something you noticed he did a lot. His brows were furrowed and from your angle it almost gave him a unibrow until he moved his fringe to the side. It was a little longer than it had been in the past two months and you wondered how often he cut it. 

“Shit.” he muttered and leaned back against the seat, his hands resting on the wheel. “Yeah, it’s really jammed in there.” 

“So I’m fucked out of this rust bucket?” you asked, frowning. 

“I... there’s another option.” Eddie said, staring at the wheel. “It’s not a smart option. It’d be stupid, actually and not really safe. And I’d have to do something not completely within the letter of the law.” 

You paused and stared at him. “Don’t you sell special K to high schoolers?” 

“That was once and I overcharged them.” Eddie said. “I save that for a different clientele.” 

For now. You thought. 

“So, what’s the illegal method you have to help me with my car?” you asked. 

Eddie took a deep breath and seemed to refuse to look at you. “We can hotwire it.”

“Hotwire... I’m sorry, what?” you looked at him surprised. “You know how to hotwire a car?” Had that been part of the show? You really wished that you had watched season four more than once over a year ago. It didn’t help that the longer you stayed here, the less you seemed to remember. You had your private box and notebook tucked away in your closet under a blanket, but you only pulled that out when you absolutely had to. Paranoia stopped you from reading everything too closely, and the idea of being caught with the things in that box... you shuddered to think about what would happen and how you’d explain yourself. 

Eddie didn’t say anything for a moment before he pulled a screwdriver from the toolbox. “It’s up to you. I can hotwire the car and teach you how to start it up like that, or you can call a tow and pay to have the key fixed.”

You thought about the options for a while, you were already eating ramen for most of your meals to pay for the car. The car clearly wasn’t worth more than the couple hundred you had paid for it, and you really were convinced that you’d overpaid for it. 

Fuck it. 

Eddie wasn’t gentle with the way he ripped open the dashboard and he started pointing out the different wires. You did stop him for a moment to grab a sheet of paper to write it down. Eddie insisted that after you’ve done it once, you wouldn’t need the cheat sheet, but you weren’t going to take any chances. 

“So.. how’d you learn to do this?” you asked as he rubbed two wires together, flicking them almost. You didn’t think he’d answer, but then the car suddenly rumbled to life and he actually smiled, looking proud of himself. 

“My dad.” Eddie explained. “We didn’t exactly have a traditional relationship growing up. Some kids got birthday parties and trips to the zoo, I got lessons on hotwiring cars and trips to the bar to learn cheap tricks for money. That only lasted until I was about ten when I stopped being small and cute.” 

“Shit.” you said, looking at him, trying to decide on how you’re supposed to respond to that lore that was just dropped on you. Eddie didn’t open up often, and this had to be a sign of trust, right? “...Want me to fight your dad?”

Eddie snorted at your question. “I bet my uncle would take you up on that.” he shook his head. “No reason to, I haven’t seen him in years. He’s probably in jail right now, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s been locked up.”

“Want me to break in and beat him up anyway?” you offered. “I’m sure I could figure it out.” 

“Your stealth rolls are shit.” he said. 

“You sound like Gareth. What I can or can’t do in D&D is completely different from what I could do in real life.” you said. 

“And how exactly do you plan on sneaking in to beat up my dad?” he asked, amusement in his eyes. 

“I’ll walk in, bat my eyelashes, and ask to visit him. Then when he’s in front of me I start swinging.” you punched your own hand for good measure. 

“I’m pretty sure you have to be a relative to visit someone in jail.” Eddie said. “And I’m not exactly itching to see him again, even if you decide to start a fight.”

“Okay, so my car is now on.” you said, on a roll now. “Hear me out, Eddie. You and I go to the courthouse right now and get married- I said hear me out, I’m not done-. I take your last name, use that to get into the prison to visit your dad, and then I can beat him up. I leave, we get divorced, we split with all of our own shit since we don’t have kids or shared property. Easy.”

Eddie rubbed his cheek as he laughed. “Bad idea, you’d be stuck with my last name. Munson doesn’t really get you anywhere in this town.”

“‘Lipton’ isn’t exactly doing me any favors either.” you pointed out. “Go big or go home, Eddie.”

“You are home.” he motioned to the trailer.

You weren’t, and you didn’t think you’d ever be again. 

“So, is that a no on marriage?” you asked, leaning close to him with your hand over your heart. You gave him your best pout. “I’m heartbroken.” 

“You were only going to marry me to get to my dad.” He gives you a playful shove away from him. 

“Yeah, but you’d be a bonus.” you said, blurting out the words without thinking. Ah, fuck, you weren’t supposed to be flirting. Flirting was a bad idea, a very very bad idea. You had made the decision a while ago that it was a bad idea. 

If he turned you down, it could be awkward and that could fuck up your chance to save him. If he dated you and it went badly that would make your chances worse. 

Focus on the mission, and not the way Eddie sounds when he laughs or how impossibly pretty his eyes are get your shit together and stop that-

“Nice to know you think I’m such a prize.” Eddie said casually, maybe a little too casually for how he usually talked. 

“When we divorce you can use that to fuel your music. I look forward to hearing the break-up album.” You tried to smooth your genuine flirting over by committing to the bit. 

“If I ever sell out, I’ll write our divorce album.” Eddie replied. “Until then, I’ll stick with singing about Hell and demons and references to my campaigns.” 

You don’t know why the idea of him writing songs about his campaigns made your stomach explode with butterflies, but it did. Maybe it was because you were now part of the campaigns and knowing that made you feel special. Like you were actually a part of something, part of him. 

Stop that. 

“Oh shit, I was actually doing something.” you realized and shook your head. “Right, I wasn’t just sitting here for fun. I had to go get groceries.” 

“That would explain why you were sitting in here when I found you.” Eddie agreed. “Do you... Want company?”

He wanted to go grocery shopping with you? That surprised you a lot. It almost felt domestic-

“Yeah, sure.” you agreed, pushing any other thoughts out of your head. “I need you to come anyway.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, you showed me how to start the car but you didn’t tell me how to turn it off.” 

Eddie laughed and hopped out of the car so that you could scoot back into the driver's seat. He hopped in next to you and it felt like things were swapped now. You had spent weeks in his passenger seat and now he was sitting in yours. 

If this was going to be a regular occurrence, you were tempted to slap a BABY ON BOARD sticker on the back of your car. 

As you pulled out of the trailer park, Eddie rummaged around his jacket and pulled out a cassette. 

“Radio’s broke.” you warned as he stuck the tape in and pushed play. To your surprise, music started playing through the speakers. 

“Tape player isn’t.” he said, looking proud of himself. “You can keep this one.”

“Keep...?” you asked. He’d loaned to tapes before, but that was always with the promise you’d return them. 

“Yeah, I already have all these songs.” Eddie fidgeted with one of his rings casually. “I thought you might need something to fill the silence. You know, since you’re always coming over to listen to music with me.”

You really did, the quiet of being home alone had been grating on you and you had been spending as much time as you could with Eddie at his place. 

“Is this your way of giving me a hint that I’ve overstayed my welcome?” you asked wryly, feeling a knot in your stomach at the thought. 

“No! No, not that.” Eddie said quickly. “No, uh... I just thought you’d like these songs. You told me you liked a few of them.”

“So... you made me a mixtape?” you asked, trying to remain calm despite the fact that your brain was screaming. 

“I had some time to kill, and you were complaining about not having anything to listen to so...” he shrugged. 

Maybe you’d ask him to marry you for real. You didn’t even had a tape player, or anything other than your car to listen to it but you didn’t care.

Next up, get a tape player for Emergency Vecna Use. And batteries. All the batteries. You added to the endless list of to-do’s to prepare you for Hawkins High’s Spring Break. 

“Thank you.” you said, feeling genuinely touched that he went out of his way to do that for you. “Really. I’ll listen to it until it disintegrates.” 

“I’ll make you a new one when that happens.” Eddie promised. 

Conversations drifted back into easy territory after that. Hellfire, dungeons and dragons, comics, work. It felt so easy talking to him in these moments when it was just the two of you. It had been so long since that first disastrous hang out session, but somehow he’d still let you keep hanging out. 

You wished that things could be different.

For now, you just decided to do what you did best when hanging out alone with him. You pretended that your ID was legitimate, that you were some vague relative of his drug supplier, and that you two could be normal friends, doing normal things. 

For now, that would have to be enough. 

Reader ==> Learn How to Hotwire a Car was submitted by my Green Heart Anon <3

So what would you like to see Reader do next?

Tumblr User ==> Leave A Suggestion

Dividers by @strangergraphics

[anne-is-ominous]

An even more belated Phoenix Reignited 2.20: The Most Wonderful Time

I. Suck.

This was supposed to be Thursday's chapter, and I'm only an hour away from not getting it posted in time for Saturday's release window. The last few weeks have continued to be amazingly hectic - the last few days in particular - but it has been amazingly good stuff. My life has been turning for the better in almost every conceivable way - and it's just been eating up a lot of time to do it.

With the Bad Times in October through December eating through all of my chapter backlog, and things still being insanely busy here in Anneworld, it hasn't been a great time to need to write whole-cloth chapters weekly for Book XIII and a four-chapter, fifteen thousand word brand-new arc for Book II of Reignited simultaneously. That arc now concludes, and I am so very proud of it. As soon as I get this chapter posted, I'm going to grab a quick bite and set about reigniting the chapter that was supposed to come out today, and with any luck, get that out either tonight or in the morning as well to get back on track.

It's becoming clear to me that at some point soon - the most logical point being the end of Reignited book II in a few more chapters - I'm going to need to pause for a few days to catch my breath and rebuild a backlog. I didn't want to have to do that, but when I set this schedule - and the even more ambitious one I've already scaled back from - I was not counting on the total and complete life upheaval I have experienced since October. Things are good now - better than I can recall them ever being - but I am just now starting to clear away the debris of the stability I had to bulldoze to create space for something new and improved, and thinking about what new palace is going up in its place. It's exciting, and terrifying, and very, very time-consuming.

Anyway. Enough rambling. Enjoy some belated Christmas fluff! I'm so sorry again for the delay, I appreciate everyone who has reached out with support (and insistence that I should look out for myself first and the story second, if that), and I promise I'm evaluating ways to do this that I can reliably deliver without continuing to fry my brain six ways from Sunday. I love you all, my wonderful Firebirds.

~ Anne

Ranko beamed, stealing a quick, victorious glance at Ayako. Toldja she’d like it. “Well, I thought, you keep dropping your Game Boy in the bar, and one of these days, it’s gonna break if you don’t have something better than your purse to carry it in.”

With an emphatic nod that sent the red bows in her long blue pigtails bobbing, Mei reached for the shabby yellow cloth drawstring bag that served as her daily driver purse. “I mean, this is the third one I’ve had as it is, so, you’re totally right!” She pulled the grayish device from her purse, tucking it into the padded main compartment before beginning to connect the periwinkle plastic clips of the shoulder strap to the matching loops on either side of the bag.

“At least she only cracked the screen on the second one,” Izumi said, giggling as she sidled back to her spot on the couch between her boyfriend and son, handing Kaito a disposable plastic cup full of eggnog that smelled strongly of cinnamon and rum. “The first one ended up in the freakin’ fryer.”

“Proof,” Yui said with a grin at Mei, “that not everything is better deep-fried. Most things, I’ll grant, but…”

Read more after the cut...

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[anoncryinginthecorner]

TL: You are Her Most Loyal Child (13/?)

TL notes before we get started: This is the 13th chapter in a series, but is good enough to be read as a oneshot. Despite what the author says about this being very fluffy, it is just unmitigated angst. Some context: Reader (Name: Peruvie) is an orphan of a fallen royal family from Natlan, who inherited a lost forbidden art that offers their entire being, soul included, as a sacrifice to gain its strength. Reader used this forbidden art in the fight against Celestia and the Heavenly Principles to sever Arlecchino’s curse from said Heavenly Principles, assuring Arlecchino’s survival and subsequently Teyvat’s victory. In true Shaoji fashion, Reader dies in Arlecchino’s arms after, exchanging their final goodbyes in silence. The original text heavily implies that Reader and Arlecchino never really had a relationship of Father and Child, even though technically Reader is a child of the House. More of this in post story TL notes.

EDIT: I have forgotten to include: Reader set up her own force, The Sixteenth Battalion, based in the Northern Wilds. In summary, they are a Battalion of Knights that are really strong combat wise and are loyal to Reader [There is a LOT of context in the original story that I am not shortening because I will not do it justice]

Reader here uses female pronouns. Not sure if the raw has AFAB. My brain was fried when I wrote AFAB.

Original here: https://hechushishen.lofter.com/post/74d05c86_2bbdd892b

53

The next time Arlecchino looked up, the aurora was dancing in the Snezhnayan sky.

Clervie… Peruvie[i]… One she tried to hold onto, one who tried to hold onto her. Alas, she lost both.

Arlecchino is tired.

She was taut as a bowstring, not really sure when she would snap. She never had the time to mourn your death, even five days later. There were too many losses made for the victory, too many sacrifices.

To The Knave, you were just one of her dead subordinates. To Father, you were just one more grave in the graveyard.

Handling the intelligence networks, placating the Sixteenth Battalion, expanding the influence of the House of the Hearth… Even with Lyney’s help, the workload was still taxing on Arlecchino.

She was nothing more than a robot, obtaining information, processing information, writing orders and giving orders.

Arlecchino really did want to turn into a machine.

So she wouldn’t feel the dull ache at the bottom of her heart reminding her – the person she had lost was important to her.

When you were around, she never felt that the (now suddenly) empty table was in her way. When you were around, she would never feel that her office was too quiet.

Sometimes, Arlecchino would fall into a daze. She would look at that table, seeing you fail to make sense of the intelligence reports, pout, and sneak a glance at her. And when you realised she took notice, you would turn beet red and mumble something trivial from the current report. When you sighed, Arlecchino would feel her mouth curve slightly, a curve that she would wipe from her face when you turned over and stare blankly at you instead, her concern remaining unsaid. Arlecchino’s heart melted from your antics, your small bursts of emotion washing away all her woes.

But when she comes to her senses now, the only thing that greets her is emptiness.

…

Right. You’re not alive anymore.

You died in that fight.

She buried you with her own hands.

She sealed your sword[ii], The Hearth, and sent it to eternal slumber with you in your coffin.

…

Time to wake up, Arlecchino.

Nobody will remind you that you’ve worked yourself to the bone, or ask if you want company on the way home anymore.

Nobody will remind you to eat regular meals anymore.

Nobody will stay with you on the nights your curse flares up anymore.

Nobody will risk everything just to love you anymore.

Arlecchino, night has long since fallen. Since you won’t dream, face your reality.[iii]

54

Lyney and the rest of the children stayed by Arlecchino’s side worryingly.

Arlecchino knew, even without anyone saying anything, that everybody thought she would not, cannot, accept your death.

After all, they were the ones who saw how she soullessly carried your body away from the battlefield into your coffin. They were the ones who saw how she emptily lowered your coffin into your final resting place. Her stare remained hollow and blank, a shadow of who Arlecchino was.

The children agreed – it was her grief. Her grief had brought her to her knees. The passage of time now only served as an exacerbating factor, one that would bring her closer to her breaking point.

They worry that Arlecchino would implode one day. Like a lover woken from their sweet dream to find that their love no longer existed in reality.

Even if Arlecchino never admitted that she loved you all this time.

But that never stopped the children from acknowledging that Arlecchino was just forcing herself to stay functional.

Because she is Father, and she needs to uphold the House.

Arlecchino doesn’t explain herself, letting the children’s thoughts run wild. Once enough time passes, they should forget. And they would learn how The Knave, Arlecchino, is an emotionless, cruel and bloodthirsty machine, one who would sacrifice anything and everything to achieve her goals.

“Father…” Lyney hesitated. He handed another stack of documents to Arlecchino, who worked over her ever-growing pile without looking up.

“Speak.”

“Would you like to take a break?” Lyney inquired hesitatingly, but honestly.

“Our comrades who sacrificed themselves have been cared for, and we have distributed the reparations to their families. The Sixteenth Battalion has returned to the North, and have settled there. Peru- She… She handed over everything before leaving for the battle, so there shouldn’t be any problems with succession.”

But to put it simply, everything has been settled. You can take a break now, Father.

“Excellent job.” Arlecchino praised. But she glossed over Lyney’s suggestion. She doesn’t want to stop working.

If she stopped, she doesn’t know what she would do. Or what she should do.

Lyney sighed internally. With Arlecchino’s response sidestepping the issue at hand, he had to raise it directly. Even if it was rude, trespassing on Arlecchino’s – on Father’s - boundaries, he had to make it said. You were dead, and Arlecchino cannot continue on like this, unless she wanted to work herself into her grave right then and there.

“You need rest, Father. The House of the Hearth is in good hands with us, you can rest assured while you take your break.”

Arlecchino looked up to face Lyney for the first time that week. “Perhaps you also feel that I cannot accept that Peruvie has died, and am using work to numb myself?”

Lyney’s silence proved his agreement.

“Grief, anger… These emotions will never affect me, Lyney. Your concerns are appreciated, but unfounded.”

~

Now that Teyvat’s crisis was over, the colored lights made the Snezhnayan sky their permanent home. They waltzed through the night sky, a stunning dance that served as a subtle reminder of the paradise Teyvatians were denied until their blood cleansed the Heavenly Throne.

It also served as a reminder to Arlecchino how half a decade ago, when you first came to her side and finished your first mission, you had wished for her company under the same night sky. Under the same dancing lights.

“I wish that you would be able to spend my birthday with me!”

A lifetime ago, she agreed. That day, she bought a cake and accompanied you on a stroll through Snezhnaya’s streets. That day, you gazed longingly at the products the different shops had to offer, living the life that you should have led.

That night, you were happy, and that brought joy to Arlecchino. As a prank, you spread some butter on her forehead, only to be met with a small smile instead of disapproval.

That night, she read your lips as you mouthed your wish.

I wish for Arle to remain healthy, happy and safe.

That night, the sky came to life with gold, a rare sight under Celestia’s watch.

“Arle, look! It’s the aurora!” “Looks like my wish will definitely come true!”

That night… how did she respond? Right. She patted your head softly. “I’ll try.”

You never heard Arlecchino’s response properly, and looked softly at her, a silent plea to repeat what she just said. But she never repeated it, and you decided to leave it there.

A lifetime later, she buried her feelings under the snow. The red, green and blue lights in the sky the only witnesses to the unspoken regrets left behind in Snezhnaya’s cold.

~

Lyney caught Arlecchino recovering from a daze again. And again, her eyes had a tinge of sadness hidden deep beneath the surface.

“Father. You need rest.” He emphasized. “This is Her Majesty’s order, too.”

“Noted. I will finish these documents first and hand them over to you.”

Arlecchino dropped her façade of strength, if only by a bit.

55

Her Majesty gave Arlecchino a summons to her Palace and let her off on long break.

The Tsaritsa still commanded an overwhelming presence, but her gaze was no longer cold. The warmth in it reflected the warmth that was now allowed to spread across her land.

“Peruere.”

Arlecchino was taken by surprise. She had not used that name in years. She knelt.

“Your Majesty.”

“My condolences.”[iv]

See? Even The Tsaritsa thinks that you’re grieving. But, other than the ache in your heart that permeated the numbness, you do not feel anything.

If Arlecchino had as much grief when every single child died, she would not be able to do anything but mourn. So why would this death be any different?

“I humbly thank Your Majesty” “Do you have any plans?”

Plans? Arlecchino does not. She was not supposed to be on holiday.

She only accepted the offer to put the children at ease. To show Lyney and Lynette that she is fine, when they inevitably watch her from the shadows.

She would show them that she was not heartbroken, was not grieving, was not… was not mourning the death of you to the point she forgot that she was human, too.

“Then walk in her footsteps.”

Neither party needed any hint. Much less Arlecchino, who knew who Her Majesty was referring to.

Walk in Peruvie footsteps? She never went to many places to begin with. Just a couple. Fontaine, Natlan, the Northen Wilds…

“I will.” Arlecchino agreed.

Silence hung in the air. Just before Arlecchino could excuse herself, The Tsaritsa spoke again.

“She loved you.”

Silence again. Arlecchino nodded. “I know.”

It was obvious.

She didn’t even need to look hard to know. Your eyes lit up brightly whenever she was around.

No matter how hard you tried, you were never able to hide it from her.

“Someone like her is difficult to find. When she established The Sixteenth, she wrote to me. She explained why she set it up.” “This is a force that is loyal to Arlecchino, and only Arlecchino. Its existence is to protect Arlecchino and her safety, and it will never be an aggressor.” “Perhaps The Captain has already known this, from the Sixteenth’s movements in the North. The Doctor did say that it was named after you. They are your battalion of knights.” “I approved this force’s existence in my land, because of her plea. For her sake, Peruere, travel in her footsteps. See the marks that her love for you has left behind.”

“You have done enough in these years. Put down your mask as Arlecchino, and live your life as Peruere.”

“This holiday will have no set length. The House of the Hearth will be under Lyney’s control, and he will take over the duties of The Knave in your place.”

Do not run anymore, Peruere. Accept your love for her. Accept Peruvie’s love for you. There will be a soul crushing sorrow awaiting you when you do, but then, and only then, will the past and its regrets stay there, where they belong.

56

After leaving Her Majesty’s throne room, Arlecchino took a small stroll through the vast hallways of the Palace.

The Sixteenth Battalion… Her name?

Arlecchino knew not where “Sixteen” came from. She mapped out all possible connections the number had to her, Her Majesty’s voice playing in the background.

No wonder The House of the Hearth did not have much movement in the Northern Wilds. No wonder her investigations into ‘Peruvie’ were always unsuccessful.

Many questions were answered, but many more arose and left unanswered.

For example, her grief. Her eyes went dry long ago. They cried for nobody. Her heart was cold and numb. The only emotion she could squeeze out was a small hint of sadness.

Song made its way through the halls.

It was the Damselette. Colombina.

Arlecchino followed the song to its source, finding the girl sitting on a windowframe, singing an old tune.

“A surprise seeing you here, Arlecchino.” “It has been a while, Colombina.”  

Outside the window, Arlecchino could see the sky’s colors.

That aurora again. Just like that night.

“Thinking of that child again?”

Colombina smiled softly and warmly. You had left your impression on her even in the few years you were around.

“No.” Yet the speed at which Arlecchino denied it all but proved that she was.

Colombina giggled. “Arlecchino, admitting that she is your weakness is nothing to be ashamed of.” “She was a girl worthy of such praise after all.”

Arlecchino leaned on the windowframe next to her. “I was not aware that The Damselette was this acquainted with my subordinates.”

The sudden quip of jealousy caught Colombina off guard, but it made her smile even brighter. She couldn’t resist teasing Arlecchino.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to transfer her over to me, then wouldn’t stop talking about her?”

There was nothing Arlecchino could say in response. She did do that.

She did think of transferring you to Colombina’s forces many times. When you finished your competency test as an agent, when you came back injured on your first mission, when you were pursued by The Narzissenkreuz Ordo, when you came back from the Northern Wilds…

But not once did she succeed. How could she, when she saw your love for her in your eyes.

“Someone like her, who loved you so much, who dedicated her entire being to you… Is such a rare find…” The Damselette sighed. When you were alive, she had her gaze on you many, many times. Yet the only person whom you truly looked at and served was Arlecchino.

She knew. That your feelings for her ran beyond that of an orphan and their caretaker.

“But I lost her.” Arlecchino’s eyes darkened, her voice soft and low. “I shouldn’t have hesitated.”

Arlecchino regretted many things. She should have known that you would have put yourself in harm’s way just to ensure her safety. She should have sent you away from the battlefield much sooner. But she couldn’t bear to.

The ache buried deep in her heart morphed into a knife stabbing pain, one sharp enough that her eyes felt wet again.

She thought that she would be by your side, protecting you from danger. She was overconfident. And now, the only thing she has left is regret.

“But you know she’ll do whatever it takes to remain by your side, right?” Even in death. Colombina shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. Even she knew that you would never leave Arlecchino alone to face reality, regardless if you were dead or alive.

“You should rest for a bit, Arlecchino. You’re too tired.” The children in The House were not the only ones who were aware of this. The Damselette, too, was well aware that the best phrase to describe Arlecchino as she is right now would be “precariously dangling off the edge”.

Take a break. Embrace your new life after you come back. By then, everything would be set in stone.

“I will be leaving Snezhnaya.” “On Her Majesty’s orders?” Arlecchino nodded; Colombina understood.

“Do you know what the word, ‘Sixteen’, has to do with me?” Arlecchino quipped suddenly.

“Sixteen?” “The Doctor said, The Sixteenth Battalion was named after me.”

“Sixteen…” Colombina sunk into thought. “I remember you mentioned, she likes Liyuean culture?”

Arlecchino nodded.

“Write your name in Liyuean?”

Arlecchino drew upon her flames, and traced her name in embers in the air.

“Yanre[v]… No wonder…” “Yanre?” “It’s your ‘no’.” Colombina smiled softly, pointing at the character floating in the air. She silently thanked Regrator for going on his endless tirade about the history of Liyuean characters for the first time in her long life.

“Yanre, her alias in Fontaine.” “Similarly, sixteen… Happens to be the number of strokes in your ‘le’ too[vi].” “That child really, really likes you, don’t you think?” “Oh, and Peruvie… When I first heard that name, I had assumed that you were the one who thought of it.”

Arlecchino ended that conversation there. She bid Colombina farewell, and returned to the House.

57

Yanre… Sixteen… Peruvie… Hearth…

Her mind travelled back. Back to a lifetime ago, when you gave yourself a name you chose. Your first name was bestowed upon you by her, so Arlecchino hoped that you would choose a name that fit you best in Fontaine.

You had stood outside her door for a long time before mustering the courage to tell her.

“Yanre? Why this name specifically?”

Caught unawares, you stumbled on your words, only mumbling broken phrases under your breath. She frowned. “Are you sure?”

You nodded, without hesitation.

“Then it is settled.” Arlecchino did not prod further on your nervousness and your beet red face. There was nothing suspicious going on since before that, there weren’t many times where her presence alone didn’t turn you into a freshly ripe tomato.

Were you scared that I would notice, and disagree with your choice? Arlecchino thought.

You had let her into your daily life in many ways. Even your personal sword, The Hearth. And she had questioned you before, a lifetime ago.

~

“Why this name? Not much why. Arle, I was really happy when I came back. Home is where you are. This name makes me feel at ease, just like… just like you Arle, how you stand by my side and protect me! Holding Hearth makes me think of it, and makes me fearless!”

You had answered back then.

The Hearth’s sword flames surrounded you, and under its soft glow, your smile struck Arlecchino’s heart.

She never asked you why you named your force The Sixteenth Battalion. Much less thought of how the force she thought was for your way of protecting yourself, was actually set up to protect her instead.

And only then, did Arlecchino finally, truly, understand the meaning behind Lyney’s words.

…

It was the night before that fateful battle.

She had ordered Lyney to take you away from the battlefield should the opportunity arose, by whatever means necessary.

Back then, Lyney hesitated before agreeing.

“Is there a problem?” “After Peruvie’s return, I did ask her why she came back. She said she wanted to leave a normal life, one with domestic bliss, without the worry of dying the next day.” “She had already achieved such a life in the Northern Wilds. She had no need to come back.” “But she said – ‘Brother Lyney, it’s because Arle is here. I need to make sure she is safe first.’” “‘Because before I learnt how to protect myself, I learnt how to protect Arle.’”

“I will follow your orders and make an opportunity to bring her away from the battlefield, Father. But I cannot guarantee that I will be able to do so.” “Because when it comes to matters regarding you, Father, Peruvie’s concerns were never about herself.”

…

‘Because before I learnt how to protect myself, I learnt how to protect Arle.’

Arlecchino found herself lying on her bed, holding The Sixteenth Battalion’s Seal of Authority[vii]. Her tears fell slowly, making small drops on the red gloss of the wood.

The color came from the rivers formed from bloodshed. There was your blood, your enemies’ blood, your comrades’ blood. The Seal only became more meaningful once one understood the sacrifices made to ensure its existence.

And you gave it to her, to Arlecchino.

This was your biggest strength, as it was your greatest show of love.

Arlecchino will only ever weep for two people. The first was Clervie, her comrade in arms in her youth. The last was Peruvie, her lover whose love went unanswered until it was beyond reach.

And now, Arlecchino has truly understood the love she has lost. Her realisation tastes like salt and tears.

TL Notes I thought this was going to be a relatively short translation, until I got to the 5th page and realised that I just read things really quick. That and Chinese is a much, MUCH more complex language than English (am a native speaker in both but it feels like I’m just dumb in two languages).

Thought this was a really good standalone even though it’s actually part of a longer series. My own writing style is similar to the original author’s, more fast paced if anything, so I found translating the style a bit easier.

According to the author (istg they’re like shaoji), there will be a continuation to this where the Arle isn’t left alone anymore. There is a chapter after this and I don’t doubt them after reading it. It’s just that I want to send them a flower bouquet of fake guns just for this angst. It had me sobbing the first time I read it. There is a LOT of two sided pining.

On the part of their relationship, Reader is indeed a child of the HotH but has never considered themselves as a child of Arlecchino. In the raw, Reader has always referred to Arlecchino as 姐姐 (jiejie), which means older sister. Similar situation to the Onii-chans you always see, just make it gay and turn it Chinese. Essentially she has never seen herself as being below Arlecchino but rather views Arlecchino as an equal generation wise. Reader's generation is also quite awkward, she refers to Lyney in a similar way that Lynette does but Lyney calls Arlecchino "Father". Granted, this can be excused because even in game, Arlecchino actually isn't that old. The age gap between her and Lyney is actually closer to a sibling age gap than a parent/child, it's just that Arlecchino has gone through enough that she's mentally a 40YO Dad.

I might translate the rest, but only if I can eke out the time between HSR, Genshin and touching grass

There were some subtleties I couldn’t really translate to begin with… They’re explained in endnotes below.    

[i] Reader being named Peruvie. The name for reader in the raw is 佩薇儿 (pei wei’er). The 佩 comes from 佩露薇利 (Peruere) and the 薇 can come from either 佩露薇利 (Peruere) or 克雷薇 (Clervie) since they both share the same character. The 儿 is usually what you put behind shortened names, and it’s usually used by (older) family members or close friends.

So I just went ahead and named reader Peruvie.

[ii] Swords are a huge thing in Chinese culture, and in situations like this where the parties actively use their swords as weapons for combat, they would have a personalised sword. One crafted for them and suited for their own needs. It’s essentially an extension of your body. In fantasy, high quality swords have been depicted to have their own consciousness, making for some interesting interpretations. 封剑 AKA sealing the sword usually happens when the owner intends to never use it anymore either through giving up combat entirely or when the owner dies.

The most well known one in the fandoms I’ve been to would be MDZS’s Suibian (随便), where after the death of its owner, the sword sealed itself in its sheath and never allowed anyone to use it.

[iii] This line is an absolute PAIN to translate. There are quite a few different interpretations to it, and the structure itself is impossible to bring over to English.

阿蕾奇诺，长夜已深 既然不睡，就该清醒

A lot of Chinese idioms come in fours, and there are a lot of things that you can explain in four characters. You simply don’t have this complexity in English.

阿蕾奇诺: Arlecchino, this one’s simple enough.

长夜已深: Here, 长夜 refers to a long night, which can be interpreted as an unending night too because the theme here is Death and Heartbreak, which usually is irreversible. 已深 means that it’s already quite deep into the night, which reflects the passage of time. Usually the time would be midnight, or sometime in the witching hours like 2-3am but the translation will not fit here.

‘The never-ending night has long since fallen.’ But translating this would break the writer’s style, which tends to be short but sharp.

既然不睡: 既然 has a meaning similar to “since”, which is why it’s translated as such. 不睡 , translated literally, means that one won’t sleep. But here, sleeping is dreaming, is falling into the delusion that reader is still alive and well, and that they are just away on a mission. Arlecchino knows that Reader has died and will no longer return to her, but she has not fully accepted the fact yet. She is not sleeping or dreaming to delude herself (which suits her character, see Arle’s story quest RE: Clervie), but she is not fully awake yet - ie she has not fully come to terms that Reader has died.

就该清醒: 就该 in this context sounds like a very harsh “you should, because that is what is expected of you”, which lends to the accusatory tone that the rest of this scene has. 清醒 literally means to be alert, and when seen next to the 不睡 of the previous line means that one should be awake AND alert. In this case, alert wouldn’t mean up and about, but refer to being accepting of reality and Arlecchino acknowledging the fact that reader is, well, dead.

Put together, it can refer to a monologue Arlecchino tells herself, or it can be her conscience hounding after her and denying her true rest. When seen in context to the rest of the scene, it sounds very accusatory. I’m inclined to think that this is her conscience (which is also seen in italics in later portions of the fic) bashing her, but this being her actual monologue would also be very in line with her character (accept the harsh reality and not sink into sweet delusion)

[iv] The raw here used is 节哀 which is a polite way to respond to someone who has a loved one who died. It has the politeness of ‘condolences’ but also has the double meaning of ‘don’t be so sad/cheer up’ albeit in a subtle and polite manner. Here it’s used to imply that even the Tsaritsa thinks Arlecchino is very upset, which is the case, only Arlecchino herself has not realised it yet.

[v] Oh boy. Yanre. The raw for this calls reader 言若. Arlecchino’s name in written Chinese is 阿蕾奇诺.

The last character, 诺 (nuo) has two parts. The left and the right. Think of it like a prefix, only this one is usually used in words that refer to speech or spoken language. 言 (yan) is used to describe that portion of the word. As for 若, it can be read two ways. One is ruo, which is used in a similar way as “like” in English idioms. It is also the most common way you read the word. The other one is re, which is used for nouns (though for a character’s name both would technically work). There are characters that use this word in two ways in different fandoms, like 若邪(ruoye) from TGCF and 阿兰若 (a’lan re) from Eternal Love of Dream.

Think of it as reader taking a portion of Arlecchino’s name and claiming it as her own! Which is why reader was so worried about Arlecchino finding out upon questioning (lol)

[vi] I am not translating this accurately here because the original character used is 蕾(lei). Le will not flow as smoothly off the tongue, so a character that pronounces as lei was chosen instead (is what I am inclined to believe). But yes, if you write this properly, it does contain 16 strokes, hence the Sixteenth Battalion. Reader is really smitten to see this, I bet she writes the name when she’s spacing out. Almost nobody in their sane mind would count the strokes unless they were really, really obsessed.

[vii] Seal. Seal in Chinese is 印 or 玺 (though the latter refers more to that passed down by the royal family). Generals tend to pass down 符(fu) which tend to be intricately carved objects. The raw here uses令牌, which is a flat piece of carved wood/jade/metal/(insert material). It’s not a seal per se. But the meaning is still similar, all individuals in the group must swear allegiance to whoever has possession of the item, in this case, Arlecchino having the authority over the Sixteenth whether its knights acknowledge her or not.

[winternightswren]

Of Lattes and Labrats Chapter 3- Paper Receipt

(See here for masterlist and warnings. This story is 18+!!!)

Jayce was right- this is the best sandwich you've ever had.

"Oh my god, dude" you say through a mouth full of bread and cheese, "this is...oh my god." Jayce chuckles.

"I told you it was good. I'm glad you like it."

The sun had set by now, and the streets were dimly lit by lanterns lining the sidewalk. The summer air was thick, and the sea salt smell that always hung over the city was extra pungent on the breeze. You wished you had ordered a cold drink to go with your sandwich, but Jayce had offered to pay- to return the favor- and you didn't want to inconvenience him with a bigger bill. There were a few other patrons sitting among the umbrella covered tables, most of them pouring over books and papers. You wondered if that could have been you, in another life. Maybe someday.

The two of you sat in comfortable silence, enjoying your food and the nice weather. You tried to think of things to talk about, but a long day behind the counter fried your brain, and you found yourself growing rather drowsy, despite your excitement. You finish your sandwich and crumple up your wrapper, but before you can stand up to throw it away, Jayce holds out his hand.

"Here, I can take that for you," he says kindly.

"Why, thank you, good sir" you chirped, your voice laced with a pompous accent. What a gentleman.

He stands up to toss the paper into the trash, and claps his hands together. "So...You ready to go?"

You nod, stand, and stretch, trying to stifle the yawn that threatens to rip from your chest. "You sure this is okay? Taking a stranger into your top secret lab-or-a-tory?" You spit the last word like a fictitious villain. He laughs, and you feel slightly less stupid.

"We'll just be in and out. And, if there's any funny business, I'll have to call the enforcers on you." He's joking, but the idea makes you (more) nervous anyway.

"Alright then," You smile, "lead the way."

Jayce leads you towards a tall white building, illuminated a soft sea green by the security lights. The campus grounds are mostly empty, with classes being done for the day. The only people you pass are the occasional enforcer, and folks you assume are professors with their professional clothes and briefcases. You make your way up staircases, down cavernous hallways , and past the most ornate doors you've ever seen. Jayce nods his head in greeting to almost everyone you come across- he must be pretty popular. That doesn't surprise you. The guy is damn charismatic.

Finally, he takes you to a door at the far end of a particularly long corridor, and pulls a key out of his pocket. "Oh, by the way," he starts. "My lab partner, Viktor, might still be here. He doesn't talk much when he's focused, so don't take it personally if he doesn't make conversation." You swallow and nod your head. You weren't expecting to meet anyone else today, and the introvert in you begs for a break; but you prepare your customer service persona to be polite anyhow.

The large metal door swings open with a loud creeaaak that makes you flinch a bit. Jayce steps inside, and so do you, looking around with intrigue. The room is tall, brightly lit with sterile fluorescent lights. Every surface is littered with parchment, blueprints, and metal machinery you don't recognize. A tall, slender man sits at a desk with his back to you, and a cane hangs off the back of his chair.

"I'm back, Viktor," Jayce says cheerily. "I've brought a friend, too." Viktor sits up and turns around, slightly startled looking.

"Oh. Hello, there." He speaks with an accent you don't recognize, and smiles politely at you before turning back to his work., not waiting for a response.

"Hi," you say feebly to the back of his head. Relief washes over you, glad that you don't have to make more conversation. You go back to looking about the room, shivering. It's freezing in here compared to outside. Jayce notices.

"Sorry," he says, pulling a sweater on himself, "We have to keep it cool in here to keep the crystals stabilized."

"Crystals?" You ask, curiosity piqued. Jayce nods.

"I can't go into much detail, but we're trying to find a way to create magic. These crystals are the key." His eyes shimmer with excitement, clearly passionate about his work.

"Magic?" You repeat with disbelief. "But...I thought magic was banned in the city walls?" Jayce hesitates.

"We're hoping to change that. We've gained special permission from the city council, and the head of the academy to go forward with the experiments. If we're successful, we could change lives, and the future of Piltover. We just want to help people..." Jayce rattles on, and you find yourself spacing out a bit, smiling softly.

This guy has gotta be too good to be true. You admire his ambition, and add it to the list of things about him that make your stomach twist. He speaks passionately, gesturing about with his hands- then he catches your gaze and stops.

"Hah...sorry. All that to say, I hope it pays off." He fidgets with his hands, a blush creeping up his face. "Anyway," he concedes, "I'll just grab my materials and we can head out."

You nod, and pick up a nearby sheet of paper while he busies himself. It looks like concepts for a tower of some sort- the words Hex Gates are written in messy ink at the top, and the margins are full of notes that are too small and illegible. The drawings are beautiful though; you wonder if it was Jayce or Viktor who came up with them, and you feel embarrassment in the pit of your stomach. These guys aren't artists, they're scientists. Shouldn't you be ahead of them at this point? You can't help but compare it to your own work, which isn't nearly as good. And, you promised to show it to Jayce. The pit grows larger. Shit. What's he going to think? If this is his drawing, and he's more skilled than you, he's going to know how bad of an "artist" you really are, and then he'll lose interest. That's like, the only sort-of interesting thing about you. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe you should cut it off now, before he finds out how lame you actually are and you embarrass yourself further. What if-

You're startled out of your thought spiral with a hand on your shoulder. "You okay?" Jayce is looking at you, not with concern, but something else you can't read. Fuck. Stop spacing out, he thinks you're weird. You nod and force a smile.

"Yeah. Sorry, I was just admiring your handiwork. Seems like whatever you guys are cooking up in here is gonna be pretty delicious." You put the paper back on the table where you found it, and put your hands back in your pockets. "Ready to go?"

"I am if you are." You nod again, and Jayce turns to Viktor: "See you tomorrrow, V. Don't stay up too late." He's teasing him, but Viktor doesn't react, except to raise a hand. Jayce seems satisfied and heads out the door with you on his coattails.

"It was nice to meet you," You squeak out. He doesn't say anything, and you trot awkwardly after Jayce to catch up. You're not sure he realizes how much faster he is than you, with his giraffe legs. The door slams shut behind you, sending a jolt up your spine as it echoes down the corridor.

"Um...do you want me to carry anything for you?" You offer. His arms are ladened with a large box, and a few scrolls in the crook of his elbow. It looks uncomfortable, but Jayce shakes his head. "No, I got it. That's okay." He smiles and shifts the weight of the box; you suspect he's just being polite.

"I really don't mind," you insist.

"That's kind of you, but it's really alright. I don't want to trouble you."

Maybe he just doesn't want you touching his stuff?

You shrug, conceding. "Alright, then."

There's a beat of silence, then:

"So...how long do you think it will be until you've completed..." You didn't actually catch the name of his current project. "...Your work?" You finally finish. Jayce grimaces, and you worry you said something wrong.

"One can never know with these things. Truly, we've made great strides; but the dean, professor Heimerdinger, wants us to take it as slowly as possible. For safety." He seems annoyed. You're surprised, momentarily. You know who Heimerdinger is; everyone does. Somehow you never made the connection that he was the head of the academy as well as the council.

"Well...safety is good," you agree, "but it seems you're frustrated by this." Jayce exhales, laughs dryly.

"You could say that. Heimerdinger...well, he's been around longer than anyone. Hundreds of years, even. He's scared, maybe for a good reason; he's seen things we could never imagine. But I don't think he understands the urgency. People are suffering now. The longer we wait, the longer they stay that way." His tone is tight; he's trying to stay cordial but this is obviously bothering him. He wears his heart on his sleeve, you surmised.

You're not sure what to say, but you don't want to be rude. "Well..." you start, unsure of where you're going. Jayce looks at you expectantly, and you blush under his gaze. "I think it'll be great," you finally eek out, "whenever and however it happens." Lame answer. Jayce shrugs, turns away.

"Thanks," he says politely, with no emotion. You decide to change the subject.

"Um, where do you live? Would you like me to walk you home?" You're almost at the exit.

"Uh, I live a few blocks down. You're welcome to come with me of course; but, if you live too far away, please don't feel like you have to."

You shrug, "I live in the loft above the cafe. It's no problem. Besides, it just means I get more exercise. I don't do a whole lot of walking, being behind the counter all day." He smiles, and you realize you're at the door now. You rush ahead of him to hold it open, and he thanks you.

"Alright then. I suppose some company would be nice."

The two of you meander along the sidewalk, neither one in a hurry. You smile, laugh, make small talk, and try your best to not let the butterflies in your stomach get the better of you. The buildings you pass grow more and more large, more ornate. He finally comes to a stop in front of a very posh apartment building, shifting the weight of his materials once again. "Well, this is me," he says. Damn. This guy must be loaded. Maybe a cold drink wouldn't have been too much to ask, you think. "Thank you for joining me, tonight." He smiles, eyes shining in the light of the street lamps. The orange halo and dark shadows make his already sharp features more dramatic looking, and the knot in your stomach twists once again. You nod, swallowing the saliva pooling in your mouth.

"Thank you, for inviting me out. And buying me dinner. Maybe we could...do it again sometime?" You hate how shaky your voice is. He's intimidating in a way you don't dislike. But he smiles, wider this time, revealing a small gap in his teeth you didn't notice before. Cute.

"I'd love to." You shift your weight, staring at him a moment longer. The silence is palpable- you want to kiss him. You don't know if you should. I mean, do people still kiss goodbye on the first date? Do you know each other well enough? You find yourself staring at his lips, and maybe it's wishful thinking, but you think he might be looking at yours, too. You decide against it; the materials in his arms would make it too difficult, even if you were certain it was the right moment. You avert your eyes and tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Well," you chuckle awkwardly, "Will I see you at the cafe tomorrow? Maybe we can work something out then?" His eyes flicker for a moment, and you think you see disappointment on his face for a sliver of a second before he speaks.

"Sure. Yes. Absolutely." He seems a loss for words for the first time since you met him, stuttering nervously.

"Alright, then." Your shoulders tense, unsure how to say goodbye. "Well...goodnight." You wave, and he bows his head, unable to do the same.

"Goodnight," he says in kind, and turns away towards the front doors. You resist the urge to watch him go, and turn around to walk back the way you came. You try to admire the architecture around you instead of ruminating on how awkward and embarrassing you were all night. But truthfully you had a wonderful time; and you hope you get a chance to get to know Jayce even more. You shove your hands in your pockets once more, and pick up your pace to get home before you decide to turn around and do exactly what you hadn't.

—————-

Jayce watches you walking hastily down the street, feeling a heat on his face. That went well, he thinks. He makes his way back to his apartment, lugging the box of lab junk along with him. He fumbles with his keys, slams the door open harder than he meant to, and dumps his things on the couch. He exhales, runs a hand through his hair, and slides a hand into his pocket- something brushes against his knuckles. He pulls it out; it's a receipt from the sandwich shop. Heat blooms in his chest at the memory of you, starry eyed, enjoying the food he recommended, and he decides in that moment to keep it in his wallet from now on; even if he doesn't get to see you again.

[anonymousewrites]

Portal to My Heart (Book 1.5) Chapter Eleven

Loki x Reader

Chapter Eleven: On Sakaar

Summary: Loki and (Y/N) work on getting the Grandmaster's trust.

            “Here is your room,” said the guard, opening the door to what was apparently a honeymoon suite.

            (Y/N) and Loki smiled as they stepped in and the door was shut behind them. A room of red and white stood before them with wide windows overlooking the city below. It looked nice enough. Two sets of clothes lay on the bed in front of them.

            “Oh my god, really?” (Y/N) groaned as she held up the outfit she was supposed to wear.

            Loki smothered a smirk. “Quite the dress.”

            “Shut it, my dear,” snapped (Y/N). “At least yours covers all of you.”

            “It is blue, though,” said Loki distastefully. He preferred green.

            “Better blue than so showy,” huffed (Y/N). And I just got to wear not formal clothes, too…

            “Unfortunately, Grandmaster expects us to behave, so we should change,” said Loki.

            “Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t want to get fried,” said (Y/N). She nodded a door leading to an adjacent room. “I’m assuming that’s a bathroom. I’ll change in there.”

            Loki nodded, and (Y/N) went into the bathroom. Loki put on the Sakaarian outfit, sighing at the blue and purple scheme instead of having his preferred green.

            “Man, I’m not going to like it here,” said (Y/N) as she stepped out.

            Loki’s brain froze for a moment as he took in her appearance. Seeing it laid out on the bed didn’t do justice for how it ended up looking on (Y/N).

            The corseted top was a navy blue with gold overlay, and a golden skirt and sleeves hung over blue fabric. The gold under the bust has flower inlays, and chains fell over her neck from sleeve to sleeve. A slit up the side of the skirt highlighted her leg, and it fell to her knees. Gold wedge heels supported her as she stood with her hands on her hips.

            Loki was thanking Grandmaster for his choice since (Y/N) looked incredible. She was more divine and godly than Loki could ever be.

            “You look nice,” remarked (Y/N), looking at his simple but classy new outfit. “I like you in other colors.”

            “Thank you.” Loki liked his outfit much more knowing (Y/N) liked it. “And you look nice as well.”

            “Thanks.” She smiled and chuckled sheepishly. “You’d think that I’d be used to fancy outfits by now after being on Asgard so long, but I’m not.”

            “Well, this is slightly more daring than Asgardian dresses,” remarked Loki. He took (Y/N)’s hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the back. “But you look beautiful in either.”

            (Y/N) turned pink, and her heart fluttered at his praise. She stood straighter, somehow more comfortable knowing that Loki liked it. “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered in embarrassment. “Let’s get to this party.”

            Loki chuckled. “Indeed.”

l

            (Y/N) and Loki stepped out of the elevator into the Grandmaster’s party room. People were dancing and drinking abundantly already. (Y/N) stuck by Loki’s side as they walked to the bar to grab some drinks to blend in.

            “Hey! If it isn’t my two newest friends!” said Grandmaster. “Looking great, guys.”

            “And feeling great,” said (Y/N), plastering a smile on her face.

            “Thank you for the gifts,” said Loki.

            “Anything for you two,” said Grandmaster, winking. “I think we’re getting along, so, hey, want to make sure you’re happy.”

            “And we’re honored,” said Loki, kissing ass to gain trust.

            “Yes. We are,” said (Y/N).

            Grandmaster grinned. “Don’t have too much fun without me,” he said before mingling with other guests.

            (Y/N) and Loki drifted to the edge of the party.

            “So, we’re stuck here,” murmured (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Loki.

            “How are we going to make the best of this?” said (Y/N).

            “First, we’re going to dance to seem like we’re having a good time,” said Loki.

            “Well, we could be, I just need a few more drinks,” said (Y/N) brightly, downing her drink.

            Loki chuckled and pulled (Y/N) onto the dancefloor, keeping her close as others dancing to the techno music. Loki wasn’t accustomed to this type of dancing, but luckily for the pair, (Y/N) had been clubbing on Earth, and this didn’t feel that different, so she just pulled Loki in and kept them close as they bounced and twirled to the music, letting the beat guide her.

            Under the cover of the music, (Y/N) spoke quietly. “I’m assuming we’re going to overthrow the Grandmaster?” she said, arching an eyebrow.

            “Of course, I just need to get into his good graces,” said Loki, twirling her closer. (Y/N) laughed and shook her head at his confidence. Swaying her to the music, he smirked at her. “You’ve become rather comfortable with revolution. I thought you didn’t approve of taking over other lands.”

            (Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Revolution is different from conquering, and I don’t like the Grandmaster. He has slaves; he has to go.”

            “Of course,” said Loki. He spun her. “So we’re agreed?”

            (Y/N) smirked at him and raised a hand where blue light gathered for a moment. “When the time is right." She frowned. "But then we find out if Asgard and Thor are alright."

            Loki nodded in agreement. “Yes. We’ll need his trust first.”

            “Good thing you’re not known as Silvertongue for nothing,” said (Y/N) teasingly.

            “I can assure you, they call me that for many reasons,” said Loki, leaning closer and pulling her closer.

            (Y/N) ignored the flutter in her stomach at the insinuation. “Well, then, you should have no trouble becoming friends with Grandmaster.”

            “Neither should you,” remarked Loki. “You can be diplomatic and persuasive when needed.”

            “Thanks,” said (Y/N) with a playful wink. “But I was thinking I’d be better suited to getting into the mainframe here and stealing passwords. Then we’d have resources.”

            “Excellent idea,” said Loki. He leaned into her ear while pulling her hips closer, keeping up the appearance of a couple as they danced and plotted. “We will stay here for a bit, and then we can inform Grandmaster that we’re going to slip out for some ‘fun’ and get some work done.”

            (Y/N) grinned and suppressed a shiver as he spoke into her ear. “Right.”

l

            “Hey, hey, hey, where’re you two going? The party’s still going!” said Grandmaster as (Y/N) and Loki made their way to the exit.

            (Y/N) giggled and put her hand on Loki’s chest, playing up her tipsiness as Loki held her close. “Oh, we know, but we just wanted to, you know, have some…personal time?” She grinned at Loki.

            Grandmaster grinned and wagged his finger at them. “Naughty, naughty.” He clapped Loki on the back. “Have fun, you two, and invite me some time!”

            Loki put on a smile as they left the room, and they both let out a breath of exhaustion as the elevator doors slid closed.

            “He’s going to be tiring,” sighed (Y/N).

            “Indeed,” said Loki. “But I prefer him flirting with us to him melting us.”

            “Can’t argue with that,” said (Y/N).

            “So, can you really get us into the mainframe?” said Loki.

            “Yeah,” said (Y/N) with total confidence as the elevator doors opened and they stepped into the hallway leading to their room and others. “I hacked SHIELD. I can handle this place.”

            Loki believed her. She had never failed in anything before. “I’ll watch for guards.”

            “Thanks.” (Y/N) made her way to a computer set up between several rooms. She had seen a worker earlier using it to look up guests and information on who was staying there, so (Y/N) knew it was connected to the system.

            She turned on the computer and opened the panel beneath it to get to wiring. And then she set to work. (Y/N) grinned as she worked. It felt good to be hacking again. It had been way too long since she had the rush of breaking into all the files and data that people tried to keep hidden.

            “Wow, Grandmaster has a lot of stuff he isn’t using,” said (Y/N) as she went through the various ship files and access codes. She grinned. “Mine now.”

            “How far along are you?” said Loki.

            “Nearly done. I’m memorizing some of the codes so I can get into the system faster next time,” said (Y/N), scanning the lines of code popping up before her. “Got it—”

            Loki pulled her up and slammed the computer closed. Moving quickly, Loki pushed (Y/N) against the wall. He pulled one of her legs up around his hip, effortlessly holding her up as one hand held himself above her. (Y/N) instinctively held her hands on his chest in surprise at the action.

            “Loki, what—?!” gasped (Y/N), staring at him wide-eyed as her heart went a mile a minute.

            “Guards,” he murmured, leaning close to her.

            Sure enough, guards were rounding the corner, and they hurried quickly past (Y/N) and Loki as they spied the “intimate couple” and didn’t want to stick around for very long.

            (Y/N) and Loki remained frozen until a few moments passed with no one else appearing.

            “I think they’re gone,” said (Y/N), but she hadn’t moved, staring at how close Loki’s body was to hers.

            “Yes,” said Loki absently, his mind far too busy realizing his hand was supporting (Y/N)’s thigh and he had put them in quite the situation. He snapped out of it and let go, stepping back before his thoughts got away from him.

            “We should head to our room. You know, to, uh, keep up appearances,” said (Y/N) awkwardly.

            “Yes. That’s a good idea,” said Loki.

l

            Loki and (Y/N) stood in their pajamas and avoided each other’s gaze as reality set in. They had been too busy to pay it any mind earlier, but now they were noticing one extremely important fact about the room they were in.

            It had one bed.

            (Y/N) crossed her arms over her, thankfully, normal tank top and shorts pajamas. (She had worried Grandmaster would give her a nightgown or something, in which case she would have simply refused to change and found her Earth clothes). “One bed.”

            “Yes,” said Loki.

            Silence.

            “Well, I’m not sleeping on the floor,” said (Y/N).

            “Neither am I,” said Loki.

            “And we need to keep our cover,” said (Y/N).

            “Yes, we need to seem like a couple in a honeymoon suite,” said Loki.

            “So we’re agreed?” said (Y/N).

            “We both keep to our sides,” said Loki with a nod.

            “Fine,” said (Y/N).

            “Fine,” said Loki.

            Silently, they crossed to their sides of the bed and got in.

            Loki glanced at (Y/N) as she lay stiffly in bed. “Is this your first time in bed with a man?” He had no idea how to deal with the situation in any other way than teasing her.

            (Y/N) scoffed. “This isn’t that type of thing at all, and even if it was, I’ve shared my bed with men and women, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

            Loki found himself gritting his teeth at the idea of others with (Y/N). “Well, you can relax. I don’t have any dishonorable intentions.”

            “…I know.” (Y/N) turned over slightly to face him, and Loki leaned on his side. “Despite everything, I trust you.” She smiled.

            Loki blinked in surprise and felt his heart beat faster pleasantly. “Thank you.”

            (Y/N) closed her eyes and pushed her head farther into the pillow. “Yeah, you’re welcome.”

            Loki smiled and looked at (Y/N)’s peaceful expression. I could get used to this. He closed his eyes and listened to her calm breaths as he drifted off.

l

            (Y/N)’s eyes opened to find herself staring a pajama shirt. She looked up to see Loki’s face, eyes still closed. During the night, both had moved closer, their heads at the inner edges of their pillows as they lay together in the center of the bed. (Y/N)’s legs had twined with Loki’s, and his arms were around her.

            “Loki?” murmured (Y/N).

            Loki’s eyes didn’t open, and he didn’t wake up, but he hummed slightly at her voice and pulled her closer. (Y/N) couldn’t help a fond smile and closed her eyes again.

            Hey, she was on a strange planet with strange people and only the man she loved with her. (Y/N) wasn’t about to break the moment. She reached out and held Loki to her.

            She’d enjoy the peace while it lasted.

            And she didn’t notice Loki’s eyes open and the smile appear on his face as he held (Y/N).

Just a super cute Loki x MC chapter -Mouse

Taglist:

@alexpangender

@technikerin23

@kikster606

@neenieweenie

@h-l-vlovesvintage

[flashphotograph]

Can I Keep It?

@spicycinnabun and I's contribution to steddiebang 2023! ❤️️ | Chapters: 2/12 | Rating: M | Read, kudos or comment on ao3 | We have a playlist. ❤️️ | Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Chapter 2: Stupid Hunk

The early afternoon at Family Video was so boring. No one was coming in to rent or return movies. Steve had finished all the grunt work. Rentals that came back that morning were rewound if the customer hadn’t done it already. Everything had been put back in its place, and he had straightened up the store.

Usually, Steve enjoyed the free time getting paid to do nothing, but he was feeling listless about work and his love life.

Now, he was just leaning against the counter, playing with Eddie’s skull ring. He had been keeping it under the counter for when Eddie came back to return A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge or if he saw Dustin.

Steve found it fit perfectly on his ring finger and considered not giving it back.

He had a date tonight. He was taking Brenda to the basketball game. He wasn’t sure about her. She was gorgeous but even denser than him. Maybe it was the blonde box dye that had fried her brain.

The game was almost more exciting than the prospect of getting laid. He’d totally fucked up the year before and had lost state for Hawkins. It had been the cherry on top of not getting into college. Steve was looking forward to redemption for the team and a win for Sinclair.

When the phone rang, Steve answered it within a few rings. It was Dustin wanting him to come play D&D. Yeah, right. He would never socially recover from that.

Steve looked at the ring, spinning it around with his thumb. It chafed a little that Dustin thought he was jealous of Eddie. He absolutely was not. “I’m not cancelling my date with Bombshell Brenda. Sorry, Dustin. You and the freak can have fun without me.”

Steve was relieved when two hot customers walked in, giving him a reason to hang up.

Eddie sat on the bus. It was the last one running, and nobody else was on it except himself and the bus driver. He’d abandoned his van back at the trailer—too conspicuous. What happened was fucked. It was so fucked.

He made a noise of distress, picking his feet up off the ground and curling up into as small a ball as possible on the dirty carpeted seat. His eyes went glassy, locked wide in fright. The driver gave him a wary glance from his rearview mirror.

Twenty minutes later, Eddie had barely moved. The bus lurched to a stop, and the driver cleared his throat. “End of the line,” he said.

A few seconds passed. There was no motion from the back.

“Hey!” he said louder. “I said end of the line. You gotta get off, kid.”

That jolted Eddie. He stood on wooden legs and stumbled to the side door, pushing it open and stepping outside. The doors hissed closed, and the bus chugged away and turned around the corner, leaving him alone on the barren road.

There were no streetlights here. Nobody was around.

Eddie started walking briskly, glancing over his shoulder constantly.

When he reached a fork in the road, he stopped and stared into the depths of the woods. Cutting through it was the closest way to his dealer’s house. It was the only place he could go that he knew would be safe from the cops, who would no doubt be coming after him for the fucking death of Chrissy Cunningham. He didn’t know if it would be safe from whatever the fuck had attacked Chrissy.

Eddie stepped off the road and onto the dirt with a trembling breath.

The branches of the trees were long, spindly, and black. He should have heard the rustle of animals scurrying around and insects buzzing. He should have heard the wind off the lake. It was too quiet and too still. He could only hear his breath and the soft whimpers rising from his throat that he couldn’t control.

He started to run. He ran faster than he ever had before. He ran like somebody was chasing him because it felt that way. It felt like he was being watched, hunted.

His lungs gave out long before he did. Eddie was dripping sweat and heaving when he finally reached Rick’s place. The security light was on and casting a cold glow on the ground that wasn’t very welcoming, but at least he was out of the dark.

Eddie didn’t have a key to Rick’s house, and he didn’t want to break in and leave evidence that he was there or risk someone seeing him. A key to the boathouse was hidden in a flowerpot on the back windowsill. Eddie went around, grabbed it and jammed it in the door, having to try three times before he unlocked it because his hands were shaking so badly.

There was no light inside, except for the scant amount coming from the windows and the moon off the lake. Eddie whimpered again, every creak in the floor and every shadow on the walls making him jump.

“Fucking relax, you coward,” he said hoarsely. The volume of his voice almost made him jump, too.

Miracle of all miracles, he found a case of beer on one of the shelves. He drank two of them. It didn’t do much to calm him. Mostly, it just made him feel nauseous and dizzy.

He still saw Chrissy’s body levitating in the air, her bones cracking to unnatural angles, her eyes sucking back into the caverns of her skull.

Eddie climbed into the boat and curled up under the blue tarp, scrunching his eyes shut as he tried to force the images away. The tarp made crinkling noises as he continued to shake, but eventually, his breath slowed. The adrenaline crash hit him, and he passed out.

But he wasn’t out for long, plagued by nightmares that made him toss and turn in the boat, getting twisted up in the tarp. The third time he woke up screaming, he stopped trying to sleep.

Eddie didn’t do much of anything when morning came. He tried to calm himself by going outside and sitting on the dock. It was a sweet relief to feel the warmth and safety of the daylight, but since it was the weekend, there were people out boating, and he had to retreat to the darkness.

He looked through Rick’s things and took an inventory of everything there. Most of it was junk and fishing gear, but there was a first aid kit and some old food in a cooler he could survive on. He couldn’t risk going to a store. He should have packed a backpack, but he hadn’t prepared anything. All he did was run. All he did was leave Chrissy.

Eddie hacked open a can of expired SpaghettiOs when his stomach started cramping, scarfing them down ravenously and cutting his tongue on the jagged tin. He devoured a Big Hunk bar, saving the other two for later like they were precious gems.

Looking at them reminded him of the video store and Steve. To think, he had been worried about finishing his trig homework. When now… now , look where he was. Eddie buried his face in his hands with a hysterical laugh.

That night, Eddie started hallucinating. The isolation was getting to him.

Chrissy’s deformed body kept manifesting in different places. Once on the ceiling, another time in the boat with him under the tarp, and another time while he was outside taking a piss. She tried to talk to him, but her jaw was broken, so it came out like a long, guttural groan. Eddie had never started sobbing with his dick in his hand before. That was a first he wished never to repeat.

When the sun went down and the darkness hit yet again, Eddie was so delirious he could barely differentiate the floor from the ceiling. He heard voices yelling outside.

They sounded, strangely, like his Hellfire Club gang. That sounded like Dustin’s voice. But that couldn’t be. It was a trick. It wasn't real.

Eddie broke one of his empty beer bottles on the side of the boat and then jumped into it, hiding under the tarp.

So, not only had Steve’s date been a total flop, but he’d been roped into going to Lover’s Lake and aiding in the search and rescue mission of Eddie Munson.

He wasn’t sure that Eddie was innocent in all of this. Of course, Steve believed in all that constitutional shit—innocent until proven guilty—but the freak thing he couldn’t shake despite Eddie’s sweetness and sweet tooth he had witnessed the other night in the store.

Still, he didn’t put up too much of a fight. He’d help. He always helped.

When they arrived at the boat house on Lover’s Lake, Dustin rang the doorbell in quick succession. Steve was more than willing to walk away when they didn't get an answer—mainly because it was super spooky, and it felt like they shouldn’t be there.

Dustin wasn’t willing to give up that easily.

Something was trying to get Eddie. Poking, prodding—one smack would have landed right on the family jewels had it been just an inch to the left. Eddie remained silent as the voices continued. They changed to a buzzing drone that grew louder and louder in his ears.

The poking stopped.

Mustering a burst of courage, Eddie sprang out of the boat and backed his attacker up against the wall, shoving him there and pressing the jagged glass to his throat.

Steve couldn’t feel the pain. He was too frightened. He tried not to breathe because the broken glass was too close. His eyes were wide as he watched Eddie. Eddie tightened his grip, which scared him more, and it got harder for him to breathe. He couldn’t believe Eddie was about to stab him in the throat.

One second, Eddie was holding what seemed to be a normal person, then it was Chrissy and her black hole eyes, and then some indiscernible creature barring its teeth at him. He pressed the edges of the bottle harder against its neck until Dustin convinced him they were who they said they were.

A scent invaded Eddie’s nose. He smelled… coconut?

Everything came into better focus, along with the frightened expression on Steve’s face. Chrissy and the monster temporarily vanished. Eddie could feel the frantic pulse beating away in Steve’s neck under his fingers, but he was still suspicious and let them all know it.

It took some more convincing from Dustin, Robin, Steve, and the redhead, Max, whom Eddie recognized as Billy Hargrove’s sister, who had moved in next to them with her mom after Billy died in the mall fire.

Finally, Eddie let go.

He slowly slid down the wall. His hands were trembling again. Dustin reached out to take the bottle from him, face morphing into something sinister. Eddie flinched as it quickly disappeared, and he was just Dustin again, the goofy, smartass little sheep Eddie had herded into his D&D club.

Steve stuck his hand in his jacket pocket and gently thumbed Eddie’s ring, trying to calm down after all that. He didn’t feel like giving the ring back anymore. If Eddie knew he had it, there was a possibility he could think Steve had stolen it. Then maybe he actually would kill him.

Eventually, Steve calmed as the others got Eddie to tell them what had happened.

Eddie tried not to cry as he attempted to keep his fragile hold on reality. There was no way they'd believe him if he told them the truth. They would probably pretend they did, and then, as soon as they had his guard down, they would knock him out and take him straight to the police station.

His eyes went glassy again as he started telling them everything. Even the part where he was a fucking coward who ran.

Then he learned about the Upside Down.

Monsters were real. Monsters were actually real, and they were way less cool than they should have been. Eddie was still trying to wrap his head around it while the three questioned him.

Robin was watching him closely, and Eddie felt exposed. He had a real-life encounter with something otherworldly, and “run” had been his final choice. He’d failed, and the princess had died.

Nearly getting his throat slashed had shaken Steve up. After a little while, he felt grounded again. Especially once he heard what happened to Chrissy. He kept his arms crossed as he watched Eddie and listened to him tell them what happened.

It was harder to hear than he expected. What Eddie witnessed was brutal. There was literally nothing he could’ve done about it. He knew if it sounded this awful, seeing it in person must have been terrifying. Steve didn’t understand why Eddie was beating himself up for leaving her there. He didn’t know what it was, what it was capable of or if it was coming for him next.

That didn’t change the fact that he was suspect number one. Steve was glad they didn’t bring the police into this, even though he had suggested it earlier.

The sting of Dustin favoring Eddie over him lingered from earlier, but Steve chilled out. While it seemed like and felt like Eddie was going to kill him, he hadn’t, and he wouldn’t have killed Chrissy. He had been scared and was too sweet… like the candy he’d bought at the video store the other night. It was clear the Upside Down had gotten to her somehow in the form of a killer monster.

Now that they had found Eddie and figured out what had happened to Chrissy, they could make a plan. Unfortunately for Steve, the first plan involved babysitting, and this time, it wasn’t the kids.

They were leaving when Dustin asked Steve to stay with Eddie. “If I can’t stay, you should. Seriously though, fuck this. Mom will be fine. She won’t worry if I don’t come home for one measly night.”

That was a lie, and his shifty eyes said it all.

“Dustin, look, man… Eddie is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He has a weapon that he almost slit my throat with, remember? You think he needs a babysitter?” Steve shook his head. Technically, he was already babysitting Dustin and Max. He had to make sure they got home safe with this Vecna creep going around breaking people’s bones and killing them. “We can come back tomorrow. We’ll bring him some stuff he needs, like food and water. He can’t live off beer for long. Plus, we’re the only ones that know he’s here. He’s safe for now.”

Dustin accepted his no since Steve promised they’d come back. Part of Steve did feel bad for Eddie.

Eddie’s cheeks burnt as he overheard their conversation through the open door.

While he appreciated that Steve had saved face for him, it was humiliating for Dustin to suggest it. For a kid to think someone younger than him needed to keep watch over him. Babysitter? Fuck. Even worse, Eddie’s heart was pounding again, and his breath quickened because he was about to be alone again.

Robin was still watching him with her observant owl eyes. When he looked at her, she handed him her flashlight with a sympathetic smile before joining the group outside. Eddie clutched it too tightly and gave her a half-hearted salute, grateful for the small comfort.

After the door shut, he heard the engine rumble as the car started and the quiet as the noise moved further and further away.

“Don’t,” he told his tear ducts fiercely because they were welling up again. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

This was all just… way too fucking much.

Eddie returned to the boat with the flashlight, sitting cross-legged with it in his lap for a few long minutes as he got his sniffles under control. The flashlight flickered, making his heart flutter, but it stayed on after he smacked the base violently with his palm.

Steve seemed like a brave dude. Braver than him, at least, to have been dealing with this other world for so long, these real-life fucking monsters, all while he lived his everyday life and worked at the video store. He was more than just the vain bully of a jock Eddie had pegged him as. Maybe. He bet Steve wouldn’t have let Chrissy get put under a curse. He would have done something to stop that from happening to her.

Eddie picked up a Big Hunk bar and opened it, drowning his feelings in corn syrup and peanuts. “Stupid hunk,” he muttered, taking a big bite, “being all hunky and brave.”

Eddie finished the bar, throwing the wrapper overboard. His head suddenly dipped as exhaustion hit him. He was close to tipping over when he caught himself and cursed, forcing his eyes back open as the boat swayed on its chains.

He wondered if Steve would have stayed and kept him company if Eddie hadn’t almost killed him. It had been an accident, but he hadn’t apologized. Shit.

The next time Eddie’s head dipped, he fell back and let sleep take him.

Eddie jerked awake to noise from outside. He vaulted out of the boat, bottleneck clutched in his fist as he peered out the window, panting with adrenaline. It was light out again, so he had actually gotten some sleep, but he wasn’t focused on that. Someone or some thing was there. The floorboards creaked.

Or not.

His heart had barely slowed before the door clanged open, revealing Dustin, Steve, Robin and Max.

Eddie’s shoulders slumped. He glared balefully at them, but it didn’t last long because he was glad to see them. “Knock next time, or I won’t be tipping,” he told Dustin.

“Uh, I’ve earned a tip for stellar customer service with a smile, thank you. No take-backsies.”

Eddie cleared his throat as the munchkins started unloading the grocery bags and making themselves comfortable. He set down the broken bottle. Robin leaned against a steel shelf and looked out at the water, which was peacefully still without any wind.

Max opened a bag of chips, and Dustin scolded her as she shoved a handful in her mouth. “Those are for Eddie ,” he said, way too overprotectively if everyone’s expressions were anything to go by.

Max shrugged. “Eddie can share.”

“Course I can. I’m not a chip hog. Unless those are Bugles,” said Eddie. Putting Bugles on his fingers like claws was always a tasty and perfectly on-theme accessory for Hellfire nights.

Fuck, was he ever going to have one of those again?

"We got Buges!" Dustin said. He was already helping himself to the chips, arm stuck in the bag, while Max rolled her eyes at him.

Eddie was hungry, but there was something he had to do first. He reached into his pocket, sweaty hand wrapping around the wrapper of his last Big Hunk bar. It turned out the information he’d filed away about Steve liking them would come in handy now. Hopefully.

He nodded at Steve, stepping towards him while everyone was all distracted. He held the bar out as a peace offering. “Hey, dude, um. I’m sorry about last night. You know, the whole…” he trailed off, motioning towards Steve’s throat with his other hand.

Steve wasn’t expecting an apology from Eddie. Nearly getting attacked had left him full of adrenaline after he’d gotten home. It had taken a while to wind down and fall asleep, especially after Eddie had horrifyingly recalled what had happened to Chrissy. Steve hadn’t known what Eddie was capable of until he had been in the thick of it. Eddie was strong and very threatening. Getting an apology made Steve confident that Eddie didn’t have it in him to physically harm him or anyone else. He was probably all bark and no bite.

As Steve listened, he smiled a bit, remembering it almost fondly as he lightly touched his throat. He looked down as the apology hit him and made him bashful that he was even getting one.

“I was kinda worked up. Hadn’t slept much since Friday. Which is still not really an excuse, I know,” Eddie rambled, “So, just—”

This was going swell.

Steve gave a casual shrug of his shoulders and then looked back up to catch Eddie’s eyes.

“Sorry,” Eddie repeated, clapping Steve on the shoulder and giving it a warm squeeze.

It felt like Eddie was looking directly into his soul. Their eyes connected for an abnormally long beat. The intensity made Steve’s eyes drop to Eddie’s lips, and he immediately felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise just like they had when Eddie had the bottle to his throat.

Eddie’s stomach stole the show by rumbling like an angry bear, interrupting Steve’s weird physical reaction to the apology and touch. Steve nodded, understanding. “It’s cool,” he said, brushing it off. He had been over it after Eddie told them about Chrissy, anyway.

Eddie nodded, annoyed at his stomach for no discernable reason. Steve had accepted his Big Hunk and his apology.

Moving away, Eddie sat down and started ripping open the bag of cereal. The smell of the Honeycombs invaded his nose. He was shovelling them into his mouth between sips of sugary sweet Yoo-hoo when Dustin told him the bad news. He always went with the bad news first.

It didn’t surprise him that the police were looking for him and that he was the only suspect, but his lips still trembled, and his appetite vanished, a nauseous feeling replacing it.

The entire town would be lighting their torches and sharpening their pitchforks. Many people already had a problem with him, especially the members of the church, so hunting him down was going to be like Christmas morning for them. He didn’t see any way this could end well for him.

That was until Robin informed him that this wasn’t their first otherworldly rodeo. They had been through this kind of shit before.

Eddie glanced at everyone in the room, lingering on Steve until he nodded in confirmation.

Eddie's eyes bulged as they tried unsuccessfully to reassure him, and his eyebrows lifted. Jesus Christ. Right, there was nothing to worry about. Nothing whatsoever. And a girl with superpowers, so what? That was totally normal.

Sirens sounded nearby, making them all go on high alert.

“Tarp!” said Robin urgently. “Tarp, tarp!”

Eddie ducked under it, pulling it over himself. He clenched his eyes shut as they waited and whispered the chorus of Leper Messiah to calm his racing heart. “Time for lust, time for lie. Time to kiss your life goodbye...”

Fuck, this was it. He was going straight to the big house. He would be reunited with his dear old man, who would be thrilled to see him, especially after their last conversation where Eddie told him about his big plans. About how he was really going to buckle down, graduate school this year, and get his diploma. Hell, maybe even get into a college.

Dad had laughed his ass off, sporting a wide grin through the plexiglass. " You really think you can get into one of those smarty-pants schools?"

It was said with affection, which made it hurt even more.

Steve followed the others to the window as soon as Eddie was out of sight. He hung back slightly. They watched the cops speed right past the boathouse.

Once the sirens dissipated, Steve felt a slight sense of relief. Eddie was still wanted, but at least they wouldn’t have the police snooping around with him only hidden under a tarp. It was the most obvious hiding place. When Steve originally started poking around with the oar, it was clear to him then. Not only that, but Eddie’s broken bottle was no match for a policeman’s gun.

It was only a matter of time before someone else figured out he was hiding here at Reefer Rick’s. They had to prove Eddie’s innocence sooner rather than later. While Dustin made it sound totally plausible, they had a lot of work to do.

“They’re gone. For now,” Steve said, grabbing the top of the tarp. He pulled it back just enough to free Eddie’s face. He still looked terrified. That made him feel bad. Steve didn’t want to leave him here all alone again, so he thought quickly.

“We need to get you out of here,” he told Eddie. Steve’s house was in the direction of where the police were going. No one would expect Eddie to be there. “We’re going to take you to my house. My room is in the basement. My dad is out of town, and my mom is probably passed out on the couch. It’ll be easy to sneak you in. I do it all the time with my dates. What do you say?” Steve thought it was a pretty good idea.

Robin’s eyebrows slowly climbed into her hair. She gave Steve a peculiar look, unseen by Eddie.

Eddie’s brain was now short-circuiting from a completely different reason other than fear. Not even in his wildest dreams would he think he would be offered shelter from Steve Harrington. At the very most, he should have been offering Eddie a hiding place in his dusty pool shed or something—not in his very own, very personal bedroom in his basement.

Eddie’s stomach was unexpectedly flipping the fuck out as he looked up into Steve’s, also unexpectedly, kind brown eyes. “Um…I…are you—”

—really sure you want me there? He didn’t get to say because Dustin interrupted him, slapping Steve on the shoulder. “Great idea, Steve! Then we won’t have to ride out so long to bring him things.”

Robin’s eyebrows said it all. What was Steve thinking? She was surprised. Steve was, too. He had just invited Eddie to stay at his house… in his room.

Whatever, it wasn’t that big of a deal. And there was no taking it back now.

“Can we leave now?” Max asked. She was rubbing her temple, her forehead creasing like she was in pain.

Steve looked at Max. She had really been worrying him. It sounded like whatever had gotten Chrissy was after her now, too.

Eddie sat up quickly, moving the tarp off himself and jumping out of the boat so he didn’t miss his ride out of there. “Well, I’m not going to miss that thing one bit,” he said honestly. Anything would be an upgrade from the boat.

His mind was already off to the races. What would Steve’s bed be like? Hard? Pillowy soft? Would Eddie be sleeping on the floor? Maybe Steve had a couch in his bedroom. Rich people had other furniture in their bedrooms, right? Why would Steve’s mom be passed out in the middle of the day? How many dates did Steve sneak into his bedroom on a weekly basis? Why was Steve doing this for him?

Steve nodded, “Alright, let’s go. The quicker we get Eddie to my house, the quicker we can find out what the police are after.”

Steve led the way out of the boathouse. He got in the car first and waited for everyone else to pile in before starting it. As he backed up, he caught a glimpse of Eddie in his rearview mirror. He seemed less rattled, which made Steve feel better about his decision

[treacheryinblue]

Chapter 3/?

× Elysium (noun) : a place or condition of ideal happiness. type of: fictitious place, imaginary place, mythical place.

Word Count: 9.3k

Masterlist

A Noah Sebastian x OC Series

× Summary: Noah and his new found (sort of) friend, Persephone, battle the trivial ins and outs of being teenagers in a world that doesn't accept you. They survive together all the way into adulthood - with bouts of loneliness included - where the world is still a fickle bitch.

× Warnings!: language, violence, slowburn, friends to lovers to enemies back to friends, rinse and repeat (not even in that order), eventual smut, sexual themes, etc. Each chapter will have its own set of separate warnings.

× Author Notes: ( 1 ) And there I go again with the too much rambling and making chapters entirely too long. What's the preference when it comes to things like this? ( 2 ) Don't forget that there will be no smut or sexual descriptions while Persephone is still a minor aka anytime before 2016. ( 3 ) Another time jump will be coming up within the next chapter. As I stated before, I'm not trying to dwell too long in the past for them, but my brain always has a way of dragging things out. This may also be the last chapter of Seph as a minor... ◔‿◔

× Chapter Warnings!: language, brief sexual themes

SUMMER OF 2014

FRIDAY AUGUST 1st

NOAH

“Did you guys hear about Persephone?” 

Everyone stared at the dark haired girl - now known as Alexa - after she dropped down into the booth next to Folio, waiting for her to continue. 

“Ya know, after her party last weekend?” 

Christ, if this girl didn't just spit it out. Noah didn't want to hear about Seph, no, but he for some reason felt anxious about whatever was about to be revealed. It already wasn't sitting right with him. 

“Well, her parents apparently came home early because someone cut their security cameras back on to the live setting, and they saw all of it. The people, the alcohol, the huge mess she hadn't been able to get cleaned up yet. It was bad.” 

Alexa was nodding as she spoke, though she was now taking a long pause. They could sense she had more to say, so Noah made a face for her to continue, which she huffed and did. Folio’s new girl was cool and all, but damn did she have a flare for the dramatics. She also had this weird power of knowing everything about everyone. It was a little scary.

“A little birdy told me that Seph then had a masssivveee breakdown. I'm talking a full on freak out. She trashed the place even more, broke some priceless vases her mom had, got blood everywhere because she accidentally cut herself on the glass or some shit. Yeah, it was insane. Something legit right out of a movie.” 

Noah was fighting back the urge to spew his lunch everywhere. His stomach was churning, his insides turning every which way, and there was no end in sight for it. He was avoiding everyone's gaze, instead choosing to stare at a blank spot on the table while processing what Alexa was saying. 

“Who did you hear that from?” Nick spoke up, obviously suspicious of the story. He was the only one who really knew what happened between him, Seph, and Maisie that night, so of course he was going to dig deeper. 

“I shouldn't even be telling anyone this, but my brother was a paramedic at the scene. He said he thinks it was all stress induced, but some people are saying she was on drugs.” 

“No, she didn't do drugs.” Noah shook his head, refusing to believe that rumor. It was clear there was a lot that Seph needed to work on, but he wasn't going to let her name be dragged through the mud over something he knew wasn't true. 

“Drugs, no drugs. Doesn't matter. Her parents sent her away to some facility up state but they're telling people she's spending her senior year studying abroad in Sweden or somewhere posh sounding like that.” 

“That's fucking wild,” Folio sighed while shoving a couple of fries into his mouth. “Pretty bummed I only got to go to one of her parties.”

“Shut up, Folio,” Noah heavily exhaled, his thumb and pointer finger rubbing and digging at his eyes. 

There was a part of him that didn't believe it, or rather didn't want to believe it. But if Alexa's brother was there, then he had to admit that was a pretty reliable source. And after what he saw that night, it was all pretty plausible. 

Fucking hell. 

SPRING TO SUMMER 2015

PERSEPHONE 

Fingertips lightly traced the tiny delicate scars that now scattered across the top and bottom of her hands. There was a point months ago when she was worried about how they would heal, nervous as to whether or not they'd always look red and angry. Thankfully that wasn't the case, for they were small and white, barely noticeable unless you were close enough or already knew they were there. The soles of her feet carried identical scars, all because of the shards of glass she had stupidly walked over. 

“We've still never really talked about why you thought you couldn't seek help or guidance, Persephone.” 

Although she heard the older woman’s question, her eyes remained down on her hands. The same scars she had stared at for days upon days were way more interesting than whatever bullshit she was going to try prying from her today. Only sometimes did she give the woman a bit of information, just to tide her over so she could report to her parents that she was making ‘great progress’. 

“You really want to know?” 

“Well, yes, of course.” 

Slowly nodding, Seph took in a deep breath before dropping her hands into her lap and finally lifting her gaze to the older woman. She held her pen at the ready, fully prepped to scribe down anything of importance she may divulge. 

“I figured there was no point in ever telling people about what was happening inside of me. It was best kept inside, like everything else.” 

“Why did you feel that way?”

Seph shrugged, arms crossing over her chest in a defensive manner. Yep, the woman was right on it with that damned pen too. Of course she was going to take note of her stance. 

“Because people don't want to hear about the difficulties of life coming from someone like me.” 

“Someone like you…what does that mean?”

“You know what it means. You're in my father's pocket, after all.” 

Everyone at this ridiculously irritating place was. The only employee she had become slightly friendly with was a second shift nurse who let her use his phone, but of course for a price. Gross, not like that. He wanted money, just as everyone did. $100 for fifteen minutes. Can you believe that? 

The woman eyed her from across the room. She was waiting for her to continue because obviously her smart ass remark wasn't a sufficient answer. 

“Someone who has the means to do anything and everything. Never a need for anything. Someone who has all of their material wants satisfied. That kind of person.” 

Seph twisted her lips and looked out the wall of windows within the office. God, she couldn't wait to be out of this place. 

“People tend to forget that material items aren't everything, though. At the end of the day, they don't fucking mean anything. I can't talk to a purse. I can't voice my frustrations to a goddamn overpriced car.” 

This made her laugh, the sound of it echoing through the otherwise quiet office. Her therapist didn't seem to find it as funny, but that was okay. She wasn't trying to spit jokes at her anyway. It was all the truth. 

“You don't believe your parents could see that you were struggling? What about your friends?”

Ah, of course the woman was going to try to get all the answers she had been seeking from the beginning. A part of her was starting to think that she didn't really care about how Seph was, she just wanted to know all the gritty and secret details of a man’s family who basically owned her. 

“I didn't have friends, not really. Well…I had one, but he was a new friend. He wasn't ready to learn all of my inner workings.” 

Persephone could tell the woman wanted to dive into this ‘he’, but she wasn't going to give her the opportunity. Noah was not going to become a pawn in her sessions that could be used against her. 

“And my parents were never around, so no, they didn't see a damn thing. It took it literally blowing up in their faces for them to notice.” 

That was enough talking for today. Seph was mentally tired of this gymnastics routine she was forced to partake in multiple times a week, and now all she wanted to do was get the hell out of there. Both the office and the facility as a whole. Though mainly the former right then because it was nearing the time for her to be out a hundred bucks. 

Once she was given the ‘okay’ to call it a day, she couldn't have scurried out fast enough. And like perfect clockwork, Ben was waiting outside of her room, ready to collect. They didn't say anything to each other as he slyly slipped his phone to her, then carried on down the hall until he would circle back fifteen minutes later. 

Seph hid within her bathroom, her body uncomfortably seated within the empty bathtub with the curtain drawn. She didn't know why this is where she felt safest making calls, but it's the one and only place she had done it since her first month there. 

One ring. 

Two rings. 

Three rings.

On the fourth, the call connected and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Pom,” he answered without missing a beat, his smile easily heard in his tone. 

“Hey, peach,” she softly spoke, immediately feeling more like herself as soon as she was in friendly company. 

“Did you make all the doctors happy today?” 

Seph snorted out a laugh, rolling her eyes to herself. “Well, I didn't threaten any of them, if that's what you mean.”

“Ah, so progress! That warms my heart.” 

“I think they're going to let me come home soon. Therapist number two was really digging in. But how's things there?”

“If you want to ask about him, then you can.” 

The smile she wore slowly began to fade, her eyes fixated on a random spot of her sweatpants that she had started picking at. 

“No…I mean…is he okay? I'm not going to come home to him having lost a leg or something, right?” 

Nick laughed, and she just knew he was shaking his head. “I can say with absolute certainty that all of his limbs are still intact. A one legged front man would be pretty badass though, yeah?” 

As much as Seph wanted to get lost in thoughts of Noah, she couldn't bring herself to do so right then. She had to save that for those particularly hard moments while she was locked away. 

“Did you tell her?” 

A female voice in the background broke through, followed by a hushed response from Nick that she couldn't make out. There was some shuffling on the other side, then he was heavily sighing before speaking up again. 

“Shit, Seph, I hate to do this…but I don't want you to come home and be blindsided.” 

“You're really freaking me out right now.” 

“Alexa heard that your dad…yeah! I'm getting to it!” Again Nick huffed, and this whole thing being drawn out was literally going to cause her heart to beat out of her chest. 

“She heard that your dad is trying to press charges against Maisie…for the video of you and Noah. Some shit about child pornography, I don't know. Apparently she sent it to her brother, so that's not only possessing, but also distributing.” 

“What the actual fuck, Nick?!” Seph quickly covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her outburst, which allowed her a moment to take a deep breath and count to ten. 

“No…how? How is he going to do that when nothing happened in the video? It was just us kissing and his shirt coming off. Not mine!” 

“I'm not a lawyer, Seph, I don't know. That's just what Alexa heard, so it could hold zero weight.” 

“Does Noah know?” 

“Yeah…apparently your dad also paid him a visit…fuck, I wasn't supposed to tell you that.” 

More hushed voices rambled off in the background. The main one she could make out was from Alexa still, but a new one had been added that caught her off guard.

“Who the hell are you being so secretive with?” 

His voice came through loud and clear this time, so Seph assumed he had lowered the phone to play it off like he wasn't on it. Not very smart, Nick. Not smart at all. 

“Huh? No one. I was just gonna order a pizza.” 

“Nick, you're a terrible liar. What are you doing?”

Seph sunk down further in the bathtub, a hand holding her forehead in complete disbelief for what was happening. It was the first time she had heard Noah’s voice since she saw him last, and of course it had to be when she was talking to his best friend on the down low. 

“Pom? Who’s Pom?” 

NOAH

There was a brief moment of tug-of-war as he tried to wrestle the phone from Nick. Never had his best friend kept something from him, at least not to his knowledge, but especially not when he had been caught red handed. 

Finally, Nick gave in and released the device, allowing him to turn it around until he could clearly read the name plastered on the screen. 

“Pom? Who's Pom?” His brows furrowed in confusion, though he still lifted the phone up to his ear. There was no sound on the other end, except for the very faint hint of a breath being taken. Then, the line went dead, the call ending from the other side. 

Nick was staring at him with wide eyes and he could already see the explanation just waiting to escape him. 

“Dude…I'm sorry,” he began, hands holding out in a defensive stance. “Pom is Seph…ya know, like pomegranate? Persephone is a goddess who-”

“I know who Persephone is! I understand the reference, Nick!”

“Right, yeah. You know how she would always say 'you're a peach' to me? Well, she just started calling me peach one day and it stuck, so she became Pom and it was just this dumb thing to help her while she's away, and -”

“You've been talking to her this entire time?”

Nick paused, his body relaxing for a brief moment as he thought back to when their first conversation could've been. 

“Not the entire time…probably since last September?” 

Noah was really hoping Nick could feel the fire in his glare, because boy, was it intense. What the hell was he supposed to do with this information? Should he even be mad? It was honestly the fact that Nick kept it from him that really pissed him off. Why would he? Unless…Seph had asked for him to. 

“She doesn't want to talk to me.” It didn't take much for him to put it all together. Seph was complicated as all hell, but she could be predictable at times too. 

“No, she does. She does, okay? She hasn't straight up told me why she won't, but my guess is that she's embarrassed. I don't know! I'm not an expert on teenage girls!” 

“You two are just best friends now or something?” 

Nick heavily exhaled, his arms dropping down to his sides in defeat. A silence settled between them, one that was just long enough for each of them to gather their thoughts. Or, at least try to. 

“Dude…come on.” Nick shook his head slowly at Noah, a look of disbelief beginning to move across his features. “Don't make me seem like an asshole because I was trying to be there for her.”

That's exactly how Noah saw it, though. Although he wouldn't always have this opinion on the matter, it's how he felt currently. He wanted to be the one there for Seph. He wanted to help her through whatever it was she was struggling with. She wouldn't let him be that person, though, and that's what really stung. 

Fuck, why was he letting a girl he had been friends with for a month plague his mind like this? 

“It's whatever, man. I'll just see her when she gets out, I guess.” 

Noah didn't want this to become a huge conflict between him and Nick. As easy as it would've been for him to argue his point right then, it wasn't worth the headache. Nick was his best friend, and had been for years, while Seph was only just a girl he had developed an infatuation with. 

PERSEPHONE 

“I know it's bad timing, dear, but your father and I expected you to be home next week.”

On and on her mother went during the drive home, all while Seph spent the duration staring out the window. Her fingers were itching to get a hold of her phone but the device had yet to be given back to her - of course. Honestly, she would be surprised if her parents let her have it back at all. 

But at least it seemed like the snow queen was over the disastrous ending that was her beloved vases. 

“But, we’ll have a nice dinner as a family tonight, then he and I will be back Sunday evening.” 

Seph wanted to laugh at how ridiculous her mom sounded. When did they ever have nice dinners together? At least one, if not both, of her parents always ended up wandering off to take business calls in the middle of meals, leaving her to eat alone. What was so nice about that? 

“Does that sound like a plan?” 

Forcing a slight smile, she finally looked over to the older woman and nodded. “Yeah, sounds good to me.” 

Although Seph could tell that her mother was trying, she was curious to know how much of it was genuine. They had never had a strong relationship to begin with, but that was expected given how her parents chose to put their careers ahead of their daughter. Seph used to be sad about it, though she stopped caring as much the older she got. Them not being around sure as hell didn't stop them from putting the pressure on whenever possible. 

× × ×

“No, the doctors said her medications may make her…unlike herself for a bit.” The woman spoke in a murmur to her father upon their arrival home, as if Seph couldn't hear them. 

“A bit? She's been on them for nearly a year now. How much time does it take?” 

“However much it does, Chris. I don't know.” Her mother retorted, the annoyance evident in her tone. 

Seph didn't hear much more because she had made it to the top of the staircase, now aiming straight for her bedroom. She just wanted to be alone for the first time in forever. No worries of nurses and doctors barging in, or the occasional fellow patient that tried to make friends with her. 

There was a sudden halt in her steps when she entered her room. It definitely wasn't how she had left it aka in an utter mess. No, it was thoroughly cleaned now. Nothing out of place. Just as it usually was before things began to truly go downhill for her. Shaking her head to herself, Seph pushed her suitcase off to the side to tend to later, her gaze glancing over to her desk. Lying on top were multiple college applications, as well as letters from others she had applied to before leaving. Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth - ‘her’ top choices. Not really. Those were actually choices that belonged to her parents. 

With furrowed brows, Seph carefully shifted the papers around. Her lips moved as she quietly skimmed over the gist of each letter, her anger bubbling with every word. All the letters claimed acceptance for this year’s fall semester. 

“What the fuck?” She muttered to herself just before she abruptly pulled her hand from the pages. She couldn't handle this right now. The last thing she wanted to think about was what her father had been up to while she was gone. Paying off universities? That was a new low for even him. No way in hell would they have willingly taken her after everything, but Seph was sure their minds were changed as soon as her dad made a hefty donation. How many libraries or community centers now had their name plastered across them? 

“Oh…you've already seen the letters.”

Seph lifted her head to see her mother standing in her doorway, a slight uneasiness to her. 

“Well, they are on my desk. Seems like someone wanted me to see them.” 

Marilyn, the snow queen in question, took in a deep breath and heavily exhaled while crossing the threshold inside. She immediately approached where Seph stood, her own hands frantically shuffling the papers together and then tucking them beneath her arm. 

“No need to worry about those right now.” Reaching back with her free hand, the older woman then retrieved something before extending it out to Seph. It was her phone. 

“I figured you could use a bit of normalcy again.” 

Hesitantly, Seph accepted the device, slowly nodding. 

“Thanks,” she lowly spoke. 

This whole demeanor that her mom was portraying was very out of the ordinary for her. She couldn't help but to be slightly taken back by it. Maybe it made it appear as if she wasn't actually thankful, although she was. Who could blame her for being suspicious, though? After what had happened, this was the last sort of interaction she was expecting. 

“Dinner will be at six, okay?” 

Seph watched as her mother walked away, giving her a small nod in understanding. Once she was gone, she followed the same path she took, only to quietly close the bedroom door to allow her some privacy. There was then a need within her to get her phone turned on. She rushed over to the side of her bed where she typically had her charger plugged in, relieved to see that the cord remained. After inserting it into her phone, she waited a few seconds, then the Apple logo popped up. 

A sigh of relief left her, her body lowering down to sit on the edge of her bed. As the device powered on for the first time in who knows how long, notification after notification began to flash across the screen. 

grl are you okay?? 

i'm worried! 

Alexa 

Heard about your incident. Dramatic. 

Seriously? Call me. 

Stop being a baby. I'm sure daddy made sure you have your phone. 

Sweden? That's laughable. You hate fish. You'd never survive on the cuisine. 

No one believes that's where you are, by the way. 

Your dad is fucking insane!!!! 

Maisie 

babe come on talk to me. 

i’m not mad about you and emo guy. 

maisie showed me the video but it's fuckin dumb. 

lol can't believe you were gonna fuck him tho. 

sweden?? and you didn't tell me?? wtf

Mason 

OMG miss you! 

damn it's gonna suck to not have any infamous Seph parties senior year! 

Aw hope you have so much fun abroad! I loved it when I went! 

u are not gunna believe wat i heard about u

Random “friends”

I miss you. 

Noah 

It was a horrible idea for her to read any of these, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. There were a lot that she deleted, most being from unknown numbers or people she hadn't even spoken to since way before all of this. Everyone obviously just wanted some entail and they thought going directly to the source would work out for them. Oh how wrong they were. 

The last message she read was what really got to her, though. She assumed Noah had known the truth of what happened pretty early on, meaning that his text from only a couple of months ago was honest. That's what she was telling herself, at least. Every other text thread was deleted except for that one, then she started a new one. 

‘Home. Need to see a friendly face.’ 

Seph stared down at the screen as if Nick would have already replied when she knew he was busier than usual these days. The band, working at a tattoo shop, it all left very little downtime for him and the others. But much to her surprise, the little gray bubble appeared, indicating that he was typing. 

‘FUCK YEA DUDE!!’

'Come by the shop!’

'I'm here working on some pieces until probably 9’

It was impossible for her to explain how at ease she now felt knowing someone was excited about her being back, especially when that someone happened to be one of the only people she considered a friend. Getting close to Nick had come out of left field; definitely not done on purpose since she always felt like he only tolerated her for Noah. Who ever would've thought they would've gotten as close as they had while hours away? It was all strictly platonic, though. She looked at Nick as more of a brother type, and she knew he viewed her the same. Well…as a sister, but same sentiment. 

After dinner, she would slip away and somehow make it to the tattoo shop Nick had mentioned a few times. Maybe she’d get lucky and her parents would do their usual routine of acting as if she wasn't even there, just so she wouldn't have to awkwardly crawl out of her window. Plus, that would also mean they wouldn't realize she had left. Perfect. All she had to do was make it through dinner…

Well, that wasn't currently going so well. 

Her favorite meal had been cooked for the night, though her appetite was nearly nonexistent these days. Was it the mental issues? Or the meds she downed to help fix said issues? Either way, a few bites was all she could stomach. 

“Not hungry?” Her mother spoke up first, her lips showcasing a sympathetic smile. 

Okay, seriously. What the hell had gotten into her? 

“No…not really. Sorry.” 

Marilyn shook her head in a way to silently tell Seph that it was okay, but before she could verbally respond, her father was beating her to it. 

“You need to eat,” he demanded as he eyed her from across the table. “It'll help you feel better to have decent food again.” 

Seph stared at the older man, inwardly biting her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything too rash. No need to cause an argument on her first night back. 

“I don't think I'll be feeling too great when this doesn't sit well and ends up in the toilet.” 

A heavy sigh came from her mother, who then covered the sound by taking a long swallow from her glass of wine. Ugh, she should've snuck a few sips for herself before dinner began. 

Although Seph could tell that there was something needing to be said that was right on the tip of her father’s tongue, he remained silent. The daggers he glared at her were loud enough. Before anything could be set off, she carefully slid her chair back and stood up. 

“Where are you going?” Her father sternly questioned as she walked by with her sights set on the front door. Seph snagged a set of car keys and clutched them tight within her palm, fully prepared to make a run for it if she really needed to. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. 

“I just need some air.” 

There was a start of a protest from her parents, but she didn't linger long enough to hear whatever it was they had to say. She was already out the door and closing the distance between herself and her mom’s car. 

× × ×

It was a blessing that she knew downtown Richmond like the back of her hand or else she never would've found the tattoo shop tucked in along the congested street. There was a neon red ‘open' sign glowing in the window, but nothing beyond that really told you what the business was until you were right on top of it. Not too surprising to her that the guys would work somewhere low key. 

There was a faint jingle from the bell above the door as she entered the building, though she figured the bell was only for show because the music playing inside easily drowned it out. A girl with multiple piercings shining on her face sat behind the front desk, and the opening and closing of the door caused her to look up at who could possibly be coming in near closing time. 

“Hey…” she hesitantly spoke, though a polite smile was visible on her lips. “I'm looking for Nick.” 

Piercing girl glanced over her shoulder and leaned back in her seat a bit as if trying to see something just out of reach. 

“Do you have an appointment?” She questioned after returning to her resting position. “We aren't taking walk ins right now.” 

“Oh…no…I'm just a friend of his.” Seph almost blurted out that she wasn't even old enough to get a tattoo, though she figured that surely would've gotten her kicked out. “He told me to stop by.” 

“Seph?”

A familiar voice broke through before either of the girls could exchange any more words. She lifted her eyes to see Nick stepping through a door that led to the back, both of them sharing near identical smiles at the sight of each other. Seph slid around the counter and rushed over with quick steps, her arms immediately being thrown around his neck to embrace in a close hug. 

“Peach!” She excitedly exclaimed while her arms squeezed him so tight that she was convinced she was cutting off his ability to breathe. Never had she and Nick really even touched, yet here they were, embracing each other as people within the tattoo shop awkwardly sideyed them. 

“Your hair!” Seph gasped as she pulled back to look at him, her hands now grasping his shoulders. Nick mimicked her stance, laughing as her eyes scanned all around his face and the new tattoos he adorned. “You cut it!” 

“People tend to get haircuts every now and then,” he continued to laugh. 

“Yeah, but it's kinda all mullet-y now! I love it!” It didn't matter that he had a beanie on in the middle of the summer. She could still see those new layers. 

“If you think I look different, then just wait until you see Noah. Dude has grown at least two - shit, sorry, Pom.”

The smile she wore began to fade at his mention of Noah, her grip on his shoulders loosening. She didn't like this reaction her mind and body immediately had to his mere existence being brought up. Hopefully this glitch in her system would work itself out. 

“It's all good,” she shook her head. “I'm gonna have to face the music at some point, yeah?”

Nick gave her a sympathetic smile to accompany the gentle squeeze of her shoulder. He then nodded his head towards the door he had come from, motioning for her to follow. 

“Come on, let's get away from all this fucking noise.” 

Ushering her into the back room, Seph was greeted by what appeared to be a break area; a table with a couple of chairs, a fridge, couch, and all the other workings for people to be comfortable when working long shifts. In front of the couch there was a coffee table with different sketches strewn about it. She assumed this is what Nick had been working on. 

“I had no idea you were doing tattoo stuff,” she muttered softly while approaching the coffee table to gaze down upon the drawings. 

“You never asked.” Nick shrugged, his body bent to peer into the fridge towards the back of the room. “I mean, I never really asked things about you either, so I guess we're both assholes.” 

Seph glanced back at him, extending a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I've had a lot going on up here.” She motioned to her head before lowering down onto the couch. 

Nick was following suit not too long after, his hands holding out a bottle of water for her while the other clasped around a beer for himself. 

“Hey!” She laughed, eying the other beverage. “Not fair!” 

“What? You're not old enough to drink.” Nick chuckled while taking a swallow from the can. 

“Neither are you!” 

Although her eyes narrowed at him in a glare, she was only joking. She released a dramatic sigh, but then took the offered water and twisted the cap off. “You better be glad I shouldn’t drink with my meds.” 

After taking a couple of sips from her water, she carefully placed the bottle on the coffee table and then tugged the sketchbook into her lap. She began to slowly flip through the pages, though she hadn't even bothered to ask if she could. Oops. 

“How is…all of that going, by the way?” 

“Fine, I guess,” she gave a single shoulder shrug. “Everything is amazing and perfect.” 

Nick’s eye roll was so pronounced that she swore she heard his eyes somersaulting in his skull. He then sighed, his face telling her that he was not convinced. 

“You're full of shit,” he smiled despite the attempt at a serious conversation that she was trying to shoot down. 

Seph laughed, nodding. “Yeah, I am.” 

With a pause in her page flipping, she glanced over to him, seeing that he was staring directly at her. There was no way he was going to drop the topic. As annoying as it was, Seph was a little…touched that Nick cared enough to actually ask. Not even her parents had. 

“I don't really like them,” she honestly revealed. “They always make my brain feel like it's in a fog. I'm mega tired, nothing tastes good, and all I want to do is rot in my bed.” 

A finger then tapped the page she had been staring down at, the drawing that of some sort of creature with horns. She had no idea what it was, but she liked it. “This is cool,” she complimented with hopes to change the subject. 

Seph knew she should've known better than to even attempt it. 

“Hey,” Nick tried to gain her attention, which she eventually gave him by lifting her head and meeting his gaze. “You know you can talk to me, right? Noah, too…he’d probably sing about it all night if you did.” 

Offering a faint smile, she nodded. “I know…it's just hard talking to anyone about things, but especially Noah. Opening up has never been easy for me.” 

As easy as it would've been for her to elaborate on this, she didn't. She wasn't trying to make this a pity party for herself. Coming by to see Nick was actually supposed to be the exact opposite of that. 

Nick leaned forward a bit, his elbows resting on his knees and both hands grasping the beer can. “Talk. To. Him.” He further explained, this being his final attempt at trying to get her to do what they all knew needed to be done. 

“You'll end up regretting it if you don't.” 

× × ×

It was that conversation that landed her in the guys’ shared home the following night. Again she had left her own house without explanation; fully ignoring her parents on her way out. They seemed to be letting her do whatever for now, though she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to push her luck. Whatever. They should just be glad she had finally ditched the sweatpants for a pair of shorts and slapped some makeup on her face for the first time in a year. It was minimal, but at least she cared enough about something to try. 

Nick had claimed it was only going to be a small get together, but the ten to fifteen people mingling around told her otherwise. No, it wasn't anywhere near the level her parties had been, but it was still a bit much for someone in her current mental state. Seph was determined to power through, though. She was desperate to return to her old self. At least in some aspects. 

“Oh my god! Sephy!” 

There was barely time to react before Alexa was rushing to her, forcing her into a tight hug that she had not been prepared for. She still smiled, choking out a soft laugh as her hands hesitantly patted the girl's back. 

“I thought I heard Nick say something about you being back! Oh my god! This is amazing! How are you?!” 

While her and Alexa had been kinda friends before this whole thing, she wouldn't have considered them to be close. They were acquaintances at best, though she was assuming things were going well between her and Folio if she was still hanging with the guys. Guess that meant she would have to stay on her good side as well. 

“I'm good! Yeah, things are going good.” Seph nodded once they had broken from the hug. She felt as if she was going to be telling this lie a lot going forward. 

Alexa gasped and held onto her arm, her eyes going wide as she looked back to the room she had just emerged from. “Have you seen Noah yet?! He's going to be so fucking stoked to see you. I know it.” 

Opening her mouth to speak, she wasn't even able to get a word out before Alexa was pulling her along to the next room. Her voice called out for Noah, repeating his name a couple of times. 

“Look who's finally back from Sweden!” Alexa gently bumped her with her shoulder as she laughed, and when she glanced over to the girl, she winked at her. Huh, okay. Was everyone just going to be in on this joke? 

“Sweden?” A guy with long dark hair that was pulled half back she didn't recognize spoke up, a bright smile taking up his face. “Hallå!”

Alexa laughed again as she reached out to his shoulder, shaking her head. 

As much as Seph wanted to figure out what that was about, she was now far too lost in the other guy that stood in front of her. Noah. Her eyes stuck to him, unable to look away, though she didn't want to. He had definitely filled out some within the last year and his hair was much longer, but it suited him. 

Also, when the hell had he gotten a neck tattoo? 

NOAH

Persephone fucking Hill. 

In his house. 

Staring up at him with awe. 

Fuck. 

What the hell was he supposed to say? Good to see you? Wow, so glad you're free? Nice tits?

Okay, definitely not the last one. That was a bad thought for him to even have. But still, nothing felt like it would be the right thing to say after how things ended. 

“Long time no see,” he then blurted out. 

Goddammit. That was lame as fuck. 

Noah could sense both Jolly and Alexa picking up on the awkward vibes because they took simultaneous swallows of their drinks and then slipped away in a nonchalant manner. 

“I probably wouldn't have even recognized you if Alexa hadn't dragged me over here.” Seph chuckled, and he knew immediately that she was just as nervous as he was. That was a bit of a relief. 

He wanted to tell her that that was okay because he would've spotted her within seconds. The words didn't leave his mouth, though. Actually, no words did. Noah continued to stare at her, both of them holding the other’s gaze. 

No, he couldn't get caught up in Seph again. It wasn't good for him. It wasn't good for her. Neither of them were what the other needed. That's what he had been telling himself for a year as he tried to get over her. Noah wished he could say that it had worked. 

“Noah…can we skip the weirdness of acting like we don't know each other? I've had a lot of time to think about how this would go, y’know, when we saw each other again, and every interaction I imagined was awkward…to say the least.” 

Seph laughed as a hand lifted to tuck her hair behind her ear, her eyes tearing from his for a brief moment. He inwardly frowned when this happened, already missing the sight of her honey colored irises. But when she didn't look back at him yet, he finally nodded and glanced around the kitchen. 

“Do you want a drink? I can fix you something.” Noah was already reaching for bottles before she could reply because of course he remembered her favorite mix: fruit punch and vodka. He found it revolting but he had a fond memory of her mouth dyed red one night when they sat in her backyard, and she was telling him some story he didn't remember all because of said red dye. 

“Sure…but hold the vodka.” She placed a hand on his wrist to stop him from untwisting the cap of the liquor, the small touch like fire on his skin. 

“I'm not really drinking at the moment.” 

It then dawned on him that Seph was probably on some medications she had been instructed not to mix alcohol with. He was tempted to tell her that it would be fine because he did it all the time, but this maybe wasn't the time. Seph was a big girl. She could make her own decisions. 

“Oh, yeah, that's cool. Just fruit punch it is then.” As he set the vodka bottle aside, he instead grabbed the juice and filled the cup half way before passing it her way. She gazed at him from over the rim while taking a sip, that sight alone making him weak in the knees. 

Get it the fuck together, Noah. 

“This is probably when I should tell you that I'm sorry…”

It seemed as if apologies at parties were starting to become their new norm. He couldn't say he was very fond of it. 

Noah took in a deep breath before swallowing from his own drink, his head shaking while lowering the cup. 

“You don't have to do that, Seph. Seriously. Ancient history.” 

He watched as she shifted awkwardly before leaning a hip into the kitchen island they stood behind. She looked basically the same, though maybe a few pounds lighter and her hair was longer, just as his was. Noah assumed the former had to do with the lack of decent food, and probably just a lack of appetite all together. He understood how it could be when starting medications. 

“I saw your text.” 

Noah froze, his mind racing to figure out what she was talking about. He then remembered the one message he had sent a couple of months ago when he had been up way too late and lost in his thoughts. It happened a lot but he usually had enough self control to not message her. That night, not so much. 

When he didn't say anything, she continued. 

“I missed you too.” 

That made him scoff, head shaking while taking another generous swallow of his drink. He looked off to the side as if interested in whatever his friends were doing, but he was actually trying to hold back his words. 

Glancing back to Seph, her brows were furrowed in confusion. 

Noah shrugged, fingers tapping against the side of his cup he held. “I need to talk to you about something.” 

With no other explanation, he placed a hand against her lower back while gently maneuvering her out of the kitchen and to the opposite side of the house where his room was. Noah could tell Seph was lost, which wasn't a shock. He wasn't exactly being very forthcoming right then. 

The door to his bedroom was quietly closed, then he was turning to look at her again. He expected her to be staring back at him, but she was actually slowly stepping around his room, studying the minimal items he had on the walls and on his desk. Clutter and knickknacks had never really been his thing. 

It was then that Noah realized this was the first time Seph had been in his room, or just where he lived in general. They were always somewhere less personal before, until the night of her party. 

“So, uh, your dad came and talked to me while you were gone.” 

He had no idea how to approach this topic, though he figured it was best to do it sooner rather than later. 

“I heard…” she murmured, her focus up on the framed images hanging on his wall. “That sounds like it was loads of fun.” 

Noah chuckled, a hand rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. “Not exactly the words I'd use.” 

“What did he want?” 

A few steps were taken so he stood at her side, his eyes down on her while hers remained elsewhere. There was an urge to reach out and touch the bare skin of her shoulder, brush her hair aside, but he resisted by shoving his free hand into his pocket. 

“He tossed out a lot of legal jargon, probably just to confuse me, but what I gathered is that he's thinking about pressing charges against Maisie. He also had a few choice words for me and our friendship.” 

Seph then looked at him, head tilted up at just the right angle for their eyes to meet. Her figure shifted and turned a bit, both of them facing each other. 

“I'm not going to let him press charges,” she exclaimed with a confidence that he hadn't been expecting. “Nothing happened in the video.” 

Was she not interested in the last bit he had tossed in? 

“He doesn't want us around each other.” 

This made her softly laugh, her eyes rolling. “Of course he doesn't.” 

“I'm not really su-”

“What do you think about that?” Seph cut him off, her eyebrow arched curiously. 

Noah stumbled over his words a bit since he hadn't really thought that in depth about it yet. He figured he needed to see how things were between them first. And now that he had…he still had no idea. 

“Do you want us to not be around each other?” She repeated her question with different wording, as if that would get an actual response out of him. 

“No…” he hesitantly replied, a slight smile appearing. 

“Then what he wants or has to say doesn't matter.” 

Again, Noah was struggling to find his words. Fuck. This was not going how he wanted it to. He was supposed to be agreeing with her dad, telling her that it was best for them to stay away from each other. But nope, he couldn't bring himself to say it. How could he when she was looking at him like that?

“I really did miss you.” 

Welp, that really cut his growing mood a bit. 

“It's actually funny that you say that since you didn't make any attempt to talk to me.” 

There was no way he could continue to bite his tongue on the matter when she just kept bringing it up…kind of. Inadvertently. 

“But you talked to Nick…how many times? Multiple times a week for nearly a year?” 

Seph bit down into her lower lip, her gaze dropping to the carpet in shame. Damn. Now he felt bad. 

No. He wouldn't let her get to him that easily. 

“I…I know it was shitty, okay? I didn't even mean to start talking to him. His Instagram was public so I was able to message him from a nurse’s account. I just wanted to check in…see how everyone was…but then talking to him helped keep my mind at ease when I really needed it.” 

Noah now did an eye roll of his own, his feet shuffling back a bit so he could place some distance between them. That sure as hell didn't explain why she hadn't talked to him. Only why she hadn't contacted him first. 

“Fuck, Noah. I was terrified to talk to you, is that what you want to hear? I didn't want to know how mad you were at me or find out what you thought about me after everything.” 

“Mad? I wasn't mad at you, Seph. I was worried! You kick me out, I don't hear from you, and then I find out from Alexa that you're gone?” 

A hand ran over his face, heavily exhaling. He definitely hadn't been prepared to have this conversation with her right then. 

“And what do you mean by what I thought of you? I always looked at you like the sun fucking shone out of your ass, so why would that have changed?” 

Seph was physically taken back by his statement. Her mouth fell open a bit, but then promptly closed. Head shaking, he could see the clench in her jaw. This told him that she was not happy. 

“No, you looked at me like I was this perfect unobtainable thing! You were just as blind to everything like my parents were because you couldn't fathom the fact that someone you saw as sunshine was falling apart bit by bit everyday!” 

It was Noah's turn to be taken back now. He stared straight at Seph, sporting a clenched jaw of his own that rivaled hers. 

“I didn't want you to think of me like that, Noah. And I know it's ass backwards and doesn't make sense. Don't want you to see me as perfect…don't want you to see me breaking down…” Seph shook her head to herself, her hands moving about as she spoke at a rather fast pace. 

“Believe me, I'm confused too.” 

“You've got to stop caring so much about what other people think. If someone judges you for breaking under pressure, then you call them an ‘asshole’ and keep it moving!” 

Seph had her eyes cast to the ceiling, her lips folded in for only a brief moment. He was waiting for her to say something - anything - that let him know she understood. 

“It's not that simple.”

Nope. Not the response he was hoping to hear. 

“But it is that simple, Seph. Why the fuck do you care about what other people have to say? Myself included.” 

“I don't…” she stammered over the two words, and Noah could tell that even she wasn't convinced. 

“Why, Seph?” He found himself taking a step closer to where she stood, his voice a little softer now than it previously had been. It hadn't been his intention to get so worked up, especially not when this was the first time they were seeing each other in what felt like forever. 

Noah could see the tears welling in her eyes. He knew that she knew why. It was only a matter of whether or not she was going to reveal this to him. He wasn't going to push her, but he was well aware of how this all needed to go. Seph needed to admit it to herself. 

“Because…I only feel worth anything when I know people like me.” 

PERSEPHONE 

And there it was. The truth Noah had been trying to tug out of her since the beginning of it all. It felt juvenile to say, admitting that people’s thoughts and opinions of her was what made her feel good about herself. Did that mean Maisie had been right about her? Was she only interested in Noah because of how he used to once look at her as if she was perfect? 

No, she wouldn't let that be true. He was worth so much more than that to her, even if she had a horrible way of showing it. 

“Fuck other people, Seph. They don't mean anything. Only the people who you feel like yourself around are the ones who matter.” 

“And what if they see parts of me they don't like? Hm? What happens then? What happens when you realize I'm just some fucked up girl who isn't worth the hassle?” 

Seph couldn't stop her voice from breaking as she laid it all out for him. If Noah wanted honesty, then that's what she would give him. And if he happened to run, well, at least she could say 'I told ya so’. 

Instead of using his words, Noah was quick to cross the remainder of the bedroom to where she stood. His large hands enveloped her face and soon he was pulling her up into a kiss that made her heart race and her breathing halt, all at the same time. She was unable to stop herself from leaning into him, eager to have as much of him pressed against her as she could. It was just like they were back in her room a year ago when she craved to truly feel him. Definitely didn't take much for that need to return full force. 

Seph didn't dare break from the kiss as her hand came up to grasp the back of his neck, her fingers briefly tangling into the long strands of his hair. She actually somehow managed to deepen the kiss even as Noah progressed forward, both of them taking in sync steps back to where his bed was. 

As soon as she was lying back against his perfectly made bed, Noah followed right behind her. She pulled him down close against her, his lithe frame settling between her legs, knees pressed firm into his hips. One hand held himself up while the other drifted beneath the shirt she wore, just to feel the warmth of her skin against his own. Seph broke from his lips for mere seconds so she could rid him of his own shirt, which Noah took as an invitation to do the same. It had definitely been one. 

“Noah…” she murmured into his mouth as they again collided in a heated kiss. As much as she didn't want to, she managed to pull back a bit, just as his fingers began to work on the button of her shorts. Though when she stopped, his hands also paused. Seph licked over her lips as she gazed up at him. She was then thankful for her flushed cheeks because that meant the blush creeping up was well hidden. 

“I've never done this before…” she admitted, despite knowing that he probably already knew this from past conversations. As well as Maisie outing her during all of that commotion. There was just a weird urge she had to properly disclose the information to him. 

Noah released her shorts, though his hands shifted to glide along her hips and up her sides in a soothing manner. “Are you sure?” 

There was a pause and then he was shaking his head, laughing in slight embarrassment at himself. “Not ‘are you sure' you haven't done this because I think you'd know if you had. But are you sure that you want to…right now…with me?” 

Of course she couldn't help but to laugh along with him, her nose scrunching at how flustered he had just made himself. Noah’s cheeks were now red with a blush and it was a sight she was hoping to always remember. 

Seph sunk her teeth into her lower lip after their laughter had died down. She didn't want to hesitate with her response because she didn't want Noah to think she was second guessing anything. Maybe the timing wasn't ideal, considering there was a get together happening on the other side of the wall, but Seph wasn't the kind of girl who needed planning and rose petals. The social construct of virginity wasn't that deep to her, not like how a lot of people made it out to be.  All that she cared about was trusting the other person and actually caring about them…much like how she cared for Noah. 

“Yes,” she finally spoke with confidence, just so Noah knew she wasn't second guessing anything that had to do with him. 

Noah then took in a deep breath, giving her a nod of his own before his head angled down and his lips trailed slowly along her neck. Oh, so now he was going to take his time? 

“Just one thing…” she breathlessly mumbled after her eyes had fluttered closed and she was doing all she could to focus on the new sensations sweeping through her. 

“Anything,” Noah continued to kiss and bite at the sensitive skin of her neck, his fingers returning to the button of her shorts that he managed to swiftly pop free. 

Seph softly laughed, her hand lifting to cradle the side of his head in a way that made him pull back just enough to gaze down at her. 

“Can you lock the door?” 

CHAPTER FOUR JUMP

× End of chapter notes!: One guess as to where my eyes started crossing because I was beyond tired but needed to get this completed at a decent stopping point. :') ANYWAYYY, not me pausing halfway through and thinking, "is this about to become a Ruffilo fic?" A story really does write itself sometimes but NO. I had to refrain. But will there more little Peach and Pom moments? Yes. ♥‿♥

If anyone can tell me what the preferred chapter length is among the masses, then that would be greaaat. Stop me from my wild ramblings. Please. Unless you guys are into it and then I guess I'll just keep on truckin'.