#my hair’s like a bit curlier than that but oh well :]

[lex-the-lesbiann]

THANK YOU FOR THE TAG :D <333

ill try to not retag people :] (and ofc no pressure to respond!!!) @zillylilguyz @officialgleamstar @cubey-cube @raemeh @taylortheanimerangerteen @willcamposleftnut and anyone else who wants to join!! :D

Fuck it, I'm starting one of these myself

Picrew chain time!

Tagging: @cute-as-buttons @bloop-arts @slymanner @mira-blue @garthcelyn @flowingleaves @pickastitch

[apomaro-mellow]

Yall said you wanted more of Victorian steddie cucking Jason so here ya go

Read on AO3

Steve had been distracted and it only got worse as his appointment with Doctor Munson got closer. He had never felt that good before. No omega he’d ever talked to had mentioned that an alpha’s touch could feel like that. He didn’t even know using mouths was an option. Was it strictly a medical procedure? Surely he couldn’t expect his husband to perform that for him. Only a licensed expert should….should…

He clenched his legs together and bit his lip, trying to look like he was present as his husband went over the final preparations.

Jason sighed. “I do wish you didn’t have to see the doctor on the same day as the party. What if you fall ill?”

Steve sighed. “It’s for the best. You want a child, don’t you? One of our very own. And Doctor Munson has been recommended by all our friends.”

Of course, Jason had been the one to seek him out, but when Steve mentioned the name Munson to his own circle, Heather and Carol had nothing but praise for the man’s practice. Carol had even confided in her own struggle to conceive before taking him on as a physician and now she was set to pop any day now.

Before, Steve had chalked it up to a pill or tonic, something that made her and her husband’s attempts more fruitful. But…when he remembered how the doctor had helped him. Now Steve was wondering if Carol’s child would be born with hair darker and curlier than it should be. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that but the only way to know more was to get to his appointment.

Jason wouldn’t be joining him for this one, too busy with the last minute details. They were hosting a celebration for Jason’s commendation and Steve hoped he’d be in a jovial mood when it was time to get to bed.

He didn’t even have to spend time in the waiting room when he arrived. Doctor Munson was already in the front room, almost as if he’d been waiting for Steve.

“Mrs. Carver, right on time, follow me.”

Steve did, entering and sitting down on the table as he had the first time. Doctor Munson closed the door behind himself. He started with asking baseline questions. Most of which were easy to answer, as it had only been a week since he had been here last. Nothing much changed except…well…

“And your urges? The ones Mr. Carver was worried about? Did they get any better?”

Steve started to wring his skirt before remembering his manners and straightening it out. “I um, well, yes and uh no?”

Doctor Munson chuckled. “So a solid maybe? Could you elaborate? Are they different from before?”

Steve thought about it. He still felt an ache, a need. But they only came upon him when he thought of-oh.

“The urges used to be directed solely at my husband. But I don’t think about him anymore. Instead I-”

“Instead?”

Steve cleared his throat and turned up his gaze from his lap to the man before. “I’ve been thinking of you.”

The grin that came upon the doctor’s face was both endearing and searing. Steve felt his body get warm and his eyes were drawn to that mouth. He missed entirely what was said next.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said that’s perfectly natural. Your omega desires the one who will care for your needs. Typically it would be your husband. But it’s not uncommon for an omega’s sights to turn to someone else.”

“Oh.” It felt better to hear that it was normal.

“Now, let’s not dither any longer. You have a party to prepare for.”

“Speaking of”, Steve started as the doctor scribbled something down. “I know it’s very last minute, but we would be honored if you attended.”

“Would you now?”

“Of course. If all goes well, we-I’d have you to thank for my child.”

“In that case, I would be honored to attend. Now, onto business. Do you feel that need arising now? When you look at me?”

Steve thought about the times he had admitted to Jason the sort of feelings his husband caused within him; how his husband had recoiled to know his inner thoughts. Steve didn’t want Doctor Munson to be repulsed by him. But if he lied to a physician, what was the point?

So he nodded. “Yes. I am, I mean I do, feel those things.”

Doctor Munson nodded and moved to stand behind Steve. “I’m sure you and Mr. Carver have plans for a more private celebration tonight, yes?”

“Yes. We want to make the most of my appointment today.” He could feel the doctor’s breath against his ear.

“And as I understand it, this will be your first knotting. Being knotted and pupped up, you’re going to experience some changes. It’s time you got acquainted with yourself more than ever before.”

Steve tried to turn to see what he meant but Doctor Munson was already moving, placing a large mirror in front of him. The doctor got behind him again and put his hands on Steve’s waist.

“May you lift your skirts and spread your legs?”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up but obeyed. When all was said and down, his core was exposed to the world. He was only able to glance at his reflection before turning his head away. He was surprised to feel a gentle hand massaging his hip.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of down there.” His hands moved down to Steve’s thighs, slowly making their way inward. “You have a healthy thatch of hairs.” 

His hand cupped Steve then, simply holding him. Steve’s breath got short and yet he felt secure, safe. Doctor Munson hummed, sounding observant and pleased.

“Has your husband ever told you how lovely you are down there?”

Steve’s eyes snapped open, though he wasn’t quite sure when they’d closed. ‘Lovely’? Down there? He turned his head to look at the doctor’s face but he wasn’t even looking at Steve. His eyes were on the mirror. Steve turned his gaze to that and found eyes transfixed on their reflection. Specifically on what was happening….down there. Doctor Munson’s finger was stroking up and down.

“I asked you a question Mrs. Carver. Are you still lucid?”

“He’s never-n-never said that about me, um, rather about that part of me.”

Doctor Munson tutted. “Husbands aren’t always the best at expressing themselves, I’m afraid. But I’m sure he must think so. Beautifully pink in color. And the shine.” He took in a deep breath in the same moment that Steve breathed out. He pushed a finger in, a low growl coming from him as he watched it get sucked in.

“All alphas owe their lives to this. It’s a pity they don’t always know how to show appreciation. So allow me to tell you - the way you could take a knot is divine.” He pushed a second finger inside. “And the way this same part can pass through a child, bringing new life into the world, is godly.”

Steve’s hips shifted but he fought to keep them still. In his mind he could hear Jason reprimanding him. And he could also hear his governess telling him that good omegas stayed perfectly still so their alpha could complete the deed without interruption.

“Don’t fight your instincts.”

“B-but I-I was told-”

“Your body knows what it needs. And if your mate hasn’t given it to you right away, use your body to tell him what that is.” To prove his point, Doctor Munson stilled his hand.

Steve couldn’t help the whine from the back of his throat. His hips squirmed without any coordination for a few moments before he was able to find some kind of rhythm and he watched through the mirror. Watched as those deft fingers moved in and out of him.

“That’s it, Mrs. Carver. Just like that.”

“Steve. You can-that is to say-you may call me by my first name.”

“In that case, you may also drop the formalities with me. Those close to me know me by Eddie.”

“Eddie”, Steve sighed, trying it out. It certainly felt more intimate than calling him by ‘Doctor Munson’. And right now, he didn’t want to be known as ‘Mrs. Carver’.

“You’re doing wonderfully Steve. You produce slick like a master and your scent is perfectly enticing. You can take a good stretching”, he said, a third finger slipping inside. “And then there’s this little button.” His other hand pulled at the top of his mound.

After his first appointment, Steve had been curious. He had thought to look but could never quite gather the nerve to look for long or do any true exploration. But he remembered where he had felt Eddie’s tongue that sent jolts of lightning through his body.

“Do you know what this part of you is for?”

Steve shook his head. Hole was for the alpha and then later the pup to come through. Everything else was a mystery that only men in medicine knew. He watched with hungry eyes as Eddie finally touched it, just with the tip of his finger and still he reached up and clung to the sleeve of the doctor’s coat. 

“Do you understand now?”

“Wha? Mmn, what?”

“Pay attention, Steve”, Eddie reminded gently. He touched the small nub again and this time Steve paid attention to his own reaction. Not just how it felt good but what his body actually did in response to it. How his hips lifted to meet the touch, how he tightened around Eddie’s fingers, and how more slick came from him.

“Do you see now?”, Eddie asked. “Most will ignore it but this part of you is important too.” He used the hand not currently in Steve to spread his slick around. “It will make you clench around your alpha. That, combined with his knot, will make sure none of his seed leaks out. An evolutionary advantage, back from the days where an omega could be taken by any alpha. It made certain that even if that happened, a bonded omega would already be pupped by the one of their choosing.”

His fingers started to thrust deep into Steve while the ones on his other hand rubbed quick circles. Steve’s head came to rest on his shoulder, mouth agape and eyes rolling back. His husband was most definitely the last thing on his mind right now.

“That’s it Steve, let go. Just feel. An alpha should consider this his honor, his sacred duty.”

Steve found it hard to believe any alpha would feel that way but certainly Eddie must. He was focused on his mission and nothing else. And Steve felt that delicious heat build up in him again just like last time. Then he felt Eddie nuzzle at his neck. His high collar kept from any pure skin contact, but it made him burn all the same. Eddie buried his nose on the side of his mating bite.

A clear challenge to the alpha who had already bitten him.

Steve opened his eyes in time to see himself put Eddie’s fingers in a death grip and watch everything down there pulse in time with the waves of pleasure that crashed through him. This time, instead of washing his hands, Eddie brought his slick-soaked fingers to his mouth and cleaned them off with his tongue.

“What time is that party?”

For the evening’s events, Steve changed his gown to something more celebratory. It showed his neck and parts of his shoulders and collarbone. But of course, his bond bite was hidden under a choker, as was custom. The only omegas who went without were those without a bite to show. Steve had spent the better part of the evening distracting himself with idle talk.

Eddie hadn’t arrived yet and it made Steve’s thoughts wander. Did he help out all omegas the same way? Was Steve just next in a long line of conquests? Eddie had never offered Steve anything but his medicinal techniques and yet he was clearly challenging Jason. And Jason didn’t even know it.

Jason said nothing about Eddie’s scent on him when he returned home, though Steve was sure he must be able to smell it. He washed himself before the party just to be sure.

And speaking of the party, it was going swimmingly, he had to admit. Everyone was enjoying themselves and Jason had his chest puffed out all night. It made Steve anticipate their bed all the more. When it was time to dance, Steve took his husband’s hand and followed his lead. Dancing for him was an excuse to have his alpha’s hands on him in public. Jason always kept a respectable distance though. Sometimes more than respectable. 

After one dance, they moved to the side. Steve could have danced more but sometimes it felt like Jason only wanted to touch him when necessary. Jason conversed with some of the other men, Steve loyally at his side when someone tapped his bare shoulder.

“Eddie?”

“Apologies for my late arrival.”

“‘Eddie’?”, Jason echoed.

“I would like to make the most of what time I have left in the party. So if I may impose, may I have the hostess’ for this next dance?”

Steve was tempted to take Eddie’s hand even without his husband’s approval. But he still looked to Jason, hoping he didn’t look too eager.

“You have my permission, doctor.”

Eddie took Steve’s hand and led him to the dance floor. He didn’t wear his white coat and his hair wasn’t pulled up like in his office. Instead, it fell over the shoulders of his dark jacket. Eddie nodded to Carol and Steve was reminded that she was one of his patients. Eddie brought him into a dancer’s hold so close that their chests rose and fell against each other.

“Carol is due any day now”, Steve commented as they swayed to the music.

“And glowing with the pride of it. Mr. Hagan must be proud.”

“I’m sure they appreciated your help. Carol was so worried before conceiving.”

“And that worry was stress that made it all the more difficult for their family to grow. It seems they’re doing quite well now.”

“Do you help all omegas in the same way?”, Steve ventured to ask.

Eddie grinned. “Each person who passes through my practice requires different care. I don’t normally gossip about specifics, but for the Hagans, I simply coached Mr. Hagan through some bedroom techniques. Mr. Wheeler simply needed a tonic for vitality. But you, Steve…”

His gaze got intense and Steve realized he could scent him for the first time. It made sense for doctors to cover their scent, otherwise it could unease a patient. But this was a social event and Eddie had no need to hide his cinnamon and cloves scent.

“Yes?”

“I knew I had to assist you by any means necessary. And if that meant I was allowed to touch…to taste…”

Steve’s body grew warm. “Tonight-”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“But Jason-”

“Will be taken care of. He is still your husband. And I intend to respect his claim over you. But you deserve a pup. You deserve to hear a child’s laughter in your halls and to be someone’s mother.”

“Eddie”, Steve sighed, not even realizing how close their bodies were pressed until the musicians changed the tune.

Their bodies separated and Steve was returned to his husband. Steve fanned himself and used the dance as an excuse as to why he was slightly flushed, not that Jason acknowledged it beyond a sneer. As the party began to wind down, Steve noticed his husband was more intoxicated than usual. He became worried about what this meant for the night and his suspicions were proven correct.

Their guests had gone home and the married couple dressed for bed. Jason needed help getting into his gown and he was in bed while Steve was still sitting at his vanity, brushing his hair.

“Jason? Jason?”, Steve called out, going over to his side of the bed. “Don’t you remember tonight?”

“He’s just about passed out”, Eddie’s voice sounded from the door, causing Steve to whip around.

“You’re here.”

“I said I would be.” Eddie shrugged his coat off. 

“Here? Now?”, Steve asked his heart rabbiting.

“Yes”, Eddie nodded. “He won’t wake until morning. But the scent you make and the sounds you produce should reach his subconscious mind and make him more susceptible to you.”

“You’ll give me a pup? Tonight?”, Steve put a hand to his chest, trying to calm his heart.

“I promised it to you and your husband. And I am a man of my word.” Eddie closed the distance between them and cradled Steve’s face, illuminated only by moonlight, then kissed him sweetly.

It was a different kind of kiss than what Steve was used to. Barely there pecks. This was like a thunderstorm after a drought. Eddie’s hands smoothed down Steve’s neck, around his waist, and then settled on his hips. Steve’s hands stayed perfectly still at his side. When Eddie pulled back, he took Steve’s hand and guided him to the other side of the bed where he normally laid. Steve laid down on his back.

His heart had just calmed down but it picked up again as Eddie undressed himself fully. Steve’s legs trembled, fighting between the instinct to spread and show himself and his learned behavior of keeping his legs shut. But he remembered the alpha’s words just that morning. He was allowed to give in to his instincts. So he not only spread, but he pulled the hem of his nightgown up and over his knees, exposing himself to the room. 

“There it is, just as gorgeous as always”, Eddie praised, coming onto the bed.

Steve thought he should feel more shame. Or more reservations. He was letting another alpha take him while his real husband and mate slumbered right next to them. But Jason benefited from this too. Eddie started to kiss his thighs and Steve just about forgot the presence of his husband. He felt warm breath on his loins and covered his mouth before he could cry out. Then a hand came up to pull it away.

“Mr. Carver needs to hear you. He needs to associate your sounds with satisfaction.”

“But I’ve never…”

Eddie licked a stripe up his core, eliciting a sound somewhere between a hiccup and a gasp from Steve. “The more you allow yourself to feel, the better chance you have at conceiving.”

Steve’s lips parted and he allowed short breaths. Then Eddie’s tongue started to draw circles and whimpers fell from him. He thought he’d be more scared of Jason waking up. He turned his head to see his husband on his back, appearing almost dead to the world. Then Eddie blew cold air onto his hot flesh and Steve jolted, a sharp cry coming from him. Jason shifted, turning on his side now so that he was face to face with Steve.

That only stoked the flames in Steve’s body and he felt himself get more wet. Eddie hummed, seeming pleased at his reaction.

“You feel good and you want your alpha to know that.” He rose up and kissed Steve’s chest through his gown while rubbing a finger against his slit. He pressed the first one in and released a low rumble, pleased at how easily it slipped in. His lips found Steve’s neck, the unbitten side, and sucked a mark into it.

“Alpha”, Steve moaned softly, arms winding around Eddie.

Eddie got him to three fingers like before and then pulled them out. Steve’s eyes fluttered as he felt the head finally slip in. One hand fell from Eddie, needing to grip something and that ended up being Jason’s nightgown. Steve could feel his husband’s chest rise and fell while Eddie sunk deeper and deeper into him. His mouth fell open and every indecent sound he had held back all these years were set free as Eddie thrust in and out.

Every touch was true to Eddie’s words from earlier. He considered it a privilege and an honor to be allowed to do this. Steve felt something else begin to push up against him and realized in euphoria that it was a knot. He was going to be knotted, he was going to be filled and thoroughly seeded and it would finally take root and turn into a beautiful life.

When it popped into him, he could hear Eddie growl into his ear. Eddie bit into his shoulder and Steve saw stars.

Jason didn’t stir until morning came. He sat up, head still swimming from the previous night. He rubbed his temples and slowly stood up from the bed. It was only then that he noticed Doctor Munson sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.

“What are you-?!”

“Shh”, Eddie put a finger to his lips. “Watch your volume. Your wife is still resting.”

Jason looked down to see that Steve was very much still asleep. “Why are you here?”

“Mr. Carver when a patient puts their trust in me, I see it through to the end. And I must say, you performed quite well last night. As I was able to observe, Mrs. Carver was properly knotted.”

Jason’s brow furrowed. He didn’t want to say that he had no recollection of that. But he truly remembered nothing after collapsing into bed. Eddie stood and walked over to the bed. He was fully clothed, excluding his coat and hat.

“The proof is right here.” Eddie pulled the blanket back and then lifted Steve’s gown. He then very gently spread his legs. “His amount of slick is proof of a coupling. But if you look very closely, not a single drop of your spend is on the outside. I say not even a textbook would have a more perfect illustration.”

Steve shifted and Eddie covered him back up. Jason swallowed, feeling challenged and yet now knowing why.

“So it is done?”

“Conception should be complete, yes. But your journey has only just begun. We can discuss it more later. But I recommend that Steve visits my office regularly from now on. Perhaps every two weeks or so.”

Jason watched as Doctor Munson put his coat back on and then his hat. “Um, yes, very good. Thank you, doctor.”

“My pleasure, Mrs. Carver”, Eddie smirked.

Finale

[bellewintersroe]

Daniel Ricciardo x HornerDaughter! Reader

part 13 - dramaaaaa y/n gets upset when reading some of the weird comments after a little group holiday goes viral and secrets are starting to be exposed. Little bit of a time jump here, I wanted to get to the nitty gritty parts. Also I realised I accidentally wrote the last chapter in first person instead of third? (Or second I can’t remember wtf each one is) oops!!!! Here’s the LINK to part 12.

warnings: mentions of sex, inappropriate touching (consensual ofc) nothing too graphic, hate?? comments& crying. Mentions of readers and Daniel’s age gap, but again the ages are up to you, I’m going no lower than 22/23 because I feel kinda weird about any younger.

“How are you so tanned, Daniel?!” The almost-as-tanned girl sat down on the Australian’s bare lap. Hence the almost, being from England and from a ginger father, she was always naturally pale and tended to use spray tans to make up for the translucency of her skin.

“It’s called being Australian, baby.” Daniel cheekily grinned, holding her bum cheek and giving it a quick squeeze as soon as she sat. “Yeah, but…” y/n scooted forwards, playing with the strands of his hair. The Ibiza sea had somehow made his hair even curlier, even hers had a beachy wave to it that Daniel thought made her look like a mermaid (as he told her 5 times over). He thought she looked beautiful- he didn’t think she could get anymore beautiful until he saw her bikini cladded, in her natural form, cannon-balling off the side of the yacht they’d boarded for the night.

“You’re like so nice and dark, can’t you give some to me?” His eyes, fell to her chest, the baby pink pushing up the swell of her breasts. He just wanted to nuzzle his face deep inside of- “Daniel…” she warned.

“Right, sorry… yeah, I would if I could.” With his eyes back on her freckled face, she offered him a smile, nudging to leave his lap. Daniel’s hands tightened with a soft, “no.”

“What? You wanna have sex… again?” Her brow perked, Daniel felt hot under her gaze, and he couldn’t deny the semi that was growing in his swimming trunks.

“No- yeah.” He couldn’t even lie. They’d been at it like rabbits, and especially on this yacht, on the deck when nobody was watching, all over the bedroom, in the water (comment if you acc want me to write a smut based off this lmao). She was sore from the amount of action she’d had the past two days, but she wasn’t complaining, y/n just thought she needed to give certain areas of her body a rest.

“Daniel.” She groaned, head dropping on his shoulder. “Can’t help my girlfriends fucking sexy as fuck.” His lips pressed to the inside of her shoulder, at first she was about to shudder from the action, but the specific use of girlfriend threw her into a frenzy of excitement. “Oh, I’m your girlfriend now?” She tried to play it cool, but both of them could hear the giddiness oozing off her voice. “Uh huh… if you wanna be?” Daniel nodded up, a closed mouth smile growing on his face. “Yeah.” A giggle escaped her lips.

“Yeah? I already thought you were, you… sausage.” He teased, bouncing her slightly on his knee. “Mmmmh, whatever.” They shared a loving kiss, one that wasn’t helping Danny’s situation in his pants. “I’m gonna go shower.”

“Ok, babe. I’ll get in after you, I’m just gonna go back on deck with the lads for a bit…” The good thing about the pair of them was that they could spend as much time together as possible without getting sick of one another, Daniel felt like she was apart of himself that he’d been missing his whole life- not to sound cheesy. But spending their own time together was so important, and space for y/n felt vital, especially when she wanted to have silent time, scrolling through her tik tok. At least, she thought she wanted some time to herself. Things were going well until a specific video of an overwhelmingly recognisable yacht came up on a video. Her stomach immediately dropped, pictures of her and Daniel, engaging in nothing to explicit, but a few kisses, touches, hugging. Clearly somewhat intimate moments that they kept concealed to the public eye. She swiped furiously, concerned as to what else had been captured. Daniel untying her bikini top, the two of them making out…

Y/n felt her breathing intensify and skin prick with beads of sweat. The comments were what she feared the most- the exploitive pictures were guaranteed to bring unasked controversy.

A mixed response was guaranteed, of course people were shocked, some ecstatic, others doubtful of their age gap. It wasn’t that which bothered her, it was the intruding questions and statements of complete lies and assumptions that rattled her. It didn’t take long for tears to form when people began comparing her to Daniel’s ex’s. Questioning ‘what age’ the relationship started, pointing out insecurities on her body, commenting on their visible intimacy.

Y/n was shaking when Daniel returned into their bedroom. She froze, phone still in hand, automatically turning off her phone as though she intended to hide this from him. “Still in your towel?” He attempted to tease, reaching out to nudge it off her head. The lack of response had him confused, stepping forwards with a slight hesitation.

Daniel questioned if she was crying, before shaking it off, but when she sniffled he was falling to his knees in front of her. “Hey…” he crouched in front of the saddened girl. He reached out, both hands resting on her lap comfortably, feeling a punch in the chest when he caught sight of her tear stained face. “Somebody’s leaked pictures.” She blurted out, voice heavy with upset. Daniel felt his breath hitch.

Without saying another word she handed over her phone, allowing Daniel to see for himself. “Nothing like- really bad, but… I don’t know.” She watched his reaction through the corner of her eyes, using her towel to wipe at her damp eyes.

“Oh, y/n/n.” Daniel sighed. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She let out a sad laugh. “It’s just- it’s so invasive and the comments-” her voice became choked up once again.

“Ah, babe, you know not to read them. Fuck all that, it’s not even important.” He slung an arm around her, pulling her instinctively into his chest. “Like the most people are fine- but I-i don’t care it’s just the awful ones, Daniel. How have- why has somebody followed us on a fucking boat?” Her torment was something that angered Daniel. Not towards her, but to whoever the fuck stalked them, whoever decided to be a creep and take these pictures of her- not to forget the people who sent spiteful messages.

“People just like to ruin it for their own gain. I’m sorry, baby.” Again, Daniel sighed, feeling a little lost for words as y/n cried quietly in his arms. “Don’t-dont cry, y/n/n. C’mere.” She shuffled further onto his lap, wiping at her eyes in a subtle manner. “Like now my dad has to see that, everybody’s just gonna see and-” her voice cut short to avoid becoming too distressed. Daniel felt the tension that began to grow in his muscles.

“I don’t know.” She managed to exhale after. Daniel pressed a lingering kiss to her head, and squeezed her again. There was a moment of silence which fell between the pair. Daniels mind now began lingering.

“What did they say?” He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it.

“Just stupid shit.” He was already reaching back for her phone, glimpsing through a few of the weirder comments. “Oh, I can’t even read that shit.”

“Don’t read it then.” She muttered, biting down on her thumb. “Honestly fuck them.” Daniel inhaled, lifting up her cheek. One kiss was pressed to the rounder part of her cheek. A small, angelic kind of smile managed to peak through her sadness, even just for a second or so.

“I love you. So much, nothing in those comments will change that, will it?”

“No.” She agreed, swiping the last of her tears. “I’ll sort it out. Don’t worry.” He then nodded, a slight sense of reassurance filling her. “Are you sure?”

“Positive, baby. I’m not gonna let that slide, not when it’s upset you like this…”

————————————————————————

taglist: @dinodumbass @mccall-muffin @allabouthappiness @benbarneslut @ricciardhoe-3 @headinthecloudssblog @f1wintermoon13 @hrlzy @topguncultleader @victoriaholland @thatsouthernblondewiththeass @j-cat @lovzmez @laneyspaulding19 thankyou guys so much for commenting and following along I appreciate it, I love reading all your comments!!

[soupandsorcery]

"Astarion and I had a conversation about you once," Ciro says, seemingly apropos of nothing. They're stoking the fire higher in the hearth to ward away the chill in the air. Astarion is in the bath, which he'd promptly claimed for the next 'hour--no, two. Actually, just come check that I haven't drowned if you don't see me before bed'. Gale is sitting on the bed, making a face at the way it squeaks, even though the three of them have stayed in much worse places than this.

"Do I want to know?" Gale asks, and Ciro can feel him watching them. They've grown to learn the differences between the way Gale and Astarion look at them, though they both manage to convey their own hungry sort of awe with just their eyes.

Ciro smiles and feeds another small, neatly split log into the fireplace. "It wasn't bad. It was complimentary even. For Astarion."

"Oh, I'm sure that was interesting. Tell me."

The bed squeaks, and Ciro turns to see Gale lounging. He's shucked off his outer robe, and is just in a tunic and pants. For a man who looks so good in finery, Ciro thinks they might like him best when he's dressed down and comfortable. He looks more approachable then. More touchable.

"It was a little while after he bit me for the first time," Ciro explains. "And he was saying that after tasting me, he was wondering what the rest of our group might taste like. I think he compared you to a fine, well aged brandy."

Gale's eyebrows lift and something sparks in his eyes. It's curiosity, the same light he gets when he's about to spend the next few hours buried in books, chasing down some obscure spell or reference.

"Really?" he asks. "That is high praise from Astarion."

"I told you." Ciro smiles and comes to join him on the bed. It's going to be a tight fit for the three of them, but when the inn keeper offered them two rooms to divide up, they'd quickly declined. "I agreed that you'd probably taste very good."

Gale's cheeks go pink, and Ciro laughs softly. For a man who can weave erotic magic like no one they've ever met before, sometimes the simplest things make him blush. And maybe that makes sense. Maybe Gale has spent so much time with the grand and the ethereal that the small and mundane still manage to catch him off guard.

It bodes well for Ciro then, small and mundane as they are.

"What is it like?" Gale asks, sitting up on his elbows. "When he bites you?"

"It hurts," Ciro answers truthfully. "But that part is over quick. Then it just feels sort of...warm. Woozy. But Astarion always makes it a seduction. You know how he is." Gale nods. "He's good at distracting me from the pain of it and making it into something more tender."

Gale's eyes are very warm now, lit by the firelight and the heat of his curiosity and desire. "What does he do?" he murmurs. "Paint me a picture."

"That's not my thing." Of the three of them, Ciro is the worst with words, but they try anyway. "He kisses the spot where he bites me, and his hands wander. I don't really think about the pain when he's stroking me...you know."

Now their cheeks are on fire, a splash of red across their pink skin. Gale is still gazing at them intently, like he's expecting more, and Ciro feels the heat from the fire and the thump thump thump of their heart.

"Words are all well and good, Gale darling," a drawling voice interrupts them. "But they're no comparison to the richness of experience. Wouldn't you agree?"

Astarion emerges from the separate bathing area, draped in nothing but low slung pants. His pale skin glistens in the firelight, and his hair is damp and even curlier from the steam. He looks like a treat, but then, he always does.

He catches Ciro looking and smiles, small and tender, before winking at them.

"You ah-- You might have a point," Gale says, clearing his throat. "And I have been thinking about it."

"Really?" Astarion's eyebrows climb up his forehead. "I...didn't think you were interested."

"I wasn't. At first. Not that I'm opposed to you feeding yourself, of course, but Ciro had it well covered, and. Well, I'll admit I was being a bit of a baby about the pain aspect of it. But Ciro makes it sound very intriguing. And I've seen the way they look when you're finished with them."

"How I look? How do I look?" Ciro asks, glancing between the two of them.

"Soft, sleepy," Gale says at the same time Astarion purrs, "Ruined."

It's enough to make them blush darker, and then groan, falling face first into one of the pillows on the bed. "You're the worst," they mumble.

"Which of us are you talking to?" Astarion wants to know.

"Take your pick."

He chuckles, a low, rolling sound that does things to Ciro's body and their heart. It's not fair that he's so casually attractive. Or that Ciro is so easily flustered.

"Leave them alone," Gale says fondly.

"Alright, I'll turn my attention back to you then," Astarion replies. "Are you actually interested in seeing what it's like? I won't be offended if it's more of an...idle curiosity."

Gale is quiet for a moment, and Ciro can practically hear him thinking. "I suppose I should try it, shouldn't I? I can hardly be involved with a vampire without letting a little blood every now and then, right?"

"Well, you could. It's hardly a requirement. But I won't deny that I am still ravenously curious to find out what you taste like."

Ciro snorts into the pillow at the word choice and gets poked in the side for their trouble. Their men and their drama.

"We'll call it an experiment, shall we?" Gale declares. "I'll try it, and if I don't like it, no harm, no foul."

"No harm, no foul," Astarion agrees. "I should have done this better when it was my first time with Ciro. You won't be offended if I make this a little more romantic for our dear Gale, will you, pet?"

Ciro sits up and finds Astarion looking at them intently. It's an honest question, they realize, from the way Astarion looks at them and the little furrow of anxiety between his brows.

"I won't be offended," they promise him. "You've more than made up for it."

Astarion smiles, reaching for Ciro's hand to kiss the back of it before sweeping around the room. He grabs one of the chairs from the little side table and puts it near the fire, then stands in the center of their rented room with his hands on his hips. His eyes flick back to Ciro, and a smile plays around his lips.

"Could I trouble you to help me?" he asks. "Gale isn't as...familiar with pain as you are. It might help if he had a distraction." There's a mischievous glint to his eyes, and he picks up one of the pillows from the bed and lays it in front of the chair.

Ciro catches on to Astarion's meaning before Gale does, and they smile, sliding off the bed. They kiss Astarion's cheek, leaning into him for a moment. "I can be distracting," they murmur.

"You certainly can."

"I--oh," Gale says, finally catching on.

"Indeed. Come sit," Astarion drawls, gesturing to the chair.

Gale practically scrambles to obey, sitting down in the chair, legs spread. Ciro slides in gracefully, sinking down to their knees on the pillow. It's clear that Gale is nervous, from the way he's shifting and his eyes darting back and forth. Ciro can't pretend they didn't feel the same when they did this for the first time, but they've all come a long way since then.

"Breathe," they murmur to Gale. They slide their hands up his thighs, fingers massaging the muscles there. "We'll take care of you."

"Yes," Astarion agrees, moving in behind the chair. His long, elegant fingers slide over Gale's shoulders and down to his chest. "You are ours to look after."

"Alright." Gale takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, and his posture relaxes. He sits back in the chair and tips his head back to regard Astarion. "I'm ready."

"Hm, not yet, I think," Astarion murmurs. "Ciro?"

That's their cue. With an ease borne of practice, Ciro walks their fingers up Gale's thighs even more and starts unlacing his pants. Gale lifts his hips enough that Ciro can drag the garment down, freeing Gale's cock. He's already on his way to being hard, but it never does take much to get Gale going when the two of them are involved.

Ciro glances to Astarion, to make sure he's comfortable with this amount of sexual contact happening right in front of him. It comes and goes these days, and sometimes he wants to be involved, while sometimes he'd rather not be in the room at all. But now there's a honeyed warmth to his eyes, and a slow, pleased smile tucked into the corners of his mouth.

He catches Ciro looking and inclines his head a little, in answer to the silent question.

"Focus on me," Ciro murmurs to Gale, one hand wrapping around his cock to stroke it slowly.

Gale's eyes are riveted on Ciro as he sucks in a deep breath, hips already bucking minutely up into Ciro's touch. Ciro grazes his thumb over the head of Gale's cock, gathering the growing wetness from the tip to spread down as he keeps working him up.

Astarion keeps his hands on Gale too, fingers dipping under the open collar of his shirt, dancing over his collarbones.

"Ciro's beautiful on their knees, don't you think?" Astarion purrs into Gale's ear. It must have an effect because Gale's dick twitches in Ciro's hand. "So very eager and obedient. So ready to please you. To please us both."

There's so much promise in that tone of voice, and it catches Ciro up in it too, making them swallow hard.

"Perhaps we'll both indulge in how good you must taste tonight," Astarion says, and Ciro dips their head to lick a hot stripe up Gale's cock.

"Ah," Gale moans. His hands are wrapped around the arms of the chair, a white knuckled grip as Ciro and Astarion work him up between them.

"Yes, very good," Astarion continues, and Ciro doesn't know which one of them he's praising. They suppose it doesn't really matter.

They ease their mouth over the head of Gale's cock and then take him all the way down to the root. Not having a gag reflex has come in handy many a time with their lovers, especially Gale, who is surprisingly well endowed.

They hold it there for a moment, taking in the feeling of Gale in their mouth, the way the head of him hits the back of their throat, the way they can feel the tension climbing in his body.

Then they pull off, sucking in a gasp of air before going back to it.

Astarion just waits. Watches. Occasionally offers praise in his low, seduction edged voice. When Ciro glances up, they can tell that Astarion is thumbing Gale's nipple under his shirt, and that Gale is sprawled in the chair, almost boneless with pleasure.

"If you keep this up--" Gale chokes out. "I am not likely to--ah! I'm not likely to last."

"That is the goal," Astarion says. He sounds a bit breathless now, but is otherwise composed. Ciro knows that if they looked into his eyes there would be a million different emotions in them, but they focus on their task, sucking Gale down and swirling their tongue around the head of his cock.

He leaks a salty drip, which Ciro laps up eagerly, letting themself get lost in it. Gale's little moans of pleasure are almost musical, and Ciro knows from experience that he's beautiful when he falls apart.

He's close now, Ciro can taste it, and apparently Astarion can too because he chooses that moment to bite him. Ciro hears his voice, a low, "Breathe, love," and then Gale's gasping sharply.

Ciro looks up, but it's not pain on Gale's face. At least not entirely. He looks like he's in a harsh sort of ecstasy, sharp and brutal, but like he's enjoying every second of it. His body arches a bit, and Astarion keeps a hold of him, not letting him buck too hard.

He's learned, from his time feeding on Ciro, how to really refine this art. How to walk the line between pain and pleasure, and wait for the moment when the two can blend together beautifully.

Gale's there now, wrapped up in it, and Ciro has just enough time to pull back a bit before Gale comes undone, coming hard in their mouth.

Ciro works him through it, licking him clean before they pull off. Astarion pulls away a moment later, dragging his tongue over the small drips of blood that have spilled down Gale's neck. He presses a kiss, tender and soft, to Gale's neck, and then lets out a pleased sigh.

"Well?" Ciro asks, sitting back on their heels. "Was it everything you expected?"

Astarion smiles, and he almost looks drunk with it. "And more, darling. We were right, all that time ago. He's positively exquisite."

"I'm flattered," Gale says. "And spent."

"It's a very good look for you," Astarion tells him.

Between the three of them, they manage to bank the fire and move their way to bed in various states of undress. By an unspoken agreement, Gale gets the middle, and Astarion and Ciro curl up on either side of him. It is a tight fit, but Ciro has never complained about having to huddle close with these two.

It's several minutes later when Astarion speaks again. "Was that...was it alright?"

Gale chuckles and turns his head to kiss the tip of Astarion's nose. "'Alright' doesn't do it justice in the least. That was an experience. One I would be happy to repeat, if you're all willing."

"Count me in," Ciro murmurs sleepily.

"I suppose I could be convinced," Astarion replies, and he sounds very pleased behind the flippant words.

"Then it's settled."

Like so many things between the three of them, it comes down to a conversation and mutual agreement, and Ciro smiles, happy and eager to see where life leads them next.

[queeenarii]

Wash Day with nct 127

I don't rly write for the other 127 members other than Johnny and sometimes Yuta, Taeyong and Doyoung. So I ran out of cute ideas by the time I got to Johnny 😭😭

Taeil

Taeil didn't really know how to help you. He kind of just ar on the sidelines providing moral support. Anytime you forgot something (or if you have locs and you forgot the backing away for your ACV rinse) he was there to get it for you.

"Ah- I can to start the shower for you. Let the water heat up"

Johnny

Johnny had walked in from practice to you laying in the floor, your head deep in a pool of water. You explained to him that you were doing an ACV rise , and he asked if he could help in any way. He helped move the water through your hair, scubing your locs and scalp clean. After your shower he sat and kept you company as you out in your leave in conditioners and other things. He offers to do your nails as you sat under the dryer, after getting a retweet. Smiling up at you triumphantly when he was done.

"What... Are you doing? Oh can I help? "

"Are your arms tired, can I try?"

"Interlocking and palm rolling? Ive never heard of those before but okay"

Taeyong

Taeyong was extremely curious about your hair care regiment. He had tried some of your products in his hair but they didn't work. One day he approached you and asked what they did for your hair so he could try and understand them. He then began to do more research on his own, getting an in depth understanding of curlier hair products. When he would go overseas he would find different products that he thought might work for you. When y'all would get ready to go out together he'd spray your hair for you. If you have a fro or looser style he'd help you reach the back of it making sure no knots were present. If you had locks he would help you style the lm gently placing them in there correct position.

"I found this cream in the store here, it said it's good deo your hair type. I can get it if you'd like. "

"Let me, I see some areas that you missed"

Yuta

This wasn't yura first rodeo. In fact he knew it was wash day before you knew. He loved the subtle nonsexual intimacy that went into doing your hair. He educated him self on a number of products and styles that he thought you'd like. Hed realize when your conditionee was getting empty and would order you a new one. He felt it a small consolation for him being gone so much. H loved showing that he cared about you and your hair as much as you did. He really liked helping you grease your scalp, loving how refreshed you said it made you feel.

"I got someone of that oil you use"

"I heard that the formula changed in that cream, is it still working for you? "

"It's wash day tomorrow yeah? Can I help? We can watch the episode of that anime"

Doyoung

Doyoung knew how much this meant to you, the trust that you out into him to help with your hair. So he took his task very seriously. You asked him to help part your hair for a style you wanted to do. And boy was he good at it. He took his time, and constantly asked if he was hurting you. You don't know when he got so good at it. But your parts were crisp and clean 👌🏾😌. When he was done hole announced it timidly, asking how well he did. When you told him he did great, his smile grew super big a slight blush forming on his cheeks.

"Is this okay?"

"Ah- that didn't hurt did it, I'm sorry"

"Hold on, i just need a bit more gel here and you'll be good"

Jaehyun

Your silly boy friend while happy to help couldn't help but entertain himself. You two were showering together (no funny business 👀) and you asked him to help shampoo and conditioner your hair. The shampooing started out nice. His fingers gently massaging your scalp. But the bubbles intices him. His fingers left from your scalp, and you turned around to see him trying to make a beard our of bubbles. You simply deadpaned him then you two started busting out loudly.

"What, you don't like my facial hair? "

Jungwoo

Jungwoo had entered your room asking what smelled so good, wondering if you had sweets. You reply no, much to his dismay, but instead directed him to your assortment of hair goods. The smell was inticing and Jungwoo wanted to know what each product was for. You patiently explained each peduct as you worked in into your hair. Jungwoo infront of you eyes wide with curiosity.

"Whats that one do?... Oh but why does it smell like apricots? "

Mark

Mark was nothing but dedicated. When you told him about your upcoming wash day he started to research different things that you might need. He offered to take you to the store and pick up any items you didn't have. You asked him to help you comb your hair through, and while he was nerverous at first, he eventually got into the groove of it. Picking up the task easily as he does most things.

"Yo what? I can try but Ive never done this before dude"

"I gotchu I gotchu, I think I get it now"

"Ooooh shit, nah this actually looks good yo"

Haechan

Haechan is a little menance. You had showed him the style you wanted, and of course he had things to say about it. He scoured the internet for a better hairstyle. And as much as you hate to admit it, the one he found was better. He watches the video that accompanied it intently. Helping you with the tricker sections. In the end he beamed proudly at you, coming and calling your cute.

"I think this style would be better, itll for your face more, and it would go cute with the outfit you showed me the other day"

"I was right! You look so cute, I did so good"

[grimfutureau]

Dtk and azrael headcannons? I’m so invested in this AU ❤️

OF COURSE!

most of my individual/general dtk headcanons are probably somewhere here

Az:

he really likes pirates and follows that fashion aesthetic (in the way that Kid has a sort of cowboy theme)

he can manifest wings

physically cannot lie (he's a worse liar than Maia)

extremely artistic

dyslexic

has an emotional support animal named Cerberus. Maia picked her up from an alley and took her home for Azrael. Cerberus is a Cornish Rex and Amelia's bitter enemY

Cerberus and Az also have a strong soul bond and Cerberus can manifest into a giant three-headed cat. He forms a sort of psychic link with her because yeah he can do that

he's got a pair of symmetrical freckles under each eye

A skeptic

Blindly obedient

(idk if we've posted any coloured Az drawings) His eyes are gold like Kid's but the third eye is red

Just in case we didn't clarify, he has the power of premonition

Loves honey! Probably his favourite food/flavour

Will probably duo wield Amelia and Maia at some point. They both end up as Death Scythes but I don't think he fights with them often

Oh yeah he doesn't do much combat

Freaks Amelia out sometimes

If Az has a nightmare he goes to Maia who will probably have one as well and they both do a sad middle night march to Amelia's room and she begrudgingly lets them crash there

Gets annoyed when Amelia smokes (doesn't like the smell)

cries a lot

can't swim

Likes to sit with Tsubaki and watch the rain in silence. She makes him tea with honey

doesn't talk a lot

Kid and Az:

can sense each other's emotions? similar to how Maia is sensitive to Soul's emotions but not quite the same

VERY IMPORTANT!! Azrael will hide in Kid's cape

They don't talk much to each other. They'll usually just sit in comfortable silence. Kid sometimes will talk to him about what he knows and that's probably how Azrael learns. Just by listening and observing

Azrael's hair is curlier than Kid's but he still has the matching (iconic) cowlick mullet thing at the nape of his neck

They look almost exactly alike, except Azrael has an extra freckle, different hair texture and sanzu lines, and the third eye

Azrael reacts more emotionally than Kid does, more like what Kid was like as a child but they have different anxieties

I imagine Azrael is good at the more functional aspects of Kid's job (planning, documentation, surveillance, protection) but struggles a little more with the diplomacy and the power parts of it all

Kid hides Azrael's existence from the public for a bit for a couple reasons. First because Azrael started out pretty rough with the whole necromancy witch situation, and he needs time to recover and adjust. Second because he was concerned that people would react adversely because his origins are associated with Morgana's Asura drama, and because of his appearance (Asura eye). Third because Kid probably wanted time to process everything

Death City tends to have mixed opinions on Azrael but Kid always defends him fiercely (and if that doesn't work Maia and Black Star go and throw some punches)

[snow-system-wol]

OC-tober shorter prompt list from @endrae,

Day 4: Dream

Home was just as S'ria remembered, perfectly unchanged.

It got cold out here sometimes, when the temperature dropped at night, but sitting around the fire was enough to help except for only the coldest times of the year. Warm food helped too. S'ria gratefully took a bowl of soup from his mother as she settled back down across from him. Her hair was a somewhat darker and more saturated color than his (and far curlier besides), but it always had this amber glow to it when the firelight caught it just right.

S'ria waited patiently for her to start eating, gently nudging G'raha to do the same. Normally, the Nunh would be served first, but they must've gotten here late after travel, after others had already eaten and presumably since gone to sleep. It was kind of his mother to stay up and cook for them, at whatever time it may have been.

It was halfway through the meal, once S'ria felt fully warmed through, that she got their attention.

"So, Ria, are you going to properly introduce me to this "Raha" of yours?"

Her voice held only a mix of fondness and amusement. S'ria relaxed. The tone, at least, was a good sign. G'raha looked rather the opposite of relaxed and S'ria put his hand over G'raha's where it rested on the ground. It's fine, he tried to convey.

"This is G'raha Tia, my… partner? Yes, that's the best word for us." S'ria realized they'd never had a recent conversation about labels, but – it seemed right. Lovers was not something that needed to be touched upon, and boyfriend just felt…too casual for what this was.

"A G Tribe boy, huh? I assume you two met in Eorzea, not somewhere farther off. What's the story there?"

"Ma, haven't I told you that in my letters?"

She frowned at him. "Yes, but you always leave out so many details." The smile popped back onto her face. "Besides, I want to hear it from G'raha."

G'raha shot S'ria a somewhat panicked look and he just shrugged helplessly. She could be persistent, G'raha may as well. S'ria held back a fond laugh – if she wasn't careful with the whole Allagan research part, she might get a bit more out of G'raha than she expected.

S'ria was anxious as well, but for different reasons than G'raha – they'd talked before this, agreeing to please not tell his mother how dangerous his life was, but it was hard to dance around without lying. She'd… worry so much, if she knew.

"Y-yes, ma'am." (S'ria wasn't sure if anyone had said "ma'am" to her in her entire life before this moment.) "Well, 'tis honestly a rather simple story. My topic of research as a scholar was always the ancient Allagan Empire, you see, and there was a perfect research site in Mor Dhona. Your son lived in the area at the time and was always picking up whatever jobs interested him. We met because he agreed to some material procurement and to helping us with, uh – he was a bit like a bodyguard?"

Short and not inaccurate. Well, bodyguard wasn't a lie, at least – and it was better than 'volunteered to clear out possibly the most lethal bit of Allagan architecture ever located.'

S'ria's mom gasped delightedly. "Oh, that's very romantic. If S'ria was protecting you, I can see why you fell for him." Her eyes narrowed. "You're able to take care of him too, right?"

G'raha briefly looked terrified. "Of- of course! Archery just wasn't the best thing to use for that situation – and I've since taken up various forms of magic, for both combat and healing."

Her face softened. "...Healing magic, that's good. I'm glad."

G'raha relaxed, apparently having passed whatever test that was.

"Was it love at first sight?"

G'raha seemed to have far less difficulty or hesitation answering that one. "Honestly? Yes."

"And Ria, how long did you keep him waiting again? Three years?"

S'ria's tail bristled. Gods, he couldn't even defend himself here. Technically it was less than one year because he was in suspended sleep. No, that wouldn't do – though there was at least an excuse he could give that was truthful.

"After his work was done at that research site, I… actually didn't see him again until recently." The sense of regret in S'ria's voice was not faked, even if his mother was somewhat in the dark about what caused it.

Her face fell and S'ria immediately wished he had just let her make fun of him and kept the subject light. "Oh, I'm sorry dear – that sounds like a sore subject." She walked around the firepit to collect their empty bowls and pat their clasped hands. "You two are together again now, that's the important part."

"Yes." S'ria and G'raha both spoke at the same time and she smiled at them.

"You both must be exhausted after traveling here. That tent on the end is vacant for you both." That familiar teasing look came into her eyes again. "Do try not to wake anyone up, yes?"

"Ma!?"

"I'm joking, Ria – G'raha seems far too worried about our opinions for that."

S'ria was certain that G'raha's face must be entirely red by now. S'ria had tried to warn him, his mother was very prone to teasing when it came to her son, even if it came from a place of deep love. She would definitely start breaking out embarrassing stories in the morning, S'ria just knew. Ah, but – G'raha would probably genuinely enjoy hearing about his life, wouldn't he? For some reason, S'ria felt as though he hadn't told G'raha nearly enough stories about himself.

S'ria cleared his throat and pulled G'raha to his feet. "Well, we will be going to lie down – to sleep, after traveling halfway across Gyr Abania today." He dropped the semi-affronted tone in favor of something softer. "Goodnight, Ma".

She turned to walk to her own tent with a good-natured laugh. "Goodnight Ria, Raha."

G'raha half-stifled a gasp and S'ria squeezed his hand. Once they were sitting down in the tent, alone, S'ria turned and whispered to him.

"Are you all right? Is it... okay that she called you that?"

"Y-yes, I. Yes. I am very all right."

"Good."

The tent was small, as most were, and the process of removing their travel-dirtied outerwear would probably have been easier outside. They managed. There wasn't exactly room to stretch out side-by-side – the whole tent was probably smaller in floor space than S'ria's bed back in Revenant's Toll – but it wouldn't be the first time they'd slept in very close quarters. S'ria lay down behind G'raha, wrapping himself around his back and pulling the blanket over them both. Even if G'raha had the occasional faux-complaint about their height difference, he was the perfect size to hold like this and they both knew it. Warm, the scent of G'raha mingling with the scent of home, S'ria had no trouble falling asleep.

---—---

S'ria's face was already wet with tears when he opened his eyes. It was still night, the faint aether glow around Mor Dhona the only source of light from his window. He didn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep any time soon, but it didn't feel bad. It felt… some sort of relief, to be honest, to be allowed that extra moment with her. The dream felt like a rare moment of kindness from the gods.

S'ria wasn't sure what he believed in, but a part of him would like to think that the conversation meant something, that his mother would've truly liked G'raha if she was still alive to meet him. It was nice to think about, if nothing else.

[m4niackkyun]

Idk what this is (trying to explore thier dynamic)

It was 2 AM, the house was dead asleep. A soft yawn escaped from his gaping mouth, he covered it up quickly with on of his hands. His hair was curlier than usual as he has just woken up to get some water from the kitchen downstairs. Just was he flipped the light switch on, a dark figure was sitting on the couch in the center of the living room. He raised an eyebrow, squinting his dark orbs to get a better look at the person in range.

“Hyung...?” he called out.

Hearing himself being called, the ravenette turned to the tall frame who was now rubbing one of his eyes from the sudden flash of light. “Oh..Jaemin-ah, uhm..s-sorry, I couldn't sleep.” he gave him a brief smile before averting his gaze back onto his fiddling hands. He'd been pricking at the skin for the past hour until a bit of blood started trickling out of the abused finger. Jaemin, who knew him far too well, instinctively grabbed a few paper towels from the kitchen counter and rushed towards him.

Sighing briefly before scolding the older, “Dae hyung.” he voiced quite sternly. Looking tentatively at his older brother as he wiped the blood off his fingers. “Huh? O-oh, ah-shit. S-sor—” “It's fine, hyung. You don't need to apologize for everything.” Jaemin reached for the small box under the coffee table, it's filled with all the things a first aid kit would have. He grabbed a band aid and handed to the ravenette.

“Here, patch yourself up. I'll make us some warm milk,” he instructed, earning a light nod from Dae-Jung as he quickly fiddled with the packaging.

Trying to be as quiet as possible as it is already so late, he grabbed a few cups from the cupboards and some milk from the fridge. There was only oatmilk left but, that'll do for now.

As he was heating it up on the stove, silence filled up the atmosphere between them. Nothing but the ticking sound of the living room clock that almost seemed like it echoed through the room.

“What...” Jaemin paused, a bit hesitant to say something. Dae-Jung turned around after hearing his voice briefly, “..yes?” their eyes locked onto each other. A bit awkward to say the least, “Did you...have a bad dream?” he started. A took a few seconds for the ravenette to respond, shaking his head lightly, “No, I just...couldn't sleep at all in my room. I figured I might fall asleep here but, didn't work..” Jaemin Nodded from his explanation.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“I..I hope you know that you're always allowed to ask for help. From me, hwan-ie, soohwa, mom, and dad.”

“....Hm.”

The curly haired teen slowly made his way towards the sofa, sitting right next to his hyung.

It took some time for him to convey the words he wanted to say, one thing's for sure though, with the way his bottom lip was trembling. He was scared.

“promise me, hyung. Promise me you won't hold it all on your own...and leave without saying goodbye.”

Dae-Jung shuffled slightly from where he sat, a bit caught off guard with his younger sibling's response.

“I know what you've been up to. You're planning to find him right? Your so called ‘father’. ” Dae-Jung's eyes widen from his statement, “How did yo—” “A-are you...” he swallowed, “Are you really gonna believe those lies people are telling you?? What about us?? Do you not see us as family to you...? You'd rather leave us to be with someone you never even knew let alone even exist in your life?!” Jaemin's raised his voice slightly, not too loud but enough to express his anger.

“I-i...” the younger let out a quiet sigh, “I'm not saying you don't deserve to know...but what will happen if you do? Are you gonna leave us...a-are you gonna leave me...?” he couldn't help it, he couldn't help but let the pools of frustration flooding his eyes flow down as lets out a sob, Dae-Jung pulling him into his embrace. He placed one hand over the younger's head to give him a sense of reassurance.

“I'm...sorry.” was the only thing he could respond with as he heard the quiet choked sobs of his younger brother, who was desperately trying to hold him from slipping away and never come back, forgetting what it means to find home.

[chasingmemoriesofficial]

This is what CM!Lloyd looks like as a teenager. I designed him in Heroforge.

Now, about the changes I made to Lloyd from his canon design:

First up, the hair. In canon, Lloyd has wavy white blond hair that looks identical in texture and style to his father's. Buuut, I ran some stuff in a genetic probability calculator and, even when taking Lloyd's grandparents into account, white blond hair just doesn't come from a red-haired and brown-haired parent. Strawberry blond, despite it being more recessive, does. So I made Lloyd a strawberry blond instead of a white blond.

I also made Lloyd's hair a lot curlier because I made Garmadon's hair curlier, albeit not to this extent. Lloyd's hair being extra curly is a result of his self-regeneration ability crossing wires with his energy-absorbtion powers making his hair grow crazy. I thought it was a fun idea.

Lloyd's eyes are brown instead of green here because, well, he was born that way. Misako's father had brown eyes in this AU and they skipped a generation and were passed down to Lloyd. As for why they're red in his dragon form (more on that later) is because Lloyd has magic in addition to his Elemental Powers. You'll also see that Lloyd's eyes are a little more snake-like than usual.

This is because the Great Devourer's vemon affected Garmadon differently than in canon. Instead of turning him evil, it altered his DNA and gave him snake traits. Lloyd inherited the fangs and forked tongue that Garmadon now has.

Now, why does Lloyd have vitiligo? Because Misako has vitiligo, simple. In canon, Misako has a streak of white in her grey hair, so I took that tiny design detail and ran with it, elevating it to full vitiligo which Lloyd also has.

Lloyd also inherited Misako's bad eyesight in this universe, although Garmadon didn't do him any favors either. I actually made Lloyd look a lot more like his mom than his dad.

As for his arm? Well, CM!Lloyd is a congenital amputee. His entire arm on that side is missing up to his shoulder. Coincidentally, Misako lost her own arm in an accident many years before she married Garmadon, also at the shoulder. The arm Lloyd has now is from his bonded dragon(s).

Lloyd was born without Elemental Powers (Garm is 2nd gen EM at best, it was a crapshoot either way) and at some point between being taken from Misako and meeting the Ninja, he died, was autopsied (hence the chest scar), and a dragon spirit decided "hey, you're not supposed to be dead" and chooses him as her vessel, which brings him back to life, turns his brown eyes green, and gives him powers.

Years later, he meets another dragon spirit who's been captured by humans. Lloyd frees it and it bonds with him too, which causes Lloyd's green eyes to turn back to brown as his dragons balance each other and the dragons' colors in his nonphysical arm blend together. They change color depending on which dragon's power he's using, or if he allows one of the dragons to take over for a bit.

Essentially, Lloyd's pretty much a DID system but with superpowers. Three beings sharing a body.

Lloyd Okada (not Garmadon), a snake-mutant witch (he/him)

Chikara, the Dragon Spirit of Life (she/her)

Jakuten, the Dragon Spirit of Death (it/its)

Oh, and witches are a thing in my AU but that's for another post. I'll also post what Chikara and Jakuten (or, as Lloyd calls them, Chika and TenTen) separately.

[danilovesivars]

Not My Baby to Hold

Hey Charlie, I wrote something a little more than a week ago. I closed my laptop and didn’t save it. It was gone. I was exhausted I couldn’t write it again. I’m tired. Tuesday I started feeling very anxious and uneasy. Like I felt like you were lost. Like I didn’t know where you were. Denial was setting back in. Wednesday I took Riley to school but when we got in there we were waiting to talk to her principal and the office was really busy and she got really anxious and broke down. Eventually she did better and I went home. When I got home I got angry. So angry. I couldn’t control he tears. Then the tears turned into screaming so much shouting and screaming from the bottom of my lungs. Eventually I couldn’t breathe. I tried to get outside for air but it didn’t help. Our neighbour was out and came right over and sat with me until I started to calm down a bit. Then the school called because Riley was sick. The rest of the night tears just continued to slowly stream down my face. While I tried to watch tv, while I read, while I slept. Today I feel exhausted and dehydrated. No amount of water seems to be enough. I feel weak and shaky. It won't stop. It’s interesting how every time you cycle into another grief stage it knocks you over so hard. I don’t get it Charlie. I’m very confused. I literally feel like I can’t find you like my brain has decided that’s easier than admitting you are gone. I went from finding comfort in looking at your photos and videos. Your smile made me smile. Now I can’t breathe. I have so much heaviness in my chest. It’s so physically real I wonder how my heart hasn’t stopped. Last week was a lot of things. One day I took Riley to the park. As we approached the park I saw a toddler in the toddler swing. I felt a pang and I looked away and tried not to think about it. Eventually the parents brought him over to where Riley was sitting. Oh Charlie this little boy looked so much like you. Just so much like you. He was about your size, he had light brown hair with little curls. He turned and looked at me his big brown eyes and long eyelashes caught the sunlight and he smiled. For a moment I felt my body out of reflex want to reach for him but my brain knew it wasn’t you. That’ was not my baby to hold. I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t hold in the tears. I tried so hard and probably sounded like I had some hiccups or was hyperventilating. I called Riley and told her we had to leave. She didn’t hesitate she saw I was upset and we headed home. I tried to keep it together but I kept crying. Later that week Riley and I were heading to the store when I saw a dad carrying his little boy on his shoulder like Daddy carried you.They crossed the street ahead of us. As I pulled up to stop at the intersection to make a left hand turned I looked left for traffic that’s when I saw it. The little boy looked up over his dads shoulder and straight into the car and made eye contact as he waved at me. but not a typical toddler wave. A Charlie stiff armed wave. I waved back. “Hi baby” I heard myself say. I cry-laughed the whole way to the store. He was tiny like you. Brown hair but much curlier, brown skinned, brown eyed. It wasn’t my baby to hold but I knew in that moment my baby was sending me a hello. Which brings me to something else from last week. We hung some illustrations around the house. Remember Daddy’s coworker drew pictures of him and Riley? She drew one of you as well. So we framed the one of Riley and the one of you and hung them over the couch. We had to move the mirror. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. You liked to watch TV through the mirror. But we still have the big mirror in the bedroom you liked to watch yourself in. 

We hung another one too in your room. Tia’s daddy made it for us. It’s actually a drawing of my favourite picture of you. He titled it Charlie Forever in Touch. I cried when I saw it. His drawing was also beautiful. But the title. He saw what I see when I look at that picture. You still reaching for me. I actually even started making albums from your pictures - one of you laughing, one of you with the pets, one of you with the grandparents and great grandparents but it started with ones of you forever reaching. Forever in touch. 

It’s amazing how both artists captured your eyes perfectly. I can stare into them forever. Tomorrow is Riley’s birthday. She wanted you to be the special guest on Sunday at her birthday party. When you were in the hospital, the day they told Daddy and I the outlook wasn’t good Mommy had to come home and limit the information we told Riley. We would be assisted with the Child Life specialists the next day. As we were getting in the house she said “I’m going to make Charlie the special guest at my birthday party”. I didn’t know what to do I cried so hard. She insisted you would be okay but I knew. Not because the doctors suspected it. but I knew I could feel it in my gut and I hated it and I kept trying to bury the feeling and deny it. The next morning I was so numb and so confused. We packed some of your favourite toys I tried to find the noisiest ones to wake you up. I got so mad and fixated on finding your Cory Carson when Riley came up to me and said “Mommy... I think Charlie would rather us just be there than you find his Cory” Then she just took charge packing things. I was so proud of her. I think she knew too. I wanted to just throw up.  She’s hoping your elves Glitter and Gar show up in the morning. I think she’s only expecting Glitter. After you passed a few days later she sadly asked if I thought Gar passed too. Garland came after you were born and was connected to you. I think Gar will be here tomorrow. I think he will be sad. He will miss you horribly. I’m not sure what they will say. Because none of this makes any sense not even the elves can explain the pain away. She loves them dearly though. Almost as much as she loved you. You were her whole world. She’s not herself lately and I’m very worried for her. It could be just because I’m hyper alert now. But she does feel lonely. Maybe the elves can help her feel a little bit better and less alone. Maybe they can remind her we are here and you are forever in touch.

[mixedstyles]

Headcanon: Harry’s partner having curly hair

Masterlist

Author’s Note: WE. NEED. MORE. CURLY. HAIR. REPRESENTATION. as someone with 3a-3b curly hair, here are some headcanons. This is dedicated to all you curly headed cuties 😤

Pronouns Used: gender neutral! they/them

POV: Third Person.

Warnings: f-word, non-gendered use of “honey”

Additional Information: Harry is in italics. Reader is in bold.

divider is made by @firefly-graphics!

His partner finally moving in with him and they take up the whole middle shelf in the linen closet with their hair products. “I feel like I’ve walked into a hair salon” “Sometimes it feels like I could open my own store with how many hair products I’ve accumulated.”

His s/o being a little nervous to wear their bonnet or silk scarf in front of him for the first time. “Please don’t say anything.” “Uhhh okay?” *s/o walks out of the bathroom and into the bedroom* “Stop. You look absolutely adorable. Do I get one, too?”

“Why do you have so many different bottles of conditioner?” “That’s regular conditioner and that’s leave-in conditioner” “There’s a difference??”

Harry buying his partner a set of 100% silk pillow cases as a surprise gift because he knows they’ve been saving their money to upgrade their satin ones.

“I’m only now just using fancy pillowcases? Where have you been all my life?” “Are you talking to me or the pillow case?” “… both?”

*s/o comes back to their apartment fuming* “Today someone told me that my hair would look ‘less messy’ if I brushed it out and it really pissed me off.” “Oh honey, I’m sorry. Want me to sue them for idiocy?” “I don’t think that’s a thing, but I appreciate the support.”

A red carpet interviewer makes the casual comment of “your hair looks a bit curlier than normal, new hair routine?” And him answering with “you can thank my partner for that one, they’ve introduced me to the world of hair care and products.”

“What the fuck is this thing? It looks like some sort of sci-fi weapon.” “That’s literally a hair dryer with a diffuser on it.” “A what?” “Gosh, sometimes I feel like you’re a lost cause. It’s an attachment that reduces frizz and doesn’t ruin your natural curl pattern.” “I still think it’s a movie prop.”

I feel like if traveling takes him away from his s/o for a long time and he begins to miss them, he might go and buy/order their favorite hair product and use it on his hair because it smells like them 🥺🥲

His partner was never one for the spotlight, but once Harry’s fans began to ask him about which products he used, his partner made a public IG account dedicated to curly/wavy hair maintenance. As well as how to take care of your hair without needing expensive products.

They probably ended up as an accidental hair influencer because of it.

[multi-lefaiye]

I SUPPORT YOU and honestly he’d love that <3 Eden’s dad is the epitome of like. A dude who originally had good intentions but went about everything in the shittiest way possible and thinks he did nothing wrong, or at the very least that everything he did wrong was totally justified because he meant well at first.

When Eden sees him again, he’s going to fucking MAUL this man.

I wanna draw Eden's dad but I live in fear of people calling him a dilf /j

[atinydise]

Follow the rules (Part 2)

❦ Genre: Angst / Fluff / Suggestive.

❦ Pairing: Seonghwa.

❦ Word count: 1K.

❦ Requested: Don't ever believe me again when I say I'm posting something "soon" 💀Part 1

❦ Tags: @scuzmunkie, @butterfliesinthenightsky 🦋

Once again, you stared at your reflection in the dirty mirror of the theater.

You fixed your hair, removed the tiny stain of lipstick on your teeth, and shamelessly opened another button of your dress.

“You can do it, girl!” You motivated yourself. “It’s just a date! You are a pro for dates.”

It’s been 10 minutes that you were trying to spot something wrong with your outfit or just yourself.

This guy that you met at a party, invited you to several dates before, but for this one, you felt a little bit more stressed or insecure.

He was so good to you. Always funny, complimenting you when you doubt your own beauty because of these stupid “beauty standards” or always available when you need to talk.

You were diving into your thoughts, daydreaming about how this date could end when you receive a text from him asking if you were okay.

Not losing another second, you walked out of the restroom.

“Oh Y/N, are you okay? You were there for a while.” He asked, visibly worried for you.

“Yeah, there were just a few girls before me.” You lied. “Let’s go?”

He nodded and smiled.

“But first, do you want a snack or a drink?” He offered, already taking out his wallet.

“Wait, I'm paying.” You put your hand on his. “You paid for the restaurant yest-”

“Popcorn and a cold drink such as iced tea?” He asked, knowing exactly what you want.

Understanding that he would probably not give up and pay for your snacks, you simply nodded.

“Thank you again.”

“Wait for me here!” He said before running to the shop.

Seeing someone devoted to you made you happy and thankful.

“What could happen Y/N? It’s probably going to be a good date too.” You tried to reassure yourself, fixing your dress one last time.

“Y/N?”

You instinctively looked at the person next to you.

It took a few seconds to realize that the worst thing that could happen, was just there: Seonghwa.

You hated the way with simple eye contact, he made you doubt your entire existence.

Even if Seonghwa changed a bit during this last month, he was still this handsome man he used to be.

His hair was dyed in black and a bit curlier than before. He was probably working out a lot more because his figure was a tiny bit more massive.

The way his eyes were piercing and staring at your soul, gave you this warm feeling that only he can give you.

“Y/N?” He repeated.

You raised a brow to show him that he has your attention, but that you wouldn’t say anything.

“It’s been a while.”

The thought of shouting ‘you dumb or what’ or punching him right in the face, came to your mind for 2 seconds, but you decided to play it cool.

“Yeah.” You simply replied.

Seonghwa was taken aback because of these short and cold replies. You were the only one talkative among both of you.

“Hm… are we cool? Or?”

“Cool?” You repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Are you still mad at me?”

This situation was so strange to you that you pinched your hand discreetly, to be sure that you were not daydreaming or hallucinating.

“Y/N.” He called you once again.

You managed to keep your composure but hearing your name from his mouth made your knees weak a little bit more.

“Do you remember that we are not talking or seeing each other anymore?”

Seonghwa scratched the back of his head, searching for a possible excuse or explanation.

“You made it clear the last time we saw each other.” You continued. “So you don’t need to come and check after me as you care.”

“Y/N…”

“Don’t Y/N me.”

“That’s your name?” He raised a brow.

“Yeah, then don’t call me.” You gulped, realizing how dumb this was.

“Y/- I mean… Can we just talk about what happened? I know what I said was bad.”

“Bad?”

“Yes.”

“I would say painful, cold, uncomfortable, hard, unpleasant-”

“Okay okay, I got it.” He stopped you.

“No, I think you didn’t.” You started, clenching your fist to not yell at him for everything he did to you. “You literally throw me like a toy. Okay, we knew our deal, just sex, but you could have been a little- NO. A LOT nicer when you rejected me.”

“I freaked out.”

“And I don’t care.”

“Can we talk about this later? I really want to see you again.”

That was one of the things you were redoubting.

After a month, the moment you finally start to turn the page and focus again on your happiness, Seonghwa comes back.

You hated yourself for already knowing that you would run to him without any effort.

“Y/N? Is everything okay?”

You turned back and stared at Seungyeon. He looked so cute with these 2 big packs of popcorn and the drinks hanging between his fingers.

“Ah, you there.” You smiled.

Seonghwa stared at both of you, trying to know the exact situation or relationship you had with this man.

“Hello. I’m Seungyeon.” He politely bowed.

Your ex-friend and benefits didn’t even blink. He stayed there, only staring at him.

“Well… we should go. The movie is about to start soon.” You grabbed Seungyeon by the arm, making sure to help him with the drinks.

“And what about my request?” Asked Seonghwa, before you could leave.

You sighed. He wouldn’t give up so easily. He would even sit next to you during the movie for sure.

“Can you take our seats? I need to talk to him for a minute.” You simply explained, embarrassed that this situation happens during your date.

“Sure, text me if you have a problem.”

You understand well that he was bothered by you staying with a man that clearly has his effect on you. But for the sake of this date, you needed to make things clear with Seonghwa.

When Seungyeon disappeared from your eyesight, you confronted him.

“What’s your problem?”

“And who’s this guy?”

“And why are you asking as you care about who I’m dating?” You crossed your arms on your chest.

“Because you are mine.” He sighed in frustration.

“What the hell Park Seonghwa.”

“I’m the only one who is supposed to touch you.” He added.

You rolled your eyes at this comment. Of course, he was only thinking about sex.

“Well sorry, but other people don't see me as a vulgar piece of meat like you do.” You started. “Seungyeon is curious about how my day went and not about which position we are doing at night.”

“Do you sleep with him?” He stepped closer to you.

“This is none of your business.”

Seonghwa was frustrated. He ran his hand in his hair and growled something that you didn’t understand.

“So, for your request. It’s no. You told me that I’ve shouldn’t f-”

“Does he satisfy you well?”

You blink twice at this sudden question.

“I told you it’s n-”

“Does he fuck you better than me?”

He was stepping closer to you at every question. Your heart raced and your lips went dry in a second.

“Does he make these things that you love the most in bed?”

“You are being inappropriate.”

“I bet you never told him your little secrets. Like how you like to be choked. Did you tell him?”

The proximity, his perfume, or just his presence made you get a tone of flashbacks.

These times you met, how he treated you well or how he completely made you forget your own name.

“You are mine. And I don’t want anybody to touch you.” He whispered, resting his forehead on yours.

This contact made you close your eyes so you could enjoy his presence once again.

“Just ditch him…”

You shook your head, “I can’t. He’s nice to me.”

“And I am too.” He kissed your cheek.

“He’s giving me what I want.” You gently rested your palm on his torso, trying to push him a bit.

“I can give it to you too.” He slowly went to kiss your neck, your weak spot. “All night long.”

His offer was interesting, of course. But you remembered that after this “night” he wouldn’t text you or ask how your day went as Seungyeon does.

"No." You pushed him stronger this time and stepped back. “I don’t want to be a friend with benefits anymore. I just want to be a girlfriend.”

Your heart was beating so fast in your chest that you thought it would explode the next minute. Maybe it would be the time where Seonghwa would change the status of your relationship or simply disappear as he usually does.

“I just want to be special to someone and not only because I slept with them.” You added, not liking the silence that settled.

“If you want me to be yours and not only in your bed at night then say it now. Otherwise, there’s a movie which is waiting for me.”

His lips parted for a second then closed right after.

You bit the inside of your cheek and nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

You pushed his hand away from your forearm.

“Excuse me, but I have a movie to see.”

You exchanged one last stare together, then you left to join Seungyeon.

The more you walked away from him, the more you felt your heart clenching in your chest.

When the door closed behind you, you brushed off the tear which was sliding on your cheek.

“Ah you there,” smiled Seungyeon when he saw you.

“Yeah sorry. Did I miss something?”

“Nop, only ads.”

“Good.” You sat down, blinking a few times to suppress the tears.

“Are you okay?” He asked, still worried for you.

You nodded, biting your tongue.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” You whispered, taking a deep breath to forget this conversation.

When the room dimmed in the dark, you remembered that your phone wasn’t mute.

Just when you were about to turn it off, you received a text from Seonghwa.

[“Let’s finish our conversation.”]

You noticed that he didn’t write “tonight” like he usually does.

“It’s starting.” Whispered Seungyeon, when he saw you still on your phone.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” You apologized for not being focused.

[“K.] You replied before turning it off.

You felt bad for agreeing to meet Seonghwa while you were sitting next to someone who probably likes you.

“What I am doing...” you whispered to yourself.

[drunkkenobi]

Bodyguard!Ryan protecting Shane from some threat.. they're also exes

Or

Shyan celebrating an anniversary?

I hope these can help 😅

oh my friend, that first one is such a good prompt. I hope I did it justice!

Rated T, ~2K. Mentions of homophobic threats but none in text.

“I really find it hard to believe that anyone actually wants to kill me,” Shane said skeptically as he folded his keyboard stand up.

“Believe it,” Sara told him, turning her iPad towards him.

He skimmed over the hatemail, some nutjob ranting about how Shane was setting a terrible example for “the children” because he sometimes wrote love songs about men, yadda yadda yadda. It didn’t seem that different from any other hateful thing he’d ever received.

“I still don’t see the big deal.”

“The big deal is this person has your address! And there’s a picture of a fucking assault rifle, you moron!” Sara shoved the iPad under his nose. “I’m hiring a bodyguard again.”

“Oh c’mon, Sara, please, last time it turned out to be some snot-nosed 12 year old, it was frankly kind of embarrassing.”

She was having none of it. “As your manager, I need you to be alive or else I’m back working at Starbucks. I’m calling him.”

Shane blanched. “Absolutely not. There have got to be a hundred bodyguards that need work in LA alone.”

“He knows you, all of the road crew, and he’s really fucking good at his job,” Sara pointed out, already searching for the number on her phone. “I’m calling him.”

“No!”

She ignored him. “Ryan? Hey! It’s Sara Rubin. I–we–want to hire you again. Your rates have gone up? Well that’s fine. The new album is doing really well on Bandcamp.” She grinned like a shark at Shane who mimed cutting his throat back at her. “Yeah, he asked for you specifically. Great! We’re in LA another few days before the tour starts in earnest, so we can meet up tomorrow. I’ll text you the details.”

“I hate you,” Shane scowled.

“You love me,” Sara replied, patting his arm. “For what it’s worth, he sounded happy to see you.”

Shane bit his lip. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Two years ago, Ryan Bergara saved Shane’s life.

Well. Maybe that wasn’t totally accurate. The gunshot had actually just been some overeager fireworks enthusiasts and not connected to the threatening DMs Shane had been receiving on Twitter. But Ryan had grabbed Shane by the shoulders and pushed him to the ground, covering his body with his own all the same.

Later that night, when Shane covered Ryan’s naked body with own, he should have known it would never work. What was that Keanu Reeves quote from Speed? Something about how relationships based on intense experiences never work out? He was onto something there.

They’d burned bright, attached at the hip and heart for months before the cracks began to show, before Shane realized that Ryan couldn’t really love him. They were too different, bonded by a crazy experience for their relationship to be real. So, he broke it off. Saved themselves the later heartbreak. Shane still didn’t understand why Ryan had been so pissed. Shane had done him a favor, after all.

Shane was poring over his setlist for the upcoming tour when his doorbell rang. Sara nudged him with her foot from where she was scrolling through her iPad.

“You gonna get that?”

“Can you? I’m stuck on which song to do for the encore.”

“Get your own fucking door.”

Shane sighed. He really didn’t want to face who was on the other side.

He smoothed out his shirt and tried to flatten his hair before putting his hand on the door handle. With a deep breath, he pulled it open.

Standing in black jeans, a white t-shirt, and sneakers that cost as much as Shane’s keyboard was Ryan Bergara. His hair was longer than Shane remembered, curlier too. He looked good. Really good.

“Hey—hi,” Shane greeted, cursing himself when his voice cracked. “Uh, come in.”

“Hi,” Ryan replied simply before pushing past Shane. “Sara! It’s so good to see you!”

They hugged while Shane awkwardly sat back down. He’d really been hoping that Ryan had somehow gotten less good looking since the last time he saw him, but of course, he was hotter than ever.

“So. Sara sent me the threatening letters. I forwarded them to Steven, he still does some freelance computer work for me,” Ryan said as he pulled out a notepad and pen. “In the meantime, how is your home security?”

“It’s the same as it was,” Shane said. “Steven, eh? Are you guys…?”

“Friends? Yes, just like we always were,” Ryan said, curt. Shane cringed while Sara shot him a dirty look. “You should upgrade, I’ll put in an order with one of my buddies. One of the best in LA.”

“How much is that going to cost me?” Shane frowned.

“This person has your address, dipshit. It’s worth it,” Ryan said frankly. “As for the tour, I already emailed all the venues about the situation, most are going to beef up their security for you at a reduced fee. The ones that aren’t giving you a discount are in your email, Sara.”

“Guess I know I’m calling in the morning,” she grumbled.

“With the tour starting next week, I only had one of my guys available to go with you. Roland’s kind of a goof, but he’s a good guy and he’ll look out for you,” Ryan said, tapping his notepad.

“You’re not coming?” Shane asked, embarrassed at the disappointment in his voice.

“Don’t you think that would be awkward, man?”

“I, well, maybe, but that’s not–,” Shane could feel the heat in his cheeks rising as he stammered, “you already know everyone! It’s all the same crew, Matt and TJ and everyone. They’d love to have you back.”

Ryan stared at him, his dark eyes boring holes into Shane’s. Sara, meanwhile, was hiding behind her tablet, only her curls sticking out from behind it. “They would, huh?”

“Of course! And anything with us, is just, it’s, well, it’s water under the bridge, as they say,” Shane said, plastering a smile on his face. That stupid, beautiful hair was doing a number on him.

Ryan considered it for so long, Shane was sure he was going to say no. But then he grinned.

“Okay, big guy. You’ve got yourself a bodyguard.”

—

They’d only been on the road for a week when Shane realized he was the world’s biggest dipshit.

He really thought that all his old feelings for Ryan were gone. He’d poured most of them into his newest album, exorcising them the only way he knew how. But now, being around him every day, hearing that infectious cackle, seeing that gorgeous smile, smelling his citrusy shampoo, every bit of lust and affection came rushing back.

Shane should have let whoever the fuck Roland was be his bodyguard.

Portland, Oregon was always one of Shane’s favorite places to play. Sure, it was a bit cliche that the most well-known hipster city in the country loved his brand of white gay indie bullshit, but that didn’t make the shows any less special. A sold-out crowd singing along to every single lyric, even the newest stuff, that was why Shane was a musician. That connection to a bunch of people he would never know outside of this space…special wasn’t a big enough word. Transcendent. Profound. Worth living for.

After the show, Shane insisted on taking the crew out for drinks and dancing. He was high on the experience (and maybe a joint) and he wanted to share it with everyone. Ryan was right there with him, in his ever-present all black ensemble, sipping tonic water while everyone else let loose.

“Ryan! C’mon, have a drink,” Shane said, tempting him with a cocktail under his nose.

“I’m on the clock,” Ryan reminded him.

Shane rolled his eyes. “It’s Portland! They love me here. I’m fine. Have a drink!”

“The one time you let your guard down is the one you regret it the most,” he said cryptically. “No drinking.”

“Fine! Dancing then. You can still keep your peepers on little ol’ me that way, can’t you?”

“That’s really not a good idea, Shane.”

“Just one song, okay? I know you love dancing,” he whined.

“One song. One,” he said, holding up one finger. “Finish your drink, I’m not gonna let you drink it again if you set it down.”

Shane grinned, triumphant. “Yes, sir.”

After downing his cocktail, Shane pulled Ryan by the wrist out onto the dancefloor. He didn’t recognize the song that was playing, some overworked remix, but it had a good beat for him to get lost in. Just like he did on stage, Shane let the music flow through him, carrying away every insecurity or bad thought from his brain.

Ryan bobbed to the music next to him. A small bead of sweat trickled down his neck into the open V of his button-up. Shane wanted to taste it, but he settled for looping his arms around Ryan’s shoulders instead. He stiffened, staring up at Shane skeptically. It broke Shane’s heart–he was supposed to be the cynical one.

“I missed you,” Shane blurted out, too drunk to stop himself.

“How can you miss a mistake?” Ryan shot back. But he didn’t move away.

“You were never–it was me. I was protecting you.”

A hint of a smile. “Shithead, that’s my job.”

Shane leaned down, pressing his sweaty forehead to Ryan’s. “I think you’re better at it than me.”

Warm hands wrapped around Shane’s hips. They felt like home.

“Shane, I need you to listen to me,” Ryan whispered, his tone serious. “Do what I tell you, don’t question me.”

He couldn’t dream of it, not now. “Of course.”

“Drop to the floor.”

Shane pulled back, searching Ryan’s face. His eyes were wide, but determined. Something was happening. Something bad.

Shane crumpled to the floor, just like Ryan had taught him years ago, curling up tight. He didn’t see what happened next, but he heard the yells, a scuffle, the clink of something metal against the floor. The music stopped, although the blood pounding in Shane’s ears was just as loud. A thump reverberated through the floor, something heavy had fallen.

“Security! I got him!” Ryan shouted.

Shane chanced a peek. On the ground was a hateful looking man, his skin emblazoned with tattoos that turned Shane’s stomach. Ryan was on his back, his knee pinning him to the ground while his hands held the guys wrists. A hunting knife laid a foot away.

Shane curled back up, if only to keep himself from puking everywhere.

The nightclub’s bouncers helped Ryan secure the asshole for the cops. Before Shane could protest, Ryan insisted that TJ take Shane back to the tour bus and lock themselves in for the night.

“Ryan,” Shane pleaded. He didn’t want to be away from him.

“I’ve gotta talk to the police, but I’ll be there later,” he promised with a squeeze to Shane’s hand.

TJ got them a cab. He didn’t say a word the whole ride back, letting Shane shake against him with no judgement. TJ had been with Shane longer than anyone of his tour crew, even longer than Sara. His first roadie, the two of them driving all over the Midwest to shit bars that paid in drinks and bad chicken tenders. As thankful as Shane had been for him over the years, his gratitude was never stronger than that silent cab ride.

Once he was back on his tour bus, Shane went straight back to his bed at the back. Sara followed, her face full of worry.

“Shane.”

“Not now, Sara, I can’t,” he said, his voice still a tremor.

She placed a comforting hand on his elbow. “What do you need?”

“Ryan.”

She squeezed. “I’ll let him in when he gets back.”

Shane curled up on his bed, not bothering to take his clothes off. His brain kept replaying it, over and over again. If Ryan hadn’t been there…Shane wouldn’t be here now.

When the door opened, Shane startled.

“Hey, it’s me,” Ryan said softly.

“Sorry. Jumpy.”

“S’okay.”

Ryan slipped out of his shoes before sliding onto the bed. “You animal, who raised you and said it was okay to wear shoes on furniture?”

The tease made Shane wheeze with laughter and sobs. “That’s what you’re focusing on?”

“Priorities, man.” Ryan pulled on Shane’s laces until they were loose enough to slip off. Ever the sneaker-head, he set them gently on the ground.

He laid down next to Shane, sharing his pillow. His eyes were soft, but his fingers on Shane’s cheek were softer.

“You okay?”

“No,” Shane breathed. “You?”

“Not really.” He wiped a tear away. “I almost lost you again.”

Shane sealed his lips against Ryan’s. A promise, an apology, a thank you. Ryan pulled Shane against him tightly, forgiving him. There was more to say, but they weren’t in a rush. They had a lifetime ahead of them to figure it out.

[dreamyfanfix]

Chapter 1: Perspective

Kate had been avoiding the Viscount and she knew it. Every time she even thought about what had occurred between them after her bee sting she felt hot. The Viscount had been on her mind more than she would like to admit. She did not even go riding in the last two mornings over the fear of seeing him again. She felt childish but even she could admit the Viscount had a way of bringing that out in her. Maybe she would not go for a ride but maybe a walk on the outskirts of the property might finally grant her a sense of clarity she had been hoping she would get from being out in the country.

Kate was just as fond of walks as riding but riding gave a sense of thrill but that was something she felt she needed less of lately. So Kate put on her cloak and snuck out of Aubrey Hall. So used to her routine she immediately made a beeline for the stables but then turn just in time to see some other tenant properties on the outskirts so she followed the noises.

When Kate got closer to what she could see was a cottage, she saw young children playing and laughing and she could not help but feel an ache. Kate loved children. In India, children often had more freedom to roam freely so she would often take time out of her day to see the children of fellow palace workers playing. Kate thought that her experience with children would make her a great Governess but even she could not help but think about a child of her own. Then again, Kate knew it was a fool's dream. In London, she was too old for a husband and in India, she was known to be a bit too cold and exacting. Kate wished that people would see her as devoted and dutiful but alas, that level of grace was never extended to someone of her rank. 

Kate watched the children play a little longer and then sighed. 

"If you want one of them, I promise to turn away," A woman said coming to stand near Kate. She was lighter in complexion than Kate but her hair was curlier, no coily. She looked a bit like Queen Charlotte.

Kate chuckled "I would never be so bold. I fear I would not be able to take care of a child if I had one,"

"I do not think that to be true. Are ladies of the Ton not educated in all manners?" The lady asked.

"I guess that would be true but I am not so much a lady of the ton," Kate said.

"Oh, I thought I saw you arrive earlier with Lady Danbury. I was sure it was you, I am usually good with faces," 

"It was me. I merely mean I was not raised in London society. Me and my family arrived at the beginning of the season from India,"

"Ah, The Sharmas. You must be the elder Miss Sharma,"

"That would be, yes. Kate,"

"Alice Mondrich. Nice to meet you, Kate. I wonder did you get lost on your way to the stables?"

"How did-" Kate turned to her panicked.

"The stable hands were here yesterday bemoaning about the elder Miss Sharma and her tendency for early morning rides,"

Kate looked down flushing a bit "Ah,"

"Oh, you need not be embarrassed those boys are paid way too handsomely to complain," Alice said smiling friendly.

"Still, I do not wish to be such a nuisance,"

"You are not, trust me. I think the Viscount merely has a soft spot for the stable hands because of their loyalty and discretion over the years. He is quite a bit soft for a nobleman,"

Kate scoffed "Lord Bridgerton?"

"Yes. He is quite a devoted gentleman. He took care of all of his siblings at a young age. Helped his mother through her pregnancy and grieving and has even elevated their wealth in the process,"

"Well, an elevated wealth does help with those endeavours," Kate said looking down.

"It does make it easier but not easy. His siblings are kind and fair. His family rented out this property at a well below reasonable rate to us so we could finally get out of the city ourselves and we are not nobility or wealthy. That is all a testament to him,"

"I guess that is true," Kate hummed.

Kate and Alice continued their discussion until one of the young children fell, Alice left to care for them and Kate was left alone with her thoughts. The Viscount exuded an air of arrogance and impatience so severe that Kate could not help but judge him but even she knew that caring for one's family was not an easy endeavour. Kate thought about how she was left to care for Mary and Edwina after her Appa's death. No time for grieving, no time for one's self. Still, the Viscount never had to worry about money like Kate had but then again Kate never had six siblings and a pregnant mother to look after. 

Kate and Anthony were not so different were they? Maybe Kate was harsh in her judgement of the Viscount. Do not get Kate wrong, she still did not think he was a good match for Edwina but she also felt that she was being too harsh. Kate wondered maybe if she appealed to the Viscount as a concerned older sibling he would discontinue his interest in her sister. Then again, Edwina has come to be too invested in him but Edwina could easily find someone else. She was the diamond of the season after all.

--

As Kate finally finished preparing Edwina's hair for the dinner party. As Kate stepped away to get her gloves on. Edwina slowly turned to look at her sister. Kate looked at her sister and saw that she wanted to say something.

"Out with it, bon," Kate said sighing.

"I merely wished to discuss the Viscount," Edwina said nervously playing with her fingers.

"What is the matter? Are you still upset about his lack of action?" Kate asked.

Edwina sighed "His mind seems elsewhere lately. I thought I would be announcing an engagement at the ball happening the day after tomorrow,"

Kate takes her sister's fidgeting hands "Well, we will return to Mayfair soon where there will be plenty of many other suitors, as I told you,"

"Suitors who will suspect that there is something lacking in me when they discover the Viscount is no longer interested,"

Kate scoffs "Bon..."

"He is the one I want Kate. The Viscount. His family, this home, the life he offers me,"

Kate takes a breath and tries to take another approach "I know that those may be things that you want but there is something else that you want above all else. Love. I know you will never truly be happy without it,"

Edwina looked down "He could love me. I mean I know he cares for me,"

"Edwina, you just said you felt he was losing interest in you,"

"Well, I have a theory about why that may be so," Edwina said quietly.

"Because he is a rake?" Kate asked.

"Because of you Kate. You hate one another,"

"I do not hate the Viscount," Kate said walking away to hide her face.

"That might be so but even you have to admit that whenever you and he are in each other's presence, it can get a bit intense,"

Kate's breath hitched. She knew that the tenseness that she felt around the Viscount was not the same as the one Edwina was describing but it was bad enough that Edwina sensed something at all "Even if I did begin to behave properly to the Viscount it would not change the fact I do not think he will love you like you deserve nor would he be a good husband to you,"

"Even so, I want a real chance at a proper courtship with the Viscount and I fear your attitude towards him may have soured his thoughts on me,"

"If he truly cared for you there would be nothing I could do to change his mind on you. For all, I know he could have dragged you to Gretna Green without my permission, it is not unheard of," Kate said and then she saw Edwina sink into herself so Kate continued "With all that being said I have thought my behaviour towards him has left to be desired and I could be a bit less prickly in his presence,"

Edwina squealed and jumped to embrace her sister "Thank you didi, you are the best sister a girl could have,"

Kate was not sure why she felt guilty at that moment but she shoved those feelings down and made her way downstairs with her sister for the dinner party.

--

Kate was surprised at how comfortable dinner parties could be. Some friendly conversation and drink were happening in the drawing room with the Bridgertons, the Duke and Duchess of Hastings and some other nobility. Kate felt on edge but as she spoke with Eloise, she felt a bit more comfortable. Just when Eloise went to go speak to her brother Colin, Lady Danbury approached with a handsome but severe-looking man by her side. 

"Miss Sharma, I hope you are enjoying this evening," Lady Danbury said.

"I am, the Brdigertons are wonderful at holding events," Kate looked at the man beside Lady Danbury and back at Lady Danbury, hoping this was not what she thought this was.

"Yes. Miss Sharma may I introduce you to an old friend of my godson, Baron Andrew Koji," The Baron bowed and Lady Danbury continued "Baron Koji, this is Miss Kathani Sharma," Kate curtsied and the Baron took her hand, pressing a light kiss to it.

"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," The Baron said.

"Well you need only give it a few moments and I am sure you are to change your mind,"

"That sounds like a challenge Miss Sharma," He said with a smirk.

"Oh I would not be so bold as to propose such a thing, I am a lady of course,"

"Of course and yet I find myself still intrigued by the prospect," The Baron said.

Kate could not help but smile at the playful banter that was occurring but it was just then that she felt the hairs on her neck stir and she turned. The Viscount was staring directly at her. Kate was not even sure when he had entered the room but her whole body tensed when she saw him. It had only been two days since her bee sting but it felt like a lifetime since she had seen him. She felt this ache in her chest almost as if she missed him but that was absurd, so Kate returned her attention to the Baron and tried to ignore the clear scowl that the Viscount was sending her way.

The dinner was quite pleasant although Kate found herself placed between Eloise and Baron Koji. From the corner of her eye, she could see Edwina talking with a Viscount who was completely disinterested so she sent a confused glance his way. Instead of returning his attention to her sister, he continued to stare at her. Quirking an eyebrow almost as if in a challenge. It was only when Lady Danbury cleared her throat across from her was Kate able to break from the spell. It was then that Kate noticed Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton exchange a look. Kate decided to squarely ignore the Viscount, even if that meant she would not be sure of how Edwina was fairing with him.

Kate wished she could say that she found the Baron to be boring but that was not the case she remembers earlier in the season when she chatted with a Mr Dorset and how even though she found him pleasant, he was not all too interesting. Then again, he was merely a pawn being used to distract Kate but he was the only gentleman who expressed interest in Kate even if it was all a ruse. But the Baron was well-read, intelligent and most important he made her laugh. He spoke about his upbringing with 3 younger sisters and how he often found himself out of depth with their lessons and conversations. Kate found herself giggling uncontrollably when he told her that he had spent the morning coaxing his sister down the stairs for her piano lessons only to give up and had his staff move the piano upstairs, "I am pretty sure my staff hate me now,"

"Well you cannot be blamed for being unable to resist your darling baby sister," Kate said genuinely smiling.

"She is fifteen," The Baron said calmly and Kate could not help but giggle again.

This time Kate was aware of eyes on her from across the table it was then she saw the Duke and Duchess looking at her curiously and Edwina smiling at her. She stopped looking around the table before seeing the Viscount but it did not matter because she could feel his eyes on her.

--

After dinner, everyone went into the drawing room for tea and after-dinner snacks. Kate was talking with the Duke and Duchess, when the Duke or Simon as he told her to call him, went to get his wife a drink and awkward silence fell between her and Daphne. And then Kate finally asked what she had been wondering ever since she met the Duchess.

"Your- Daphne, I wondered if you would tell me why you thought I was Edwina the first time we met?" Kate held her breath as she saw Daphne think about how to respond.

"Well, I don't know really... I guess-" Kate could see Daphne inhale as if to rethink her words and then said "I guess you were the one I saw first,"

"Ahh. Well, I hope the real Edwina was to your liking," Kate said trying to squash the disappointment she was feeling.

"Yes, she is quite a diamond. She reminds me a bit of me, although not as ruthless," Daphne said with a smirk.

"Yes, well Edwina was always more of an inside child no matter how much I tried to influence her," Kate said with a smile recalling a time when they were younger. Kate sighed "How times have changed,"

Daphne said "Well if your sister is to join our family then you can look forward to rowdiness in your future,"

"Oh, I do not doubt that. Not that you Bridgertons are too rowdy but considering I will be back in India after my sister's nuptials I will rarely get to see it for myself,"

"You will be returning to India? What about finding a suitor for yourself?" Daphne said surprise clear on her face.

"It was not a part of the plan," Kate said flushing and looking down.

"Plans change, Kate. I see you and the Baron get on quite nicely," Daphne said softly.

"I guess we do. He is widowed. He was telling me about all the adventures he had while taking care of his sisters. I gave him some advice that is all. It is not a love connection,"

"Well marriages do not always have to be love matches," Daphne said.

"I thought you-"

"Oh me and Simon are very much in love but I know that I was lucky in that I found friendship and love in my marriage. I feel myself a bit wiser in the dynamics of marriages and I realise that had I merely had a friendship in my marriage I would have been alright. A marriage with good friendship and children I could love would have been fine with me," Daphne said and Kate was silent "I only bring this up because I can see how devoted you are to your sister and it would be a shame for you to miss out on the opportunity to love like that,"

Kate was feeling all kinds of emotional luckily at that moment Daphne was called over by her husband. Kate went to the window in the drawing room to get even a bit of air. It was then that she felt someone behind her. When Kate turned and saw Lady Danbury she realised just how distracted she must have been because she was sure she would have heard the Lady before seeing her.

"Miss Sharma, are you enjoying your night?" Lady Danbury said.

"I am Lady Danbury, just a little tired,"

"Well, I hope tonight was a good example of what life could be like if you let me help you this season,"

"I am not sure what you mean,"

"I merely mean that the Baron was quite taken with you and he would not have been so if you had spent most of the evening concerned with your sister and the Viscount," Lady Danbury said giving her a stern look.

Kate looked around and saw that no one was near enough to hear them "Is that why you introduced the Baron to me? To distract me?" Kate asked harshly.

"I introduced him to you because he asked me to do so. He had heard rumours of the stern older Miss Sharma and he was curious,"

"Nevertheless, Edwina needs me to look out for her," Kate said squaring her shoulders.

"No, you need to look out for Edwina. Edwina does not need it nor does she want it. She knows what she wants,"

"Edwina is young she does not know what she wants just yet,"

"Miss Edwina knows what she wants to do for your family," Kate looked up just then and saw in Lady Danbury's eyes and saw.

"Edwina knows- She knows about the Sheffields?" Kate asked quietly.

"Yes. Your sister came across the letters you sent to them and is worried about her season just like you," Lady Danbury said.

Kate was reeling, she felt herself reevaluating Edwina's behaviour throughout the season, how upset she was over the Viscount's lack of proposal. Kate realises now that Edwina may like the Viscount and his family but she wants him because he would secure a life for them. Even Kate knows the Viscount would not let Kate go off into obscurity if he married Edwina. She was sure he had that much honour. "Edwina does not have to do that,"

"Perhaps not. Perhaps if you were to secure a match favourable enough to relieve the pressure from your sister she could chase with just heart and not just the first noble boy he smiles her way,"

Kate stood straighter and squared her shoulders "Thank you, Lady Danbury. You have given much to think about,"

--

Kate is unable to sleep. Plagued with constant tossing and turning. She was too late to speak to Edwina and considering the rest of the Ton will be descending upon Aubrey Hall tomorrow, Kate finds herself concerned. No one has made her heart race like the Viscount but he is a rake and above all, he seems dead-set on marrying her sister. She is ashamed of what she was feeling especially now that Kate knew her sister was doing her duty to this family. Kate feels bad because that was her job but this mess with Sheffields and her bickering with the Viscount has distracted her from doing her duty. If Kate was to finally do what she said she wanted to do then she would pursue a courtship with the Baron and secure a betrothal nulling the agreement she has with the Sheffields and allowing Edwina the freedom to slow down her search for a husband, if finding a husband this season is Edwina's desire at all.

Kate needed to think and she knew she was not going to be doing so lying in bed barely getting any sleep so she decided to light a candle and head to the library. It was raining outside and it was making her more anxious but she grabbed a shawl on her way out. The library in question was beautiful and vast. Kate set down her candle and began perusing the books along the shelves she could see. She then got curious about the books she could not see and climbed the ladder, just when she was sure she found a book to her liking she heard a nose at the door.

"Lord Bridgerton," Kate said quickly closing the book in her hands.

The Viscount looked dishevelled and even though he was fully dressed, his bare feet and open shirt caught Kate off guard "I did not mean to startle you. I saw a light and I thought I might have left a candle lit,"

Kate sighed "No. Only me," She made her way down the ladder.

The Viscount looked like he was to leave but then said "Could you not sleep?" Kate startled and looked up at him "If your lodgings are not comfortable--"

"No. It is the storm. I have always found them unsettling," The Viscount who was still on the threshold of the study looked outside but Kate continued "My father used to read to me during the monsoons. Now the rain makes me think of him," Kate made her way to the large window. Rain used to also frighten her but now it made her sad.

Kate was not even sure what she wanted the Viscount to do, leave her pensive or enter and fall deeper into this odd game they had been playing since their meeting. The viscount seemed to decide to finally enter the library, he made his way over to her and it was then she noticed him fully. He was a handsome man. That she could admit to herself but it was a particular kind of handsome something that made her look for it in other men and found them lacking if they did not meet her standards. 

When the Viscount had finally made his way over to her, he reached for the book in her hands. Kate waited with bated breath for him to speak and then he did. Caressing the book in his hands, Kate was mesmerised "This is my father's library. These books were some of his most treasured possessions,"

The Viscount handed the book back to Kate and she asked "How did he die?"

The Viscount exhaled deeply and then said "He was stung by a bee," 

Kate let his words wash over her and then she realised "My lord, I--" Kate sighs "I am so sorry. I--"

"To see such a great man felled by such a small creature, it was, uhm..." He took a breath and then said "It was humbling, to say the least,"

Kate looked at him, really looked at him. She saw something in him, maybe it was the vulnerability, maybe it was that he knew of the grief and pain she too went through but when he reached for her she did not flinch nor did she back away. Instead, when he put his hand on the back of her head and brought it closer to his she followed his lead. When he put his forehead to his she felt like they were crossing a boundary, no longer could they deny the pull they felt between each other. The Viscount moved his hand from the back of her head to her cheek.

One breathe. Two breathe...

A big bolt of lightning and thunder cracked off in the background causing Kate to jolt backwards. Finally realising her place, the time and the state of both their dress. "Oh," she gasped "This is not right-- No,"

"It is alright," The Viscount sounded softer than he ever had.

"I shall bid you goodnight," Kate left as quickly as possible.

This was not the plan. She was not supposed to feel this way. He was courting her sister. Kate was sure he had feelings for her now and Kate was ready to admit that she had feelings for him too. Now she need only speak to Edwina.

[sinner-as-saint]

Power Over Me - 6

Bucky Barnes x Reader AU

Previous Parts

Run-through: CEO James Buchanan Barnes is a dominant. And he’s spent the last 5 years searching for his perfect submissive. Then one night, he finds you. He thinks everything will fall perfectly into place now; but he thought wrong. Turns out your unfortunate past which still haunts you to this day, and some of his enemies are, well, connected. Things go wrong. And your bond with your dom is tested in many ways…

Themes throughout the series: dom/sub dynamic, smut, dirty talk, angst, fluff, soft dom!bucky

a/n: *sigh* and here we are! This is the last part of the Power Over Me series. Thank you to everyone who loved and supported this series. And thank you for loving soft dom!bucky as much as I did! I love you guys!

3 months later, you found yourself in a much better place.

You were in a much better mental space than you were on the day you left Bucky’s house. You weren’t broken in pieces anymore. You were healing just fine.

The memories still hurt. The betrayal and the lies hurt. And the heartbreak did as well. But none of those even came close to how much your heart hurt when it missed Bucky. You were hurt, but you still loved him. He had changed your life after all, he had gotten you out of a bad place. He showed you how to love again, how to trust. He catered to all your needs. He protected you.

He made you feel safe. But he also lied. And you found out in the most terrible way possible. After that day outside your work building, you never saw Thor again. Guess he had made a mess and had left your life for good this time – and you were thankful for that last part.

That evening, when you packed up some basic things and left Bucky’s house, you went straight to find a hotel room for the night. You still had your amazing job and enough money in your bank account to find a new place. A couple of hard and long days filled with tears later, you found yourself in a cozy little, not too expensive apartment, not too far from work.

You settled in just fine. You did contact the club and asked them if Bucky came by, looking for his money back. And they said no. You did try to pay them their money back still, in the fit of rage and heartbreak that you were in, but they refused to tell you how much he had paid for you initially and they didn’t want anything to do with you anymore. So you had no other choice than to let it go and forget about the club like it was a bad dream.

You settled into your new place over the week, and then Friday night in the first week you heard a knock at your door. You were in the shower so it took you a minute to get to the door. When you finally opened the front door however, you saw nothing but a folded piece of paper on the ground, and no one else was in sight.

Curious, you picked it up and closed the door behind you again. You opened the note and saw that it was in Bucky’s handwriting. Asking you to meet him at the bistro you always went for dinner on Friday nights. It had become a little ritual of yours.

You felt a pang in your chest.

You tore the paper apart bit by bit and then threw it in the trash. Then broke down crying on the floor. Why would he reach out if his love was fake and just for show? Why wouldn’t he just let you be? You loved him, despite how wrong his actions had been. But you didn’t go that night. Instead you curled up in your bed and let your tears fall until you fell asleep.

From then on, each Friday night, at around the same time you’d receive a knock on your door. And you’d open and you’d find a note on the floor at your door. Sometimes you’d open to see what it said, other times you just threw them all in the trash without even opening it.

It was always the same message. Asking you to meet him at the bistro. After the first month, you began questioning yourself. Should you have given him a chance to explain himself before you left that night?

-

Life went on. By the second month, you were back to being yourself again. You had friends, and you went out each weekend and had fun. Each time you were out though, you always kept an eye out for a tall man with dark hair and blue eyes. You often wondered, what would you do if you ever came across Bucky casually and unexpectedly on the streets one day?

Would you stop and listen to what he has to say? Would you pretend he’s just another face in the crowd? Or would you just glare at him and move on? Besides, why was he still trying? Couldn’t he see you didn’t want anything to do with him anymore?

Okay, that was a lie. You died a little each time you heard the knock at your door each Friday night. You couldn’t fight the need to be with him, despite how pissed you were. You wanted nothing more than to just be in his arms again. Or have him hold you in his bathtub again, and kiss you and tell you there’s nothing to worry about because he’s there for you.

Oh you missed him.

 Three months passed this way. Each Friday night you would receive the note – which you tore apart. And you thought that as time would go by, all of it would hurt less. It did. But as time went on, you missed Bucky more and more.

Until one day you hit your limit. That’s it, I’m going to that bistro.

-

You walked in through the doors and the memories came flooding back in. One of the main reasons why you and Bucky used to love this place is because it was very lowkey and quiet. Never crowded and it was very cozy. The little bell rang above you as you walked in.

You scanned the place, your heart racing and then you were sure your heart skipped a beat once you finally saw him. Bucky, in the furthest corner of the room.

He looked at you like he was witnessing a miracle. He was indeed, he had been trying for three months to get you to talk to him. He called when you first left, then you blocked his number after the first try. Then he had his people look for you because he was miserable and he had forgotten how to live without you. He ended up finding the address to your apartment, but he didn’t want to be pushy, or invade your privacy too much. So he figured a handwritten note would do.

Little did he know that three months later, the little note would in fact bring you to him. He was blown away when he saw you walk in. Little brown, body hugging dress, a tan coat, boots – simple but enough to make him want to get on his knees and beg you to come back to him again.

He noticed your hair was longer, it looked great. You wore red lipstick now, you never used to before.

“Bucky.” you were conflicted as you greeted him as politely as you could. There was a pain in your chest. Was it a wave of nostalgia or was it just your heart swelling up with happiness now that you’ve finally met the man you loved?

Hi baby… “Y/N, hi.” He stood up and walked over to pull back your chair for you, like he always did no matter where you went.

You sat down and watched him as he took a seat right across you. He had waited three months for this, he didn’t want to waste any more time. So he got right to it.

“I know you’re hurt. I just need to you listen to me, and then you can… leave if you want to. But I deserve a chance to explain myself.” He spoke, looking down at his folded arms on the tabletop. Okay, he did deserve one chance.

Only upon hearing his voice did you realize how much you had truly missed him. He looked, just as broken as you were. His hair was a little longer, curlier. His eyes were the same, just more tired. His facial hair seemed a little not so well groomed. But he looked good nonetheless.

“Okay. Go on.” You kept your replies short because that lump in your throat wouldn’t let you talk anyways.

He took a deep breath and began. “I’m sorry.” He paused. “I should apologize because what I did was wrong, and you didn’t deserve to find out that way. I should’ve been open and honest about it.” his words brought you back to that first discussion you had in his study that one night. “But my intentions weren’t as petty as you were made to think.”

You were quiet.

He shook his head slightly, thinking back on everything. “I was scared to tell you about the… deal I made with the club. I was scared because you were the most perfect thing in my life. And I was completely in love with you and I couldn’t risk losing you. I needed you way too much. Still do.”

He looked up to find you looking down at your lap. He continued. “When I saw you that night, at the club, I didn’t know you had been involved with Thor before, as his sub. I found out later, when you told me.” This made you look up at him.

Oh.

He continued. “When I saw you that night I… my whole world changed. You were everything I was looking for. And I knew I had to take you home and keep you safe. I had to save you from that place, and from men like Thor.” He paused again, and exhaled loudly. “I never brought you home to show off to him, or as a trophy or whatever the hell he told you.”

His voice was calm still. Sincere, and he hoped to make you see his side of the story. Seeing you were still quiet, he continued talking. “Y/N, I love you. I love you more than I could ever put into words. And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner about what I did.” He paused. You couldn’t move your eyes away from his face. Oh Bucky…

“I thought you said we would tell each other things. Every little thing. Then how did you miss this, Bucky?” you spoke up finally. He hung his head low in shame. “This would’ve hurt much less if you had told me the truth on day one, rather than me finding out through Thor after I spent months loving you. Why did you have to hide such a thing?”

…I spent months loving you… “I was scared. I was scared that you would leave me. And back then I thought that when you do find out the truth one day, you would at least give me the chance to explain myself. Instead you just took off.” He sounded hurt. Then again, so were you.

You sighed, inching forward and making sure to keep your voice down. “I took off because I was heartbroken. And because I’ve been in that situation before where a man bought me and then fed me lies, I-,”

He cut you off. “I didn’t feed you lies! I-,”

You cut him off then. “I’m not done yet.”

He was quiet after that.

“As I was saying, I left because I didn’t know what else I should do. I felt betrayed, Buck. My past hasn’t been easy and you know it.” your words hurt him. “I thought… I didn’t…” you trailed off then took a deep breath and continued, “I couldn’t go through it. Not again. I had just been told that the man I love bought me just to assert dominance over his rival. What would you do, huh?” you waited.

He sighed. “Why did you have to believe him?” he asked, his voice a little shaky.

You scoffed. “I had no other choice. His words made sense at the time, and I was vulnerable and he knew just what to say to break me down. Besides, you had been lying to me, hiding the truth this whole time and Thor, despite being a pure evil person, was the one who told me the truth.” You paused, letting him feel the hurt that you felt that day, three months ago. “I had no other choice but to believe him.”

Bucky was quiet for a little while. Then he spoke up. “Do you forgive me? Don’t I deserve a second chance to make things right?” he asked.

You did forgive him. He did deserve a second chance. But…

You sighed. “Buck, if I go through something like that again, it will kill me.” You referred to the heartbreak.

Bucky reached out and grabbed your hand and held it in his. This was the first time in three months that he touched you, and it nearly made his eyes water. Fuck, he missed you. “Babe, this is you and I we’re talking about. You and I have a special bond.” He looked you right in the eyes as he spoke. “You are the love of my life, and nothing will ever change that.” he said, meaning each word. I love you, damn it!

I love you too…

“Buck…” you trailed off, not knowing what to say. You wanted so desperately to hold on to him. You lowered your eyes immediately, fearing you might start tearing up.

He let go of your hand for a brief moment, reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a long, rectangular box. “Come home. Come back to me, please.” He pushed the box towards you and you knew immediately what it was.

His collar.

Bucky had kept it of course, both the collar and the ring. But he decided not to bring up the ring just yet, one step at a time.

You looked down at the black box with a little bow on it. Your hands itched to touch it. You had missed it, missed having it around your neck. You missed how you used to wear it so proudly – proud that you were his. Bucky’s.

Bucky watched how you hesitated. You didn’t even open the box. Then you looked up at him and he caught the look in your eyes. Oh no…

“Bucky, I, um…” you trailed off, not knowing how to word it properly.

No. No. No. “You found another dom?” he asked, getting protective out of habit. You shook your head at him and sighed.

“He’s not a dom.” You answered. Bucky’s world came crashing down a second time. Oh fuck no…

“Who is he, then?” he asked, not caring of he sounded a little pissed off. How could you… just move on?

You shifted in your seat. “His name’s Steve. I met him recently, through a co-worker.” You answered, taking it slow.

I don’t care. I don’t care. You can’t be with someone else, you’re mine. Bucky’s inner thoughts were haunting him as you spoke.

“I decided to take a break from… all that, and try something a little more lowkey and normal this time. Steve and I are… supposed to be going out tomorrow.” You didn’t know why you felt guilty for saying so.

“Do you like him?” he asked, ready to punch that fucker already.

You chuckled dryly. “I met him once. We’ve been texting and stuff, and I don’t know what you and I are anymore so…” you trailed off. Once you said it out loud, you realized that you didn’t. You didn’t like Steve. No. You loved Bucky. You were just trying to forget him, but you couldn’t.

That’s why you agreed on going on a date with Steve in the first place – to try and forget Bucky, to try and move on. But now that you were here, in front of him with his collar which meant so much to you, right in front of you; you realized that you could never love another man as much as you loved Bucky.

“Oh.” Bucky was hurt and he didn’t even try to hide it. He didn’t know what hurt more; that you rejected his collar, or that you were trying to date other people and didn’t need him as your dom anymore. He chuckled, feeling sorry for himself. “Well, look who’s breaking my heart?” he tried to turn it into a joke but couldn’t.

No. I’m not, I still love you. I love you more than anything, Buck please…

“Bucky, I-,”

He cut you off. “No, it’s okay. You’re not wrong. It’s just that, I thought that you and I…” he trailed off. I thought that you and I would end up together like we promised. I thought we would get married and have a family like I always dreamt of. I thought that I would retire and raise our kids with you, in our home. He couldn’t stay any longer. “I gotta go, I guess.” He got up to leave and you were frozen in place.

Don’t go, I love you. Don’t go. “Bucky, the collar…” you wondered if he would take it with him, or would he just leave it here with you.

He sighed, chuckled and looked down at you. You remained seated as he took a step away from the table, ready to leave. “Throw it away on your way out. I… I can’t keep it.” he swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. He instinctively reached out and gently touched your face, grazing your skin with his knuckles. “Thank you for meeting me, and listening to me.”

Then he left. And you didn’t stop him, you were still processing all of it.

---

Bucky spent the entire night and the following day drowning in his sadness, lying on the bed which used to be yours, desperately holding on to all that he still had left of you. He shed tears last night, after he left the bistro. But now, he was just too weak to even cry.

He was broken.

You were in no better shape. After Bucky left, you picked up the collar and made your way to your apartment. You didn’t throw it, you couldn’t. Once you got home, your hands were a little shaky as you put the collar on and stood in front of the mirror.

Oh Bucky… I miss you.

 Saturday evening, Bucky heard a knock at the front door. He lazily walked downstairs and opened the door to reveal someone he least expected.

You.

You looked up at him. Red, watery eyes. His sweater was all wrinkled and his hair was a mess. You weren’t in that great of a shape either to be honest. He looked right at you until he finally realized that this wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him. It was actually you.

He wanted to just pulled you inside and give you a tight hug and never let you go again but he waited.

“Hi.” You said, surprisingly, sounding less hurt than you did at the bistro the previous night.

Bucky kept quiet. He frowned a little, remembering clearly that you said you were gonna go out today with what’s his name. “Don’t you have a date to go on to with your little boyfriend?” he sounded like a pissed off, middle aged dad.

You sighed, rolling your eyes and lowering them down because they began watering already. “I met the guy once. He’s not my boyfriend.” You paused and stepped forward just a little. You needed to be close to him so badly. “Besides, I had to come home to you.” you said and it broke him again. But in a good way this time.

You kept your eyes down and continued. “I realized last night that no matter how angry I am, no matter how much I try to move on or forget, no matter where I’ll go, I’ll always need you. I’ll always be yours, because… because I love you, Buck.” you bit your lip and held back a sob.

He couldn’t resist pulling you into his arms any longer. “Baby, come here,” he pulled you inside and closed the door behind you and gave you a tight hug. You wrapped your arms around his torso, tightening your grip around him as you pushed your face into his chest and cried.

“I love you, Buck.” you sobbed. “I love you so much. Please don’t let me go.” Your tears wet his clothes but he didn’t mind. You were here now, you were with him and all was well.

“I know, baby. I love you. And I’m never letting you go.” He cooed, kissing the top of your head. “You’re home now, it’s okay.” He tried to calm you down when he himself held back his tears.

You pulled away to look up at him with tears staining your cheeks. He wiped them all away and gave you a kiss on the forehead. “Don’t worry baby, I’m here.” He cooed and kissed down your damp cheek and down your neck. Then he noticed you were wearing his collar again and something in his shifted naturally. “You’re wearing my collar again.” he noted, holding your chin gently.

You nodded. You hadn’t taken it off since last night to be honest. Bucky gave you a look, one you understood all too well. And just like that, it felt like you two hadn’t spent three months apart.

“Would you want to go to my playroom, Y/N?” he asked, using his dom voice that you had missed so much.

“Yes, sir.” You answered, without hesitation.

 And that’s how you found yourself in Bucky’s playroom, cuffed to the big X-cross on the side of the room. He tied each one of your wrists and ankles to each end of the cross. He left your waist unrestrained and something told you he wanted you bound and restrained, but he also wanted to see you squirm. He had you blindfolded and you were left in suspense as he moved around the room.

You could hear him pick up things here and there. You could hear his footsteps getting closer then moving away again.

He finally approached you and gently touched your cheek. Your heart raced in anticipation. “Keep your safe words in mind, Y/N. I will not push your limits too much, however, you will not cum without my permission. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Oh how you had missed that voice of his.

“Do you know why you are here, Y/N? Why I’m having to correct your behavior?” he asked again, and this time you couldn’t tell if he was close by or far away because your own heartbeats rang in your ears.

You worded out your answer as best as you could, despite the nervousness and excitement, and impatience. “Because I left, sir. And because I chose to believe Thor and I got carried away by my emotions. I didn’t give you a chance to tell your side of the story. I should’ve trusted you and known that you would never do anything to hurt me, sir.”

Hmm. Bucky toyed with the suede flogger in his hand. Good enough baby, but…

You waited. He didn’t say anything, instead you just received a smack across the chest with what you knew to be the suede flogger. You gasped, not expecting it. It didn’t hurt that much, it tingled around your erected nipples.

“You’re right. But not entirely.” He spoke and you heard him step aside and you knew he went to pick something up. He approached you again. He stepped closer than where he stood earlier. You felt his warm breath right in between your breasts as he kissed his way up to your neck while positioning a plug right at your puckered hole.

You felt the coldness of the lube and the size of the plug as he pushed it more and more inside you. His lips brushed along your throat as he spoke up again, “Those aren’t the only reasons you’re here, Y/N.” pushed the plug further into you. Your body welcomed it in, desperate to fill the void. Any void, by anything. You relaxed your body as much as you could. But Bucky was making it hard.

He nibbled and kissed right at your most sensitive spots along your neck, whispering as he went. “You are here because you didn’t hear me out.” he managed to get the entire toy in you and his hand pulled away from you. But not his lips, they kept trailing along your throat and collar bones as he spoke.

“You’re here because I love you more than anything in this world and beyond. But you ignored all the love I gave you.” he paused, sucking on your skin before letting it go. “You’re here because you dared to even question the love I have for you.” he kissed along your jaw. “You’re here because in the past three months, there wasn’t a day where your memories didn’t torment me until I broke down completely.”

He kissed down to your breasts again. His words and the softness of his lips were making you lose your mind already. “I begged for you to come back. I was on my knees, screaming your name,” he kissed his way back up to your ear and nibbled on your earlobe, “but you never came back to me.” He purposely brushed his lips against your own. “You’re here because you abandoned me when I needed you the most.” He repeated. “I needed you, Y/N, and you weren’t here because you chose to believe a vile person over me.”

You were breathless and needy by the time he pulled away from you. “Sir, I’m sorry…” You whined. And you earned yourself another smack in between your legs by the flogger. You whimpered, you had forgotten about the plug. But the tingles left behind by the flogger reminded you that it was there, stretching you out, filling you up; snug and deep inside you.

Bucky chuckled, lifting his hand up and gently touching your lips with his finger. He circled your mouth, tracing it softly then dragged that finger down your neck, and in between your breasts and down your stomach and finally, he slipped it in between your legs. He toyed with your folds, his finger parting them with ease. You were soaking wet. “Sorry doesn’t make it better.” He whispered. “You were even on the verge of dating someone else, weren’t you?” He approached you, teasing your entrance with his finger. You moaned, squirming already. “Tell me, would you let him to all this to you?” his voice was deeper, dripping with lust.

You were quick to respond. “No, sir. I would not.”

Hmm. He tortured you even more by just gently pressing his finger against your entrance. You squirmed again, whining with your lips parted. “Would you let him touch you?” Bucky’s lips touched your skin again, near your ear where he whispered, “Would you let him please you? And do all the things that I do to you, huh?” he asked, taunting you. He knew damn well no one could ever satisfy you like he could.

“No sir, please...” you begged, whining.

He chuckled again, finally slipping his finger inside you. Then added another, stretching you out at the same time as the plug. Bucky curled his fingers and stroked you gently. You moaned out loud, squirming and tugging onto the cuffs as his brief touch sent electricity coursing through your veins. “You see? Your body remembers me, Y/N. It knows it belongs to me, and no one,” he leaned in closer to your ear, “No one at all, can touch it. You’re mine, you hear me?”

Oh fuck… “Yes, sir.” You were breathless, and you whined in discontent as he removed his fingers from you, mercilessly. Smack. Smack. You felt the suede flogger against your body again, on your stomach and your breasts this time.

“What color?”

“Green, sir.”

You were dripping already, legs shaking with how wonderful the plug felt but also because you craved him. His touch. You received a few more smacks from the flogger, then he got rid of it. He stepped closer to you on the cross again, his lips brushing faintly against your own as he spoke. “Do you know how miserable I was without you?” he asked, catching you off guard with how soft and quiet he sounded. Which was immediately followed by, “Would you like me to show you?”

You gasped, trembling. His words alone made you almost start to moan like a man woman. “Yes, sir.”

He stepped away. You relied on your hearing to make out where he was, or what he was picking up to punish you with. And then you heard it, the buzzing sound of the vibrator. Bucky walked over to you and placed it in between your legs; right on top of your entrance. You whined immediately as it made contact with your body.

The vibrations reverberated throughout your entire body, making you squirm and tug on the cuffs. You threw your head back and whimpered as he wiggled the wand a little and making you whine louder. You felt your body clench around the plug as he teased you.

“I missed you so much.” He said, softly as he pressed the vibrator further against you, mercilessly. Please…please…please you silently begged. “Do you know how that felt?” he asked, his voice calm but taunting. You didn’t answer, you couldn’t focus on anything. You involuntarily moved your body forward; against the vibrator. Bucky noticed, and he lifted the vibrator off you; denying you even a bit of release. You trashed around and squirmed, moaning again. “This is how it felt.” He hissed right in your ear.

You were still recovering from your denial when you felt a loud smack right on your thigh. You recognized that it was his riding crop. You yelped, not expecting it. He trailed the tip of the riding crop from your thigh, up to right in between your legs and gave you a little smack there, making you cry out again before he brought it up all the way to your breast.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Smack. You yelped. Bucky stepped closer and tilted your head back and kissed you deeply. More like invaded your mouth like he owned it; pushing his tongue past your lips and stroking the top of your mouth like it was nothing. You whimpered as he pulled away despite knowing you wanted more. “It’s so frustrating to want something so terribly, then just have it snatched away from you so mercilessly, isn’t it, Y/N?”

You earned yourself a spank right in between your legs when you didn’t reply. Your body clenched around the plug again, you moaned wantonly. “Answer me.” He sounded a little more stern.

“Yes it does, sir. Please…” you begged. He didn’t say anything. Instead, you felt the vibrator being pressed against your clit again.

Bucky pressed the vibrator further against your core, making you drip even more and moan louder, making you squirm and making your body beg for him. “I was yearning for you, my little pearl.” He sounded soft and quiet again. His actions anything but. He wiggled the wand around and make you scream louder. “I was alone. Broken and empty. I needed you but you weren’t here.” He moved the toy from between your legs, trailing it up your body, circling your erected nipples with the tip of the wand and then back down to where you craved it the most.

You were sure if it weren’t for the blindfold, you would have tears streaming down your face by now.

“Sir, please… I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed and listened. We could’ve worked it out.” You were breathless and whimpering. Bucky hummed at your response but then kept toying with you.

For quite a while, he kept at it. You begged him incessantly, but he denied you each time. He teased you and denied you your release like he owned your very being. Your pleas were incessant, and wanton. But he still wouldn’t give in. He kept going until your body trembled against the big cross. Until your pleas became incoherent, and your spit trailed down your chin. You were a mess.

He removed the vibrator off your body abruptly, deciding he had messed with you enough. You whined again at the loss of contact. No... please…

“Sir, please…”

You heard him carelessly throwing the wand and the other equipment on the bed before stepping closer to you. “It’s okay angel, I’m here now.”

You felt him kiss his way down your body; starting from your neck all the way down to your legs, where he untied your ankles. He kissed up your thighs again, then pulled the plug out making you squirm. Your wrists were both still cuffed to the cross as he lowered his pants, picked your legs up and wrapped them around his waist. His cock briefly brushed against your wet folds in the process and you whimpered.

“What color, Y/N?”

“Green.” Oh fuck… please.

Bucky had done his waiting, months of it. Now all he wanted was you. To remind you that you belong with him. All he wanted was to hear you scream as he makes you cum around him. So he wasted no time in aligning his throbbing tip to your dripping wet entrance.

He pushed himself into you; stretching you out. His nails digging into your skin as he held you by your hips, as he filled you up like always; making you whine and moan as he went. You were both gasping by the time he filled you up entirely. “You’re mine.” he growled in your ear. “Tell me.” He stayed still, allowing himself to feel your walls clenching around his cock. “Tell me you’re mine.”

You whined. Oh fuck… “I’m yours, sir please...”

Bucky started rocking in and out of you, without wasting any time. You felt all of him; your walls clenched around his thick cock as he started out with slow strokes and then gradually sped up into you. “You’re not going anywhere, you hear me?” he asked. And you nodded pathetically.

You felt all of him, the bumpy and the velvety skin of his length. He felt incredible as he stroked your walls with his pulsating cock. You were a moaning mess in no time. “Promise you’re never gonna leave me.” He hissed, speeding up into you, absolutely fucking you into the wall behind you.

You whined like a desperate brat. “I promise, sir…” you didn’t even know if you made sense anymore. Because in your head you didn’t. All you could think of was his cock, and how well it filled you up. He pushed his head into the crook of your neck and swore under his breath.

He fucked you relentlessly; earning more and more moans out of you each time his cock stroked your walls. You soon felt the familiar pressure forming; pressing inside you as the familiar warmth spread all over your body. You moaned wantonly.

Bucky nibbled at the skin under your ear and you lost all control you had left; your mind a foggy mess. Your clit rubbed against his pelvic bone each time he buried himself completely in you, and he soon quickened his pace; earning even more moans and mewls from you.

He pounded into you as fast as he could. He moaned right into your ear and the sound sent shivers down your back like it always did. “You’re all mine!” he growled again, biting down on your skin.

Your legs started to shake around him as he quickened his pace; pounding into you relentlessly. The pleasure built nicely as he took you higher… and higher… and higher.

“Sir, may I please cum?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. You were so thoroughly fucked out you could barely talk properly.

“Yes, angel. Cum for me, cum all over my cock…” he breathed into your ear. You couldn’t hold back anymore. So, you came undone around his cock; screaming. Walls clenching around him. Bucky’s thrusts became irregular and slower as he came right after you did, cock throbbing against your pulsating walls; moaning out loud when he felt your walls pulsating violently around him, both of you gasping for air.

“I love you, baby.” he said, breathless just as you.

“I love you more.” you responded.

 Your mind was hazy from there on. And you were only able to reorient yourself once he pulled you into his lap in the bathtub; both of you surrounded by warm water. And once you did, tears began escaping your eyes again.

“Are you okay, my little pearl?” he asked, tightening his arms around you.

“I’m sorry.” You sniffled, hugging him tighter. He kissed the top of your head.

“It’s okay baby. Don’t apologize. We’ll heal, both of us. And we’re gonna be okay, together.” He cooed, stroking your hair gently. You placed a soft kiss on his chest.

“I was so rash, and unfair.” You argued, softly as you pulled away from his chest.

He smiled at you, cupping your face. “You were angry and hurting, baby. You had every right to be. I messed up by not telling you the truth sooner. I should’ve be honest from the start.” He said, looking you deep in the eyes.

“I should’ve stayed. Just to give you a chance to explain yourself.” you argued back.

He shook his head. “You were protecting yourself from being hurt again. It’s okay, babe. We’re okay, look.” He leaned in to give you a deep kiss, proving to you that there was no hard feeling between you two anymore. He kissed down your neck, gently and you noted that your collar was off again. You smiled.

“I love you, Buck.” you said again. You would say it a thousand time but it still wouldn’t do justice to how much love you had for this man.

“I love you too, baby.” he kissed your forehead. “Tell me something,” he sat straighter with you still in his lap, “When you’re ready, and when we’ve both healed completely, and when I’ve made up for the mess I made,” he paused, “one day, you will marry me, right?”

You chuckled, leaning in to cup his face and kissed him on the nose. “I will.” you hugged him again, tighter this time. “Why do we always have these serious talks in bathtubs?”

He laughed. “I love you so much.” He mumbled against your neck. You said you loved him back, and Bucky could feel his heart healing already. And yours was too. This was all you both needed; each other.

It’s true then, huh. Bucky thought.

There was this thought in his head, which haunted him during the time that you were away from him these past three months. Turns out, it wasn’t haunting him – it was just a reminder. That at the end of the day, he was lost without you. He was incomplete without you. He’d even go to say that he needed you a tad bit more than you needed him.

It’s you, baby. It’s always been you.

His inner voice spoke up again as he held you in his arms in that bathtub, wondering if he’ll ever have enough time in this lifetime to even show you just how much you mean to him. He knew then, that instead of being the other way around all along, it was always you who had power over him.