#not sure if you had a particular tone in mind or anything and these ended up being mostly serious ones but

[commsroom]

Do you have any favorite Wolf 359 qoutes? :)

hmm. good question! my answer to this changes every time, but right now i'm going to go with "so do what you do best: keep your superior officer from accomplishing absolutely anything." makes me laugh.

in ep 22, after hearing one of the musical transmissions, lovelace says, "it's strange. i thought there'd be more to it. something special. alien. ... it's just music." and that's always struck me in such a particular way when taken in context of her character arc.

"they could've made me better. they made me me. now you get to live with it. [...] this is my life, and you don't get to rewrite it to fit what you need." from memoria sticks with me. obviously hera's part of am i alone now? stands out as well, but what really makes that shine is michaela swee's layered performance: where how she says it suggests something different than what's literally being said. a lot of wolf 359 quotes - especially hera quotes - are like that for me.

"it's not just about surviving, it's about being able to live with ourselves after we get off this tin can" is always a contender.

indulgent answer: "you're the multitasker, darlin'" i like his little chuckle. very cute.

[fandomnerd9602]

Affirmation (🌶️)

Bambi!Wanda x Reader

Gif belongs to @percyderolo

It had been three months since the birth of yours and Wanda's little baby girl Natalie.

Life had settled into a nice little pattern of doing things. True you and your doe mate had lost sleep over the last few weeks due to Natalie crying at 3 in the morning but it was worth it.

The sanctuary officially was titled the Westview Hybrid Sanctuary. It was at Tony’s insistence that the place be officially named.

And with the birth of Natalie, your mate was placed on maternity leave from her office job at the Sanctuary. And so the job was filled for the last three months or so by a cat hybrid named Agatha Harkness. She was friendly and helpful around the office.

But Natasha had her suspicions. No one would cozy up that quickly to someone, especially you, without some motive. The air around Agatha was full of pheromones, not that you could tell.

Wanda could tell though. It started out as one lunch break visit to your office. Wanda brought little Natalie to see her poppa.

Agatha walked into the office with a bag of subway sandwiches. “Hey team” the cat hybrid smiled. “One pizza sub for Nat and one turkey and cheese for (Y/N)”

“Thanks” Natasha chimed, the hair on your wolf hybrid buddy’s neck was slightly raised.

“Hi there” Wanda spoke up, “I’m—“

“Wanda!” Agatha interrupted, “it is such an honor to meet you. You have been such an inspiration to me and a lot of the other hybrids!”

Wanda caught whiff of the pheromones practically oozing off of Agatha. She looked to you, a little suspicious. No one was gonna steal her detka from her.

“Well I gotta get back to my cubicle” Agatha said with a little smile before turning and leaving.

“Bringing you lunch,” Wanda’s tone dropped a little bit

“I gave her the subway card to go get us lunch” you shrugged, completely unaware.

Wanda simply smiles, hiding her feelings. Agatha was a little skinnier than her. Toned, fit, everything Wanda used to be before she had Natalie.

Natasha picked up on Wanda’s tone and guided her pal out of the office. “Don’t worry, Wanda,” the wolf intoned, “if Agatha tried anything I’ll rip her throat out”

“What if my detka doesn’t love me anymore?” Wanda’s mind wandered.

“Then make (Y/N) see that you haven’t changed.” Natasha’s tone became a little more commanding. “Put your detka in their place. You are strong, commanding, be sexy”

Sexy? An idea formed in Wanda’s brain. You would know who you really belonged to. Your doe was going to make sure you’d never forget.

Your work day came to an end. You walked past the courtyard to see Agatha chatting with another cat hybrid, she did have a thing for that particular one. You couldn’t help but smile. You wished her all the luck that she would find the same kind of happiness as you and Wanda.

You picked the boys up from school and made your way home. Made dinner for your little family. Watched TV. The nice little routine that you loved so much. You noticed the wheels in your mate’s head were turning. You tried to let her calculate whatever it was.

At the end of your evening, you tucked the boys in and turned off the lights. You saw your mate exit the nursery, dressed in only a bathrobe.

“Natalie’s down for the evening, detka” her eyes were darkened with desire. Her tone was dripping with lust. And with that she sauntered off to your bedroom.

You were practically a slave as you walked into your shared bedroom.

You were barely a step through your bedroom archway when she grabbed you and playfully shoved you to your bed.

“Wanda?” You chuckled. It was then you saw her serious tone.

“Who do you belong to, detka?” Her tone strong and commanding.

“You” you answered without a second’s hesitation.

“Are you sure?” She cocked an eyebrow at you, “I saw the way Agatha was around and I didn’t like it”

“Agatha is…”

Wanda silences you with a seductive shh. Her hands drifted to the tie of her robe. One yank and the knot came undone.

She took the edges of her robe and slowly pulled it off exposing her scarlet red set of lingerie. You hadn’t seen that in all its beauty for a couple months at least.

“I’m going to remind you who you belong to” she saunters over to you. She gets right between your legs and takes your face in her nimble fingers, “I’m in charge tonight”

“Yes my doe” is all you can say. She tugs at your shirt, you quickly pull it off. She tugs at your belt, kissing you fiercely.

She growls in your ear, “get these off”

You obey her. She pushes you gently onto the bed and straddles you, already grinding her hips into yours. A moan echoed through your lips, she put a hand over your mouth.

“We have to be quiet. The kids.” She gently chides, not even ceasing in her ravenous movements. A giggle escapes her lips.

You practically tore what she was wearing off, leaving her in all her untouched glory.

This was some new animalistic side of your mate. She galloped you, her eyes rolling backwards as you fell into a familiar rhythm and flow.

You missed this time with her. Being parents was amazing and all but you missed times like these: when you and your doe could be mates.

Little moans began escaping her lips, “d-detka”

She began turn over. You and her switched positions. You locked eyes with her, her more softer side reappearing. You gently took ahold of one of her antlers. Wanda giggled, she loved when you held one of her antlers.

You continued hitting every little spot that you knew would make her moan and cry in the best possible way.

She wrapped her legs around your waist, “don’t stop!”

The two of you went at it like you were wild mates again. Her cries mixed with yours. Her laughs entangled with yours as the two of you became one in the most spectacular, beautiful and profound of ways.

“I-I’m close!” She whines in your ears. You could feel the warmth and emotional energy building within you. “Yes! Yes!! Oh!! Oh!!!”

You kissed her softly, letting her moans be softened by your lips. You both hit it at the same time, your moans mixed in with hers as you tried to be sure the children wouldn’t have their sleep interrupted.

You pulled back and looked at her in amazement. You were sweaty and yet so satisfied. You could only look at each other in absolute amazement.

“Detka” she whispered.

You kissed her tenderly, “there will never be anyone else”

She looked at you in confusion for a split second, “and what of Agatha? She had pheromones all over her when you were-“

“She’s interested in another cat hybrid” you take her face gently in your hands. “Why would I look elsewhere? You. Are. Perfection. You are my love, my life, my doe, my everything. I love you Wanda so much.”

“I love you, so much” she cried as she pulled you into another series of gentle kisses.

Wanda giggles, “I suppose I didn’t have to be this forceful sexy goddess then”

“I like it” you chime.

“Really?” She giggles. “I might wanna keep it around.”

You and your doe share a laugh as you cuddle in one another’s arms. Nothing would ever make your eye wander from her. She was yours and you were all hers.

Tags @lifespectator @dudesweet17 @supercorpdanbeau @scarletquake-n7 @russianredassassin @revanshand @multi-fandom-enjoyer @olsenmyolsen @aloneodi @abimess @ab1nsur @softlymaximoff

[cressidagrey]

The Witching Hour - Chapter 5 - Rhysand

Summary: 

5 Times members of the Inner Circle get absolutely terrified by Azriel's...whatever she is, and 1 (of many) times Azriel thinks that his witch was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Warnings: 

Mention of Amarantha, Mention of Murder, Mention of torture, Rhys Bashing

(super pretty dividers by @cafekitsune)

Rhysand's mood was far from pleasant. The events of the past week had left him on edge, his patience sorely tested, the tensions between Nesta and Cassian seemed to have escalated exponentially, and the atmosphere in his Court was becoming unbearable.

As he sat brooding in his office, his mate knocked on the doorframe before walking in. Feyre took one look at his stormy expression and winced.

"Let me guess," she said, bracing herself. "You're in a delightful mood today."

Rhysand's only response was a low growl, which was answer enough. Feyre sighed, settling herself into a chair across from his desk.

"There's something you are going to like even less," Feyre admitted.

Rhysand's eyes narrowed, his already bad mood worsening. "Wonderful," he grumbled, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Please, do tell, Feyre Darling.  I'm all ears."

Feyre looked uncomfortable, which only served to increase Rhysand's anxiety. Whatever it was, it must be bad if even Feyre was struggling to tell him.

"It's about Elain," she began, her voice hesitant.

"Elain?" Rhysand repeated, his confusion deepening. "What about her? What's wrong?"

"She..." Feyre's voice trails off, her expression troubled. "She's an oracle."

Rhysand's eyebrows shot up in shock, his eyes widening.

"An oracle?" he repeated, his voice coming out in a whisper. "Are you sure? Who made that particular call?"

Feyre swallowed hard, her expression guilty. "Cate," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rhys froze.

"Feyre darling," he said very carefully, trying to keep his voice down. "When exactly did you come across Cate ?"

Feyre shifted uncomfortably in her seat, avoiding his gaze.

"Well...this morning."

Rhys's eyes widened, a sense of bad, bad foreboding washing over him. "And what exactly were you doing this morning that led to you encountering the infamous Cate?"

"We had lunch?" Feyre admitted questioningly. "Or we would have if Mor and her hadn't clashed."

Rhys let out a strangled sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Of course, you did."

He took a moment to process the information, his mind racing through the implications. Cate, in the city...it was bound to cause havoc.

"And I assume Mor and she...had words?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"To put it mildly," Feyre said ruefully. "They got into quite a heated argument. It almost ended in a brawl."

Rhysand pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Do I even want to know what they were arguing about?"

Feyre shrugged, her expression sheepish. "Cate's sex life and Azriel."

Rhysand suppressed the urge to bang his head against the desk. "Of course," he muttered under his breath.

He let out a deep, weary sigh, his mind already working to figure out how to damage control this situation. Cate's presence was a wild card, and her interactions with Mor were bound to cause more trouble than they were worth.

"What about Elain then?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain calm.

"Cate offered to teach her."

"Did she now," Rhys murmured, the wheels in his mind turning.

The idea of Cate teaching Elain was...disconcerting, to say the least. Cate was not exactly a bastion of stability and sanity. And yet, there was a part of him that was intrigued.

And also fucking furious because clearly, he was the last person in his family that knew anything about what was happening in his court.

Rhys's anger bubbled up inside him, mingling with his already frayed nerves. He had been completely blindsided by this information, left in the dark while Cate and Mor were engaging in their verbal duels and Feyre was having lunch with the bane of his existence .

It was utterly frustrating.

"Did Azriel get her for Elain?" He bit out. Azriel clearly wasn't listening to his orders when he was bringing Cate around for Elain. Thought Rhys wondered what the fuck Azriel had told Cate to get her to behave and not spill the beans of their century-long tryst to Elain.

Feyre looked at him curiously, clearly sensing his irritation.

"What do you mean?"

Rhys clenched his jaw, trying to keep his voice level. "Cate doesn't just agree to help people on a whim," he said tersely. "Azriel must have done something to convince her."

Feyre's eyes widened in realisation, a hint of amusement flickering across her face.

"And it must have involved a lot of ...physical persuasion," Feyre said slyly, a wicked smile spreading across her lips.

Rhys could only scowl in response, his irritation growing by the second. The last thing he needed was Feyre making light of the situation.

"This isn't funny," he growled, leaning forward in his chair. "Azriel knows better than to bring Cate here without my knowledge."

Feyre's expression softened, her amusement giving way to understanding. "I know," she said soothingly, "But she isn't all that bad, you know. If you'd just give her a chance-"

"A chance?" Rhys repeated, his voice filled with barely suppressed frustration. "Feyre, she is a walking disaster ! She causes nothing but trouble, and now she's inserting herself into the lives of my Inner Circle! You know what happens to the people that surround Cate? They mysteriously disappear. Or worse!”

Feyre shot him an unimpressed look, her hands on her hips. "You're being overdramatic," she chided.

"Hecate the Undying," Rhys said lowly. " How do you think she earned that name, Feure?"

Feyre's expression faltered, the teasing look in her eyes replaced by a hint of unease. "!.... don't know," she admitted, her voice quieter now.

Rhys took a deep breath, reminding himself to remain calm. "Hecate is a witch,” he said slowly. “One of the few of that particular dying breed. She’s over a millennia old, Feyre. And she has the cunning and cruelty to match her age. She is not someone to be trifled with."

"So has Amren," Feyre pointed out harshly.

Rhysand's eyes blazed. "Amren is a different case entirely, and you know it," he said through gritted teeth. "She has been on our side for centuries, working to protect this court and everyone in it. Cate...Cate is a rogue element. No one knows where her loyalties lie. Not even Azriel, for all his obsession with her."

"And Azriel," Rhys continued, his voice lowering. "He thinks he can control her, that he knows the limits of her power and her intentions. But he's fooling himself. She is unpredictable, volatile, and dangerous. The last thing we need is for her to cause chaos in our court."

Feyre opened her mouth to speak, but Rhys cut her off.

"And don't try to tell me that she just wants to help Elain," he said, his voice firm. "Nothing she does is without purpose. There is always an angle, an agenda. And I don't trust her, not one bit."

Feyre was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful.

"I understand your concern, I do," she said slowly. "But have you ever stopped to consider that Cate might not be the monster you have built her up to be in your mind? That maybe there's more to her than meets the eye?"

Rhys laughed bitterly, his anger still bubbling just under the surface. "More to her than meets the eye?" he repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What do you want me to believe, Feyre? That she's some sort of misunderstood soul, with a heart of gold under that cold, unfeeling exterior?"

"I'm not saying she's a saint," Feyre said evenly. "But maybe she's not the villain you're determined to make her out to be."

Rhys gritted his teeth, his patience wearing thin. "And what would you have me do, Feyre?" he said tightly. "Just sit back and let her run wild in my court, unchecked and uncontrolled? Is that what you're suggesting?"

"No," Feyre said, "Of course not. But maybe instead of treating her like a threat, you could try seeing her as an ally. As someone who could potentially help us."

Rhys let out a guttural sound, his frustration mounting.

"You can't be serious. You want me to trust her, to let her into our inner circle? She hasn't given me one reason to trust her, Feyre. Not one."

"She helped Nesta with her nightmares."

Rhysand's eyebrow quirked in surprise. "Is that so?" he said slowly. "She helped Nesta with her nightmares, did she?"

His tone was sceptical, but there was a hint of intrigue in his expression.

"With a dreamcatcher spell," Feyre answered quietly.

"Is that why Cassian is so furious with Azriel?" Rhys asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was just getting better and better.

"Oh yes," Feyre said with a slight wince. "Cassian is quite...upset about it."

Rhys's eyes widened. "Upset" was an understatement. He knew Cassian well enough to know that he would be seething with rage at this news.

Rhys closed his eyes. Already Cate was making a mess.

The thought made Rhysand's headache worse. Cate had only been in Velaris for days, and already she was causing ripples of turmoil in his court. How much worse was this going to get?

He had to nip this problem in the bud before it spiralled out of control.

The worst thing was that throwing her out of Velaris was not actually something he could do. She had a carte Blanche to live in Velaris, something he could thank his Grandfather for... they had had an agreement of sorts, the exact nature lost to time. But even Rhys’ own father hadn’t trifled with that witch. 

He rose from his chair, his expression steely with determination. "I need to talk to Cate," he said gruffly. "Now."

Feyre's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Now?" she repeated, looking nervous. "Don't you think you should calm down a bit first? You look like you're going to rip her throat out."

Rhys shot her a withering glare, his patience wearing thin.

"That's exactly how I feel, Feyre," he ground out. "If I don't speak to her now, I can't guarantee I won't do anything I'll regret later."

Feyre held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, fine," she conceded, standing up. "But try not to be too harsh, alright? I'm not saying we should trust her blindly. But she's not a monster, Rhys."

He could argue that point

Rhys took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.  The thought of dealing with Cate again after all these centuries was not exactly appealing.

The problem was only that he knew...he knew that they would be evenly matched

And that thought was worrying. Cate was not someone he took lightly. He had seen firsthand what she was capable of, both in power and cunning. The idea of going up against her, even if it was just a simple conversation, was daunting, to say the least.

Yet, he knew it was necessary. He couldn't let Cate continue to run rampant in his court, stirring up trouble and disrupting the peace he had worked so hard to maintain. He would just have to be careful, be on guard at all times, and hope that his own wits would be enough to keep her in check.

With a determined nod to Feyre, he headed out of his office. It was time to confront the source of his current headache.

Rhysand stalked out of the house and into the streets of Velaris with a scowl on his face. It was late afternoon, and the sun starting to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cobblestones.

He knew where to find Cate. She had a townhouse, where she always stayed at.

He made his way quickly through the city, his steps measured and purposeful. He could feel the eyes of his people on him, the weight of their curiosity and concern. They could sense that something was off, that their High Lord was not in his usual good mood.

Finally, he arrived at her townhouse. The building was impressive, situated in a prime location and beautifully maintained. It screamed opulence and power, much like its owner.

Rhys took a deep breath and walked up the steps, his mind racing. He knew he needed to be careful, to tread lightly. He couldn't afford to let his anger get the better of him. But the thought of confronting Cate was making his heart pound in his chest. He had to remind himself that he was the High Lord of the Night Court, the most powerful ruler in Prythian. He could handle one stubborn and infuriating witch.

(Hopefully.)

He knocked firmly on the door, his knuckles rapping against the solid wood. There was no response for a moment, and he wondered if she was even home. Just as he was about to knock again, the door swung open, revealing Cate's slender form in the doorway.

"Ah, Rhysand," she said with a smirk, leaning against the doorframe. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

Her tone was casual, almost flippant, but he could see the glittering eyes assessing him warily. She knew he wasn't here for a friendly visit.

"May I come in?" he asked through gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice even.

Cate stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter with a sweeping motion of her arm. "By all means," she drawled. "Make yourself at home."

Rhys walked into the foyer, his eyes flickering around the room, taking in the expensive furnishings and art pieces.

The townhouse was every bit as opulent as the outside, with high ceilings and wide windows that let in the fading sunlight.

"Can I offer you anything?" Cate asked behind him, closing the door with a click. "Tea, perhaps? Or maybe something stronger?"

He ignored her, his eyes narrowing as he turned to face her. "I'm not here for hospitality," he ground out. "I'm here to discuss you and your sudden appearance in my court."

Cate raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, so you're not here to see an old friend?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

He clenched his jaw, her casual demeanour only serving to annoy him further. "We are not friends, Cate," he said through gritted teeth. "And I need to know why you have been meddling in my affairs."

Cate sauntered past him, walking over to a nearby armchair and gracefully sinking into it. "You wound me, Rhysand," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I'm hurt that you think I would meddle."

He followed her, standing before her with his arms crossed. "Cut the crap, Cate," he said, his temper fraying. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been causing trouble since the moment you stepped foot in Velaris."

"Is it the Dreamcatcher spell or my offer of lessons for Elain?" Cate asked him.

Rhys scowled, the mere mention of the Dreamcatcher spell making his blood boil. "Both," he said through gritted teeth. "You have absolutely no business getting involved in my court's affairs."

Cate leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing on her lips once more. "Oh, but Rhysand, I just want to help. Is that so terrible?"

He clenched his fists, fighting the urge to grab her by the throat and strangle her. "I don't trust you, Cate," he growled. "I don't trust your intentions or your motives. And I certainly don't trust you offering your...services to my inner circle. Let's not even start with my spymaster," he ground out.

Cate chuckled, her voice dripping with amusement. "Ah, Azriel," she said, her eyes glinting. "Such a complex and intriguing male."

"You stay away from him," Rhys warned, his voice low and dangerous. "You keep your distance, and you keep your fingers out of our business."

Cate's smirk widened. "Oh, I was under the impression that Azriel was just as interested in me as I was in him," she said slyly. "Or was I misinformed?"

Rhys ground his teeth, his irritation and anger reaching their boiling point. He knew all too well the strange and complicated relationship between Cate and Azriel, and he hated how easily she seemed able to get under his skin.

"You know exactly what I mean," he said, his voice growing louder. "You keep your distance from all of my court. That includes Azriel."

Cate's smile grew even more aggravating. "You have quite the possessive streak, don't you, Rhysand?" she said, her tone mocking. "Are you afraid I'll steal away your precious shadowsinger?"

"You won't lay a finger on him," he snarled, his patience completely frayed. "You stay away from him, and you stay away from my court. I don't want you meddling in my affairs, or causing any more trouble. Is that clear?"

Cate leaned forward in her chair, her eyes narrowing. "You think you can order me around, is that it?" she said, her voice cold. "You think I'll just bow down and submit to your commands?"

"Damn right I do," he shot back, stepping closer to her. "This is my court, my territory. And I will not tolerate someone like you causing chaos and throwing my people into disarray with your presence."

Cate's eyes flared with anger. "And what exactly do you mean by 'someone like me'?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You mean a witch? Or is it because I'm a woman?"

He clenched his jaw, the accusation hitting a nerve. "Don't play that card, Cate," he said through gritted teeth. "You know damn well that's not what I meant."

Cate stood up, her eyes blazing. "Oh, really?" she challenged, her hands coming to rest on her hips. "Because it sure sounds like you're implying that women, especially those with magic, are beneath you. Maybe even a threat to your precious little court. Is that why your tradition of wing clipping still lives on?" She asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

He flinched, his irritation replaced with a hint of guilt. She had hit the mark, and they both knew it. The ancient tradition of clipping wings was still practised in Illyria, a symbol of dominance and control over the female population.

"That's different," he said gruffly, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that settled in his stomach. "Change is slow. We can't just murder everybody like you are prone to be doing." 

Cate's eyes flashed with anger, her hands clenching into fists. "I don't just go around murdering people," she snapped. "I fight for what's right, and I don't shy away from getting my hands dirty if it means protecting those that cannot protect themselves."

Rhys sneered, his own anger flaring. "And who are you to decide what is right and what is wrong?" he said, his voice harsh. "You think you're some kind of moral authority, do you? That your way of doing things is the only way?"

"You're a daemati, I am a seer," she said icily. "You read minds. I read the future."

He let out a scoff, his annoyance growing by the second.

"And you think that gives you the right to do whatever you please, just because you can see into the future?" he said, his tone dripping with disbelief.

Cate's eyes narrowed to slits, her voice dropping to a dangerous level. "I use my abilities to help people. To protect them. To make sure that history doesn't repeat itself. And if that means making hard decisions, then so be it."

He let out a cold laugh. "Hard decisions," he said sarcastically. "Is that what you call it when you go around murdering people and meddling in other courts' affairs?"

Cate bristled at the accusation, her face contorting with anger. "I don't go around murdering people for the hell of it," she said, her voice rising. "Every life I've taken has been for a reason, a purpose. People who deserved it, who would have caused more suffering and pain if left unchecked."

Rhys shook his head, his annoyance and frustration mounting. "Oh, so you're some kind of judge and executioner now?" he sneered. "You get to decide who lives and who dies based on your own twisted sense of justice?"

"Yes, because apparently nobody else seems to have the guts to do what needs to be done." Cate retorted, her voice filled with conviction. "You have no idea what I've seen, Rhysand. I have a job to do, and it doesn't end until the world is a better place. So please, drop the holier-than-thou attitude and leave me alone."

"You didn't kill Amarantha," Rhys spat out. "That would have saved us some suffering."

Cate's eyes darkened at his words, anger flashing in her gaze. "Don't you think I wanted to, Rhysand?" she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Don't you think I've spent centuries reliving that moment in my mind, wondering if I could have stopped it from happening?"

He crossed his arms, his expression guarded. "Why didn't you then?" he challenged. "You could have ended it all right there, before all the suffering and the pain and the bloodshed."

Cate's shoulders slumped, the anger being replaced by a weariness that betrayed her centuries-long existence.

"It's...complicated, Rhysand. There are things at play that you don't understand, consequences that you could never fathom. I couldn't just kill Amarantha and expect everything to be perfectly fine afterwards."

He let out a scoff, his irritation mounting. "So, what, you just decided to let her rule and terrorize my court for 50 years instead? To put us through hell and back?"

Cate's eyes narrowed once more, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. "I had a duty to protect the people of Prythian," she said through clenched teeth. "All of Prythian. And sometimes, that meant making sacrifices for the greater good. Even if it meant letting evil exist for a little while longer."

He let out a derisive laugh, his anger bubbling to the surface. "The greater good? What about the good of my people? My court? My family, my friends, my people, all tortured and brutalized for fifty years because you decided to let Amarantha sit on the throne?"

Cate's face contorted with pain, his words hitting a raw nerve. "You think that was an easy decision for me to make, Rhysand?" she said, her voice cracking. "You think I enjoyed watching you and your people suffer, knowing I could have stopped it all in an instant?"

He sneered, his anger still searing. "Yet you didn't. You stood by and let it happen. You let us suffer for fifty years because you were too much of a coward to do what needed to be done."

Cate's hands balled into fists, her eyes narrowing. "You have no idea what it means to be responsible for fate, Rhysand," she said through clenched teeth. "No idea what it means to carry the weight of history on your shoulders. Don't you dare accuse me of cowardice when you don't have a single clue about the sacrifices I've made?"

He clenched his jaw, fighting back the urge to lash out even further. "Fifty years, Cate. Fifty years. My people suffered unspeakable horrors for fifty years because you decided that it was for the greater good. How do you expect me to forgive that?"

She let out a bark of bitter laughter, her face twisting into a grimace. "Forgiveness?" she said, her voice thick with disdain. "You really think I'm looking for forgiveness, after everything that's happened? I'm not asking for any forgiveness, Rhysand. I know the mistakes I've made, and I have to live with them every damn day."

He let out a scoff, his anger now mixed with a hint of incredulity. "You expect me to just act like nothing's happened? To just let bygones be bygones and move on like you didn't stand idly by while my people suffered?"

"I don't expect anything from you, Rhysand," she said coldly, her eyes hardening. "I know things can never go back to the way they used to be, that there's no erasing what's been done. But that doesn't mean I'm not doing everything in my power to make things right, to prevent it from happening again. That's all I've ever tried to do."

He let out a dry laugh, his heart still thudding with anger.

"Oh? And what exactly are you doing to make things right, hm? Meddling in my court, offering lessons to my inner circle, causing chaos and trouble wherever you go?"

Cate's eyes flared, her temper rising once more. "I'm not causing chaos and trouble, Rhysand," she shot back. "I've been helping you and your court in ways you don't even realize. Maybe if you took the time to look past your own anger and pride, you'd see that."

He let out a derisive scoff, his irritation growing with every word. "Help? You call meddling in our affairs and offering your so-called 'services' help? I'd hate to see what your version of hindrance is like. I want you out of my court," he hissed.

Cate scoffed, glaring at him with equal measure of anger and frustration. “ As long as my blood rules this throne, you shall always have a place here, ” she quoted at him, hissing. “Your grandfather pledged that to me. Just let me know when exactly you want to make your family an oathbreaker.” 

He had known that she had…had permission to come and go from Velaris as she pleased, but he had not known, how pointed these words must have been. What his grandfather had pledged to her in…

“I’ll take that risk if you are gone for good,” he growled, his own anger bubbling to the surface. "One word from me, and you'll be gone from this court for good."

His magic thickened, night rising.

Cate braced herself, her own power crackling around her in response. "You think threatening me with your magic will make me cower and leave?" she challenged. "I've faced much worse than you, Rhysand."

His eyes narrowed, the darkness in the room growing thicker as his power surged. "You have no idea what I'm capable of," he warned, his voice low and dangerous. "| won't hesitate to do what I have to to protect my court, even if it means using every ounce of my power to remove you from it. And do not touch my brother," he hissed.

Cate's eyes flared with anger, her own power flaring in response. "You think I would do anything to harm your brother?" she snapped. "Your arrogance is astounding. I'm not a monster, Rhysand. I wasn't the one who treated him like he wasn't even a person," she hissed at him.

He flinched, a brief flash of guilt passing over his face before he could mask it. "Don't you dare bring him into this," he said through clenched teeth, his anger flaring again.

"You started it," she ground back. "You treated him like he doesn't have feelings. You told him to go to a pleasure hall, Rhysand."

Rhys's jaw worked, his anger and defensiveness mixing with a hint of shame. "You don't understand," he said, his voice strained. "It was for his own good."

She snorted.

Rhys clenched his jaw, bristling at her reaction. "What is that supposed to mean?" he snapped.

"It means that I find your excuses pathetic," she shot back, her eyes narrowed. "You claim to care about him, yet you treat him like he's less than nothing. You tell him to go to a pleasure hall, to lose himself in mindless pleasure instead of facing his own emotions. It's repulsive."

Rhys flinched again, her words hitting a nerve. "It's not that simple," he said, his voice low and defensive. "You don't know what he's been through, what he had to endure."

Cate scoffed, her eyes flashing with anger. "Oh, I don't?" she said, her voice tight with emotion. "I don't know what he's been through? I know him, Rhysand. Don't you dare tell me l don't understand." 

"You think you understand him just because you have shared his bed a few times?" he shot back, his own anger flaring again. "You think you know him better than I do, better than his family and his friends?" 

Her magic flared. He had been unprepared for the cold fury on her face.

Rhys took an involuntary step back, startled by the intensity of her magic and the anger etched on her face. He was so used to being in control, to being the one everyone feared, but for the first time, he felt a hint of trepidation.

"You come to my house and threaten me, insult me and my relationship, insult Azriel..."

Rhys opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Her words had caught him off guard, and for once, he was at a loss for words.

Her magic heaved, cracking.

Rhys watched her with a mix of awe and caution. He could feel the power in her, the cold, sharp edge of her magic that crackled through the air like lightning. He had never seen her so angry, so intense.

"You have no right to speak to me like that, no right to dictate who I sleep with or who I care about," she hissed, her voice dripping with anger. "Azriel is not your property, Rhysand, and I will not tolerate you treating him or me like we are lesser than you."

Rhys clenched his fists, his own anger and defensiveness flaring again. "You think I treat you as lesser?" he said, his voice tight. "I'm the High Lord of this court. You're a guest here. You don't get to come here and tell me what I can and cannot do."

Her magic exploded.

Rhys was caught off guard by the sudden explosion of her magic, the force of it knocking him back a step. He barely managed to keep his balance, his own magic reacting defensively in response, a shield forming around him instinctively.

He stared at her, his eyes widening with surprise and a hint of fear. He had seen the extent of her magic before, but never had he seen her lose control like this. Never had he seen her so unbridled and raw.

The air around her crackled with energy, charged with the cold, sharp power of her magic. It was a force to be reckoned with, a storm of anger and frustration. And yet... there was something else there too, something deeper, something more vulnerable.

He swallowed

"I have not survived for a thousand years so you'll tell me what to do in my own house," she said darkly.

Rhys's jaw worked, his own anger and defensiveness clashing with a hint of uncertainty. He had never seen her so intense, so powerful. He could feel the cold, sharp edge of her magic in the air, and it sent a chill down his spine.

And then her magic snapped. He wasn't quick enough.

Hadn't expected another surge, as she forced him back, back towards the door. "Out of my house, now," she hissed.

Rhys stumbled back, caught off guard by the sheer force of her magic. He tried to fight it, to push back against her power, but it was like trying to swim upstream against a fast-moving current. She was stronger than he had given her credit for, and he found himself being pushed towards the door.

He gritted his teeth, his own anger and frustration mounting once more. "You can't just throw me out of here," he said through clenched teeth, struggling against her magic. "This is my court, my territory. You have no right-“

"I have every right," she cut in, her eyes flashing with anger. "You came here, uninvited, threatening me and insulting me in my own home. I have the right to defend myself, and if that means kicking you out, so be it."

Rhys clenched his jaw, his own anger and sense of entitlement warring with the sheer force of her magic. He wanted to fight back, to show her that he was the more powerful one here, but he knew deep down that he was outnumbered. Her magic was far stronger than he had expected, and he knew that he couldn't overpower her in her own home.

Not when her wards closed around him like a vice

Rhys felt the wards close around him, constricting his movement, and cutting off his connection to his own magic.

He tried to struggle against them, but it was like trying to push through a solid wall. He was trapped, unable to use his powers or fight back against her.

The realization of his helplessness hit him like a ton of bricks. He was the High Lord, the most powerful fae in the Night Court, and yet here he was, being held captive by a woman he had underestimated and disrespected.

The thought made him furious, his heart thudding with anger and frustration. He couldn't believe he had let himself be put in this position, that he had been taken down by her so easily.

But there was something else, too. A hint of fear, a hint of uncertainty. The realization that he had misjudged her, that he had underestimated the extent of her power and her determination to stand up for herself.

He swallowed, his mind racing as he tried to find a way out, a way to break free from her wards and regain his power. But there was nothing he could do. He was trapped, completely at her mercy.

"Out," she repeated, her voice razor sharp.

Rhys listened.

[undiscovered-horizon]

Put it on me - Roronoa Zoro x Reader

SUMMARY: A shared stash of moonshine leads to you pouring your heart out to Zoro. Despite his rather cold exterior, he takes your words seriously and asks you to put some of your burden on him if it ever gets too heavy.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 1.8k

Brought to you by my obsession with this painfully relatable song:

“Save some for me.”

Zoro’s voice wakes you up from the trance. You’ve been mindlessly drinking and reminiscing about the fight for what had to be at least two hours now. Enough time to slur your words and muddy your thoughts but the latter, as welcome as it would be, doesn’t seem to come. Flashes of scenes and echoes of voices still haunt you.

The swordsman nudges the axe you used to crack open the barrel. Quite crude but it works as it should - both a plug and a tap, depending on the blade's position. A spicy, dry stench fills the air as Zoro pours himself some of the dark-coloured moonshine.

He takes a large swing of the mysterious alcohol and winces. Very unlike him. A troubled cough escapes his chest.

“What is this?” he asks.

“The nightmare of hangovers yet to pass, I like to call it.” Used to the questionable taste of the beverage or simply numb due to your current state of light intoxication, you’re unbothered as you take another sip. The liquor burns your throat right down to your stomach. You can almost feel it wreaking havoc on your organism. Good. “We’re both alive and not blind, so definitely not methanol. Maybe it tastes like mouldy socks but it gets the job done.”

Zoro sits down on the ground next to you. His body is suspiciously close to yours, thigh to thigh and shoulder to shoulder, but you’ve grown used to it. It’s an open secret between the two of you - he’s allowing both himself and you this kind of intimacy as long as it remains unaddressed. If it did, he’d have to admit he’s not as aloof towards you as he likes to make himself look and that is not something Roronoa Zoro has the courage to confess.

“Why are you drinking alone?”

“I’m not. You’re here,” you say as you gently poke his arm.

He chuckles and shakes his head. Zoro takes another sip and winces again but not as much as before. The ‘mouldy socks’ flavour is growing on him. Or maybe it’s the alcohol content?

“You can’t fool me,” he says in a low, serious tone. “Something’s on your mind.”

Zoro looks at you out of the corner of his eyes. His gaze is bright, perceptive. Even if you try, you can’t lie and convince him that everything’s in order. It seems that Zoro already knows your mood is foul, just can’t quite put his finger on the why. For a man who claims to be unbothered and uncaring, he sure does spend a lot of time and energy and studying your little habits and quirks. One might even say he appears to have a particular affinity for you.

“I ate shit back in the village,” you mumble without looking at him. You almost puke bolting down the rest of the dark moonshine. “Complete failure. Embarrassing doesn’t cover even half of it.”

Stumbling over the air and your own feet, you get up and pour yourself another cup of alcohol. You can see Zoro’s troubled gaze following your movements but he doesn’t say anything or try to stop you, although he’s sure you’ve had enough of strong drinks for the night.

“You did fine,” he says awkwardly. Despite meaning his words, niceties still have a problem making it through his throat. “Aside from leaving your left flank wide open but you’d have to die and be reborn to stop doing that.”

Sitting back down next to Zoro, you lose your balance and fall on your backside. Some of the moonshine spills and soaks your shirt. You don’t care about the stain for now but you surely will in the morning when the putrid smell fills your bedroom and refuses to be washed out.

“It was everything but fine,” you scold him.

Surprised, Zoro looks at you with furrowed eyebrows. Never before has he seen you so hung up about mistakes. Normally, you’d shrug and laugh and just say something along the lines of “shit happens, we’ll be better next time”. Still, no matter how much he racked his brain, he simply couldn’t think of anything in particular that could get you like that. Nothing about the day and its battles stands out to him.

“Nami getting hurt was my fault,” you admit. “Luffy and Usopp too. Shit, everything was my fault.” Out of frustration, you rub your face with your free hand.

“Nonsense,” he easily dismisses your self-blame. “You couldn’t have known about the whole human-turned-arsenal crap.” Zoro takes another swing of the mysterious moonshine. This time, he doesn’t wince or cough. Mouldy socks are beginning to taste like champagne. “I don’t think anyone could,” he adds quietly.

You hit the floor with a clenched fist.

“But I did, Zoro,” you drone your words. The image of the pirate captain is clear as day before your eyes. “That’s the thing. The moment I saw that man I knew something was wrong. He moved in a strange way and the way his clothes fit him… It was right there, in front of me. And I was blind like a drunk bat stuck in a pile of cow dung.”

“Hunch isn’t exactly the best strategy. You might as well have been wrong about him and attacked an innocent man.”

“Well, he wasn’t innocent, was he, Zoro?” The anger is rising within you. Why wouldn’t he just accept your fault? Why is he so frustratingly stubborn at putting the blame elsewhere? “I could have prevented all of this or at least given us an opportunity to prepare before Usopp got half of his bones broken with a cannonball. And all of this, Nami nearly dead, because when my moment came, I failed. I hesitated. I questioned my judgment. Like I always do.”

The wooden floor is hit yet again when you look for a way to let out your anger.

“I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but,” Zoro makes a pause and clears his throat,” you’re being too hard on yourself.”

A silence falls between you. 

The air in the cramped storage room is stuffy, soaking with a plethora of strong smells: damp wood, smoked fish, the dark liquor you’re drinking with the swordsman, aged cheeses that Sanji seems to be a fan of, roasted coffee beans… But all of those aromas are strangely comforting to you, the smells that remind you of a gathering of adventurous underdogs that have grown to be a family.

A gathering that you’ve almost killed today with your incompetence.

“Truthfully, I wish I was like you,” you finally break the silence. Zoro gives you a questioning look. “You never fail, always prepared and ready to fight. Even when you do make mistakes, which is rare might I add, you can prevent anyone else from getting hurt because of you. I wish I had the power to always do the right things and do them well. When will a day come when I finally know how to act? What to do? I make the same stupid mistakes over and over again and nothing seems to change no matter how hard I try. Maybe I’m just broken and you lot are doomed for hanging around me.” For a moment, you look into your cup. Your reflection in the dark beverage is rippling, making your face hardly recognizable. Just like when you compare who you are to who you should be. “At least in my mind, in my fantasies, I'm the hero that saves me,” you whisper to yourself and down the rest of your drink. It’s easier to be delusional when you can’t string a coherent sentence.

The realization hits Zoro like a derailed train. Of course he’s never seen you get hung up over your mistakes - you’ve been holding it inside, beating yourself up away from everyone’s eyesight. Your otherwise happy-go-lucky exterior is a mere facade, the face of someone you’d like to be. And the more you realize it’s not your true face, the more upset you get. How long have gone holding yourself to an impossible ideal? Hating yourself for being anything but perfect and imposing?

How heavy is the real burden on your shoulders?

"I'll do it for you,” he offers quietly.

Your confused gaze meets the confident glint in his eyes. He looks sure of himself - more certain than he normally is. A smile threatens to pull up one corner of his lips.

"Do what?" you ask.

"I'll be the hero that saves you."

A bitter chuckle escapes your lips and echoes throughout the small storage closet. The sound bounces off the wooden walls and comes back to you with a certain depth and delay, making you feel as though it’s the world laughing at you and the poor sod that offers to help you - you don’t hold hands with someone who easily catches on fire, burning everything around them. That’s just stupid.

“Thanks but that still makes me the world’s biggest loser who can’t put the money where their mouth is and is stuck in a perpetual cycle of doom.”

You look away, staring ahead, but Zoro’s eyes linger on you. Sure, he can fight pirates and animals and fishmen and all the strange horrors lurking in the world but how in hell is he going to fight something immaterial? How powerless he feels with three swords at his side and yet no way to fight the foul-tongued beast in the back of your head.

"Just put it on me," he presses on. "If you need help, put it on me. If you're going through Hell, put it on me.” Then, to your surprise, he firmly grabs your hand, squeezing it in a meaningful manner. “Seriously."

You try to wiggle your palm out of his hold but it proves useless - his grip is iron, although not painful. No matter how much you’re enjoying this uncharacteristic intimacy, you know better than to get used to it. Zoro deserves better than to be the victim of your ricochet.

“You’ve got enough on your head already,” you say in a stern voice. “My own bullshit is the last thing you need.”

For the first time in weeks, Roronoa Zoro smiles. It’s not a smile of amusement, of being entertained. No, it’s a smile of seeing something, or someone, he holds dear. In other words, it’s not his mind that rejoices but his very heart and soul.

“I want to worry about you,” he confesses.

Tears are prickling at your eyes and you’re doing everything you can to keep them from falling. Alas, you’re quite far from sober and self-control is not an ability within your grasp. Your face feels hot as teardrops slowly roll down your cheeks.

A bitter scoff leaves your lips. “It will be an unending horror.”

“I’m not afraid,” he reassures you casually. “And we’re in the middle of the sea. I’ve got time.”

Hesitantly, you rest your head against his chest. Zoro welcomes the gesture, letting go of your hand and putting his arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer to himself.

[sheerfreesia007]

Masterpiece of a Confession

Pairing: Hyunjin x Reader

Word count: 1,802

Content warnings: Fluff, mention of alcohol

Summary: You and Hyunjin have made plans to hang out tonight. What happens when you find him a gift that he’s been eager to get his hands on, and when you present it to him he confesses to you?

Seoltang: Sugar

There was just something so comforting to you whenever you went shopping for hobby supplies. The store was perfectly lit to be able to show you all the colors of the materials that you were looking to buy. Not to mention all the sales that would normally come along. As you walked slowly down the aisle with all the multicolored yarn and thread you smiled softly while your hands gently trailed over the ones you liked. You picked out a few for a project that you were just starting and then a few more that caught your attention.

Just as you moved further down the aisle your cellphone began to ring and you smiled when you recognized who the ringtone was for. Fishing the device out of your bag you quickly answered the phone and held it to your ear still smiling.

”Hey Jinnie.” You greet him happily and he chuckles softly on the other end.

”Hi Seoltang, where are you right now?” He greeted and asked kindly. You could hear the smile in his voice as you continued to walk down the aisle perusing the merchandise.

”At the craft store picking up some material for my new project.” You tell him as you stop to look at some hand dyed material that catches your eye.

”Do you want to come hang out later once I’m done with this photoshoot? I miss you.” He says softly into the phone as if he doesn’t want anyone else to hear how sweet and soft he’s being. You smile to yourself at his tone, Hyunjin has always been like this with you. He was always able to relax and be himself whenever he was with you and you loved that about your relationship. Plus the fact that you were able to be such a comfort to him made your heart sing with joy.

”Of course I do. Do you want me to pick up some food for us and Changbin?” You ask him kindly when you turn down the paint aisle and smile softly at the reminder of your friend.

”Changbin’s going out with Jisung and Chan tonight. It’s just going to be the two of us.” Hyunjin responds and you nod your head at his words as you spot Hyunjin’s favorite brand of paint before walking over to it.

”Alright so then I’ll grab us some food, anything in particular you’d like?” You ask as you grab some of the paint colors that you know he runs out of a lot and slip them into your basket.

”I don’t know, comfort food?” He muses curiously and you nod your head knowing exactly what he means. Today had been a bit of a gloomy overcast day and it really should’ve kept you in your cozy bed but you were on a mission to get all of your errands done.

”Italian from that little mom and pop place not far from your apartment?” You ask curiously and Hyunjin gasps and hums in delight.

”Oh you read my mind.” He gushes out softly and you chuckle at him as your eyes continue down the shelves of paints when suddenly something catches your eye. “Maybe we can try some of those Aracini balls that we weren’t able to try last time.” He suggested and you hummed in agreement.

”Oooh that sounds great. I’ll make sure to get an order of those for us.” You tell him as you move down the aisle closer to the multicolored box in hopes that it was what you thought it was. Hyunjin had been going on and on about this paint set that he wanted to try but every time he tried to get it in any craft store they were always sold out, as you reached up and grabbed the box you nearly let out a squeal in delight! It was the same set that he had been talking about, and luckily for you it looked like it was the last one on the shelf. 

“Well I really called you to talk about our days but it looks like I don’t have that long of a break today.” Hyunjin sighed softly and you frowned in response to his words before beaming as you slipped the paint set into your basket.

”That’s okay Jinnie, we’ll have all of tonight to talk about our days.” You reassured him sweetly and he hummed softly in response.

”I can’t wait to see you tonight Seoltang.” He said softly. “I’ll see you later, I gotta get back now.”

”I’ll see you later Jinnie.” You respond happily and hang up the phone before quickly making your way to the registers to pay for your things. You were eager to get home so that you could wrap the gift for him and give it to him tonight when you saw him.

*-*-*-*

Your trek up to Hyunjin and Changbins’ apartment is an easy one for you as you eagerly stride up the stairs two at a time. You’ve got your tote bag that holds the wrapped gift for Hyunjin as well as a bottle of wine that you found in the family owned restaurant when you went to pick up your dinner order. It had looked and sounded like something the two of you would enjoy together while eating so you had bought it.

Just as you make it to the top step of their floor you stop for a second letting yourself catch your breath and you hear a soft sweet giggle coming from the side. Turning your head you grin at a giggling Changbin who eyes you happily.

”That eager to get to him yah?” He asks knowingly and you blush softly at his teasing which causes him to giggle more. “Don’t worry he’s just as eager for you.” He says before giving you a quick hug and then continuing on down the stairs. “I’ll sleep over at Chan’s place tonight so don’t worry if you have a sleepover.” He calls over his shoulder teasingly.

”Changbin!” You scold softly and he giggles loudly once more at you before waving at you over his shoulder.

”Was Changbin giving you a hard time?” Hyunjin asks you and you turn your head to see him standing in the doorway of his apartment looking at you worriedly. You grin at him happily and he reciprocates the grin with one of his own sweet smiles. “I’ll beat him up for you.” He offers and you laugh happily as you excitedly make your way over to him and wrap him in a tight hug.

”No, no nothing like that. Just a bit of teasing.” You explain as you bury your face in his worn cotton t-shirt. “And I’d never ask you to do that.” You scold him softly as he grins down at you while wrapping his arms tightly around you.

”The offer still stands.” He says with a shrug before guiding you into the apartment. “Wanna get changed in your pjs first and then we’ll eat on the couch while watching a drama?” He asks when he finally lets you go so that he could close and lock the door.

”Yes please.” You sigh out happily as you slip your shoes off and go to set the bag of dinner on the kitchen island and pull out the wine bottle as well. “I bought wine from the restaurant too. Sounded like something we’d enjoy.” You tell him over your shoulder as you walk away to the bathroom so that you could go get changed.

”Oooh, this is a good one. Good choice!” Hyunjin calls out and you chuckle softly as you quickly get changed into your pjs before walking back out to find that Hyunjin had already set up dinner on the coffee table and was just pulling up a recent drama that the two of you had gotten into. “C’mere Seoltang.” He calls from his spot on the couch and you grin while rushing over to tackle him in a tight hug causing him to laugh happily at your actions. The two of you stay like that for a few quiet moments before you remember the gift you had gotten him.

”Oh! Before we start. I have a gift for you.” You say with a hint of teasing and Hyunjin looks at you with wide eyes before he grins excitedly and holds his hands out.

”Gift, please!” He calls out and you laugh softly at him before shaking your head. He gasps and then dramatically throws himself on top of you groaning loudly. “I need whatever thoughtful gift you’ve gotten or I’ll perish Seoltang.” He cries out as he throws a hand up into the air and squints his eyes. “Darkness is already closing in! I Can feel death’s cold grip on me tightening.” He dramatically cries out and you laugh loudly as you shove him playfully off you before you reach for your tote bag and pull out the wrapped gift.

Hyunjin quickly sits up from his sprawled out position as he eyes the prettily wrapped gift with eager eyes. You look down at the gift in your lap and then look up at him with a teasing grin on your face. Hyunjin leans forward with wide pleading eyes and a pout on his lips trying to get you to give him his gift. You smile softly at him and lean over to press a sweet kiss to his forehead without even thinking about it, it just naturally came to you to do that.

”What’s the magic word?” You ask him softly and Hyunjin grins widely at you as his eyelids flutter with delight at your kiss.

”I love you.” He answers immediately before cupping your face and pulling you into a deep loving kiss that makes you squeak with surprise as Hyunjin smiles through the kiss. He pulls away softly and grins widely when your mouth moves to chase his making the love he holds in his body for you swell to consume him. He then pulls you back in for another kiss and whispers the confession between each kiss he gives you.

You’re giggling happily and adoringly as you try to pull away from him so that you can give him his gift before you give up and press the present into his chest before kissing him once again.

”I love you too.” You whisper against his mouth and Hyunjin practically beams at you before he pulls away and looks down at the gift in his hands. Quickly opening it his eyes widen as surprise and adoration fills him. He looks up at you with wide love filled eyes before he grabs onto your face and pulls you in for another deep loving kiss that he doesn’t let you up from for a few breathless moments.

SKZ Taglist: @intartaruginha, @kayleefriedchicken

[pickingupmymercedes]

Dynasty - Lewis Hamilton

Part of 1K Jukebox Event

song: Dynasty - MIIA - @palefacestudentlove

pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Reader!

genre: pure angst (warning that this does not have a happy ending)

wordcount: +2k

As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!

______________________________________________________________

It was one of those days when time seemed to stretch between nothing in particular. The house was still, unusually quiet, with Roscoe snoozing in his favorite spot by the door, the occasional twitch of his paws the only indication that he wasn’t completely lost to his dreams.

Lewis sat at the kitchen table, staring into his half-empty cup of tea, the steam curling up and disappearing into the air as the minutes ticked by.

His thoughts were far away, lost in what would be his next days.

The ringing from the front door pulled him from his reverie. Not loud, not urgent—just a casual, familiar sound that broke the stillness.

Lewis sighed, placing the mug on the table and heading for the door. His mind hadn’t been on anything in particular, just drifting between the silence and the weight of things unsaid.

He hadn’t expected company today. And when he opened the door, he was met with a familiar face.

“Hey” he greeted, a small smile pulling at his lips as he stepped back to let his old friend in.

Timmy strolled inside with an easy grin; his presence as familiar as the slow creak of the front door.

They had known each other for years, friends from way back when his life was the mix of race tracks and unknown clubs.

“Thought I’d drop by. Figured we could go through some of those photos from the past season?” Timmy said, shrugging off his jacket as he stepped into the living room, eyes scanning the familiar space.

Lewis nodded, following him inside. “Yeah, sure, it’s good timing”

They settled into the living room, the leather couches like feather under their weight. The easy banter came naturally—talk of races, life, of everything and nothing at all.

But there was something in Timmy's tone, a subtle undercurrent that Lewis couldn't quite place, something just beneath the surface.

After a while, the friend leaned forward, his tone shifting slightly. “Hm, I don’t know how to bring this up, but I saw Y/n a few days ago…”

Lewis watched as he reached into his bag, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out a small, unassuming box. Wrapped in a few faded Polaroids, the edges slightly worn, like they’d been handled more times than they should have.

He held it out toward Lewis with a casual shrug.

“Y/n wanted me to give this back to you.”

The world seemed to tilt, just for a second. Lewis’s easy expression faltered, his eyes locking onto the box as though it held something dangerous, fragile.

For a moment, he didn’t move, didn’t reach out to take it. The box sat there in the sofa, small and insignificant—except it wasn’t.

Timmy, still oblivious to the shift in the room, nudged out a little further. “She said you should have it. Didn’t tell me what it was, though.”

Lewis’s hand finally moved, slowly reaching out to take the box. His fingers brushed the Polaroids first, and the memories hit him like a tidal wave—soft, distant moments, snapshots of a life he’d once shared with her.

His hand tightened around the box, and he pulled it toward him, staring at the faded photographs for a long moment. He recognized them instantly.

They were from a time when everything had felt so easy, so simple.

Y/n’s laugh, captured in a candid moment, the two of them grinning into the camera like nothing else in the world existed. His arm slung over her shoulder, her head tilted back in laughter, both of them wrapped in the kind of love that seemed untouchable, unbreakable.

Except it hadn’t only broken. It had shattered.

“Thanks” Lewis murmured; his voice quieter than it had been before.

He set the box down on the coffee table in front of him, his eyes lingering on it as if it might vanish if he looked away.

He didn’t open it right away. He couldn’t. Letting his gaze drift back to the Polaroids, his fingers tracing the edges of the pictures, as if he could somehow hold onto the memories they represented.

And then he was back there—in the kitchen, standing across from Y/n as the silence between them grew unbearable

Neither of them spoke at first. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the distant hum of traffic outside and the ticking of the clock on the wall. The kind of silence that wasn’t just the absence of sound, but the weight of everything left unsaid.

A silence that said more than everything they had screamed at each other.

Y/n shifted slightly, her grip tightening on the kitchen counter, her body tense and coiled like a spring ready to snap. Her eyes were hard, unyielding, as they flickered over to him, as though she was waiting for him to speak, to say something that would change everything.

But he didn’t. Lewis’s shoulders were drawn up tight, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His mouth opened for a moment, but whatever words he had died before they could take shape.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low, controlled, but there was an edge that cut through the air like glass. “That’s it, then?”

Lewis’s eyes met hers for the briefest of moments before they darted away again, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture that was almost involuntary. There was no mistaking the tension in his frame, the frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

He still didn’t answer.

Y/n’s jaw clenched, the words sticking in her throat for a second before they pushed past her lips. “You’re just… giving up?”

Lewis exhaled sharply, his hand dropping to his side. “I’m not—” He cut himself off, his voice strained. His hand reached out, then fell back, like he couldn’t decide whether to reach for her or pull away entirely. “What do you want me to do?”

The question hung in the air between them. Damning.

Y/n’s posture stiffened, her eyes narrowing slightly. The sunlight streaming through the window cast a faint glow around her, but there was nothing warm in the way she held herself now. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her hands finally letting go of the counter, leaving behind faint moist imprints where her fingers had gripped too hard.

“I thought we—” Her voice broke, just for a second, before she caught herself. “I thought we were for real”

Lewis’s head dipped slightly, his shoulders slumping as though the weight of her words had hit him like a physical blow.

He took a step toward her, then stopped, his hand hovering in the space between them, uncertain. His eyes searched hers, but there was something distant in his gaze, something closed off.

“We were. We are.” he muttered, but the conviction wasn’t there.

Y/n’s eyes flashed, her finger twisting into fists at her sides. “What happened? What’s changed?”

Her voice rose, sharp and biting, the calm control she had been clinging to finally slipping. The crack in her composure was subtle but unmistakable.

She took a step forward, closing the distance between them, but the space between them felt like an ocean. Lewis didn’t move. His feet stayed rooted to the floor, his arms hanging limply at his sides now, as though he had already lost the will to fight.

“I don’t…” Lewis started, his voice trailing off as he turned his head slightly, staring out the window, avoiding her eyes.

Y/n’s breathing was shallow, her chest rising with barely contained frustration. She stood there, waiting, watching him.

“This isn’t just…” Y/n shook her head, her voice quieter now, but no less intense. “You can’t just walk away and expect things to work.”

“I’m not…” Lewis interjected, his voice rough, like he was trying to hold onto something that was slipping from his grasp.

“Then what are you doing?” Y/n’s words came out sharp, slicing through the air between them. Her hands rose, gesturing to the space around them, to the life they had built, the history they shared. “Because from here it sure as hell feels like you gave up.”

Lewis’s jaw clenched, his hands flexing at his sides as he finally looked back at her, his expression tight, pained. “I’m trying” he said, but the words sounded hollow, empty, like he didn’t even believe them himself.

Y/n stared at him, the disbelief clear in her eyes, and for a moment, her body seemed to go still, like she had been shot and was in shock at the bullet.

She took a step back, her arms crossing over her chest, not in anger but in some futile attempt to shield herself from the weight of the truth.

“If this is what you call trying…” she trailed off, shaking her head again. “There’s nothing left for us, Lewis.”

The words hung in the air, heavy. Final.

Lewis took a step toward her, his hand outstretched as if he wanted to reach for her, to hold onto something, anything. But he stopped himself. His hand fell to his side, and he watched her take another step back, the distance between them growing.

Y/n’s eyes flickered toward him, and there was a moment—just a fleeting moment—where something like doubts passed through her expression, a flash of what might have been.

But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a cold, hard resolve. She stood a little straighter, her shoulders squaring as she turned away from him.

Lewis’s breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t respond. He couldn’t.

He just stood there, frozen in place as she walked away, her footsteps echoing softly in the quiet house. He wanted to call after her, to stop her, but he didn’t. His feet stayed rooted to the floor, his hands hanging uselessly at his sides.

She paused at the doorway, her hand resting on the frame for just a moment, her back to him. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows across the floor. But she didn’t look back, didn’t give him one last glance.

And then she was gone.

“She’s doing well, though,” Timmy said, bringing Lewis back, his tone casual but with an edge of awkwardness, like he had watched the scene in Lewis’s memory from his own fixed eyes. “Seems really happy.”

Lewis didn’t respond right away. His gaze remained on the box, on the Polaroids. His fingers brushed the corner of the box as he finally lifted it from the table and turned it over in his hands, slowly opening it.

Inside, nestled in the soft velvet lining, was the engagement ring. The one he had custom-made for her.

The one she had never returned.

He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He just stared at it, the weight of it hitting him all at once, again. It was like a punch to the gut, a sudden, sharp reminder of everything he had lost.

Timmy, still unaware of the significance of the box, glanced over at him. “What is it?”

Lewis closed the lid gently, his hand shaking just slightly as he looked at it. His voice was low, almost a whisper. “It’s… it’s nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing. It was his everything. Once.

Timmy, sensing the shift but not fully understanding it, nodded slowly, leaning back again. “I hadn’t seen her in a while,” he said, his voice filling the silence. “She seems to be in a good place, though. Heard she’s doing some big things now.”

Lewis nodded absently, his mind clearly elsewhere. His thumb brushing over the top of the velvet as if the motion could somehow soothe the ache in his chest.

He hadn’t realized how much it would hurt to see that ring again. To know that she had held onto it all these years and then, let it go.

“She deserves it,” Lewis said quietly, his voice barely audible. “She deserves to be happy.”

There was a pause, a silence that stretched between them, heavy with everything unspoken.

“You guys never really talked after, huh?” Timmy asked, his tone soft now, more careful.

Lewis shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the box. “No. We didn’t.”

And that was the truth. They hadn’t spoken after it ended. She had made it a clean break, and he had respected that.

But a part of him had always wondered, always hoped even… because she had never given the ring back. And that small, irrational part of him had clung to that, to the possibility that she had held onto it for a reason.

But sitting there, with the ring back in his possession, he realized how foolish he had been. It didn’t change anything.

“I thought…” Lewis started, then stopped, his voice catching in his throat. He paused, swallowing thickly before trying again. “I thought when she didn’t give it back, maybe… I don’t know. Maybe it meant something.”

He let out a breath, shaking his head at himself. “But it doesn’t matter now. She’s moved on. And I’m happy for her. I really am.”

Timmy studied him, the weight of his friend’s words sinking in. “You’re really happy for her?”

Lewis nodded, but the smile that tugged at his lips was sad, a little broken. “Yeah. I am.”

But the way he held the box, the way his fingers brushed over the velvet surface, said more than his words ever could.

There was a lingering pain there, a regret that hadn’t quite healed, even after all this time.

“I was stupid,” Lewis said after a long moment, his voice softer now, more introspective. “Back then. I didn’t realize what I had until it was gone.”

Timmy was quiet, letting the words hang in the air between them.

“I thought I had all the time in the world,” Lewis continued, his gaze distant, lost in the past. “I thought I could fix it. Fix us.”

The silence settled again, heavier this time. Sometimes, there were no words.

“You think you’d do things differently now?” Timmy asked after a while, his voice gentle.

Lewis let out a breath that felt like it had been held in for too long. “I’d like to think so.”

He looked down at the box again, his fingers still tracing the edges of it.

“But that’s the thing,” Lewis said, his voice barely above a whisper now. “You don’t get to go back.”

The scar that couldn’t be reversed as Lewis stared at the last piece of his broken heart, finally returned to him after all these years.

______________________________________________________________

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[cutielando]

we can’t be friends, part 2 | l.n.

synopsis: in which Lando is conflicted

part 1

my masterlist

Lando had never before considered himself a “lucky” man. He was always of the belief that things just kind of…happened.

But when he saw you in the paddock on that one particular day, after months of being away from you and only watching you from afar, he thanked his lucky stars.

That was part of the reason why he couldn’t resist coming up to you, introducing himself with only one thought in mind: I need to get her back.

You hadn’t known why the feeling of his hand in yours felt familiar when you shook his hand, why the tone of his voice made tingles arise on your delicate skin, or why his smile and dimple seemed like something you had seen before, seemingly in another life.

Something in your gut was telling you that you had met him sometime before, but you just couldn’t figure out where you knew him from.

Which Lando was grateful for.

He had realized he hadn’t been a good boyfriend to you before, he could see his mistakes and what he should improve now. He knew what he had to do.

After the fateful meeting in the paddock, you started bumping into him more and more. 

At the grocery store in Monaco, at the museum where you were strolling with your sister, at the hair salon, at the nail salon, he seemed to be everywhere.

You didn’t think anything about it at first, telling yourself that Monaco was a very small place and coincidences were bound to happen.

But you gradually began to feel like it was not the case, and you settled for confronting him to get to the bottom of the problem.

“You’re following me” you had caught him yet again, seemingly trailing around the flower shop where you usually spend your mornings.

Lando’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing before he settled for shaking his head.

“Bumping into me once or twice is a normal coincidence, but you’re everywhere I go. I turn around and you’re there, like a ghost. Can you please tell me what’s going on? You’re starting to creep me out” you said, making sure to keep your distance from him.

Lando’s heart began hammering in his chest, panic quickly settling in his body.

This was not how it was supposed to go down. You were meant to find it cute, endearing even, but he couldn’t have you thinking that he was a weirdo, not when he was desperately trying to make you fall in love with him once again.

How was he supposed to win you back if you thought he was a total creep?

“I’m not trying to be creepy, I promise. I just didn’t know how to approach you without being awkward” he tried to explain, realizing he sounded even more like a creep.

You cocked an eyebrow. “And you figured following me around was the solution?” you had to admit that seeing him flustered and trying to explain himself was becoming funny to you, any trace of annoyance long gone.

You couldn’t describe the feelings you had whenever you were around Lando. There was a foreign sense of familiarity every time you would talk to him and whenever you would be near him. Like your body was already used to being around him.

“No, no. God, this is so not how I wanted this to go down” he murmured the last part to himself, but you heard him nonetheless.

“Look, as much as I might find this stalking of yours kinda cute in some twisted way, what’s really going on here?” you asked, crossing your arms one on top of the other.

He sighed, hanging his head low. Should he just be honest about why he was following you? Tell you about everything you had done so much just to forget? Should he just lie and truly start from scratch? 

There were so many questions clouding his judgment, dozens of ideas and excuses floating around in his brain.

But in the end, he decided that wiping the slate clean was his best bet. You would never agree to go out with him if he even mentioned how your previous relationship had ended, that he had hurt you so much that you chose to completely forget everything about him and your relationship.

He didn’t want to risk a new beginning by plaguing it with events from the past.

“Okay. Truth is, I really like you, and I wanted to ask you out but couldn’t seem to find the words to do it. You’re gorgeous and kind and nice and I didn’t think you would want to go out with me, given what the internet has been saying about me” he confessed, scratching the back of his head in fear of what your reaction would be.

Once upon a time, he could read you like the back of his hand, knowing your every little tic and every tell. He knew every single thing there was to know about you, but as you stood there in front of him, he felt like he didn’t know you.

Even while you smiled at him with that same smile he had come to love over time, you were not the person he had left behind. You were someone else entirely, only the memory of you hiding behind your eyes. But was it wrong that it intrigued him? That it made him want to get to know you again so badly?

Maybe. But he didn’t want to resist it any longer.

Finally looking up at your eyes, his heart skipped a beat when he noticed the smile he loved vibrantly shining on your face, a sense of familiarity filling his chest.

“I don’t care what the internet says about you, I want to get to know the real you. People can have their opinions of you, I want to have my own” you said, stepping closer to him.

Lando felt like he couldn’t breathe. Having you so close to him after so much time apart made him want to lose his composure and just kiss the life out of you, but he couldn’t.

No, he wanted to do it right. He couldn’t afford to mess it up again. 

“What are you saying?” he asked, wanting to make sure he wouldn’t misinterpret anything.

“I’m saying that you should give me your number” you said, trying to suppress the smile that was inching towards your lips.

You didn’t know why you were acting like this. Accepting to go on a date with a guy that basically followed you around, asking him for his number? You were never that irresponsible when it came to dating, so why was he so different right now?

You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but there was something deep within you which was screaming at you to trust him. There was that sense of comfort that you felt whenever you were around him ever since the two of you bumped into each other, but you didn’t know where it was coming from. How could you feel so at ease with someone you had just met?

It was weird, definitely worrisome if you were being truthful with yourself. But then again, what harm could it do?

Lando had never taken out his phone as fast as he did in that moment, almost dropping it in the process, which made you laugh a little.

Seeing him so flustered made him blush, almost embarrassed that he couldn’t keep his act together. 

He gave you the phone in the end, and you put in your number and the name y/n💕, giving him the phone back and leaving, kissing his cheek as you passed by him.

Lando felt like he was dreaming as he felt your lips touch his skin, however briefly the contact had been. And unbeknownst to you, you were biting your lip and blushing as you walked away from him, eagerly waiting to get a text from him. 

And thankfully, it was merely an hour later when your phone dinged, and the butterflies started acting up once again.

♡♡♡♡♡

The moment of your first date with Lando had arrived after texting back and forth for a couple of days, and it was safe to say that the both of you were freaking out. 

You, on one hand, were freaking out because it felt like you hadn’t been this excited about going on a date in forever. Lando, on the other hand, was freaking out over wanting to make sure he didn’t screw things up the second time around. 

The nerves that he felt as he waited in front of your apartment building were nothing like he ever felt before. He hadn’t even been this nervous when you two went out the first time all those years back. But as he stood there, flowers in hand and yet another gift in his pocket, he couldn’t stop fidgeting.

That was until you finally appeared, dressed in his favorite dress of yours, sandals and curly hair, smiling from ear to ear when you saw him waiting for you.

“Sorry I’m late, couldn’t decide what to wear. Have you been waiting long?

Lando’s brain froze for a split second. Had he been waiting there so long that he didn’t even notice you had been late? Taking a quick peek at the watch resting on his left wrist, he realized he had been standing in front of your building for more than 20 minutes.

“Um, no. Just got here like 5 minutes ago” he lied, content when he saw the relieved smile you gave him. “These are for you” he said, holding out the flowers towards you. 

You took the bouquet from him, blushing once you noticed that he had bought you your favorite flowers.

“How did you know these are my favorites?” you asked, bringing the flowers up to your nose and inhaling the sweet aroma.

He shrugged, and left it at that. He couldn’t really tell you how he knew they were your favorite, so he figured he shouldn’t say anything else.

The night went by beautifully, the conversation flowing as if you had known each other your whole lives. The laughter you shared was natural, you felt so at ease while talking to him.

As the end of the night grew closer, you were walking hand-in-hand through the quiet streets of Monaco, a comfortable silence between the two of you. You had never felt at ease with anyone else in your entire life, yet here you were, feeling more at home with Lando than any other person in your life besides your family.

“Thank you for tonight” you said, smiling sadly once you arrived in front of your building. 

Lando smiled, stepping closer to you.

“It was my pleasure” he whispered, the distance between the two of you almost non-existent.

He looked you in the eyes as if he was asking for permission, and the second you nodded he leaned in and kissed you with everything that he had, making your knees go weak and almost buckle.

You quickly wrapped your arms around his neck and started playing with the hair at the back of his head, almost accidentally letting out a moan at how good his lips felt on yours. Every inch of your body was on fire, your senses tingling as you got lost in the feeling of Lando.

Lando, on the other hand, felt a mixture of emotions. Even though he had been waiting for this moment for so many months, he felt guilty. There he was, using the fact that you had no memory of your past relationship to win you back. Was he being selfish?

Should he tell you the truth about the past?

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[goldenroutledge]

intimidated

pairing: jj maybank x kook!reader

word count: 5.3k

summary: you’re there for jj when it matters most. (inspired by this post)

warning(s): sprinkles of angst, but fluffy in the end.

a/n: the song i had in mind while writing this was intimidated by kaytranada & h.e.r <3

jj maybank masterlist

© goldenroutledge || do not plagiarize, repost, or translate my work in any way

JJ Maybank didn’t need handouts. As he told it, his independence was his most valuable asset. It’s what made him a pogue through and through. “Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish?”— An Epictetus quote JJ scribbled down, bored as ever in his freshman English class. His life motto condensed into twelve simple words, whether his newfound ‘freedom’ was out of his control or not. Either way, he played the cards he was dealt.

His friends— no, scratch that— his family, were his escape to comfort. A soft, pillowy landing from the nose dive that was his life. A foreign concept to him until he met John B, then Pope, then Kiara, then you. A refuge of safety, ironically enough, given the many times you all had looked death in the face.

Even though the pogues had already started wearing matching friendship bracelets that Kiara made by the time you came along, it was a smooth transition when you were welcomed into the group with open arms. By some more than others at first, given your kook status. But just as they’d embraced Kie, your initiation into the group was no different.

While it took time for JJ in particular to come around, his reservations were understandable. At first, you gave him his space and he gave you yours. Always letting him set the tone and lead the way.

As time went on, JJ soon decided he wouldn’t mind having you around him all the time, there was no going back. JJ loved to the point of no return, and it was incomparable to anything— or how anyone else could ever make you feel.

At times, he felt like that was all he had to offer. Nothing but fierce loyalty and protection over the ones he loves most. But you. To JJ, you were the fine line between hideaway and heaven itself. Even if he thought he may not end up there, he was sure that it would be you he’d meet at heaven’s gates.

Amongst any conflict or tension within the group, you always provided a safe haven for him to retreat to, though he had difficulty admitting it. In a way you had a solution for everything. Keeping tensions low and spirits high in the process. You were the original peacemaker of the group, before his precious gun came along.

Right now, it was almost all he could think about while he sat there, beer in hand, listening to John B and Sarah argue in the distance. How he wishes you were here, to ease his nerves and settle the anxiety simmering in his chest.

JJ hated this. He hated that nobody seemed to get along anymore. With all that was going on with the others, he wouldn’t even think to mention his problems. The looming eviction notice on his house, one of few things he had left on this island. While everyone’s lives continued to progress, JJ’s was at a standstill. No job, no parents, and now his friend group was falling apart at the seams. And with everyone else occupied these days, he was alone.

JJ, selfless as usual, would hate to bother you, no matter how badly he wanted to. He knew you’d have some inspirational shit to say to him. Though he’d poked fun at it sometimes, he’d never needed anything more right now.

The sound of footsteps came before JJ saw them, watching Sarah storm off and away from John B as he stood there, tense and silent.

JJ could be hot headed at times, that was no secret. He could understand his friends' quarrels to an extent. But he couldn’t look past the fact that you all were supposed to be sticking together, especially right now. When he said that nothing good could happen once you all returned to Kildare, he knew he was right. Call it a gut feeling.

-

Naturally, Sarah told you everything. Confidant, mom-friend, advisor— all titles bestowed upon you by your close group of friends over the years. You’d always tried to be as neutral as possible in times of conflict. Though in matters of the heart it was nearly impossible.

Days after her fight with John B, she found herself laying on your bed, venting all of her bottled up frustrations about him and the state of their relationship.

“I’m a mess, Y/n. I feel like such a mess.”

You looked at her sympathetically, knowing there wasn’t much you could do. Just listen, just be there in her time of need.

“So, I took my bag from the Chateau and I left. Kie’s parents told me I couldn’t stay, then I went to JJ’s and he wasn’t home. He’s working at Guffy’s again last I heard.”

You briefly glanced up at the mention of JJ’s name— and it didn’t go unnoticed by Sarah. Instead of divulging about it, she continued her rant.

“Then I was just wandering around, because it’s not like I had anything better to do. And who sees me drinking at Tiki Bar? Topper.”

“Topper?”

“Topper.”

You internally cringed at the mention of the Thornton boy. He was always nice when you saw him, nothing bad nor good to say about him. But you knew deep down he was Sarah’s achilles heel. He reminded her of everything she once had, the person she once was. Lately, you couldn’t help but crave some normalcy too.

“So.. what happened?”

She sighs heavily, dropping her hand across her eyes. “We went to Mase.”

“Alone?”

“We went with some people from KDC. The old crew, Kelce, Phoebe…”

“Is that it?”

“We made out.”

Sarah squeezed her eyes shut in fear of your reaction, knowing it’d probably show on your face before anything.

“Oh.” You swallowed back any judgment you might’ve had, compartmentalizing your love for John B and choosing to hear Sarah out. “And how do you feel about it?”

“Awful. I mean Topper has been so good to me lately with everything going on, he’s always there to pick up the pieces and I just feel bad. It was a mistake.”

“It can’t happen again, y’know. Not if you want to work it out with John B.”

“I do, I wanna work it out with him.” She urged. “And then the next morning we had breakfast. Kie came into the restaurant and saw us together and I think she got the wrong message. She said she’s staying out of it but I can tell what she’s thinking.” Sarah takes a deep inhale, and a deep exhale to follow. “What do I do, Y/n?”

It still baffles you at times that you’ve become the voice of reason. You hope Sarah doesn’t notice that you feel uneasy about the whole thing. “Just… be honest. Don’t let John B find out from anyone other than you. He’s gonna be upset but he has a right to be.”

The blonde sits up, crawls over to you and envelopes you into her arms. “Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

-

Sun reflected brightly off the boats docked at the marina, the two smoothie cups in your hand sweating from the sweltering heat. Your family's boat was kept here at Guffy’s; particularly when your parents weren’t in town to cruise around the island and daydrink with their kook friends.

At least you had an alibi, just in case you happened to run into JJ. The two medium strawberry banana smoothies you carried might need some explanation, though.

Ever since you all had made it back to the island, JJ had been hard to track down. He was rarely in one place for too long. So where else better to catch him than at work?

“Y/n? How are you doing today?” Billy questions from a distance away, putting on his friendliest smile for the daughter of his best clients.

“Can’t complain. Happy to be back.”

“And it’s good to have you back. Everything alright with the boat?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine, I just realized I left behind my favorite sunglasses.” You explained, hoping your excuse sounded authentic enough.

“Alright. You take care, now.”

“Actually… I was wondering is JJ around?”

“Maybank? He was here a few days ago.”

“Hm, I could’ve sworn he was working today.”

Billy sighs, eyebrows furrowing. “Listen, Ms. Y/l/n, I know you want to advocate for your boyfriend and all but JJ can’t work here.”

Confusion spread through your features this time as you genuinely had no idea what the man was getting at. You chose to not correct him when he’d mistaken you for JJ’s girlfriend.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good kid. I know he wants the job back but Guffy put a pin in it. I’m sorry. Really not much I can do.”

You forced a polite smile on your face as the dots connected, remembering the melting smoothie you held in your left hand while your half-finished one remained in your right. The two of you exchanged brief goodbyes before you quickly left the marina.

If JJ really hadn’t been working at Guffy’s again, where the hell was he? His act of disappearing was unmatched, but so was your skill of guessing.

If a game of hide-n-seek is what he wanted, a game of hide-n-seek is what he will get.

-

Grass brushed against your ankles as you approached JJ’s home, your steps careful as you looked around for him.

Going to JJ’s home was forbidden. When Luke was around, that is. He was a phantom— an ugly, dark presence looming over the quaint home that would otherwise feel serene. The chirping birds in the trees couldn’t tell the difference.

You haven't been here many times. The times you had been here weren’t anything you nor JJ wanted to remember. The feeling of uncertainty creeped into your mind from your past visits. You never knew what to expect.

To your left, there was a beautiful, never-ending view of the water past the grass of the Maybank’s yard. You hadn’t noticed that before. This spot had probably seen some beautiful sunsets. In a moment of imagination, you almost pictured sitting there with JJ on the plush green, hand in hand, watching the warm hues of the sky melt into a dark night.

The caution tape wrapping around the wood of the house caught your interest as you made your way onto the porch, also noticing the eviction letter left on the door, moving closer for a better look.

“Y/n?”

JJ called out, appearing from around the corner of his home, startling you out of concentration as you re-read the notice again and again.

As if you didn’t come over to finally see him in the first place. Though you couldn’t speak— for once unsure of what to say. ‘Sorry you’re getting evicted?’, it just didn’t sound right. Then again it might’ve been better than standing frozen and staring at him, silently, like you were doing.

“What are you doing here?”

“I- um…. I brought you a smoothie.”

You held out the cup, approaching him and handing it to him. He stood there dumbfounded, eyebrows furrowed. His lips eventually pursed into a smile as a way to say thank you. This wasn’t the relaxed JJ you were accustomed to; nonetheless he was still the JJ you loved.

“Why are you here?”

“I told you. The smoothie.”

“You came all the way out here from your mansion on Figure 8 to bring me a smoothie?”

“What?” You scoffed, his tone dictating where the conversation was headed. Most likely nowhere.

“Go back to reading by your pool or something. You shouldn’t be here.”

“I haven’t heard from you in days, JJ. I’m just checking up on you.”

“So what? You touring around the Cut now? Delivering smoothies to lost pogues? Is Heyward’s your next stop?”

He resumed tinkering with his bike, and from the looks of it he was working rather aggressively— desperate to distract himself from the conversation at hand.

“I miss my best friend. Am I not allowed to miss you anymore? I mean it’s not like we were stranded on an island together… not knowing whether we would live or die!”

“Well, we’re not exactly a big happy family right now. You should know that.”

“Yeah. John B and Sarah are on some kind of break. But that doesn’t mean I can’t see you, that doesn’t have anything to do with us. I thought we were past the whole picking sides thing.”

“I’ve been busy.” JJ shrugs.

“Busy working? At the job you lied about having?”

His eyes snapped to yours immediately. Your heart clenched as soon as the words left your mouth, you didn’t mean to go too far. But at least you had his attention.

“What, are you stalking me now? Or did you hire a P.I. to figure that out?”

“Hilarious, JJ. I was at the marina earlier to grab something off my boat. Actually hoping I would run into you but, whatever.”

“Yeah. Whatever.”

A few moments of awkward silence lingered between the two of you, as you kicked a pebble around with your foot.

“I know you don’t owe me anything… but you could’ve just told me.”

He paused his movements, thinking about how he was going to respond.

“Tell you what? That I prefer mixed berry over strawberry banana?” He jested, smiling to himself.

“I’m not talking about the smoothie, idiot.”

His eyes drifted over to his home, knowing exactly what you were thinking, just afraid to acknowledge it.

“My problems aren’t your problems, Y/n.”

“And I know that. I just wanna help you, however you’ll let me.”

“Well, you can help me by not helping me. I’ll figure it out. Always do.”

“All I’m saying is you don’t have to figure it out alone. I’m here.”

At that, he dropped his tools, running tense hands through his hair. “But you aren’t here! You don’t have to live like this and you should be glad that you don’t!”

He raised his voice at you, frustrated. JJ was never good at putting his feelings into words, especially when it came to actually expressing them.

He didn’t know how he could tell you about everything. The worst day he’s ever had, the lowest he’s ever been. He couldn’t see a way in which he could tell you all of it and carry on the same. You were always a constant in his life. He needed it to stay that way, by any means necessary.

“That doesn’t make sense, JJ. What’s the point of having anything nice if I can’t share it with the people I love?”

The both of you were taken aback at what your explanation implied. In actuality, it took all of your power not to say those three words to him outright. But you couldn’t, not like this.

“You don’t have to pretend to care that much. I’m sure you can find another community service project to focus on.”

“Community service?” You chuckled emptily, baffled at his ridiculousness, though deep down you knew this was how he dealt with things. He simply didn’t know anything other than defensiveness. “That’s what you think this is?”

JJ closed his eyes in exasperation, wishing this conversation away. He could hear it in your voice, your feelings were hurt. Maybe not as bad as when your 8th grade crush asked someone else to the Valentine’s dance— but even a little was too much.

“If you’re gonna reduce our decade of friendship to me doing charity work, I guess there’s no changing your mind. I’m just wasting my breath.”

The words were stuck in his throat. He wanted to apologize instantly, but now he wasn’t sure if his apologies were something you’d wanna hear at the moment. He wasn’t sure if you’d believe him.

For all the disingenuous apologies he’d accepted over the years, he’d hate to put you on the receiving end of one. Even if his heart truly was in the right place, JJ couldn’t muster up the courage to show it.

“You don’t have to antagonize me. Because everything you’re blaming me for, it isn’t my fault. Just like this isn’t your fault either.” You gestured to the eviction notice at his door.

“Yeah.” He mumbled. “You’re right.”

“Say what you want about me, but I just wanna know that you’re okay. And if it’s an apology you’re looking for, you’re not gonna get it. I’ll never apologize for that.”

He nodded, unsure of what else to say. All he could do was try to understand.

Realizing he had no further comments, you turned your back to leave.

“Will I see you at the Chateau tomorrow?” You asked over your shoulder, hope remaining in your voice despite the uneasiness that remained between you two.

“Don’t count on it.”

“Alright, well… bye.”

JJ waves, before muttering a monotone ‘thanks for the smoothie’ as he watches you go.

-

Since returning to the island, it was an unspoken thing that you all were to meet up at the Chateau at some point. And with all the new developments in your lives lately, these meetings were much needed.

Pope handed you a beer as he came into John B’s living room, opening one of his own as he sat down beside you.

John B and Sarah seemed to be laying low, but it was clear they were back together or had come to some sort of resolution.

Kiara was going on about how much shit her parents had been giving her lately. They’d been hovering— watching over their daughter’s every move from the moment she set foot on the island again.

Pope told the group about how Cleo had won over Heywar in record time, much faster than John B or JJ. Pope’s parents simply wanted the best for him, and knew that the danger and mischief his friends came with couldn’t be productive.

“We’ve been best friends for what…? 13 years?” John B recalls. “And your dad can hardly stand the sight of me but Cleo won him over in a few minutes? How?”

“Are you surprised?”

“Not at all.” John B holds his hands up in surrender to Cleo, Pope smirking beside her as he witnesses the interaction. “Just confused.”

“I have many superpowers, John.”

“Apparently! Winning over Heyward is like, unheard of in this group. At least for JJ and me.” John B explains, sipping his beer.

“Speaking of, where’s he at?”

At the shift in conversation, you can feel several pairs of eyes fall upon you. All you can do is act as normal as possible, tipping off any of your friends always ends badly in the case of keeping a secret. Until the cat’s out of the bag, your friends will make it their personal mission to reveal whatever it is you’re hiding.

You raised your eyebrows, pretending to only catch onto their stares moments later. “Why’re you looking at me?”

“No reason. It’s not like you guys are secretly together or anything.” Pope mutters under his breath, catching a glare from you at his false claim.

“We’re not. I wouldn’t know where he is.”

John B hisses, pretending to shiver. “Is it a little chilly in here? Or is that just Y/n’s cold shoulder?”

You roll your eyes, further proving his point until Sarah chimes in, pondering if she should speak up about what she knows.

“I actually stopped by JJ’s the other day. He.. wasn’t home.”

“Oh yeah, didn’t he go fishing? Probably not back yet.” John B remembers.

“I don’t think he’ll be going home anytime soon.”

At this your eyes meet Sarah’s hazel ones, full of hesitation. You shoot her a look of ‘whatever you’re about to say, don’t’, and you hope she is wise enough to pick up on it.

“Why is that?” Kiara questions, confused.

“He got evicted.” Sarah blurts, regret spreading through her expression as she sees you react; you don’t react. And that slightly terrifies her.

“Really?” Pope asks in disbelief, though not too surprised. More so disappointed that his best friend had to endure this, silently at that.

“Yeah. When was the last time anyone’s heard from him?”

The group silently recollects for a few moments, Kie pulls out her phone to review her latest texts with the man in question.

Instead, you’re wondering how the hell Sarah even knew about this to begin with. How long could she know about this and just stay silent? Forget not telling the group, how long could she keep this from you? How could she not help her friend who was clearly in need of support?

“How long have you known?”

Sarah appears confused, wondering where your line of questioning is coming from.

“I- uh. After John B and I fought I went there, remember Y/n? I was hoping I could stay but he wasn’t home. That’s when I saw the eviction notice.”

“And you waited, I don’t know, a week to bring that up?”

“Y/n, it’s not like I intentionally kept this from you, okay? We know how protective you are over JJ.”

Her words strike a cord within you, already on edge regarding JJ Maybank because of your argument with him the day prior. It was still a sore subject, even more so made by having no one to confide in about it.

“It’s not about that, Sarah. You didn’t even have to tell anyone at all but you didn’t think to maybe find out if he’s okay? At the very least?”

“I was a bit homeless at the time, Y/n, sorry about that.”

“Oh, right. You were too busy hooking up with Topper to care about the well-being of our best friend? Good to know the bare minimum is impossible for you.”

Sarah scoffs, John B shakes his head in exasperation. Kiara stays silent mostly, being no stranger to your and Sarah’s sister-like fights. She couldn’t even disagree with you, though with her parents keeping her on lockdown it was hard to do anything about it. She wasn’t in a place to have an opinion.

Pope and Cleo shared looks, communicating wordlessly as they had grown to do. Being away at Heyward’s kept them out of the loop quite a bit.

“JJ will figure it out, Y/n. Relax.” John B reassured. Though he was defending his girlfriend, now that they were in a ‘good place’ again, you felt anything but reassured at his carelessness around the subject. You’d think of all of you, John B would understand the most.

“Relax? Why should I relax if JJ is in trouble? If anything, you’re too relaxed!”

“I’m sorry you feel that way but you don’t have to take it out on Sarah, this isn’t even her fault! Not all of us want to fight your battles.”

“If you had any sense left you’d realize this isn’t about me. This is about our friend, who I thought we all cared about. At least enough to share this kind of news. We’re talking about his well-being here, I mean he’s losing the house he grew up in and nobody seems to care about that?”

“If he wanted us to know, he’d tell us.”

“Like he’s ever going to do that! You know better than anyway that he won’t!”

“It’s not my problem.”

“Mhm. It’s a shame JJ’s busy solving all of yours.”

“Y/n, please. Can we just have a chill night?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be his ‘best friend since the third grade?’ Because you don’t fucking act like it.” You huffed, standing up to get rid of your beer can. At this point you were rambling to yourself, more than okay with the group hearing what you really thought about them and their carelessness for the situation.

“Indeed. Which is why I don’t need to force him to tell me shit, okay?”

“Why are you such an asshole, John B?”

“Y/n, I just found my dad. So, excuse me if JJ’s living situation isn’t at the forefront of my mind.”

“I never said it had to be, but you’re acting like you don’t even care!”

“I do care! We all do!” John B shouts. “And maybe if you’d let up on him he’d actually come to you about this stuff!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying, maybe JJ would give you the love you so desperately crave if you weren’t fucking suffocating him.”

“John B!” Kiara warns.

Sarah held her face in her hands, knowing John B had crossed the line. Maybe he had one too many beers in his system. Either way, hell was about to break loose. And when it came to JJ, hell hath no fury like you did.

Your head felt like it was about to explode. How could your friends seem to be so comfortable with this? The same friends that claimed to leave no pogue behind, to never turn their back on one of their own.

If that was true, then what was this? From the looks of it, nobody even pretended to give a damn.

“You’re fucking terrible, John B. This isn’t even about me at all! You just can’t stop deflecting from what a shitty friend you are. I mean, JJ would die for literally every last one of you guys. And he almost did! On multiple occasions! But instead you’re gonna neglect the one person who's seen you through all your bullshit and as soon as it’s over you’re gonna pretend like nothing happened? Like the Earth is back on its axis? The world doesn’t fucking revolve around you, John B. That’s just not- that’s not something you do to someone you love.”

There wasn’t a need to announce your departure, as it was so quiet inside that you could hear your own breathing.

As hard as it was to fight with John B like that, you couldn’t deny the weight that had been lifted off your chest. Your spirit was lighter. It was therapeutic, really. So therapeutic you felt peaceful enough to go home and take the longest nap ever recorded, maybe in John B’s own hammock just to prove a point.

Entranced in your own thoughts, you didn’t even register JJ resting in the hammock himself, hands intertwined behind his head. Not asleep, but wondering what your next words will be. The walls of the Chateau were thin enough, echoes of your voices amplified by the open windows.

He wasn’t sure if you simply didn’t notice his presence or if you were flat out ignoring him, walking past like he was invisible. Testing the waters, he called out from behind you.

“I never really thanked you for the smoothie.”

You froze in your tracks, face heating up and muscles tensing at the thought of the argument he probably just heard and decided not to barge in on.

“It’s alright. Wasn’t looking for praise.”

JJ met you halfway, taking note of your tired eyes and your feet dragging against the grass.

“So, what? You’re picking fights for me now?”

“You heard?”

“I think Ward Cameron heard. All the way from Guadalupe.”

“Stop it.” You warned, cracking a smile for a split second. JJ was good at that. Making you smile no matter the circumstances. “I stand up against injustice. That’s all.”

“Then are you still mad at me?”

“About what?”

“Yesterday. The whole… note on door situation.”

“Could never be mad at you, JJ. Especially not about that.”

He softly smiles, one that you return. It’s been a long time since you’d shared a small moment like this. Too long.

He gestures for you to come closer and slide into his arms as he’d held them out for you, just like you belong there.

“I am sorry, though.” JJ mumbles the words softly, almost into the crook of your neck as if he was speaking to you and you only. “I know you’re just trying to stick around for me.”

“Yeah. Just trying to be wherever you are.”

“You don’t have to fight for me, y’know.” I’m already here. Though you may not have caught on instantly, nothing he’s ever said has made as much sense.

“Sorry, J. Sometimes I just feel like we don’t deserve you. Like I don’t deserve you.” You admitted sheepishly.

JJ scoffs, and you’re not sure why. He’s often sarcastic, but it’s hard to tell what he’s really thinking in these situations.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Y/n?”

Your eyes meet his, hesitation behind them.

“You’re the one who doesn’t deserve me? Is that a joke?”

You looked at him as if it were obvious, like the line had already been drawn in the sand. This fact had already been decided; there was no going back, not now, and not ever.

“I know I’m not the smartest person, okay, but you’re making no sense.”

“Come again?” You asked, equally as confused as he was. It was incredulous for anyone to believe JJ of all people wasn’t worth it— as if he wasn’t worth someone who would go to the ends of the Earth for him, someone who would defend him six ways to Sunday. There was no one in your life more deserving of such a thing.

“Listen, Y/n...”

“No! You listen. Nobody should treat you like that. Especially our friends! As if their problems are bigger than yours or something. It’s just fucked up for any one of them to act like they don’t care because I know deep down, they do. They care just like I do but they just suck at showing it. Mostly John B. He sucks the most. And I’m not exempt either, I mean I should’ve checked on you sooner-”

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda.” JJ interrupted, placing his hands on your shoulders. “Y/n, it’s okay. I don’t need anything.”

“I know that. I just want to love you. Because I really do. I really love you, JJ. Like bad. So bad that it’s probably sad at this point but I really don’t care anymore! Not about what John B has to say, not about anything, because I’ll never regret it. I’ll never wish that I didn’t love you.”

That stupid weight again, feeling as if it’s taking off like a rocketship and leaving your conscience for good. It makes you want to scream the words from the rooftops. Over and over and over again.

Confessing feels good, but kissing JJ feels damn euphoric. His lips are on yours before you can even register what’s happening, too busy being self-aware to realize the way his eyes turned glossy, or the way he’s gently got one hand on your waist and one hand caressing your cheek.

“He’s got it all wrong. I love you, too.” JJ confesses after pulling away from you, briefly taking his eyes off yours to glance at the Chateau. His head shakes as he says it, that starry glint in his eyes so undeniably present. “So bad.”

He earns a giggle out of you as he mocked your words to him just a few moments ago. But now, things were changing. He couldn’t stand before you and pretend he didn’t feel the way he did. Not anymore, not ever again.

Not after you’d shown your love for him so confidently to everybody, time and time again. JJ Maybank wasn’t sure about many things in life, but you weren’t one of them. This was surely the best decision he’d made in years.

“Come over.” You whine between kisses, breaking him out of his trance. If you let him, he’d kiss you forever, and it still wouldn’t be enough.

JJ raises his eyebrows, smirking.

“For dinner. We’re having sloppy joes.”

JJ, unresisting temptation, leans in again and moans against your lips dramatically. “What about dessert?”

You give his hair a tug and kiss the smirk off his face, whispering to him a secret.

“And maybe dessert.”

taglist: @ilovejjmaybank @missevi @nxsmss @cameronsrafe @msgorillagripcoochie @bibliophilewednesday @tovvaa @rudybarnes @annab-nana @reawritesthings @moniamaybank @outerbankspreferences @laneylaneylaney @jjpouggues @pogueslandia @mildkleptomaniac @whcclxr @mrs-cameron @it-was-never-meant-to-be-boys @alanniys @amourology @luversgirl + jj maybank taglist: @destourtereaux

[amyelevenn]

All I know is that you drove us off the road

PAIRING; Oscar Piastri x driver!reader

SUMMARY; Oscar insists on taking you to the airport after a race, but faces engine problems on the way there.

WARNINGS; none really - mainly fluff! maybe a car breaking down?

A/N; I really enjoyed writing this! let me know any thoughts and feelings are always appreciated!

1.8k words masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・✧・✫・゜・。.

.・。.・゜✭・✧・✫・゜・。.

“No, please. I can make my own way to the airport, Piastri,” you laugh, giving him a shit eating grin at his implication. “I can drive, ya know.”

It was the Monday after the Melbourne Grand Prix; it wasn’t a particularly notable race for either of you, despite you both finishing in point scoring positions. It wasn’t an overly entertaining race; no flags or spectacular overtakes from anyone in particular.

“You were drunk last night, not sure you should be driving,” he grinned, mischief dancing in his eyes.

A couple drinks were consumed the night before at a local bar Oscar’s friends had told you about. It wasn’t much, not overly busy on a random Sunday night in March. It allowed for some kind of anonymity, something that was quickly becoming a foreign concept to you.

You shove his shoulder, giggling as you feign anger. “I had two drinks! In what world does that classify as being drunk?”

Oscar rolls his eyes, shaking his head with a happy chuff. “Please, come to the airport with me. I’m going that way anyway!”

It’s hard not to deadpan at him; you may not have been a local, but you knew well enough that the Melbourne Airport wasn’t exactly near anything else. It was well over an hour from the city, where he was claiming to be headed.

“Osc, just accept the no,” you half beg, beginning to roll your suitcase away from him and towards where your team were gathered. You almost manage to take two steps before his hand wraps around your arm, pulling you back in his direction.

He had miscalculated how close you would end up being to him – you were mere inches away from his face, bodies all but pressed against each other.

“I insist. Let me take you to the airport, love,” he mutters, with an air of intimacy that came with the proximity.

You hadn’t realised you were holding your breath in anticipation until your body forced you to sigh. Finally, you give in to his insistence, silently nodding in acceptance. He takes a second, closely examining your face, before moving in the direction of his car. your face heats up ever so slightly, the butterflies fluttering in your stomach not something you were wanting to experience.

You are just friends, a little voice screams in the back of your mind. But the way he looks at you makes you wonder – what if there could be something more?

You were quick with your goodbyes to your team, informing them Oscar had pestered your walls down enough to convince you to ride with him. You comically exaggerate it as much as you can, making him into some sort of creepy guy who doesn’t leave you alone until you finally agree to go out with him. They all laugh, hard, which confuses you until a hand taps on your shoulder, revealing the man himself standing awkwardly behind you.

You excuse yourself from the group, laughter echoing behind you as you and Oscar walk away, his teasing grin matching your own.

“You really think I’m some annoying loser?” he teases, bumping his elbow into yours as you enter the hotel carpark. You barely even notice his hand resting softly on the small of your back as he guides you towards his car.

“Ha ha,” you sarcastically laugh, purposely losing all tone from your voice. He shakes his head as he silently giggles to himself, opening the passenger door for you. You thank him faintly, making a mental note of his little actions that have really established him at the respectful, gentlemanly one on the grid; and rightfully so.

Getting in himself, he revs the engine before pulling away from the crowded midday carpark. A soft silence envelops you, punctuated only by the gentle hum of the radio. It wasn’t uncomfortable, nor foreign, sitting in the quiet of each other’s presence. In fact, the tranquillity was a welcomed constant in your ever busy careers.

You had known Oscar for a couple years now, and he was one of the few drivers who actively went out of his way to maintain a positive relationship off the track, despite your lives depending on besting the other ever odd weekend.

As the car navigated the city’s complex grid, the beauty of Albert Park in autumn faded from view, leaving you in awe of the towering Melbournian metropolis—a testament to human ingenuity that always amazed you.

“You drove really well yesterday,” he gives, not necessarily trying to fill the comfortable silence.

“Thank you, Osc. It was certainly better than the crash I had in Bahrain!” you laugh, beginning to find it increasingly hard to ignore his constant glances over to you. “You drove a great race too! That overtake of Leclerc was really quite something.”

He sighs, dismissing the comment as if it meant nothing. He tried so hard to act nonchalant on the surface, but internally? He adored hearing any praise you had for him, even if it wasn’t directly from you, but instead Lando or the PR manager telling him you said ‘Osc is so beyond talented!’

It didn’t take much for you to compliment him, which was the best part; he was always doing something amazing that prompted telling him just how good he was, or how lucky he had gotten that day, or how cool his special livery looked.

Even it was miniscule, you always had a comment for him that would make his day.

You hadn’t even noticed the car slowing to a stop, pulling over on the side of some random suburban road until you were at a full stop, the engine beginning to smoke under the hood.

“Oscar what the hell have you done…” you raised an eyebrow, stifling a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

“Uh, I’m not sure but I reckon we should maybe get out of the car,” he stutters, pushing himself out of his side before opening the hood to assess the severity of the situation.

You shook your head in disbelief, a chuckle escaping your lips at the absurdity of your situation. Here you are, stuck on the side of the road, while a Formula 1 driver fumbles under the hood. Talk about irony.

It was difficult, watching him rattle around underneath the hood when he clearly had no expertise here and not laugh your ass off. “This feels like…some sort of karma for forcing me to ride with you. I thought you knew how to drive?” you finally laugh, the ludicrosity of it all hitting you like a brick wall.

You couldn’t help but chuckle as you watched him struggle – maybe he needed more than a racing licence to handle car troubles.

“Hey, i didn’t twist your arm to get in, love,” he huffs. “And I am an amazing driver, thank you so very much.” He tries to stifle the smile breaking out on his face, but you notice it before it got hidden away.

Before you are able to retaliate, a middle-aged couple emerges from the house you had broken down in front of.

“You fellas alright?” the man asks, pushing the gate outwards so they have a better vantage point over the smoking vehicle.

“We are so sorry, are we in the way?” you ask, putting on a sympathetic show that you had become so used to having for the fans. “We were just about to call for help, they shouldn’t take too long to get here.”

“Nah mate, they’ll take foreva to get ‘ere and cost ya an arm an’ a leg. Let me help youse,” he offers, but doesn’t allow you the option as he waddles over to where Oscar is still hunched over.

The woman moves to stand next to you, introducing herself, Kristyn, and her husband, Mitch. You give yours in return, to which she compliments you on your name. “’ve never met one before,” she muses, repeating your name gently under her breath to herself.

You smile softly, making light small talk as Mitch explains to Oscar what is at fault with the engine.

“You two seem like a gorgeous couple. How long’ve you been datin’?” she asks, not noticing the caught-off-guard expression you have on your face.

You feel heat rush to your cheeks as she compliments you, your heart racing at the unexpected attention. It almost bugs you more than you would have anticipated, a sense of embarrassment creeping along your flushed skin.

You ponder telling her the truth, that you aren’t together, but figure it would be easier to go along with it, for her and your sake.

“Almost a year now, yeah,” you smile, feigning a sense of admiration for your ‘boyfriend.’

“Aw, bless your sweet young hearts,” she hums, gently patting your shoulder as if to say you had her approval. It was weird, but it felt nice to have her endorsement of a relationship that wasn’t even real. Maybe you wanted more with Oscar?

You nod along, answering any and all of her follow up questions about him, like how you met, how he asked you out, if marriage was on the table. You almost enjoyed making up a whole story for her, weaving this intricate narrative for her to invest herself in. the pair of you had gotten so caught up in each other that you hadn’t noticed the car being put back together, Mitch reviving the engine in approval of a job well done.

“Well, at least he isn’t the only one who can’t handle car troubles!” you muse, laughing with Kristyn as the boys make their way over to you.

Mitch wraps a lose arm around his wife, and you follow his lead as you intertwine your own around Oscars waist, to which he accepts with no questions.

“Thank you so much for your troubles,” he murmurs. “Can i give you some money or something? It’s the least we could do.”

The couple scoff in sync, laughing at the idea of being paid for merely helping out a stranger. “Nah, we don’t want your dough mate. Just don’t blow the car up, that’ll be enough.”

“Are you sure? Please, let us compensate you in some way, as a thank you,” you suggest.

“Maybe you should drive instead of him, aye?” Kristyn laughs, breaking the four of you into a fit of giggles. You nod in agreement, to which Oscar immediately shoots down with the reason of it’s his car.

“Well, thank you again for your help. We really appreciate it.” Oscar squeezes your shoulders, then releases you as he walks over to the passenger side to open it for you. It wasn’t until then that you realised how much you had been leaning into his side, missing the warmth of him almost immediately. You say your goodbyes, telling them it was really nice to meet them, and one final thank you for their kindness.

As you drive on, laughter spilling between you, you can’t help but think maybe this unexpected detour was just what you needed to explore what’s brewing beneath the surface.

.・。.・゜✭・✧・✫・゜・。.

as always, feedback is appreciated!

[oliver-quick-ens-my-pulse]

I Hate to Ask

Ominis Gaunt x f!reader

Summary - Anon request for “Would you please write either some HC or a scenario where female MC is just really horny so she sneaks up on Ominis and says she has something to ask him and then she basically begs him to rail her. And of course how Ominis would react to such a lewd ask ♥️”

Word Count - 1,856

Warnings - 18+ smut

You had Ominis on your mind for quite a while now. Not just for hours or minutes, but for days. You had always been much closer with him than Sebastian, but as you neared the end of your 7th year, your thoughts had gotten out of control. He had grown into a handsome man and had no idea how achingly beautiful he was. He had shot up to over six feet tall and filled out his slender frame with more muscle tone beneath his robes. He was always particular about the feel and fit of his clothes and unaware of how delicious they looked hugging his calves and thighs. His manhood.

It wasn't like he was walking around exposed, but as trained as you were on him you had imagined too many times what was beneath the straining fabric. You'd decided today was the day you would finally swallow your pride and beg him to relieve you of your suffering. You didn't even care whether it meant anything at this point, but you were desperately clenching your thighs together anytime you so much as passed him in the hallway.

You caught him coming out of transfiguration, so you hoped he would be in a good mood. You knew he didn't have this class with Sebastian so you watched as he shared some parting words with a few people before starting down the stairs by himself. You walked up to him, grazing your arm with his shoulder. He directed his wands towards you and a smile spread out on his face.

"Y/N, how are you? How was your free period?"

You swallowed hard, thinking about the answer to that question. Well, I spent the entire first half of it pining after you and driving myself mad because my own hands aren't good enough anymore.

You settled for laughing softly and pushing your hair back against your head, "It was fairly boring. I was hoping you could join me for the start of yours. I had something I wanted to ask you, but not here."

Though the halls around you weren't crowded, there were still plenty of students milling about having just left class themselves. Ominis turned towards you and gave you a strange look, wondering what you could possibly have to ask him. "Sure," he placed an arm around your back and guided you to the entrance of the undercroft. You both stepped in and the gates closed behind you. He utilized some quick spells to create a comfortable couch and escorted you over.

Your nerves were buzzing and your face was already heating up as realized what it was you were about to do. Ominis guided you to your seat before sitting close beside you, keeping you tucked beneath his arm. "What is it you needed? There isn't anything wrong is there?" His eyebrows furrowed together with worry as he looked down at you.

You swallowed hard, turmoil brewing in your head over whether to let your anxieties or impulses win. "I, erm, I've been feeling kind of strange lately, and I...I may need your help to figure it out."

You were annoyed with yourself for not coming outright with it, but his concern seemed to lessen as he responded to you, resting his wand between his legs.

"Alright. What do you mean by strange? How d'you think I can help you?" His earnest expression, ready to help his friend in need, almost made you come up with some other excuse so you didn't feel as if you were taking advantage of him. You inhaled a deep breath, drawing your knees up on the sofa, ready to spit the whole embarrassing truth out. "Ominis...I've always found you to be quite comely. And lately, I can't stop thinking about you. Lewd images keep running through my mind and I want to know if you'll help me extinguish them."

You fidgeted with your own hands, unable to face him. You felt him shift beside you, noticing the way he opened his legs and tugged slightly at his trousers. He used the same hand to find your chin and force you to look up at him.

A devilish smirk was on his lips, "I fear I can't extinguish them without knowing more about these thoughts."

You hadn't anticipated a reaction where he wanted to know more; where he steered the conversation so that he had total control. You stumbled over a few words, attempting to describe a scene before you adjusted yourself to be in his lap.

You gasped when you felt how hard he was beneath you, which made him laugh at you softly. He dragged both hands down to your hips to hold you in place.

"Just like this? Are you too worked up to use words?" His fingers tugged at your blouse, untucking it from your skirt to find your warm flesh beneath. "Y-yes," you stuttered, shivering from his touch and already arching into his palms. You felt helpless against him, you knew he must be able to feel the dampness from between your legs.

He was intoxicating as you looked up at him. A picture of confidence and lust as he was clearly toying with you. "Well, I'll agree to help you, but if you can't tell me what you want, you'll have to show me," he shrugged, "otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do, princess."

You couldn't figure out how he managed to remain so commanding even whilst essentially giving you control over the situation. He was getting off on the power he held over you.

You let out a whine as you rubbed yourself up against the stiffness in his pants, he let out a deep sigh in response. You tossed your robe off and quickly started to undo the buttons on your shirt to create a pile of clothes on the floor.

You reached to the edge of your camisole just below your ribs and pulled it over your head, leaving your top half entirely exposed. You groaned in frustration when he didn't make a move to touch you at all, his expression amused. You guided his hands up your sides and over the soft warmth of your breasts.

You yelped in surprise when he began kneading at them and pinching at your stiff nipples, "I can work with this if you continue being a good girl."

You bit your lip, surrendering yourself to his assault while you used your hands to unfasten his pants. He hoists you forward without warning, crushing his lips to yours. The kisses are hot and wet as he holds a fistful of your hair. He allows you to pull back to breathe and rests his forehead against yours. "I didn't think it was right for us to start this without getting that out of the way first."

As you took in the sheen of saliva on his lips you had to agree, but you were hungry for so much more. You brought your mouth back to his with more passion, hands now fumbling with his pants to pull out his member.

When you peeled his underwear back just right his thick cock sat up at attention just between your legs, causing you to rut helplessly against it. You pulled back from him, resting your hands behind your body as you rocked your hips against him, the thin fabric of your underwear no longer hiding much of anything.

"I want more of you Ominis. Can you — do you think you could help me get ready for you?"

He brought a hand down to your thigh, a little more harshly than he initially intended, squeezing tightly. "How should I do that? Will your thighs suffice?" You groaned in protest as he was so close to where you wanted him, but clearly teasing you. You grabbed his hand and slid it upwards so he could follow the trail of your juices from your thighs and up to your underwear. Ominis applied pressure where he could feel your sensitive bundle of nerves, making you squirm in his lap. It was his turn to gasp when you wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, giving him a gentle stroke while you tried to ground yourself. "Fuck," he murmured, "You want me here? Your cunt does seem very wet. You think if we fill it up it'll stop?"

You moaned out a pathic 'yes' before he pushed your underwear to the side. He forcefully added two fingers that went in with ease as he pumped them in and out of you, curling them to hit the perfect spot. His name continued to spill off of your lips.

"I can see how this has been a problem," he mused, "but, darling, I don't think you need any help getting ready. You're taking my fingers so well and I know my cock was made for you."

He removed his fingers from you and grabbed your hips, helping you lift yourself to line your entrance up with his dripping head. He kept a tight grip on you to allow you to sit down on him at your own pace. His moans mixed with yours and his fingers dug into your waist. He was breathing heavily alongside you by the time you took all of him, "Y/N, I hope you can forgive me."

Before you had time to question what he meant or adjust to his size he was hitting the deepest parts of you. He held you in position and pulled out as much as he could before slamming back into you with force. He kept rotating his hips until he felt your walls clench indicating he found your g-spot.

"More, Ominis, please, it's too slow," you rested your arms against his chest as he took control and found a steady rhythm to please the both of you.

"You're so tight and perfect, I — agh — I'll have to have you again and again Y/N. You have no idea what you've gotten us into."

You bucked your hips in response to meet his every thrust until your legs started to quiver and your thighs were clenched around his.

"Ominis, I'm, I'm cumming," you bit into his shoulder to contain your whimpers as you came hard around his cock. You felt like you were floating as he continued to fuck you until he released his own ropes of cum inside of you. He was panting and clawing at your back, finally at a loss for words. You collapsed against him, breasts pressed up against his chest as you felt him softening up inside of you. Your clit had been neglected this round, but it was still incredibly sensitive resting against his pelvis, making you flinch every now and again. Ominis traced shapes on your back and spoke up much softer than before, "I helped you with your problem, yes? And well...you helped me with mine, but I wasn't brave enough to ask you on my own."

It made you laugh that after all of that, he was getting sheepish on you now, "I think we can help each other regularly don't you?"

[klutzyroses]

IkeVamp HCs: Beautiful Reader

How do they react when they meet a reader who is one of the most beautiful women they have ever seen?

Suitors: Napoleon, Arthur, Galileo, Drake

Napoleon

When the woman lost in the halls of the mansion met his gaze, he knew being the woman's protector would be the chore to end all chores.

In this day and age, women already weren't safe. Much less when they looked like they were handcrafted with love and care, the way she did.

He wasn't looking forward to it.

And he himself, though not aloud, found he was curious about the stunning stranger who'd stumbled into his life. He'd seen beautiful women before, but she was on a completely different level.

"I'm going to have my hands full with you, nunuche."

He ruffled her hair with a smirk as she merely blinked at him in confusion.

He would definitely be aware of many eyes on her, admiring, lusting, but they wouldn't get near her when she was with him.

Beautiful as she was, Napoleon knew the risks of letting her be alone for too long...but there were only so many complaints he could have when he was in the company of such a gorgeous madonna. There were worse ways to spend his time.

He's not telling her that directly though. Not in those exact words at least.

Arthur

When he first laid eyes on the maiden fair, he knew life in the mansion would be just a little sweeter.

He had no qualms about saying that to her the first time they met.

"Well now! The stars are shining just a little brighter tonight. Such a bonny lass you are."

His urge to tease her only grew when she reacted with a timid averted gaze, her lovely cheeks painted pink.

He commonly made sure to compliment at least once a day, usually referring to her as the 'Lovely Y/N'.

The author was commonly surrounded by women, but whenever she went anywhere with him, most of them kept their distance, intimidated by the ravishing lady by his side, regardless of the nature of her relationship with Arthur.

"I'm afraid that nobody holds a candle to a heart stopper like you and anybody with eyes knows it."

"Arthur!"

Teasing her just see that cute blush on her beautiful face would be enough to make his day.

Galileo

He wasn't one to generally take much notice of women, though the particular girl ambling through the halls of the university didn't escape his notice.

Galileo knew women could be pleasing to the eye, of course, but that was a fact of life, not something that actually touched him.

But she was objectively the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he found that slightly disconcerting. Almost as disconcerting as the fact that said woman was not paying attention to her surroundings and was to trip on a loose tile.

He moved quickly, catching her shoulder as she stumbled. When she turned to thank him, her beauty hit him full force from up close as he took her in.

She was a vision of loveliness, an earthly Aphrodite. Her lips parted and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment, only adding sweetness to her visage. She suddenly spoke in a soft tone.

"Erm...thank you sir...that was clumsy of me."

Her voice broke the spell as he let go of her, stepping back. If she had any effect on him, it certainly didn't show.

"Be more careful."

Was his only response before leaving.

He will find himself thinking back to that lovely face from time to time, often when the word 'beautiful' happened to cross his mind.

Drake

When he called to the lone woman passing by the Seine, intending to invite her into his boat, he didn't expect anything out of the ordinary. But when she turned around, his eyes widened as he blinked in surprise.

"Wow. You're beautiful."

Those were the first words out of his mouth, his head tilted in near confusion as the lady blushed at his forwardness.

The man was a sailor that traveled the world and seen different places and people, so he knew a beautiful woman when he saw one. And her? Breathtaking. She could make the hardest of pirates fall at her feet.

When he managed to convince her to take a ride with him, winning her over with his friendly disposition, he playfully told her that getting such a beauty into his boat was risky because alas, he may not return her, much to her amusement.

"Sir, I would appreciate being put on solid ground at some point..."

"Haha, just kidding. You're just so pretty, I want to keep you."

He said with a bright smile, but he was only half joking...

Drake would definitely want to steal her away. Pirates don't just let go of treasure.

🌸

[ciciyup]

Do You Still Want To Go To Lunch?

Cw: Voyeurism, exhibitionism, cheating, cuck!Bakugo, humiliation, oral, masturbation, provocation, fingering.

━━━━━━✧ 🦢 ✧━━━━━━

You didn't even know why you were with him. Both were in their last year at U.A. and it seemed like Bakugo hadn't changed at all. Even after the war and all the things that had happened, he hadn't changed one bit. He was still the same rude and moody boy, he continued with his constant insults to everyone else, belittling them and treating them as inferiors. You remembered the times in the first classes years ago when the only way Bakugo seemed to be able to woo you and make his feelings known was by insulting you. You didn't know if you really had feelings for him, The only thing you seemed to know was that he had become so upset about it, to the point that you had become his partner simply so he would stop bothering you. Yes, you were regretting it from the first moment. You and Bakugo could never have something good in which the relationship would prosper. He because of his attitudes and personality and you because you were also from a different plane. You were two opposite poles and they didn't attract each other in any way. At least on your part you always seemed to have made it more than clear, but Bakugo didn't seem to understand it. It wasn't until the day before that things got tense. You were tired of him always seeming to want to push you away from your friends, he didn't like it when you went out with anyone, especially Izuku. Because he was annoying, an annoying nerd, according to Bakugo, but sometimes he forgot that he was still your friend. Long before you started your relationship with Bakugo and even before getting close, one of the first friends you had made at U.A. was Izuku, the boy was really nice and kind, you liked spending time with him doing homework, chatting or going to some cafeteria. He had always been very kind and polite, sometimes he made you laugh with his clumsiness, but you went back to admiring him for his great courage for things. You had always found the way your boyfriend treated Izuku annoying. It was too much. The poor boy had never said a single complaint to him about his constant insults and threats and even beatings, you didn't even understand what it was that Bakugo had against him to always be crossing him out. That day in particular you were in Izuku's dorm, you didn't plan to stay because you had agreed to go out with Bakugo, but after Midoriya helped you with one of your homework and they started chatting about various topics you began to lose track of time.

—Are you leaving already? —Izuku asks confused when he sees you putting your notebooks inside your backpack, although you didn't seem in a hurry you clearly had leaving in mind.

—Yes, I agreed to meet Bakugo outside the dorms to go to lunch, he says there's a food place he wants to take me to —you explain in an indifferent tone while you shrug your shoulders, closing the zipper of your backpack.

—How's everything going? —He asks again curiously, a kind smile appears and forms on his lips although very slightly.

—Not very well... I'm going to end it —you admit leaving your backpack on the side of the bed, looking back at Izuku. For a moment you think you see a flash of joy in his eyes, but you're not quite sure since the second his face seems to become a little more serious.

—Oh, really? I'm sorry, are you okay? —Midoriya's bright eyes seem to search yours as he purses his lips a little as if silencing his words.

—I am. Seriously, I'm fine. Honestly, I don't think I've ever felt anything for him. Besides, this relationship is only bringing me problems, I can't find anything good in it —your words are so serious and determined that for a moment you think if what you said sounded too cold, but you couldn't lie to him or lie to yourself because the truth was that you couldn't continue with that relationship for another week.

—I'm sorry about what you've been through, I know it hasn't been the best of months —Izuku apologizes, although he didn't have to, he seemed to regret it as if he was the one to blame.

—You don't have to apologize for something like that. I should. —You quickly shake your head before the boy could say anything else. You knew him so well. —I'm sorry for all the times he's treated you badly while I was there. That bothers me and I don't think I've done enough.

Midoriya copies your action and shakes his head silently without saying anything else, the dull noise of the room and the little noise that could be heard from outside through the hallways was the only thing that could be heard at that moment. Neither of you seemed to want to say anything else, so before it became awkward you got out of bed grabbing one of the straps of your backpack with the intention of doing something and changing the subject. Izuku repeats your action only getting up hastily as if he was afraid of not being able to do something before you left. For a moment you both remain face to face without saying anything, but soon the boy's calloused hands rest on your cold cheeks, cupping and caressing them before leaning forward capturing your lips. They remain still in yours without moving for a moment with doubt, becoming more confident when you give him a good sign following his kiss.

—Stay. —His voice is almost a whisper after speaking, afraid of ruining the atmosphere if he spoke too loud. He walks with you slowly until your legs hit his bed and then you grab both of his hands pulling them away from your cheeks, Izuku, confused, separates from your lips to ask a question that he doesn't get to form due to the speed of your movements. Opening his eyes in surprise, he lets out a gasp when you push him onto his own bed, his head falling back against his soft, padded pillow, not even having time to adjust when you climb on top of him, sitting on his lap but laying your body on top of his. You kiss him again with such immensity and need that Izuku narrows his eyes in happiness, bringing his hands to your waist while he holds you on top of him, letting you be.

Your hand gets dangerously close to the boy's crotch, who seems to hold his breath as he watches you. Seeing you like that, in a way he'd never seen you before but wanted so badly was something that was driving Izuku crazy. Your hand makes contact with his cock, groping it over his pants, running your fingertips over the fabric in such a way that he kicks them off, hastily pulling his underwear down to release his raised cock, the tip of it red with precum on it. You nod at the state of the boy, sliding down to the spot, stroking his cock before taking a few licks around it. Izuku can’t help but squeal as his face grows redder and redder, watching you take half of his cock into your mouth. It was an incredible sight. Sucking hard and determined, deepthroating before pulling back and letting the cock fall against his now harder and raised stomach. You straighten up in bed to grab the hem of your uniform and pull it up leaving you in just your bra, quickly unbuttoning it and freeing your breasts as you toss the garment somewhere in the room. Seemingly almost mesmerized by them, Izuku moves forward until his cheeks make contact between both of your breasts, glancing at you from the corner of his eye to see your approving gaze, he takes one of your areolas into his mouth sucking on it like a hungry boy while his other hand gently caresses and pinches your other nipple. Pulling him closer to you with your arms, you push his face so that he's almost smothered by your breasts, not that he complains since he looked like he was having quite the feast. Pulling him off of you, you slowly lay him back down on the bed before removing the bottom of your uniform. Izuku lets out a moan of despair when he notices your awful slowness in removing your panties, sliding them down your legs until they fall off taking all the time in the world, as if he doesn't know you want to tease him.

Crawling over to Izuku, you reach him, climbing onto his lap, grabbing his cock in your hand as you guide it to your soaked entrance, running it through your wetness a few times to better lubricate, finally letting it slide down your walls with torturous slowness. Just the sight of you on top of him, taking him so well without even making a move was making Izuku’s mind explode. Without thinking of anything but your heat enveloping his cock, he moans raggedly as he watches you take a confident pace without going easy on him even though you’d barely started. Your pussy seemed to swallow his cock deliciously, forming rings of cream around it that only served to increase Izuku’s satisfaction who seemed lost between watching his cock enter and exit your pussy or watching you. His cock was fully swollen inside your core, stimulating your inner walls with each deep bounce, while your hip movements began to become more frantic.

The footsteps through the hallways were hard and fast, after waiting for you for longer than he was supposed to, Bakugo got fed up with waiting outside going to your room without finding you there, his brow furrowed a little at not finding you, with some annoyance he wondered internally if you had forgotten the agreed plan. No, you weren't usually such a forgetful person, at least not with important plans, so he just chose to stay in your room until you returned. His mind ruled out the possibility that you were in the bathroom after having waited for you for more than ten minutes, so he stood up and closing the door to your room he decided to go to his room to look for his phone and call you to find out where you were. After walking one more hallway he stopped for a moment, three rooms before Izuku's, his mind rejected the idea that you were there and he would have almost continued on if a hunch hadn't told him to go to the stupid nerd's room to rule out the idea that you were there. His brow furrows again when, standing in front of the door, his ears pick up unusual sounds, his hand closes on the doorknob and turns it so he can open it and enter. Bakugo's eyes are fixed on a certain fixed point, his mouth opens slightly at such a scene that he witnesses without being able to articulate a word or even think; you, his girlfriend, riding Deku's cock, riding the damn nerd's cock.

Izuku seemed to cling to your waist as if his life depended on it, helping you carry out your movements, his body jumping slightly at the sound of the door opening and watching Bakugo in front of you. You glance at him out of the corner of your eye before turning your head and staring into his eyes and although Bakugo's eyes are a little more open than normal and almost with his gaze lost in you, you, on the other hand, look at him coldly and with distant affection. Keeping your eyes on him, you continue bouncing on Izuku's cock this time harder and faster. Izuku's gaze falls on Bakugo as soon as he had seen him enter, but instead of feeling self-conscious and afraid of being caught like this, he instead feels a great inner satisfaction as well as great excitement for the moment. Bakugo, who always used to bully and harass him now seemed to be reduced to what Izuku saw in front of him: a poor, deceived boy. No longer the boy with a loud voice and words of superiority, he now seemed to give simple pity, but Izuku couldn't even feel that for him.

—I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. —You speak in a more resonant tone and almost in a breath. You should have said something else, something else, but you can't think of much while Izuku's cock hits your exact spot non-stop.

—What...? What the fuck are you doing?! —Bakugo takes a firmer stance after reacting again, his face was as red as if he was about to explode.

Before anyone could say anything else, Izuku grabs your hips moving quickly, throwing you on your side while he hugged you from behind, bringing his cock to your entrance and again going back to the hard and long rhythm, now with Izuku controlling everything.

—Calm down, Kacchan, when I'm done she'll be all yours —Midoriya speaks in a tone of voice so soft as if it didn't fit with what he was doing, lifting one of your legs so that Bakugo had a better angle to see his cock buried in your pussy, just to tease him a little more. The boy's words only make Bakugo even angrier, who glares at him furiously.

Bakugo's fists clench as he sees so clearly the way your pussy swallowed his cock and your face was more than happy to receive it. Just seeing how your eyebrows furrowed and your eyes narrowed looking at him while you moaned and squeezed Izuku's cock having your orgasm and at the same time Izuku had also cum inside you had sickened him so much that small explosions began to form from his hands launching themselves in the direction of both of you with the intention of attacking. More quickly Izuku lets his cock shoot out of your pussy while he straightened up a little, using his gift, one of his whips sticks to Bakugo's arms and legs preventing him from moving causing him to fall on the bed near the two of you. You quickly pull him towards you with your legs wrapping around his face and your thighs covering almost his entire head. Bakugo is practically left with your pussy on his face, your accumulated fluids and semen coming out of your entrance causing him to try to get away from the grip.

—Lick it. Get it completely clean and don’t forget to swallow, don’t waste anything —Izuku orders as his hand grabs part of Bakugo’s hair, pushing his face into your pussy so that he had almost no oxygen to breathe. Without another option, with a furious growl Bakugo runs his tongue over your slit, beginning to lick Izuku’s own cum inside your pussy cleaning it all up.

Bakugo’s chin is covered in your juices as are his lips and tongue, licking and sucking with resignation. For a moment his eyes lock with yours, to which you return the gaze as you loosen your grip on him, giving him some air. You furtively touch your clit when he runs his tongue inside your channels and quickly grab him by the hair, pulling it away from your pussy before letting out a whiny gasp, dripping onto his face. Bakugo keeps his furious image alive as his face is now completely soaked, with his hair the same, thanks to your act. Izuku smiles lightly as he pats Bakugo's head a few times as if he were an owner congratulating his dog.

—Well done. —Midoriya praises your boyfriend. As you put your panties back on, Izuku releases Bakugo from his quirk leaving him free although the latter didn't make any attempt to attack again or use his quirk, instead, he stays in the same position without doing or saying anything as he continues to watch you with an angry face and you simply give him an impassive look.

—Do you still want to go to lunch?

━━━━━━✧ 🦢 ✧━━━━━━

[macabr3-barbi3]

Nothing I Can't Handle- Chapter 2 [Alastor/Reader]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/54337009/chapters/139143145

Chapter 1!

Tags: Reader-Insert, Alastor in Rut, Non Sex-Repulsed Alastor, Rough Sex, Possessive Sex, blood kink? maybe if you squint, Biting

Round 2! Who doesn't love a nice chase through the bayou?

Comments and feedback fuel my lifeforce- let me know what you think! 💕

Chapter 1 🦌 Chapter 3

When Alastor’s rut comes around the second time, you’re ready.

The first one had been… an experience. Not a bad one by any means- while sore you were thoroughly sated, Alastor having been very particular about making sure that you came just as many times as he did, if not more. By the end of the three day period you had been holed up in his room you were covered in a thin layer of sweat and various bodily fluids, the last day having been the most exhaustive. Your throat was sore from the constant noises coming from you; a headache from the dehydration of not getting enough water between rounds, though Alastor had done his best to remember to conjure a glass here and there; a variety of cuts and bruises littering your skin, a collage of delicious depravity. When Alastor had finally allowed you to leave your room, the rut having passed, you pressed on the bruises occasionally to give yourself a reminder of the time you had shared.

He acted like nothing had changed- he wasn’t actively avoiding you like he had been in the days leading up to the rut, but he just… treated you like everyone else. Which was fine. Good, even! There was no reason for anyone to suspect anything between the two of you when he did the same things to do that he did to Charlie or Vaggie. Popping up when you least expected him to, leaning into your personal space, resting an elbow on your shoulder or head when he had the angle to do so.

You weren’t foolish enough to expect that he would want to date you or anything like that- it was just a transaction to him, a way to get what he needed by giving you something that you wanted, even if you hadn’t figured out what that was yet. A physical need that had to be fulfilled or he would go back to that snarling tower of a demon that stalked the hotel and made everyone cower.

Still, when he approached you one day months after the first one to inform you that the rut would be coming again soon, you prepared yourself. 

You chug water whenever you can, and make sure to eat regular meals in the days leading up to it, squirreling away whatever little snacks you could stash in your room without luring out the bugs that Nifty liked to chase- Alastor’s powers seemed to draw the line at conjuring food, so when he could tear himself from your side he would journey to the kitchen and bring you small samplings of leftovers. 

You spend your evenings trying to convince Alastor to have more meat when he joins the group at dinner, to make sure he could keep his strength up as well. He raises an eyebrow at you but does as requested. 

When the night comes around, Alastor finds you in the lobby and asks you in a hushed tone to meet him at his room when you retire for the evening, and your heart rate spikes in your chest when you agree. When he vanishes you sprint to your room, collecting the assortment of nuts and snack cakes and pretzels and candy that you had amassed into a bag before you make your way to his room. At this you were nervous- you’d never been inside before, the last time having been sequestered into your own bedroom. You hoped he wouldn’t mind your bringing something to eat along. 

When the door swung open Alastor raised an eyebrow at the bag on your shoulder. “I hope that’s not a change of clothes,” he says as he guides you into the room with a sweep of his arm. “Because you won’t be needing them.” His tone is not salacious or flirty- a statement of fact rather than a come-on.

You place it on the table by the door as you start pulling items from it. “It’s not. I noticed, last time, that you don’t seem to be able to conjure food- I thought this might make things a little easier on both of us. If I have something to snack on I won’t drop dead of hunger and you don’t have to leave so often.”

His eye twitches as he watches you, and you second guess yourself. “I can- I can get rid of them if you want, take them back to my room-“

“Not necessary,” he says, and waves a hand; the assortment of snacks reappears on the stand next to the bed across the room. “I apologize for the pause. The part of my brain currently being overtaken by the rut did not appreciate the idea that there was something I could not successfully obtain for my… partner.”

“Oh,” you say, and realize with a blush that that sounds stupid. “Well, either way, we should be set for this time! I’ve been making sure to drink lots of water so I won’t get dehydrated, there’s some bottles in the bag as well…” You run through the various things that you had been doing to prepare for this week, and over the course of your tirade Alastor’s smile seems more and more strained. You finally stop your mouth from moving and just watch him as he watches you. “I… guess I maybe did too much, huh?”

“Not at all, dear,” he says like he’s on autopilot, and he lifts your hand to his lips to place a kiss to the back of it. “I am just… shocked, I suppose, that you’ve done so much to prepare and make this easier for the both of us when you’ve still not decided what you want for your end of the bargain.”

 “Right,” you say, face flaming as you make your way past him and to the bed. You perch yourself on the edge of it. “I’ve been thinking about it, I promise!”

You totally haven’t been thinking about it. You were perfectly content to just continue helping Alastor with his ruts- to be so close to him regularly was enough for the time being. The orgasms were a huuuge plus.

He watches you with his eyes narrowed before he sighs. “If you say so, dear- do let me know when you’ve decided. In the meantime, I do have some final tasks to complete before I’m prepared to be incapacitated with you. I hadn’t expected you to meet me so soon.” He eyes you sitting on the edge of his bed and hums. “Though I must say I’m rather pleased to have you in my own territory this time, as it were. You’re free to use my space as you please while you wait for my return.” With a faint buzz of static he’s gone, and you’re left in the comfortable warmth of Alastor’s room.

You lean back into the pillows, relishing in the soft sheets beneath your skin. They were red- of course- and you let yourself spread your hands across them. They smelled of Alastor, like the woods and spices and rain on the streets when you were alive. 

Speaking of Alastor’s scent, he said he was glad to have you in his area this time, and you think about when he made the initial proposition and said that he could smell other things on you- maybe it was the deer part of him wanting to make sure that you smelled like him this time, made him feel like you were properly… ‘mated.’ The thought makes you blush, but you don’t think you’re wrong.

You catch sight of the bathroom door across the room. He had said you had free reign while he was out- while you waited you could take a shower, rid yourself of the scents of the hotel, and perhaps that would put Alastor more at ease when he came back. You make your way into the generously sized room, turn the water as hot as you can get it, and wash the day off yourself.

When you come back into the main room Alastor is waiting there, and his eyes widen at the sight of you in what you assumed to be his bathrobe that you had found on the back of the door. “You’ve certainly made yourself at home, darling,” he comments, but his eyes are roving over your form from head to toe, pausing at the black A emblazoned now over your heart.

“I, uh. I thought maybe you would prefer it if I didn’t stink of the hotel when you got back,” you say. “You mentioned that last time, and with the comment about being in your territory this time I just figured, you know. A clean slate was best.” You shrug your shoulders, the silk of the robe sliding off on one side from how oversized it was on you. “Fuck-”

“Allow me.” Alastor is in front of you then, and despite the split-second thought that he would simply slide the robe off your entirely- he had said that you wouldn’t be needing clothing- he simply rights it on your frame, taking a moment to admire the A. He leans down and buries his nose in the space between your chin and shoulder, inhaling deeply. “The robe, while perhaps unintended, is a nice touch. Not only do you not smell of the hotel or its inhabitants, but you smell like me. Like mine.” He runs a hand down your arm and allows a clawed finger to drag the silk up your wrist.

“Yours,” you agree, and at his sharp intake of breath against your neck you add, “for the week! Whatever you need me to be, I will. Um. Be that. For the week.”

“Perfect,” he says, and your brain oozes with the warmth of the praise. “I actually do have a request of you this time beyond just allowing me to… have you.”

“Sure, what is it?”

You’re once again struck by your possible stupidity when it comes to this demon- blindly agreeing to the things he proposes before you really understand what comes with it. He could ask to tie you down, or if he could use his magic in some way to be involved in the proceedings. He could ask to bite you, to really chomp down like he had last time but tear flesh away instead of simply releasing you- though you do think you might draw the line there.

He eyes you through lowered lids for a moment before he steps to the side of you and gestures to the swamp that he’s got materialized in his room- it had been there since he moved in, if you went by what Vaggie said. “If you are not opposed, I would like you to run,” he says simply, reaching out to tighten the sash of the robe around your waist.

You glance into the darkness of the night that awaits at the border between there and here- where Hotel meets bayou, where reality meets… whatever that was. It had to be some kind of deer thing. “Got it. Is there a point to that? I’ll do it,” you assure him, hands raised to show that you weren’t trying to argue the point. “I’m just curious.”

He hums a bit. “Yes, I’d think so. As satisfying as it is that you so easily submit to me, the restless buck in me wishes for more of a courting, so to speak. In nature a doe will dance around the buck, out of reach for several days before allowing herself to be mated.” He flashes you a tense smile. “I think a refreshing chase through the bayou will satisfy that craving quite nicely.”

“I see.” You look back into the swamp- it’s dark, but the stars are providing a decent amount of light and there seems to be a clear path through the trees to some extent, plenty of space for you to make some distance if he gave you a head start. Were you supposed to circle back here, to the bedroom? You could tell he was a little nervous about the request, but it didn’t seem all that bad. “So that’s it- I run and you chase me?”

“Haha! What little faith you have in me, dear- you run, and I will catch you.”

His tone makes you shiver. “R-right.” You swallow hard and hold your hands into tight fists at your side. “And- what happens when you catch me?”

Alastor pats you on the head like you’ve seen him to do Charlie. “You’re a smart gal,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m sure you can figure it out during your head start- we may as well start now since you’re agreeable to the idea.” He glances at his watch before starting to remove his overcoat and roll his sleeves up to the elbow. “It’s not a terribly large area, so I believe ten seconds should be sufficient!”

“W- now? Ten seconds?”

His smile is almost bored despite the burning intent in his eyes. “Well, it’s only nine now.”

You know better than to stall any longer, and you bolt-  perhaps some small blessing of magic he’s concocted, but there are no sharp sticks or rocks under your bare feet as you take off into the night, straight down the path you had noticed in the trees earlier. You stay mindful of any roots that may trip you as you run, your legs aching, heart beating faster than it ever has before, living or dead.

And yet- the thrill is exhilarating. You don’t think Alastor would actually harm you in any real way, bruises and scrapes from the last rut aside that you’re sure you’ll get a repeat of. But you could see why part of him wanted this. Craved it. A reward is better when you’ve earned it, when you’ve really worked for it.

And by the sounds of crashing trees and snapping branches that followed in your wake a few seconds later, he was certainly working for it.

You reach a clearing in the trees and turn to make a sharp right, sure that he was thinking you would continue straight on. As you do though you catch sight of the sky between the treetops- thousands of blinking stars with wisps of clouds shot throughout the deep, endless blue. It’s almost enough to make you stop and stare, take a moment to really appreciate what Alastor was capable of with this creation alone. It was breathtaking. 

A whisper of movement reminds you that you aren’t alone in this astonishing dimension, and you sidestep just in time to avoid the grasp of Alastor’s claws as he reaches for you.

He looks feral - antlers extended and catching on the low hanging branches of the trees nearby, his eyes dark and crazed as he watches you take a couple steps back. “Come now, darling,” he says, and there’s red dripping from either side of his mouth. “There’s no use in that. I’ve found you.”

“Thought you said you wanted to catch me,” you snark before you can implement your brain-to-mouth filter. The adrenaline is coursing in your veins, keeping you light on your feet. “Not play hide and seek.” 

Alastor laughs at you, the sound echoing through the wilderness. “How cheeky!” He stalks towards you, a pace forward for every one of yours backwards. “Rest assured, I will catch you, dear.”

You offer him your own smile, dancing backwards with every lurch. You know he could catch you easily, knew that he was just taunting you, toying with you. But God, if it wasn’t fun, even as dangerous as it was to mess with someone as powerful as Alastor. “That’s big talk for someone who still doesn’t have his hands on me yet.” You turn, to book it back into the trees in the opposite direction, knowing that you won’t get far.

You stumble. The cliche of it isn’t lost on you as you go down to your knees, and notice one of Alastor’s shadow tentacles slipping away from roughly ankle level.

You still try to escape, to draw it out just that little bit longer, twisting to one side as Alastor rushes you. All that does is get you facing upwards, the robe falling off your shoulders to drape across your collarbones before he has you pinned with a hand to each wrist. 

“Well well, what do we have here?” He asks with his eyes lowered, pupils dilated as he takes you in. “It would seem that I’ve caught you.”

“You cheated,” you say breathlessly, as he slots himself between your legs, bringing your thighs up to rest on either side of his hips. “I could have kept going if you played fair.”

“Oh, I’m well aware,” he agrees, and then he’s trailing his lips down your neck, kissing at your shoulders and throat before he pulls the robe off of you to pool beneath your body. “You gave quite the effort- I was surprised to see you get so far with your head start. I have no doubt you could have kept the chase going a while longer.” He sighs, like the idea of not having that now was disappointing. “Another time, perhaps.” With that he releases your hands and digs his claws into your hips and grinds against you, the drag of his clothed erection against your bare sex sending sparks up your spine.

His eyes are closed, head thrown back as he groans in pleasure. His antlers, like last time, are extended to the sides, unrestrained with the openness of the space. He doesn’t seem to be as lost in it this time, perhaps because you were with him at the beginning of the rut and keeping the worst of it at bay before he had the chance to get animalistic and frustrated.

It's almost better, in a way. The last time had been fun- so much fun, you had zero complaints that you hadn’t already addressed with the supply of snacks and water sitting by the bed currently- but Alastor seems calmer in his need this time. Still at the mercy of his biology but less frantic with it, even with the chase that had led to the two of you here on the forest floor, sky full of stars above you. You would agree to nearly anything he asked of you to make things easier on him if needed.

He leans down over you, still grinding his hips while running his teeth along whatever he can reach of your body. He’s perfectly positioned for you to grab hold of his antlers again so you do so, relishing in the full body shiver that courses through him at the sensation. Using one hand to keep your lower halves pinned together, the other slides deliciously along your back to twist into your hair, pulling your mouth to his with a groan that vibrates through your being. 

It would almost be unfair how aroused you were if you didn’t know that Alastor was in the same state, the drag of his length against you combined with the adrenaline of the chase leaving you slick and needy. “Mine, mine, mine,” he’s mumbling against your lips, tongue darting out with every repetition to brush along yours.

You let one of your hands slide down between your bodies like it had last time, let your trembling fingers circle the base of him and moan into his mouth at the feeling of him, hard and hot under your touch. He jerks back from you, his eyes frantic and panting through his slack jaw. “Darling, please, I can’t- can’t think if you-”

“Please,”  you whine, and he flexes in your hand. “Please, Alastor, fuck-” You release your grip and roll your hips into his. “Don’t think- whatever you need, take it.”

He clenches his eyes shut, bringing his knees forward so he can rest your lower body on his thighs so he can free up the hand holding you to him. He pulls his hips back far enough to slide a finger through your wetness and into the tight clench of your body, the evidence of your arousal and how ready you are for him tearing a harsh moan from his throat. “You astonish me,” he says, and the praise winds itself around the synapses firing off in your brain as he brings his fingers to his mouth, long tongue twisting around the digits to taste you. “Delicious- you’re so lovely, I want everything .” The visual of it- this powerful demon, on his knees in the dirt with you, licking your arousal off his fingers like some delectable treat as he fights to maintain his composure, his manners- sends a pulse of want through your entire being, and not having him inside of you is no longer an option.

When he lines himself up to thrust into you you beat him to the punch, pushing your hips forward to meet him halfway, and then all the way as the move allows him to slide in to the hilt. A choked off whimper escapes you, body shivering with the force of his rutting into you. He’s hitting that sweet spot inside of you, the head of his cock slamming it with every thrust, and you want to cry from the pleasure of it. 

“Perfect,” he whispers, his lips still close enough to your ear that you can hear the sweet nothings that tumble from his tongue. “My mate, so sweet, so- fuck -” He falters for a moment, his hips stuttering hard into you before he comes back to himself and resumes his steady rhythm, the push and pull of his body into yours driving you to insanity. When his eyes open they are black, the little red dials of his pupils ticking steadily in time with his thrusts. His antlers are growing still, their size staggering, the dark jagged lines of them breaking up your view of the stars when you can manage to tear your eyes away from Alastor’s face. “ Mine . Say it. Tell me.” His smile is desperate, expression dazed and full of need. “You take me so well; fucking say it, I need to hear you-”

“Yours,” you cry out, your thighs tensing with the force of your rising orgasm. “Fuck, Alastor, please, yours-”

Arms wrapped possessively around you he leans back, pulling you with him to an upright position. He's still sat on his knees in the dirt, the sounds coming from where you’re joined loud and lewd in the relative silence of the bayou. He keeps you clutched to his frame, claws digging delicious lines into the canvas of your back. “Fuck,” he’s gasping into the space between you, railing harder into your body as he loses his pace, hands coming down to hold your hips stationary and fuck into you from below. “Fuck, darling, mine - ” A wrecked groan of your name is the only warning you have before he stills as far inside your warmth as he can get himself, the move dragging him against that spot inside that sends you right over the edge with him.

He doesn’t bite down as hard this time but he still sinks his teeth into your shoulder, the sharp pain of it giving an edge to your release as you shake in Alastor’s arms, a sound like a wounded animal coming from you and seeming almost at home in the darkness of the trees.

Like last time, when he removes his teeth from your skin he laps at the blood that spills from the wound. You release your grip on his antlers at last and your arms drape over his shoulders, letting your head drop forward to rest on them. He sighs contentedly into your skin, the air making your new bitemark sting. The buzzing and rustling of creatures in the trees has resumed now that you and Alastor have finished, and stands slowly to place you on your feet, pulling out of the heat of your body in the same move. Your legs are shaky but stay underneath you at least, and he watches you with narrowed eyes after tucking himself back into his slacks.

Something about his gaze on you makes you nervous, now that his mind is temporarily clear of the frantic need from his rut. You crouch down to grab the discarded silk robe, now smeared with dirt and littered with leaves and sticks from the ground. “This m-might be ruined now,” you say quietly, still a little off kilter from the force of your orgasm. You hold it out to him, and while his jaw tightens a bit he still gives you a smile.

“Not an issue, my dear,” he assures you as he plucks it from your fingers. With a wave of his hand it’s as good as new, and he gestures to you to turn so he can place it back on your shoulders, helping to ease it over your arms and tightening the sash around your waist like he had before the chase. “I rather think it suits you- for the duration of my rut, at the very least.”

You blush. “I’ll make sure to throw it on every time,” you say with a chuckle, testing the strength of your legs with a couple steps. “I think I can manage to walk this time, but I might need a little-”

“Of course.” He holds his arm out for you to grasp, the picture of a gentlemen despite the chase and rough fucking he had just given you. “I would transport us back but I’m afraid I’ve expended much of my energy in chasing you out here.” He watches you from the corner of his eyes, and part of you thinks that he just finds it satisfying to see your knees weak because of him.

You glance back at the clearing as you walk away, and you can see the glow of the stars and moon where it cuts through the trees. “That was a really pretty spot,” you tell him, and his eyebrows raise. “Seriously- that whole area is just gorgeous. Is it a deer thing? Or something from, you know. Up there?” You point skyward, hoping he’ll understand that you mean from when he was alive without having to explicitly state it. 

His smile turns wistful. “A bit of both, I suppose,” he admits. “I’ve always found myself a bit more at peace among nature than anywhere else. The cacophony of living creatures, the cover of darkness for more illicit activities. It’s always brought me comfort.”

“Gives you some space for the more cervine activities too, huh? Like a nice chase through the trees.” You nudge him with your hip as the normal side of his room comes into view. “I really did make some good distance!”

Alastor smirks down at you. “You seem like you had a grand time running from me, darling. Perhaps we repeat the experiment- see how long you can evade me next time before I catch you.”

“If you can catch me without cheating I’m game,” you say, and yelp in surprise when he swipes an arm under your legs to carry you the way he had last time, depositing you onto the bed. You’re enveloped in his scent again he he lowers himself down to you, tongue trailing between the folds of the robe and descending, and before Alastor ensures that you’re so mindless with pleasure that you can’t sass him, you have the faint thought that you really should start thinking about what you want out of this deal before he asks again.

You can’t have him knowing that you’re content to keep going just like this, splayed in his bed with a sky full of stars just out of reach.

[tan1shere]

Are We Still Friends

Billie Eilish x female reader !

A/n: thought I'd do some angst again cuz im in the mood for it turday - I don't know if there's a happy ending tho... SORRY !

Summary: she didn't mean to hurt you, never wanted to. But she ended up doing so. Badly and unfixable.

Warnings: ANGST ! No happy ending, idk if there's anything else ?? Get tissues babes

Masterlist

She wasn't herself recently and it worried you, knowing her past. But it wasn't exactly like that. You began to think that at first when she started isolating from you. But then you saw how cold she had gotten. You started to wonder if it was you, who had upset her. But you've never done anything except love her. She had been out all day, like she has been alot recently. You understood because she has to work ofcourse, but it was always later in the evening when she got home.

You two were seated for some dinner, things being silent like usual. You watch her mess around with the food, not making eye contact with you. "So, how was your day?" She shrugs. "It was alright." She replies. Her tone dry as anything. Your heart picks up in speed, not liking this side of her. It was not only worrying but frightening you. What had you done, what had anyone done to upset her this much?

Whenever you'd ask if she was ok, you'd just get a hum in reply. But it was far from reassuring your concern for her currently. So you ask her properly tonight, usually leaving it be whenever she'd hum. "Baby are you sure you're ok, you've just been so off recently." Her eyes look up at you slightly for a second, then immediately back at her food. "I'm fine." You're surprised by the full answer. "Are you s-" "I said. I'm fine." Your heart sinks at the way she talked to you, was she angry?

"Oh, ok." You slowly grab your plate, going to put it in the sink without another word. That is, until she speaks up. "I'm sorry." She sighs. But you just think it's best to leave her right now, heading up to your bedroom. "Baby." She says timidly, still holding a slight anger in her voice. You knew something was clearly going on, and all you wanted was for her to talk to you. Or atleast figure out what was happening. Is She tired? Did you say or do something? Or maybe you hadn't said or did something.

It was eating at you, stressing you out. All you wanted was for your true love to be ok. It's all you've ever wanted. You couldn't work properly, it invading your mind like a bad smell. All you wanted was to get home and sleep, especially with her. But that also died down along with her happy vibe. No cuddles at all, you felt unlovable. Her mood was killing your own, and causing all your friends to notice. But that was the thing. She seemed to be semi ok with them, still having a tense tone.

But actually making an effort to talk. Maybe it was you, maybe you weren't as interesting anymore. Maybe she'd grown from you, was she getting over you? Night time rolls around after a long, long day. You get into bed, her not long after. Immediately going to get some sleep. "Night baby." You said, softly. "Night." Again, dry. Desert dry. You sigh, turning over on your side. Facing her but closing your eyes. You hadn't noticed, but she was looking at you. The guiltiest look on her face.

A few weeks past and nothings changed. She's still in the same exact mood. It made you wonder if it will always be like this. You were at work currently, going to scroll on your phone while on your break. You lean back in your chair observing. When you see a particular photo. One that made your heart sink. You look at it carefully. But you didn't want to, you wanted to puke. It was Billie, she was kissing another girl. You were trying to rack your brain on when and where this happened.

The caption said "Billie with - some girl." Your brows furrow. Her fans knew about you, you didn't know exactly how well but when you opened the comments it was clear.

'That doesn't look like Y/n'

'Did Billie cheat'

'That isn't her girlfriend'

'Who is she kissing'

You had the exact same thoughts, except there was more of them. Flooding your mind. "Who is she." "Whyd she do this." How could she, you really didn't want to believe it. She would never. Your heart sinks further realizing that it was you. But at the same time it wasn't. She cheated on you. You were still in pure shock, deciding to go home early.

You doubted she had even seen the photo, she hardly ever went on her phone these days. But then that got you thinking, the only time she did was at night. But she'd only go onto text messages, you know. Because her phone would constantly ding. You figured it would be Finn, or a family member. Or even another friend. But now you were starting to think otherwise. You plop down on your bed when you finally get home. Staring at the ceiling.

You thought it over long and hard, and you were picking between confronting her and getting it over with or letting her come clean. But it's been so long you worry she wouldn't. Did she care? But you couldn't bear it, the thought of loosing her. And if you confront her that would be the result. You just hoped deep down she'd come clean and you could try working this out. Right?

The door opens hours later, you see her placing her phone down on the nightstand. "Hey, what're you doing back early?" She asks. "Didn't feel too great at work today." You reply, turning over. "Oh, sorry." You knew she said that to be somewhat sympathetic, but in a way it's as if she was apologizing for more. You shrug slightly, just wanting to take another nap. "Me and Finn finally got done with something we had been struggling on for months." She says a tad bit happier than she had been.

You nod. "That's good, Bills." Now it was your turn to be dry, she wanted to leave you be. Noticing your mood. Going down to the living room. You look over at her phone that she had left, considering looking at it. Was that wrong.. you don't even know if you can trust her after the photo, you were almost certain you'd find what you really hoped not to find on there. When it dings. You just had to, reaching over to grab it.

She hadn't changed her password. Did she think shed get away with it or something? Did she want to just pretend it never happened? All these new questions in your head overflowing. You go to the message and it was from a girl, that girl who was feeling her up at a party way back. You knew Billie didn't like her and found her to be very annoying. What changed? Billie was always a kind person to everyone, never mean to anyone's face. Especially considering this girl was friends with some mutual friends.

But not that friendly. You felt your eyes water, thinking of what to do. You read more of the messages. Reading one of Billies saying to leave her alone in the end. Did she regret it? Why hadn't she told you if so. You bite your bottom lip, feeling the tears pour. 2 years wasted. Down the drain. That was all you could think now. How much of a waste this whole thing was. Slight anger rises in you. Not much because you never got angry, but this. This was the thing to be mad about.

You walk downstairs, little scared for what's about to come. She was sitting on the sofa, when you let her phone fall into her lap. Her head looks up at you, confused as anything. Her eyes move to her phone seeing what was on it. Her head instantly looks at you again, noticing the tears. "Baby-" "Don't. Baby me. You don't have any right to call me that. When you've hardly been doing such for a few months. Why start now." She was stunned to say the least. Even though she shouldn't be, she knew you'd find out eventually. But she honestly hoped it'd fade away and that you wouldn't have to.

"Please let me-" "Explain?" You finish. "Theres nothing to explain. You've been talking to this girl for God knows how long. Kissed her!" She didn't realize you knew that. "How'd.." You scoff slightly. "When your famous Billie. Cameras never leave you. I saw on one of your fans accounts." She sighs, cursing to herself. Now she really felt guilty. She had been this whole time and wanted to tell you. She just never knew how and decided to forget it all. "It was a mistake." You chuckle. "Yeah, a massive fucking one." Her hands go to grab your shoulders as she quickly gets up.

You push her back. "No Billie, don't touch me. Please." The Please breaks her, she finally felt everything. All that she had been ignoring and pushing down until she didn't feel as guilty. That was truly pointless now. "Ba- Y/n. Just let me tell you what really happened." You shake your head. "How am I suppose to trust you. You've been lying to me this whole time." She nods. "I know I know, I don't know why I didn't just tell you. I should've." - "You're a liar. You're a fucking cheat." You go to leave the room. But she goes after you.

"Let me talk, please." You turn to look at her. "What's there to say? That it was an accident. You had been drinking, she came onto you. And that you were intoxicated so you obviously couldn't stop her. Did I miss anything?" She looks at you, that was half true. "Just let me-" "No, save it. Because if it's remotely close to what I just said I don't want to hear it." You go over to the closet. "I had been drinking, and no that's no excuse. I was trying to get away from her. I promise." Your tears come back. That promise was broken to you.

"I have no excuse for what I did. And I should've told you but I didn't, because I was trying to protect you. I didn't want to hurt you especially with how work had got you. I couldn't, I decided to when things eased. Then it started weighing on me. I felt miserable because it was all I was thinking of. The fact I hurt you, the second she kissed me." You grab a suitcase as she waffles on. Her eyes filled with worry. "You have to believe me, I know you won't but please. Please." It had been forever since you heard any emotion in her voice. And now it was need, desperation. "I cant stop you." You say sadly.

She looks at you confused. "I don't like her at all." You shrug again. "I don't know what to believe at this point." You pack a few things, starting to fully sob now, feeling shakey. She comes over going to gently touch your arm. "N-no." You attempt to move her. "Stop." But she now cries ever so slightly, bringing you into a hug. You wanted none of it. But with your weak state, your pathetic hits to her chest were doing nothing. You did need comfort right now but she was the last person you wanted it from.

When you muster up some courage you push her away. Scurrying with the suitcase down the stairs. You needed to get away. You had to.

"Are we still friends?.."

You don't say another word, knowing you both knew the answer to her question. It was the end you just couldn't keep doing this anymore. You didn't want to hurt. This was the only option for now. Closing the front door...

Maybe thats the sign it just wasn't meant to be.

Can't say goodbye..

Can't say goodbye.

[pitchsidestories]

Carve your name into my bedpost II Millie Bright x Reader

chelsea women masterlist I word count: 1856

"All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from all this (ah, ha, ha, ha) Say my name and everything just stops I don't want you like a best friend" ~ Taylor Swift, Dress

Since Millie Bright joined the Chelsea FC Women squad in 2015, the friendship between you two has grown and deepened over the years. You began to work for the blues around the same time as physio for the women’s team. The same amount of time the defender had spend at the club you had a crush on the broad-shouldered defender who’s hugs always brightened up your day, even the particular grey ones due to the English weather. Pun fully intended. ��But you were sure whatever was going on you were supposed to stay best friends.  All those things went through your mind earlier that day when the English football player was named captain for Chelsea during the season 23/24 which was about to start soon.

Millie’s snot brought you back into the present moment, arguing with you over her phone: “No, I’m coming to your place, don’t start without me. Rach texted me; she will join us later.”

“I’m fine, I can do this on my own. Really you don’t need to come.”, you told your friend.  

The northern woman scoffed at your remark: “Too late. You said you need help building your new bed, so I’m coming over.”

“Thank you, Millie.”

“No, worries. And don’t do anything until I’m at your place.”, she demanded with a smile on her pretty lips.

You could not help to roll your eyes a little by the comment the blonde made: “You don’t think I’m strong enough, huh?”

“No, I know you can be clumsy.”, the defender laughed.

“Oh, please that one time.”, you tried to downplay your clumsiness. On the other side Millie grinned: “You know exactly that you’re!” With a loud sigh you gave in: “Okay, I’ll wait until you arrived.” 

A few minutes later you opened the door for your best friend, your face being lit up the moment your eyes were set on her: “Hi, don’t worry, I got some snacks and drinks for my little helpers.”

“I hope they’re at least good snacks. If I’m being paid with food, I want it to be delicious.”, the blonde winked at you.

With a sweet smile you promised her: “Of course they’re, if you’re lucky you can get paid with hugs aswell.”

“Who said I like hugs?”, Millie asked in a playful tone.

“You might be tall, broad shouldered, muscled as hell and have a lot of tattoos but I know you still like them, you paused for a second before adding, you know looks can be deceiving.”

The defender just rolled her eyes at you; “Stop quoting Mapi’s tattoos.“ You innocently blinked at her; “Don’t worry, you’re still my favourite defender, Millie.“ She scrunched her nose in mock disgust but you didn’t notice.

You led her into your bedroom where multiple pieces of the furniture were laying on the floor, covered in packaging material. “So, those are all the parts we need to build the bed.“ Millies’ gaze wandered over the floor and then back to you; “What’s all of that?“

With a guiltless smile on your face, you moved closer to her, the instruction manual in one hand; “Here are the instructions and in the end it’s supposed to look like this.“ You pointed to the picture on the front of the manual.

Millie immediately grimaced; “Really? That’s the bed you chose?“ “What? You don’t like it?“, you yelled out, feigning outrage. „No.“, Millie continued teasing. With a smirk, you crossed your arms in front of your chest; “I thought you like challenges. This is one.“

“You can stop that. I’m already on it.“, Millie finally gave in and sat down on the floor. You followed suit and watched her starting to assemble the first pieces of the bed frame; “Okay, tell me, how can I help you?“ The defender nodded towards the manual; “Hold the instructions for me.“ “Okay, I got you.“, you replied, doing as you were told, even though you knew she only wanted to keep you busy while she worked.

She laughed at how serious you took your task; „Thanks.“ “You’re welcome.“ “Very good job.“ You let her work in silence. Millies messy bun bounced on top of her head as she put the pieces together and your bed slowly took shape.

Your gaze was fixed on her prominent biceps that constantly flexed and relaxed. You couldn’t stop yourself from touching her arm; “Your strength is really impressive.“ It was genuine awe mixed with a bit of teasing. Your touch send a shiver through Millies body that was barely noticeable. “Please don’t disturb the work.“, she warned with a laugh.

“Okay fine, I’ll let you continue in peace.”, you sighed. Relived that she could focus on building your bed now and stop being distracted by your presence which made Millies heart race faster and made her questions her feelings toward you, the defender said: “Thanks.”

It took a few hours until the woman from the Northern part of England finished your bed but when it was finally done you let out a delighted squeak: ”Doesn’t the bed look amazing? Time to test it.”

Immediately you two jumped onto the bed at the same time, that was the moment when the Chelsea player confirmed giggling, It doesn’t look amazing. But at least it’s sturdy.” “Well, we kind of proved the sturdiness now.”, you told her, the comment turning the cheeks of your best friend red.

“Not too bad. For now, let’s check if the mattress is comfy too.”, Millie decided, laying fully down with her body on the mattress and gazing on to the ceiling because she knew looking into your face in this moment would only make her blush deeper.

Meanwhile you kept your gaze on her, mildly amused: “It’s very comfy if you ask me.” “I think I have to agree. You’ll sleep well in here.”, the defender admitted, her hand running through her light hair, turning the bun even messier.

A small gesture you could not help but noticing, before you confessed half-jokingly half serious: “Without you I’d still have slept on the mattress.”

Looking at you with a side eye the blonde replied grinning:” You’re lucky you’ve me.” “I’m very happy to call you my best friend.”, you said in an honest tone.

The tension between you two was getting almost unbearable which caused Millie to clear her throat: “You’re very welcome.” Quickly the Chelsea player decided to ask nervously: “So, I guess we’re done here.”

“Right.”, you nodded slowly not sure in which direction this confirmation would take you.  

The defender reminded you with a smirk on her face:” But I was promised snacks.” “Wait, right here, I’ll get them for you.” your best friend looked up to you grateful as you were serving her the food she asked for: “Thanks.”

With interest, you watched her try the offered snacks; “And? What do you think? Am I paying you right?“ “Yeah, definitely.“, Millie nodded, still chewing. A satisfied grin tugged on your lips; “Good.“ “Delicious.“ “You can get the hugs after you ate if you want them.“, you suggested amused.

“I want them now!“, protested the defender. “Alright, come here.“, you stood up, dragging her up with you. You wrapped your arms around the waist of the taller woman and pressed your cheek against her shoulder. The hug threw her off balance; “Woah, wait,“

”Woah?“ ”Don’t make me lose my balance.“, Millie laughed, pushing herself against you to steady you both. You grinned up at her; “I won’t. I will catch you.“ “You can’t catch me if your hugs are the reason I lose balance. It’s physics.“, Millie reminded you.“Want me to stop?“

The smile disappeared from the defenders face; “No…“ “Are you sure?“, you smirked but still let your arms drop to let Millie out of the hug. “Sure. Come here.“, she replied, pulling you back into her and carefully picking you up to carry you over to the bed.

You laughed while she dropped you on the mattress; “Time for bed.“ “Sleepy after your nations league games?“, you teased as Millie sat down beside you. Millie laughed, “Actually, I meant for you.“ You nodded in agreement; “Yes, being a physio can be very tiring.“ “Good that you have your new bed now.“ You watched her lay back on your bed.

Slowly you turned around to face your best friend, searching for her familiar blue eyes; “Millie? Will you stay the night?“ “You know I don’t live that far away.“, Millie stated plainly and you distinctly noticed that she didn’t decline. “I know that…“, you mumbled but before you could add something, Millie slowly nodded; “But I can stay.“ “I’d like that… very much“, you whispered, suddenly painfully aware of how close your faces were. And without thinking further about it, you bridged the gap between you two and pressed your lips on the football players’.

Surprised the defender stammered: ”What was what?” The bewildered look on the blonde’s face made you regret your fearlessness: „Shit, I’m so sorry.”

“No.”, determined the defender shook her head. Now it was your turn to be the one who was looking confused: “Wait, what?” “Do that again.”, Millie demanded. Your heart was pounding hard against your chest as you followed her wish, nervously you took a moment to watch her following facial expressions:” What do you think?” “This is nice.. I like it.”, the Chelsea player replied. Truthfully you told her: “Me too.”

“Hello girls! Finally!”, Rachel greeted them cheerfully as she entered the bedroom with a spare key to your home in the free hand. The Aston Villa player laughed because you two looked very embarrassed and she did not get why. Anxiously her best friend questioned her sentence:” Finally?”

“I mean finally, the bed is built.”, Rachel stated smirking. A giggle escaped the defender’s usually huge mouth: “Oh you mean that.” The grin of the Aston Villa player intensified: “Oh and you two were about time too.” “What?!”, you exclaimed astonished by the statement of your good friend. Flustered Millie added: “I thought we were talking about the bed.” “I thought so too.”, you mumbled under your breath.

The bright smile stayed on Rachel’s lip while she joked:” Oh sure. I was definitely talking about the bed.” “Rach!”, you screamed embarrassed. The woman who was called after shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner:” I was just checking if you’re done or if you still needed help. But it looks like all is well, so..see you tomorrow.”  “See you tomorrow, Rachel.”, Millie said her goodbye to her best friend. “Good night you two.”, Rachel waved at you before she went to leave your home for now.

After you could hear the Aston Villa player was ultimately gone you hid the face in your hands:” Oh my god.” “She knows.”, the blonde laughed. “Sounds like she knows us better than we do.”  A crooked smile lit up the defender’s face: “I’ve to kill her for that tomorrow.” “But for now.”, “For now?”, Millie threw her eyebrows up teasingly. “Can we go back to kissing?”  “On your new bed?”, the blonde wanted to know. “Yes.”, you nodded. “Coming!”

[kaeyas-beloved]

a shot in the dark

Character: Wanderer

— his fourth and final betrayal…

CWs: gn!reader (no pronouns), ANGST, hurt/no comfort, death/murder, guns, Apocalypse AU, Wanderer is referred to as such and as Kunikuzushi

val’s no sympathy november masterlist

Started laughing like Light Yagami at work just thinking about the pain I’m about to inflict :)

“You promised me!”

Eyes the colour of a midnight sky - the same eyes you've spent the past few years memorizing, learning and getting lost in their depths during sleepless nights - bubble with tears.

At first glance his expression portrays anger, but you’ve known him long enough to know that there’s more to it. He’s angry, yes, but he’s not angry at you, not really. No, if anything he’s cursing out the world more, for doing him wrong once again, for torturing him by ripping you away from him. Everything he’s ever known feels as if it’s crumbling around him, the barely concealed tremble in his irises telling of the turmoil he’s fighting and losing to.

Denial quickly takes over, your body getting shaken by the shoulders. He starts pleading with you to cut the act, that the joke isn’t funny and never was. Ideas and theories cloud his mind; they say if you cut off the infected part of the body in time you can stop the transformation from human to zombie.

Yet, as he grasps your arm in a firm but not bruising grip, all it takes is one look at the bite on your forearm to know there is no saving you, not with how bloody and discolored the skin around it is. This is the end.

A soft sniffle echoes in the quiet night, his voice softer than before, the note of defeat unmistakable, "You… you promised…"

You did, and faced with the reality that you can't keep that promise, you wrap your arms around him. Whispers of hushes and apologies fill his ear; you're sorry for not being more careful, for acting before thinking, for leaving him alone in this shithole of a world. There will never be enough words or sentences in all the languages to convey the agony you feel at what you're putting him through.

Even though you pull away from him you keep a firm hand on his cheek; you have to make sure he's looking at you when you say what has to be said.

A broken smile appears on your face, your eyes darting all over him, committing each detail to memory, "You're not going to like what I have to say next…"

His reaction is immediate, tone all bark and no bite, "then don't say it at all! Fuck, why didn't you ask me to come along!? Then you could've saved that little girl, I would've dealt with the monsters and you'd be fine right now!"

For a moment you remain quiet; there's truth in his outburst, but you were the one in charge of scavaging today. Your group had scouted a particular place for a few days; no one had taken anything and the volume of zombies was near to none, all that was needed was one person to go raid the place, and you were the lucky sucker.

A tear slips down your face; it’s not like you want to say what comes next, it’s more of a need. As much as you hate to think it, everything from that moment on was business.

Pulling back fully, you reach for his limp hand while stretching to unclamp a gun from the holster on your waist. Anyone with a brain knew what you were about to say, and he didn't like it one bit, eyes sharpening into a glare. Retching his hand from you, Wanderer steps back, shaking his head vehemently.

“No.” He’s firm on his stance one the matter, voice deadly serious as he looks at the weapon you hold out to him. He won’t; he can’t. It takes you parroting the words he said to you before for him to even hear you out. all it takes is a second to stand in front of him again, setting the cool, heavy object in his shaking palm.

"You promised me that if this ever happened, you'd end my life before I turned." In one big step you’re in front of him again, setting the cold object in his shaking palm. Suddenly it feels like he’s holding the weight of tons.

“God I wish I could kiss you right now… I want to so, so bad,” you whisper, leaning your forehead against his, your noses brushing. You push the silencer attachment into his other hand, "but I don't want to infect you, so this little contact we have will have to do."

"I love you. I love you so much and I never want you to forget that. My dear Kunikuzushi..." Tears roll down your cheeks freely now as you gently rub under his eyes, “please, do this for me. I don’t want to hurt anyone…”

You’re hurting me, he thinks, but deep down he knows this must be done. It’s what you want.

He doesn’t say much as he nods, grabbing into your wrist again. This time it’s not with the urgency or hope that things could still be salvaged; this time it’s with the deep rooted need to comfort you, “I know you love the stars… I think it’s only right that you get to see them for all they are one last time.”

You’re silent as he drags you to a wide open clearing, the grass reaching just below your knees. The tiny gasp you let out was involuntary, as every time you see the night sky it steals your breath away. Even when you’ve seen them a thousand times in this very spot, they never fail to let you escape from your current reality. How fitting… the perfect place to forget the impending end.

Wanderer is deadly silent beside you as he screws on the silencer, refusing to look at you. He knows if he does he’ll fall in love with your wonder filled gaze all over again and back out in a heartbeat.

While looking around and taking in each twinkle of light, you hear a murmur from beside you, barely intelligible. You hum, asking him to repeat himself.

“I love you too.” He says clearly that time, “I’m sorry for not saying it enough.”

Smiling softly at him, you cup his cheek again, “I know. It’s alright, you didn’t have to say it for me to know you love me.”

In an instant you’re pulled into another hug - your last, you bitterly realize - and you wrap your arms around him without a second thought. God how he wants to kiss you too, he wants to say a proper goodbye.

“Go enjoy that stars…” he whispers to you instead, reluctantly letting you slip away from him.

Kunikuzushi was a sharp shooter, known for always hitting his target. It was a trait he took pride in, but as he aims for the back of your head now… he doesn’t know exactly how to feel, knowing what will happen, able to picture the next few minutes in his mind.

Eyes the colour of a stormy night follow you as you walk into the middle of the field. Silently he counts to thirty, then continues to count. By time he reaches fifty he sees your shoulders ease up, your head tilting this way and that, no doubt looking for constellations.

He chose then to pull the trigger, feeling sick to his stomach as he watches your silhouette fall, knowing that you won’t be rising next to him in bed come tomorrow morning.

Tag list (both regular and event exclusive): @spoopy-fish-writes // @that-enby-alien // @xenuuu // @kaeyaloml // @mariposa666haruka // @quackquackmfs // @kunikuzushiii // @genshin-impact-writings // @ventisweetheart // @lordbugs // @leena-shi // @ari-the-wr1ter // @xiaos-wife // @milkwithspiceyicecubes // @stygianoir // @francisnyx

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