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wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch 11: A Turkey Called Marv

Summary: Nat, Clint, Evans, Lawson and the rest of her SHIELD team throw Katie a leaving party once news of her resignation spreads across the Triskellion before Katie and Steve head to New York to spend their first Thanksgiving as a couple with Tony, Pepper and Bruce.

Paring: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: None for this chap, bar a bit of bad language and teeth rotting fluff

A/N: Accompanying One Shot- The Life Of Marv.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 10

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

November 2013

News of Katie’s spectacular resignation spread like wildfire through the Triskellion. Evans, Lawson, Natasha and Clint had all been pretty upset but had understood when she had explained why she was doing it, even if Natasha didn’t necessarily agree. They had no intention of letting her go quietly, however, and the team took it upon themselves to organise a small Leaving do at Lori’s which was in full swing. Background music was playing, food had arrived and the drinks were flowing. Steve was talking to Lawson, Rumlow and Evans by the bar, leaning against it, an easy smile on his face as Katie stood with Clint and Natasha a bit further down the bar as Clint was talking to them about his latest home improvement plan.

“So I thought about putting in a pool.” Clint mused, “Now the kids are bigger I thought it might be nice to have one. Maybe even a pool house round it for bad weather.”

“How ambitious.” Nat quirked an eyebrow.

Clint grinned. “That’s my middle name.”

“Really?” Katie asked. “I always thought it was Robert.”

“What?” Clint looked at her as Nat snorted out a laugh. "Francis. Why would you think its Robert?“

Katie shrugged "You look like a Bob.”

“Wait… so it’s not Ambitious?” Nat asked, winking at Katie. “How boring.”

Katie nodded, draining her glass. "Bob would have been better.”

"Right,” Clint started, pulling himself taller. “I hate both of you.”

The girls laughed and Nat turned to Katie. “So what’s in the pipeline for you now Nova?” “I have no idea.” Katie shrugged and she didn’t. “I guess I’ll just get more involved in the family business.”

“You gonna move to New York?” Clint asked. She shook her head. “Probably spend a bit more time there but, I’m not moving back.”

“Nah, she can’t leave lover boy.” Natasha looked at Clint and Katie rolled her eyes. Truth is Nat had hit the nail on the head. No way was she leaving Steve in DC to move back to the tower. Although they had only been together seven months she had spent over a year of her life being ‘with him’ one way or another and the thought of him not being there terrified her.

“You know, to be fair Nat, they’ve been going out a while now. Things are probably starting to cool off.” Clint teased “Oh trust me, there’s no problems in that department.” Katie sniggered, looking over to where Steve was stood.

“And would you look at that. I’m out of alcohol…” Nat said, suddenly “And so is Stark.”

“There’s a bar over there,” Clint pointed

“Cheers…”Natasha took Katie’s glass and handed it to him along with her own. Clint shook his head taking the glasses with a sigh.

“So… now he’s gone…” Nat glanced over at Steve then back to Katie “Gimme details…”

“Details on what?”

“Throw me a bone here Stark. I’m working on a dry spell.”

“Why are you so obsessed with my sex life?” Katie groaned. “You’re constantly trying to get me to talk about it.”

“Hey, look, up until a few months ago I was convinced he was a virgin.”

“Well then you’re a dumbass.” Katie smirked “Like I said, he’s Captain America, had girls throwing themselves at him back in the day.” “So he was until the serum?”

“I never said that.” Katie flushed.

“You’re such a shit liar.”

“Can we change the subject?”

“Ok, answer me one question and then I’ll drop it.” Nat pressed.

“What?” Katie snapped with an air of playful frustration. If she was honest, it was quite nice to have a girlfriend to chat to about these kind of secrets.

“Did the serum enhance…everything?” Nat wiggled her eyebrows.

Katie glanced over at Steve and smirked before she looked back at her. Fuck it.

“Well if it didn’t, I’ve no idea how he managed to stay upright before.” she smirked "I’m a lucky woman”

The red head threw back her head in a dirty laugh, a laugh that Katie had never heard from her before and it made her snigger at the sight of the normally composed assassin letting loose.

“What I miss?” Clint asked as he reappeared, handing them their drinks.

“I’ll explain when you’re older…” Nat said, patting his chest fondly.

*****

The next two weeks flashed by and before they knew it, it was the morning before thanksgiving and they were at the Tower in New York. Last year Katie and Steve had spent Thanksgiving as friends. This year they were spending it as lovers, and Katie was also excited to be spending it with Tony, although she would never admit that out loud.

Steve was also looking forward to it as well. Tony had mellowed to him somewhat over the past few months, especially when he had found out Steve was supporting Katie’s decision to quit SHIELD and not trying to stop her as he had original thought the Captain would. He was also looking forward to Katie’s damned fine cooking as well. Despite the fact that Tony had offered to cater in as Pepper was away until the very last minute, his girl had insisted on cooking it herself, especially now she had plenty of time on her hands.

As such, Steve and Tony had left her in the kitchen area of the main living quarters at midday to head down to the lab to discuss some further upgrades to the Tower. When they left Katie had been surrounded by bags of flour and ingredients, and when Steve returned he found her at just gone 5:30 surrounded by 3 pies (one apple, one pumpkin and one blackberry) pans of vegetables prepped ready for the and a turkey in the oven ready for JARVIS to turn on in the morning. She was stood at the sink, gently humming, the kitchen now clean and the smell of her baking making his mouth water.

“What are you doing Soldier?” Katie asked, jumping a little as Steve’s arms came around her sides, reaching for the sink, effectively trapping her between the counter and his body.

He laid his chin on her shoulder. “The dishes,”

“I’m only leaving the pie dish to soak.” She informed him, turning her head to give him a quick kiss. “The rest are going in the Dishwasher.”

“Oh because God forbid her majesty would actually wash a dish.” He teased and she rolled her eyes.

“You don’t wash them much either. How many brushes did you break last week?”

“The plastic is bad quality.” Steve pouted.

“Nothing to do with your ridiculously large hands being too rough.” “You weren’t complaining last night.” He grinned, lips warm against her neck as he gently nipped under her ear. Katie squirmed a little and then swatted him in the face with the dishtowel, and he laughed out loud.

“Seriously though Doll face, are you nearly done? You’ve been in here all afternoon. You do know we’re not eating till 3 tomorrow, right?” His hands squeezed her hips and she tossed the dishcloth down and turned to face him, her hands sliding up his chest to his shoulders.

“Yeah but the more I do now, the less I have to do tomorrow, and let’s face it, it’s not like I have anything else to do, on account of being an unemployed bum.” She shrugged making Steve laugh again. “Plus, I just want everything to be, you know…right.” she shrugged, and she did.

“It’s a dinner.”

“It’s Thanksgiving” She corrected him.

“Yeah, and last years was pretty cool, remember?”

“Yeah but…” she trailed off, biting her lip. Steve knew that look well enough now to know there was more to this.

“What?” He probed gently.

“Nothing, just, well I never had a boyfriend over for Thanksgiving before. Or Christmas come to think of it.”

Steve smiled “I like being your first…” Katie grinned. The whole ‘I like being your first’ thing had started off by her saying it to Steve but they’d fast come to realise that they actually both had a world of inexperience between them when it came to relationships, and it was nice that they could be each other’s firsts in a lot of ways. “Honey, tomorrow is gonna be great.” He assured, tipping her face up to look at his “Don’t sweat it.”

“Did you seriously just say don’t sweat it?” she sniggered.

Steve groaned “I told you I spent the afternoon with your brother…”

She giggled and leaned up to catch his lips in a soft kiss.

“Getting kinda tired of catching you two making out in a kitchen!” Tony chose that time to waltz in and open the fridge door, pointing to them as he did so. “You got your own floor, piss off and go use it.” ******

Katie woke the next morning to find Steve’s side of the bed empty and cold. It wasn’t unusual for him to be up earlier than her, she knew he would either be out running, in the gym or making coffee. She climbed out of bed and walked to the blinds of the bedroom, instructing JARVIS to open them, the AI being one of the many perks about being 'home’. The New York skyline stretched below her and as she glanced down she saw the people gathered on the sidewalks, attention turned to the streets, obviously waiting for the Thanksgiving Parade. She had asked Steve if he wanted to go and watch it in person but he had said he would prefer to stay in and watch from the tower as he didn’t fancy getting mobbed in the street. Being recognised by one person every so often was fine but in those crowds if one person spotted him then it would spread like wildfire. Besides, as he had pointed out, her floor had an awesome view so they could watch out of the window with a drink. Katie frowned as suddenly a large brown turkey shaped balloon floated in front of her eyes. The parade wasn’t supposed to start until nine and that meant by the time it made its way to the Avengers tower it would be… she turned and glanced at the click and gave a yelp. She had slept in until Ten.

Steve heard her before he saw her, not that he needed super hearing to hear the loud yell of "how fucking late?” coming from the bedroom. Grinning to himself he turned back to the griddle on the island of the kitchen, flipping a pancake with one hand and drinking a coffee with the other. “Why didn’t you wake me?” Katie grumbled to him as she leaned in the kitchen doorway, taking him in for a moment. He was freshly showered, dressed in a loose grey t-shirt and sweats, hair still a bit damp and spiked up in a way that made her smile. “Because you were up early yesterday and I thought I’d make you breakfast for a change.” He shrugged as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into the back of his shoulder. The smell of his shower gel mixed with the smell of the pancake mix, made her nuzzle her nose into him to inhale deeply. “You smell good.” She eventually spoke again. “Good to know.” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips at the fact she was still clinging to him. “I just saw a giant inflatable Turkey.” Her hands dropped and slid under his T-shirt, gently rubbing at his stomach. “What?” Steve paused. “The parade”

Steve smiled. “You know when I was a kid, the parade was the best part of Thanksgiving.” “Yeah?” she mumbled, her cheek still pressed to his shoulder.

“Yeah. Me and Bucky used to come into Manhattan with his family and my ma if she wasn’t working and stuff ourselves on popcorn and warm mixed nuts” He smiled to himself at the memory. They always picked out their favourite balloons, ate until they thought they would burst, and made Rebecca, Bucky’s younger sister laugh till she cried by pretending they were in the marching bands. But once the war started, the parade had ended. He had never realized that they started it up again until Tony and Katie had mentioned it last night as they had sat eating takeout. Part of him had wanted to go to the street to watch it but after seeing that morning how crowded it had been on his run he was happy to watch it from the comfort of Katie’s floor. He turned to face her for first time that day, her arms still round his waist. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, face fresh, eyes bright and she was, as ever, in one of his shirts and not a lot else. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss and when he moved away, she quickly closed the space to give him another, letting her lips linger on his for a second. “I’ll burn the pancakes.” He murmured and she grinned, pulling away. “I’ll make fresh coffee.” She pat his chest and turned to the machine. “Hey JAR…Hit me with some Christmas tunes, buddy” “The usual Miss Stark?” “As long as it has the Pogues on…” “Wouldn’t dream of not doing” the AI replied and then the apartment was flooded with the sounds of ‘Fairy Tale of New York.’ “It’s November.” Steve turned to look at her, but she simply grinned to herself and turned around, singing to him. He couldn’t help but laugh, he knew from last year that Christmas for her started at Thanksgiving and ended on New Year’s Day. Plus the fact that the previous year she had spent Christmas day fighting a bunch of exploding super soldiers meant that she was going to enjoy this year as much as possible. He shook his head, a low chuckle escaping before he turned back to his pancakes. They dragged the cushions off the couch and ate breakfast sat by the huge floor to ceiling windows of the penthouse, Katie sat between Steve’s legs as they both watched the parade. Suddenly, a large green balloon floated by the window and Katie gave a loud squeal when she saw what it was. A Hulk float. An amused smile spread across her lips as she watched the balloon bob in front of the window, twisting to the sides in the air as it wrestled with the wind. “Oh my God!” Katie giggled again, gently tapping Steve’s right calf but he had already spotted it. A massive shield was coming out, followed by Iron Man’s mask, Thor’s hammer, a bow and arrow, Natasha’s Red Widow symbol and her own Nova star. She turned to look at him, a little smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth and when he met her eyes the smile broke out across his features. Laughing in disbelief, he shook his head, turning his attention back look at the shield float bounce down the street. “That’s pretty cool.” He allowed himself a slightly smug and amazed sigh, and it was. If anyone had told him all those years ago that one day he would feature in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade he would have told them that they were mad. Yet there it was. He found himself smiling as he thought about how his ma and Bucky would have reacted. When they had finished eating, Katie leaned back into him a little more, slouching so that her knees were bent and her feet rested on the bottom of the window. His arms reached round her neck, and he kissed the back of her head as they continued to watch the floats, the gentle sound of Bing Crosby “White Christmas” now playing through the room, the two of them simply enjoying the closeness of one another. ***** Eventually it was time to head downstairs and join Tony, Bruce and Pepper for their dinner. Katie and Pepper left the men to it and finished off the prep before calling them all to the table. As was tradition, as ‘head of the house’ Tony carved the turkey with his usual, trademark drama and they took it in turns to give a few things they were thankful for. Tony was thankful for his friends, family and a decent brand of scotch he had in the cupboard for later, Pepper was thankful for being so fortunate and being surrounded by people she loved, Bruce was thankful for being welcomed into their family home, not just for today but since he had taken up residency just after the Chitauri Battle, and Katie was thankful for being in the presence of people she cared for, and for the last year being so much better than the previous twelve months. She shot a wink at Steve as she said that and he beamed before he realised they were waiting for him.

"Okay, well…” He cleared his throat. “I guess I’m thankful for being given a second chance, being welcomed by you all…and for, err, you.” He grinned at Katie who gave him a playful roll of the eyes but the flush on her cheeks told him she had understood.

“Awww.” Pepper smiled, as Tony made a gagging noise which resulted in Katie throwing a carrot at him. He pointed at her, frowning.

“No food fights on my floor, Kiddo.” He said sternly and she simply raised an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of her wine.

The food was good, not that anyone expected anything else. Both Tony and Banner managed two servings whilst Steve made it through three. And then there was the pie. Steve scoffed down a piece of each, whilst everyone else could only face one, but no one cared. And he found himself secretly pleased that there was enough left for him to scoff later on.

“I’m so glad I wore leggings.” Pepper sighted, leaning back and massaging her stomach.

“Tell me about it.” Katie moaned. “I’m so glad this denims have an elasticated waist.” She pulled at the middle of her long maroon peplum style top. “Think I’m having a food baby.”

“Yeah, I gotta hand it to you Kiddo…” Tony leaned back in his chair, undoing the top button of his pants and massaging his stomach “That was absolutely awesome.“

Steve’s hand dropped to his girl’s leg under the table and he gave her knee a little squeeze as she reached for her wine glass, before he moving his arm to drop it round the back of her chair. "I certainly prefer the Turkey dead and cooked anyway” Tony added and Katie groaned. “Are you ever gonna let me live that down?” She looked at him. “No” he shook his head. “What’s this?” Steve asked, setting his glass down. “Did she not tell you about the time she brought home a live Turkey one year? Katie sighed as Steve sat up, turning to her, smirking "No…” “I was seventeen and going through a meat is murder phase.” She waved away the comment with her hands. “I was in the way home and saw him. He was the only one left in the farmyard so I liberated him” “By liberated she means stole.” Tony quipped, standing up to retrieve two more bottled of Rijoca from the wet bar as laughs rang round the table. “No one came looking for him.” She shrugged. “Marv lived a happy life for five years in our back garden” “Marv?” Bruce looked at her, a smile creeping across his face. “After the character from Home Alone.” She replied simply

“You had a turkey called Marv?” The scientist deadpanned and she nodded.

“He was a great pet. Used to chase Tony around” “The bird was a fucking menace.” Tony frowned, topping everyone’s glass up. Settling back into his chair, Katie noticed Pepper giving him a look and he started suddenly as if he was remembering something. He leaned forward and looked at Katie. "So I know we don’t do Thanksgiving gifts kiddo but I was thinking yesterday about something you said to me once, about having a vision for a publishing company.”

Katie stole a look at Steve who simply shrugged. It was true, when she had first graduated she had thought about setting up a publishing company, but one that dealt with unknown writers. Her favourite books in the world were the Harry Potter series and during her degree she had been lucky enough to attend a small seminar held by JK Rowling, who had openly discussed her life before becoming a famous author. She had been a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, and even after she had written the books it took her years to get a deal, being rejected by four different publishers before Bloomsbury (a small, independent group) took a chance on her and it paid off for both of them. Katie loved the rags to riches story and since then had always harboured a desire to do the same thing for other authors but it had never really been much more than a pipe dream.

“It was an idea I once had.” She shrugged, looking at Tony. “Then things went a bit crazy.” “Well… how about we make it a bit more than an idea?” Pepper said. “What?” Katie frowned, looking at Pepper, then he brother who nodded. “I want you to put a proper proposal together, business plan, mood and story board that type of thing.” He said, waving his hand in that Tony-esque manner “Then we’re gonna look at what we need to set it up and take it to the board. Run it as a Ltd company under the Parent company of Stark Industries, but you’ll be the Managing Director.” “I…, I can’t run a business!” She stammered. “Didn’t you run the UK branch of SI for a while?” Bruce looked at her, smiling. “That was different.” She pressed. “Why?” Steve asked. “Shut up Steven.” She shot without even looking at him.

There were a few chuckles round the table before Tony continued. “Look, you don’t need to work.” He shrugged. “You have enough capitol behind you plus the revenue from the business as it to live your life out as an IT girl, but we both know you’ll end up killing someone if you get bored, and that’s likely to be Cap seeing as you see him most so this is for him as much as you.” “Thanks Tony.” Steve tipped his glass to the Inventor who winked. Katie pondered. It really had been a dream of hers since leaving Uni, putting her degree and passion into her work and she would be lying if she said the thought didn’t excite her but it was a hell of a big commitment, and what if it all failed?

“I’ll help you.” Pepper smiled at Katie who was biting her lip. "I’ll proof read the proposal and I’ll be there every step of the way whilst you set up.” She leaned back in her chair. "The week before Christmas there’s another board meeting. I suggest we use that to pitch the idea.”

“I think this could be a great opportunity for you and Stark Industries.” Tony looked at Katie. “And you’ll get full autonomy over it all, I promise.” This was amazing. She looked at Steve who nodded encouragingly. “What is it you keep saying to me? You’ll never know until you try?” he smiled at her. She took a deep breath and looked around the table before throwing caution to the wind and letting out a huge grin. “Ok. Fuck it. Let’s do it.” **** After another half an hour or so of chatter, and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Katie’s agreement to the business idea, everyone chipped in to clear the table before retiring to the plush living area of Tony and Pepper’s floor for more drinks and chat. Then the alcohol really did began to flow, Steve and Tony moving onto the scotch, the soldier watching as everyone around him descended into that well recognised drunken haze. And then out came ‘Drawing Without Dignity’, a game Steve had never played before which was really rather vulgar, but he couldn’t help but enjoy it. The game fast slid into chaos which was to be expected with an extremely competitive Super Soldier who had a natural advantage as he could actually draw, an equally competitive billionaire and a normally mild mannered scientist who also was quite cutthroat when it came to winning it turned out.

Pepper and Katie spent most of the time sniggering at the bickering men, and at the point when they were laughing that much when it was their go, the three boys got so frustrated they banned them from playing. For that, the next time Steve asked Katie what one of the more risqué sayings meant (he had cringed at a fair few of them over the course of the evening) she lied to sabotage him earning her a full on Captain glare. “That was a pretty shitty thing to do.” He grumbled at her as Tony and Bruce were both howling with laughter. “Not my fault Captain Badass doesn’t know what Rimming is!” Katie shot back, wiping away her tears. Steve had to bite back his own laugh at the ridiculous nickname, instead he fixed her with another glare which she returned with a simple shrug of her shoulders. The game ended, and Steve and Tony called it a draw, which was probably the easiest thing to do since Pepper had stopped taking count and tallying towards the end. It was now well after ten pm and Steve looked around the room as Tony stood up, a little unsteady on his feet, teetering back over to the bar.

“I think maybe we’ve had enough.” Pepper hiccupped slightly looked at Tony who had been reaching for another bottle of liquor, wheeled round slightly too fast causing him to stumble into the bar.

Katie cackled as Tony looked at Pepper “Shut up Mom.” he grabbed another bottle of scotch in one hand and the open bottle of Krug the girls were drinking in the other. He walked carefully over towards the sofa, as he dropped down into it heavily, handing the champagne to Katie who was on the floor in between Steve’s legs, her back resting against the sofa. She took it and poured herself and Pepper a glass, quite pleased that she didn’t spill any.

“You know he…he can’t get drunk!” Tony handed Bruce a now full glass, pointing to Steve.

“That’s sad.” Bruce surmised, taking a sip of his drink before Tony sat bolt upright, and pointed at the scientist.

“Hey, I wonder if Hulk can get drunk?”

“That’s an…that’s an…ex…exper-expediment I don’t think we should do.” Bruce shook his head, hiccups punctuating his speech.

“Absolutely not.” Steve shook his head as Katie cackled.

“But it would be for science purposes.” Tony pressed

Bruce wrinkled his nose and shook his head “No Code Green.” “Spoil sport.” Tony sniffed

They stayed for another hour or so, until Pepper fell asleep. Katie’s cheeks were flushed pink and when she asked for a bottle of water Steve knew it was time to go. After asking Tony if he needed help clearing anything up, which he declined stating housekeeping would be in at some point tomorrow to deal with it, Steve stood up, surprised to find he actually felt a little bit of a head-rush. Ok, so maybe the three bottles of scotch they’d managed to go through had had a little effect after all, but he felt the fizziness ebbing away as he pulled Katie to her feet and she grinned up at him.

“Wanna carry me Soldier?” she asked.

He arched an eyebrow and in one swoop had her over his shoulder, causing her to shriek with laughter as she clutched at his navy blue cardigan jacket.

“Night!” She waved from her upside down position. Tony and Bruce waved distractedly from where they were now trying to mix some form of cocktail at the bar.

“You can put me down now.” Katie patted Steve on his back as they boarded the elevator. “Steve…”

He smirked to himself, ignoring her giggles and protests, swatting lightly at her ass, and didn’t put her down until they reached the bedroom where he tossed her onto the bed and set about showing her exactly how thankful for her he was

******* If you want to read more about Marv the Turkey, check out the One shot: The Life Of Marv. As with all SSB One Shots, they don’t need to be read to understand the main story...consider them tasty little side dishes.

********

Chapter 12 Part 1

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #katie stark #chris evans #chris evans characters #mcu #mcu fanfic

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lilyandersonn · 4 years ago

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All Too Well // D.W

Chapter One // Series Masterlist here

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Bailey Walker (OFC)

Series summary: (Supernatural AU) Bailey Walker has spent the last year picking up the pieces of her failed relationship. Just when she thinks she is almost whole again, the rug is pulled from underneath her yet again. Her life is a mess, she's a mess, and yet throughout it all, she finds herself growing close to somebody she's spent eight years pushing away. Bailey can feel Dean worming his way back into her life and consequently her heart, but she's been burned before, can she find it in herself to trust him again?

Chapter warnings: maybe a little angst?

Words: 2949

AN: This is an AU. Pretty much everybody is alive and just living their best apple pie lives. Hunting isn’t a thing, they’re all just normal people. I don’t have a beta reader, so I do apologise for any mistakes that I didn’t pick up on when editing :)

Chapter One

“Jess, can you please stop that?”

The infuriating sound of paper flapping, which had Bailey’s clenching her hands so tightly that her fingernails were leaving crescent shaped indentations on her palm, immediately ceased. The pain was only a minor inconvenience in comparison to the unbearable, choking humidity that had turned her tiny apartment into a temporary sauna.

“I can’t help it,” Jess said with a whine, unable to resist the temptation of fanning herself and picking the newspaper back up, “maybe if you fixed your AC, I wouldn’t have to.”

Bailey, in a fit of pure frustration, pulled her sweat soaked shirt over her head in a futile attempt at cooling herself down. The heat plaguing her apartment had Bailey willing to do just about anything to escape it, and that didn’t exclude stripping off in-front of her best friend.

“I already told you, my AC doesn’t need fixing.” Bailey quipped, the sticky heat making her more irritable than usual as she dragged herself into the kitchen in search of something, anything, that would cool her down.

Unfazed at her best friend’s state of undress, Jess rolled her eyes at Bailey’s ongoing determination that her AC was in fact not broken; even though it had all the effect of an old asthmatic man standing in the corner breathing on them. It was beyond her that somebody who hated the heat so vehemently, would be so opposed to the idea of fixing the one thing that would cool her apartment down.

“You could just ask Dean—”

Bailey, who had found a bottle of water shoved at the very back of the fridge and had been just about to down it, whipped around so fast that she was worried she may get whiplash.

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” Jess said exasperatedly, hands on her hips, “he isn’t that bad. And he’ll probably do it for free.”

“Yes, Jess, he is that bad. I’d rather pay somebody than have that man in my apartment.”

Jess grinned, “Ah, so you admit you need somebody to fix it.”

Scowling in her best friend’s direction, Bailey opened the bottle and chugged half of the icy cold liquid in one go, instead of coming up with a sarcastic retort like she wanted to.

“So, I need to tell you something,” Jess said slowly, hesitating as she watched in amusement whilst Bailey chugged the water and simultaneously shimmied her sweaty denim shorts down her legs, “Bails, if you were gonna strip for me, you could have at least worn matching underwear.”

If it were anybody else, that comment would have her cheeks burning read and stuttering. But Jess had seen Bailey in much worse states, and vice versa, to the point where they would have to do something really scandalous for either of them to bat an eyelid.

“You would be lucky to have me strip for you, Hello Kitty briefs and all."

Choosing to put an end to the exchange, Jess cleared her throat and continued with what she had been waiting – no, dreading – to say, “So, there’s no easy way to say this and I’m just going to come right out and say it. Sam invited Chris to the wedding, and well, he’s RSVP’d.”

The revelation came with a grimace, as though she’d just ignited an explosive and was waiting for the big show.

“And?” Bailey asked, as though waiting for another part to the story.

Jess raised an eyebrow, perplexed by her seemingly blasé attitude towards the news. "And you're okay with that?"

Bailey faltered at that; she knew in her mind she wasn’t okay. She hadn’t been okay in a very long time, but it had always been so easy to pretend otherwise when everybody around her were so terrified of even mentioning her ex-boyfriend’s name.

Almost a year had passed since their three-year relationship had come to an end, but Bailey was still stuck in the same cycle of going to work, faking wholesome smiles and conversation with customers, pretending that she didn’t feel like her whole life was crumbling around her, and then coming home to an empty apartment to mourn a life she almost had.

One day Bailey would look back and feel nothing but embarrassed at the thought of all the time she’d spent grieving a relationship that was long since over. But that day didn’t seem to be on the near horizon.

Forcing her lips to curve up into something that resembled more of a grimace than a smile, Bailey finally spoke, “Yeah, I’m okay with it. It’s just one day, and besides, it’s your guys’ day, not mine. You deserve to have whoever you want there.”

In the back of her mind, Bailey knew she couldn’t have expected Sam not to invite Chris. They’d been best friends at one point, maybe not so much anymore but they were still friends, and so it was no shock that he would be invited.

Despite noticing the way Bailey’s hazel eyes looked slightly glassy and the hesitation before she responded, Jess chose not to push the subject. She’d witnessed first-hand what she had gone through when Chris left, and for her best friend’s sake, she didn’t want to cause the kind of breakdowns that she’d spent six months coaxing Bailey out of.

Jess had spent far too many hours watching Bailey sob, barely able to breathe through the tears because of what Chris had done to her, and she refused to be the person who brought those memories back up.

“Hey, how about you put on some new clothes and we go get a beer at the Roadhouse?”

And with that, normalcy was injected back into the room.

***

“There’s my girls.”

Bailey and Jess were both grinning from ear to ear as they approached the bar, squeezing their way through the people crowded around the pool table, where Ellen was already preparing their drinks. A bottle of beer and a tequila shot each were waiting for them when they finally made it to their favourite bartender.

Without hesitation, Bailey down the gold liquid, barely flinching as it burned its way down her throat. The concerned look Jess shot her didn’t go unnoticed as they both took their seats, but she chose to ignore it in favour of greeting Ellen.

“Bad day?” Ellen asked, watching with a glint in her eye as Bailey chugged half of her beer in one go.

Heaving out a heavy sigh as she placed the bottle back down onto the bar, “You could say that,” she said, letting her eyes glance around the room, grinning as she spotted Jo at the pool table, clearly beating her flustered looking opponent.

Although there was a three-year age gap between them, Bailey and Jo had always been close friends, all but growing up together. Circumstance had brought them together, their parents were all good friends and Bailey had been coming to the Roadhouse for as long as she could remember, but their friendship had stood the test of time.

And then came along Jess, who just slid so easily in with them, that it felt like they’d all always been friends.

Catching her eye, Bailey sent a wink to Jo, who shot one straight back at her, before focusing back up on her game.

“Is Sam swinging by, too?” Ellen casually asked Jess, as she absentmindedly wiped at the bar with a rag.

“Probably,” Jess said, taking a sip of her beer, “if Dean has anything to say about it.”

Bailey couldn’t help the involuntary eye roll that came from the mention of Dean. It was an understatement to say that she wasn’t his biggest fan, but the words that she had to describe her feelings towards him were very unsavoury.

Along with Jo, Bailey had grown up with Sam. Dean being four years older than them, she never really saw him as anything other than an annoying older brother, who enjoyed teasing the hell out of all three of them whenever he got the chance.

But that had all changed during the summer after she and Sam had graduated high school. Something shifted between Bailey and Dean – Dean no longer seeing her as just his brother’s irritating best friend, and Bailey spurred on by raging teenage hormones. Neither of them had seen the mutual attraction coming, but there was nothing stopping it.

They fell into what could be best described as a summer fling, because by the time September came and Bailey was off to college, it all came crumbling down. By then, she had developed some real feelings for him – beyond just wanting to jump his bones every time he walked through the door – but in classic Dean fashion, ever afraid of making genuine connections with women, he blew her off with a text message. And that was that.

Eight years later, Bailey still held a grudge on the older Winchester.

“Speak of the devils.”

Draining the last of her bottle, Bailey couldn’t help the eyebrows that pinched into a frown as she turned to see the two brothers walking through the front door, laughing loudly at something. Sam was still dressed in his office suit, but Dean had changed out of his usual work navy overalls, into a pair of blue jeans and a red flannel shirt.

He looked good.

Bailey immediately mentally cursed herself as soon as the thought entered her head. It frustrated her to no end that even though all she felt for the older brother was revulsion, she couldn’t deny the glaringly obvious fact – Dean Winchester was a sight to behold.

Whilst Jess got up to greet her fiancé, Bailey turned back to the bar and ordered another beer and a few more shots of tequila. She would need them if she were going to get through an evening with him.

As Ellen placed the shots of tequila onto the bar, a hand reached over from behind Bailey and took one. She didn’t need to look to know who it was – there was only one person on the planet who would have the nerve.

“For me? You shouldn’t have, sweetheart.”

“You’re an ass.” Bailey said, though lacking in her usual conviction, too fed up to entertain the little feud they had going. She took another shot without looking at him, hoping he would take the hint to leave her alone

Much to her chagrin, Dean sat down next to her, signature smirk as he looked over at her, before turning his attention to Ellen.

“Two beers and a whiskey, please.”

“Coming up, doll.”

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but whatever inevitably provoking words he was going to say died on his tongue as Sam and Jess finally joined them; Sam hugging Bailey from behind, swiftly pressing a kiss to her temple, a quiet sorry whispered into her auburn hair before pulling away.

Bailey sent him a look that said he had nothing to be sorry for, but she knew that no matter what she said or did, Sam was going to feel guilty for inviting Chris. It did make her think why invite him if he felt so bad about it, but she had no urge to question it.

The three of them began chattering around Bailey, but she wasn’t listening. She could barely focus on the sound of the Led Zeppelin song blaring through the stereo, let alone whatever her friends and Dean were talking about.

Although she’d put on a brave face, the mention of Chris earlier had really floored her. It had been a year since he walked out of her life, eyes set on bigger and better things – things Bailey apparently couldn’t offer him – and yet one mention of his name and she felt like she was back to square one.

It occurred to her on many occasions that Chris was as good as it got for her. Although not her first love, the infuriating lady-killer knocking whiskey back beside her frustratingly held that title, she really thought that he was going to be it. She saw a life with him, a good life, that she couldn’t picture ever having with anybody else.

So, was that it? Was she destined to a life of loneliness and forever picking up the pieces of a life she never got to have? Those kinds of questions often kept Bailey awake at night – more often than she’d care to admit.

Her uncharacteristically quietness didn’t go undetected by any of them – even Dean was eyeing her with an expression that could be described as mild concern. Normally she’d be at the centre of the conversation, cracking jokes, ribbing on Sam for wearing his monkey suit at the bar.

“Hey, Bails, up for a game of pool?” Sam asked, pulling her out of whatever daydream she had been caught up in.

Almost as though she was suddenly remembering where she was, Bailey blinked a few times before turning to him with a mischievous smile, “Only if you’re looking to get your ass kicked.”

The smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and there wasn’t the usual skip in her step as she and Sam walked over to the vacant pool table – Jo now helping her mother behind the bar as the usual Friday evening crowd began filling up the building.

“Bails,” Sam started once they reached the table, away from prying ears, “you know I didn’t want to upset you, right?”

Picking up her pool cue and starting to chalk the end of it, she nodded, trying to look as unfazed as possible. When Sam had asked her for a game, she knew he just wanted to get her away from the other two so that he could say his piece.

“I’m not upset, Sam,” she said with a sigh, “you have every right to invite whoever you want to your wedding, okay? Please, can we just leave it there for now?”

“Right, yeah, sorry.”

“So, you ready to get your ass kicked?” Bailey taunted with a grin, the tension immediately dissipating into nothing.

“Bring it.”

Ten short minutes later, Bailey had her cue above her head, yelling out in triumph at her win. Sam, though shaking his head at her less than subtle display of victory, grinned along with her. He was simply happy that she was acting more like herself, but for how long he didn’t know.

“Another?” she asked, setting the balls back into the rack in the middle of the table.

Sam huffed out a laugh. “Sure, you set up, I’ll go get us another drink.”

By now, Bailey was feeling buzzed, the two beers and however many shots of tequila had started to kick in. She could handle her alcohol reasonably well and it would take a lot more for her to be truly drunk, but she was getting that warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach and she swayed slightly as she walked around the table.

Maybe it wasn’t the best way to cope, but the numbing effects of alcohol seemed to be working well to take her mind away from Chris.

A somewhat pleasant mood had begun to settle over Bailey, and only improved throughout the night. Being around her friends – Jess, Sam, Jo, even Charlie had made an appearance – was all the therapy she needed.

She had beaten Sam at another few games of pool before they decided to call it quits, settling instead in their usual booth at the far corner of the bar, away from the noisy patrons. The rest of their friends had slowly joined them, bringing over more drinks that only served to get Bailey increasingly buzzed.

Bailey and Charlie were clinking their shot glasses together, before knocking them back, when Dean approached the table. Before that, he’d been chatting up a pretty little blonde at the bar – as per usual, searching for somebody to take home. It wasn’t a night at the Roadhouse if Dean didn’t leave with a girl hanging off his arm.

But there he was, squeezing himself into the booth, directly next to a disgruntled looking Bailey.

“Luck out?” she asked, eyebrows pinching together when he slings his arm across the seat behind her. He was too close for comfort, his jean covered thigh pressing up against her bare leg.

He shrugged, taking a long pull of his beer. “She has a boyfriend.”

“I’m surprised that stopped you.”

“I do have morals, sweetheart.”

“Could have fooled me.”

Not taken aback in the slightest by her comment, Dean grinned, eyes twinkling with amusement – unlike Bailey, he enjoyed their banter. “You say the sweetest things to me.”

Choosing to ignore the green-eyed man next to her, Bailey tuned back into the conversation. Charlie, Jo, and Jess were chatting about the bachelorette party planned for the following weekend, whilst Sam was completely zoned out, scrolling on his phone.

“Are we still starting at Bailey’s?” Charlie asked, looking over at the girl in question.

“Only if she gets her AC fixed.” Jess replied, grinning smugly over at her.

“I am not having this conversation again, Jessica.”

Dean, who had surprisingly been listening to the conversation, piped in. “I could take a look at it for you.”

Grinding her teeth and clenching her fists, Bailey knew she had been cornered. There was no reasonable excuse to say no to Dean, who was so generously offering his services in front of everybody. Looking over at Jess, who was still wearing the smug grin, she knew her best friend had planned this.

“I’m sure you have plenty of other things to do, I’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense,” Dean said, starting to catch onto Bailey’s hesitation, “I’ll swing by tomorrow afternoon and take a look.”

“Great.”

#supernatural au #supernatural #supernatural fic #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester fic #dean winchester fanfic #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x ofc #dean winchester/ofc #dean winchester angst #dean winchester #sam winchester #dean winchester au #sam winchester au #jessica moore

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snarkwriteswrasslin · 5 years ago

Text

FFT: candy hearts taste like chalk; mjf

Notes:

This one was sent to my main by @vonschweetz and I had to go there with it. Because what better than to make MJF a secret admirer.. Anyway, I thought I’d post it on here, so it has it’s own post. So, here it is.

Summary:

Girl and guy argue but there’s a mutual crush thing happening here. Guy decides to romance the shit out of girl as a secret admirer. Maybe this opens girls eyes to the fact that there’s more than just a burberry scarf wearing ass and fluff ensues. Kinda.

Pairing:

MJF x OFC, Jessa

Warnings:

fluff and shenanigans. valentines day shenanigans. anti-valentine ofc.

“ Valentines is the corniest holiday, by far.” Jessa said it as she passed beneath a red garland of dangling hearts and arrows. She paused to swat at it, scowling upward at the ceiling as she laughed. From beside her, Penelope Ford spoke up. “Says the girl who probably couldn’t get a date tonight if she stood on a corner bare ass naked.”

“ That, coming from the woman with Kip Sabian. Did I ask for the opinion of an actual dumpster fire? Didn’t think so.” Jessa quipped as she jumped up, fingertips snagging the garland, giving it a firm tug downward. The garland came down, bringing with it a loose dusting of vibrant fire-engine red glitter and Jessa swatted at her neckline where some happened to settle, giving the tops of her breasts a generous dusting of sparkle that she didn’t want or need.

“I’ll say it again. At least I have someone to spend Valentines with. You will never know that luxury.”

“And thank God above for that because I think I’d rather gouge my own eyeballs out than spend any amount of time with Kip Sabian for any reason. I prefer men who don’t spend more time in the bathroom than I do, thanks!” Jessa mimicked a sweet tone with Penelope as she walked away backwards, her middle finger up and the sweetest smirk she could manage on her face. It was the walking backwards that caused her to collide back first straight into the chest of a very amused MJF.

Jessa whirled around, about to apologize, but when she set sights on MJF towering over her, she bit her lip, grumbling quietly. “Well tonight is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Are you gonna move?”

“Ya know, a ‘hey Maxwell’, would be nice. Also please move. And maybe throw in ‘you’re so hot, Maxwell, while we’re at it?” MJF stared her down, his arms folded over his chest as he watched her facial expression change three different times. He loved irritating her, her face got all flushed and sometimes he managed to do such a good job that she actually stammered and wound up growling and flipping him off instead.

Deeper down though, he really wished that it was easier just to talk to her. Because he couldn’t get her out of his head. It drove him insane. Their confrontations always left him more than a little bothered. Not in a bad way, either.

He kept telling himself he had to do something, he had to learn to shove whatever it was that he felt way down deep because they’d never realistically work, he was one way and she was his polar opposite, but this stubborn part of him kept insisting they would. They had to. He wanted her and when he wanted something, he stopped at nothing to make it happen.

“Not as long as I have a pulse, Maxwell.” Jessa deadpanned, even though as she said it, she found herself getting lost in endless pools of milk chocolate brown and hating herself for being a girl who went gaga over a guy with deep and soulful eyes.

Which unfortunately, Maxwell Jacob Friedmann did have, despite him having absolutely no actual depth in personality to her own personal knowledge. … doesn’t stop me from being attracted to him like one end of a magnet to the other either, she thought to herself, frowning a little at the thought. They’d literally never work out.

She went to step past him and his hand shot out, gently gripping her wrist to raise her hand. His eyes settled on the glittery red garlands she’d been racing to the nearest garbage bin with and he eyed her, a perplexed facial expression that made her giggle and shrug under his intent gaze. He nodded to the garland finally and cleared his throat. “What’s the matter? Someone a little jealous at all the happy couples around her?”

Jessa’s brows rose and she laughed, snorting a little as she did. It was cute. MJF had to give it that much. He stepped a little closer, his free hand lingering at her hip ever-so-slightly as he continued to stare, his eyes breaking from her eyes to wander down and settle on a plump set of cherry-colored lips. Briefly, he toyed with the idea of just going for it and kissing her right then and there, but he reigned in the urge to do so. “Are you gonna answer me, beautiful?”

Jessa’s stomach fluttered.

…. It’s gotta be gas station nachos, there is absolutely no way I feel anything other than irritation for this gigantic douche…

Even as she had the thought, she KNEW deep down that was totally false.

“They were hanging too low in the door. It was annoying?” - fuck, why did that come out like I was asking his permission to move something that was in my way? Jessa finally answered and as she wondered why she’d done it, MJF was prying the garland from her hands carefully, his gaze not breaking from her own a single second as he smirked. “Are you sure that’s the only reason, princess? I mean you’ve been skulking around here all week moody. I think you’re lonely.” he clucked his tongue and shook his head. He honestly didn’t get her. He’d never seen anyone so repressed before and it bothered him because he knew that with her level of repression, sooner or later, an explosion was incoming. And she had nobody she was particularly close to that she could actually sit down and confide in. It had to be lonely.

… just admit it, you wanna be the one she does that with… the thought crept it’s way in, only to be shoved right back out because MJF wasn’t ready to deal with the fact that of all the women he could have fallen for, it was the one who hated pretty much everyone.

“I don’t get lonely, okay! I don’t..” her voice dropped just the slightest when she realized that she’d practically shouted the first part and people were watching them, “I don’t need anybody. This is just a stupid fuckin holiday that people use as an excuse to bribe people into thinking they like them when any of the other 364 days of the year, they couldn’t be bothered to give a fuck.”

The outburst was more telling than she realized and it gave MJF an idea, of sorts. A way in. At this point, he was grasping at straws where she was concerned, because every idea Allie bounced off of him just didn’t seem to work. It’d either be too much or not enough. But this one, this idea he was getting… It was simple and perfect.

“Maybe they do. They just can’t say it because you won’t hear it.” MJF mused, biting his lip as he gazed down at her. He halfway hoped that by now she’d pick up on the way he treated her worlds differently than he treated the others, but she hadn’t. If anything, it only seemed to make her edgier and alienate her more.

Jessa blinked and shook her head. For just a second there, it seemed like he was trying to hint at something. And the thought was a mixture of concerning and comforting. She found herself wondering again why MJF seemed to treat her with kid gloves sometimes, not willing to get as down and dirty when they had their war of words like she was.

“Whatever, Maxwell. Either way, this garland? Headed for the garbage.” she worked at prying it from his hand. Their hands wound up touching a time or two and she sucked in a breath at the warmth and the roughness of his hands. Certainly not the hands of a rich pretty boy, she found herself thinking and naturally, her mind chose to take that a step further, definitely a feeling I’d like to feel all over my body.. And she was shaking her head as if to shake that thought right out of it.

“Hey, whoa! Maybe just give that to me. I can find somewhere else to put it.” MJF took the garland back quickly, holding it out of the petite hellion’s reach though she leaped for it a few times. She pouted and bit her lip as she stared up at him, stepping away as soon as she realized just how close she’d been standing to him.

That designer cologne he wore was haunting her now, she’d probably smell it all night and catch her mouth-watering. She tucked some hair back behind her ear and swallowed hard, nodding to the garland. “Fine, whatever. I..I don’t have time to deal with you right now.” Jessa whirled away, so flustered that she started to head down the wrong end of the hallway. She swore and backtracked, walking past him as quickly as possible and definitely not meeting his gaze as she did so.

She fell into the makeup chair dramatically and let out a long groan as she closed her eyes. From the seat next to her, Allie giggled and spoke up. “Dramatic entrance. I’m going to assume that you’ve already had a run-in with Maxwell tonight?” she asked as she slicked cherry colored gloss on her lips, puckering up at her reflection in the mirror.

Jessa grumbled and dug around in the makeup kit sitting in front of her, casting aside product after product. “Why do I even bother with this crap? I’m here to fight, not look pretty. If I’d wanted to do that I’d have gone the America’s Next Top Model route.” she slammed the lid of the case shut and Allie stood, gracefully stepping over to the chair Jessa sat in, taking hands full of Jessa’s soft dark brown locks into her hands. “You could’ve done it, ya know?” Allie mused almost nonchalant. Jessa eyed her warily.

Allie found herself praying to God that MJF hurried up with whatever he was up to because she could only keep Jessa occupied for a limited time; Jessa wasn’t known for patience. Or sitting still. Or making conversation for extended periods.

The girl was living, breathing chaos.

She honestly still couldn’t figure out what got MJF all stirred up over her and if he hadn’t given her the impassioned speech he had last night when he enlisted her help for tonight and his attempt at romancing Jessa, she never would’ve agreed to it because she’d seen quite a few less fortunate girls meet with heartbreak at the hands of the man.

She was massaging Jessa’s scalp and she gave a soft laugh when she heard Jessa sigh and saw the woman’s eyes flutter open and closed. “Scalp massage. They really do help your hair. Especially for those with manes like you’ve got yourself here. How do you deal with your hair being so thick?”

Jessa shrugged. “I don’t like change. It’s easier to just throw it up than to cut it off and miss it.” As Allie’s fingers moved haphazardly over her scalp, she found herself going back to the way it felt when she and MJF accidentally touched a few times. And the look in his eyes when he said what Jessa felt had to be a hint at something.

“Well, it’s gorgeous. Maybe if we just moved a little out of your eyes so it’s not always getting in the way of your view…” Allie eyed the way she’d grabbed Jessa’s hair in the mirror and she grabbed for a few pins the same shade as Jessa’s hair and she slid them into the area she’d been holding, stepping back. “Ooh. I like it.”

Jessa eyed it and then Allie. She gave a little smile and shrugged. “Yeah, why not. Listen,” she gestured at the makeup kit in disgust, “Apparently, I have to wear this shit. So.. Whatever you wanna do, I guess?”

Allie clapped her hands together, giving a laugh similar to the ones she gave during promos and she opened the kit, setting to work. Jessa just sat there letting her because if she had to admit it, she could do her own makeup just fine, she was just far too lazy to be bothered. So, every week, she pulled this trick with the other women.

Her favorite time arguably was whenever Riho or Nyla happened to be present. On occasion, it was enjoyable whenever Kris was around and felt like doing it, because she always had creative ideas.

As Allie was getting ready to pop some false lashes on Jessa, her cell phone lit up. She went ahead and put on the lashes and Jessa sat blinking, giving a soft laugh. “Fancy! I don’t entirely hate these. Thanks.”

Allie nodded and smirked at the other woman. “I’m heading down to change. Maybe we can walk down together?”

“Why not?” Jessa shrugged mildly as she slipped out of the chair, falling into step beside Allie. As soon as they got into the locker room, Jessa hurried over to her locker, pulling it open.

The box of conversation hearts sat there and she glanced around, brows raised and a confused look on her face. “At least it’s not the kind that taste like actual chalk.” she took out the box, opening it and pouring some in her hand. She’d been just about to eat them but she stopped when she realized that they all said the same thing.

“I Want You. Okay then, stranger with candy.” Jessa muttered as she poured the candies in her hand into her mouth. Allie laughed from beside her just as Jessa noticed the single dark red rose leaned against the inside, with a card and she reached for them. “What?” Jessa eyed Allie who simply shrugged and went back to dressing for her match.

Jessa tore into the envelope, eyes darting over the card. “ Roses are red, that much is true. But violets, they’re purple and definitely not blue. Enjoy the mystery and by the end of tonight; I’ll reveal myself to you.” she muttered the words, giving a quiet snort. “Not too shabby, I’ll say that. Whoever did this probably got the wrong locker.” Jessa’s fingers wound through her hair and she flipped over the red envelope, a brow raised at her name scrawled across the front. “Okay, so it’s for me. Oh god, I know what this is!” Jessa gave a soft laugh, peeking behind the lockers that separated the front of the room from the showers and toilet stalls in back. “Okay, you guys can come out now.”

Allie raised a brow and started to ask what exactly Jessa thought was going on, but she didn’t have to because Jessa turned to Allie and shrugged. “This is a joke. I mean.. It’s gotta be, right?” as her brows knit together in total confusion. She tossed another handful of the candy hearts into her mouth. Allie bent down, picking up the torn book page from the floor as she held it out to Jessa. “I think this was in that when you opened it.”

Jessa eyed the torn book page. It was ripped from a book of poems. She remembered reading it in an airport earlier in the week. Her fingertip caught in the ends of her hair, twisting and tugging at a strand or two as she read the POEM out loud, shuffling her feet and fidgeting the entire time. “Okay, that was…”

“Sexy? Sweet? Intense?” Allie questioned, trying not to laugh. Maybe Maxwell’s idea wasn’t doomed to fail like she’d told him it would. Then again, she honestly thought Jessa hated the guy to begin with, so it did beg to question…

“That’s one way to put it. Phew.” Jessa fanned her face with the card and took a few deep breaths. “Well? Aren’t you gonna share?”

“Okay, alright.” Jessa took a deep breath and cleared her throat, starting to read from the torn book page.

Come here and take off your clothes & with them, every single worry you have ever carried. My fingertips on your back will be the very last thing you will feel before sleeping & the sound of my smile the alarm clock to your morning ears.

Come here and take off your clothes & with them, every single yesterday that has snuck atop your shoulders & declared them home. My whispers will be the soundtrack to your secret dreams and my hand, the anchor to the life which you will open your eyes to.

Come here and take off your clothes. - Tyler Knott Gregson

“Oh wow. Damn. Hey, the hearts. What’d they say again?” Allie asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She had a feeling that she was starting to catch on to what Maxwell was up to and if she was right, it was… Definitely not something she’d have ever associated with the guy.

She’d never have assumed that beneath the cocky and almost overbearing exterior an actual romantic resided within.

Jessa grabbed the box and poured out a handful. The lone pink candy heart caught her eye and she raised a brow, reading it. “Nice tits.” she couldn’t help but giggle and look down as she joked aloud, “Bitch where, huh?”

Allie cleared her throat and Jessa held out one of the blue hearts in her hand. “Be Mine.”

“Oh wow. The poem is connected to the hearts, I think. And maybe nice tits was the person’s way of teasing?” Allie bit her lip as she looked over at Jessa. Jessa was obviously still reeling from the effects of the poem on the torn book page and Allie had the feeling that if this round of Maxwell’s little ‘game’ was this intense, by the end of the night, Jessa was going to be an actual mess.

It amused her.

Jessa turned over the paper and she dug around, eventually resorting to using a lipliner pencil she had in her messenger bag to scrawl on the front of the paper that’d been left with the candies and the card and rose.

“There’s one problem with this, stranger with candy. Well, two. One, my mom always told me not to take candy from strangers. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t follow directions? And the main problem. I can’t be yours if I don’t know who you are? But this is entertaining. It certainly got my attention. - Jessa”

Allie watched Jessa scrawling the note onto the front of the paper and stick it back into her locker and as soon as that was done, Jessa turned to Allie and shrugged. “Now we’ll see if it was a fluke or not I guess? I’m betting it is.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not, actually. Why’s it so hard to believe a man might be interested in you, Jessa?” Allie’s head tilted as she asked the question and Jessa shrugged. “Guess I’m just not used to it? I mean I’m not exactly people-friendly for the most part.” Jessa used air quotes to accentuate the phrase used and she smoothed her hands down the front of her favorite worn out skinny jeans, stretching. She was suddenly excited and full of energy.

But also, she was smart enough not to set the bar too high. And as soon as the thought of who she hoped it might be sending the candies and that poem crept in, she was choking on bottled water she’d just grabbed from the vending machine in the hallway.

Almost as if the guy had a radar and knew when she was even thinking about him, there he was, tapping her on the back and eyeing her with a raised brow while trying not to chuckle.

“Twice in a night.” Jessa choked out, catching her breath at last and continuing, “What the hell did I do to the man upstairs?” with hints of a teasing smirk. When their bodies brushed, she swallowed hard and attempted to step away a little. He wasn’t having to invade her personal space bubble tonight, apparently, she was doing good enough at it on her own.

MJF chuckled quietly. He’d gotten Allie’s text with a video clip of Jessa’s reaction so he knew good and well that right now, she was flustered and it embarrassed and infuriated her because she wasn’t used to it.

“Again, Jessa.. A ‘Hi, Maxwell. You look especially hot now that you just finished beating Diamond Dallas Page’s old ass’ would be great. Or even ‘Gee, thanks for keeping me from choking to death on a Voss.” MJF commented, staring her down intently. He hoped to God that Butcher and Blade hurried back from the little trip he’d sent them on because the rest of his surprise for Jessa kind of depended on it.

Tonight was the night. He had to do something to make himself known to her. He wanted her to see the side of him that he didn’t bother showing anyone else.

He grumbled when Guevara wandered over, stopping in front of Jessa again. “Hey baby girl.”

“Fuck off, child.” Jessa grumbled, glaring at the other guy. At least Maxwell has a right to be so goddamn cocky, Jessa mused to herself as she gazed almost boredly at Sammy, this guy has not a single one and yet… He thinks he’s god’s gift…

For a split second as Sammy was fucking her with his eyes again, the thought crossed her mind that he could well be the one behind everything she’d just found in her locker and that thought had her laughing so hard she was doubled over in an instant. The laughter served a dual purpose when Sammy eyed her as if she were losing her entire mind and made a hasty retreat. MJF cleared his throat.

“Think you might share what’s so funny?” Maxwell eyed her with a brow raised.

“I just.. No, if THAT bag of dicks is sending me secret Valentines stuff.. There’s no way it’s him. He’s got all the depth of a kiddie pool.” Jessa gulped as soon as their bodies bumped together lightly.

There went that magnetic pull to MJF that she’d yet to figure out and couldn’t seem to ignore. Rather than step away this time, she found herself kind of.. Gazing up at his lips intently. She wasn’t a tiny girl, but he towered over her easily. She found herself toying with how easy he’d be able to pick her up and toss her into bed. Or hold her against a wall. She coughed again, nearly choking on her own saliva this time and Maxwell chuckled. “You seem distracted. Did this mystery guy really get you that riled up, Jessa? Does this mean that contrary to what you said earlier, you actually might just be a little lonely?”

His hand wandered down, lightly squeezing her hip and the feel of his rough hands against her skin was enough to have her thighs clenching just slightly. She’d die before admitting it, but everything about Maxwell Jacob Friedmann got to her. Whether it be sexually or in irritation.

“Or maybe this guy just really KNOWS what I really want. Unlike others who constantly just run their mouths and don’t bother trying to back their words up with actions.” Jessa countered, her hand lowering as she teasingly slid a fingertip right across his lower abdomen, smirking up at him almost teasingly when her eyes met his and she caught him swallowing hard and trying to catch his breath.

Let him be as flustered as he leaves me all the goddamn time, Jessa thought to herself as she called out to Allie, “Wanna go to that 7-11? I feel the need for a Slurpee.” and Allie agreed to it quickly. It worked out almost perfectly because this gave MJF time to get round two of his little ‘game of seduction’ set up for Jessa to find when she returned.

“Hey, since you’re goin’, bring me back something.” he called out, half teasing. Just because he knew her well enough to know it’d be met with her middle finger and a smirk.

As soon as the two women were safely out of the arena, he whipped out his cell phone and called Butcher and Blade. “Where the actual fuck are you two right now, huh? I wanna get this done. So I can get to the best part… The part where I FINALLY get all this off my chest.”

“We’re incoming. It took a while to find a place that still had the exact flowers and the other things you wanted to get her, man.”

–

Skid Row was blasting so loud that Allie almost couldn’t hear herself think. Jessa clearly couldn’t drive, she was zigging and zagging in and out of traffic as if she were a wheelman on their way to a bank robbery or something. It was a stark contrast to Maxwell’s staunch position on 5 miles over was risky enough. Allie was really starting to see what exactly might have drawn her friend to Jessa in the first place.

Jessa was loud and wild and breathing chaos. Maxwell was calm and over-thinking to a fault almost. People were constantly telling the guy that he needed to loosen up; including Jessa on several of her more playful occasions. The car came to a sharp stop in the parking lot of the 7-11 and Jessa was jumping out, waiting on the sidewalk on Allie. Allie needed to collect herself and she almost wanted to kiss the ground she stood on just because she’d made it to the little gas station in one piece. Jessa giggled. “You act like you’ve never ridden in a fast car. C’mon.”

She was scrambling through the door, grabbing an arm full of junk and a Cosmopolitan with “The Best Sex of Your Life: Ten tricks You should Be Trying in 2020” in bold red across the cover. Allie grabbed herself bottled water and let her eyes dart around warily, nudging Jessa and nodding to the junk food in her arms.

“Is all that necessary?” Allie questioned, twisting a strand of blonde around her fingertips as her eyes darted around the little gas station before settling back on Jessa.

“No, but I WANT it.” Jessa shrugged and Allie gave a laugh at the response. She’d finally found it.

The common thread between the two. When they wanted something, there was zero hesitation. This whole thing was either going to go exactly as Maxwell seemed to think it would or Jessa was going to explode. Either way, it was something Allie was definitely amused by.

“What are you doing now?”

“Getting the gigantic bag of dicks something. He’s a meathead. A protein bar, maybe? No, no..” Jessa knit her brow as she scoured the shelves, trying to find something to take back to Maxwell, even though she honestly couldn’t care less.

Or so she kept telling herself.

Allie smirked and stopped Jessa mid bend. “Oh my god. You.. You actually LIKE him… Don’t you?” she was taunting gently and Jessa bit her lip, blowing strands of hair out of her eyes as she muttered in an annoyed tone, “Let’s just say I wouldn’t throw him outta bed and leave it alone, alright? Okay, got meathead his protein bar thing and bottled water and some of those stupid Rocher chocolates. I’m all done.”

“Good god, woman. You realize all this… glorified junk.. Is going straight to your ass, right?”

“God I can only hope. I’m tired of having a non-existent ass.” Jessa quipped, hurrying to the register as soon as she’d gotten her cherry-flavored Slurpee. After paying for everything, they got back into the car. Allie crossed herself and buckled in and Jessa snickered. “My driving is not that bad.”

“Woman, my entire life story played like a movie in front of my eyes the entire time.”

Jessa gave a soft laugh and poked out her tongue, fixing her eyes on the road as she pulled out of the parking lot and merged with traffic.

Allie knew how much Maxwell was worrying about his chances at pulling his whole master plan off for the night. And since he was kind of a friend, she felt like she should give the guy a little hope.

← Okay so. Here’s the thing.

← Your girl cannot drive, first of all.

← Second, she kind of admitted something huge to me.. About you.

← Do not make me regret helping you because she’s honestly kind of growing on me…

They were pulling to a stop in the parking lot of the arena and Jessa was digging around, grabbing her issue of Cosmo, her cherry-flavored Slurpee and the share size bag of sour skittles she’d bought herself. She eyed the stuff she’d gotten MJF and sighed, grumbling. “I HATE having a weak spot for that frickin meatball.”

“Why does liking someone annoy you so much?”

“I dunno.. Never really thought about it.” Jessa shrugged as she grabbed the bag with the stuff she’d gotten him inside and got out of the car, shutting the door with her hip. She’d just stepped through the door and into the backstage area when she spotted MJF. She walked up and tapped his shoulder with the protein bar and once he’d turned around, she deposited the candy and protein bar as well as the bottled water into his hands and skipped away without a word.

MJF was left standing there watching her skip away, untwisting the cap on his bottled water as he smirked to himself.

A softer smirk.

–

Jessa stood in front of her locker, eyeing it almost as if she was torn between opening it or just walking away. Finally, with a little swearing, she pulled it open and reached inside. Her hand closed around something thin and upon pulling it out she realized it was a white rose. She passed it under her nose, giving a little smile before tucking it behind her ear and she reached into her locker again.

The note she’d scribbled out to whoever was behind this was sitting there, this time with their own response beneath.

Yeah, I’ve noticed that you and directions don’t exactly go hand in hand. It’s one of the things I love about you though. As far as your second concern, all will be revealed after the show is over. Until then, just enjoy this.

The box of conversation hearts was back again and this time the color was orange. Jessa raised a brow, opening the box and taking one out as she took a sip of her Slurpee. “U&Me and Nice Ass, huh? Okay, you have me curious now. This is.. A giant puzzle.” Jessa eyed the note and tried to think.

She’d never seen the writing on it before. It was neat and smaller. Her hand raised to her hair and she raked her fingers through it, shuffling her feet against the locker room floor. “Hmm.”

Nyla spoke up from behind her. “White roses mean new beginnings.”

Jessa turned and bit her lip, eyeing the rose. New beginnings? She’d honestly just thought whoever was going to all this trouble was just giving her flowers. “Any chance you know what a deep red one means?”

Nyla mulled it over and then asked the other woman with a smile, “Any reason why you want to know?”

“Because earlier tonight, I got this. And now, I’ve got more. And I get the feeling that everything means something, and it’s driving me insane. It’s like the answer is literally right in front of my face?” Jessa gathered what she got earlier in the night and what she’d just gotten, holding it out to Nyla, who read over everything and snickered quietly at the two hearts she had left from earlier and the ones she’d just gotten.

“Girl, somebody is trying to tell you something alright. This” Nyla waved the note that Jessa’s admirer responded on at her, “The writing looks familiar.”

“Oh?”

“But it CANNOT be him.”

Jessa was holding her breath and waiting patiently for an answer but all Nyla would do was smirk and hand her the note back. “It’s called a surprise, Jessa.”

“Damn it! No fair!” Jessa stomped her feet and pouted, but Nyla shrugged. Oh, she could’ve easily told Jessa that the writing on the note might possibly be the handwriting of one Maxwell Jacob Friedmann, but she wasn’t about to ruin the potential for amusement later in the night.

And she was lowkey impressed by the symbolism in the little puzzles. If Jessa really thought about it, the answer was right there in front of her nose, just like she thought.

Jessa turned her attention back to her locker, wondering if there would be another page torn from a book. She reached back in and smirked as she felt her fingertips brush against paper. Her eyes darted over the torn page eagerly and she crossed her legs, going fidgety at the words on the page.

I want to wet your lips

Tantalize your tongue

Elevate your heart rate

And make your veins hum

Burn like the fire inside of you

As you swallow me down

Drink me

Drink deeply my love

Intoxicate yourself with my presence

Imbibe my essence

I want to make you so very dizzy

Stumble footed

Room spinningly dizzy

Drunk on love.

- John Mark Green

She finished reading it and sat it down on the tabletop, taking several deep breaths. “Okay, wow. You sir.. Are a grade A tease and a half.”

She wandered out of the locker room intent on walking it off, Slurpee and Skittles in hand, roaming down the hallway as she tried to puzzle everything out. Her mind was a thousand miles away and this is how she wound up colliding with MJF for a second time. He steadied her and she gazed up at him, taking a long sip of her Slurpee.

“Do you ever watch where you’re going, Jessa? I could’ve knocked you over.” Maxwell eyed her in concern because he’d literally been barreling down the hallway, too damned angry at DDP to even stop for a second to consider anyone else in his path.

Jessa continued to drink her Slurpee and shrugged it off. He was being weird tonight. No weirder than usual, Jessa thought to herself as she tossed her Slurpee into the garbage nearby. She almost asked him if he recognized the writing on the note, but she decided against it.

Why give him one more reason to be an ass?

“I’m fine.” Jessa finally answered, her gaze shifting from his eyes down to his mouth. She quickly tore her eyes off his mouth and tried to find literally anything else to focus on. He chuckled quietly and asked, “Are you sure? You seem a little dazed. Not to mention, you actually bought me something back earlier.”

“Maybe I can be nice on occasion?” Jessa tried to downplay it, but she found herself pinned in by his hypnotic gaze and staring right back at him, praying like hell he didn’t read too much into it. MJF’s gaze darted down to her tee-shirt and he raised a brow.

“The Lost Boys. Is that some kind of band?”

He used that teasing tone. Jessa gaped at him a second or two and then gave a soft laugh. “Please tell me you did not just ask that.”

“What?”

“If The Lost Boys, the best freakin’ vampire epic of all time… is a band.”

“I mean, given the stuff you classify as music, Jessa.” he shrugged, a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth upward as he found himself stepping closer. She had some hair hanging right into her left eye. Before he could stop himself, he was reaching out and brushing it out to tuck it behind her ear. She eyed him warily and shook her head.

No, she thought to herself, there is no way it’s him leaving me the candies, roses and poems. It can’t be, it just can’t. That man doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body.

But something kept insisting that at very least, she was completely wrong about him.

“It’s a movie, Maxwell. A freakin amazing movie.” Jessa finally managed to answer, barely hiding a laugh. “It’s right up there with The Breakfast Club. Or I think so, at least.”

MJF grinned a little, leaning in closer. “I know that one. And it is a decent movie. Despite glaring plot holes.”

“How dare you!” Jessa pretended to be offended, rolling her eyes. “I guess it’s too low class for a man of your tastes. It’s probably over your head anyway. There are no plot holes, Maxwell, how dare you.”

“It’s true.” he shrugged mildly and Jessa threw her hand in his face, being sassy all over again.

“I refuse to continue this conversation. I’m going to hair and makeup. Maybe I can bother some of the girls. Maybe Penelope will be in there again and I can make her fuck up her makeup. That’d make tonight even better for me.”

He smiled to himself, shaking his head. He realized what she’d said at the end and curiosity took over, prompting him to call out after her, “What’s made it good so far? I mean you started it off cranky like usual. Now suddenly, you’re being a little tease and laughing..”

“Oh, nothing.” Jessa drawled, holding his gaze for a few seconds. “Just finding out that maybe there are decent people in the world?”

Before he could get anything else out of her, she was gone, vanishing into hair and makeup. He took a deep breath and eyed the time on his Geneva watch. It was time to go for it. The last part to this whole elaborate plan. Somehow knowing that she was happy at least made the potential for this to go totally awry completely worth it for him.

He’d die before admitting it, but tonight’s surprises were not something he’d do for just anyone. He’d already wrapped up far more time in her than he’d ever done for any of his past relationships. That alone said something.

Knowing what he’d done at least gave her a smile had him smiling too.

And torn between total anxiety and the smug feeling of proving there was so much more to him than met the eye for her when he finally did reveal himself.

He set off to get everything set up one last time.

Allie spotted him and waved him over, holding open the locker room door. “You have to hurry. You almost got caught last time, she literally came rushing right back in almost five minutes after you left. Just.. get this done, Maxwell.”

“Okay, alright. Calm down.”

He went straight for Tessa’s locker, opening it. After he put the pale violet colored rose into the locker along with the box of candy hearts and the book page, he picked up the little note they’d been ‘passing’ for the better part of the night, his eyes brightening when he turned it over and read her response to his previous one.

“You’re probably the only one who loves that about me. After the show, huh? I’ve gotta say… This is probably the most excited I’ve been in a long time. And I don’t even like Valentines Day. I’m getting the feeling that all of these things you’re leaving me all have a meaning. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I will. So, we’ll just see if you can keep your secrets, sir. We’ll see. - Jessa”

–

The show was getting closer and closer to an end for the night. Jessa found herself getting more and more excited with each minute that passed. It took all her limited restraint to keep from rushing back down the hall and into the locker room just to see if her mystery admirer had left anything else. She’d asked around as subtly as possible about the note and the handwriting on it, and nobody would tell her anything.

Jake Hager almost doubled over laughing and wouldn’t say anything beyond telling Jessa to keep an open mind when whoever it was revealed themselves. She was starting to think that everybody in the back was in on this somehow. She sat on top of a trunk in the hallway when she saw Allie going into the locker room after looking up the hall and down as if she were waiting on someone.

“Weird.” Jessa shrugged it off, scrolling through her Spotify library, choosing a song to listen to as she tried to work out what everything meant.

Nyla told her the red rose meant deep love and the white one meant new beginnings. The poems seemed to tie into the messages on the candy hearts she’d been left. Jessa rubbed her temples, her nose wrinkling as she went over a list of possible people, trying to rule out every single one of them.

She hopped off of the top of the trunk she’d been sitting on and started down the hallway. If there wasn’t anything in her locker this time she’d know it was probably a collective hazing thing. She was almost halfway convinced that was what this had to be, but then why hadn’t anyone else who’d just signed with the roster gotten similar?

Pacing in front of her locker must have been driving Britt crazy because Britt finally cleared her throat. “Something wrong, Jess?”

“Just thinking.”

“About?”

“Nothing.” Jessa was quick to say it and after a deep breath and telling herself just how ridiculous she was being, she opened the door to her locker one last time.

She reached inside and pulled out a violet-colored rose and another box of candy hearts. The torn book page fluttered to the floor and so did the note they’d been leaving back and forth all night. Jessa bent quickly to retrieve them off the floor and as soon as she had, she read the note first.

I’m glad I have you excited. And that I finally have your attention. It’s been nice seeing you smile. You’re cute, okay? Especially when you smile and giggle and do things that tease me more than you realize. Gotta confess.. I’m really nervous and that’s something that just doesn’t happen. I’ll be waiting outside right after the show ends. Look for the guy in the brown jacket, if you don’t figure out who I am. Personally? I’m pretty damn confident you won’t.

Jessa laughed softly and shook her head, sitting down the paper in favor of the torn book page.

Fist full of hair

Desire

Mouth full of silence

Pleasure

Tongue curling and coaxing

Intoxicating

Hips thrusting

Abandonment

Nails digging

Rapacious

Throats instinctively swallowing

Indulgence

Eyes full of desire meet

Rapture

- The Dark Muse

“Fuck.” the k lingered sharply as she re-read the poem and felt her body starting to burn up all over. She fanned herself and swallowed hard, eyes darting around. She’d seen Allie in the locker room earlier, so naturally, she wandered over.

“Hey, when you were in here a few minutes ago, did you see anybody around my locker?”

Allie gave her a blank look and swallowed hard. She was beyond tempted to tell Jessa exactly who was behind it all, but she decided against it and shook her head no instead. Jessa smoothed her hands over her jeans and took a deep breath. “Damn it. This is driving me insane.”

She took the box of candies and opened them, biting back a quiet whimper as she read the sayings on the hearts inside. “All mine.” she poured the box out as she muttered the words written on the first heart she pulled out. Right away, her sights fell on the purple one and she picked it up, reading it. “All night. Fuck.” Jessa fanned herself and took a few shaky breaths. If she thought the poem he’d left the second time had her a soaking wet mess before, that was nothing compared to the latest poem and the hearts.

She wandered over to Nyla and tapped her shoulder. “What’s a purple rose mean?”

Nyla stopped and mulled it over, smiling. “True love.. Or love at first sight. Or that’s what my grandma always told me. Was that rose purple this time? Girl…”

“It was and he’s waiting outside, holy shit.” Jessa fanned herself, bouncing up and down for a few seconds because she was suddenly that excited.

And anxious. So very anxious. Because the thought hit her then… what if it was someone she wasn’t interested in?

Or alternately, what if it was someone she was extremely interested in?

Like say, Maxwell Jacob Friedmann?

She laughed it off. There was no way it was him. He merely liked to push her buttons and get her riled up because that was just his way. Surely there wasn’t some deep hidden meaning?

But, she found herself thinking, new beginnings, which the white rose symbolizes, only really fits him. Because him and I got off to a really, really rocky start.

As she gathered her things and prepared herself to walk out into the parking garage, she felt her hands shake ever so slightly. Her stomach was fluttering and she almost couldn’t breathe.

Maxwell found himself watching the doors leading out into the parking garage intently, his eyes on his Geneva watch when they weren’t on the doors. Had she figured out it was him and was now refusing to come out for whatever reason? He started to pace a little, glaring at one of the other guys when they mentioned him being stood up. And somehow, during the distraction of that, he missed her slipping out into the parking garage, brown eyes darting around as if she was looking for someone.

The second Jessa saw a man in a brown ankle-length jacket, she knew exactly who it was. He didn’t have to turn around for her to know that it was MJF and just the thought had her heart pounding so loudly it almost blocked all other sound. Before she realized what she was doing, she was running to catch up to the man because he’d started to walk away, obviously giving up.

She caught up to him just before he reached his Range Rover and she grabbed his wrist gently, putting a stop to his walk. Before he could really even process what was happening, she was climbing him like a literal tree, her legs cinching his hips tight and making him stagger back slightly until he got himself steady. He growled into her mouth as her tits pressed into his chest and the eleven roses in his hand fell to the pavement as both hands gripped both sides of her ass, grinding her against him. He could feel her fingertips tugging at his hair and she smirked into the kiss.

“Ya know, you had me going half the night. But then it hit me a few minutes ago. Out of all the people on the roster, you’re the only one that even slightly made sense. I told you I’d figure it out.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t that maybe you were hoping it was me?” he couldn’t resist the remark and when she lightly swatted at his chest, he chuckled. “I mean.. I figured out you had a thing for me before you even really did?”

“I did not!”

“Are we seriously going to spend tonight arguing about this, woman? Just admit that on some level, I was right.” he nipped at her lower lip hungrily, fingertips digging deeper into her ass as he turned to the Range Rover and sat her on the hood, stepping between her legs. He bent down, retrieving the flowers and he held them up to her. “These are for you.”

Jessa slipped her legs around him again, pulling him closer as she leaned in, taking the flowers and passing them under her nose before putting them aside in order to pull him into an even deeper kiss while pouting.

“What’s wrong, princess?” MJF asked as soon as he felt her starting to pout.

“And now I feel like shit because all I got you was the chocolate balls and the protein bar and water.” Jessa deepened the kiss, threading her fingers along his scalp, making him laugh. “I got you. That’s what I wanted in the first place. To finally find a way to kind of show ya how I really feel.” he shrugged and she eyed him, biting her lip. “I never realized you were a romantic softie.”

“And that’s going to stay our secret, yeah?” he muttered against her lips breathlessly before breaking the kiss to ask the question, “So.. Where do you want to go?”

“Back to the hotel.” Jessa purred against his mouth, rubbing herself against him as best as she could.

#mjf fanfiction #mjf fanfic #mjf fic #mjf oneshot #mjf imagine #// valentines fluff anyone?#// this turned out kinda cute m'kay?

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what-is-your-plan-today · 5 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Banner Ch11: A Turkey Called Marv

Paring: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: None for this chap, bar a bit of bad language and teeth rotting fluff

A/N: There is an accompanying One Shot to this called The Life Of Marv...

November 2013

“So I thought about putting in a pool…” Clint said, “Now the kids are bigger I thought it might be nice to have one. Maybe even a pool house round it for bad weather…”

"That's ambitious." Nat quirked an eyebrow.

Clint grinned. "That's my middle name."

"Really?" Katie asked. "I always thought it was Robert."

"What?" Clint looked at her as Nat snorted out a laugh. "Francis. Why would you think its Robert?"

Katie shrugged "You look like a Bob."

"Wait… so it's not Ambitious?" Nat asked, winking at Katie. "How boring…"

Katie nodded, draining her glass. "Bob would have been better,"

"Right," Clint started, pulling himself taller. "I hate both of you."

The girls laughed and Nat turned to Katie. “So what’s in the pipeline for you now Nova?” “I have no idea.” Katie said, and she didn’t. “I guess I’ll just get more involved in the family business.”

“You gonna move to New York?” Clint asked. She shook her head. “Probably spend a bit more time there but, I’m not moving back.”

“Nah, she can’t leave lover boy.” Natasha looked at Clint and Katie rolled her eyes. Truth is Nat had hit the nail on the head. No way was she leaving Steve in DC to move to the tower. Although they had only been together 7 months she had spent over a year of her life being 'with him' one way or another and the thought of not being terrified her.

“Nah to be fair Nat, they’ve been going out a while now. Things are probably starting to cool off.” Clint teased “Oh trust me, there’s no problems in that department.” Katie sniggered, looking at where Steve was stood.

“Oh would you look at that. I’m out of alcohol…” Nat said, suddenly “And so is Stark.”

"There's a bar over there," Clint pointed

“Cheers…”Natasha took Katie’s glass and handed it to him along with her own. Clint shook his head taking the glasses with a sigh.

“So… now he’s gone…” Nat glanced over at Steve then back to Katie “Gimme details…”

“Details on what?”

“Throw me a bone here Stark. I’m working on a few months dry spell.”

“Why are you so obsessed with my sex life?” Katie groaned “You’re constantly trying to get me to talk about it.”

“Hey, look, up until a few months ago I was convinced he was a virgin…”

“Well then you’re a dumbass.” Katie smirked “He’s Captain America, had girls throwing themselves at him back in the day.” "So he was until the serum?”

“I never said that…” she flushed.

“You’re such a shit liar.”

“Can we change the subject?” Katie groaned.

“Ok, answer me one question and then I’ll drop it.”

“What?” Katie said with an air of playful frustration. If she was honest, it was quite nice to have a girlfriend to chat to about these kind of secrets.

“Did the serum enhance…everything?” Nat wiggled her eyebrows.

Katie glanced over at Steve and smirked before she looked back at her. Fuck it.

“Well if it didn’t, I’ve no idea how he managed to stay upright before.” she smirked "I'm a lucky woman"

The red head threw back her head in a dirty laugh, a laugh that Katie had never heard from her before and it made her snigger at the sight of the normally composed assassin letting loose.

“What I miss?” Clint asked as he reappeared, handing them their drinks.

“I’ll explain when you’re older…” Nat said, patting his chest fondly.

The party went on well into the early hours of the morning and Steve had practically had to carry his girl home, not to mention holding her hair back whilst she puked up God knows how much tequila. She had a hangover to end all hangovers the day after and had hardly moved from her spot on his sofa bar to top up her glass of water and to find something crap to eat. They’d had a Chinese that night and she’d practically eaten everything on the menu before showering and crawling back into his bed, swearing she was never challenging Evans to a tequila drinking contest again which Steve had assured her was a pretty good idea.

Now, a fortnight later they were at the Tower in New York, and it was the night before Thanksgiving. Last year Katie and Steve had spent Thanksgiving as friends. This year they were spending it as lovers, and Katie was also excited to be spending it with Tony, although she would never admit that out loud.

"What are you doing Soldier?" Katie asked, jumping a little as Steve's arms came around her sides, reaching for the sink, effectively trapping her between the counter and his body.

He laid his chin on her shoulder. "The dishes,"

“I’m only leaving the pie dish to soak.” she said, turning in his arms. “The rest are going in the Dishwasher.”

“Oh because God forbid her majesty would actually wash a dish…” he teased as he rest his chin on her shoulder.

“You don’t wash them much either.” she said, rolling her eyes “How many brushes did you break last week?”

“The plastic is bad quality.” he said, pouting a little.

“Nothing to do with your ridiculously large hands being too rough.” “You weren’t complaining last night…” he said, lips warm against her cheek. Katie could hear the smile in his voice before she swatted him in the face with a dishtowel, and he laughed out loud.

“Seriously though Doll face, are you nearly done?” he said, “You’ve been in here all afternoon. You do know we’re not eating till 3 tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah but the more I do now, the less I have to do tomorrow, and let’s face it, it’s not like I have anything else to do, on account of being an unemployed bum.” she said making Steve laugh again. “Plus, I just want everything to be, you know…right.” she shrugged, and she did.

“It’s a dinner.” Steve said, chuckling slightly.

“It’s Thanksgiving” she pouted

“Yeah, and last years was pretty cool, remember?” he smiled

“Yeah but…” she trailed off, biting her lip. Steve knew that look well enough now to know there was more to this.

“What?” he probed gently.

“Nothing, just, well I never had a boyfriend over for Thanksgiving before. Or Christmas come to think of it.”

Steve smiled “I like being your first…” Katie grinned. The whole ‘I like being your first’ thing had started off by her saying it to Steve but they’d fast come to realise that they actually both had a world of inexperience between them when it came to relationships, and it was nice that they could be each other’s firsts in a lot of ways. “Honey, tomorrow is gonna be great.” he smiled at her, tipping her face up to look at his “Don’t sweat it.”

“Did you seriously just say don’t sweat it?” she sniggered.

Steve groaned “I told you I spent the afternoon with your brother…”

She giggled and leaned up to catch his lips in a soft kiss.

“Getting kinda tired of catching you two making out in a kitchen!” Tony chose that time to waltz in and open the fridge door “You got your own floor, go use it." ******

Katie woke the next morning to find Steve's side of the bed empty and cold. It wasn't unusual for him to be up earlier than her, she knew he would either be out running, in the gym or making coffee. She climbed out of bed and walked to the blinds of the bedroom, instructing JARVIS to open them, the AI being one of the many perks about being 'home'. The New York skyline stretched below her and as she glanced down she saw the people gathered on the sidewalks, attention turned to the streets, obviously waiting for the Thanksgiving Parade. She had asked Steve if he wanted to go and watch it in person but he had said he would prefer to stay in and watch from the tower as he didn't fancy getting mobbed in the street. Being recognised by one person every so often was fine but in those crowds if one person spotted him then it would spread like wildfire. Besides, as he had pointed out, her floor had an awesome view so they could watch out of the window with a drink. Katie frowned as suddenly a large brown turkey shaped balloon floated in front of her eyes. The parade wasn’t supposed to start until 9 and that meant by the time it made its way to the Avengers tower it would be... she turned and glanced at the click and gave a yelp. She had slept in until 10.

Steve heard her before he saw her, not that he needed super hearing to hear the loud yell of "how fucking late?" coming from the bedroom. Grinning to himself he turned back to the griddle on the island of the kitchen, flipping a pancake with one hand and drinking a coffee with the other. "Why didn't you wake me?" She grumbled to him as she leaned in the kitchen doorway, taking him in for a moment. He was freshly showered, dressed in a loose grey t-shirt and sweats, hair still a bit damp and spiked up in a way that made her smile. "Because you were up early yesterday and I thought I'd make you breakfast for a change." he said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into the back of his shoulder. The smell of his shower gel mixed with the smell of the pancake mix, made her nuzzle her nose into him to inhale deeply. "You smell good." she eventually spoke again. "Good to know." A grin tugged at the corners of his lips at the fact she was still clinging to him. "I just saw a giant inflatable Turkey." she said, hands going to rub at his stomach. "What?" "The parade" she smiled at him. Steve smiled. "You know when I was a kid, the parade was the best part of Thanksgiving." "Still is" she mumbled, cheek still pressed to his shoulder.

"Me and Bucky used to come into Manhattan with his family and my ma if she wasn't working and stuff ourselves on popcorn and warm mixed nuts" He smiled to himself at the memory. They always picked out their favourite balloons, ate until they thought they would burst, and made Rebecca, Bucky’s younger sister laugh till she cried by pretending they were in the marching bands. But once the war started, the parade had ended. He had never realized that they started it up again until Tony and Katie had mentioned it last night as they had sat eating takeout. Part of him had wanted to go to the street to watch it but after seeing that morning how crowded it had been on his run he was happy to watch it from the comfort of Katie's floor. He turned to face her for first time that day, her arms still round his waist. Her hair was pulled up into a pony tail, face fresh, eyes bright and she was, as ever, in one of his shirts and not a lot else. He leaned forward to give her a quick kiss and when he moved away, she quickly closed the space to give him another quick kiss, letting her lips linger on his for a second. "I'll burn the pancakes" he murmured and she grinned, pulling away. "I'll make fresh coffee." she said, patting his chest and turning to the machine. "Hey JAR..." she spoke, "hit me with some Christmas tunes buddy" "The usual Miss Stark?" "As long as it has the Pogues on..." "Wouldn't dream of not doing" the AI replied and then the apartment was flooded with the sounds of Fairy Tale of New York. "It’s November." Steve turned to look at her, but she simply grinned to herself and turned around, singing to him. He couldn't help but laugh, he knew from last year that Christmas for her started at Thanksgiving and ended on New Year’s Day. Plus the fact that the previous year she had spent Christmas day fighting a bunch of exploding super soldiers meant that she was going to enjoy this year as much as possible. He shook his head, a low chuckle escaping before he turned back to his pancakes. They dragged the cushions off the couch and ate breakfast sat by the huge floor to ceiling windows of the penthouse, Katie sat between Steve's legs as they both watched the parade. Suddenly, a large green balloon floated by the window and Katie gave a loud squeal when she saw what it was. A Hulk float. An amused smile spread across her lips as she watched the balloon bob in front of the window, twisting to the sides in the air as it wrestled with the wind. "Oh my God!" Katie giggled again, gently tapping Steve's right calf but he had already spotted it. A massive shield was coming out, followed by Iron Man's mask, Thor's hammer, a bow and arrow, Natasha’s Red Widow symbol and her own Nova star. She turned to look at him, a little smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth and when he met her eyes the smile broke out across his features. Laughing in disbelief, he shook his head, turning his attention back look at the shield float bounce down the street. "That's pretty cool." he commented with an amazed sigh, and it was. If anyone had told him all those years ago that one day he would feature in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade he would have told them that they were mad. Yet there it was. He found himself smiling as he thought about how his ma and Bucky would have reacted. When they had finished eating, Katie leaned back into him a little more, slouching so that her knees were bent and her feet rested on the bottom of the window. His arms reached round her neck, and he kissed the back of her head as they continued to watch the floats, the gentle sound of Bing Crosby "White Christmas" now playing through the room, the two of them simply enjoying the closeness of one another. ***** Eventually it was time to head downstairs and join Tony, Bruce and Pepper for their dinner. Katie and Pepper left the men to it and finished off the prep before calling them all to the table. As was tradition, as ‘head of the house’ Tony carved the turkey with his usual, trademark drama and they took it in turns to give a few things they were thankful for. Tony was thankful for his friends, family and a decent brand of scotch he had in the cupboard for later, Pepper was thankful for being so fortunate and being surrounded by people she loved, Bruce was thankful for being welcomed into their family home, not just for today but since he had taken up residency just after the Chitauri Battle, and Katie was thankful for being in the presence of people she cared for, and for the last year being so much better than the previous 12 months. She shot a wink at Steve as she said that and he beamed before he realised they were waiting for him.

"err…” he cleared his throat “I guess I’m thankful for being given a second chance, being welcomed by you all…and for, err, you.” he grinned at Katie who gave him a playful roll of the eyes but the flush on her cheeks told him she had understood.

“Awww.” Pepper said, as Tony made a gagging noise which resulted in Katie throwing a carrot at him. He pointed at her, frowning.

“No food fights on my floor, Kiddo.” he said sternly and she simply raised an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of her wine.

The food was good, not that anyone expected anything else. Both Tony and Banner managed 2 servings whilst Steve made it through 3. And then there was the pie. Steve managed a piece of each, whilst everyone else could only face one, but no one cared. And he found himself secretly pleased that there was enough left for him to scoff later on.

“I’m so glad I wore leggings.” Pepper sighted, leaning back and massaging her stomach.

Katie nodded in agreement, also dressed in leggings and a long jersey dress. “Think I’m having a food baby.”

"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you Kiddo..." Tony said, leaning back in his chair, undoing the top button of his pants and massaging his stomach “That was absolutely awesome."

Steve's hand dropped to his girl's leg under the table and he gave her knee a little squeeze as she reached for her wine glass, before moving his arm to drop it round the back of her chair. "I certainly prefer the Turkey dead and cooked anyway" Tony added and Katie groaned. "Are you ever gonna let me live that down?" she looked at him. "No" he shook his head. "What's this?" Steve asked, setting his glass down. "Did she not tell you about the time she brought home a live Turkey one year? Katie sighed as Steve sat up, turning to her, smirking "No..." "I was 17 and going through a meat is murder phase." She waved away the comment with her hands. "I was in the way home and saw him. He was the only one left in the farmyard so I liberated him" "By liberated she means stole." Tony quipped, standing up to retrieve 2 more bottled of Rijoca from the bar as laughs rang round the table. "No one came looking for him" She shrugged. "Marv lived a happy life for 5 years in our back garden" "Marv?" Bruce looked at her, a smile creeping across his face. "After the character from Home Alone." She said simply

“You had a turkey called Marv?” the scientist deadpanned and she nodded.

"He was a great pet. Used to chase Tony around" "The bird was a fucking menace" Tony frowned, topping everyone's glass up. Settling back into his chair, Katie noticed Pepper giving him a look and he started suddenly as if he was remembering something. He leaned forward and looked at Katie. "So I know we don’t do Thanksgiving gifts kiddo but I was thinking yesterday about something you said to me once, about having a vision for a publishing company."

Katie stole a look at Steve who simply shrugged. It was true, when she had first graduated she had thought about setting up a publishing company, but one that dealt with unknown writers. Her favourite books in the world were the Harry Potter series and during her degree she had been lucky enough to attend a small seminar held by JK Rowling, who had openly discussed her life before becoming a famous author. She had been a single mother, struggling to make ends meet, and even after she had written the books it took her years to get a deal, being rejected by 4 different publishers before Bloomsbury (a small, independent group) took a chance on her and it paid off for both of them. Katie loved the rags to riches story and since then had always harboured a desire to do the same thing for other authors but it had never really been much more than a pipe dream.

"It was an idea I once had." She shrugged, looking at Tony. "Then things went a bit crazy." "Well... how about we make it a bit more than an idea?" Pepper said. "What?" Katie frowned, looking at Pepper, then he brother who nodded. "I want you to put a proper proposal together, business plan, mood and story board that type of thing." He said, waving his hand in that Tony-esque manner "Then we're gonna look at what we need to set it up and take it to the board. Run it as a Ltd company under the Parent company of Stark Industries, but you'll be the Managing Director." "I..., I can't run a business!" She stammered. "Didn't you run the UK branch of SI for a while?" Bruce looked at her, smiling. Was everyone in on this bar her? "That was different." She pressed. "Why?" Steve asked. "Shut up Steven." She said without even looking at him.

There were a few chuckles round the table before Tony continued. "Look, you don't need to work." He shrugged "You have enough capitol behind you plus the revenue from the business as it to live your life out as an IT girl, but we both know you'll end up killing someone if you get bored, and that's likely to be Cap seeing as you see him most so this is for him as much as you." "Thanks Tony." Steve tipped his glass to the Inventor who winked. Katie pondered. It really had been a dream of hers since leaving Uni, putting her degree and passion into her work and she would be lying if she said the thought didn’t excite her but it was a hell of a big commitment, and what if it all failed?

“I'll help you." Pepper smiled at Katie who was biting her lip. "I'll proof read the proposal and I'll be there every step of the way whilst you set up.” she leaned back in her chair. "The week before Christmas there’s another board meeting. I suggest we use that to pitch the idea." she concluded and Tony nodded.

"I think this could be a great opportunity for you and Stark Industries." Tony looked at Katie "and you'll get full autonomy over it as you'll set up your own sub-board to feed up into the PLC" This was amazing. She looked at Steve who nodded encouragingly. “What is it you keep saying to me? You’ll never know until you try?” he smiled at her. She took a deep breath and looked around the table before throwing caution to the wind and letting out a huge grin. "Ok. Fuck it. Let's do it." **** After another half an hour or so of chatter, and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Katie's agreement to the business idea, everyone chipped in to clear the table before retiring to the plush living area of Tony and Pepper's floor for more drinks and chat. Then the alcohol really did start to flow, Steve and Tony moving onto the scotch, the soldier watching as everyone around him descended into that well recognised drunken haze. And then out came Drawing Without Dignity. A game he had never played before and frankly found vulgar, but couldn’t help but enjoy it. The game fast slid into chaos which was to be expected with an extremely competitive Super Soldier who had a natural advantage as he could actually draw, an equally competitive billionaire and a normally mild mannered scientist who also was quite cutthroat when it came to winning it turned out. Pepper and Katie spent most of the time sniggering at the bickering men, and at the point when they were laughing that much when it was their go, the 3 boys got so frustrated they banned them from playing. For that, the next time Steve asked her what one of the more risqué sayings meant (he had cringed at a fair few of them over the course of the evening) she lied to sabotage him earning her a full on Captain glare. "That was a pretty shitty thing to do." He grumbled at her as Tony and Bruce were both howling with laughter. "Not my fault Captain Sex Fiend doesn’t know what Rimming is!" Katie shot back, wiping away her tears. Steve had to bite back his own laugh at the ridiculous nickname instead he fixed her with another glare which she returned with a simple shrug of her shoulders. The game ended, and Steve and Tony called it a draw, which was probably the easiest thing to do since Pepper had stopped taking count and tallying towards the end. It was now well after 10pm and Steve looked around the room as Tony stood up, a little unsteady on his feet, teetering back over toe the bar.

“I think maybe we’ve had enough…” Pepper hiccupped slightly looked at Tony who had been reaching for another bottle of liquor, wheeled round slightly too fast causing him to stumble into the bar.

Katie cackled as Tony looked at Pepper “Shut up Mom.” he said, grabbing another bottle of scotch in one hand and the open bottle of Kristal the girls were drinking in the other. He walked carefully over towards the sofa, as he dropped down into it heavily, handing Katie who was on the floor in between Steve’s legs, her back resting against the sofa, the champagne. She took it and poured herself and Pepper a glass, quite pleased that she didn’t spill any.

“You know he… he can’t get drunk!” Tony handed Bruce a now full glass, pointing to Steve.

“That’s sad…” Bruce surmised, taking a sip of his drink before Tony sat bolt upright, and pointed at the scientist.

“Hey, I wonder if Hulk can get drunk?”

“That’s an…that’s an…ex…exper-expediment I don’t think we should do.” Bruce shook his head, hiccups punctuating his speech.

“Absolutely not.” Steve shook his head as Katie cackled.

“But it would be for science purposes…” Tony pressed

Bruce wrinkled his nose and shook his head “No Code Green.” “Spoil sport.” Tony said.

They stayed for another hour or so, until Pepper fell asleep and Katie’s cheeks were flushed pink and when she asked for a bottle of water Steve knew it was time to go. After asking Tony if he needed help getting to bed, and the man declining, Steve stood up, surprised to find he actually felt a little bit of a headrush. Ok, so maybe the 3 bottles of that scotch had had a little effect after all, but he felt the fizziness ebbing away as he pulled Katie to her feet and she grinned up at him.

“Wanna carry me Soldier?” she asked.

He arched an eyebrow and in one swoop had her over his shoulder, causing her to shriek with laughter.

“Night!” she waved from her upside down position. Tony and Bruce waved distractedly from where they were now trying to mix some form of cocktail at the bar.

“You can put me down now…” Katie patted Steve on his back as they boarded the elevator. “Steve…”

He smirked to himself, ignoring her giggles and protests and didn’t put her down until they reached the bedroom where he tossed her down on the bed and set about showing her exactly how thankful for her he was.

Tags

@the-omni-princess

@momobaby227

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clamorbelli · 5 years ago

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whaddup . it’s ya boy , skinny penis . ok so there’s not much to put here except hi to any new people that might’ve not seen my intro for noelle & angelo ( CLICK HERE ). i’m jaz, & this here is my newest babe, sebastian higgings. i’ve definitely missed stuff, but underneath the cut u’ll find plenty of fun stuff abt him. and by fun i mean tragic , bc sebastian is a piece of shit. ; )

‹ LIKE THIS OR HMU IF YOU’D LIKE TO PLOT WITH SEB. ›

TRIGGER WARNINGS : death, drugs, alcohol, emotional instability, therapy mentions, unhealthy habits, blood mention.

◟ * ◊ ─ keith powers + cismale + he/him » * believe it or not sebastian belongs to the higgings family. they are 26 years of age and are known to usually spend their time around buena vista apartments. the photographer has been living in victoria for 22 years. the people closest to them describe the bisexual + aquarius to be +inspired and +autonomous as well as -callous and -debauched.

sebastian is the ( current ) eldest son of the late johnathan and sasha higgings, born to the couple when they were happy, in love, and a shining example of what marriage should be. sebastian was a momma’s boy through and through from the day he was born, severe separation issues plaguing his infantdom, only rectified through intense therapy. his bond with his mother, even after finally being convinced she wasn’t the only nice person in the world, never wavered however. they were thick as thieves.

there was never anything remarkable about seb’s childhood except his fondness for the family camera whenever they went on holiday. his parents first believed it was a desire to model, but they soon came to understand it wasn’t being in front of it that seb wanted, he wished to be behind it. from then on they gave him a disposable on every trip, and before long the house was full of his amateur photography.

when he was ten, the unthinkable and unfathomable happened. his mother died. seb had been an entirely normal, average kid up until that point, but part of him died the day his mother slipped away forever. it was impossible for it not too, with the amount of time they’d spent together, his dependency on her at birth, the fact she was his best friend and it didn’t matter what the kids at school thought. as a child, he was ruined, affected for the rest of his life in ways he didn’t quite understand yet.

seb was sixteen by the time victoria was adopted into the family, and his reign of terror on victoria had long since begun. he came home with bloody noses and bruises more times than he could count, he sneered and spat at other kids in the playground, knowing they could do little except beat him to a pulp and have their parents foot the bill. he started drinking all too early, dabbled in drugs no sixteen year old should’ve touched, spent nights away from home, uninterested in the new woman in his father’s life.

victoria, however, was a different story. the pair got on like a house on fire, likely because of their bratty, conniving ways. at that age sebastian was like gasoline and his newfound sister was the match. natalya still had seb’s heart from when they were kids, his sister being the one thing in life he still felt warmth for, but victoria had managed to form a relationship of her own with him. for a while it was them against the world, until cassandra stepped in, pitted the girls against each other, and made life infinitely harder for a boy already on the brink.

he and his father argued daily. blazing rows that ended in smashed kitchenware. seb was losing it but the higgings patriarch failed to see his behaviour as anything more than childish cries for attention. seb didn’t know the empty feeling in his chest wasn’t normal. he didn’t know he shouldn’t play with girls emotions until they cried. he didn’t understand why he only felt things when he was getting into schoolyard fights or looking through the lens of a camera.

seb graduated high school and chose to do an online course for photography, honing his skills whilst remaining close by until his sisters graduated. when they did, he only managed a year without natalya before leaving the city himself, he would miss victoria dearly, but they facetimed every day and skyped properly at the weekends. before he left he told his father to stick his businesses up his ass. he was disconnecting from his legacy. his final words to his father were full of toxicity and rage, as they had been for 12 years now.

he went to new york, cliché and crazy as it may have been, and found a surprisingly immense amount of success. through some ridiculous means, his shots were picked up by a local, renowned photography blog, the owner of the blog also owning a gallery, wishing to display his work. from then on it was up and up. seb travelled the globe, was able to shoot the most incredible places, spent his weeks on planes and trains and on his feet. he had his dream, he made a name for himself, he didn’t need his father.

seb may have had the career of his dreams, but his personal life was a shambles. full of one night stands with no substance, exes that hated his guts, friends who’d found it too unbearable to be around him. he was arrogant, confident in himself to a fault, unable to connect with passion on any level except with his work. he was a riot, a fun guy to be around who was willing to try anything once, but he lacked the ability to form meaningful relationships. people came and went and seb was left, alone, in his fancy apartment somewhere in manhattan. he was as lonely as he was the day his mother had died, things in that regard had never changed.

the phone call he received when victoria died shook him to his core, the male feeling something other than debauchery for the first time in a long time. his father? a fucking waste of space who failed to keep his children safe, but victoria? he flew home just days ago, having one emotional instinct left in him – his brotherly instinct. natalya was still alive and god knows seb was going to lose another member of his family.

PERSONALITY :

ok so yeah, seb’s an dick. when i say emotionally unavailable i mean . . . highly, on an unhealthy level that requires some serious therapy. seb lost himself when his mother died and since then he’s been trying to find some solace in these flings he always has but, of course, he never will. he’s apathetic when it comes to people becoming attached to him so tends to be particularly cruel with ppl who get involved w him.

asshole . like, just not . .. a nice person . will point out someone’s faults, will tell u if ur skirt is ugly as fuck, willing to laugh in your face if he thinks what you said is stupid. just doesn’t . . give a f. needs to grow up.

hOWEVERRRR R rr. ofc if he was like that 24/7 he’d never even get people into bed in the first place so he can, of course, turn on the charm. he’s very flirtatious, loves sex and sexually charged conversations. flirting is a hobby for him and it’s one he has fun with. if ur not looking for anything deeper, seb isn’t too bad ig . if you can engage him on things he wants to talk about, keep things chill, not take his dickheadedness to heart, etc, he can be manageable. sort of.

massively confident, but unfortunately it’s justified. he’s beautiful, he’s talented, he’s rich of his own accord, and he’s successful. he’s massively independent, but finds it hard to work in a team.

he’s ! lowkey ! a visionary !!! when it comes to photography he really is that bitch and is genuinely incredible at his job because it’s something he’s actually passionate about. he never turns down the opportunity to photograph, so even though usually he loves money, he’d be willing to do a lot of photography for free whilst he’s back bc ? he just loves doing it, and it reminds him of his mom and how she encouraged him.

uHhh bad habits to the max. the only one of my charas who regularly takes hard drugs and drinks, has a penchant for mdma and is looking into microdosing to help his artistic ability.

WANTED CONNECTIONS :

exes from before he moved away

fwbs

best friend, probably only 1 bc . . . intolerable

any kind of connection from before he moved, bc it’s always exciting to see someone again after four years right

enemies lmao

people he knew in new york, if anyone has charas who’ve been there recently

people that were friends with vic

i dunno i’m not good at these y’aLL KNO I LIKE BRAINSTORMING DOMFDOD

give me some angsty shit too

#victoireintro #❛ · ˚ . — 𝒗𝒊. casey frey fan club! › out of character.#finishing off memes and getting to ims now ! finally odmfksds

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tinycamembert · 6 years ago

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can i get uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh , marian and cyanthia (also i see your ask but my responsibilities have come back to bite me so it MAY take a while to get done but eventually. i will)

Marian

favorite thing about them: uuughhhhgfjkdkjd i love her........... i think it has to be how she takes younger players or less experienced players like logan or whinter and becomes a mentor to them and gives them support bc she knows how it feels.... like the fact that one of the reasons she chose whinter was bc she understood his financial situation and wanted to give him a chance. im emoleast favorite thing about them: Bad At Communication fdjfdk but i dont mean it like its a bad development of her character? like i think it makes her a v well-rounded and realistic character lol. but girl..... quit avoiding ur problems n face that shit head on u know. u can do itfavorite line: probably the page in final match where she says something along the lines of "you guys have worked really hard and no matter what happens, i'm proud of you...... NOW GET OUTTA HERE" fsdkjfhds. honorable mention the time she called whinter starfish brainbrOTP: her and the rest of splat jam like i said for logan, also her and clem! and i want her and cyanthia to be friends lol i just feel like past any initial Weirdness they'd have bc Same Crush they'd probably get along pretty well, the same way arnick and cyanthia are buds yknowOTP: Maribella The End (although if vadelma gets more consistent development in bup i wouldnt be upset if they end up together bc i feel like its p expected yknow? they both gotta work some stuff out before it really seems viable imo, but unless its really horribly done im not gonna be mad at a canon lesbian romance in a series that im a fan of)nOTP: i mean. marian with any guy. like shes a lesbian who has two really viable and interesting female love interests right there in the comic. anyone who seriously wants to ship her with some dude who she probably has like two lines with in canon if that.........? such bad taste lol cant relate sorry random headcanon: hm i have a good deal of headcanons abt her... but one is that she probably has a very dry sense of humor that pops up unexpectedly and No One is ready for it bc she's serious most of the timeunpopular opinion: kinda referred to it above but if she still has lingering feelings or has unresolved issues from her relationship with bella, her and vadelma would not realistically last or have a good relationship... its not gonna be convincing in canon if we see how marian has such a strong history w bella and then it never gets resolved before she moves onsong i associate with them: comeback kid by sleigh bells and bishops knife trick by fall out boy bc i love crying. i gotta make a playlist for her at some pointfavorite picture of them:

couldn’t just choose one... there are more ofc but for the sake of space here’s 2

Cyanthia

favorite thing about them: she doesn't take shit from anyone! even tho she's "delicate" as tammy says and gets hurt easily she's still tough and really skilled at her sport and thats just Relatable For Me Babey !least favorite thing about them: boy i sure wish she had a solid personality or more than like three canon lines. tammy has acknowledged this before so i hope she gets more focus in bup (ik she's not a super prominent character in the story and thats fine but that doesn't mean she should be like... totally neglected in terms of content yknow)favorite line: "Oh! If it isn't the manipulative seacow who got Belladonna out of the team because she had a crush on the captain." LIKE...... SHE REALLY DID THAT. GO OFFbrOTP: i like that she and arnick are friends!! like i said for tetrox i just wanna see toxink shenanigans all day long.. also although i can totally see how she and tetrox wouldn't get along at first but if the whole team is so close i think they'd become really good friends eventually! OTP: bellanthia!! i do prefer bella ending up with marian in the end but bellanthia is still rly good and i like their dynamic and i will never complain when we get content of them because its so rare fkdjsfhsnOTP: literally any guy considering she canonically hates men lmfao just dont (like there was that ask where tammy said something along the lines of "arnick is the only guy she can really tolerate" lmfao)random headcanon: she's really into fashion and gives everyone on toxink outfit advice whether they want it or not jfdhkfjs. also she's rly good at makeup and the rest of toxink let her practice new looks on them unpopular opinion: idk if this is unpopular but like.... that quote about vadelma getting bella kicked off the team? she was right and she should say itsong i associate with them: you should see me in a crown by billie eilish. its Gothfavorite picture of them:

subtle cheek squish. nice (also any picture where she’s being Gay for bella and making that face where she’s like “WOW i like this girl. wow”)

#ty for asking!!!! and take ur time w the asks of course #cyanthia #marian #asks #astronomyfortwo

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ninjakitty15 · 3 years ago

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Chapter 21: Pound Me the Witch Drums (Loki x OFC Pairing)

"This might be the best Falloween yet," I mused as we watched the parade commence down the cobblestone streets, witches of all shapes and colors dancing around.

"What makes you say that?" asked Loki curiously.

"Just a feeling."

"What are you going to do about the other necromancers?"

"Find the top dog and make them my bitch."

"That's my girl," he purred, tilting my chin up to kiss me. "Did it hurt, when your arm went skeletal?"

"That's the reason why it went that way, I told you, holding onto a soul is manhandling a nuclear reactor, that much intense concentrated burning power would fry the one holding it instantly, going skeletal makes it so its a lot less painful for me since there's no nerves there to tell me that's one hot potato. I probably wouldn't survive ripping out yours though, I'm betting, skeletal or not." I rested a hand on his chest, drawn to the power and the beat of his heart before he took said hand and kissed that too.

"You are so much more powerful than you let on."

"People let their guard down easier when they think I'm not up to snuff, makes it easier for me to kick their ass. What did you think when you first met me?"

"From what I was told of Hydra, they're only after powerful and dangerous things, and there you were in their grasp, bound and muzzled so you had to be at least one of those things they hunt so fervently. That alone had my interest at least a little, one solitary woman sitting in the middle of a cell with nothing but a black cloak on and very little else to go on. There's no records of what you were before they caught you and we found nothing on who you are to them, what their intentions were, they covered their tracks thoroughly when it came to why you were there. And then there's the fact that you had no fear whatsoever upon looking at me, you talked to me as if we had known each other before we even met, with such ease and humor. Tony did that when we met but he was also just stalling me so he could prepare to attack after. But you didn't do anything but talk, almost if you knew, as if you were waiting for me all along."

I smiled and shrugged at his assessment. "I could tell whatever reason you were there, it wasn't the reason Hydra was there, you weren't there to continue what they started, that much was clear. You weren't there to kill me, not like you could anyway, not here to experiment, you didn't have that mad scientist vibe I got from pretty much every other person that walked to my cell since I was put there. You seemed curious but not dangerous, not to me anyway, and what did I have to lose?"

"Clever girl."

I grinned. "I am what I am."

"And you are mine."

"Not too long ago, I was you."

"How long are you going to keep making jokes on that?"

I shrugged and smirked. "Till it stops being funny I guess. You gotta work on those dead jokes if we pull that stunt again."

"I thought I played you flawlessly then considering I got them to all focus on me while you pulled a classic surprise attack only I could do so well."

"It's not all about you, Loki," I teased.

"You should know by now I'm a generous lover if nothing else," he purred, kissing me once more.

"Loki, you slippery little ladykiller," a different voice boomed from behind us, causing us both to spin around.

"I beg your pardon," demanded Loki, not quite getting the term.

"Hey, I was like this when he found me," I countered the joke.

Thor stood there, arms crossed, face smug with a playful glare shaking his head at us. "Tony's been trying to track you down for ages, where did you two go? Last place was the park in New York."

"We hit some obstacles and got snagged a few times but it's all good now," I assured the beef god.

"At this point, I don't know which one of you is the real troublemaker here, Tony assures me it's you, Nell, but he doesn't know my brother like I do."

"There a reason you're here, brother," Loki asked boredly.

"There's been sighting of undead raiding buildings we found out after were all Hydra bases, just making sure they're on our side and not coming for us next."

"It's ok to be scared, you know," I teased. "Tis the season to be spooky."

"So I've noticed here especially, everyone's dressed up as different beasts and professions, some naughtier than I remember. But those corpses attacking the agents, that's you, Nell?" Thor asked.

"You won't find many other necromancers that can raise that many zombies, much less spread them between bases, so yes, that's me. Tell the Avengers I said you're welcome and also never send a man to do a woman's work, we're tired of cleaning up your messes."

"That doesn't seem fair," he grumbled. "Very well, do try to stay out of serious trouble if you can, I won't let the others know where you are so you can enjoy the festivities." With that, he was gone.

"I think you hurt his feelings," joked Loki.

"He's a god, he'll survive."

"It's refreshing knowing someone that isn't that fond of him."

"What's so special about thunder anyway, all it is is the sound lightning makes during a storm, big deal, he's the god of storm sounds, how is that even a power really?"

"People could argue what's so special about mischief."

"It's playful, it's fun, it very rarely causes serious harm, it's youthful despite the god of it being ancient, almost childlike in itself but anyone can do it no matter the age. Have I told you what people used to do to houses that refused trick or treaters? They'd throw eggs or toilet paper at the house, very rarely causing any real damage but still got the point across. Life would be so boring without some mischief in the mix but no one would care if we didn't have thunder. It wasn't just because you were the first one to free me that I chose you, hun, I met Thor right after if I recall correctly, I regret nothing."

We continued to enjoy the parade before a few tiny humans known as kids walked over to us curiously. "Are you the god Loki?" one girl asked him hopefully.

"That I am," he replied proudly but stiffly.

"My mom worships you."

"Where is your parents now?"

"Probably wondering where these little maggots ran off to," I mused.

The girl suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along, her friends surrounding us as we were lead a woman dressed as a traditional black garbed witch also watching the parade. "Mom, guess who I found. See if he can get us a pony or a million bucks."

"I don't generally offer wishes," muttered Loki as he glanced down at the happy child then to the woman who we guessed was her mother who had the grace to look embarrassed.

"That requires the sacrifice of the firstborn daughter last I checked," I joked.

"And that's why no one would worship you," he teased back.

"That's not true either, you do."

He scowled but couldn't deny the truth of it. "Why do you worship me, mortal?"

"Because you've done more good than you know, I know you were part of the attack on NYC but in doing so you brought together the best of us to keep the world safe, and gods should be worshipped for all they've done, not just for what they're known for," she replied easily.

Without word or warning, Loki stepped forward, touched the woman's forehead, then spoke softly in what I had to assume was Norse incantations. "May your hearth always be warmly lit, may mischief always come in good forms, and the cold never bother you." He stepped away from her with a small smile.

She bowed her head to him, a hand over her heart then looked over to me. "The spirits follow you but you are not a registered psychic or at least not one known."

"I'm not a psychic at all, that's just a side effect of what I really am." I held out my hand to her in invitation.

"Your aura is both white and black but never grey, you used to be human but you're not now, you're something else entirely." She held my hand in both of hers and her eyes went back into her head for a moment before she gasped, her body going stiff. "The pawns have fled or died, one remains, the one that betrayed you. He grows strong and though you are always stronger, you must not hold back like you did before, no matter what happens." She let go, closing her eyes and seemingly returning to normal. When she opened her eyes, she stared at me in horror and fear, putting herself between me and her ever curious child and slowly backing away.

I watched her hurry away from me and shrugged it off, never really bothered by people finding out the truth or just being afraid of me, my last job was all about scaring people for money.

"What was all that about?" asked Loki, watching his new subjects slip away.

"Seems we'll find out who the person that sold me out was after all and you might get to see what I'm really capable of."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is...Loki, there's reasons I can't tell you everything about me, some of it is forbidden, some of it...it's just better you didn't find out."

"Why? What are you so afraid of?"

I stopped wandering the street and turned around to face him. "The real question here, is what are you afraid of?"

"You think you'll scare me off if I find out the whole truth about you?"

"It's only natural."

"I faced the goddess of death and the whole destruction of my realm and home without hesitation."

"It was never really your home and you let your brother handle her I'm told while you were more backstage stuff."

"Point is," he growled. "There is very little I'm afraid of, and you are not among the few on that list."

"Not yet."

"My love." He cupped the side of my face with one hand. "Whatever you are, whatever you become, whatever you do, you have me, you know this, I gave you my word. You could become the next Surtur or Hela incarnate or worse and you'd still have me."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why such blind faith in me?"

"Because that's what love is, isn't it? It's blind, foolish even at times, but more importantly it's putting your heart and faith in another person no matter what happens between them."

"And do I have your heart?"

He took my hand with his free one and held it against his chest firmly. "You're always so eager to feel it yourself, you should know already it was for a while." His eyes never left me as I was hypnotized yet again by the steady beating of his heart. "What more do you need of me?"

I knew I was being unreasonably insecure all things considered, I knew he was mine and he wouldn't leave unless there was no other choice as he hadn't left me yet and most of the problems we faced were because of me. "I only need you."

"Good. Now why the uncertainty this time? Last time it was because you were being betrayed and had certain doubts where one's loyalty lies."

"I usually relish in other people fearing me but then they feared what they only assumed and didn't truly know, she knew, your worshiper did, she saw what I really was and fled. It made me wonder what your reaction would be when you found out."

"You tease me about my old age yet forget I've been around thousands of years before meeting you, whatever you are, I can promise you I've seen worse."

"But have you loved worse?"

"Does Odin count?"

I blinked, not expecting that for some reason and the uncertainty started to fade. "Would you say so? I don't actually know anything beyond what I read in the myths and what you've told me."

"He was one of the few great beings that kept the Mad Titan at bay as well as my adoptive father and all the secrets he kept, he kept till the very last possible second, if there is anything I picked up from being raised by him, it's holding onto secrets like that. My point is, love, you're stuck with me."

"Gods forbid," I joked.

"Not this god," he argued before pulling me against him to kiss me passionately. "You have all of me for eternity, but can you say the same?"

"I'll probably last longer than you in the end so I'd say almost eternity," I mused.

"Is that so? I recall outlasting you several times at least in certain...circumstances."

I scoffed at this. "What makes you think that wasn't intentional to spare your ego?" I suddenly found myself in a side alley, pinned against a brick wall away from the gathering crowd for the parade.

"Because I know a liar when I see one," he purred in my ear. "But I'm more than willing to prove you wrong there as well."

I was about to make a witty comeback but a sharp gasp escaped my lips instead as he dove in hands first. My mind went fuzzy with pleasure as he worked his magic on me, whispering dirty, exciting things in my ear, my legs shortly turning to wet noodles against him that I had to grip onto his shoulders to keep myself up and bite my tongue to keep quiet in broad public. This was a new one for us, getting me off in public with no reciprocity, all the focus and pleasure was for me. Vaguely I could feel his eyes burning into me, glittering as he watched me unravel in his hands several times before he was sure I had more than enough. I was at a loss of words after that, still half dazed and fuzzy with the aftershocks, Loki watching in pure amusement before tilting my head up to steal a kiss from my already parted, swollen lips.

"You shouldn't be so worried I'd leave you when I've already bought us a place to ourselves, you know," he murmured, taking full advantage of my silence. "I've actually wanted you the moment you were set free after I found you in that cell, the fact you wanted me back set that in stone. It was never about what you're capable of, or what you are either, it was who you are and who you are to me."

"And what am I to you?" I managed to ask through the haze.

"It's simple, really, you're mine. Thought I made that clear in the bedroom many times before this. Not just pretty words, you know. Why would I leave someone I can't get enough of?"

"It's not all about sex?"

"It's not just that, that I want with you."

"Then what?"

"All you are, all you have to offer. Just as you have all of me. All's fair in love and fun stuff, isn't that what you said when we met?"

I scowled at him though couldn't help the smirk underneath it. "Well played."

"Master of tricks, remember."

#loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki romance #avengers #necromancer #thor #necromancy #zombies #nell the necromancer #loki x OC #loki x original female character #loki x nell

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cookinguptales · 7 years ago

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So this came up on Twitter yesterday and I thought I’d post about it on Tumblr today. Frankly speaking, I’ve got a lot of young followers and this is some truth I wish someone had taught me when I was a lot younger because I would’ve gone through a lot less stress.

I know we’re all starved for outside validation on this site, but I wanna talk to you about when compliments are used by creeps. Now, you probably know about negging (when someone uses a backhanded compliment on you to make you feel bad about yourself, often in order to pick you up more easily — i.e. “you’re really pretty for a fat girl”), creepy sexualized comments on the street, etc. But I’m talking about really nice compliments about your work or your personality or your drive. Even the sweetest compliment can be used as a weapon.

(All this is going to be a pretty gendered discussion; I in no way want to say that only guys can be creeps and only women have been socialized in the ways I’m about to discuss, but, well. Let’s all be real here, there are definite patterns.)

Discussion under a cut for length and possible triggers

I don’t want to get into a lot of my own painful personal experiences with creepy guys, but I do have to bring up some examples from my own life, so I’ll use one particular guy as a case study. Let’s call him Dick. (Look, I never claimed to be mature.) I’ve had these experiences with guys IRL, but Dick was a guy I met online. At first, Dick was my friend. He clearly had a bit of a crush, but seemed to accept it when I said I wasn’t interested. It was nice having a bud who shared my interests and I knew he had some issues with socializing, so at first I was pretty patient with his problems with boundaries. But by the time my longstanding friendship with Dick ended, he had become a full-blown stalker — and my friends were on his side.

How did this happen? Well, my friends, it’s the art of the public compliment. Dick was All About Me. He loved me. He treated me right. He praised me for my mind and my heart, and he didn’t care who heard him do it. Or so I thought. It took a long time for me to realize it, but he cared very much who heard it. That was exactly why he said it. To be heard.

Over time, I started to become more and more uncomfortable with Dick’s attentions. He wanted to talk about me more than he did the media we’d bonded over. He kept talking about how our (respective) children would grow up together, and would maybe fall in love. (???) He told me that he’d gone to a place I often vacation at — and he’d looked around for tangible traces of me. Long story short, Dick had become pretty creepy.

But, like many women, my first instinct in this situation was to be nice. I wanted to go to him privately and have a polite conversation about all this. And, to his credit, he seemed truly and honestly repentant. Until he did it again. It became a pattern of me trying to establish boundaries and Dick stomping all over them. Finally, despite feeling guilty, I told him he was really upsetting me and I wanted him to leave me alone for a while.

This is when the second creepy pattern emerged. The compliment trap. When I told him to stop contacting me, he didn’t…technically. He didn’t talk to me. He talked about me. He publicly talked about what a great person I was. How smart. How kind. How forgiving. He said it to my friends. He said it to people I respected. And he tagged me.

Now, this looked nice on the outside. He was just complimenting a woman he respects! How nice! But on my side of things, it felt like a trap. All of my friends were waiting for me to acknowledge these compliments. The situation left me with three choices: thank him (in a demure, polite way befitting a modest woman, ofc) and be forced to interact with a man I’d told to leave me alone, ignore him and look like a stuck up bitch, or say publicly that he’s a creep — which would make me look like I was “hysterical”. (See: rape culture, women “overreacting”, punishing men who “just want to be nice”, etc.)

Left with this choice, I chose option #1. I chose option #1 a bunch of times. Because this would become a pattern. I’d tell him to stop contacting me, he’d do this public complimenting game, I’d feel like I had to interact with him — and worse, I’d question my own feelings of fear. I’d say “Well, look how nice he’s being. Maybe he’s just awkward. He clearly likes me. He doesn’t want to hurt me. Maybe I really was overreacting.” And I’d talk to him again. Until he’d ask me for my address for a Christmas card or something.

And I didn’t realize for a really long time that he wasn’t being nice! This behavior! It was not nice! It was deeply emotionally manipulative! He’d put this horrible emotional onus on me to forgive and forgive and forgive, steadily gaslighting me into forgetting how scared I’d been until I blamed myself for being so quick to react… and let him back into my life. Because this was all public. All our “fighting” happened in private. All those times I begged him to just ease up a little were privy to only the two of us. All our friends, all my support system, only saw a nice boy with a crush praising a girl he liked and her refusing to give him the time of day.

Guess what happened when I finally put my foot down and stopped engaging when he did this? Oh boy. Oh boy. He started sending me literally dozens of messages a day, sometimes over a hundred. Have you ever had a person sending you @s on tumblr and twitter, private messages on tumblr and twitter, public and private messages on Facebook, emails, LJ messages, IMs on two different clients, and forum messages? Every single goddamn day? Dozens of times? Have you ever had a guy start showing interest in something you know he never liked before — just so he can “coincidentally” run into you on every community you’ve ever joined?

Honestly, I was so stressed. In tears all the time. My school work was suffering. No matter how many times I tried to tell him to stop, to avoid him, etc., he just kept going. I told him that we were done. No more forgiveness. I wanted absolutely zero contact — and I wanted him to never mention me on social media again. I didn’t want him to @ me. I didn’t want him to say my name. I didn’t want him to make thinly veiled sad posts about me. Zero contact. If he did that, I wouldn’t block him on every single platform and tell everyone we knew.

Yeah, I was dumb. I still wanted to be nice and polite. He’d been my friend, y’know? I didn’t want to ruin his life. I just wanted him to stop ruining mine. Even then, I didn’t understand how manipulative he’d been. I still believed he was just kind of awkward, and that I was probably the dick for being unable to deal with it. After all, I’d been friends with him, right? I’d encouraged him, right? It’d felt good to have someone like me so much, right?

(Yeah, until it didn’t.)

I almost got out this time, though. He almost made it. Sure, he “accidentally” replied to my posts every few weeks. (Somehow I didn’t put together that even though I’d unfollowed him, he clearly hadn’t unfollowed me. I guess I just thought that he’d kept seeing my posts when our mutual friends replied to them.) I felt pretty good. In fact, I was at a point where I felt almost silly for being upset in the first place. And then our mutual friends started asking me why we weren’t talking as much. He’d liked me so much. We’d had such good conversations. They talked about maybe reconnecting with him. After all, they’d only ever seen him being nice.

And god help me, I said okay. I figured he must have grown! Learned his lesson! Nah, that fucker was back to sending me tons of messages, talking to my friends (who did not know him), inserting himself in conversations I was having with others, making plans for the children I never wanted to have, etc.

I finally blocked him. E v e r y w h e r e. And I felt so fucking relieved that I was actually angry with myself for not doing it earlier. This man had harassed me for years, and I’d been the one to feel guilty over it.

Still private, I contacted our mutual friends and told them very briefly that he’d been harassing me and I was cutting off contact. I asked them to support me. Some people did.

A lot of people didn’t.

They’d only seen his public face. They’d only seen the avalanche of love and compliments. He hadn’t known better!! He just didn’t know how to express his feelings!! Next thing I knew, they were forwarding messages from him to me. Even after I’d blocked the fucker, he was still using compliments and romantic gestures to get to me! Through the people I’d trusted!

I’d finally had enough and was very public about this man who’d harassed me. I told people everything I’d been putting up with. I aired all our dirty laundry that I’d tried so hard to keep politely private. And some people believed me.

But a lot of people didn’t.

(This, coincidentally, is why I don’t answer tumblr asks privately anymore, not unless the person specifically asks me to and they haven’t been creepy at all. I had another guy pull this on me and I found myself in this same position again and all I had was private harassment. So no more of that! Public contact all the way.)

But Sarah, you say, isn’t this an isolated incident? Why are you making this huge tumblr post about one guy? Well, number one, it wasn’t one guy. This happened to me several times before I recognized that this wasn’t one man — this was a pattern of behavior that many men share. Number two, it speaks to wider issues that I’d like to address.

Media pushes this idea that if a girl is mad at you, you just have to work hard to be romantic and win her back. Piss her off? Hold up a boom box outside her window! Romantic, right? No, bruh, you’re lurking outside a girl’s bedroom window when she said she doesn’t be around you. She’s terrified and you’re being a creep. This isn’t gonna win her back. It’s just going to tell her you don’t know how to respect her boundaries.

Women are socialized to be nice even when they’re scared. We’re supposed to ignore the alarm bells in our head because it’s not socially acceptable to pull away. When we are complimented, we are supposed to acknowledge it graciously. When someone likes us, we are supposed to like them back. If we draw strong boundaries and enforce them, we often face strong social consequences. I’m here to tell you that every one of those consequences is worth it to help you feel safe.

Hell, I’ll reiterate it. It’s okay to be a bitch. Don’t sacrifice your mental and emotional well being for someone else’s. Women are supposed to be self-sacrificial, too… but you don’t have to be. A truly good person wouldn’t want you to be.

A PERSON WHO REALLY LIKES AND RESPECTS YOU WILL NOT WANT YOU TO FEEL UNSAFE AROUND THEM. IF THEY’RE OKAY WITH YOU BEING SCARED OF THEM, THIS IS A DEEPLY UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP.

Compliments are not always kind!! You do not always need to be grateful for them! Even nice compliments, ones that are more “you have beautiful writing” vs “nice tits”, can be utilized to emotionally manipulate you and those around you. If a compliment is making you uncomfortable because of the context in which it’s given, you do not need to even acknowledge it. It doesn’t make you stuck up or a bitch. Compliments are supposed to build you up and make you feel good, y’know? If it’s hurting you, it’s still a shitty compliment and that’s on them.

We’re taught that it’s best to be discreet. Naw, man. Be as public as possible, especially if someone’s giving you weird vibes. Keep things on the public record. Like, don’t be an asshole or anything, don’t publicize private information, but you don’t have to keep your conflict in the dark away from prying eyes. That’s only going to benefit the person hurting you… because there will be no established pattern of behavior. Establish establish establish.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, no one is owed your attentions. It doesn’t matter if they like you. It doesn’t matter if they do nice things for you. It doesn’t matter if there’s social pressure to acknowledge them and/or their efforts. It doesn’t matter if they do every single thing right. If you don’t want to interact with someone, you don’t have to. It doesn’t matter if they just give you vague creep vibes — or if you just plain don’t like them! No one is owed your attentions! Never feel trapped into interacting with people because they make you feel guilty!

(And for that matter, never let someone make you uncomfortable because “they’re just socially awkward”. You can be sympathetic towards someone’s social issues without letting them make you feel unsafe. Believe me, I’ve fallen into this one so many times.)

Anyway, tl;dr? Live bitch is better than dead sweetheart. Don’t fall for the compliment trap. Tell him to fuck off. If friends try to act as intermediary between you and someone you cut out of your life, they’re trash. Tell them to fuck off, too. You have my blessing.

#I literally have no idea how to tag this #but if my bad experiences help anyone else I'm happy

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marbledaesthetics · 4 years ago

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You Behind Me

Pairing: Ashton x ofc

Warnings: a party, implied alcohol consumption, anxiety, talk of previous and future romantic relationships, implied sexual situations, a bad break up, swearing, me projecting a wild combination of commitment and abandonment issues

word count: 4.9k

a/n: i wrote most of this in like 2 hours then refused to edit it for over a week because that’s how I am, this was low key inspired by this fic by @softforcal and this fic by @5sosnsfw even though it doesn’t really resemble either lol, this is a playlist of songs that inspired/reminded me of/vibed with this fic (if you have any songs that this reminds me of, feel free to leave an ask and I’ll listen to it)

~~~

“Who’s that?” Michael interrupts the ongoing conversation to point out someone that Ashton can’t quite see. “I feel like I should know her.”

“It’s an open party, she’s probably a friend of someone.” Calum leans toward Mike, trying to see who he noticed as Ash leans back to his previous position against the counter, having given up on trying to spot her.

Just as he’s going back to his conversation, Luke says, “Black jeans, green crop top, leather jacket. She’s standing just in front of the stairs.”

The second he sees her, Ashton whips around to look anywhere but the girl who seems to catch everyone’s eye. He tries to play it off as turning away to sneeze and prays none of the guys question it. He keeps his head low and his drink close to his face, hoping no one recognizes her.

---

31 January 2011

Ashton groaned in frustration as the bell rang. It was the first day of the term, and he was late. He hadn’t looked at the room number for his English class before heading to the English wing, and by the time he realized that his teacher’s classroom was put in the History wing because of spacing issues, he didn’t have time to make it on time.

He was only a few seconds late, but the teacher, an older woman with a stern expression, glared as he moved to the only open seat left. He was glad it was near the back, knowing that people could only stare for so long, but he was bright red as he sunk into his seat, wishing the desk would swallow him whole.

The teacher, Mrs. Hamil, kept her introductions brief, going right into explaining the book they’d be reading. Ashton was hardly paying attention, still embarrassed by his entrance, when he heard her say, “You will be working on this project in partners, so you’d best get to know your neighbor because you’ll be seeing a lot of them.”

Ashton looks at the girl in the desk next to him for the first time. She’s tall, he probably only has an inch or two on her, and her long, black curls frame her face. She smiles at him lightly, and says, “I’m Lavinina, but if you call me that, we’ll have problems.”

Ashton chuckles lightly, grateful for the distraction and says, “It’s a pretty name, but if you hate it so much, I could just call you Vin.”

“Most people just call me Nina, but I’ll roll with it.” Everything in her mannerisms screams “relaxed” and Aston can’t help but love how easy their conversation is.

“I’m Ashton.”

---

“She does look familiar. Ash, do you know?” Calum turns to him, and Ashton immediately knows he’s busted. “I know that face. Come on, spill. Who is she?”

“No one. I think I might’ve seen her in passing, but I thought she was someone else at first glance.” Ash hopes the lie is enough for them to let the matter drop before they call him on his bullshit, but they do him one better: they urge him to go talk to her.

“She’s hot, what’s the harm? She looks like she’d be your type.” Ashton barely hears Luke as he searches for the quickest escape plan as she starts in their direction.

“I’m gonna go outside. It’s getting cramped in here.” He knows the excuse is lame, but he doesn’t hesitate to leave his drink on the counter and duck out the back door.

He goes to sit with some people around a bonfire when he feels something lightly brush his arm. “Hey.”

He turns to see the only person at the party he was avoiding— Vin, standing in front of him looking gorgeous as ever, but mildly pissed.

---

20 March 2011

“Irwin, you fucking cunt!”

Ashton is laughing, trying to stay upright while Vin pushes at him, still soaked. “Language. There are children.”

“Ash you are the child. Spraying me with the hose? Really?” She finally succeeds in getting him on the ground, but Ashton quickly grabs her wrist, pulling her down with him.

“Why fancy meeting you here,” he says teasingly, looking up at her.

“You’re a dork.” She rolls her eyes at her best friend, shifting slightly so she can look at him better, but making no moves to get off of him.

Ashton chuckles at the quip, pushing some hair that’s hanging down back behind her ear. “You love me for it.” He panics slightly when he realizes he wants to kiss her, not wanting to sacrifice their friendship over his feelings.

She glances down at his lips from her place above him, thinking the same thing as Ashton. She quickly glances back up to his eyes, feeling her face grow warm knowing she got caught. Impulsively she leans in, kissing him gently.

---

“It’s nice to see that you remember me, Ash, but I’m not about to pretend I don’t have a bone to pick with you.” She’s looking at him with one eyebrow raised, her hands in her back pockets, while Ashton continues to stare at her, dumbfounded, as he grapples for words to say.

“How are you here?” He knows he sounds like an idiot, but it’s all he can manage to sputter out.

“It’s an open party,” she says nonchalantly, gesturing for them to sit in the lawn chairs a few feet from the doorway they’re blocking.

Ashton rolls his eyes at the comment and plops into a chair, running his fingers through his hair. “I meant the country more than the party, Vin.” The feel of her name on his tongue after so many years felt strange, but he couldn’t help but relish in the nostalgia it brought.

“You’re not the only one who can uproot their life, Ash. Maybe you would know that if you had ever bothered to come back.”

The comment stings, and he knows that she meant for it to. He rakes up his hair again, but he still can’t think of anything to say to her. She deserves a good explanation, but there isn’t one, so he settles on “It was a really shitty thing to do.”

“That’s a start, but you know I won’t let you leave it at that.” She’s laughing, soft, but clear and bright, and the sound sends him back in time, to when he thought that sound was all he’d ever need in life. Something in the back of his mind tells him that maybe it still is.

---

22 November 2011

“I’m sorry babe— you’re a great tutor and all, but I think I’m doomed. I’m just gonna pray for a passing grade and move on with my life. What am I gonna do with algebra, anyway?” Vin ran her fingers through his hair while he buried his face in her lap, frustrated that he got yet another problem wrong.

“What are you gonna do without it?”

He looked up at her amused expression, nuzzling her hip lightly, placing a gentle kiss to the skin peeking out above the band of her shorts. “I’ll be a stripper, duh.”

The tease cracks her up, and Ashton giggles as she clutches her side and tears fall from the corners of her eyes, falling sideways on the bed.

Vin’s finally starting to calm down when Ashton pounces, tickling her until she’s flailing and begging him to stop. He relents, allowing her a few seconds to catch her breath before kissing her. He places light pecks to her face before capturing her lips softly.

After pulling away, Ashton trails sweet kisses along her neck and collarbones, nipping lightly and the base of her neck. “You know, I could think of something more fun than studying for my algebra final.”

“Yeah? And what would that be?” she teases lightly. “I’m not sure I can think of anything more fun than this textbook.” She pulls the textbook and binder closer to them, and Ashton gently shuts them both before dumping them rather unceremoniously on the floor.

This sends her into a fit of giggles before she pulls his face back to hers, kissing him deeply.

---

“Why did you come?” The question earns him an eye roll, but he still can’t get his head around the fact that Vin is here, in LA, all these years later.

“I got tired of waiting for you to come back.” The answer is simple, but he knows she chose each word carefully, just to make sure he felt as bad as he should. “I spent years waiting, thinking that maybe we would run into each other one day and how you would explain why you just left. I kept thinking that if you explained yourself well enough, maybe things could go back to how they were.” The last part is quiet, an afterthought, and the self consciousness she wears looks wrong to Ashton. Vin was supposed to be confident, cocky, but sitting in front of him, playing with her necklace, she looked like she would shatter if he looked at her for too long.

“I don’t know what to say to you. You deserve an explanation. You deserve a reason for why I just left, but I honestly don’t know if I can give you one.” Ashton can see her shrinking further in on herself, and despite every piece of his soul aching to comfort her, he pushes on, knowing he needs to say this before he can’t bring himself to hurt her anymore. “I can’t give you the explanation you deserve because you didn’t deserve it. I broke every promise I ever made to you, and you never did anything to deserve that.”

“You said you’d come back.” She’s still quiet, and her voice wavers like she’s on the verge of tears. It kills Ash to know that he did this to her. He broke her so bad that she’s barely the person she was.

“Let’s get out of here.” He stands and reaches out to gently pull to her feet. “This isn’t the place for this.”

Vin sniffles and nods, and Ashton can see that she’s fighting to keep herself together. He can’t help himself anymore and pulls her to his chest, cradling her and stroking her hair.

He leads her around the house to avoid his friends and gently guides her into his passenger seat, reaching over to buckle her in before he gets into the car.

“I could have done that myself, you know.” She’s gotten some of her fire back, but Ashton knows that there still isn't any intention behind her tone.

“I know.” She looks away at his response, and Ashton turns his attention back to the road, keeping the radio soft despite their lack of conversation.

As soon as he shifts into park, Vin is out of the car, standing as far away as she can manage without stepping off the pavement. She follows Ash to the house, never taking her eyes off him. He knows her mind is whirling, but he decides not to say anything as he gestures for her to enter.

He shuts the door behind him, kicking off his shoes and tossing his keys and wallet into a bowl by the door. Vin stands awkwardly nearby, looking around, but not making any move to go any further than the foyer.

“You can come in, you know. This might take a while,” Ashton says as he moves to sit.

She takes a minute before she chooses a seat near Ashton, refusing to obey his suggestions immediately. She leans forward, elbows on her knees and runs a hand through her dark curls, sighing deeply. “Start talking. I want to know what happened in those few months that made you decide that ghosting me was your best option.”

Ashton is almost relieved at the anger in her voice, knowing he won’t be able to say his piece if he could see how much he was hurting her.

“It really was just supposed to be a few months. It was an incredible opportunity to go to London and write. We spent almost all of our time writing— we hardly made time to eat— and that’s when the calls slowed down. At first, it was easy. The guys were calling home, too, so I always had the time. But, eventually, they didn’t take the time, so I had to find that time. I had to choose between you and sleeping, so the calls couldn’t happen every day.” Ash was looking everywhere but Vin the entire time he’d been talking. He needed to get everything on the table for her— she deserved to know.

“You were drifting away, and I tried to stop it— I really did. Eventually, I just couldn’t handle the annoyed texts and seeing the missed calls. I drove myself insane reading between lines that weren’t there, so I stopped. I turned my phone off completely for a week to just let myself breathe. That was the week One Direction reached out to invite us to open for them. The guys were ecstatic— we all were, I knew that another nine months away would hurt both of us, so I blocked your number as soon as I could.

“When we came back, I didn’t reach out. I wasn’t able to face you.” When Ashton finally turned to face her, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but the annoyed eye roll he was met with was pretty low on the list.

“You couldn’t face me?” The mockery dripped off the words, and Ashton nearly flinched. “After everything we did, all that we talked about, you couldn’t manage to look the girl who was head-over-heels in love with you in the eye and apologize for every promise you were about to break?”

“I knew how much me leaving would hurt you, and I couldn’t stand to watch you break.” It was a shitty excuse for a shitty thing, but Ashton couldn’t help but plead for her to understand how he’d felt. “I was a kid up against this monstrous thing, so I ran. I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t do that to you.”

“I broke anyway, Ash. I absolutely shattered when I realized you weren’t going to talk to me.” She’s calmer now, able to articulate what she’d been carrying with her for so many years. Ashton can tell that she’s going into something well practiced. She’s had all the time she could possibly need to think of what she needed to tell him and was jumping at the chance. “I wasn’t mad about the missed calls, Ash. I knew you were busy, and I know that you were barely calling your mom either. Sure, I was bummed because I missed you, but I just kept thinking about how great it would be when you got back, how we would have all of year twelve together.”

Ashton knew she was looking right after him, but he couldn’t find the courage to face her.

When she saw he wasn’t going to defend himself or respond, she kept going. “I gave it a few days after you’d gotten back before I swung by, give you some time to sleep off the jet lag and spend time with your family. I was so fucking excited before when I went over to yours; I was driving my parents insane. When I finally went over, you weren’t even home. Your mom told me you were at Michael’s. She also said you had told her that you’d seen me the day before.”

Ash looked at the floor. He had lied to his mom about seeing her so she would push trying to keep the relationship up. He’d made his decision and didn’t want anyone to try to change his mind.

“I was at the airport the day you left.” Ashton finally looked up at her, but Vin was looking at the pictures he had set up around the room, lost in her memory. “I wanted to see you one last time, tell you I was proud of you and that I wished you the best even though you put me through hell.” She looks back to him and fiddles with her necklace. “I wanted to kiss you one last time for good luck and tell you that I was so fucking proud of you. I knew that you didn’t want to keep us up, you made that clear, but I wanted to make sure you were well and that you knew that not everyone back home thought you were lame.”

Ashton can’t help but smile at the jab, but he has a distinct note of sadness in his features. “I thought that seeing you again to tell you what I thought you already knew would be cruel. I didn’t want to hurt you, Vin.” His voice broke off at the end, but he kept his gaze focused on her’s. “I really did mean well. I thought what I was doing was best.”

“I’m not entirely sure if it even pays to tell you this because you’ve already apologized, but I want you to know that I’ve been eating myself alive since you left trying to find closure. That’s all I’ve ever really needed.” Vin’s voice cracks slightly as she pleads with him, trying desperately to make him understand what she went through. “I’ve fantasized about being us again, but I know how slim those chances are, Ash. I swear to you that I know that, but I need the closure of you saying it to my face. I deserve that.”

She looks at Ashton expectantly, but he’d be lying if he said he knew what she wanted to hear. He had explained himself, walked her through those few months, but clearly she thought something important had gone unsaid, something that she needed bad enough to chase him across the world to hear.

“What should I say?”

Vin laughed slightly, but this time, the sound was hollow. “You may have grown up, but clearly you’re still thick as ever. I need you to tell me if you still love me or not because if I don’t know, this is never going to stop; I’m going to keep driving myself insane.”

Ashton sees the look on her face he remembers all too well— her walls are up, and she’s not letting them down for anyone.

---

16 September 2011

“What’s wrong, babe?” Ashton frowned down at Vin, sliding into his desk and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Vin started at his touch, eyes jumping to him. He could see her breathe deeply while she put on a smile that didn’t light up her features the way it normally would. “What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong.”

“You can’t fool me, babe. What’s on your mind?” The concern in his voice was genuine, but Vin never faltered.

“It’s nothing, Ash. I was just zoning out.” Her words are short, and she goes back to facing forward, effectively icing Ashton out. She clearly didn’t want to talk, and Ashton has to fight every instinct he has to let her simmer in her feelings when he knows they will overtake her soon.

The bell rang to begin class, so Ashton let the matter drop for the time being, focusing on the lecture of the day.

When class was finally dismissed, Vin shot out of her seat and was out the door before Ashton could even grab his bag. Defeated, he trudged through his day, trying to push aside how Vin avoided him for the rest of the day.

The minutes crawled by, but when last period finally finished, Ashton was quick to meet Vin at her locker before she had the chance to leave. She looked ready to yell at him to leave her alone as soon as she saw him, but he quickly cut her off with a sweet kiss on her cheek. “How’s my girl?”

She looked at him like he’d lost it, but responded with a quiet, “Fine, I guess.”

“Do you wanna come over to mine? Harry and Lauren are both staying at friends’, and I’d like some time with you to myself.” She looked at him skeptically, as if she thought he must be kidding, then crouched down to grab another book from the bottom of her locker.

“Sure.” Ashton dimmed slightly at how soft her voice was, but quickly bounced back when she stood, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

They stayed quiet most of the walk to his house, occasionally making small talk that died quickly. Vin kept most of her answers to single words, drifting away from the conversation as soon as it demanded any real thought.

Ashton worried the whole while, trying to understand why she was pushing so hard to keep her thoughts to herself. How quiet she was worried him— she usually rambled whenever someone gave her the chance.

Once they were inside Ashton headed for his room, dumping his things next to the door. “Do you—” he stopped when he realized Vin was no longer behind him like she usually would be.

He headed back the way he came, slowing when he saw her standing with her arms wrapped tightly around herself just inside the front door. “Babe?”

Vin jumped out of her skin at his voice, squeaking quietly. Ashton froze for a minute, confused why she seemed terrified of him. He cautiously moved forward, peering at her delicate features as if she would crumble if he made any sudden moves.

“Vin, you aren’t okay. Can you please let me in?” Ashton pleaded. “I just want to make your pain go away.”

She looked up, a new harshness in her expression as she snapped, “You can’t make it go away, Ash. This isn’t something you can just fix. I don’t want to talk about it; I want to do anything but think about it. I want you to stop acting like I’ll break. I am fine.”

Ashton backed off, resisting the urge to throw his hands up in surrender. “Alright. That’s okay. We can just watch a movie or something and chill.”

Her expression relaxed slightly, nodding. “I’m sorry for yelling.” Her voice was meek, and her tone broke made Ashton’s heart break.

He pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple and running his fingers through her hair. “Nothing to be sorry for, doll. Just know that I really do want to help, so if I can do anything for you, just say the word.”

---

“I know how long ago this was, Ash. I’ve seen you look so happy with other people; you’ve looked happy without me. I can accept that you’re happy, Ashton. I’m a big girl; I can handle this, but I need you to say it.”

She smooths her hands over the back of her neck as she speaks before bringing them back to the chain resting there, and Ashton realizes what it is— the locket he gave her for their anniversary, a small heart with flowers engraved on the front. The sight of it makes his chest tight as he roughly cards his hands through his hair again.

“I can’t, Vin. We’ve tried this, remember? I didn’t have it in me to keep this up.” Vin pulls back and looks at him with a puzzled expression. “I pushed you out of my head, Vin, because we’ve already tried.” He’s looking her in the eyes now, pleading for her to let this be dead.

“What do you mean you can’t, Ash? How am I supposed to take that?” Her voice is level, but her heart is pounding, and Ashton knows she’s fighting to keep her face indifferent.

“I’m always working, Vin. We never stop touring, and when we finally do, I’m in the studio almost all the time. This job never stops, and there is always going to be distance. That’s what broke us in the first place. You deserve someone who will be there for you, and I can’t do that from a different time zone. I’m not good for you, and I can’t handle breaking your heart again, Vin. It would break me.”

Ashton turns to face her, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and cradling her face as he speaks. “I’m really sorry about what I did, and I want you to know that I’m not just saying that because you’re here. You don’t have to forgive me, but just know that I really am sorry.”

“Do you still love me?” Vin’s voice is smaller than she intended, but she can’t help but ask. She doesn’t want to get her hopes up, but she can’t help that glimmer at how he’s dodging her question.

“I can’t tell you.” Ashton pulls away from her. He knows he sounds cold, but he can’t give her an answer he isn’t sure of. He refuses to lead her on again. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know. It’s been so long, but as much as I try, I can never seem to put you behind me, so that must be something, right? You’ve found your way into my lyrics, my thoughts, and every time I think you’re gone, you pop up again. I used to screw up mid-show because I would think I had spotted your face in the crowds.”

His thoughts are spiraling as he rambles on, and Vin is at too much of a loss of words to stop him. He’s pacing the room, gesturing wildly with his arms. “But, at the same time, we already failed once because I fucked up and just couldn’t do it, and it isn’t fair to put you through that again.”

“Ash, stop,” she finally says, snapping herself into action, standing from her place on the couch. She puts her hands on his shoulders, but he fights her grip, continuing to pace as his words start to border on nonsensical. “Ashton, please, you’re going to work yourself into a panic attack. You don’t need to know, just look at me, please!”

Ashton pulls himself back to reality enough to stop talking, allowing Vin’s touch to ground him, but he’s still shifting nervously in front of her.

“I shouldn’t have pushed so hard; I’m sorry. Let’s get you some water and let you calm down a bit, yeah?”

He allows Vin to gently pull him in the kitchen, sitting on a bar stool quietly as his thoughts continue to race in the room’s silence. He watches blankly as she opens cabinets until she finds a glass, lost in his thoughts. He nearly jumps out of his skin when she brushes his arm, drawing his attention to the glass of water she has set in front of him.

She sits with him as he drinks, watching him carefully for a few minutes before speaking. “Is it okay if I keep talking about this, or is that going to be too much right now?” She phrases her question gently, no longer sure what he needs when this happens or of how much he can handle.

“‘S okay,” he mumbles around the edge of the glass. “I think I need you to say something so this makes some sort of sense.”

Vin nods, starting lightly. “I know it’s been a long time. We’ve grown up so much that we hardly know each other anymore. But, if what happened last time is the main thing holding you back, know that it really shouldn’t be.” He starts to say something, but she presses a hand to his back, rubbing softly, and continues, her tone gentle, but firm. “I am not saying that you don’t have a reason to be worried, but I’ve already told you the missed calls or the unread texts never upset me. We’re older now, and if this is something you are really willing to try, it could work. I’m old enough to tell you that I’m willing to take the chance of getting hurt by you again. This isn’t a blind decision, Ash. I know what I’m signing up for.”

Ash continues to stare into his water glass, letting her words sink in. Part of him feels the same hope that he can hear in her words, that maybe they could have what they had again, but he still doesn’t know how to feel.

“We’d have to go slow,” he says slowly, thinking over each word carefully. “You can’t just fly into this like you do with everything else. We should really start from scratch because you were right before when you said we really don’t know each other anymore. I don’t want this to die out in a few months because we thought we could just pick up where we left off.”

“Of course.” Vin slides her hand down to rub his arm, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We can take this as slow as we need. We can just be friends for a while if you want. There is no reason to rush this.”

Ashton smiles slightly, his anxieties beginning to fade into tiredness, wanting nothing but to wash the remnants of the attack off and sleep through the crash. “This might be breaking the baby-steps rule, but will you stay? I kinda want to just hold you for a while, and maybe we could grab breakfast together in the morning.”

Vin grins at the childish hope on his face. “Of course, rockstar. That sounds great.”

~~~

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joeybelle · 7 years ago

Text

Starlight - Chapter 17

Relationship: Cassian Andor x OFC

Rating: Mature

Tags: Romance, Pre-Rogue One, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Foul Language

Read on AO3

The storm gradually dropped in intensity and the weather went back to the ever present fog and drizzle. It was a nice change, Cora thought as she looked out the med bay window. It was almost peaceful. After the incident with the main generator they didn’t have much time to waste, with people working around the clock to fix the affected systems and the med bays busy caring for the wounded. As the storm died down, they started cleaning the debris on the landing strip and now she could once again see ships leaving the hangar. It seemed that everything was going back to normal.

But Cora wasn’t calm at all. In fact she was stressed as fuck. She had been informed a couple of days before that the council would be evaluating her time in the Alliance, and based on the result of that assessment, they would decide if they’d take off her bracelets, setting her free. They would finally be deciding if she was one of them or not. And today was the day when it would all be announced.

And Cora hated it. She hated being reminded that she was different from everyone else. Most of the time she didn’t even remember she had the bracelets on, since she never left the base anyway, but it was a thing of principle: as long as she had them on she was still a prisoner that had agreed to help in the med bay in exchange for limited freedom, and not a full member of the Alliance. She hated that they still didn’t trust her. She was doing her job as well as she could, she always did what they asked of her, and she had risked her life on two missions now, so it hurt being reminded that she didn’t belong.

And today she would have to stand in front of the council and see the disdain in their eyes as they decided her fate. A bunch of bureaucrats with sticks up their asses, who never once made any effort to get to know her and see where her loyalties lie, would stand in a circle and dissect her life and speak about her in absolutes. She felt like she wanted to choke every one of them.

But she had to admit that she carried some of the blame too: she always thought of the Rebellion as them instead of us. She guessed this stemmed from her time in the Empire where for years she tried mentally distancing herself from what was going on around her. You can’t be blamed for their actions if you’re not part of them, her brain seemed to tell her. But one of the side-effects from thinking like this was that now she felt like she didn’t fit in anywhere, or at least, that is was safer not to belong.

Still, she was a part of the med bay staff and she was loyal to them. The Rebellion in general may not have been her top priority, but she cared about her friends and if the cause was important to them, it would be important to her as well. And she knew that in this case they would take her side, even if she was pretty sure no one would ask them.

She also knew that Doctor Crane would speak in her favour, no doubt about that, and his voice actually mattered. Maybe Mon Mothma would be on her side. On the few occasions they met she had been friendly, but Cora could never tell what the woman was thinking. Still, she hoped she and Bail Organa would be her allies, since they both seemed rather reasonable, and Cora never felt any sort of animosity from him. She figured Cassian would be on her side as well, but since he wasn’t part of the council, she didn’t know how much his opinions mattered.

It was funny how much things had changed between them. A few months back she considered him to be her number one enemy, but right now he was… well, something else. She wondered if they’d value his opinion less in this case if the council knew, especially Draven, that they had been a little more than friendly on certain occasions.

She knew it didn’t matter that much, even though she sometimes hoped it did. Cassian seemed like the kind of person that wasn’t that easy to influence, whether you were trying to threaten him or butter him up. Besides, she wasn’t the first one he fucked, and she won’t be the last. Something as trivial as this would never change his opinion on someone, and they probably knew that.

“Cora!”

She jumped, nearly dropping her coffee cup on the floor when she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Cassian, scare me like that again and I’m locking you up in the recovery ward for a month,” she threatened, unceremoniously shoving his hand off her shoulder.

“I tried knocking and calling your name a couple of times, but you didn’t answer,” he said, and Cora instantly regretted yelling at him.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, looking down, embarrassed by her moodiness. “I was just a little distracted. Shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“You’re becoming mellow, Doctor. I remembered you being a lot more feisty,” he joked, and Cora felt once again the urge to punch him.

“Don’t tempt me, Andor…” she warned, pursing her lips.

“I’d love to do just that, but we have to go,” he said, the whole playful atmosphere dissolving into thin air. Anxiety took hold of Cora once again, a cold shiver starting to climb up her spine. “The council has already gathered in the War Room.”

“Did they send you to fetch me?” she asked, wondering why they didn’t just send one of the guards like they usually did when there was any administrative meeting taking place. Maybe he volunteered.

“Sort of,” he said, and it made Cora think that she had guessed right. She smiled, despite the nervousness. They didn’t let him leave the base after he recklessly landed in the middle of the storm, so Cora had gotten quite used to seeing him around in the past few days.

There was a small change in the way he behaved, she noticed. He was a little more friendly towards her, a little more open. He would sometimes stop and ask how her day was going if they bumped into each other on the corridors and they weren’t in a rush. It was never more than a few words, and it was a lot less than the usual interactions between Cora and most of her friends and acquaintances, but it was a pleasant change from just ‘hello’ and nothing more. It made her think that she now belonged to the select few people that he had more than just a professional work relationship with. And that made her happy.

“You look a little pale,” he said once they left the med bay. The corridors weren’t as crowded as they normally were, and Cora assumed everyone was busy in the hangar below.

“I’m a little stressed,” she admitted. There was no point in lying just so she would seem cooler, because she was sure Cassian never once considered her to be cool. So she chose to be honest about her turmoil.

“There’s nothing to be worried about,” he told her in a reassuring tone, but it did nothing to calm her nerves.

“I know,” she replied, making an effort to stop her hands from nervously playing with the hem of her tunic. “The logical part of my brain knows that, but for some reason, the other part of it has decided to panic. And guess which one is winning,” she whined, her heart beating faster than it was comfortable.

Cassian chuckled and they entered the elevator. As soon as the doors closed after them, her anxiety reached peak point and her breath started to hitch. Luckily, they were alone so no one saw the colour drain from her face as the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach started to grow and take over her body. Her vision turned blurry and she had to stumble forward and hold onto the elevator door for support, fighting a wave of nausea.

At first, she didn’t notice the elevator stopping, just Cassian’s arm over her stomach stopping her from collapsing on the floor. He pulled her close to his chest, letting her rest her weight on him. Cora tried calming down, telling herself that she wasn’t going to have a full blown panic attack right then. Slowly, but steadily, she managed to get her breathing under control and her vision became focused once again. The elevator doors didn’t open so she figured Cassian had stopped it between levels giving her a little time to regain her composure. She felt thankful for that.

“Everything’s gonna be fine,” he cooed in her ear, his facial hair lightly grazing over her skin. “Nothing bad can happen, you’re not going back to the cell. Worst case scenario, they’ll leave the bracelets on and your life will continue like nothing had happened.”

“I know. I just don’t wanna be there,” she said, her voice faltering, but feeling a little better in Cassian’s comforting embrace. “I don’t care what they decide, just do it and send it to me in an envelope. I’m tired of people questioning my intentions and judging me for who I am. They’ve done it enough. I know they don’t trust me and I don’t care, just leave me alone. I’m tired of interrogations.” She sighed and looked at the floor. “I’m tired.”

“They’re not going to interrogate you,” he tried reassuring her but he sounded a little doubtful and Cora could feel it. “It’s probably already decided. There’s not going to be any questioning.” She placed her hand over his and intertwined their fingers. He had lied when he said that his hands were always cold, because right now she could feel his warmth in the palm of her hand.

“Then they should just leave me alone,” she said and turned her head a little to take a better look at Cassian. This was the closest they’d been since their time on his ship, if she didn’t count the time when she got scared in the warehouse and latched onto him, so Cora allowed herself to just melt into his frame. She should be ashamed for having a meltdown in front of him, she thought, but right now she didn’t care. She could force herself to be strong, brush him off, but truth be told, she needed the emotional support. She’d been alone for so long and lately she felt lonelier than ever. And if this stolen embrace in an empty elevator made her feel better she didn’t care if she appeared weak or needy in his eyes. So she leaned her forehead on his cheek, taking in the familiar feeling of his stubble scratching her skin. After all, he’d seen worse meltdowns from her and didn’t run away screaming. “Can’t we just… not go?” she pleaded.

“I’m afraid not,” he said, and seemed genuinely sorry. Cora knew this would be the answer, but she had to try. There was a tiny part of her that hoped Cassian would save her, the same part that had trusted Cassian so long ago to take her away from the Empire. “But I will be there with you and if you want to leave, just give me a sign and I will take you out.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile, and wondered if he’d actually do it. It would be so funny seeing him tell them to fuck off and just grab her hand and run. Unrealistic, but funny and for a moment she wished he’d really do it. It would make her feel like she was just as important to him as he was to her.

Cora knew that time was ticking and even though she would have loved to just stay frozen in that moment, they’d eventually have to get going. She shifted a little in his embrace and felt his grip on her loosening. Still, she didn’t let go of his hand, and he didn’t seem to want to wiggle free either. She inched closer to him, letting her lips brush over his jaw, a ghost light touch that held in itself all of her longing. She felt him shiver and move to meet her lips, his breath warm on her skin, his scent subtle and familiar and so intoxicating. But then he changed his mind, and placed a kiss on her temple, right above her eyebrow.

Cora smiled, as his lips lingered on her skin a little too long. She let go of his hand and pressed a button putting the elevator in motion once again. “We should get going,” she said, breaking the spell.

Cassian let go of her and straightened his posture, becoming Captain Andor once again. Cora passed a hand over her tunic, straightening the fabric, still feeling a tingling sensation in the place where his arm used to hold her. She wondered, as the elevator came to a halt, if rejection would always taste this bitter.

A quick peck on the tip of her ear, right before the doors opened, was something she would have never expected from Cassian, not in a million years. She covered her ear with her hand, throwing him a bewildered look. How? And why? He looked pretty relaxed, save for the tiniest, smuggest, grin in the corner of his mouth and Cora felt she urge to elbow him in the ribs. Luckily for him, the doors opened and they were once again in public, so Cora made an effort to control herself.

“I see the colour has come back to your face, Doctor,” he said matter of factly, referring to the blush that had crept over her cheeks. She realized that he was just teasing her. The peck on her ear, the tense moment in the elevator, maybe she was reading a bit too much into his actions. He was just a boy, after all.

“I have to let you know, Captain, that I have a scalpel in my pocket and I’m not afraid to use it.”

His face broke into a smile for just a fraction of a second, before going back to his normal, serious look. “I wouldn’t advise you to do that just before your hearing,” he said in a very professional tone.

“If they know you half as well as I do, I think they’d be grateful. I may even get a medal.”

He smiled. “They don’t know me as well as you do,” he assured her in a very neutral tone, but the playful glint in his eyes made her think she knew exactly what he was referring to.

“Oh, I really hope they don’t, because otherwise I’d really have to question your taste in men…”

He smiled for a brief second, then his poker face was back on, like nothing had happened. Like he didn’t comfort and tease her in the elevator, like he didn’t break her heart and give her hope once again, all in the span of five minutes.

The War Room was just as she remembered it: full of people and holograms of maps and diagrams she didn’t understand. It was where they held the council meetings and the strategy planning and whatever the Rebellion did and she wasn’t allowed to know. They still treated her as a potential spy, so she had no idea what the Rebellion did to fight the Empire. But it didn’t bother her, after all she was used to being a simple pawn in a game of chess she didn’t understand nor cared about. She had always done her job quietly, letting others to decide the direction in which things advanced. And she liked it that way. You’d think that the daughter of an Admiral would have bigger political ambitions, but to Cora being self sufficient was enough.

She took a seat at a table in the middle of the room, exactly under the spotlight. The council was gathered around her, some seated, some standing, she noticed. The setting was familiar, she had been brought in front of them when they asked her to work in the med bay. A lot of things had changed since then, but Cora was still quite apprehensive.

“Good morning, Doctor,” Senator Bail Organa greeted her, his smiling face one of the few friendly ones in a sea of frowns. This didn’t look too good for Cora.

“Good morning,” she replied, flashing the most sincere smile she was capable of. The nervousness was back, but thanks to Cassian she wasn’t on the brink of a panic attack anymore.

She scanned the room before the inevitable questioning. There were some friendly faces, she noticed once again: Bail Organa, Doctor Crane, even Mon Mothma had a reserved smile on her face. General Draven on the other hand had a frown so deep Cora thought it could very well rival the deepest canyon. Most of the other members of the council didn’t seem so outwardly hostile and showed a little more restraint. But that didn’t make her feel any better; for all she knew, they could still be against her.

“I see you’ve gotten accustomed to our med bay quite easily,” the senator said, coming closer to where she was seated. “I am pleased to tell you that your reviews have been very good, both from your fellow colleagues and from your patients.”

Cora imagined them handing out surveys to everyone on base: ‘How would you rate Doctor Enoch’s performance, on a scale from 1 to 5.’ She was pretty sure she’d get a 2 from Cassian, if they caught him in a particularly good mood. But no matter how funny it seemed to her, it meant that they were keeping a close eye on her.

“Thank you Sir, I’m doing my best,” she replied almost automatically. So many years in the army left her with some automatisms.

He seemed a little amused by her rigid reply. “You’ve also taken over some administrative tasks, I am told.” Cora nodded. “And you’ve been on two off-world missions already,” he said, almost nonchalantly, but Cora could see him examining her attentively. “Tell me, Cora - I can call you Cora, can’t I - how have you adjusted to living on our base? Have you made any friends?”

Cora smiled. She was sure they already knew who she had made friends with, exactly when she met them and where and what they did when they hung out, so she wondered what the point was. Were they just making small talk or did they want to see if she was being honest? Either way her first reaction was to tell them to cut the crap and just get to the point because she didn’t have all day, but she realized that this wasn’t the most tactful thing to do. She was at their mercy after all, and if this was the game they wanted to play, she had to play along.

“Yes,” she said, returning his smile. “I’ve made a few friends. Mainly among my colleagues, but I know a lot of people on base. As for living on Yavin, I think the climate’s the hardest to get used to,” she said, and heard a few murmurs of approval in the room.

“You’ve also experienced your first storm…”

Cassian flashed through her mind the moment he mentioned the storm, their time alone in the storage warehouse still fresh in her memory. She did her best to only search for him in the crowd with the corner of her eye, as to not attract too much attention. He was standing on the far side, partially obscured by some of the equipment in the room, and watched quietly.

“Not a great experience, but I like to think I can survive worse.”

“Speaking of surviving, you’ve crossed paths with a pirate ship and an imperial invasion and lived to tell the tale.”

“I think my partners should be thanked for that, since without them I’d certainly be dead,” she admitted.

“The Rebellion is all about teamwork,” he said, “no one expects you to fight on your own.”

Until they do, Cora thought, but she didn’t say anything. In the imperial army you were just one of the many soldiers, no names just identification numbers, but the Alliance was way smaller. From what she’d seen, everyone was doing much more than what they were supposed to do, so she assumed that one day someone would put a blaster in her hand and tell her to go fight the Empire alone. It seemed, to her at least, that that was what they constantly did to Cassian.

“But you did well in those two missions,” he continued. “And that certainly means a lot to us. But, to be frank with you,” (here we go, she thought), “some members of the council are still have some doubts regarding your loyalty.”

“Well then, let me be frank too, Senator,” she said, feeling a tinge of annoyance even though she had been expecting it. “There will always be some people that will question my loyalty, and this has nothing to do with what I do, and everything to do with who I am. I am the daughter of Admiral Enoch, and this outweighs anything I might do, in the eyes of some.” She looked around the room, making sure to linger a little on Draven’s unpleasant expression. “I have a cleaner record than a lot of people on base, and I’m still judged more harshly than any of them.”

“They’ve proven their loyalty to the cause,” Draven muttered, his tone just as unpleasant as his face.

“And I haven’t? I nearly died on two off-world missions. That wasn’t part of the deal I made with you.”

“That was yo…”

“That was my fault how exactly, General?” she raised her tone, feeling increasingly annoyed. “Listen... You’ve already jailed me for who I am, and I’m not going to linger in the past, what’s done is done and can’t be changed. I’m just asking you all to judge me for my actions, just like you do with everyone else, and not by my heritage. Because you can’t chose your parents, but you can chose the path you walk.”

It was silent for a moment, but Cora could see Draven getting ready to throw some more shit at her. After all, he had just started, and he was always pretty vocal during her past interrogations, seeming to take pleasure in accusing her of more than she could have physically done in one lifetime. However, a sharp look from Bail Organa silenced him for the time being.

“And what is your path, Doctor?” Mon Mothma asked.

Cora took a deep breath. If she knew that her freedom would one day depend on her ability to convince a room full of constipated senators, she would have paid a lot more attention in rhetorics class.

“As Senator Organa once said, the only way for me to live a peaceful life is if the Empire is no more,” she said, trying to sound as sincere and as convincing as she could. “I am a traitor to the Empire. I have nowhere to go back to, so I can only move forward. Right now, the Rebellions seems like the only solution for me. And I know I may sound a little selfish when I say that, since I should be thinking about the greater good and saving the Galaxy, but I am a simple person, I’m not a hero who’s going to sacrifice their life for total strangers. But if this is going to bring peace for me and my friends I will gladly follow.”

“Would you sacrifice your life for the friends you’ve made among us?” Senator Organa asked.

Cora never thought about that. Not that she didn’t know in the back of her mind that it was a possibility, she often had nightmares in which everyone she knew died and she was helpless, but she never thought that one day their life may depend on her. Since they were a million times more prepared for war than she was, she always assumed that if they would ever be in mortal peril she’d already be dead. That one day their life would depend on whether she’d act or not was a new and scary thought. Her first reaction was ‘I’m not qualified to handle this’.

“I’d rather not have to sacrifice my life in any circumstance,” she replied honestly, her eyes involuntarily drifting towards Cassian, “but if it were for my friends’ sake, I’d like to think I would be able to do it.”

“So what you’re saying,” Draven opened his mouth and Cora was already expecting the worst, “is that we can only count on your loyalty if your friends are in the game. I’m afraid this fight isn’t just about you and your friends and if we can’t count on you regardless of this, then there is no point in placing any trust in you.”

“General, I think you are misinterpreting my words,” Cora said through gritted teeth, trying very hard to control herself and not tell him to go back where he came from. “Would you have liked my speech better if I fed you pompous lines without substance about the greater good and the sake of humanity as an abstract notion? I am sorry that you think that because I have a more personal approach to this, just like, let’s say, 90% of the people on base, that I am less trustworthy. Almost all of them joined for their own sake or for that of their loved ones, so did you ever question their motives and resolve?”

“They’ve all sacrificed something to get here.”

“I’ve sacrificed everything I had. I had a safe, comfortable life and now I have nothing. Nothing!” she almost yelled, her voice reverberating in the silent room. “It would have been so easy to hand Cassian over to the stormtroopers and earn a shiny medal for it. But I didn’t do it. And honestly, the way you repaid me for it made me wonder if I had made the right choice.” She took a moment to regain her composure. “But you know what? I’d do it again. If I had the choice, I’d do it again. Because I know I don’t belong in the Empire. And if you think I don’t belong here either, then you may be right. I’m certainly not the greatest soldier and I’m not as valuable to the Cause as most people here, but I do my job and I would never betray the Alliance.”

“You betrayed the Empire, why wouldn't you betray the Alliance just as easily?” asked a tall, slender man with a foreign accent.

“Because the Empire has hurt me. It’s a personal vendetta. To see it fall would make me happy. The Rebellion hasn’t hurt me like that yet,” she said, subtly emphasizing the word ‘yet’, keeping her gaze fixed on the tall man. He seemed a little uncomfortable, so she stared at him some more.

Senator Organa cleared his throat, interrupting her staring contest and shifting the focus of the room towards himself once again. “During the past couple of days there have been a few debates on whether or not to remove your bracelets,” he said. “In the meantime we’ve assessed your progress, gotten statements from the people that have interacted most with you. We’ve gotten a pretty good idea of who you are.”

It sounded like a thinly veiled threat. Cora knew she had done nothing wrong, but still she felt like they had found out all of her deepest, darkest secrets. It made her feel like maybe she was guilty of something, she just didn’t know it yet. Maybe they knew she had stolen the cushion.

“We’ve held a vote,” he continued, “and eventually made a decision.”

So Cassian had been right, it was already decided. Then why did they summon her here? What was the point of the whole questioning? They could have just told her the result of the vote and let her go back to work instead of putting her under the spotlight. She speculated that they either did it just for show or the vote had been a tie and they needed something more to help them deliberate, but she wouldn't know for sure unless they told her. Nonetheless, she still felt irritated that they had dragged her there.

Mon Mothma left her place at the edge of the crowd and approached her, as elegant and poised as always. Cora couldn’t help but admire her: she was exactly what the years in boarding school could never mould her into. Beautiful, classy and scary.

“The council has decided to remove your bracelets,” she said, without further ado. “But there are some conditions.” Of course there would be some conditions, Cora never assumed they’d just set her free and wave her goodbye, so she nodded and motioned for her to continue. “You will be fitted a tracker bracelet instead of your cuffs. It doesn’t actively track your whereabouts, but in case you disappear or leave the base without notice it will send us your coordinates.”

“Right… so I’m still a prisoner,” Cora said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the chair, a defiant expression on her face.

“It’s just a precaution, Cora. And it’s a temporary measure,” Bail Organa assured her, but Cora frowned anyway.

“Until when? Since I’ve given you no reason to suspect me, and you still don’t trust me, how can I believe when you tell me that it’s just temporary?” she raised her voice again, almost getting up the chair.

“You have to understand, Doctor Enoch,” one of the older councilmen said, “that the Alliance is a fragile thing. We can’t afford to take any risks right now.”

“Right,” Cora muttered, collapsing back into her chair. She really wanted to tell them she isn’t a time bomb that they have to keep a close eye on, but she held her mouth shut and asked Mon Mothma to continue.

“You will have to get permission and be accompanied by an officer if you ever want to leave the base.”

“What if I just want to leave?” Cora asked, her face devoid of any emotion. She wondered if they’d change their mind if she kept interrupting them. Draven was already starting to change colour.

“I am sorry, that’s not an option right now.”

“I see,” Cora hissed. “Is there anything else?”

“You still won’t be allowed to access the databases or shove your nose into any Rebellion business,” Draven intervened, his interruption just as pleasant and needed as a bunch of warts. “Or contact anyone outside the base.”

Cora suddenly felt the urge to send the Emperor a birthday card, just to spite the general. However, she smiled, and looked again at Mon Mothma who had resumed explaining the conditions to her. It wasn’t that bad, she kept repeating herself as every condition made the frown on her forehead grow a little deeper. Remember where you started from and where you are now, huge difference. But every condition, every restriction they imposed cemented the idea that they didn’t want her there, that she didn’t belong.

“Do you agree to respect these conditions?” Mon Mothma finally asked. Cora was already spacing out and this suddenly brought her back.

“Do I have a choice?” she asked, with a half smile.

“There is always a choice, Cora,” said Senator Organa, a friendly smile on his face.

“Well, not much of a choice when you have to chose between a leash and a cage,” she snorted. “But I accept,” she said. “Gimme the leash, take me for a walk. Do I have to sign anything?”

“No,” said Mon Mothma, seemingly a little displeased by her attitude, “your word in front of the council will be enough.”

“I would like to hereby thank the high council for their generosity,” she said, in a slightly mocking tone, just enough to raise some eyebrows, but not enough to be outright rude. “Thank you so much.”

The meeting ended and everyone scrambled to get out of the room as fast as possible. How rude, she thought, when none of them stayed back to congratulate her, except for Doctor Crane, who also told her that her mouth would get her in trouble one day. Where’s the news, Doc?

Mon Mothma and Bail Organa stayed back too and explained to her a few more details. Cora was a lot less rude towards them now that they didn’t have an audience anymore. She didn’t dislike these people, she just disliked the situation she had been put in, so now that the whole debacle had ended and she had calmed down a little, she went back to being as nice as she could be.

Before she left, she noticed that Cassian had also stayed behind, talking to Draven in a corner. She wondered if they were talking about her; after all, she had been the main event of the day. From the frowns on both of their faces, she could very well be right.

She decided against hurrying back to the med bay, instead she walked as slowly as possible, hoping to see Cassian maybe even for a minute after he got rid of Draven. However, her plan was foiled when an overly enthusiastic Lewella emerged from the crowd, holding two shaved ice cones.

“How’d it go?” she asked, showing one cone in Cora’s hand.

“Ok I guess. They’ll swap the cuffs for a tracker bracelet,” she said, her tone showing her disappointment.

“That’s not so bad,” Lewella tried encouraging her. “I have one too.” She lifted her sleeve to show her.

“Why?”

“Because I once got so drunk I woke up on another planet. They decided they wouldn’t risk losing me once again. And honestly it saved my life twice since then, once when our ship got hijacked and once when we lost control during a storm. It’s not so bad. Eat your ice, it’s getting messy.”

Cora took a tentative bite and was taken aback by the pungent taste. “Is this…”

“Corellian Brandy, yeah!” Lewella seemed very proud of it, but Cora just raised an eyebrow. She should have expected it to be something more than just plain, flavoured ice if it came from Lewella’s hands. It could have been worse, she thought as she took another bite.

“It’s just that...” Cora’s voice faltered and she looked at her feet. “I guessed they’d trust me more after all this time.”

“Baby steps, Cora. You know how slow these sorts of institutions work and how slow they can be at times. If it were only Mothma’s decision, you would have been free a long time ago,” Lewella said, patting her shoulder. “It’s progress. Remember how far you’ve come. Now you’re here, you’re alive and well, so you can wait.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Cora said, absentmindedly.

“When are they taking them off?”

“My shift ends in a few hours, I have to look for Draven then and he’ll take care of them.” Having to meet Draven and interact with him twice in one day was annoying to say the least.

“Awesome! We’ll meet tonight for some celebratory drinks in the dungeons. A ‘getting a little more out of jail’ party.”

Cora snorted. “Thanks, but I’d rather sleep early tonight. I’m covering Alara’s shift tomorrow.”

“Nonsense. I’ve already sent out the invitations, you’re not allowed to miss your own party.”

“You didn’t even know there was going to be something to celebrate and you already organized a party?”

“It could have been just one of two things: good news and we celebrate or bad news and you’d need to drown your sorrows, either way both involved alcohol so why not set it up in advance?”

Cora raised an eyebrow. That was some strong logic, she had to admit.

“Stop trying to come up with excuses. You’re coming and that’s final.” Cora stubbornly shook her head.

“Coming where?” Cassian asked, suddenly appearing next to them.

“Super secret meeting in the dungeons today. We’re celebrating.”

“Ok,” he said, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Are they sending you back?” Lewella asked, and Cora’s heart skipped a beat. She somehow overlooked the fact that now that the storm had ended he would probably be sent away ASAP. She realized that he would be gone once again and felt incredibly dejected.

“Yeah,” he replied, crushing any semblance of a good mood Cora might have still had left. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, good,” Lewella said, and Cora wanted to say that there’s nothing good about it. “It would have been shit if you had to leave today and miss the party. Now you can convince Cora to come too, since she’s decided to be stubborn and skip her own celebration.”

Cassian threw her a disbelieving look and Cora defensively crossed her arms. “Don’t you want to celebrate your victory?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Not much of a victory,” Cora mumbled, but she felt her resolve weakening. Now that she knew he was going to leave in the morning she really wanted to spend a little more time with him, even if that meant going to a party and having to be sociable instead of sleeping.

“You may not see it like that, but I know these people, you won this battle. And you were great in there,” he said, and Cora really wanted to believe him, but she knew that she didn’t handle the situation very well. She had lost her temper and yelled at people, and if it weren’t already decided she was pretty sure she could have never convinced them to set her free. But it was over, it was done, no reason to dwell on it any longer.

“Besides,” he continued, “I still have to teach you how to play Sabacc.”

“Yeah, we have to teach you so I can kick your ass!” Lewella’s face showed so much joy Cora had to wonder where she had that much positive energy from.

“You guys know Sabacc isn’t very high on the list of things I want to learn in the near future…” she tried arguing.

“Bullshit!”

“If you still want to extort money from me,” Cassian suggested, “at least do it in a civilized manner.”

“Blackmail is a very civilized manner, and much closer to my MO than gambling,” she said, shoving a finger in his face.

“As you wish, Doctor,” he laughed. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said, before disappearing into the crowd.

Cora followed his retreating frame for as long as she could. She felt drained of energy already and the day wasn’t over yet. There were still a few hours left of her shift and then a meeting with Draven. And later, the party she really didn’t want to attend. But Cassian was leaving once again, and a brief embrace and a chaste kiss didn’t really fulfill her need for him. So she’d go, spend as much time as she could with him. So when he was gone, she’d ache a little more.

“Do you have dirt on Cassian?” Lewella suddenly asked.

“Maybe?”

“Whatever he’s paying, I’m paying double.”

Previous chapter

Masterlist

#cassian andor #cassian andor x ofc #cassian andor x original female character #rogue one #star wars #starlight

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heelmaryse · 8 years ago

Text

Desires

Characters: Finn Balor x OFC

Warnings: NSFW, explicit sexual content, dirty talk, slight daddy kink, first time

Prompt: It’s Finn and OFC’s wedding night. She’s a virgin. Finn plans to take her virginity and make her completely his. She’s kind of nervous about it. Fluff followed by rough smut.

“I can’t wait to finally get you alone tonight,” Finn growled in her ear softly, his hand pressing into the small of her back, the simple touch conveying so much in that moment, and she bit her lip, keeping the smile plastered on her face – the same smile she had been sporting for the past half an hour now.

Hers and Finn’s wedding reception was well underway, and Finn could barely keep his hands off of her. The cute squeezes his hand gave hers from time to time had morphed into pointed stares with his piercing blue-green eyes, his hand never leaving the small of her back except on the not so rare occasions where he’d slip it downwards to subtly graze her ass.

“Finn, stop being naughty,” She scolded him softly, before turning back to accept another congratulatory gift from some guests, while her husband just nodded and smiled at them, all the while keeping her firmly tucked under his arm lest she escape from under his gaze or something.

“Naughty? You’re the one being naughty,” He pouted jokingly once the guests who had been talking to them grew occupied with something else, “Teasing me on our wedding day an’ stretchin’ this damn reception out as long as you can,” He bit his lip, eyes looking around the ballroom rapidly before turning back to her longingly.

“When ya know damn well all I wanna do is take you home and get our honeymoon started,” He licked his lips, and she felt a shiver run down her spine as he pulled her closer into him, their bodies touching in a way which was a bit too intimate for the room full of people they were in, “Baby, you have no idea… There’s so much I wanna do to ya, you just –”

“Excuse me, lovebirds,” She heard a giggle from behind her, and jumped backwards and away from Finn as if he was a hot poker, face reddening when she turned around to see Karl and Luke smiling knowingly at them. Finn just glowered, clearly undeterred by the intrusion, if not more than a bit annoyed, in fact.

“Hey man, your Dad told me to tell you to wait till you’re in the bedroom, and to stop embarrassing your poor little bride in front of the guests,” Karl grinned, and she knew by now her cheeks were bright red. She glanced at her father in law, who was shaking his head at Finn from across the room, trying to stifle a smile.

Finn shrugged, smiling easily how he often did, “How long do these reception things last anyways?” His eyes continued to darken, “I’ve got business to take care of, ya know, and –”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Luke raised his hands up in the air as both he and Karl began to back away, “I don’t wanna hear about any business you guys gotta take care of, buddy, you keep that to yourself.”

Finn smirked, pulling her closer into his side and pressing a soft kiss to her temple, one which had butterflies fluttering in her stomach as a result. She shook her head and smiled – he clearly didn’t mind public displays of affection – at all.

“Just a few more minutes, baby,” She reasoned with him once Luke and Karl had gone, wanting to kiss the pout off his inviting pink lips but being too shy to actually do it with so many people in the same room as them. It was safe to say she didn’t have the guts for PDA like her new husband did.

She was debating whether to go over and start saying her goodbyes to the guests either now or in five minutes when something from the corner of the ballroom caught her eye and she smiled, looking up at Finn.

“AJ’s kids are sticking their fingers in our wedding cake,” She giggled, and Finn cracked a smile too – either because he loved it when she giggled or because cute kids were his weakness. Either way, she was happy to distract him from his lust for a few seconds.

He shook his head, “I’ll go cut them proper slices, the cheeky little boys. And why’s AJ not controlling his own children?” He asked with humour laced in his tone.

She smirked, “Because I saw him go up the elevator with Maryse like ten minutes ago.”

Finn ran a hand through his hair in awe as he pulled away from her, “Unbelievable. Fuckin’ AJ of all people is getting some action on my wedding day.”

She couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as she reached out to smack his chest lightly, “You hush up, Finn, else you and I are gonna be celibate for the foreseeable future.”

He grimaced as he began to walk towards the buffet table where AJ’s boys were licking the cake dry of its frosting, their chubby fingers stabbing at the intricately designed cake, “I’ll go take care of them, while you go say your goodbyes. Then I’ll join you. Baby, we’re leavin’ in under ten minutes, no arguments, okay?”

She nodded, that was the last thing she wanted to argue about with him since she really wanted to get out of there too. Her wedding night was looming closer and closer, and her body was a bundle of nerves, anxiety, excitement and lust.

She quickly made her way over to the closest group of guests to her, to begin saying her goodbyes.

***

“Jesus, that reception was probably the most agonised I’ve felt in my whole life,” Finn announced, and they were about ten minutes into their drive, and he had one hand on the steering wheel as he cruised along leisurely on the road along the Irish countryside where they’d had their wedding and also close to where they’d booked out a quaint cottage to spend their first night as a married couple.

She giggled, “Try being me. This dress is absolutely gorgeous and everything –”

“I know it is, baby, I chose it,” Finn interrupted her, his hand resting on her thigh which was covered by her poufy wedding dress, giving it a squeeze every now and then, and she rolled her eyes before continuing.

“This dress is absolutely beautiful and all, but it gets kind of constricting, how long I’ve had it on, you know?”

He looked at her for a split second before his eyes turned back onto the road, “Are you trying to tell me something, my little bride? You trying to tell me you want someone to take that dress off of you?” He licked his lips, “To make you feel more comfortable?”

She blushed immediately, “Oh no! I didn’t – uh – I didn’t mean it like that!” and there was a hint of distressed anxiousness in her response, which he seemed to detect and he quelled it almost immediately by squeezing her thigh once more.

“You don’t have to be shy around me now, baby,” Finn said quietly, “I’m your husband, you can tell me anything, you know that.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he said that word – husband. He was her husband. She was his wife. Finn’s wife. His. The thought alone sent thrills down her spine – she’d become completely his in every way possible tonight. And that thought made her palms clammy instantly, and he chose that instant to grab her hand.

“Are ya nervous, sweetheart, about tonight?” He asked, a look of concern on his face and she knew immediately what he was referring to, and she swallowed, forcing a smile.

“Nervous? I– I’m excited,” She reassured him, although her heart was pounding so hard she felt it might pound straight out of her chest, and she bit her lip before shooting him a small smile, and she saw how his eyes darkened almost immediately and he squeezed her hand.

“I’m glad you’re excited, baby,” He murmured, his accent thickening with lust, “ ‘Cause I for one can’t wait to peel that dress off of you and see what you’ve got on underneath, and then peel that off of you too.”

“Oh really?” Despite her heart having mini palpitations at that current moment over the thought of finally losing her virginity that night, she felt sparks go up and down her spine, resonating straight between her legs.

“Yes, really. Baby, you know how long I’ve waited for this. I can’t wait to claim you tonight, make you completely mine,” Finn was getting extremely worked up now, his eyes were glued to the road but his hand momentarily left hers to adjust his very prominent bulge. She gaped; and then suddenly the car stopped, and he turned to look at her.

“We’re here,” he said, his eyes luminous with intensity.

***

“Watch your step, you might drop me!” She giggled, her arms tightening around Finn’s neck as he carried her bridal style into the quaint little cottage which she was so glad he’d talked her into renting for a few nights.

“Drop you?” Finn looked insulted, “I could carry ten of ya, baby, no sweat,” He shot her an arrogant smirk and she shook her head, leaning upwards to plant a kiss on his jaw – something she could do confidently now that they were in the privacy of their remote little countryside cottage.

“I know, but my dress is all poufy,” She said, and he shook his head, carrying her up the stairs and into the master bedroom, and she gasped daintily at the rose petals scattered over the rustic wooden floor, the chic furry carpet as well as the satin bedsheets covering the king sized bed which sat dauntingly in the middle of the room.

Gently, Finn set her down on the edge of the bed, taking her veil off with utmost care and she silently thanked God that her hair hadn’t got snagged whilst he did it – that would’ve been awkward. She shot him an anxious smile as he smoothened her hair alongside her face, giving her a soft peck.

“Baby,” He breathed, accent thick with lust and emotion, “I,” he kissed her nose lightly, “…love,” another kiss, this time on her right cheek, “…you,” a tender kiss on her left cheek, “…so, so much,” he pressed a kiss onto her jaw, “I’m so happy you’re my wife, an’ I get to make ya mine tonight.”

She swallowed, cupping his face and kissing him on the lips, a sweet, tender kiss that was passionate all the same and had them both breathing hard, and it seemed to click something in Finn, because the next thing she knew, she was lying flat on her back on the bed and he was on top of her, lips working roughly against hers.

“My wife,” He mumbled between kisses, more so to himself than to her, “Mine… Just mine… All mine,” His lips trailed down from her mouth to her jaw down to her neck, growing sloppier as she felt his erection pressing against her.

Growing overwhelmed, she suddenly pushed him off her gently, sitting up and shaking her head, and she could still feel his hot kisses on her sensitive skin, as if they had been imprinted there for eternity.

“I, uh, I should probably get out of this dress,’’ She said before he could question her for pulling away, “It’s all big and poufy, you know.”

For a split second, Finn gave her a peculiar look before shaking his head and grinning, “You’ve said ‘poufy’ about ten times today,” He licked his lips, “And sure, babe, take the dress off. I’ll help you do it.”

She breathed out slowly as she felt his fingers, rough and calloused yet so familiar, play with the satin straps of her dress – her dress which had been his choice even though he wasn’t meant to see the bride’s dress until the day of the wedding.

“You looked absolutely breath-taking tonight in this dress,” Finn murmured, his pointer finger trailing sensually down the neckline of her dress to hook against the dip of her cleavage, “Couldn’t stop starin’ at ya. If only you knew the sinful thoughts I was thinkin’ all throughout that reception. Wished I could take you right then and there.”

She let out a short laugh, “Well, that would’ve given our parents a heart attack,” She responded, and he chuckled, slipping the straps of her dress down her arms, and pressing a kiss onto her delicate, slightly shaking shoulders.

Suddenly, he stood up, and gently yanked her up to her feet as well, “Turn around,” He ordered her, whispering the command softly in her ear, his tone authoritative yet still familiar enough, and she did as she was told.

The sound of him unzipping her, his one hand gently on her back and the other confidently pulling her dress zipper down, seemed to allow reality to crash down on her, and she bit her lip as a rush of anxiousness overtook her.

She’d been extremely shy all her life, barely getting a word out unless it was amongst a small circle of her closest friends. And she hated how she stuttered when she was uncomfortable, and insecurity had followed her around every corner of her life.

For that reason, she’d never been intimate with any boy or man in her life before Finn had come and swept her off her feet and pulled her out of her shell. But that same Finn had never fully seen her naked, and although they’d done some stuff, they’d never gone all the way, until tonight.

He’d unzipped her completely, and she let out a soft gasp when she felt the heavy dress fall off her body and land with a soft thud, in a pile of poufyness pooled around her silver heels. And there she stood, breathing hard and feeling tiny as a lamb next to him as he gazed down at her body.

He’d have chosen her lingerie too, but she had wanted it to be a surprise for him. The white lace corset was tight against her body, allowing her cleavage to spill out attractively. The attached creamy suspender belt led to silky white stockings edged with more white lace, and a matching white lace detailed thong, matched with her silver heels which she still wore, completed the look.

“You’re so…” He took a deep breath, “Goddamit, you’re so fucking sexy,” And it was like Finn could no longer contain himself, launching himself at her and kissing her with a new found ferocity that had her reeling and seeing stars within seconds.

“Is it alright, then?” She asked him tentatively, and he growled once again, his nature having become much more feral since she’d shed her wedding dress, and he could not keep his hands off of her, trailing up and down her back, her waist, fingers fanning over her exposed stomach before slipping down her thighs to finally squeeze her ass.

“Absolutely delectable,” Finn murmured, “This was worth the fuckin’ wait, sweetheart. God, fuck, I need you underneath me. Now.” He bit his lip, looking at her, and she knew he was turned on beyond belief because he was swearing excessively now, and then he looked at the bed then back at her in an almost carnal nature, as if he could no longer wait to sink his teeth inside her.

“Get on the bed,” He ordered her, and she felt her pussy clench in desire, responding positively to his authoritative nature. And half of her was turned on beyond belief, but the other half of her still nervous about having sex.

“Lie down on the bed, flat on your back, baby. Keep the heels on,” Finn was morphing into the dominant persona he usually took on when they got intimate, except it had never been this intense before. She walked slowly past him towards the bed, and let out a tiny yelp when she felt him smack her ass. Hard.

She looked back straight into his heated gaze, and now he was breathing hard, as if too turned on for words, “Couldn’t help myself,” He said, “God, your ass looks so peachy in that little thong that hides nothin’. Fuck, how can someone be so perfect?”

She blushed violently, his praise getting too intense for her, and now she felt her heart may beat straight out of her chest as she lay down on the bed, and in an instant Finn was on top of her once again.

His kisses were passionate, filled to the brim with so much emotion that they bordered on rough, and he bared his teeth, nipping at her lips and her neck, tongue out, leaving sloppy kisses everywhere, anywhere on her exposed neck and shoulder area.

She pushed him away suddenly, and once again Finn gave her a peculiar look before shaking his head, “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m getting carried away, I know. It’s just… You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this… And now I have it. I have you, practically naked in my bed and I…”

“Is it gonna hurt?” She asked, tongue darting out nervously to dampen her lips as she blinked up at him, heart beating fast, “Will it… Will it hurt a lot, Finn?”

Finn pursed his lips, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently, because she knew that he was aware that it calmed her down, and she leaned into his touch.

“A bit… Or maybe more than a bit.” He sighed, pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead, and then her nose, and then finally her lips, “I’ll be gentle, though, baby, so gentle. And you’ll feel good then, I promise.”

She nodded – she trusted him one hundred percent, eyes shining as she looked up at Finn, “O-Okay, but what if… What if it’s not good for you? What if you don’t enjoy it?”

Finn let out a short laugh, “I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it, baby.”

She frowned, “But what if you don’t? ‘Cause I don’t know the first thing about sex, Finn,” She lowered her eyes, “I just don’t wanna disappoint you.”

He was raining her face with kisses as soon as she said it, and the way he did it eased her beating heart as he finally mumbled against his lips.

“There’s no way you’re gonna disappoint me. Sweetheart, when I make you cum tonight for the first time with my cock,” He licked his lips, “Fuckin’ hell, when I see the look on your face when I’m finally inside you, that alone’s gonna make this night perfect.”

She felt a fire in her belly then, and quickly pulled Finn down to kiss him on the lips. This kiss was shortened, however, when she began to undo his tie, as she’d done many, many times before except now it entailed so much more.

His tie was thrown aside, and then his blazer, followed by his dress shirt and then he was on top of her again, his calloused yet loving hands undoing her corset, lips sponging wet kisses on her chest as her breasts spilled out attractively, and he grinned as he threw her corset aside, discarded.

“You have perfect tits, baby,” Finn complimented her, grabbing her breasts and massaging them softly, slowly, taking his sweet time to run his thumb over her nipples, and they stood erect almost immediately, “One day, I’m gonna make ‘em all red and bruised. Fuck, it’ll look so pretty.”

His dirty talk made even dirtier with his accent fuelled her own desire no end, and she arched her back as he latched his mouth on to one of her nipples, teeth baring immediately as he bit down and licked. She smiled through her pleasure – Finn was trying so hard to be gentle tonight, when she knew that roughness during was almost second nature to him.

“O-Oh, fuck,” She murmured softly when she felt his hand slip down to finger the soft lace of her panties, and Finn sat up, straddling her legs now as he looked down admiringly at her lingerie adorned pussy.

“A pretty little gift wrapped in lace,” He murmured, glancing up at her before licking his lips as he looked back down, his finger hovering over her covered slit, making her shudder with anticipation, “It’s fitting your little panties have bows on ‘em. Can’t wait to unwrap my present.”

“Oh, shit,” She whimpered, jerking her hips upwards, any fear she may have had now taking a firm backseat to the lust that as controlling her brain at the moment, and Finn’s fingers latched on to her panties, but instead of tugging them down her legs, he ripped the flimsy material cleanly in half.

“Finn!” She gasped, “That was expensive!”

“Sorry,” He let out a short giggle how he sometimes did, “I couldn’t wait any longer,” and he threw the two sorry looking pieces of lace somewhere behind him, before spreading her legs slightly.

And now she grew red, because he was looking at her pussy, openly in the light and so up close like how he never had before, and she felt herself convulse when he leaned his head down to level with it.

“What a pretty, pink little pussy,” Finn complimented her, his hot breath feeling absolutely delicious against her folds, and she wished he’d hurry up at touch her, “Can’t wait to make it my property after tonight.”

She wanted to throw her head back and wail, she was so turned on, but all she could do was blush at the intensity of the situation. And to her dismay, Finn sat back up, his hands now gliding down her legs, her quivering pussy, so ready for his touch, practically forgotten.

“Finn, what the fuck,” She fumed slightly, blowing a bit of her hair out of her face, “T-Touch me, please.”

“Patience, my little wife,” Finn licked his lips, putting emphasis on the ‘my little wife’ bit, causing butterflies to once again flutter around in her stomach, “I gotta completely unwrap you first, ya know?”

He left her stockings on – she had a feeling he liked them a bit too much, and went straight for her heels, unclasping and removing the uncomfortable shoes and causing her to gasp in delight as she wiggled her toes.

“You’ve got such pretty feet,” Finn commented, snickering slightly at his own strange comment as he pressed a kiss on her instep, the action resonating straight to between her legs.

“Um, okay, Mr. Foot Fetish…” She responded, raising an eyebrow at him and he smirked, leaving kisses from her ankle down her calf before repeating the action with her other leg.

“No foot fetish, darlin’, I promise, I’m just admiring every part of you.”

“Okay, but I think you should get on with it now,” She said, growing severely impatient by how slow things were going. She could practically feel the slickness between her legs, and her pussy was positively throbbing in need for him to take her. It scared her – but it excited her all the same.

“Aw, my little virgin wants to move things along now?” Finn teased as he once again hovered over her body, face inches away from hers, and even through her desperate state, his smug grin had her shaking her head coyly.

She pouted, “Yes please, daddy, can we move things along, pretty please?”

Finn’s eyes darkened immediately, and he suppressed a tiny growl that seemed to emanate from within his throat, clearly affected by her words. She had called him Daddy before, and she knew how riled up it got him.

In a flash he was sitting up once more, except this time he yanked her up with him, leading her hand to press down on his crotch. And good God, he was so hard, she was surprised how well he seemed to be holding himself together.

“Pull it out,” Finn whispered huskily, and she could literally the feel the joint lust that both of them felt, it was like a heavy presence, a cloud above them, shrouding around them, even in the velvety rose petals that lay on the soft sheets beneath her.

And it was Finn, with all his superiority and experience, at least in her eyes, who guided her hand underneath his pants, until she felt her fingers wrap around something hard. Very hard. Indecently hard.

She pulled his dick out and he hissed as the cool air of the room hit his length, and she could feel it twitching in her palm, and suddenly she felt heady. No. Suddenly she felt petrified. She bit her lip.

“D-Daddy, I, uh, Finn,” She cleared her throat, “How’s that… How is that gonna fit inside me?” It was a genuine question, because he’d only ever had three of his fingers up her pussy before, and his cock was about ten times more daunting.

Finn moaned softly, “Oh, baby, trust me… It’ll fit,” His eyes darkened, “Daddy will make it fit, don’t you worry, sweetheart.” She felt her pussy clench when he said that, but she must have still looked doubtful, because he reached out to soothingly tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“If it gets too much, then I swear I’ll stop… Or pull out. Whatever you want me to do. You just have to tell me, okay sweetheart?” She nodded as he continued, “But I promise you it’ll feel good…” He sighed, “Fuck, I just wanna make you feel so good tonight.”

With that, he had her ling down once more, and now he shed himself of any clothes he still had on, till they were pressed together, naked bodies save for the stockings he still had her wear.

“There stockings are sexy as hell,” Finn said as he kissed down her body, spreading her legs open and pressing kisses on the sensitive inner thighs when all she wanted was for him to touch her pussy.

“Finn, please don’t make me beg,” She warned him, and she was about to move her pelvis up before he grabbed her hips, harshly pinning her down on the mattress and then she gasped with complete abandon when she felt his hot tongue run a tantalizing trail up her slit.

“Mm, sweetheart, you taste so fuckin’ sweet,” Finn said, and got to work immediately, perhaps realising that her wedding night was not the night to tease her. And all the while she oohed and aahed and swore and whimpered, hands fisting around his short hair and pulling with reckless abandon.

“Oh, daddy,” She whimpered, grinding her pussy against his face, and Finn enveloped her clit between his lips, suctioning gently and making her yell out, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as he slipped a finger easily into her wet heat.

“M-More,” She requested him, and she was glad he was in a giving mood – it was their wedding night after all – and soon he eased in another finger, and already she was feeling slightly uncomfortable at the tightness, but the pleasure of his tongue had her hips rolling and her lips moaning too much to care at that point.

“So tight,” Finn muttered, and the vibrations from his voice were delicious against her clit, and she could feel herself getting close, “Daddy’s gotta stretch you out baby, you close?”

His fingers curled upwards at that moment, and he added a third, and that added to the stimulation of his pointed tongue running circles round her clit had her walls clenching absolutely deliciously, and the coils in her belly began to unravel.

“Oh, fuck Finn, f-fuck!” She swore, and her legs would have been thrashing wildly if he hadn’t had them pinned down sexily on to the mattress, and she felt her toes curly as his fingers pounded against her g-spot over and over and over, and she felt she came so hard she saw stars.

And she was completely drowning in her own ecstasy, when a soft ‘holy shit,’ from Finn had her opening her eyes and looking down at him between her legs, where to her horror she saw a stream of her own release squirt up against his slackened jaw.

“Oh my God,” She felt herself going red as her orgasm subsided, and she covered her face with her hands as she blushed violently, confusion and embarrassment evident in her face, “Oh my God, oh my God, Finn, I’m sorry, I don’t know what that was! I didn’t mean to, I swear!”

Finn chuckled at the look of distress on her face, “Sweetheart, you’re so innocent,” His eyes glittered with amusement mixed with lust as she peaked at him from under her hands, “You just squirted baby.”

“Oh…” She squinted, “Is that a good thing?”

His smile widened as he reached a finger up to gather her release which had coated a fair bit of his shaven jaw, and he pressed his finger into his mouth, sucking it lewdly and causing her sensitive pussy to clench one more.

“It’s a great thing. God, you’re fuckin’ cute, ya know that? Squirting means your orgasm was intense,” Finn explained, a certain aura of cockiness on his face, and her mouth dropped open in awe.

“Wow, you really know everything, don’t you?” She marvelled.

He was on top of her in a second, lips finding hers and she could taste herself on his tongue and it just served to turn her on further as he chuckled against her lips.

“I’ll teach ya everything I know, baby. We’ve got a whole lifetime ahead of us, don’t we?”

His words struck an emotional chord with her, and she inhaled deeply, eyes shining a she smiled up at her husband, “Wow, I love you.”

“I love you too, so much. More than I thought I’d ever love anything… Or anyone.”

She wanted to roll her eyes at his sappiness, but he didn’t give her a chance, and he was kissing her again, hands firmly cupping her breasts, her sensitive nipples peaking against his palms in anticipation as his legs spread her own, and now she could feel his dick, hard and ready against her opening.

Her eyes widened immediately, and she thought of what this meant – finally losing her virginity. God, how badly would it hurt? What if she didn’t enjoy it? Or worse – what if he didn’t enjoy it?

Finn seemed to sense her troubling thoughts, and bumped his nose against hers playfully, “Hey, relax, sweetheart.”

“O-Okay,”

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We could just cuddle, ya know?”

“No!” She cried immediately, gripping his strong bicep hard, “No, I want to… I’m just kind of scared.” She confessed, hating how even despite all his reassurances and how amazing he was being, she still felt a tiny bit overwhelmed by the whole situation.

“It’s okay to be scared,” He responded, nuzzling his nose against hers, “Just remember, I’m your husband. I love you. I’ll make you feel amazing. And I’ll be so gentle, baby. Treat ya like you’re made of porcelain, like a little doll… My doll.”

He was pushing all the right buttons, and his hot, eager dick lay pressing against her inner thigh, and her own pussy was positively throbbing with need. And as she looked into Finn’s eyes which were absolutely luminescent with adoration, a strange calm spread within her.

“Okay,” She breathed, “I’m ready,”

Finn moaned, kissing her passionately, hands leaving her breasts to find her hair, cupping her face between his palms lovingly, and he had her relaxed within two seconds.

Slowly he began to ease inside her, and she bit her lip in apprehension mixed with emotion because this was finally, actually happening, and then suddenly, all at once, he thrust into her hard, and she let out a soft yelp of pain, squeezing her eyes shut before reopening.

“You okay, princess?” Finn implored, and she could tell that he was half concerned yet also half completely turned on, and she could also tell he was biting his lip in an attempt to stop himself moaning.

“Y-Yeah,” She murmured, clutching his bicep hard, “Keep going, please,”

He nodded, not needing to be told twice as he pulled out gently, and she gasped at the strange, empty feeling, but not for long before he thrust back in, this time fully sheathing her till his cock was cosily nestled all the way inside her.

“Fuck,” Finn said, looking down to their crotches, and he followed his gaze, her mind a hazy mix of pain and awe and happiness, “Oh, fuck, sweetheart, your pussy’s mine now. Fuckin’ sweet pussy, tight as hell an’ all fuckin’ mine.”

He was swearing extensively again, which meant he was very, very turned on, and she pressed her lips together and nodded, “Y-Yes, baby, all yours. ‘M all yours now.”

“You’re so tight” Finn hissed, and now he began to move his hips slowly, back and forth and back and then forth and back and forth again and the uncomfortable feeling lingered, but she could barely feel it now, because all she could see was Finn’s face, completely twisted in lust and pleasure.

“My little wife, all mine,” He pressed soft kisses down her neck, and his thrusts were still so passionate, still so slow, and every now and then his hips slowed down further, as if to savour the feel of her tight walls squeezing against his hardened cock.

“Finn,” She murmured, “Finn, you can go faster…”

He didn’t seem to hear her, so into the moment was he, murmuring ‘I love yous’ and ‘you’re mine now’ over and over again in his sexy accent, and half of her was kind of endeared at how cutely into it he was, but now she really needed him to move.

“Daddy,” She whispered, pouting cutely as she bit his lower lip to get his attention, “Daddy, please, go faster. I need it.”

Finn’s eyes darkened immediately, and he let out a low growl, “Oh, fucking hell, princess,” His hips had already begun to gather speed, “Princess wants daddy to go faster, does she?”

She nodded, suddenly gasping when she felt a spark of pleasure ignite in her belly, and his thrusts grew harder still, till he seemed to have entered jackhammer mode, his hips a blur and her moans a lot more frequent as the uncomfortable feeling began to subside and swirls of pleasure began to form inside her.

“Oh, Finn, d-don’t stop,” She heard herself say, and Finn grabbed her arms, pinning them above her head in the sexiest way possible, smouldering down at her with a look of concentration on his face as he well and truly began to fuck her into the mattress.

“God, you look so pretty,” He said through gritted teeth as he pushed in and out of her roughly, “So pretty, spreading your legs for daddy, letting daddy claim your little untouched pussy,”

“Y-Yes,” She could feel her eyes rolling to the back of her head as the sparks became more intense, and she was almost at a loss for words because it was actually feeling good now, “Yes, daddy, oh fuck, please don’t stop!”

“Your little untouched pussy, except daddy’s the only one who’s touched it, right? I’ve claimed it. It’s mine. Fuck, I’m the only one who gets to see you like this, ya got it?”

“Oh, fuck yes!” She whimpered, absolutely loving his dirty talk, and just how filthy Finn could get as his thrusts grew harder still, and she did not think that it was possible for one to go that fast. And neither did she think it was possible for him to fit inside her, or this to feel so fucking good. But it did. Oh God, it did.

“My little virgin,” Finn cooed, “Fuck, bet you didn’t think it’d feel this good, huh baby?” He was growing cocky now, extremely cocky, “Bet ya didn’t think daddy fuckin’ ya would feel this good, baby, did you? Answer me!”

She yelped when he grabbed both her legs, wrapping them around his waist, and now he was going in deeper, and she screamed his name in ecstasy as she felt the pleasure within her begin to build up.

“F-Feels so good,” She cried, “Fuck me harder, Finn, please…”

“My pleasure,” He smirked, “I can tell you’re close baby.” His thrusts grew harder and harder, balls smacking against her thighs in a manner so delicious, she could practically see the sparks, “Cum, baby. Now.”

She cried out his name in reckless abandon, arching her back sexily, her nails raking down his back as he kissed her roughly, with all the passion in the world, and she was crying out against his lips, crying out ‘oh daddy’ and ‘thank you, fuck, thank you!’ and ‘Oh, fuck, I love you, fuck, fuck,’ over and over again till it all meshed into one loud moan and she was pretty sure she drew blood on his back by the way she’d been scratching it.

“That’s the hottest fuckin’ thing I’ve ever seen,” Finn growled, his thrusts not slowing down in the least as he rode her through her orgasm, “Fuck, you look so pretty when you orgasm, baby girl…”

“Thank you!” She breathed, still stunned by her orgasm as she batted her eyelashes, toes still curling ad Finn groaned at her innocence, and it was all it took for his hips to stutter, and then she felt as if there was white hot lava inside her as he released.

“Fuckin’ hell. Shit. Fuck,” Spurt after spurt of his hot cum filled her up, and Finn swore like a truck driver, grabbing her breast and twisting her nipple roughly, groaning her name in complete abandon as she looked on in awe.

“God, I love you,” He murmured, pressing his forehead against hers once he was sated, and she was filled to the brim and he had this lazy yet cocky smile on his face, almost masking the look of complete adoration in his eyes.

“Did I do okay then, Finn?” She asked him, hoping for a sincere answer but knowing it had gone perfectly for both of them. She could tell by his facial expression.

“Okay?” Finn chuckled, “Baby, I’m a lucky man. You were incredible.” His eyes narrowed mischievously as he rolled off of her, his dick still inside her as he lay by her side, cuddling her close, “But the real question is, are you up for round two?”

***

Well, that was kind of cheesy omfg! I hope you all like it, though! Feedback would be soooo appreciated! And also, I know not many Finn blogs follow me, so if you know any Finn blogs/fans, PLEASE tag them in this! I’ll owe you my life! THANK YOU SO MUCH IF U MADE IT TILL DOWN HERE ILY.

Tagging the usual amazing people!!!

@cuddlesforlashton @wwe-smutfics @whatbitchh @kailynnyukari21 @lady-laura-speaks @axelwolf8109 @ashleyvc88 @alexahood21@thatonegirloncealways @livingthestrongstyle @flawlessglamazon@fuckyeahbulletclub @nickysmum1909@thephenomenonalkingofthebrogues @violettevision @hardcorewwetrash@laigy2213 @@the-geekgoddes @scriptor @wwewritings @reigns420 @heilisk @crims0nh4ir @twiistedbliiss @womderland-fandom@fmlallthewayup @letswriteaboutwwe @the-switchblade-princess @morgan-lerida-world @shadow-of-wonder@immissingmyflightandyou @all-about-bellas@effy-christine @irefusetoacceptreallife @shieldgirl95 @sethsdeeds@loveambrylayn @smutwwe @they-call-me-le @93schild @daintymissdevitt@amantedelcalcio @geekyqueen @psychoticsexpot @heavenlytheshield@princess3733 @suckthatskittlebiiitch @lip-sync @finnbalorbae @cynda-kiwi @caramara3@queenreignsempire @lavitabella87 @valeonmars@iwannadiehere@guatebabyxo @tiredgayandwrestling @pjanina13@thatwrestlingfan91@tomann52 @laigy2213 @skrillexslays13 @twistedan@gurimujox@roaring-storm @dark-blueheart13 @lclb13

#finn balor #wwe #Finn balor imagine #thirst party saturday

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vulptilla · 7 years ago

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thank you so much for a proper answer! poor cecilia, that must have been hard on both of them. it seems to have affected casim but how much? did his personality change? now i'm probably being too nosy but you mentioned two other oc's too both mages? the other you mentioned a former circle mage, how does she take it that casim's a templar? are your oc's in a group where they travel together or how do they work? how do they get along? does casim's history with cecilia bother the others?

Oh my, you actually did read that. O__O I’m literally squealing here! You made me so happy, you sweet, sweet anon! ♥♥♥ I absolutely adore you! And you definitely are not too nosy. I’d love to answer any further questions if you have any. ♥

The Essay™ vol. 2 is under the cut.

Oh, yes, Casim’s personality did definitely change, in some ways at least. He remained a kind, generally positive and warm-hearted person, but some things did change, yes. He became a little more reserved and he began to take life a little more seriously than he had taken before. Before what happened to Cecilia he had always been the one who had taken everything for granted and never bothered for any unnecessary critical thinking, since he had never had any real reason to complain about anything or ponder why things are the way they are. He was also more arrogant back then, but everything that had happened made him more humble. After Cecilia’s death he also didn’t want to let anyone close anymore and he chose to distance himself from his old friends, even from those few who actually didn’t abandon him when the truth about Cecilia was revealed. He just thought he wasn’t worthy of them anymore since he had failed to protect his sister and caused her death. He just couldn’t bear the thought of anything like that happening again for someone he cared about only because of his own incompetence. The guilt followed him wherever he went and that was the main reason he always left a town or village when locals began to remember his name and greet him when he stepped in a tavern. He thought he wasn’t worthy of them either.

Milana, that former circle mage I mentioned before, definitely did not take well the fact Casim was a former templar. Definitely not. :D They met for the first time when our original party had been ambushed by the Tal-Vashoth in the Wounded Coast. Casim just happened to be nearby and when he heard the sounds of a battle farther from the road he decided to check out if his help was needed. On his arrival he realized right away that our lil’ party was in trouble and joined the battle. Milana, who had been observing for quite a long time how the templars move and fight in order to survive as an apostate in Kirkwall (which is hell, as we all know well enough) recognized his fighting techniques and she actually was *this* close to kill him instantly when the battle was over. At that time she knew (or at least she thought she knew, ahem) that in the Gallows they presumed her to be dead by then and she just couldn’t bear the idea of ending up there again, not least because of she knew for sure she’d be sentenced to death straight away if she got caught. She had just lost so much, basically everything she had ever had except her own life, so because of that she… kind of values being alive, you know. :D In her eyes a man who could still be loyal to the Order in any way couldn’t be anything than a threat and she, well, lets just say getting rid of any threats or even possible threats one way or another is her favourite hobby. Getting rid of any threats and knitting. :D I guess she barely knows for herself why she did spare his life back then. Maybe she had an unknown weakness for cute, freckled redheads already or maybe she was just tired of killing and having to run all the time. I guess we’ll never know.

At first Milana absolutely loathed him and left him wondering why she did hate him and the templars in general so much. (She didn’t tell him and still haven’t told. I guess soon she’ll have to and I’m so nervous about what could happen.) Any way, over time she started to tolerate him a little more, although she still didn’t like him and she thought he was arrogant jerk and also annoying as hell. They began to get to know each other a little better after Casim untentionally offended her with his poorly chosen words and made her cry in a fancy party. As a result of an argument they had then Casim promised to teach her how to counter templar techniques in battle so she could defend herself better since he had finally realized how afraid she actually was all the time, even if she tried so hard to pretend she wasn’t.

Oh, and yes, my oc’s, all three of them, are in a group (there’s also my friend’s three oc’s as well, so they form a six-person group). They all live together in an abandoned estate in Hightown. The estate originally belonged to a noblewoman who had sympathized mages and had once saved Milana’s life. Any way, the noblewoman was old and she eventually passed away and since she had no heir the estate was left to Milana, whom she had liked quite a lot. As an apostate Milana of course couldn’t legally own an estate in the city, so basically they’d be considered being only squatters if anyone finds out their whereabouts.

The group definitely don’t get along very well all the time. :D I guess they stay together mostly because it’s safer than being alone and because most of them don’t have anywhere else to go, while some of them actually care for each other at least in some way. Some of them are ofc more close to each other than some, some of them are friends or even in a romantic relationship, but nearly all of them somehow manage to respect each other since most of them also owe their lives to each other an a way or another. Of course there are expections to that, like my blood mage Faelan and Casim can’t get along at all for quite obvious reasons. They’re both actually pretty childish with their constant bickering, but I have hopes that one day they learn to look through such labels and see each other as actual persons they are deep down. Not sure if I’m too optimistic here, but. :D

What comes to Casim’s history with Cecilia, I think most of the others in the group understood why he did what he did and that he really thought he there was no other choice back then, even if some of them were quite shocked at first. In any case, they’ve seen how it breaks his heart to even talk about her. Also, since my friend and I both apparently love angst and pain and such, all our oc’s have quite dark pasts and they all have couple of skeletons in their closets, so… basically they can’t afford to judge at least too much. :D

#asks #my oc stuff #this anonnnnn ♥

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snarkwriteswrasslin · 5 years ago

Text

FFT: f--k you and the horse you rode in on; adam page [m]

Notes:

originally sent to me by @vonschweetz on snarkandsarcasmwrites which I’m turning into my main now, i chose to post this here on it’s own little post. This is my Ivy and Adam universe, but it’s the What If’s version, not to be confused with the Wild Side version. Yes, they are different. whew- that was a mouthful.

Summary:

Ivy and Adam run into each other again after years of being apart. There’s hurt there. Will they work through their pain or make things messier by having a one night stand and going their separate ways all over again? Alternate chapter / universe /ending to What If’s.

Warning:

FEELTH. unprotected sex, strip club vip room mention, body fluids, exotic dancer OFC. Alcohol tw.

Pairing:

Adam Hangman Page x OFC, Ivy Barlow.

“Hey, how much you think it’ll cost to hire one of the girls to come n’ dance for me for the night?” Adam’s tone was smooth as the whiskey he was pouring into his glass as he asked the club manager.

He felt so sleazy doing it because he never did it, but tonight was a really, really bad night. When he was lonely and just… Craving intimacy. Craving her, the one that got away all those years ago. The need to feel less alone outweighed the sleazy thing he was doing. He tried to justify his trip to this seedy little club on the Strip as him paying someone who might actually need the money versus just settling for some buckle bunny and having to deal with the fallout later. Either way, he found himself thinking as he solemnly slammed back the fifth of whiskey, it’s still sleazy and it ain’t you.

But bein alone tonight is somethin I don’t wanna do. I can’t do it. I know where my mind’s gonna go. It’s gonna go to Ivy n’ the way things played out. I’m gonna wind up exhausting all the what could’ve beens and what if’s and maybe’s until it drives me insane…

As he weighed his decision against the way it made him feel sleazy, blue eyes lazily roamed the dimly lit strip club and when he saw her -the exact reason he’d been driven to seek out the comfort of a stranger tonight, his entire body tensed and he coughed. His eyes locked on her, watching the way she grinded and wrapped herself around that silver pole. A shiver passed through him that went straight to his cock and settled, making it stand at attention and push firmly against the zip of his jeans. The manager noticed his intent stare and chuckled. “Oh, she’s gonna cost ya, cowboy. She’s gonna cost ya real good. That’s one of the best girls I got, man. And she just recently started workin as one of my girls upstairs in VIP too… So yer in luck. If you got the cash and she agrees to a few hours with ya, of course.”

“Is she… Is she available? You think she’d agree, I mean?” Adam was in disbelief at the fact that he’d even asked that. And in disbelief that the girl he loved years ago was working in a place like this as a dancer.

His eyes shifted from the manager to the way she peeled off a pair of painted on leather chaps, tossing them to the side. It left her in a pair of skimpy high cut black leather Brazillian cut panties. He shifted in his seat as he felt his hardened member twitch and strain even harder against the heavy dark denim covering it. He wished he’d gone for wearing underwear, but wearing them all night during the rodeo earlier left him chafed enough.

The club owner eyed the pile of winnings in his hand and chuckled, giving a half-assed shrug. “Dunno, Hangman. Why don’t you walk over n’ ask her, hmm?” was asked as the man nodded in her direction.

Her dance had just ended, she was leaving the center stage, slinking towards where Adam sat talking to the club owner. At first, she didn’t bother looking at him, instead she addressed the club owner.

“Got anything for me tonight, Slade?”

“Got ya a cowboy, Ivy.” Slade chuckled and gave a nod to Adam who stood nearby, lingering with his eyes darting all over the place. Slade could tell the guy wasn’t used to doing this, it almost made him want to laugh. But sooner or later, all of the cowboys and wannabe rockstars that came out to Vegas wound up at one of these establishments.

Ivy gave a soft laugh. “They all think they’re cowboys or rockstars out here, Slade. Cash up front, right? And the usual, a few private dances, the VIP treatment.”

Adam couldn’t stop staring at her. As a result, he wound up overpouring the whiskey and it wound up soaking through his jeans. He coughed to sort of get her attention and the second her eyes locked on him she blinked.

Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard, raising a hand to drag it through her hair. She hadn’t said anything. As soon as Adam said her name, she eyed him and all those emotions in her eyes just seconds before vanished. She’d always been good at shutting down. Apparently, she’d just gotten better at it.

“Well if it ain’t West Virginia’s favorite cowboy… what brings you out to Vegas, hmm?” Ivy kept her best neutral tone as she said it, keeping her distance from Adam. She hadn’t back then and she’d wound up falling too hard. She still hadn’t gotten over him, even now, years later.

Adam swallowed hard and he took a deep breath. “Rodeo’s in town. I thought you were out in Florida. Heard you married yourself some soap opera guy.”

“Annulled, actually.” Ivy shifted her feet and nudged the club owner, getting him off to the side. “I can’t do this, Slade. Not with him. You’re the one who makes the rules here, Slade, not me.. No personal ties. Hands off and all that, remember?”

“He’s the only taker you got tonight, Ivy. And poor idiot literally just gave me his entire nights winnings. This could be good for the club and you, lil bit. It’s your call this time. You’re one of my best girls, I trust ya.” Slade gave her a wink and Ivy blew at her bangs, thinking it over. Slade did have a point.

“Yeah, well..” Ivy trailed off as she remembered the debt on her grandparent’s ranch and the cost of hiring hands to pitch in when needed. She found herself thinking about her own potential business venture she was saving up for, re-opening her grandmother’s diner in town, and she found herself thinking about her savings. She sighed and swore to herself under her breath, dragging long and delicate fingers through light caramel colored locks. “Fine. I’ll do it. But he better have money because I’m charging double. If he’s such hot shit on the pro circuit right now, why the hell wouldn’t he just pick up a fuckin bunny at the show?”

Adam overheard most of the conversation and spoke up. “Didn’t wanna.” he barely met Ivy’s gaze and when he did manage to meet it, Ivy found herself cringing at the icy look in his eyes. Adam’s jaw tightened and he started to protest, but when he tried, no words would come.

“But you’re here… at a club paying enough cash for an all night private session upstairs…” Ivy’s brow quirked and she eyed him while smirking. “Either way, stud. you’re on the clock. Let’s just get this over with.” no matter how hard she tried to keep up that all business facade, she was starting to feel it crack. She was starting to feel fidgety under his intent -and cold, stare and she found herself jittery. She knew he was standing there, most likely judging her. He was the one who hadn’t tried to respond to her whenever she did try to reach out. He was the one who never came for her, despite his promise that he’d never let anything happen to tear them apart. He was the one who went off and got all famous from the looks of it.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Ivy Jane.” Adam snapped as calmly as possible as he tore his eyes off of her and stared down at his mud covered Ariats.

“I never said it was nice to see you the first time, Mr. Page.” Ivy responded in a chilled tone as she turned on her heels and started to slink towards the back of the club, to the stairs that lead up to a second floor of the place. A place where few ever got access to.

Adam stopped her halfway up the stairs. “You got no right t’ be angry at me, Ivy Jane. You’re the one who left.” he practically growled the words as he gripped her wrist, staring up at her. Right now he was hurt and confused and so fucking bitter. Everything conspired against them, it always had from the beginning. Their families hadn’t gotten along and constantly butted in and kept them apart mostly, but what was really making him angry was that standing here in the stairwell now, with her right in front of him, was that he was clearly seeing that they’d both had chances. And neither of them had tried or fought, they’d both been too scared to just cut off their families and rely on each other. … we were kids then, though… Adam tried to remind himself, neither of us felt like we had a choice… And not only that, he could just look at her and tell that somehow, she was hurting and angry and bitter too. And probably full of blame. He had to admit, he was full of it himself because she’d basically disappeared and not once did she try to reach out, not once did she try to contact him and at least give him closure.

“I didn’t have a fucking choice, Adam.” Ivy didn’t mean to say it like she did, she hadn’t meant that little bit of hurt and longing to creep into her voice. She sighed and shook her head. Adam’s shoulders slumped and he muttered an apology. But then the mild anger he felt at finding her again, here of all places, that kicked in and he grabbed hold of her waist, turning her to face him when she faced away and started to walk up the remainder of the stairs.

“The hell are you doin’, anyway? This ain’t you, Ivy Jane. This… This ain’t th’ girl I love.”

“Yeah, well… Shit happens, Adam. I think you meant loved, by the way, because you certainly seem to be acting as if I’m dirt beneath your feet now.” Ivy shrugged it off, trying to make herself forget the way his hands felt all over her or the way it felt to hear his voice again after all this time. Trying to convince herself that he had every chance to come out to Florida and find her after high school and when he didn’t and he chose to go on the rodeo circuit instead, that was her answer as to what he really felt.

“I’m not actin like that, Ivy Jane…But this? This is.. What do you get from it, huh? Because I’m failin to understand it.” Adam ground out through a clenched jaw as he glared down at Ivy.

Ivy glared right back up at him, shaking her head and giving a bitter laugh. “I tried writing you, Adam. I tried calling, I tried everything. I tried to let you know what happened that night. You ignored it. My choices now aren’t really your problem. Not that there’s anything wrong with anything I’m doing. And you’re the one who came in here and paid for an entire night private session upstairs, so what exactly does that say about you, huh?” Ivy snapped right back, her tone growing increasingly bitter.

“I didn’t know what t’ do! You were supposed t’ come meet me n’ leave that night and y’ never showed! What was I suppose t’ do? Just forget ya didn’t show and skipped town and try to pick up where we left off? If I’d ever gotten anything ya sent to begin with! I never heard another word out of you!” Adam exploded before he could stop himself and before he’d fully processed what she said seconds prior. As soon as what she’d just snapped at him really sank in, Adam went quiet.

Ivy’s lip quivered for the smallest of seconds and she tensed all over at the anger in his voice. “I was tryin t’ get ya away from there, darlin. All ya had to do was come to our spot that night, leave with me… I promised to take care of ya. I never woulda broken that promise.” as he felt himself getting angry because until right now, he’d never even stopped to consider that Ivy might have tried reaching out. He got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew exactly why he’d never known and he made a firm mental note to talk to his meddling family the next time he got the chance.

Before finally cutting ties, because this was… If what she said was true, and he had no doubt it was because he’d never known Ivy to lie and she looked entirely too… Hurt… Bitter… right now to be lying, either way… this was the straw. This was it, this was too much interference on the part of his family. And probably her own, Adam found himself thinking, because god knows her old man hated me for whatever reason.

It was a lot to take in at once and combined with the raw pain he felt right now at finally seeing Ivy again, which was all he ever really wanted to begin with, he now had to deal with what they’d both become thanks to their families grudge and the way life was shitty and it stacked the deck against them and their love for each other practically from the word go.

“Look. It’s water under the bridge. Obviously, it wasn’t meant to be. Let’s just… Do this and go our separate ways.” Ivy’s voice trembled slightly as she said it, turning the knob to one of the private rooms above the club, opening the door and stepping inside.

But Adam suddenly couldn’t let it go. And thanks to the abundance of alcohol coursing his veins right now, he wasn’t thinking totally clear either. All he did know was that he had one last chance and he was taking it.

Ivy saw that flash in his eyes and before she could even fully process, Adam was pinning her against the wall beside the door and reaching out past her, turning the lock on the door. His mouth crushed against her mouth hungrily, almost greedily and his hands were all over her. Ivy started out with her hand firmly against his chest, hell bent on shoving him away and keeping a safe distance, but Adam wasn’t having it. And by the time Ivy had to catch her breath from the deep and needy and angry biting kiss Adam was pulling her deeper into, the hand against his shirt wound up tangling in it instead. Her other hand seemed to grow a mind of it’s own, reaching up, tugging at the messy ponytail he wore his hair in currently, even though she knew the rules like the back of her hand and she knew that this was a taboo, them kissing in the stairwell like this… As soon as she’d pulled his hair free from the hair tie, the scent of his shampoo mixed with whiskey and sweat filled her nose and a flood of old memories never truly forgotten came flooding back to her in a rush all over again.

Adam’s teeth clamped down on her lower lip, tugging and his fingertips dug into the soft curve of her hips hard enough to leave marks behind, rubbing her against him roughly. “You were supposed to be mine. Not workin here, like this. Not dancin…I was supposed to take care of ya.”

“Adam, don’t… Please… If we start thinking about this…” Ivy pleaded, her hands shaking as she lowered the one tangled in his hair to the belt buckle at his waist, trailing the tip of her finger over the intricate design on the metal and resting her hand over the buckle, tugging him closer. Despite everything inside her telling her that not resisting was a bad idea and doing this was an even worse one, not really talking and getting closure first was probably the WORST decision of the current ones she’d been making tonight, Ivy suddenly didn’t care. Ivy didn’t want to stop or think about what might happen next, she didn’t want to fight against the pull to Adam that came rushing right back all over again when she’d locked eyes with him downstairs. “I don’t wanna think. Or fight.”

Seconds trickled by slowly as she stared up at him, biting her lower lip. Literally every single thing that kept them apart for so long was racing through her brain and she could tell it was eating away at him too. That it probably had been for a long time now. Maybe even as long as it had with her.

“We’re… Not supposed to… Touch. Or you’re not supposed to touch me.” Ivy managed to tear her mouth away from Adam’s again to let him know what was expected. Adam gave a solemn nod and Ivy rose to tiptoe slightly, muttering dangerously close against his lips all over again, “But Slade did say that this was my call… And I…” she trailed off, sighing and shaking her head, gently shoving him back into the chair that stood just behind Adam, slightly off center of the room. Adam’s eyes met hers and he tucked his fingers beneath her chin to hold her eyes on his. “You what, Ivy?”

“I just need you…” as the words left her mouth, Adam just barely ghosted his hands down her sides, sliding her a little closer to him. Ivy whimpered as she felt him straining at the stiff dark blue denim and before she could stop herself, she was rocking herself over the bulge twitching and straining at it. Adam’s head lowered after he met her gaze for a second or two, a questioning look in his eyes as if to ask if what he was about to do was alright. Ivy nodded and rose up slightly, putting her chest eye level with his mouth. All Adam could do was drop his head down, bury his lips in the exposed cleavage peeking out and in his face and let out this frustrated groan against her skin.

None of this was supposed to go this way and it frustrated him that it had. Ivy’s hips moved in a figure 8 and with each brush of soaked black pleather against the crotch of his jeans,Adam’s fingertips dug into her ass just a little more, he was cautious to at least try honoring the no touch rule Ivy warned him about after the kiss broke a few minutes before. Ivy pressed down a little harder, taking shaky breaths, leaning in and ghosting her lips against his own as she muttered softly, “Missed you. I was so afraid I fucked it all up when you didn’t… Come for me.”

Adam broke at her words, a sharp breath as his hands raised, caressing her cheeks, pulling her mouth against his as she continued to ride his lap, grind against his thigh and rub herself against him as much as she could. His tongue slipped past her lips as he muttered quietly into the deepening and dizzying kiss, “Darlin, I didn’t know.. Nobody told me you were tryin to get in touch. I tried to write you too. Tried callin, tried everythin. I never woulda just let ya go if I hadn’t thought.. That was what you wanted. Never.” he stared her down, emphasizing his words with carefully placed kisses against every bit of exposed skin within his reach. And as if it weren’t enough, he tilted her chin, making her look down at him, hands ghosting down her sides, careful to move immediately back to the arm of the chair just to be safe, pouting as he did so. “I really did. I.. I thought not hearin from ya meant you finally couldn’t fight everything against us anymore.”

“Adam, no. No.” Ivy’s mouth nuzzled against his neck as she started to sink down in his lap, making his head fall back and his eyes flutter open and shut. When she started to crawl out of his lap and she settled on her knees between his thighs, he grunted, his hips bucking upward as a helpless and needy whine fell from his mouth. “Ivy, darlin, what…” he felt her hands working his legs open wider, trailing up and down his thighs, gripping as she made her way back up his body and into his lap and turned to face away from him, rocking her ass back and forth over the throbbing bulge strained against rough denim. He hissed and leaned forward, his chest pressing into her back, his hands leaving the arm rest of the chair and lingering on the insides of her thighs as his mouth pressed against the side of her ear, “Missed you so fuckin much, darlin. So much. I never stopped thinkin about you.. Hell, I dream about you every night.” he admitted in a low and husky growl, sending a shiver racing through her that he felt as soon as it did. Ivy’s hands twined with his, ghosting over her body, lingering on her chest, squeezing as she whimpered.

“Oh Adam.” her words caught in her throat and her head fell back, eyes fluttering open and closed.

“Yeah?” Adam whispered back, his lips dancing down the side of her neck and seconds away from snapping. He’d been kept from her too damn long. And he was tired of it. It had to end tonight.

“Take me home… Somewhere. Anywhere.” Ivy muttered quietly, rubbing herself against his lap a little harder and a lot more urgently.

“Can go back t’ my Airstream over at the fairground.” Adam managed to mutter the words as Ivy turned around in his lap. Adam stood, not bothering to put her on her own feet and as he stopped to open the door he mumbled against her neck “There a back way outta here?”

“Yeah.. Go down the hall and take the stairs. It’ll take ya out into the alley.” Ivy breathed into the kiss that she pulled him into feverishly. The door shut behind them and Adam walked down the hall hastily, stopping at the top of the stairs to press her against the wall. Ivy’s legs wrapped around him and she rubbed against him, whimpering and clinging to him, the tips of her fingers digging into his scalp and tugging at his hair, her other hand lightly digging into his shoulder as she attacked his mouth hungrily.

“Fuck.” Adam managed to gasp just as he descended the stairs and fumbled with the handle on the door at the bottom, hurrying to step out into the alley. From there it was a short walk around the building, and after stopping a time or two between the building and the parking lot where his truck sat waiting, they were finally standing beside it. Adam scooped her up, opening the passenger door and sitting her inside, the restrictions of the club and the VIP room gone by now and all he wanted to do was touch her. Feel her body, her mouth against his own, know that he wasn’t imagining it, this was real and they were together again at last.

Logically, he knew they had a lot to talk about, but for tonight, talking was the last thing on his mind. Their lips came apart swollen and bruised and Adam took a long and deep breath just to try calming himself down a little and Ivy’s legs wrapped around him, pulling him back in all over again, taking his face in her hands, pulling his mouth back against hers all over again. “Adam, I..”

The kiss broke and Adam pressed the side of his finger against her lips to stop the flow of her words, pressing his forehead against hers. “Don’t wanna talk, okay? Just.. Don’t wanna think about all the shit that went wrong. Not tonight.”

“I need to say this.” Ivy insisted. Adam bit his lip, his stomach churning nervously as he peered into big brown eyes, waiting, wondering what she had to say so bad that it couldn’t wait. Ivy’s teeth clenched his lower lip and she muttered into heated little kisses against his mouth, “I never stopped loving you, ever. God did I try. I just.. I couldn’t.”

“I know, darlin. I know. I feel the same way.” Adam reassured her, a hand slipping to rest on the back of her neck, pulling her mouth into his completely as his other hand worked up the insides of her thighs, squeezing as he pulled her close again, letting her cling to him. “I gotta drive.”

Ivy gave a soft laugh and nodded, trying to ply herself from his arms. Adam hurried around his truck and climbed inside, starting the engine and taking a side road out of the parking lot because it was shorter than going through town to get back to the fairgrounds. His hand wandered over the console, grabbing for her thigh, squeezing after he’d raised her hand to his lips. Ivy bit her lip, legs falling open ever so slightly. Before Adam could stop himself from doing so, he was growling quietly and shifting in the driver seat, leaning over to whisper boldly against her ear, “We might make it inside. If you’re lucky. Keep it up, Ivy Jane.”

Apparently, she was trying to get herself fucked against the side of his Airstream because her next move was to lean across and ghost her lips up the side of his neck while lowering her hand and slowly moving it up the inside of his thigh, lingering over a now throbbing bulge. His breath caught in his throat and Ivy gently nipped at his earlobe as she giggled almost whisper quiet against it. His hand skimmed along the inside of her thigh, fingertips disappearing beneath the hem of those black pleather hot pants she was wearing. As soon as his fingertip grazed against soaked fabric, he groaned, biting his lip and tried to make himself focus on the road.

As his finger slipped beneath the fabric barrier and slowly slid over her slickened folds, Ivy shivered and a quiet moan escaped her lips. Her hand found it’s way back down to his lap and Ivy stared at him a few seconds, tongue rolling over vibrant red lips.

“What, darlin?”

“Oh, nothin…” Ivy hummed innocently as her fingers tugged at the zip of his jeans, lowering it slowly. Too slow. Adam gripped the wheel and almost as soon as he felt her hand curl around his thick length, pulling it free from his jeans, he took a few long and shaky breaths, sinking into the seat just a little bit. Her tongue trailed slowly over the tip of his member, circling it, then trailing lower, moving down the side of his shaft, trailing it’s veiny length.

“Darlin, fuck.” Adam groaned, thighs tensing at the delicious and slow torment that was her tongue, gliding over his cock. Her lips wrapped around it and his hand tangled in her hair, tugging. The parking lot of the fairground came into sight and Adam let out a long and ragged breath as he felt her mouth latching on greedily, the hum that passed those lips as she bobbed her head up and down sending vibration racing down his length. By the time he got the truck parked and the engine killed, he was white knuckling the steering wheel with one hand and breathing so heavy it almost sounded like he’d ran a marathon. He leaned his head back against the head rest of his seat and bucked his hips against her mouth carefully, praising in a husky whisper, “Fuck, darlin.. So good with that little mouth of yours. C’mon, baby. Deeper.”

When she trailed her tongue right down the underside of his length, he growled and groaned aloud more than a few times, eyes fluttering open and closed as he bucked in his seat all over again and tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging a little. “Ivy, fuck yeah. Feels so good.” he groaned over and over.

Ivy hit her gag reflex and Adam thrust against her mouth all over again, lowering his hand to tilt her chin and make her stop, look up at him, leaning down to crash his mouth against her mouth sloppily and muttering into the kiss, “Best we move this inside, darlin.”

“Adam.” Ivy whined and pouted, but Adam shook his head and got out of the truck, hurrying around to her side, reaching in to unfasten her seatbelt and scooping her out into his arms, jogging in a hurry towards the silver Airstream parked haphazardly nearby. Her back met the door of his camper and his hand disappeared right back up the hem of her hot pants, fingers hastily brushing her soaked panties aside as he growled against her neck and buried his fingers knuckle deep into her heat, working her open, bucking himself into her, teeth snagging on skin and leaving marks behind. When he finally got the damn door unlocked, he stepped inside, locking it behind him, tossing his key onto a butcher block countertop. He stepped into the back of the camper, gently tossing Ivy against the mattress and sinking down, his hands gripping the waist of her hot pants, tugging both hot pants and soaked panties to the ground in less time than it took Ivy to bat a lash. As his hands parted her thighs, she rose to prop on her elbows, staring down at him. Adam hooked his arms beneath her thighs to hold her legs open and his eyes met hers as he licked his lips and lowered his head, dancing his lips right up the inside of her thighs.

Ivy’s hand lowered, gripping at his hair, trying to tug his mouth up higher and Adam chuckled quietly against her skin, leaving little kisses and bites behind. The second she felt his tongue rolling over her folds and heard the greedy loud slurping she whimpered almost helplessly when she tried to rock her hips upward and realized that Adam had such a tight grip on her thighs that she really couldn’t move. “Adam.” she panted, biting her lip, whimpering even louder as his mouth closed over her clit, tongue circling the small bundle of nerves, teeth snagging on her skin to mark her up. “Fuck, darlin. Still taste so sweet. And you’re so wet for me already.” his nose bumped against her pelvic mound as he mumbled against her cunt and his tongue started to descend, trailing right over her folds, sending a shiver racing through her body. Ivy’s toes curled in the bed sheet beneath her, and Adam’s grip loosened slightly. The second it did, Ivy was writhing and rocking her hips upward against his mouth as much as she could and Adam slipped two fingers deep into her heat to join his tongue.

“C’mon, darlin. Let go. Let me taste.” Adam coaxed, not that Ivy needed much of a reason and as her orgasm washed over her, leaving her shaking and whimpering and moaning on the bed below him, Adam raised up, unbuckling and then unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, tugging off his boots and then kicking the denim free from his body, lowering himself and settling over her, his hand disappearing down between them to guide his cock over her folds, making her shiver all over again and whimper, pleading with him.

“C’mon, Adam, now.. Need you now.”

“I know, darlin, I know.” Adam mumbled quietly against her mouth, his tongue parting her lips as he sank his length deep into her dripping heat, laying still and kissing her all over the face and the neck as he touched her everywhere, hands unable to be still. “We’re gonna be okay.”

Ivy could only nod and seconds later, moan his name loud enough to be heard outside the trailer as he started to fuck into her slow and deep, the mattress creaking steadily beneath the two of them as Adam’s hands captured her hands at either side of her head and his mouth conquered her mouth and then drifted down, lingering on her throat, leaving even more marks behind.

Ivy’s legs wrapped around his hips to pull him even closer, drive his cock in even deeper and when he bottomed out, he growled hungrily into her mouth. Her hand raised, tangling in his hair and tugging at it as Adam started to fuck into her harder, faster, their moans and panting labored breaths joining in the sound of the bed creaking beneath them both. Ivy’s head fell back as she felt another orgasm building and Adam’s hips started to snap erratically, crashing into hers, almost bruising as his pace quickened. “Ah… Fuck. Adam, fuck… Don’t… Don’t stop, baby, c’mon. I’m so.. Close.” Ivy’s eyes fluttered open and shut and her arms wrapped around his neck as Adam’s mouth crashed against her own and he muttered quietly, “Fuck, darlin… Feels so good, holdin you again. So good. Never gonna let…” his breathing hitched as he deepened the kiss and finished, “Let you go again. Ever.”

“Promise me.”

“I mean it, baby girl.” Adam growled as his teeth tugged at her lower lip and his cock bottomed out, sending her right over the edge, her orgasm shattering through all over again. Adam felt her clench around him and he gripped onto her tighter, trying to slow down and brace himself, anything to keep from getting off right away, but nothing worked, especially with Ivy whimpering beneath him, pleading and begging him not to stop, begging him to fill her up.

Ivy’s nails raked down Adam’s back as she felt the throbbing warmth of his release as it filled her and she clung to him, kissing his neck and shoulders, Adam kissing her on the forehead and cheeks, both of them trying to come down from the high of their orgasm.

Adam flopped down onto the mattress and reached out, pulling Ivy on top of him, locking his arms around her as he muttered softly, “I really do mean it. We’re gonna be okay. And I won’t lose you again.”

Ivy leaned her head down, brushing her mouth against his as she mumbled in a quiet yawn, “I know you mean it. And I don’t wanna lose you again. I… If you asked me, I’d pack up and leave with you right now. I just.. I wish I’d been able back then.”

Adam’s hand trailed lazily over her spine and he shushed her, nodding. “I know, darlin. I should’ve known it all along. Feel like an asshole because I didn’t.”

“We’re really gonna be okay..” Ivy’s voice was softer, he could look up and tell she was starting to drift off and he chuckled, pressing his lips against hers as he reassured her again that they were going to be okay.

This time was DIFFERENT. Adam was going to make sure of that.

#adam hangman page fanfiction #adam hangman page fanfic #adam hangman page fic #adam hangman page oneshot #adam hangman page imagine #// no one under 18+#// alcohol tw #// body fluids tw #// sm*t content #// part of my what if's universe - a total au and ending for it

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snarkwriteswrasslin · 5 years ago

Text

what ifs; adam page [five]

Notes:

Part 5, as promised. And again, I wanna say that I will get this updated, I swear to God. I just... haven’t been in much of a writing mood lately / haven’t been having an easy time focusing. But it’s coming, I swear. [ part four] if you missed it, I got you.

Summary:

Angst, holy shit, so much. Adam and Ivy are stuck running errands. A flashback. And maaaybe hints of kind of an understanding, albeit a strained one for the time being?

Warnings:

alcohol tw, mentions of stripping, exotic dancing.. angst, holy shit the angst. sexual tension.

Pairing:

Adam Hangman Page x OFC, Ivy Barlow

Header made by me. Images from google. If you didn’t make it, don’t take it.

“Stupid fuckin car.” Ivy swore in frustration as she shut the hood. She glanced back up the driveway towards her father’s farm and sighed, shaking her head. Her father’s gentle teasing about her trading it in for a newer and safer model came rushing back and she couldn’t help but give a soft laugh as she started to walk back up the long dirt drive.

She was about halfway between her car and where it sat at the end of the drive and the farmhouse when she heard an all too familiar sound. And despite the fact that it was pouring rain now and Ivy was soaked and cold, she tensed because the last thing she wanted to do was get in the truck with Adam Page.

That’s assuming he even stops, I mean… he has gone off and gotten all famous and shit. He says I’ve changed. I’m not the one drinking like a fish drinks water. I’m not the one whose so bitter that I have to take it out on the people around me. The thought fell to the wayside as she heard the truck slowing down and then idling beside her right as a loud clap of thunder rattled the sky above.

Adam saw her old Mustang sitting sideways at the end of the drive and he grumbled, briefly glancing at the sky through his windshield right as the bottom truly started to fall out. Despite having no desire to listen to her sharp tongue or fight with her today, he also couldn’t just drive past and let her keep walking back to her father’s farm.

It’ll only be a minute or two tops, Adam reminded himself calmly as he slowed his truck to a stop beside her. He hit the button on his side for the window and rolled it down just as thunder rolled in the darkening sky above and leaned across, hollering out to her.

Ivy tried to pretend not to hear him calling her name and keep walking, but Adam only called it louder. The next clap of thunder was closer; louder. Enough to lightly rattle the ground. Ivy hadn’t ever liked storms, not even a little.

Oh but Adam had always had this way of making them so much more tolerable back then, Ivy found herself slipping into her own thoughts for a few seconds.

OoO

“Shit!” Ivy gasped out the word, clinging to Adam and hiding her face in his shoulder as soon as she’d turned to face him. The storm was getting more intense and Adam could tell Ivy was panicking a little, she’d never really been fond of bad weather. Chuckling, he wrapped both arms around her tighter, groaning as her stirring around in his lap had him strained against his favorite pair of Wranglers. “Darlin, c’mon. It’s just a lil storm. It’ll pass. Look at me, baby.” Adam coaxed, getting Ivy to raise her head and look up. He leaned in, mouth conquering her own, bucking against her casually from below when she rubbed herself against his lap a second time and gave him that little lip bite. “You wanna go up to your room n’ find somethin to take your mind off the storm?”

“Mhm.” Ivy giggled, taking his face in her hands, pulling him into a deep and heavy and needy kiss that tasted like the chocolate chip cookies she’d made for him earlier in the afternoon during home ec.

OoO

The horn was being laid on. Ivy gave Adam a dirty look and the next clap of thunder sent her scurrying for the passenger seat of his truck whether or not she really wanted to in the first place. Once inside, she focused intently on the passenger window. So intently that she totally missed Adam’s question the first two times he asked it.

She just.. Didn’t want to stop thinking about the happier memory she’d been thinking about. Lately since she’d come back to town, if she opened her mouth, it was grounds for a fight. The truck was silent, the only noise was the dim hints of a storm raging on outside the truck that the truck’s sturdy interior didn’t keep at bay.

Adam cleared his throat and tried to speak up again. “Car break down again?”

“Doesn’t it always?” Ivy answered quietly, not bothering to tear her eyes off of the passenger window and look at him. She sighed and muttered a quiet thank you for the ride almost as soon as the farmhouse came into view and Adam’s truck was slowing to a stop beneath the carport.

Adam stopped her. “Where were you headin?”

Ivy eyed him, a brow raised and her head tilted to the side just slightly. “Into town. To the store and to the post office to pick up somethin that came in… Why?”

Adam tried like hell to stop himself, but it came out before he could. “If you want me to, I could take ya. I gotta go down to that parts store and pick up some stuff for dad.”

Ivy eyed him warily. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “You sure? I don’t want to be right under you.” she mimicked what he’d snapped at her the day before when they’d both been trying to repair a fence line out in the east pasture out back. Adam winced because he hadn’t really realized just how harsh he’d been with her the day before and he sighed, raking a hand through his hair. The rain was pouring down harder now, soaking through the thin gray shirt he wore in seconds and he grumbled.

“Either ya do or ya don’t.” Adam mumbled, staring her down firmly. Ivy’s shoulder’s sank and she clenched her fist, grumbling to herself. “Fine.”

“It’s called a thank you!” Adam called out to her as she took the part he’d bought by for her father’s second tractor and sat it in the storage room beneath the carport, closing the door behind her just long enough to lean against it and take a few deep breaths.

Counting to five didn’t work with that man.

Trying to avoid him didn’t either, because either her sister wound up sending her right into his path or he wound up seeking her out, just to be an ass. Ivy was just tired. Worrying about her dad, knowing the farm was probably one late payment and bad harvest away from foreclosure…

And I can’t forget, Ivy’s mind chose that exact second to chime in, I still feel something towards him, even though he apparently hates me and has made up his mind about me. Adam was calling her name through the door impatiently and Ivy threw it open, stepping out, walking past Adam and getting into the passenger seat of his truck again. “Let’s just get there and back. Pretty sure you don’t want me around one second longer than I gotta be.”

“Right back at ya, hon.” Adam snapped, equally as tense and frustrated.

The thunder continued to roll overhead and at one point, it was so loud that Ivy flinched and tensed all over. Before Adam could stop himself, he was reaching over the console, grabbing for her hand, resting his over the top as he shook his head and laughed softly.

“It’s a valid fear, Adam.” Ivy grumbled, poking out her tongue, giving a soft laugh after a few seconds and one long intense silence. He was still holding onto her hand and despite her, trying to ignore the fact, it still felt every bit as calming as it did back then.

“It is, but you do realize that as long as we’re in here, nothin can happen.. Right?”

“Yes, I know this.” Ivy pouted and stared ahead, sighing when her cell phone rang.

“Crappy reception all damn day until this motherfucker wants to call and start his shit.” Ivy grumbled as she powered down the phone and shoved it back into her pocket and out of sight. Adam eyed the way she did it all and after a few seconds, even though he really didn’t want to even… Think about her having been seriously involved with -and possibly still being involved with, another man in Florida, he couldn’t help but ask the question. “Who’s that?”

“Ty, my idiotic asshole of an ex. Thinks that if he holds my shit hostage, it’s gonna make me cave and come back to him. Apparently, he doesn’t think I can just get copies of all the documents and stuff he took out of the stuff I packed when I left.” Ivy wasn’t even sure why she was telling Adam what was going on. When Adam’s hand tightened ever so slightly around her own, she bit her lip and muttered a quiet apology. “I shouldn’t have said anythin.”

“No, it’s fine.” Adam took a deep breath, training his eyes on the road ahead, trying to keep his mind off of this other asshole and the strong surge of jealousy, the strong protective urges that seemed to rise to the surface any time Ivy Barlow was concerned.

Just like they always had.

“I asked.” Adam reminded her and Ivy shrugged, staring down at her lap. “Still shouldn’t have just dumped it all out like that.”

“Anybody know what he’s doin’.. With your stuff, I meant.” Adam asked, gaze settling on Ivy as the truck pulled to a stop outside of the post office in town.

Ivy nodded. “Constance. But I got it handled, okay? I’m a big girl, Adam.”

“You don’t have to remind me, Ivy.” Adam muttered in a tense tone, trying not to let his mind wander back to the past three nights, watching her dance at that damn club. Or watching her handle the sick cow earlier today. Or any of the other things she’d been doing since their paths started to cross almost daily upon her arrival back in town.

Ivy got out and ran into the post office and Adam sat there, staring up at a darkened sky, waiting on her to get back in the truck. And while he did that, he couldn’t help but reflect on the differences between Ivy back then and Ivy now.

He might have thought he’d fallen for her back then, but now… Now she was different. Stronger. Not quite the same but not totally different either. And as much as he hated to admit it, he’d never gotten over her. He’d tried and failed a thousand times.

All he could do now was just fight it as best as he could. Keep telling himself that sooner or later, her daddy would be back to operational strength and she’d just leave again. Sticking around, that probably hadn’t ever been part of her plan. It hadn’t been part of his either, he could admit that now.

But her, Adam thought to himself.. She’s always been a big part of my life and the plans I made… What if everything had gone different back then? What if she hadn’t had to leave?

Just the thought that sooner or later, he’d have gotten restless and that might have well been the end, if she hadn’t wanted to leave… Adam wasn’t sure how he felt about it, because one way or another, it just felt like they were destined to end.

He didn’t like it.

A sigh escaped his lips and he leaned his head back against the headrest of his seat just as Ivy emerged, carrying a box beneath her arm, lingering in the doorway long enough to say something to the little old lady who ran the office. Once she was inside the truck again, Adam sat up and cleared his throat. “Where to now?”

“Just the grocery store.. You said you had to go to that parts store too.” Ivy muttered, eyeing Adam carefully. Just like back then, she was still good at reading his moods. He’d gotten better at hiding them for the most part, but right now, she could look into those baby blues and tell that something was really bothering him.

“Everything alright?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah.. Everything’s fine. Just got myself a headache, that’s all.”

Ivy bit her lip and refrained from pointing out that it wasn’t a headache, it was a hangover and that she was worried about him. Because then they’d only fight. Like earlier when she casually mentioned that maybe it wasn’t a good idea to drink 5 of 8 beers while working on the fence. Or at all, not that close together. That he hadn’t been like that before.

His response had been to glare at her and grumble something about her minding her own business, going back to his part of the fence row quietly and work for the next three hours in total silence.

Just like then, the silence between them was thick and heavy. Ivy almost felt like she couldn’t breathe. “So when you have to go back out… Where are you heading?”

She’d asked the question mostly just to get herself out of her own mind. Adam shrugged and sighed. “Depends on what venue the owner can book.”

“So it might be pretty far away, huh?”

Adam shrugged again. “Maybe. What about you? Any plans to go back to Florida?”

“I’m fucking done with Florida. Fuck the sunshine state. I never… Nevermind.”

“You never what, huh?”

“I never actually wanted to leave in the first place. But mom, she raised hell at Daddy and Daddy made us go. Said it might do us good to get out and see the world beyond our own little corner..” Ivy was staring out the window, watching the shops lining their main street go by slowly. She took a deep breath and then found herself watching Adam out of the corner of her eyes when he was too busy driving to notice. “I realize you don’t believe me.”

“Don’t matter now.” Adam’s voice came out more tense and irritated than he intended and Ivy went quiet as he turned into the parking lot of the parts store, killing the engine of the truck, preparing to get out. “What happened, it happened.. It’s not like we can just forget it did.”

As soon as he was out of the truck and the door was closed behind him, Ivy sighed and shook her head, watching him disappear into the store. “I wish it hadn’t happened. I really wish it wouldn’t have happened. But if not me leavin, somethin else would’ve gone wrong.” she muttered to herself as she stared out into the parking lot and tried not to do it all over again, pick it all apart, try to find some scenario in which their lives magically worked out and they could be happy right now.

Because she could do it all day, but every alternate situation she came up with presented it’s own problems and given how strained things were between them right now, she just wasn’t really sure if they’d have made it through any of them if she were being totally honest.

And she absolutely fucking hated that.

It just wasn’t fair.

All she’d ever wanted was to be with him. You still want that now, at least admit it to yourself, Ivy thought almost bitterly as she watched him hurrying back across the parking lot to his parked truck. She tried to shove the thought out of her head.

But this time, it just wouldn’t go. Lately, it was getting a whole lot harder to fight it.

#adam hangman page fanfiction #adam hangman page fanfic #adam hangman page fic #adam hangman page imagine #adam hangman page imagines #part 5 of ?

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