#people could tell me in advance but they leave it until the last minute

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

wait, Derin how did your leaving make the hospital shut down?

I used to work as a live-in nanny for a pediatrician.

Now, the thing about hospitals in my country is that they are massively understaffed and massively underfunded. This is especially true outside the major cities. The staff are worked to the bone and receive little to no help in things like finding accommodation or childcare, making working in rural areas a very uninviting prospect; staff come out here, get lumped with the work of three people (because there's nobody else to do it), burn out under the workload and leave, meaning that those remaining have even more work because that person is gone. It's unsustainable and the medical staff are doing their best to sustain it, because people die if they don't, so to the higher-ups it looks like everything's getting done and therefore everything is fine.

My friend (and boss) worked one week on, one week off, swapping out with another pediatrician. This was necessary because it would not be physically possible for one person to handle the workload for longer periods of time. The one single pediatrician had to hold up the entire pediatrics ward, which was not only the only public hospital pediatrics ward in our town, but also the one that served all the towns around us for a few hours' drive in all directions. I regularly saw her go to work sick, aching, tired, or with a debilitating 'I can barely make words or see' level migraine, because if she took a day off, twenty children didn't get healthcare that day, and some of these kids' appointments were scheduled weeks in advance. She'd work long hours in the day and then be called in a couple of times overnight for an hour or two at a time (she was on-call at night too, because somebody had to be), and then go in the next day. Sometimes she would be forced to take a day off because she physically could not stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time, meaning she couldn't drive to work.

Cue my niece's second birthday coming up in Melbourne. I'd been working for her for about 3 years, and she (and the hospital) had plenty of advance warning that I (and therefore she) needed one (1) Friday off. That's fine, we'll find someone to work that Friday, the hospital said. Right up until the last week where they're like "oh, we can't find a replacement; you can come in, can't you?"

No, she tells them; I don't have anyone to watch my kid that day.

Oh, surely you can hire a babysitter for this one day, they say. Think of the children! We really really need you to work that day. I know we said it'd be fine but we need you now, there's no one else to do it.

There are no other babysitters, she told them. Unless you can find one?

That's not our responsibility, they said.

But I'm not changing my plans, she's got plans by now as well, the hospital knew about this one day weeks in advance, and with absolutely no reserve staff they're forced to reschedule all pediatrics appointments for that Friday. Not a huge deal, it happens on the 'physically too overworked to get out of bed' days too. I go to Melbourne, she goes back to her home in Adelaide for her recovery week, all should be on track.

My niece gives me Covid.

This was way back in the first wave of the pandemic, and there were no Covid vaccines yet. The rules were isolate, mask up, hope. I had Covid in the house, and it would've been madness for my friend and her toddler to come back into the Covid house instead of staying in Adelaide. There was absolutely no way that a pediatrician could live with someone in quarantine due to Covid and go to work in the hospital with sick children every day. And no support existed for finding another babysitter, or temporary accommodation, so the hospital was down a pediatrician.

The other pediatrician wasn't available to do a three-week stint. They were also trapped in Adelaide on their well-earned week off.

Meaning that the only major pediatrics ward within a several-hour radius had no pediatricians. They had to shut down and send all urgent cases to Adelaide for the week. To the complete absence of surprise of any of the doctors or nurses; of course this would happen, this was bound to happen, it presumably keeps happening. But probably to the surprise of the higher-ups. After all, the hospital was doing fine, right? Of course all the staff were complaining of overwork and a lack of resources in every meeting, but they could always be fobbed off with the promise of more help sometime in the future; the work was mostly getting done, so the issue couldn't be too urgent.

It's not like some nanny who doesn't even work for the hospital could go out of town for a weekend for the first time in three years, and get the only public pediatrics ward in the area shut down for a week.

[pshaven]

enhypen making YOU lose nnn ?

OUUUUHHHHH. this is good. i love this. ur mind needs to be studied

cw! fwb with heeseung, established relationship with jay and sunghoon, riding, oral (f & m receiving), doggy, reader gets called slutty girl, princess, jay brat tamer hehe, hoon is evil, lmk if i missed anything!

이희승 heeseung ᥫ᭡

as you’re heeseung’s number one fuck buddy… well, he’s not very ecstatic about your decision to join the nnn challenge. he thought it’d be okay at first– he has other people to attend to while you’re busy. he actually discovered something new about himself thanks to your personal challenge: he can only go a few days without you. he really did try to distract himself with other hookups but they just aren’t you! no pussy felt like yours, and no one moaned his name the same like you do. so now he has his own personal challenge: to make you lose nnn! he thinks it’d be a piece of cake, really. because have you seen him? how can you resist him?

turns out pretty well, much to his dismay. he disguises his mission as an innocent “wanna watch some movies tonight?” to come over. you, in skimpy top and flimsy shorts that you typically like to wear when staying in. he thinks– knows– he’ll have a hard time keeping his hands to himself. and you’ve always been such a good girl, so you’ll obey him this time again, right? 

it starts off with just a hand on your thigh, and even though you give him a side eye he pretends he doesn’t notice, eyes too focused on whatever movie you decided to put on. he notices when your thighs tense each time his hand inches close to your clothed cunt, and it’s so slow– you guys have probably burned through two movies already but heeseung wants to take his time, see how long you can really resist him. 

you’re doing too well, and the space in his pants is beginning to tighten up the more you tense your thighs… he swears he can feel the heat radiate off your cunt, he knows you’re wet… you just have to be! by the third movie, he’s done playing around with you and grabs the remote out of your hand, “how ‘bout i give you something else to hold?”

“knew i could get you to cave- ah, shit!” heeseung cursed, hands on your waist as you bounce up and down on his cock. you whine, nails scratching his chest to leave marks that will definitely last for days. 

“i hate you!” you squeal at one particular thrust when he bucks his hips into you, the tip of his cock hitting your cervix. his eyes are focused on your entrance taking his length in, brows furrowed in concentration as he lets out a breathy chuckle. “heh, not enough or you wouldn’t be cumming on me right now.”

박종성 jay ᥫ᭡

he is such a good sport about it, honestly. he’s an amazing boyfriend, at that! he makes sure he avoids doing anything particularly sexy around you (but let’s be for real, anything he does is sexy). he encourages you and does his best to avoid any particular advances that you put on him during no nut november because he knows that once he reciprocates it, it’s over for you. so you do get a lot of no’s and don’t even think about it throughout the month… but he thinks you’ll thank him by the end of the month.

wrong. you’re extra bratty in particular today (november 27th), trying to tease him and tempt him when you rub your palm against his bulge during game night with the other members. he has a good poker face… for maybe ten minutes until he’s rock hard in his sweats underneath the blanket that you both are sharing. you’re stifling your giggles behind his back, occasionally popping in some commentary of the game so the members don’t get too suspicious on why you’re so quiet. 

old habits die hard, so how else is he supposed to act when you’re being bratty? 

“you only had three more days left, princess,” jay taunts in your ear, his hand on your back to bend you over the sink counter. you whine, but you shaking your ass tells him exactly what you wanted. “guess this slutty pussy just can’t live without me, huh?” 

you nod your head repeatedly, “mhm! can’t get enough- wan’ your cock now~” you moan when he slides down your bottoms, hand slapping your ass in the process. he’s a weak man for you, and honestly he’s been dying without your warmth around him for almost an entire month so he’s impatient as well.

jay reaches for your neck, lifting your head up towards him so that your back is arching. “could’ve just stayed a good girl and lasted the whole month,” he mutters into your shoulder as he slides himself in your tight entrance, both of you releasing a long sigh of relief.

심재윤 jake ᥫ᭡

okay… he definitely set himself up for failure when he proposed that you both do the nnn challenge together. he thought it would be soooo funny and easy! not even twenty four hours passed and he already regretted it, seeing you prance around in some cute shorts that leaves half your ass hanging out and a loose shirt that clearly shows your perky nipples. he really hates having a roommate that is as hot as you– maybe nnn wouldn’t be such a challenge then.

you’re determined to get your assignment done as you sit on the couch next to jake, typing away at your laptop while he merely scrolls through his phone, occasionally (every five seconds actually) staring at your tits through your t-shirt like he has x-ray vision. he clears his throat, mindlessly letting some random tiktok play as he begins to zone out, letting his mind think about him wrapping his lips around your pert nipples as he rubs you through your stupid excuse that you call a pair of shorts. 

“you’re hard.”  you comment after hearing the same tiktok play for over seven times. “it’s like you want to lose no nut november?” you tease before shifting your attention back to your laptop. jake clears his throat again, shifting in his seat when your words snap him out of his daze. “want to help me lose?”

“slutty girl- ah fuck- can’t say no to some dick, yeah?” jake muses as you choke down on his cock, saliva dripping out from the corner of your lips. you moan around him, your hand around his length tightening a bit at his words that causes him to curse underneath his breath. 

you go particularly deep, a small reward for him when his fingers inside you speed up. he has you on all fours on the couch, his long arm reaching your cunt as he scissors his fingers inside of you. if he’s going to lose, he’ll lose with you. “f-fuck, you’re so good ‘n so wet for me, huh?” he taunts, your juices squelching from his fingers and sloppy mouth working on his cock.

“oh, you cummin’ already? roomie… didn’t know you were this sensitive. so cute,” he hums, slowing his fingers down as he works you through your orgasm. but he’s talking as if he isn’t five seconds away from cumming down your throat.

박성훈 sunghoon ᥫ᭡

he thinks it’s cute you want to do the nnn challenge! but he also thinks it’s cute that you think you can resist him for an entire month. the exact opposite of jay– he makes it his personal mission to make you lose. he’s such a bad boyfriend, making you exceptionally horny, especially the first night after you tell him about your little goal to accomplish this challenge. he’s playing with you in bed, the hands on your waist not so discreetly creeping up to your chest. you have to physically detach his hands away from you so you don’t start acting up. 

the next morning is even worse– he’s stepping out of the shower and into your shared bedroom with only a towel that is barely hanging on his waistline. your mouth goes dry, your attention completely stolen away from your phone and onto sunghoon. “you sick bastard,” you curse under your breath, but it doesn’t go unheard by your sneaky boyfriend. “you could just… i dunno, lose right now,” he mumbles, going over to you as he nuzzles your neck. you’re doing much better than he thought when you push him away with a stern and determined look on your face. 

but in the end, he’s always right. and you give in like a child who’s offered some more playtime if they complete their homework. but he really didn’t expect you to give in when he’s doing something so basic, cooking dinner for you when you come back late from uni or work. but it gives him an ego boost either way. 

“can’t believe you got turned on from me cooking,” he snickers as he lifts his head up from in between your thighs. you roll your eyes, your grip on his hair tightening as you pull him back into your cunt. “i-it was the domestic-ness of it, okay? just shut up and make me lose already,” you pout. 

he groans, sliding his fingers inside of you with ease, thanks to his own work. “you already did… approximately one minute ago. but i guess i can make you lose twice,” he grins before he latches his mouth onto your sensitive bud.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

I Want It All: Part 1

Part 2, Part 3; AO3 Link

Astarion x AsexaulBard!Tav Masterlist

Astarion x Reader, Astarion x Tav, Astarion x Asexual!Reader, Astarion x Bard!Reader

Flirting, Light Angst, Longing

Summary: You and Astarion had been playing this little game of yours for a while; he pretends to care, you pretend not to fall for it. It's easy, even fun at times. The trouble is, what happens the moment you can't pretend anymore?

A/N: This turned into a monstrosity. For my own sanity I need to break it up into three parts. I also apologize in advanced, the stuff in the preview won’t pop up until part 2. And please, REBLOG AND COMMENT IF YOU LIKE THIS! I NEED VALIDATION TO LIVE!!!

Word Count: 4.8K

The day really couldn’t decide whether it was going to be terrible or tolerable. 

On the one hand, it had been pouring rain for hours, leaving you and your party drenched as you searched for some place dry to sleep. On the other hand, you were able to find an inn with more than enough rooms to accommodate all of you. On the other, other hand, rooms cost money, something that was in short supply. 

“How much does that make?” Karlach asked, placing her share into the pile. 

Gale counted out the coins. “Enough for our own rooms, but not much in the way of food.” His brow furrowed slightly. “Hold on, this can’t be right. Who forgot to pitch in?”

All eyes turned suspiciously to Astarion. 

He raised his hands in surrender. “I put down enough for the room. Food is something…you all have to deal with.”

Lae’zel gave him a hard look, the threat obvious on her features. 

“We could always share a room or two,” Shadowheart cut in. “That will at least hold us over until we can find a way to make more coin.”

A devilish smirk formed on the vampire’s lips as his eyes turned to you. “I’m not opposed to the idea. Certainly would make it easier for me to get a little midnight snack.” 

You gave a theatrical sigh. “Not tonight dear. I have a headache.” 

“Teasing minx.” 

“Can the pair of you not for ten seconds?” Wyll complained. 

You bit back a laugh, turning your gaze to the dining area of the tavern. Gods you could smell something delicious cooking over the fireplace. When was the last time you had a proper hot meal? 

It was then you turned your eyes to one of the empty corners. The solution to the issue of food suddenly became obvious. 

“Not to worry everyone,” you announced, swiping the coins from Gale’s hand. “Dinner is on me.” 

Before anyone could speak, you stepped towards the bar, making a point to put on your best smile. 

A elderly halfling woman regarded you as you approached. “What can I get you deary?”

“Actually it’s a matter of what I can do for you,” you said. “I see you have some instruments sitting much too idly.”

The old lady shrugged. “Not really. Night like this you don’t need music to bring people in.”

Your smile faltered a moment, but you pushed on. “That may be, but nothing keeps people drinking longer and deeper than a good song.”

She gave you a disparaging look. “Don’t tell me, bard right?”

“Guilty.”

“If you don’t have money for the rooms, we don’t comp that.”

You waved the comment away. “The rooms aren’t the issue. However, if you’re willing to part with a cauldron of stew, I’ll consider it payment enough.” 

Her eyes remained wary, but you knew you had her as a twitch came to her lips. “That’ll do.  Thirty minute set. You eat after.” 

She held out a hand which you took, striking the bargain. 

It didn’t take long after to secure the rooms. They were nothing fancy, but a mattress was a mattress and with the guarantee of true privacy for the first time in weeks, none of you were complaining. 

“How’s this about food then?” Karlach asked, taking a seat at one of the few tables large enough to accommodate all seven of you. 

“All taken care of,” you assured. “Just need to pluck out a quick set and we can eat.” 

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Astarion said. “I don’t mind it myself, but your songs have a tendency to be a bit, well…destructive. Frankly I’m surprised you didn’t use that cutting mouth of yours to simply insult the woman into feeding you.” 

“As it turns out, I have a little thing called restraint. Unlike some people,” you countered. 

“Oh trust me my dear, I’m well aware of that.” 

You rolled your eyes, deciding to ignore the slight twist of guilt in your stomach. 

He couldn’t seem to help making those kinds of jabs ever since you had declined his offer for a midnight tryst; always alluding to the theme of “untapped passions” or “delayed gratification”. It was starting to wear on you. 

Gods knew you liked him. He had so many qualities you admired; insight, intelligence, charm, the way he could make you laugh. The more you learned, the more you wanted to know and the more you were willing to give for answers. The trouble was his idea of a night of passion and yours were so very, very different.

A part of you knew the honest thing to do would be to spell it out for him.  You understood him well enough to know he’d respect those boundaries. At the same time, you didn’t want to lose this, whatever this was, between you. If suddenly that night of passion was off the table, all those moments, all his attentions would be lost. He’d be a friend, certainly, but nothing more. 

It was selfish. You knew it was. You couldn’t imagine finding the words to explain it to him. It would leave you too exposed, too vulnerable to that insistent burning want that had a way of tearing you apart from the inside out. It was better to leave him to his assumptions of suppression and prudishness. You’d keep your dignity at least. 

Pushing those thoughts away, you took your place in the unobtrusive corner and the spare violin waiting for you. 

A smile spread across your face as you tucked the familiar instrument under your chin. Since this whole adventure of yours began, you had little opportunity to apply your skills. Music had always been a source of comfort to you. It felt right to indulge in it now, some place safe and filled with warm firelight. 

With a flick of your wrist you began, the resonating tone of the strings filling the room. 

You allowed your eyes to close as you slipped into the melody. The sounds of conversation and laughter fell to an idle murmur. It was a simple tune, something easy to match the atmosphere, but one you loved all the same. You always found it best to start with something familiar. If the patrons could see you get lost in the music, they inevitably followed. 

As the first song came to an end, you chanced a quick glance at your audience. 

Most of the patrons still prattled on, but enough turned your direction to encourage you to try something a little more daring. 

Your fingers flew, igniting a livelier rhythm. More eyes found their way to you. A pleasant bubbling sensation filled you. They were falling right into your hands.  

Rising to your feet, you glided across the floor, moving with the music towards the center of the room. 

Patrons shuffled out of the way, transfixed by your performance. Even your companions had stopped their chatter. 

Karlach and Shadowheart’s faces lit up in delight. A smile touched the corner of Gale’s mouth. Even Lae’zel and Wyll looked on with admiration at your skills. As for Astarion…Astarion just stared. 

You couldn’t quite read what was going on behind those scarlet eyes. It was a look you had caught him wearing more than once, always blinked away before you could fully comprehend its meaning. All you knew was how it made that dangerous hope spark in your chest. 

He caught you looking and quickly morphed his expression to its familiar smirk. The bastard even had the audacity to wink. 

You rolled your eyes pretending not to have seen. It was all part of the game after all. He pretended to care, you pretended not to fall for it. 

A lute suddenly joined you from one of the corners, strumming its way into a new song. 

You turned as a cheer rose, encouraging the intrusive lutist forward. He was human by the look of him and certainly skilled in his own right. He took a moment to embellish your solo before taking over with one of his own. Soon enough you joined the conversation again with a counter melody. It wasn’t as clean as you would have liked it. The lad clearly had meant to upstage you, but you made sure to put him in line, allowing the impromptu duet to end in some kind of harmony. 

You transitioned easily to a new song as he took a seat, bowing to you as he did.

Remembering your showmanship, you made a point to bow in return, schooling your expression into a flirtatious grin before pulling away. That earned the man a round of cheers from his friends and a few obvious oohs from the crowd; exactly as you intended. 

You continued on with the remainder of your set. Requests were shouted from the audience, all the pieces of music moving to and from your fingers with practiced grace.  By the end of it, your arms were exhausted, but your face hurt from smiling. Gods you had missed this. 

As you took your bow, applause followed you back to your table as well as a handful of extra coin. 

“That was amazing!” Karlach said, beaming at you. “How’d you learn to play like that?”

“Years of practice,” you said, with pride. “Had to find an honest living somehow.”

“Well, it was beautifully done,” Gale added. “Maybe next time we make camp you could grace us with another performance. Provided we’re not all about to die of course.”

You shot him a grin. “I could be persuaded.” 

The wizard turned his gaze away, his lips turning into a knowing smirk. “You’ve been unnaturally quiet Astarion. Been bewitched have you?”

The vampire blinked as if coming out of deep thought. It was only in those last moments did you realize just how intently he had been looking in your direction.

“Yes,” he said, a little stiffly, “you were quite…good.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Be careful there. You wouldn’t want to overwhelm me with praise.”

He regarded you a moment before a sly smile turned at his lips. 

You were almost relieved. That look you understood at least. 

“If it’s praise you crave, you need only ask,” he purred. “You, my dear, are an unparalleled talent. Your beauty and grace alone should have brought you into the presence of kings. A true diamond in the rough.”

You snorted out a laugh.

“No good?” he continued. “How about this one; if I die tomorrow and the gods grant me mercy it will be your song that brings me into the beyond.”

You gave him a slow clap. “Brava.” 

He inclined his head in a little bow. “But seriously, you were good and you didn’t even destroy the furniture. Admittedly though, I wouldn’t have minded if he had met with a little accident.” 

You followed Astarion’s eye line to the lute player chatting with his friends. He perked up as he felt eyes on him. Without the distraction of playing, you could easily tell he was handsome in that sun kissed farmer’s son kind of way. Probably had most of the girls in the village swooning. 

He raised a tankard to you in toast.

You met the gesture in acknowledgment. 

“He wasn’t that bad,” you said, taking a sip of your drink.

“He was the worst part of your performance,” Astarion insisted. 

You knew he wasn’t wrong, but you couldn’t help but have your fun. 

“Oh my darling, don’t tell me you’re jealous,” you said, placing a hand over your heart.

“Certainly I am,” he said, clutching his own chest in turn. “He’s the only person I’ve seen you willing to make sweet music with. And judging from his looks, he would have much preferred it to be a private performance.” 

You didn’t bother looking over to the other table to see if he was telling the truth. It didn’t matter either way. It never did. Your answer was always the same. 

“He’ll have to keep waiting.” You shrugged. “Not my type.”

Astarion’s eyes narrowed slightly, leaning in closer. “And what exactly is?”

You didn’t answer, deciding instead to take a long sip of your ale.

He continued to eye you, his lips pursed as if trying to solve a puzzle. After a few moments he let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Fine, keep your secrets, but I will figure it out eventually.”

Your lip twitched up into a half smile. “You may certainly try.” 

It was then one of the staff brought out a truly enormous cauldron of the most delicious smelling stew you had smelled in your life. 

You didn’t think to wait as you greedily poured a ladle full into your empty bowl. Two full days on the road with nothing but a handful of nuts and berries to sustain you had taken its toll. The rest of the group soon followed, each taking their share. You ate yours so quickly that by the time the ladle had made the circle, you were grabbing for seconds.  

“Hungry are we?” Astarion observed. 

You paused mid bite, heat rising in your cheeks. You took a quick look at everyone else. Nobody seemed to have noticed how you inhaled your food. They were content enough in their own bowls and conversation. Carefully you swallowed before self consciously setting down the spoon in your hand.  

           “I am the one who worked for this,” you said, more defensively than you intended. 

Astarion regarded you with a raised eyebrow. “Even so, it’s not going to disappear the second you look away.” 

“Says you.” 

“Clever,” he said, dryly. “Devastating really. What’s next? Are you going to hit me with an “oh yeah” or Gods forbid a “your mother”?”

“I was actually leaning towards, “leave me to eat in peace you pompous jackass”.”

“Oh yes, that’s much better.”

You breathed out a frustrated sigh. Hopefully it would distract from your obvious embarrassment. You had thought you’d tucked those bad habits away. 

Years of living on your own had left you going to bed hungry more times than you cared to remember. There was a time food had disappeared from your plate if you didn’t eat it fast enough. Of course, things got better. You found music and people willing to listen. It gave you fire and shelter and a contented stomach on good nights. Still, there were the bad ones and old instincts took over. It took practice not to be as ravenous as you knew your nature to be. 

“Do I need to worry about your hunger?” you asked, deciding to change the subject. 

“Oh you of all people should know by now. I’m insatiable,” he crooned. 

Your eyes narrowed, unamused. “I’m being serious, when’s the last time you ate?”

He shrugged. “Few days. Last time I fed on you I imagine.” 

Your stomach gave a sudden guilt ridden twist. If that were the case, it had to have been at least three days ago. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because as much as the image of you swooning in my arms is appealing, I’d rather it be over my charms rather than blood loss.” He nodded his head towards the bowl. “From my own experience hunger and restraint don’t mix.” 

You tried to fight it. You really did. Years of instinct and reason told you not to fall for the softness in his eyes and voice. He simply didn’t want to explain a dead body to the rest of the party. It wasn’t out of some concern for your well being. And you absolutely could not allow yourself to believe he recognized the desperation in your actions and not pass judgment. If you believed that, you’d be in much more danger than you already were. 

“Excuse me deary,” an elderly voice asked. “I was wondering if I could have another moment of your time.”

You turned to see the barkeeper at your shoulder. 

“Oh,” you said, surprised. “Of course.” 

You moved to stand, but she gestured you down. It was then you noticed she was carrying a case. It was worn with age, but clearly lovingly maintained as the edges shone with intricate gold inlay. 

“I know you already paid for your meal,” she said. “But I was hoping I could ask for one more performance tonight.”

She opened the case to reveal the most beautiful violin you’d ever laid eyes on. The wood was a carefully polished chestnut interrupted with carvings which matched those on the case. The strings shone like gold and the pegs carved marble. You may not be a trained wizard, but could feel the magic pulsing from every square inch of it. 

“What is this?”

“It was my father’s,” the woman explained. “He was a bard you see, best in these parts from what people told. He had so many stories and songs. Built it himself to help tell them. Try as I might though, I could never get it to play as sweetly. I was hoping you might.”

You looked to your companions. The obvious curiosity played on all their faces. 

With a cautious hand, you plucked one of the strings. 

It was perfectly in tune. The sound echoed, rich and vibrant even with so light a touch. The instrument itself seemed to glow as if happy to be played once again.

Slowly, you lifted it from the case, taking the bow in hand. You placed it on the strings and with an exhale drew the first notes. 

It was the loveliest sound you’d ever heard.  

The vibrations resinated in your fingers, moving through your arm and into your chest. 

You decided to start simple, a handful of scales to get the intonations just right. 

Color danced across the strings, rippling from your fingers like raindrops in a pond. 

“Woah,” Karlach said, her eyes widening in awe. “Are you doing that?”

“No,” you said, pausing your motions, as you let it fall slack in your hands. 

The elderly halfing smiled. “My father always said an artist puts their truth into every stroke of the bow. This here helps one’s heart shine. I saw the way you performed earlier, you’re not afraid to play what’s true.”

Color rose in your cheeks, unsure how to take such praise. “Thank you.”

She just smiled, nodding towards the instrument. “Keep playing. See what happens.”

You were suddenly aware of the rest of the party’s eyes turning expectantly towards you. Some with caution, some with anticipation, and one pair of red eyes with unreadable intentions. 

Knowing there was no way you were getting out of this now, you rose from your seat, placing the violin securely beneath your chin. 

You started slow, picking a tune every beginner memorized in their first lessons. 

The music sparkled in front of your eyes, twirling outward in melodic waves.

The hum of conversation began to die down as you spotted the barkeeper beckon for silence. 

You continued on, moving to something a little more complex, allowing yourself to let the rest of the room blur in the peripheries. 

The sound of boots on cobblestones met your ears. Glancing down you saw stone where hardwood floors had been. 

You took another step. 

The stones followed. 

Around you the room fluctuated between firelight and the brightness of morning. Looking up you could see a clear sky had replaced the hatched ceiling. 

A smile spread across your face as you stepped away from your bench. 

As if waiting for your queue the rest of the bar quickly moved tables and chairs out of the way, clearing the center floor. 

The sun followed as the cobblestones spread out in front of you like a stream. With every flourish, finer details were added. You changed the direction allowing a building to form beside you, then another and another. Images of people faded in and out like memories, coming and going with the flow of the music. 

You never felt anything like this before. The strings sang inside you, drawing out a melody you knew was there, but had always managed to slip from your grasp. 

You surrendered to its current, following it deeper and deeper until all you could see, all you could touch was the music. 

Behind your eyes the streets began to turn and change. Buildings loomed large overhead. You could hardly see the stars. A cold swept through your clothes, the chords of the melody vibrating with the shivers in your hands. The world was so much bigger and you were so much smaller. 

No instrument laid in your hands, but still the music played on as if you had slipped into a dream. 

You continued to walk unsure of where your feet were carrying you until something warm pressed against your back. Light reflected behind you, casting long shadows on the ground. A melody played, soft and soothing against your own. You turned towards it as the voices of long forgotten conversation and laughter accompanied the strings of a quartet.

Your chords and theirs brushed up against each other, a new light shining in the darkness, but just as soon as it began, it moved away, leaving you on your own once again. 

You continued on, brushing against others. Sparks would fly, fire would ignite only for them it fade in front of your eyes. 

Your own melody grew more desperate, moving and shaping itself to match whoever you found next only just able to cling onto the barest sense of itself. 

An ache grew in your chest as you wandered, always searching, never finding. Something warm trailed down your cheeks. You let it flow, unable to stop. You wouldn’t end the story here, even as swirls of blues and blacks surrounded you. They wrapped around your body, filling your vision and squeezing tight around you until you felt the air being pushed out of your lungs. There was nothing else.  Even the music had gone dead. 

For what felt like a moment and eternity you sat there, alone in the dark. 

A voice came to you then, but it didn’t come from the instrument tucked somewhere under your chin.  No melody accompanied it. It was so far away. Something about it was so familiar. It spoke your name like a desperate prayer. You reached out for it.

The air itself moved around you as if you had plucked the very strings of the universe. 

A low hum came next bringing with it two pin pricks of light. A red fire glowed in the darkened space, growing until they sat as two eyes burning in the air. 

You cocked your head to the side. Your own song started again, cautious as it curled around the eyes, examining them from different angles. 

The eyes crinkled at the edges, amused by your persistence. 

With a blur of motion, it turned to the side allowing a profile to form and beginning an enticing melody of its own. 

You and the face took turns, calling and answering in playful antagonism. 

The lines of light continued downward as its counter melody grew in strength against your own, forming the outline of a man.

He stepped towards you, his own head turning to the side as yours had done before, examining you from every angle. 

After a moment, he bowed. You curtseyed. And then you did what only felt natural. You danced.

The heat of his touch burned your skin, but you didn’t dare pull away. You had been cold for so long you hadn’t even known you were cold. Even when it became too much, the fear of the darkness kept you in his light. 

The man in turn held you close, his song teasing against your own. So unlike the duet from before, this was a true conversation, the pair of you giving and taking in equal measure. You didn’t want it to stop, holding the feeling tighter and tighter until you felt the pulse of his fire inside you. 

You looked up to find the embers of his eyes pouring into you.  He moved your hand to his chest. A heart pumped beneath and you knew then it wasn’t his own. Just as you had taken from him, he had taken from you in equal measure. 

His face came into focus, forming a familiar knowing smirk and playful scarlet eyes.

He stepped back from you, his hand holding yours as he bowed, placing a kiss on the back of your hand. 

The song faded away and you were once again in your own body, a violin tucked carefully beneath your chin. 

You blinked your eyes open to find the tavern standing as it had been moments ago.  Patrons surrounded you, their eyes wide and mouths open. You glanced around the room, quickly finding your companions. Horror struck you as you read their expression. 

They’d seen it. All of it. 

Before you could register what was happening a wave of applause erupted from the crowd. People began to cheer. You heard awed whoops and hollers. The adoration was overwhelming and completely miss timed. You needed to lie down. You needed to think. 

Numbly you bowed before making your way to the side of the room where the barkeeper stood. 

You held the instrument out to her, unable to look her directly in the eye. 

“Thank you for letting me play this,” you said. 

To your surprise she didn’t take it, instead pushing your hands away with a shake of her head. 

“Keep it love,” she said. “After seeing all that, feels wrong to take it away from you. You’ve more than earned the right to it.”

You wanted to argue. You wanted to scream. You wanted to curse her for ever asking you to touch the damned thing. Somehow you managed to swallow all of that down, mumbling another thank you before slowly turning towards your party. 

There was still a chance to salvage this. Astarion hadn’t seen his own reflection in centuries. He didn’t know what he looked like. You could play this whole thing up to artistic license. You just carried a general feeling of desperate longing. No need for you to clarify its direction. 

Making a point to keep your head down, you put the violin away and slid it over to Gale. 

“Feel free to eat this one if you want,” you said. It was meant to be a joke, but even you could feel it fall flat. 

“I don’t think I can do that,” Gale said, his tone holding nothing but sympathy. 

“It really was lovely,” Wyll said, gently. 

“Beautiful really,” Shadowheart added. 

Your jaw tightened, caught between the urge to scream or weep. Why couldn’t everybody do you the favor of the lifetime and forget they saw anything. 

“Personally I don’t understand your choice in the spawn, but–” Lae’zel started only to be hit hard in the arm by Karlach.

“What?” she snapped. 

Your whole body cringed, knowing exactly what was coming next. 

“That was…me?” 

You were in hell. This was hell. You didn’t have to look up to see Astarion’s self satisfied expression. His tone made it clear enough.

In a flash you stepped back from the table, putting as much distance between you and the party as possible. 

“I need to go,” you managed. “Goodnight.” 

You sprinted out of the tavern, taking two steps of the time to the upper rooms. You didn’t stop until your door was firmly slapped behind you. 

Your breaths came hard as your heart pounded in your chest. Honestly you didn’t know how you locked the door. Your hands were shaking so badly as tears blurred your vision. All the emotions the violin had pulled from you returned, overwhelming you in their intensity. 

The instrument had done as advertised. It had shown the truth of your heart, putting it on display for the whole world to see. Gods you were an idiot. Why did you even pick up that damned thing? 

You kept your ears open, listening as everyone made their way to their rooms. Their murmurs never made it past the walls, but the way they paused as they passed your door made it clear enough they were discussing you. Thankfully they were kind enough to leave you be. 

Counting, you waited until all six doors shut before rising to your feet. 

As you did, you felt a small pull at the back of your mind. A vision of a door number and the feeling of anticipation sat on your tongue. The invitation was clear enough; Astarion was waiting for you. 

You wanted to ignore it, but you knew you couldn’t. There was no use in pretending any longer. The game was over and you would have to face the consequences.

With a steeling breath, you walked out the door. You could only hope Astarion wouldn’t hate you when it was all over.

[watchmegetobsessed]

hi babe, how are you? i hope you're fine❤️. idk if you are accepting requests but i really would like to make one. I've been thinking about this a lot and, as I've been following and admiring your stories for a few years, I wanted it to come from you. You could do an imagine where Harry falls in love with a woman who has a very young daughter, around 5 years old. It took him a few months to meet her because Y/N knew that the little girl hadn't yet accepted her parents' breakup and that's why the last two attempts at dating had gone wrong, she had already given up trying until she met Harry. So he tries to win the little girl over from the beginning because he really likes Y/N and won't give up on her so easily. thank you in advance❤️

A/N: i haven't taken any requests in a long while, but i wanted to write something short but sweet so here we are!

WORD COUNT: 1.2k

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

Sitting on the bottom of the stairs Harry can still hear Y/N’s soft murmur coming from Evie’s room, the bedtime story has been going on for over twenty minutes now, but he doesn’t mind the waiting. If it takes hours, he will still be here, waiting for Y/N to return and even if she asks him to leave, it would still be worth it, just to kiss her goodbye and head home. Any minute he gets to spend with her is worth the wait. 

Tonight has been special, something he’s been looking forward to since their second date when she told him she has a daughter. He still remembers how hesitant and closed-off he seemed when she talked about Evie, because she was scared of his reaction, that he would think of her differently just because she is a mother. 

But it didn’t change a thing. He just realized he had even more respect for her. 

It’s been three months since that conversation and he waited patiently for her to offer him to meet Evie, he wanted it to happen on her terms. Tonight was that time finally. 

He came over to her place and they baked cookies together and watched Frozen, Evie’s favorite movie. Harry came prepared, he brought her a gift and tried his best to win the little girl over, which happened quite fast. 

Or at least the moment he started singing Let It Go with her. 

Y/N has told him about her last two attempts at dating, it took her quite some time to build up the courage to meet new people after his divorce and it was especially hard for her, because Evie was just two at that time. She dated two guys, both of them turned her down because they couldn’t deal with her being a single mother. One of them didn’t even have the gut to tell her straight to her face, he just ghosted her. 

It angers Harry so much that she was treated this way, because she deserves the world. But at least now he gets to be the person to give her it all. 

He hears the door to Evie’s room open and close softly and a moment later she sits beside him on the stairs. Instantly, his arm comes around her figure, tugging her to his side. 

“Sorry it took so long.”

“Don’t apologize.” He places a kiss to the top of her head and his heart skips a beat when she snuggles even closer to him. 

They sit in comfortable silence and Harry knows she is probably overthinking everything that happened tonight, not in the right way.

“Evie is amazing,” he says.

“You think so?”

“Yes. Absolutely. Thank you for letting me get to know her.”

She lifts her head and looks him in the eyes, that’s when he sees the tears in hers. 

“So it’s not too much?” He takes her face in his hands and then kisses her gently.

“Nothing about you will ever be too much, Y/N.”

She sighs in relief, as if she’s been carrying a weight all along that’s been lifted off her shoulders. 

“Do you want to… stay the night?” she whispers against his lips. 

“I would love to.”

“Even if Evie will barge into my room around six in the morning probably?”

“Now I want to stay even more,” he chuckles lightly. 

***

Y/N wakes slowly and lazily, turning from one side to the other, her hand reaching out on the bed, looking for Harry, but she finds nothing, but the pillow he slept on. His absence wakes her more abruptly, searching for him with her eyes, but she sees no sight of him in the room. With a hammering heart she sits up and holds the sheets to her chest as her thoughts start racing, thinking about Harry sneaking out sometime in the middle of the night. 

Her throat starts to close up as she spirals into the thought of another failed dating attempt, but this one hurts so much more than the previous ones, she trusted him… she loved him… yet he left her. 

Then she hears Evie’s laughter, coming from downstairs. And another voice. 

Harry’s. 

She jumps out of bed and puts on her robe before rushing downstairs, finding her little girl in the kitchen with none other than Harry making… pancakes?

“Mommy!” Evie cheers when she sees her, jumping off the stool she uses to reach the counter. She runs up to Y/N and hugs her tightly.

“Hi Honey, what’s going on?” she asks, but the question is addressed more to Harry rather than to Evie.

“We’re making pancakes!” she answers with excitement. 

“I hope it’s okay,” Harry adds shyly, holding the spatula in his hand. “She came into the bedroom, but you didn’t wake up so I thought… I could let you rest a bit more while we make breakfast.”

It’s such a small gesture, but it’s been quite long since the last time someone did something for her. Being a single parent means doing everything herself and to be honest, her ex-husband wasn’t much of a help around the house in the last year or so in their marriage. 

This was Harry’s first time staying over and he already feels like part of their household. 

As Evie climbs back onto the stool and starts stirring the pancake mixture Y/N can’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around Harry’s waist and kissing him. 

“It’s… more than okay. It’s everything,” she whispers against his lips before stealing another quick kiss. 

They finish making breakfast and then eat together. Then Y/N sends Evie to the bathroom to clean herself up while she and Harry clean the table. 

“Listen, I don’t want you to feel like you have to–” she starts, but she is cut off quickly.

“Like I have to do all these extra things for you and Evie?” Harry asks with a tiny smirk as they start loading the washer. “First of all, I did nothing extra. This is pretty much the bare minimum, caring for others, sharing the tasks. This is what partners do.” She lets out an airy chuckle before he continues. “Second… I would do anything for you. And Evie as well. I know I just met her, but…” Taking a deep breath he straightens up and waits for Y/N to do the same. “I love you. Everything about you and everything that’s part of you and Evie is part of you. She is wonderful and I know you’re afraid I might see her as a burden which comes from your experiences with assholes, but it’s not happening with me. Alright?”

“You promise?” she asks in a whisper, tears dwelling in her eyes. He steps closer to her, taking her face between his palms. 

“Promise,” he answers and kisses her softly.

“By the way, I love you too,” she says with a small chuckle. “Yeah, I heard your L bomb.”

“I did drop the L bomb, yeah,” he grins and just when he is about to go in for another kiss Evie runs out to them.

“I’m done! What are we doing today? Harry, are you staying?” 

“Well, do you want me to stay?” he asks, smiling down at her.

“Yes!”

“Then,” he starts, turning his gaze back at Y/N. “Yes. I’m staying.”

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[diejager]

How would each of the monster 141 react if hunter were like- straight up killed in front of them. Like no wiggle room “oh they might be alive and just unconscious” but just straight up dead. Sorry I am a sucker for angst and I feel like this would be a fantastic read considering how bonded and feral they all are to protect hunter. Thanks in advance! Love the blog! Keep it up 👍

Are you trying to get me killed? Do you want me to have a heartattack?

End of the line Cw: death, suicidal thoughts, angst, mention of suicide, blood, injury, tell me if I missed any.

It had been a mistake, a costly one, but still a mistake. In that moment, everything had lost its point, the mission, the goal, the enemy and the celebration were pointless, forgettable. Time slowed, lagging behind in minutes when the shot rang out, booming in your restless minds until all they could hear was a loud thump, a body slumping down.

It was a rookie mistake made by their eagerness to return home, bodies bruised from the last deployment and still sore, skin painted in black and purple, but you pushed on, being sent from one end of the planet to the other. They were hanging on a thin thread of perseverance and training, practiced to live on perpetual soreness and exhaustion.

But that didn’t ease the pain, the open wound in their hearts. They watched you slump over, blood pooling from the wound in your chest —shot center mass. They dropped everything, Rudy rushing to turn you over, hands shaky and eyes blurry, he choked down a sob and a tear slid down his cheek. You were unresponsive, eyes glazed and dull, the light that they all loved gone in a breath. You upper torso bled, a bullet pierced through your kevlar vest, the bullet’s calibre higher than anything they expected.

Ghost joined Rudy, desperate to see if there were a chance to resuscitate you, to bring you back to them. His hands were frantic, tremors wracking his whole body as he loomed forward, trying to find a pulse, hand pressing against your still warm throat. He felt his fears surging forward, the dark voice at the back of his mind grinding out words, terrors that followed him at every step. It was like the last Christmas, when Tommy and Beth died, when Joseph and his mom were shot, when the people he cared for were killed.

Ghost felt his voice leave him, croaky and dying, it made him unable to utter a single word, and so was Rudy, mind blank. So Alejandro was the one to tell the verdict, but they hadn’t needed him to tell them to know. Soap, König and Horangi heard your heart stop, the powerful muscle in your chest explode from the bullet and grow silent. The pain clawed at their hearts, the overbearing weight on their chest made their retreat harder.

However much Price wanted to cry, to fall to his knees as cradle your body against his chest, he was the TF’s leader, he had to bring the rest of them back home. He ordered Gaz back from his perch for the sniper after he dealt with it, Gaz’s advanced sight catching the glint of the scope. Holding the title of a Task Force’s captain meant a lot, it placed a certain amount of responsibility on his shoulder and he couldn’t let his men down. Price could let a few tears slip, but he had to hold it in until he had a moment to himself in the silence of his office.

Gaz was silent during and afterwards, watching your limp body being carried in König’s arms until you reached the aircraft piloted by Nikolai who shared an equally heartbroken and saddened expression as them. His voice died with you, unable to voice his mind or his sorrows, confining himself to his room in silence. Although he lost himself, he had the others to bring him back like you did when Ghost wandered too deeply into his mind, bringing back up memories.

Soap did what he knew best, throwing himself into the fray, overworking himself with solo mission and spearheading other joint work. He almost worked himself to the bone until Horangi pulled him back, scuffing him and beating your wishes into his mind, telling him that you wouldn’t want them to break away like this, to wither away as if they were never here.

Despite helping Soap, Horangi suffered the same as the werewolf did, silently crying himself to sleep, fingers clawing at his head in desperation to quiet down the loud screeches in his mind, degrading words thrown at himself for failing you. He knew you didn’t want him to hate himself, but how could he quell the bleeding wound in his heart when you weren’t here to ease the pain away? The memory of you did.

Alejandro tried his best, acting and trying to feel better until it ultimately failed, he wasn’t in the right place to see you nor talk about you to others, murmuring your name when he slept and woke up with a start. He wasn’t as lost as Ghost was, didn’t shut the world around him down and closed in on himself, but he was following closely behind if he didn’t have the Task Force.

Rudy was the most human out of them, he felt more strongly but couldn’t cry. His mind was blank, the beat in his chest loud and erratic, yet his mind was silent, a ground of deathly quiet. He couldn’t do anything, work became hard, waking up exhausting, and taking care of himself harrowingly difficult. You’d scold him if you saw how he was behaving, how little care he had for himself —to near hunger and insanity. He hung onto your words, your confession, the three words you gave them as a parting gift, that’s what forced him out of his shell.

While the rest worked through their pain, to reach a stalemate together, none fell as hard as Ghost and König, both having a difficult childhood and a harder time following their enlistment. The lost themselves easily, becoming much more violent and deranged in their kills, ripping men in half and swallowing them whole, leaving all but a puddle of blood behind. The only thing that stopped them from ending their pain, to reaching out towards the knife that hung on the side of their thighs were your words, the handwritten words on your will and a message for everyone.

You wanted them to live, to be happy without you being there and that you’d be waiting for them on the other side until eternity. You were patient after all. At least a part of you hung from their necks, your ashes shared between the eight men and your items spread equally.

“I love you.”

Tag list: @craxy-person @crowbird @dead-cipher @iwannabealocalcryptid @iizx7y @mxtokko @yeetusspagheetus @capricorn-anon @perfectus-in-morte @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @tallmanlover @distracteddragoness @vxnilla-hxrddrugs @konigsblog @havoc973 @angelcakes-22 @cassiecasluciluce @ramadiiiisme @ramblingsofachaoticthinker @ki-cant-spel

[redrose10]

Here is #6 from the photo game!

Warnings: Swearing, hints of cheating, anxiety, depression

A relaxing weekend spent at a cabin with your boyfriend sounded like an amazing idea at the time. No distractions, no work, just you and Yoongi spending a few days together. The fall time was the busiest time of the year thanks to the leaves changing and the brisk air making cuddling by the fireplace more desirable. To make sure you got the reservation and to get the best deal you booked the cabin six months in advance.

Then life happened and you and Yoongi got in an argument. It wasn’t anything new. You two had been together for four years and had arguments every now and then like any couple. You could tell something was different this time though. He seemed angrier, less willing to communicate and more closed off. You walked into the bedroom to give each other some space expecting to work things out later. Ten minutes went by and Yoongi walked in with red eyes and his cheeks soaked with tears.

“I’m sorry Y/N, I can’t do this any more.”, he whispered before shoving some of his clothes in a bag and running out the door. That was two months ago and you haven’t spoken since.

“Y/N you should go on the trip. Take a relaxing weekend for yourself. You deserve it.”, your best friend said over dinner.

The romantic trip you had planned with Yoongi was coming up. After all that happened you had forgotten to cancel it before the required date and now it was too late. The trip was non-refundable at this point. You thought about just loosing out but it was a lot of money.

“I don’t know. I wish you were available to go with me. Isn’t it kind of weird to go alone? Yoongi also helped pay so I don’t really think it’s fair for only me to go and even worse what if he shows up?”, you questioned.

“Y/N first off you paid for half the trip too so it’s just as much yours as it is his. Secondly I really doubt he even remembers it’s coming up. He looks pretty busy right now anyways.”

You followed her line of sight until your stomach dropped at what you saw. While you were barely able to function the last couple months Yoongi appeared to happily be on a date with another woman across the restaurant like he had moved on with no issue.

“How could he move on from me so fast?”, you asked rhetorically.

Your friend shrugged, “Maybe he’s known her for a while. He could’ve been cheating on you for all we know.”

“No he wouldn’t have done that to me. He wouldn’t have cheated.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”, she said pointing over in Yoongi’s direction. The woman he was with had turned around to grab her bag and you gasped, “Nari?”

You bit your lip trying not to cry. Nari was a producer that worked for the same company as Yoongi. She made you feel really insecure from the moment you met her. She was beautiful and smart and funny and worked as a producer just like Yoongi so they had a lot in common. You were suspicious from the first time you met her. It definitely crossed your mind a few times that maybe he liked her more than he lead on. He assured you over and over that she was nothing more than a coworker though and that you had absolutely nothing to worry about. You believed him. And now here he was staring into her eyes just two short months after breaking your heart into a million pieces. You started to wonder if maybe he really had been cheating on you that whole time. Your sadness and hurt began to change to anger the more you pondered that.

Suddenly you stood up grabbing your things. “Where are you going?”, your friend questioned confused.

“Home. I’ve got a trip to pack for.”, you gritted through your teeth.

The drive up the mountain to your cabin was a little scarier than you expected. You took your bag out of the back seat and entered in the code that the rental company had given you to gain access to the front door.

The cabin was adorable and you were really happy with your choice. It was tiny but enough for two people and more than enough for just one. The bedroom and the bathroom were at the back of the cabin and after your long stressful drive you wanted nothing more than to take a hot shower and lay in bed and relax for a while before dinner.

You were drying your hair after your shower when you heard the front door open and shut followed by some jingling keys. Immediately you went into panic mode. You were alone in a cabin in the middle of the mountains. You couldn’t run anywhere and no one would hear you scream. You grabbed the fire poker from the bedroom fire place to use as a weapon and then slowly tiptoed down the hall ready to fight whomever was entering the cabin.

“What are you doing here?”, a deep familiar voice asked before you could speak. “Me?! What are you doing here?”, you spat back at Yoongi who was glaring at you.

For a brief moment you were a little relieved to see him and not a serial killer ready to claim their next victim but that relief was quickly replaced with anger.

“Seriously Yoongi, why are you here?”

Suddenly it hit you, what if he was here with Nari? Like what if he brought her here to enjoy the romantic couples trip you had planned for the two of you. You felt sick at the thought.

“I paid for half of this trip too. I need some time alone so I can work and get some stuff done.”

“What too many “distractions” at home?”, you rolled your eyes immediately thinking about him and another woman.

“Yeah actually there are. Not that it’s any of your business.”, he clapped back.

That hurt and your angry confidence faltered. Your lip began to quiver. You knew you needed to get away from him before he could see you cry.

“Fine. Do what you want. I’ll be in the bedroom.”, you said storming off and slamming the door shut behind you.

When you woke up the room was completely dark. The curtains were still open and it was clearly the middle of the night. You didn’t mean to cry yourself to sleep but you must’ve been more exhausted than you thought.

You were stretching out on the bed when your stomach started to rumble reminding you that you hadn’t eaten since the morning. Slowly cracking open the bedroom door you were met with silent darkness. Maybe you got lucky and Yoongi decided to go back home. That would be ideal you thought.

You tiptoed down the hall only to be met with the sound of soft snores coming from the couch. You peaked over finding Yoongi sound asleep all wrapped up in a blanket. He looked so cuddly and warm and you missed falling asleep with his arms wrapped around you.

Thankfully your stomach grumbled again getting you back on the right track. Yoongi was not yours to cuddle any more anyways.

The kitchen was small but livable. As quietly as possible you poked around hoping to find something you could quickly turn into a meal. Unfortunately thanks to the events earlier you didn’t even think to go to the grocery store to stock up so the kitchen was bare. You chugged a large glass of water hoping it would hold you over a few more hours until you could go get breakfast somewhere.

You turned to rinse out your glass when you saw a note sitting on the counter. The handwriting familiar,

“Pizza in the fridge. Promise I didn’t poison it. Just didn’t want to wake you. -Yoongi.”

You wanted to cry. You wanted to be angry. You wanted to run into the living room and hug him. But instead you chose to just take a slice of pizza, conveniently with your favorite toppings which only made you want to cry more, and headed back to your room to hideout until the morning.

Somehow you managed to doze off again for another few hours. The bright sun shining through the crack in your curtains waking you up this time. You got ready for the day, putting a little more effort into your appearance than you had for the last couple months. You kept telling yourself it had absolutely nothing to do with Yoongi.

The kitchen was filled with the scent of pepperoni and garlic. Just as you walked in Yoongi was pulling what was left of the pizza out of the oven.

“This will have to do for breakfast. We’ll have to go into town and get some groceries.”, he said when he noticed you.

“Oh if you want to make a list I can just go. You said you had a lot of work to do.”, you replied wanting to avoid having to spend so much time with him.

But he shook his head, “It rained quite a bit last night. The roads might be rough. We’ll go together.”

You knew there was no use in arguing with him and maybe a small part of your heart warmed up at the thought that he still worried about you like that.

“Okay. We can leave after breakfast.”, you nodded.

The drive into town was silent and uneventful. The little town was cute to say the least. You even took note of the realty company there because you wouldn’t mind moving there some day.

At the grocery store you both quickly gathered what you needed. Mostly snacks since you were only there for one more night. You grabbed some fruit and a giant tub of ice cream. Yoongi grabbed a six pack and some instant noodles.

He surprised you when he suggested you both stop for lunch. You really wanted to say no but he was driving so you didn’t have much of choice anyways. You ended up at a quaint little cafe. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming even though the tension between you and Yoongi was ice cold.

You were sat on the back patio over looking the beautiful fall foliage. Several outdoor fire pits provided more than enough warmth.

“So how have you been?”, Yoongi awkwardly asked.

“Fine I guess. Not as good as you apparently.”, you replied harsher than you meant to.

“What is that supposed to mean?”, he asked confused.

You went to apologize but were interrupted.

“Alright did you two decide what you’re having today?”, the waiter Jin asked.

“Uh yeah just the classic burger for me.”, Yoongi replied.

“The harvest soup please.”, you said handing him your menu.

After he walked away the tension between you both was thicker than before.

You realized that Yoongi had been kind through the whole trip. Saving pizza for you, sleeping on the couch without argument so you could have the bed, heating up breakfast, taking you into town and paying for the groceries, now taking you to a nice cafe and trying to have a civil conversation. You realized you had been the one making things difficult.

“Hey Yoongi I’m sorry about what I sa-“, you began but his phone started ringing. He took it out of his pocket and you felt your blood boil when you saw the contact name flashing on the screen, Nari.

“Sorry Y/N. I have to take this.”, he said walking away from the table.

“Of course.”, you scoffed thankful that you didn’t fully apologize yet.

Feeling anxious and not wanting to just sit there any more you walked over to the balcony so you could look out over the property.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?”, a guy said next to you. He pointed out to the field after noticing your confusion, “The trees.”

“Oh yeah. They’re gorgeous.”, you chuckled.

“They’re tulip trees. They’re even more beautiful when they bloom in the spring.”, he said, “I’m Namjoon by the way.”

He smiled flashing you the prettiest dimples you’d ever seen.

“Y/N”, you said, “Maybe I’ll have to come back in the spring to see them in bloom. That sounds quite nice actually.”

“Oh you’re not a local?”, he asked, “You know… if you want I could show you around the town a little.”

“I’d like that, but I’m just here on a little weekend trip. I leave tomorrow.”

“Oh Uhh are you here on a trip with your boyfriend?”

Your brows furrowed, “What? No I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Namjoon awkwardly chuckled, “Well um does that guy know that because he’s currently staring at us like he wants to kill me?”

You looked where he was pointing to see Yoongi standing there. His hands in his pockets while he ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. And he was in fact staring daggers at you. You knew just from that look that he was furious.

“Don’t worry. He’s just a complicated friend thing person….”, you cringed.

“Okay well if you want to give me call I’d be happy to show you around. Maybe don’t bring your friend thing though.”, he laughed handing you his number.

You walked back to the table just as Jin dropped off your meals. You both ate in silence and that carried over to the drive back to the cabin too.

Once the groceries were unloaded Yoongi grabbed his headphones and laptop and went out to the back deck without a word.

You stood and watched him work for a while. The Yoongi that you knew all these years would never just give you the silent treatment. He discussed what was bothering him so that you could work together to solve it.

He answered another phone call. You figured it was Nari again so you walked away to give him some privacy.

You had just finished plating up dinner when Yoongi came walking back inside. He eyed the food and then you. “We didn’t have much to make a big meal but I put together what I could.”, you said shifting awkwardly under his gaze.

“Not hungry.”, he scoffed before turning to walk back outside.

“Seriously Yoongi, what the fuck is your problem?”

He stopped and turned to look at you, “I don’t have a problem. Why don’t you go out and have a nice dinner with your little friend you met earlier.”

You hated that you could feel tears already begin to form, “You’re one to talk.”

With three long strides he was right in front of you giving you somewhat of a startle, “Me? I haven’t done anything other than be a heartbroken mess these last two months without you but the minute a cute guy flirts with you then you’re practically trying to fuck him right there.”

You stared at him in disbelief. Your heart rate was skyrocketing. From his pocket you could hear his phone ringing again and it all came back to you.

“At least I waited until you broke up with me. You are the asshole who was cheating on me the whole time.”, you whispered as the realization of your words hit you. Tears began freely falling as you turned and ran back into the bedroom closing the door behind you.

You never expected that this trip would be filled with so much crying and hurt. It was supposed to be relaxing and fun.

You waited a while until you had calmed down and then decided you weren’t spending another night in the same cabin with Yoongi so you grabbed your bag and packed up your clothes. You did a double check making sure you had everything and with your car keys in hand you pulled open the bedroom door only to hear a loud thud followed by a groan.

Quickly you found the hall light switch flipping it on only to find a very buzzed Yoongi rolling around on the floor. The six pack he had gotten at the store now empty and tossed around him.

“Y/N please don’t leave. I need you.”, he slurred.

You looked over his face. He looked just as bad as you did if not worse. Clearly he had been crying. His nose was bright red and his eyes still teary.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”, you sighed while helping him up thankful you talked him out of the twelve pack.

Worried that he would roll off the couch you decided to let him have the bed. You were leaving anyways so it didn’t matter. Once he was all tucked in you tried once again to leave but he grabbed your wrist, “Y/N you can’t leave. I already lost you once and I can’t…I can’t do it again.”

He started to cry. You started to cry. You agreed to stay.

When you woke up the next morning Yoongi was already staring at you.

“I never cheated on you with Nari. I know that’s what you think happened.”, he said getting right to the point like the Yoongi you knew.

You stared at him in silence. Your throat was sore and your head hurt from all the crying.

He took a deep breath before continuing, “Y/N, I broke up with you because that’s what I thought was best for you. Just it’s just that the last couple months I felt like I was drowning. Work was piling up, I was spending less and less time with you. My mental and physical health were deteriorating. I saw how worried you were about me. I saw how sad you were. How tired you were. All because of me. And then I had a realization that I didn’t bring anything positive to our relationship. So when we got into that fight I saw it as my way to get you out of this. To free you from me.”

He paused for a second. He used his thumb to wipe away some of your tears that you hadn’t even realized were there again.

“But after we broke up I realized how much you held me together. I couldn’t function without you but every time I’d pick up my phone to call you or every time I’d stand outside your door ready to knock I would remind myself that this was what’s best for you. You wouldn’t be able to live your life if I was there dragging you down. But I’ve been a complete mess since that night. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. My work was slipping so bad and that’s why I had that dinner with Nari. The one you saw me at. She’s a head producer now and technically my boss. She told me that if I didn’t get my shit together that they would have to terminate my contract. That’s why she keeps calling me, to check in and see how my progress is coming along. And I’m sorry about what I said about you and that guy. If you want to go out with him it’s none of my business. I’ll work through my feelings alone.”

You sat for a moment trying to process everything that you just heard because you had no idea that he was feeling that way.

“Yoongi I’m sorry that you felt like that but you don’t get to make that decision for me. I would go to hell and back for you and with you. Part of being in a relationship is being there through not only the good times but the difficult ones too.”

After you heard sniffles coming from next to you, you noticed that he was crying. You pulled him into your lap which he happily allowed wrapping his arms around you and pulling himself as flush against you as he could. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your next to soothe himself.

“I’m so sorry Y/N. I never meant to hurt you. I actually wanted was trying to do the opposite.”, he spoke through sobs.

“Shhh shhh I know. We can talk more about it later.”

And you did have a long discussion about all of the events that lead up to that moment. It was much needed and helped you both to open up and put all of your feelings out there.

You agreed to take things slow but you spent the rest of the day happily wrapped in each others arms by the fireplace just like you had originally planned .

[zaceouiswriting]

Fairy Prince - Hearts of Leviathans - Ch.34

Character: Sky x male reader, Riven x male reader, Brandon x male reader

Universe: Somewhere in Winx Club/Saga

Warnings: Non-consensual advances

(Please welcome our beloved, golden retriever-like, loyal, maybe a little possessive guy, Brandon…I mean…Sky.)

When we finally get to the house, I ask the soldiers to let us down again. Although my new friend's knees were still pretty wobbly, she could stand mostly independently with some help.

“I give you permission to leave!” The two soldiers salute once more before disappearing into the ground and returning to where they belong.

“They were good men, weren’t they?”

I couldn't help but sigh heavily. "According to legend, they were the best in every sense of the word," I tell her, unable to hide the sadness in my voice. "Apparently, there was once a ritual where the best soldiers of each generation were sent to join the ranks of the legendary hidden military unit of the Deep Rock Legion in case we needed an army of incorruptible and fiercely loyal soldiers. But in the long run, it ruined our population. Of the ten million we had left after the orbital crash, there are now just over seven million left, and my grandfather isn't helping."

"Your grandfather? But that would mean-"

I quickly realize my mistake. Until now, everyone thought I was trying to boast about myself by calling myself a prince. But now that I've talked too much and I'm desperate to make new friends, I know I can't lie to her anymore.

“I am the crown prince of Gyonos and, therefore, its guardian fairy, the last fairy in my world after my grandfather.”

She gasped when I shared my revelation with her, and before I knew it, she had come over to me and pressed her slightly plump body against me in a way I hadn't experienced often in my life: a hug so warm that a few tears rolled from the corners of my eyes.

For the first time in ages, I feel like I can let myself be seen crying in front of someone, and maybe it's selfish, but I take full advantage of it. I cry into her head, as she is tiny compared to me. To my surprise, she doesn't walk away but stands there and speaks in a warm, comforting voice, telling me that everything will be okay in the end and how much I want to believe her words, but I know better. I have seen the truth behind people's attentions, fallen victim to the betrayal of those closest to me, and experienced death many times. I didn't cry when he died, not after I had to let him leave my arms when our posts were overrun by those monsters. I will never be able to forgive the Scallierds or forget what they did and what they forced me to do.

I hold her for what feels like an eternity. But when I finally let go of her, she looks straight into my watery eyes. Her blue-green eyes shimmer with what I can only describe as a motherly concern, a desire to be there for me emotionally, and I couldn't be more grateful.

“You should go inside, it’s late and cold,” I tell her quietly.

She smiles kindly. "You should, too. After all, you're probably just as exhausted as I am." Her voice is warm, really like a mother's.

"Sure, but I would like a few minutes to myself before I return to my personal dark world or, more commonly known, my dorm room.“

She nods understandingly, wishes me goodnight, and goes inside, leaving me under the star-studded night sky. I wait until she's gone before turning around and looking across the large, empty field into the forest beyond. I take a deep breath, raise my right hand, and see it shaking. My magical reserves feel depleted; the healing processes and summoning of those soldiers were too much for my fairy core. I need to train; I can't even fight a specialist like this without being knocked to the ground in seconds.

I feel frustration building up inside me. How could it be otherwise? I've gone from being a prodigy in magic and weapon combat to this pathetic excuse of a fairy. I would be unstoppable if only I could access the abilities contained in the crystallized cores of my ring. But how? I hold out my hand holding the ring and marvel at it. Somehow, it only looks normal now that the two cores are in it, surrounding my family's crest in its center. Many have an initial letter, but my family decided to fill it in with our entire crest, as detailed as possible in this small form, with the only exception being that the two sword-shaft-like pieces of metal always hung off the sides. I always thought that happened over the eons the ring was used, but now that the two cores are safely clammed underneath them, I realize there should be something in them. But what? If it's for magic cores, then why aren't there three? What does my family or planet have two of?

I ponder these questions for a while, only coming back to myself when a cold breeze sends a shiver through my body. This is the best time to go back inside. As soon as I step into the building, a fleeting sigh of relief comes over me. 

With my eyes closed, I enjoy the warmth heating my cold bones. But when I open them again just a minute or so later, confusion fills me. I try to reach out to protect myself, but before I can, I'm pulled off my feet, my rear end grabbed, and my front pressed against a warm, muscular body. Before I know it, my legs are wrapped around that person's waist, and we are no longer in the foyer. He carries me around until he finally forces open a door and mindlessly slams my back against a metal shelf and then my head against some boxes. A groan of pain escapes my lips as the metal stabs into my back.

But before I could react, soft lips were on mine. Shock floods through my entire being as the moment has taken me completely by surprise. My eyes widen, forcing me to stare at him. There, pressing me against the shelves and trying to push his tongue into my mouth, is Sky. I couldn't believe it. He was always so gentle and kind, but now he's carrying me around and kissing me without my consent. I try to push him away, but he feels like an immovable object, heavier than a mountain. I even punch at his rock-hard pecs as I feel myself slowly falling into him. And before I know it, our lips move in perfect harmony; my mouth even opens slightly as he grips my ass a little tighter. His tongue swallows my moan. My hands land on his back. But suddenly, I can feel him smirking against my lips, making me wonder if this is what he wanted.

My hands quickly move from his chest, where I have only shown him aggression, to his neck and pull him closer to me. What is that feeling—this warmth deep in my stomach? Or this tingling further south?

Even though hundreds of these thoughts of the strangest feelings are racing through my head, I can't let go of him. His woody smell, mixed with the sweetness of something in his mouth, intoxicates my senses. I feel the desire rising for him to continue and take what he wants.

This time, not even the thought of him and his senseless death could spoil my mood, as I feel safe and even desired in Sky's arms.

"I fucking knew it." I hear him suddenly grumble. When I open my eyes from the daze, I see Sky's blurry image, his pale face flushed and his expression serious, if not angry. When I try to say something, he pushes me roughly against the shelf, his legs pushing up. "You've wanted me since you first saw me."

I can only stare at him in confusion, but he is already kissing my neck, biting me gently, and whispering things in my ear that were dirtier than anything I'd ever heard before. Something was clearly wrong.

I hold his face in my hands and try to get him to look at me, but when he finally does, his expression turns angry. Before I know it, his hand is around my neck, his grip is tight, and he is choking me painfully.

"But then I saw you with the girl and these two huge men. I couldn't believe it! Before I could make a move, you had already gone out and found yourself some toys."

When he calls my stone soldiers "toys," my heart starts to burn. How dare he call honorable men that? He has obviously misunderstood something, but when I open my mouth to clarify, his grip on my neck tightens even further, so much so that I can hardly breathe. He seems to have lost his mind, but what can I do?

"Sky!" I barely manage to say, but he's not listening. Instead, he talks about me, telling me what a selfish wanker I am for allowing both Riven and Sky to touch me and defile my body for him. 

I can't believe the Gaul of him thinking I would stay pure for him, and then suddenly, something bursts out of him that he probably didn't want to say. He shouts out what I already suspected, namely that he and Sky have switched identities.

The fact that he lied to me for so long hits me the hardest. I thought I could trust him; after all, he always came to my cell when I was a prisoner, cleaned me, and fed me one by one to torture me like the wild animals they are, but that was obviously just wishful thinking. It makes me angrier than I probably should have been, so I turn the tables. Finally, I grab him by the neck and hope he lets go, but he starts grinning in a sinister way. It sent cold sweats down my spine to see something so vicious on the face of a man who always seemed like a puppy.

"I fucking dare you," he said through pursed lips, staring madly into my eyes, "Squeeze harder, I dare you!"

I've never felt so intimidated before. Is there something wrong with him? Suddenly, his grip on my neck tightens enough to easily snap it; no doubt there will be many bruises afterward. I have to make a decision. If he keeps this up, I will surely die.

"Brandon!" I yell, making him stop. Confusion is clear on his face, his eyes glowing with dawning realization. His hand quickly withdraws. As I gasp for air, he holds me upright, one of his hands behind my head and the other trying to protect as much of my spine as possible. He begins to apologize endlessly, like a child found with his hand in the cookie jar.

I try to breathe, but my throat burns painfully. Yet, I push against his chest again; this time, he lets me down but still holds my body upright for a minute. My body is at its limit from the rapid healing before, and the now compromised state is just too much. Thankfully, it only takes a short time before the rest of the healing magic still coursing through me at least helps to ease the swelling in my throat, just enough to let me breathe evenly.

I want to lecture him, scream at him, and let all my feelings out, but his glassy eyes tell me he's not there. Hopefully, it's just the clearly smuggled alcohol and not something more serious.

I try to get past him, but he quickly tries to hold me back. He mumbles something about me catching my breath, giving me hope that even in this situation and condition, he's still trying to help me. But it feels wrong because none of this was consensual, as if he's trying to clear his conscience of what he did to me here in this... in this supply closet.

Somehow, the place we ended up in while making out makes me feel even worse. Am I just a toy to him? Did I misjudge his personality? Is he really a player who breaks people's hearts? I feel so stupid, so silly. Why did I let this happen? I could have prevented everything, but I didn't. Why?

"Please, I- I was just so overwhelmed-"

Before he can spit out his lies, all I see is red, and anger shoots through my veins, just like it did on the battlefield. Can I control it this time? My anger had always been uncontrollable, like I was an explosion just waiting to go off. But this time, in this small room, surrounded by Brandon's intoxicating scent, it doesn't seem to be able to happen, even though my anger threatens to boil over. The overall emotions just weren't there. It was almost as if the last explosion had balanced me unknowingly out. 

But that couldn't be. How could the death of my true love be the catalyst for my anger to subside?

[Masterlist]

[illiterateaffairs]

DISTRACTIONS VI | NIGHTCALL

pairing: jamie tartt x f!reader (ted lasso)

rating: T

word count: 5,071

summary: you don’t know what to do about your feelings for jamie anymore. luckily you know a few people with thoughts on the matter. 

A/N: posting a little early for the holiday weekend! this chapter and part seven were supposed to be one chapter but it got too long. so i apologize for the cliff hanger in advance. :)

distractions masterlist | previous chapter

How do you simultaneously savor something while avoiding it?

That’s what you’ve been trying to do the last few days. 

After deciding the best thing to do would be to end your relationship with Jamie, you’ve been putting off doing so and have maintained your routine of dodging him at every encounter. You knew ghosting him was cruel and you didn’t want to do that. In fact, you were trying to hold on to every last ounce of him you could get, not knowing how your friendship would evolve once you called off the benefits part. But you only spoke to him for a few minutes, or over very brief text exchanges because you didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. But you wanted to spend time with him while you could. Clearly you’re in quite the predicament 

The whole thing was ridiculous and you would be the first to admit that. If you were a normal person, you’d have either ended things with Jamie already or just gotten a grip and told him how you felt. But you were not normal. You were emotionally manipulated into thinking you weren’t good enough for your last boyfriend, so why would this be any different? 

You know your brain is working against you, but your heart is also aching. And while in this moment avoiding Jamie was hurting it, you wanted to protect it from more hurt down the line if he just ended up rejecting you. 

You’ve been trying to figure out the best way to break things off, and when you got overwhelmed by the thought, you dissociated by working on your book. Calling it a book was generous, but that’s what you hoped it would be eventually. A fake-it-until-you-make-it mentality. That’s also what you told yourself to do regarding Jamie. If you acted like you were going to get over him and everything would be okay, eventually that would be true. 

Of course, it was hard to convince yourself of this when he was so ingrained in your life. Even without seeing him after hours, you saw him around the club. You managed to limit your time with him over the last week, and Rebecca was surely becoming suspicious, but you expertly avoided her concerned gaze as well. Unfortunately, today you weren’t so lucky. Seemingly as a punishment for leaving her in the dark, Rebecca tasked you with getting some footage of the team while they trained. When you looked like you were about to protest, she hit you with, “or is there something you want to tell me, that would prohibit you from doing so?” And for a moment you considered breaking down and telling her everything. Then you remembered she would definitely give you reasonable advice, such as getting your head out of your ass, and you weren’t ready to hear it. So you faked a smile and headed for the pitch. 

Today, the boys were doing some sort of drill that involved them switching positions with another teammate. You didn’t really understand the ideology, but apparently it had to do with this new “Total Football” strategy Ted wanted them to try. Having not been around in a while, you were also confused why there were fans in the stands watching practice. You suspected this was Ted’s doing as well. There was a group of three fans you recognize as regulars at Crown and Anchor who called out to you with a wave. You kindly waved back before turning to Trent who stood beside you.

“How the fuck do they know who I am?”

The journalist only snorted, and went back to writing in his notebook. 

For all your effort to avoid Jamie, including eye contact while he practiced, you couldn’t help but gaze at him as he spoke with Ted and Beard. He looked particularly good today, for some godforsaken reason. The wind was blowing his hair around, making him look extra appealing. As he walked away from the coaches, with a confused smile, his eyes found yours, and his smile brightened a bit. That was your last straw. You gave him a quick smile, that you hoped he couldn’t tell was forced, and turned away as he jogged back onto the field. 

As the team started playing in their new roles, you walked further down the pitch to film from different vantage points. You were so focused on what you were doing, while also being amused by the team’s role-swap, you didn’t notice Roy slowly moving closer to you every few minutes. As you posted a clip to the team’s Instagram, you saw him out of the corner of your eye. He was facing the field, with his arms crossed, but you could tell he was chancing glances at you from the corner of his eye. You bite back a smile as you pocket your phone. 

“Can I help you?”

Roy doesn’t move. He shrugs, “Just observing training.” 

“Hmm,” you nod, crossing your own arms to mimic his posture. 

He side-steps a bit closer to you. You follow suit, and the two of you are only a foot apart now. You watch curiously as Roy’s expression turns into one of annoyance and you can’t wait to hear what he’s going to say.

“So...you and Jamie have been spending a lot of time together.”

That was not what you were expecting him to say. Jamie had told you a few things about their time in Amsterdam together, but he did not mention telling Roy about the two of you. They must have really bonded. 

“He told you that?” you don’t mean to come across so nervous but you definitely do. Luckily, the rest of the team, coaching staff, and Trent are out of earshot. 

“Yeah. Thought that was...interesting.” Roy grunts out. In other circumstances, you’d be more amused about how awkward he was in this conversation, but you were too concerned about why you were having it. 

“Well,” you debate your next words but ultimately spit them out, “Jamie told me he taught you how to ride a bike, which is also interesting.”

Roy’s eyes fall closed as he quietly groans. 

You continue, “So, I guess we both know a secret about each other.”

Roy finally turns to you with narrowed eyes, “I didn’t come over here because I wanted to tell everyone. That's your fucking business.” 

While you’re relieved that your secret is safe, you were still confused, “Then why did you?”

Roy studies you for a few seconds before letting out a long breath, “You mean a lot to Jamie.”

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise as your heartbeat rises. 

Roy keeps going, “He’d never say it himself, but you’re important to him. And what you’re doing, avoiding him or whatever, is really fucking with him. As much as it pains me to say, he’s a good guy and he doesn’t deserve being jerked around like that. He’s gotten enough of that from other people in his life. You don’t have to pretend to be in love with him or anything, but just…don’t give up on him completely. That’s all I’m saying.”

After digesting his words, you nod slowly. You’re not sure if Jamie said something to him about this, or if he was just looking out for his friend, but you know he means what he says. No matter the nature of Jamie’s feelings for you, you were clearly such a fixture in his life, that even Roy Kent could see it. And from the little Jamie’s told you about his father, you could tell he had something akin to abandonment issues. While you didn’t plan on cutting him out of your life completely, you knew your method of pulling away from him suddenly and withholding information while you got your shit together was not fair to him. 

“Thank you for saying that, Roy,” you finally say softly, knowing this was out of character for him, making it a big deal, “I would never, ever intentionally hurt Jamie. But I appreciate that you’re looking out for him.”

Roy nods back. You two let the moment hang before Roy quickly spits out, “You can’t tell him I said any of that to you.”

You laugh lightly, “I promise.”

You share a look of understanding as Roy turns to head back down the pitch. He makes it only a couple steps before turning back around. He opens his mouth but you beat him to it.

“I promise not to tell anyone about the bike thing either.” 

Roy sighs, giving you another appreciative look. This time, you’re the one who stops him as he turns back. 

“Roy?” he pauses and looks at you with a question in his eye, “You’re a really good friend to Jamie. He’d never admit it either, but you’re probably one of his best.”

While Roy is pretty good at maintaining a poker face, you can tell this affects him. You can also tell he’s not sure what to do with the information, so you give him a smile before jutting your chin in the direction he was headed. 

“You’re dismissed.”

Roy huffs out a small laugh, giving you one last nod, before finally making his way back down the pitch. 

As you stare back at the field, pretending to focus on the team’s training again, you take in Roy’s words. As you told him, you never planned on hurting Jamie, but that was mostly because you didn’t think that would be an issue. 

Jamie was not a relationship and feelings guy. He made that very clear, not only with his reputation, but also in his promise to you when you started sleeping together. You knew he cared about you. You don’t look out for someone the way he does with you if you don’t give a shit about them. But after talking to Roy, you found yourself wondering if maybe his care for you went beyond the realm of friendship.

No. No. You couldn’t get your hopes up. You still needed to end your sexual relationship with Jamie. You just needed to do it in a way that made it clear that you weren’t going anywhere.

Then another terrifying idea entered your mind. How the hell were you supposed to be Jamie’s friend without wanting to make out with him all the time? 

Moving to Richmond was supposed to make your life less complicated. 

For the next few days, you mull over your plan to break off things with Jamie between work and bursts of inspiration to write. By the time the team’s next match rolls around, you’ve thought about it so much it felt like you’ve simultaneously run through every scenario you could execute and made zero progress whatsoever. It was like saying a word over and over again until it lost all meaning. So you decided you needed reinforcements. 

Keeley would probably have really great advice, but you didn’t want to broach the ex-boyfriend of it all yet. Rebecca would definitely be helpful, but you didn’t think you could handle an “I told you so” yet about your developing feelings for the footballer. And regardless of either of those things, you came to one realization recently. 

You just really wanted to talk to Sam about it. 

He was your closest friend here - and probably ever - and he also knew Jamie pretty well. And in you’re effort to avoid Jamie, Sam had become collateral damage since that meant avoiding the whole team when possible. You’d also heard from Ted that Sam had been having a hard week with some social media blowback due to his activism around immigration. Which is fucking stupid, but you understood why it upset him. On top of that, his restaurant was vandalized in retaliation for his words, and the same week his father was visiting. So you figured you owed him a shoulder, too. And you just really missed him. 

That’s why you found yourself popping in the locker room ahead of their game against Arsenal. You spot Sam right away from your spot in the doorway. Unfortunately, he was sitting next to Jamie, so when you call his name and gesture for him to come talk to you, it gets the other boy’s attention, too.

As Sam makes his way over to you, you give Jamie a kind smile and a wave. It makes your chest hurt when he seems caught off guard by your act of kindness and gives you a timid smile back. He definitely knows you’re avoiding him and that makes you feel awful. You really need to talk to Sam.

As your aforementioned friend joins you at the front of the locker room, you instantly feel comforted by his warm smile. 

“Hi, it's so good to see you!” he greets. Okay, he’s definitely felt your absence as well. 

“You, too,” you smile back, “I met your dad a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, really?” his smile brightens, if that were possible.

You nod, “Rebecca met him, too.” Sam had told you about their brief stint together a little while ago, after you eventually confided in him about Mason. 

His smile falls slightly, “Oh, really?”

You chuckle, “Don’t worry, it was fine, and when it almost got awkward, Keeley defused the situation.” 

Sam lets out a relieved laugh as he rubs his forehead, “That’s good.”

Glancing around, you see the rest of the team preoccupied, including Jamie and Ted. Still you lower your voice, “So, I know you’ve probably got plans with your dad tonight, but would you be free to talk for a few minutes after the match? I kind of want your advice on something.”

Sam nods, but gives you a questioning look, “Everything okay?”

You nod eagerly back, “Yes, don’t worry. Just something I’ve been trying to figure out for a while and would love my best friend’s perspective.” 

The phrase slips out before you can process it. For a split second you worry you came onto strong. God, you were supposed to worried about like Jamie too much and now you were worried you were taking your friendship with Sam too series, as well? Thankfully, his bright smile returned to his face. “Well I would be honored to help my best friend out.” 

Thank God. You can’t remember the last time someone called you their best friend, and while you had (inadvertently) said it first, it still makes your heart flutter. 

“Great, I’ll see you after? Good luck out there,” You squeeze his arm before turning to the rest of the room and raising your voice, “Good luck today, guys!”

The room fills with a chorus of “thank you’s” and other words of appreciation. Before you head out, your eyes meet Jamie’s again, and you find yourself mouthing “you’ll do great.”

While he still seems surprised by your attention, he gives you a genuine smile this time. 

Richmond is not off to a great start as they round out the first half 0-3. It seemed they were trying out Ted’s new tactics, but they couldn’t get into sync. Jamie was at the center of it all, and from your spot in the suite with Rebecca, Keeley, Higgins, and Sam’s dad, Ola, you can feel the frustration radiating off of him from the field. 

However, the team seems to reenter the pitch with renewed energy for the second half. It takes them a few minutes to get there, but eventually they’re playing in perfect harmony. You’re not sure you understand exactly what they’re doing - not that you ever do - but whatever it was seemed to be working. By the end of the match, they had expertly managed to maneuver the ball across the field, with Jamie passing between other members of the team, for their first goal in weeks. And while you couldn’t explain any of it, you knew it was incredible. You want to ignore the part of you that feels proud of Jamie in particular, but you allow it. 

You wait for Sam in the parking lot with Ola afterwards. The two of you can’t help but cheer for Sam when he approaches. His dad shares how proud he is of him and the team, before he jumps in the car to leave the two of you alone. That wasn’t before the older man implied he suspected the two of you were an item. You and Sam laugh, before he corrects him and once again refers to you as his best friend. Ola smiles and tells you he’s grateful Sam has such good friends here.

“I’m proud of you, too,” you smile, shoving his arm playfully. “You guys are finally back in it!”

Sam chuckles, “I appreciate it, but honestly it was all Jamie.”

You raise an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Sam nods, “It was his idea to drop back to mid-field and pass between all of us, even though it meant he probably wouldn’t have the chance to score.”

You huff, “That seems out of character.”

Sam shrugs, “Maybe two years ago, but Jamie’s been different, especially lately.” You almost feel yourself take credit when Sam continues, “It's probably all that training he does with Roy.”

You laugh quietly to yourself, “Must be.”

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Sam asks.

“Funny, it actually has to do with Jamie.”

Sam’s eyes reflect curiosity, “Really? What about him?”

“We’ve sort of, you know,” You try to figure out the best way to explain it, but you can’t bother beating around the bush, “Well, we’ve basically been sleeping together the last few months.”

Sam’s jaw drops and his eyebrows shoot up so high they’re almost nonexistent. “You’re serious?”

“Yup,” you nod, popping the ‘P’, “It’s a classic no strings attached, friends with benefits situation.”

“While those are excellent films, I would have never expected you to take part in something like that. Especially with Jamie.”

“Me either - on both accounts - but it just sort of happened.” 

Sam nods slowly, looking off in the distance, as he takes in the news, “I’m a little afraid of what advice you want from me.”

You laugh, “Don’t worry, it's nothing salacious. The opposite, in fact. I’m trying to figure out how to break things off.”

Sam’s eyes snap back to yours, “What? Really? Is…” he lowers his voice, “Is Jamie bad at it?”

You almost choke on air, “What? No! He’s good. He’s really good. Like really, really good.”

“Okay, that’s enough.”

“Sorry.”

“So why do you want to stop?”

You sigh, “Because I like him. I really, really like him. And that wasn’t a part of the deal.”

Sam nods in understanding, “You attached strings.”

“Yes,” you laugh lightly despite yourself. “So many strings.”

“And you don’t want a relationship with him because…what? Your ex sucked and ruined the idea of dating forever?”

You shake your head, “No, it's not that. I think I'd really like to date Jamie. I’m just not sure Jamie wants to date me. Or anyone for that matter.” 

Sam’s face scrunches up. He pauses and then, “I’m not sure you’re right about that.”

You squint at him, “What do you mean?”

Sam lets out a laugh, “Actually, now that I know about you two, things suddenly make a lot of sense.”

“What? What makes sense?” you question impatiently. 

“Jamie definitely likes you.”

You scoff, “And you think that because??”

“It’s little things. Nothing too crazy, but all together, plus the fact that you’ve been hooking up this whole time, it adds up,” Sam begins to explain, “Like when you first got here and we started hanging out, Jamie was very interested in what we were doing.”

“Yeah, he asked me if we were dating around that time,” You bring up softly, recalling your first conversation in the club’s parking lot.

“See!”

“See what? He told me he just didn’t think people on the team could date club employees.”

“Yeah, why do you think he wanted to know that?”

“I don’t know! Maybe he also wanted to bang Rebecca.” Sam gives you a look and you unclench, “Sorry, that was disrespectful to you and Rebecca, and probably Jamie.”

Sam shakes his head, “It wasn’t just that. A couple months ago, one of the guys - who shall remain nameless for the sake of this conversation - made an innocent but suggestive comment about you.”

“It was Richard wasn’t it?”

“He shall remain nameless,” Sam barrels on, “But Jamie flipped out and defended your honor. I thought it was because he’d been trying to be less of a prick, but it was probably jealousy. Or at the very least protectiveness.”

“I buy the protectiveness thing because we’re friends,” you roll your eyes, “but he was definitely not jealous.” 

“Come on, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how attached to you he is? He’s always the first person to volunteer when you need social content, and the first to say hi when you stop by during practice.” 

You shake your head, trying to find words to argue, but you’re losing resolve. 

“A couple weeks ago, a few of us were at Crown and Anchor, including Jamie, and this girl started flirting with Jamie, and she was gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful girls we had ever seen, she was-”

“Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“I get it.”

“Sorry. Anyway, this girl was definitely the type Jamie would normally go for, but he didn’t even bat an eye. Isaac started teasing him but it didn’t bother Jamie. He said he wasn��t interested. Before you got here, he would have gone home with her, no questions asked.”

You break eye contact with Sam. “...Maybe her breath smelled bad?”

Sam rolls his eyes, “Or maybe there was someone better he could see.”

You sigh, crossing your arms. 

“I’m not saying you have to stay with Jamie,” Sam continues, “You are a strong, independent woman who definitely doesn’t need anyone to define her. But if you want to be with Jamie, then you shouldn’t punish yourself. Just because some other idiot didn’t treat you right, doesn’t mean the next guy will do the same thing. I guarantee Jamie will treat you better, because he clearly already does.”

You swallow the lump that's forming in your throat, as tears pool behind your eyes. Looking back at Sam, his face drops, clearly taking your emotional expression as a negative reaction.

“If I overstepped-”

You don’t let Sam apologize as you cut him off with a bear hug. He quickly wraps his arms around yours and squeezes you tight. 

Not only does Sam Obisanya know exactly what to say to you, he also gives the best hugs. 

“Are you alright?” he whispers over your shoulder.

You nod into his, “Yeah. I think I really needed to hear someone else say that.”

“Good. Because your ex was an idiot. Like the stupidest person I’ve ever heard of.” You laugh as you pull away, “You know that right? That whatever he did to make you feel less than the incredible person you are was on him. You’re amazing and it was his fault for not seeing that.”

You smile, wiping a stray tear away. “Yeah, I do. My brain likes to work against me sometimes, but I know that.”

“I understand that,” Sam gives you a reassuring smile, “Brains are dumb sometimes.”

“God, they’re so dumb!” You laugh as you catch your breath. “Thank you, Sam.”

“Of course. I’m here for you anytime, you know that.” You nod. Sam bites his lip before speaking up again, “So, does this mean you’re going to profess your undying love for Jamie?”

“Shut up,” you shove him gently, “I wouldn’t go that far, but yeah, maybe I’ll tell him.” 

“Good. And I better be the first to know when he tells you he feels the same so I can gloat about being right.”

You laugh before another thought occurs to you.

“Wait, if you picked up on all of this from Jamie, do you think anyone else has?”

Sam shakes his head as if you’ve said something insane, “No way. No else on the team is that intuitive.”

You huff, but press, “Not even the coaches?”

“I don’t think so,” Sam tilts his head, “Why?”

“That is a story for another day, my friend.” 

Before saying goodbye to Sam for the night, you ask how he’s handling everything after the Twitter backlash and the break-in. While he assures you he’s doing okay, you can tell he’s putting on a strong front. You’re relieved his dad could be here this week. You’re sure it's been a great comfort to Sam. As you start heading towards the car Rebecca arranged for you, you also bid adieu to Ola, who made you promise to get dinner with him and Sam before he returned to Nigeria. 

Gazing out the window on your way back to Richmond, you reassess your plan to call things off with Jamie. After hearing how he took one for the team today, coupled with everything Sam said about him in regards to you, you feel yourself becoming hopeful that it did mean Jamie may have feelings for you. At the very least, you could put yourself out there. Because Sam was right, you couldn’t let Mason cloud your brain anymore. The way he treated you was unacceptable, and just because he made you feel like you weren’t good enough doesn’t mean you were. And sure Jamie never made you feel like that. But as of late, you’ve been feeling more confident on your own. You were good at your job. You had amazing friends who liked you for you. And you had your creative spark back and started writing again. So even if Jamie didn’t feel the same, you knew you’d be okay. Because you were more than your relationship with him.

It would just be the cherry on top of everything else. A really fucking good cherry.

Eager to see him, you quickly take out your phone and find his contact. Pressing call, you suddenly hate the sound of the dial tone. Thankfully you don’t have to listen to it for long, when Jamie picks up after the second ring. He says your name like a question, reminding you that you haven’t reached out to him on your own in quite a bit. Brushing past the guilt you felt, you greet him.

“Hi,” you say softly, “How are you?”

“Um, I’m alright. Yeah. How’re you?”

You close your eyes, still hearing the unsureness in his tone and you curse yourself for making him feel insecure. 

“I’m good,” you force out cheerfully, “You were incredible today. At the match.”

“Oh?” Jamie says, a bit surprised, “It was nothing. Richard scored the goal.”

You sigh at his modesty, “Yeah, but you were the one doing all that work getting the ball across the field. If you ask me, you were the star of the show.”

“Oh yeah?” you can feel the confidence creeping back into his voice, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” your words hang in between you for a moment, but you speak up again before you lose the nerve, “So, I called because I wanted to know what you were up to tonight. Thought maybe you could come over?”

“Really?” you can almost see Jamie’s wide eyes.

“Yeah. We haven’t really seen each other in a while, and I promise there’s a reason for that, which I can explain. And I just…miss you.”

You close your eyes, anticipating his response. You bite your thumb as Jamie sharply inhales. 

“I miss you, too,” he says softly.

“Really?” you respond just as quietly. 

“Yeah.” He pauses for a second. Then, “Shit.”

“What?” you say back quickly, heart racing. 

“It's just…Isaac and I thought it would be nice if we did something to help Sam with his restaurant since someone vandalized it. So, now a bunch of the team is headed over there to help fix it up. I was actually just about to leave.”

You exhale quietly. You didn’t think you could like him more than you already do, but you were wrong. 

“Jamie, that's really great. It's sweet that you all would do that for Sam.”

“You could come join us?” Jamie suggests hopefully, though you can feel the nerves in his voice. 

You laugh lightly, “While I would love to help, I think you guys should just keep it to the team. It’ll be more special that way.”

“Yeah,” Jamie sighs, disappointedly. 

“But you could come over after if you want?” You suggest quickly, with a lilt in your voice. 

“Yeah?” Jamie perks up, “Are you sure? It might be late.”

You nod even though he can’t see you, “I’ll wait for you.” 

“Okay,” you hear the smile in his words, “I’ll text you when I’m on my way, yeah?”

“Sounds good. Bye Jamie.” and with a giddy smile, you hang up. 

You’re too anxious to go home right away, especially knowing you’ll be waiting for a bit. So, you text Rebecca to see if she’d meet you for a drink. Keeley had a date with Jack tonight, who she’d been seeing for a bit now. But that just gives you a chance to fill Rebecca in on your rollercoaster of emotions. 

Of course, she says :I told you so: when you admit to falling for Jamie. But she’s also happy for you. She’s glad to see you so happy in general, and that you didn’t close yourself off to the possibility of happiness with someone. Apparently, that was something she used to do. 

You also “ooh” and “ahh” when Rebecca recounts her misadventures in Amsterdam with a mystery Dutch man. You hope the successful encounter also encourages her to put herself back out there. And hopefully she’ll learn the next guy’s name. 

After a couple hours of girl talk, Rebecca drops you off at your flat. Checking your phone, you still hadn’t heard from Jamie, so you pump yourself up to change into your pajamas and throw some comfort TV on while you camp out and wait for him. 

But as you make your way up your apartment staircase, you see a figure lingering outside your door. For half a second, you’re excited at the prospect of seeing Jamie sooner than expected. But as you near the top of the stairs, your eyes recognize the figure as someone you definitely didn’t plan on seeing tonight. 

Softly, you gasp, “Mason?”

A/N:

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[pascaloverx]

Rewrite The Stars

Chapter One

Summary: One photo changes your whole life, when you accidentally bump into a celebrity and the world starts to believe that you are a couple.

preview chapter two

The night ends up being good, taking away the pain in your head that doesn't seem to go away. Serving at Pedro Pascal's table is much calmer than you thought it would be. You just need to control yourself so you don't ask for an autograph or over-treat him. Oscar Isaac is also here, having dinner with him. You believe they are just friends having dinner together but you don't want to assume anything.

"I don't know what you did, but the manager is calling you. And I'm telling you, he's in a horrible mood." Your coworker speaks close to your ear and you feel butterflies in your stomach. It can only be about the incident with Pascal. You prepare to hear some nonsense.

"If I don't get out of there in five minutes, rescue me. I feel like even my third generation will be insulted today." You say looking at your colleague as if you know you got screwed. She nods her head positively with a look of empathy. You head towards your manager who is standing near the back door, right where the whole incident happened. You're officially screwed.

"Can you explain to me how you cause an accident with a celebrity on the same day that I made it clear that nothing could go wrong?" Your manager says, while you are confused.

"Sir, as much as it seems like it wasn't me who caused the accident. It was a coincidence, nothing more than that." You speak softly, trying to stay calm.

"There are no coincidences in the world of customer service. This is a renowned restaurant, not a corner diner. My team must be impeccable. Your mediocrity offends me to the point that I won't even ask for your advance notice. Remove your things from my establishment and go to HR as soon as possible." Your former manager speaks, with a tone of contempt.

"You are being unfair, I did my best to carry out my tasks with mastery." You speak almost out of despair. This job is all you have.

"What I am or am not is none of your business. Oh, and don't use this work as a reference, I will make it my personal goal to ruin any job opportunity you have." It was at that moment that his emotional shock turned to anger. Resigning is bad, but getting in the way of having another job is too much.

"So if I have nothing left to lose, I'm going to take this opportunity to be very realistic." You speak losing the last bit of control you have over yourself.

"And what are you going to do about it?” He asks, almost mocking your face. You then take the jug of orange juice and throw it at his head.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll leave with the rest of my dignity." You say, turning around and noticing that people in the restaurant have noticed your disagreement with the manager. Everyone's eyes were on the situation you had just been in and you felt embarrassed. You even wondered where Mr. Pascal was, since you hadn't seen him.

"Are you looking for me?" Mr. Pascal speaks behind you, and you jump discretely scared.

"Do you have a habit of surprising others unexpectedly?" You say, composing yourself and walking towards the employee area. Surprisingly Mr. Pascal accompanies you.

"It's not a habit of mine but I think it's happening a lot when it comes to our dates with each other. I apologize if I'm being intrusive." Mr. Pascal speaks sincerely in your tone of voice.

"You don't need to apologize, I may have been rude. This night suddenly turned into chaos." You say it, trying to be as subtle as possible, but the truth is that you're screwed and you can't even hide it.

"I witnessed the scene with your old boss. I must say that despite the waste of a beautiful orange juice, he deserved every drop of that juice." Mr. Pascal speaks, almost containing his laughter, and you feel happy to amuse someone that night.

"Do you need anything, I still work here until I take off my uniform." You say, imagining that he followed you because he needed something.

"Actually, I came to give you something. I know it doesn't make up for your dismissal but I think you You deserve it for your effort." He hands you a piece of paper, more specifically a check.

"Sir. No need to give me a check for the inconvenience, seriously. At the end of the day, this job wasn't the best." You say, trying to return the check but Mr. Pascal doesn't accept it.

"Take it as a tip for causing all this and for you getting fired because of me." Mr. Pascal says, forcing the check into my hands. You smile thinking that you are incredibly lucky of being in the presence of a celebrity that you like but that your boss made you feel as if you were insignificant.

"Thank you, sir. It was an honor to meet you." You say, taking the check and putting it on your uniform, not seeing the amount or anything. Mr. Pascal takes your hand lightly and you feel as if the world stops for that split second in which he held your hand.

"It was my pleasure, I hope that if we meet again, your life will be in a better situation." Mr. Pascal speaks with an unusual kindness, his smile could light up a village but you could only focus on the fact that he was lightly holding your hand. Your hand in his and his hand in yours.

"Good evening, Mr. Pascal." You say it as soon as you can come to your senses. He nods as if accepting my goodnight and then he returns to his table. And you return to your reality.

[allycat319]

Unlikely Affection Chapter 28: **To Floo or Not to Floo

Authors Note: Woah it's been a while! But to make up for my absence, I think I have written the dirtiest, smuttiest chapter that I have ever written! I hope you enjoy it and remember to let me know what you think!

Somewhere in my very sleep deprived night I made my decision, I had potions in the afternoon tomorrow and intended to go. I refuse to let Severus’ bad attitude and lack of emotional control ruin my grade and my chances at becoming an auror after I graduate next year. 

So the next afternoon, I sauntered my way to the dungeons with Mari beside me. She was going on about her plans with Edwin at the weekend, and I nodded along to her description of their plans to walk by the Black Lake and have lunch at the Three Broomsticks. It does warm my heart to see how smitten they are with each other. I knew that once Edwin finally got the courage to tell her that they would end up together, not an official relationship yet…But it’s coming. 

We continued our chat until Severus began class. I had not so much as glanced in his direction since I trotted into the room and sat in my seat. I only glanced up when Severus cleared his throat to announce that he was ready to begin and we all needed to shut it. 

“Today you will be completing an examination…” He grabbed a stack of parchment from his desk and began walking around the room, placing the test in front of each person. “And you would be wise to heed this warning…If any of you utter so much as a word this examination will be marked as a T towards a major portion of your grade.” 

Well he was in a mood today, and I honestly wasn’t surprised by that considering his run in with Harry yesterday and then our fight afterward. I made sure when he stalked past me I didn’t look at him and when he smacked the test down on the wooden desk in front of me, like he had to everyone else and my heart twinged with a small amount of guilt before I remembered why I was angry with him and continued to scowl down at my quill. 

I glance over at Marigold who is scribbling on her parchment, her eyes flit up to mine and she gives me a ‘I wonder what crawled up his ass’ look. I just shrugged and looked back down at my test, doing my best to answer the questions that were much harder than usual and I internally rolled my eyes at his pettiness. 

The test took the entire class period to complete and by the end of the two hours everyone looked a bit worse for wear. Sweat dribbled down foreheads that were so red from being rubbed raw in frustration, robes were haphazardly worn and hair was sticking up in all directions. Usually people left Severus’s classroom in a hurry but the level of speed they left with today was beyond anything I had ever seen. 

After class was dismissed I waited for Marigold to pack her bag, still avoiding the gaze of the dungeon bat that I could feel on me. Mari and I were the last two in the classroom due to her spending an extra 10 minutes on the last question to make sure her answer was complete and she left out no steps for brewing liquid luck. She was smiling triumphantly as she walked over to Severus’s desk and laid her parchment on the top of the stack. 

Once she had made her way over we both turned to leave and I stopped cold when I heard his voice call out dismissively. 

“Astrill…Stay…” I turned around to face him but he wasn't looking up at us, he was still buried in whatever he was grading at his desk. 

I looked over at Mari who just shrugged, “Sorry Sir…” I hesitated for a second thinking of a good excuse as to why I wouldn't be able to stay behind to speak to him and I know he noticed because he looked up at me, and raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “I have a meeting with Professor Flitwick this afternoon, going over some advanced charms that I couldn't quite pick up on in class.” I huffed out a nervous laugh and he continued to stare at me, no doubt realizing that I was indeed not over his little outburst and I had no interest in speaking to him. 

“Very well…” Was all he said before he tilted his head towards his desk again and resumed scribbling. 

Mari and I walked toward the great hall together, we were meeting up with Edwin and heading to the library to study for our upcoming exams and Marigold and I both knew that Edwin was in desperate need of any help he could get. 

We were stopped in our tracks by a mob of students running from the great hall to the courtyard. So naturally, we followed them and were met with exploding fireworks of every color erupting into the sky and Fred and George Weasley flying through them on their broomsticks. 

The laughter and joy echoed through the courtyard and everyone seemed to have a new level of energy at the sight of a disheveled and slightly charred Umbridge trying to regain control of rowdy teenagers who were sick of her rules. I smiled over at Edwin who was clapping and cheering for Fred and George and that's when I saw him… 

Harry had fallen to his knees, I grabbed Edwin’s robe and pulled him with me through the crowd toward Harry. Hermione and I knelt beside him and he looked between us with a look in his eyes that was more than panic…It was absolute terror. 

“He’s got Sirius.” Was all he said before standing up and pushing through the crowd towards the entrance to the school. Hermione and I looked at each other, unsure of what we were going to do next, until we made the silent decision to follow after him which led to Ron and Edwin following us. 

“Harry, wait!” I called out as we rushed to the staircase. “How do you know You-Know-Who didn’t just put those images in your head to lure you into a trap?”

Harry looked beyond annoyed at the fact we were stopping him, turning toward us. “Am I just supposed to let him die? He is the only family I have left.” He was out of breath and the panic in his face made my heart ache for him. 

“How…Are…We going…To get…To him?” Edwin asked, trying desperately to catch his breath. 

Harry turned back towards the corridor the staircase had now changed to, “We are going to have to use the floo network.” 

“But Umbridge has all of the chimneys under surveillance.” Hermione countered. 

We followed Harry towards the common room. “Not all of them.” 

Once we were all changed from our robes and into normal clothing we made our way to Umbridge’s office, the obnoxious pink stones and the smell of sickly sweet perfume greeting us as we entered the room. 

Harry crouched by the chimney and we all gathered around him, “When I’m gone, alert the order if you can.” 

Ron, Hermione, Edwin and I all looked at each other quickly. “Are you mental? We’re going with you.” Ron stated matter of factly. 

“It’s too dangerous.” Harry countered. 

I sighed “Harry, you do realize at this point we are all in this mess together….right?” 

“That. You. Are.” Her voice made us all turn around to the door quickly. Umbridge looked utterly in tatters, her pink outfit was burnt to a crisp and her face was covered in soot…And she looked utterly insane with rage. 

Her wand was pointed towards us and we knew not to try to fight her, we had to get to Sirius and we needed to play along as long as we could. Following behind as she entered the room was the group of stuck-up Slytherins who joined her little rat squad, their wands pointed at a few of our DA members. Luna, Neville, and Ginny as they forced them past Umbridge and towards the wall. 

After a few moments, the Slytherins were posted behind all of us with their wands pointing into whatever portion of our bodies they could reach. Harry, on the other hand, was planted in a chair with Umbridge circling him like an animal who has just found its prey. 

Her only thought was that we were all going to Dumbledore, to conspire against the ministry and overturn Fudge and his nonsense, it was quite comical actually but I was a bit too preoccupied with Pansy’s wand shoved into my spine to giggle at Umbridge’s hysteria. 

“You sent for me, Headmistress?” His black clothed form covered the doorway entirely and my blood ran cold. Severus thought I had disbanded from this little ‘trouble making group’ as he called it and now he was being asked to provide Umbridge with truth-telling serum to interrogate Harry, if he brought the potion…we are all screwed. 

His eyes searched the room and landed on me, I could see the rage building behind his emotionless expression…Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Severus of course offered to poison Harry but thankfully he informed Umbridge that she had indeed gone through his storage of veritaserum, which rendered him useless to her. 

He turned to make his way back down the stairs when he suddenly stopped and turned back around. “Headmistress…Finley and Astrill are due to serve detention with me this evening, seeing as they are in need of in addition to what they are already facing…Would you allow them to serve their punishment in the dungeons with me?” 

My heart leapt in my chest and I looked over at Edwin who was wide eyed. At this point, neither one of us knew if staying here would in fact be worse than going to the dungeons with Severus but when Umbridge agreed with a sneer on her face we knew we would soon find out. 

Severus said nothing until we entered the classroom, shutting and locking the door behind us with a flick of his wand. Turning to face Edwin and I who were planted side by side as close to the exit as we could possibly get in case we needed a speedy get away, Severus huffed out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“How idiotic can you be?” His voice was wavering and I could tell he was holding back anger. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Finley…You are meant to be her protector in my stead, how am I to trust you when you allow her into such ridiculous predicaments.” 

Edwin’s eyes narrowed. “I beg your pardon…I’m not sure if you actually know the same Aurora that I do because it didn’t matter what I said or how I said it…If she wants to do something, she is going to do it. So don’t go blaming me for not locking her away in her room against her will.” 

I looked at Edwin, my eyes bulging with surprise at his tone with Severus, who he was normally terrified of. Severus’ jaw tensed and he glared at Edwin. “Leave…Now…” He bit out and Edwin and I both turned to the door, my hand reaching to unlock the large iron lock when Severus spoke up again. 

“Not you my Little Star…” He took a few steps closer so he was now standing in the middle of the dimly lit room. “I believe we are overdue to have a discussion.” 

Edwin looked over at me, his eyes searching mine for an answer to if I was planning to stay or bolt from the room with him. In response I just nodded silently and turned to face Severus, giving Edwin room to unlock and open the door. My best friend turned and gave me one last look for reassurance before walking down the cold hallway, leaving me alone with a very angry Severus Snape. 

When the door slammed closed I jumped a little, turning to make sure it was locked because I knew this conversation was not going to be a pretty one. But to my surprise when I turned back around, Severus was directly in front of me. 

I inhaled, expecting the worst reprimand I had ever been given, but shock was all I was met with when Severus quickly cupped my face and pressed his lips to mine at an almost bruising rate. 

He continued to kiss me as he pushed me against the wooden door, his tongue invading my mouth as my arms circled his neck, trying desperately to bring him closer to me. The wetness pooled between my legs in anticipation of what's to come and my mind was fuzzy with lust. This was definitely not the reaction I was expecting from him but I’m not complaining.  

When he pulled away we were both breathing heavily and our lips were red and raw from the force of our kissing. My core clenched when he leaned down, his mouth ghosting against my ear. “Go to my bedroom and take off your clothes. You’d better be bending over my bed when I get in there.” I nodded silently and he tsked, gripping my jaw in his hand “Now now Little Star, is that the proper way to address me?” I gulped, I could feel my wetness soaking through my knickers at his demanding tone…So this is how he wants to play? 

“Yes sir.” He smiled darkly and pecked my nose. 

“Good girl…Now. Go.” I bolted out of the classroom and through the door to his private chambers, removing clothing as I went, and by the time I reached his room I was left in my black knickers and bra. I didn’t wear them on purpose, they are just comfortable so I guess it's just good luck for Severus that his favorite color is black and he will likely be tearing these off of me. 

I do ask he asks and lay on the bed, my torso is laying on the bed and my feet are still planted on the cold stone floor, my rear facing the doorway so it will be the first thing Severus sees when he enters the room and the anticipation for what's to come has be rubbing my thighs together trying to relieve the ache that is settling in my center. 

I could hear his footsteps echoing down the short hall and my stomach tightened when they stopped abruptly in the doorway. He approached me quickly, grabbing my ass with both of his hands and squeezing quickly before releasing. Those magnificent hands ran up my body until one of them landed in my hair at the base of my neck, gripping tightly and pulling my upper half towards himself as he leaned forward and pushed his covered cock into my rear. 

“I am so looking forward to turning this beautiful bottom red with handprints.” He whispered in my ear, his unoccupied hand traveling back down my body to my hip and grinding his cock into my ass making me moan at the sensation. “Do you remember your safeword Little Star?” 

I panted out a hurried “Yes sir.” and he chuckled darkly releasing my hair. 

“Remind me of what it is, won’t you Precious?” 

“Slytherin…Sir.” I moaned when I felt his hands gently pull my underwear down. 

“Good girl.” Was all the response he gave before I felt the hard sting of his hand on my ass. I squealed at the force of the slap and he chuckled. 

“When you make a promise to me…” Another slap. “I expect you to keep it.” 

“I’m sorry!” I gripped onto the duvet as his hand came down again, despite the pain of the spanking he was giving me, my core wept for him and he knew it. 

“It’s a bit too late for that.” Slap. Slap. Slap. 

I counted 15 smacks before he finally felt that I had been sufficiently punished and rubbed a soothing hand over my bottom, slowly making his way down to my now drenched core. 

“My my…You enjoyed that didn’t you?” He ran his fingers through my dripping folds, my breathing picking up with anticipation. “I would normally give you my fingers as preparation for my cock…But I don’t think you are deserving of it.” 

I whined when his fingers left my heated flesh and returned to my legs, bending them at the knee and propping them on the bed so I was spread out for him completely. I screamed into the duvet when he rammed his cock into my pulsing heat, my hands gripping the fabric so tightly my knuckles were turning white from the force. I assumed he had wordlessly used magic to remove his clothing but at the current moment I was too preoccupied to care about how, all I cared about was the fullness I know felt inside me and the brutal pace he set without so much as giving me time to adjust to his size. His hips pistoned into me while his hands gripped my hips, keeping me from pulling away from his relentless thrusting. 

“S-Severus…” I moaned, I felt my core clenching as I teetered on the edge of ecstasy. 

The sound that left my mouth when his thrusts stopped was almost primal, my body bucking into his trying to regain some type of friction to pull back the feeling of release that was slowly fading to nothing. 

“Did you really think you were going to get release that quickly?” His voice was rough and gritty as he pulled out of me almost like it was more torture for him than me. “Oh my darling Little Star, you are going to wish you had kept your promise to me.” 

“Please Sir, I need you to fuck me.” 

“Is that so?” He taunted, rubbing his head down the length of my slit teasingly. “Lie against the headboard and spread your legs.” 

I hurried to do as he instructed, my head now resting against the pillows and my legs spread enough to leave him room to crawl between them. Once he was settled between my legs, he flicked his wrist and i felt the rough fiber of ropes slither their way around my ankles, tying my legs in place so I was powerless against him. 

“I quite enjoy you like this…Spread out for me to take…To pleasure…” He leaned down and took my nipple in his mouth, sucking roughly on the hard peak before releasing it. “To punish…” 

My eyes rolled back into my skull when he entered me again, this time slowly thrusting in and out of me. Slow enough that I could feel every vain and ridge of his hard cock gliding against my sensitive walls. My hands flew to his shoulders, scratching his sallow skin with my nails as he fucked me into oblivion. 

“More…Please” I was pleading with him, my legs beginning to shake with my building climax. If he would just go a little faster, just fuck me a little harder….

Thankfully for me, he decided he was done torturing me and rammed into my sopping pussy, his pace was now relentless and brutel again and I pushed my head against the pillows. My feet pulled against the ropes, trying to break free to wrap my legs around his waist. I knew I was going to have rope burns but at this point I was beyond the point of caring. 

“Are you going to lie to me again?” He asked, his voice strained as he continued to thrust into me. 

I shook my head furiously. “N-no s-sir.” I stuttered, trying my best to talk through the pleasure. 

“Good girl. Now you had better soak my cock with your cum before I decide to stop and send you back to your dormitory unsatisfied and dripping wet.” 

That was all it took for my orgasm my rip through my body, vision turning white as my walls clenched around him causing him to erupt with a loud moan. 

Severus collapsed on top of me, trying to catch his breath and lazily flicking his hand to release my ankles from the ropes. My hands circled his neck and I hugged him tightly as we both basked in the after-effects of an incredible orgasm. His breathing slowed after a few moments before he lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. 

“Spend the summer with me Aurora?”

[yjhariani]

hii, i've an idea. can you write something about the 141 team trying to fast for one day bc reader is also fasting and they're curious abt how it feels etc. thank you in advance :)

“I was thinking maybe we all try,” Soap said.

“Try what?” Ghost asked.

“Fasting,” Soap answered.

“Never once I thought such an idea would come out of you, Soap,” you chuckled.

“It’s not a bad idea either,” Ghost commented.

“I’m an amazing friend, how could you say that?” Soap protested. “Are we doing this or not?”

“Fuck yeah, I’m in,” Gaz nodded.

“When are we gonna do it?” Soap asked.

“Tomorrow sounds good,” Ghost said.

“Excuse me, tomorrow is cleaning day, my guys,” you pointed out.

“So, what? If you can do it, then, I can do it,” Ghost stated.

“Yeah, why not?” Soap supported. “You’re doing fine, we’ll do better than fine.”

“I already said I’m in,” Gaz shrugged.

“Fine,” you nodded. “I’ll wake you up for suhoor and you’ll eat and drink before dawn. After that you practise chastity, you can’t eat, drink, or smoke until dusk.”

There was a pause where everyone was looking at Ghost.

“I can survive without smoking,” Ghost said. “Been trying to quit anyway.”

“You said that like twelve times already in the span of one year,” you said.

“Still trying,” Ghost said.

Soon the time came. It was not that hard getting them out of the bed. However, getting them to wake up took a little bit more time and a lot of food.

The mess was not as full as how it would have been for breakfast, but still more people than it would have been any other month. Mostly, the people here were the ones who participated in Ramadan with their friends who were challenged to fast or simply curious to know what it felt like, maybe as a sign of respect to their friend.

It all went quite well, but after all it was only the beginning of the day.

Dawn came a few minutes after everyone was done eating and drinking. Everyone was oddly in a good mood. Maybe you were in a better mood than most of them because yesterday you did this all by yourself.

Then, fast forward to about hours later, it was about midday, and you were mopping the barrack floor with Ghost’ help. Gaz was asleep in the most uncomfortable position. Soap was nowhere to be seen, but Price did tell him to wash one of the cars.

“Hey, LT,” you called.

“Shut up,” Ghost said, more harshly than he intended.

“Okay,” you said as you turned around, hiding a smile—knowing that Ghost would be snapping at everyone soon if you kept pushing to talk to him.

Sometime later, you walked outside and found König holding up a hose downwards to Soap who was sitting underneath it, face up, eyes closed.

“Is he okay?” you mouthed at König.

König gave you a light shrug for an answer.

“Soap, are you okay?” you asked.

Soap opened his eyes and saw you.

“I’m,” Soap said, but he got water poured into his mouth and he moved his head off the water to talk to you, “I’m fucking thirsty.”

“Dude, you don’t have to force yourself. That’s literally part of the religion. I mean, that’s referring to sick people, pregnant and breastfeeding people, and elderly, but, really, you don’t have to force yourself,” you said.

“No,” Soap whined.

“Well, a lot of kids fast only up to midday,” you brought up.

“Why, because I’m a big baby?” Soap questioned.

You looked at König who slightly tilted his head in amusement.

“I’m just gonna leave you to it,” you decided.

About three hours before dusk, everyone was miserable. However, at least the cleaning was done. 

Everyone sort of had their own way of killing time. They had way less energy than usual, but still kept themselves busy.

Around the last hour of fasting, everyone was a little more spiritful again. They were excited about iftar and a lot of the conversation you were having was food related.

The four of you ordered a lot of food and plated everything in the common area of the barrack. There were warm drinks, cold drinks, savoury snacks, sweet snacks, portions of meals, but seemed to be lacking some water that no one realised would be necessary.

Hours came down to minutes before dusk. Everyone was sitting around the small coffee table where you put the food on. You put your phone on the table as well, waiting for it to announce the time to break your fast.

Your phone soon blared out as a sign that it was time to break your fast. Right away, the four men around you went to take their drinks and food and chugged everything in. However, they took a pause when they noticed that you only had one cup of warm beverage in your hands and you silently prayed before taking a sip. They slowed down then.

Regardless, after drinking a little bit of liquid and eating barely a few finger foods, everyone just sort of sat there and looked at each other.

“We’re never gonna be able to finish all these, are we?” Ghost questioned.

“Not even half,” you chuckled.

“This morning, I pissed seven times in the span of an hour because I drank three jugs of water,” Soap said, “and I’m still fuckin’ thirsty at noon.”

[guessimwritingficsagain]

Kintsugi (the golden roses will bloom prettily in the space between your ribs) Chapter 4

Summary : You'd met Joel a year ago. Then you learn he and Tess are gone from the Boston QZ. You go find Jackson on your own.

Warnings : Mature content, MDNI, rape attempt (not from Joel, though), pining, ANGST.

Tags : Just ask.

Chapter Three

———

You sit quiet when he’s done. Joel’s body is slumped on the couch in front of you, a man at the end of his rope. He’s looking at the wall, just waiting. Waiting to finally be left off the hook except-

He told you the when.

He told you the where.

He told you the how.

(How he murdered all of these people to keep Ellie from dying and that’s what she doesn’t know but suspects).

But he didn’t tell you the why.

So you ask, a third time. One last time.

‘Why did you bring her to some people who wanted to kill her ?’

‘I didn’t know.’

‘Yeah, okay, but why-‘

‘I’m not tellin’ you.’ He’s looking at you, now, eyes hard, jaw clenched, and you recognize the look- you’ve been the recipient of it many times. There’s no arguing with him now. Holding his gaze, you think about your bag, still made, waiting.

He musts see something on your face, then, because he jaw unclenches and his arm reaches for you but you’re already getting up. 

‘Well, I’m glad you’re safe, Joel. And I’m sorry about Tess.’ 

You walk to the front door and hear him follow. A hand grabs one of your arms

‘Hey, hey !’ Joel’s voice is frantic. ‘We’re back together, now, we can-‘

You wrench your arm out of his grasp, turn, and look him in the eye. You think about your bag, ready to go, an old thing that you’ve patched up so many times, faded forest green, still reliable because of the care you’ve shown it. You see his eyes, Joel’s eyes, warm brown, pleading to listen, to stay. You think of the most important thing you have, a secret, the only thing that is just yours.

———

‘Jesse ? Jesse where are you ?’ You screamed. 

You knew the area was safe, you’d scouted it every day for the past week. Same patrol, same route, every day, with Jesse. I-could-be-Indiana-Jones Jesse. 

Fuck Tommy and his stupid cold. 

You’d been off the trail for at least fifteen minutes when you saw it : a little cabin, right in the middle of the woods. Out there, it was just clean air, the sound of your horse’s hooves, your own breathing and birds chirping, up in trees so tall you could barely see the sky. 

You dismounted, gun at the ready. Crouched, advanced, slowly. 

The hand opening the door to the cabin was not as steady as you’d wished. 

The place was empty, and there was nothing of value, and you were ready to leave when you saw it-

A vase. 

Pretty. 

Broken. 

It cut your finger when you touched it. 

You heard your name being shouted, in the distance,, shut the door, got back on your horse and left. When Jesse asked where you’re been you just answered :

‘Lookin’ for you, idiot. Don’t stray, next time.’

You never mentioned the cabin, and no one ever asked, because no one ever asked you anything.

———

‘There’s no we, Joel.’

You think about the bag. 

‘There never was.’

You think about the cabin. 

You don’t think about his eyes, boring into yours. 

‘I was always alone. Always.’

As he takes a step forward, you realize that you don’t know if this feeling inside your chest means you don’t care anymore or if it means you care too much. You can’t be bothered to find out so you repeat- and add :

‘I was always alone, but I was the loneliest when I was with you.’

——— 

When Tommy opens the door and see you with your backpack he jokes :

‘Goin’ on a trip or somethin’ ?’

‘I’m leavin’, I need you to open the gates for me.’

Tommy just- stares. And gapes. He looks like a fucking idiot fish, you think, as Maria, always the smart one, joins in, little Lucas in her arms and asks : 

‘Can’t it wait until we talk about this ?’

Your no is as final as a nail in a coffin. Maria nods, gives Lucas to her husband and motions you to follow her, despite her husband’s pleas of wait, wait, is this about my brother ? We can work this out, wait, please-

The walk to the gate is peaceful, you greet the people who greet Maria as you walk by. 

‘If you need a horse, we can give you one.’ She offers.

You shrug.

‘I know where I’m goin’, I don’t need one. It’s gonna take longer but I don’t wanna take away from you guys.’

You’re almost at the gates when Maria asks :

‘Why are you leaving ?’

You turn to her, and she’s very pretty, like that, the curls of her hair catching the sun, her skin shining in the morning light. You could have been friends with her, you think.

Once upon a time.

‘Why did you take me off patrol ?’ You answer.

She doesn’t answer but even a woman as strong-headed as Maria has tells.You see it in the way she briefly clenches her fists, the way her jaw locks. Her eyes leave yours, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of way, but it’s enough. 

The gates open. 

You’re feeling a lot.

You’re feeling petty. 

Wallflower.

Sunflower.

Rose.

Thorns.

You turn to her one last time. ‘You’re letting me go very easily.’ 

You adjust your bag on your shoulder. You add :

‘Y’know, for someone who claims to give a shit.’

———

Two hours and a half later, give or take, Joel Miller did exactly what Ellie was afraid of and rode off to find you. 

The only difference was 

Ellie asked him to do it.

———

Taglist

@pedritobalmando @amidjarin @ajeff855 @justpedropascal @sara-alonso @sarahjkl82-blog @amidjarin @sara-alonso@justpedropasc@mrsbentallmadge @farfromjustordinary @hnt-escape @kirsteng42 @ace-27749 @pocket-of-possibilities @missladym1981

[xsapphirescrollsx]

D*ck pic Steve Rogers

Written: 2020 I think, lol.

Dark! Steve Rogers x Black!Reader

Anyways this was based on a post I reblogged! Remember this one @titty-teetee?

Anonymous asked:

Now I wanna know what dick pic Steve is planning to do? Don’t leave me hanging please! *grabby hands*

“See you in a little bit ;)”

You handed the phone over to your roommate and waited for shock to spread across her features. What should have been an appropriate reaction to the Captain America texting a picture of his penis to you a week ago, and then following it up with such a vague message, instead the woman began to chuckle.

“It’s a fuckin’ joke, okay?” Your roommate began to thumb through your phone. 

“--But let me see it one more time…”

You grabbed the rag and began to wipe off the kitchen counter in a huff. “That’s not the point!” you yelled. “I don’t want to see his dick, the man’s a fucking jerk.”

Silence swelled between the space, turning back to your roommate she was staring at your phone. Slowly, tilting her head along with the phone. 

“Damn.” she said. “If that really is his dick, “ she pointed at the screen, her head turned in your direction but her eyes remained glued to the screen. “I mean...if this giant pecker right here really is Steve Rogers ---” she sucked at her teeth.

“Then you’re in trouble.” The roommate didn’t even try to contain the giggles. “It’s been what - two years?” 

You snatched the phone out of her hand. “Fuck off.”

“Okay, alright. Well...I’m going out.” The roommate picked her purse off the counter, gave her hair a final check at the mirror opposite the island counter. “Don’t wait up.”

“I never do.” you didn’t even bother to turn around. 

The door slammed behind you while putting away the last of the dishes you cleaned after dinner. A minute passed, and then maybe five more when the door knob twisted. It was a familiar sound met with an eye roll that your roommate most likely forgot something on her way out. Armed with sharp words, even more piercing cutdowns about her vapid mind you jerked the door open. 

“You dumb biii-” Your voice died like some balloon having the air let out at an agonizing pace.

“That’s no way to address a guest Miss.”

You blinked a few times. Steve Rogers stood on the other side of your threshold looking like the man you had seen so many times on your television screen, the papers, magazines...and your phone. Perfect blonde hair combed back, up and away from his face made for the striking angle that his beard brought out along his jaw. His eyes, different, somehow colder than you could have imagined glared back at you. 

Steve stepped forward, pushed his way past the door. His commanding, straight edge presence made your resolve crumble back out of his way from the door. 

He couldn’t help but grin as the fear began to pool in your eyes.

“I told ya,” he said as he stopped a few inches in front of you. “That picture was for you.”

With a few fingers on the knob he slammed it shut behind him. “Shame you couldn’t believe me.”

“How was I supposed to know?” you tried to speak up, gain some perspective on the situation but it didn’t help that Steve was now advancing once again. “We were in a forum with fifteen other people. It was for volunteer work! As far as I could tell you were just another perv who scooped up my information.”

You bumped up against the counter, Steve kept walking until he was within a few inches of your body. 

“What do you want?” 

Steve let your question linger in the air long enough to see the first trembling shakes in the tips of your fingers.

“Get on your knees.” he said, he moved so fast you flinched. Steve began to unbutton his jeans right there in front of you. “I think you should get a closer look. Maybe you would appreciate what you are about to receive.”

“No way.”

Steve snatched you by the jaw. “And you’re gunna swallow what I give you.” With his other hand he pushed down to kneel. He swiveled his hand underneath your chin and jaw as he worked with the zipper of his jeans.

“Since I saw you, “ he shoved his jeans down to his thighs. “I’ve thought about nothing but you.”

You didn’t want to look, and you tried. Your eyes stared up at his nose, his lips, chin anything but the long, thick member currently being rubbed on from your peripheral. 

Your heart beat drowned out his voice a bit, but not as much as you wanted. “So fuckin’ sweet.” Steve whispered, he squeezed your jaw hard forcing you to open your mouth and the second it did he stuck two fingers through your lips, over your tongue and down your throat. 

The first wretch was hard, felt like it was going to cave in your chest. “Good…” Steve said in a pleased hush. “It’ll be me that gets to break this throat in then.”

Steve kept thrusting his fingers, with every gag more saliva gathered. “And after this I’ll plant some seeds, what’dya say?”

“Remember you said you always wanted to be a mother?”

Your mind fell back to the passive remarks said over an open forum. It was a slip really, you were trying to make a fellow volunteer feel better. You tried to shake your head away from him but he kept your jaw there even when you pushed back on his thighs.

Steve pulled his fingers out of your throat and smacked you hard across the face with his wet hand. “Do you want your hands tied?” he shouted in your face.

And when you started to cry Steve stepped back up, he shoved your hands off his thighs, he grabbed both sides of your face and brought your lips to the tip of his cock. 

“You’re a hero…” you said before Steve pushed the thick head past your lips. Stretching the corners of your mouth around the girth of his flesh. 

“That’s right sweetheart,” his voice shuddered at the sensation of soft skin at the back of your throat. And when your eyes rolled back, the hair stood up at the nape of his neck and Steve nearly fell apart right then and there. But he calmed himself and tilted his head back while closing his eyes as he began to bob your head back and forth. 

A moan deep in his belly crawled up the back of his throat in a groan. 

“I’m your hero, aren’t I, honey?” he whimpered. “A strong man just for you…”

Steve pushed you down harder, thrusted in farther until he was over more than half way in your mouth. “A little woman just for me.”

Steve rolled his head back down and stared at the mess he was making around your mouth. “That’s it sweetheart.” He pushed more down into you. “Don’t--” your hands went back to his thighs as he continued. “Don’t push me off...it’s good for you.” he insisted.

“I’ll tie you up…” he grunted under another moan. Your hands slipped from his jeans, and balled them up in your tee shirt. 

“Good girl, now loosen that jaw….so tight.”

Reluctantly, you did as instructed. “Stick your tongue out, let Daddy feel your whole mouth.” he growled low. 

Still holding the sides of your face, Steve kept you there, gagging and struggling to breath beyond the warm, long cock stuffed in your mouth. 

For a moment, your eyes swirled back up to his. Steve was staring down at you, his mouth was open a bit, the corner started to pull into a wicked smile and your eyes went blurry. 

“I bet after today you won’t ever ignore another text from me again.”

[fantasticstoryteller]

I just had this funny headcanon where Damian Wayne is a guy who obssessed with games and can't leave his room for 5 minutes until Danny decide to drags him out of his room.

Danny: Damian! It's afternoon, come out! DAMIAN!

Damian: (grumbles) Fenton! How many times do I have to tell you not to just burst in here! Now be quiet, I'm close to advancing Fuuka-chan's path!

Danny: Fuuka what?

(Danny then glancing at the screen; a teal-haired, pale girl was offering the player a homemade lunch)

How is it? (the girl on screen asked)

Damian: (grins) HA! The obvious answer is that it's delicious!

(Damian scrolled over the appropriate response, and was rewarded with a new message:) The Fuuka Yamagishi social link has reached level 4!

Damian: Yes! I finally did it! Now it's time for Yuk-

Danny: (drags Damian out) Okay dude, I'm gonna taking you out. No game for you!

The game would. Not. Die. Danny had deleted it. He'd "accidentally" destroyed the console it was on. He'd tried to give it to Technus!

Technus who had taken one look at the code for the game and then fled as fast as his corny self could go to the Zone, which--yeah, that really should have been Danny's first clue. Or maybe the fact that it mysteriously reuploaded itself with all the data intact.

Still, he'd thought it was a prank. He'd thought it was something Steph did. Or maybe Cass. (So many people didn't realize how much of a chaos gremlin Cass was.) Or maybe it was something that Ellie had found and given to Damian the last time she came through.

He should have investigated it more. He really should have. And now, he stood cursing himself for not having done that.

Standing beside Damian, in a Gotham Academy girl's uniform, was a girl with short, teal colored hair. She brushed some hair out of her face with a pale hand and looked up at Danny through her lashes. "Hi," she said.

"This," said Damian proudly as he put an arm around the girl. The girl who giggled and cuddled into Damian's side. "Is Fuuka Yamagishi."

"Hey, Fuuka!" said Dick. Dick didn't realize anything was wrong. Of course not; when Damian had started playing a dating sim, Dick had given the boy his space with vague comments about "learning about relationships" and "more emotionally mature than his old man." Dick grinned at the girl that Danny was trying, oh, so hard, not to attack.

She was not a ghost. Danny wasn't sure what she was, but she was not a ghost.

"Oh!" Steph appeared and Danny glared at the blond girl. This was her fault. He didn't know how, but this was her fault. Or maybe Cass. Or Ellie.

His suspect pool was too large for this.

"How'd ya meet?" asked Steph as she bounced off Dick's shoulder.

Fuuka laid her head against Damian's shoulder. "Damian saved me," she said with clear adoration in her voice.

"Aw!" cooed Steph. Both Steph and Dick ushered Damian and Fuuka inside.

Danny--Danny had to let them do it. What could he say, "No, this is a video game character, Damian why are you dating a video game character?"

"Yo, Danny," called Dick. "You coming?"

Inspiration struck and Danny pulled out his phone. "In a minute," he said as he searched his contact list. It couldn't have been that long since they'd been in contact, could it? "I need to make a phone call."

"I guess that means we'll just get a head start on learning about Damian's girlfriend," said Dick casually.

Danny bit back a scream as he finally found the contact. "Have fun," he said through grit teeth as he pressed the icon. "Please pick up," he chanted as the other phone rang through the line. He looked back at the manor that now housed six people, two ghosts, and one video game character. "Please pick up!"

[orionsstory]

that kind of devotion | anarcia (8)

warnings for fire and general distress/threats in this chapter! as always you can check out the chapter on ao3 as well! I'd like to apologize in advance poor anetra goes through it

-

"Where are we going again?"

"Some bar my girlfriend and her friends are at." Aura called back, her eyes glued to the directions on her phone.

"Right. What's the occasion again?"

"Uhm...I think a promotion or something."

Anetra chuckled as they paused on the corner of the street, Aura looking intently at the two directions before them. She hesitated for a moment before leading them left.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?"

Aura waved her off. "No, no, it's okay- I got it. We're not gonna get lost like last time."

They did in fact get lost. Just like last time.

Anetra ended up taking the phone from Aura and correctly guiding them in the right direction. It may have taken an extra thirty minutes, but they finally arrived. Aura led them inside the club, weaving through the groups of people until her eyes lit up as she spotted a group. Her girlfriend practically lit up when she spotted the two, tossing herself into Aura's arms.

Anetra had to admit, they were cute. Aura had been going on and on about Robin for the past few weeks, so it was nice to put a face to a name. Her thoughts were interrupted when Aura introduced her to the others, elbowing the other girl at her comment. Was her resting bitch face really that bad?

She drew her attention to the other girls. She didn't recognize the one with curly blonde hair, but the other two seemed familiar. She couldn't place her finger on where until the club lights flashed, illuminating the girl with the straight blonde hair.

Marcia.

She felt panic flair up in her chest before she calmed herself down, panicking would only attract more attention to herself- maybe Marcia didn't even recognize her.

Marcia looked as if she was about to speak to say something to Anetra, but before that Aura pulled her away to grab drinks for the group. Aura, her saving grace. Temporarily, but that was better than nothing. They got to the bar, Aura repeated the drink orders to the bartender before turning her attention back to Anetra. They talked for a moment before her phone started to ring, she told Aura she'd be right back before heading out back to answer the call.

"Hello?" She answered, leaning back on the brick wall.

"Lotus, it's an emergency." Detective Barnes' voice echoed over the phone. "There's a fire at a store on 12th, it's believed to be linked to the perp."

"I'm on my way."

Anetra had to pretend to be calm as she made her way back inside, telling Aura there was an emergency and she had to leave. She rushed through the club, making her way to an empty alleyway before she jetted off to her apartment to change.

-

Now in her hero costume, she whipped through the air faster than she had ever flown before. The pit in her stomach only grew as she got closer, she began to see the smoke wafting up from the buildings. She quickly touched down onto the street- the fire was burning bright, engulfing almost the whole building. This was like nothing she had ever seen.

"Well, Lotus, it's nice to finally meet you in person." A voice giggled from above. Anetra lifted her head to see a figure standing in the sky. She had big, curly blonde hair and a red and black suit, a long cape flowing behind her. She could make out a red devil mask covering her eyes.

"You!" She spat out, readying herself to kick off before a noise interrupted her.

A weak call for help came from the burning building. Anetra's eyes widened at the realization.

"Make your choice, Lotus."

But Anetra didn't even hear the end of her sentence, already kicking out the glass in the window and making her way into the inferno.

The building was hot, even for her. Because of her fire powers, her body temperature was higher than regular people's, allowing her to better deal with high temperatures. But she could feel herself starting to sweat, which meant the person stuck here must be burning up.

"Where are you?" She called out as she began to search the premises, quickly clearing out all the rooms on the first floor. She heard a bump from upstairs, rushing up the burning stairs. She spotted a figure curled up in the corner of the room, hurriedly making her way over.

It was an old man, Anetra could tell he was still breathing but he was definitely in a fragile state. She kicked out the closest window, clearing the glass around the frame before picking up the old man. She cleared the window, careful not to cut the man with the glass before touching down on the other side of the street, gently laying him down on the ground.

She heard sirens approaching in the distance, looking up towards the sky- the woman was gone, Anetra cursed beneath her breath as she turned her attention back to the old man. She had some small bandages stored on her, getting to work on patching up his smaller cuts. He was starting to come back to consciousness, so Anetra helped him sit up as the ambulance rounded the corner.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"Y-yes ma'am, thank you."

Anetra helped the medics load the man into the ambulance, filling them in on the situation before they headed to the hospital. The fire department had extinguished the building by that point and was currently looking around inside for any evidence. She spotted Detective Barnes waving her over.

"Nice job, Lotus."

She sighed, running her hand through her hair. "I don't know. She got away."

Anetra felt a pang of guilt as she looked back at the charred building. Maybe if she had been quick enough, she could've caught up with the perp. Oh well- there was no use dwelling on it now. She and Barnes briefed each other on their accounts, Anetra describing the villain to him and Barnes explaining he believed the call came from her. That puzzled Anetra, why would she call in her own crime?

"Why would she do that? Did she...want to be caught?"

Barnes shook his head, "I don't think so. I think it might be an ego thing."

"Like she's taunting us?"

"Exactly that. She called from a burner phone, we found the smashed remains a few feet away from the building."

Anetra sighed, "She's smart, I'll give her that."

Another officer approached sheepishly, handing a note to Anetra. She groaned, already knowing what it was. The other officer beckoned Barnes to follow him, leaving Anetra alone. That was certainly odd, but whatever. She didn't think this one would be much different from the others.

She unfolded the paper, her eyes scanning over the words. She froze, a lump forming in her throat. That couldn't be right. She re-read the letter again and again, her heartbeat increasing each time.

There, in pretty cursive handwriting, was Anetra's full name and address.

-

She spent the next three hours patrolling, her mind racing and in full panic mode. Had her files been breached? It wasn't impossible, she knew it'd happened before, but who would risk their job over such a low-ranking hero? The more likely scenario in her mind was that she had been sloppy, that this villain had been keeping track of her moves and used it to find out where she lived. She cursed herself for being so careless.

Her phone ringing jolted her out of her trance, Sasha's photo lighting up her screen.

"Hello?" She croaked out. God, she hadn't realized how tired she was.

"Stop patrolling and go to bed. You sound awful."

She sighed, touching down on top of a building. She stumbled a bit as she sat, her body exhausted. She knew Sasha was right, her body was screaming for her to rest, but she couldn't.

"I can't, Sash."

"What happened?"

Anetra took a deep breath before spitting everything out- the fire, actually seeing the villain, and the note. She felt chills run up her body as she recounted it to Sasha, her voice tired and weak. Sasha, as patient as ever, listened to her rambling that she was certain didn't make sense. She couldn't stop kicking herself for not only putting herself but also Sasha in the path of danger.

"Neech, baby. Listen to me. I'm okay and so are you. She might have the address, but there's no way she's getting into that building. It's one of the most secure in the city. So please, go home and get some rest. I'll be back in three days, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts. She hasn't even tried to fight you, she knows you're stronger than her. You'd beat her ass in an instant. There's no way she's coming close to the building."

Anetra took a shaky breath. "Yeah. Yeah...you're right."

"Of course I am. I love you, Neech. We'll be okay. I'll get extra security if that'll reassure you."

"It would. Thank you, Sash. I love you too."

Sasha stayed on the phone with her as she made her way back to the apartment, her eyes scanning the area for the blonde villain. She was on high alert, only letting her guard down once she had searched every corner of the apartment for a bug or wiretap. Once she was sure, she passed out, clinging onto Mr. Quack.

She had that dream again. That nightmare. Sasha's screams and Marcia's blood-stained body. She woke with a start, finding it nearly impossible to get the image out of her mind. It took her a while to drift back off again, but her sleep remained restless. She tossed and turned, still feeling exhausted when she woke up.

She tried to focus on things she enjoyed, she took a walk in the park and watched the ducks, and she went to the gym to work some of the stress off, but none of it seemed to help. She found it hard to find joy in any of the activities, instead, she was constantly watching her back. Her mind was an anxious swirl of dark thoughts and dread, she could feel herself becoming overwhelmed by the emotions.

-

It only worsened the day after, the ring of her cell phone interrupting the first decent sleep she had been able to have. She groggily sat up, her eyes narrowing on the unknown number. She reasoned it might be a client, so she sighed as she clicked the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Anetra, how are you?"

That voice. It was her- the villain. She bolted to attention, already texting Barnes about the situation. If they could track the call, they may be able to find her and capture her.

"Who are you?"

"Right to business, hm? People have no manners these days." She hears the girl cackle over the phone, "You don't need to know who I am. Not yet."

"What do you want?"

"Just wanted to talk. Figured you were probably quite stressed after last night." Anetra scowled as the girl giggled.

"You could have killed that man, you know."

"Please, I figured you'd save him. But if you didn't...well, I wouldn't have been too upset."

"You're disgusting."

"Careful there. You may have been able to save this one, but you may not be so lucky in the future."

"Is that a threat?"

"Perhaps...maybe you should keep an eye on that blonde girl...what's her name again?"

Anetra felt her blood run cold and a pit building up in her stomach. She stayed silent as she listened to the woman on the other line humming.

"Oh, that's right- Marcia."

Anetra felt her fear turn into rage, her fists clenched around the bed sheets.

"Leave her alone." She spat.

"Strikes a nerve, does it? Good to know..."

"Fuck with me all you want, but leave her out of this. She doesn't know anything."

"Are you sure about that? Well, I have to run anyway. Nice try, but I know you sent your little police officers after me. Ta-ta, Anetra."

The phone clicked off, leaving Anetra there with her thoughts. If she wasn't stressed out before, she was now. The idea that some villain might be stalking Marcia, that she might hurt her, scared Anetra to no end. She tossed her phone aside, staring up at the ceiling in an attempt to calm herself down.

-

Sasha came home two days later and immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Have you been eating?"

Anetra avoided her gaze as Sasha dropped her bags down beside the couch. She had tried to fix her appearance so as not to worry her, but it was obvious that hadn't worked. Ever since the call from that morning, Anetra had spent most of her free time patrolling. She hadn't exactly been taking care of herself, but she didn't think Sasha would have picked up on it that easily.

"Neech...what happened?"

Anetra took a shaky breath, "I got another call...she...she brought up Marcia."

Sasha took a seat beside her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Oh, baby...so you've been working yourself to death, hm?"

Anetra nodded, practically collapsing into Sasha's arms.

"I'm so mad at myself. She doesn't deserve this. Fuck, how could I be so careless?"

"It's not like this is a common occurrence. This is pretty unheard of, even for more famous heroes." Sasha comforted her, rubbing circles into her back. "Have you told Marcia?"

It hadn't even crossed her mind. She felt guilty about it, of course, but she was also worried. She was worried that Marcia wouldn't trust her anymore. She wouldn't blame her- she didn't deserve to be stalked because Anetra liked her. It's why she hadn't talked to her in three days.

"Is that a no?"

Anetra nodded, groaning. "I haven't talked to her since...all that happened. I'm scared, Sasha."

"I understand, but you need to tell her."

"I know...I'm just...scared she'll hate me."

"Neech, she's not going to hate you. But still, for her safety, you need to tell her. Ignoring her won't make her safer."

"Fuck...you're right. God, how am I going to tell her?"

"You should be honest. You'd do anything to keep her safe, right?"

"Of course."

"Then tell her that too. She trusts you a lot, I promise it'll go better than you think."

Anetra nods, sniffling. She opens up her phone, her screen filled with missed texts and calls from Marcia. She opens up the text thread, her eyes landing on the last message sent that morning.

Marcia🎀 is everything okay? you haven't answered me in a while...

She felt a pang of guilt as she read the message. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she typed out a response.

I'm sorry. Can I talk to you tonight?

Marcia🎀 of course.

Anetra felt a slight sense of relief flow through her. She just hoped Marcia would understand.

-

She spent the rest of the day with Sasha who helped snap her out of her funk. She was grateful, she felt less anxious than she had the past few days. She still felt a bit shaky, but it was an improvement nonetheless.

As their meeting time drew closer, Anetra began to rehearse what she would say to Marcia. She ran through all of the scenarios that might happen, preparing herself for all of them. Finally, it came time to leave. She nervously suited up, taking a deep breath in to try and calm herself.

She flew a bit slower than she usually did, her nerves spiking as she grew closer. Eventually, she reached Marcia's apartment. She hesitated for a moment, glancing around before gently knocking three times on Marcia's window. She heard some pacing in the room before the pink curtain drew back, Marcia now in front of her. She gently pushed the window open, looking up at her.

"Hi."

"Come in."

Anetra's heart stung at the words, so dull compared to Marcia's usual cheer. She gently swung herself into the room, closing the window behind her. Marcia was sat on the bed, looking at her expectantly. She hesitated, sitting on the windowsill.

"You can sit on the bed, you know."

Anetra shakily got up, taking a seat a few feet away from Marcia. Marcia frowned when she sat down before looking back up toward her. Anetra opened her mouth to speak, feeling her words catching in her mouth.

"I-"

She grimaced as she felt her throat go dry, unable to speak. Marcia noticed, speaking up instead.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"What? No, no, of course not."

Marcia's words took Anetra by surprise, she looked up towards the girl. She felt a pang of guilt go through her as she looked at Marcia's face, a mix of hurt and confusion.

"Then what is it, Lotus? You've been ignoring me for three days..."

"It's not your fault...it's...it's..."

She tried to spit out what she had rehearsed. But in that moment, all the words she had put so much thought into had disappeared. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She tried to steady her breathing as Marcia put a concerned hand on her shoulder. She then burst into tears.

That wasn't what she had planned.

She felt Marcia envelop her in a hug, Anetra burying her head in the blonde's neck as she sobbed. The stress had broken her. She felt embarrassed, she was supposed to be a hero- she wasn't supposed to cry. She was supposed to smile and put on a brave face, to beat the villain. But she couldn't.

"Lotus...talk to me, what's going on?" Marcia held her gently, as if she might break. Anetra gently raised her head, Marcia wiping away a stray tear making its way down her left cheek.

"I-I got a call from that villain..." she choked out, her voice hoarse.

"The one from that big case?" Marcia handed her a bottle of water. Anetra nodded, taking the water with shaky hands.

"Y-yeah...she called me and...well...she threatened you." She finally said, her gaze avoiding Marcia.

"Threatened me how?" Marcia's voice was softer than she expected, she had expected her to be angry with her.

"She...she just insinuated that I might not be able to save you. That she might...hurt you."

"What? How'd she even call you in the first place?"

"She left a note with my name and address. I'm assuming she found my phone number too."

"Lotus..." Marcia spoke softly, running a hand through Anetra's hair.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. You shouldn't be dealing with any of this."

She sighed, "I wish you would have told me sooner instead of ignoring me."

"I thought if I ignored you...I thought she might leave you alone. I'm sorry, I just...haven't been thinking straight lately."

"I'm not angry," Marcia guided Anetra's head to look up at her, "I know you're worried about me. But just...talk to me about it, okay?"

Anetra nodded, "I will. And I'll do everything I can to protect you. I promise. I'm not going to let her hurt you."

"I know you won't."

"Just...stay extra vigilant until this whole thing blows over, please? You should be with someone at all times, especially at night." Anetra worried, taking Marcia's hands into her own and squeezing them.

"I will. I know you'll catch her." Marcia moved one of her hands up to cup Anetra's face, giving her a soft smile before kissing her cheek.

Anetra softly smiled, feeling herself relax for the first time in days. She leaned into Marcia's touch, allowing herself to feel safe. She was grateful Marcia believed in her, she just hoped she was right.

[cozyenigma]

Dinner Date

Word Count- 1002

Request?- Nope!

Summary- You'd run into the adventurer a few times now and... helped yourself to a few finds. You didn't expect him here or for the shoe to be on the other foot

Warnings- None

Your meal had barely even started when it was ruined. 

It was a nice place. A high end place. Places you usually have to make reservations for at least a couple weeks in advance. A place where you had to slip the hostess a very generous tip to get a table on short notice. You deserved it, you worked hard.

The view was spectacular, your glass was full of wine you hadn't even touched, and there was even live music playing softly from a far corner. This was the kind of place people from money dined in. You weren't from money, per say, but you could walk in those circles when you needed to.

You popped another appetizer, something bite sized you hadn't looked at the menu, and sat back in your chair. Treating yourself never tasted so nice. 

The waiter came by with your plate of food, steaming and glistening in the low light, and you were practically drooling. Plate had hardly touched the table when he showed up. The waiter has just turned to leave and, too taken with the food, you hadn't noticed the uninvited guest until the chair opposite moved.

You'd recognise the smug face anywhere. Even dressed up in a crinkled dress shirt and jacket, Illinois wasn't hard to miss.

"Really?" You deadpanned, spreading a napkin out across your lap.

"I can't drop in on an old friend?" He asks, leaning an elbow on the table and looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Not deigning to answer, you instead gesture up towards your head. The man takes a minute to catch your drift before his eyes dart up to that stupid cowboy hat. Even if it did have a certain charm, it didn't fit with his outfit nor did it fit with anything else in the building.

"What? I'm not taking it off for this place."

"You look ridiculous."

"I look amazing, excuse you." He readjusts in his seat, pointedly changing the subject. "Anyways, I wanted to catch up. See what you've been up to."

"None of your business and we're not friends."

Illinois almost looks put out as you say that. You shrug, finally taking a bite of your meal and nodding in approval.

"Can't help but notice this isn't your usual kinda haunt," he continues.

"What, I'm not allowed to have class?"

A short laugh that has a few older guests turn to look at the two of you. "You and I both know you're way more at home in some back alleys than fine dining."

You hummed around the next bite, idly twirling your fork. "So you're saying I'm a cheap date?"

"Something like that. Where'd we run into last?" Illinois looked almost annoyed as you shrugged. 

"I don't know... Outside some pawn shop in Rome?" 

"Try a side street in Rabat."

Feigning thinking about it for a moment, you nodded. "Yeah I guess we did bump into each other there too, huh?"

"Uh huh. Don't suppose I can ask for that statue back?"

"Oh you can. You're not gonna like the answer though." You pop another bite in your mouth. "I will say thanks for paying for the meal."

Illinois scrubs a hand down his face. "You sold it then? And the necklace? God don't tell me you pawned them, please."

"Psh, pawn shops are a rip off and you know it. Private collectors on the other hand... Well, there's a reason I'm going to them and not a museum."

"Do your clients care that you're peddling stolen artifacts?"

You were about to fire back when the waiter approached. Wine bottle in one hand, he haltingly asks if the gentleman would like to order. The fact that you had only gotten a table for one might be why you were both getting weird looks from the staff.

"Thanks but I'm fi-"

"He'll have what I'm having," you cut him off, tone far too pleasant. 

The waiter nodded and disappeared back to the kitchen. You couldn't help but take a bit too much enjoyment out of his glare.

"Oh cmon, you don't wanna enjoy what those artifacts got us?"

Illinois jabbed a finger your way. "There is no us cuz you stole them from me."

"I fail to see how my stealing is different from your stealing," you said, continuing before Illinois could, "You don't strike me as the kind of guy who goes through all the proper channels. Gets all the permits and paperwork in order before jumping right in. I had just as much right to those artifacts as you did."

You watched his jaw clench. "I offered to take you under my wing. It didn't have to be like this."

The conversation slammed to a halt again as the waiter brought a second plate of food. Delicious as it looked, Illinois didn't look away from you for a second. Didn't even say anything to the waiter.

"It's good, really," you said. You were close to polishing off your portion.

"You're gonna try and stick me with the bill aren't you?"

"And what, stiff the lovely staff here?"

"Oh I'm sure you'll tip generous.”

You shrugged, going to take a sip of your drink. "Not very gentlemanly of you, Illinois."

"Not very-"

The dessert had come then which, to be honest, you forgot you ordered. A tall, generous slice of chocolate cake with mouse and a mirror glaze and everything. It was perfect.

And then Illinois cleaved it in half with his fork. You could only watch in horror as he shoved at least a good third of that cake into his mouth. 

"Good choice," he said, still chewing.

"God you're disgusting," you push your chair back and stand, storming off towards the bathroom. 

"Disgustingly handsome?" He calls after you. You pointedly ignore him and the stares. 

He better enjoy that cake, you thought. Cuz there was a window in that bathroom just begging to be used as an escape route. You worked hard, you deserved an Illinois free night out anyways.