#people couldn't be at Peace with each other and like something and not being insulted about it

[o4o41]

Nice

(minor) SPOILERS FOR TOTTMNT

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Absolutely loved the series, especially the first half!! I don't really have a lot to talk about since i'll just repeat what everyone else is saying but yeah!!! I like turtles!!

[paracosmic-murdock]

these colors fade for you only ; benedict bridgerton x reader (part i)

pairing: benedict bridgerton x fem!reader

summary: one thing worse than seeing your enemy often was living under the same roof, certainly, and you and benedict suffered from that unfortunate condition. not even the eleven years you've slept separated by a thin wall only helped you overcome that hatred, you would always hate each other. or not really, because it's too definite to say something as such when a few hours could change the meaning of until the end of time.

warnings/tags: enemies to lovers, sexual tension, very inappropriate behavior for the 1810s, colin bridgerton being a little shit, two people who hate each other locked in a room, what could possibly go wrong?, nude paintings, implied smut, song: sunlight (hozier)

word count: 3.2K

❁ part ii

❁ mila's anthology (main masterlist)

One thing about Benedict Bridgerton is how you could ruin even the best of days for him.

One thing about you is how much you loved to make him mad and see the frustration on his face.

Another thing about Benedict Bridgerton is how pathetically obsessed he was with insulting you in any chance he gets.

Another thing about you is how you were willing to do absolutely anything to bother him or tease him.

You acted like children: always arguing, always making fun of each other, always making everyone at Bridgerton House completely insane with your bickering the entire day.

One thing was having to see your enemy often. One way worse was living under the same roof.

Eleven years ago, your parents had an accident, and you have lived with the Bridgertons ever since, as your mother was Violet Bridgerton's best friend since childhood.

Devastated for years, you accompanied the Bridgertons in their grief for Edmund, which was what ultimately gave you strength to go on with your life. All of you.

But that was the very same thing that ignited your rivalry with the second Bridgerton: your enthusiasm would collide with his mourning and harsh words coming out of his mouth you had no will to tolerate.

It began with his insults to you, though you knew he didn't mean to be rude, and it was all his grief doing the talk. When you couldn't tolerate it anymore, you started insulting him back.

Then, Benedict would play pranks that went too far, and you would burn his sketches in the chimney.

Benedict started sabotaging any chance you could get to find a suitor and you would spread silly rumors about his performance in the bedroom with his friends from the Academy.

Thanks to his efforts, not even being named Diamond of the Season was enough for you to find a husband, which was already making you feel like a failure, not to mention a burden to the Bridgertons. Benedict's fault also.

“Anthony, has he come back?”

He gave you a pitiful look. “I am sorry, Y/N, but I spoke to Lord Raeken to ask him his intentions, and he said he was not interested in marrying you.”

“What?” You gasped. “But everything was going so well! He- he invited us for dinner last week! His mother and Aunt Violet befriended each other even!”

“You will not like what I am going to say.” Anthony anticipated, and you already knew whose fault it was.

“It was Benedict?! Again?!”

Anthony nodded. “I talked to him… It was a threat. He said he would fix it, and I promise you that Lord Raeken will propose to you. If not, he is not worthy of you, and that is all.”

“Nobody is worthy of me, then? He… ruined it with the Duke of Sussex, with Lord Leclerc, with the Count-, I… Why does he keep doing this, Anthony?” You whimpered. You didn't even notice when you started crying, but before anything happened, he hugged you tightly. “Has he not tormented me enough already?”

The eldest Bridgerton knew all too well of your inner motives to hate each other, but decided not to meddle in your war anymore unless it was a case as delicate as this.

“Promise me you will not ruin his latest painting, Y/N,” he begged. “I am trying to work on a peace accord between the two of you, so as long as you stop doing things to him, he will stop messing with you.”

You sighed. “If I do not marry this season, I will have no other choice but to find a job as a governess.”

“Why do you even say that?” He frowned.

“Because it has been eleven years of you sponsoring me, and I believe that it is too much time.”

“You think you are a burden for us?” Anthony asked, and your silence answered. “The day you leave us will be one of the saddest for us Bridgertons, Y/N. You are like our sister, and we love you and care about you as such. Perhaps it has not worked before, but do you really believe that a man that loves you will let none other than Benedict intimidate him?”

“Gregory is more threatening than him,” you noted. “And those dimples could melt the coldest of hearts!”

Anthony smiled. “Do not think too much of it. We shall find you a husband before the season ends.”

“Alright.”

“Now go, I believe Colin is expecting you, and I have many things to do.”

“Sure thing.” you replied.

Once you were out of his office, you gathered the baby blue skirt and ran to Benedict's studio. There, you saw the painting Anthony begged you not to ruin.

It was a woman's naked figure, quite a graceful one. And it was beautifully portrayed.

It would be a shame for it to be ruined. Thank God you did not promise Anthony a thing.

It was still wet, so it was not difficult to use other colors and mix them with the paint so it would look different. You also spilled droplets of red and signed your name on the painting where he had his.

Then, you cleaned your hands and ran to the door.

“Colin!” you exclaimed, and he turned around. “We are going to find Benedict right now.”

He frowned, annoyed. “What happened now?”

“Lord Raeken won't marry me for something Benedict did. Now I must speak to him.”

“It is getting late. We will not get to the tailor in time if we go to Benedict first.”

“Please?” You begged Colin. “I can get on my knees if you wish, but please…”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Alright, let's- oh, there he is!”

You looked in the same direction as him and noticed Benedict getting home. He seemed mad, and your face lost all its life when you thought of what could happen when he saw his painting ruined by you.

“Let's get out of here, Colin…” you muttered once Benedict passed you without even saying hello.

“Why? Benedict is here if you wish to talk to him.”

“It might not be a great time right now…”

“Why?”

“Y/N, I swear to God!”

“Because…” You gave Colin a sheepish look at Benedict's scream.

“What did you do?”

“He started it!”

Colin rolled his eyes. “Did you-”

“Come inside right now!” Benedict yelled once he reached the door. “I am dead serious.”

You sighed, walking next to Colin. “He is going to kill me, Colin.”

“You do not know that.”

“I did something bad.”

“So did he.”

You pursed your lips. “Tell Daphne that only Francesca is a good fit to replace me as Auggie's godmother once I die.”

“Do not say that.”

“What on Earth were you thinking?!”

“What on Earth were you thinking?!” You mimicked him, anger coming to surface again as you reached his studio.

“This was an assignment for tomorrow morning!”

“Well, Lord Raeken was my whole future, Benedict!” you yelled back.

“Look at it! It is ruined!”

Colin was annoyed enough of your fights, and seeing the keys was enough for him to know there was only one solution.

So he did it and thought that you would either kill each other or make amends.

The third Bridgerton exited the room quietly and thanked your bickering for being distracting enough so you did not notice when he closed the door and locked it from outside.

“What are you doing?” Anthony asked when he saw Colin lock the door.

“Forcing those two to reconcile.”

The eldest brother chuckled. “Best of luck with that.”

“I know they will get over it,” he said, sitting on the floor next to the door. “I shall stay here even if it takes me the whole night.”

Anthony joined him. “This should be fun.”

“I do not care if it is ruined, Benedict… you can ruin my future but you draw a line at ruined paintings?!”

“Do you not know how important my career is for me?! You can find another suitor anytime!”

You groaned. “This is my third season, and I have not found a husband! I was the Diamond of my first Season, Benedict! And you have been ruining all of them for me!”

“I have not ruined anything. They simply are not a good fit for the family!”

“I am done listening to you.” You walked away from him and tried, in vain, to open the door.

After looking around, you noticed Colin was supposed to be in the room with you but he wasn't.

“Colin Bridgerton, open this door right now!” You banged the door, making him flinch. “Someone, open the door! We are locked in here!”

Benedict believed you simply weren't strong enough to open it, so he joined you trying to open it but couldn't while his brothers hid their laughter. He looked for the keys but couldn't find them either.

“Colin must have taken the keys,” he noted.

You sighed tiredly. “Somebody open the door! Please, we are trapped!”

“Open the door! Colin!”

“They will not let us out.” you told him.

“Perhaps we should just say we made amends and they will open the door.”

“Do you think he is an idiot? Only a fool would believe you and I could reach an agreement overnight, let alone the ten minutes we have been here.”

He groaned, giving up on escaping the room and returning to the conflict. “How are you so blind, Y/N? How can you fail to see that they are not right for the family?”

“I beg your pardon?! You do not even know them!”

“Is that so?” he questioned, getting closer to you. “Lord Leclerc, a widower who had lovers left and right while his late wife was terribly ill, the Duke of Sussex is a dull rat, and the Count had three illegitimate children by the time he set foot on Mayfair. They are not good people for us.”

“If that is what worries you so, I can leave forever after I marry!”

“Do you truly think this family will survive a week without seeing you? Mother is devastated at Daphne's absence… yours would kill her.”

You rolled your eyes. “We are not even a real family, are we? I am not related to you, I am a mere burden, so why do you not take any of them as your chance to get rid of me?”

“I did not mean that. Stop bringing it to the table each time it suits your purpose to manipulate me.”

“I could seriously kill you with my bare hands right now, Benedict…” you spoke, outraged. “What is it that I did for you to hate me so much?!”

“It is not worth talking about that now.”

“Why are you like this with me, Benedict? At this point, I would marry just about any man who could take me away from you.”

His heart skipped a beat. “We can't just let you marry anyone, alright?”

“Why do you even care?!”

“Because I cannot let you go with someone I do not trust…”

“What will it even take for you to trust any of them?”

“I could never trust them, Y/N, because I can't trust in someone who does not love you devotedly and absolutely.”

Your lips formed a line of disdain at his words. “How would you even know they don't if you do not give them the chance to truly get to me?”

“Because no one does.”

“Wow,” you laughed bitterly. “Thanks for reminding me how unlovable I am.”

“You do not understand, Y/N.”

“Explain it to me, then!” You asked, you begged him.

“No one does it like I do, my goodness!” he screamed, and you were sure it echoed through the whole floor.

You choked on your own spit at his confession, and at the other side of the door, Colin and Anthony looked at each other completely flabbergasted.

“We should leave.” Anthony whispered. “Unlock the door.”

Colin nodded. “I agree, we should let them out.”

Anthony nodded and left, but Colin was determined.

He certainly did not unlock the door.

“What?” you asked in almost a whisper.

Benedict seemed surprised at his own words, as if he had spoken from ignorance because… it couldn't be real, could it? He couldn't be in love with you.

“I…”

“Benedict…”

“You are my family,” he ‘corrected’ himself. “Conflict in families is not uncommon. It is fine. I care about you, and I… we do not want you to be the wife of a man that does not deserve you, Y/N. You are sunlight, and they are nothing but a gray sky.”

You breathed out shakily, looking at his blue eyes deeply, feeling like you had never seen such blue in your entire life. “I am sorry about your painting.”

“It is alright, I will try to fix it; maybe if Colin lets us out, I can go back to the Academy before it is too late. Find a model-”

“Is that what you need? A model?”

Benedict cleared his throat, guessing where it was going, though scared of it. “Yes, but it should not be difficult to find one at the Academy.”

“We will not be let out,” you reminded him and gave it all a careful thought.

You were aware it wasn't right. He was a man, and you were a woman who was not married to him. He must not see you naked under any circumstances, but again… he saved you from those men who weren't worth it, and you paid him by ruining his artwork. It was not fair, so you owed him.

You could break the rules a little. After all, you were locked in a room for God only knows how long.

So you nodded and started undressing. “I could model for you if that is what you need.”

“What? Do not, I-”

“What is the difference between that woman and I?”

Benedict's brain told him to stop you. It was definitely not right for a lady like you to be seen naked before marriage. Worse than that, be painted.

“Y/N…”

“Am I not interesting enough to paint, Benedict?” you questioned as your dress reached the floor. “I just wish to make up for what I did.”

You started undoing your corset under his careful eyes.

“If what worries you is my identity, I believe you could use the other model's face,” you added once the corset was discarded and your bosom fully exposed to him. “It is intact in your painting.”

“I am afraid your grace cannot be compared.”

You exhaled nervously when your shaking hands reached the beginning of your underpants. “Then make justice to it.”

Finally, you stood completely naked before him and didn't dare to be modest about it.

“Paint me.”

You walked to the couch and laid in a similar position as the model in his painting.

“I cannot ask that of you.” He tried one last time, gathering all the strength in his body… You were a lady, and he was a gentleman; no matter how rare that would be of him to stop you. It was not right, but what a sight he had before him.

“Then it is good that I offered.” you refuted.

He doubted for longer than he is willing to admit, but ultimately approached you with hesitant steps.

“Allow me,” he whispered as he reached you. You nodded, and he accommodated your head so you would be looking up at the ceiling and your hands to cover what could be seen of your face to his art's convenience delicately. His touch, hot, caused goosebumps on your skin. A gasp left your lips. “You truly are beautiful.”

“Thank you.” you mumbled.

Benedict returned to the canvas, telling himself he could do this.

He shouldn't.

But if your face wouldn't be seen, it would do no harm. Only you and him would know it's you.

A few hours had passed and the night had fallen. It was difficult to paint with the growing darkness hiding your features, so he left his piece for a second to find some candles.

Before he returned to the canvas, you spoke. “Am I doing it well?”

“You certainly are,” he praised you. “A natural indeed.”

You had goosebumps once again.

What is wrong with me?, you asked yourself.

How could Benedict, of all people, make you feel like this? How could he control the speed of your heartbeat with mere words? How could he turn your skin into a burning mess that acted as if it was freezing? How could he make your hands sweat each time he got closer? How could he make you forget how much you despised him after he said he loved you?

How did he love you? He said you were family, but he did not dare to call you a sister like his siblings always do. No, this was a different kind of love: the kind of love you read about in the romance novels you have stolen from his library, because that is the way you were feeling near his presence, under his stare, at his touch.

“Come here,” you commanded long before you thought what you would say. He complied, flying to you like a moth to a flame, but you were sunlight: billions of times more powerful, and you could consume him long before he dared to reach you. He felt like a moth with wigs made of wax, melting with each step that brought him close to you. Gladly. “How do you love me, Benedict?”

“What?”

It was unbelievable that a man of words like him could act so clueless, but there he was. Oblivious to your passion, not to mention his.

“I have always been your Mama's daughter and your brothers and sisters' sister. But I have never been yours,” you mentioned. “Why, if you love me so?”

“Y/N…” His hand caressed your face, and you took the other to put it on your left breast where he could feel your heart beating.

“Kiss me if what my beating heart says about your love is true.” It was an order, and that heart of yours was certainly right.

And right then, he knew he was careless of his own insignificance. He would fly as high as the melting wax allowed him to and fall as deep into the ocean as his own weight imposed.

He could drown and disappear, live and die for this moment. For all the frustration that has haunted him all those years of loathing and yearning. For his sunlight, for you.

He kissed you, and you returned the kiss as if your lips had ever touched others before.

They haven't.

They shouldn't.

But they are now.

It was an angry kiss. Wet, carnal, breathless, hot, feral, everything.

His lips did not caress yours or danced with yours, no; they fought and devoured yours, and you gave in.

It was exquisite but depraved in a way you couldn't bring yourself to explain, and you absolutely loved it.

Once the kiss ended, you were the first to talk. “Take it all off.”

He breathed out, nerves he does not recall to have ever felt scared his determination away.

He felt as pathetic as those men he threatened to ruin if they were to set foot in the same room as you ever again, and he took off his clothes with the urgency of a task set by the scary educator of his childhood.

You looked at him, took it all in, and gave him space to lay beside you.

“It's just us, Benedict…” you let out, your breath blending with his. “You can love me now.”

His cue.

[itneverendshere]

school spirit and all! - soccer!frat!rafe cameron (+18) - part iii (final)

warnings: angst; smut; word count: 6.3k (sorry)

what the fuck. 

as soon as the words left his mouth, you wondered how many hits to the head soccer players got each match, because there was no way in hell rafe cameron was in love with you.

suddenly hyperaware of your nakedness, you stood up, almost falling off his bed in the process.

in a frantic scramble, you reached for your clothes, tugging on your jersey inside out and hopping around on one foot trying to pull up your shorts.

"what's wrong with you?! we just had sex!"

rafe blinked, still dazed from your anything but innocent activities.

“uh, yeah, that's kind of when these feelings hit me.”

you paused, one leg in your levis shorts, the other still “bare”, and shot him a look. 

 "you don't just drop the l-word after sex! are you insane!" you managed to get your shorts up and fastened, albeit a bit crookedly, “jesus christ.”

“i didn’t mean to freak you out, it just came—"

“yeah, well, maybe lead with something less dramatic” you snorted, tugging your shirt the right way around. "i mean, who does that?"

he laughed, the sound rich and warm, and for a moment you were torn between being annoyed and charmed, “i’m sorry. i meant it tho.”

“no, you didn’t.” you shot back, rolling your eyes as you fumbled with your shoelaces.

“i did,” he insisted, his voice earnest, but you were too busy wrestling with your stubborn converse to look up.

“you don't even know me."

"course i do," he looked offended, like you insulted him, "your birthday is on october 8th, and your favorite color is blue. your favorite food is picanha and kimchi ramyeon. you do this thing when you're happy where you just speak really loud, all the time and when your favorite song comes on, which is all of them really, you always squeal—"

you think you lost at least three brain cells as you stood there, jaw dropped to the floor, listening to him list all the things he knew about you.

correctly.

"y’know what sherlock?” you said suddenly, standing up, finally fully dressed but still feeling exposed. “i need some air. a lot of it.”

“what?”

“i’m leaving.”

“wait—" you hear the sound of sheets ruffling, “wait a sec—dammit!”

you didn't look back as you hurried out of his room, the sounds of the frat party thumping from downstairs, music seeping through the walls. the hallway was packed with people, and you pushed your way through the crowd, your mind racing. oh my god. everyone was seeing you leave rafe cameron’s room in a hurry. there was no way in hell you’d have a peaceful week after this.

you were almost reaching the door when you felt a hand grab your upper arm. you turned around to see rafe, now dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, “can we talk about this?”

the music was deafening, forcing you to practically scream to be heard. “what part of 'too much' don’t you get?”

“why?” he asked, his voice barely cutting through the noise. “why does it have to be too much?”

“because it is!” you shouted, then softened your tone just enough to be less harsh, “just let it go.”

he let go of your arm, but his eyes stayed locked on yours. “’m not asking you to say it back, okay?”

you felt the weight of curious eyes on you. the partygoers’ stares only made you want to leave even more. desperation clawed at your chest.

rafe closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly, “did that really feel like only sex to you?”

you bit your lip, the regret hitting you immediately, but you couldn't stop now. you needed to get out.

“yeah.” you replied, even though your heart screamed at you to take it back.

he stepped back, letting go of your arm completely. “fine. go on then," he said, his tone flat and lifeless. “just go.”

“i’m sorry—" you started again, but rafe's expression hardened. he’d never looked at you like that and you hated every single second of it.

he stepped back further, creating a physical distance, as if to save himself the hurt, “leave.”

you didn’t have to be told twice, you wanted to be anywhere but there. you couldn't delete the image of his face when you rejected him from your brain. 

as soon as you were outisde, you pulled out your phone, and dialed pope's number. he picked up on the third ring, his voice laced with excitement.

"the dick was that bad? i could've sworn—”

tears were already threatening to fall as you tried to steady your voice. "pope, can you... can you pick me up?"

“huh?”

"i just... i need to get out of here," you managed, voice cracking as you wrapped an arm around yourself, feeling strangely exposed.

"shit. okay. i'll be there in ten minutes.”

you found a quiet spot near the edge of the campus, too embarrassed to sit outside rafe’s frathouse with so many people coming and going. leaning against a tree, you sank down, hugging your knees to your chest.

what the hell were you doing? had you just permanently ruined your friendship with rafe? let your little mommy issues get ahead of you?

when pope finally pulled up in his car, you climbed in wordlessly, unable to meet his eyes. 

“what did he do? you want me to punch him? cause y’know i’ll call jj and we—"

you leaned your head against the cool glass of the car window, “this was such a fucking bad idea.”

he glanced at you briefly before focusing back on the road, “what? why?”

“because.”

pope's brow furrowed in confusion. "what did he say?"

"that he loved me.”

“what the fuck?!" your body jolted forward, your heart racing from the sudden stop. the motherfucker accidentally slammed the brakes.

“pope, what the hell?”

“my bad, fuck,” he muttered, regaining control of the car and easing back onto the road, “he dropped that shit on you?”

“yeah.”

“okay, that’s kinda fucked, but—“ pope glanced at you again, concern etched on his face. “look, cameron might be a lot of things, but he’s not a liar. man, he’s the complete opposite if you ask me. too fucking honest for his own good.”

“he picked the worst time to be honest,” you muttered, wiping away a tear, “i literally had his dick in my hands!”

“dude!” pope faux-gagged, “i don’t need the details, jesus.”

“sorry,” you said, half-laughing through your tears. “it’s just... how can he love me? he doesn’t even know me! that’s what’s pissing me off the most.”

that was a lie.

pope sighed, shaking his head. “i don’t know, but it sounds like he’s really into you. you spent a lot of time together, right? maybe he knows you better than you think.”

he does.

“don’t get smart on me pope howard. i need your support right now, not this sentimentalist bullshit.”

pope chuckled, “you’ve got to talk to him. y’know that, right?”

you groaned, lifting the palms of your hands to your eyes, “why?”

“because you care about him, you dumbass. that’s fucking obvious.”

“stop making sense,” you mumbled, sighing heavily. “i need you to be angry with me, pope.”

he shook his head, a small smile playing at his lips. "i'm your best friend. my job is to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.”

you slumped further into your seat, “this is your fault anyway. you planted the stupid idea in my brain.”

“me? this is all you.”

your mouth dropped, “be fucking serious. you told me to sleep with him! for sports!”

“yeah, okay, i’ll take the blame but…”

“but?” you narrowed your eyes in warning, “but what?”

he shrugged innocently, “you never listened to me up to that point. i didn’t think you’d do it. that’s gotta mean something.”

“stop making me think,” you muttered under your breath, letting your head fall back against the seat. “i just want to forget this whole night happened.”

“maybe you just need some time to figure out how you feel.”

“i don’t feel anything,” you lied, staring out the window at the passing lights. “he’s just rafe cameron.”

pope sighed again, the kind of sigh that said he didn’t believe you for a second. “whatever you say."”

he dropped you off at your dorm, waiting until you were inside before driving away. you made your way to your room, collapsing onto your bed. why did you feel like such a terrible person?

you grabbed your phone and scrolled through your contacts, stopping at rafe’s name. your thumb hovered over the call button before you shook your head, tossing the phone aside.

you needed time. time to think, time to breathe, and time to figure out what the hell you wanted.

the next morning, you woke up with a headache and a sense of unease that settled deep in your chest. you dragged yourself out of bed. pope had texted you, a simple “hope you’re okay <3” that made you smile despite everything. you quickly replied, assuring him you were fine, even if you didn’t fully believe it.

you weren’t.

not when your first class of the day was with rafe. but you could do it.

you walked into class just in time, like you always did, only this time you were dreading the inevitable awkwardness of being sat next to rafe.

you hadn’t thought this through. he usually got here before you, real heavy on being on time for everything he did. you tried to keep your eyes locked on the professor, who was gathering the material for class, but you still took small peeks towards the door, expecting to see him stroll in at any given moment.

except he never did. as the lecture progressed, he never showed up. 

when the professor eventually asked about his whereabouts, kelce, his friend who sat a few rows behind you, raised his hand casually.

“rafe’s not feeling well today,” kelce spoke up, his tone nonchalant. he glanced over at you briefly, a knowing look in his eyes that made your stomach twist. 

oh great, so now you were the witch of the wicked west to all his friends. 

the professor nodded sympathetically. “alright, thank you for letting me know, kelce. make sure he gets the notes from today’s lecture.”

kelce nodded in acknowledgment, and the class moved on, but your mind was racing. rafe skipping class wasn’t like him. the timing felt deliberate, almost as if he was avoiding you after last night. 

as the lecture continued, you realized rafe wouldn’t be the only one needing notes. all you’d done for two hours was scramble down a few words, none of them making any sense. you struggled to focus on the material. every glance towards the door was met with disappointment.

maybe this was serious. maybe he hated you now.

after what felt like an eternity, the class finally ended. packing up your things, you hesitated before deciding to approach kelce, who lingered near his seat. you’d only spoken to him a handful of times, mainly when you and rafe studied back at the frat house.

kelce was nice. but the look he was giving you now, was anything but.

"hey, kelce," you began, trying to sound casual.

"hey," kelce replied cautiously, eyeing you up and down. 

you swallowed, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny.

"um, is rafe okay? is he sick?”

he nodded slowly, his gaze unwavering, “the flu. got it last night."

"l-last night?” 

“yup.”

“oh.”

kelce's brows furrowed slightly, “look, i don’t know what happened. but, he’s…not doing okay.”

your stomach sank. it was clear rafe was avoiding you, and the guilt gnawed at you even more. "i just... i didn't mean to..."

kelce cut you off gently, his voice softening. "that’s none of my business.”

"yeah," you murmured, feeling utterly inadequate.

"he'll come around," kelce reassured you, though his tone lacked conviction.

you nodded dumbly, unsure of what else to say. part of you wanted to apologize again, but...you’d done nothing wrong. there was no need to explain yourself.

"thanks," you managed weakly, offering a half-hearted smile.

kelce nodded in response, his expression remaining neutral. with that, you turned and hurried out of the classroom, feeling the weight of kelce's gaze on your back. the hallways felt suffocating, with whispered conversations and curious glances that only amplified your discomfort. did everyone know? was there a journal column telling everyone who got laid last night? fucking hell.

back in your dorm room, you collapsed onto your bed, burying your face in your hands. this was worse than what you’d expected. you couldn't stop seeing the image of rafe's hurt expression, his quiet insistence that he meant what he said.

your phone buzzed beside you, and you hesitated before picking it up, sighing in realief when you saw it was a text from pope.

"baaaabeeee, how did it go?"

did he really want to know the mess you'd made of things?

after a moment's hesitation, you replied with a simple, "not great. think everyone hates me lol"

pope's response was almost immediate. “shit. you wanna to talk about it?"

you bit your lip, undecided between wanting to unload everything and wanting to bury it all deep down. in the end, you settled for a brief reply. “later."

that went on for a week and three days.

you avoided rafe’s usual hangouts, keeping your head down and focusing on your classes. you still hadn’t seen him, and it was starting to drive you crazy. you needed to talk to him, but you were scared. like, shitless scared, of what he’d say, scared of what you’d feel.

it was hours later when you finally saw him again. you were in the library, buried in your notes, the ones who’d stolen from pope because you hadn’t been able to focus properly in any class and you hated that you’d let a boy have so much control over your brain, let alone a jock.

when you looked up and saw him standing at the entrance. he looked a little too good. the typical shorts hitting just above his knees, a loose sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscles way too much for your sanity, and his hair peeking out from under a snapback. 

good enough to eat.

he spotted you almost immediately and then quickly turned his head to side, ignoring you. 

ouch. okay, fair enough all things considered.

your heart skipped a beat. it was now or never. for a moment, you considered hiding, but you knew you couldn’t avoid him forever. taking a deep breath, you stood up and made your way over to him.

“hey,” you said softly, your heart pounding in your chest, trying to sound as casual as possible.

rafe looked up for a second, then returned his attention to the phone in his hands, “hey.”

“can we talk?” you asked.

he shrugged, and it took everything in you not to punch him in the face. “sure.”

you swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “sorry about the other night. i-i didn’t handle it well.”

he nodded, but his gaze remained on his phone, fingers typing away. “yeah, i get it.”

you frowned, sensing that something was off. he’d never ignored you before, he wasn’t even giving you the dignity of looking at you as you spoke to him. 

“are you okay?”

“fine,” he replied curtly.

before you could ask him what the fuck is problem was now, a girl approached, her smile bright, almost blinding you. she was ridiculously pretty, with long braided hair and sparkling brown eyes.

a literal doll.

she looked between you and rafe, “hi, are you ready to go?”

your heart sank as the girl slipped her arm around rafe’s arm and he finally put his stupid phone away and smiled down at her.

heavy on the ouch.

“yeah, let’s go,” rafe said, his voice softening, but then he turned to you, his expression blank again, “see you around.”

you stood there, watching them walk away feeling like a complete fucking idiot. like you were being pranked. what the hell was that? was he trying to make you jealous? or was he moving on that quickly? was there even something to move on from?

you returned to your seat, barely registering the world around you.

is that what he meant by telling you he loved you? you’ve been feeling bad over a boy who clearly only said what he said because you fucked him too good? wow.

you tried to focus on your notes, but your hands were trembling. without realizing it, you started tearing at the pages, ripping them apart. by the time you looked down, half of your notes were in shreds, scattered across the table.

“dammit,” you hissed under your breath. you gathered the torn pieces, stuffing them into your bag. there was no salvaging them now. 

with a frustrated sigh, you pulled out your phone and dialed pope’s number. 

“what’s up?”

“i need to get fucked up tonight.” you said bluntly, not bothering to hide the frustration you were feeling. 

“buy a guy a drink first?”

you could hear him snicker at his own joke, “shut up. are there any parties?”

“yeah, heard there's a big one at the delta house. everyone’s going.”

“okay. we’re going too.”

pope sighed, “i don’t remember signing up for this.”

“shut up and pick me up at 9.”

you decided that tonight was the night to go all out. no more hiding, no more feeling sorry for yourself. you rummaged through your closet, tossing aside clothes that were too plain, too boring, or just not the vibe you were going for. 

finally, you found it—the perfect outfit, and possibly the sluttiest thing you proudly owned.

you slipped into a sleek, black leather mini skirt that hugged your curves perfectly, hitting just the right spot on your thighs. you paired it with a cropped, red satin top that showed just enough skin to be daring but not over the top. the top had a deep v-neckline, accentuating your collarbones and drawing attention to the delicate gold necklace you wore. the outfit was completed with a pair of knee-high black boots, giving you an edge and adding a few extra inches to your height. you never wore them out, too worried that your feet would be killing you after a couple of minutes, but tonight, if you got drunk enough, you wouldn’t feel shit.

you looked at yourself in the mirror, adjusting the top and smoothing down the skirt. 

your makeup was bold, different from what you usually did—a smoky eye that made your eyes pop and a deep red lipstick that matched your top perfectly. you left your hair loose, allowing it to fall in soft waves. satisfied with your look, you grabbed a small clutch and headed out.

when pope arrived to pick you up, his jaw practically hit the floor. he stared at you, eyes wide, as you strutted towards the car.

“i'm sorry—are we going to a strip club or to a party?” he blurted out.

"are you slutshaming me?"

"no, but be real for a second."

you rolled your eyes, but a small smirk played on your lips. “don’t be dramatic. just wanted to look good.”

“look good?” pope repeated, still in disbelief, “sweets, you always look good, okay? but this? you look like you’re about to rip someone’s heart out.”

“good,” you replied, sliding into the passenger seat. “that’s the goal.”

he shook his head, muttering something under his breath about needing to keep an eye on you all night.

“you’re gonna tell me what happened?”

“nothing happened.”

“right.”

the delta house was already packed when you arrived, the music thumping so loud you could feel it in your chest. you walked in with pope by your side, determined to leave all your worries at the door.

“alright, let’s get some drinks,” pope clapped his hands, rubbing them together before leading you to the makeshift bar. you could feel eyes on you as you walked through the crowd, whispers and stares following your every step. you ignored them. 

so what if people knew you fucked rafe? that was your business, not theirs.

you grabbed a tequilla shot, downing it quickly and feeling the alcohol warm you up from the inside. pope handed you another, and you sipped it more slowly, trying to steady your nerves.

“easy. ‘m not holding your hair back if you throw up,” he warned, nudging you gently. “just relax and have fun. cleo’s joining later.”

“awwww, look at you being soft."

“shut up. don’t embarrass me in front of her."

you placed your hand over your heart, “i would never!”

the night wore on, the party growing louder. you danced, laughed, and mingled, trying to keep your mind off rafe and the mess you'd made of things. pope stuck by your side, and cleo, the girl of his dreams, joined you eventually, her energy infectious. 

you were happy he’d found someone. 

you were at the bar, grabbing another drink, when you saw rafe walk in.

your heart nearly dropped out of your ass, but you forced yourself to stay calm. he was with the same girl from the library and seeing them together made your stomach churn. he hadn't even noticed you yet, too busy talking to her.

"pope," you called, nudging him. "look who's here."

pope glanced over and sighed. "ignore him, please. we're here to have fun, remember?"

you nodded, drowning another shot, "right. fun."

it was easier said than done. every time you glanced their way, you wanted to storm up to him and punch him in that stupid perfect face. why did it bother you so much? he was just a guy. just rafe cameron. you downed another drink, hoping the alcohol would numb the emotions swirling inside you.

“goddamn mama, are you drinking yourself to death?”

jj’s presence barely phased you, “yes.”

“what’s got you so worked up?”

you groaned, not really in the mood for his antics. “nothing. just havin’ a good time.”

“yeah, right,” jj snorted, stealing your drink and taking a sip. “try again. this shit is 95% vodka by the way.”

you snatched it from his hands, “don’t drink my shit. don’t wanna talk about it.”

“alright,” he held up his hands in mock surrender, “dance with me then?”

“no.”

“pleaseee,” he begged, jutting out his bottom lip in a ridiculous pout, “c’mon.

despite your best efforts to stay frustrated, his infectious energy made you crack a smile. "fine, but just one song maybank."

jj whooped, “atta girl.”

he grabbed your hand with a mischievous grin and pulled you onto the crowded dance floor. you laughed as he twirled you around, his movements were surprisingly graceful. one time he made you faceplant the floor, so this was an improvement. 

his energy has always been infectious, jj was a literal golden retriever in human from and soon enough you found yourself letting go of all the worries that had been weighing you down. you moved in sync with him, your hips swaying, and your arms following the flow of the music. jj’s playful antics kept you entertained—he'd throw in a spin or a sudden dip, making you laugh even harder.

but then, he leaned in close, his voice barely audible over the music.

“guess who's watching?"

you raised an eyebrow, trying to catch your breath between giggles.

"who?"

jj nodded towards the edge of the dance floor, where rafe stood with a group of his friends. “my number one fan. been eyeing us since we started."

“uh,” you glanced in his direction, catching rafe’s gaze briefly before he looked away, “that’s weird.”

“i know you two fucked.”

your hand instantly reached out to shove jj’s shoulder, “shut up.”

“i'm serious. you’re gonna let him watch or show him what he's missing?"

on one hand, you were furious at rafe for bringing another girl to the party so soon after whatever had happened between you two. after telling you he was in love with you. sure you were a bitch after, but that didn’t mean you didn’t care for him. on the other hand, jj’s always made you go off the rails, in a way that stoked your pride. 

“fine,” you said with a defiant grin, “let’s give him a show.”

jj’s smirk widened, and without missing a beat, he spun you around and pulled you in closer, moving with even more enthusiasm than before. the music pounded around you, you couldn’t even tell the lyrics apart. every twirl, every dip, every sway of your hips was a message to rafe—whether he was watching or not—that you were done feeling sorry for yourself. as the song reached its peak, jj dipped you low, and you laughed breathlessly. you glanced towards where rafe had been standing, but he was gone.

then, without warning, from the corner of your eye, you saw a commotion erupting nearby. before you could react, the crowd around you began to murmur and part, revealing rafe. what the hell? what was this? a coming-of-age movie?

his usually friendly composed demeanor was gone, the glare in him was enough to scare anyone in his way. he stormed towards you, his eyes locked on jj. and then it clicked.

“oh for fuck's sake,” you groaned under your breath, knowing that nothing good would come out of it.

"hey, what the—" jj started, but before he could finish, rafe swung a punch at him.

yep, there it was. 

the blow caught jj off guard, knocking him back a step. the music seemed to stop, or at least fade into the background as chaos erupted around you. people gasped and shouted, some pulling rafe away while others checked on jj.

you pinched the bridge of your nose in annoyance as you watched jj touch his jaw gingerly. 

“what the fuck, cameron?” jj groaned, “watch the pretty face.”

rafe’s chest was heaving as he glared at the other blonde, fists typically clenched by his side, looking as if he was ready to pounce on him again. before he could take another step, you placed yourself in front of him, blocking jj’s figure sitting on the ground.

“upstairs. right now,” rafe opened his mouth to spit something, but you cut him off, “now.”

he moved silently, following you up a flight of stairs to a quieter area. you could hear his breathing from miles away, he was still worked up. you found an empty room and stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind you.

“what the hell was that?” you demanded, turning to face him.

rafe ran a hand through his face, frustration evident in his every movement. “i don’t know, okay? i just—i saw you with him, and i lost it.”

“oh, so you’re a caveman now?”

"god, you can be so fucking infuriating," rafe exploded, throwing his jacket into a corner of the room, "i saw you. touching him like... like none of this matters!"

"none of what matters?" you shot back, incredulous. "you show up with another girl after telling me you love me, and now i‘m not supposed to move on? what do you expect?"

"me?!" he jabbed a finger into his chest, his face flushed with anger. "that was my damn tutor! i wasn't trying to—shit. you think i'm trying to move on? i told you i loved you. that shit doesn’t just disappear because you don't feel the same way."

now you just felt stupid.

"your tutor?" you repeated, trying to wrap your head around the new information.

“we weren’t exactly on speaking terms and i needed help with calculus,” he muttered, “didn’t think you’d want to speak to me. and i was still sad.”

rafe shifted uncomfortably in his place, his expression now softer. you felt the sudden urge to hug him, but you didn’t. 

“you said you were supposed to move on,” he says carefully eyeing you.

“i did?” you lied, suddenly feeling like the room was closing in on you, “i don’t think so.”

“you did,” he said firmly, taking a step closer to you. "i meant what i said that night. did you?” 

you looked away for a moment, “rafe—“

“i don’t care if you don’t love me, you don’t have to, not right now. i just need to know if you think you can, one day.”

this wasn’t the rafe who punched jj, or the rafe who stormed through the crowd in a fit of jealousy. this was the rafe you were used to. 

your ears were ringing as he closed the distance between you. his eyes searching yours, desperate for an answer. the anger had melted away, replaced by a raw, aching need. fuck, he was good.

“listen—” you started again, but this time your voice was softer, trembling. he was so close now that you could feel the heat radiating off his body, his breath mingling with yours, “can you back up? jesus. can’t think properly with you close.”

“don’t want to back up,” he whispered, his voice low and rough. he didn’t move, instead leaning in even closer, his lips brushing your ear, “yes or no?”

“cameron,” you breathed, trying to maintain some semblance of control.

but he wasn’t having it.

his hand cupped your cheek, tilting your face up to meet his gaze. “tell me you don’t feel this,” he murmured, his thumb tracing your lower lip. “tell me you don’t want me too.”

he held your face by the jaw before leaning forward on instinct to kiss you but stopped himself right before he did. eyes on his lips now, completely entranced, you leaned forward to finish what he started but he was stopping you with his thumb. you stayed close though, gaze still fixated on his bottom lip and when his eyes flicker up to yours again, they’re wild and dark.

“you gonna make me fuck it out of you?”

you couldn’t deny the way your body reacted to him, the way your pulse quickened every time he was near, “and if i do?”

he didn't answer immediately, instead closing the gap between you in a heartbeat. his lips crashed against yours, his hand sliding from your jaw to your neck, wrapping his fingers around it as he squeezed you deliciously. 

all of a sudden, you were pressed against a wall, his body firm against yours, pinning you with his weight. he got a groan out of you, tilting your head as his grip tightened on your hips to keep you there, secured to him.

“this isn’t fair,” you pushed at his shoulder with your palm so that he pulled away to look at you, “you’re playing dirty.”

“so what?” he breathes out, jaw relaxed as his hips start to grind against yours.

your hand reached out to grab his shoulder for purchase when your hips started to move on their own, “oh fuck.”

rafe arched his hips sharply, teasing your clit, eliciting a gasp as you leaned your head against the wall, your chin tilting towards the ceiling. he kissed your neck, where sweat-dampened hair started to cling at your nape.

when did it get so hot in the stupid room?

“you’re—oh, gonna f-fuck me in a stranger’s room? real romantic,” you tried to sound casual, but it came out all wrong when his fingers pressed into the plush of your ass. 

he laughed against your skin, the sound making you tighten your legs around him. you were glad his hands were currently busy because a single touch between your thighs would expose how wet you were. 

“you can say it.”

your arms slided past his shoulders and loosely locked behind his neck, “no.”

rafe shook his head, “you asked for it.”

“rafe.”

he was poking his tongue to the inside of his cheek looking at you as if he was ready do destroy you whole, “told you i was gonna get it out of you.”

you blinked slowly, savoring the sight of his face, then your wrists, still crossed behind his neck, tugged gently, drawing him closer, craving his threat, “you’re gonna fuck me until i confess?

he lowered his head until his forehead met yours, your fingers could sense the rapid throb of his pulse beneath his jaw, his eyes tender, holding an adoration you never knew was possible. no one had ever looked at you that way. 

you pulled him by the fabric of his shirt, hard enough to make him understand he needed to do something. you moaned against his lips, fingers threading through his hair as he trailed kisses down your neck, sucking and biting gently at the sensitive skin.

your skirt rode up as he rutted into you, and his hand slipped under the fabric, fingers grazing the edge of your panties, teasingly close to where you ached for him most. you gasped, arching into his touch, silently begging for more.

“rafeee,” you whimpered, “please."

he pulled back slightly, his breath ragged, eyes dark with lust. “say it,” he demanded, his fingers tracing patterns on your inner thigh, driving you crazy with anticipation.

“no.” you managed to choke out, feeling a flush of heat spread through your body.

he raised a brow, “no?”

his fingers slipped beneath the thin fabric of your panties, finding you wet and ready. he groaned at the feel of you, his thumb circling your clit with just the right amount of pressure to make you moan his name. you clung to him, hips bucking against his hand, chasing the pleasure he was giving you.

“you sure?” he murmured against your skin, his voice husky and full of promise. 

you barely had time to think about changing your answer before he plunged two thick fingers inside you, curling them just right to hit that spot that made your vision blur. your back arched off the wall, your head falling back as waves of pleasure crashed over you. he pumped his fingers in and out of you, his thumb never leaving your clit, pushing you closer and closer to the edge.

“rafe, i'm—” you couldn’t even finish the sentence, your body trembling as you felt the orgasm build, ready to spill over.

but then he was pulling back just as you were about to fall over the edge. it was maddening, the way he seemed to know exactly how to bring you right to the cusp of pleasure and then deny it. you’d only fucked once before, and it felt like he’d memorize every single thing you liked. every spot that made your toes curl. 

“please, let me—”

“you said no, baby” he interrupted, a mocking smile curling on his lips. “you’re not ready.”

his fingers moved with practiced precision, slow and deliberate, stoking the flames of your desire without allowing you any release. every time you felt the pleasure building to its peak, he’d ease off, bringing you back down, only to start all over again.

you clawed at his shoulders, trying to pull him closer, but he held you firm against the wall, his body a solid, unyielding barrier. “please,” you begged again, “i can’t take it.”

“oh, you can,” he scolded, lips brushing against your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “and you will.”

his thumb pressed against your clit, rubbing slow, torturous circles, while his fingers thrust inside you, curling just right to hit that spot that made you see stars. you bucked against his hand, your body pleading for release, but he kept you balanced on that knife’s edge, never letting you tip over. motherfucker.

“I need to come,” you admitted, your voice cracking with desperation. “please, baby. i need to come.”

rafe’s pretty blue eyes darkened with satisfaction at your words, but he still didn’t relent. 

instead, he slowed his movements even more, drawing out the pleasure until it was almost unbearable. you writhed against him, your body trembling, every nerve ending on fire.

“you want to come?” he asked, his voice a seductive purr, “that bad, huh?”

“t-this isn’t f-fair.”

“awww, sorry baby."

“fuck, fucking—"

“that’s my girl,” he murmured, his voice filled with approval. “just a lil more, yeah?”

he increased the pace of his fingers, his thumb rubbing faster against your clit, and you felt the pleasure building again, higher and higher, until you were sure you couldn’t take it anymore. but this time, he didn’t stop. this time, he pushed you right to the edge and then, finally, let you fall.

your orgasm crashed over like a train wreck, your body convulsing with the intensity of it. you screamed his name, your nails digging into his shoulders as you clung to him, riding out the waves of pleasure that seemed to go on forever. rafe held you through it, his fingers never stopping, drawing out every last bit of your release until you were a boneless, panting mess in his arms.

“good girl,” he murmured, his voice soft and filled with affection. 

he kissed you tenderly, his lips a gentle contrast to the intensity of what you’d just experienced. as you came down from your high, he held you close, his fingers still inside you, his thumb gently stroking your clit, sending aftershocks of pleasure through your body.

you couldn’t find the words to answer, your mind too foggy with pleasure. instead, you just held onto him, your arms wrapped around his neck, your face buried in the crook of his shoulder.

rafe’s fingers slowly withdrew from you, leaving you feeling empty and aching for more. he lifted you gently, carrying you to the bed and laying you down with his casual tenderness. he climbed in beside you, pulling you into his arms, his body warm and solid against yours.

“i love you,” his voice was a soft caress against your ear. “i meant it.”

you looked up at him, “i know,” you whispered, leaning in to kiss him, “i think i love you too.”

“i know.”

[meltinghun]

A real gentleman ; Joseph Descamps.

summary: Joseph and Reader never got really along until something changed.

warnings: genderneutral!reader, enemies-to-lovers, idiots in love!!, Y/N mentions lol, just kiss already.

author's note: Hi! I wrote this bc I fell in love with Mixte 1963, and when I looked up for ffs, there were NONE, so I said, 'I'll take one for the team' and came up with this. Please keep in mind that I'm not a writer and english is not my first language, I'll appreciate it if you can point at any errors. <3

The chilly breeze hitted their faces, making them close their eyes momentarealy due to its force, breathing in the smell of wet soil mixed with the freshly made bread from the bakery a few houses down the road.

The day looked very promising; today they woke up a little bit earlier than usual, using the extra time to finish in advance some english homework assigned for the next week and even strarting a big upcomig proyect due to the end of the month, hearing the weatherman in the radio as a background noise, announcing that it was going to be an unusually warm day of autumn.

Everything seemed perfect, the subtle orange hue of the skyes illuminating their face as they walked and the soft rumbling of cars passing by the principal street made them feel like a character of one of those romantic movies they dearly love watching, a thought that felt reinforced when every leave they stepped on made a perfect crunch sound. A soft greeting left their lips when they walked past one of their neighbours who was heading out to work like many other people did at those hours.

It truly felt like a peaceful morning.

'You seem lost in thought. Are you daydreaming about me already?'

Until it wasn't.

They dedicated a slight scowl towards the person who dared to interrupt their peace and inhaled a big breath of air before answering.

'Not even in your greatest dreams, Descamps.' They made a condescending gesture with their hand. 'Now leave me alone, yeah? I was perfectly fine until you came with your annoying presence.'

A booming laugh abandoned his throat. 'Don't act so disinterested. I know you couldn't live without my annoying presence even if you wanted.'

Joseph Descamps. He was a classmate of theirs that took an interesting liking towards their persona, or how they liked to say, a liking towards making their life miserable.

Since the start of the year he took every possibility to annoy them out of their mind, it started with some snark remarks insulting their way of doing certain things and it slowly progressed to petty acts, such as slighty tugging their hair when passing each other, hide their belongings when they aren't looking and even blocking their path by standing in the entryways, smiling down at them while demanding a 'password' that changed every day. Just petty acts meant to be a pain in the head.

He was everything they couldn't stand: a bully with some serious narcissist tendencies who, on top of it all, loved to get a rise out of people by pushing their boundaries and provoking them in any possible way.

But even with that horrendous description, Y/N couldn't avoid that rare feeling at the bottom of their stomach whenever he was close. At first they thought that it was a reflect of how disgusted they truly felt by his persona and the gross acts he usually did, a few weeks later, that feeling was accompannied with their heartbeat increasing when they noticed that he was invading their personal space, but chalked it up as just being nervous of his tall frame hovering them like some sort of prey, that made total sense on their head. However, some days later, he did something that made them realise what they truly felt for the boy with the patch.

It started to rain towards the end of the day, exactly 15 minutes into their english class and the frustration was clearly palpable, it was so unexpected that nobody could've predicted it; what it seemed to be a passing grey cloud turned out to be a massive downpour, Y/N started to complain with their friends about how it was a shame that they chosed to use the new sweater their grandmother knitted for them and how sad it was that now it would get ruined under the relentless rain. When the class was over, they noticed how Joseph went outside the building running and disappeared behind the school gates. They thought it was really weird, but they knew better than to expect something coherent from him. Minutes passed and it seemed like the temporal was getting worse so a few people decided to just suck it up and walk under the cold rain, sighing for themselves and rapidly lamenting once more the lost of the sweater, they prepared to follow the steps of the brave mass of students when a breathless voice interrupted their movements.

'L/N, wait!' A disheveled and completely soaked Joseph made himself seen, his shout drawing attention to the both of them.

'What do you want now, Descamps? I'm already late to home, I don't need you keeping me here any longer than necessary.' They stated with a confused frown, curious as to why was he there but trying to mask it behind indifference.

A smirk made its presence on his sharp features. 'I know, but I couldn't just let you go like that under the rain, that wouldn't be so gentlemanly of me, don't you think?' From behind his back, he pulled a blue umbrella and extended it to a dumbfounded Y/N.

Was that really happening right now? Did the most annoying person they ever met just ran under the rain to bring them an umbrella? And not only that, but he somehow managed to get one with their favorite color, too. Did he just called it to be a mere gentlemanly act?

It might as well start raining cats and dogs.

They opened and closed their mouth, being left without anything to say for the first time, a half-hearthed chuckle interrumping their messy train of thought.

'I heard what you said about your sweater and how sad you would be if it got ruined.' They swore that their heart would get out of their chest for how hard it was beating. 'And I didn't want you to get heartbroken for it, so I thought that you could use one of these.'

He closed the distance that separated them by taking a few steps, reaching out for their free hand and making them hold the umbrella, the contact between their fingertips sparkling a something deep inside each other.

'I know we are supposed to not like each other, but let me be nice to you for once, please.' His eye shining with an intensity they couldn't explain. 'Don't worry, we can keep hating us tomorrow.' When he saw that they wouldn't object, he turned around and began walking outside, getting under the rain once more.

Feeling the heat creeping on their face and having found their voice, they asked out loud.

'How did you know?' His head turned around enough for them to see his face. 'How did you know that it's my favorite color?'

They knew that it could've perfectly been a mere coincidence, something insignificant that shouldn't be overly analized, but something told them that it wasn't like that. They really hoped it wasn't. And it was confirmed when he flashed them another one of his infamous smirks.

'Sometimes I listen to you more than i should.'

Since that very moment it's been really difficult to fight the involuntary smiles that made a way into their face when he unexpectedly tries to integrate them to a conversation by asking their opinion on a subject, or the feeling of warmth that invaded their chest everytime they made visual contact and let's not forget how everytime they both "accidentaly" brush hands Y/N had the extremely rare need to interlock their hands with him.

But after all, he was still Joseph Descamps, the attractive cocky idiot who is always up on some trouble that he himself seeked out.

'...-ou cold?'

They blinked repeatledly with confusion written all over their face, the taller boy smiling down at them for being able to catch them distracted.

'Huh?'

'I asked if you weren't cold.' He repeated the question slower, a soft look on his eye. 'You are shivering'.

If he didn't pointed it out, they wouldn't noticed that, in fact, they were shivering. The chilly air becoming colder than before making them lowly insult the unstable weather of the so-called "unusually warm day", having only a thin cardigan that didn't do much to help.

'It's nothing. The school's a few blocks ahead, and I can take a little bit of cold.' Grumbled under their breath, only to sneeze some moments later.

The boy snorted while shaking his head before swiftly taking off his coat and placing it on their sholders. 'You are not going to catch a cold, or at least not on my company.'

'You are being awfully nice to me lately.' In a slight moment of braveness, they blurted out the question that was tormenting their head. 'Are you flirting with me, Descamps?'

An incredulous look got settled in his face, and they regretted saying it immediately, wishing to come back on time to stop themselves and save them from the embarrassment. Did they read the signals wrong? Was he only trying to become their friend? Was he only being nice? Was he...?

'Yes! Thank you for finally noticing it, I was starting to think that you were cruelly ignoring my advances.' A beautiful and dashing smile was sent in their direction, the biggest they ever saw him smiling.

And it was because of them.

A shaky sigh left their lips accompanied by a nervous laugh, not realizing they were holding their breath, with equally shaky hands coming up their head to accommodate their hair on a jittery action.

'I... I didn't know, really. I had a slight impression, but I thought that I was imagining things.' They cleared their throat in an attempt to regain their cool and collected personality. 'So, when are you taking me on a date then?'

The slight quiver on their voice was noticed by the still very amused boy, who took mental notes on how cute they looked flustered and to try to do it again in the future when given the opportunity.

'Would you accept if I asked you to skip school with me and have a date right now? I don't think I can wait any longer.' He asked with a playful tone, typical of him.

They let out a snort. 'I would tell you that you are crazy if you think that I would do something as risky as that. But lucky for you, I'm free today, so meet me at the cinema at four o'clock.'

'Then I shall see you there.' Replied between soft laughs, not believing that this was really happening. 'Some recommendations for this poor soul?'

The open gates were a few meters ahead of them, the other students that hanged outside throwing curious and shocked looks on their direction when they noticed the much larger coat that lied on Y/N's shoulders and the flustered smiles on their faces.

'Yes, the most important thing, don't you dare being late. If I get there and I don't see you, you can even forget that we know each other.' He brought both hands up in the air in a sign of redemption. 'I'm serious about this. You'll regret it if you do.'

'I wouldn't even dare thinking about it, I'll let Magnan take my other eye before screwing my opportunity with you.'

Their eyes widened at the hidden seriousness of the statement and the simplicity with which he pronounced it, the sincerity of it all making their heart race like crazy. Slowly nodding their head while trying to gather their thoughts.

'Well, it's settled then, at fo-...'

'Four o'clock sharp, I couldn't forget even if I wanted to.' He made a pause, regaining his usual playfulness. 'Should I bring you flowers? I want to be a real gentleman with you.'

'Okay, now you are showing off that you know how to flatter someone, shut up.' Rolling their eyes with a smile, they started walking toward the gates, leaving him behind. 'And I like camellias, for your information.'

'I only wish to flatter you, nobody else!' He said loudly, making people start to whisper about the supposed swear enemies.

'You don't want to know.' Was the only thing they said, accompanied by a slight shrug of shoulders.

Trying to bite back a bigger smile they waved him off, getting closer to their friend group with each step they took, all of them looking the exchange with incredulous eyes, silently begging for an answer as to what just happened.

They never before wished that the day would end up sooner.

[mikimakiboo]

Just like them

Nightmare angst !

Inspired by this post (the art in it precisely) by @signanothername, it's not the first time I see this concept and I wanted to do my own interpretation of it because, well, I love writing angst about Nightmare. So yeah it probably be quite different from how they described it in the post since I'm just taking the art (or the quote) as a source of inspiration :')

Finished writing it at 2:30am so it might be not that great

Tw: slight mention of bullying, little swearing

They were alone, their respective teams weren't there, they went out without them. Nightmare went out first, wanting to get some fresh air, and Dream, who felt the presence of his twin in another universe, decided to find him and stop whatever he was doing, fully believing that the only reason for his brother to go out was to cause chaos. He found him. He attacked first with an arrow, and Nightmare attacked back. It was an habit for Nightmare: being chased by Dream, fighting with him, throwing in some insults, he had done that countless times. It wasn't new. What was new however was Dream's anger. Dream was never angry.

A lot of things happen during fights. Physical attacks flow but it is also the place for verbal attacks, some being just as sharp as physical one, as the battle field is the only place for the two guardians, the two brothers, to talk.

Why was he angry ? Nightmare didn't know exactly, surely he was mad that recently Nightmare's team had been doing a good job in producing negativity, surely he was mad that his brother disturbed the peace so much. At least that was what he was yelling at him.

- Why can't we have balance ?! Why must it be that you always want more ?!

Nightmare smiled.

- Because I NEED more ! I don't care about your balance, I want more negativity and I WILL get more !

He was so hungry all the time, his corruption was powerful, he needed to feed it constantly, so obviously he needed more negativity and a balance wouldn't satisfy him, but Dream couldn't understand that. Nightmare already told him the reason, but he didn't listen, in Dream's opinion Nightmare simply needed to eat something else, to eat more real food, that was what he was doing, and it worked just fine. But Dream's magic wasn't as powerful as Nightmare's.

- That's just a selfish reason ! Causing harm to innocent people for you own benefit ! Want me to tell you who you make me think of when you act like that ?!

Nightmare tilted his head with curiosity.

- Please do tell me.

- The villagers !

Nightmare tensed.

- You're just like them if not worse ! Because at least they weren't doing it to everyone like YOU do !

Dream panted, he didn't like saying that, he knew the villagers hurt his brother back then, but being hurt wasn't a reason to hurt others, right ?

They looked at each other. Nightmare didn't answer. He usually always had something to say, but he stayed silent this time. Dream could have sworn the air became colder.

Without adding anything, Nightmare teleported, returning to the castle, in his room. Dream... didn't say what he thought he heard him say. He couldn't. That wouldn't make sense. Why would he compare him to.. to them when he knew what they have done ? Not only to his brother, but to himself as well ? Dream was also hurt by those villagers, he knew how horrible they were, surely he didn't want to say that...

A tentacle flew, smashing the nightstand. Nightmare's fist were shaking. How dared he say that ?! How dared he compare him with those piece of shit ?!

Another tentacle flew like the first one, throwing the bookshelf across the room, the books scattering all over the floor.

Someone knocked on the door.

- Boss ? You okay in there ?

Killer. Nightmare didn't want to see anyone at the moment. He took a deep breath, trying to sound as calm as possible.

- I'm fine. Leave.

There was a moment of silence before he heard the answer.

- If you say so... We're here if you change your mind tho, and, you know, wanna talk or somethin'...

- I said leave !

He yelled, his voice starting to shake as he felt his cheeks getting hotter with the frustration. He stayed still for a moment, just the time to hear Killer's footsteps getting farther until he finally left. He let out a loud grunt, kicking the trashcan. His brother had no right to call him that ! Who did he think he was ?! He was his brother, not his mother !

His mother... what would she even think about him ? He crossed the now messy bedroom, going to the window to look at the moon. What would she think about him ? Would she also think he was like the villagers ? Would she think he was worse ? Would she look at him with pity, knowing how much he suffered, and that his actions were commanded by fear, by a desire to survive ? He was six, he just wanted to live... Would she recognize that... ? Maybe she wouldn't care at all, she never cared about them before, why would she care now...

Nightmare felt a tear rolling on his face as his soul clenched in his chest. His cheeks burned for a moment before he let out a sob. He turned away from the window, sitting on his bed, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was pathetic. He was the king of negativity, he was so strong, he wasn't supposed to be affected by anything, let alone words ! But these words struck harder than any arrow... He looked up, blinked, breathed through his mouth, trying not to cry, not to make any noise, as if being silent would make a difference, but the tears didn't stop and another sob went out of his opened mouth. He fell on his back, sniffling as he shut his eye, wiping his tears away, making room for new ones to appear.

He didn't want to be like the villagers, he really didn't. He despised them so much for what they did, for all the pain they put him through. Five hundreds years have passed and he still had nightmares about those dark days, they wouldn't leave him alone, not even after he made sure they were all dead. And now his own brother, the only one who knew about everything, thought he was worse than them ? Was he really that bad ? Everything he did he did it to survive, was it really a selfish reason ? Should he have died instead of holding on his small will to live ? Should he have let them kill him ? Did Dream want them to kill him ? Was it why he was constantly attacking him when he went out ? Did Dream want him dead so much that he was now trying to finish the job ? Did Dream hate him that much... ? He knew he was far from being a good brother, but wasn't Dream happy with him before the incident... ? Or was it an act... ?

He rolled on his side, stretching his arm to grab a pillow and shove his face against it, muffling his sobs in the soft surface, his whole chest burnt so much...

When he finally stopped crying a few minutes later and sat up he thought an eternity had passed, but the moon hadn't move in the sky. He got up, sniffled, wiped his cheek, and teleported again.

He appeared in a void, in front of a bean bag on which he let himself fall.

- Hey...

- Hey.

A glitchy skeleton answered, sitting on a second bean bag next to the first one, crocheting and visibly unbothered by his surprise visitor.

They sat in silence for a while before Error looked up at Nightmare, looking at him above his red glasses.

- You look like you're about to kill yourself.

Nightmare shifted on the bag, looking at the fake ceiling. He talked in a whisper.

- Do you think I'm just like them... ?

- Like who ?

Error asked.

- The villagers... Dream said I was like them...

Error knew about the bullying, Nightmare told him some time ago. He put his crochet down.

- And you believe him ? This asshole insults you and you listen to him ?

Nightmare looked down.

- He.. he wouldn't be wrong to think that...

Error held up a hand.

- No. I don't want to hear any of that. You are nothing like those douche bags.

He began, Nightmare looking up at him, looking so tired.

- I mean look at you, look at your boys, look at what you've done for them, to give them a second chance, a place and a reason to live, you saved them. If you were like the villagers you would have never done that. Dream doesn't know shit about you.

- I... I guess...

- Now if he wants to think you are like the villagers because it's easier for him to blame you than to actually understand you, then good for him ! But you're worth more than that and you know that what he says is not true. So stop letting it get to you like that, 'kay ?

- Okay...

Nightmare weakly smiled, looking at the ceiling again. He heard Error take back his crochet.

- Good.

He stayed here with the destroyer, not wanting to go back to his room yet. He would have to apologize to Killer when he came back, he didn't mean to yell at him when he was just worried. The villagers never apologized, even when he held them in front of him, chocking them with a tentacle, they didn't apologize. Maybe Error wasn't wrong. Dream didn't know him as him and his boys knew him, he only saw the surface, maybe he was just looking for someone to blame, and Nightmare was the only one left... he wasn't like the villagers, he knew it, Error knew it, his boys knew it, wasn't that all that truly mattered ? That the ones he cared about knew he was better than that ? Surely it did. It was all that should matter, Dream's opinion shouldn't matter, he shouldn't listen to him, he didn't know anything.

Maybe he was a monster in Dream's eyes, but he wasn't one for his family, and that was all he cared about.

- end -

[starb3rrys]

Hiiii! I literally I’m in love with your blog theme😭😭so so prettyyyy!

Well, i was thinking, hunting dogs x kdrama cliches :) which cliche do you think would have each member?

AGH!! Thank you so much for the compliment! (Pink is my favorite color o3o). To be honest, I have never watched a K-Drama in my life but I researched popular cliches just for you, Darling! I hope I did a good job.(￣▽￣)

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Hunting Dogs as K-Drama Cliches

Hunting Dogs x K-Drama Cliches

Crack?

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Tachihara

Tending to his wounds

It's no secret that Tachihara gets hurt a lot. From small cuts to full on gashes; Tachihara always has some new wound that needs some patching up, and that's where you step in. While you clean and bandage his wounds, Tachihara's eyes tend to always stay on you, he seems to love how protective and caring you are with him, often asking himself how you put up with his bullshit for so long. But those loving eyes of his won't save him from what's to come, because after patching up his wound-- comes the scolding. HE JUST SITS THERE WITH A POUT AS YOU LECTURE HIM ABOUT BEING WRECKLESS LIKE A 5 YEAR OLD-. Half the time he isn't even scared of the wound itself, he's scared about the scolding, lecture, and glare he is gonna get from you when he gets back home. But at the end of the day, some love and kisses are shared, you do love him after all.

Making heart signs

Something about Tachihara just screams--Silly peace and heart signs across the room. If you two are ever across the room from each other and you happen to glance at him; he will smile, point at himself, make a heart with his hands, then point at you! ("I love you" btw--if you didn't get it). If you get on the bus to go home for the day, he will 100% make heart signs outside of the window to let you know that he loves you and will miss you, as the bus drives away. To be honest, it's become a sort of cute habit, he often does it in pictures or just to see you smile. (I love him so much.)

Sharing a coat

If it's ever cold outside, his first instinct is to open up his coat, and pull you inside-- wrapping you both with the warm/comfy coat. He definitely uses the excuse "You just looked cold", in order to hug and hold you from behind. A bit off topic, but he is always so warm, his hugs are always tight and loving!

Jouno

Enemies to Lovers

The common "Enemies to lovers" troupe fits Jouno perfectly in my opinion. Let's be honest, he can be very annoying at times and there is a high chance you wouldn't get along. From shit talking, all the way to full blown arguments, there would always be a conflict present. Inevitably, as time passes by--that hatred turned into something more. You'd find your heart beating faster as Jouno walked by, and Jouno quickly caught on. What used to be petty insults, turned into playful teasing...and playful teasing turned into a shared kiss under the moonlight.

Bumping into each other

(Its literally his pass time to bump into random people/J). The first time you two met, you bumped into each other. The blow had caused you to fall onto the floor, pain filling your senses. When you looked up, you saw Jouno standing over you, you both felt a small sense of attraction towards each other...but unlike the K-Drama's, he did not help you up. He probably told you to "Watch where you're going", then proceeded to walk away. (He is so annoying. I love him sm).

Sleeping by his hospital bed until he recovers

Taking into account the monthly surgeries the hunting dogs have to go through, they are bound to be in a hospital bed for at least a few days. You'd often visit Jouno while he rested in his hospital bed, delicately holding his slim hands in yours, hoping he would recover soon. You couldn't bring yourself to leave his side, so you stayed on the sofa next to his bed, slowly falling asleep as your lover recovered.

Tecchou

Piggyback ride

Tecchou is such a sweet man, especially with you. "You're tired? Here...get on my back", easy fix. He will literally kneel down in-front of you so he can give you a piggyback ride. To be honest, he definitely got into that habit because of Teruko, since he often gives her piggyback rides, why not give you one?. He will carry you with such ease and make you feel like the lightest person in the world! "You sure I'm not heavy?", you asked worriedly as your hands were wrapped around his neck. "Of course not, you don't weigh a thing", he said calmly as he carried you around the park.

Arguing then confessing in the rain

I love Tecchou with dramatic cliches. A petty argument between you two had begun, it got so heated you literally walked out of the building during a rainstorm. Tecchou quickly chased after you, even though you two were arguing--he didn't want to risk you getting hurt, you were too important to him. His hand reached for your arm, ultimately grabbing your wrist. "Let go of me, Tecchou!", you protested as he pulled you closer to him. "I won't! I can't let you go!", Tecchou argued, refusing to let go. You glared at him, "Why not?! Why can't you ju-" "GODDAMMIT, BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!", Tecchou yelled, cutting you off. Your froze, eyes widening as the water continued to pour on the two of you...what did he just say?...

The 360 degree camera revolving kissing scene

This one is following the previous cliche. After his confession, you both immediately moved closer and grabbed each others faces, your lips connecting in pure desperation. The 360 camera would definitely fit your needy kiss. The camera shows how the rain dripped down your wet clothes, his arm wrapped around your waist while his hand held the back of your head, not wanting to let go...

Fukuchi

Trimming his mustache

I just know his lil mustache needs regular maintenance, thankfully he has his lovely s/o to help him out. He happily sat on the toilet seat as you spread shaving cream on his face. He allowed you to move and tilt his head as you pleased. Fukuchi couldn't help but look at you with such love in his eyes while you trimmed his mustache. The focused look in your eyes, the way your eyebrows scrunched together in an attempt to be as accurate as possible was absolutely adorable to him.

Flashbacks

The iconic "Flashbacks to random events" cliche fits Fukuchi in my opinion. He often finds himself looking at you and having flashbacks to moments between you two; when you first met, your first kiss, your first embrace, those memories fill him with pure joy. The flashbacks themselves are probably more dramatic in his head than they actually were. Unfortunately, his little flashback sessions often distract him from his present work, so you often need to snap him out of his own thoughts.

Hangover Cures

This man gets blackout drunk. He literally peed on the agency's banner when drunk-. So it's no surprise that you have to take care of his horrible hangover the next day. Cue the montage of you running around the house like a maid taking care of him. From bringing his drowsy state some water, to helping him throw up all of the alcohol he consumed, you do your best to take care of him in his hungover state. In addition, he is definitely clingy when he's both drunk and/or hung over, so expect a lot of needy requests. (Please god, save the reader.) He will make sure to express his gratefulness for you with a bouquet of flowers and a nice dinner...before getting blackout drunk again-.

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I decided to add multiple cliches--rather than just one--that would match the hunting dogs since there were so many to choose from! This was one of the funnest requests to research (Really had me over here giggling and writing notes). I hope I did a good job researching!! Love ya!:)

[dreemurr-skelememer]

I'm gonna be anonymous when I say this because I have seen this done by many people... I strongly dislike the "Error and Nightmare gang are the good guys and trying to make the universe stable while The star sanses are the idiots who will not see reason" .. Like... I .. really? I'm not sure if the reason why I don't like it is because I have seen it so many times or what but it annoys me dearly. The members of the star sanses are reasonable and they are just often made as one sided ignorant people- I mean okay Lets go on the different pov, on the bad sanse side: You see them risk their lives every day getting themselves hurt over and over again all to defend different worlds for the sake of bringing what they believe to be peace and you label them as the fools who just want all the glory- really??? people who get hurt over and over again just do it for that stupid reasons??? I mean come on! Seeing as generally it is shown that the bad sanses want peace as well why not be trying to reach an agreement??? you fight over and over again and you couldn't even be bothered to try and reach their heads to finally listen to what you are saying like what "in a way" dream has done with nightmare countless times but they cant do the same? Just have them fight knowing that the other side are in the wrong and you choose to do nothing but break them?? Like is this your pride or something?? Why are they labelled as good guys yet they allow the other side to fight to their deaths with a good motive in mind but they only lack the full picture?? How am i suppose to "root for you" if this is what you do????? We get inside information of how peaceful they are and how they care for each other deeply, but if you care so much for each other why would you allow the other side to keep fighting your loved ones when they are missing the big picture, you know the big picture yet you say... NOTHING. NADA. ZILCH!! you cannot tell me that they don't listen to you when you barely speak up about the true issue or find a way to show them- you maybe say it once or twice in the whole story and then any other time you go straight to fighting or just avoid them.. COWARDS!! ALL OF THEM!! And in these stories the star sanses always state their reasons for their interference yet you cannot tell them why you are doing this?? All that comes out your mouth are insults and sneers, who would want to believe you when that is all the comes out of your MOUTHS... Excuse me... Just pissed sorry for the long rant.. Oh my gosh AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON DREAM AND NIGHTMARE, DUDE YOU GOT THE BALLS TO BLAME YOUR KID BROTHER FOR BEING A KID AND NOT RECOGNISING YOUR TRAUMA EVEN NOW AS YOU ARE MUCH MORE MATURE AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO REALIZE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU BOTH AS CHILDREN????? Is he the one holding onto the past or is it you??? Night is always depicted as the dadmare, boss, the caring lover, the brother yet he doesn't even have the decency to face the fact he abandoned his brother in stone for 500 years or so, when he comes out you automatically hate him for something he had no idea or control of and choose to ignore his pleads, when your brother wants to reach you, you break him over and over again not wanting him in your life ever again when as i said before he was your "KID BROTHER" and you want to tell me your the good one for just wanting to cut him off with no answers or anything? You gotta be pulling my leg bro... and it would be a different story if the dreamtale background is different but no! it isnt! nothing is said to make it seem dream was an abuser of sorts, they were both hurt and yet you blame dream for all of it you have a whole ass support system yet that is your mindset??? I cant.... I really cant Uh sorry again for this long ass rant though =w=

anon our souls are holding hands resonating as one

my two cents on this (that isn't something i said. a million times before already) is that it's usually because people refuse to see the star sanses in the same light they do the bad sanses the people who actively dislike the star sanses and what they do usually do so because they can't relate to them, from what i've noticed

the bad sanses are easier to root for because of the fact that they are made of struggle and the dirty, gritty parts of morality and life so to say it's easier to think of good things in the middle of so much bad, because it's in our nature as people to look for hope or root for the good, no matter how little it is having the ability to look for goodness and love in so much evil is a form of love in of itself everybody struggles and life sucks and sometimes the world is evil and sometimes we do bad things, but that's the thing, the fact that we as people find something good in the middle of it all (like finding familial love bloom in the bad sanses, as an example) is very inspiring. at least to me!!! that's how i see it!!!! that's how i like to think people see it as well because that's how i see and enjoy them together so i can totally see why people find more relatability and love for the bad sanses. i really do get it and i agree!! like a lot!!!!! i love them too

but that exact reason is also why it really sucks that people just don't see the star sanses in the same light?

i wanna reemphasize my point in relatability: it's difficult for most people to relate to the star sanses because inherently they are the heroes, the protagonists, the main characters, because nobody are any of those things i feel like people often put them on a pedestal because of their central tropes and characteristics. they have it all already, they don't need more praise, right?

i think the biggest problem people have with the star sanses, like your whole ramble very clearly shows, is that they don't humanize them i feel like a lot of people assume that just because they are good and choose to be good and are praised for being good, they are unreachable people don't think they struggle. that it sucks being that.

it's often why i like writing the star sanses with so much struggle and so much mental illness lol, because being good is fucking HARD and they're as imperfect as everybody else. dream is anxious, ink is brash, blue is a workaholic, stuff like that

there's a lot to say but it's just....the bad sanses and the star sanses are two sides of the same coin. the bad sanses is finding good in the middle of, basically, evil and misdeed the star sanses is finding struggle in the middle of trying to do good

people often portray both of them black and white morals and it's why it gets frustrating and flat and badly written.

idk, just like how i find inspiration in the bad sanses of finding hope and love in the middle of darkness, i really admire the implications of the star sanses when you actually decide to humanize them. because if you make the star sanses struggle throughout their praise, glory, and righteousness, it's...really admirable that they still choose to do good.

like you said, the star sanses risk their lives often and fight, offering treaties and agreements, just to make things right that's so??? admirable????? like for the amount of times the bad sanses fucking fight them, i genuinely would've just given up completely, but they just....don't??? and that's so admirable and sweet? it makes them so deserving of their titles as guardians.

idk!!! this is a massive ramble too, i don't even know where i was going with it but like, yeah, i think i wanted to talk mostly about why people preferred the bad sanses over the star sanses and how it makes me sad i get you anon. with my whole body and my whole soul. i understand what you mean and i see you

[vitzi9]

Patience is the key to success (2)

Masterlist if you want to read my others things. Part 1 here.

CW/TW: yandere-manipulative-obsessive-stalker-ethan, fem reader, smut, no p in v, depressed reader(but really), suicidal thoughts

i'm trying to post this quick because I crave attention, whatever its insults, compliments, likes or repost, idc. I want ppl to know i'm existing. i have a big oral test tomorrow and im really bad at speaking before someone (hence why im writing instead) so i just need to know im not totally useless in the society and that im, at the very least, making people enjoy my things. sorry for the rant, i have a big headhache, probably gonna die ✌️😚

the smut is really bad btw but like really but im bad at writing them but i need to to improve (26/06/2023) (5226 words)

"Let's just finish watching the movie now." you say and Ethan doesn't make you repeat as he goes straight to the couch.

You felt much better after that little talk. Ethan did not say much but in his words, there was a lot more. He was planning to be with you a long time. He does not want to ruin things. It made you so happy. Every fiber in you was warm thinking of it. You were at peace.

Ethan was calm after that, albeit moving uncomfortably sometimes. (maybe because of his boner?) He was just as cuddly as when you arrived. His head laid flat on your chest, rising up and down with each one of your breath. Your fingers brush his curl slowly as you hear his breathing slacken. You were giddy thinking about him being at peace with you, too.

His arms were closed tightly around your body, never letting you go. The movie was really advanced by now, the end was coming soon. It probably was something towards 11AM. Usually, you would have gone knock at your friend's house but there was no need now as you already saw her earlier.

When the movie fatefully ended, the credits start to roll but none of you moved an inch. Ethan rubs his cheeks against your chest before sighing happily. His eyes were closed. Was he asleep ? No, certainly not. He loves horror movie. He wouldn't fall asleep when one is ongoing.

He was cute here. You were delighted to think he trusted you enough to let his guards down and sleep with you. You were his safeplace. And he was yours. Your fingers trail down on his back where you draw small patterns dreamily. You write things, that cross your mind. You simply scratch him. His sudden speaking startle you. Your hand stopping evey movements.

"Are you sleeping far from here, today ? Every movements of his jaw hitting slightly on your chest. 'today' because he knew about your frequent change of home.

Relaxing, you continue to caress his back lovingly.

-No, not really. But I don't sleep there anymore.

The hotel too was starting to worry you. Like the building was shrieking on you. You don't know what was scarier, to be alone or to never be. And now that you found such a warm place, you don't want to leave. Ever.

-Why ?

-Scare me, s'all.

-You can sleep here tonight, if you want.

-Why ? Your decision was already made; you'd sleep here. You knew it the second he offered you to stay the night. But you wanted to see his arguments to convince you.

"Let me be with you." his sentence made a shiver run down your back.

Did that stalker fucked you up so hard you had chill even thinking about them? It was just a damn sentence. Everyone can say it. For god's sake, it's Ethan saying it of all people. Even if he awoke this uneasy feeling back, you couldn't blame him. He didn't know about the sign the criminal had shown you. You didn't tell him that much detail, only saying they had indeed brought creepy signs but omitting what was written on it. And Ethan said it so prettily, too. Yes, of course you'd be with him.

He told you you never slept here before and that you'd be safe anyway since he's here and don't plan on leaving you. So you accepted. It was really early in the day but the both of you were getting sleepy because of the calm and comfort of the situation. He offered you to go to his room which you accepted. After guiding you to there, he tells you he has to go grab something and that he'd be back really quick.

And he did, in fact, came back really quick.

By then, you were already sprawled out on his bed. You had time to see the mess he had scattered everywhere. The carboard, the books, the drawings, some letters, too. And you even found out about his second phone. The lockscreen was a generic one, the one you have by default, as if he just got it recently. But the phone wasn't new, it seems in contrary really old as it was broken at some area.

Ethan arrives in the room with a small plastic blue square packaging, you don't have time to see what it was that he throws it under the bed. You don't pay it too much attention. Playing mindlessly with his other phone in hand, you take off and put back the phone case of it to entertain yourself.

"You got two phones ? you ask even though you kind of knew the answer already.

-Oh, yes. One is for games only, the other is the one I'm really using. Did you went on it ?

-No, don't worry, I won't frisk into your secret criminal life."

He smiles before taking the phone out of your hand. He places it in the drawer of his nightstand. Ethan falls on top of you, taking your breath away for a moment. You laugh and hit his back for him to get away from you and he just laugh heartly before letting himself fall beside you.

He lays down, setting his head on his arm, looking up at you with stars in eyes. Sometimes, he's so pretty it hurt physically to look at him. Starting to get embarrassed by his insistent look, you find something to say.

-Why do you have so much pieces of cardboard anyway ?

-I make placards out of them.

With a fond smile, Ethan stares straight at your eyes. As if waiting for you to say something. You would have ask questions about his 'placards ' if not for the sudden interest he was displaying in you, which, instead, made you change subject without really noticing it. A nervous laugh escaping you.

-Why are you looking at me like that ? Is there an undertone ? Am I supposed to understand something ?"

He shakes his head negatively, displaying a small mischievous smile. He could be such a goblin at times ! Wanting to make him swallow his pride, you lean towards him and kiss his lips. Ethan smiles and moves his lips with yours.

Your arm set down on his waist and soon the kiss get heated. Ethan's body is burning, his breath is too. You don't let each other breath, as soon as you separate from each other, you plunge back in. Physically needing the contact.

You rise on your knee, arching your back to kiss him still laying flat on the bed. Soon, he joins you by rising as well. Both of you on your knees, face to face, eating each other's face. Ethan's hand are mahandling you to sit on his thights. Then, with his surprising strenght, he starts sliding you on them. Your heating pussy rubbing directly on the fabric of his pant. Your hand instinctivly goes to rub the growing tent in his trousers. The area was hot, when you slide your fingers on it, it would budge.

Ethan whimpers, thrusting his hips against yours. You straddle him completly, framing his his body with your legs. You rub his tent against your clit for some frictions. It was aching and growing more desperate by seconds.

"I... I wanna have sex with you." Ethan says softly.

You kiss his cheek, going for his neck. You answer with a meek 'me too' before sucking the skin of his neck. Ethan backs his head, already out of breath. He gives you full access to his body, still rutting desperatly his hips into yours.

But you were growing impatient. You lift your body from him, making him whine at the contact loss, before sliding your fingers behind the elastic of his pants. You slip it down to his knees before you start salivating at the sight of his hard cock already drooling for you.

He didn't have any underwear. That's why you could feel him so close to your core.

Your hand touch his thight, caressing gently his body. Making sure to avoid the area he need you the most. Ethan try to touch himself, tired of your teasing, but you slap his hand away. He whines and looks up at you with teary eyes. Silently begging you to do something. It was impossible for you to resist him.

Your hand grabs his cock in one motion, you could feel it pulse and its warmth propagate in your hand. It was already so so wet because of all his precum, your hand was sliding so easily you could have thought he came multiple times already. Gently, you start to move your hand on all its lenght slowly. The boy props himself on his elbows and look at the scene before him. Ethan sighs happily, eyes closing and head backing. He's in heaven, he thinks. But not entirely, as he looks at you still clothed.

"Want to... Want to finger you..." he pleas.

In front of a boy so desperate, and being incredibly horny, you slide your pant down, making sure your underwear went with it. Ethan lose every one of his braincells when he sees your bare pussy glistening with your love juice. He wanted to lick it bad. That's the only one fanstam he ever had that help him getting off so hard he can't move for a whole minute. He wants to drown himself in your juice. But you have others projects.

You guide his pointer finger to your lips. Ethan starts caressing it and smear your juice everywhere. His lift up another finger and start passing both of them on your lips.

"Here, you have to touch here." you say, pointing to your clit.

You move briefly to bring your genitals closer. You could feel each other's warmth emanating from your core. Seeing him try to touch you was so hot. He was listening to everything you said.

Soon getting the hang of it, he starts circling your clit, applying different pressure on it to see which one were you reacting the most to. Slowly, you quicken your pace on his hard cock. As if to reward him for being such a good boy. He was in a trance, eyes closing and opening. And when they opened, they were staring with a utmost care at your moving breast throught your shirt. Your nipples were hard and were poking through the fabric.

His eyes were glued to it. Understanding his want, you lift your shirt above your collarbone with your free hand. Ethan can't seem to take off his eyes of you. They're probably the first pair of breasts he sees in real life after all.

"Fuck... You're so pretty, love." you speed up on his shaft at his praise. "Fuck, fuck...

-You can touch baby.

-I can?"

He stops all movements to your pussy, your frown but let him discover his needs. It was his first time, you needed to let him have a little fun. His free hand touch one of your breast, massaging it then weighten it in the palm of his hand. He smiles like an idiot, an idiot so cute you let him do what he wants with you. His other, wet, hand pinch lightly your sensitive bud.

Your free hand slap his arm to make him understand he did it too hard. He sends you an apologatic smile.

"They're like stress ball."

Amused by the weird comparison, your chuckle. Still impatient to come, you guide your hand higher on his cock to caress his tip and rub it. His face contorts in pleasure, browns frows and mouth ajar. His forehead fall on your shoulder while his fingers go back down near your entrance. His hips were thrusting into nothing but your hand. Obscene wet noises were resulted. You were hot, terrribly hot but so was he.

Ethan's small puff of breath sends chill in your body. His whimpers couldn't be replaced with anyone else. Your hand was all wet and sticky, as was his. Ethan decides to enter once again two of his digits in you. Your head falls back and you sigh happily at finally scratching that itch in you.

"Curl your fingers, E." you whisper.

He hums and do as told. Curling his fingers in you, he starts to thrust them in and out at a slow pace, adopting the same sensuality you used to jerk him off. You accelerate, your hand no longer lingering on the entire shaft. Sometimes, you'd stop completly to hear him whine. Your thumb caressing his cock's veins.

"Baby please..." he pleas.

Ethan starts kissing sloppily your shoulder, your neck. You, on the other hand, take his hand to guide the thrust of his fingers, angling them correctly for them to touch that spongy spot inside. His fingers were long and thin, that was a part of him you absolutly loved. You always had a thing for pretty hands and his were beautiful.

"What do you want, love? you ask tenderly.

-Tell me you love me..."

You nudge his hair with your nose and he looks up. Staring at his eyes, you see them wet with tears. You kiss him instantly. Playing with his tongue with yours, your hand moving faster and faster. You stop the kiss to tell him you love him and he bites his lips, eyes closing.

His breath is jerky, uneven. You press his palm against your clit, rubbing it while you push his fingers inside you again. You feel a knot tighten. You won't last long.

"Tell me you love me.

-I love you E, you're doing so good.

-Again..."

You said it as many times as he needed to feel better. His hips stuttters, his cock quivers. His words are slurred to each other, resulting in incomprehensible blabbering. You don't lose the rythm, keeping the same pace until he'd eventually come.

-Love you so..." he whines.

His body tense, his breath stops. You can only hear the wet sounds your hand is producing. He doesn't utter a sound until spurts of cum smear on your hand and belly. Feeling at ease, he moans a last time from relief and breath again.

You're not far behind. Ethan being pratically knocked out, you grind on his hand. You close your thighs around it, ensuring it stay inside. Your legs are shaking, wave of hot and cold invade you. You plunge his fingers inside but, to your surprise, Ethan regains control and start pounding into you to get you to your end.

He kisses your neck while you finally come on his fingers, sweaty and disvesheled. You swear one last time when he withdraws his fingers. You stay here for a while, just hugging , breathing and basking in each other's presence.

After some minutes, you decide to go shower together. You end up finally getting a good night of sleep, cuddled in his strong arms.

The next day, Ethan and you had a stupid satisfied smile on your face. Both happy to be here. You kissed and confessed your love to each other all morning until eventually he had to leave for work. Sadly, you had things to do, too. Ethan offered you to stay and sleep here for a few nights because he wanted to stay close to you.

You liked this idea. Of course you liked it, you love Ethan. And to convince you further, he told you his roomate wouldn't mind. So naturally you accepted. You were embarassed at the idea of bothering his roomate but you decided you would just sleep here, and the day, you'd let the apartment free. It was his too, after all. Not only Ethan's. There is no way you'd let someone feel excluded in their own house.

Grabbing your phone, you click on your friend's number. You call her, the ringing echoes three times and no one answer. Somehow begrudgingly, you resume yourself at simply sending a text. Just for you to instantly forgetting your sorrow as she answers. The discussion was quite simple, she was telling you she was at her grandma right now. She was bored and wanted to know how you were doing.

'I'm going back to my dear haunted apartment, probably gonna die. Wish me luck.' you texted. She put a little more time answering this one. It's possible it triggered something in her. After everything she endured. 'nobody will hurt you as long as i'm alive' she said. She simply changed subjects after that. Asking you about the cute guy you told her about in the letters. And so you explained everything. Every time you tried to offer to call her, she'd decline. You were still sad she didn't want to talk to you but you were telling yourself you needed to be patient.

On a happier note, you decided to leave the place to go to your own apartment.

To one point, you should have known better than be too happy about your improving situation. Of course, it was well too soon for you to consider everything better. But you were probably stupid because the fall hit you much harder than you could've prepared yourself for. Oh, the pain you felt when reality had finally caught you. You thought you were going to die when you came back home to simply grab some clothes. (Ethan told you to do so.)

Your door was ajar. But it wasn't your doing. No, of course it wasn't you. Your apartement terrified you, why would you come here more ofthen than needed ? You felt your body freeze but you quickly overcame the feeling. That's it. You needed it to end. This fucking stalker had ruined you. You and your life. You sent a text to Ethan, telling him that if you do not call him after twenty minutes, he needed to call the cops. He didn't answer. He was at work. It was well past eleven by now.

Your heart was beating so hard you thought it was going to collapse on the ground, and you with it. Slowly, aware of every sound around you, you push the door. Your livingroom was as messy as you had left it. At one difference, the wall. Every frame you had put up on the walls were thrown away. Most of them on the ground and broken, with shattered glasses everywhere.

Why would the creep empty the walls ? To write on it. Of course they would write on it. You laugh bitterly for yourself. You couldn't see their stupids fucking signs anymore, so they had to improve. To force you to read their creepy obsessive text. You hear the crushing of a broken piece of glass, as if someone had stepped on it. But it wasn't you.

You're on alert. Every one of your senses on crisis. Was your mind playing tricks on you ? It was possible in this hellish house who did nothing but give you nightmares recently. You don't realize how you stopped breathing. Only calming when three long minutes had gone without another sound to be heard.

Nothing is here. You're alone, you think. Everything is good. You'll just grab your stuff and leave. Regaining your breath, you bring your attention back on the wall. Words were written on it in deep crimson red. Is that blood ? No, it can't be. Probably paint to give a creepy look that'll catch your attention. You approach the wall to better understand the message.

'She's not here anymore'

The need to throw up almost won. A dark feeling in your guts was telling you 'she' was your friend. But you didn't know. She responded to you, after all. You talked to her. So she had to be okay. She had to. You put your hand on your belly to soothe that want to vomit. You take big breath before finally leaving the livingroom. You quickly make your way to your room where you meet your bare bed. Where are your sheets ? What the hell ? But you don't want to stay longer so you throw clothes in your bag in a hurry.

The front door slam shut. And you know it's the end.

You already feel the tears drowning your sight. Trying to stay silent, you hide in your closet almost empty with how many times you came here to grab clothes. Your hand clasp against your mouth to avoid doing any noise.

Slow footsteps can be heard in the empty apartment. With your shaky hands, you fail to unlock your phone. Your vision is blurry, you can't touch the correct keys. The worst is that you can't see where the creep is. If they stay silent, they can enter the room you're in without you even noticing. And this idea is horrifying. But on another side, you'd preferred them to kill you by surprise so you don't have to affront them.

Your cries intensify, in your despair, you drop your phone straight on the ground. The footsteps stops abrutly. Three distincts knocks are echoing on the corridor's wall. They are coming toward you. You're fucked. They're coming ! What do you do ? What did you do ? Why is this happening ?

Kneeling like you could in the closed space, you reach your hand to grab your phone. As soon as your finger grazes it, the phone vibrate and your ringtone start playing for the whole building to hear. No, no, no, no, no ! Ethan. Ethan is calling you. You pick up despite everything but as soon as you do so, the call is cut short. Fuck E, why would you do that !

The criminal's footsteps are louder, quicker, heavier. They're running. They're running here ! You hold the closet door shut with your both hands, praying for your life. You only have knives in your kitchen, but it's too late now. If you go out, they'll see you. You realized at that moment that whatever you were doing, you couldn't win. That you never even stood a chance against them.

Everything was illusion.

Nothing was improving, you knew it, in fact. You were lying to yourself, searching comfort in a man that don't even understand the dept of the problem. Of your problem. And your friend ? You don't want to talk about her. You don't want to open your eyes just yet. You just want to live in your nice little lies you made up for yourself. You're nice with them, in fact, you like them. Nobody wanted to help you anyway. They could have saved you, you and her, but nobody listened.

Now, it's too late.

The closet start to shake. Widening your eyes, you realize that the creep had start to punch it with their bare fist. You don't give a fuck about being heard anymore, you're bailing your eyes out. Begging for them to let you go, screaming, yelling, calling for help. Holding the door for dear life as if it was going to save you, because in your head it was. But the door didn't last long.

A hole is quickly created in the door. You thought you'd see someone's face, wether it be a man, a woman, whatever. But you saw a white plastic mask instead.

Ghostface.

Why was a damn Ghostface chasing after you? Was it all a sick joke from the start ? You swear you were seeing his eyes boring into yours through the mask. You swore you already saw them somewhere. Ghostface tilts their face to the side, as if mocking you. They were telling you that you were stuck, that it was the end. You hoped they'd kill you.

You couldn't live like this anymore.

In the hole of the closet, Ghostface pass his gloved hand. The latter lay on your shaky face, on your cheek to be exact. You feel the fabric against your skin and think of biting his fingers off. No, you'll angry him. If he's going to kill you, that it be in the least painful way.

"Ethan, right ? Does he treat you so well you forgot about me?" his changed voice said. A weird and creepy robotic voice, one you knew you'd never forget.

You were moving your head left to right. You didn't know why. Probably to tell you didn't want to die, probably to avoid looking into his eyes. He laughs, sounding like a rumbling.

"Ending things right now would be such a waste."

No ! You thought you were finally free ! Why would he chases you down for so long without acting on it !? His gloved hand retract and the door slowly open in an acute creaking. The man is finally revealed before you. He was wearing the whole outfit, the big black robe and the hood.

"It was fun. I give you a gift to reward you for these beautiful screams."

And the knife.

He had a knife in hand. And it was tinged red. Something in you told you it was her. Suddenly, the red writings on your wall had a different meaning.

"I hope you like it, I worked extra hard for it."

Out of nowhere, Ghostface takes your hand, force it open, and lay in it something before forcing it closed. He laughs deeply. One of his hand pat your head mockingly before moving up.

"See you later." he said, swinging his knife in a playful manner.

You were absolutely paralyzed. You didn't know what happened. You stayed up without moving for whoever say how long. When your legs finally stopped shaking, you decided to look what the killer had gave you. Slowly opening your hand, your knee buckle and you fall to the ground crying silently at the sight of a nip of your friend's hair.

You curled up on yourself before completly laying down on the ground, tightening the hairs in your hand close to your heart. She was not here anymore. You wanted to fucking die.

Ever since, Ethan was forgotten. He had tried to call you so many times you had blocked his number. You spent the rest of the day crying in your hotel's room. You resented him. So hard. He didn't answer, he was the one calling and giving your position to a fucking criminal, to a murderer! And he didn't answer. He didn't help, like everyone else.

One day later, neighbors complained about a smell coming from an apartment. You didn't cry when they found your friend's dead body. You didn't cry when cops came to interrogate you. The caretaker having told them about you. Your eyes contained so much hatred in them when looking at him the cops had to let him leave to get him away from you. You didn't cry telling the cops how many times you went to see them to ask for help, nor how many times did they reject you. You didn't cry when they told you she was dead for at least a week, and that her boyfriend was missing. You had no tears left in you. It had simply ended you.

All your lies, every single one of them, destroyed. But you needed them. Of course you weren't talking to her by text, you never did. And fuck, you don't even want to know who was answering instead of her. It was so obvious how she never wanted to call, how she was never leaving her house. But the eye you saw at the peephole. The fucking eye...

You don't want to think about it.

Ethan tried to talk to you. He went to your hotel and found you. You didn't bother to move this time as you were done with your life. He fell to his knee and started begging and crying for your forgivness. Did you even love him ? Or were you, are you, just lonely ? Unfortunately, you decided to forgot the anger you had against him when you realized he was the only thing you had. Your only support. The only one knowing you were a victim. You spent the days crying in his arms.

"Shhh, shhh, I'm here, love. It's okay." he reassured you, again.

It was a routine, now. You'd sleep the days away and when you'd wake up, you'd find yourself crying inconsolably. Everything was your fault, you kept repeating in your head. She's fucking dead because of you.

You wanted to end it all but Ethan wanted you alive at every cost. He was brushing your hair, feeding, washing and changing you. You were a lifeless doll. Sometimes, his roomate would come and talk to you. Most of the times, you don't even realize he's talking to you, too lost in your thought to proceed his presence.

"It's okay, everything's okay."

Ethan hugs you firmly. Kissing your hairline. His t-shirt was damped. Your eyes were burning. Every time you closed them, the picture of your friend would come and haunt you, a new nightmare coming. You weren't able to think about something else anymore. But it was your fault. You put her in danger, you got her killed. It was you Ghostface wanted, not her. You got her killed.

"I want to leave..." you whispered in a voice so hoarse, so weak, it didn't sound like yours. His hand goes on the back of your head to pull you towards him.

"No, no my love. It's okay. I'll protect you. You won't be alone anymore." his leg goes over yours and crushes them to prevents you from moving.

Alone.

Have you ever been alone in your life ? No, he was here all along. He was watching you all along. You never were truly alone. He had your adress, your friend's adress, your number and even Ethan's name. No, he's always here. Lurking.

"Just... Stay with me, I'll protect you. Please, don't leave me." he begs.

He looked calm, surprisingly calm being given the situation. But you needed it, in a way. If he doesn't freak out, you don't need to. (you coudn't, even if you wanted to) He probably know what to do. It was too late for you but he could do something. Maybe. His behaviour was slightly comforting. It was dangerous, mostly for him. He probably didn't even know what he was doing, he probably didn't know what he was getting himself into, in fact.

But once, just for once, you wanted to be helped. You wanted someone to listen to your pleas. He was going to die, it was a fact. And yeah, maybe you were selfish, you were condamning him after all.

"I feel like I'm using you. Like I manipulated you. you say, mostly for your own conscience than for his safety.

-Use me, love. I don't care. Manipulate me, whatever. I swore I'd help you. And if I have to risk my life doing it, I'll do it. I love you. You don't know the things I'd do for you.

-Now, you're the one manipulating me...

It was true. He was forcing you to think you had a chance in getting out of this situation when you knew there were none.

-Oh baby, you have no idea how manipulative I can be to obtain what I want.

-If you say so." you whisper, drifting to sleep once again, knowing you'd wake up hours later in the same position, in the same problem and knowing you killed your friend.

[cantwritethetword]

(2024) TickleTober Day 2: Scared - Turn it off

Fic Descript - While finishing his late-night duties, Merlin finds Arthur wide awake in his bed in a bit of a panic. Luckily, the manservant has an idea on how to stop the king's mind from spiraling further.

~A/N  -

Day 2 for TickleTober2024! I've had the idea for this fic kind of floating around in my head for a while so I'm excited to see how it turns out!

- Enoy! ~

Tag List: @fullsongphilosopher

Masterpost Link 

TickleTober Masterpost

Some would argue the castle at night is an unnerving experience. The usual bustle and business of the corridors replaced with eerie silence and empty space, each near-silent sound echoing through the halls tenfold compared to where it would normally be absorbed by daily kingdom life.

To Merlin though, this was the only moment of peace he had the privilege of enjoying. Nobody yelling his name to give him yet another task, nobody questioning what specific job he was completing or whether it was worth doing. Just him and the concrete walls he lived in, especially now that he practically knew the guard's routes and could easily avoid a quick but still awkward acknowledgement of each others existence.

At least, that was the way it usually was.

As he made his way silently into the king's chambers to return some freshly cleaned shirts, his eyes settled on the pale figure hunched on the edge of the bed and facing the window.

Merlin pushed away his immediate reaction of concern and rolled his eyes, trying to convince himself it was just Arthur being strange - nothing to worry about. If anything it was just an inconvenience that meant he would have to return later to put away the washing.

Merlin slowly turned towards the door, not realising one of the shirts had caught on the edge of a silver chalice sitting on Arthur's dresser. The clattering sound made both men jolt, but what truly took Merlin aback was Arthur's face.

The king looked like he had seen a ghost. Sweat was beading on his forehead, dark circles decorated his eyes, and his face was sunken and pale.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked before he could think, his tone more genuine than he had ever used with Arthur.

"I'm fine." Arthur replied flatly, quickly wiping his face and standing up to walk around the bed closer to Merlin. "Completely fine."

Well that was worrying. Merlin thought. Where was the usual insult? The bickering? The 'what are you doing in my chambers?' questions? Clearly something really was wrong.

"Arthur you look awful." Merlin continued, moving closer to where Arthur stood.

That at least earnt a half-snicker as Arthur sunk onto the bed with his head in his hands. "I suppose I do."

Deciding that was as good an invitation as any, Merlin sat next to his king and continued. "What's the matter?"

Arthur shook his head. "I just can't sleep."

Even though he knew Arthur couldn't see, Merlin gave him a look. "Right. What's actually going on?" He accompanied the question with a light shoulder bump. "Is it the duel tomorrow?"

The king took a breath, running a hand through his hair. "I think so?"

Merlin nodded, "ok-?"

Arthur thrust his hands down. "But I don't know why! It's not like I haven't fought before!" He exclaimed, flopping backwards onto the mattress. "I'm good with a sword, and it's only a duel! A game! Childs play!"

"Well there's a lot at stake for you, game or not." Merlin rationalised (once he had recovered from the sudden snap of Arthur's rare outpour of feelings). "You represent your people and your knights, and everyone knows how important it is right now to create a bond with your opponent's kingdom. No wonder you're nervous."

There was a pause, and Merlin hoped it was Arthur truly contemplating what he had said.

Arthur sighed and let out a breathy chuckle as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Once again Merlin, I find myself in awe of your random, uncharacteristic wisdom and empathy."

"And once again I can't tell if that's a compliment." Merlin replied without missing a beat.

Arthur laughed again - a little more naturally this time - as a soft silence settled over the room. With anyone else this level of quiet would feel unbearably awkward, but somehow it brought comfort to the pair (though under normal circumstances both would stubbornly blame it on the relief of the other finally shutting up).

"In all seriousness though," Merlin spoke after a few moments. "You need sleep."

"How can I." Arthur asked, his voice weaker than Merlin had ever heard it. "I've been up the last three nights tossing and turning but it's like my mind won't stop replaying all the awful things that could happen." He once again flopped flat onto his back. "It's plagued my every thought... To be honest, tonight's the first time i feel like I've smiled in days."

Merlin couldn't help but warm a little at that, even more so at the idea bubbling at the back of his mind. "I could help you smile a little more, if you'd like?"

That earnt a chuckle. "You're not going to tell me your awful jokes, are you?" Arthur asked sarcastically.

With a playful scowl, Merlin poked the king's outstretched side - making Arthur flinch with a giggle.

Weirdly enough though, Arthur didn't move to protect himself from another attack. And, a genuine smile remained settled on his face staring at the ceiling.

Merlin was smirking at this point, taking his majesty's response as a quite-literal open arms invitation to continue.

As soon as Merlin scooted himself closer to Arthur and began poking the man's ribs, it was as if Arthur's conscious remembered he should be protesting.

"Mer-Merlin wait!" Arthur stuttered, that genuine beam still gracing his features as his hands caught the Warlock's. "If you mean you're going to... to-... Merlin no that's... that's childish..."

"Well you wanted to smile, didn't you?" Merlin grinned, catching both of Arthur's hands with one of his own and pushing them above the king's head. "Seems to be working so far."

Arthur spluttered out segments of begging in between anticipatory giggles, pushing at Merlin's hands all the while. "Merlin wahait! I cahan't- I'll- Plehease!"

Merlin rolled his eyes, trying to look nonchalant. "I haven't even done anything yet you big baby." - but he couldn't help the soft grin painting his face.

As Merlin's fingers touched down against Arthur's torso, Arthur thrust the last of his energy into attempting to maintain his ruse of denial. Denying that this would help, denying that this was what he needed, denying that Merlin could possibly have a good idea.

But Arthur quickly realised just how gentle Merlin was actually tickling him - how the servant was scuttling his fingers with just enough pressure to make him laugh while still being able to breathe easily. And once he noticed Merlin wasn't actually pinning his hands anymore - Arthur found he was really fighting against something else.

The fact that he was secretly adoring the teasy attention, that he was loving how his overthinking brain had been happily overwhelmed and overpowered by the playful threat. And most of all, grateful he could trust Merlin not to take it any further.

So he let himself laugh. Let himself fall into the unbearable sensations and completely float away from anything that was worrying him. He could stress about his royal image or how much Merlin would hold this above him later. He was finally ok.

When Merlin's fingers eventually slowed, Arthur couldn't get himself to stop smiling.

And even when the anxiety of tomorrow's looming competition threatened to send Arthur into another panicked spiral, the memory of Merlin's tickle attack flooded his brain and thrust a blushing grin onto his face all over again.

[akiizayoi4869]

Been reading the Inuyasha manga recently, and man it is a lot better than the anime. A lot of things are explained better in the manga, certain things that happened in the anime just don't happen in the manga, and Kagome doesn't say "sit!" nearly as much as she does in the anime. My favorite part of the manga though would have to be her:

I remember watching the show as a kid, and not really caring much for Kikyo at all. Her backstory was tragic, but I just didn't care for how the anime made her act towards Inuyasha and Kagome (plus after a while I was just sick of the love triangle between these three) so I really didn't have much of a positive outlook towards her. When I watched it again years later, however, my thoughts about Kikyo began to change. I began to understand why she acted the way she did when she was resurrected. It made sense. She didn't die peacefully, she was under the assumption that Inuyasha, someone she loved and wanted to spend her life with, had killed her, when that wasn't the case at all. Her soul is then bought back to the land of the living because of Inuyasha saying her name. On top of that, she finds out that her soul was reincarnated and that Kagome was the new guardian of the shikon jewel, something that Kikyo wished to destroy by having it burned along with her body when she died. To add insult to injury, her reincarnation is in love with Inuyasha, and it's clear that he feels the same way about her. So yeah, I can't really blame Kikyo for acting the way she did in the earlier episodes after she was resurrected. Besides, she was supposed to be a vengeful spirit. And the way how she was acting, it was the perfect example of a spirit not being able to rest in peace because of how they died. Having said all of that, I understand why people who only ever watched the show and never read the manga ended up not liking her character that much.

The manga though does her character way better than the anime did. For starters, a lot of the scenes and lines that were in the anime to add more fuel to the love triangle is thankfully non existent in the manga. It honestly doesn't even feel like there's much of a love triangle going on in the manga. Inuyasha's feelings towards both Kagome and Kikyo are made clear, unlike the anime where it seemed like he couldn't make up his mind about who he wanted to be with.

Like this talk, for example. It happens right after Inuyasha meets Kikyo for the first time since she's been resurrected, and she tries to drag him to hell with her. We never got this conversation between Inuyasha and Kagome in the anime. From what I can remember, he asks her why is she so upset with him and what did she see, and she just says the sit command and that's the end of the episode. And there's more talks like this between these two in the manga that doesn't happen in the anime.

Getting back to Kikyo, once she learns the truth of what happened 50 years ago in the manga, she doesn't really seem to be invested in Inuyasha and Kagome anymore (well, aside from trying to kill Kagome when she takes the jewel shards from her). She was entirely focused on killing Naraku and getting revenge on him for killing her and pitting her and Inuyasha against each other. In the manga, Kikyo's motives in giving Naraku the shikon jewel are explained clearly. I may be remembering wrong, but in the anime I remember not really understanding what she was trying to do, and it just kinda left you guessing for a while what exactly she was trying to accomplish. All in all, Kikyo's character just seems to be written a lot better in the manga than in the anime.

[fangsandfeels]

It's probably a very unpopular opinion, but initially, I liked Wulbren when I encountered him in the game. And how couldn't I? The lad greets us with an escape plan up his sleeve and that plan includes breaking the tieflings out! A true blessing for any Tav who never intended to cooperate with the Absolute and got a headache from thinking how they would get out all of the prisoners. What Wulbren did was badass and spoke a lot about his principles and priorities.

Now, a less-then-lukewarm reunion with Barcus was something I expected because nothing could be that easy, and from what we've seen, Philomena too abandoned her girlfriend for The Idea without even bothering to break up with her. So, at that point, I had a reason to suspect that either Wulbren was a dick or he tried to keep Barcus away from whatever he was brewing so he won't get caught in the fallout (he has a propensity for getting himself in trouble, after all).

But come Act 3...

...and Wulbren is presented as an irrational, vengeful prick who refuses to look deeper into the matter. We can follow his vision and blow up the Steel Foundry without looking into it, inadvertently causing more destruction, or going against him.

However, after what I learned thanks to @y-rhywbeth2 here (hope you don't mind me tagging you) is that the reason for Wulbren's innate distaste for Gondians may lie even deeper than "they worked with the tyrant, they must pay".

Wulbren's clan follows Gaerdal Ironhand, the lawful good gnome deity. His followers are militaristic and devoted, committed to protecting the gnome community and dealing with internal and external threats.

The best defense is unswerving vigilance. Serve Gaerdal with absolute dedication and devotion. Defend and protect gnome communities against all invaders both obvious and hidden. Never cease to hone the skills of war, and take the opportunity of relative peace to pass such talents on to gnomes at large.

While Gond isn't mentioned as Gaerdal's adversary, their dogmas contradict each other. Despite being a patron of inventors and craftsmen, Gond is so dedicated to creating inventions ("wonders") and spreading them that he has no concern for safety or consequence. Gond also welcomes all alignments and approves of his followers forcing their way into power, subtly controlling leaders and destroying any opposition, so they could promote their inventions and creations. Accumulation of power and personal wealth is smiled upon.

So, Gaerdal Ironhand is all about caring for the community and taking any measures necessary to protect it - even if such threat comes from fellow gnomes, Gaedral's followers are supposed to undertake the grim duty of being the judges and doing what's necessary. If Wulbren is a dedicated follower of Gaedral, it's understandable why he has so much contempt for the Gondians: they are careless, irresponsible, so obsessed with the "can it be done?" they forget about "should it be done?" - and look at where it got them. Play stupid games, and win stupid prizes.

Of course, he would take any accusations of being too harsh as an insult - especially given that he literally lost his fellow clanspeople to protect the city.

Given all that, I wish there could have been a more complex resolution. Showing Wulbren the door minimizes the fact that he wasn't just obsessed with killing the Gondians, but also was ready to die for his people (he didn't expect anyone to save him and he was planning on saving himself and others). He organized a guerilla movement that was effective enough for Gortash to put him on the Wanted list. If Gondians started working with Gortash of their own volition (I didn't explore the game enough to find any tangible proof or content that debunks this theory), but then found themselves shackled and enslaved, that would add to his bitterness. Being treated as a local madman for fighting the threat everybody else is idiotically blind to tooth and nail affects you. Heavily. Bitterness and spite become part and parcel of your struggle and when someone tries to tell you you're being unreasonable or not kind, you snap at them - what do they know?

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Wulbren and Barcus should kiss and make up.

But having the option to point out to Wulbren that Barcus has been actually upholding Ironhand's ideals all this time and went to great lengths to do the right thing; make him finally acknowledge and respect his friend would have been nice.

Also, by admitting that Barcus was right, Wulbren could have seen where he was wrong or unable to see things differently - which would have prompted him to put his trust in Barcus even if he still instinctually wants to oppose and cuss him out for being so naively tolerant.

Because, I think Barcus deserves some recognition from Wulbren - even if they don't remain friends, going simply to colleagues (mostly because Barcus decides he did enough and it's time for him to stop running after Wulbren, especially now that he is safe). And also, because the entire Ironhand clan story needs more polishing, given that its premise in Act 1-2 was so interesting.

[bothoutsiders]

Bruce: You seem happy with Jason.

Tim: My husband is a better man then most would have him out to be.

Bruce: He's a dangerous man.

Tim: Bruce, you are a dangerous man. Superman, your best friend, is a dangerous man. As the late Ra's al Ghul will tell you, I am dangerous. Life is dangerous. Only death is free of risk. And I'm in no hurry to be safe.

hey, anon! thanks for the request and i apologize for taking so long. i was unsure of how to take this so i did something different and made it in third-person but bruce's pov. hope it's alright :)

--

It was true, all of them were indeed dangerous but that was not the point. Tim had done something he didn’t approve of. He dared to break the rules, to take control of his own life and make his own awful mistakes. He did something terrible, something that Bruce never planned out for him.

Perhaps it was all Bruce’s fault. He had failed as a mentor, as a role model but he had thought it was just a phase.

He had pretended he didn’t know what had been happening behind his back. That he didn’t notice when Tim didn’t come back home to sleep or that there was peace in the streets. No violent killings from Red Hood.

‘They might be getting along.’ A silly thought that crossed his mind a long time ago. ‘Tim might be good for Jason. Might convince him to stop killing.’ Or perhaps a way to have a leash on Jason.

One thing was to fix him, another one was to marry him. What was Tim even thinking?!

And the sole thought of it made his blood boil. The anger and frustration building up inside of him. His intention was to play nice, to not be so direct and harsh, but Tim wasn’t making things easy for him.

“He is still a criminal, Tim. He uses violence and he’s unstable. There is no bright future by his side.” His patience had run thin by now but it was very hard for Bruce to keep quiet. To not show how this bothered him.

“We all are criminals. We use violence and you in particular are very unstable. There’s no bright future for me here. I’m always under your rules, your opinions, your tricks. You’re always making decisions for me, even when I’m not looking. You placed people in my way for a purpose and you push away others if you don’t like them.” He shoved the last item inside his bag. “Once you couldn’t fix your relationship with Jason, once he stopped accepting your orders, you threw him away as if he meant nothing.”

No, no, no. Why couldn't he just accept things?! Why couldn't Tim just see things his way and stop trying to be something he was not?!

“That’s not true. You know I tried.”

“You never really tried. If you did, you would’ve done things differently. But you never did, Bruce.” He slung his backpack over one shoulder. “I’m done with you.”

Before Tim could walk out of his old bedroom at the mansion, Bruce hit the doorway with his fist, blocking the way. He was going mad and desperate. He might have wanted Tim to react, to get him angry and throw insults back at each other, to give Bruce a reason to hurt him, to make him feel bad. But nothing was going the way he wanted.

Tim wasn’t playing his game anymore. He was in control of his own feelings while Bruce wasn’t.

“You’re in my way.” His face was serious and even seemed to be already bored of this. Gritting his teeth, Bruce finally pulled away, letting Tim walk away.

He remembered the day that things got worse. Officially worse.

It was on the news, on the radio, printed on paper. It was everywhere and while Bruce wanted to ignore it, to pretend he knew nothing about it, it was simply impossible to run away from what the whole city was talking about.

It was not in his hands.

Bruce immediately left to the Watchtower, not wanting to hear or see more of it. He would rather focus on some international work than being reminded of what they have done.

When he arrived the first thing he saw was the huge screen on. Barry and Hal were already there, watching the news of Gotham city because of course they would use it for anything other than work.

“Care to turn that off?”

“I didn’t know little Tim got married, congrats!”

“Uhm… Hal– no–” Barry tried to interrupt while he turned the screen off immediately.

“I didn’t know he was marrying Jason though. Not judging, I’m just glad they are being a pain in the ass for you. I’ve heard about how Jason isn’t welcome at your place.” He sat down and rolled his chair toward Barry. “Not sure why he bans people who hate him though. Not like we are interested in going there.”

The thought of talking to Tim crossed his mind many times. He thought he still had time to nullify his marriage but his relationship with him wasn't that good anymore. Things happened and honestly Bruce never did much to fix what broke between them. He always thought Tim would see, eventually, that he meant good and he did care about him in his own way. He didn't know how to open up, how to be a proper mentor but he had good intentions and that should be more than enough.

Talking to Jason wasn’t in his options. He knew it wouldn't help at all. Jason was already broken and angry. While Bruce might see a glimpse in him of that small and good kid he used to be, Bruce knew it was impossible to make him understand. To convince him to make this right.

Jason was a lost case.

He could pay someone to invalidate the marriage, to make it disappear. He could do something and bring back Tim, to go back to the way things used to be. His mind was quick to make many different plans, to think about the outcome of every single one of them… But nothing seemed to have the ending he wanted.

Completely furious at this chain of events, Bruce took the clock on Tim’s bedside table and smashed it against the wall. While it had broken and there was no way of fixing it, it didn’t help. He didn’t feel any better. In a desperate need to take out his anger, he did the same with a book within reach. He threw it against the window and shattered the glass with it.

Nothing was going to change because of it, and he knew it, but he wanted to release his anger, show how upset it made him. How he wasn’t okay with what Tim and Jason had done. They had definitely done this to bother him.

He paused for a moment, mind going back to the options he had, because he wasn’t going to let this go that easy. Just then he heard the sound of some laughter and a bike.

Making sure no one from the outside would be able to see him, Bruce moved to the window, curious about what was going on downstairs. Just then, he saw them.

Both of them were there, smiling and laughing. Tim wrapped his arms around Jason, and once ready, they drove away.

The sight of them only left a bitter taste in his mouth.

[jinx-on-mars-19xx]

All This Devastation

🩸Previous Parts Here🩸

Dom x Colson (Yungblud x Machine Gun Kelly)

Warnings: ABO dynamics (knots, slick, heats, mpreg), alpha serial killer/hitman Dom, omega mob boss Kells, cursing, weapons (knives, guns, mentions of bombs), insults, past abuse, past SA, scared boys, pregnancy symptoms, secrets revealed, mentions of blow jobs, talks of death, attempted assault (on Blain), blood, fighting, Megan being awful, guilt, pain, hurt with no comfort (yet), driving without a license, enemies to lovers 💣 Rating: mature AF

All ideas helped by @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker 🖤

Colson was having a surprisingly alright day after he adjusted to being away from his mate. There was a constant pull feeling as if something inside him was telling him to go home but it wasn't so strong he couldn't ignore it. It honestly felt nice to be like his old self again and to remember he truly had been a self serving and protecting badass before he met the Alpha. At work he was slightly annoyed because his roommates were still being weird and hiding in their office, and his mother was still missing from the conference table. Tim was there though, and so was Pete. So even though a few important people were missing there were new faces. It helped keep him focused on what they had to do.

“Pete!” He huffed as he set his glasses and jacket on the table when he arrived. He shouldn't enjoy the way the beta jumped but it made him smirk. He had always loved scaring the shit out of people. “Any updates?”

The beta nodded and stood up like he was making a presentation in class. “The guys I sent after her followed her back to her place where she grabbed a few bags and then over to the airport. They couldn't figure out what plane she got on but it seems like the bitch listened and got the fuck outta dodge. Good fucking riddance if you ask me.”

A knot of fear and worry that had been stuck in the omega's chest for days loosened at those words. He wouldn't have to kill her. He wouldn't have to send his mate to do it. He could actually let her escape and live her life as long as she didn't come near them again. “Fuck.” The relief was so strong it made him dizzy and warm and he had to sit down.

“You good brother? Where's your other half?” Tim worried and Col waved him off.

“He needed to rest. I'm good. Contrary to popular belief I can actually function without him.” He rolled his eyes. He wasn't trying to be a dick to the man but come on.

Tim gave him a bit of a worried look but nodded. “I know. At least you don't have to worry about him or your mom getting their own revenge now. It's a good day when the trash takes itself out if you ask me.”

They moved on to other concerns, worked through a few shipments and scheduled shit around his due date. Of course no one was dumb enough to say that was what was happening but they all knew when the boss said he might have to take some time off. There was a peace in the room he hadn't felt in too long, everyone was teasing each other and messing around. They felt like a family again without Megan sucking the energy out of the room. Everything would have been perfect if not for the cramps tightening his hips and belly. The Doc had told him to expect it occasionally as he got closer but he hadn't expected it to be so annoying.

As they were ordering lunch he felt himself break out in a sweat and his stomach rolled at the idea of food. “Boss, you look a little pale.” Tim took a seat next to him in Collette's normal spot. He didn't say it to the whole room but kept his voice low. It was nice of him not to worry the room, some of his boys would just fucking shout it.

“I'm good. Braxton Hicks shit. The Doc said it's normal. Probably just my body pissed that I came out alone.” He growled at himself and rolled his eyes. “You talk to mom recently? She's been busy since the break in. I figured she was with you but…” He trailed off.

“Nah man. I haven't seen her since she set me up to fuck with Megan. I'm sure it just brought up some shit. Or she's helping at the hospital.”

“Yeah.” Colson sighed, his mother did spend a fuck ton of her time helping out at the omega hospital. She had since Travis died. She'd never exactly been the same since losing her mate and now the omega understood why. He didn't think he could survive it. It made him even more impressed by his mother.

He sat back and rubbed at his chest, everything felt weird. He tried to clear his throat and ignore it. “Does jizz cause heartburn? What the fuck?” It was an offhanded thought he didn't mean to mutter aloud but the beta snorted a laugh.

“Not that I remember.”

Kells eyes went saucer wide as he looked up at the older man who just winked and stood up to walk away to the kitchen. “Wait what? Wait. Tim! What?” He knew damn well it wasn't his business but that look had said so much to him. He wiggled out of his chair and followed after, hip checking the counter as the other made his lunch. “The fuck you mean?” It shouldn't be bugging him and he needed to leave it alone but his world view had shifted with that one joke.

“What? I didn't think we were exactly secretive.” The beta shrugged. “Even after I left… I didn't leave them.”

Them? Them? His brain felt like dial-up. He'd spent so much time thinking something was wrong with him for loving Dom, even though he'd never thought himself homophobic. His bio dad had fucked him up early but Travis had been his example of what a man should be. A leader. A leader in a fucking thruple? “Are you and mom still…” He trailed off. He found himself lost for words when that rarely ever happened to him.

“No. It wasn't the same without him. I love her but I think… It doesn't matter.” The man shook his head and turned to hide his face. Tim looked in the fridge long enough to get control of himself before he turned back without picking anything out.

“I wish I had realized. Might have stopped the shit show my mind was for a while.” Col laughed.

“Yeah but you were kind of an idiot as a kid. No offense. I mean shit, do any of the guys sleep over at your place as much as I used to? You didn't see it because you weren't ready to. Just sucks because I think you could have turned to him for a lot.”

“You miss him. I do too. Especially lately.” His palm fell to his stomach and he rubbed over it absentmindedly. It hurt his heart that their child wouldn't know it's grandfather. Travis would have been amazing. “We've got you though. If you'll hang around.” He offered and Tim smiled. It wasn't exactly the same no but it frustrated him that he could have still had a father figure the whole time.

The beta had tried to connect after Travis died. He hadn't been working with them for about a year before and Colson had blamed him a little. In his mind if Trav had his second in command maybe he wouldn't have believed whoever called that awful night, lying about being an omega in need. They never figured out who killed him, but for a long time the boy had blamed everyone around him. It was just like Travis to pick up a call in the middle of the night and leave by himself to save someone. Of course it had been a trap but they were too late. Collette woke up alone and found a note on her bedside table saying where her mate had gone. Kells hadn't seen the man after, his mom had taken care of everything because he'd run off and hid with Mod for a month.

Eventually she tracked him down and explained that he needed to come home and take his place as boss and he hadn't looked back since. Well he had. Constantly, and he was finally realizing how much he got wrong. He'd pushed Tim away and basically everyone else.

The boss shook himself and rubbed his side, trying to massage out the pain. “I do actually have some of the guys at my place every night. Mod stays with Tom.” He tried to joke to lighten the mood.

“I wondered about that. Full house huh? Where's the kid today?” The beta was thankful to move on.

“Ugh shit. Home too. Poor kid hit his cycle. I think it's fucking with me.” Colson huffed. He wanted to crawl inside the freezer and never come out.

“Well if everyone else is home resting… maybe you should try it too? I think we can function without you. Might be good to test run this shit, make sure you can take off all the time you need. Work out who should take over while you're gone.” The man offered and Colson couldn't say he was wrong. It was probably smart to work out the kinks before he was on leave for a week or so. He didn't want to leave them for too long though.

“Yeah maybe. I figured you and Mod could handle it? I would leave it to mom but who fucking knows where she is.”

“And she'll probably want to stay close to you.”

“Pfft. You would fucking think. Starting to think she'll miss the damn de-” He stopped himself and cleared his throat. He always felt panic at the thought of what was to come. He could still barely accept he was pregnant but that his kid was coming soon? Fuck that.

“Doubt that. She's obsessed with Punk.” The beta grinned. At some point his mock insult for the baby had caught on as a nickname. It certainly fit with the way his little one made a mosh pit of his womb. It was getting less cute the more they grew.

“Fuuuuck me- yeah I might take you up on that. Can't seem to stretch out this fucking kink in my back. Maybe I should head out a little early.” Colson sighed, pulling out his phone to text his mate and their boy. He didn't want to bother their rest coming in unexpectedly.

“Yeah, let's get you in a car.” The older man was more concerned than he wanted to let on but at least he knew The Doctor was at the boss’s home. He would get Kells settled and on the road and then he'd send her a warning text.

🖤💣🖤

Blain's phone beeped and woke him from a nap and he reached out from under his blanket to check. Colson wasn't feeling well? Shite. Weren't they a little family of fucked up. He pushed himself up to text back but the moment he did he heard something else- someone was walking in their home. “Dom?” He called out. He should let him know about Kells but the Alpha didn't say anything back.

Alarm bells went off in the omega's head and his heart raced as he reached for his blade. At the same moment his palm wrapped around it his door was thrown open and his lip pulled back in a snarl. “Fuck off.”

“Oh look, someone left me a little treat. Hey Goldilocks, the bears aren't home?” It was a beta he didn't recognize, strapped with a gun and wearing a mask. After a moment the bastard pulled it off but it didn't help the boy with knowing who the hell it was. “Megan said the place would be empty but fate blessed me today.” The sick fuck actually reached for his belt and Blain felt his stomach roll. He tried to text without looking down, he tried to tell Colson not to come home. Where was Dom? Did they already get him? How the fuck had they broken in?

“Ya fink so? Why don't ya come find the fuck out. Maybe I'm jus’ right for yas, but maybe you don't make it out alive.” The kid hummed.

“I've got a score to settle anyway. Your owners killed my boss and our second.” The bastard growled and Blain couldn't help but laugh as he dropped the phone and pushed himself to kneel on the bed. He was just glad it wasn't an Alpha, this bitch could barely scent him he hoped. His heat was making his blood lust double and he felt almost as excited as he was scared.

“I'll give ya the boss. They killed him, but I was the one to do in ya second. Fucker tried the same fing you're about to and I ripped his artery out wiv my teeth. You sure you wanna try me?”

“Fuck yeah. I just won't get near your mouth don't worry. He was an idiot trying for a BJ with such a fresh virgin pussy. I won't make the same mistake.” The asshole was blocking the door and moving closer. Blain knew it wouldn't be long until he lunged.

“Wha’ next? Gonna tell me not to worry cause it won't last long? I'll bet. Last chance beta bitch. Leave my ‘ome.”

“Why? I'm not scared of your Daddy, neither of them. They'll be dead before I'm done with you. If you're really good I might even keep you for myself.”

“Oh I don't fink you should be scared of ‘em. But me? Mmm. Do you really want my cute face to be the last fing you ever see?” Of course the fucker didn't leave and Blain made sure to jump first. He lost himself in a frenzy of blood and fists and fangs. He didn't even realize the text message he had meant to send never did, it just waited on his now locked phone. No one was warned about the intruder but at least the boy could hopefully take care of one.

🖤💣🖤

Colson had stopped at a store on the way home, they'd driven past it so many times and he'd finally been drawn. By the time he got off work it was always closed but since he left early he'd been able to stop in. When he finally made it back to the Four Seasons he was carrying at least ten bags full of baby clothes. He knew Dom would complain about the prices and tease him that children are messy but he didn't care. His kid would live in style damnit.

His driver helped him carry more in and he was chatting with the man as they entered. He didn't notice the quiet at first until it was disturbed by a gunshot that went right by his head. The driver he'd had for over a year dropped dead next to him, his blood pooling under the bags. Kells had a thought that at least he'd been carrying the heavier shit so everything was boxed up and safe but he knew deep down it was fucked of him.

“Hey Daddy, or should I start calling you Mommy now?” A voice he'd hoped to never hear again sounded whiny and small to his hurt eardrums. When his gaze finally found the bitch he rolled his eyes and set his bags on the floor away from the stain.

“Megan. You're supposed to be in the fucking sky a million miles away from me.” He grumbled, looking around to see who else was around.

“Oh don't worry. Not everyone is dead yet. My new boys gathered them up and has them… safe.” She giggled at her own joke and Col just hoped the safe door wasn't closed. That thing could double as a panic room but he doubted she let them turn on the oxygen.

“And the entire fucking hotel?” He asked, crossing his arms. He knew he should be scared there was a gun on him but he just couldn't be frightened of her. He was too enraged.

“Fire alarm. They all came down except your personal floors. My men have your omegas and this whole place is ready to blow. Literally. So don't fuck with me Daddy, you've already pissed me off enough.” She stepped closer and his skin crawled as she took his gun and tucked it in her waistband. It was so close to her crotch he knew he couldn't sanitize it enough ever again.

“You can keep that I guess. Ew. So you thought of everything? Except that my Alpha is probably killing all of them as we speak.” And that the fire alarm went straight to the fire department and LA took that shit seriously. He wouldn't tell her that though, he knew she might want media attention, she was just that narcissistic.

Megan laughed and shook her head, walking away and setting her gun on the service counter now that she had his. “Your Alpha wasn't home. Did he not tell you? Are you already fucking that relationship up too?” She purred and his stomach dropped.

Blain. He hoped the boy was okay. He wouldn't show his worry though or his upset that his mate didn't tell him he was leaving. He could take it out of his bitch's ass later when they were all safe and sound and she was six feet under. “So what the fuck do you want Megan? This is a big move for you. Bold.”

“I am bold Daddy, you just never noticed. I could have made us rich and famous but you and Travis could never stop trying to be heros long enough to see.” She pushed herself up to sit on the counter and tried to lean back seductively. It made him sicker. He really didn't want to vomit on the rug, it was so nice. Maybe he could pull an Exorcist on her but it might get him shot. “You took out the boss of your biggest rival, I just took his place. Those boys see my vision and they love me.”

“Okay cool, so take your new boys and fuck off.”

“No, you hurt me. I want your love too.” She pouted out her faux full lips and he couldn't hold in a laugh. “And if I can't have that I'll take all your shit and I'll combine the families under me. First female Alpha leader of the biggest syndicate on the West Coast? Doesn't that just fit me perfectly?”

“Suuuure. Cause those bastards will listen to you. I know my men won't. You'll have to kill them all which means you won't have shit of mine. Fuck off Megan, you can't win this.” He tried to urge her though the want to keep her alive was shrinking more every second.

A cramp rolled through him and it was a rough one, he had to bend over to breathe through it. She must have thought he was going for his phone because she hopped off the counter and ran over. Bile rose in his throat when she reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and smashing it on the floor. It didn't matter. The alarm had gone off. It wouldn't just alert emergency but it would send one to Mod as well. “You s-should get out while you can. I don't think you get what you've done but I'm not surprised. I'm just fucking sorry I ever believed your bullshit.” He expected the slap but she used her Alpha strength and it nearly knocked him off his feet. He tasted blood and spit it out in her direction.

“We could have been something amazing. You were mine! But you had to go and be a whore just like your mommy. That should be my child but don't worry. We can fix that.” Fuck Colson was going to be sick.

When another cramp rolled through him it finally hit him what was happening. What had probably been happening since the night before. He was in labor. He was in labor trapped in the hotel, kidnapped by the bitch who assaulted him. His mate was somewhere else and his doctor might be dead. For all the fears he'd developed about his baby this hadn't even been in the realm of possibility but of fucking course it was just his luck. It didn't matter if Dom was there or not, he wouldn't let her make him doubt his love or lose the only faith he'd ever found. It felt strange after hating himself for so long but he realized he truly believed in them- both of them together. He believed in his family and he flat out refused to let her destroy that.

“I guess like father, like son. I tried to get Travis to run away with me but he was an idiot too.” She shrugged. “I'm not going to have to kill you too, am I?” Her voice went sweet as she cupped his cheek, her eyes looked truly psycho- and not in the sweet way he thought of his lover. It struck him what she just said, she admitted to killing Travis. Fuck that was it, he was going to gut this bitch.

🖤💣🖤

Dom was still stuck in some emotional turmoil that felt like the shock that had set in the day he found out his father had killed his mother and was the sole parent to his little sisters. That day he'd gone home for the first time in over two years and he did what he had to in order to save them. Everything he'd discovered when following Collette wasn't as awful as all that, not really, but it was still something that altered his family's lives forever. He was shaking as he pulled a cigarette from his lips and exhaled a drag. He was waiting outside the building he'd confronted her in. He couldn't decide if he wanted to go home alone or wait for her to make her tell his lover everything. He honestly wasn't sure he could. It was too much.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and realized he'd never turned it up after putting it on silent the night before, and as he unlocked it he was flooded with alerts. Texts from his mate, Mod, Tom, and Blain, even an influx of missed calls. “Wha’ the fuck?” He huffed, flicking the butt of the cigarette as he pressed play on the first voice mail.

“Dom, something has happened. I don't know what yet but an alarm went off at home.” Tom's voice was worried but not overly so however the next one from Mod had his heart racing in his chest.

“Fucking answer your phone Dom! What the fuck? Megan has the Four Seasons under guard. From what the cameras are catching she's got men everywhere. Civilians are locked in the vault but our people are stuck on our floors. Cols went home brother. She's got him alone.”

The Alpha didn't know what sound escaped him but it was deep and broke a part of his soul. The shock was ebbing away as rage took its place but the phone just kept fucking playing. “Dom ya wanker, I thought you was ‘ere but you ain't. Part of me is glad you ain't but… fuck you. Or maybe you already dead. I’m locked in the bloody closet but I don't think it'll ‘old long. Ones already t-tried- FUCK OFF ARSE’OLE! I’d sic a serial killer on your arse but…” Blain trailed off and his voice sounded strained. Scared. He kept pausing to sniffle. “You ain't coming aye?” There was a pounding on the door and the phone went quiet. He squeezed his own so tight he worried for a moment he broke it but no, that was just the last message. He scrolled through his texts next though he knew he needed to go home. He felt frozen. Terrified. What if they were all already gone?

C: Just wanted to let you know I'm coming home early. Feeling pretty fucked still. Get naked and ready to cuddle okay? Love you bitch

Oh, and just wait till I tell you what the hell I learned about Travis 🤯

He almost laughed at that, his lover had no fucking idea. “Fuck!” The boy screamed before nausea rolled through him so hard he couldn't help but be sick. That's how Collette found him and she took him into her arms but he knew he couldn't be held. He had to fucking move! “Megan ‘as ‘em all. We ‘ave to go.” He growled and he felt her go stiff. She was just as protective as he was.

“Go, take my car. We'll follow you. I have to get weapons first. This bitch will wish she'd never been born.” The omega huffed and he nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

“Wait, I don't bloody know ‘ow to drive.”

“Tough shit. Nut up buttercup. All you need to know is step on the fucking gas and save our boy.” While the words weren't exactly helpful they made him move. She was right, he didn't need to know what he was doing, he just needed to get home.

Author's Note/Tags: @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker @hollywoodxwhore @jaxbreaker @fenoy7 @cole-way-iero28 if anyone wants tagged let me know 🖤

Eep! The plot is plotting hard and we're close to the end! Just a little more before we move on to part two. I hope you're still enjoying it enough to follow another part! I'm really loving the dynamic of these boys, I hope you are too! 🩸🖤

[haileydilmore]

hot peace girls dynamics in honor of i got a california king getting 180 hits

harmony/zoey

harmony is cooler than zoey, objectively. yeah she's witty and snarky like zoey, but she's not as arrogant as zoey is (/aff)

so when harmony flirts with zoey, it's a game. and an easy one! she just has to toy with zoey to make the regina george hatchetfield knockoff flustered.

harmony knows what buttons she needs to push to make zoey blush. and zoey absolutely "hates" it, because yeah harmony might be her roommate but that doesnt give her the right to act like that with her! not even when she's...super hot and towering over her and leaning against the doorframs and her voice is low, and zoey's brain feels a little fuzzy, she can't think of a witty comeback or insult so she just stands there, as though in a trance, until harmony smirks and leaves.

this can sorta go both ways once they are actually in an established relationship.

i think when zoey has accepted that she finds harmony hot and is maybe a little bit (incredibly so) in love with her, she embraces the whole "fuzzy head no thoughts just compliments" thing. she's harmony's princess!

a pillow princess.

sorry i couldn't not make that joke. anyway.

she'll tease harmony when she's taking care of some online petitions, try and get her attention, and it usually works every time.

harmony gives her compliments and buys her stuff cause zoey likes to feel special, like a princess, and harmony's happy to oblige.

they're a power couple. a mean lesbian with an even meaner lesbian on a leash like a chihuahua.

hailey/harmony

harmony would kill a man for hailey. she'd absolutely maim someone.

in a town full of stupid assholes and murderers and ape men and a child fighting ring, harmony is the only one that really gets hailey—they're both autistic, but harmony is better at masking and dealing with issues stemming from it (like sensory issues)

she knows what she needs. when hailey has a meltdown, harmony knows how to comfort her. she knows hailey's safe foods.

and hailey knows when harmony is feeling down. comforts her when harmony is upset that no one else seems to care about the planet.

hailey admires harmony, her ability to give people a piece of her mind, and harmony admires hailey for the way her brain works, her ability to show restraint, her knowledge of musical theatre & her passion for it.

theyre each others everything. they love each other, god, they do. it's obvious—every glance, every kiss is full of love.

when hailey feels insecure or anxious because she gets in her head about something, harmony can help her calm down. they're always completely honest with each other

i don't think a lot changed when they got in a romantic relationship. they still take care of each other. they still love each other.

zoey/hailey

zoey and hailey are complicated. because zoey doesn't like being in love with hailey. and hailey doesn't like being in love with zoey.

hailey admires zoey. in a way. she just wished she'd be a little nicer sometimes.

zoey is mean to hailey to keep up the cover of stone cold bitch. but really she's desperately in love with her.

it's a classic toxic homoerotic friendship! zoey wants hailey. hailey wants zoey. zoey can't admit it to herself. hailey is...confused.

she really does care about zoey. she helps her a lot, like with rehearsing lines. she makes zoey tea with honey for her voice. she loves to hear zoey sing.

and even though zoey would never admit it in a hundred years, she's impressed by hailey's acting skills.

i think they just genuinely really like each other. and they get healthier with time, when zoey starts to actually let herself have feelings. she's still kinda a little mean to hailey but not as much, and just because it's in her nature. hailey doesnt mind.

[sebstanaddict]

Love Song

Sebastian Stan x Reader Story

Chapter 17 - Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

Summary : A romantic comedy story between Sebastian Stan and female reader where we witness their journey after they said I do.

After knowing how they had lied and hid secrets from one another they had the biggest fight of their lives. But as they realized how much they still loved each other, it was inevitable that they would forgive each other. Their happiness didn't last long however as another obstacle was dumped to their heads, literally. How will they cope with this? Will their love finally break apart or will they be able to overcome everything and live happily ever after?

Pairings : Sebastian Stan x Female!Reader

Chapters : 17/21 (might add more)

Chapter list >

Warning : angst, fluff, sexual references, bullying, insults

Word count : 8.8k

This is a sequel to my first Sebastian fic Always You. If you want to understand more about Sebastian's and reader's relationship, please read it first. But it's not necessary to understand this story. Check it out here.

---

But there's a danger in loving somebody too much

And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust

There's a reason why people don't stay where they are

Baby sometimes love just ain't enough

Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough - Patty Smyth & Don Henley

---

La Suite Shangri-La, Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, May 23rd 2023 - 7 am

As consciousness slowly seeped into her mind, the first sense that she was aware of was her sense of smell. She knew what her nose was smelling before she even opened her eyes. It was his signature scent that she loved so much. The combination of pine and citrus from the cologne he wore mixed with his signature scent felt like heaven for her. She could also feel his warm arms around her shoulder and the rise and fall of his chest on her cheek.

She cried in his arms last night until she felt really exhausted. It seemed he was exhausted too. So they ended up sleeping side by side, arms around each other as usual, as if nothing big had happened. The last thing she remembered was feeling a sense of peace as she focused on the sense of her back being rubbed gently by him.

She couldn't deny that she felt really comfortable in his arms. Just like she always had been in the past 22 years. Comfort, he really was her comfort person. No matter what happened in her life, he could always make her feel comfortable. Even though this time it was him that made her uncomfortable.

The memory of what happened last night stung her heart. The pictures of him with Stephanie and the hooker, the fight, the negative talks on the internet, the anxiety and distrust she felt for him. All of them came to her mind like a freight train. Leaving her heart crushed with the pain.

No, she didn't want to think about it just yet. She knew she should wake up, they were supposed to leave to Rome in several hours but she didn't want to. She just wanted to stay in his arms forever and forget yesterday ever happened. She didn't know if she could handle reality just yet.

She took a deep breath, filling herself with his scent, ingraining it into her memory, as if it was the last time she was going to be able to do it.

The last time. Yes, when he was punching a punching bag at the gym she had thought about it. She had pondered the possibility of, God forbid, getting a divorce from him. She knew she was getting ahead of herself. She knew she should seek other options and make a divorce be the last resort. But she couldn't help but think of that possibility. Especially if they couldn't trust each other again. And if he, after all that had happened, still prioritized his work rather than his family. She also considered the fact of how much she hated to be in the public eye, especially with something so negative associated with her. She just wanted to be a normal person with a normal life. But being married to him definitely couldn't make that a reality. As long as he kept being an actor, it was inevitable that she would stop living like a normal person. And that thought made her sad.

He stirred and slowly she could feel that he had kissed her forehead gently. She felt her eyes pricked with his gesture. Oh how much she still loved him but also hate him at this moment. The two opposing feelings overwhelmed her and she couldn't help but cried again. Tears fell from her eyes even though her eyes were still closed, leaving his shirt wet.

"Sweetheart, are you still crying?" He asked gently.

She sniffled and finally opened her eyes and looked up at him. He was looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed and sadness colored his beautiful ocean blue eyes.

"I am. I'm sorry." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Oh honey. I'm sorry.. I really am sorry for everything." He said as he squeezed her body tight.

"I'm.. I'm sorry too, Seb. For everything." She said, her voice shook.

"What is in that mind of yours, honey? What are you thinking?" He asked gently as he put a stray of hair behind her ears.

She sat up slowly and took a deep breath then let it go.

"I just.. don't know yet how to deal with all this. All the negativity is killing me. And.. I can't believe I'm saying this but.. I love you yet at the same time I hate you. Does that make sense?" She asked as she turned to look at him.

"It does make sense Y/n, as much as I hate to admit it. I mean.. I felt it too yesterday, that's why I left. I needed to do something to let the hate go."

The thought of him feeling hate for her surprised her and hurt her too. They really did at one point hated each other yesterday. The realization made her stomach churn in discomfort.

"I guess that's where the term fighting like an old married couple comes from huh?" She said.

"I guess.. yeah." He shrugged.

She sighed and looked down. She really hated this part of marriage. She knew when she was getting married to him that things weren't going to be rainbows, unicorns and butterflies all the time. But she never thought they would have to deal with something as hard as this.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked after a while, turning to look at him.

"Of course, you know you can ask me anything." He said as he sat up as well and gazed at her expectantly.

"If nothing happened between you and Stephanie, then why didn't you tell me about meeting her?" She asked. That was one of the things that was still nagging her mind even though he had told her that nothing happened between them.

"I.. maybe I was embarrassed? To have dated someone who turned out to be a stripper. And.. well.. you know how chaotic our wedding was like and all the events after that. It just slipped my mind. I'm really sorry, honey." He replied. Regret clear in his eyes.

His explanation made sense. But the insecurity and jealousy still dominant in her heart.

"I.. I know I'm being crazy, but. Did you also sleep in each other's arms when you were with Stephanie? Or with your other exes for that matter?" She asked slowly, apprehension in her eyes.

He didn't answer right away. She could see a little panic and surprise in his eyes which made her suspicious. But then his eyes showed concern and he reached out to take her hands in his.

"Sweetheart, I'm not sure how the answer to that question will help us. It doesn't matter how I slept with them. It was all in the past. Right now what matters is you, us, Starlene."

"I know. I just.. I guess I want to know if I'm special. If you do something different with me compared to your other exes. It's just the jealousy in me. You know." She sighed.

"Honey.. I married you. I chose you. I left all of them for you. I waited 20 years to be with you. I waited for you to break up with Zac for years! And.. I guess that's why I'm so jealous of Zac. You have no idea the pain I felt those two times I went to your apartment to tell you how I felt about you only to find Zac behind the door." He said as he released her hands from his and gazed at her, pain and anger in his eyes.

She completely forgot about that fact. She understood now why he was so jealous of Zac and she felt guilty for all the pain she caused him. Yes, she was in pain as well because he didn't tell her about Stephanie. But then he was also in pain and it broke her heart.

"I.. I'm sorry, Seb." She said, reaching out to touch his hand and squeezed it tight.

"It's okay, honey. I ended up getting to be with you and that makes me happy. But I don't think I will get over being jealous with Zac. Especially after what happened." He sighed.

"Oh Seb, you have nothing to worry about. Zac is just a friend. Actually, he's not even that. I asked him not to contact me again."

"Oh, you did? Why?" He asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I.. well, after meeting him the second time I could tell he still had feelings for me. He asked if we could be friends again. But I just thought it was a bad idea so I decided to cut him out of my life."

"What?! After all these years he suddenly wanted to be friends with you?! Didn't he just leave you like that and never contacted you again?!" He asked, his voice raised in anger.

"I know. That's why I said no and asked him to stop contacting me again."

"Well, good for you sweetheart. He's an a**hole and doesn't deserve you. You know, if I ever get to meet him again, I would punch him in the face." He said furiously.

She was reminded again by the kiss Zac did to her back at the hotel in Amsterdam and how Sebastian almost found Zac in their room. She felt glad to make the decision not to tell him about the kiss. Seeing how he was so bothered like this, she couldn't imagine how angry and hurtful he would be if he knew Zac had kissed her. He would probably kill him.

"You're so cute when you're all jealous like this." She chuckled, deciding to change the tone. She was getting exhausted with all the negativity between them. She realized the only one who could change that was herself.

"Oh.. you like seeing me getting all bothered like this?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well.. maybe a little. It helps raise my confidence level." She said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh honey. Come here." He said as he pulled her gently towards him.

She sat on his lap and put her legs around his waist, straddling him. Then they put their arms around each other tight.

For a moment they just enjoyed being in each other's embrace. The simple act raised the confidence in each other's hearts and erased the jealousy they felt for each other's exes.

After a while he released her from his embrace, cupped the sides of her face with his hands and gazed at her intently.

"Look, Y/n.. no matter what happened, I love you. I will always love you. And I will never cheat on you, ever. You.. are.. the love of my life. You complete me like no other woman can. I will never hurt you by cheating on you. Please believe me, sweetheart." His eyes gazed at her full of love and hope.

She couldn't help but felt her heart swell with love at his words. Yes, love. Despite everything, she really did still love him. Maybe he was right. They could get through this as long as they still love each other and stayed loyal with each other. He did say he didn't cheat on her with Stephanie and she believed him. She didn't cheat on him either. So, there was no reason for them to split up. She really was getting ahead of herself.

"I love you too, Iubirea mea. I believe you and I will never cheat on you either." She smiled and his face brightened at that.

"I love it when you call me that, sweetheart." He smiled as he leaned closer to her.

He gazed at her full with love and gently kissed her forehead, both her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks and finally her lips.

His gentle kisses felt like home to her. As their kiss deepened she felt the hate, jealousy and distrust in her heart gradually disappeared, replaced by love and forgiveness.

He broke their kiss after a while and gazed at her intently.

"Honey, I'm sorry. Just a hypothetical question. I know how much you like Jude Law. If.. he suddenly comes to you and said he's in love with you and want to be you what would you do?"

"What?! Seb! Why are you asking me this?" She asked, laughing a little.

"I just want to know." He shrugged.

"Seb, it's impossible for Jude Law to fall in love with me. We barely know each other. Why didn't you name other men, like.. my other exes?" She asked in disbelief.

"Well, because I know now you would never accept them back into your life, seeing how each one of them are a**holes. But Jude seems like a perfect man. So.."

"He is not. He cheated on his fiancee. Did you know that?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, of course. But he didn't cheat on you. So.."

"Seb.. we barely know each other." She said in annoyance.

"But if you do know each other well.. would you leave me for him?" He asked, gazing at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

She finally realized it, despite everything, he also felt insecure about being with her just as she was insecure about being with him. They really were so similar to each other, even down to their insecurities with each other. The thought made her realize there was no one else more perfect for her in this world than him.

"Seb, Iubirea mea. Even if Jude Law, or Brad Pitt or Chris Pine comes to me and tells me that they love me and want to be with me, I will never leave you. You're the only man for me. There's no one else in this world more perfect for me than you." She said, gazing at him intently.

"That's all I need to hear." He smiled and his smile made her smile as well.

He leaned closer to her and kissed her again and for a moment everything felt perfect just like the way they used to be.

"Chris Pine?" He asked after a while, breaking their kiss.

"Yes.. what about him?"

"I didn't know you like him."

"Well.. I liked him in Star Trek and Wonder Woman."

"Star Trek.. you know I lost the role of Kirk to him."

"I do know. I don't think you fit as Kirk. I'm sorry, Iubirea mea. Chris is perfect as Kirk."

"Ouch! You know you deserve to be punished for that." He said as he started to tickle her waist.

"No.. Seb! Please don't." She giggled as he tickled his waist relentlessly.

"The monster is hungry, the monster wants to eat." He growled as he stopped tickling her and started to kiss and bite her neck gently.

"Seb.. stop it. You could wake Starlene up." She protested, struggling to let him go as the sensation of him kissing her neck sent shivers down her spine.

And sure enough Starlene woke up and started to cry.

"Okay.. okay.. I guess make up sex will have to wait." He said dejectedly as he let her go.

She laughed as she removed her legs from around him, scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up.

"Iubirea mea, it will have to wait until we get to Rome. You know we're leaving in like three hours." She reminded him as she scooped Starlene from the crib into her arms and rocked her gently to soothe her cries.

"Oh, right. We better get ready." He said, standing up as well.

-----

Somewhere on the way to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris - May 23rd 2023 - 10.30 am

She never thought being married to Sebastian would make her fear for her life.

No one knew who tipped the papparazzis off about where they were staying at. But when they got out of the hotel to get into their rented car, they were bombarded with flashes of lights from the papparazzis' cameras. The papparazzis shouted at them, asking for them to clarify their status and comment on the scandal the whole world thought that they were in.

Sebastian put his arms around her, protecting her from the papparazzis' harrassments as she carried Starlene and with great difficulty finally got into their rented car.

She thought they were safe as soon as they got into the car. But the papparazzis' were relentless and blocked them from being able to leave. It was not until the hotel security scolded them off that they finally backed off and let their car go. However, some of the papparazzis' had gotten into their own cars and motorcycles and started following them as they drove to the airport.

The driver of their rented car sped on the street as he tried to shake the papparazzis off their tail. Swerving left and right on the crowded street, almost hitting other cars in the process.

"Slow down, man!" Sebastian shouted, panic in his voice as the driver took a hard turn to the right at Place Charles de Gaulle, a large junction where twelve straight avenues meet, with Arc de Triomphe standing in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry, sir. But don't you want to shake them off?" The driver asked as he slowed the car down a little.

"Well yes, but I don't want us to end up like Princess Diana!" He protested, referring to the death of Princess Diana which was caused by a car accident after the driver of her car drove the car recklessly as they tried to shake papparazzis off their tail. Ironically the car accident also happened in Paris, not far from where they were at.

"I'm sorry, sir." The driver said in regret.

"It's okay. Just.. drive normally. It's no use anyway trying to shake these guys off." He said as he looked out the window.

She looked out the window as well and saw one of the papparazzis in a car next to them, taking pictures of them with their car window down.

She shook her head in disbelief as she looked around and realized their car ended up being surrounded by papparazzis in their cars and motorcycles who were still taking pictures of them and shooting videos of them.

It took about half an hour to reach the airport despite being chased by the papparazzis.

"Back off.. back off.. okay?! We have a plane to catch! Please, just back off!" Sebastian shouted as soon as he got out of the car at the airport's departure area.

With help from the driver of the car he successfully put all their luggages into a trolley while Y/n waited in the car with Starlene, not daring to come out for fear of being harrassed by the papparazzis.

"Come on, honey. It's okay." Sebastian said after he was finished dealing with their luggages. He opened the car door and guided her out.

She grabbed his hand tight and reluctantly got out of the car, flashes of lights from the papparazzis' cameras welcomed her.

Sebastian put his arms around her as they walked into the airport, following the driver of their car who had offered to take their trolley inside.

As soon as they started walking the papparazzis started to shout questions at them.

"Y/n! Is it true you cheated on Sebastian?!"

"What were you doing with Zac Hansen?!"

"Sebastian! Did you really hire a hooker in Cannes?!"

"Sebastian! How does it feel knowing you married a sl*t?!"

She felt her heart stung painfully as she heard one of the papparazzis' insult towards her.

Sebastian stopped as he heard that last shout from the papparazzi, prompting her to stop as well. He turned towards the papparazzi, grabbed the front of his collar with both hands and brought the papparazzi's face close to his.

"No one calls my wife a sl*t! You a**hole!" Then he released his hold on the papparazzi's collar and punched him hard in the face, startling everyone.

"Now back off all of you! Or I will punch each and every one of you!" He threatened, looking around him towards all the papparazzis.

Then he turned towards her and put his arms back around her and started to walk into the check-in area, leaving the papparazzis dumbfounded at what just happened.

As soon as they got into the safety of the check-in area and stood in queue he turned to her with his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Sweetheart, are you okay? I'm sorry about those stupid papparazzis." He said, his voice still sounded angry.

"I'm... I'm okay. Thank you for standing up for me, Iubirea mea." She said, her voice trembled.

"Of course, honey. I had to do it. That papparazzi deserved it." He grumbled.

"I hope you won't get into trouble for punching him."

"Oh he had it coming, it wasn't like he didn't trigger it. And we had plenty of witnesses who heard what he said. Don't worry about it." He said as he put his arms around her shoulder and squeezed her tight.

"Well, I hope there won't be anymore papparazzis in Rome." She said.

"I hope so too, honey." He said as he gently kissed her temple.

But their hopes were squashed in an instant. As soon as they got out of Leonardo Da Vinci International airport's arrival area they were bombarded yet again by papparazzis flashing their cameras at them and shouting questions at them, hindering them from being able to hire a taxi to take them to their accommodation.

After quite a struggle, they were finally able to get a taxi. She waited at the sidewalk with Starlene in her arms as Sebastian and the taxi driver loaded their luggages into the taxi. She covered Starlene's face and braced herself as the papparazzis continued to take pictures of them and shoot videos of them.

She was staring at Sebastian and the taxi driver when she felt her head wet all of a sudden. Someone had poured a drink on her head!

"Take that you wh**e! You don't deserve Sebastian you know!"

She turned around, the sweet liquid dripping from her hair onto Starlene, and found an angry girl shouted at her. The girl was wearing a Winter Soldier shirt and she was clearly a misguided jealous fan girl of Sebastian.

She didn't have a chance to respond as the angry girl turned around and ran quickly away from her.

She looked around and the papparazzis continued to take her pictures and shot videos of her. She never felt more embarrassed in her life.

She turned around to face Sebastian who was looking at her in shock.

"Oh my God, honey! Are you okay?!" He shouted as he ran to her side and put his arms around her shoulder.

She tried hard not to cry. She knew what she did next was going to be broadcasted all over the world. So she tried to stay calm even though deep inside she felt her heart in immense turmoil.

"I'm okay.. just wet." She chuckled but she couldn't hide the shake in her voice.

Sebastian immediately guided her to get into the taxi and after making sure all their luggages were in, he got into the taxi next to her and instructed the driver to leave immediately.

As suspected some of the papparazzis still followed them and she wondered whether they would be able to get out of the situation.

"Sweetheart, I'm really sorry about what happened." He said as he pulled some tissues from a tissue box that was thankfully available in the taxi.

He started to rub the tissue on her face and head and helped dry her hair while she took some tissue as well to clean Starlene up. Starlene was thankfully not cranky at all and just stared up at her as she cleaned her up from the liquid which seemed to be Pepsi.

"It's okay, Seb, it's not your fault." She shrugged.

"Oh but it is. I saw who did it to you. I can't believe they would dare to do something like this to you. You know what, I think I will never use Instagram again after this. And I'll never go to fan conventions again. Ever." He announced with hate in his voice.

"But Seb, that was just one of your fans who did that to me. It's unfair to the others who are nice and respectful to us." She protested.

He didn't respond right away but she could see the love and admiration in his eyes.

"You truly are the most patient and understanding woman in the world, Y/n. I love you so much." He said and he leaned in closer and kissed her, surprising her a little.

"I love you too Iubirea mea." She smiled and broke the kiss even though deep down she didn't feel the smile.

She couldn't wait to get into their accommodation and just cried her heart out in the bathroom. But seeing how the papparazzis were still on their tail and they didn't want to be followed back to their accommodation, they decided to take a drive around Rome as they tried to shake the papparazzis off their tail.

For their stay in Rome she had booked accommodation at a bed and breakfast located not far from the city center. But seeing how the papparazzis were very stubborn and kept following them, not to mention the incident with the crazy fan girl, she wondered if maybe they should stay somewhere else. Somewhere more private and with better security.

"Sweetheart, what do you think if we stay somewhere else? Somewhere more private and with better security." He asked, as if reading her mind.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing." She replied as she pulled out her cellphone from her handbag and gave it to him.

"You want me to search for the options?" He asked, accepting the cellphone from her.

"Yeah.. I'm sorry Iubirea mea, after all that happened I can't think straight. I think I'm still rather shocked."

"Okay, I'm sorry again honey for what happened." He said, gazing at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's okay Iubirea mea, it's really not your fault." She smiled and he smiled back.

After browsing for options Sebastian decided to book a suite at one of the most luxurious five star hotel in Rome, Hotel de Russie. Located between the Spanish steps and Piazza del Popolo, Hotel de Russie was dubbed "paradise on earth" by French poet Jean Cocteau in 1917. And the title still rang true until today. The hotel had a stunning Mediterranean tiered Secret Garden with rose bushes, orange trees, and mature pine. It's hard not to feel like one had stepped into heaven on earth. And that was exactly what she felt as she and Sebastian finally stopped at the hotel and entered the beautiful garden.

The hotel had the option for guests to check-in at their suites, especially celebrity guests like Sebastian who had booked one of the largest suites they had on offer, the Valadier suite. So once they arrived they were immediately whisked away to their suite, away from the papparazzis who finally left them because they couldn't get into the hotel and away from prying eyes of other hotel guests.

The gentle sounds of the small waterfall flowing in the garden immediately calmed her down as they walked towards their suite. There was a beautiful courtyard in the middle of the hotel with tables and chairs set in rows where people could sit and enjoy snacks or drinks while enjoying the serene atmosphere of the hotel. Looking at the beautiful courtyard she made a mental note to ask Sebastian to visit it. But as they passed it she could see and feel people turning to look at them, some even looked at her in dislike. She changed her mind immediately and decided that she would rather stay at their suite rather than being out there and being stared at by strangers with judgmental looks on their faces.

After passing the courtyard and the garden and climbed up the stairs for several floors they finally arrived at their suite. Her eyes widened as they entered the suite. The suite had stunning views with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Secret Garden and Pincian Hill. It also had a french balcony facing the garden. The interior was airy and bright with green and yellow color palette and decorated with contemporary yet classic style. With one huge bedroom, a living room and a marble bathroom complete with a bathtub, double showers and double washbasins, it really was the perfect place to stay after a stressful day.

As soon as they were settled in she immediately went to take a bath with Starlene, trying to clean the sticky mess the Pepsi left on her hair. While she was in the bath Sebastian ordered some room service for them. They had arrived in the afternoon, missing lunch so they were famished. There was a beautiful restaurant out at the garden, a level above the courtyard, but they decided to eat in their suite instead as they were still feeling tired and wary of getting out and being in the public eye again.

As she soaked herself in the bathtub with Starlene on her lap, her mind wandered back to all the shocking events happening that day. How with just one simple decision, the decision to visit Zac at his concert, things could snowball into something scandalous and preposterous like what they were experiencing. Her heart ached as she remembered the papparazzi shouting an insult at her. Then she could feel the coldness of the Pepsi poured on her head and how hurtful it was to see someone looking at her with so much hate and calling her a wh**e.

Her eyes pricked as she remembered the events. All the emotions she had bottled up inside since those events happened finally exploded to the surface and she cried hard. Starlene, sensing her mother's distress looked up at her and started crying too.

"Oh Starlene dear, please don't cry too." She begged as Starlene continued to cry and both mother and daughter cried in unison.

"Sweetheart, are you and Starlene okay? Can I come in?" Sebastian asked from behind the bathroom door. It was inevitable that he heard their cries. The bathroom was adjacent to the bedroom where he was lying down on the bed getting some rest.

"Come on in, Seb." She replied as she sniffled and tried hard to stop crying.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and willed herself to calm down as Sebastian opened the door and approached them.

"Honey, my darling little star, what happened?" He asked as he knelt by the bathtub and gazed at them in concern.

Starlene stopped crying as she looked at Sebastian and stretched her hands up, wanting to be picked up by him. He went to get a towel then reached down and picked Starlene up. He wrapped her gently in the towel and looked down at Y/n, who just gazed at him with tears still falling down her cheek.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" He asked again, concern filled his eyes.

"No, I'm not okay." She sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Oh honey, are you still thinking about what happened?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I need some time to digest things." She sighed again.

"Tell you what, I'll put some clothes on Starlene and I'll come back for you. We can talk then, okay?" He suggested. She just nodded in response.

She stared at his back as he went out of the bathroom with Starlene. Her heart ached as negative thoughts started to enter her mind. Being married to a celebrity really was not a walk in the park like everyone thought, she sighed. She remembered how from the get go their relationship had run into obstacle after obstacle. She was reminded again on the thought she had before their wedding. It really seemed as if the universe didn't want them to be together. Was this the universe's way of literally pouring a Pepsi on her and making her stop and realize that maybe they just weren't meant to be?

Her heart went into turmoil as the thought entered her mind. Maybe it really was bad luck kissing him right before the ceremony. Maybe it really was bad luck accepting that bracelet from Sebastian's mother as the something blue she wore during her wedding. After all, her first marriage failed. She couldn't help but wonder if her marriage would end up the same way. She wasn't superstitious in the least but having all these unfortunate things happening to her and Sebastian throughout their honeymoon just might turn her into believing in it.

She was drowning in the depths of the negative thoughts when Sebastian entered the bathroom again.

"Starlene is all dry and clean. I left her in the crib. She seemed to be sleepy." He said as he went closer to her.

"Okay. Thank you, Iubirea mea." She nodded as she looked up at him.

"You're welcome, sweetheart.

Mind if I join you?" He asked, still with concern on his face.

"Of course not, Iubirea mea." She smiled but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

Sebastian took off his clothes and she scooted to the front a little as he slowly sat behind her in the bath tub. In normal circumstances looking at him in all his naked glory would immediately turn her on. But not this time. She felt a little like being outside her body as she felt Sebastian's hands gently rubbing her head and cleaning her hair. Her mind kept on replaying all the things happening to them since they got married. How absurd everything were and how they all made her doubt their relationship.

For several minutes they didn't say anything as he continued to clean her hair with some shampoo and put some conditioner on her hair as well. He took the time to also massage her head and shoulder gently, giving her some unexpected spa treatment.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He asked as his hands continued to massage her head gently.

"Conflicted." She replied.

"Oh? Conflicted about what?"

"Well, on the one hand I really want to enjoy your massage on my head and shoulder but on the other hand the negative thoughts that we're just not meant to be together keep on appearing in my mind." She sighed.

"What?! Honey, what makes you think we're not meant to be together?" He asked, dumbfounded as he paused his movements on her head.

"Well.. everything that had happened to us since we got together."

"Okay, I understand that honey, but like I said, I believe the universe is testing us to see how much we love each other and how strong our love is for one another." He said adamantly.

"You think so?" She asked, doubt in her voice. "Because the minute we made up earlier back in Paris we were immediately bombarded by another obstacle, and then the minute we arrived in Rome the same thing happened. There was not one city we visited throughout this honeymoon where we didn't experience a single obstacle, not one. Don't you find that strange?"

"Honey, all marriages face challenges."

"I know, but.. most likely not like ours. We haven't had a break since we got married, Seb. I'm.. I'm tired." She said, her bottom lip trembled as she tried hard not to cry again.

Sebastian didn't respond immediately and just wrapped her in his arms, burying his nose in her hair as she failed in her effort not to cry and she continued to sob.

"Ssshh.. sweetheart, everything is going to be okay." He said gently into her ear, trying to soothe her cries as his hands rubbed the sides of her arms gently.

His soothing words and gentle carress helped in calming her down. She stopped crying and wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed.

"Honey, we still have three more days in this honeymoon. It's not over yet. We could end it in a happy note." He said, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah? How? I doubt we could get out without being followed by those papparazzis." She said in defeat.

"You know the hotel offers a private tour with a private car, guide and chauffeur. I bet they could arrange something so we can get out without being seen by those papparazzis. And we could just stay in the car, avoiding all the crowded places." He suggested.

"Seb, despite how tempting it is, I don't feel like going out at all." She sighed.

"Okay, I think the hotel has an indoor pool and spa. We could just stay in and relax in this place without having to go out. And there's that beautiful garden outside, we could just stroll around there. What do you think?" He asked.

"That sounds good." She finally said after giving it a thought.

"Good. I'm happy you think that. And you know, this suite is beautiful, if you don't feel like going out at all we could just stay in and make love all day." He said and she could feel his manhood twitched underneath her bottom, making her involuntarily felt turned on as well.

"I bet you love that." She said, turning around to look at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Oh I do. In fact we could probably start now." He said, giving her a smile as he gazed at her with hooded eyes, love and lust clear in his eyes.

She smiled and slowly turned around to face him. She sat on his lap, straddling him and stared at his gorgeous ocean blue eyes which had turned a little dark with desire. He cupped the sides of her face gently and stared at her intently.

"Y/n, sweetheart, I love you. No matter what obstacle we face, please don't give up on us, don't give up on me. I.. I don't know if I could live without you." His voice shook.

"Oh, Seb. I'm sorry for thinking all these negative thoughts." She said as she reached up and stroked his cheek gently with her thumb.

"It's okay, honey. I know it's been hard on you. I wish it was me that got all the insults. I wish it was me that got poured on by Pepsi. I wish I could save you from all the pain and humiliation."

"Iubirea mea, it's okay. I'm happy you punched that papparazzi and stood up for me. And.. well.. I do appreciate you saying how you would stop interacting with your fans again." She responded.

"And I'm serious with that, honey."

"And I appreciate it, really." She smiled.

"Good, maybe you could show me more appreciation then?" He asked, a twinkle in his eyes.

She just smiled and nodded as he leaned closer to her and their lips finally met.

They ended up doing make up sex in the bath tub, which felt completely different yet amazing for her. Being in a fight with him before and having thoughts of leaving him made her more desperate as they made love. They did it gently yet with a sense of urgency as they realized how precious it was to be able to be together again the way they used to after they faced the threat of not being able to be together again.

"I love you so much, sweetheart." He whispered after they reached their peak together.

"I love you so much too, Iubirea mea." She whispered back as she put her forehead on his and basked in the glorious aftermath of their love making.

They held on to each other tight, giving each other the love and power they needed to face the next obstacles that they surely were going to face.

---

News of Sebastian punching the papparazzi in the face and Y/n being poured Pepsi on the head by a jealous fan girl spread like wild fire. It was only a matter of time until Emma finally contacted them.

They were in the living room watching some TV while cuddling on the sofa that night when her cellphone rang. She picked it up from the coffee table in front of her and saw Emma's name on the screen.

"Who is it, honey?" Sebastian asked.

"It's Emma." She replied.

"Give it to me. I bet she wants to talk to me." He said, extending his hand to her.

She gave her cellphone to him and stood up.

"Hello." Sebastian answered the call while she went to the bedroom to check on Starlene.

Starlene was sleeping soundly in the crib, much to her relief so she went back to the living room and found Sebastian looking distraught as he listened to whatever Emma had to say.

"That's stupid. I was just standing up for my wife! Everyone heard what that a**hole was saying! You heard it didn't you? Isn't there a single video out there showing the dumba** calling her a sl*t?!" He asked, disbelief written clearly on his face.

Her heart dropped to her stomach as she listened to him. He seemed to be in trouble over punching the papparazzi.

She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in encouragement.

"What?! No, no.. I'm not going back there! I'm still on my honeymoon, Emma! We just want several days in peace! Can't we just hire someone to represent me there? I'm sure Kenneth have a colleague in Paris who can represent me." He pleaded.

His eyebrows furrowed in anger as he continued to listen to Emma. Y/n could only stare at him with dread in the pit of her stomach, hoping whatever happened was not as bad as she thought.

"Yes, please just do that. I can't leave her again.. I.. well that's just a nightmare for us. No, if you could please just have someone represent us there, that would be great. Thank you, Emma." He said, calm slowly written on his face. But the calmness lasted for only a second as he suddenly stood up and strong curses left his mouth, startling her.

He paced the room and brushed his hair in agitation as he continued to listen to Emma.

"Is that so? They are concerned about their f*****g image?! What about my well being? What about Y/n's well being? We just want to enjoy several days in peace, Emma. You have no idea the hell we've been through." He protested.

He froze on the spot as he listened to Emma and after a while he finally said.

"Fine.. what do they want? A clarification? A pap walk? I'm not doing interviews. Not until we get back." He said as he started to pace the room again.

"No, I don't even have a phone. And after what that stupid fan did to her, I'm contemplating on leaving Instagram. They don't deserve me after what they've done." He said with hatred.

He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Yeah.. okay, I'll reconsider. But for now I'm not.. well.. okay, that makes sense, yeah. Fine, I'll do that. But do we still have to do the f*****g pap walk?" He asked in distress.

"Okay, I'll ask her. Yeah. Later Emma." He said and he finally hung up.

He took a deep breath and looked at her who was staring at him from the sofa.

"What happened, Seb?" She asked gently.

He walked closer to her, put the cellphone on a coffee table and sat next to her.

"Two things, honey. Emma said the stupid papparazzi pressed charges on me for punching him. He asked for compensation and a public apology and there's a trial for the case in Paris that we should attend.. "

"What?! How dare he?!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

"I know! I can't believe he had the audacity to do that. But I asked Emma to ask Kenneth if he had a colleague who could represent us there. So we don't have to go to the stupid trial." He said, reaching out to squeeze her hand in his.

"Okay. I really hope he has someone. I don't want to go back for the trial." She said.

"Me neither, honey."

"So, what's the second thing?" She asked, bracing herself for the worse.

"Marvel contacted Emma saying they're concerned after seeing the footage of me punching that stupid papparazzi. And they're also concerned about the scandal surrounding our marriage and asked for some clarification from us." He sighed.

"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad, Iubirea mea." She responded.

"Yeah well, the thing is, because of all the bad talks surrounding me they're considering of letting me go and cast someone else as Bucky for the Thunderbolts."

"What?! That's just stupid and unacceptable!" She couldn't help but raise her voice in anger.

"Yeah.. I don't know. They've been weird ever since Disney changed their CEO and Stan Lee died." He shrugged.

"I bet Kevin has nothing to do with this. I have a hard time believing it if he does. He has been so nice to you." She said, referring to Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios.

"Yeah.. I don't know. It's disappointing really. Anyway, because of this, they're pushing for me to do something to change the narrative and clarify everything to make a better public perception of me otherwise they really are going to let me go." He sighed.

"Oh Seb.. I'm really sorry to hear that." She said, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

"Thanks honey. Emma said the simplest thing for me to do is to make a statement on Instagram and then to do a pap walk with you, showing the world that we're okay." He said, looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed.

She sighed. A pap walk. Just when she wanted to stay out of the public eye she was forced to show herself into the world. How cruel the universe really was to her.

"I know that you prefer not to do that. But.. I.. I'm sorry to say this, honey, but I don't have a choice. So I would be very happy if you agree on doing a pap walk. It's for our own good too." He pleaded.

She didn't respond immediately and just stared at him, contemplating the options. To be honest she just wanted to go home and shut herself in her room and not come out for days, maybe months.

"Seb, the papparazzis already took a lot of pictures of us back in Paris and earlier today. I'm sure they clearly showed that we're okay. Can't they just use those to proof we're okay?" She asked.

"They're not enough, honey. And my team don't have control and rights over those pictures. We need new ones within their control." He explained dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really hate dragging you into this. I really really am." He said, his head hung.

"But you don't have a choice." She stated coldly.

"Yeah.. I'm sorry, sweetheart." He said in regret.

"Seb, can't we just do the pap walk once we get back? Honestly I'm exhausted. I just.. I just want to relax for several days." She pleaded.

"I know and I'm sorry honey. But you know Thunderbolts starts shooting early next month and we're all pressed for time. I hope you can understand that." He said, squeezing her hand back and giving her puppy dog eyes.

She took a deep breath and let it go. As much as she hated it, her marriage to him really came with a price. A price she wondered if she was willing to continue to pay. But as she gazed at his puppy dog eyes and felt his warm hand on hers, she was reminded of how much she loved him and how she couldn't just leave him in his time of need.

"Fine, let's do the pap walk." She finally said with a heavy heart.

His face brightened immediately and he reached over and gave her a tight hug.

"You really are the best wife in the world, honey. I really don't deserve you." He said as they broke apart.

He cupped the sides of her face with his hands and peppered kisses on her face, making her smile.

"I.. love.. you.. so.. much.. my.. honey.. bunny.. sweetie...pie.. beautiful.. queen." He said as he placed kiss after kiss on her face, making her heart swell with love.

"I love you too, Iubirea mea." She smiled and their lips finally met.

As they continued kissing she made a silent prayer in her heart that the pap walk would go well and wouldn't take too much of their time. And she also hoped the trial in Paris goes well for them and they didn't need to attend it.

She couldn't wait for the honeymoon to be over and to just come home.

Unfortunately her prayers were once again not granted.

The minute they went out of the hotel the next day to do the pap walk, they were bombarded again by the papparazzis. They had planned on just doing a short walk to the Spanish Steps and have their pictures taken there but there were so many papparazzis that they found it hard to walk around. And worse of all they kept shouting questions at them and some even hurled insults at them again. Sebastian tried to keep his cool but she knew it was really hard for him. His jaw clenched several times and he balled his fists as if ready to attack anyone who dared to insult them again. But of course he didn't dare to attack anyone again knowing his job was on the line and trying to avoid getting himself sued again.

The walk lasted barely an hour and they were just about to enter the hotel when someone sneaked closer to them and threw an egg on her head! She turned around and found a girl looking deranged shouting insults at her.

"You don't deserve him you sl*t! Just leave him and do us all a favor and stop with all these fakery!" She yelled.

Before she could respond the girl was forcefully whisked away by the hotel security, leaving her on the spot with eggs dripping on her head.

Flashes of light from the papparazzis' cameras continued to blind her as Sebastian immediately put his arms around her and guided her into the hotel. All the while she just felt numb inside.

But the minute they entered their suite she broke down and cried. Sebastian picked Starlene off from her arms and guided her to come to the bedroom. He put Starlene in her crib while she went to the bathroom.

She stopped in front of the sink and started to clean the eggs from her head with tears still streaming down her face.

"Here honey, let me help you." Sebastian said gently as he stood behind her and started to help clean her hair with some water from the sink.

Once her head was clean enough she slid down on the floor and just cried her heart out. Sebastian embraced her tight and let her cry on his shoulder.

"What did I do? Why all the hate?" She croaked in between her sobs.

"You didn't do anything, honey. It's not your fault. Those fan girls are just crazy. I'm really really sorry, sweetheart." He said as he rubbed her back gently, trying to soothe her.

"Let's just go home. I just want to go home." She pleaded, her voice shook.

He nodded and kissed her forehead gently, prompting her to continue to cry.

Her dignity was shattered that day. Her confidence broke into a million pieces and scattered into the wind. She didn't know if she could recover from this. She didn't know if she could continue to sacrifice herself for him. And that thought broke her even more apart.

---

She stared at Sebastian's smiling face the next day as they sat across the aisle from each other on the first class airplane back to New York.

He reached his hand out to hers and she extended her hand to his. He squeezed her hand tight and mouthed 'I love you', she smiled and mouthed back 'I love you'. But her heart continued to bleed inside as she contemplated to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. A decision that could break her and him and change everything.

---

A/N: For the record, I didn't write this chapter to intentionally offend anyone. What I wrote was just for story purposes and in no way conveyed what I think about us Seb fans in general. I know there are much more respectful and sane Seb fans out there rather than the crazy ones. And even the crazy ones aren't as crazy as those I wrote in this chapter. I hope you guys can understand that 🙏🙏🙏

Chapter 18 >

Taglist

@sebsgirl71479 @dhoruwolfie

[kitty-is-writing]

Happy Pride Month all!

This year I finally got around to finishing some of my LGBTQ+ themed shorts, based in the same world as my novels. All of these are canon to the Drenius books, bits of character background and slice-of-life stuff that I couldn't fit into the main storylines.

The first one focuses on Alex and Dan, two loving husbands who run a tavern in a remote village. Hope you enjoy reading about these two.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

It was always so quiet in the mornings, Alex thought. The only sounds were the faint chink of dishes in the kitchen, and a distant mumble of people outside. Of course, the lack of paying guests at the moment contributed to the near silence. When they had people staying in the upstairs rooms, there was usually some thumping and conversation as they got up, packed if they were leaving that day, and headed down for breakfast. He enjoyed having guests, for the company and the stories they shared more than any income, but it was also nice to have quiet mornings sometimes. It gave him a chance to get all the tables polished in peace, and spend some time with Dan.

“Lex, honey, did you want your eggs fried or scrambled today?” Dan called through from the kitchen.

“Scrambled please,” he replied. Dan made the best scrambled eggs, with a sprinkle of grated cheese and some spices mixed in. They’d talked about opening for breakfast a few times before, serving some simple meals and hot drinks early in the day, but always decided against it. The first couple of hours of the day were their own, and neither of them was willing to share that time with anyone else.

He had just finished the second last table when Dan pushed the rickety breakfast trolley through, loaded with steaming plates, crumbling pastries, chilled juices and the morning’s papers. “Here we are. A good breakfast for a good day,” said Dan, setting things on the last unpolished table.

Alex smiled and put the cleaning things aside. This was their little ritual, Alex cleaned while Dan cooked, and once it was ready they sat together to enjoy each other’s company in peace before opening to the rest of the village. “It looks delicious. Did you try something different with the bread? It looks a bit more golden around the crust than your usual recipe.”

“It’s a new glaze, just a thin coating of spiced honey brushed over the top before baking. I thought it might make nice toast,” Dan replied as he cut off a few slices. “Let me know what you think, I might add it to the menu.”

“Mm. It’s good, reminds me of that mead they make over in the next village,” Alex said. “Sweet enough for flavour without being over sweet, and just right on the spice. Clove and cinnamon?”

“With a tiny hint of ginger for warmth. I’m thinking it might work nicely on some cakes for the winter, too,” said Dan, opening one of the papers then immediately closing it. “Nope. No bad news for me today, thanks.”

Alex looked over. “What is it?” They had newspapers delivered from both Aglendale and Oakshire, via a small courier service that worked along the border.

“Looks like King Francis is being a bastard again,” Dan replied. “Have a read if you like, I’m not going to make myself upset with the details.”

One of the Aglendale papers, the Apex Gazette, was closest to Alex. “Foolish Frankie Forfeits Friendships? Nice alliteration there,” he said, pulling it over to scan the article. “Apparently he’s insulted one of Nakata’s Imperial Princes. ‘Lard-bellied snot goblin’, they’ve quoted here, that’s an interesting phrase.”

Dan snorted into his tea. “Which Prince? I know a few of them are slightly portly, but I wouldn’t say lard-bellied. Or snot goblin, whatever one of those is supposed to be.”

“The one who was engaged to Princess Alicia, according to this. Nice looking guy, at least in this picture.” Alex turned the image towards Dan.

“Not bad. Little skinny for me personally, but I can see the appeal. Oakshire’s papers are a bit less flattering of him, though.” Dan nodded towards the paper he had first picked up, its headline screaming ‘Princess Engaged to Deviant Foreigner’. “Not sure if that’s a smear campaign of if he’s really bi or something, but it looks like they’re pushing the whole pervert angle again.”

Alex dropped the Gazette on top of it, covering the headline. “Nice. I’m so glad we got out of there when we did.”

“Same here. I do miss the bustle of Falridge, though. Maybe we could take a break sometime, close up for a week or so and go visit some of the elves’ cities?”

“That’s not a bad idea. It’s usually quiet in late spring, maybe then? Sapphire Falls is supposed to have some amazing views, or there’s Agate Cove on the south coast, if you’d rather go for a seaside trip.”

Dan nodded thoughtfully. “Either is good. Maybe both, if you feel like a bit of a road trip. We could hire a car, spend some time sightseeing along the way as well. Or we could go mad and take a whole month, travel the length of the country. I hear there are some great hiking trails in Points’ End,” he said.

“Now there’s a plan I can get behind. We could get someone to take care of the inn if we’re going for that long, too,” Alex said. “I’ll ask around, see if anyone could step in temporarily. Or just close the place and hire someone to keep the rats away. It’s not like we do a roaring trade at the best of times, little village like this. I’m sure the locals can feed themselves for a month.”

They finished breakfast, and Dan disappeared back into the kitchen to start on the day’s prep work. Alex cleared away the plates and polished the last table, hanging the assorted papers on the rack beside the bar. Most of the Oakshire papers tucked towards the back, folded so that the headlines screeching about ‘deviants’ were not immediately visible. Neither of them needed to be looking at those words all day, having heard them more than enough throughout their lives. Hopefully tomorrow the press would have found something else to be outraged about.