#she closed the door. i went 'ill go to bed soon though' (a fucking lie too) and she opened it and i repeated myself

[skenpiel]

anxious sweatHello eyes darting aruond

[a-dusty-emerald]

Crimson Cuddles: Draco x Reader /Fluff

Just a fluff story for your morning Draco x Y/n comfort. (From my Wattpad story)

Crimson Cuddles: In other words, you get your period. _____________________________________________

Draco was tapping his quill on the edge of his desk annoyed, his eyes rolling at each sentence coming out of Professor Babbling's mouth (Ancient runes Prof.). He never cared for this class, he knew what he had to know.

He huffed at Granger's hand that was fluttering up high at each and every question.

'Does this girl snort cocaine every morning?' He thought. The know-it-all bubbly energy of the muggleborn Gryffindor at 8am only added to his temper.

However, the root of his issue was that his girlfriend, Y/n, was nowhere in sight. Class was almost over, so Draco guessed she overslept. She always was such a night-owl either way, so she must have stayed up till late. She rarely missed classes though. He didn't want to drag her to class himself just because she was not being responsible, though.

'I have told her so many times to train her owl to wake her up each morning. Unbelieveable.' He huffed again.

Thankfully Ancient Runes were finally over. Next class was Potions, Y/n's favourite subject. He had a smug look as he took his time going to class. He could already imagine the disheveled look on her face that she actually missed a class, and maybe, maayyybe, he could get her to train the bloody owl.

As he strutted confidently to the Potion's class, he lifted his eyes from his robe to his and Y/n's desk. His smirk fell.

'Where the fuck is she?' He thought. Y/n would not miss potions just for the sake of it. He had to physically detain her from going to class with a high fever a year ago. And then, it dawned on him. 'She must be sick.'

He turned on his heel to go check on her, bumping to Snape who was right behind him. He eyed him, an eyebrow raised at the platinum haired boy.

"Pardon me, Professor." He said coldly and sat on his desk.

Potions were boring for once. Draco had no one to nag him, no one to talk to. As soon as class ended, he said to Blaise that he would catch up later at dinner and sprinted towards the Slytherin's female dormitories.

Pansy had walked out of the entrance just now, and Draco ran to actually manage to get through the door. He walked towards Y/n's room, not knowing what's wrong. He lightly knocked on her door.

He heard a muffled familiar voice speak: "Pansy, I told you already, I don't care which bra you pick." Draco stiffled a laugh, biting his cheek. "Fine then, I'll wear the lacy one" he mimicked Pansy's voice. He heard his girlfriend softly laugh, understanding who she was speaking to. "You can come in, Draco" he heard the muffled voice again.

Draco opened the door slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the room. Has she not been out of bed yet? It was past 10am now. "Darling?"

"Yes?" Y/n's small voice was heard from under the fluffy covers. Draco suppressed a short laugh and sat at the edge of her bed.

"You alright?"

Y/n's head finally emerged from the covers and draco got a good look of her. Her skin seemed pale, her eyes tired and her hair was a mess. Y/n looked at draco, who might have been smirking at her state, but she saw a glint of worry in his eyes.

"I'm fine" she finally spoke. Draco said nothing, only leaned backwards and crossed his arms on his chest, a blonde eyebrow reaching higher than his hairline - or so it seemed. He was not satisfied with the answer. After a prolonged silence, he huffed and spoke again.

"Sure you are darling. Peachy as ever." He smirked again at her inability to lie to him.

"...What I meant is I am not ill. I'm on my period, I don't feel great. Quite bad actually. Didn't wanna bother you", she said as she slumped back into the covers, closing her eyes again.

His smirk fell. For the jackass he could be, he knew quite a few things about periods, Narcissa had informed him from a young age about the basics. He would never be insensitive to his girl, of all people. He had her 'female issue' supplies in his room as well, in case she stayed over.

"Your wellbeing is not bothering me. Do you need anything?"

He saw her eyes glimmer, peaking through the covers. "Can I come to your room? I want to take a shower and cuddle. Have left my conditioner at yours as well." She said.

"Sure, come on, lets get to my room." He threw the covers off her in one motion, and she shivered, her source of heat violently being taken from her. She was crouched in a fetal position, her hands pressed on her lower abdomen. She hissed in pain, as she felt a horrible cramp passing through her.

Draco frowned. He hated seeing her in pain. He inched closer to her to cuddle her, but Y/n was determined to get out of bed.

"No no, later. I need to get up. It's not doing me any good. I need to shower." She muttered as she forced herself out of bed, threw a cardigan over her pyjamas,put her hair in a quick ponytail to hide the frizziness and made her way to the boy's dormitories, clutching Draco's arm along the way.

Once she got in the -much bigger and fancier- room, she immediately locked herself in the bathroom, stripping out her silky pyjamas and hopping in the shower. She let the hot water relax her muscles,the steam putting her in a drowsy state. As she lathered her coconut shampoo in her hair and reached for her boyfriend's body wash, green apple scented, she silently laughed on his obsession with green apples, when she heard of him outside the door.

"Imma make us some tea. Alright?" "Sure!" She spoke as loudly as she could, in order to be heard over the sound of the water.

Stepping out of the shower, she found a pair of clean underwear waiting for her next to a brand new box of tampons and smiled.

'If only Blaise would see Draco making her tea and providing her tampons, he would tease him for eternity' she smirked, giggling to herself. Blaise was her best friend, telling him a few details of his oh-so-rare soft side would give him enough teasing opportunities for the whole semester. Draco's well known soft spot was her, he always had his stone cold persona around the guys and Blaise was always ready to hear stories that prove a point they all knew; the platinum haired boy was nowhere near emotionless or insensitive.

Draco opened his room's door carefully holding 2 mugs of hot tea, finding a more relaxed, but still in insufferable pain Y/n. She was wearing one of his hoodies and some high knee warm fuzzy socks, and he could not control the smile that crept over his lips.

"What?" Y/n said curiously, seeing him smiling at her. "Love it when you're wearing my clothes. You are honestly so cute". Y/n slightly blushed and faced the other way.

Draco made his way to bed, handing her her mug. He took a sip and spoke "I read tea is good for the pain. Warmth in general. So if you want to cuddle my hot as fuck body, understandable. It's available."

"Oh is it?" Y/n jokinly answered, her eyebrow raised playfully.

"Yup" he said. "Do not take it for granted though. Other women will be qeueing for the Malfoy cuddling experience later today." He smirked.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," Y/n said calmly. "I will castrate you and send your balls to your oh-so-friendly father, letting him know his lineage is lost forever".

Draco was audibly laughing, while his arm cradled Y/n's small body. Her face suddently went from a teasing expression to a scrunched up, pained one.

He frowned again. If he could take some of the pain, he would. "Another cramp?"

He heard a muffled nod from Y/n's head on his shoulder, and pressed a few kisses on her exposed neck, his arms hugging her even closer to him. His fingers snaked their way under her shirt and pressed in her lower abdomen, slowly massaging the area. He heard a shruddered breath come out of her, and didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing, continuing nevertheless. He stopped however, when he felt dampness on his neck. He pulled himself back to look at her. She had been crying.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked full of worry. "Sorry if I did, thought it would be better-"

Y/n furiously shook her head. "No, I'm just in a lot of pain, got a bit emotional that you are taking care of me. Stupid hormones..." Y/n mumbled, her face flushed.

Draco smiled and wiped her tear away. "Shhh, 'ts alright darling. Come here." He pulled her back in their previous position.

"Please continue whatever magic you were doing. Your fingers are proven to be magical today."

"I think you knew that beforehand, darling."

She could practically HEAR the smirk, so she smacked him lightly in his shoulder, as Draco showered her with kisses. He opened a box near his bed, getting a chocolate frog out and giving it to Y/n.

"Thank you." She smiled at him, and pressed a sweet peck at his lips.

As soon as she ate it, he removed one of his hands from her abdomen and grabbed his mug to finish the last bit of tea that was left. Placing the mug back, he felt her head in his chest getting heavier. She was drifting off to sleep, painfree, feeling relaxed in his embrace, and Draco was sure this image alone could let him cast a Patronus if he tried.

The next day, Blaise teased the fuck out of Draco as he huffed annoyed. He should have never let them be friends.

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FEEL FREE TO LIKE AND SHARE! Love you all, feedback always welcome!

[maddu-oliveira]

⛓️ I'm Not Insane ⛓️

(Art made by me)

Warnings: mentions of depression, suicide, self harming, blood and violence

Word count: 7.1k

A/N: This one is really long, cause I was so inspired to write! So i hope y'all like it! And english is not my first language so forgive me if something is wrong here.

When you woke up couldn't recognize the place, blurred vision prevented from identifying the location, and to make matters worse a hellish pain burned the skin of your abdomen. Touching where it hurts with a trembling hand, feeling the shirt get sticky and wet.

As you got up from the floor belly burning as if, whatever the wound, it had been opened even more. Looking for your cell phone in pants pockets, with very cautious movements so as not to feel any more pain, but couldn't find it.

Staggering to the door of that place, which in the end you recognized as your ex-boyfriend's apartment, but tried to leave quickly so as not to suffer more even though couldn't remember why you were hurt.

As soon you reached the door and turned the knob, body lost what strength that still had left, causing you to fall in the doorway of that apartment. Feeling the rough carpet of the hallway touching your arms, vision slowly darkening and throat closing in panic.

The last thing heard was someone calling to emergency before you fainted.

"I don't understand why she would do something like that, we never noticed any sign of depression and she never told us she was ill..." the voice of a close friend echoed through your ears making you snap your eyes wide open but soon regretted it because of the strong light that hit your retina, causing you to close them again.

"Uhm... Sarah?" whispered to gain the attention of your friend who was with you in the hospital room.

Sarah quickly turned to the hospital bed and went next to you, who noticed another presence in that room. Recognizing your ex-boyfriend's face, your expression changed and started to feel the blood boiling in your veins. Taking a deep breath before speaking.

"Why the fuck is he here?" If words could cut he would be dead in that moment.

"Y/n... You were found bleeding in his aparment...I think it justify his presence here."

"I don't know what happened... But he can go away now, doesn't need to pretend that you care about me." You said while sitting in the bed looking in your arms.

"You tried to kill yourself, I should worry, even if we are not together" He said with that tone you always hated but noticed something different.

"What? I didn't try to... kill myself... Why I would do that?" Turning to look at your friend trying to make she believe it. Feeling the wound hurt with each move.

"I don't know, y/n... You should know that and no need to lie... It's nothing to feel shameful but we're worried." Sarah says taking your hand and caressing it.

"Maybe our breakup did this-" He couldn't finish the sentence cause you cut him with angry words.

"Go to hell, Justin! Our breakup was the best thing I ever did in my life..."

"I don't think she in the right mind to run a company... She should put someone else in place while she is like this, at least so they don't close the place down..." Justin started again just to make you even more furious.

"I knew it! I knew you weren't worried about me... You can be worst than everything... I'm fine, I never tried to kill myself and I'm going to find out who did that to me."

"You have to rest, y/n... I'm trying to believe in you but is hard... I agree about someone taking care of the company while you're here." Sarah said calmly.

"Need to talk to a therapist maybe one can say if you're well to go back to work-" He got cut again.

"You should go away, asshole... You voice is giving me headache." You pointed the door for him.

Justin rolled his eyes before walking to the door and leaving. Leaving only Sarah as a companion, making you sigh in relief at not having to put up with him for a few more seconds.

"He's right at some point... You need to go to a therapist and see what's going on... I'm not saying that you're insane but it may help to make you remember what happened."

You could just nod not wanting to discuss it anymore, it was a lot to process and you were tired. The pain returned probably because of morphine run out, so Sarah had to go when the nurse come to give another dose of the analgesics and you needed to rest.

A month after your recovery in the hospital, you were already organizing the documents and exams to prove that you could go back to work.

Taking your friend's advice and going to a therapist, just to rub in your ex's face that you're fine, but besides getting proof of sanity, were also remembering the event in a fragmented way that still didn't make sense in your mind.

When you contacted some of your employees learned that Justin had used a fake document saying that he was replacing you indefinitely. He lied to most of the employees, other companies that had signed contracts, and other important contacts saying that you had gone crazy.

You had never felt so much hatred in your life, he had become a big pain in the ass who was trying to take advantage of an accident.

"You need a lawyer, Y/n... This is fucking serious" Sarah said after the information you just gave.

"Really? I know that but... Who would believe in a crazy bitch that 'tried suicide'?" sighing the last part with a big amount of sarcasm.

"Calm down... I'm just trying to help here" The friend said in a defensive way.

"Sorry, Sarah...It's just that I already tried a lot of lawyers and none wanted to take it as a case and I offered a lot of money" you said frustrated while resting hands on your face.

"Did you try the new lawyers that work near by my apartment? I think is Nelson and Murd... Murd- something" Sarah gave up to try remember the other name.

"I didn't even know about their existence till now... Do you have the number? Just to try and this will be the last time then I will solve this with my own hands" You said taking your new phone of the pocket. Sarah told the number and waited anxious with you for the answer.

"Hello, how can we help you?" A female voice said as soon as they were answered on the phone.

"Is this the number of the new lawyers?" Sarah asked before you could say anything else.

"Yes, Foggy Nelson and Matt Murdock at your service! I'm Karen Page, do you want to schedule an appointment to come to our office?"

"Yeah... In the name of y/n y/l/n, please" Sarah said showing her thumbs to you that was just sitting there waiting.

"Alright, so tomorrow at ten a.m. is okay?" Karen asked probably taking a note.

"It's perfect! Thank you, she will be there tomorrow!"

"We will be waiting, thank you for calling!" The call ended there and both of the girls were really hopeful that it would work this time.

The next morning you woke up before the alarm went off, took a long shower to reduce nervousness, and organized all the documents and proofs you could to try to make the lawyers believe in the case.

Picking up your cell phone and checking the address of the lawyers' office that Sarah had sent, didn't even have breakfast and just left the apartment walking in a hurry to the address. As soon as you arrived at the place, hands were sweating and trembling holding the papers, it took a little more than five minutes for you to finally knock on the door and wait for an answer.

On the other side of the door, inside the office was Matt paying full attention to the heartbeat and breathing of the girl who had just arrived, trying to sense any indication of danger.

But all he felt was nervousness more like an anxiety that exuded strongly from you, along with the sound of papers in your trembling hands, which made him relax his expression as soon as Karen let you in and guided to the room where he and his colleague were.

"Miss y/l/n, right?" the man with long blond hair asked, already offering his hand to greet you, who immediately held his hand and shook it slowly, smiling at him. "I'm Foggy Nelson, by the way... And he is Matthew Murdock, my partner at law."

"Oh... Sorry!" You started as soon as you noticed that the man with the red glasses was blind, feeling guilty for not having sought more information from the two lawyers. "If I knew it I swear I would do the possible to bring the documents in braille..."

"Oh...No, it's okay... It's not your fault and Foggy can read the documents for me." Matt smiles with your worry and he knew you were looking at him at that moment.

"Yeah, don't worry it was always like this" Karen said with a comfort smile.

Smiling back at the blonde woman you give the documents into Foggy's hands who quickly opened it to check the information.

"I brought these documents, to advance any request for proof of what I am talking about, you can check the sources because everything is true..." you said before they could even formulate their questions about what the case was.

"Why this concern to prove your point?" Matt asked earning an angry look from Foggy that he knew would end with him complaining about the way he spoke with their clients.

"Because you are my last option... No offense, but I've already looked for other lawyers and it just made my headache even bigger."

Matt was silent because he was struck by your total sincerity, calm but still firm tone, a strong personality. He noticed that your heartbeat hadn't changed, heavy breathing showing how frustrated you were, and he also noticed your leg moving under the table.

"So those are documents that prove that I own that company..." You said pointing to one of the documents Foggy left on the table "That's the letter from the therapist saying that I have no suicidal traits, much less depression." continues explaining and showing the papers. "And finally, this is the medical report from the hospital where I stayed, saying that I couldn't have made the cut on my abdomen because I would have fainted before even sinking the knife into the muscles, just cut the skin because the pain would be infernal."

"Were you attacked? Shouldn't the police be investigating this?" Karen said looking at her client worried.

"They were investigating till everything turns against me and the rumors that I tried suicide... So I'm still waiting to know who tried to kill me or make me look insane."

"Do you have suspects who might have done this?" Foggy let the curiousity take the best of him.

"No... I can't remember what occurred that day, I just woke up feeling a horrible pain in the wound and everything was very blurry..." As you finished saying Matt could sense fear and that you were hiding something.

"That's terrible, I'm sorry.... I hope this investigation gets to your attacker as soon as possible, because this could be dangerous." Karen said taking your hand on hers to show a little comfort.

"For now I just want to solve the problems I'm having to get back to leading my company... So, will you take this case? I can pay whatever it costs you." You look into Foggy's eyes almost begging for a positive answer.

"We accept your case, we will just review the documents and contact the person who is preventing you from returning to work... Who you still haven't told us who it is" Matt said with a suspicious tone that didn't go unnoticed but you decided to ignore it.

"His name is Justin, he was my partner in the company, but we started to have very opposing views so I took him out of his position.... While I was in the hospital and then in therapy, he took the opportunity to make up a little story and go back there as if I had authorized it." you were hiding something and Matt's senses take it.

"Right! We'll keep in touch during our work, we'll try to get in touch with this Justin guy to arrange the metting at the court if he don't agree doing this in the easy way..." Foggy said laughing a little to lessen the tension that was in the room.

"Thank you very much, I just need to be told the value of the work and then I will make the deposit.... I think you probably already have my number, so I'll go now..." You said getting up, but stops as soon feeling your phone vibrate in your pocket. Matt heard your heartbeat accelerate and noticed that you stopped breathing for a few seconds until ignore the call and walked towards the office door accompanied by Karen.

You thanked Karen again for agreeing to work on your case and she was super nice which made you want to become friends with her too. After leaving that office you ran to the elevator looking at the multiple messages that were on your cell phone from an unknown number.

Deciding to ignore it you just deleted all texts, heading to your apartment again to relax your mind a little bit cause you deserved it after all the shit that happened in your life.

Little did you know that things had just begun and were only going to get worse because of your actions.

A month and a half into your pursuit of legal action, Justin has been avoiding calls and attempts to schedule a day to go to court. He could just sign some papers saying that he agrees to leave the company without taking things to another level, but he decided to defy Foggy and Matt by saying that he deserved better than you leading the company. Other sexist things were said in this conversation but the lawyers preferred to say only the basics of the conversation to you.

To make matters worse for you, that unknown number did not stop with the messages and also started calling at random times of the day. Once at 3 a.m. making you wake up only to hear a frightening breathing on the other end of the call, making you hang up and unable to sleep the rest of the night.

Matt had already realized that there was something going on with you, every time Foggy called to give you some news you answered in a rush as if you were afraid of what you might hear and when you went to the office your body showed your panic. Something was consuming you and he would have to be on his guard to prevent any tragedy, even if he had to act wearing the mask.

So while performing his nightly activities, he always paid extra attention to you and your entire route to your apartment. Some nights he couldn't help overhearing you awake, realizing that the reasons for your fear was a stalker and that they were probably the person who tried to murder you.

So Matt would always make up some excuse to have Karen go out with you, make Foggy call you and ask how things were going, and he would also get in touch saying he wanted to know about the investigation.

You thought the invitations were strange at first, but you began to think it was a good idea, so it would keep you from being attacked alone. It made sense in your mind to always be accompanied, it would prevent you from being attacked again, or maybe even murdered. So you started going out with Karen for coffee or inviting her to watch something at your house, you went to Josie's bar with Foggy which resulted in good laughs and the night was not totally wasted.

With Matt it was different, you went out twice with Foggy's company and only talked by phone. You felt comfortable with his conversations, sometimes he called late at night, but that didn't scare you anymore because now you knew it was him.

His voice was always calm, as if he really wanted to make you feel good and at peace, asking if he had woken you up, making you admit that you hadn't even gone to sleep and were just thinking. Resulting in long conversations about anything, he began to get to know you more and know about your past.

Matt laughed softly every time you told some story about when you were a teenager and said that you acted as if there were no consequences resulting in punishments from your parents.

Another two months passed with you becoming closer and closer to the trio, getting to know them more and more and always going out to have fun.

During this time your ex finally agreed to go to court because according to him he was sure he would win, little did he know that they would compare the documents and find that he had forged those. This caused him to have to pay a token amount of damages for defaming you and for forging those documents.

You decided that you wanted to celebrate this with your new friends, calling them over to Josie's bar saying that everything would be on your tab that night, which got Foggy super excited and Karen worried that she would have to help her colleague get home later.

"So this is what it's like to be friends with rich people?" Foggy said looking at you with a joking tone making you laugh.

"You're an easily bought person, Nelson, be careful with that," you said, walking back to the counter and asking Josie for another bottle of beer.

"Don't you think you'd better take it slow?" Matt said close to your ear making you jump at the sudden interaction.

"Jesus... I felt my soul leave my body, Matt! Don't do that anymore, I need my soul in one piece." You laughed trying to disguise the event. "By the way, I'm strong enough to drink and it's your friend who should take it easy."

"Your soul needs to be whole for what?" he said jokingly, still smiling for having caused such a reaction in you.

"So that I can sell it to the devil..." You whisper in Matt's ear causing him to shiver before returning to the table and sitting next to Karen.

"Don't you think it's pure sensationalism these news reports, y/n?" Karen caught you by surprise with this question causing a confused expression to take over your face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Karen is complaining because they are talking about the guy in the mask and she is a big fan," Foggy said as if he couldn't stand that guy anymore.

"I don't have an opinion, it's not like he comes to my house for tea every day and talks about what it's like to beat criminals" you said totally sincere which made Matt smile quietly and Karen giggle and look at the blonde lawyer as if she had won in the argument.

"Matt aren't you going to help me on this one? Two against one is so unfair" Foggy nudged his colleague earning only a nod of his head in denial.

"I'm not against you, Foggy! I would never do that, but I also can't judge someone I don't know.... The guy in the mask or the devil of Hell's Kitchen as the journalists like to call him, in my view is doing a great job and it's not like he's getting in the way of the police" you said calmly as you took another sip of your beer. "By the way, didn't he help you guys with the Fisk case?"

"No way, y/n! You are literally being the devil's advocate here" the blond man spoke as if he was really offended by that making Karen and Matt laugh at his reaction.

"I'll take that as a compliment! If he ever needs a lawyer..." You say wanting to further irritate your friend.

The conversation continued for a long time, drinking as much as they could until Josie said it was time to leave.

You headed to the counter to pay while Karen helped Foggy get up and walk to the exit of the bar, both of them looking quite out of sorts. After paying the bill for the evening you made your way to Matt's side who was picking up his jacket from the chair and then his cane.

"Would you mind if I walked you home?" You ask leaning against his shoulder in a friendly manner.

"I think I should be the one to ask that..." He says with a smirk.

"New times, Matthew... But then, you didn't answer."

"It wouldn't be a bad thing, y/l/n... Can you help me?" Matt offers his arm for you to hook into it and guide him.

The two of you walked together in silence for quite a while, it was a comfortable silence between friends and you had a few stumbles because of the alcohol you had ingested.

"It's not so safe for a drunk woman to drive a blind man" Matt started to laugh as his hands tried to push him away but kept holding him for fear that he would really hurt.

"Look, I'm trying to be nice! Imagine a drunken blind man walking around by himself..." You continued to guide him down the street until you reached the building of your destination.

"I'm more sober than you are, y/n... I'm the one who should be worried." Matt said as he walked up the stairs with you right behind him.

"I'm fine, honey.... Thanks for the concern!"

Matt smiles at the nickname that probably escaped because of the alcohol in your blood however little it had an effect. You make your way to the door of his apartment, waiting for him to enter you stand in the doorway and smile.

"You should hang out with us more, Murdock! Your presence makes everything better!" saying this you hug him and turn to leave.

"You can call me if you want to see more of me or have your picture taken it lasts longer" Matt says before closing the door.

The vigilante paid attention all the way home again as soon as he closed the apartment door, worried about your situation even though he knew you were well enough to remember the way home, and so he went to his closet to get his "battle" uniform.

The night was strangely calm for Matt something totally unusual for him since his second job was always hectic and he had no time to rest.

Taking advantage of this calmness, the demon from hell's kitchen took the opportunity to pay attention to something that deserved it.

You.

He could hear your calm breathing from afar, recognize your heartbeat among many others, tonight it was slow meaning that you had managed to sleep.

But this lull did not last long, for a shrill scream reached the vigilante's ears, messing with all his senses. He recognized where the scream came from, soon your heartbeat became fast like a bird's, realizing the panic and fear

Matthew didn't take long to get to your apartment, hearing the sound of things breaking and you being thrown to the floor.

Blood boiling and fists clenched, he entered the apartment through the window already going after your attacker, recognizing the smell of your ex's cheap perfume and also smelling blood.

"Who are you? You came to protect this dumb bitch?" Justin shouted arrogantly at the masked man.

You were on the ground with a bleeding nose, holding your wrist that had sprained after being thrown to the ground and trying to brace yourself. Stunned by the events you just crawled into your room in an attempt to hide.

Meanwhile, Matthew wasted no time in using force against the guy, he had hatred running through his veins and it was not controllable. He could hear the bones in Justin's arm break as soon as he placed him against the counter and twisted it behind his back.

Soon your ex's nose was also hurt as the vigilante slammed his head against the marble table in your kitchen, and then they were already on the floor with Matthew on top of him punching him in the face until he passed out.

He got up and dragged the unconscious Justin out of the apartment, throwing him into the hallway and then coming back to look for you.

"You need to go to a hospital" He says as soon as he enters your room, being careful not to scare you even more.

"Yeah... I guess so..." You stand up shakily and put your hand up to your nose that was probably broken.

"You won't have to worry about him again.... Just take care of your nose and wrist" Was the last thing the vigilante said before leaving your apartment and carrying your passed out ex to the door of the police station.

You could have gone to the hospital and spent the night there, but after a paralyzed time of fear in the middle of your apartment room, you broke down and started crying. You searched your cell phone, dialing Matt's number even though you were afraid to wake him up, it took him a few rings to finally answer the call.

"Y/n? Are you all right?" Matt said with concern in his voice even though he had already solved the problem. He's still taking off his vigilante outfit and getting ready for a bath before the call.

"No... Please... Matt" You sobbed trying to form a sentence that made sense.

"Y/n..." He couldn't finish, feeling a tightness in his chest from hearing you cry in despair.

"I don't want to be alone..."

That sentence was the trigger for Matt to change so quickly, dashing back to your apartment and knocking on the door slowly so as not to alarm you. You slowly walked to the door still in fear, opening it and soon welcoming the lawyer with a tight hug.

He could feel you seeking comfort and protection in him, he could also pay more attention to the sound of your bones, noticing your sprained wrist and broken nose, smelling copper because of the blood coming out of it.

"What happened?" he asked without separating from the embrace so that she could feel better.

"M-matt, I don't... I don't want to ta-talk about it... Please-please just keep me company" you pulled away a little from the hug to look into his face.

Matt held your hands and let you guide him through the apartment. Once you got to the bedroom you let him sit on the bed while you arranged a pillow and blanket for him to sleep on the couch.

You did it all in silence, letting out a few sobs and sniffling as you felt the pain in your nose. After arranging the couch, you went to the bathroom to clean your face carefully so that you wouldn't feel any more pain or infect any wounds.

"Thank you..." You say in a string of voice that if not for his senses would go unnoticed.

"No need to thank me.... Friends do these things" He said without getting up from the bed but opening his arms in invitation for another hug.

You stood between Matthew's legs without making him stand up, wrapping your arms around his neck and then feeling his arms around your waist. Leaning your chin against the top of his head, you sighed heavily and let your body finally relax after everything.

"Do you think I'm insane?" You ask with your weak voice.

"Why would I think that, y/n?"

Matt pulled away a little, but without separating from the embrace, only to lift his head in your direction.

"Everything that is happening... It doesn't seem to make sense... Every time I'm attacked I'm alone, like they want to make me look crazy and that I'm hallucinating." You continued muttering now looking at the lawyer's face.

"Y/n, I believed your every word when you came to our office.... Karen and Foggy too, they love you and so do I.... I don't know what happened here, but you are safe now and I know your words are always sincere" He didn't lie about anything, he really had believed you and really liked your personality.

Your truths, however sharp, were intriguing to him and sometimes made him laugh because of your lack of finesse in certain situations.

A faint smile appeared on your face at the words spoken by your friend, and soon you broke away from the hug and sat down next to him. Taking the lawyer's hand, you caressed it and rested your head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh.

"You're a great person, Matthew" this phrase warmed the vigilante's heart, as if he had never heard this before and that made him for a moment forget what he does in his nightly activities.

"Y/n... Can I ask you something? If it's weird we can forget it..." He started but soon regretting it.

"Of course you can, Matt... What would be weirder after what happened here?" You try to lighten the mood by getting a chuckle out of him.

"I... Can I touch your face?" Asking this Matt took off his glasses setting them aside on the bed.

"Oh yes! Foggy told me that this is your way of seeing people... My face isn't in the best condition right now, but you can." You took advantage of the fact that you were holding his hand and positioned it on your chin to facilitate his actions.

"Foggy always talks about me when I'm not around?" He asked with a small smile as he placed his other hand across your face.

"Actually, I ask about you.... We never get out enough for me to get to know you properly." You laughed for admitting that you were curious about the lawyer's life.

"You know you can ask me anything you want... We're closer friends now, right?" Matt says starting to trace your face gently with his fingertips. Feeling a smile appear on your lips, he then ran his fingers over the dimple on your cheek which made him chuckle and continue to explore your face.

He ran two fingers down your nose feeling a small cut, already sure that it was broken which resulted in you pulling away a little with a groan.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you were hurt..." He says concerned that he made you feel pain.

"It's okay, Matt... You're not killing me" you laugh and place his hands back on your face. "So, am I pretty?"

"Even if I can't see you, I think you are very beautiful even before your physical beauty.... Your intelligence and sincerity are fascinating." He smiles letting his hands hang up around your neck and stop on your shoulders.

"That's so cute, Matt... I guess being a lawyer helped you to be so good with words, or is that a natural charm?" You say laughing because you can see his cheeks turn pink.

"My charm? Is that another thing Foggy told you about me?" Matt tried to disguise his embarrassment at the question as he picked up his tinted glasses from the bed.

"Just some stories from high school and about him always calling you while you are with a woman" you say and gently take the glasses from his hand making him frown.

"What are you doing?" It wasn't anger in his voice just curiosity.

"I know you do it so as not to make other people uncomfortable... I like your eyes, you don't have to use that with me...."

Matt was silent absorbing the information, then smiling and tilting his head to the side trying to see you through the flames of his vision. He noticed that you were calmer now than you had been moments ago, your body still trembling but now in a controlled and peaceful way.

"Are you tired? I've already arranged the couch if you want..." You say low and he noticing that he was not supposed to leave your side.

"Actually I want to hear more about what Foggy is gossiping about me" Matt says with a smile on his face that could light up all of Hell's Kitchen.

Then you two spent the rest of the evening talking about your lives, getting to know each other more and more and finding little things in common.

Matt laughing at your stories of when you were in college or high school, you holding his hands as he talked about his father and when he lost his sight, the subjects changing so quickly but naturally as the hours passed.

Each learning the best and worst parts of each other, making everything fit together and realizing that the events of the past made them who they are today. You telling Matthew that you saw him as a man who worked out, that life is made up and that you thought he deserved so much more.

At dawn, the two of you were stretched out in bed saying nothing but still awake, you looking at your fingers in the sunlight and Matt fiddling with your hair in an attempt to braid it.

"I would do anything so you could see how beautiful you look now with the sunlight kissing your face..." You say smiling and turning around on the bed to face him.

"Kissing?" Matt smiles at your words.

"Yes, because it is so delicate.... Like a kiss."

"You are very poetic, y/n.... You should write a book"

"Maybe I will... Then I'll leave a dedication in your name" you say sitting up in bed and feeling pain in your wrist.

"You have to put on a wrist bandage..." Matthew gets up too and searches for your wrist.

"How...?"

"I can feel your wrist swelling, y/n," he releases your hand and kisses your forehead. "You need to take care of it so it doesn't get worse..."

So that was the moment when your mind, heart and soul fell for Matthew Murdock.

After that night, everything was different for you, always making excuses to go to Matthew's apartment or to get him to go to yours for the night. Always telling yourself it was because of your nightmares, fear of being attacked again, or feeling lonely.

You knew you were fooling yourself, you knew that you just wanted to be close to him, to hear his voice and have his arms around you. You couldn't resist this urge, it was much stronger than you, trying to hide your intentions, but always seeking for his attention.

Showing your affection with small gifts, like ties and German beer that you noticed there was always one or two in his fridge. In your touch, always holding his hands, suddenly hugging him and stroking his hair.

Matthew felt that he was being spoiled by you and this didn't bother him one bit, on the contrary, it made him very happy. Feeling special, even though he didn't think he deserved it, he wouldn't tell you to stop because he was loving it and felt his heart was softening.

And then one day you decided it was time to put all your feelings on the table for Matt, building up the courage to do so, and going to his apartment.

You didn't fail to bring a beer to leave in his fridge, also as a peace offering in case things didn't go as expected, and then you walked right into the kitchen. Little did you know that the lawyer would also reveal something to you that day.

"I hope you are drinking these beers and not throwing them down the sink" you say as soon as you close the refrigerator heading toward Matthew's room. "Are you dressed?"

"Sort of, you can come in..." He says between groans as he sits down on the bed.

"Oh my God, Matt! What happened to you?" that was your reaction as seeing the lawyer with several wounds all over his body and even cuts that had already been stitched up. Stopping in front of him and holding his face to check the now clean wounds.

"That's nothing, y/n... I'm fine" Matthew holds your hands over his face.

"How is that nothing? You're all bruised up.... How could this happen?" You sat beside him examining each wound, still holding his hands.

"Y/n, it's okay.... I have something to tell you...." Matthew turned toward you paying attention to your heartbeat and breathing.

"Those won't be your last words, right? I still have a lot to tell you and you have a lot to live up to, Matt...." You squeezed his hand in yours as you grumbled about not wanting him to die in your arms.

"No, y/n... Those aren't my last words, Claire has arranged for me not to bleed to death" he lets out a muffled laugh because of your concern.

Your concern about him dying there changed to wanting to know who was the woman that helped him and if what he had to tell you involved her. So you didn't know if afterwards you would have the courage to say anything about being in love with him, you just waited for the worst and prepared to make the best happy face.

"I even think I'd better show you.... You'll have every right to be hurt or angry, I just feel like I shouldn't hide it-" Matt gets up going to the closet picking up a crate and carrying it to your side on the bed.

"Matt, you're scaring me..." You say this watching him slowly open the box and soon revealing his father's fighting robe. Your relief was momentary as he soon lifted the fake part of the crate revealing a black costume, almost like armor.

"I'm the man in the mask..." He picks up the cloth that served to hide his face.

"I'm happy for... Wait- what the fuck?" You stared at the mask in his hand and then at the rest of the costume. "Geez, Matt... I thought it was something worse."

"What do you mean something worse?" Now it was his turn to be confused by your answer.

"I don't know... I just... But how does it work? Aren't you blind?" You changed your expression to try to understand what he had told you, as if it were a puzzle of a thousand pieces.

"I am, but it's like everything is on fire. It's easier when I'm paying attention, and with the other senses it makes it easier to connect the dots." He was trying to explain calmly so that you could understand, even though he was in shock that you hadn't screamed and left his apartment yet.

"Your other senses... But it's normal for someone who loses their sight for their other senses to be sharper, right?" you took the mask from his hand, running your hand over the fabric.

"It's complicated... The chemicals that made me lose my sight ended up affecting my other senses."

"Ah... How does it work then?" You put the mask away, getting up and taking Matt's hands to get him back to bed.

"I can hear your heartbeat from miles away... Smells affect me a lot too..." Matthew didn't want to sound like a stalker in saying this because he was having this conversation with you, finding it strange not having any contradictory reactions.

"Wow... That's-" you didn't finish your sentence and Matt did.

"Weird... I know, it's not a common thing and I understand in case you walk away"

"Amazing... Matthew, you are extraordinary.... And I thought you were perfect even before this." You smiled openly. "And thank you for trusting me to tell you this, your secret will be well kept."

The lawyer had frowned at what you were saying, welcoming him instead of being disgusted with what he was doing and condemning him for eternity for choosing violence as a solution.

"I just... I just want to know... Claire... Huh what is she yours?" You said gaining his attention again.

"Claire is a nurse, I always call her when the situation gets out of control.... Maybe she didn't want to help anymore" he laughs softly.

"So... So it wouldn't be a problem if I- um if I'm into you?" you looked at his face searching for his eyes.

Matthew smiled still confused weighing that after everything he said your concern was if he was engaged to someone and thinking that he really didn't deserve you in his life.

"You are full of surprises, y/n... I think that's what's making me fall in love" He said holding your face and caressing your cheeks.

"You're the one who revealed a surprise here, Murdock.... " Putting your arms around his neck you smile.

"This is the moment you kiss the girl" You say in a whisper.

Matthew smiled at your words soon breaking the remaining space between you two, sealing your lips in a passionate and almost desperate kiss. The vigilante was afraid that he was putting you in his dangerous world, and you were afraid that you would wake up from this like it was the best dream you could ever have.

"If you're going to be the hero.... Don't try to cut me out of your life, Matt," you say with your forehead pressed against his and your lips lightly touching.

"You wouldn't let me do that, right?" The smile was clear on his lips.

"I'm not insane to do that... And now you're gonna drink tea with me, huh?" You said laughing remembering that conversation with Foggy and Karen at Josie's bar making Matt throw his head back with a hysterical laughter.

"Sure I will, sweetie" and with this he continues to kiss you to show his affection.

@anothersworld

[honey-dewey]

Finding the Right Voice

Frankie Morales/Mute and chronically ill Reader

Word Count: 1,804

Warnings: Reader is both mute and has gastroparesis. Reader throws up once. 

After much pestering from the boys, Frankie reluctantly signs up for a dating app, intending for it to be a joke. Until he falls in love. You and him text daily, getting to know each other so intimately despite never meeting. At least, never meeting until Frankie wants to take you on a date. So how the hell are you going to explain to him that you are constantly ill and will never speak again?

Frankie had always thought dating apps were a waste of time. Who the hell actually met the love of their life through the Internet? 

Frankie Morales, that’s who. 

Of course, he’d been hesitant to tell the boys he’d found someone, mostly because he knew they’d give him shit about it. And they did, of course. But now, months after meeting someone, they realized Frankie was genuinely happy and toned the teasing down. 

“I’m just worried!” Frankie said, staring at his phone. “They haven’t responded in days.” 

“Dude,” Benny said, gesturing with his beer bottle. “They’re probably just busy. Or out somewhere with shit cell service. I dated a girl like that. She went on vacation with her parents and didn’t call for like. Two weeks. Thought she’d died. But when she got back.” He leaned back, smiling drunkenly. “The apology sex was mind blowing.” 

“Okay!” Santiago interjected, throwing an arm around Frankie’s shoulders. “You think they’re on vacay, Fish?” 

Frankie shrugged, grabbing his own beer. “I dunno. They aren’t the vacationing type.” 

William snorted from across the table. “Just like they aren’t the phone call or meet in person type?” 

Immediately, Frankie knew where this was going. “Ironhead.” 

“I’m just saying!” William pointed out. “How do we know that Catfish isn’t being, well, catfished.” 

Frankie sighed into his bottle. “I don’t wanna talk about it Will.” 

Santiago, who was somehow the voice of reason here, nudged Frankie. “You texted yet today?” 

“No.” 

“Why don’t you?” Santiago suggested. “Then leave it alone for a while. I doubt they’re meaning to leave you, they seem too nice.” 

Frankie picked up his phone and opened his texts. Aside from the group chat he had with the boys, the aforementioned number was the last one he’d texted. 

Frankie: Hey, haven’t heard from you in a bit. You doing okay? 

Twenty miles away from the bar Frankie was in, you were leaned over the toilet in the hospital, hurling away what little applesauce you’d eaten for dinner. 

Sitting back against the cold tile of the hospital bathroom wall, you sighed deeply upon hearing your phone ping. Who the hell wanted to talk to you right now? 

Of course, it was Frankie. 

Settling down in the bathroom, you unlocked your phone and texted him back. 

You: I’m so sorry Fish. I’ve been a bit sick. 

Fish: You don’t have to apologize for that. Are you feeling any better? 

You snorted softly. As if. 

You: Not really. It’s just gotten worse. Spent most of today throwing up.

Fish: You’re drinking water, right? Gotta stay hydrated. 

You snapped a photo of your half full water bottle a nurse had brought you and sent it to Frankie. 

You: Yep! Gotta finish this before I go to bed. 

Fish: That’s good

Fish: Wait a second. Are you in the hospital? 

You swore silently. How the fuck? Unless he frequented the same hospital as you, how the hell did he even know where you were from that blurry water bottle photo? 

You: Yeah, I got here today. Nothing too serious, I was just too dehydrated

You felt bad lying to Frankie, but you really didn’t want to tell him the truth. The truth was too long, too complicated. Frankie would probably leave if he learned the truth. 

Fish: I’m not too far away, if you’re at the hospital I think you’re at. Want me to drive you home when you leave? 

You: Nah. I’m staying with family rn and it’s a haul to get out there

Another lie, another stab of pain through your heart. 

Fish: Okay. I still wanna take you out though. We could get dinner and walk around the park. 

You almost started sobbing. 

You: Oh Frankie. I wish I could. 

As soon as you typed the message, you deleted it. Best not to let him think anything was wrong. Instead, you took a minute and finally replied with, 

You: That sounds lovely Fish. 

Fish: But?

You: But I don’t think I can.

Back at the bar, Frankie was slumped over the table, staring at your tiny message of rejection. 

“Dude, that’s hard,” Benny commented. “I’m starting to think Will might be right.” 

“I’m sorry?” William said, coughing as he swallowed wrong. “Say that again?” 

“No.” Benny leaned over the table and patted Frankie’s wrist. “I got nothing dude. Nothing.” 

Santiago sighed. “Why don’t we stop giving Fish a hard time?” He said, seeing the hard lines in Frankie’s face appear. “They said they were in the hospital, so maybe it’s really bad.” 

“You think?” Frankie asked, looking up with wide eyes. 

“Maybe,” Santiago said. “They might not want you to worry about them.” 

Frankie looked back at his phone, at the waiting message. He picked his phone up and typed one more message before shutting it off and pocketing it. 

Frankie: I just wish I could get to know you. For real. 

You stared at your phone, tears sliding down your face. Frankie would never know, if you could help it. He’d never know that you were so sick all the time. That you couldn’t eat anything without hurling it up hours later. That you hadn’t uttered a single word since you’d turned sixteen. That you’d never speak another word again. 

Putting your phone away, you abandoned the water bottle and shakily crawled back into bed, sobbing silently into your pillow until you fell asleep. 

The next morning, a team of nurses checked you over and deemed you okay to leave the next day. You nodded numbly, absently fiddling with a small stuffed toy as they started your laborious morning routine. 

“This came for you last night,” a nurse said as everyone left your room. She placed a worn out baseball cap and a folded note on your bed. “From a very nice gentleman who seemed rather heartbroken.” 

The nurse left, leaving you to grab the cap and the note. 

The cap was worn out, the edges all frayed and the logo on the front nearly illegible. The note was in much better condition. 

Hey. 

So, I’m sorry about what I said last night, and I feel like a text wouldn’t have made it better. This is my favorite hat. It’s seen some shit, just like me. And just like you, I think. 

Look, last night, I sounded like a dick. I want to make it up to you, I really do. But I don’t know how to take you on a date or anything. I sure hope it isn’t because of me that you don’t want to meet. I know my nickname is Catfish but I promise I’m who I say I am. 

Tomorrow, I get off work early. If you’d let me, can I pick you up and take you out? Or at least take you back to my place for a movie or something? Please. 

Love, your Frankie. 

You ran your fingers over the lettering, memorizing how Frankie wrote every single word. Maybe, maybe it was time to open up. The worst that could happen was rejection. 

Scooping your phone up, you texted Frankie back. 

You: Tomorrow at 4, that’s when they discharge me. Get here early tho, I have some stuff to explain.

The next twenty four hours were hell for the both of you. You were both plagued by so much anxiety it was hard to do even the most basic of tasks, but you managed. Eventually, you received the text you’d been dreading all day. 

Fish: I’m here. Visiting room B. 

You took a deep breath. All your personal belongings were in a drawstring bag you put over your shoulder. You headed out of your room and slowly down the hall, towards the visiting room. 

Opening the door was the hardest thing you’d ever done. 

Once you’d opened the door, you stopped in the doorway, taking Frankie in. 

He looked exactly the same as he did in his photos. Tall, handsome, kind. He smiled upon seeing you, and you swore your heart stopped. 

“Hello,” Frankie said, moving towards you and holding out his hand.

Hello you signed, waiting for Frankie’s reaction. 

He paused, his hand falling to his side. “Mute?” 

You nodded. 

Frankie simply smiled again. “So that’s why you don’t like phone calls,” he said. “It’s okay. I know some ASL.” He paused, taking you in. “Can I hug you?” 

Yes please.

He wrapped you in a warm hug, allowing you to collapse into him. Months of text messages and listening to his voice mails were nothing compared to this. 

Eventually, he pulled away, and you two sat on the uncomfortable couch. 

“So what’s with the tube?” Frankie asked, gesturing to your face. 

You pulled a whiteboard out of your bag and began to write, going slowly so you spelled everything right. 

I have a condition called gastroparesis. My stomach is paralyzed and won’t move food to my intestines. I “eat” through a port in my side and this tube in my nose leads to my stomach, so whatever I drink can be drained out. I went mute before I got diagnosed with this.

“Oh.” Frankie blinked a few times. “So I guess dinner is off the table too.” 

You snorted, laughing as best you could with no voice. No dinner. you signed happily. But a movie would be nice.

“A movie it is,” Frankie said, standing. “C’mon. I’ve got a bunch of movies at my place. And I think the boys are coming over tonight.” 

You stood, following Frankie to his beat up old truck. He talked your ear off about all sorts of things while he drove home, and it wasn’t until he’d pulled into the driveway that you’d remembered his hat. 

Close your eyes. You signed, digging around in your bag. 

Frankie did, laughing when you snuggly placed his hat on his head. 

“Thank you,” he said, taking your hands. “I was really worried you’d catfished me at first. I didn’t know what to think when you didn’t want to call or meet. I dunno, I just thought you weren’t, y’know, you.” 

You shook your head, pulling your hands out of his. I wouldn’t dream of it.

Frankie smiled. “I love you.” 

I love you too Fish.

That night was the happiest you’d been in years. Frankie’s friends were all amazing people, and all three of them immediately overlooked your muteness and illness. You were happy and Frankie was happy. To them, that was all that mattered. 

“So Fish,” Santiago said, leaning across the couch to nudge Frankie’s bicep. “Aren’t you glad we forced you to download that dating app?” 

Frankie looked at you, curled up under his other arm, sipping water and waiting for the feed bag with your dinner in it to finish draining into your port. You looked up at him, smiling and nestling closer. 

“Yeah. I am.”

[sweeethinny]

The Duke - Chapter 8

I feel that I need to apologize for the delay ahahahahahah some things - depression - have happened in my life in the last few months, along with the horrible results of my exams that made me fall into a limbo of feeling like a failure - it's no use telling me that I'm not a grade, I know that, but it still hurts And all of that was a block for me to be able to write anything I needed to think too much, and in the few days that depression left me alone, anxiety came to do her job and I couldn't control myself enough Anyway, something happened on Saturday and I wrote the last 5k of words that were missing and here's the chapter

thank you the people of discord who did not let me give up and asked for this chapter, I hope you all like it, it is by far one of the most sentimental chapters I have ever written in this story :)

TW: description of injuries that may be a little disgusting or too much for some people, be careful if you are sensitive to this

read bellow the cut or on AO3, SIYE (soon), or FF.NET

| J. P |

James still remembered the lullaby whispered against his son's sweaty, childlike curls as he cradled the boy in his arms, feeling like the happiest man in the world, with a life in his arms.

He still remembered how beautiful Lily looked, lying on their bed, sleeping soundly after breastfeeding Harry, her white nightdress wrinkled and her messy red hair against the pillow, resonating just like Harry did, hugging his father.

He still remembered putting him to sleep, kissing his forehead where a birth scar made him unique, making James think of how magical it was to have that life there, so close to him.

It was Harry's first day trying to sleep in a room separate from his parents.

James still remembered Lily's scream, how he couldn't move when looking at the empty crib, the broken window, how he wanted to vomit when the curse breaker said there were Dark Arts there.

James still remembered running through the streets of Godric's Hollow, wearing only a red robe, as he rummaged through the garbage, entered the alleys, and looked desperately for his son.

James still remembered shouting at the healers when they brought a dead child, the same size and appearance as Harry, hit by an Avada Kedavra, 'It's not Harry!'

He still remembered the photos, the stories, the chase over them, how Lily got sick with each passing hour, and how he needed to take charge of everything, even if all he wanted to do was cry and scream.

How did someone catch a child? A newborn?!

When Lily asked him to put an end to it, when she asked him to just find a way to get all those people out of the castle door, stop the reports and let them cry in peace, he said. He went on the balcony of the main hall, the one on the third floor and facing the main street in the village.

James, feeling sick to see all those people, feeling that he had been overcome by pressure from the press, from the population, from the King, raised the black flag and left, not waiting to see the reaction of the people when he confirmed that Harry was dead.

But he knew he wasn't, he knew Lily knew it too, they were just tired of looking like two nuts, when they still had to deal with the pain of having a kidnapped child.

James still remembers the taste of blood, when he fought with Death Eaters, when during one of the missions, he left for Yeovil and was caught. He still remembered the torture, the blood splattering on his face as they beheaded a child identical to Harry. He knew it was the Imperius Curse, he knew it was all a lie, but it still hurt and haunted him more than all the deaths he had seen in person.

He thought he was going to go crazy.

James remembered all of that, he still remembered when Dumbledore told him about the whole prophecy, about the expiration date that their son had.

'You are crazy!' James screamed, breaking everything he saw ahead, feeling so angry that he thought he might explode. 'My son is not dead.' He assured him, snarling at Dumbledore, the fucking King, teeth clenched and faces close together, as if James dared him to deny it.

There were so many things that James remembered; from when Lily talked about hosting the Dueling Party because a fortune teller had told her that Harry was closer than they thought; from when he spoke to Arthur and heard the man say that his daughter was going to get married, the same girl who was supposed to marry Harry, the same girl that Dumbledore said she had a power that could be even harmful to her.

James remembered all of that.

But he didn't remember where he met that man.

'Henry Figg..' He murmured, watching the Auror follow Miss. Weasley through the garden, discreetly and very attentively, while the girl spoke non-stop, which James thought it should be with the man.

'It's a pretty common name,' Lily replied, smiling at the elf who poured tea into her cup. The two were sitting on the balcony of their room, watching from a distance all the guests to settle down and have time to discover the garden, the rooms, before the opening dinner. 'Figg is a Muggle surname.'

'But he is not a squib.' James scorned, and as if to prove it, the Auror levitated a gnome who tried to pull the hem of Miss. Weasley, who didn't even seem to notice, still talking and interacting with the statues.

'No, but he may be a Muggleborn.' Lily shrugged, legs crossed, and a magazine propped there, even though he knew she wasn't reading, but was also following the guests with her eyes. She was less brazen than James, wearing a hat that cast enough shadow over her eyes so that no one would notice that she was staring at them. He had already been caught in the act by a Marquise and a Count, both of whom seemed very close for someone who has met a few minutes before.

'Do you think they would have sent him? Aurors tend to be prejudiced, you know. ' James said, sipping his own tea.

'Oh, of course I know.' Lily laughed humorlessly, flipping through the magazine when a Lady watched them. It was as if they were two jesters on top of the ring. 'That girl, doesn't she seem very interested in Mr. Longbottom?'

'Who? The one wearing a yellow dress? For sure... Do you think they have an affair?'

'Of course not, Frank is a good man-'

'-I'm talking about Mr Figg and Miss. Weasley.' James interrupted, noticing when she sat at the water fountain, Henry standing.

'Why do you think that? She's a decent girl.' Lily seemed convinced enough to drop the magazine and actually look at the girl, watching them both in silence, at the same time that Henry seemed to smile and so did Ginny.

It was as if they were talking telepathically.

'I don't know, I just thought he was too careful with her, as if at any time he could jump in front of an Avada Kedavra to save her.' James said, shrugging.

'He's being paid well to do just that.' Lily reminded him, dropping the teacup next to his, then intertwining her fingers with James'. 'We need to get down.'

'Unfortunately.' James winced. 'I feel that nothing we talk about is taken seriously, it is as if we are forced to wear black for the rest of our lives.'

'It's only a week,' Lily whispered, making him stop looking at Henry and look at her, those green eyes that made him fall in love. 'I promise it will be worth it, you will see.'

'I always believe in you,' The two got up, walking together into their room, so clean it was as if no one slept there. James had spent so many years just with Lily at home, that he didn't even remember having such an immaculate environment and people around. It was a little scary. 'But this time I admit that I'm a little reluctant.'

'You are stubborn by nature,' she said, leaving the room as she straightened the pink scarf around her neck. 'I remember you complained about my desire to have this party.'

'But I still don't understand the reasons.' James whispered, now that they were in the corridors, even though it was the fourth floor on the west side and there was no room being occupied over there.

The walls have ears. He remembered his father always saying.

'What if she is wrong?'

'What if she isn't?' Lily looked at him, eyes steady on him. 'What if our son is here?' She spoke hopefully, almost in an inaudible whisper, it was horrible when other people got into their hopes for Harry.

'I haven't seen him anywhere.' James argued, a little irritated, following his wife into the room where there was a crowd of people.

'And how would we know if it's him? We haven't seen him for more than 20 years.' Lily shrugged, stopping them before finally entering through the big white double door, wide open and making them listen to the side conversations. 'We have an ace up our sleeve, and if it doesn't work...' She seemed unable to continue the sentence, but James thought nonetheless, we will accept that he is dead.

'Oh, duchess!' A short, plump lady howled from across the room, near the door to the garden, the egg yellow color in no way favoring the pale skin. 'We were waiting for you to have tea.' James couldn't help thinking about all the teas that Lily hadn't been invited to until that last month, having to force himself to smile at that woman who was staring at them curiously.

'Thank you, Mrs Brown, but I think it will be more pertinent to start the party, it will be quite a week, and we will have so much to do!' Lily smiled happier than usual, also seeming to force herself on it.

They continued to socialize and chat with everyone there, hoping to give the right time they had planned to serve the main banquet, smiling and laughing at the bad jokes.

'I have never seen people more false than these.' Sirius whispered, reaching for James for the first time, serving him with firewhiskey.

'Thank you very much,' he thanked, the drink burning the inside of his throat. 'I don't remember receiving so many invitations to drink since I was 18 and the four of us were single.'

'Half of these people already speak ill of us, the other half will after tonight.' Sirius barked, a blonde woman looked at them as if she was afraid. 'Not unlike before, but now they feel they need to lie and pretend it isn't true.'

'Don't say that next to Lily, she's trying hard.' James scolded, watching when Miss. Weasley came into the room, her cheeks flushed with the sun and her hair a little disheveled, nothing much, she looked a little sweaty, as if she had run around the garden like a child. Mr. Figg was right behind her, camouflaging himself in the sea of ​​people, barely seeming to be seen by others as he walked over to an empty window.

The Auror kept watching everyone in the room, stopping for a few seconds to observe some people in specials, but then rolling his eyes around the room again, always ending at Miss. Weasley sitting on the couch, talking to her brother.

When he once again scanned the room, he looked at James. The boy suddenly looked scared, as if he had been caught - and he was, in a way - but soon he rearranged his posture and nodded to James, as if asking for forgiveness for not making himself so invisible.

James knew him from somewhere, he knew it, he just didn't remember it.

He didn't go to the Ministry much to end up colliding with an auror, and he hadn't visited the Weasleys' house in a long time to have seen him there. The few times he will travel and speak to Arthur, he was careful to only have them at home.

Where did that boy come from, then?

James was about a second away from going to him and bombarding the man with questions, but he was stopped when Lily took him by the arm and drew everyone's attention so she could start the Duel Party.

As if to prove that he was a good Auror, Mr. Figg was not in James' view for the rest of the day. Which showed that he was efficient at work, but that did not make James forget the restlessness that rumbled in his chest, his mind working hard to remember.

James wouldn't rest until he remembered.

| G. W |

Ginny never thought that being alone would be so much fun.

Okay, maybe she wasn't alone, because Henry was still watching her like a shadow, and there were still all eyes on her like they were just waiting for her to explode and destroy everything around her.

But still, Ginny felt a strange freedom as she walked through the garden at night, shortly after dinner, thanking everyone for not paying too much attention to social rules and that Ginny was a single woman. Maybe it was because no one else really had any hopes that she would end up getting married so she didn't need a lady company beside her.

And Henry was always there, it was hard to ignore that. At least for her.

'Do you think we can manage to reach the stream that Mrs Potter told us about? She said it looks beautiful at night.’ Ginny asked, but Henry - who was particularly awkward since they got there - said nothing, just nodded.

This upset the woman.

Not having other people talking to her, or not having men praising her as they did tirelessly with the Patil sisters, or Miss. Brown, it was something Ginny no longer cared about - she didn't care so much, because there were still days when she was sad and cried with that loneliness. But not having Henry talking to her, it looked like a much sharper knife that cut through it in a much deeper way.

'Do you think they will let me take part in the Duel tomorrow?' She looked over her shoulder again, hands folded in front of her as she walked down the stone road, surrounded by flowers, bushes, fairy lights and sculptures that waved once or twice other.

'I don't think so, Miss, I'm sorry.' Henry kept his hands back, three steps away from her, still not looking directly into her eyes.

Ginny could still see him, even though the fairies didn't seem to make much of a point of illuminating him, as they did when following her, however, she still realized that Henry's green eyes were always a spot above her head, as if suddenly he was afraid that if he looked at her something bad would happen.

Henry's coldness hurt more than the others, Ginny didn't know why. Maybe she was used to being alone, but she could always run back to Henry and be heard.Maybe she was just used to his friendship.

'A pity, then.' She started walking again, blinking away the tears that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. How silly to cry about that!

One of the fairies that flew around her, landed on her shoulder, didn't bite her or anything, just sat there, as if comforting her. Ginny continued on the stone path, completely silent.

She never imagined visiting such an elegant house, but even so, Ginny felt that if the walls spoke they would contradict themselves with the various colors that painted them and the cheerful style that perpetuated in each room, and would make you cry.

It was easy to see how dejected Mrs. Potter always looked, looking for someone in the crowd and never seeming to find. Her green eyes had a gray shade that Ginny thought was sadness, and her cheeks were so pale that it was as if her skin hadn't been exposed to the sun for weeks, if not months. She also noticed how thinner Lily was than the photos that appeared in the history books or in the newspapers that she stole from her father; Lily was taller than she, with long arms and legs, but even smaller than Mr. Potter. The fabric of her dress was very elegant, but it looked too loose even with all the ribbons tied around her back.

Ginny wondered if Lily was sick, if the sadness had consumed her, or if she had always been that way.

She did not fail to notice when the Duchess smiled at her over dinner, everyone was talking to everyone and Ginny was silent - except when her mother or Ron asked her something - and Lily was sitting next to the husband, across the table and to the right, but the woman maintained eye contact with Ginny as if she knew what she felt, smiling at what seemed for the first time that day to be a real smile.

Lily should have known very well what it was like to be lonely and have to get used to it. Not that Ginny understood the pain of losing a child, she hoped she would never know, but she could still imagine.

Before leaving for the gardens, Lily asked her if she would like to have tea with her and the other women. Nobody had ever invited Ginny before, she was nervous with the idea of ​​sitting in a room with all those women who didn't seem to like her very much, so she denied and thanked her, saying that she preferred to know a little more about the garden.

'It's a good choice,' the Duchess said, smiling and with her hand on Ginny's shoulder, not looking away even for a second. 'The stream is wonderful at night, with the stars and the moon illuminating... Very romantic.' Lily blinked, then straightened her back and turned to the other women who were talking near the bookcase, calling them to join her in a tea.

Ginny did not expect - at least, she would like to think she did not expect - the romantic mood that Lily referred to to influence Henry's attitude towards her, but she continued to allow herself into the silence of her mind to imagine if the Moon at the top of the sky and the stars reflecting in the water, they would make Henry attracted to the corset she had squeezed in, and the red lipstick that the elf stained her fingers to paint on Ginny's lips.

Perhaps because of the perfume Bill had given her last Christmas, which smelled of flowers and something French that reminded her a little of Fleur, but not so sweet.

However, when they finally arrived at the stream, where the idea of ​​a great place for dating really passed, Henry continued to stand three steps away from her, standing by a tree, watching as Ginny stretched the rug she had taken for both of them and sat facing the water.

Something inside broke when reality invaded expectation, her hand smoothing the fabric of the dress as if it were the most interesting thing. The fairy was still sitting on her shoulder, her wings were not flapping and the light was getting a little weaker, as if she were feeling Ginny's pain and trying to make Henry realize her intention of going to that part.

'Don't you think it's a very hot night for tea?' Ginny asked, trying one last time.

'It depends on the tea,' Henry replied, looking thoughtful. 'Perhaps a tea with fresh herbs will become a little refreshing, or with orange peel.'

'Who would have tea with orange peel?' Ginny looked over her shoulder, just for a few seconds, and Henry's eyes locked with hers.

'I know some Aurors who drink them during missions, when they need something that will calm them down and remind them of home, but that will keep them awake,' he said calmly, hands still behind his body, eyes looking away to watch the sky and then the various trees that were around them.

'Did you notice how that guy... Mr. Rosier, looked a little uncomfortable when dinner started?' Ginny remembered what she wanted to say as soon as she left the table, but she ended up forgetting, and also needing to change the subject and make him look at her again, feeling a little pathetic about almost begging for attention.

Henry looked at her. 'No, I didn't notice. Why do you think that? He seemed very excited when talking to Mr. Black.’

'Maybe it was nervousness, there were two pretty girls sitting next to him, and they seemed to want to get his attention. But I realized, just that, he looked a little out of place.' She shrugged, looking back at the water when Henry looked away again.

Ginny cursed herself for thinking that Henry might want something with her, she should already know that things were not as easy for her as for other women.

'Not that it is very difficult to feel out of place here,' she said, watching her reflection in the water.

'Did you find it?'

'Well, we are at a Duke's house, I don't think I will be able to not feel out of place… Mr. Potter has already met the King.' Ginny whispered the last part, as if it were a secret between them that she wanted to keep, remembering how furious her father looked when he learned that the man had come to the King to ask questions that, of course, no one wanted to tell her about.

'I don't know, there is something about them that makes me feel almost familiar.' Henry approached, she could say, because of the noise of the branches breaking and the leaves crushing under the boot he wore. But Ginny continued to look at the water.

Something moved deep inside, something she couldn't see what it was.

‘Familiar? Yes, they are very polite and seem to want to get close to people and make them feel at home.’ Ginny put her hand in the water, curious as a child looking for Christmas presents around the house.

'Didn't you feel like you already knew the two of them for a long time?' Henry asked, standing a few steps behind her, she saw him in the reflection of the water, now cloudy because she was trying to catch whatever moved below.

It could just be a fish, of course, but Ginny was skeptical of that. She heard Mr. Potter talking about how the only lake that had fish was one much further away, close to the quarries.

‘No, but it’s also like they’re not complete strangers.’

‘I don’t know, the last time I felt like this, was when…’ But Ginny didn’t pay attention, she finally got to whatever it was, it was icy and slippery like moss, but it had scales that scraped her skin. Something small and thin clung to her wrist and she screamed at the sensation, agonized by the sensation of small hands sinking into her skin.

Ginny pulled her arm up as fast as she could, screaming even more when she saw an animal stuck in her arm, big eyes and pale skin, the head bigger than the rest of the body, sinking the small nails further into her arm, and what should have been the animal's hair, burned like fire against her skin when it touched her. The mermaid's tail bounced off Ginny's arm, causing pain that seemed unreal when compared to the animal's size.

'Run.' The mermaid said, neither seeming to blink or paying attention to the fact that she was out of the water. ‘Now.’ Before she could say anything, a spell made the animal drop from Ginny's arm now red and looking irritated, falling into the water like a piece of stone.

'Come on.' Henry grabbed her, forcing her to get up.

Ginny was paralyzed, fear freezing her veins and making her barely able to breathe properly, still seeming to feel the slimy, cold sensation of the animal against her, huge dark eyes locked on hers, how the voice sounded thin and made her feel dizzy as if she had been attacked by a spell.

She didn't even realize that it was Henry who was pulling her all the way until she tripped over a rock, seeming to be enough for her to wake up from the panic trance she was in. 'What was that?'

'A mermaid.' Henry continued to hold her arm, wand drawn and Ginny's body close to him, as if he were ready to hide her behind him and take down anyone who appeared there.

'You can't think she was serious... can you?' She asked a little hopefully, feeling her arm burn and sting as if it had been cut and now it had been dipped in alcohol.

'Do you want to stay there to see if it's true or not?' Henry looked at her, his green eyes dark with what seemed to be concern, his teeth clenched. 'These animals do not lie, let alone speak to humans on a regular basis. That was not right. ’

‘Why did my arm look like this?’ The two didn’t follow the path they came from, but Henry took them for what seemed to be where the elfs walked, behind the house, in a part that had almost no fairies lighting up or statues. It looked almost abandoned when they got closer.

'It can be many things, I will have to look closely.' He knelt on the floor and opened a secret passage as if he had been doing that for years, lighting up the stairs for Ginny. 'Come down. We don’t want anyone to see your arm like that. ’

'Where are we?' She did as he was told, even though her right arm seemed to hurt to the bone, taking care not to fall off balance and fall backwards in what appeared to be an underground path. It was cold and dark, with few candles lighting up the front, and it smelled of mold.

'Under the kitchen.' Henry closed the passage, finally seeming to calm down from the latest events, pulling Ginny's arm close, lighting it with his wand. 'It hurts?'

'A lot.' She felt dinner coming back when he touched the wound, the pain almost leaving her on her knees.

'It is probably a poisonous mermaid, we will have to clean this up and... Cut it out.' Ginny warned herself then, her eyes bulging towards Henry, who even in that gloom seemed to apologize for having to hurt her. ‘It’s a small cut, just to extract the poison they contain and that’s probably why you’re feeling so much pain.’

'Great, it's the first day we're here and a mermaid attacks me,' she said, her head thrown back and a snort coming out of her lips. 'My mom will be ...' Henry interrupts her, his hand on her mouth in a silent request for her to be quiet once in her life, while they can hear footsteps above them, footsteps that don't seem to come from the kitchen, but from the garden.

Ginny hears when the person runs and stops over where they entered, Henry is quick to camouflage them with a spell and pull them close to one of the walls, as if he just waits for the person to open the door and go look for them there

But the person seemed to give up, saying something to someone that they cannot identify who it is or what is said, but they both seem quite irritated. Ginny almost loses her eyes when she realizes that the second person didn't seem to have come from anywhere, and that he was probably already around, just waiting for them. Again, fear freezes her, but this time it is a little different, she looks at Henry, who is also looking at her in fright, and it is almost as if they are communicating by mind again, because Ginny knows what he's thinking when the drags into the tunnel, at a much faster pace and without lowering the wand once.

The mermaid was right, and they weren't as safe as they thought. Someone there was planning, at best, to kill Ginny that night.

Ginny didn't even wait for Henry to pull her to run any further when they thought they heard the noise of the passage being opened, she didn't even remember the pain, or she cared about the noise of rats and other animals that got scared when they passed, moving on, not quite sure where the tunnel ended.

It was common for older houses to have these tunnels, especially if the family was wealthy, her father had said that the tunnels served as an escape route for when things got bad with the advance of the First Wizarding War, and then they became useful for wealthy families to hide their wealth or, families allied with Voldemort, to keep their prisoners.

Fortunately, the Potter didn't seem to want to keep any prisoners there, all through the tunnel there were only other paths that they would probably lead to either in the main rooms or in the office, as they had at home. Ginny and Henry passed a wine cellar too, where two elves were, but luckily, none of them heard them, or if they did, they pretended not to.

Henry helped Ginny open the wooden door that, by his calculations, would come out on the floor where Ginny was, near the winter Garden that served as the divider of the west and east wing. There was no one around, thanks to Merlin, all the doors were closed and few were the rooms that had the light on. She wondered if people had already started sneaking out to date, or did they wait at least one day.

Ginny heard many stories of couples who were married eight months after a Duel Party, and the woman had a child who was born ‘’early.’’

'My mom must have realized that I didn't come back.' She whispered, pulling Henry into her room, the two of them walking on tiptoe. They were still invisible to anyone, but she doubted that they could put a silencing spell on them without anyone noticing, even the pictures could scream for it. She herself had seen the great-grandfather's picture yell at George when he did it once.

'If she talks to me, I will say that I brought you safely but you wanted to go to sleep early.' He calmed her, looking embarrassed when Ginny put him into the room. ‘Miss, I don’t know if it’s very-’

'Henry, no one cares about my honor anymore, and my arm is turning purple.' She showed it, almost vomiting when she realized how swollen and purple the arm was getting, as if blood was not flowing from the elbow down. 'Get it over with,' Ginny pleaded, feeling the pain again now that the adrenaline had gone, sitting on the bed and turning her face to the window.

'This is going to hurt,' Henry predicted, after silencing the room and taking her hand gently, stretching her arm and causing Ginny an absurd pain, which felt as if the bones wanted to rip her skin.

‘Ah!’ She screamed, biting her lip hard as soon as Henry tied something separating the injured part from the other.

'I need to ensure that the poison does not rise further,' he explained.

'Just get it over with.'

'Miss, I'm going to need you to stay here...' Ginny went to the desk, stretching her arm over the wood, thinking how she hadn't wanted Henry to touch her for the first time under those circumstances. She wanted him to take her hand, to caress her skin, but not when her arm looked like it would explode in pus. 'I'll start.'

'OK. I trust you.' Ginny took a deep breath.

'Thank you, Miss.' Henry said, before finally touching his wand on her arm and murmuring words that Ginny didn't understand, not when the pain left her deaf and blind, making her stomp like a madwoman, struggling when the heat took part of her right arm, going up her shoulders, throat, and making her look like she was going to explode in seconds.

It burned like pure fire, and she made the mistake of looking at the outstretched arm and seeing the open skin and spilling yellowish green goo mixed with blood, Henry squeezed her flesh as if it were nothing, and Ginny thought she would die because of a damn mermaid.

The scream burned her throat and echoed throughout the room, she hoped Henry had protected them well, because she could have woken up the entire mansion now. The taste of blood and iron filled her mouth, probably her lip had hurt when she clenched her teeth to stop the scream, but it was impossible, it hurt like it never hurt, it was almost torture.

Fingers on her right hand didn't move, or if they did, Ginny couldn't feel it. This time she didn't look at Henry when he swore, touching his wand again to her feverish skin and saying more charms, also seeming to mumble an apology.

Ginny continued to scream and struggle for what seemed like eternity, until everything went cloudy and she heard Henry say it was over, casting healing spells that stopped the heat from rising in her arm, just as the pain subsided, but Ginny still felt she was shaking and would probably fall if she tried to get up or move her arm now. Henry untied the tape and placed his hands on her skin as if to calm whatever was going on there, she was unable to observe.

'It's over, it's over,' he murmured, conjuring ice and placing it under her skin. 'There was more poison than I imagined, but I promise that there is nothing more, I took everything away... Tomorrow you will be better again, I promise.'

'Thank you, Henry,' Ginny said weakly, not even feeling the tears that were streaming down her face, the sobs being the only thing she heard now.

She looked at the arm again, this time closed, returning to the original color, a little less swollen, and with only small reddish parts, where she believed Henry had made the cut. Henry continued to run the ice over her injured skin, his other hand holding hers as if he said he was there, and everything was fine.

'I'm going to need help getting to bed.' She had also been thinking about one day having his help to go to bed - and it wasn't for sleeping - but today she really needed help, and Ginny doubted that a house elf would help her more than Henry was doing. ‘Sorry about that, but I don’t think I can take my dress off by myself.’

| H. F |

Henry gasped.

It seemed more frightening to have to help Ginny get into her pajamas, than to tear off what looked like a kilo of Mermaid venom, watching her skin open spewing goo, blood, and listening to her scream.

He almost fell off his chair when she asked him to.

But he was her security guard, the guy who should cherish her life, and Ginny had already suffered too much in one night, he wouldn’t make her sleep in those tight clothes just because he felt he could get hard just by looking at her back.

'Of course, Miss.' Henry stood up. He had already washed many aurors, people would be shocked at how weepy men are when they get hurt, and how they beg for help when they see their own blood dripping on the floor, even if it is for a small injury.

Joe once nearly passed out when he realized that his shoulder was dislocated and his arm looked almost like gelatin. Henry had to help him shower that night.

But Joe and everyone else were guys that Henry wasn't attracted to, they stank of blood, sweat and dirt, Ginny didn't. The woman's arm had almost been eaten alive by the mermaid's poison, and she still smelled of flowers and looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It would never be the same.

Henry went to the wooden barrel that was in the corner of the room, separated by a wooden divider, taking the towel placed there and stretching the rug in front so that Ginny would step on when he left - he didn't want to think too much at that moment - and moved the wand to fill the barrel with hot water. He spilled some salts and soap, before making sure it was warm and good for her to get in. Henry didn't know if she would prefer to use the stairs or not, but he left it there anyway. If she wanted, just push it with her foot and use it.

'You don't have to look that worried,' Ginny said, looking even weaker, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. 'I already said, nobody cares about my honor, besides, nobody will ever know.' She shrugged. ‘It’s not like it means anything, you’re just helping me.’

His chest hurt a little, the idea of ​​another man helping her into the bath - but with ulterior motives - making him a little more discouraged. Just as he had been since they arrived, failing to forget that she was likely to return to her house, married.

Yes, it meant nothing. For her. Henry was just a personal security guard, not a man she would like to show off in the bath.

The wet skin, red from the heat, the foam hitting the breasts...Henry denied, trying to clear his mind of those thoughts.

'Sure, Miss.' Was all he said, walking over to her and helping her to her feet, holding her for a few more seconds with the excuse that she looked like she might fall at any moment.

The two went as far as the bath awaited her, Henry remained behind her when Ginny stopped in front of the barrel, hands shaking like a teenager when he undid the first button on her dress. Her skin was much more fragrant there, and it looked much softer and paler, he could even see some freckles disappearing under the back of her neck. Henry salivated with the urge to kiss that part.

He undid another button. Two are gone, only ten more to go, he thought.

Ginny said nothing, a firm hand on the wooden partition, waiting patiently as Henry discovered how much more beautiful she was under the dress. There were other clothes underneath, of course, but Henry could feel the warmth of Ginny's skin much more eagerly now.

When the top of the dress fell to her waist, arms free from the sleeves, Henry found himself with the job of untying the corset. The piece made Ginny look so delicate and fragile that he thought she could break it when he undid a knot and loosened the piece. He had never taken off any woman's corset. In fact, he had never taken off any woman's clothes, and it seemed such an intimate moment that he thought sex was too overrated compared to undoing every button, tie and knot that women used.

As soon as the corset fell, Ginny seemed to be taking a deep breath, and Henry almost laughed softly at what seemed to be the best time of her day. And then, all he needed was the chemise so that he could see the top of her naked.

But Henry thought it would be more polite to wait, so he began to undo the lace on the dress, and loosen the fabric so that it fell completely to the floor, and again, he heard Ginny sigh for what seemed like relief.

Henry looked at her delicate calves, and found himself a fool for wanting to run his hands and mouth over that region, slowly climbing up every little part of her beautiful legs. Of course, he had never seen her legs, only when she wore pants to fly, but Henry liked to imagine that they were as beautiful as everything else.

'Excuse me, Miss.' He asked, politely before pulling the white petticoat down, his chest swelling and throbbing madly as he watched the fabric tease the floor and was aware of how long her legs were even though she was short , and how beautiful her ass was. Henry felt his own cheeks warm, noting the few freckles lost on the back of her thighs, and a few on her ass.

The monster roared in Henry's chest at the thought of another man having knowledge of these freckles. It seemed so intimate now that he saw her that way, and Henry thanked him for never giving in when co-workers asked him to go to Fantasy House, where he would probably see various types of naked bodies. He liked to be surprised at how soft a woman's skin - Ginny’s - looked beneath all those layers, and how much more beautiful it was than his colleagues' descriptions.

He never had much time to court anyone, and even when he did, there weren't many women who wanted him. They generally preferred the richest, tallest, and strongest, or those who at least knew how to speak to them without stuttering, Henry thought. He didn't expect the special woman either, he just always seemed very… empty. None drew him enough attention that he wanted to see her naked, of course some were beautiful and made him feel hot, but they almost never wanted to chat with him, so there was no opportunity either.

'Excuse me,' Henry asked again, now reaching for the hem of the thin white chemise that Ginny wore, hoping she would nod so he could properly see her naked, or at least, her back.

'Okay.' Ginny nodded, her voice a little hoarse, raising her arms up - the right not so much, and he believed it was still hurting.

Henry almost ran out of breath and fell back when the fabric went up and showed him the wealth of freckles on her back, her pale, delicate skin looked even softer than her legs, her shoulders smeared with a little sun, and shoulder blades filled with freckles of all sizes and shades. Henry noticed that there were orange, others more brown, some a little reddish and few that were almost black. He wanted so much to run his hand over her skin.

Her scent invaded Henry's mind in a way that he thought would go crazy, and he probably would, never being able to see another naked woman and not compare her to Ginny and her perfection.

Again he wondered why she had never been asked to marry. He almost fell to his knees right there.

'So, Miss.' He managed to say, his voice hoarse than usual. 'Do you want help getting into the bath?'

'I can do it, Henry, thank you very much.' Ginny didn't turn to see him, and Henry thought it would be better, maybe if he saw a tiny part of her breast, he would be cursed for the rest of his life for not being able to touch her.

'I'll be waiting for you, there's a towel over there, and if the water is not as you like, you can call me.' Henry turned on his back, thinking that seeing her walking naked was also not the best way to try to survive the burning desire in the chest.

But listening seemed even worse, because his imagination didn't stop, the noise of the water and her moan of satisfaction made him have to thank the witch fashion and the fact that his robes protected him from being discovered.

The next few minutes would be slow and painful torture, he knew it, smelling the sweet soap, listening to the water fall to the floor whenever Ginny moved in the bathtub, her little murmurs of satisfaction, filling Henry's imagination with the most perverted images.

He felt ashamed to think that this woman would subject herself to things as dirty as the ones he was thinking about in his fantasies.

'I'm done.' Ginny woke him up from what appeared to be the fifth fantasy that Henry created in his mind. The water fell again, and worse than before, now he imagined her body smooth and warm, reddish and sensitive, smelling like the fragrance that would lead him to death.

Henry waited for her to call on him to help her go to the dresser where all her clothes were, not wanting to pay much attention to the strands of hair that stuck to the back of her neck.

'The bath really helped me,' Ginny said, walking back into the partition. 'I can manage to put on my pajamas, it's button-down, I won't have to make so much effort.' She smiled at him, flushed like a pepper, disappearing behind the wood and making him wait again. 'Do you really think that whoever it was was after me?' She asked, still dressing.

'I think.' Henry was blunt. 'But I did not understand why the other person, who clearly saw where we entered, said nothing. We don’t hear footsteps, which means he was there.’

'Should we tell someone?' Ginny appeared, wearing a light pink nightdress with dark pink buttons, delicate flowers embroidered on the hem. She accepted Henry's help to walk to the bed, she was not so pale anymore, and her arm looked much better, but he still realized that she was holding firmly on the furniture to stand.

'Let me take care of that, Miss, it's my job,' Henry said, covering her up as if Ginny were a helpless child who needed help. He sat next to her on the bed, enjoying that moment that would probably be unique, forgetting that she had been tagged with a boy who was probably dead, or if not, very far from her, and that Arthur had already found a replacement for the position of husband.

And it wasn't Henry.

He sighed, feeling strangely at peace when she shook his hand. 'Thank you for taking care of me.'

'I would never do the opposite.' He smiled, unable to take his eyes off her. 'How's the arm?'

'Sore, but I can feel my hand again.' To prove it, Ginny wiggled her fingers for him to see, laughing softly at that.

'Tomorrow will be better, I put good healing charms on you. It won't even be scarred.' He knew that women could care about that, he even cared about the one he carried on his forehead, always keeping it hidden behind his hair.

Ginny didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at him, luscious brown eyes that reminded Henry of a home feeling, flushed cheeks from hot water or a combination of that and the sun, and adorable freckles that he would like to spend hours counting each one, foolishly trying to memorize them for when he was forced to leave, not wanting, and not thinking he would be able, to ever forget her.

Henry thought how much easier life would be if he could just woo Ginny the right way, that seeing her naked would mean much more than just a helping hand, and that he probably wouldn't see just her back.

He thought about the life he would have had if he had been lucky enough to be born in a mansion like that. Not that he didn't love her mother, far from it, he was very grateful for everything she did. But things could be simpler if he were the son of the Duke and Duchess and had the opportunity to marry Ginny.

But life was not that easy. And, not for the first time, Henry cursed Harry Potter for disappearing and putting him in such a difficult position, of having Ginny so close and yet so far.

'Good night, Miss,' Henry murmured, and just because he felt brave, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. 'Sleep well.'

[smol-and-grumpy]

Light My Fire - CH15

Pairing: CEO!Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: She always thought her boss was an ill-tempered man, but when he presents her with a proposition she can’t quite deny, she gets to know him better. It’s not bad, right? Because all she has to do is being fake married to him for six months, sounds do-able, right? Right.

Warnings: NSFW, Fluff

WC: 4290

Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​​​​​​​​​ <3

SERIES MATSTERLIST

BECOME A PATRON ~ BUY ME A COFFEE

Dean left her to splash around because he had a business call coming in. Y/N was surprised, she never knew that he works on weekends. 

When she climbs up the stairs from the sea, she washes herself free from the salt water under the spray of the shower on the balcony, and slips into the pool. 

She can see Dean sitting on their bed with a laptop on his lap and a headset in his ears. He already changed into his swimming trunks so no video call, then. 

He’s laughing at a joke someone made and looks up. Their eyes meet. 

Getting out of the pool, she lies down on the sun lounger, letting her skin catch some rays. Her skin burns, but not necessarily from the sun. No, the burning feeling definitely comes from Dean’s gaze that followed her from the pool to the lounger. 

After a while she turns from her back onto her stomach. She closes her eyes, feels the ray of sun warming up her whole body. 

“Jesus, Y/N,”

She hears Dean’s voice from behind her, and blinks her eyes open. He sits down next to her. From this view she can see the creases his stomach makes when he sits. It doesn’t make him look less sexy, and that is totally not fair.

“You’re going to look like a lobster tonight and not a living one!” He sits down and she hears a squirt of a bottle before she feels his hands rubbing at her back, applying sunscreen all over.

“Mmh,” She sighs. It really does feel good.

Dean moves lower, works his hands over her lower back and then he moves her bottoms, pushing them into the crack of her ass to apply sunscreen on her ass cheeks. He takes more time there, kneads them roughly before jiggling them in his hands.

“Hey!” She laughs.

“What? That’s how I apply sunscreen,” 

“Sure,” 

He works down her thighs, getting his fingers between them and brushes against her clothed pussy. My god, she’s turned on by a simple touch. 

She hears a groan as he works his hand there, rubbing at her clit through her bikini bottoms, “Dean,”

“Right,” He clears his throat, and works down her legs to her toes.

When he finishes that area, he comes up again, applies more sunscreen onto her shoulders. He pulls at her bikini top, making it come loose. 

“Dean!”

“Relax, nobody will see,” He rubs his hands along the base of her neck, “Turn around,” 

He’s right. They overlook the big blue sea, there’s nobody close by. She turns herself around and lets him apply sunscreen to her chest. He pulls the bikini top over her head and drops it next to the sun lounger only to cup her tits in his hands.

Leaning down, he captures one of her nipples in his mouth and sucks at it. She arches her back at the sensation and a soft moan rolls off her tongue.

Dean takes his time with her other nipple too, while his other hand kneads and pinches her other breast and nipple. 

After what seems like forever, Dean comes up again and smirks, her nipples are hard and perky, “Right, gotta finish what I started,” He says, works some more sunscreen down her stomach and her thighs. To her surprise he didn’t touch her where she wants him most but she thinks it’s just a stupid game he plays. 

When Dean screws the sunscreen bottle shut and stands up, she can see the tent in his swimming trunks. He’s definitely not able to hide that. 

Smirking, she asks, “You are not going to enjoy paradise with me?” 

He lets out a soft chuckle before he sits down again, his hands stroking her cheek, “I got another conference call. I should be finished in about two hours, okay? Gotta wait til then,”

“Okay,” She pouts and he thumbs at her lips before he bends down, kissing her soft and sweet. 

“Maybe you should go into the shade, or at least out of my fucking sight.” Dean growls a little and smacks her thigh. 

“Why?” She turns around on her stomach and he can’t help but smack her ass, too. 

“You’re fucking distracting when I’m trying to close a deal.” 

She giggles at that and wriggles with her ass some more. Dean spanks her one more time before he leaves to go inside.

*

Two hours came and went and Dean’s still not finished. Deciding that she’s had enough of the sun for the time being, Y/N goes inside to take a shower. It’s slowly getting darker, so she closes the door to their bungalow because she hates to have mosquitoes inside. Although, she guesses that there won’t be a lot of them because they’re so far out from the beach and there’s a steady breeze going all the time.

Dean didn’t seem to notice her because he had moved to sit at the desk to face the wall with his laptop. Apparently, she really did distract him. He had ordered room service in the afternoon and made a reservation at a restaurant here in the resort for the first night, but if he doesn’t finish soon, she doesn’t know if they can make it there on time.

After her shower, she walks out in a comfy bathrobe. Dean’s still chatting away at the screen and typing up an email simultaneously. She takes a book out of her suitcase and plants herself on the bed, her back  rests against the headboard. The mattress feels comfy, and honestly, she can’t wait to sleep in it. She feels a little tired from the travel and the sun kissed her skin enough to make it glow after she moisturized it.

Just when she was about to open up the book to where she left off, her phone pings. She takes it from the charger. 

 R: [picture]

R: Guess you’re a celebrity now, huh? Don’t ever forget me, alright?

 Y/N thumbs the message open. It’s a picture of her and Dean at the airport, not really a paparazzi picture because the resolution of the picture is not that high and she can see that someone took it sneakily.

 Y/N: I am shocked they recognized Dean. It was so fucking early in the morning.

R: Everyone would recognize Dean.

 Ruby’s probably not wrong. 

 R: How’s Jamaica? 

Y/N: Great. I’ve been in the sea already and Dean spent his afternoon on conference calls. 

R: Sam said something about the deadline of closing a deal, poor you. He’s got to make up for it.

Y/N: Yeah, maybe he will.

R: [picture] 

R: I’m at his apartment, still. 

 The picture shows Ruby’s face and in the back, Sam’s sitting lazily on his couch. She grins, is truly happy about their progress. 

When she’s about to type something back, Dean stands up to take his headset off, and he rubs at his ear. It’s probably itching like hell. She has the same problem when she wears a headset for too long. 

Dean stretches himself. He’s still in only his swimming trunks. She can see every muscle moving and twitching. It’s kind of a turn on, not going to lie about it. 

He lets out a loud groan before he looks over to the bed and notices her. His lips curve into a smile as he slumps his shoulders down and walks over to the bed. He crawls over to where she is lying and lays his head into her lap. 

“I’m so exhausted,” He mumbles into the fluffy bathrobe and she chuckles, her hand strokes at his head. 

“I hope it was worth missing out on a swim for,” 

He looks up from her lap, grins the boyish grin of his that she has come to like, “We have a reason for celebration,” 

“Is that so?” She lifts one of her eyebrows. 

“Yeah,” He nuzzles his head deeper into her lap, “Finally I can invest in that company I was after. Their chairman didn’t agree on the conditions on Friday but it seems like I could convince him.”

“How did you do that?”

He smiles again, “I’m just that good.”

She rolls her eyes at his cockiness. 

Dean turns in her lap, looks up to her, “What were you doing?” 

“I took a shower,”

His eyes widen, and he gasps all fake and adorably, “You took a shower without me?” 

“Well, you were busy, sir.” 

“And why were you grinning before?” He turns to his side, buries his face into her stomach and she strokes his hair once more.

“You didn’t notice when I was showering but you notice me grinning?”

He laughs into her bathrobe, it feels warm where his breathing hits, “Yeah, I always notice you grinning, or smiling, or laughing for that matter.”

“Ruby sent a text. There was a picture of us at the airport.”

Dean stills and looks up, “Already?”

Y/N thumbs over her phone to show it to him. Dean’s expression is unreadable. 

“I don’t like it,” He mumbles, “I mean, it helps the case but I don't like people snapping private pictures behind my back.”

“We’re not exactly private, Dean. I’m your fake wife for a reason.”

He doesn’t answer, he sits up instead and he’s thinking about something, she can tell by the way he looks at her. She decides to change the subject, and shows him another picture. The one of Ruby and Sam in the background. 

Dean snorts, “Tell her that Sam better fucking check his emails. He’s got work to do since I worked all day to close this deal.”

She types away, wants to send Ruby Dean’s exact words but before she could hit the send button, he takes the phone from her hand and places it on to her night stand, “Hey!”

“I didn’t mean now,” He grins and slots himself between her legs, still on his knees, and pulls at her legs until she’s lying flat on her back.

“No?” She asks, it’s her turn to grin cockily. 

“Nuh-uh,” Dean mumbles, his fingers working on the rope of her bathrobe. It’s barely held together so he has no problem opening it up. Dean swallows when he sees that she’s naked.

He gets back on his knees and leans over her, his hand cradling her face as he kisses her. And again, it grows from soft and tender to rough and hard, no other man has ever kissed her like Dean does. He kisses her as if he wants to claim her, as if he wants to dominate her, to make her his. And honestly, that’s all she wants at this very moment. 

Her mind doesn’t agree though because she realizes that they have a dinner reservation and they’re not going to make it when he keeps on kissing her the way he does. 

She breaks the kiss, and Dean can’t quite stop, sprays little kisses on her face, down her throat, “Dean, we’ll be late for dinner.”

Dean chuckles, pulls at the skin of her throat with his teeth, “I don’t know about you, but I’m about to have dinner.”

“Oh my god,” He’s so full of himself. Of course she likes it, but still…

“Baby, it’s the first time that I get to have you horizontal, you think I care about dinner?” He cocks an eyebrow before his mouth latches at her throat and kisses down a path to her chest. 

He flicks his tongue against one of her nipples, kneads the other tit in his big fucking hand and she writhes below him. Her hands fly to his head, fists themselves in his hair. Dean seals his whole mouth around her nipple, tickling it on the inside with his tongue and he uses his teeth too, making her moan out at the sensation and there’s something pulsing between her thighs but she can’t quite reach there because Dean’s blocking her fucking way. 

“Dean,” She whimpers, doesn’t care that it sounds needy because that’s all she fucking is. She squirms some more to make him notice. 

Dean chuckles and sucks in her nipple, only to let it out with a wet popping sound before his lips connect back to her body, and he licks his way down her stomach. He slots himself further between her thighs, and spreads little kisses along her pelvis, down to the apex of her thighs, leaving out her center on purpose and it’s fucking killing her. He’s such a tease. 

“Dean!” She’s louder, but she can’t help it. She’s dying here and he thinks it’s funny. 

“What?”

“Would you just—”

Dean licks his lips and grins at her before he thumbs along her center, parting her folds with both of his thumbs. He stares at her pussy and she feels a little uncomfortable. He lets out a low growl when he sees her glistening. She knows that she’s awfully wet. Has been since this fucking morning actually. 

“Tell me what you want,” Dean’s face is so close to her cunt, she can feel his breath hot against her center. 

“God, can you touch me there?”

“You’re too cute,” He chuckles but instead of teasing her some more, he gives in, licks a broad stripe up her center and seals his lips around the hood of her clit. 

Y/N fists her hands in the sheets, “Fuck,” 

“That’s the plan,” Dean mumbles against her slick folds, french kisses her cunt and groans when he feels her getting even wetter. 

They haven’t had that kind of sex before. It was passionate too, but mostly real quick and never horizontal. She can feel that Dean wants to take his time and that in turn, drives her fucking crazy. She also never had someone eating her out like Dean does. Her ex Kevin was okay with foreplay but he doesn’t really like it. He mostly licked her to get her wet enough to plunge his dick into her but that’s not the only point on Dean’s agenda. She can feel that he really, truly loves to eat her out, and he’s determined to make her come on his tongue. He doesn’t seem to mind if he would be down there for hours on end. It blows her mind. He is blowing her mind. 

Dean hums against her cunt, his scruff rubs against her thighs and she’s close because Dean sucks and his humming sends the right vibration against the nub of her clit. She pushes herself off the bed with her feet, driving her cunt deeper into Dean’s face and holds him steady with her hands in his hair. He doesn’t seem to mind, hums along, licks and slurps up his own drool and her juice. God, it sounds so fucking obscene and it turns her on even more. 

“Fuck, yes, yes, oh god, don’t stop,” She moans out and Dean shakes his head, hums some more. He changes between nibbling and sucking and it feels so fucking good. 

“Oh god,” Here it comes, she feels her thighs cramp up, feels her insides trembling, her walls convulsing and she can’t help but push herself harder against his face. Dean’s hands are around her thighs, holding on for dear life as she locks her thighs around his face, caging him in, when she comes. 

She pants hard when the moment’s finally over, laughing loudly and Dean taps at her thighs, asking for her to release her grip around his head. 

When she releases him, Dean looks up from below, his nose and lips are shiny from her slick. He smacks his lips loudly, swallows hard, “Good?” 

“Oh my god, yes,” She says, clasps her hand over her face. She probably looks like she just ran a marathon. 

Dean places one more kiss on her clit before he pushes himself away and stands at the foot of the bed. With one swipe, he gets rid of his trunks and climbs back to bed, walks on his knees up to where she is. 

He strokes himself, jerks off his impressive dick and he bends down, kisses her hard. She can taste herself off his tongue.

“Fuck— I—,” Dean’s breathing hard.

She grins up at him, takes his dick in her hand and begins to stroke him up and down. She gets on her elbows, and sticks her tongue out to lick at his balls, sucking them in one by one while her fists are tight around his tip, stroking up and down. Dean spits on the head of his dick, helps slicking his cock up while she worries at his sac, “Fuck, your mouth feels amazing,”

He lowers himself a little when he notices that she wants to take him further into her mouth, his hands stroking along her legs and thighs. She takes him in, tongue licking up along his shaft before she seals her lips around his tip. Dean lets out a groan when she takes him deeper, his hand rubs circles on her clit before he toys at her entrance, slipping in one finger and then two. He moves faster inside of her, making her hum and sucking him off harder.

“Baby, as much as I would love you to suck me dry, fuck, I— your mouths feels too good,” Dean pulls his dick away from her, takes his wet fingers out from her cunt and flips her over with no problem at all. 

Dean helps her get rid of her bathrobe, throws it somewhere in the room, “On your elbows and knees,” He says, his voice is low and it sounds strained. 

Y/N can’t lie, she likes when he tells her what to do.

Propping herself on her elbows and knees, she waits. Dean’s one hand is jerking himself off while his other one kneads at the flesh of her ass. He spanks down on one of them, she’s sure that her skin turns red immediately. Leaving his hand there, he jiggles her ass, “Fucking beautiful,” He whispers and then he lowers himself, she can feel his face between her asscrack. Dean tongues at her clit, licks up her rim to her asshole and she moans out shamelessly. 

“Like that?” His voice is cocky.

“Y-yes,” She admits and Dean takes the cue to lick some more. God, she fucking loves it. Never felt anything like it before. 

“Fuck,” Dean curses, “You’re so tasty, but I really gotta—” He holds his cock out, threads the head through her slick and rubs it against her cunt, teasing her. 

“Dean, please!” She’s damn near exploding. She wants him inside right the fuck now. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m—” Dean mumbles and pushes his tip into her waiting and slick cunt. He rests the tip there before he places his hands around her hips and pushes in, groaning louder the deeper he gets. 

“Oh fuck,” She bites down on her lip, lowers her forehead to the mattress, “You’re so fucking deep,”

“Jesus, you feel so good,” Dean groans, his hands kneads her ass, pulling them apart to watch his dick go in and out of hot and wet heat, “Looks so fucking great,” 

He goes slow, before he picks up speed and while it’s perfect, she can’t help but want even more. 

“Dean, please, harder,” Y/N’s body is filled with want, and she fucks back into him. 

“Christ, look at you, so fucking perfect,” He spreads her ass cheeks wider, “Yeah, fuck yourself on my cock, baby, take what you want, good girl,”

She shakes her ass while moving back and forth, and she can hear him chuckle before he spanks down on her ass. The pain is sharp, it soars through her body. Not going to lie, it is painful but it fucking turns her on.

“You like that? Like to be spanked?” 

“Fuck,” She’s glad he can’t see how she turns red, “Yes!”

Dean lets out a groan at her answer, spanks her twice more, for good measure, “Jesus,” He pants and then he starts to set a fast pace, fucking in to her with wild abandon. 

At one point, he leans forward, grabs her by her arms and pulls her up against his chest, his one hand yanking at her hair while his other hand goes down to rub at her clit. He never stops fucking her hard, like she wants him to. 

“Oh god,” She moans out upon feeling her second orgasm approaching.

Dean licks up the shell of her ear and whispers, “Come, baby, be a good girl, come for me,” 

And that, she does, comes hard around him, her cunt pushes him out and Dean has to let go of her and pushes her down on her elbow again to be able to slip inside once more. 

“Fuck, you’re still coming, so fucking tight,” He has to bite down on his bottom lip at the tight squeeze. It needed only a couple more thrusts for him to come deep inside her and he leans down, sinks his teeth into her back before he sucks and licks at the mark he left behind. 

His legs gave out and he collapsed on top of her, and he turned them around in his grip so that he was spooning her from behind. They’re still connected. Dean has his arms around her middle, kisses along the nape of her neck to her shoulder, “You’re something else,” 

“Am I?” She strokes along his forearm. 

“Yeah,” He breathes out a chuckle, “I came so hard I think I blacked out.”

They stay connected for a while longer until Dean slips out with a squelching sound. He carries her into the shower and she finds herself showering for the second time. 

He dries himself off before he goes out to get the robe for her and comes back holding it out for her to step into, “How about we don’t go out tonight? We can order room service.”

Y/N agrees because her legs are too wobbly to walk anywhere right now. 

They’re cozy in bed with her lying on her stomach on the other end from Dean who has the cover pulled to protect his modesty while typing away on his laptop. They’re both still naked and she’s well aware that Dean has a clear view of her cunt and ass, but she didn’t mind very much. It seems like the most natural thing to be when they are around each other. 

Finally she gets to send out the text to Ruby and there’s immediately a reply back.

 R: [picture]

R: Sam’s working right now.

 It’s a picture of Ruby’s face and Sam’s in the background, staring grumpily into the camera. 

She has to laugh which prompts Dean to look at her with one raised eyebrow. She looks back and holds out the phone to show him the picture, “Sam’s working.”

“As he should,” Dean says sternly and she turns back, her thumb hovers over her screen. 

Y/N starts to type a reply when Dean closes his laptop and gets out from under the covers to come crouching on top of her. He’s already half hard again, she can feel the tip of his dick brushing over her ass. 

“You want to send her a picture back?” 

She frowns, she’s actually never thought about it but now Dean makes her second guess it, “I don’t know,”

“Come on, do it,” He nuzzles his nose against her temple. 

“What?”

“I know you’re good friends and she always sends you pictures. So maybe if you really want, you can send one too, I’m okay with it.”

Tilting her head to her side, she meets his green eyes. He’s smiling, the crinkles deep around the corner. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” 

“I don’t know,” She is having doubts. It’s not like they have something going on like Sam and Ruby do. Their arrangement is purely business. 

“C’mon,” Dean takes her phone out of her hands, and holds it out to snap a picture, doesn’t even mind if they’re still naked.

His hands are longer than hers, it can snap up a picture from a wider angle. She sees herself on the screen, sees Dean behind her, his chin on her shoulder. Her hair covers her boobs.

Dean lowers his face, kisses and sucks at her shoulder while he looks up at the screen, the wrinkles on his forehead showing. She bites her lip because his warm tongue and sharp teeth feel great on her skin. He quickly snaps a couple of pictures. 

He gives her back her phone, urges her to send one out again when he nibbles and sucks at her throat. 

God, this man is doing things to her.

She quickly sends it out. Doesn’t even write anything else and abandons her phone because Dean turns her around, kisses her lazily soft. 

“Come on, we should get some sleep,” He whispers against her lips. 

“Why?” 

“Because I don’t think I wanna wake up to a cranky you again tomorrow.” He chuckles lightly, and gets off the bed to pick her up before he pulls the cover away with one hand and lets her fall back into the bed with the other. He climbs in after her, spreads his arms for her to crawl in. 

He kisses her again, all soft and tender. It’s a contrast to how he just fucked her. She likes both sides of him. Likes how he can go all rough and demanding on her but shows her his softer side as well. And it’s easy, she thinks, they are comfortable around each other, at least as far as she can tell. She just wishes that the circumstances around whatever they have right now would have been different. 

CH16

[jackidy]

To Star Lake - Chapter 2

Rating: T Pairings: Todoroki Shouto/Sero Hanta Characters: Various Universe: Howls Moving Castle Au

Summary: A day of impossibilities starts with a mystery man, with mismatched eyes and cold hands, rescuing him in a dark alleyway as he attempted to go about his business and the pet name sweetheart being said a little too tenderly. It ends with another stranger cursing him in his own store after telling them to leave.

Things like this don’t happen to people like Sero Hanta.

AO3  Previous Chapter Next Chapter 

---

He’s all too aware of his body when he wakes up, the dull thrum of pain in his joints and back that was not too different from every time he’d fallen asleep at his desk whilst working. Only he’s not at his desk, he’s in his bed, staring at the off-white ceiling as Sero willed himself to get up, mind combing through the events of yesterday in a bid to find the source of why he ached so much.

Went to see Kaminari. Was literally swept off his feet by a wizard. Came home and met another one who –

The attempt to sit up quickly is beaten by the stiffness, Sero grumbling to himself as he stumbled over to the mirror and wash basin in his room, blinking at his appearance before sighing in resignation. “So, I didn’t dream that after all.” He mumbles, voice deeper and croakier than it had been before, eyeing his now older features warily. How was he going to explain this to Urakaka and the workers or to Mina when she turned up later?

Wait, Mina. Moving with speed that leaves him winded, Sero locks the door, knowing the other would barely hesitate before slamming the door open to announce her presence the moment she realised he wasn’t downstairs. But how could he go downstairs?! He’d aged fifty years over night due to some guy whose life mission last night seemed to solely be tormenting Sero.

Had he been the person following them through the alleyway? He wasn’t caught up enough on magic practises to know if blue fire was a common thing, he just now knew that curses burnt through you like fire. Presuming that his current state was reversible at all, gods he hoped it was.

“Pass that on to little Shouto, would you.”

Why did everything keep coming back to Shouto? He’d never met the man. Surely, he’d remember meeting a supposed heart stealing wizard, even if Sero was far from his usual target. He’d entertained the idea of his rescuer being him, of the renowned heart eater saving him, kissing the back of his hand before he was stating he was his Hanta. But things like that don’t happen to him, regardless of what yesterday have proved, it was simply a case of mistaken identity that had resulted in all this.

At least, that was the truth he believed until a better idea came up.

The jostling of the door handle startles him, an all too familiar annoyed noise before loud, impatient knocking sounded against the door. “Sero Hanta! Open this door so I can see your lovely face.” There she was, tehre was Mina, Sero tempted to open the door and greet her only to stop himself. How does he explain this? It had been a struggle in and of itself trying to play down the events of yesterday to keep Kaminari from stressing out and that was before the additional ones that left him twenty-three going on seventy.

“Maybe next time, I’m not feeling too great.” Not an entire lie, he didn’t feel great. He felt confused and anxious more than anything. Please buy it, he mentally pleads, hoping it would be good enough cover as to why he sounded so old now. “I must have caught something at the parade yesterday.” I caught a series of impossible events, he adds silently, waiting with bated breath to see if she buys it and leaves.

“Do you need me to get you anything? We can bring you some soup at lunch time?” We? Oh, Urakaka. No doubt as soon as Mina returned downstairs with news he was ill she’d be in the same concerned boat as Mina, the pair a force to be reckoned with when it came to any worker feeling a little off colour or, more often than not, whenever Sero over worked himself.

It happened more often than he cared to admit.

“Sure, you know my favourite.” What time was it now? How long until the lunch break and how long did he have to leave? It was ten, lunch began at one. 3 Hours was plenty of time to dress, pack some food and money and leave before they all came back. As much as he would love to stay, he doesn’t know how to explain any of this, the idea of disappearing for a while and coming back himself a more attractive idea.

Kaminari is probably going to laugh at the fact the thing that got him to stop following his self-imposed expectations of himself was being turned into an old man. This all after, of course, the blonde would shout about how he’d been right about Sero’s day only getting stranger.

His clothes still fit, though what they gained in length they lost in looseness, fitting now more snugly against him. Perhaps that’s a perk in and of itself, if this is what he was going to look like when he was older, at least his metabolism had slowed down enough to let him gain weight. “At least your clothes fit you better now.” Sero whispers to himself, shrugging on a jacket and jamming his signature hat on like always.

First stop is the kitchen, taking his bag and cautiously unlocking the door, heading downstairs, breathing a small sigh of relief to find the kitchen empty, grabbing bread, cheese and some cured meat before pausing at the sight of the tart on the table and the small note beside it of ‘Hanta’s, don’t touch!’. Oh, the temptation to take it, arguing with himself for a little too long before sighing and walking over, grabbing the nearest pen to scribble a quick ‘thank you! – Hanta’ on the note before taking it.

No use adding to the panic they were going to feel when they realised that he was gone, Sero hesitating, unsure of if he should go through with his plan before shaking his head, shoving the entire bite sized pastry in his mouth. He was leaving. He was going to the wastes to find someone, anyone, willing to tell him how to break this curse placed on him and, with any luck, hopefully break it.

Shoving the plundered food into his bag, he makes a quick escape as the dawning realisation of how much tea the shop went through during the day set in. Leaving through the gate in the courtyard behind the store, Sero slips into the alleyway, thankful as the stiffness of his joints seems to ease up but noting with some annoyance how it still remained, as if a lingering reminder of the mess he’d gotten himself in.

Maybe he should get himself a walking stick? If anything, it would add to the look, Sero politely turning down the off of help down some stairs before going back to his thoughts, did he have enough to buy a walking stick? Did he have enough money at all? He hadn’t really checked his wallet before leaving, he’d just assumed he’d have enough to get by on. Did recklessness come with being older or was this just another side of the curse that he was only just now becoming aware of because, sure, he wasn’t always the most careful of people but he’d always been careful when it came to his finances.

He’ll find a stick to use when he gets to the wastes, nothing was so sore he needed one right now anyway but it would be a safe bet he may need something to assist walking when he made it to the moorland wastes. But he was getting ahead of himself, it was all fair and well planning what he’d do once he reached the outskirts of civilisation but he first had to get there.

---

He should have bought a walking stick.

Sero makes it to the wastes, hitching a ride with a farmer whose farmland backed onto them, who felt the need to remind Sero he was crazy for going up into the wastes alone, how nobody who went there ever came back and that he hoped whoever Sero was looking for was worth it. He doesn’t have the heart to tell the man that he’s aware of the first two, just smiling a little sadly and informing him that, yes, the person he was looking for was important. Even if Sero didn’t know who that was just yet, silently hoping it was the man from the alleyway just so he could point out with annoyance at just what he’d inadvertently caused by not letting him be mugged.  

That’s what he tells himself anyway, knowing it in part to be a lie.

He still wants to know how the man knew his name, how he treated him like they not only knew each other but were close. Sero has met many people through his work but he knows full well that whilst he remembers people, they rarely remember him and yet, Mr Mystery was not only unknown to him but also knew enough about Sero to not only call him his given name but kiss his hand. How could he not be intrigued enough to seek him out and demand answers to every question the wizard had been the source of?

Sero shivers as another breeze goes through him, noting bitterly he should have picked up a thicker jacket than the one he wore as well as a stick, huddling down into a small outcropping of trees, pulling the flimsy jacket tighter around him before blowing into his hands. “Biggest I’ve ever been and I still can’t keep fucking warm.” He mutters to himself bitterly, digging into his bag for a bite to eat before setting himself to thinking of warm things.

The hearth in the work room that made the winters so much more bearable. The hot cocoa Koda made for everyone during his breaks at the bakery, including Sero if he happened to be visiting Kaminari. Urakaka and Mina’s attempts at making soups or stews and failing miserably, Sero always eating them despite the way his stomach protested each time, thinking fondly on how they’d improved over the years to the point what they made was now truly edible. How hot the alleyway had been even with the ice cold hand on his waist, how warm the wizards hand had been in comparison when it-

No.

He wasn’t supposed to be thinking about that right now, Sero’s stomach churning. It was his fault he was an old man, his fault he was currently sat in cold moorland and not in his workshop, his fault that everyone he was friends with were probably panicking over his sudden disappearance. No, that one wasn’t his fault, it was Sero’s decision to leave, no matter how much he wanted to blame someone else.

“I should have left a note for them.” He wonders idly, staring at the town in the distance, mouth pressed into a thin line as opposed to one of his usual smiles. They’ll be fine without him, he won’t be gone forever and then he’s return so they can all, rightfully, express their annoyance at him for just absconding into the wilderness without so much as a word never mind a goodbye.

The sound of something rustling makes him jump, Sero scrambling to his feet in a way that wouldn’t have affected his younger body but he’d definitely be feeling later on at this age, turning a little too sharply only to find not a beast but a stick, or should that be a branch, sticking out of the bushes. Had that been there when he’d stopped here earlier or was this just the world granting him a boon to make up for his own personal hell he was experiencing?

Putting his bag back on, Sero moves round to the other side of the outcrop, preferring the idea of not tumbling down the side of the hill should he fall, knowing full well there would be no way he’d manage to get back up the hill with any new pains he’d gain from it. The cold breeze is still present as he grabs the stick in both hands, muttering small curses as he pulled the stick, going as far as to put his foot against a tree for leverage.

“This branch better be damn worth it.” He hisses through clenched teeth, toppling backwards as the branch comes free, revealing not a walking stick like he had hoped but something entirely different. Sero isn’t too proud to admit he screams, a scarecrow that looks more akin to a crucified bird balancing perfectly at his feet, a tattered dark suit covering the frame embellished with red and black feathers that stretched from arms to a flour sack head in a way that made it look like a crown. It’s almost laughable how it looks like a mocking rendition of the missing Prince from the neighbouring kingdom.

Pushing himself to his feet, grunting in pain from his sore back and knees, Sero offers the scarecrow a withering glance before sighing. “Well, there goes my hopes for a walking stick. At least you’re not upside down now.” He grumbles, rolling his shoulders to ease the stiffness settling into them, sighing before setting off again, hands gripping the bag strap as a sense of unease filled him.

He needs to find a place to stay, eyeing the clouds above wearily as they rolled in slowly, thick and dark, the smell of lightning and rain in the air. Kaminari would be happy, he was practically lightning made flesh, but Sero was not his short friend, Sero was not too fond of being caught out in a storm, more so now he knew how cold the wastes were. If only he had actually found a stick in that bush, maybe then he’d move faster than a snail’s pace and have at least a diminishing hope of finding a place to stay tonight as opposed to the none existent one he held onto now.

Sero jumps as something is dropped in front of him, looking down at the offending object, a walking stick, before turning his attention upwards to the looming figure oh the bird turned scarecrow. If this had occurred any other week, Sero knows full well his response to a moving scarecrow would have been one of abject horror, more so down to the thing’s effigy like appearance. “Umm…thanks.”

His back cracks as he bends to pick up the cane, noting with mild amusement the bird head like handle, looking up at the scarecrow again and letting out a breathy laugh. “You must be so proud of yourself, huh?” His response comes in the form of a couple of bounces, Sero not entirely sure why he thought he’d get a verbal one beyond it feeling like a natural conclusion to come to after the day or so. “If you want to find a place for me to stay in tonight too, that would also be helpful.”

The scarecrow bounces away, a lot faster than Sero expected it to move, the cursed man silently wondering just how the scarecrow had come to be and just how it seemed to understand what he was saying to it. Was it also cursed like him or was it simply the product of unspent magic that found its home in an inanimate object? Though, what did he know, his only experiences with magic in life had resulted in the situation he was stuck in.

Hobbling forward, Sero heads in the direction the scarecrow had gone, his legs all too thankful when the ground evened out into something less steep, the lessening ache in his joints feeling heavenly even if he was still in some discomfort, preferring the mild discomfort over the sharper pains that had seemingly haunted his ankles knees and hips on inclines.

He’s not too sure how longer he’s walked for when he smells it, the all too familiar woodsmoke, Sero relaxing and moving forward with as much vigour only for the excitement to come to a crushing end when he hears it. Metal clanks and creaks against itself, the smell of smoke almost suffocating as the sight of both the scarecrow and the house it had found come into view.

Only it wasn’t a house.

That was Shouto’s castle.

“When I said find me a house, I didn’t mean that!” Sero yells, watching as the castle seems to slow its pace, passing the cursed man and scarecrow slowly but never stopping. This had to be a sick coincidence, right? Surely this bird headed scarecrow hadn’t intentionally led a magical walking castle to him, right? He might have come to the wastes looking for a witch or wizard willing to help him out but this was something else entirely, he was hoping for one that didn’t walk hand in hand with a reputation for heart eating.

Any further protests to using the castle are interrupted when the sky rumbles to life, a loud roar of thunder and the crack of lightning somewhere behind him but all too close for comfort. Breaking and entering into a castle owned by a wizard of known incredible power or staying out in a storm? It was an easy enough answer for him to find, stumbling after the castle as the sound of raindrops began to make the metal sing. Why does the castle seem to be speeding up again, had Sero missed his opportunity to enter? Rain biting into the back of his calves as he attempted to catch up, not sure if the sound in his ears was the rumbling thunder or his frantic heartbeat from the sheer effort of trying to at least keep up with the castle.

“Could you decide if you’re letting me in or not already?!” He wheezes out, the burn in his legs almost unbearable, each step feeling like he’s walking on glass as opposed to the rain-soaked grass. It’s unexpected, the way the castle seems to come to a near halt, swinging back on its legs to meet Sero’s next frantic step, the old man stumbling and falling against the stone stairs due to the momentum, hissing from the impact and the pain blooming in his shins and forearms.

He was going to be sore in the morning, shakily pulling himself up with help from both the ramshackle railing and his cane, eyeing the blue door before him before turning to regard the scarecrow, still bouncing after the castle, Sero wondering vaguely if it wanted more praise or if it was simply concerned for his wellbeing. “Thanks,” he says softly, half convinced the scarecrow hadn’t heard him only to witness the scarecrow perform the same bounce it had upon bringing him the stick.

The warmth that hits him upon opening the door is a welcome embrace, Sero walking in without a second glance to the scarecrow, closing the door softly as to avoid alerting anyone to his presence. He may be cursed, worn, far beyond the point of caring anymore but he by no means wished for more misfortunate upon himself, not today at least. Wooden stairs almost feel like a mountain as he climbs them, twelve steps feeling like twelve thousand, yet his lungs feel free, the squeeze of exhaustion having slowly eased out of them.

Sero spots the stool in the dim light of the fire, choosing to ignore the unkempt state of the room he’d entered for now, his sole focus being to sit down and just bask in the heat of the fire. His stick tapping against the floorboards and his grunts whenever he miss stepped where the only thing breaking the silence, Sero using what seemed to be the last of his energy to pull another couple of logs onto the fire before sinking onto the stool, full weight against the stick so he didn’t ultimately fall off.

“You’re not supposed to be in here.” The voice is as groggy as he feels, Sero staring at the slowly awakening fire, vaguely registering the grumpy face staring back at him from it. A fire with a face, off putting but not at all surprising, Sero too relaxed under the heat that seemed to melt his muscles and bones in peaceful welcome. It would take an act of god to move him at this point, that much he was sure of.

“I’m not supposed to be a lot of things.” He’s not supposed to be old. He’s not supposed to focus on work too much. He’s not supposed to attract the attention of witches and wizards. He’s not supposed to doubt his friend’s compliments. He’s not supposed to be sat in the castle of Ice Prince Shouto, having a conversation with the fire place about where or not he should have walked in from the wastes.

The fire regards him, a strange expression on its flames akin to impressed and humoured by Sero’s current state and, in all honesty, he isn’t sure which is worse. “Who the fuck did you piss off to have that happen?” The fire’s voice is gravely, like the crackle of burning wood, Sero finding himself slowly falling asleep only to jolt awake when there’s an annoyed shout of ‘wake up’ followed by an insult.

“I don’t know, didn’t think to ask for a name during the entire exchange.” He jokes, ignoring the unimpressed look on the fire’s flames, feeling the exhaustion begin to creep in once more. Would he still have been this fatigued if he were still his true age? He’s not sure, knowing he’s had stressful enough day to exhaust anyone. “If I can stay the night then I’ll be on my way before-”

“Do you want to break it?”

“Break what?”

“The curse.”  

The silence stretches on, the fire returning Sero’s dumbfounded look with one of mild annoyance. How does he answer that? Of course he wants to break the curse but what could a fire, sentient or not, do to help him? Sure, he had had his doubts about the scarecrow but this was different, the scarecrow could at least move but the fire was well and truly trapped in the hearth. “How do I know you actually want to help me and this isn’t another trick?”

It smirks at him, a little too on the feral side for Sero to feel fully comfortable with it, flames burning a little brighter with what he could only guess to be excitement. “Because you’re not the only one with a curse to break.” That made sense, he supposes, a fair trade of one broken curse for another, Sero wondering just how someone managed to curse a fire before it occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, the fire was in the same position as he was. “Do we have a deal?”

“Sero. My name is Sero.” He replies sleepily, all too ready to fall into the embrace of sleep as he yawned widely, slumping further onto his cane.

“Bakugou.”

“You’ve got a deal.” He mumbles more than says, finally giving himself over to the exhaustion.

[eveningcatcher]

Valdemar with a cat

MC walked up to Valdemar in the dungeon, sitting next to them, “Dear, I have to travel, and I can’t bring Pepper with me…”

“I’m not taking care of that thing,” Valdemar said, not taking their eyes off the book.

“Please…” they clinged on their hand,” For me.”

Valdemar took a glance at MC’s adorable face, giving in, “Fine…”

“Thank you,“ Mc said, kissing them on the cheek,” I’ll give you all of her things. Trust me, you won’t even notice her. She sleeps most of the time. Also, you should feed her-”

“I know the basics. No need to tell me about that,” they simply stated, returning to their work.

“Oh, right. Once again, thank you so much,” MC said, hugging them, then getting more serious, ”Also, if I see on her a single stitch from the vivisection, you’re dead.”

“You’re no fun,” they pouted.

“I’m serious,” MC told them. Once  they went into MC’s home, taking everything that one cat might need, MC kissed Valdemar once again, taking their backpack,” Have fun.”

As soon as MC was out of sight, Valdemar took a long look at the cat. Would MC be able to find the stitches? After a moment of thinking, they decided to drop the idea. They grabbed the cat, as well as the food and whatnot, carrying it to the dungeons.

Surprisingly enough, MC was right. The cat would sleep at the side most of the time and, once it was time for Valdemar to return to their estate, the cat would wake up. This was an amazing scenario and everything was going well, until Pepper woke one day in the dungeon, knocking down scalpels off the table.

Valdemar stared at the scalpels on the floor, then at the cat, “Why would you do that? What is wrong with you?”

“Mrrow.”

Valdemar sighed, picking up the scalpels, putting them on a higher place, trying his best to explain to the cat why it shouldn’t do that. For God’s sake, Valdemar might get in trouble even though they didn’t do anything!

Of course, Pepper just stared at them, loving that she finally got some attention from the Quaestor. As soon as Valdemar got back to their desk, they heard another loud bang. Pepper got to the scalpels, again.

“Stop it,” Valdemar said with venom in their voice. That seemed to have discouraged Pepper from being mischievous for the day, as she went back into her corner, purring until she fell asleep. Valdemar sighed as they watched the cat sleep, “I won’t even notice her…” they muttered MC’s words as they went back to work. Who knows how much time has passed when they’ve heard strange noises. They took a glance at the place where Pepper was asleep and, much to their surprise, she wasn’t there. Shit.

They stood up, feeling their patience running out, as they went to look for the cat. After a while, they found the cat under the table, scratching it with its claws, happily meowing once they saw Valdemar.

At the sight of what that little monster has done to the table, they sighed, hiding their face in their gloves. It took every ounce of their energy not to take the cat and throw it into the beetle pit. If only the cat was dumb enough to jump in it herself.

“Meow,” the cat purred once it was done scratching the table, walking up to Valdemar, purring as she nuzzled her head on their leg.

“Do you seriously believe this is enough to make me forgive you? God, why does MC even keep you?” they muttered as they grabbed the cat, putting it back on her small bed, “Don’t. Go. Anywhere.”

Thankfully, Pepper didn’t do much for the rest of the day. However, it is the next day where she went over the line. Valdemar was cleaning the scalpels, as always, and they noticed that the little freak was soundly asleep. After they’ve put the scalpels in the box, they silently left, looking for a new specimen for experimenting. Right after they’ve brought the unconscious victim in the dungeon, they noticed that the whole place looked like a mess. The ink was spilt all over their notebooks, and ink pawprints were everywhere. Some of the doctors’ suits were torn beyond repair, small pieces of fabric being all over the place. And in the middle of the whole mess was Pepper, half of her face black from the ink, happily meowing.

Valdemar dropped the man on the floor, walking to the cat, their head twitching in irritation. Pepper seemed to understand Valdemar’s ill intents as she quickly ran away from them.

“Get back, you bastard! Vulgora looks like a well-mannered person in comparison to you!” they shouted as they picked up their bone saw. Fuck MC’s wishes, they’ll get the identical cat.

They turned around, trying to find the cat, “Come, kitty, kitty,” they mused. After a while, they realized the cat was nowhere in sight, as well as that the specimen they brought is started to gain consciousness. That can’t do. They quickly picked the man up, strapping him on the least ruined table.

“Pspspsps,” they called out, looking for a small demon. Just as they were to pass one of the vivisection tables, they heard a small hiss. “There you are,” they said with a smile, extending their hand to grab the cat. However, the brave little demon just kept on hissing, scratching Valdemar’s hand. Valdemar sighed once again, as they walked to the Pepper’s bowl, putting on some cat food. After shaking the bowl for a couple of seconds, the cat was right next to them, almost as if she forgot everything that happened.

Valdemar put the bowl down, and just before Pepper was about to eat, Valdemar lifted her in the air, giving her a little shake. “LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!! I can’t perform vivisection in these conditions,” they turned the cat to the whole dungeon, showing her the whole mess.

As much as Valdemar cared about the state of the dungeon, that much Pepper didn’t give a shit, instead, she found out that she quite enjoyed it when Valdemar gave her a little shake. She moved her paws left and right, imitating what Valdemar did to her moments ago. They stared at her the whole time, giving her another shake, to which the cat started purring.

“You’re a bigger moron than DR. 69,” They muttered, “I never thought there was someone who could best him in that…” they looked at the side, noticing their bone saw. No, they cooled enough not to kill her. They put her in one of the cages, locking the doors, “Don’t even think about-” they stopped midsentence as they saw the cat walk through the cage. They stared at the cat who was looking at them, meowing, as she cleaned her tiny paw.

Valdemar had enough of this monster’s bullshit. They took what was left of one of the doctor’s suits, tying the cat inside the cage, making it look like a wrapped newborn. They sighed, taking out the scalpels from the box. At least the cat didn’t knock- how the fuck did it get out?!? Valdemar stared at the cat, not moving an inch. Please, please, just leave. As if on cue, the cat stared at them, then at the strapped man, went into her corner, dropping onto her bed. It was indeed enough chaos for today.

As soon as Valdemar finished with their experiment and with cleaning the whole dungeon, it was time to rewrite days worth of research because some rascal decided it would be a fun idea to bathe in ink… Oh, the demon decided to wake up… great… Valdemar should wash her…

“Mrrow,” the cat purred as she walked on Valdemar’s legs, trying to get any type of reaction out of them, however, Valdemar was too focused on rewriting everything that they didn’t even notice when Pepper jumped on their lap. She got herself comfortable and, still without Valdemar noticing, fell asleep.

It was only once Valdemar was done writing that they noticed the little bastard sleeping on their lap. They sighed as they gently put the cat down on the chair, hoping she wouldn’t wake up. But she did. She turned her head to the Valdemar with a disappointed expression.

“Sleep somewhere else,” they simply stated as they put the papers away.

The cat meowed with so much sorrow in her voice that even Valdemar felt pity. They picked the cat up, carrying it around the dungeon, trying to comfort her. Pepper seemed to not be satisfied with the position, so she climbed on top of Valdemar’s shoulders, positioning herself right between Valdemar’s headpiece. Much better.

Valdemar wanted to do something about the cat, but couldn’t. They were too old to deal with this cat’s shit. And so that’s how Pepper was carried from dungeons to Valdemar’s estate.

Once they’ve washed the cat thoroughly, they went to their room. For the first time in centuries, they felt tired. They laid in their bed, unable to fall asleep as they stared at the ceiling. After a while, they felt something burying its claws deep in their skin. They shifted their gaze lazily as they stared at Pepper eye to eye.

She purred as she buried another pair of claws into Valdemar’s arm.

“Whatever,” Valdemar said with an exhausted sigh, “This is fine,” they shifted their gaze back at the ceiling.

At some point Pepper got tired of her antics as she unburied her claws, laying right on top of Valdemar. The morning came and, even though they didn’t close their eyes the whole night, it was time for Valdemar to get out of their bed. And they would have done so had Pepper slept somewhere other than on them. They knew what will happen if they dare move, so they continued to lie on the bed, hoping that the cat will decide to wake up soon. It seemed that their prayers were answered. Not even ten minutes later the kitten woke up, purring at the sight of Valdemar. They, on the other hand, put her on the bed as they finally got out, feeling somewhat refreshed. Once the two of them were in the dungeons the cat started scratching the doors of the elevator. Valdemar rolled their eyes as they grabbed the cat, going outside. But once they got there the cat stared at the scenery in front of her, deciding that she saw enough nature for today. However, Valdemar didn’t let her have her way this time.

“No,” they put the cat back outside, “You wanted to be outside so you’ll stay outside,” they walked back to the dungeons, making sure the cat wasn’t following them. Just before the got into the library, Nadia greeted them.

“Good morning, Quaestor,” she said with a smile, “Perfect time for the court meeting.”

“Of course, Countess,” they said with a fake smile on their face.

Valdemar followed Nadia, sitting in their usual place as they zoned off, thinking about all of the possible errors in their research. They would have pondered about it a bit more had Vlastomil not shrieked so loudly. They lazily turned their head to him, then at the thing they were staring at. It was Pepper who happily put down a dead bird in front of Valdemar’s legs.

“For me?” they asked softly as the cat took the bird in its mouth, putting it in Valdemar’s hands. They were deeply touched by this act. Only MC gave them gifts.

They picked the cat up and, ignoring the judging stares from the rest of the court, went back into the dungeons. From that point on, Valdemar and Pepper were vibing. Valdemar would continue with their research, examining all of the specimen Pepper would bring them. On one occasion Pepper brought them Malak, but unfortunately, Julian came into the dungeons, taking him away. He never lets Valdemar have any fun…

Once MC returned to Vesuvia Valdemar found it hard to get separated from Pepper. They’d occasionally visit MC’s shop, letting Pepper nap on their lap as they read a book.

@luciosjuicythighs

[steverogersstanblr]

Accident

(Peter ParkerxAvenger!Reader)

Summary: Peter and Y/N have been dating for about a year.They both just graduated high school a few months ago and start college soon while still being Avengers.But, one night, Y/N’s birth control fails and accidents happen.

Warnings: teen pregnancy,abortion

“Hey babe, I brought you back some more tampons.”Peter walked into my room

I looked up at him and titled my head.

Yes Peter keeps up with my period.It’s always regular and is never late but, I haven’t gotten it yet.

“Pete..I think Im late.”I said lowly

“W-What?”He closed the door and got closer to me

“No no no..it’s supposed to start on the 17th.That was two days ago..fuck.”I got out

“Okay.Maybe there’s a reason for this?Your body’s changing-

“Im..Im gonna go talk to Nat.”I cut him off

He nodded.”O-Okay.”

I kissed his cheek and left him on my bed.

I went out to the main area and saw Steve,Bucky,Sam and Wanda eating lunch and talking.

“Hey kiddo.”Steve looked up

“Hey..uhm anyone know where Nat is?”I asked

“You just missed her.She had to go meet with Fury.What’s going on?”Sam asked

“Uh...”I looked down and started to feel my eyes well up

“Y/N..what’s wrong?”Steve walked over to me

He’s basically like my dad..and a strict one.I can’t tell him what’s going on.

“I need to go to the doctor.”I told him

“Okay..so why are you crying?”He asked me lowly

I saw Wanda’s eyes widen as she looked at me.

“Uhm..why don’t we go talk?”Wanda walked over

Steve still didn’t take his eyes off of me.

“Im just gonna- go with Wanda.”I told him

He looked to her and then nodded.

“Okay..but you know you can tell me anything?Right?”He asked

Not this.

I nodded.

“Alright.”He kissed my head

Wanda and I went outside to one of the balconies.

“I saw..what you were thinking.Natasha is better with these things but I could help..we have to tell Tony though.”She said

Tony was like my dad too.A lot less strict than Steve but still..not that cool.

“He’s gonna kill me.”I mumbled

“Yeah..but it’ll be better than telling Steve.”She said

I nodded.

“Shall we?”She stood up

I got up and followed her lead.We went down to the lab where Tony and Bruce always were.

They didn’t even notice we were there until Wanda cleared her throat.

“Ah!My babygirl!”Tony came and hugged and kissed me

“You look a little ill Y/N.Everything okay?”Bruce asked

“Uh-

“Actually that’s why we’re here.”Wanda said

All of them looked to me.

“What’s going on?”Tony asked

I looked at my socks.

“My period is late.”I said lowly

“I’m sorry what..?”Tony asked loudly

“I think that um..I might be pregnant.”I said

“Jesus fucking Christ.”He groaned

“You’re having sex?Since when are you having sex?!?I knew it was a bad idea for you and Peter to be together and live under the same roof!But you begged me and you told me that nothing like this would happen!!”He yelled and rambled

I looked up and caught a glimpse of his dissappointed and angry face.

“We can get you a doctor in a few hours.”Bruce finally spoke up

“Okay.Thank you.”I said meekly

He nodded.

“Where’s Parker?”Tony sighed

“Upstairs.”I told him

He walked over to me and grabbed my shoulder.We walked silently to the elevator and went up to the residential floor.

“Im disappointed Y/N.You’re smart kids..how could you-

He stopped himself and just sighed.

We got off of the elevator and there was Steve still sitting there but now he saw my glossy eyes and Tony’s angry face.

“Okay what’s going on?”Steve asked

“Tell him.Tell him what you did.”Tony nudged me

I looked up at him and shook my head.

“She and Peter have been having sex and now her goddamn period is late.”Tony said

Steve’s face went solid.

“Fuck.”Bucky said

“Fuck is right.”Tony added

“Where the hell is he?”Steve started to walk towards Peter’s room

“Leave him alone!”I said

“You shut up!”Steve turned to me

Tony, still holding onto me, pulled me towards Peter’s room.When we got there, Steve was already lecturing him.He was at his desk and I could see he was googling early signs of pregnancy.

“This is so irresponsible!What are you gonna do with a baby?!?You can’t even take care of yourselves!”Steve yelled at him

Peter just sat there with tears in his eyes.

“Bruce says your doctor should be here in an hour.”Tony looked up from his phone

“And..what happens if it’s true?If Im preg-

“I don’t know..I mean- are you..against abortion?”He asked me

“Tony!”Steve furrowed his brows

“Im not..against it.”I said

Peter looked at me with such a hurt expression.

“Can I just..talk to Peter?Alone?”I said

“Oh no.Enough alone time.Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of us.”Tony said

I sighed and sat in front of him.I grabbed his shaky hand.

“How do you feel about that?Abortion?”I asked him

“It’s your body but..I thought that maybe- I don’t know.It’s dumb.”He stopped himself

“No.Tell me.”I caressed his cheek and wiped his tears

“I was thinking about how cute our baby would be..and that we’d have each other forever.”He told me

I heard Steve and Tony scoff and groan.

“But we wouldn’t be able to be Avengers anymore..we probably won’t finish college.I..I don’t know Pete.All the bad is outweighing the good.”I told him

“I know.”He nodded

“Do whatever you have to do.I’ll be fine.”He said

“Will you?I don’t want you to resent me.”I said

“I could never.”He said

I nodded.

For the next hour, Tony and Steve talked to us a little more.Nat finally came home and heard the news and Peter..he got more quiet,anxious.

When the doctor arrived, she took my blood and then left with Tony and Bruce.I sat patiently with Peter, holding his hand.

They all came back after testing my blood.Tony was red in the face and his eyes were glossy.

“You’re about 4 weeks along Y/N.”The doctor announced

“I’d like to discuss your options.”She said

I nodded and looked over at Peter who just stared at the ground.

“If you’re interested in that, you can still terminate this pregnancy.You have the option to take the pill or go through with a full procedure.”She explained

After talking to her and going over my options, I let her know that I would think it over.After the appointment was over, Tony,Steve and Nat sat us down.

“Do know which way you’re leaning?”Natasha asked

“Uh..kinda.I think I should..abort.I don’t-I can’t raise a baby.”I shook my head

I saw Peter get up from beside me and leave.

“Peter.Come back!”Tony followed him

I turned my attention back to Nat.

“He hates me.”I said lowly

“He doesn’t hate you.”Steve said

“He just doesn’t understand and Im not too cool with this abortion thing either but..it seems like the only sound option.”He said

I nodded.

“Is it okay if I go to bed now?I’ll um- I’ll call the doctor tomorrow and set an appointment to get this..handled.”I said

“Go ahead.”Nat nodded

I got up and walked to my room.I had to pass Peter’s.I could hear him crying.

“A-And she just wants to..get rid of it so easy.It’s like she doesn’t even care.”He sniffled

I started to go into the room but a red force of energy closed the door in front of me.I looked up and saw Wanda.

“Give him some time.”She told me

I nodded.

After a shower, I laid restlessly in my bed.I wanted so bad to go lie next to Peter but I was sure he was upset with me.

The next morning, I experienced morning sickness for the first time.I sat in front of my toilet bowl emptying my stomach.

After cleaning up, I went into the kitchen to get some breakfast.I saw Peter sitting with Tony.He didn’t even look up from his plate.I grabbed some food and went to sit beside him.

“Mornin’.”Tony rubbed my back

“Morning.”I said

Peter got up and left.

I looked to Tony.

“He’s having a tough time.Just give him some space.”He told me

I nodded.

After my breakfast I decided to finally talk to my boyfriend.

“Pete?”I knocked on his door

He didn’t respond so I opened the door and saw him staring up at his ceiling.

“Peter.”I whispered

“I can’t..I can’t handle this.I know that it’s supposed to be your choice but Y/N it’s my baby too and I want it.”He said

I looked at him silently.

“We can’t Pete...we can’t.”I said lowly

He finally brought his eyes to mine.

“Then maybe we shouldn’t be together anymore.”He said

I felt my heart sink.

“You’re breaking up with me..”I said lowly

He just nodded.

“..Okay.”I got up and left his room quietly

“Nat.”I called lowly

She looked up from the tablet in her hands.

“Could you take me to the clinic?”I asked her

“I thought you wanted to think about it some more?”She asked

“No.Im ready.”I told her

She nodded and we got ready to go.

We didn’t tell anyone we were going.I rode silently in the passenger as we drove there.

“Peter didn’t want to come?”She asked

“Um no.”I shook my head

She looked to me with sad eyes.”Well I’ve got your back.”

When we finally got to the clinic, we waited for a little bit and then I was called back.The procedure only took a few minutes but I felt..extremely vulnerable and honestly violated.

I was silent the whole ride home.When we arrived, Tony and Steve were waiting out front for us.

I walked to them and hugged them tightly.

I finally let myself feel all of my emotions and I broke down right there.

“We’ve got you.”Tony told me

“It’s alright doll.”Steve rubbed my back

They got me inside and I showered and started to go talk to Peter but I stopped myself.

I just decided to sit in my room and scroll aimlessly through my social media.

“Hey kid..you didn’t eat dinner.”Tony knocked

“Not hungry.”I said

“...Can I come in?”He asked

“Yeah.”I responded

He came inside and sat on my bed.

“Peter dumped me.”I told him

Both of his brows raised in surprise.

“He did..?”He asked

I nodded.”Because..he wanted to keep it.”

He sighed.”Im sorry honey.I’ll have Steve talk to him-

“No..it’s fine..I’ll be fine.”I shook my head

“It’s not fine.You need him right now and he bailed.That’s not cool.”He said

I nodded.

“Get some sleep?”He said

“Okay.”I agreed

The next morning, I went to get breakfast and everyone looked at me with pity.

“Uh..okay.”I mumbled

“Is Peter around?”I asked

“..He didn’t tell you?”Steve asked

“Tell me what?”I asked

“He..he left.”Tony said

And that’s when I felt my heart rip from my chest.

He left me..

Part 2?

[kalypsichor]

embraceable you [ringo starr x reader]

summary: Ringo kisses you, soft and sweet, taking his time exploring your mouth. Your hand comes up to rake through his fluffy hair and it’s innocent, really, until you drag your nails slightly over the nape of his neck and he shudders—and before you can react, Ringo’s got you underneath him.

prompt: Hi! Can I request a ringo smut where reader and ringo are at Ringo’s childhood home visiting his family and they sleep in Ringo’s old room and they share his tiny bed lol and he’s all like “it’s crazy to have the girl I’ve always dreamed of as a boy in my childhood room, in my bed” lol and they try to keep it quiet as they have slow passionate sex 💕💕💕😭 warnings: 2.5k words of sweet, sweet love makin’, so much foreplay, S E X, ringo being hung af (don’t lie you know it’s true)

masterlist

so... this got out of hand. dear anon, your request made me feel things. to my lovely beta @spaceyantique , thanks for helping with the birds and the bees.  here’s this fic’s song inspo (Embraceable You). Ringo’s stepdad was the one to introduce him to Vaughan’s music and a few decades later, she would cover the Beatles’ songs! ugggh that’s just too cute

Ringo’s room is a bit like him. Small, unassuming, and filled with the distinctive warmth of loving and being loved. Grammar and maths books line the bookshelves, remnants of his years of home tutoring. On the lowest shelf, some biscuit tins and sticks—you smile to yourself at these, which Ringo had told you were his very first drums.

It’s cozy. It must have been, you muse, since he spent so much of his childhood ill and at home. You feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of Ringo at seven years old, sitting in his room while all the other boys went to school and played about in the streets.

Tucked into the corner is an old turntable atop a shelf stuffed full of vinyls; your fingertips trail across them and choose one at random. Sarah Vaughan’s sweet murmur fills the room and you close your eyes, letting the music fill your chest. It gently pulls at you—well, who are you to refuse?—and soon you find yourself swaying to the tempo.

There’s a large area that’s been cleared in front of the turntable, no doubt for when Ringo’s mum, Elsie, passed onto him a love of dance. For a brief moment, it’s your space and you lose yourself to the crooning melodies. When you open your eyes again, Ringo is leaned against the doorframe, toothbrush in hand forgotten and something funny twinkling in his gaze. He doesn’t speak, just stands there, watching you.

“What?”

He shakes his head and smiles. “Nothing.” Then, after a pause, “You look like you belong here.”

You suddenly, desperately want to kiss him. But he’s sure to be minty, so you cross the room instead and, leaning in, wipe away the bit of toothpaste making its way down the corner of his mouth.

“Go finish brushing,” you say, and he turns with a smile and trots off to the bathroom.

You’re still examining his vinyls when Ringo returns and flicks off the light. He’s changed into a pair of flannel bottoms with nothing on top. Before you can admire his shirtlessness, though, he flops onto the bed, wiggles, and is completely still.

Smirking, you kneel beside Ringo’s prone form, propping your elbows on the edge of the mattress.

“Ringo...”

No reply.

“Ringooooo?”

An exaggerated snore. He buries his face even deeper into the pillow.

You sigh loudly, then move to get up. “I suppose I’ll put my shirt back on then...”

Ringo’s eyes shoot open and dart to your very much clothed chest. Quick as a whip, he grabs you by the wrists and pulls you onto the bed.  

“False advertisement!” he yells over your shrieks of laughter. For a moment, it’s elbows and feet and muffled curses before suddenly—WHUMP! Ringo’s rolled right off the edge of the very small bed with you in tow. When you land smack onto him, he makes a half-strangled noise.

“Jesus, my dick—”

Naturally, that’s when Elsie opens the door.

“Everything alright in here?”

You freeze. Ringo freezes. You realize two things at once: one, that Ringo is still very shirtless, and two, that you’re straddling him on the ground.

Oh, and a third thing—

“It’s not what it looks like,” you and Ringo blurt out.

Elsie purses her lips, holding in what looks like a giggle. “You’ll be needing a bigger bed, is what it looks like.” Then, ignoring the mortified look on your face, “Goodnight!”

She leaves. You collapse onto Ringo and thump your forehead against his chest (which is very firm, but now is not the time).

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” (These are each accentuated with an additional head thump against said firm chest.)

“Well, don’t take it out on me.”

“Of all the things for your mum to walk in on!”

“She’s seen worse—”

“Do you hear yourself, Ritchie?” You groan and slump forward, pressed completely to Ringo’s front. “The minute she has to think of worse things... then it’s all over!”

Ringo clears his throat underneath you.

“... is this a bad time to tell you I’m getting kind of turned on?”

This makes you sit back up in a flash. He does look a little flushed and he’s got some of that messy sex hair already.

“Huh. Thought that was a drumstick digging into my leg.”

The beginnings of a retort (probably that was funny the first time) don’t make it past Ringo’s lips because you take that exact moment to lean back on your heels—and right onto his hard-on.

Ringo’s hands fly to your waist with a whispered “fuck.”

“Not on your floor, I won’t.” You wriggle out of his grasp and back onto the bed, and before you can even say come hither Ringo’s scrambled on after you. The bed is narrow and his bounce almost sends you off the other edge again. Ringo grabs you just in time. After a moment, you two burst into giggles, facing each other on your sides and holding on for dear life.

“Fun sleepover,” you whisper when the laughing dies down. There’s still a grin on your face.

“Dunno what kind of sleepovers you were having as a kid,” he replies, moving in to capture your mouth with his, “but mine were never like this.”

Ringo kisses you, soft and sweet, taking his time exploring your mouth. Your hand comes up to rake through his fluffy hair and it’s innocent, really, until you drag your nails slightly over the nape of his neck and he shudders—and before you can react, Ringo’s got you underneath him.

“I see how it is,” he mutters, and when Ringo kisses you this time it’s with a fervent heat. Gasping, you arch into the hand that’s slipped under your shirt.

“Normally I’d love the pretty sounds you make-” he nips at your collarbone and draws another one from your lips—“but you’re gonna have to keep quiet this time. Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah, I- oh- I don’t want Elsie barging in again.”

Ringo draws away for a moment, frowning. “Can you not mention my mum when we’re having sex?”

You giggle and pull him back to your lips. “Let’s get to the sex bit first, then.”

A calloused hand trails down your chest, rings nipping shivers of chill across your skin that are quickly soothed by gentle fingers. By the time Ringo reaches your underwear, you’re already slick with arousal. He finds the damp spot and runs his middle finger over it, feather-light. The friction of the fabric against your folds toes the lines between too rough and not enough and, really, he’s just being

“-such a tease,” you gasp, squirming under his touch.

He huffs and the action tickles your ear. “How am I supposed to give you what you want if you don’t tell me, baby?”

“Ritchie...” you whine. God, how he loves the way his name sounds from your lips. It’s enough to bring Ringo to his knees—but for now, he acquiesces to your plea and slips two thick fingers into your cunt.

On their own, your hips raise to meet his thrust and the angle sinks his digits in just a little deeper, setting alight a dull buzz in your core. Then he curls them upwards and finds the familiar sweet spot and the buzz becomes arcs of electricity that pulse slow, steady waves of heat through your body. The feeling laps from your navel to your fingers, hardening your nipples to peaks before retreating to your core and then sweeping through again with each thrust.

“You ready, love?”

Nodding, you reach down and stroke the hard length that’s been jutting against your thigh. Ringo groans into your shoulder, hips jerking forward in your grip.

“Are you?” you tease.

“Didn’t know this was a competition.”

“It’s not.” You thumb over his tip and he hisses. “But whoever finishes first loses!”

“Very funny,” he deadpans and leans in to kiss you again, biting down gently on your lower lip. That shuts you up. Without pulling away, Ringo manages to shuck his trousers off—which is pretty impressive considering that he’s still knuckle-deep in your cunt with the other hand. He helps you wriggle out of your panties and you whine as he pulls out to do so. Finally, the two of you are naked. A year ago, you would have blushed at how Ringo gazes at your form under his. By now, you’re both as comfortable with each other like this as you’d be fully clothed and fighting over what to see at the movies. The thought makes you smile—and then groan, thumping your head against the pillow.

“Ugh, god damn it!”

Ringo furrows his eyebrows, concerned. “What- what? Did you come already?”

“No, you idiot.” You let go of his dick, much to his chagrin, and drag your hand down your face exasperatedly. “We forgot to bring condoms!”

Ringo looks at you for a moment and then turns, almost falling off the bed again as he reaches for something. There’s the sound of a zipper, some fumbling, and when Ringo scrambles back between your legs he’s triumphantly brandishing a familiar square of foil.

Despite the steady ache of arousal between your legs, you let out a disbelieving chuckle.

“... did you think you were gonna get laid at your parents' house?”

“Is that not what’s about to happen?”

You roll your eyes and snatch it from his fingers. “You’re a dirty, dirty boy, Mr. Starkey.”

“Jesus, don’t call me that.” His breath catches for a moment as you roll the condom onto his cock and then continues, “That’s my dad. You gonna bring my whole family into this?”

“And the father, the son, and the holy spirit, amen.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” he grumbles, but a sappy grin makes its way onto Ringo’s face nonetheless. Giggling, you wrap your fingers around his length and guide it forward. Just the feeling of his blunt tip pressing against your entrance is enough to make your walls clench in anticipation.

He’s about to enter you when he just… stops. Looks at you. Swoops in, unexpectedly, and this kiss is nothing more than a brush of the lips, a lingering touch, but when he pulls away you’re unspeakably dizzy.

“What… what was that for?”

“I just can’t believe you’re my girl. In my bed. I never thought I’d see it.”

“Oh, Ritchie—”

His name trails off into a gasp as he sinks into you, stretching you inch by inch until he’s buried to the hilt. There’s no other way to describe it except that you feel full. The two of you stay like that for a while, just soaking in the closeness. Ringo brings a hand to your cheek and smooths away some flyaway hair.

Then he pulls out so, so slowly you almost cry, the drag of his cock inside you setting fire to your nerves. That familiar ache starts building in your core. When he’s almost all the way out, he sinks back in again and sets an almost painfully slow pace.

The otherwise quiet room fills with your whimpers as Ringo fucks you into the bed. You have half a mind to comment on his rhythmic skills, something he’s rolled his eyes at a thousand times before—but then he wraps one of your legs around his waist and his next thrust hits you there and the only thing that spills from your lips is his name.

“Fuck,” Ringo groans through his teeth. Your cunt is so tight and warm around him. He can feel himself spiraling towards release, every breathy moan of yours edging him closer. “You’re so- so beautiful.”

And you are, with your hair wreathed around your face, eyelashes fluttering against your cheek, lips pink and parted around the pretty noises you’re making. You can’t help thinking the same thing. Even in the dim lighting of the bedroom, Ringo’s eyes are a liquid blue that send different kinds of shivers down your spine. The pressure below your stomach coils tighter and tighter with every thrust of his cock against your sensitive spot.

“Look who’s talking,” you gasp out. “Ritchie, ‘m close-”

Your breasts are bouncing from the force of him moving in and out of you. Ringo palms one, rolls your hardened peak between his fingers, and drags his hand down to your clit. Two rough fingers circle around the sensitive nub and he snaps his hips forward, cock burying deeper than before, and then you’re coming. It’s long and drawn out and you feel it move through your body in waves. Ringo follows you over the edge soon after, hips stuttering at the feeling of your walls clenching around him.

When Ringo pulls out you sigh at the empty feeling.

“You’re gonna have to carry me home tomorrow.”

“Think I can manage that.” Ringo smiles adoringly at you beneath him. He presses a kiss to your nose and swings his legs off the side of the bed. “Be back in a mo’,” he says, slipping off the condom. He stands and stretches and you let your eyes wander over his naked form. When you whistle appreciatively—the only thing small about this boy is his stature—Ringo winks at you before turning and trotting off to the bathroom.

You don’t even get the chance to half doze off when he runs back into the room, eyes wide and panicky as he shuts the door behind him.

“What the hell happened?” you ask as Ringo practically dives under the covers with you. He’s breathing hard and it takes him a second to respond.

“... Elsie was still up.” Before you know it you’re falling into a fit of giggles that shakes your entire body against his. Ringo looks at you, unimpressed. “‘S not funny, you know!”

“I’m s- I’m sorry, Ringo, really.” Your attempt at sobering up is ruined with a particularly hard snicker. “But I’m sure she’s seen worse.”

He snorts and wraps an arm around you, pulling you so that your head is nestled into the curve of his shoulder. You place a hand on his chest and, for a while, you just feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath your hand. It’s not long before your breath matches Ringo’s, deep and slow. Your favorite rhythm. When he speaks, his voice is already mellowed with the onset of sleep, vowels slipping clumsily into slurred consonants, chest rumbling like a purring cat.

“’m glad you’re here.”

His heart beats under your hand. Ringo’s own little drum solo, you think with a smile. “Me too.”

“No, but like-” Ringo shifts on the pillow and you crane your neck to look at him. “I still can’t believe it. That you’re here with me. But at the same time, I don’t have to be here to feel at home when I’m with you. You’re… a different kind of home.”

Something inside you swells like a balloon and you feel as though you could float to the ceiling, maybe even out the window and up, up, up to the stars. You want to say so much—that’s cheesy, and you make me feel like flying, and I want to stay like this forever, can we just lay here until we die? But what comes out is

“I love you.”

And he knows exactly what you mean.

“Love you more,” he says. You’d argue about it, because I love you more, but you’re already floating, floating, floating into sleep in his embrace.

[the-dead-skwad]

Lost Part 1 X Daryl Dixon X Reader

It’s been a while but I’m back with a Walking Dead fic. So happy I’m back into this. There’s going to be at least 2 more parts to this I hope. 

Sumarry: On the farm your making yoruself ill searching for the missing.

Warnings: Missing child. Swearing. 

The leaves and twigs crunched under your feet as you stepped through the woods. The light of the sun slowly setting making it harder to see around you. You followed your own tracks back to the farm. 

As you reached the perimeter you wave to Andrea who was posted on the RV roof. Just to let her know you weren't a walker. She waved back so you headed to your own tent. 

You had put it further away from everyone else. Due to recent events you decided being friends with people wasn't an option. You weren't stupid, you knew exactly what the world was like now and everyone you loved would eventually die. It was always like this, in fact you were close to many of the group back at the first camp. But things change, people change. 

You sat outside your tent on a small log, taking out your gun to clean it. "You know you can't keep doing this." Daryl's voice came from just ahead of you. 

"There's two girls out there missing. You think for one second I'm gonna stop, you can think again." 

"You can't just push every one away." His voice was so soothing to you but like you said, no friends. 

"And what are you doing? You go out there as much as I do, you have your tent further away than me." You looked down "Rick lost Sophia, I know that.... But Emily. That's my fault." 

He sat down next to you "It's not your fault Y/N. You can't blame yourself." 

"Then who do I blame? She is the only family I have left and I lost her. The heard came and she was right next to me, then all of a sudden she was gone. You don't understand the fear I feel every day knowing she could be out there, crying asking herself why I haven't found her. Why I left her down." Tears formed in your eyes. You hadn't shown how broken you were even though everyone already knew. 

He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you closer to him. "This is not how you find her, look at you. You don't eat. You don't sleep. From sunrise to sunset you're out there. You're going to get ill or hurt." He placed his hand under your chin and turned you at face him. With a rough course thumb he wiped a tear from your cheek."Please Y/N they care about you. Hell I care about you." 

You spent a good 30 seconds looking into his eyes. You could see all the pain he felt. Without another thought you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his. He was taken aback at first but then he kissed you back. His stubble scratched your face but his lips were so soft. 

You were lost in the moment until suddenly you snapped back to reality. Pulling away he looked confused. "Daryl I'm sorry." You stood to go back to your tent. 

"Wait.." He took hold of your hand. "What you doin?" 

"I didn't mean to do that’s. I was just upset. I'm sorry but I can't." You stepped into your tent and zipped it up behind you. You could hear the grass as he walked away. You lay back on your camp bed "Fuck." You sighed. 

--

Opening your eye it was actually day light. "Oh shit!" You sat bolt up right, swung your feet off the bed and pulled your boots on. Usually you would wake up before sunrise so you could get as much time out searching as you could. You were still absolutely exhausted, you had spent most of the night staring at the top of your tent thinking about what Daryl had said. 

Your grabbed all your things and rushed out the tent. Looking over to the other tents you could see Lori, Andrea, Maggie and Carol all together putting the washing out. 

It took you a moment but you knew you had lost the morning. There wasn't going to be enough day light to get as far as you wanted to go. You put some things back in the tent, water bottle, jacket and you hid your gun. Hershel was still insisting no guns. 

Walking over to the women you realized how dirty you looked compared to them. "Hey." You approached them hoping they wouldn't hate you for shutting away. 

"Hey." Lori looked at you concerned "How are you feeling?" 

"I'm pretty tired but I'm alright." You looked at the basket of clothes on the floor "I would help but..." You held out your arms, they were covered is cuts and bruises. Some of the cuts were so fresh they were still bleeding. "I don't want to mess up the clothes." 

"Oh sweetheart." Carol put down what she was doing and walked to you. She took a closer look at your hands. "Please, go up to the house. Get yourself cleaned up and I'll make you something to eat." 

"Oh no, Carol. You don't have to do that. I'm fine." 

"No you aren't" She was putting on her mom voice "You spend all day everyday looking for our daughters. This is the least I can do." 

"I..." Looking at the others you could tell there was no point in arguing "Okay. Thank you but please know you don't owe me anything." 

Maggie walked to you "Come on, I'll walk up with you." 

You both headed to the house, it was silent for a minute "Ermm I'm sorry if I have come off so standoff ish." 

"What you talking about?" 

You stopped outside the door so you could talk to her "Ever since Emily and Sophia went missing I just shut down. I came to your home and I didn't even say thank you or bother to make any sort of friends."

"Don't be silly. What you are going through is unthinkable. You are more than welcome here." She walked you through the house. "This is the bathroom. Leave your clothes out here and I can bring you some clean ones. I'll get my dad to check you over just to make sure." 

You smiled for the first time in a long time "Thank you." 

Stepping into the water it was freezing, all your cuts stung like you were bathing in lemon juice. The water was almost black when you had finished. You cleaned the tub out and went into the next room. Some of your clothes were laid out on the bed. You hadn't seen these clothes since the fall of the first camp.

You went down to the kitchen where Carol was. "Thank you again. You're too nice." 

"Oh shut up and sit down." She placed a plate in front of you, full of all sorts of food and left you to it.

Your stomach grumbled for the first time in a long time. Tucking right in, after half the plate was gone you sat back for a second. Something didn't feel right. You ran to the sink and threw up everything you just ate. 

"Shit!" You heard Lori from the other side of the room. She ran to you and pulled your hair back. "You okay?" 

You wiped your mouth and swilled it out with water "I thought I was, but I guess not." Black spots wizzed around in your head and you fell to the ground. 

Maggie had walked in too at that point, she saw you on the floor "I'll get dad." 

--

Spread across the bed you were sweating all hell out. Hershel was looking at the wounds on your arm. He looked at you with a look of annoyance. "Some of these are infected, that’s why your sweating so much. I got something that will sort that right out, and you threw up because you didn't eat for so long then tried to eat everything." 

You gave him an awkward smile. "Sorry, I guess I just switched off my entire body." 

"I think when you sat down and actually gave your body a rest everything just caught up with you. Take these," He passed you the pills "Drink plenty of water and get some sleep. God knows you need it." 

"Thank you." You watched him leave the room.

Maggie sat on the edge of the bed next to you. "You gonna listen to him right?" 

"I'll stay in here for a few days but as soon as I'm okay I'm going back out there."

"Please, rest. You'll just make yourself more sick and then you'll be no use at all." 

You rolled your eyes "Fine." You noticed the sun was starting to go down. You must have passed out for a while. "Have you seen Daryl today?" 

Lori had heard you as she came down the hall. "He left this morning, about the time you usually leave. He's not back yet." She stood in the doorway.

"Shouldn't he be back by now? What if he's hurt?" The panic in your voice was obvious. 

"He says the same thing about you most days. It's Daryl, he'll be fine." 

Maggie grabbed your hand "Stop panicking. You'll only make yourself feel worse." 

As if on que a gunshot rang through the farm. "I'll go." Lori ran down the hallway and out the house. 

Maggie saw the look on your face "It's probably just a walker. I'll have a look for you." She went to the window and looked around. "Oh shit." 

"What?" You sat bolt upright in bed "What is it?" 

"Stay here." She ran out the room. 

You sat there looking around. "What the fuck?" You said to yourself. 

You heard the front door open and a commotion coming up the stairs. "Get him in there!" Rick was shouting over all the noise. 

"I'm sorry I thought he was a walker! Is he going to be okay?" Andrea cried out. 

You got up out of bed and walked to the door way, your legs felt they they were going to give out under you and your head was spinning. Through blury eyes you saw them carrying Daryl into the room just down from you. Your heart fell to your stomach. Holding onto the wall you forced your self to them. "What happened?" No one was listening to you. "Let me through!" Pushing past everyone you got to the door. He lay on the bed unconscious. 

Hershel turned to look at you "You should be in bed." 

"I'm not worried about me right now." 

You knelt down at the side of the bed and held onto his hand. "I'm sorry." You whispered only to him. 

"The bullet just skimmed him but he has a puncture wound I need to stitch. You need to go back to your bed." He wasn't having any of your shit. 

Maggie walked behind you and helped you up. You kissed the back of his hand and walked back with her. Walking past everyone they all looked at you weird. 

She helped you back onto the bed "So... Daryl huh?" 

"I don't know what you mean." You smiled a little.

"What happened if you don't mind me asking." 

You sighed "We kissed and then I told him I didn't want him. Which is a huge lie."  

"And why would you do that?" 

"I thought if we got close then something would happen to him and I can't take much more death." 

She sat next to you and held your hand softly "I'm afraid that's life now."

"I guess he got hurt anyway.. I should have just told him how I felt." You whole body was acing. 

"There's time for that."

"I hope so." You closed your eyes so stop your head spinning. You could feel her stroking your hair slightly. 

--

Sitting straight up you breathed heavy, tears coming down your cheeks. Another nightmare about Emily. You wished you could shut your brain off for a minute. Catching your breath you looked around the room, it was pitch black and you were all alone. For once You didn't want to be. 

Placing your feet on the wooden floor you made sure to make no noise. Trying your hardest to make sure the floorboards didn't squeak you headed down to Daryl. You stood in the doorway for a short while, he looked so peaceful even if he was banged up. 

You were about to turn back when you head his gruff voice, "Hey." 

You smiled "Hi." 

"What the hell happened to you?" 

"I could say the same to you." You walked over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, I was a real asshole the other night." 

"Don't be dumb. Now come here." He held his arm up.

You lay on the bed and put your head on his chest. Without saying anything else you both fell asleep together. 

--

It had been a few days and both of you were on your feet and back helping on the farm. The only person who knew about you two was Lori because she found you both asleep together. 

You were helping Lori go through all the clean washing. Daryl sat not far from you sharpening his knife, the sun bounced of the muscles on his arms. 

"Y/N!" Lori snapped you out of your day dream "You with us?" 

"What? Yeah sorry." You carried on with the washing. She just laughed at you. 

You took a moment to have a look around. Everyone was there for each other and for the first time in a long time you felt some hope. But all came crashing down when Glenn approached the group, his face full of worry. "There's walkers in the barn." 

[taehyungtrash2-0]

Sincerely, Love and Affection Ch. 2

— genre ➙  fluff but smutty words

— words ➙  3383

— member ➙  Yuta Nakamoto

— warnings ➙  slowburn! strangers to lovers! foreigner!

Note: i read over it once, ill read over it again tomorrow, please take it easy on me the next chapter will be MUCH MUCH BETTER AHHHHHH -JR

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“So are we all going to act like the hottest girl we have all ever seen didn't just give Yuta her number?” Haechan asked sitting back on the couch. Everyone else going back to what they were doing before the sexual tension in the air was thick like a milkshake. 

“Hey shut up, I don't want to deal with Johnny hearing about it yet.” Doyoung grumbled, heading back to the kitchen.

“Didn't want me to hear what?” Johnny asked walking back into the living room with a tissue still in his nose. 

“Oh nothing, just y/n gave Yuta her number.” Ten said devilishly, knowing the chaos that was about to happen. My eyes widening like saucers, shit. It was so fast how it escalated, Johnny’s face went red, his fists clenched and then he lunged. Taeil caught him before he reached me across the room, Mark and Doyoung holding him back as I just stood there. 

“You what!?” he charged angrily, Doyoung and Mark pulling him back more. Everyone, now standing to help with the situation.  

You need to chill the hell out, Taeyong and y/n are just upstairs.” Taeil spoke firmly to Johnny. Slowly calming himself and letting the guys loosen their hold. 

“What the hell is your problem? Everyone knows I am into her, so why the fuck would you do that to me, Yuta.” he asked, hurt in his voice.

“I’m sorry Hyung, she just started talking to me in Japanese and offered to be a friend.” I shrugged. That was technically not a lie but man it summed it up yeah? Totally no chemistry or trace of sexual desire...haha.

“Oh yeah it's totally not because she smelled nice and looked like a pornstar. Not to mention she has the sweetest voice and-” Lucas rambled on, staring into space. 

“I think they got the picture Lucas.” Kun patted his shoulder, returning to his phone. 

“Ughhhhhhhh!” he whined, stomping his foot and heading back to his room. Okay, that was much too close for me to be comfortable. Maybe I should just sit on the couch with my back to the wall for a while. 

---

“I told you this on the phone, we exchanged plushies so we could be close even though there were 1,155 kilometers between us. Now that I’m back I WANT MY BUNNY BACK!” I yelled, grabbing it from his hands again. 

“But I’ve grown attached, besides, you haven’t brought me my bear back so?” he argued, attempting to grab it back as I reached the door and swung it open. 

“Help! Taeyongie is going to take my bunny from me!” I shrieked and ran out to the living room hiding behind the first body I see, clutching to his shirt tightly with my bunny in my arms. 

“You gave it to me!” he rushed in, pointing his finger at me. Everyone now looking at us, enjoying the fight to death. 

“Whoa whoa whoa, freeze. Give me the bunny and I’ll decide who gets it.” the voice of the man I was holding onto announced. Ah yes, Doyoung. I know exactly what to do. 

“But it’s my bunny rabbit Oppa! I’ve missed it so much!” I let go of him and clutch my plushie, giving my pouty face to him. The look on his face glazing over in what I can only imagine is something rated mature, he grunted to clear his throat and look at Taeyong.

“It’s her bunny rabbit Taeyong, just let her have it,” he suggested, spoken like the man of the house. I knew I could count on you Doyoung. 

“Whatever, I want my bear back ASAP then,” Yongie muttered, crossing his arms. Watching this war Mark, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo couldn’t help but laugh at his pain. Doyoung gives me a confirming nod as he heads back to the kitchen. 

“Well, I think it's  time for me to head out, you choose the place and text me okay?” I replied, looking at my now angry older brother. 

“Alright let’s ask who all is going to join us and then you can go,” he muttered, checking to see who all is in the room and pulling out his phone. 

“Leaving so soon y/n?” Mark asked from the couch he was sharing with Jaehyun and Ten. 

“Yeah all my stuff is at the hotel so I’m going to head over there, take a shower, and get ready for tonight,” I responded, checking to make sure I had all of my things with me before leaving. 

“Wait, a hotel room? I thought you already had an apartment lined up?” Taeyong questioned, everyone now looking at me, expecting an answer. 

“I did but the person backed out last second and nothing is available tonight so I’m going to stay at a hotel until then,” I reassured shyly, not making eye contact with anyone. The room is quiet. 

“How about you stay here?” Jaehyun broke the silence, looking around at the other members for confirmation. My eyes immediately widened to the size of dinner plates.

“Yeah I don't want you to have to stay in some expensive hotel, don’t waste your money.” Taeyong replied, looking down to me. 

“Yeah your family now!”  Sicheng called from the chair by the television. I looked around seeing everyones eyes meeting mine. The expectation to give in becoming more and more present. 

“I appreciate the offer really but there are so many of you and I'm sure you don't need another person crowding in on your space.” I replied, holding my bunny in front of my tummy, rubbing its ear in between my fingertips. 

“No seriously, only 8 of us live in this house, the others live in either the dreamy dorms or the WayV house.” Taeil chimed in behind him. 

“I can stay on the couch so you can bunk with your brother.” Doyoung offered, trying to add some comfort to the awkward situation. A small sigh escapes my lips, all the guys staring at me. 

“No no it's fine really doyoung i'll sleep on the couch.” I smiled back, everyone smiling happily to the conformation. 

“Nonsense, I'm a gentleman and I say you can have my bed.” he responded, putting a light hand on my shoulder. 

“Who knew that doyoung was such a softie” Mark chuckled standing up beside him. 

“More like, he wants to be gentle with herrrrr.” Lucas whispered to Kun.  Earning a dirty look from Doyoung and Taeyong. 

“Its called being a man, look it up.” Doyoung snapped at him. His hand returning back to his side, trying to gain back a cold demeanor. 

I can sleep on the couch doyoung, its okay! I just want to make sure everyone is okay with it.” I said reassuringly, wrapping my hand on his shoulder feeling him tense underneath my fingers, wow doyoung...is there something bothering you? I look across the room and make eye contact with my best friend.

“You know Johnny and I don't care.” Mark chuckled, looking back to his phone.

“Doyoung and I are obviously okay with it, you're my sister.” Taeyong replied, looking at me. My hand began to recoil back to my plushie. 

“She smells good so i'm fine with it.” Taeil called with a grin.

“Same here!” Jungwoo claimed, sitting up next to him and Sicheng.

“She's pretty so I'm not complaining.” Jaehyun answered slyly, the smirk on his face, evident. What also became evident that the last person to answer was Yuta, who is usually faster to answer, based on his interviews but seems rather spacious. I looked to him, 

“Is it okay with you, Yuta?” I asked, looking for any sign of hesitance. He looked back with a smile that could melt a million suns. This man was going to be the death of me, I could feel my destiny change. The universe itself paused for a moment and only him and I existed. 

“Of course, you can have my bed if you want.” he replied, standing up. What is with these men and offering beds?

“Oh no it's okay i'm going to sleep on the couch!” I said, putting my hands up in defense. His face did a complete 180, his face turning in confusion,

“What? No, you can't sleep on the couch you can take my bed, you could hurt your back! Did Taeyong not offer his bed?” he asked, stepping forward and looking at my brother like he was from outer space. I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

“Doyoung offered but i don't want to intrude on anyone.” I giggled, holding my plushie closer to my chest. 

“I'll kick someone out of their bed, don't worry.” he winked, causing us both to laugh. His laugh is like sunshine, how? I hate this flutter I'm feeling in my chest. I just met him, how could this be happening already, if Taeyong knew he would surely kill us both. This leaves everyone else around to murmur and look at us in confusion. 

“But seriously though, is it okay if i stay here for a little while?” I looked him in the eyes, again looking for some sign of him not wanting me.  But to no avail, his smile grew again and lit up the room.

“I'd love it.” he answered. All the other members of the house murmuring and talking quietly waiting for a response. Yuta nodded to them to answer their unasked question. 

Okay, so now that that is out of the way. Who all is going to come to dinner tonight?” Taeyong asked, pulling his phone from his back pocket, clearly trying to avoid whatever it is that is happening. 

“Well we already know Johnny, Jaehyun, Haechan, and I can't go because of recording.” Ten replied, gesturing to all of them as they nodded. 

“I'm helping Kun, Sicheng, and Lucas with their English.” Mark responded after. 

“Im free” Taeil stated, looking at us.

“Same here.” Doyoung claimed, behind me. 

“I can go.” Jungwoo said. My eyes  wandered to look into Yuta’s. Is it silly of me to ask him to come? I don’t want to be weir-

“I'll come.”Yuta beamed brightly. My cheeks begin to flush, why does this man have this effect on me? I don't get it. 

“Okay so that's y/n, Doyoung, Taeil, Jungwoo, Yuta, and I.” Taeyong stated, checking his phone for a good spot. 

“Well then that's it I suppose, I will see you guys at dinner then.” I smiled, catching his gaze as I left.

---

“Lucas, don't you have English lessons with Mark?” Jungwoo asked the disheveled Lucas as he walked up to our table. The restaurant that Hyung picked was nice but casual so Lucas didn’t look out of place; he just seemed jittery, almost. His hand pushed his hair back as he was trying to come up with an excuse before he just gave up. Doyoung and I make eye contact, we both know why he is actually here. 

“Yeah but I-I  never got y/n’s number so we could hang out…” he mumbled to the group, earning a laugh from everyone except Taeyong. Hyung’s face stern as he reached for a glass of water, clearly not liking the fact that everyone was attracted to his little sister. 

“You could just ask Yuta.” Taeil chuckled, grabbing his drink next to Jungwoo.  

“Whatever I just wanted to come by and tell her that the rest of WayV is down to hangout sometime if she wants.” he grumbled, clearly embarrassed at the fact that he didn’t get her number in the first place. 

“Hey guys!” a sweet voice chimed, walking behind Lucas was y/n. Her little, white dress was short and hugging every single inch of her body. Beautiful hair framing her face. She looked...delectable with every sense of the word

“Dear god,” Doyoung gulped under his breath. It was obvious now that I was not the only man at this table who regrets their choice in pants. I can already feel myself tenting. Fuck.

“What the fuck” Taeil murmed to Jungwoo as the dress slowly rose up her thigh. The second that happened I felt my blood begin to boil, god she was hot. I felt the sirens in my head screaming BONER ALERT BONER ALERT PLEASE LEAVE AND RELIEVE. I was in no way expecting blue balls to be on the menu. The lump in my throat began to slide down slowly as she made it to the table. Fuck; clevage. I looked to Doyoung to see him zeroing in on the same area as I was. Lucas was right, she is 100% pornstar material, is it so awful to want to break the back of a good friend’s little sister? 

“Hey sis, I saved you a seat next to me.” Hyung stated, standing up and pulling the seat across from me. Well fuck me. 

“Hey y/n, um we forgot to exchange numbers earlier so i couldn't tell you that the rest of WayV would love to hang out sometime.” Lucas said, catching her arm, she turned to look at him with a dreamy smile and my stomach tightened. What a smile.  

“Oh really that's great! I- wait is.. Is Xiaojun going to be there?” she asked, quizzingly. Xiaojun? Does she like Xiaojun? Why do I care so much? I just met her. 

“Um yeah?” he responded, just as confused as I am. She quickly took out her phone and pulled up her contact with him.

“Here’s my number.” 

“Oooooo does y/n have a crush on Xiaojun?” Jungwoo teased as Lucas put down the number in his phone. 

“I thought I was your favorite member?” Taeyong questioned, clearly offended by his sister’s actions.

“As great as Xiaojun is, he is not my bias or crush by any means,that one is already taken.” she replied, putting her phone back in her pocket and sitting across from me. 

“Well I'm glad you finally decided to tell everyone princess,” Lucas chuckled and winked. 

“As handsome and charming as you are Lucas, it's not you either bUT YOU WERE SO CLOSE IM SORRY.” she exclaimed as Lucas was really hurt. I mean I would too if an extremely hot girl gave me her number and said ‘your not my first option, or any option really’. 

“Well I know her favorite is me, because i’m her brother, but crush ew no way.” he stated in disgust, crossing his arms. 

“You're right on that.” she laughed. 

“Wait…” Doyoung mumbled, everyone beginning to finally catch up to what she had just confirmed to the group.

“So that means you do like A MEMBER OF NCT!” Jungwoo exclaimed, everyone grinning in curiosity, on the edge of their seats just like me. 

“Tell me!” Taeyong commanded. 

“Who is it?” Taeil asked.

*“DON’T SAY MARK!” JOHNNY CRIES IN THE DISTANCE*

“So what can I get you all tonight?” the kind waitress asked as she finally reached the table. 

“Two bottles of soju, what will everyone else be drinking?” y/n asked with a chuckle, earning the laugh of the rest of the table. 

---

As a series of bottles and delicious plates of food made their rounds through the table, so did the conversations. Everyone was laughing so hard, Jungwoo actually had water come out of his nose. She was definitely a little spitfire. 

“So you really ran through the fountain naked and drunk at 2 in the morning and got caught by campus police?” Lucas laughed out loud and in disbelief. She swallowed her drink and nodded.

“Yes but one of them was my friend’s brother so he gave me his jacket and took me back to my dorm.” she chuckled, taking another bite.

“Okay, so when a hot girl does it it's okay but when I take my shirt off at the market everyone gets pissed?” Lucas looks around at the rest of the table, once again in disbelief. This quickly earned him a bread bun tossed at him by Taeyong himself.

“Hey that's my sister!” he shouted, everyone laughing at the argument, including y/n.

“But that's when I used to party and stuff, I actually haven't been to the club in a few months, any good places around here?” she asked, scanning the guys for any good suggestions.

“You are not going to a club.” Taeyong replied.  

“Obviously not tonight.” she smirked. 

“Hey I know a place a couple blocks from here that's really cool. But if you’re talking clubs, the right person to ask is Ten.” Taeil replied, grabbing another dumpling.

“We should go sometime! Man, Yongie your friends are so cool, how could you keep them from me?” she asked, giving him a small elbow to the ribs. 

“Because you always take my friends from me.” he grumbled. Which is absolutely clear why. She giggled again. God her laugh is so contagious, its impossible not to smile when she giggles even. I grabbed my cup when I felt something against my sneaker. I gently nudged it back when it nudged back. I looked up to see my opponent of footsie when a beautiful pair of eyes poured into mine. I nudged her back and she did it again, making her crack into a smile, which inevitably seeped into mine. 

“Are you okay you’ve been kind of quiet?” she asked me kindly, usingher chopsticks to push around the chicken on her plate. 

“Yeah, I'm just not as fast as you guys are, today.” I confessed, what a lie. Its because youre nervous for the first time in forever and it fucking shows. 

“How about we talk then?” she suggested, picking at her plate. 

“What do you mean?” I asked looking at her. Little did I know that it suddenly felt as if the entire world ceased to exist at this point. It felt like it was just her and I.

“Tell me about yourself, Yuta.” she elaborated with a voice as sweet as honey. The lump now finds a home in my throat. Why is it so hard to talk to her, I never get nervous like this. 

“Oh um, I’m a Scorpio?” I muttered, grabbing my soju and taking a swig. 

“Ooooo a mysterious guy. That definitely matches the aura.” she chuckled. God, how can she make me nervous but confident so fast. 

“I guess so, I've been told I have a mysterious side.” I explained, looking back at her. 

“You really do, it’s the eyes, hands down.”  she claimed, grabbing for her water. 

“Really I was joking at first but hey i'll take it.” I chuckled. 

“Definitely, you have these deep eyes that make you look menacing. It's almost like you could read someone's deepest desires or you could attack them. But you have such a  handsome face, it just goes together so well. I’m rambling, sorry!” she confessed, nervously nudging her feet against mine. 

“Hey, i like it. Do i make you feel that way?” I looked at her deeply, her shy demeanor cracking to show her inner self. 

“Oh yeah. But I think i'm more concerned about how I make you feel, Yuta.” she claimed, nudging her foot against mine again, resting her head on her propped up arm. 

“Well-

“Hey what are you guys talking abou-” Taeyong interrupted. 

“Shut up, Yuta is talking” she slapped his arm before turning her full attention back to me, which made me laugh. 

“Well for starters, you are absolutely gorgeous so that's a given. But I feel there's so much more to you than you are letting show.” I replied, giving her my full attention again. I could slowly see her once shy facade turn into something much more flirty. Her eyes glazing over just like mine, a tension starting to fill the air. 

“I’ve been caught huh?” she whispered, her eyes glazing over.

“Like you said I like to see what's underneath it all.” I answered with a grin.

“Well looking like that it can't be that hard to get underneath it all.” she looked up coyly. 

“Hey guys, we were thinking about heading back to the dorms, we have a stream and we were going to watch a movie. You guys ready?” Taeyong asked us both. I looked up to her as she smiled at her brother and nodded. And man, I could never agree more. 

[rirah1writes]

Chapter two

Patience and Penitence.

A/N: Chapter two. I’m actually loving the plot behind this series and I hope I can stay as true to the comics as possible. I hope everyone reading enjoys. P.s. Don't be afraid to message me with suggestions or requests for the next chapter. Much loveee!

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff (Smut {*Very Soon*} in future chapters) 

Summary: Tony and peter draw some conclusions,  y/n is very clumsy and also very late to class, and Peter decides its time to face up and make an appearance. 

Read Chapter One here

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Penitence; (noun): The action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; Repentance. 

“Were fucked how...wait why?” Peter breathed in deeply and ran his hands through his curls. He thought back to you when you would ask him questions about your physics assignments and how patient he would try to be to help you understand. 

Be patient.

“These...beings...are using us as hosts. Think about this like...an organ transplant or a blood transfusion.” Peter was stumbling over his words, trying to make sense of it himself when really, he had a feeling they had only just scratched the surface. “If it's not the right type, then it won’t work, yeah?” Tony nodded. “I get it, kid, I’m a mechanic not a dumbass, these aliens aren't compatible with the people they're trying to feed off of, so, therefore...they die.” Peter breathed out. “Exactly.” his eyes began lulling back, exhaustion was just now hitting him, despite the intriguing discovery they were making. 

“So the one that attacked you...Didn’t deem you a suitable host?” Tony looked at peter up and back down. “Not to be weird, but I find that hard to believe.” Peter furrowed his brow and chuckled softly. “Meaning?” he grumbled out as he leaned back in the chair and rubbed his eyes. “Think about it, you regenerate and recover thrice the normal rate of any human, I’ve seen you stop a bus with your bare hands, lift an airplane terminal, and hold together a ferry that was split in half. So if I was a symbiote...I’d, ya know...get up in that.” Peter laughed and his head fell in his hands as he tried to ponder what had happened.

San Francisco wouldn't be so bad for a week. y/n was stressed out anyways from finals and Fury had said he needed help with some intel they had gathered about the Life Foundation, harboring foreign lifeforms, and they needed to be confiscated from the “Rather stubborn” CEO, Dr. Carlton Drake. “Nothing some goddamn force can’t fix. Besides, your Ironman and Spider boy, and I'm Nick-fuckin’-Fury what can go wrong?” Peter grumbled under his breath “It’s spider- MAN” and Tony shot him a warning look as they neared the highway gate.  

Getting through to the front entrance was easy enough, (Nick was very convincing) and up to the labs was a treat until push came to shove and Dr. Drake refused, as Peter expected he would, to give up his “Life's work” The next thing he knew, guns were being fired, webs were being shot, one blast from Tony’s suit, and three symbiotes had escaped. 

Peter couldn't remember much of how it happened, only that he felt as if his skin was meshing, bonding with something unnatural. Next came a burning heat and impending hunger, an unfillable void. Tony was quick to get him to their jet a mile away, but as the engines revved up, a searing pain shot through his entire being, and then moments later...a a sweet release, no more pain. 

“Tony, you know, I don't think they like loud noise...You’re right. The symbiote did want to get inside of me.” Stark shifted and gave peter a disapproving look. “No, all jokes aside, I would have made a more than suitable host, but the noise from the engines drove it out, its like...harmful to them.” Tony nodded slowly. “Makes plenty of sense kid, but listen if I don't sleep soon I’m sure ill literally die.” Peter nodded, studying his mentor and longtime friend. His eyes were glassy, his hands looked worn from many years of work and tinkering, and his face was hollow looking from a lack of sleep. “Yeah, Mr. Stark. You look like shit.” Tony’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Ugh... ‘Mr. Stark’? You haven't called me that since you were fifteen. Don't say that ever again.” They both laughed and then slowly fell into silence, both mulling over their thoughts. 

“And will you be crashing here for a couple of hours, or sleeping on the rooftop of the abandoned building across Fifth Avenue?” Peter was yanked back to reality by the shock of his question, he stared blankly at Tony. “I know you sleep there every night, kiddo. But if you would just go and talk to her you wouldn't have to.” Peter thought seriously about these words. “Nah...It’s not safe yet, I don't know if that thing is coming back for me, I don't want to put her in danger. The time will come.” He rocked his head back, thinking of you, safe in your bed, curled up without him. “When exactly is that Pete? After she’s found another man?” Peter mulled over those words. 

When she’s found another man...Maybe she’s safe in her bed in another mans arms...

But why wouldn't she move on? y/n was a beautiful woman, and every day that passed was a day Peter was teaching her to live without him. He closed his eyes because he felt tears begin to well up, the hurt and guilt ate away at him, but he couldn't let Tony see this, he already knew, he didn't need to see it as well. Tony stood up patting a hand on his shoulder. “You should go talk to May. Your strangely fine aunt might have some good advice.” Peter stood up and followed Tony into the foyer. The sun was peeking into the sky now and casting hues of beautiful mandarin, crimson red, and pink. “Oh what you talk to Aunt May now?” Peter joked. “Have been for a while” Tony turned around and winked. “Just kidding, but really go see your aunt. She used to talk to y/n all the time when you first moved to San Fran, now that you’re back she’ll be glad to see you...she’ll have a lot to fill you in on.”

Peter was confused as Tony spoke in riddles but he paid it no mind, he was too tired to care about anything except sleeping. Pulling his suit back on, he heard Tony holler over his shoulders “Night, kid.” This was amusing considering the early hour, but Peter and Tony didn't seem to have a set schedule for sleep these days. He swung out over the terrace and weaved between the buildings until he neared their familiar old apartment, the same one May swore shed never leave, not unless she got married. Peter climbed up the brick, and slipped into his old bedroom, scowling silently about the window being unlocked, but he decided not to fuss, May was expecting him. Slipping out of his suit and into his bed, Peter let himself rest for the first time in months, his thoughts drifting to you. 

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The smell of bacon stirred peter from his sleep. He was sure he had dreamt of you. Soft remnants, a silky kiss you had placed over his lips, whispering something he wasn't able to remember. Sweet nothings. He pushed his eyes open fully now, fingers tracing his lips, they were hot and swollen, as if yours had actually been there. Looking at the clock next to him he realized he had slept an entire day, all the way into the next morning. Slowly stretching out of bed he gazed over at his dresser and saw a framed picture you had got for him one year on his birthday. A keen smile spread across his lips as he studied how wide your grin had been, and how genuine your laugh was, so genuine that your cute nose scrunched up and your eyes were closed tight. 

I want to see you laugh like that again...

“Peter, are you awake?” He was jarred from his memories of you, walking over and pulling the bedroom door, he saw may looming in the kitchen in her oversized tee, and biker shorts, her hair was thrown back into a bun, and she was squelching and giggling as the grease popped at her. “Turn the heat down a little, May.” She whipped around and grinned wildly at him. “Peter, just look at you!” She carried on as she threw her arms around him, bantering about how much she’d missed him and why he didn't call more. Peter took his seat at the table, running his hands through his untamed curls. “I would have been back sooner, but I had to make sure it was safe.” May nodded understandingly, she knew all about what was going on, everything that had happened. “And how is y/n?” her tone became soft, peter knew this was because she already knew the answer: Not good. 

“I don't know may...I haven't actually talked to her yet.” She curled her lip as she shook her head disapprovingly. “I raised you better than that...Sitting out on that damn abandoned building day and night, but you won’t go talk to her, let her know you’re alive and okay...it’s cruel Peter.” Her words were like daggers to him, piercing his heart, even though he knew they were marred with love and care. “How do you know I sit out there every day and night huh?” He questioned her, apparently she and Tony had been talking. “Happy told me.” Her answer was simple and it made Peter raise an eyebrow at her. “Oh did he now?” A childlike grin came over his face, as may shood him off. “Oh, that's none of your business. And in any case, stop changing the subject, you need to go see her Peter, it's not fair.” He shook his head. “Not yet May, it's not safe...” Peter was shocked when she threw the pan down into the sink with a loud thud and whipped around at him.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, you’re starting to sound like you dad. If it wasn't safe you wouldn't be here right now.” All that Peter could do was stare in shock. It had been such a long time since she had raised her voice at him. “You left her in the middle of the night, giving her a one-sentenced note. No texts, no calls, nothing to show for four years with that girl. She was over here every night for the longest time crying and wondering where you went, and I had to lie to her for you.” Peter’s heart fell at the image of you sitting at May’s kitchen table, crying as she rubbed your back and poured you tea. May was a true caregiver at heart. “Now its time for you to go tell her the truth. Forget your secret identity, forget the symbiotes. And just tell her the truth, Peter.” He knew she only told him for his own good, but he didn't even know how to begin to tell you the truth. “I don't know how to do it May! I can't just waltz up to her and say ‘Hey I’m Spiderman, yeah I lied to you about that for four years, oh also I ran away for a year because I had an alien lifeform trying to possess me and kill everyone.’ I mean, that just doesn’t work.” 

May shot him a look, but he could tell she was attempting to be understanding. “Alright, Peter do what you think is best.” Peter sighed relief. He did plan on telling you, just in a way he knew you could process it. “But, don't come crying when she finally moves on. Better for her to know the truth than think you just don't give a damn, so she finds another man...MJ tells me a boy from her Criminology class really has the hots for her his name is Justin, James...? Something like that...rumor has it he’s not bad looking either.” Peter knew May was doing this on purpose, but all the same, he felt his face grew hot, he turned to get up and go shower. “Where you going, Pete?” She called out after him as he stormed out of the kitchen. “To take a shower and look presentable, if I’m going to talk to y/n I’m not going looking like this.” May smiled slyly to herself as he continued to grumble and slammed shut the bathroom door. He had always wondered if you had moved on and found another man, but hearing a name made everything real, and Peter would be damned if another man would be cozying up to his princess at night. All he could do is explain everything to you, lay all the truth out on the table, and hope you would forgive him. I need her forgiveness, but even more, I need to express my remorse. 

Peter thought back to all the nights he laid alone in bed, tangled in cold sheets, missing you. Guilt shot from his chest and left a knot in his throat as he pondered how you must have felt in the same condition, not knowing or understanding a thing about why he had vanished. He let the steaming water pour over his skin as his thoughts raced, one lone word recurring in his mind.

Penitence. 

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“Shit” You cursed under your breath as you tripped over absolutely nothing and sloshed coffee onto your white tee. Not that you were surprised because being a tad clumsy came to you naturally. Getting to class this morning had been a struggle. The universe seemed to be working against you, as it normally did when one was double majoring. You kept mulling over in your head your schedule for the day. Criminology at nine, lunch by twelve probably from Delmar's, probably on the go, next class by one-thirty, then ill go home and study, later to the grocery store...Internally planning was one way you kept your mind busy. And with everything you had going on, your thoughts had been able to stay away from Peter for the past week. You suddenly felt someone walking next to you and it caused your head to snap up, breaking your concentration, and causing you to drop the whole cup. “Fuck...” you cursed under your breath, glancing next to you. 

Oh god, here we fucking go...

“Hey y/n. Need a hand?” Justin smiled at you slyly. Always with the sexual undertones, as if he wanted to eat you right there in the sidewalk. Disgusting. Just be nice maybe he’ll go away. “Hi Justin. How are you?” you forced out a greeting, bending down to pick up the paper cup, you could feel his eyes gazing at your backside. Refusing to meet his predatory eyes, you stood back up straight and continued to walk, throwing your hair over your shoulder. “Well, I’m better now.” You hoped you hadn’t visibly cringed. you crossed your arms over your chest defensively and attempted to scoot away from him, but he just closed the gap and wrapped his arm over your shoulder. You squirmed underneath him, internally screaming for him to let you go. “So when are you going to let me show you a good time?” He gazed down and winked at you, his piercing blue eyes were beautiful, but you preferred deep, chocolate brown ones, soft eyes, loving eyes. Not ones that were stripping you naked in their imagination. “Uhh...Ex-excuse me?” You glared up at him, squirming from under his shoulder. “You know, like let me take you to dinner or a movie.” You breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps a little too soon, because he stepped closer, moving a strand of hair from your face and tucking it behind your ear. 

Boy, would peter had ripped his hand off if he had seen this...

 “Or...you could come over to my place and we could drink some wine...you know watch a film indoors instead...” His voice trailed off and you could feel his breath. “Uh, that's not going to happen, Justin.” you pushed away from him, but low-and-behold he was right after your heels. “Why not, still waiting on Physics boy to move back?” His words stopped you dead in his tracks, you whirled around looking him directly in his handsome features, breathing ragged. “Don’t talk to me anymore.” was all you could choke out, before whipping around and leaving him standing alone, moving quickly towards the Criminal Justice department. 

Your cheeks were brimming red, and his head was hot. He had no idea what you had been through. How dare he be so presumptuous. You pulled out your phone to text M.J. that you were there, just late. There was someone standing right in the doorway, you could tell from a distance, they were peering out the glass at you. Has this guy been watching me..?  No that was absurd. He was probably just peering out at the sky. There had been a lot of rain this fall, and the vastness above you was scattered with dark clouds, threatening to open up and rain for the third time this week. The figure receded back into the hall as you got closer, and you swung the door open, thankful for the warm air on your cold hands. You rubbed them together, then peered around for M.J. She was probably already down the hall in the lecture. Before you could start to head that way, someone stepped in front of you, stopping you in your tracks. 

Brown eyes. Those brown eyes you know so well. Boring into you, halting your whole world. Bringing it to a still. Freckles decoratively speckled a perfectly shaped nose, right above those gentle lips, the same lips you shared so many conversations with, swept with your own, talking in tongues, and groans, and grunts of passion. In less than a second, you took in his whole face, his entire appearance in your eyes. In your soul. The sun had kissed his skin for every one you weren't able to give him. Glowing and royal, strong and beautiful. He’s talking to you, but you can't hear a thing. Nothing. You forgot how to breathe. After all, your breath was his, every breath you drew you’d gladly gave away to him. He had just stolen yours away, like he had the last year of your life. Was he asking you if you were okay? Asking you to sit down and breathe? You were still unable to make sense of a single word out of his mouth. “What the fuck?” was the last phrase you could utter out before your knees gave out and you fell to your ass on the floor. Peter had caught you by the arm, pulling you back up into him, and carrying you into an empty study room off to the side, sitting you on a chair, kneeling in front of you. Still complete silence, all around you. Unable to hear a thing, only to see those beautiful lips moving. 

Then he touched your face, and you started to gain back your focus. “This isn't real...” was all you could manage. “Yes it is, babe I’m right here.” You heard his voice. For the first time in over a year, you could hear him, crystal clear. Not just in dreams, or in voicemails he had left you that you were never able to dispose of. His actual voice, one that belonged to an angel. 

My angel.  

“You left me.” You were shaking violently. So many thoughts were bounding through your mind, but all you could say to peter was ‘you left me.’ And it said everything that needed to be said. Unable to mask all of your emotions, also unable to keep your hands off of his face. Feeling him, his features. You had longed to touch him for so long, wondered if he was still alive and okay, and now as your hands played over his cheeks, his jawline and nose, he was so real to you. So alive. 

“I did...and I can’t fix what I did, but babygirl I can tell you why...I owe you that, well so much more than that princess...Let’s just get you home and I can explain everything, okay?” You shook your head slowly. “Wait but I have class? and M.J...” Peter put his hand to your lips and hushed your banter. “Shh its okay, y/n don't worry about class, MJ will be fine, this is very important. Just come home with me.” He stood up reaching for your hand, which you offered him willingly. Home. Our apartment that we shared together, he still considers me home. “Okay.” You nodded rapidly as Peter helped you stand, and guided you out the door, towards the apartment. The cold air hit you like a wall and thunder began to rumble slowly over the sky. But nothing mattered, because Peter was at your side, holding tightly your hand. Shock still ravaged your mind and body, but you would have all of your answers. Every night you laid and cried and wondered alone, you would finally have closure. 

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[st-crylo]

Rebound

Part 2

A/N: I’m gonna try to keep this updated weekly, especially since the response to it has been so good :,). Thank you guys so much, I really appreciate y’all for taking time to read my fics!!

Warnings: mostly just swearing, alcohol mention, tobacco use, infidelity

Word Count: 6.2K

Tagging:@haylaansmi @nankstasty @thomasscresswell

Masterlist

As you walked through the door, you saw your mom waiting for you in the kitchen, reading some article in a magazine. When she heard the door close, she looked up and smiled at you.

“How was the first day back?” she asked, a little too enthusiastically.

“Not terrible. Made some new friends,” you replied before heading up the stairs to your room, trying to avoid any more questions. You didn’t want to have to lie to your mom about the new friends you’d made, especially since she saw Kylo how everyone else did. 

Closing the door to your room, you heaved a sigh before throwing your backpack onto the ground, and plopping down on your bed, pulling out your phone to see an email. Curious, you opened the notification, then groaned when you saw who the sender was.

(y/n), we really need to talk. I understand that you probably have me blocked, so I had to go to drastic measures. As much as there is I want to say to you, a lot of it can’t be said over an email. However, I do think you should know that I really don’t think you should be hanging out with Ben Solo. He’s not the kind of person someone like you should hang around, and he’s nothing more than a common criminal. I’m only looking out for you. I love you, Shawn.

You wanted to throw your phone across the room, scream at the top of your lungs, and maybe break something. The rage inside you was boiling hot, and you felt like a kettle, left on the stove too long. What kind of desperate asshole decides an email is a great way to contact the girl you cheated on? Why did he even expect a response from you? Most importantly, how dare he claim to love you. The whole thing had you heated, but you held your composure as you deleted the email, and pulled the little slip of paper with Kylo’s number on it out. 

You stared at the number, and thought about Kylo’s idea. If you were being completely honest, Shawn’s email made you consider it more seriously. After all, it was obvious that the idea of you even hanging around Kylo set something off in him. If the two of you were to “date,” he would probably lose his shit. Admittedly, the idea of watching Shawn implode like that would be kinda fun. 

At the same time, you didn’t know this person. Not Kylo, you’d known him so long, even though today seemed more like a reintroduction instead of a reunion. No, you weren’t sure you knew who you were. You’d never wished ill upon someone like this, and certainly never considered going through with something so major in order to upset someone. That had never really been your style, and you’d always looked down at people who did stuff like that.

But did you really know yourself at all?

You’d been with Shawn for three years, all of high school, really. Those were the most formative years of your life, and they’d been shaped by your boyfriend. Were you really this suburban good girl, who only had good friends, had never even been to a high school party, and certainly never rebelled against even her parents? Or were those things that Shawn had shaped you to be? After all, the more you thought about it, the more you realised his opinions had affected a lot of the way you acted. So now, you were left at an impasse. Were you really who you’d acted as your first three years of high school, or were you someone else entirely that you’d never gotten to discover?

You created a contact for Kylo on your phone, and typed up a message.

What exactly would us “dating” entail?

You started at the screen of your phone as you watched the dots appear as Kylo started texting back. There was a little bit of anxiety in your chest, but the idea of “dating” Kylo filled you with a sense of thrill as well. 

We wouldn’t be “dating” right away. We’d pretend to flirt for a while and then start dating. Do basic couple shit at school, but especially wherever him or his little friends can see.

Made sense. It wouldn’t be smart to jump straight to dating, that would be too suspicious. Admittedly, you weren’t entirely sure how to flirt, but you were sure you could get some advice somewhere. You pulled up your keyboard to respond.

We should also make sure to go on dates, too. That way, we can convince your parents we’re dating too. 

After all, Kylo had to have something in it as well, and he said he wanted to convince his parents he was improving. 

Shit, I forgot about that. I’ll have to bring you around Gran and Granpa too, if that’s okay with you.

Yeah, that’s fine. 

So is that a yes?

You thought for a moment. Was this really the decision you wanted to make? Then, you thought about the picture, and thought about the email.

Hell yeah.

***

The next morning, you didn’t have to fight so hard to get out of bed. You actually took the time to throw on some jeans instead of leggings. Most importantly, your heart didn’t feel so heavy. It was like you finally had an inkling of hope in the form of revenge. Looking out of your bedroom window, you noticed how the sky was still overcast, but there was no rain. However, just to be on the safe side, you threw on your jacket and made sure to bring your umbrella. 

Walking down the steps, you peeked into the kitchen from the top of the stairs, making sure the coast was clear before continuing your descent. Your dad was there, sipping his morning coffee and reading something on his phone, but your mom was nowhere in sight. Letting out a small sigh of relief, you continued down the stairs, noticing your lunch bag and a small note on the island.

“Morning, (y/n),” your dad said, not looking up from his phone. 

“Morning,” you responded before picking up the note. 

Morning, dear. I had to head to work early today, but I went ahead and packed your lunch. Have a good day at school! Love, mom.

A small frown pulled the corners of your mouth down a little. You loved your mom, but she had been trying too hard to cheer you up instead of letting you simply wallow in your misery for a couple of days. You neatly folded the note and put it in your pocket before taking your lunch off the counter. 

“Bye, dad,” you said as you headed for the front door. Your dad gave you a final wave goodbye before you opened the door, heading out into the world.

Unsurprisingly, Kylo was sitting there, presumably waiting for you as he leaned against the back of his Mustang, smoking his morning cigarette. He must’ve been out there for a while, because he dropped the butt onto the ground before stomping it out and picking it back up. When he came back up, he noticed you and smiled.

“Want another ride?” He asked, standing straight and running a hand through his long hair. 

“Beats walking,” you said, walking up to the Skywalker driveway and climbing into the car as Kylo threw his cigarette butt away. Kylo climbed in next, starting the car as soon as he closed the door.  

“So my uncle told Gran and Granpa that you and I have been hanging out,” Kylo started as he pulled out of the driveway. “Can you believe they already want you over for dinner?”

You shook your head with a smile on your face. Even though they were your next door neighbors, you hadn’t really spoken to Kylo’s grandparents. “Sounds like fun. When?”

“Friday,” Kylo responded

You simply nodded in response before staring out of the passenger window. Then, you remembered.

“Do you want to hear about something Shawn sent to me yesterday?” you asked, turning to Kylo. He furrowed his brows in confusion as he glanced at you from his peripherals. 

“Did you not block him?” he asked, the same confusion he wore on his face mixed into his tone.

“No, I did. He sent me this through email, if you can believe it,” you said.

“Go ahead, I’m all ears,” he replied.

You recalled the contents of the email to the best of your ability, and as you did, you watched Kylo’s knuckles slowly turn white as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. 

“And after all of that, he has the nerve to say he loves me? After everything he’s put me through, he has the balls to say he loves me? Apparently not, if he’s perfectly okay sticking his tongue down some other girl’s throat,” you said with an angry huff, as tears threatened to fall. They weren’t sad tears, however. No, these were the tears of pure unbridled rage that only became realized when you talked about the situation out loud. It was weird, but admittedly the feeling was welcome. You were tired of being sad, and angry was a much better improvement. At least with anger you could stop moping around.

“I hate that shit,” Kylo commented as he stopped at the red light at the end of the neighborhood. “They always try to tell you they love you, but if they loved you they wouldn’t have cheated in the first place. Fuck that.” 

“My sentiments exactly.” There was another good thing about Kylo; he could relate to you. You knew that none of your friends had ever been cheated on before, so it was a lot harder to talk to them about it. Kylo, though, he knew the pain, the resentment, everything. He would know exactly how you were feeling and not make any judgments-not that he would do it whether or not he’d experienced it anyways. It was such a different change of scenery, it was honestly refreshing. 

Not that you didn’t love your friends, you treasured them dearly. There was just something about knowing someone who’d had the same experiences as you.

The light turned green and Kylo drove forward into the school parking lot, maneuvering into his spot. When he placed the car in park, there was a small ding from his phone, and he grabbed it, checking the notification.

“Milo’s gonna drop Sami and Alan off, so they’re gonna hang with us before class. Means you can meet Milo,” Kylo said before texting a reply. You didn’t know why, but you had a really good feeling about Milo. After all, he was a friend of Kylo’s. 

It was about five minutes later when a grey Honda Civic pulled up beside the two of you. Needless to say, that was not what you were expecting. You watched as Sami and Alan stepped out of the Honda Civic, followed by who you assumed was Milo.

He was maybe an inch taller than Kylo, his hair bleached white with dark brown barely peeking out at the roots of his hair. He had a cigarette between his lips, and you wondered if that was where Kylo had picked up the habit. When Kylo rolled down your window, he leaned against the car and peered in through the window while Alan and Sami climbed into the backseat behind the driver’s seat. Once they were in the back, Kylo set the seat back, settling in and closing the door. 

“You must be (y/n),” he said, holding out his hand to you. You shook his hand and smiled up at him.

“That’s me,” you answered before dropping your hand onto your lap. 

“So, are we still on for Friday?” Milo asked, turning to Kylo. Kylo frowned before letting out a sigh.

“Shit, I forgot. Told my grandparents that me and (y/n) would have dinner with them. If you wanna go later though, I can probably sneak out,” Kylo responded, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s fine, just don’t get caught. Wanna come along too, (y/n)? Sami, Alan, Phasma, and Pat are coming,” Milo said, turning back to you.

“Where exactly?” you asked, turning to Kylo.

“Jordan’s place, she graduated with Milo. She’s having a kickback before heading to Coruscant for college,” Kylo explained.

“I don’t want to intrude,” you started, a little uncomfortable about being invited to the house of someone you didn’t know.

“If you go, Kylo might not have to sneak out,” Sami suggested from the back. “Besides, Jordan’s really chill, I think you’d like her.”

“How would her going with me make it to where I don’t have to sneak out?” Kylo asked, turning around to face Sami.

“Well, no one really expects (y/n) to go to a party. She could just tell your grandparents that the two of you are going to study,” Sami offered. As you thought it over, it was a pretty decent idea. You didn’t really have the party reputation, and everyone knew it. 

“I’m game,” you answered. Kylo looked at you with a look of surprise, but simply shrugged as he pulled out a cigarette from the box.

“Sick. I’ll see you Friday then. I gotta go, I have a shift in thirty minutes. See ya, Alan, bye babe!” Milo said before blowing a kiss to Sami. She smiled back at him and waved goodbye as he climbed back into his car, driving off out of the parking lot.

“Oh, (y/n), you might wanna tell your parents you’re staying at my place on Friday night,” Sami said as Kylo lit his cigarette. “Jordan usually has drinks at her ‘kickbacks.’” You nodded as you looked back at her.

“So did he ask you yet?” came Alan’s voice, his eyes refusing to leave the screen of his phone.

“As a matter of fact,” Kylo said after taking the first drag of his cig. “I did. Me and (y/n) are planning to ‘date.’ And Sami thought I wouldn’t have the balls.” He blew the smoke out of the window, before taking another drag.

“I never said that,” Sami said with a frown. “I just said that your explanation of your plan seemed a little lacking. I’m glad you agreed, though, (y/n). Shawn’s a piece of shit.” 

“You’re telling me,” you said as you let out a sigh. “Can’t wait to see the look on his smug little face when I start ‘dating’ someone he hates. Wasn’t aware that Kylo shared his plan with everyone, though.” A small flush arose in Kylo’s cheeks, and he didn’t make eye contact with you.

“You would be surprised, when he’s not being an emo prick, he won’t shut the fuck up,” Alan added, looking up with a smirk. Kylo looked back at him with his brows furrowed. 

“Like you’re one to talk,” Kylo huffed out. He finished up the last of his cigarette before checking the clock. It was 8:00 already.

“Shit, let’s get going, punks,” Sami said, lightly kicking the back of Kylo’s seat.

“Fuck, I’m getting out. Hand me my bag,” Kylo said as he tossed the cigarette butt into the car’s ashtray. Without warning, a black backpack went flying towards Kylo and hit him on the chest. “Fuck you, Sami.” He grabbed his bag by the straps and stepped out of the car, bringing the seat forward so Sami and Alan could climb out. You stepped out of the car and closed the door behind you, putting your backpack onto your shoulders while you waited for everyone to step out. Kylo walked forward first and you fell into step beside him.

As the four of you walked into the building, you could feel people turn to stare at you, and you remembered your reputation. You weren’t the kind of girl to hang out with Kylo Ren and his ilk, you were one of the good girls. A small voice in the back of your head resented that. 

Alan split off pretty quickly, bidding his farewell before heading to his first class. Sami was next, saying she wanted to be early to art, so she said her goodbye before speeding away. 

“Guess I’ll see you at lunch,” Kylo said as the two of you parted, and you headed for your econ class. 

Much like yesterday, the pace of which your first two classes moved was painfully slow. You weren’t surprised, the first day of actual class was horrible, but you tried to stay focused and take notes. Whenever you got distracted, though, you kept thinking about the plan you and Kylo had established. It felt like the perfect revenge, “dating” someone Shawn hated. However, the more you thought about it, the more you wondered why exactly Shawn hated Kylo. Kylo had said it was because he’d punched Shawn, but you felt like there was something there that you were missing, some truth that Kylo didn’t want to say.

You couldn’t worry about it too much, though. It was Kylo’s business, and you didn’t want to pry if he didn’t want to tell you exactly what had happened. You definitely weren’t going to go to Shawn for the reason, and you doubted that Shawn would tell you the truth anyways, so it would have to remain an unsolved mystery in your mind. 

Lunch could not have come sooner, and as you flowed into the cafeteria with the rest of the people who had third lunch, you looked around for your new group of friends. You saw Phasma first, who waved at you to come over to her. As you walked closer, you watched as she stepped out to the outdoor seating, and you followed, noticing everyone else sitting there too. There were only a handful of other groups outside as well, so it was much more quiet and calm than being in the loud cafeteria. 

“Man, Mr. Jinn’s class is kicking my ass,” you heard Alan say as you sat down between Phasma and Kylo.

“How, it’s only the second day of classes?” Phasma asked before biting into a roll. 

“Have you ever had Mr. Jinn’s class, Phasma?” Kylo asked, putting a bookmark in the book he was reading.

“No.”

“Then don’t say shit. He’s a cool guy, but damn he gives a lot of homework. Alan, if you need help, don’t come to me,” Kylo said, leaning against the table. Alan frowned as he looked up at Kylo.

“Wow, thanks, Kylo, you’re such a hero,” he quipped. 

“So, (y/n), how was the beginning of your second day?” Sami asked, pushing aside her untouched lunch as she leaned forward to talk to you.

“It was alright, but I’m getting tired of people staring at me,” you responded. Even though you’d tried your hardest to focus, the whispers were still hard to ignore. It almost felt like you were being punished for Shawn’s actions.

“People don’t know how to mind their own goddamn business,” Phasma stated. “They just want shit to gossip about. When you’re not the fresh gossip anymore, they’ll all but forget you exist.” 

“I can’t wait for that to happen. I’m tired of hearing rumors about something involving me. Especially since I basically don’t know shit,” you admitted. This caused Sami to raise her eyebrows.

“How do you mean? If you don’t mind, of course.” For a second, you pondered on whether or not you wanted to talk about it, but your doubt washed away pretty quickly. It was amazing how comfortable you felt around these people. You did look around the courtyard though, to make sure there was no one there that you didn’t want to hear what you were talking about. When you decided the coast was clear, you let out a sigh before you spoke.

“Well, on Thursday, I was sent a picture,” you started, feeling the pang in your chest, but not as fiercely as you did yesterday. “It was of Shawn making out with some girl. I’m guessing it was one of his friends who sent it to me, but it wasn’t from a number I had saved. I’m also assuming that whoever it was that sent the picture also sent it to a lot of people. I got a lot of messages that night from people I’d maybe spoken to once about what happened, but the thing is, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t want Shawn’s explanation, because I didn’t think he’d be truly honest, and I wasn’t sure who to ask about it. Shawn’s friends would probably defend him.”

Sami’s face turned to one of deep thought, as if she was trying to solve some kind of puzzle. 

“Did you think about texting the sender?” Alan asked. When he said it, you felt kind of dumb for not thinking about it.

“I did not,” you admitted.

“I can write something up for you,” Sami offered. “That way you don’t have to look at the picture again.” You shrugged, and handed your phone to Sami, who took it in her hands, bringing it close to her face. She tapped on what you assumed was the conversation with the sender, and for a moment, you could have sworn there was shock in her eyes. If it had been there, it didn’t last, as her face instantly went back to the one of thought. She hesitated a moment, then started typing away.

“How does this sound: Hey, I want to thank you for sending this. Do you mind telling me how you came upon this picture?” She said aloud.

“Yeah, that sounds fine,” you said. Sami tapped the screen again, sending the message, before handing your phone back to you. A part of you felt a little anxious. On the one hand, you wanted to know the story behind the photo, but at the same time, you wanted to remain willfully ignorant. It mostly branched from a fear inside you that he’d been cheating for a long time. 

However, the rest of lunch passed, and you hadn’t received any messages. While it was a little relieving, it still added on to the anxiety that had settled in the pit of your stomach. You tried to ignore it though, as you and Kylo headed to physics, the two of you walking in a comfortable silence. 

When you got to Mr. Windu’s class, the two of you took your seats, while people whispered from around the room.

“Can you believe she’s hanging out with him now?”

“She really shouldn’t lower her standards like that just because of what happened.”

The last one had you whipping around, trying to find the person who said it. Everyone looked away when you did, though, so there was no clear suspect, but it didn’t prevent you from glaring at everyone around the room. At least, you did until you saw Shawn walk in. Once you caught even the slightest glimpse out of the corner of your eye, you turned back around, boiling in your anger.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kylo said softly, unbothered by the whispers. “I’m the town disappointment, of course they’re going to say that.” You looked up at Kylo and frowned. 

“What makes them so holy to pass judgement like that? I’m sure they’ve all done fucked up shit too, their parents just aren’t as in the spotlight as yours,” you huffed out as Mr. Windu began to take roll. 

When Mr. Windu’s lecture started, you were your normal studious self, taking detailed notes and making sure to get any equations down. Every once in a while, you would look over to Kylo’s notes and noticed the bare minimum of notes being taken. At one point, you looked at him incredulously. He simply shrugged before writing in the margins of your notes.

I’ve always been good at science. You let out a small huff of air before writing back.

Lucky. Kylo smiled before looking back up at the board, where Mr. Windu was writing another equation. 

When the bell rang, you quickly shoved your stuff into your backpack, and waited for Kylo so the two of you could get to fourth block. Once Kylo had his stuff packed, the two of you were off. You were free, at least that was what you thought. The notion of freedom disappeared when you felt a hand on your shoulder, causing you to stop in your tracks, and for Kylo to stop as well. Turning around, you had to resist the incredible urge to punch Shawn in the face.

“You haven’t been responding to my messages,” he stated. He was obviously trying to sound hurt, but you could hear that hint of anger in his voice. It was something you were familiar with, but it was weird for it to be directed at you.

“Fuck off, Alvarez,” Kylo said, stepping forward, his figure looming over you. You looked up at Kylo and shook your head. 

“I don’t remember asking your opinion, Solo,” Shawn said, trying to puff out his chest. It was kind of funny to see, honestly, because he was at least six inches shorter than Kylo. Despite how funny a part of you found Shawn’s response, though, you stepped between them. 

“Have you considered that the reason I haven’t responded to you is because I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say?” You finally said, crossing your arms as you looked at Shawn. Looking at him straight on like this for the first time in a week was causing your stomach to churn, and your heart to clench, but you were tired, in every sense of the word. You just wanted to be left alone to deal with your emotions, and not have him harassing you every three seconds.

“You have to let me explain myself-” he started, but you let out a laugh, one of those laughs that dripped of sarcasm and anger.

“I don’t have to let you do shit. You cheated on me, end of story. Please, just leave me alone,” you said before turning around and walking off. After a few seconds, you heard Kylo begin to follow you, catching up to you with ease and falling into step beside you, not saying a word. You appreciated that, as you were trying your hardest not to cry. As much as you thought your anger had taken over your sadness, it was really just a blanket. At this moment, it felt like you were shriveling from the inside, and anything said to you would immediately cause you to start sobbing. It was a special kind of hurt, being cheated on. So many emotions ran through your head, but the one that remained in your heart always lingered; why weren’t you enough?

The two of you walked into fourth block not but two minutes before the bell rang. You took the same seat you sat in yesterday, and settled in your seat, breathing deeply to keep yourself calm. You saw Sami and Phasma both look at Kylo, confused looks on their faces. Kylo merely shook his head before pulling out a notebook. Taking one final deep breath, you did the same, sitting straight as you waited for Mr. Skywalker to call roll.

Once he’d done so, he picked up a crate, placing it on the desk nearest to him.

“Alright, go ahead, come up, and grab your copy of Beowulf,” he said.

“I’ll get them.” Kylo said as he stood, walking up to the crate and waiting behind your other classmates as he waited to grab the books. When he came back, he handed a book to each of you, and you gave him a half smile. It was all you could really manage, but Kylo matched it with a little more enthusiasm than you. 

Once everyone had their books, Mr. Skywalker decided to go into the history of Beowulf. However, during his explanation, you began to zone out. You really just wanted to go home, curl up in your room, and sleep until tomorrow came. You did feel a hand tap you, and you turned to Kylo, who was holding out a slip of paper to you, while keeping his eyes on the board. You took the folded paper from his hand, and opened it up. On the paper were two phone numbers, the top one being Phasma’s, and the lower being Sami’s. You typed both into your phone and sent a simple “hey” to each number. Sami responded back.

You okay?

With a sigh, you started typing on your keyboard.

Yeah, just had a run-in with my ex. You watched Sami out of the corner of your eye as she read your message and responded.

Shit, I’m sorry. She then sent a picture of a ridiculously fat cat, which actually did make you smile. 

The rest of class passed by pretty quickly, even after the class started the beginning of the poem aloud, which, like anyone else, you had to admit was the worst part of class. When Mr. Skywalker had decided the class had done enough reading, everyone began to pack up as they waited for the final bell to ring to let them out of class. Phasma and Sami both turned around in their seats to strike conversation for the last few minutes of class. 

“Glad that’s over,” Phasma said, frowning. “Why do we have to read aloud in the first place?”

“Torture,” Sami said sagely. “We’re meant to suffer.”

“Pretty sure it’s so that people can gain confidence reading aloud and speaking in front of a crowd,” Kylo said as he leaned back in his seat, looking at his phone.

“What academic input, truly an improvement for such a delinquent,” Phasma quipped, causing Kylo to look up from his phone, eyebrows raised, before returning to staring at the screen. “So, I heard you’re coming to Jordan’s on Friday.” Phasma now turned to you.

“Yeah. I’m actually pretty excited,” you said, leaning forward to feel more present in the conversation. 

“As you should be, Jordan knows how to have fun,” Sami said, making herself sound like an expert in the subject of Jordan. You laughed as the bell rang, standing up and stretching before slinging your backpack onto your shoulder. You watched as Finn, Poe, Rey, and Rose all walked by, waving at you as they went. You waved back to each of them, but frowned a little once they’d passed. You hadn’t really spoken to them much since Thursday, and you felt kinda bad about it. You would talk to them tonight, you decided. 

Soon, the four of you filed out of the classroom, walking at a comfortable pace as Kylo and Phasma walked together, talking about skating. You and Sami walked side by side in silence, until Sami leaned closer to you, so that the two in front of you couldn’t hear.

“I think I know who the girl in the picture is. Text me when you get home,” she said before drifting away again. You felt your chest tighten, but you only nodded, deciding to change the subject.

“I’m gonna tell my mom I’m staying at your place Friday night when I get home. She’s a little weird about sleepovers, so she might want to talk to you,” you said as your group reached the front of the school. 

“Hey, I can probably just tell my grandparents that the three of us are gonna study at your place,” Kylo offered. 

“Yeah, that works. After all, I am the only one of your friends who hasn’t wound up with the title ‘delinquent,’” Sami quipped. Kylo gave a frown in response, before stopping in front of the entrance to the school. 

“Well, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Kylo said. The two of you waved goodbye before heading to Kylo’s car. There was silence at first as the two of you climbed into the car, and Kylo started the engine, but it was broken with a sigh from Kylo.

“We don’t have to do this, you know. If Shawn’s just gonna harass you for even being around me, it isn’t really worth it,” he said, pulling out of his parking spot. You couldn’t help but let out your own sigh.

“That’s not the reason he’s harassing me,” you started. “He’s harassing me because he thinks he can still control me, and convince me that he didn’t mean it. Honestly, the easiest way to get him to leave me alone is if we stick to the plan.” It was a frustrating realization, but it was certainly true. If Shawn thought you had moved on, he was probably more likely to leave you alone. Sure, he’d probably have some choice words to say about you, but you seriously doubted that he’d say them to your face. 

The rest of the drive home was spent with the music loud, Kylo occasionally singing along softly. When the two of you pulled into the driveway, you waited before stepping out, and turned to Kylo.

“Thanks for sticking up for me again. You really don’t have to do that,” you said. Kylo shook his head and ran a hand through his ebony hair.

“You’re my friend, (y/n). I’ll always stick up for you,” he responded before turning the car off. You gave him a small smile before opening the door.

“See you in the morning,” you said before stepping out.

“See ya, bright and early,” he responded with a smirk. You shook your head as you turned to head to your house.

Upon walking in the door, you saw your mom sitting at the dining room table. She was looking at what looked to be some documents from work, but she looked up when you closed the door, and gave you a warm smile. 

Here goes, you thought to yourself before returning her smile, and walking up to the table.

“How was your day, honey?” she asked, shifting her attention to you. 

“It was good. Actually, my friend Sami invited me to stay at her place on Friday,” you responded. You actually felt a lot of anxiety in your chest, but you were trying your hardest not to let it show. You’d never really lied to your parents like this before, and it was strange for that to start your senior year, but you actually really wanted to go. The opportunity to hang out with your new set of friends, not to mention Kylo, was so exciting.

“Oh, is this that new friend you were talking about yesterday?” she asked. It almost looked like there was a great deal of happiness in her eyes. They practically lit up, and you couldn’t really say you blamed her. After all, after you’d gotten home on Thursday, you had shut yourself in your room, refusing to come out. Making new friends and being invited to one of their houses? It was definitely an upgrade. 

“Yeah. She’s really cool, and she’s trying to get into art school,” you said, smiling at your mom.

“Alright, but I want you to message me throughout the night. Are you gonna head home with her that night?” Your heart dropped at that. You hadn’t mentioned anything about Kylo- obviously- and you were supposed to be having dinner with the Skywalkers on Friday as well. There really was no point in lying about that, it would be too easy to get caught.

“Actually, I’m supposed to have dinner with the Skywalkers next door that night, too. I’ve been getting rides from Ben, and his grandparents invited me to dinner,” you said, waiting for shit to hit the fan. Surprisingly, your mother’s face didn’t turn red, but she did frown.

“I don’t know about you hanging around with Ben Solo…” you could tell she was trying to be delicate, but there was no mistaking in her voice that she felt the same way about him that all the parents did. You knew another lie was needed in this scenario too.

“He has been giving me rides, and they really just want us to be friends because they think I’ll make him be a little more responsible. But he did offer to take me to Sami’s house too. I promise, when I get there, I’ll take a picture with Sami and send it to you,” you said. You could see the cogs turning over in her head as she thought it over. When she finally let out a sigh, you knew she had relented.

“Alright, but I want to see you after dinner, before you leave for Sami’s, okay?” she said. You smiled and nodded before turning on your heels, heading for the stairs.

“I’m gonna go ahead and get started on dinner,” she called as you practically skipped up the stairs. 

When you got into your room, you let your backpack fall to the ground before plopping onto your bed and pulling your phone. You had two messages. One was from Sami, and you remembered what she had told you earlier. With a pang in your chest, your excitement for Friday extinguished, you decided to look at the other message.

It was from the sender of the picture.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.10

When the others finally left for the night, Lance was mentally jumping for joy. Hunk was driving Shay home, Lance had his fingers, and toes, crossed that his best friend would finally profess his feelings. His joy lasted until his stomach rolled, telling him it was time to purge the human food he’d forced down the evening. Bolting for his upstairs bathroom, he gripped the toilet hard as his stomach rolled and everything was vomited out forcefully. Keith’s stupid blood was still in his system. The effects should have been wearing off by now, not lingering around like his unwanted house guest.

Hunched over as he heaved, there was a soft knock on the bathroom door

“Lance?”

Ugh. Shiro the goddamn hero. He was none too happy with him at the moment. Humans always made things so bloody complicated, no pun intended. Behind him the sink tap was turned on, the sound of the water hitting the basin was like a fucking waterfall again rocks, the noise coming to an end not a second too soon

“Here”

Gazing up with glassy eyes, Shiro was holding out a wet hand towel, Lance taking it from the man and draping it over his face. Thankfully Shiro had been kind enough not to turn the bathroom light on, though that hadn’t stopped him being stupid enough to put the damn cloth over his glasses

“Are you okay?”

“Fantastic”

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Yeah, you can keep your damn distance from Pidge”

Shiro shuffled his feet

“I...”

“If she knows, she’s going to want that bite. Matt is doing everything he can to protect his family, but Pidge... Pidge is so goddamn smart. Do you know what kind of situation you’ve put me in”

Lance heard the rustling of Shiro’s clothes before he felt man sitting down beside him

“I never thought she’d be Matt’s brother. It was stupid of me to speak out. Look. It’s not my place, but I know the look of someone haunted by the past. Speaking of Matt, that brought something up you’d rather not remember, didn’t it?”

“Someone should give you a damn medal. Shiro, you’re not my friend. You don’t know me. There’s nothing you can do to magically help”

“I can listen”

“Yeah, so you have more evidence to use against me when you finally kill me”

“It’s not like that...”

“Then what’s it like? Feeling pity for the sick vampire? Keeping him alive purely to help your brother? Now I’m left lying to Pidge for however long I’ve got left”

“I’m worried about you...”

Lance would have laughed if he wasn’t so shocked. What did Shiro have to worry about?

“... you’re not getting any better. You drank Keith’s blood to save him, and you’re still suffering from the effects. I don’t know what to do to help you”

“There’s nothing you can do”

“There has to be something”

“There isn’t”

“Then is there someone I can call? Someone who knows more about what’s going on?”

“I’m not going to bring a hunter onto the doorstep of anyone”

Shiro sighed

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let Keith take control of the mission. We haven’t reported back to our supervisors one way or the other. Your name came up flagged under suspicion of being a vampire with no confirmation. I don’t know who reported you, and I still don’t know what to make of you. You were polite and kind to both of us, yet helping Keith has made you this ill. Right now, I don’t want to kill you. I don’t know what to feel. You bit and turned my brother, yet you deny it. You openly socialise with humans, keeping as close to human as you can. You turned into a bat, despite claiming you carried no powers. All of this is confusing. Then there’s Keith. He’s my brother. My only brother. The only family I have here. I need to do what’s right for him”

“Then stop filling his head with ideas. He’s not a vampire. You enabling him isn’t helping anything. You guys can crash out in front of the TV if you want, help yourselves to whatever you want in the fridge. I’ll do the dishes tomorrow, so for now, let me just go to bed and be done with today”

“Lance, I...”

“If you say you’re sorry again, I can’t guarantee I won’t snap”

Shiro gave a nervous kind of a laugh, his hand squeezing Lance’s shoulder

“Alright. I get it. We’ll talk in the morning. Are you sure there isn’t anything I can get you?”

“I’ll be fine once your brother’s gross blood passes”

“That’s good to know”

*

Lance could hear Shiro and Keith talking about him as he laid in bed with Blue. Shiro was attempting to reason with Keith, who’d broken down over being bitten. His mouth ached, arm between his teeth as he rode through the pain of it all. This wasn’t normal, not for him. He needed to go see Coran. Coran would know what to do and how to help, and laying about in bed wasn’t going to magically cure him.

Dressing, it was a little after two in the morning when he crept down his stairs. So many thoughts were trying to push themselves to the forefront of his mind, yet none were clear enough to reach out grab. Stepping off the last step, the light in the lounge room flicked on, Shiro appearing in the doorway, rubbing at his eyes like Lance had woken him up

“Lance?”

“Go back to bed, Shiro”

“Going somewhere?”

“To get some blood”

Shiro saw through his lie

“Dressed and with your car keys?”

“Going to get some blood from Platt?”

Lance cringed at his tone, and at his big mouth

“Great, I’ll come for the drive then”

“Shiro...”

“You’re in no condition to drive yourself anywhere. It’d be irresponsible to let you go alone”

“What about Keith?”

“If you’re going to see some one about blood, then they have to know what’s going on with him... Your arm’s bleeding”

Lance looked down at the dark patch spreading across his sleeve. He’d bandaged his arm, but for some reason he was still bleeding

“It’s nothing. Look, go back to bed and we’ll talk in the morning”

“I can’t do that”

“Leave me alone!”

Shit. As if Shiro hadn’t caught enough of his bad mood of late

“I’m sorry, Shiro. I’ll be back by morning, but I can’t take you where I need to go. You’re not one of us. They wouldn’t even let you inside the lobby”

“Look, it’s late. I think you should go back to bed and we can all talk about this in the morning”

And what if he flipped out in the mean time? What if he really was as bad Keith thought he was? He didn’t want to hurt Shiro... or Keith for that matter. Maybe shave Keith’s mullet off, but not hurt him physically

“I can’t do that”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s something wrong with me and I don’t want either of you being hurt. Please, Shiro, I have to go. I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible”

“How can I trust that you’ll be back?”

“I’d never leave Blue. Plus Pidge would be merciless if I went missing. I can’t do that to her and Hunk”

“Alright... just... stay safe”

“You, too”

The drive to Platt passed in a blur, Lance doing well above the speed limit in the long straights of the road. The city it’s self never seemed to sleep, but the roads were clear as Lance slowed to the posted limits, the last thing he needed was a speeding fine, or to bite a cop. Parking in front of “Castle Altea”, the building front marketed itself as a 24 hour bookshop catering to the obscure. The whole block was actually owned by the organisation Coran ran, shop owners paid half the price of rent in the area, probably thanks to the complex that ran beneath their feet. Gripping his arm, he just about fell out the driver’s side, head swimming to the point he thought he’d vomit.

Passing through the bookstore, the woman behind the counter hit the button under the desk to let him straight through the back doors and into the elevator that’d take him down to Coran’s first level. There were only two buttons in lift, one up to the bookshop and one down to “VOLTRON”, the name of outreach network for Platt. Lance knew the “V” stood for “vampire” and the “L” stood for “lycanthropes”, and maybe the end “ON” stood for “outreach network”, but the others he’d been clueless on. He didn’t really need to know the name, only that he was going to the only truly safe place for him in his current situation. He couldn’t even tell how many metres the lift went down, but the more the better right now.

The doors open to bright lights of the reception, Coran pausing mid pace, before rushing over to him

“Lance, what happened to you, my boy?”

“Mercury... poisoning...”

“Oh, my boy. You came to the right place. Here, lean on me. How’s your hunger?”

Lance felt so awful he didn’t even know if he was hungry. Coran felt safe and warm, his arm slipping around Lance, deceptively strong as he took his weight

“My teeth really hurt... all of me hurts... Coran, I’m scared”

“Hush, my boy. We’ll get to the bottom of this. You’re safe here”

“Thank you... I’m sorry... for turning up like this”

“Nonsense. Let’s get you comfortable”

Taken down another two levels, the doors opened to the medical floor. Coran leading him to the first available examination room, and assisting up onto the examination bed. Whimpering at the lights overhead, Coran switched them off, leaving the lighting in the room to come from the computer in the corner and the lights under the bed

“Hypersensitivity... Atypical for simple poisoning. Lance, can you tell me what happened?”

“Hunter”

Coran let out a small gasp

“A hunter?”

“Poisoned himself with silver and mercury... sucked it out of him... I’ve never fed off a human before... Coran.... what did I do?”

Coran smiled softly at him, brushing Lance’s sweaty fringe off his forehead

“You did a brave thing. Mercury in blood makes it very potent. I suspect the trauma of your first feed and the metal have come together to make a rather nasty combination for you. How long ago was it since you bit them?”

“Wednesday...”

“Oh, my boy. Let’s do a full work up. You’ve been through enough trauma as it is. Have you had any blood since?”

“A bag and a bit... it’s not helping”

“Alright. Let me see what I can do. You relax, you’re safe here, Lance. This is a safe place”

“I didn’t want to bring you trouble”

“Hush now. No ones going to get you. Close your eyes and just relax”

Lance felt eyelids start to grow heavy, Coran’s words a spell on his senses as he felt himself slump completely against the bed beneath him. Coran knew his traumas... Coran knew everything about his life. He shouldn’t have left Shiro and Keith at his house... but coming here was the right thing to do.

Allura came in as they waited for his blood tests. With practiced hands she set up an IV line, direct to a fresh bag of blood. Coran had helped him out his jacket, mortified he’d bitten himself to starve off the pain of his teeth

“Lance, it’s Allura. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m going to take a look at your arm”

“Hey, ‘llura. Sorry for the trouble”

“Nonsense. Coran said you had a run in with some hunters. We knew there were new guys in town, yet I hardly expected they’d go after to you”

Why wouldn’t they go after him? He shouldn’t exist according to them

“I bit a human... I’m going to be put down”

“You’re not going to be put down. You’re not a typical vampire, but you’ve got a kind heart. You’d never hurt a human if you could help it”

Tell that to his teeth... and Keith’s fist

“I still did it”

“Lance, you’ve always been kind and sensitive. I promise you that we’ll get this all sorted”

As Allura applied ointment to his wound, Lance let himself float. His mind that was, not his body. Shiro was wrong, he couldn’t turn into a bat. And he was handling being caught out rather poorly. If Shiro and Keith did hunt the big bad things in the night, then he should be grateful. They’d probably saved countless lies by not thinking twice, whereas he was laying here being completely useless. He’d never killed a vampire, not even when tempted by their behaviour. As she worked, Allura hummed along, her humming somewhat soothing his headache. He liked Allura. She was smart, pretty, funny, and brave. She had so many things going on, yet she wore all her pressures on his delicate shoulders with grace

“Healing has already begun, it should heal without a scar. But do try to take it easy for the next few days”

“Thanks, Allura. I’m still really sorry for how I showed up”

“Nonsense. I would have been mad with you if you hadn’t come to us. Have you got enough blood at home to see you over?”

“The hunter’s got to it. Trashed my house, waited for me to come home, the whole nine yards”

“Do you need help with the repairs? Furniture replacement? Is your home safe to return to?”

“Yeah. No, I’ll be fine. I’ve got somewhere to go”

“If you’re not safe, you can stay here for as long as you need”

“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m safe for now. I’ll take some blood though. Healing this is has taken more than I expected”

“Anything you add blood too amplifies it’s effectiveness. Being stabbed by a mercury dipped dagger has a much different affect than ingesting it”

Lance hummed

“I didn’t think about it like that”

The room to the examination room slid open, Coran letting himself in. Allura smiling at him, their conversation now dead in its tracks

“Sorry to interrupt. Allura, how’s our boy doing?”

“His arm’s started healing. He seems more lucid too. I would like to see him in three weeks for reassessment. I’ll be logging 21 bags of blood on his record, I don’t trust that his supply hasn’t been tainted”

Tainting the blood seemed too much effort to be a Keith move. Shiro had the patience, but he’d brought him up blood to help him heal... poisoning Lance was a sure way to ruin any chance of getting information from him

“Excellent. Now, Lance, I’ve got your results right here. Silver and mercury were found in your bloody, both in trace amounts. My advice would be draining what we can from your system, then rehydrating you”

“How long will that take?”

“Twelve hours, give or take. Then a nice nap in your grave dirt, for a couple of hours, just to make sure no hidden nasties are left in your system”

“I don’t have time to do that”

“I’m sorry, my dear boy. You’ll need to make the time. Your levels across the board are all over the place, and you’ve had quite the shock. Anything else could affect your will power to fight the curse. You could find yourself performing actions with no memory of the event”

Stupid fucking Keith. This is what he got for helping him, when he didn’t deserve it. They’d barely talked, not when the man hated him with the passions of a thousand suns. Now he was stuck being drained like a car having it oil changed. He’d be breaking his word to Shiro. He’d said he’d be back in the morning, now he was going to be stuck in Platt until mid afternoon at the earliest

“Coran, I need to make a phone call... I need to let my friend know I’ll be back later than planned”

“Sure, my boy. Do you know the number?”

Shiro’s number? That was a no. He knew his home phone number because he still had a land line. Pidge had laughed and called it “antiquated”, no one had house landlines anymore, according to her. Lance wasn’t about to take advice from someone who’d never he the displeasure of growing up with one family landline in the living room where everyone overheard your conversation. Lance didn’t know Keith’s number either, not that Keith would answer if he did

“They’re at my house. They insisted on sleeping over in case someone came back”

“Oh, dear. You must be worried about them. Give them a quick ring and let them know you’re all safe and sound”

Shiro didn’t answer the home phone when Lance rang, Lance leaving a message on the off chance Keith decided he snoop about in Lance’s office again, Lance quickly explained he needed to stay in Platt longer to sort the situation he was experiencing, and that it was best for everyone involved if he remained until the afternoon. Taken from the examination room once the IV had run through, he was taken to a much more depressing room that held a vertical board for a bed. Thick straps came off the sides, his head, neck, arms, legs and torso all strapped down, preventing him from escaping should he flip out from being drained. The device looked barely a step above something that’d be used to hold prisoners being tortured

“Now, this is going to be quite painful and uncomfortable for you. I know you only ingested trace amounts, but the stress has made your system a bit, shall we say, whacky. We’re going to introduce a sedative to your system, before running a line from your jugular. You’ll be both awake and asleep for the procedure. The injection keeps the brain from registering and reacting. All very safe, all very well researched. We’ve had particular success with werewolves poisoned with wolfsbane”

“Alright. Do what you need to do. I don’t want to feel like this anymore”

“You’ll feel good as new when we’re done. Then we can have ourself a talk”

The bed behind him was stiff, the whole room white, and the straps cold against his skin. Cool air was pushed through the single vent in the room above the doorway, as Lance waited for the injection in the back of his neck to kick in. He should really be billing Keith for his time. From Wednesday until now, at douchebag wanker lawyer fees, the man would be pushing three grand for all the time Lance had wasted thinking about him. Was Keith fighting with Shiro as he “lay” here? Was he still going on about being bitten and turned while Shiro didn’t balls up and prove to him that he was still human? Keith should know better. Shiro should know much better. Those purple eyes that seemed to see his soul were bright and unclouded. A rare fire burned behind them, not the fire of a confident man, but the fire of someone who still very much alive in the human world. Keith had his whole life ahead of him, yet he must have his reasons for joining the Blades. If only Keith and Shiro could have both walked away, Shiro wouldn’t have lost his partner, and Keith could have a normal happy life without the bloodshed and fear of being turned. Why the fuck was he stuck now thinking on the man who hated his guts. Keith hadn’t even been willing to talk, let alone listen. He was hot headed and rash, leaping before he looked... Keith was going to be pissy that he’d skipped out on explaining things in the morning. Coran would fix Lance right up, only for Lance to go home and die. Letting out a sigh, Lance closed his eyes. When he’d been 18 he’d had to spend three months sleeping as he made his death soil. If a wounded vampire could get back to their death soil, most damage could be overcome... His death soil now sat in his garden, but he did have a shoe box of soil in his wardrobe, to remind him not to get too comfortable in his current life...

[cherryrogers]

bittersweet {5}

pairing: boxer!bucky x rogers!reader

warnings: some angst, mentions of illness + death, swearing.

synopsis: The world of boxing wasn’t something you knew much about, but after a certain boxer with blue eyes and an irresistible charm wove his way into your heart, you soon learned that it went far deeper than red gloves and gold medals — you thought that the boxer happening to be your brother’s best friend was bad enough, but darker affairs had only yet to come to light.

a/n: ok so the story is lowkey gonna take a turn with this chapter, but i’m excited! italics indicate a flashback, and if you’re confused with some of the things going on, that’s ok! all things will be explained with time :) ,,, anyway, please enjoy and feedback is always appreciated.

Series Masterlist

Daylight poured through the blinds, and a groan of discomfort escaped your lips as your eyes blinked open. Lazily, you reached over to pick your phone up from the beside table, groaning again to see that it was only nine o’clock.

You’d stayed up until at least one in the morning watching the first two Star Wars movies with Steve, shocked that he had never seen any of the franchise in his twenty three years of living. Towards the end, you could see him growing more and more tired on the other side of the couch until he was passed out before the end of the second movie. If he hadn’t have had training early in the morning, you would’ve swatted him awake to see the end, but instead you decided to save the last twenty minutes to watch another time.

Steve didn’t say anything else about the ‘mystery guy’ you were seeing either, which you were thankful for. The guilt was setting in yet again, knowing that Steve was completely unaware that the guy you were talking about was indeed Bucky Barnes, but you pushed it away just like you always did. You would tell him eventually, you made a promise to yourself. Especially since things were really looking up with Bucky, you imagined that it couldn’t be kept a secret for much longer.

After prying yourself out of bed, you tugged on the hoodie that was slung over the back of the chair next to your dresser. Written on the back of it was the name of some random sports team, and you guessed it was one of your brother’s hoodies that you’d stolen from him when you were younger.

With a long yawn, you left your bedroom and began to plod downstairs, the sweet scent of chocolate-chip pancakes filling your nose instantly. Steve usually had training the next morning whenever you stayed over, but that didn’t stop him from making sure you had a tasty breakfast to wake up to. He’d always been a good cook, just like your mother. It was definitely a nice change from the cereal bars you usually opted for before rushing off to class or work.

The sizzling of the pancakes wasn’t the only sound coming from the kitchen, however. There was talking, and it seemed like Steve wasn’t in the kitchen alone. You paused your movement on the stairs, curiously listening in on what you could catch from the conversation.

“So, he was just outside? Not doing anything?” You heard your brother ask.

“Yeah, one of the guys said he saw him. Seemed pretty sure it was Rumlow.”

The other voice was too familiar. Christ, did that mean that Bucky was in your kitchen?

“Shit,” Steve sighed. “He shouldn’t be around here, Buck. D’you think he wants something?”

“I don’t know, but you had a deal with him. If he’s back, that must mean...”

There was a silence between the men, and your brows knitted together in confusion. What ‘deal’ were they talking about? And who was Rumlow? What did it mean if he was back?

“Look, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. We don’t even know if it was him for sure.”

“Steve,” Bucky pressed, a seriousness to his tone that you’d never heard before. “We can’t just sit around and hope that it wasn’t him. This could be dangerous—”

The sudden heavy slam of a cup on the counter made you jump, and your brother’s voice filled with frustration soon followed. “Well, what are we supposed to do? March down to his gym and ask him what his deal is?”

Bucky exhaled calmly. “No, of course not, but—”

“But nothing, Buck,” Steve interrupted, his voice quieter than before. “Look, I’ll cross this bridge with Rumlow when we get to it. My sister will be awake soon, and she can’t hear us talking about this.”

Well shit. There was an uncomfortable feeling in your chest; this guy — Rumlow — sounded like someone that neither Steve or Bucky were very fond of. He was outside of somewhere... and one of the ‘guys’ saw him. Assuming ‘guys’ meant another boxer at the gym... oh. Were they talking about that guy? The guy that you unfortunately bumped into the day before? The one that knew Steve?

Bucky must’ve told Steve and changed the fact that it was his sister that saw the guy outside, but why didn’t he tell you who he thought the guy was? And what was so dangerous about him?

Hearing the conversation come to a close, you took that as your cue to walk down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen, causing both men to turn their attention towards you.

“Mornin’, kid,” Steve chirped, as if he wasn’t just having a heated conversation with his friend. He placed the final pancake from the pan onto the stack he’d already prepared before dousing them with golden syrup. “You hungry?”

“I could smell the pancakes from upstairs,” You moved over towards the counter, taking a seat on a stool next to Bucky and resisting the instinct to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Hi, J-Bucky.”

Bucky suppressed a smirk. “Hey, (Y/N).” The boxer glanced at Steve, who was in the process of putting the pancake ingredients away, his back facing the two of you. His eyes returned to you, nudging his shoe against your bare calf.

“You look cute.” He mouthed, eyeing you up and down, heart swelling slightly at the hoodie that was obviously Steve’s engulfing your body.

Biting back a smile, you mouthed back a playful ‘don’t I always?’ before directing your attention to your brother, who was placing the stack of pancakes in front of you.

“I’m just gonna grab my gym stuff from upstairs, then Bucky and I are heading out, is that alright?” The blond passed you a knife and fork as you gave him a nod, before pacing out of the room, his heavy footsteps on the staircase indicating to Bucky that it was safe to move his stool a little closer to yours.

There was still a level of discomfort in your chest; you were curious to know what they’d been discussing before you came into the kitchen and why you weren’t supposed to know about it. Bucky could sense your shift in demeanour as you clutched your knife and fork tightly, cutting a slice out of one of your pancakes and quickly bringing it to your mouth.

“You okay?” The boxer asked gingerly.

Swallowing the food, you hesitated for a moment. Pretending that you hadn’t heard their previous conversation wasn’t going to do you any good. Plus, if either Steve or Bucky was in some sort of danger, you hoped that Bucky would trust you enough to tell you what’s going on.

“Who’s...” You started, pausing your eating. “Who’s Rumlow?”

The soft smile that was comfortably sat on Bucky’s lips disappeared at the question. He could try to play dumb, pretend that he didn’t know what you were talking about. You weren’t stupid, though, and he respected you enough to not lie straight to your face.

His jaw clenched slightly. His name wasn’t something he ever wanted to hear in your voice. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know that the guy sounds like a problem.” You continued on eating, eyeing Bucky questioningly after a few moments of his silence.

He let out a sigh, rubbing his jaw in thought. “He’s not someone you need to worry about.”

The statement made you narrow your eyes the the man. “You and Steve seemed pretty worried about him.”

“Well, you don’t need to be,” Bucky retorted, immediately regretting his too-harsh tone when he noticed a flash of hurt in your eyes. He didn’t mean it like that, fuck, of course he didn’t. But the whole situation to do with Rumlow... it wasn’t someone he wanted you involved in. “I’m sorry, babydoll. I didn’t mean—”

“No, I think I know what you meant,” You interrupted, your tone too calm for Bucky’s liking. “If you don’t wanna tell me, then don’t. But if it was the other way around and I was in danger, you wouldn’t let me leave the room until I told you what was going on.”

Bucky tightened his jaw, contemplating your words. You’re weren’t wrong; if he overheard you saying that you could be in danger, then he wouldn’t rest until he knew what was going on. He trusted that you wouldn’t tell a soul about the deal with Rumlow — what he didn’t trust was that you wouldn’t try to take matters into your own hands. Sure, you liked to wear pretty skirts, and you had all the colourful stuffed animals Bucky had won you at the carnival on display in your bedroom, and heat flooded your cheeks whenever he’d call you an endearing pet name; but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hand someone’s ass to them if you wanted to. He was just afraid that you’d underestimate how dangerous Rumlow and his clan of assholes really were.

Soon enough, your brother had returned to the kitchen and was motioning for Bucky to get going. The blond ruffled your hair as he said goodbye, much to your annoyance, before pacing out of the front door, leaving his friend around thirty seconds to begin to sort things out with you.

“What time do your classes end today?”

“Six, why?”

The boxer raised his hand, moving his thumb to the corner of your mouth to wipe away the drop of syrup there, a small grin tugging at his lips. “I’ll pick you up, alright? We can talk about everything then.”

You couldn’t help but relax into Bucky’s touch, nodding gently. “Alright, I guess. I’ll see you then.”

“Good.” He rose from his seat, grabbing his gym bag from the floor. A light kiss was pressed to your forehead before Bucky rushed out after Steve, and you were soon left alone in the house, anxious and confused.

If you’d asked Steve the same thing, he would’ve immediately shrugged you off. There wasn’t any way in hell that your brother would tell you about something that could possibly put you in danger. While you appreciated his concern, it bothered you that he didn’t think you could handle the things about life that weren’t so easy. Maybe you weren’t a six foot boxer with biceps bigger than your own head, but you were smart. That’s what you liked about Bucky; he could see that you weren’t a naive nineteen year old. After watching your mom get sicker by the day and ultimately losing her, your skin had thickened. You weren’t oblivious to the evil in the world after experiencing it first hand, and you weren’t sure that there was a lot more that could hurt you after being told that you were going to lose your mom, and that there was nothing anyone could do about it.

You hadn’t heard Steve so stressed in a long time, however. Whatever was going on with Rumlow, it had your brother’s mind whirring with worry.

You guessed you’d just have to find out later.

* * *

Steve had been on edge all day.

His muscles were more tensed, palms more sweaty, lips staying in a straight line, a smile never pulling at them.

All because of him — Rumlow.

It was only a matter of time before he worked his way back into Steve’s life, the blond knew he’d come back. It was part of their deal, after all.

The bastard wanted something. What that was, Steve wasn’t sure of, but if he could make Rumlow disappear as fast as he showed up again, Steve was going to do what he had to to make that happen.

Scorching water ran down the boxer’s body, an attempt to distract his thoughts from the man he despised so much. There was nothing he could do at that moment in time, all he could do was wait for Rumlow to make his first move.

After getting changed and towel drying his hair, Steve wrapped up his training for the day and left the building, about to make a beeline for his car, until the outline of a figure in the dark caught his eye; a figure leaning against the lamppost just opposite the gym entrance. Wisps of smoke swirled amid the fresh air from the tip of the dark figure’s cigarette, the scent alone causing the hairs on the blond’s arms to stand up.

He could recognise the smell of that shitty brand of cigarettes anywhere, and he’d only ever known one person that smoked them.

The figure noticed Steve eyeing him cautiously, and a dark chuckle escaped from their chapped lips.

“Steve fuckin’ Rogers. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The blond was reluctant to approach him, but Steve needed to know what this guy’s deal was.

“What the hell are you doin’ here, Rumlow?” A hard look spread across Steve’s face as he neared the brunet.

After taking one final puff from his cigarette, Rumlow flicked the stick to the ground and crushed it under his dirty boot. “Now, that’s no way to treat an old friend, is it?”

“Cut the shit, man.” Steve talked lowly, voice laced in anger. “What do you want?”

“You remember our deal, don’t you?” Rumlow crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, it’s time, Rogers. And the faster we get things done, the faster I’ll get outta your hair.”

Steve considered the man’s words. He’d been waiting a long time for Rumlow to finally give him an offer. An offer that would hopefully stop him from having to see Rumlow ever again. An offer that would cut all strings with him, and allow him to live without the weight of the deal on his shoulders.

Jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, Steve darted his gaze around the area, making sure nobody else would hear their conversation, that it was only him and Rumlow.

“Alright.” The blond’s eyes turned to pierce into Rumlow’s dark ones. “Tell me what you want.”

* * *

It had barely been five minutes since your class ended, but you weren’t surprised to already see Bucky’s car parked on the sidewalk in your direct line of sight outside of the building. He always arrived early when he picked you up, never wanting to leave you waiting alone for long.

It was one of the little things about Bucky that you wholeheartedly appreciated.

Throughout the class, Natasha had noticed that something was off with you. You had been repeatedly clicking your pen in the quiet room, earning yourself a number of unhappy looks from those sitting around you. If you ever got nervous, you never usually showed it - Natasha knew well enough to know your confidence was a trait that guys tended to be attracted to. However, she’d never seen you so out of it, especially not when you were simply sitting in class.

When she asked you if everything was okay, all you could offer her was the most reassuring nod you could muster up. Natasha was normally the person you’d talk to about everything, but you knew that you couldn’t even mention the situation with your brother and Rumlow to her. If even you weren’t supposed to be apart of the secret, then you weren’t about to drag your best friend into it to.

You told her you’d call her the next morning, and by that time you’ll had hopefully made up a bullshit excuse about being ‘tired’ or ‘stressed with work’.

For now, you just needed to talk to Bucky.

Quickly approaching his car, you climbed into the passenger seat, the warm air in the vehicle easing your anxiety a little.

Natasha wasn’t the only one who’d sensed your nervous demeanour; Bucky could see it clear as day from the way you were clenching and unclenching your fists and nibbling on your bottom lip. It pained him, really. You were never meant to know about Rumlow, you just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And Bucky blames himself for that.

“I’m sorry.” He apologised suddenly, causing a furrow in your brows. Exhaling deeply, Bucky continued. “If I knew that Rumlow was making a reappearance around here, I wouldn’t have even let you-”

“Please don’t be sorry, James.” You shot him a pleading look, turning to face him as best as you could in the car seat. “It was just a shitty coincidence that I got off the bus at the same time he was stood outside of the gym. You can’t blame yourself for something you don’t have control over, so please don’t try to.”

Bucky wanted to argue with you; explain that you were at the gym for him, and that you wouldn’t have even ran into Rumlow if he didn’t invite you down to the gym once a week. But he knew you were stubborn, and that you wouldn’t back down until his ass stopped apologising.

So with a sigh, the boxer nodded and began the explanation that he’d been dreading all day, adjusting nervously in his seat.

“His full name is Brock Rumlow. Like he told you, he trains at a boxing gym across town. They compete in professional matches like every other place, our guys box against theirs from time to time.” Bucky’s eyes hesitantly meet yours. “But they’re more than just another boxing gym in New York. They’re... they’re part of a business - an illegal fighting ring. It’s nothing like boxing; it’s violent, brutal fighting where both guys barely make it out of a match alive. They have guys flown over from different gyms around the country, have them knock the shit out of each other while they egg ‘em on, and the champion... wins.”

You began nibbling harder on your bottom lip. “Wins what?”

“Well, they don’t care much about trophies and titles outside of boxing matches.” His voice wavered the smallest bit, as if even just thinking about his next words was difficult. “Stupid amounts of cash, drugs, girls, guns - it’s a dirty business, made up of some of the cruelest bastards on the planet.”

Though you hadn’t noticed it yourself, Bucky instantly recognised discomfort wash over your features. One of his hands came to rest just above your knee, his thumb grazing over the skin soothingly.

A number of thoughts and emotions had emerged inside of you as Bucky spoke; worry, sadness, rage. Trading off objects like money and drugs was one thing, but girls? Making them the prize of a fight and selling them to groups of men like they weren’t people?

The fact you’d spoken to Brock Rumlow himself for only two minutes made you uneasy. He’d had his hand on your arm; a hand that had probably inflicted great pain on others and accepted the cash for it like the sick son of a bitch he is.

“And Steve?” You hated how quiet your voice was, but it didn’t matter around Bucky. “Where does he tie into all of this?”

“I can’t tell you.”

You were about to object, but Bucky was faster than you when he intervened. “It isn’t common knowledge that that gym is full of criminals; if you know something, you’re a threat to them, and they don’t take too kindly to threats.”

The boxer moved his hand from your thigh to your own hand, interlinking it with his. His eyes locked with yours, and you weren’t sure you could pull your gaze away if you tried.

“(Y/N), I need you to understand how dangerous they are. The less you know, the safer you are. When this is all over, I’ll... I’ll talk to Steve; he should be the one to tell you everything else, his side of things.”

Bucky had seen Brock Rumlow destroy lives before. One of the boxers at his gym - Pietro Maximoff - had originally been part of Rumlow’s gym, just wanting to train and compete in matches one day like every other boxer. He eventually got sucked into the ring when the guy’s decided he was strong enough to fight in their matches. According to the man behind it all at Rumlow’s gym, Alexander Pierce, Pietro was one of the best fighters they had. So when Pietro rightfully wanted out after being subjected to bloody, agonising fights and watching as they exploited vulnerable women left and right, they weren’t planning on letting him go so easily.

They threatened him; they swore they’d find his sister and sell her off as a prize if he left. Pietro wouldn’t let them get the chance, however. He made sure his sister, Wanda, left the country and never came back. Made her change her identity and start a whole new life without him to make sure she was safe when Pietro inevitably left Rumlow’s gym.

Contacting the police was only a waste of time. He’d seen enough police officers come in and out of the gym, inspecting the place to see if they needed to launch an investigation into the ‘fighting ring’ they’d been rumoured to be running. Alexander Pierce wasn’t stupid, though. All records of contact with other gyms were erased regularly, girls were kept in private locations, illegally-won cash was laundered in places all over town...

To most of New York, they were just another boxing gym.

Luckily, they hadn’t ever found Wanda, but Pietro still had to live knowing he was an enemy to Rumlow, and that he’d probably never see his sister again for as long as she needed to be protected from him.

Bucky wasn’t going to let that happen to you. He’d help Steve hold up his end of the deal no matter what it was if it meant keeping Rumlow away.

“Can you take me home, please?” Bucky’s head snapped up at your hushed voice, your eyes no longer meeting his anymore.

He knew it must’ve been a lot to take in for you, but he didn’t want you to feel scared or unsafe; not with him. “Steve’s gonna be fine, you know.”

You scoffed quietly, your hand in his loosening. “He’s somehow involved with an illegal fighting ring that traffics guns and girls; how can you tell me that he’s gonna be fine?”

“Cause he’s Steve. He’s as tough as nails, you more than anyone know that.”

He was right, you did know that. You’d seen his strength with your own eyes more than enough times.

Only minutes had passed since the worst happened, the worst being losing one of the two people you loved most in this world. You could still hear the heart monitor slowing to a long, agonising beep. Your brother’s hands on your arms, pulling you away from the hospital bed with ease as any remaining energy you had left in your body drained out of you.

Steve had went to get you some water, while you were left to sit alone on one of the hard plastic chairs outside of the hospital room. Tears threatened to spill, to trickle freely down your cheeks. But you didn’t want to cry. You didn’t want to sit alone and sob until you couldn’t breathe - you didn’t want to be sad because your mother wouldn’t have wanted you to be.

You didn’t want her to think that you were weak.

A figure sat down in the seat next to you, the scent of a familiar cologne making it obvious who it was. The cup of water in his hand was offered out to you, and you took it shakily. The cubes of ice peaking above the water and poking your lips weren’t nearly as cold as the iciness you felt in your heart.

Uncomfortable pain rose in your chest as you repressed the release of a sob. Steve could see the discomfort in your features, and didn’t hesitate to wrap a strong arm around your shoulders as you instinctively leaned into him.

“It’s okay to cry, kid.” He spoke lowly into the hair that had fallen in front of your face, shielding your tear glazed eyes from him. You shook your head immediately in disagreement, chewing roughly on your bottom lip in attempt to stop it from quivering.

“Don’t wanna cry.” You mustered out, the sob becoming harder to hold back. “Sh-she said that I have to be strong. Can’t c-cry.”

The blond exhaled slowly, tucking your hair behind your ear, making your eyes flick up to his. A crease was evident between his brows, frown lines faint on the corners of his mouth, jaw tensed. He was hurting just as much as you, you could feel it. “Strength isn’t suppressing your emotions, (Y/N). It’s accepting them, and learning how to cope with them so that you can carry on with life. That’s what she wants, kid; for you to keep moving forward.”

Your eyes drifted up to the cream door of the hospital room, blurry silhouettes of nurses moving around through the thin slate of glass. Honestly, you had zero clue whatsoever about how you were going to keep moving forward. This was your mom, your best friend, your rock through everything. You were sure it was going to be next to impossible.

But you wanted to be strong for her, to keep moving forward for her. And for Steve, because if the two of them believed you could keep going, then perhaps you really could.

A hot tear rolled down your cheek, and you didn’t reach up to wipe it away. You let it fall until another followed, and then another, and within seconds you finally let out a choked sob.

Steve’s arm tightened around your shoulders as you buried your face into his chest, all sounds around you being drowned out as you bawled your heart out.

“S’alright, kid. Let it all out.”

You truly looked up to your brother, in that moment more than ever. He was hurting so incredibly much, yet he didn’t let it show as you sobbed into his shirt. It occurred to you then that he was strong, probably stronger than you’d ever be.

And that was okay, because if it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have known how to be strong at all.

The ride back to your apartment was silent, but comfortable. On your part, anyway. You could sense that Bucky was worried he’d completely unnerved you by telling you about Rumlow.

So when he pulled up outside of your building, you immediately undid your seatbelt and leaned across the center console of the car, pressing your lips to his needily. Needing to reassure him that you were okay, and that you were going to be okay.

The boxer reacted after a second, eventually bringing a hand to your face and cupping it gently. The kiss wasn’t heated in any way, but it was still filled with passion. With meaning.

“I’m not gonna let anything happen,” Bucky stated hurriedly after your lips parted. “To Steve, or to you.”

“I believe you, Bucky.” Bucky. He’d noticed you only called him that in the softer moments you shared, like when you’d first mentioned your mom to him, and when you were a little shaken from meeting Rumlow. He liked that it was more than just a nickname to you, like a term of endearment. “Steve and I will be okay, we always are.”

Bucky’s hand dropped from your face as you leaned back, beginning to leave the car.

“Call me tomorrow, okay?” You spoke softly, and the boxer nodded with a lazy smile on his lips, like a teenage boy talking to his high school crush. Jesus, he was done for.

“Course.” He reluctantly watched you step out of the car, not wanting you to leave him just yet. But it was late, and he was sure you wanted time to think about everything.

Before you closed the door, you leaned down to look at Bucky through the gap. “Goodnight, James.”

The man was sure that there were stars in his eyes as he gazed at you. “Goodnight, gorgeous.”

You shook your head at the pet name, ignoring the heat rushing to your cheeks. With a shy wave, you shut the door and walked up to your apartment building.

Though those last few moments with you for the night had Bucky’s heart melting with adoration for you, he couldn’t help but still feel doubtful, nervous.

Bucky wasn’t a liar. He wasn’t lying when he said that he wouldn’t let anything happen to you or Steve.

Because if something did happen, he wouldn’t be sure how to live with himself.

* * *

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