#some of them were so short :/ but what can i do

[5sospenguinqueen]

Please, Please, Please | Max Verstappen x Singer! Reader

Summary:  What do you do when your ex-girlfriend moves on with another guy? Become needy and pathetic. But, when the guy brings you to tears, Max knows it's his time to save you from further heartbreak.

Warnings: barry keogan (i couldn't find any other men with her that worked), swearing, toxic relationships, pathetic max 

Requested: yes by many of you on the previous part 

Faceclaim: Sabrina Carpenter (she was used on the last one and yes, she's used a lot but I stole her song and her job so I'm also stealing her face)

F1 Masterlist

prev. || next.

part 4 will be the last part so it may seem a bit rushed but i didn’t plan anything else. sorry! these just seem to be getting worse as well, so i’m also sorry about that 

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maxverstappen1 just posted

liked by danielricciardo, liamlawson30 and others

maxverstappen1 a good effort from the team to start on the front row tomorrow 💪 let’s keep pushing tomorrow 🇺🇸

6,633 comments 

user1 twitter is claiming that max and kelly broke up

user2 okay but i actually can’t function until i know if max is free from kelly once more

user3 max please tell us if you and kelly have broken up

user4 i need max and kelly to be done forever this time 

user5 is it true that you broke up with kelly?

→ maxverstappen1 yes. now can we focus on the race

→ user6 @/yn_ln this means you can give him another chance 

→ user7 why would she want to after he ran back to kelly

(comments have been limited) 

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yn_ln just posted

liked by mclaren, actorbf and others

yn_ln surprise! if you have any questions, you can refer to my new single please, please, please 💋

13,850 comments 

user8 the two of them are so cute 

jennaortega i’ll give you all the kisses 

→ user9 i wouldn’t. not with all the men she goes through

→ oscarpiastri whoa now, there’s no need for that 

user10 don’t get me wrong. i’m loving all the new music. but my heart can’t handle all the new layers to this drama 

landonorris okay, little miss hollywood. that music video just proved you’d never do well in a film 

→ yn_ln oi, i act better than you do, mr hilton 

→ hilton we’d be happy to have you both

user11 ew, so she went from a hot motorsport driver to a subpar actor?

user12 wait, what? this wasn’t supposed to happen. she’s gone off script. max is single now, they were meant to be getting back together 

→ user13 she’s not his back-up plan. plus she’s way out of his league 

user14 don’t you think you might be putting strain on her new relationship? i doubt her new guy likes to see everyone preferring the old guy 

→ user15 hopefully that means he’ll leave and we can get her and max back

user16 has anyone checked on max?

(comments have been turned off)

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yn_ln just posted

liked by charles_leclerc, verstappencom and others

yn_ln how to lose a cake in 10 minutes 

16,334 comments 

alexandrasaintmleux the most beautiful birthday girl 

→ francisca.cgomes this dress is going to live rent free in my head 

→ yn_ln thank you for letting me show you both twenty different dresses

→ alexandrasaintmleux just wish you were taller so we could steal some of them 

→ yn_ln can’t believe you’d do this to me on the day of my birth 

→ oscarpiastri technically your birthday is tomorrow. this was just your birthday party

→ yn_ln thin fucking ice, piastri

user1 guys guys guys. verstappencom liked this. i repeat verstappencom liked this

→ user2 okay but that’s not max

→ user1 but it’s an advocate for max so 

landonorris dicaprio wouldn’t want you anyway. you’re too short

→ yn_ln i’ll make my boyfriend fight you 

→ landonorris i’m not scared of your polly pocket boyfriend

→ mclaren you can’t say stuff like this publicly, lan

→ user3 i swear none of them actually like her boyfriend 

→ user4 showing their support for max. he’s the only person who matches her beauty 

user5 no but the hand in the dress is somehow cute and hot 

→ user6 not with that guy. it should be max 

redbullracing happy birthday to our favourite popstar

replies

user7 what do you mean she had to pay for her own birthday meal on her birthday because her boyfriend wouldn’t

→ user8 not even wouldn’t but flat out refused 

→ user9 streets are saying it’s because he’s broke. not exactly like he’s raking in the job offers 

user10 so this man is lucky enough to get a chance with THE y/n l/n, then he refuses to pay for her dinner, and then he yells at her?? all on her birthday???

→ user11 he’s punching above his weight and clearly that angers him

→ user12 especially with the way she looked in that yellow sparkly dress today 

user13 someone clearly isn’t very smart. she writes a song for him - the first one she’s written recently that isn’t about max - and he does exactly what the song asks him not to do 

→ user14 how dare he try to embarrass our queen by yelling at her in front of so many people

→ user15 i’m starting to question if our girl does have good judgement. how could two men do this to her? 

→ user16 definitely doesn’t have good taste

user17 the audacity to yell at her in a restaurant of people, and then continue to do so after you were asked to leave because you were yelling at her

user18 and if i said i saw max verstappen pass them in the street, stop and turn, and start defending her, then what?

→ user18 he was literally yelling at this man whilst holding a crying y/n behind him, and rubbing her arm soothingly 

→ user19 we’d say you’re full of shit and have no tangible proof 

→ user20 this could be true because he was hanging out with charles and some of the drivers. and i just know alex sm got on the phone to her boyf and begged him to send the love of y/n’s life to save her

→ user19 pics or it didn’t happen

maxverstappen1 posted a new story yn_ln posted a new story

landonorris replied to maxverstappen1 i recognise the birthday girl's dress

landonorris replied to yn_ln who’s the 3rd person 👀 → wait why wasn’t I invited

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requests open

tag list

@omgsuperstarg @seonghwaexile @evie-119 @alejandrablacklupin @nina-or-anna-or-nora @shelbyteller @raynetargaryan2 @astroniii @raizelchrysanderoctavius @azuramicah @seasonswinter @chaoswithus @casey1-2007 @chemiru @strengthandstay @ivanag1rl@anayaverse @formulaal @ellelabelle @yara011 @callsignwidow @freyathehuntress @floweringlee @isagrace22 @sunny44 @lottalove4evelyn @danielshoe @paucubarsisimp @monacosprince @stereading @hoeforsirius @anilovessadbooks @armystay89 @cassofheartsss

sorry if i missed anyone. it wouldn't let me tag some of y'all

[meinii]

"hoodie thief"

summary: Sylus' hoodies have been disappearing lately... the thief was closer than he thought •⩊•

content: fluffy fluff, Luke and Kieran cameo

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Sylus was no fool

at first, he didn’t think much of it—one or two hoodies missing wasn’t a big deal. he probably left them somewhere, maybe in his office or tossed over one of the chairs in Onychinus. but as the days passed, his wardrobe slowly dwindled. hoodies, sweatshirts, even his thicker, oversized ones—all mysteriously gone

and there was only one person who had the audacity to steal from him

you.

Sylus narrowed his eyes. he had seen you wearing his hoodies a few times, the fabric swallowing your frame, the sleeves dangling past your hands. and each time, you acted as if it was no big deal. like it wasn’t a crime against the very fabric of his empire.

the moment you walked into his office that evening, wrapped in yet another one of his hoodies, he just stared

you blinked "what?"

he leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk, a slow smirk tugging at his lips "you’re awfully comfortable stealing from me, aren’t you?"

you feigned innocence, glancing down at the hoodie draped over you "oh… this? I—uh—found it"

"found it?" he repeated, amused

"yeah. just lying around"

"in your house?"

"…maybe"

Sylus exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. he could force you to return them—could pin you down and strip it right off your body if he really wanted to—but he let it slide, for now

because, truthfully, he liked seeing you in his hoodies.

that might’ve been the end of it—except Luke and Kieran, the ever-loyal informants, decided to stick their noses in where it did not belong

"boss, we have a report on your missing items"

Sylus looked up from his paperwork, giving Luke and Kieran a deadpan stare "You actually investigated?"

Luke grinned "of course. you seemed so troubled about it, after all"

Sylus rolled his eyes "go on, then"

Kieran pulled out a small tablet, tapping the screen "after some thorough research—which included some discreet surveillance—we have identified the culprit" he turned the screen toward Sylus

it was you, sneaking out of his penthouse with an armful of his hoodies, stuffing them into a bag like a professional thief

Sylus let out a short laugh, shaking his head in disbelief "she really had the audacity to smuggle them out?"

Luke smirked "oh, she’s been planning this. we even found a whole stash at her place"

Sylus raised an eyebrow "a stash?"

"mm-hm. neatly folded, stacked in her closet. she’s treating them like trophies, boss"

Sylus chuckled, tilting his head back in amusement. the fact that you collected them, carefully keeping them all together—it was both ridiculous and insanely endearing

"and here’s the best part," Kieran continued, clearly enjoying himself "we confronted her about it. wanna know what she said?"

Sylus smirked "let’s hear it"

Luke cleared his throat dramatically "'tell Sylus I have no idea what he’s talking about. those are legally mine now. he can’t do anything about it.'"

Sylus burst out laughing, dragging a hand down his face "legally hers?"

"she made a contract in her head, boss. if she wears it enough times, it’s hers now."

Sylus shook his head, amused beyond belief "She really is impossible"

Luke grinned "so? what’s the plan? gonna storm her place and reclaim your lost belongings?"

Sylus smirked "no, no… let her have them"

Kieran raised an eyebrow "really?"

"oh, yeah" Sylus leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming with mischief "I want to see how long she thinks she can get away with this"

that night, you were comfortably curled up on your couch, wearing yet another hoodie of Sylus'. t smelled like him—faint hints of cedarwood, spice, and something unmistakably him. it was oversized, the sleeves pooling over your hands, the warmth of the fabric making you feel safe

you had no regrets. none at all.

until your phone buzzed

Sylus: I know everything

you stared at the message, heart stopping for a second

you hesitated before replying

You: everything about what? Sylus: you’re a terrible liar.

you swallowed, typing as nonchalantly as possible

You: I think you’re mistaken. I am simply a humble citizen living her best life. Sylus: living your best life with my entire wardrobe?

okay. he knew. he definitely knew.

you considered your options

1) play dumb 2) flee the country 3) beg for forgiveness

before you could type a response, there was a knock on your door

your stomach dropped

slowly, cautiously, you opened the door—only to find Sylus leaning against the frame, arms crossed, eyes sharp with amusement

"you," he drawled "are the worst thief I’ve ever seen."

you cleared your throat, shifting slightly "what brings you here, oh great ruler of Onychinus?"

he smirked "oh, just checking in on my beloved hoodie thief."

You knew Luke and Kieran had snitched. those little traitors.

Sylus stepped forward, towering over you, his fingers tugging lightly at the hem of the hoodie you were wearing

"you didn’t even bother returning one," he mused, tilting his head "you just kept all of them"

you pouted "well… they’re cozy"

his eyes flickered with amusement "and that means they belong to you?"

"yes," you said shamelessly "finders keepers"

Sylus let out a low chuckle, shaking his head "unbelievable"

"you’re not mad, though," you pointed out, a slow grin spreading across your lips "you like seeing me in them."

he exhaled, a smirk playing on his lips "you’re lucky I do"

his fingers brushed against your cheek, tilting your chin up slightly. his voice lowered, warm and teasing

"if you wanted to keep something of mine so badly… all you had to do was ask"

your face grew warm at the implication "I—"

"shh" he leaned down, his lips barely an inch from yours "enjoy your little collection while it lasts. I might just take one back… personally"

your heart definitely skipped a beat

Sylus grinned at your expression, clearly enjoying himself

"sweet dreams, hoodie thief"

and with that, he turned on his heel and walked away—leaving you flustered, warm, and absolutely unwilling to give back a single hoodie

[hemi-demi]

Jon and Martin doing just a little birdwatching

-

Hey all! I'm still chipping away at the main fic, but wrote a short little thing that I thought might be fun to share here as a bonus! And some bonus art as well, because I really like drawing birds, lol.

Short fic below the cut! Rated G, just a bit of fluff.

Takes place sometime between chapters 4 and 5 of Oathbreaker, but it's spoiler free, so no worries if you haven't read it.

--

“Hey, Jon? What are you-”

Martin had already been speaking quite softly when they tapped Jon on the shoulder. Not quietly enough, as it turns out, as the thought is abruptly cut short by a slender finger pressed against his lips. 

A sudden rush of adrenaline surges through him, and he draws back his cloak, preparing to take the sword from his hip before Jon's tail wraps around his wrist, silently asking him to stop.

Martin tries to speak again, but Jon just shushes him with no real concern as to how rude it comes off, then points up to a nearby tree. 

Tilting his head up, Martin spots a bird. Not a particularly stunning one as looks would go; it's feathers a soft brown with an even paler belly, almost indistinguishable from the bark on which it's perched. 

But its song is far more distinct; a collection of chirps, clicks, and warbles that come in rapid succession and seemingly no rhyme or reason. It's a song he's heard before, but certainly not often, and Jon seems utterly entranced by the creature.

“Didn't take you for a birdwatcher.” Martin half whispers, once Jon allows him to, at least.

“Nightingale,” Jon replies, jumping ahead a few steps in conversation, their eyes scanning the trees for more of the little tawny things before turning back to the bird just above their heads, “don’t see a lot of them in this part of the continent.”

“Yeah, haven't seen one in ages…bit early for them, isn't it?”

“Yes…” Without looking away, Jon settles against the bark of the tree. “Apparently they practice their song in the winter months. Bit of choir practice before the big show.”

“Sorry, ‘show’?”

“Their mating season,” Jon clarifies, drawing their coat a little tighter as a cool breeze rolls last, “Sometime around late spring, I believe.”

“Ah,” Martin stifles a chuckle, “so the little guy is rehearsing his pick-up lines. Wonder if he's nervous.”

The bird's song comes to an abrupt stop, raising its wings up high before flitting off into another branch a few trees away. Jon's eyes follow the motion, and then the bird shoots up through the empty branches above and disappears into the sky. Its song plays out one last time, carried on the wind as it finds another spot for its practice, well out of sight.

“Certainly seems to be…” Jon replies. They almost sound – sad for the little thing. Or maybe they're just sad it left, their head hanging low, shuffling their feet without concern for the sound of crunching leaves now that the bird has left. “Can't say I blame him. Although memorising a song sounds far easier than most courting rituals.”

“Yeah…” Martin notices a bit of debris from the tree stuck to Jon's coat, reaching out to brush off the bits caught against the wool. “Just sing a little tune until someone fancies you. Would be nice if it were that simple. I think I’d much prefer that.”

That earns Martin an odd look, that same calculating gaze once fixed onto the bird now turned squarely in his direction for what feels like far too long. Long enough for Martin to wish he could fly off like that nervous nightingale before Jon can identify the source of the creeping blush that blooms across his cheeks.

Then Jon blinks, bowing their head again before stepping back towards the trail. “Right, so…camp, yes? I ah – saw a spot we could set up just this way.”

Before Martin can ask, Jon has already paced halfway down the path, and he's forced to jog behind to catch up.

Didn't take long for them to set up camp. Jon made quick work of things, nervously bouncing around the site and setting up tents, laying out bedrolls. Hardly sitting still for even a moment. 

Martin would have said something, maybe taken some of the work off their hands, but they seemed far too focused on their tasks. 

And if he did, Jon might have stopped humming whatever song they had stuck in their head, and that would be a shame. He always rather liked birdwatching.

[lilghostiequinni]

Trying Something New

Main Masterlist Lando Masterlist

Pairing: Restaurant Owner!female reader x Lando Norris

Warnings: Fluffy, None

Summary: You are probably the only one that can get Lando to try something new that involves the tiniest hint of fish.

Requested: NO / yes

You own a restaurant, well, a couple restaurants in England, and you are opening one in Monaco because you had moved there with your boyfriend and would rather be able to go to your restaurant in a short walk than a plane ride.

One thing you served in your restaurant was this dish that contained salmon, but there was little to no taste of the salmon in the dish.

You've had people come up to you and say that they normally don't eat fish, but they would eat again.

Then there's Lando, who is perfectly fine with acting like a child when it comes to fish and dishes that involve fish.

You knew that it would have to be some miracle that you were able to sneak fish into a dish and also have Lando be able to eat it without throwing a fit.

You found that if with enough sauce that Lando will eat some of the smaller seafood, like shrimp, and he will only eat scallops the way you make them.

He only ate scallops because you needed a taste tester, and he offered, which surprised you that he offered in the first place.

When he ate them he was amazed that they were actually good, and you were in shock that he actually put it in his mouth.

When he tried and ate the dish with salmon, Lando's nutritionist and trainer, Jon, was sitting right next to him, bringing some meals for while you're in England for a week.

You were going to England to check up on the restaurants there and to see your parents, and Lando had just got back from a race and you didn't want to make him leave on a plane again.

You knew that in the time you were gone, while Lando may eat the food that Jon brought, but you also knew your boyfriend and knew that he would order something in a few times and would most likely leave it in the fridge.

But you knew you would clean out the fridge when you got back because of your boyfriend. You just knew him.

He was the best thing to happen to you, and you were the best thing to happen to him.

Even his parents were shocked that you got their son to eat some fish and even a dish that is mostly fish and he loved and didn't make a face about it.

But you just shrugged whenever people expressed their shock because you were shocked, too.

But you didn't push the matter of him eating any more fish than he already has, and you also knew that he wouldn't eat any more fish than he already was.

Sometimes, you would question if you saw right when he ate fish or if you were dreaming.

Because normally, when you ate and made fish for yourself, he would make you wash your mouth out before you kissed him, which always made you giggle at him.

And he still would make you do it when you ate fish he didn't like but you still just giggled and laughed.

You still got him to try and eat fish, which is more than Carlos ever has done, which you lorded over your boyfriend's friend.

Which would make Carlos roll his eyes and shake his head at you, but you still did it.

Lando also just shakes his head at you with a smile on his face as he watches you.

It's always nice to try something new, especially when you know the person you're with isn't going to care whether or not you like it or what you do after you've tried it.

Whether you like it and eat it, or you don't and spit it out.

A/N: Winner in the 300 Follower Cele This or That poll

Tags: @poppyflower-22 @samantha-chicago @barcelonaloverf1life @tallrock35 @ellen3101 @llando4norris @mcmuppet @issi-loves-dannyric @1800-love-me @barcelonaloverf1life @scopeiguess @01rrdbull @charli123456789 @smashcrabsblog @hadids-world @amz824 @taetae-armyyyyy @diaryofarandomkid @watermelonslut @gigicisneros @hellothere9597

If you want to be removed from a tag list, let me know so I don't keep tagging you. If you are striked through, I don't know if you want to be tagged, but just let me know if you want me to continue or stop

[loves1ckmoth]

TENDER LOVE AND CARE

Caitlyn x Worried wife!Reader

Warnings ♡: fem!reader, reader has a breakdown, Caitlyn gets hurt in the beginning, reader can't communicate, reader avoids caitlyn for a bit, reader gets hurt from sewing while crying, they talk it out, angst, petnames (good girl, darling, the like), Caitlyn gives kisses

Word Count ♡: 915

You always scolded Caitlyn after work for her recklessness, always getting caught in the crossfire of fights simply because “she was curious.” You knew she cared about her people, but you hated the stress of her coming home hurt simply because she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. And today, that fear has become a reality.

When you got wind of a patrol accident that injured Caitlyn and her group, you were petrified. You had convinced yourself something terrible had happened. That she got injured and would never work again. The thought made it hard to function at all, so you quickly made your way over to the hospital where she was being treated.

But all that fear faded the moment you saw her. She was only scuffed up with a cut covering the expanse of her arm. It was disgustingly deep, you heard the doctor mention the layers of skin and what needed treatment but it all slipped in one ear and out the other. Some gross morbid thought made you think it looked a lot like a honeycomb.

You almost vomited at the thought. She smiles over at you as a nurse begins to wrap her wound. You want to slap her. “How did it happen?” You ask softly, your voice almost failing you from the leftover fear of losing her. She frowned at the sound of your voice and spoke quietly in return. “I had to break up a fight between two people down by the bridge. Two people from Piltover. One of them broke loose and started attacking everyone with a shard of glass.

Nausea takes over you, but you nod in response, turning away so she won’t see. You can see her frown out of the corner of your eye, so you try to put on a brave face for her. She can tell, you know she can, but neither of you says it aloud. You turn to the doctor. “She’ll be free to come home today, right?”

When the doctor nods, relief hits you like a tidal wave and the nausea makes it’s round again. You excuse yourself outside and vomit in the trashcan right outside the door. Your nerves, especially when it came to Caitlyn, were never good.

Being home is somehow more tense than the hospital. Neither of you talk about it. You throw yourself into housework immediately to avoid it. How are you meant to talk about it when you know it won’t change anything? She tries her hardest to talk to you, to ask about your day, but your short answers lead to her building frustration. When you find her ripped-up uniform from the day of the attack you finally break down.

Through tears and sharp gasps, you attempt to stitch up the rips in it, but you keep pricking your fingers. By the time she finds you, your eyes are puffy and red, your fingers looking almost the same. She rushes over to your side, gently pulling the needle and thread out of your hands. She shushes you as you blubber out an apology and gently takes your face in her hands.

“Oh, my dear… What’s happening? What’s going on?” You shake your head. You try to deny it, but as her thumbs rub the side of your face, you give in. “I’m sorry… I wanted to fix it… I wanted to make it better.” At the sound of desperation and attempts to please her, she starts to cry as well.

“This is because of the attack, isn’t it? You not talking much to me, you not being around the house as much, all this housework.” When you nod your head she kisses the side of your mouth. “Your hands too… Darling?”

“I’m sorry. It kept slipping and I kept crying and now it hurts.” As another sob escapes you, she shushes you again and nods. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She mutters, guiding you to your feet and over to the bathroom. She runs your bloody fingers under the sink and then puts soothing cream over the tips of them.

“Do you wanna talk now?” She pushes gently, looking up at you from where she sits on the floor. You breathe deep, still sniffling from your crying. “I’m scared…” And her heart breaks. She rubs your hand tenderly. “Because of my work?” When you nod, it only solidifies the fracturing in her heart. “You always get into these fights and I’m scared you won’t come home.”

She rises to her feet and holds you gently, stroking your hair. “It’s my job to diffuse these things, but I can admit, I get more involved than I should. I promise I’ll reel back. Would that make you happier?” You nod into her chest, clinging to her shirt.

“How about you take a break for the rest of the week? I’ll make it up to you. You won’t have to cook a single meal or do any housework. You’ve been working yourself to the bone and you look so tired these days. I’ll get started on dinner soon and we’ll eat together.”

You sigh deeply, humming in agreement as she lowers to peck your lips. “Good girl. Go take a nap. I’ll take care of everything.” She brought you to your feet once more and took you upstairs. Once you were lying down, she kissed you again and closed the door. For the first time in a long time, you finally felt at peace.

Thank you all for being so patient yesterday ♡ I was incredibly tired after a long day, but I promise another post again tonight ♡ Reblogs and likes are most appreciated ♡

[prlssprfctn]

AU, where Priest!Jason Todd keeps receiving random quests from the alternative universe, who are very, very persistent on getting his advice.

At some point, Jason stops getting surprised by the absolute unexplainable events in his hometown. He died and came back — so, what are some guests from the other realities for him? Absolutely nothing. He already helped that girl once, Traci. She also appeared out of nowhere.

And Jason... well, Father Jason is all about helping people, not asking questions.

That's why, when he sees a strange flash of light outside the church and hears heavy steps, coming closer to the confessional, he makes sure not to be too curious. Curiousity leads people to wrong paths sometimes.

'Jason?' The low, rumbling voice asks.

It reminds him of Thomas Wayne's a little but softer.

Thomas is not necessarily his friend, but they smoke sometimes together since Jason once accidentally found bleeding out Batman at the stairs leading to his church. He is a nice man.

'You shall call me Father Todd,' Jason fixes the guest methodically. 'How can I help you, my child?'

The man lets out a soft, amused laughter, and Jason hears him dragging his heavy body inside the booth before plopping on the cold, wooden seat.

'I am not here to confess,' the man warns. 'But I might need an advice.'

'An ask for help is also a confession in a way; sometimes, a bolder one,' Jason replies. 'I will do my best to guide you, my child. Tell me more about the issue you are facing.'

'I... I have a son,' the man starts slowly. 'I hurt him a lot in the past. And I don't know how to fix this.'

Jason hums, encouraging him to continue. They talk for the rest of the night. The mysterious guest leaves pleased.

In a week after that, another guest drops by. This time, it is a young man who keeps tapping his feet nervously and persistently cracks jokes straight until Jason gently tells him to lay on him all his burdens. This makes him snap and break down crying. Richard — or so he calls himself — never asks for advice, but he confesses in all things he had done; and then for things he didn't. Jason hears him out, reassuring that half of those wasn't even his fault, and they pray together that night through the thin wall dividing them. Richard tells him that it was a while he felt himself this free before leaving. Jason never hears from him again.

A seemingly young boy visits next. He is amused for the most of the time, but Jason still patiently talks him through the casualties of ceremonies like this, deciding not to get mad at a teenager — he was no better at that age. Somewhere in between long pauses and questions, Timothy suddenly starts talking quietly about his parents; about how they were religious, but he never understood their faith. Not really.

He says he misses him, and he wishes he could turn time back to agree on following his mom in the church in these rare days they were not working. They sit together for a while, and Jason allows him to reminisce about his parents. Tim leaves, thanking him for being heard.

Jason accepts a few more strange quests. A kid with the vocabulary of an ancient creature that admits that he is not even Christian — Jason still offers him an ear telling him it doesn’t matter; not when a child of God needs advice — a silent girl that speaks in short sentences and asks how to get rid of regret and guilt following her around for years, and then, a total opposite one: a blabbering and giggling girl that ends up talking with him about her mom. He swears, at some point Duke, the kid from Narrows that he has over with his family on Sundays, visits him too; just, somehow, an older one. Even that doesn't cause Father Todd to ask questions.

...Not until someone enters the confessional with a strange, animal-like cautiousness.

'So, you are the one they visit all the time, huh?' The stranger comments, his voice... his voice surprisingly familiar. 'Father Todd.'

If there is a slight mocking intonation in the low voice, then Jason prefers to ignore it.

'That would be me, yes. How can I help you, my child?'

'Well, well, Father Todd... Riddle me this...'

The more the unknown boy speaks, the more nauseous Jason feels. He knows this story; he remembers finding Catherine dead, he remembers stealing tires — and even though the boy by the other side found a family, while he didn’t, the death and reborn he speaks about, is still something Jason relates to.

For the first time since he started to get strange visitors, Jason indulges himself — he allows curiosity to take over.

The visitor is in the middle of casually, almost intentionally so, retelling how he woke up in the casket, when Jason walks out of his part of booth, and unceremoniously opens the opposite side of it, facing a boy in the red armour. He hugs a big, intimidating helmet, and when their eyes meet, Jason freezes, despite knowing an answer all along.

It is him. Of course, it is him.

'Jesus fucking Christ, ruining the very little privacy this place has, in our Catholic house?' The other Jason mocks him, leaning slightly forward. 'I expected more from us. I am hurt.'

Father Todd just sighs.

Nothing could ever prepare him for needing to... accept a confession from himself. Yet, he is here, staring at the scruffy youth with a wolf-like smile who is so obviously lost behind all these fake bravado that it hurts.

'Behave,' he purses lips in a thin line before closing the door in his face again.

He doesn't need to see to know that a surprised expression touched his sharp features.

Jason makes his way back to his side of confessional, and clears up his throat again.

'I apologise. Please, you shall resume your story.'

The other Jason is silent for a while. He thinks the boy might leave — they had it in themselves, after all; leaving when being met with an unexpected touch of gentleness from others, instead of rage — but then, he doesn't.

His voice lacks all mockery and amusement when he speaks up again, the words lacing in a tale of sorrow and regrets.

And Father Todd... answers, of course. He is not here to ask questions, after all. He is all about helping people.

And who, if not Jason Todd, knows that there is no one but higher forces and themselves, who can help them through their toughest times?

[cece693]

Where's The Trust? Pt. 2

pairing: bucky barnes x male reader tags: steve really is an asshole, bucky trying to gain forgiveness, you are bitter as fuck, the avengers are conflicted, Tony taking matters into their own hands, good bro Tony, was gonna end it here but a reconciliation is in order, part 3 if wanted

It had been weeks since that horrible confrontation—weeks since you’d walked out on Bucky, burning with betrayal and heartbreak. And in that time, your anger had crystallized into a cold, vicious wall that no one—least of all Bucky—could penetrate.

Bucky tried. God, did he try. He sought you out in every corridor of the Avengers Compound, cornering you near the training gym, waiting for you outside the labs, even tentatively stopping by your quarters. But no matter how or where he approached, you shut him down with biting words or frosty glares. Sometimes you wouldn’t even look at him; you’d just shoulder past, exuding the kind of scorn that made everyone around you flinch.

You became, in Tony’s words, “the biggest asshole known to man.” Normally affable and considerate, you were now short-tempered, dismissive, and cold as ice. You brushed off team bonding sessions, training spars, even the usual group movie nights if he or Steve were in attendance. The rest of the team was confused, to say the least. After all, you and Bucky had been the golden couple—two people whose trust and loyalty seemed unshakeable. Now, you were outright hostile, and Bucky looked like a hollow shell of the man they once knew. No one knew the details of what went wrong; no one dared pry into the tinderbox of your anger.

Steve, in the meantime, tried to exploit the widening chasm between you and Bucky. “You need to move on,” he murmured one day in the gym, while Bucky had been pounding at the super-soldier-enforced punching bags, trying—and failing—to vent his frustration in a healthier way. “They’re never going to forgive you, Buck. Maybe it’s time you—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Bucky snapped, punching the bag off the chain and sending it skittering across the room. Sweat dripped down his face, but his eyes blazed colder than ice.

“I’m just saying,” Steve continued, stepping closer, “maybe we can find comfort in each oth—”

Bucky nearly flew at him, fists clenched. “Comfort?” he snarled, voice trembling with rage. “Don’t you dare talk to me about comfort, you self-serving bastard. You think you can just swoop in when I’m at my lowest and pick up the pieces? You destroyed everything!” His voice echoed off the empty gym walls, making Steve flinch. The blonde raised both hands, palms out, but Bucky didn’t let him speak again.

“You ruined my life—my relationship—so you could chase some pathetic fantasy that we were meant to be. Let me spell it out for you, Rogers: I don't love you nor do I want anything to do with you. Whatever we had is gone, dead. You come near me with that bullshit again, and I swear I’ll make you regret it.” A tense silence fell. Steve swallowed hard, eyes flicking with hurt, but Bucky stormed off before he could respond. From that moment on, any semblance of friendship between them was shattered.

The tension rose within the team so much that it was Tony—yes, the man who normally avoided confrontation like the plague—who finally mustered the nerve to corner you about what happened with Barnes. He cornered you in one of the compound’s smaller lounges, a glass-walled room where you wouldn’t have an easy escape route. You glowered at him the moment he closed the door, already anticipating the lecture you didn’t want.

“Look,” Tony said, raising both hands in mock surrender, “I get it—you’re in a Bad Mood with capital letters. Usually, I’d say that’s none of my business, but this is starting to affect mission readiness. And that is my business. So talk.”

You folded your arms, lips pressed in a tight line. “There’s nothing to say, Tony.”

“Right. Because you and your ex–mister perfect soldier just decided to stop talking and run around with matching doom-and-gloom expressions for fun.” Tony snorted, crossing his arms in return. “Come on, I’m not asking for graphic details. Just enough to, you know, keep the team from imploding. And—” He hesitated, then added more softly, “I’m worried about you.”

Your chest tightened. You hadn’t heard that tone from him in a while—an undercurrent of genuine concern rather than sarcastic deflection. It reminded you, painfully, that once upon a time you and Tony had been…well, something. Not precisely soulmates, but definitely more than friends. A messy tangle of mutual respect, attraction, and comfort that had eventually fizzled out amicably. And while your heart now belonged to Bucky (or did, anyway), you still had a lingering fondness for Tony that was tough to ignore.

You exhaled a shaky breath, your anger and sorrow warring behind your eyes. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”

His eyebrows lifted, and he gave a half-laugh. “Yeah, sure. And I’m the poster boy for healthy coping mechanisms.” Then his expression sobered. “(Y/N), please. Level with me. Something major happened, and if it keeps escalating, it’s not just you and Bucky who’ll suffer—it could jeopardize missions, our safety…everything.”

You closed your eyes. For a moment, your lips pressed into a thin, trembling line. You were so damn tired—tired of carrying all this anger, tired of everyone tiptoeing around you, tired of Bucky’s hollow stares. Part of you wanted to hold everything in. Another part was on the verge of bursting. And Tony…Tony was the one person who might actually understand. Hell, he’d seen you at your worst and never once thrown it back in your face.

Your eyes snapped open, and you found yourself speaking before you could lose your nerve. “He lied, Tony. Bucky lied to me. We were serious, and he never bothered to tell me about him and Steve. They used to…be together. And then I caught them kissing. I—” Your voice cracked, and you had to breathe through the sudden surge of raw pain. “I don’t know who started it. Bucky swears it was Steve, but I— I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Tony’s face flickered with surprise, quickly followed by something like sympathy. “Steve and Bucky…” he muttered, rubbing his chin. “Wow, okay. That’s a new one for me.”

You snorted, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Yeah, well, apparently it wasn’t new for them. They’d had some fling back in the day, never told me, and now I’m the idiot left wondering if he ever really gave it up, or if I was just—just some stand-in.”

You could feel the tears welling up, which only made your anger twist into something more acidic. Dammit, you hated crying in front of others, especially Tony. But the betrayal still burned, and it wasn’t going away. Tony watched you carefully. “Hey,” he said softly, shifting closer. “You can be mad, y’know. You can feel every bit of this. You’re not wrong for it.”

His words—simple validation—threatened to break the floodgates. Despite the resentment swirling in your gut, you felt a small pocket of relief that he hadn’t brushed you off or told you to “get over it.” In fact, he looked unexpectedly sympathetic. “Doesn’t make it hurt any less,” you muttered, wiping angrily at your eyes.

“No,” Tony agreed, “it doesn’t. But sometimes we need the hurt. We need to acknowledge it before it can heal—or before we can figure out if it’s even worth healing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Trust me, I know a thing or two about screwing up relationships.”

A tired laugh escaped you. “I remember.”

“Har har.” He rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m not defending Barnes’ secrecy—dumb move on his part, no question. But from what I’ve seen, the guy worships the ground you walk on. He’s miserable without you.”

“Well, he should’ve thought about that before he lied to me.” Your voice wavered between fury and sorrow. “I can’t just pretend everything’s okay.”

"And you shouldn't, (Y/N), but if there's one thing I know is that love is tougher than the shit we throw at it. If you're still this mad at him, it means a part of you still cares because if you didn't, you'd be indifferent. Anger is a sign there's something worth being angry over, you know?"

You stared at him, that sentiment rocking through you. You’d been so caught up in the betrayal, you hadn’t stopped to think about what your anger truly meant. If you truly wanted Bucky out of your life, why did the mere thought of him push your heart into overdrive?

“God, I hate that you’re making sense,” you mumbled, sniffing.

Tony quirked a small smile. “Don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a rep to maintain.”

You barked a watery laugh, your shoulders sagging. The relief of finally talking to someone—really talking—felt like a weight lifting, even if just a little. “So what now?” you asked, voice quiet. “I can’t just snap my fingers and fix this. Every time I see him, I remember— remember them together.”

He nodded. “I hear you. I’m not saying you have to forgive him tomorrow. But maybe give yourself some breathing room. Let the anger settle a bit. Once the rage isn’t so blinding, maybe you can see if there’s anything to salvage—any explanation that doesn’t make you want to throttle him.” He paused, then added wryly, “And, well, if you can’t salvage it, at least you’ll know you tried.”

A weighted silence lingered. You exhaled slowly, struggling to keep your emotions in check. Finally, you lifted your gaze to Tony’s, a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. “When did you become the voice of reason?”

He patted your shoulder. “Probably around the time I decided I actually give a damn about the people on this team. Don’t spread it around.” Despite yourself, you laughed again—hoarsely, but genuinely. It was the first time in weeks you’d felt anything close to lightness. Tony gave you a half-smile, pressing a small handkerchief into your hand. You recognized it as one of his showier accessories, printed with tiny Iron Man helmets.

“Here,” he said. “Use it to dab away those tears before someone catches on that you still have a heart.”

You rolled your eyes but accepted it gratefully, wiping the dampness from your cheeks. “Thanks, Tony,” you murmured. “For listening. For everything.”

He shrugged in that trademark Stark way—casual but genuine. “Anytime, (Y/N). Just don’t go ballistic on me if I try to get you two in the same room. I’m not saying I will, but, you know…hypotheticals.”

You shot him a half-hearted glare, tempered by a ghost of a smile. “Don’t push your luck.”

He grinned. “Noted.”

With that, he opened the lounge door, allowing you to slip back into the compound’s corridors. But somehow, the air felt a fraction less suffocating—and for the first time in weeks, you dared to consider the possibility that, maybe, healing wasn’t entirely off the table.

[gummydummy19]

No one else

Summary: You see Price again for the first time after he went on mission…and after you slept with him months ago

Content Warning: mentions of smut, angst, age gap

Pairing: John Price x reader (NO GENDER/LOOKS SPECIFIED)

A/N: short, sweet and angsty, folks! this has been in my drafts for a looooong time, enjoy <3

Word Count: 1100+

“I…I haven’t...been...with anyone else, you know?”

“What?”, He looked down at you, your head resting on his sticky chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Since you left…I uhm….I haven’t slept with anyone else.”

It had been months since you last saw him.

You and John had been friends for years. Sure, he was a little older than you, but you never cared. He was handsome and smart and kind and he always knew what to do.

He was the one you called when your car broke down on the side of the road. The one who took you for a drink after a long day at work.

And last summer, he suddenly became the one who made you cum so many times you forgot your own name.

It was a one-time thing. A moment of heated passion between two friends. The fact that you'd had a crush on him for over a year played no part in the matter.

Besides, you didn't have much time to dwell, because the next morning when he got called into work, he was told that he was needed for another mission.

Well it turns out, that did actually leave you lots of time to dwell. Six months of it.

It had gone by incredibly fast and agonizingly slow at the same time, but there he was, back home, taking sips of his beer on your couch while you cooked him his first decent meal in half a year.

You'd been eyeing each other all night. Small talk paired with small touches. After dessert, when there were no more dishes to be washed, no more stupid questions to be asked, nowhere left to hide, he kissed you.

And that left you here, in your bedroom. Tangled in the forest green sheets, sweaty and satisfied. His rough hands drew gentle shapes on your shoulder until you opened your stupid mouth.

“I havent been with anyone else…”

Price was quiet, with an expression on his face that gave little away.

The silence grew thicker by the second. An uncomfortable feeling settled in your stomach and you started to regret even saying anything.

You were about to mumble out an excuse, apologize, tell him never mind, and that it was silly. Your mouth opened but before the first sound could fly out of your throat, he broke the silence.

“Neither have I.”, he stated dryly.

“You haven’t?”, you sat up a little, getting a better look at his face.

“You thought I had?” He raised his brow a little, you could tell it was a reflex. He almost looked…annoyed.

"Yeah, I mean...no....I don't know", you babbled.

"Well, I didn't."

"You could have."

"I didn't want to." he replied with just a twinge of irritation, “Did you want me to?”

“No I just…I wouldn’t have been mad…if you had.”

His brows twisted in what can only be described as a dumbfounded frown.

“What the…” he grumbled, sitting up fully too. “So if I would have fucked some other lass, you would’a been totally fine with that?”

Your eyes darted around nervously as you tried to figure out how to answer that question.

“I just…you can do what you want. You don’t have any responsibilities towards me. I would have understood if you had…if…if you’d…”

The thought of him with another woman made you sick to your stomach, but you knew you couldn't have expected that of him. That he'd stayed loyal to someone he'd slept with once.

Well...twice now.

"Alright then, good to know how you feel," he said as he got out of bed, quickly grabbing his boxers off the floor and pulling them on.

"W-, Price, where are you going?"

"I clearly got this all wrong, that's on me."

"No wait, please! I...I'm sorry I just...I..." you babbled. Your chest felt tight, that familiar feeling of panic settled in the pit of your stomach as you watched him grab his stuff off the floor.

“Can you please just hold on a minute? Please?”, you pleaded, “John!”

That got his attention. His eyes locked with yours as he stood there brooding like an angry bear.

“I thought…” he started, you could tell he was trying to keep himself composed, “I thought we had something. I thought we were something. A thing. The pair of us.”

You sat there on the bed, with your thin sheet wrapped flimsily around yourself, staring up at him.

“John…I”

“I know we didn’t exactly have a conversation about it…but after what happened I just sort of assumed…and I shouldn’t have.”

“No! God, I’m such an idiot…I'm just expressing myself all wrong…", you tried explaining, “I wanted you to know I hadn’t been with anyone else…because I don’t want anyone else…but I also know we didn’t talk about it so I would have no right to be mad if you…if you had…”

“Screwed someone else?”, he damn near barked.

“Yeah…", you visibly flinched at the thought this time. "Can you please sit back down? Please?"

He obliged. The mattress dipped a little as he sat down on the edge of the bed, his back toward you. The room was quiet again. You didn't really know what to say or do...you had missed him so much...all you wanted was to be close to him, that was all you had wanted for months.

You were staring at the freckles on his back and you couldn't help but lean closer, your lips carefully brushing against the skin and pressing a loving kiss there. You felt him tense up, yet he remained quiet.

"The thought alone makes me sick..." you started, hoping he would get what you were referring to, "but I would have understood, you were gone for a long time and you didn’t make any promises to me”

You felt him tense up again when you said that last part.

“M'not angry at you sweetheart, I'm just angry at myself ", he turned around, his sweet, blue eyes gazing at you with nothing but love and affection.

"I promised my heart to you a long time ago, I was just too dense to tell you about it..."

"Oh, John..", was all you could muster, you reached out and gently put your hand against his bearded cheek. He leaned into your touch, placing his own hand over yours.

"I should have at least made it clear how I felt, sweetheart, instead of leaving you wondering if I was fucking someone else for six months. Because I wasn’t. All I wanted was to be with you. There’s no one else I want, love.”

You were at a loss for words, so you settled for a kiss. Not that he was complaining, because he immediately maneuvered you onto his lap, mumbling praises and apologies.

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[seellove]

Could You Stay a Little Longer // drug dealer!sukuna x reader

Masterlist

Chapter 2 // (12.1k words) // Explicit - 18+

\|/ AO3 - Chapter 2 | << Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 >>

You're pursuing a master degree across the country, but are currently back in your hometown housesitting for your parents. They've told you all about their undesirable new neighbor, but when you start to get to know said neighbor, you realize he isn't all that bad. Your controlling boyfriend won't let up on you and you grapple with enjoying the company of this drug dealing neighbor boy, Sukuna. Nothing about this is going the way you planned, but is it so bad to let yourself be treated well for a change?

The cultural setting for this is technically economically depressed, rural USA where good paying jobs are hard to come by and there's not many opportunities in small towns, but it could really be anywhere that meets this criteria!

Content Tags/Warnings Throughout Work: Reader and Sukuna are mid 20s, mentions of recreational drug use and drug dealing, mentions of abusive/controlling/manipulative relationship (not Sukuna), could possibly be considered cheating depending on your interpretation (not Sukuna), angst, smut, fluff, time skip, prison time, happy ending trust!

Day 3

You decide to continue cleaning out the gardens this morning, once again trying to get ahead of the midday heat. As you head towards the road, the morning chorus of birds in the trees bring a sort of serenity to the neighborhood…until you notice Sukuna’s yard looks anything but peaceful, wrecked once again. 

It’s not surprising considering how loud things were over there last night. It didn’t keep you up per se, but you definitely could hear the loud music and cars engines revving all night long. The man definitely did not seem to want to keep a low profile that’s for sure considering the neighborhood already had it out for him. Thank god for earplugs.

What is the point of cleaning up yesterday if he just trashed everything less than 3 hours later? 

You throw your earbuds in, get on your knees, and start pulling weeds. It’s tiring and uncomfortable, but you figure if you do a little at a time each day you’ll have something good to show for it by the time you leave. Attempting to try and decipher the ways of the immature, cute, bad boy across the street wasn’t something even your advanced schooling could help with.  

After some time, a shadow appears where you are working, blocking the sun temporarily.

“You’re up early tomato girl,” Sukuna’s playful voice sounds from behind you. 

“I could say the same thing. Seemed like you had a late night. Don’t you have stuff to do during the day?” you chide at him, taking out your earbuds and setting your weed pile to the side so you can turn around. 

He’s in shorts and a t-shirt with a backwards hat smothering his wild hair, red eyes hidden by a pair of shades. He’s smirking down at you and you notice he’s holding a pair of hedge clippers.

“Sweets, I’m a dealer with a suspended license, what do you expect me to be doing all day?” 

“I don’t know, counting pills. Counting money? How should I know?” you retort. 

“You’re cute for thinking that’s what I’d do all day,” he teases. 

You just roll your eyes in response, you honestly don’t care to know, it’s not something you want to know anything about at this point.

“I’m going to clean up some of these shrubs,” he gestures to some plants on the edges of the garden.

“Oh that’s not necessary-“

“I know it’s not, but I’m a grown adult who can make his own decisions. Also tired of these people who won’t get the fuck out my house, I’d rather be around someone I actually enjoy.” 

“Why do you have people over if you want them to leave early? Drugs and booze aren’t exactly conducive to people getting up and at ‘em in the morning,” you tease him as he starts working on a bush a few feet away.

“They’re my childhood friends, but they’re some degenerates who don’t do shit all day. They always promise they’ll be out by 8, but it never happens,” he sighs as he prunes his way around the shrubbery.

“Hey Kuna what’re you doing out here?” you hear a girl’s voice from the road. You look up and see two girls walking your way. They look pretty hungover, must have been some of the company from last night.

“I’m helping my neighbor with some yard work, are you all going to be leaving soon?” 

“Yeah, we were just about to go. Just wanted to see if we could buy something before we leave,” the other girl smiles at him. 

“Go ask Toji or one of the other guys, I’m busy,” he responds bluntly, not looking up from what he’s doing. 

They seem to take the hint and walk away, leaving you both alone again.

“Do you let girls sleep with you in lieu of paying?” you ask.

He bursts out laughing. 

“Fuck no, I’m actually pretty picky about who I’ll sleep with. Just never know their true intentions, especially because I’m weak for some good pillow talk. Haven’t been with anyone in a while now that I think of it since I got in trouble with the law again, maybe I’m paranoid of undercover shit or something.”  

You just nod in agreement, a surprisingly astute and mature response coming from him. It makes sense, but you’d expected him to be more free spirited and reckless. His pillow talk comment makes you internally laugh, you can totally see that being a thing, he’s so emotional and expressive after all. 

As you both continue working, your mind wanders back to your conversations with Cam last night. He’d ripped into you about Sukuna answering the phone while on your walk. 

He’d never let you have guy friends, so being around a random guy yesterday definitely set him off worse than usual. You did feel a little guilty about hanging around Sukuna, but it felt good at the same time, you enjoyed his company. With Cam not here, you had more freedom than you’ve had in ages, so you were keen to take advantage of it for a few days.

“Lemonade break?” you nudge his side as the heat starts to distract you.

“Yeah, fuckin’ brutal out here,” he runs his fingers through his hair.

You go retrieve some glasses and find Sukuna leaned back against the trunk of an old oak tree. You sit next to him, passing him an ice cold glass.

You both sit in silence, letting the cold liquid quench your dry throats, enjoying the soft breeze in your shady refuge. Sukuna’s hat is off, tufts of his pink hair dancing in the wind districting your gaze. 

“Do you think you’ll come back here after your grad school?” Sukuna asks once you’ve both cooled off.

“I haven’t decided yet. I love the area where my school is, but I do miss my family and friends here. Just harder to find a job ya know?” 

It was one of the reasons you’d moved away, to have a better opportunity at research opportunities and post graduate options for your chosen degree. 

“That’s valid,” he responds, stretching his long legs out on the grass in front of him. “Do you still have a lot of friends here?”

“I do, but a bunch of them got married pretty quick and already have a kid or two. Only a few of us are still childless,” you laugh. 

“Figures, seems to be the way things go around here. I remember my mom saying something about how no good girls will be left if I wait to settle down, but it seems like there’s still some goods around,” he turns his head to look at you, sunglasses pushed up on his head now.

“I like to think I’m pretty decent,” you laugh, averting your gaze as you feel your cheeks heat up.

“Better than the crew who I hang around,” he snorts.

“I mean that’s not saying much,” you joke with him.

“Oh please, you know what I meant,” he huffs.

“I could set you up with a decent single friend or two,” you nudge his side.

“Two? Shit, that’s just asking for trouble,” he picks at the grass between his legs, tossing it at you absentmindedly.

“They’re nurses, they’d take good care of you.”

“I’m sure they would. Maybe one day, tomato girl,” he laughs. 

“A gift for you,” he leans your way, presenting what looks like grass to you.

Except it’s not grass, it’s a four leaf clover. Some good luck in his future perhaps?

“You don’t wanna keep your luck?” you giggle, laying it in your palm so both of you can get a better look. 

“Eh, you might need it more, I’m already pretty lucky I live the life I do and haven’t gotten in more trouble.”

“I’ll cherish it forever,” you smile at him, leaning against his arm, the bark of the tree starting to hurt your back. 

You both watch as people slowly trickle out of Sukuna’s house, the line of cars parked on the side of the road disappearing after another hour. 

“You want some more vegetables?” you ask him.

“For meeeeee?” he gasps, giving you a fake surprised look.

“Yes you goof,” you laugh. 

“What’s your offer?”

“There’s some radishes and jalapeños over here,” you get up and point to some plants you had been weeding around.

“Well sure if you’re offering,” he smiles, navigating his way carefully through the garden and cutting a few of them off. 

“I’ve got some stuff to do, but would you wanna come eat dinner at my place tonight? I was gonna whip up some stuff with the tomatoes and I can go ahead and make some stuff with these too…you know as a thank you for sharing,” he says as a faint blush appears on his cheeks, spreading to his ears.

“Oh? Sure, why not. Want me to bring anything?” you respond, feeling a little flutter in your chest.

“Bring your favorite wine,” he grins at you. “I’m gonna start cooking at 5, feel free to come by anytime after then. Sounds good?”

“Um, yeah, that sounds great. Thank you,” you suddenly feel all flustered. It’s just dinner with your temporary neighbor.

In his house…but he can’t drive…so this makes sense right? 

What if Cam finds out? 

There’s no way.

You deserve this though. How many times has the man cheated on you and gaslit you into oblivion until you truly believed you were the reason for his infidelity and abusive actions, like no matter what you did it was never good enough?

You deserve to have one nice night with someone who is kind to you. Eating dinner with a friend is not wrong. Hell it’s not like you ever get to go out with your friends back home because of his controlling nature.

“If it’ll put you in a bind with…him, you don’t have to,” Sukuna’s voice jerks you from your thoughts as if sensing your inner turmoil.

“Huh? No, it’s fine. He cheats all the fucking time, god forbid I have dinner with a friend,” you retort, unsure if you are responding to him or trying convincing yourself. Probably both. 

Sukuna grimaces but quickly replaces it with his trademark smirk. 

“Great, I’ll see you later then,” he turns and walks back to his house. 

As you watch him walk away, your inner self is doing cartwheels in excitement. It’s almost like…

You like him. Crushing on the neighborhood delinquent with the mysterious red eyes and the fine ass tattoos adorning that shredded body. The kind hearted boy who’s captivated you in three short days. 

Nah, you can’t be. Like you said, it’s been three days, you hardly know him…right?

***

You were staring at yourself in the mirror, analyzing the third outfit you’ve tried on. It’s not like you brought that many clothes, but you want to look put together and like you put a little effort in!

You can’t even remember the last time you were giddy and excited for something, and that makes you sad, realizing just how shitty your relationship situation is back home, slowly bleeding the life out of you. 

You grab the wine bottle of choice, some popsicles for dessert, and lock up the house, leaving the light on in anticipation of coming back after dark. The walk across the street and up to Sukuna’s porch is over quickly, noticing for once his car seems to be the only one in the driveway. 

You knock on the door and wait, suddenly wondering what it’s going to look like on the inside. You figure it’ll either look like a frat house bachelor pad, or sleek and clean with nice furniture that could only be afforded with drug money.

You’ll soon find out as you hear heavy footsteps on the other side before the door opens up to Sukuna in an apron overtop of a t-shirt and shorts. It catches you off guard seeing him domestic like this, but it quickly fades as his excited smile greets you.

“So glad you came tomato girl, right this way,” he says, holding the door open for you. 

“Nice apron,” you tease as you place the bottle on the counter. The inside is leaning more towards sleek and sophisticated. Black kitchen table, black chairs, black living room furniture, black cabinets, some type of stone countertops, and so on. It’s not what you expected, but you can’t deny he has good taste.

“Tch, thanks. These tomatoes are really juicy and I was worried about getting them all over me,” he laughs, moving to the other side of the kitchen island to fiddle with some pots on the stove.

“So what’s for dinner chef?” you sit at one of his bar top stools across from him, scanning the area around you. Everything seems very neat and organized, you’d never suspect someone with a record lived here if you walked in without knowing him.

“My appetizer, if you will, is chips and pico de gallo. Made the chips myself, aaaaaaand, the pico features your jalapenos and tomatoes of course,” he pulls a bowl out of the stainless steel fridge and places it in front of you. Chips were already out on the counter.

“Wow you make your own chips?” 

“Damn straight, no bagged chips here,” he points his wooden spoon at you playfully. Something about this big strong man wielding a wooden spoon around in this animated way makes you giggle in amusement. Never a dull moment with him.

You take one, dip, and eat, the satisfying crunch loud in your ears. It’s so good, better than any other chip or salsa you’ve had lately.

“Soooo verdict?” Sukuna rests his elbows on the counter and stares at you with wide eyes, eagerly awaiting your response. His backwards baseball hat hides some of his unruly pink locks, giving him an almost frat boy aesthetic.

“Delicious! I’m impressed,” you say, emphasizing the warmth in your words, reaching for more.

“Sweet,” he mutters with a grin. “I know it doesn’t really go with the chips and pico, but I’ve got some homemade tomato sauce going that we’ll eat with meatballs and pasta. The theme of tonight's menu is tomatoes after all, regardless of the meal classification, so I think it fits,” his eyes twinkle with excitement. He seems proud of himself and it’s oddly heartwarming. 

Your mouth is watering because it all sounds and smells so good. This is the last thing you expected him to be doing, whipping up meals from scratch in the kitchen.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

“Actually, yes. First pour us two glasses of your wine, and second, come stir this sauce for me, I need to cut this pasta up.”

“Homemade pasta too?” you gasp.

“Duh, you think I’d feed you inferior boxed pasta?” he smirks as he fishes a wine opener out of a drawer, uncorking the bottle and procuring two glasses. 

“I mean most of the time, men aren’t serving me anything except disappointment, so even boxed would be impressive,” you laugh. 

“Well you’re in for a treat then sweets,” he winks and passes you his spoon. He opts to pour out the wine and sets a glass next to where you are standing. 

Sukuna busies himself with pasta, meatballs, and even some garlic bread while you stir his sauce.

“That’s probably fine now,” he eventually reaches over you to lower the heat, his chest lightly pressing against your shoulder. He’s definitely got some height on you so you don’t even need to duck out of his way.

“Come with me,” he grabs your wrist and drags you towards the back door. Out on his deck you realize there is an abundance of fresh herbs in clay pots.

“You get the basil, I’ll get the parsley,” he instructs, showing you how to properly remove the leaves. 

All of this just keeps surprising you, it makes the butterflies form in your chest again. At this point they might as well just take up refuge there. 

How can you be falling for someone with a record? A drug dealer for god sake! It seems like it has bad idea written all over it. Plus he’s said himself, he doesn’t do long term stuff. 

“Hey!” Sukuna’s voice snaps you back to reality, “I asked if you need any help?”

“N-no, I’m good, I think I got enough,” you stutter, almost convinced he can hear your thoughts. 

“Yep looks good to me,” he answers after coming over to inspect your haul. 

Once back inside, it’s only a little while longer before Sukuna starts plating everything. You are about a glass and a half deep into the wine so you’ve settled at the kitchen table, eagerly awaiting the food.

“Eat up!” Sukuna exclaims as he sets the plates down, joining you at the table.

“Sukuna this looks amazing,” you smile, “thank you again, this was so nice of you.”

“But of course, anything for my neighbor,” he responds. 

“Cheers,” he holds out his wine glass which you gladly clink against with yours. Just as he’s about to take a bite, his phone rings. His playful demeanor instantly turns to one of annoyance.

“One moment,” he gets up and answers.

“What?” he barks into the phone. 

“You absolutely will not come over here, in fact, you can tell everyone that if anyone comes over here tonight I will put a fucking bullet in their leg, got it?” he says in a commanding tone which makes you jump. 

He tosses his phone on the counter and rejoins you.

“Sorry about that,” he sits down like it’s business as usual.

“You can just flip that side of you off and on at will huh?” 

“I have to. Makes it less likely that people will fuck with me,” he explains as he digs in, “it’s just a facade though, like I’d never talk to you that way…unless you wanted me to,” he says with a sly grin.

You practically choke on your food at the bold comment. Up until this point he hasn’t taken his flirty, carefree attitude in that direction, but it churns up some type of feeling deep inside of you that you haven’t felt in a long time.

“Easy there,” you laugh, kicking him lightly under the table. 

He just shrugs with amusement and takes a long sip of his wine. 

“So when people come over here, are they picking up or what?” you decide to probe at him, the wine making you braver.

“Sometimes. I don’t keep much product here. Mainly people come by to drop off cash or get assignments. I’ve got people who report to me who handle most everything lower level like deliveries and sales. I deal with more high level stuff: managing the finances, figuring out markups and pricing, and coordinating with the wholesalers. I am the boss after all,” he grins, twirling some pasta on his fork. 

“So what’s the plan when it inevitably all blows up?”

“Excuse me? Do what now?” he chuckles while hitting you with a questioning side eye.

“You heard me, I feel like this can only be successful for so long right?” you reiterate.

“Oh ye of little faith,” he clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “Well, I guess that would mean I’m either dead, or locked up.” 

“That’s pretty extreme. So there’s no backup plan?” 

“My parents’ inheritance I guess. I’d go back to college with it and get a degree in something I suppose,” he muses.

“What made you drop out?” 

“Honestly my grades were shit. I was in a frat and wasting my parents money partying and fucking off, so they stopped paying and I moved back here. Got involved with my old high school buddy, Toji, with this shit and well here I am, the fucking king.” 

“Interesting. I was just curious,” you set your utensils down, plate completely clean.

“How about you though,” his crimson eyes bore into yours intensely, piercing you so sharply it catches you off guard. 

“What happens when your situation blows up?” he continues.

“What are you referring to?” 

“Your loser boyfriend. The odds aren’t good for women in abusive relationships.”

“It’s not technically abu-“

“Ima stop you right there and call bullshit on that tomato girl. I’m speaking the truth and we both know it. So again, what happens when your situation goes south.”

Your mouth is completely dry, no one has ever spoken about it in this way. 

“I guess similar to you, I’m either dead or in jail,” you retort, causing him to smile with amusement.

“Clever. I like that. Hopefully it’s neither, or at least if you’re in jail it’s cuz he’s dead,” his eyes flick back up to yours. You stare into his gaze, lips partially open as you process everything.

“That sounds so morbid but it may or not be a possibility I’ve mulled over in my mind,” you add.

“Well if you need an accomplice, you have my number,” he laughs, taking your plate and his and dropping them in the sink before coming back to join you.

“What do you say, do you think I should leave this all behind? Start over?” he says in a low tone, swirling the wine around in the glass and watching the liquid slowly settle out. 

“It’s not my place to say Sukuna.”

“Would you like me more if I did?” 

You cock your head at him with intrigue, unsure of what he’s getting at.

“I’d like you just the same. I like you for you right now. That’s why I’m in your house.”

He sighs, tapping his fingers on the table, staring up and away from you both.

“Let’s say, hypothetically, I wanted to settle down with some lucky lady. You think I’d have to stop to have a chance at that?”

You pause, hanging onto his words before answering. Is the wine making him say this stuff? You both hadn’t drank that much…

“I’d say it depends on the lady. If I was going to get with someone like you, yes, I’d probably want you to leave that life,” you give him a playful smile, “but I’m sure there are women out there who’d be content to support you in this life and not expect you to change.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

“What about me though, should I leave the man who’s holding me back?” you challenge him.

“Tch, is that even a question?” he rolls his eyes, reaching to rest his hand on yours. Your heart is pounding, thrumming in your ears, making you almost shiver in anticipation. 

“It is, I asked you after all.”

“Then yes, you should.”

“Would you like me more if I did?”

God is it the wine making you say this stuff? 

Sukuna arches an eyebrow in a wordless response, his gaze slowly moving to meet yours before shifting down to your lips and darting back up again.

“Whether you’re with him or not has no bearing on me doing this right now.”

In the moment it takes for your ears to convey his words to your brain, he kisses you. Your eyes widen in surprise, it must have happened in seconds. He’s standing up now, one hand on the table, the other gripping your chin and tipping it up while his soft lips envelop yours. 

The butterflies you’ve become painfully aware of the last few days ricochet around your insides like fireworks in the night sky as you lean in and kiss him back. It doesn’t stop there though, he’s pulling your chair out, cradling you against his chest while you cling to him, lips still locked as he moves towards his living room. 

He falls back into the couch, positioning you so you are straddling him. 

“Sukuna I-“

“Shhh, don’t talk, not right now,” his voice deepens, observing you through lidded eyes. 

And then his large, strong hands are in your hair, gripping your cheek and the back of your head as he pulls you into another kiss.

His lips crash against yours. It’s consuming, claiming, completely losing yourself in him as you force your tongue into his mouth. Sukuna groans against you, meeting you halfway, his soft tongue dominating yours as he deepens the kiss. Your noses brush against each other clumsily as you familiarize yourselves with the other’s movements. 

You feel almost out of practice, you can’t recall the last time Cam kissed you like this. His style was moreso fuck with the most minimal amount of foreplay, and even that was a generous word to describe it. If you do suck at this, Sukuna appears to have no qualms by the way his arms are wrapping around your back, pulling you against him, and devouring the shared air between you.

Your hands find his hair, dragging his hat off so you can thread your fingers through his soft strands. The scent of his shampoo wafts into your nose as you ravenously kiss him back. You shift yourself, groaning as you feel his hard bulge pressing against your groin, catching your clit even through the extra layers. 

“Fuuuck,” he moans into your mouth, starting to nip at your lower lip as his hands wander down to your ass, rolling his hips up to meet yours.

You haven’t felt this alive in literal years, so drunk off the way he nibbles and sucks at your neck while you grind yourself against him. You can feel yourself soaking through your panties, hoping he can’t feel it through his shorts. 

“Lemme go get a condom,” Sukuna whispers, his breath hot on your neck, eliciting a sharp whine from you as the image of what’s to come infiltrates your mind.

Wait, a condom? For sex? He wants to fuck you, god know you wanna fuck him too right now.

But you have a boyfriend, what are you even doing? Acting like a whore? Cam will be furious, you’ll be in trouble-

You start to panic, pushing yourself back from him abruptly.

“What are you doing? You know I have a boyfriend!” your voice cracks as he quickly removes his hands from you, leaning back into the couch to give you the space you were wanting.

“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve that honor,” Sukuna growls in response, his eyes flaring up in irritation.

“You’re taking advantage of me while I’m away from him, you’ve been putting these bad thoughts about him in my head this whole time. You’re no better than him. A criminal, a bad person,” you start to ramble on, freaking out at the thought of the fallout. If he found out.

Sukuna’s eyes flash with pain, your hurtful words piercing through his heart. 

“Right…,” he finally utters, averting your gaze and biting his bottom lip in discomfort. 

“I’m leaving before you turn me into more of a slut than I already am,” you push off of him, leaving him alone on the couch.

“You’re not being a slut! You’re allowed to be treated with fucking respect by someone,” Sukuna retorts, standing up as he follows you to the front door. 

You whip your head around to face him, hand on the doorknob.

“I’m a cheater, no better than him.”

“Is it really cheating when the person who’s supposed to love and respect you is constantly unfaithful and could even be doing so right now? You say it yourself, you don’t even know if you’re exclusive or not. Please, let me show you what a decent man can do, how you should be treated,” his eyes are so full of raw emotion, his hand pushing on the door next to you, partially caging you against it, but still allowing the option to leave. 

You look away from him, tears in your eyes. Everything is so confusing right now, the desperation on his face, the longing for him in your heart, the fear of Cam. It’s all just too much and you need to get away from all of it right now.

You pull the door open, and Sukuna doesn’t stop you.

“Good night Sukuna,” you stutter as you open the screen door, hearing it slam behind you. You move quickly to your parents house, never looking back towards Sukuna, unaware of the way he watches you leave full of hurt and confusion.

For the first time in his adult life, he was considering giving it all up. 

All of this. 

For you. 

The desire to be a better man, the man you never had, the man you deserved, was coursing through his veins. He thought you had felt the same way, what else could you have possibly meant by those questions? It felt like you’d kissed him with such passion and desire, how did this end with him staring at your back as you walked away from him?

Had he read the whole situation this badly? 

No, you had wanted this just as much as him. You break down with the realization as soon as you get inside, back sliding down against the door as you erupt into a sob on the floor. What’s wrong with you? Why couldn’t you just have an ounce of self esteem and break things off for good, let yourself be taken care of by a good man, one who’s been nothing but kind and helpful since you met him. 

You both go to sleep that night thinking of the other, of the night that could have been yours together. 

Day 4

It’s a little harder to get out of bed today. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, yet here you were festering in your own gloomy thoughts. The only thing forcing you up was that the pets needed taking care of, it’s not like they did anything wrong in all of this.

The humidity is through the roof this morning, probably the worst it’s been since you got here. Normally that combined with a bluebird day means thunderstorms in the afternoon, so you decide to walk Macy in the morning to try and get ahead of it. 

You glance across the street towards Sukuna’s house. No extra cars were around and all the shades were still drawn. Based on the last few days, you’d have expected to see him at some point in the morning, but with what happened last night? No shot. That was probably the last of your interactions with him. 

As you continue your walk, you can’t help but feel guilty about everything. You’d felt scared, even terrified at the thought of hooking up with him even though you’d wanted to with every fiber of your being. The irrational fear of Cam finding out and you reaping the consequences had clouded your judgement. 

“Has he hurt you?” you recall Sukuna asking.

Yeah, he has. Your mind wanders to a dark place, recalling the most recent time he was physical with you. You’d gone out with your grad school classmates for beers one night, which in and of itself caused a blowout fight because three of them were guys. Guys with long term girlfriends and fiancés you had tried to remind him, but he wasn’t having it.

The night had ended with you and two of your male classmates being the last of your group after others had left. There was nothing remotely sketchy or inappropriate going on, just friends talking about life and plans after school. Cam however had decided to take matters into his own hands and show up unannounced, furiously locking eyes with you from across the room as the two guys sat across from you.

Things only got worse for you as he made a scene in front of everyone and practically dragged you out of the bar and into the alley, both of you yelling at each other. The fight only ended when he backhanded you across the face, accusing you of being disrespectful and using his favorite line: “and you wonder why I go looking elsewhere when you constantly act like this.” 

This. Merely existing and trying to defend yourself.

This behavior had instilled a crippling fear and anxiety of never truly knowing where he would show up. You wouldn’t put it past him to find you here. Your hometown is your one safe haven, hence why your location sharing has been off. But you can’t wipe the events of that night from your mind, no matter how hard you try.

You take a left down another road that ends with access to a creek, a place you’d loved playing growing up.

Would Sukuna even understand if you explained all this to him? It shouldn’t be his burden to bear, he probably is just looking for a fun fling, not a girl with baggage as far as the eye could see. Hell you wish you could just have a fun, no string attached night, but the devil on your shoulder can’t just let you be at peace.

You sit down in the grass and let Macy off the leash to play in the water. She loves swimming, and seeing her frolic around in the stream makes you happy for a change. Oh to be a dog just doing what you love, no romantic relationships in sight. You pull a tennis ball out of your bag and toss it into the water, watching Macy swim out to it before bringing it back. 

You repeat these motions until she’s had enough, scampering over to you and falling onto her side, panting in the heat. 

“Tired you out huh girl?” you laugh as you ruffle the damp fur on her neck. You both rest for a while longer before you begin your trek back to the house. Sukuna’s house is still devoid of activity as you head back down the driveway.

You give Macy a quick rinse off outside to get the mud and dirt off of her before letting her back in and preparing some lunch.

Turning on the TV after eating, you decide to have a wallow at home kind of afternoon given your mood. You’ll just binge something and gorge yourself on comfort snacks. 

Macy starts whining to go out after about two hours, so you get up to let her out in the yard. As you lay back down, sleepiness suddenly hits you and you drift off on the couch.

BOOM!

You are jolted awake by a loud noise, scaring the shit out of you. You look outside and notice dark grey clouds covering the sky. 

Great, the afternoon storms you’d predicted have come to fruition. The wind is gusting and rain begins to pitter patter on the roof as another roar of thunder shakes the house.

You know Macy is scared of storms, so you call out to her, trying to find her inside. After checking all her usual hiding spots, you are puzzled that she’s nowhere to be found.

Oh my god. 

You remember now, you let her out and then fell asleep!

You throw on your sneakers as quickly as you can, charging out into the yard as another round of thunder makes you cringe away from the sky.

How could you be so fucking irresponsible! 

Panicking, you run around to the back, hoping by some miracle that she’s there. You are only greeted by the wet deluge that pours down on you as the sky opens up, the fat raindrops splattering onto your bare skin almost mocking you at this point.

This is so bad.

You run up towards the street, frantically calling out to her, your voice completely drowned out by the rain, wind, and thunderclaps that have your ears ringing at this point.

After traversing one end of the street, despair starts to sink in. You are freezing, drenched from head to toe, not even knowing where your tears begin and the raindrops end as rain cascades down your face. As you come back towards the house, you see Sukuna’s out of the corner of your eye.

Maybe he’ll help you.

You literally have nothing to lose, so you bound towards his front door, happy to escape the rain under his front porch.

You bang on the door loudly.

“Sukuna! Sukuna it’s me, can you help me!” you yell over the storm, doubting he can even hear you and if he could, if he’d even want to be in your presence. He has no reason to talk to you again.

To your surprise, the front door opens and you are met with the moody version of the fun loving guy you’ve hung out with the last few days. His face quickly morphs into one of concern, opening the door and coming out to join you.

“Jesus what are you doing out here?” he inspects you, brushing water off of your face and arms.

“It’s Macy, I need your help. I accidentally left her out and then the storm started. She’s terrified of them and I think she’s run off,” you are fighting back tears, voice shaking with fear and likely from the chills that are currently wracking your body as the wind slams into your drenched body.. 

“Of course, lemme put some shoes on,” he responds without missing a beat, disappearing momentarily before coming back outside with a raincoat.

“Go back to your house, let me look for her,” he says gruffly, tucking you under his raincoat, arm slipping around your waist and guiding you out into the yard. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, listen to me please, it’s not safe to be out in this,” he says seriously as lightning streaks across the sky. 

“Gimme your car keys, I’m gonna take your dad’s car.”

“What about your license?”

“Hence why I’m taking the other car, no one will know it’s me,” he scoffs, obviously getting annoyed being out in the rain. 

You unclip your house key from the car key, giving it to him. You stand glued in place, staring at him as if paralyzed on what to do next. 

“Go the fuck on inside!” Sukuna has no patience at this point, dragging you to the front stoop and shoving you towards the door.

Time seems to pass at a sluggish pace as you wait. Five minutes turns to ten and before you know it, thirty minutes have gone by with no sign of the storm letting up. 

You almost go to call Sukuna when you see headlights coming down the driveway. Jumping up, you move to open the front door and almost collapse in relief as you see Sukuna carrying a sopping wet Macy in his arms. 

You rush upstairs to get some towels in preparation for the soaking wet mess that is about to come through those doors. You hold the door open for Sukuna to squeeze by you, standing on the doormat, water running down his legs and soaking the rug.

His pink hair looks darker now and completely is plastered to his face, eyes barely perceptible from being hidden by his wet strands.

“Oh my god, you found her! Are you ok?” you dab the towel at his face, wiping his eyes and cheeks before getting his neck and arms.

“As good as I can be,” he mutters, leaning down so you can towel off his hair. 

“Let’s get this mutt to the bathtub and dry her off,” he says. You untie his shoes and help him kick them off before leading everyone to the bathroom.

Not long after, Macy is as dry as she can be and trots off to hide under the kitchen table, tired from her little adventure.

“Thank you so much Sukuna, I-I don’t know how I can ever repay you. That was so selfless. Truly, thank you again,” you look up at him as he heads back towards the front door.

“Don’t mention it, what kind of man would I be to let a girl run around in the rain by herself. I’m gonna go now, stay dry tomato girl,” he ruffles your hair before disappearing out into the storm.

As you watch him walk away, your heart drops into your stomach. He went out in the fucking storm for a girl who hurled all kinds of accusations at him just the night before. Such an unselfish act, putting you first when he had no reason to.

You wish he’d stop, wish he’d turn around and come back. You want him to stay. Your heart burns with the need to be with him, be close to him, to apologize for everything and explain yourself. Hanging out together meant more than you realized judging by the pang of emptiness you felt as the day dragged on without him, like a part of your routine was missing.

A second chance. It’s now or never, seeing how he’s almost halfway up the driveway.

Your legs move before your brain can even send the command. You rush up the driveway, the pavement slick beneath your feet, lightning flashing in your peripheral as thunder reverberates around you. You reach for his arm, fingers slipping on his rain-slicked skin, but you do enough to get his attention as he turns around in shock.

“Get back inside! Are you purposely trying to drown yourself today!” he enunciates loudly over the storm, irritation plastered across his face.

“Come back, come back please,” you throw your arms around him, pressing yourself into his chest, your cheek plastered against the drenched fabric of his shirt. 

You stare desperately up into his face, the lightning illuminating his crimson eyes. Eyes that look troubled, as if trying to decipher your intent, trying to decide if you mean this or if you are just going to rip the rug out from under him again. 

The rain drips down his pink bangs and onto your cheeks as he looks down on you, seeming to study every part of your face.

“You know I want to,” he mutters, voice deep against your ear, “don’t do this to me if you don’t really mean it.”

“I want you Sukuna. Please, let me try again. I’ll explain, just come back inside,” you choke out, fingers twisting into the waterlogged fabric of his shirt.

In response, his lips find yours, enveloping you in a calm reprieve as the storm rages around you both. Nothing else matters, just his arms around you as you convey the desperation that exists for each other. Each brush of your noses dislodges the rain from his lashes and hair, showering you with droplets warm from his body heat. 

He picks you up, hooking your legs around his waist and intensifying his movements. He forces his tongue into your mouth, clashing with yours, exploring the softness of your cheeks and following the ridges of your gums. 

He strides back towards the house, devouring you, lips welded to yours as the wind blown rain pelts both of you.

The cold air indoors sends shivers down your skin as he opens the door, all your senses suddenly present again as the walls shut out sounds of the chaos outside.

“Where,” he groans against your lips, water dripping from both of your clothes and pattering against the hardwood floor.

“Downstairs, guest room,” you utter against his lips, fingers digging into his jaw tattoos as if clinging to him to shelter you from the storm in more ways than one.

Sukuna wastes no time traversing the staircase, kicking the bedroom door shut behind him and pressing you up against the wall, both of you groping and grabbing, tearing the wet shirts off of each other and letting them drop to the floor.

You both pause, his forehead pressed against yours, chests heaving from a combination of your passionate kissing and the chill air that suddenly hits your damp skin.

“I’m freezing,” you giggle, causing him to snort in amusement. You trace his chest tattoos with your finger, feeling the hard muscle beneath you.

“Yeah why don’t we dry off and warm up,” he plants a soft kiss on your cheek as he moves you both over to the fireplace on the other side of the room, setting you down gently on the carpeted floor.

You turn on the propane fireplace while he grabs some towels out of the attached bathroom, joining you in front of the heat.

You’re down to a sports bra and shorts, feeling a little self conscious at being so exposed, but the heat of the fire radiating against your bare skin is a welcome relief. 

Sukuna peels his shorts off so he’s just in his boxers and you take one of the towels and start to dry him off, working from his upper shoulders and down his back. You chase the small rivulets of water that’d collected in the dips and valleys of his back muscles, tracing the ink that follows a similar path. You move to each leg, encountering tattooed rings around his thighs that make your breath hitch, before turning him around to get his front side. 

You end up taking your sweet time as if memorizing the ridges of his chest and abs as you drag the towel down towards his waistband. 

He sits down on the floor, giving you easier access to towel dry his hair. You can’t deny that he looks cute with his pink locks hanging down in his eyes, but he’s soon running his fingers through his hair to give it his slicked back appearance again.

He in turn does the same for you, sliding your shorts off so you are down to your bra and panties, respectfully drying you from head to toe, not missing how his eyes burn a trail down your skin as they rove over every exposed inch like a spotlight in the dark.

Finally, he launches the towels at the wall, leaning forward to kiss you again as the fire illuminates the room, crackling flames dancing in the reds of his eyes. 

“I’m sorry Sukuna,” you say as you both pull away. His mouth twitches, eyes flicking towards the floor before looking back, willing you to continue.

“Last night, those things I said, you aren’t a bad man, you aren’t a criminal, you weren’t doing anything wrong. I wanted everything you were giving me, I was just…I just got scared. I panicked,” you say quietly, staring into the flames.

He takes your hand in his, rubbing his thumb along your knuckles in a comforting pattern.

“Cam, he has a history of showing up where I am unannounced and giving me hell for it. I don’t know, I just had the thought of him finding me, finding us-“

“I know I asked you this once before, but has he hurt you? Like beyond just words?” Sukuna interrupts you. 

You slowly nod your head, looking down in shame, feeling the tears start to build up behind your eyes.

Sukuna tips your chin up, sorrow in his gaze, caressing your cheeks as his thumbs catching the  damp streaks that inevitably form.

“It pains me to hear that, truly. You know you don’t deserve it right? It’s never justified, and it’s never, ever, your fault,” he says softly, pressing gentle kisses into your forehead. 

“I’m sorry too. I came on really strong, and I should have been more attuned to your feelings, knowing the things you’ve been through. Even if he did show up right now, I wouldn’t let him hurt you, wouldn’t let him lay a finger anywhere near you. You’re safe here with me. I promise.” 

“I know,” your lip trembles as you absorb his words, basking in their meaning. They are more heartfelt than Cam has ever given you, coming from a man you’ve known for such a brief time, even though in this moment it feels like you’ve known him forever. He’s someone you could predict, you can anticipate how he would react to things. Harming you was not a possibility.

“Why me though? You deserve to be with someone without all this baggage, wouldn’t it be easier to just have some fun with a woman that you don’t need to tread lightly around wounds that you never caused?” 

He takes your hands in his, watching how your fingers tangle with his before looking back up at you.

“And I don’t have baggage? I’ve been arrested three times now, move drugs for a living, and have a rap sheet longer than some people’s obituaries. Don’t paint me like I’m a saint, that opioid crisis they are always spouting off about? I make money off of it, people overdose and die because of what I do, what I provide them. The only difference is my baggage is self-inflicted while you never asked for yours.”

“We both can’t change what’s happened in the past, but we can change things for the future, we can help make each other better. Look, I-I know I’ve only known you for what, four days? Which seems like nothing, not even a corporate work week, but you’ve completely turned my life upside down. I know it probably sounds like I’m talking nonsense, but you’ve made me want to change everything, give all this up, and be a better man. 

And those four days, I want them to become 8, then 16, 32, 64 and continue doubling indefinitely into some number that I don’t even fucking know the name of, until I can’t even remember how it all began, just that it began and will end with you.” 

You swear you stop breathing, the air trapped in your lungs threatening to burst. Sukuna, the man you didn’t know you were looking for, found you on the same street where you started your life’s journey having grown up just 10 miles away from each other. Always so close, but never knowing it, you’d been like satellites in each other’s orbit, never finding each other until you needed each other the most. Two broken souls, using shattered pieces from the other to fill the gaps, forever binding yourselves together. 

“Sukuna,” you take a long pause, “I think I love you,” your voice quivers with fear as you utter such vulnerable words.

“And I know I love you.” he hits you with that boyish grin as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear before giving you a loving kiss, a kiss that has both of you grinning into each other's mouths, giddy with the excitement of what’s to come.

“I want to continue where we left off last night,” you whisper as you trail soft kisses down his tattooed jaw, earning a soft moan from his throat.

“I’ll follow your lead, go at your own pace,” he sighs as you move to his neck, licking and sucking at his skin, taking your time getting attuned to everything about him.

It’s different being with someone you trust. Normally you’d rush into the main event, hoping to get it over with so you could get away from Cam. Emotionless sex to try and buy his favor for another few hours at best.

But now, you are at peace to just reclaim moments like these, feeling safe enough to actually take the time to appreciate every facet of Sukuna’s body and showing him how much you appreciate him.

You guide him to his back, the flickering flames still providing much needed warmth as your hot kisses make their way to his collarbone. 

“Is this too slow?” you pause, worried you’re taking too long.

“Not at all, love it,” he responds with reassurance.

You continue your exploration of his body, tongue gliding through the ridges and valleys of his muscular physique until you reach the waistband of his boxers that look like they are about to burst from the bulge in their confines. You lightly stroke him through the fabric, earning a sharp groan from Sukuna as his erection twitches under you.

He feels fucking massive, but you’re determined to find out just how large as you coax him to lift his hips. Sliding them off, his hardened length comes into view and springs back against his abs. 

“Holy shit Sukuna,” you giggle in surprise. That’s going to…take some work.

“What?” he grins, palming himself as he sits up to look at you. 

“You know what,” you brush his hand away so you can take over.

“I knowwww, I’ll help you though if you decide you wanna go that route,” he exhales as you wrap your fingers around his thick shaft, slowly pumping his length.

“I do very much want to go that route,” you whisper in his ear as you pump his cock faster, thumb running over his defined head and dragging precum along his skin to help you glide more easily.

“Fuuuuuck,” he moans, throbbing in your hand as you grip him tighter, loving how vocal he is with each stroke of his cock.

“You’re gonna have to stop if that’s what you wanna do,” he teases, looking up at you through lust filled eyes, reaching out to grab your wrist reluctantly. 

You giggle as disappointment shows on his features when you stop gripping him. 

He strips you of your remaining layers, both of you now completely bare to the other. Picking you up, he moves you to the bed, laying your head down gently on the pillows as he sits back to admire you.

“So fucking perfect,” he sighs as he runs a hand from your neck down to cup your breast, thumb rolling your nipple until it hardens under his touch. He returns the favor to you, kissing and nipping all over every inch of your body, as if mapping it out and committing it to memory. 

“Sukunaaaa,” you say his name between breathless moans as his tongue rolls your nipple in his mouth, the other being worked by his skilled hands. Your hands are in his hair, nails digging into his scalp as he continues his ministrations. 

“Can I eat you out?” 

“Holy fuck yes,” you answer quickly. Considering how fucking good his tongue felt on your body, you could only dream of how it would feel against your soaked core.

You didn’t have to wait long because seconds later his head is between your legs, hair tickling your inner thighs. He’s licking long stripes from your entrance to your clit, already making your hips buck in anticipation.

“You’re sooooo wet already,” he murmurs against your cunt, lapping up everything he can before he dives in for more.

“So-sorry, just, haven’t had this in ages,” you stutter, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

“Fuck, don’t apologize. Also what a sorry excuse for a man to not go down on you,” he grumbles before he starts devouring you.

It’s so messy, so sloppy, the wet, lewd sounds almost echoing off the wall with the way he plunges his tongue into your cunt. His nose brushes against your clit, making you cry out from sheer bliss at the way he’s practically worshiping your pussy, making you feel so fucking good. You can’t look away, his blown out eyes locked onto yours, watching and observing your every reaction. You feel like you might actually rip his hair out with how hard you’re digging in, but he doesn’t seem to mind, doubling down on his efforts every time you rake your nails through his scalp. 

All his attention moves to your clit, alternating between swirling it with his warm tongue and flicking against it in a way you didn’t even know you needed. You grind yourself against him, seeking even more of that perfect friction. 

Maybe you’re extra sensitive because your loser boyfriend never attempts to make you finish, but you feel the orgasm fast approaching and you have no desire to slow it. 

“Sukuna, keep going, I’m close Sukunaaaa,” you whine, losing yourself in the moment. Each perfect drag of his tongue pushes you closer to the edge, a feeling you haven’t felt in god knows how long. 

One last flick from his skilled tongue is your undoing as the orgasm tears through you, crying his name over and over as your hips buck wildly against his face. Sukuna holds you in place when you try to push off, seeing to it that his mouth never leaves your clit as each hot wave of pleasure rolls over you, making you see stars, remembering nothing but the way his name leaves your lips.

He kisses your core one final time before he moves up to kiss your lips. You feel like dead weight, relishing in the post orgasmic bliss as you taste yourself on his tongue. 

“Damnnn you taste so fucking good,” he smirks, sitting back up, cheeks glistening with your arousal, even covering part of his chin tattoos.

“Ummm I can get used to all of that, that felt fucking amazing,” you sigh, staring up into his darkened eyes. 

“You’ll never go without again,” he grins.

“I’ve got condoms in my toiletry bag over there,” you point to the bag on the dresser.

“Don’t needa tell me twice,” he leaps up, tearing the bag open which has you giggling in amusement at his eagerness. 

“Damn girl,” he holds up the roll of four condoms, letting them dangle from his hand. His naked, muscular body looks fucking divine as the light from the fire flickers against his skin in the dim light.

“I know it seems like a lot, they’re just leftover from buying some while trav-“

“Nooooo, seems like not enough considering you are here for five more days,” he gives you that boyish grin, making your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. The idea of having sex with him four times makes your pussy clench with excitement.

“Might not even be enough for tonight.”

“Sukuna!”

“Relaaaax, I’m joking, sort of.” 

He tears one off and puts the corner in his mouth, quickly rejoining you. As he lays back down next to you, his hand slides up your inner thigh, knuckles brushing against your entrance.

“I said I’d help you,” he mutters through the foil as he slowly pushes a finger into your soaking cunt. It’s sooooo deep, deeper than you could ever reach. 

He works a second one in, gently thrusting in and out, feeling the stretch transition to pleasure with each drag of his digits against your walls. You groan as he curls his finger to prod at your spongy sweet spot, stopping to stroke it a few times.

“That’s it huh?” he gives you a toothy smile, eyes almost rolling when you clench around him.

“Fuck I need to feel that on my cock,” he gasps, quickly pulling out and tearing the packet open with his teeth. He slides it on with no hesitation, nudging his way between your legs.

You feel his tip at your entrance for just a moment as your eyes lock one more time. You give him a small nod and with that, he thrusts his hips forwards, easing his way inside. You both gasp, you at the sudden stretch and him at the feeling of your velvety walls clinging to his tip.

“Hold onto me,” he utters, waiting until you grip his shoulders before starting to work you open with short slow thrusts, letting you adjust as he sinks deeper and deeper. Now you understand his request because your nails digging into his skin is the only thing to counteract the intense, full feeling his thick cock gives you. 

“Fuckkkk baby you’re so goddamn tight,” Sukuna groans as he finally bottoms out, giving you a deep kiss as he pulls all the way out and slowly thrusts back in. You swear you can feel each vein on his shaft through the fucking condom dragging against your walls with how snug of a fit he is.

“I don’t know if I’m tight, you’re just so fucking big,” you chuckle against his lips.

“Ummm, you’re tight, trust me on that sweets, I think I’ve been in more pussies than you,” he jokes back at you while giving you slow, deep strokes.

“And I think you’re big, I’ve had more dicks ins-“ 

“Okay I believe you!” he shoves his hand over your mouth and you both erupt into a fit of giggles.

Sex with Sukuna just feels fun. Playful even, just like his general personality. There’s no pressure to perform a certain way, all the self consciousness you were feeling earlier just melts away, as you both take everything in stride and enjoy getting used to and learning about one another. 

After a few more slow thrusts, you beg him to go faster which he happily obliges, angling himself towards your sweet spot which has you moaning his name.

“Kunaaaaa yes! Just like that,” you cry out, nails digging into his shoulders as his cock head kisses you in just the right place over and over.

“Yeah? Right here?” he grunts, speeding up his movements even more, causing your eyes to roll. He hooks your leg behind his waist, plunging himself even deeper into your tight cunt as he drives you harder into the mattress. 

You forgot how good sex could feel, sure the physical was good in its own way, but the emotional security while doing it with someone you care for is unmatched.

You’re truly able to let yourself go and get lost in the other person, forgetting about everything except for each other. That’s how it was with Sukuna right now, trusting him to give you what you need and being open to you telling him what you want.

“Can I be on top?” you whisper in his ear.

“Fuck yeah, get on girl,” he nips at your neck before pulling out, propping himself up on the pillows.

You wanted to feel in control and selfish for your own pleasure for a change, and Sukuna was the kind of man to let you have that. Not like he cared either way, you looked fucking great riding his cock, his eyes glued to the way your tits were bouncing in his face while you angled yourself in just the way you needed.

“That’s it baby, fuckin’ use it, use me,” his hands rest on your hips, letting you be in control while his strong arms help to steady you, the perfect team player. 

“Can you take the condom off?” you whine, wanting to feel all of him.

“Huhhh? Really?” his eyes widen and you swear you feel him throb inside of you.

“Yeah, I’m on birth control,” you slow down and roll your hips a few times while waiting for his response. 

“Shit I’m probably gonna bust in two seconds, but fuck it, I’m willing to take that chance to feel all of you, raw and gripping me like that,” he says, lifting you up, pulling the condom off, and tossing it on the floor.

You realign yourself and take him to the hilt in one go.

“Holy shit! Fuck! Ah-shit,” he hisses, head falling back hard against the headboard with a thud, eyes rolling up to stare at the ceiling.

“Oh god are you ok?” you snort at his dramatic response. 

“Maybe, I don’t fuckin’ know, but god fuckin’ move baby,” his eyes are locked onto where you are both connected, mind only focused on one thing. He feels too damn good, his perfect cock gliding through your walls, tip just kissing your cervix as you start to feel the pool of desire within you heating up again.

You become needier, bouncing faster, angling yourself so that his fat tip hits your sweet spot, feeling yourself gushing from the impending climax. Sukuna looks like he’s barely holding on, focusing so hard on…something, probably something strange to keep his composure. His fingers are gripping you so hard, likely leaving marks on your skin.

“I’m gonna cum, help me,” you whine just as the orgasm consumes your movements and you clench around him with no control. Sukuna, being such an attentive partner, takes over thrusting into you from below, letting you ride out the high as your vision goes white from the hot waves of pleasure convulsing throughout your body.

“Fuck oh my god you’re so fucking perfect,” he growls, staring up at you with awe as you start to collapse against him, catching you with his strong arms.

“It’s a miracle I lasted through that,” he chuckles as he starts to roll you both back over, locking your legs around his waist as he slowly starts to rock into you again.

“Do you really love me?” you say softly, staring up into his eyes.

“You know I do,” he groans, his rhythm starting to get sloppy.

“Mmm, I love you too Sukuna,” you sigh, feeling him throb inside of you.

“Fuck! I’m gonna cum, where do you wannit?” he utters through gritted teeth.

“Inside.”

“Shit.”

“Fucking deep inside Kuna, want you to fill me up,” you moan, rocking your hips against his.

“Goddamn girl, gonna fuckin’ kill me,” he groans and with one last impossibly deep thrust, he unleashes his hot load, hips stuttering as he pumps thick ropes of cum into your pussy. 

He buries his face in the crook of your neck as his body finally begins to still, his hair tickling your skin as you cling to him, melding both of your bodies together. Your chests heave against each other as you catch your breaths, Sukuna’s large body pinning you beneath him. 

“Thaaaaat, was fucking awesome,” he finally exclaims, moving to lay at your side, pulling you snug against his chest.

“You have no idea,” you sigh with contentment, snuggling up to his warm body. 

You doze off and on while pressed up against him, his heartbeat thrumming against your cheek and his fingers tracing lazy circles on your upper arm. 

“Sorry I fell asleep on you,” you give him a sheepish smile as you sit up, turning to look at him.

“Tch, l just came inside you and you’re concerned that you fell asleep on me?” he teases, eyes lighting up. He looks genuinely happy and it makes your worries wash away.

“Shut up! Just…didn’t know how you’d be acting after all that.”

“I personally adore knowing I fucked you so good you passed out,” he grins, pulling you on top of his broad chest.

“I guess you did huh, body isn’t used to it I suppose,” you say as you rest your chin on his pecs.

“Hmm, that’s okay, thought it was cute having you fall asleep on me. You’re welcome to anytime,” he replies, his warm words making you want to bury yourself in his chest again.

“Oh I ordered a pizza while you were asleep, it should be here soon,” Sukuna says.

“Thank god!” you are starving and haven't even thought about dinner.

The doorbell rings and Sukuna gets up to grab you a fresh towel to clean up with.

“I’m sorry I should have done this earlier, I can come back to help you clean up,” he says as he searches the floor for his shorts.

“You’re fine, I’ll be up in a bit,” you wave him off, but appreciate the concern.

You clean up briefly and then pull on some sweats and a hoodie, trudging upstairs to join him. You realize you are pretty fucking sore right now, legs feeling a little shakey as you climb the stairs.

The storm must have stopped while you were both downstairs, the last traces of daylight rapidly fading into night as you peek out the window. Sukuna is in the kitchen getting plates and also a glass of water for you. He gives you a drive by peck on the lips before sitting down next to you.

“So what’s the plan,” Sukuna blurts out as he tends to do, he really has zero filter when it comes to saying what’s on his mind.

“What plan?” 

“The plan for you and me.”

“Well I don’t know the plan, but we can make one together,” you chuckle, “what’s at the top of your list?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend,” he says bluntly, taking a big bite of pizza while you almost choke on yours. 

“Damn okay tomato girl, don’t puke all over yourself in disgust at the thought,” he teases while you slap his arm, trying to regain your composure. 

“No! It just surprised me is all. Can you do a long distance relationship? I still have another year for my masters at least.”

“You’re worth waiting for. We can video call and shit too, and I’ll come visit you.”

“AND, while you are in school, I can go back to school too. Maybe we can be done close to the same time,” he adds. 

“Oh really?” 

“Yeah, been thinking about it since yesterday.”

“What do you think you’d want to go for?” 

“Probably something with car maintenance and repair. Actually seems to pay pretty well for the area and I already know a lot about working on them. I thought I could finish my business degree and do the apprenticeship at the same time. There’s so many online degree choices now, I should be able to make both work. God knows I have enough money.” 

“I think that is a great idea,” you respond, getting butterflies thinking about the future together. “My parents are going to be in for a shock.”

“Ha, yeah they are. They’re usually alright with me though, hopefully they’ll come around after hearing our plans. No way I’m worse than Cam. Which by the way, you technically have two boyfriends right now, playa,” he winks at you, making you snort in response. 

“I haven’t technically said yes to you yet,” you tease as you pinch his tattooed cheek, “and yes, I will be your girlfriend Sukuna. I’ll also send Cam a breakup text after eating then block him.” 

“Good, I don’t like being the other man.”

“Popsicle?” you ask, getting up to raid the freezer.

“Yes ma’am!”

One popsicle later, Sukuna has whisked you back downstairs and has his head between your legs again, eating the “real dessert” as he called it. He stops to let you send your breakup text, saying he wouldn’t let you cum until you were only his, but after that, the man is all over you until the early morning hours when you finally tap out, unable to keep your eyes open anymore.

Day 5

You awaken the next morning to Sukuna’s arms wrapped around your body and legs tangled in yours. It must be late considering the way the sun is beaming through the window. 

You groan with discomfort, your whole body feels sore and you are absolutely famished. 

“Sukuna,” you say sleepily, shaking him.

“Hmm? What?” he responds in a sleep raspy voice, sitting up and shoving his hair out of his eyes. 

“So hungry.”

“Lemme go get us some donuts.”

Your mouth waters at the thought, a local shop in the area makes apple cider donuts that you miss so much now that you live out of the area.

“What about your license?”

“It’ll be fine, I drive all the time and it’s not an issue. I just gotta be a good boy and not drive crazy,” he laughs. 

You feel yourself about to fall back asleep so you don’t argue. He crawls over to you, planting a soft kiss on your lips before getting up.

“I’ll be back in a bit, why don’t you sleep a little more, you look…quite rough,” he snickers.

“Wow I wonder what could have possibly caused this?” you roll your eyes at him. 

“Hmm I wonder?” he jokes, throwing on a shirt and sweats that he got from his house last night. 

“Love you tomato girl…friend,” he looks so proud of himself for coming up with that, making you groan.

“You are…something,” you burst out laughing, “love you too, see you soon.”

He comes over and gives you a big, crushing goodbye hug. 

“God I wish you could stay a little longer,” he nuzzles his face into your neck.

“It'll all be okay,” you thread your fingers through his hair one more time before he leaves you to bury yourself in the sheets again, quickly letting sleep consume you once again.

You are jarred from your slumber by your phone ringing. You sit up, disoriented, realizing it’s almost 3PM, much later than Sukuna was supposed to be back. Maybe he was upstairs letting you sleep.

You pick up your phone to answer. 

“Hello?”

“This is a collect call from an inmate at the Southeastern Regional Jail, press 7 to accept.” 

Masterlist

taglist: @clp-84 @zeunys @aquaberrydolphin @nynxtea @yuujispinkhair @ssc7514

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Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous

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“DANNY!”

The moment Danny arrived with Jason at the meeting site Jazz and Danielle were immediately wrapping him in a hug. Which was only somewhat unexpected. But after a moment of being surprised Danny found himself holding his sisters tightly, lowering his head between both of theirs’.

“I’m okay. Just… had to blow off some steam,” he assured quietly, taking in their scent and reminding himself that they were still there. He did feel a lot better than yesterday. But there was also an uncertainty if his reprieve would be short lived. And as he lifted his gaze to his friends, and caught sight of their uncertain expressions, he let his mask fade so they could see the half smile he gave them.

That tiny smile was enough to motivate Sam to speak. “...Danny, I-”

 “They have a really good burger joint here,” Danny interrupted. “We should go some time.” He knew what she wanted to say, but he didn’t think he could handle hearing it just then. He didn’t want apologies. Couldn’t handle sympathies. Let him just focus on what he wanted to do at the moment.

It was a simple pair of sentences, but it held just enough behind it that Sam and Tucker’s shoulders both drooped in some relief. Their friend was okay for now, and wasn’t upset with them. And even still wanted to hang out with them. It was more than they could ask for, but they would accept it all the same.

“Sure dude,” Tucker accepted.

“Only if they have vegetarian,” Sam half agreed. Her usual response.

None of them were okay. But they were hanging in there.

“You didn’t puke from it?” Danielle half joked, trying to make the mood lighter now that there was some faint semblance of normalcy among the group.

“No. I’m fine,” Danny half snickered, reaching up to squish his hands against her round cheeks. “Let’s just get you taken care of so we don’t end up having a repeat of this past mess. And then I can take you to go get a burger too. Okay?”

He already seemed to have a plan. Already falling into his forced role leading the people from Amity. Bruce’s frown under his cowl grew, but he didn’t comment. There were more of them there than necessary for the proposed task. They all knew from Jason’s texts that something wasn’t quite right. But they didn’t have enough information to motivate any of them to do more than watch. So watch they did as Raven stepped forward.

“...I’m sorry for your loss,” Raven began politely, also uncertain how to address the mixture of emotions she was picking up. “I had no idea-”

“Let’s save talking about that for later, yeah?” Danny requested, interrupting the girl before she could stir too much of the hurt back up from where he had it buried. He knew it wasn’t healthy, but he told himself it was just temporary.

“...Sure,” Raven relented, figuring she didn’t need to delay any longer in getting to the task she’d been asked to do. “I’ll start with showing you how I accessed the Liminal Realm while walking you through the process. Just watch and listen for now, and we can discuss any questions you have after. Okay? Also, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work.”

Danny nodded easily, eager to watch how this had been done. They had already warned him there was a chance the ritual would fail this time. But there was also a chance that it would be more stable with him there. Raven had mentioned that he appeared to have a stronger connection with the Realm then even Danielle did, and at this point he was hoping it was true. He needed a good thing in his life right then.

As Raven started her demonstration the rest of the group moved back to give them some space. It was a little smaller scale than before, with the ritual area being isolated to just Raven and Danny. Each motion she made she explained the reason for. As well as any non visual elements that Danny wouldn’t be able to pick up on. Focus of intent, recital of inscriptions in her mind, directing certain energies in which manner, and which energies specifically.

Honestly Danny hadn’t been expecting to understand any of it. He was used to science, not magic, and even then science was a struggle. Or perhaps not, if Tim was still correct. But as the portal between realms was gradually pieced together Danny found he seemed to understand more at a subconscious level than he’d thought he would. He knew that energy. He knew this feeling. He knew this pattern. He knew these demands. This was his realm. And without his home realm to vie for half possession of him it was even more prominent now as a small rift opened in the space in front of Raven, barely visible from where Danny was standing mostly behind her.

This. Was. His. Realm.

And it owed him.

He was right.

“That’s enough Raven, I’ll take it from here,” Danny spoke up suddenly, an unexpected confidence lacing his tone as he reached out to grab Raven’s shoulder and pull her back. She sputtered slightly not only in confusion, but also because pulling her out of the central point caused the tiny connection she’d built to the Liminal Realm to flicker. At first Raven thought that the realm was irritated about the ritual being disrupted. But as Danny became the central focus for that tear to see, for whoever was beyond that tear to see only him, Raven noticed a distinct sense of uneasy anticipation. Everyone that was there could feel the air shift from the same  absent eeriness from before to feeling like they had millions of eyes actively staring through them. Eyes from people, from things they didn’t know had turned on them, watching as Danny took Raven’s place and gently shoved her away.

There was something watching all of them that seemed borderline angry, but Danny didn’t seem to care. He’d thought it would take longer than one afternoon for him to get the connection to the Infinite Realms that he needed. But this was enough. And both sides knew it.

And it was good it was angry, because Danny was too.

Reaching his fist back Danny ignored the others’ cries for him to hold on and smashed his hand through the tiny gateway, shattering it and the surrounding area of this realm in a crashing cascade of glass. The others felt their realm lurch around them, breaking away and tilting just enough to feel wrong and disorient their sense of balance as they were dumped into the connecting space between realms. There were short cries and curses from the crowd brought to the weightless realm that Jazz and the others from Amity immediately recognized, expressions going slack as they realized what happened.

Danny had brute forced his way into taking over the ritual, bending the intent to his own and ripping open a gateway whether it wanted him to or not. Because he knew it couldn’t tell him no. He may not be the Ghost King, but he was something else. He was their connection between realms. Their servant- their slave - their soldier, their hero, their icon. Kept obedient and easily manipulated through ignorance that no longer applied. He would not be kept out of his realm. And he’d even selected the specific place he’d wanted them to be brought to.

As soon as Danny’s hand had passed through the barrier between realms he’d opened his fingers just long enough to grab a fistful of fabric before he could even see who it belonged to. It was only when the barrier fully broke away, a moment of blinding white and residual glimpses of the other realm’s sky lingering in their sight, that the owner of the purple cloak was visible. And said owner seemed incredibly unconcerned with Danny holding him in a borderline chokehold.

“...There you are, Danny,” Clockwork chose as a greeting.

“Clockwork?!”

“Danny! What are you doing?!”

“Who?”

“Oh this is bad!”

Despite the commotion of those, admittedly accidentally, brought to Clockwork’s tower with him, Danny just narrowed his eyes at the ghost he’d grabbed. “Put. Them. Back,” he demanded, not bothering to elaborate since he knew Clockwork had already seen everything that had happened.

“I can’t do that,” Clockwork denied easily.

“Yes you can! Turn back time! Send me back alone! Just do something!” Danny protested, his irate front breaking slightly into desperation and causing him to have to force his grip to tighten.

“And why should I?” Clockwork asked, prodding.

“BECAUSE YOU OWE ME!” Danny burst, bringing his other hand to also grip the fabric at Clockwork’s throat and shaking him slightly. “All the damn errands I’ve run for you! Every mess I’ve helped you clean up! Every damn mistake you’ve forced me to correct- even when it wasn’t my fault! I took out Pariah for you! Vortex! Undergrowth! Myself! I helped you rewrite the future so you didn’t have to deal with me! You. OWE. Me!”

“You speak as though the tasks given to you aren’t outweighed by your own mishaps we’ve had to clean up,” Clockwork pointed out, knowing that Danny had personally caused his fair share of trouble with the Infinite Realms.

“YOU STARTED THIS IN DEBT TO ME!” Danny roared, eyes flaring bright with a flash of ice.

Despite the outburst, Clockwork seemed almost pleased with the accusation, a strange glint in his eye despite his smile from the beginning having never faltered. “...That’s a rather bold claim,” he pointed out, eyes shifting momentarily away to look at someone who wasn’t there. “Care to elaborate?”

Despite his anger, Danny still caught Clockwork’s motion, and understood what he was getting at. They were being watched. And while the watchers knew what Danny meant, apparently he had to say it. Had to show them he knew they had broken their own rules. That they had stolen his right to choose. He drew a breath to steady himself, but his voice still shook with borderline rage when he answered. “You told me before that I always have a choice. When I tried to change the past to save my friends. And again when I beat Pariah- you told me then that the Infinite Realms run on people being able to make their own choices. That it’s a law here, and that they couldn’t force me to take the crown if I didn’t want it.”

“Yes. I did. What’s your point?” Clockwork confirmed, prodding again.

“And you can confirm that those choices are honored. For example: my decision to not accept the title of Ghost King is still in place.”

“Correct,” Clockwork confirmed, then repeated his previous prompt. “What’s your point?”

“You broke that law when I became half ghost,” Danny finally exposed. He didn’t mean Clockwork specifically at this point, but he wasn’t sure exactly who were all involved in this matter, his gaze momentarily scanning the space around them. He’d only ever dealt with Clockwork, who always seemed stuck in the middle of whatever disastrous mishap was going on.

“I’m not sure I follow,” Clockwork prodded once more, a slight smirk betraying that he did know, but once again needed Danny to say it. 

The response wasn’t specific enough. And while it was frustrating to have to play this game Danny had learned by now that Clockwork was only playing this game to lead him into saying what he needed to say. “I became half ghost by opening the portal to the Ghost Zone - to here- that was in my parents basement. And I learned in that realm we ended up in that it was only possible because this realm requires payment. Payment that was taken on that day.”

“Yes. Your parents paid the price of succeeding in opening a permanent portal to the Infinite Realms in the form of losing their only son. Despite years of failure, they made the choice to continue to pursue the portal, even though there was a risk of catastrophic failure,” Clockwork confirmed, giving him a break by filling in one of the facts for him.

“They chose to continue their research, but I didn’t choose to DIE!” Danny snapped, unable to keep himself calmer. “They paid a price, but I also paid for a debt I didn’t owe. You took my choice away!”

“You walked into the gateway.” Clockwork pointed out.

“I fought Pariah!” Danny countered.

“You didn’t know defeating him would allow you to take the crown.”

“I didn’t know walking into a hunk of metal that hadn’t worked in ten years was going to kill me!” Danny shouted, shaking Clockwork again.

“People die from danger they’re unaware of everyday, Daniel.”

“But how many of them are from a direct action from the Infinite Realms?” Danny hissed, pulling Clockwork close. “I know now that someone else was there, on this side of the portal, to offer me a sacrifice to open the portal and keep it open. I know that someone chose me as a pawn, and didn’t give me a chance to accept or not. I know that someone here broke the law at my expense, and I know that The Observants are involved despite claiming they never act. And therefore I demand that my family, friends, and anyone else I care about be allowed to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives. Or else you’ll have to deal with something worse than Dan.”

There wasn’t a response this time. At least, not from Clockwork. The age shifting ghost simply allowed Danny to maintain a hold of him, letting his words ring into the aether and allowing those watching to consider their actions. Consider the consequences to the events they had allowed to happen. That they may or may not have manipulated into reality. And after a horrid stretch of stagnant time the very environment seemed to shift. The anger that permeated the Realm faltered, then faded. Sliding away into what could more accurately be described as frustrated, and somewhat shameful acceptance.

It made Clockwork laugh.

Which in turn made Danny falter slightly, his grip on Clockwork’s cloak loosening enough to allow the ghost to pull his hands away. “So, you figured it out,” Clockwork eventually chuckled, resting a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “You are correct. There are many in the Realm who owe you recompense for taking away your right to choose the life you have now. So let’s see if we can figure out how to meet your demands without using up your little pool of debt, or breaking the other realms, shall we?”

It was enough. That was finally enough for the relevant people to understand that Danny knew exactly what was going on. What had happened. There was a glimmer of proof that Danny’s idea from the night before on the couch might actually work. That he could force The Observants, and any other necessary party, to bring his realm back because they owed him more than he could probably cash in on. To break such a fundamental law of their realm put them in his debt, and they were only safe because he hadn’t known until now.

He hadn’t known until a certain ghost of time made sure he ended up in a realm where someone would be there to tell him.

Breathing out a shaky sigh, Danny let his head sag forward to thump against Clockwork’s chest, fingers loosely gripping his friend’s cloak. “...Thank you,” he breathed, ignoring the mild shake in his tone.

----------------

Hhhhhhhhh I got excited and ended up drawing this one real fast because I realized there was a lil trick I could try (that I'm really hoping worked) with the image @ v @ People on dark mode won't get to see the trick because dark mode spoils it, but people in light mode click the picture (or drag or open in a new tab) to see something extra.

Also I'm so excited for this part because I actually had the part with Clockwork typed out since around the part with Raven telling them what Danny was. There's a lot about Ghost King Danny, or new Ancient Danny, but what if Hero of the infinite realms was already something more than those?

And shout out to Rainbow_Sneks on AO3 for being the only person to comment guessing The Observants were involved 8'DDD Well done!

___________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep, @paranoid-ira, @nomaru666

[xxthelovelyopossumiixx]

What You Do to Him

"What You Do to Him" - Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader

1k words // one-shot // NSFW

You and Bucky are dating, but he still hasn't gotten used to how stunning you look in just about everything. Especially that.

Tags: Needy Bucky, really horny Bucky, domestic, dog tags, Bucky bites a bit, aftercare, p and v sex

NSFW under the cut, happy reading!

⊹₊ ˚‧︵‿₊୨୧₊‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

“Mmmmm,” you hummed softly, your back hitting the mattress. Your arms were wrapped lazily around your boyfriend’s neck, looking up at him through half lidded eyes. You bit your lip as you smiled, feeling the mattress dip as one knee slid between your legs and his palms supported himself above you. “What’s got you all turned-on?”

Bucky chuckled, his nose brushing against yours. “Don’t act like that, baby. You know what you do to me.”

You couldn’t help but giggle. Of course you knew. Walking around in just that cute set of undergarments wasn’t for no reason. You wanted him frothing at the mouth, clawing at you desperately like some feral animal. In a way he was. At least, that’s how he saw himself. He never dreamed of a life like this. One with you– loving and domestic, devoid of any violence or brutality. One with so much love and affection he was prepared to wake up any second and discover it was all in his head.

Bucky cupped your face, kissing your jaw and sharing the same grin you adorned. That same hand trailed down your body, caressing your thigh and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t look at me like that.” he muttered, his eyes growing heavier. “Like what?” you asked. He scoffed teasingly. “Like you’re shocked that I’m horny.”

You tilted your head to the side. “Are you planning on taking care of it”

“Damn right I am. Can you not feel how hard you’re making me?”

The ex-assassin’s lips collided with yours, pulling your hips closer as he opened his mouth wider. His wet tongue slipped inside, persisting deeper until both of yours were so passionately swirling around you worried they’d get tied in a knot. Your fingers found themselves buried deep in his short brown hair. He let out a moan, short and breathless— the way he did when he was struggling to hold himself back. You felt his bulge against your stomach, his belt-buckle sending a cold chill down your flesh. Speaking of, his vibranium hand raced to undo it. He slipped it out of the loops of his jeans and unbuttoned them. He briefly disconnected from your lips to release a shallow gasp. He exhaled sharply, looking into your eyes.

“You’re an evil woman. Parading around the house like you didn’t expect me to do something about it.” He laughed tiredly. “God, you drive me insane.”

As soon as he could, he grabbed his throbbing dick from the clutches of his boxers. He gripped your ass with one hand, the other tugging off your panties. He slipped the white lacy garment off and down your legs, tossing them to the side with the rest of the items you’d taken off of yourselves. He held himself up once again and attacked your mouth yet another time.

You felt the tip of his cock against your entrance, teasing it but not quite sliding in yet. You rolled your eyes, breaking away to grip his navy blue shirt. “Stop playing games and just.. Do me.”

“I like your attitude,” he replied. “Your wish is my command.”

He kissed you again, this time with more fervor and intensity. His rod caressed your core, and you braced yourself for the force of his strong muscular build thrusting feverishly into your frame. But much to your gratefulness, it was never like that. He started out slow, his movements more of a grind of his body than anything more. You rolled your head back.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of your insides surrounding him. He too fell victim to the overwhelming sensations of pleasure as he swallowed thickly. He sighed, devilish and taunting as he sped up just enough to emit a whimper from you. As he continues to pound into you he bent down lower, kissing your shoulders and trailing up your neck. You closed your eyes as he did this. Now Bucky wasn’t one for biting, but sometimes everything just got too exciting and he just had to sink his teeth into you. You squirmed under him, feeling the coolness of his dog tags on your collarbone. The headboard began to slam against the wall, and the two of you were silently thankful for being homeowners instead of still renting that apartment you used to have a few years ago.

Your limbs tightened around him, holding back more noises. But this obviously was to no avail. As they dangled in front of you, you took the silver charms in between your teeth. He smirked. For the first time he looked at them with something akin to satisfaction opposed to the usual dread. He continued banging you like a screen door in a hurricane. He couldn’t help it as his figure continued to hit the spots he knew you adored and had grown to memorize. You weren’t sure how much longer you could withstand his might. Moans slipped past your swollen lips, letting out strained noises that the Winter Soldier used to motivate him more. He was on the same page as you. So close.

“Mmmm.. doll.” he groaned. “God, I’m gonna cum… You just.. You’re so gorgeous.” You gripped his shirt tighter until a tidal wave of bliss washed over you. You let go of his tags and arched your back. He continued his work until his orgasm arrived. He pulled out quickly, his dick, resting on your abdomen as he nutted on your body. He was a panting frantic mess, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as he looked up at you through his brows. He smirked, fingers running down the mark he'd left on the nape of your neck.

“Sorry…” he said sheepishly, though the both of you were aware he was apologies were falling on deaf ears. You hadn't given a shit if he'd nipped you two or two hundred times. You shook your head and reached up to touch his cheek. Your thumb brushed over his swollen lips and you grinned warmly. “Don’t be.”

He let out a huff of approval. ”Sure. Yeah, right.” he ran his fingers across your hips admiring the sight before him. “Let’s get you cleaned up, love.”

Author's note: First fanfic in over a year and my first one on Tumblr! Woo hooo! I figured I'd start with something dirty but sweet, please leave comments below!

[st7rnioioss]

so like ik you just did the dear diary with sweetheart!reader and brothers best friend Matt but like i NEED for it to be true like her about to write in her diary in-front of him while in the living room or something and then reading it while he just watches for her reaction. and at night he just sneaks in and it’s just so sweet sex yk😩🩷

TOTALLY OFF-LIMITS

⋆ ˚ .ೃ ࿔ * pairing... sweetheart!reader x brothers bsf!matt

𓂃 ֹ ᮫ in which... bbsf!matt once again decides to tease sweetheart!reader, but this time he does something about it. this can be read as a standalone, or a part three to "dear diary".

warnings... smut, unprotected sex, p in v, lowkey bigdick!matt, brief fingering but not really, kissing, swearing, praise kink.

♡ ˖ ࣪ ◟ you looked uninterested down at the homework on your desk, the pen in your hand not even making contact with the paper as your mind went blank. you’d spent all day doing nothing, and the weekend felt much longer than needed. the muffled sounds from the TV in the living room along with laughter swiftly peaked your interested instead. you thought about it for a minute, before you squirmed in your chair, and with a groan you stood up, taking your diary with you.

just last night matt had stumbled into your bedroom, and kissed you like his life depended on it, as if you’d slip away if he stopped. and since then, for the past twelve hours, he was all you could think about. just matt, matt, matt.

carefully, you grabbed your diary and pen, padding down the hallway to join your brother and matt in the living room. but, what you didn’t know, was that when matt had cuddled and kissed you to sleep, your little diary had stolen his attention.

“hi guys,” you smiled softly, giving them both a wave. matt noticed how you avoided his eyes for the most part, obviously holding back a full-on grin as the memories from last night still lingered in the air. your brother didn’t respond, which didn’t surprise you at all, but matt did. “hey there.”

you comfortably took a seat next to matt, your brother too consumed in the show currently playing to take notice of how you shuffled just a little closer to him. carefully, you opened your diary to start on a to-do list you had been wanting to write forever now, feeling matt’s hand gently rest on your shoulder. he tried his best not to let a smirk tug on his lips, but when he felt you tense up under his touch, he failed.

there it was. just like you’d seen yesterday. the red ink matt had used to write those sinful thoughts and fantasies about what he’d do to you, this time in more detail, was yet again scribbled down on the pages of what was supposed to be your secret diary.

you shoot a quick glance matt’s way, which he reciprocated with a smug smile, clearly proud of himself. he nudged your thigh with his knee, motioning for you to start reading the ridiculously filthy pornography on paper.

“i dream about running my hands over your soft skin, under your shirt to feel your warm body, watching as you grow more and more needy. then, i’d help you take off your stupidly short skirt, those i know you purposely wear around me, before doing the same to your panties. you’re wet, just like i bet you are reading this, how your mind is running wild. i’ve read your silly fantasies, and oh. you’ve got some of a vivid imagination.”

your thighs pressed together, nails digging into the hardback cover of the book in your hand. how you wish he wasn’t right—your cunt was aching, and you were sure a pathetically damp patch was already forming on the cotton. “go on. read further.” matt’s words were whispered straight into the shell of your ear, his warm breath hitting your skin making a shiver run down your spine. your brother turned his head for a second, but when you forced an innocent smile his way, he shrugged it off.

“carefully, i would hook your thighs up over my shoulders, having your dripping pussy right in front of me. you have no clue how many times i’ve hand my fingers around my dick, imagining that exact scenario. listening to your desperate whimpers, i’d kiss your sore clit gently to feel you squirm. then, my tongue would delve deep inside you when i give in, tasting your sweetness on my tongue.”

by now you were panting, the deep breaths uncontrolled and uneven as his words crashed over you—he was sitting right next to you, the guy with an apparently equally as dirty fantasy. “uh, i’m gonna go,” you announced, quickly standing up from the couch to speed into your room, not even giving matt another glance.

you || 1.16 pm

matt what the heck

matt || 1.17 pm

you okay?

you || 1.17 pm

no come to my room later please

matt || 1.18 pm

as you wish, sweetheart

a couple hours later you heard the now familiar noise of small pebbles being thrown at your window. in almost a panic, you get off your bed to open the window, meeting matt’s silhouette just a couple feet away.

“matt! shut up, one or two stones is enough.” you shush from your window, watching as he managed to crawl up the drainpipe, taking your hand in his to stumble in through your window. “m’sorry, can’t help i’m eager to see you, and that sweet face,” you laughed as he managed to trip inside your bedroom, his hands finally going to rest on your waist when he found his balance.

you carefully wrapped your arms around his neck, your noses nearly touching from how close you stood to each other. “you think?” he smiled widely, nodding slowly. “oh? oh yeah, you’re not too bad,” his voice lowered, before he pulled you closer to press his lips to yours.

your fingertips grazed his hair, his soft lips moving against yours in a gentle rhythm, just like you’d imagined all those times. matt’s fingertips ran under your shirt as he took a step forward, pushing you against the edge of your bed. suddenly, you felt yourself being pushed backwards gently, matt’s arms around you keeping you safe and secure. his warm body pressed against your own, my fingers now messing up his brown hair.

“matt- i’d really love to kiss you another time, i- i need you right now,” you managed to mumbled between kisses, your fingers withdrawing from his hair to tug at his shirt. “impatient, aren’t we?” he chuckled, yet his hands moved to the hem of your shirt, pushing it up your torso. matt’s eyes fixed on your chest for a second, looking up at you with raised brows, and an almost smug smirk. “oh my god matt,” you palmed your face, a warmth spreading over your cheeks as you giggled. “you’re like, fourteen years old.”

before you knew any better, both your shirt and bra was discarded on your bedroom floor, along with his own shirt. “so goddamn gorgeous. can’t you believe you’re letting your brothers friend do this to you..” his words were muffled, wet kisses trailing down your neck and collarbones, feeling his soft lips suck a mark into your skin. “need you..” the words came out slurred, your head whirring, and heart drumming against your ribs.

matt’s fingers dipped between your legs, his lips still connected to the valley of your breasts, his thumb easily finding your needy clit. with a gasp emitted from you, he carefully moved his digit in a circle motion, the already damp fabric beneath his thumb making him smirk. “already so needy.. i knew it.” he prided himself, eventually connecting his warm lips to one of your nipples, his free hand paying attention to your free tit. “o-oh shit,” you whined, arching your back up against his mouth while a long sigh escaped your lips.

matt’s fingers delicately shoved your panties down your legs, pulling back from your chest to look down at you. “shiiiittt.. you've got the sweetest pussy,” he grumbled, the pad of his thumb running in and up your soaked folds, before rubbing his digit over your swollen clit. his eyes met yours for a second, a smile growing on his lips.

your legs are trembling by the time matt is pushing his length inside of your soppy pussy, his cock rubbing perfectly against your inner walls—you’re a whining and mewling mess, awkwardly squirming under him as he laces his fingers through yours beside your head. “theeerre we go… jesus christ, you take me so well, don’t you sweetie?” all you can do is whine in response, the ridiculous stretch of his dick making your head hurt. “it’s okay.. i’ll be gentle with you.” he whispered, leaning down to catch your parted lips in a sweet kiss, one filled with love, not only lust.

“n-need you t’move.. please?” you looked up at him with pleading eyes when he pulled back, your cheeks flushed and a warmth spreading in your lower tummy. “you got it.” he smiled softly, the head of his cock kissing your cervix with every slow roll of his hips. your eyes rolled to the back of your skull, mouth falling agape when he took your reaction as a sign to pick up his pace. “you’re too sweet for your own fuckin’ good.. makes me wanna kiss you senseless all the goddamn time..” matt groaned right into your ear, your walls fluttering around his length as he spoke.

“y’so big, matt… c-can’t,” you whimpered, forcing your eyes shut as the overwhelming feeling of his cock basically being bullied inside your slick hole took over all your senses. oh, you were out to kill him. “stroking my ego a bit.. not that i mind.” he chuckled, leaving fat kisses down the side of your face while giving your hands a gentle squeeze. “i think you can, doll.. done it before y’know?” he praised, the almost affectionate plunge of his dick going erratic—your breath was basically choked out of you, pathetic and louder moans being pulled straight from your lips.

matt immediately clasps a hand over you mouth to silence you, not once letting his hips take a break from ruthlessly digging into yours. “shhh, doll face. s-stay quiet please… waking up the whole house-“ he cut himself off with a moan, a trail of heat raking through his body every time your pussy swallowed his girth.

your legs trembled, doing your best to indicate to matt you were gonna come, but to no avail—you couldn’t really speak properly. your moans grew in pitch, all while matt tried his best to shut you up if he didn’t want to lose a friend tonight, your heart racing and face flushing under matt’s grip.

matt enjoyed watching how you responded to his touch, his fingers slipping from yours to connect to your sore and swollen bud. “gonna come for me, sweetheart? you’ve been so good, so adorable. y’deserve it,” his eyes were stuck on yours, leaning down to silence you with his lips rather than his hand, burying it in your hair instead. he tried his best to hold back for you, his dick twitching and aching to fill you up.

it didn’t take you another second to squeeze around his cock, your legs shaking, and moans being swallowed by his lips as you came. and as if on cue, matt’s hips stuttered, emptying himself inside of you. you were seeing stars, at least you were sure you did as matt slowly and carefully fucked you through the waves of pleasure, making sure to prolong it for you both. matt ended up tapping out at some point, your walls milking him dry for everything he had.

“that was pretty incredible,” you murmured with a tiny smile, feeling matt’s chest meet your own when he slumped down on top of you, listening to your heartbeat that was finally finding a reasonable rhythm. he chuckled, “yeah, it was. you’re so perfect,” you smiled when he whispered his last few words, your heart fluttering. “thank you,” you whispered back while lacing your fingers through his hair in a soothing manner.

“no need.. just stating the obvious.”

more sweetheart!reader x brothers bsf!matt here!

˚𝜗𝜚 notes... i hope this wasn't entirely bad.. i wanted to make this a standalone also, praying it won't confuse

۶ৎ taglist: @jetaimevous @missmimii @mattscoquette @pearlzier @witchofthehour @elizasturn @loveparqdise @delilahsturniolo @phone4pills @sturnsmia @hearts4werka @cayleeuhithinknott @strnilolover @sturnvxz @lovergirl4gracieabrams @ifwdominicfike @honeybimboslvt @emely9274 @sturnioloangell @blushsturns @angelicckisses @slut4chris888 @marrykisskilled @sophand4n4 @jazzylalalala @unknvhx @chrisslut04 @sturniolossss @slvtf0rchr1s @blahbel668 @starkeysturniolo @miolos @user1smvtysturniolo @lizzyzzn @sturnslutz @decimatedxdreams @chrissturnioloswife88 @sturn777 @sturniolonationsblog @frankoceanfanpage @priscillaog @courta13 @sweetrelieef @loverboysturn @sturns-mermaid @cutseylady @sofieeeeex @sofia-is-a-sturniolo-triplet-fan @mattsturnii @conspiracy-ash

❛❛ © 𝐒𝐓𝟕𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 ❜❜

[sara-the-wizard]

I had another story about Leo DIEING after the invasion?!?!??!

(I tell ya, I make too many stories...)

Hello! I just found yet another rottmnt fan fiction I wrote about a year ago in my files! I'm gonna share it with you if that's okay!

Warnings! 💔

Tw implied death. Tw implied choking. Tw implied drowning. Tw Implied grave robber/robbing.

Story is under the cut! Hope you enjoy! 💙⬇️

{Fall and Rise}

Sirens wailed in the distance. The sky was stained. And three mutated turtles wept over one of their own. After hours of crying, they took Leo home, laid him in a bed, and placed the sheet over his head. They all stood in the living room, unsure of what to do next. Draxum comes forward and speaks.

"I created him. It is only right that I would bury him."

They all agreed. Knowing that none of them would have had the heart to prepare him for burial. Soon they all attended the funeral they had made for him. There were many tears that fell as the casket was lowered. As months passed. His whole family visited his grave until it was just Donnie. Donnie walked through the hidden city. (Leos grave was in the hidden city right outside of Draxums old lab.) Donnie bought some flowers from a vender. He practiced his speech as he made his way to Leos grave.

"Hey Nardo! I guess you know, today is our birthday! ... I know you can't get me a gift, but I brought you some flowers! And-"

Donnie cut himself off. He looked over at Leos grave in shock. He dropped the flowers on the ground. --- Donnie rushed home and burst into the room.

"He's gone!!" Donnie shouted in concern.

Everyone looked at Donnie with confusion and concern.

"What's wrong, Donnie?" Mikey asked.

"The grave, not there! Gone!" Donnie sputtered in a panic.

"Woah, Donnie. Slow down! Take it from the top."

Raph placed his hands onto Donnies shoulders.

"I went to Leos grave, but he's gone!" Donnie shook his hands.

"You mean Leo?" Raph creased his brow.

Donnie nodded his head.

"Leo's gone?!" Mikey jumped.

"Do you think it was grave robbers?" Raph shook his fist.

"How disgraceful!" Splinter huffed.

"Who would do such a thing?!" April held out her hands. --- Donnie busted the door open to an apartment.

"Draxum! Where is he?!" Donnie shouted.

Draxum sat on a couch sipping on some tea.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Draxum huffed.

"Leos grave is dug up and... Leo's gone!" Raph commented.

"We suspect it to have been grave robbers." Splinter insisted.

"Yeah! So you gotta help us find them and make'em tell us where-" April was cut off.

"It was me." Draxum said, casually sipping his tea.

Everyone was dumbfounded by his statement. "YOU?!?!" They shouted. Splinter growled.

"I've seen you do pretty low things, Draxum. But never have I thought you would stoop so low as to-" Splinters sentence was cut short.

"I know how I can bring your brother back to life. Correction, how WE can bring your brother back to life."

Draxum said while getting up from the couch.

"Come with me." Draxum said as he walked out the door. --- They walked through Draxums old lab. It was a bit messy. Some ruble still laying on the ground when the laboratory blew up.

"I never thought we'd be back here again." April whispered to Raph. Raph sighed.

"Draxum, where are you taking us?" Raph huffed. Somewhat impatient.

Draxum turned to look at the group behind him. He raised his hand and waved it over a secret panel. The wall started to glow with glowing magenta markings. The wall began to shift. It opened to them, revealing a secret tunnel. They walked down the dark and Erie passageway.

"This was where I did my more, "dangerous experiments"." Draxum cleared his throat.

"Draxum? What are you up to?" Splinter looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I have already told you." Draxum huffed.

Soon they made it to another wall. This wall too started to shift. When it opened, shock ran down everyone's faces. Leo floated lifeless in a tube of water. Many wires were attached to him in various places. An oxygen mask was put on over his mouth.

A few days ago:

Draxum dug up Leos grave with the help of his loyal gargoyles. After the gargoyles were done braking their backs, Draxum used his mystic tentacles to take Leo out of his little bed of eternal rest. Soon he brought Leo inside. There was this pattern drawn on the floor with chalk. Leo laid in the center. Draxum sat above him. And the gargoyles hovered around the bottom.

"Are you sure you trust us to do this, boss?" One of them said.

"I don't have much of a choice." Draxum sighed.

"You can count on us sir!" One snapped its finger.

"You won't regret it boss!" The other gave an optimistic air punch.

Draxum squeezed the bridge of his nose. "I'm already regretting this."

The gargoyles then started the memory spell. Draxum was sent into Leos memories. --- Suddenly Draxum appeared in the sewers. He watched as the four turtles floated down the stream on their tubes. Draxum raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, blue floating petals flew around him. Startled, He looked around to see where they came from. He followed the trail. Right when he's about to turn the corner. Something jumps at him from the darkness. Draxum raised his hand to block the incoming attack. It was Leos subconscious self. Pure black with glowing white eyes. Leo backed away and tried to hit him again, but Draxum blocked him.

"Move me to another memory!" Draxum shouted.

Suddenly, he was face down in the snow. He looked around and saw the turtles building a snowman. Then the blue petals flew by again. This time they carried a voice.

"I don't want to be alone!" The petals echoed.

Draxum widened his eyes. But before he could follow it, multiple shadows jumped down from the trees. Draxum looked up and quickly jumped away. Dodging most of the swings. Suddenly a sword grazed past his face, and he was knocked to the ground. He felt his cheek where the sword had hit, and looked up at the petals floating away.

"Please, don't forget me!" The petals continued to echo.

The realization knocked in like how that sword hit his head.

"Quickly! You must move me to-"

Then he appeared in a room. Mikey sat on a throne with Donnie and Leo waving palm leaves. Draxums eye twitched.

"What in the world have they been through?" Draxum thought to himself.

suddenly Draxum was free falling from the sky.

"No! I want you to-"

Draxum was then falling in a very long dirt tunnel. The turtles were riding their bike, complaining something about, 'Why does this pizza week have to be so hard?!'

"Ugh! I ment- oof!"

Draxum landed in a very dark place. There was a checkered floor. A single spotlight lit up. Draxum turned around to see what was there. Leo had his back turned away from him. He sat on the floor, cradling himself, repeating-

"I don't want to be alone! Please!"

The blue petals danced around Draxum and Leo. He walked up to Leo and stopped behind him.

"Leonardo?" Draxum called.

Leo didn't answer. Draxum then came around to the front of Leo and knelt down. He gently placed a hand onto Leos shoulder. Leos breath hitched. He slowly looked up to see who was touching him.

"Leonardo." Draxum said in return, as if he was addressing him.

"B-Barry?" Leos eyes began to tear up as whimpers escaped his lips. "Please, I wanna go back home!" Leo blubbered.

"That is why I'm here." Draxum said with a stern tone. --- Blue petals started to float around them. They swirled round the edges of the chalk circle. The gargoyles were a bit in a panic and surprise. This glowing blue orb started to form in the center, floating above them all. The gargoyles watched In aw. Just as all the petals found their places in this orb. The sphere then quickly started to drop.

"Uh oh! It's falling!" One of them said while waving his arms.

"It's gonna break!" The other said, pressing his hands onto his cheeks.

Just then, A magenta mystic tentacle grabbed the orb just when it was about to hit Leos chest. Draxum slowly brought it over to himself and placed it into his hands.

"Woah, what is it?" One of the gargoyles asked.

"It's his soul." Draxum replied.

Present day:

Leos soul is placed in a special spot just below Leos water tank.

"But the only way to get his soul back into his body, is with a lot of mystic energy." Draxum explained.

"So your saying, that you need our mystic energy to power your machine?" Mikey asked.

"Yes. But there is a chance it could take all your mystic energy, leaving you powerless." Draxum crossed his arms.

"Who cares! Let's do it!" Donnie stomped his foot.

"Woah, hold on a second Donnie. Did you not hear him? Our mystic abilities could be taken away!" Raph held his hands out.

"Raph! This is about our brother! This is about Leo!" Donnie stammered.

"I know! It's just..." Raph gestures with his hands.

"Fine if you're not going to do it, then I'll do it all by myself!" Donnie growled.

"That would be unwise. The amount of mystic energy required is much more than you can possibly handle alone. The decision must be unanimous!" Draxum commanded.

Everyone went to stand next to Donnie and looked at Raph, waiting for his answer. Raph closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then nodded with a sense of determination. --- Donnie looked down at the metal clasps around his wrists. He looked around to see his other brothers leaning on purple control boards with their wrist locked down tight. For a moment Donnie thought maybe this was a bad idea. Then he looked over at Leo in the tube and hardened his emotions.

"Okay, are you all ready?" Draxum turned to them.

They all nodded. "Yes!" "As ready as I'll ever be." "Let's do this!" "All set!" "Let her rip!"

Draxum then reached over and grabbed a lever.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. This might hurt a bit." Draxum hummed.

"Wait, what?- aaAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Donnie screamed as the machine turned on and the terrible stinging sensation went through his whole body.

Everyone groaned and cried in pain. The energy traveled up the swirling lines and entered through Leos soul and into his body. Almost immediately, Leos body started to flinch. His eyes shot open with a blinding bright blue glow. Donnie painfully turned his head to look at Leo.

"Guys, guys! It's working!!" Donnie shouted.

They all looked up to see. Leo looked down at them with his glowing eyes. Leo slowly reached a hand out of concern for his brothers.

"C'mon Mad Dogs! Keep... going!" Raph strained.

Splinter looked up at Leo. Leos behavior was strange. He kept trying to take deep breaths but could never get enough air each time.

"... Something is wrong!" Splinter stated.

Suddenly a small alarm sounded.

"Error! Error!" The computer repeated.

"There's a malfunction in the oxygen system!" One of the gargoyles cried.

"Oxygen levels are at 27%!" The other said as it read a small panel.

"What!?" April squealed.

"How much longer till the procedure is completed?" Draxum demanded.

"Still 30% to go!" The gargoyles answered.

"There is not enough air! He is not going make it!" Splinter said with concern.

"We have to get him out of there!" April exclaimed.

"No! If we stop now, his soul will shatter from all the energy built up in it. Then there will be no chance of bringing him back!" Draxums voice thundered.

They looked at each other nervously. They continued to push harder and harder. Then suddenly, Mikey began crying.

"I... I can't take this much longer!" Mikey sobbed.

"You've got this Mikey!" April tried her best to encourage him.

"It is just a little longer!" Splinter confirmed.

Donnie grunted. Raph looked at how everyone was in such pain. He then turned his gaze onto Leo. Leo didn't look like he was being resurrected, he looked like he was dying!

"3% left to go!" April stated.

A beeping sound came from one of the panels.

"Boss! Oxygen levels are at 0%!" The gargoyles scrambled.

Raphs heart rate quickened as he watched Leo choke on his final breath and slowly pass out in the water. He couldn't control himself. Raph powered up his Ninpo and broke the clasps around his wrists.

"Raphael, what are you-" Splinter cried out.

Raph ran towards Leo and smashed the tube open with his mystic fist. The glass shattered everywhere as the water spilled out onto the floor. Leo fell forwards into Raphs arms. The machines turned off and the clasps opened. Donnie and Mikey fell to their knees.

"You fool! What were you thinking?!" Draxum shouted at Raph.

But Raph was silent. He stared down at the sopping wet and unconscious Leo in his arms. Leos whole body was shaking something fierce. Raph placed his fingers into Leos neck.

"There's a pulse... Leo's alive!" Raph shouted, with a hint of relief in his voice.

Draxum softened his gaze. He quickly rushed over. But there was something obviously wrong with Leo.

"It will be a short lived revival, if he doesn't breathe!" Draxum said with concern.

Raph looked back down at Leo. His shaking turned into slight twitches. Raph placed a hand onto Leos cheek and gently patted it.

"C'mon Leo, C'mon! You can do it! Just breathe! Just breathe..." Raph shivered slightly with fear.

The others gathered around to look at Leo. But it was just silence. Then suddenly, Leo hiccuped! This caught them off guard. Leo hiccuped again! And again. And again. And again! Leo groaned after each one.

"Hiccups?" Donnie titled his head.

"Leos got the hiccups!" Mikey giggled.

They all made soft cooing sounds and laughter of relief and pity.

"Aw, you poor thing!" Raph pulled Leo in closer.

"You just came back to life, and what you get is the hiccups!" April said as she gently stroked Leos head.

Leo hiccuped and whined loudly.

"Shh, shh! It is okay! Just take deep breaths, can you do that?" Splinter said as he placed a hand onto Leos chest.

Leo proceeded to take many shaky breaths in and out. When they thought they were gone, Leo hiccuped once more! They couldn't hold back their snickering. Leo groaned with annoyance.

"It's okay, just keep breathing, alright?" Raph smiled.

Leo sighed and nodded his head. They all gently embraced Leo in a group hug, Draxum included. Mikey refused to leave him out.

_______

Hope you liked the story! Have an awesome day! 💜

[wandixx]

Count the freckles, connect them like the stars part 1, Virgo

Summary: Five time Danny found and drew constellations from M'gann's freckles and one time she did that for him

Danny wasn’t quite sure how he went from “visiting Mount Justice to train with the Team” to “half laying on the kitchen island and watching M’gann cook”, but he was glad it happened. He had had rough fight with Skulker the day before, so every opportunity to not move was a salvation. Most likely, rest of the Team left him off the hook exactly because they caught it. They all were cool like that.

He smiled, slowly shifting a little to be more comfortable. He liked watching people doing things they like and know well. There was something mesmerizing about it.

The fact, that he could eat some of whatever she ended up making was a great addition. He was always ravenous when away from an ectoplasm central that was Amity Park.

He followed her hands with his eyes, with chin pillowed on his folded arms. There wasn’t as much she did with them as other people would in kitchen, her telekinesis was certainly a great aid, but there was still enough movement to be transfixed on. Especially today, when something in the back of his mind insisted that there was something unusual about her. She was explaining how she found recipe, on accident when looking for something so different that to this day she wasn’t sure how she ended up with this instead, how it was supposed to be super filling so she hoped they’ll all like it, especially Danny and Wally, because then she could make it somewhat regularly and they could have something more healthy than granola bars. He appreciated sentiment even if he insisted she didn’t have to.

He wondered if there was a polite and not weird way to say he’d eat wet carton if she served it to him.

Small sheet of paper and bullpoint pen landed right in front of him, close enough that he felt air move from them.

“Can you add canned tomatoes to the shopping list? English letters still come out unreadable when I try writing them and do something else”

“Sure”

At this point he stopped trying to explain that being able to write clearly when not looking at the paper was not a skill many people had even if English was only language they could write in. It kept falling on the deaf ears. Apparently it was something Martians just did.

Danny maintained his opinion that if they wanted, Martians could rule whole Solar System. And some nearby star systems. Maybe whole galaxy, in a really distant future.

He straightened up in his seat (ouch, ouch, ouch, his body was not a fan of this move), because unfortunately he needed hands, proper posture and quite a lot of focus to write in a way that would be readable to anyone outside of medical field.

Before he could drop back down, satisfied to just watch world around him without having to interact with it in any way, a freckled hand put a plate of some pasta in front of him. Despite tomatoes, it wasn’t spaghetti, which was neat. He promised Sam to try out vegetarian-Wednesdays and sure, she probably wouldn’t know if he ditched it one time, but still. It was nice that M’gann remembered.

He followed her hand with his eye for a moment longer, not quite ready to let go of whatever seemed to be there. It didn’t look too different from usual. Shade of her skin was the same, her fingers stayed short and slender and her freckles were different, but they never really stayed the same, so it wasn’t that either.

“Quit peeping, start eating” she said cheerily, flicking him on the forehead. He smiled and obediently looked at his meal. Before long though, his eyes flickered back to her. What was different? What was-

There.

“Did you know your freckles look like stars today?”

“They do?”

“Yeah. You have Virgo and Cassiopeia on your right forearm”

“Believe it or not, this tells me nothing. I don’t know Earth names for stars yet”

Right. He was an idiot.

He just barely stopped himself from face planting into his pasta in embarrassment.

“Tell me about them?” she asked quietly, like she wasn’t sure if she could.

Danny took a moment to make sure he heard this question right. Usually people tried to shut him down as soon as he mentioned space because he was prone to getting way too obsessive. It was understandable, it could be endearing when he was younger but now it was just plain annoying. Sam and Tucker sometimes indulged in him, especially after he became halfa, with every interest turned up to eleven, but he could never shake off the feeling that they weren’t really listening at times. He didn’t have anything to prove it, it wasn’t like they were taking out something else to do at the same time or anything, but also… they never asked about anything either. He’d catch himself making some small mistake that they should’ve caught too, mispronounce something they knew or say 19-11 instead of 16-11 when talking about invention of telescope, but there was nothing indicating they heard anything wrong.

It didn’t mean he wasn’t dying to tell her. He just didn’t want to chase her away. M’gann was a good friend.

“Are you sure? I can be pretty annoying about it”

“I want to learn. And you want to tell me”

Danny forgot to breathe for a moment and he wasn’t sure what caused it. M’gann looked at him like a deer in the headlights.

“I’m not reading your mind, at least not intentionally, you’d know if I did,” she stammered out quickly “But ghosts feelings are really loud, it’s hard to ignore that. Like… if everyone else’s mind is like a house with closed door, one of the older ones with brick walls and smaller windows and such, ghosts have greenhouses at best. Usually they’re also shouting whatever is inside that could potentially not be visible at the first glance. It’s hard to ignore. In your human form you’re usually just like a house with bigger windows and more see through curtains, but today you’re unusually loud. I think it’s because you’re healing so your ghost side is a bit closer to the surface”

“Ah. Alright, cool, cool”

“I can try to deliberately ignore you if you want, but it’s hard with how loud you are, and I’m not sure I wouldn’t drown out your verbal speech too. There isn’t much difference from my perspective”

“No, no, no, you don’t have to do anything, I was just surprised. Just maybe… don’t openly say anything about it? Whatever you hear, I’d kinda prefer to forget you can, for now, okay?”

“Sure thing. So, how does the Virgo look like? I like this name better”

Danny smiled and took pen from the grocery list.

“Virgo is one of the biggest constellations on sky in northern hemisphere and it’s best visible in Spring, so we can go try to find it in few weeks, if you want…”

“You’re asking? I’d love to!” she said with wide smile, sounding far too casual for what she just offered to him.

“Yeah? Cool, cool,” he took deep breath to refocus, because his brain was doing weird things again “I think it’ll be better if I show it to you then, with names of the stars and everything. But people like to make stories about stars, just like with any other aspect of the world around them. I can tell you about that?”

“Yeah, yeah, stop asking, start explaining”

"Okay, so it's a constellation from Babylonian and Greek zodiac. It's associated with goddesses, usually. I never remember the name of the Babylonian one, she was really important one though. Like, queen of gods, I think. Then, through Phoenicians, Greeks learned about Babylonian constellations and decided to adopt it, but they couldn't agree on which goddess should be in reflected in Virgo. So, some said it was Demeter, Goddess of Harvest and all that plant stuff. Others decided it was Cora or Persephone, she had two names, Demeter's daughter, and Godless of Spring and queen of the Underworld, which kinda makes sense, since according to myths, she was more or less trapped in Underworld throughout autumn and winter, and then returned to her mother and happiness of their meeting is what kick-starts the spring. It connects nicely with the fact that Virgo actually gets visible at the start of the Spring but Sun passes through it in autumn, though I'm not sure if some of that isn't caused by slight shift that happens over the course of the years... which is not what I was supposed to talk about sorry"

Feather-light fingers brushed against his hair. He leaned into it with slight smile.

"It's fine. Talk about what gets on your mind, I’m happy to listen," M'gann said gently "So, there were these two possible goddesses who could be represented by this Virgo constellation"

He gently grasped the hand that had this constellation on it, and put a pen down at the first freckle. He haven’t really thought about it, but it felt like the right thing to do.

"Actually, there is third one,” he whispered, suddenly feeling like anything louder would be wrong “She is my favorite for the story, though I don't quite know why. It's probably mostly that Demeter and Persephone have their other times to shine and i just don't see them in stars," line was made connecting two freckles -two stars- as if it was astronomical guide. The thin tipped pen needed a bit of pressure before it left the mark behind. M'gann skin dipped under it more than he realized it should "Her name is Astrea, Goddess of Justice and Innocence. She was one of the titans, so before the gods, though specifics aren't really important. She, unlike both titans and gods, lived among humans. Others preferred mountain tops, respectively Othrys and Olympus-"

"Oh! It's the name that humans gave to that volcano on M'arzz, isn't it?" M'gann asked, sounding delighted to connect information he was giving her to something familiar. Danny didn't raise his head from where he was marking her skin. He didn't know why this felt wrong either. There was something almost sacred in it though.

"Yeah. Since it's the biggest mountain in Solar System, so we named it after mythical home of gods"

"That's nice"

For a moment, they sat in silence, interrupted only by slow breaths and humming of the fridge.

"So, Astrea lived among humans. How did she end up among stars?"

"She was one of the Titans, and back when they reigned, it was a mythical Golden Age. Humanity was pure and innocent and only needed what nature provided us, without having to put in any work. There was no change in seasons, so they didn't even have to worry about scarcity of resources in winter" he lightly went over lines he drew between Spica and Porrima so he could continue on his journey down to Syrma and other stars. He didn’t really raise his pen above M’gann’s skin, just eased it away slightly, so it wouldn’t write for a moment “It was a paradise. But then the gods came and overthrown most titans because of feud that isn't really relevant here. This war was called Tytanomachy and was so destructive that it wiped out all of humans. They were remade later, but slightly worse, slightly less pure. Also, seasons became the thing, so they had to develop agriculture and architecture. They were no longer perfect, but still innocent and righteous enough for Astrea to stay. But with time came Bronze and Iron Ages, with weapons and money and wars and impiety, and people became greedy and cruel and unjust and just against everything she really stood for. So she ascended to heavens, and became constellation of Virgo. But she is said to return at the end of times and bring new Golden Age with her"

“It’s… really pretty story. I like how despite this narrative of living in the worst of times, times so bad that even goddess couldn’t handle, there is little bit of hope for return of the paradise”

"Humanity has a lot of hope in it... And also a lot of «grass is greener on the other side» syndrome, with assuming that times before were better and easier, simply because we don't know about problems people faced back then. Just fill in blanks in a way that fits us"

"I mean, this is similar to a way I decided to escape to Earth, and I'm not complaining"

He finished of last line.

"Neither am I. Nor any other person on the Team. And everyone you saved. Are you, perhaps aspect of Astrea walking around us to see if it's right time to return?" he asked, before he realized how stupid and mortifying this idea was. For a moment, they just looked at each other, with this weirdly intimate tension between them, that almost made him consider the chances of his stupid joke having some merit to it before-

M’gann laughed, bright and loud. Danny joined her, but quickly stopped when overtired muscles reminded him why exactly it was a bad idea.

"Shut up and eat your pasta, you dork. It won’t be any good if it’s cold"

[fizzyapplecandy]

The one where you fall in love with a pirate

Hyung line X fem reader

Genres and warnings: short imagines, fluff, mature language, humor, so many kisses

Word count: 4k

I've been on a roll with our hyung line, and I can't stop thinking about a pirate au. Maknae line will be out shortly.

Lots of love, and happy reading X

Hongjoong

Your relationship with the Captain has always been a bit strained. He wasn't too fond of a female crewmate, but his fellow pirates adored you. He, for the life of him, couldn't understand why. Women weren't meant to be out on the sea, and you'd proved his point many times. You were constantly sea sick, the rocking causing your nausea. You hated getting wet, which happened a lot on a pirate ship. You also hated how out of touch you were with the world all the time.

Sure, you cooked for them. You even payed attention to all of their preferences, always making a variety of dishes. You kept the deck pristine, and the boys now had clean clothes, sewn together where needed, always neatly stacked in their cupboards.

Wooyoung pleaded with him to take you in, stating how cruel the townspeople were towards you. Your father was a gambler, and people were after you to pay his debts.

To this day, Hongjoong doesn't know what came over him to say yes. Maybe it was the terror written so clearly on your face, or the bruises visible on your arms. Or the fact that you were... Pretty. Soft spoken, well mannered, and a much needed addition to their ship.

He would never admit it out loud.

One night, he couldn't sleep, so he went out on the deck to get some fresh air. He was surprised to see you there, sitting on a barrel in your nightgown. The flimsy material wasn't enough to keep you warm, he thought. Nights in the open sea could get extremely cold.

Without much thought, he took off his coat and placed it over your shoulders.

You weren't aware of his presence until he did so, and it startled you for a second.

"Oh, Captain! You don't need to do that, you'll freeze!" You were about to take it off and give it back, but Hongjoong stopped you, placing his warm hands over your cold ones.

"No need. I can handle it. You on the other hand..."

He took in your red cheeks and pale lips, your whole body shivering, teeth almost clicking together.

You chuckled and wrapped the coat tighter around yourself.

"You're right. Silly me, I was in such a rush..." You stopped suddenly, turning your head away.

Hongjoong leaned on one of the pillars, gaze fixed on you.

"In a rush? Care to explain?"

You swallowed, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves. Hongjoong was intimidating, and you experienced first hand why the called him the 'Sea Monster' in your town. However, the amount of care he put into his crew, the sheer worry on his face whenever one of them wasn't okay... It told you much more about the stoic Captain than he liked to show.

"Well... I kind of... Have nightmares. They aren't that bad anymore. I think being on this ship with all of you helps." You glanced at him, noticing how he hasn't moved an inch, paying attention to your words.

"Sometimes I need to feel present. I need to know that it was just a dream. So the cold kind of... It lets me know I'm here, and I'm safe."

You stood up and turned towards him fully.

"Does that sound weird?"

There was a pause between you. No words were said, but your eyes never left eachother.

"No, it doesn't sound weird. But getting hypothermia isn't the best solution, you know?"

Did he just joke around with you? That's a first. Before you could help it, a giggle left your mouth. You quickly covered it with your hand, eyes widening.

"Am I amusing you, Miss Y/N?"

Hongjoong's tone was relaxed, and you felt like he was almost mocking you, but not in a bad way.

"Ah, no, no! Sorry! It's just... I haven't talked to you like this... Ever. So, you know..." You trailed off, not knowing what to say.

The Captain made his way over to you, now inches apart. He took in every little detail of your face, as if he finally gave himself permission to indulge in his curiosity towards you.

"We talk. You just don't listen to me. Maybe you find me boring compared to the others?"

You flailed your arms around, shaking your head.

"Of course not! You're not boring! I mean, your the Captain! You always tell these amazing stories, and you're so kind towards everyone, even though you don't like to admit it. You... You saved my life that day, and I'm forever in your debt."

Hongjoong didn't know what came over him. One moment he was watching how your chest rose and fell after your energetic exclamation, and in the other, his hands were on your cheeks, lips firmly planted against yours.

You made a noise of surprise, not expecting the kiss, but you certainly didn't mind. In your head, it kind of happened differently, but now that you were wrapped in each others embrace, you wouldn't want it any other way.

There was no saying who pulled away first, but you were both breathing heavily, and your giggles filled the air again.

"Oh my Captain... That was..."

"Yeah... I... Y/N..."

You shushed him, grabbing his cheeks between your palms, placing another sweet kiss on his lips.

That night, in the warmth of his embrace, you were rooted in the moment, and it was the best one in your life so far.

Hongjoong just had to make sure the next one would be even better.

Seonghwa

Of course he had the task of keeping the princess occupied. He figured they'd make Yeosang do it, but he would have probably freaked you out with his staring.

Seonghwa watched as you shifted in your seat, back straight, hands crossed in your lap. You were the epitome of royalty, and you stood out like a sore thumb in the dingy old room on their ship.

For someone who's just been kidnapped and held at ransome, you seemed pretty calm.

"How much money did you ask for?"

Seonghwa's eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?"

You turned towards him, your stance as perfect as ever.

"Money? You did ask for it in favour of giving me back? Otherwise this would be a ridiculous way of courting me."

The pirate stood flabbergasted. A smile was about to make it's way on your face, but you managed to control your emotions.

"Well..." He started, voice a bit unsure. "Our Captain does the deals, but I assume you're worth a pretty penny."

You nodded, and he thought you'd go back to being poised, but you managed to surprise him again.

You shot up from your seat, startling the poor man. The crown you wore was ripped from your head, and you placed it in front of Seonghwa.

"Here, this is worth more than a pretty penny. Go give it to your captain, and ask him if he needs a maid or a cook on this ship."

"What?"

Seonghwa watched the woman, noticing how her expression hasn't changed. She was dead serious about this.

"You heard me. I'm sick and tired of living like Rapunzel! You probably don't know who that is, but nevermind. I want to sail around the world, go on adventures, you know? I don't want to marry a prince, and I cannot stand being in dresses like this anymore!"

Seonghwa didn't know whether to be scared or turned on by you. You were a strong willed woman, and you weren't backing down. For some reason, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. Maybe keeping you with them wouldn't be such a bad idea?

He stood up from his seat and grabbed the crown from the table. Without another glance towards you, he went to the door.

"I'll see what I can do."

.

.

"Oh come on! You literally don't let me do anything fun around here!"

"Yeah, well, that's because you get into trouble more than I anticipated. Now let go!"

You and Seognhwa were playing tug of war with your favorite bag. The boys went out into town to gather supplies for your next trip, and you wanted to go with them. Seonghwa was stuck babysitting you again, and he wouldn't let you leave.

"Please! Do you hate me? Do you not want to see me happy! Come on Hwa!"

It's been about three months since you ran away with them, leaving your castle and princess status behind. Seonghwa asked you from time to time if you regret your decision, but the answer was always a strong 'No'.

"Princess, I've about had it with you! Can you please just let go and sit still for once!"

Now, that wasn't the tone of voice he usually used with you. He was accustomed to your antics, and he let you do whatever you wanted, but he never once sounded as serious about saying no as now.

You slowly loosened your grip on the strap, and you could tell something was wrong with him.

"Hwa? Hey, I won't go. See? Here's the bag, take it. I'll stay on the ship."

He only nodded before turning around and marching to the other end of the deck. You quickly followed after him, trying to look at his face, but he wouldn't turn your way.

"Seonghwa? I know I'm a bit tough to deal with, but something's up with you. Wanna tell me before we start a guessing game?"

His hands gripped the railing tightly, and he tried to calm down enough to look at you. Seonghwa knew his fear was a bit irrational, but it wouldn't go away. He also knew he had to tell you before you started freaking out.

So, he took a deep breath and turned to look into your eyes.

"Listen. I know you love it here. I know you love the boys, the ship, the food Wooyoung makes, the strange animals San sometimes brings aboard... But what if..." His gaze fell to the floor.

"What if, one day, you venture out into the city and realise you miss it? What if you want to go back?"

Seonghwa paused, noticing how quiet you were. As if sensing his unease, you came closer and took his hands in yours.

"Go on." You whispered.

"I can't let you go, Y/N. I... You've made me so happy. Even though you give me constant headaches, I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Oh Seonghwa..."

Before he could tell you to let him down easily, he was surprised with your lips pressed onto his. He quickly gathered himself, wrapping his strong arms around your waist, getting lost into the passionate kiss between you.

You pulled away first, and he was about to chase after you, not wanting it to be over, but you placed a finger on his lips.

"I just want to say... I will never leave you. Yes, I love exploring the city, but I've found my home now."

You leaned your forehead onto his.

"You are my home, Seognhwa."

After that, he let you wander off as much as you wanted, because he knew you'd always come back to him.

Yunho

"Hey! Get back here you son of a bitch!"

Yunho never ran so fast in his life before. His legs were about to give out, but thank goodness the dock was close.

You see, he may or may not have gotten into a slight altercation with a merchant.

The man wanted Yunho to pay for the compass, whereas Yunho... Well... Didn't.

Now, he was in a chasing match with said merchant, as well as three of his friends. They were surprisingly slow, and he thought he was in the clear until he bumped into something.

Or more precisely, someone.

The basket you held flew up in the air, and it was raining apples all around.

"I think he went that way boss!" The men were coming closer, and Yunho cursed from his position on the floor. You on the other hand dusted off your skirt before kicking the man in the leg.

"Hey, I'd say you have about five seconds before they catch you, so why don't you hide in my shop?"

His eyes widened, and he quickly got up and followed after you. You ushered him behind the counter and motioned for him to stay quiet.

There was noise outside, and the door of your shop opened.

"Hello there Miss Y/N. You didn't happen to see a mongrel with long legs running around?"

Yunho glanced at you from his crouched position, and you seemed casual enough.

"No, I can't say that I have. Sorry gentlemen."

They grumbled, but soon enough, the shop was enveloped in silence. You glanced outside, seeing them going back where they came from.

"All clear now big boy. You can come out."

Yunho poked his head up, and you chuckled. The tall man gave you a youthful vibe, and the smile on his face made you stop in your tracks.

"That was a close one. Thank you, little lady. I'm sorry about your apples."

You waved him off while he curiously looked around your bookshop.

"Wow, quite a collection. Are you the owner?"

"My father is. I just help around when I can. Now..." You stepped closer to him, examining his handsome features.

"What did you do? That was one hell of a chase."

Yunho laughed, but he stopped abruptly to check his pockets. He let out a sigh of relief as he took the small compass out. He extended his hand and held it over to you.

"Oh, wow. Did you steal it?" You watched as he nodded, expression almost sheepish.

"I didn't bring any money with me, and I know my Captain wouldn't let me go back for it because we're in a hurry, so..."

He trailed off, but you got his point.

"Ahh... I see. Well, in that case you might want to hurry to your ship before Mister Jung finds you."

His eyes widened and he rushed past you towards the door. You were almost sad to see him go.

"Thank you, again. I wish you all the best!"

He was out before you could reply, but you followed after him to watch as he ran down the street, an apple from your basket in his hand as well.

"What a silly boy..."

.

.

It's been about a month since your encounter with the gentle giant, as you called him. You couldn't stop thinking about his handsome face, and it made you sad every time. You figured he was a pirate by the way he dressed, and he only confirmed it when he mentioned his ship.

Your father always knew you were a free spirit, and he was sad you chose to stay in the city and spend your days in the bookstore. He knew you felt uneasy about leaving him, but he couldn't convince you to change your mind. That is, until he found a young man curiously peeking through the shop window.

The tall man came inside, and he could sense his nervousness in the air.

"Hello there... Is... Is the little lady somewhere around here?"

Your father smiled. "Oh, my daughter. She went out to get us some fruit. You're welcome to wait inside."

Yunho nodded, and went over to one of the shelves to browse. It didn't take long for you to return, and you almost dropped the basket of pears you were holding.

"Oh..."

Yunho turned towards you, a big smile spreading across his face.

"Hey there! Long time no see!"

You glanced at your father, and he nodded slightly before smirking. After that, he stood up and went to the back to give you some privacy.

"Yeah, long time... What are you doing here?"

You placed the pears on the counter, offering one to... Well you didn't know his name.

"Well, I... I had to go and settle my debt with Mister Jung. I also..."

He took the fruit from your hand, fingers brushing yours. You looked into each other's eyes, unconsciously coming closer.

"I had to see you again. I know it might sound crazy, but I can't stop thinking about you, little lady."

Yunho leaned in slightly, his voice almost a whisper.

"What's your name? I need to know the name of the girl of my dreams. Mine's Yunho."

"I'm Y/N." You managed to mumble, eyes still fixated on his.

"Say, you two, why don't you go back to our house and start packing Y/N's bags?"

You let out a startled noise, and turned around to look at your father. He was standing behind the counter, a wide smile gracing his features.

"Dad? What..."

"Yunho, I assume you're here to ask my daughter to come with you, is that right? I know how you pirates get."

Yunho stood frozen, surprised at how easily her dad got him figured out. He was right, he did come to ask Y/N to travel with him. His life was on the sea, has been for a long time, but she... She was something he felt was missing.

"I can really go?" You went towards your father, not believing what was happening.

He gently placed his arms around you in a hug, whispering into your ear.

"You were never meant to love a mundane life, my sweetie. Go now, before I become too sentimental."

It wasn't long after that your bags were packed and you were waving at your father from Yunho's ship. As the town you grew up in got smaller, your eyes filled with tears.

A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around your waist, and a kiss was placed on top of your head.

"Everything okay little lady?"

You turned around in Yunho's embrace, placing your hands on his chest. Without much thought, you got on your tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He stood frozen for a moment before his arms tightened around you, deepening the kiss.

When you finally broke apart, you placed your head above his heart, listening to the steady beats.

"Everything is perfect."

Yeosang

Yeosang loved being a pirate. He loved the freedom he had, the laughs he shared with his shipmates, who he now viewed as brothers. He loved everything about his life. Apart from the times they had to wreak havoc in a random town.

They tried to bring justice where they could. Once they found out about groups doing harm on the townspeople, they intervened in no time.

Tonight wasn't any different from their usual agenda, if he excluded you.

They were seated in one of the more problematic bars in town. Hongjoong told them the job was simple - Get in, take out the bad guys, get out. There was one man, Han Sehun, and he was known for intimidating the lower class people into giving him their well earned salaries, as well as harassing women.

That's where you came into the picture. You were working the night shift at the bar tonight, and you hated it every time. Sehun was adamant on making your life hell, but you couldn't complain because you needed the job. Your parents were long gone, and there wasn't anyone in town you were close with.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't notice the handsome men making an entrance. You could tell there was something different about them.

One in particular caught your eyes the most. He had a blonde mullet, and he seemed like the calmest of them all. As if he could sense your eyes on him, he turned his head, but you managed to look away in time.

"Yeosang, stop staring at the pretty lady. You'll scare her." Wooyoung chuckled after pinching Yeosang's cheek.

He swatted his hand away.

"I'm not staring."

Wooyoung smirked. "Sure you aren't."

Without another word, Wooyoung stood up and went over to you. He smiled at you, showing you eight fingers and motioning to their table. You nodded, giving him a thumbs up.

Yeosang was nervous all of the sudden. He knew they were on a mission, so what was Wooyoung doing.

"Relax, Sangie. The pretty lady will bring us some drinks in a second."

Hongjoong pinched his nose.

"Now is not the time for drinking, or staring at girls. Get it together."

Wooyoung held his hands up, and Yeosang remained still. That is, until you came to their table holding a tray with eight beers.

"Here you go boys. Enjoy!"

His mind must be playing tricks on him, because it seemed like your eyes only met his before you went back to the counter.

Before he could dwell on it, Sehun started causing a scene at the bar.

"Oh come on Y/N, when will you give it up? You know I can show you a good time."

"For the last time, please leave me alone."

"Still trying to act tough? Just wait until I fuck the attitude right out of you!"

Yeosang had the sudden urge to march over an fuck up his face, but Hongjoong's glare kept him at bay. They had to wait for the perfect timing, otherwise they would cause a ruckus.

The night went on like this with Sehun's comments getting even worse. Yeosang felt immense relief when he saw Hongjoong nodd, and the plan went into action.

Soon enough, the bar was turned over upside-down. Sehun was in handcuffs, and you were hiding under your counter. The officers would be here any moment, and the boys had to run.

Yeosang glanced at his crewmates as they went down an alley, his chest tightening.

"I have to do something quickly. Meet you at the ship."

"Yeosang!" Their voices were now faded into the background as he re-entered the place they wrecked.

"Hello? Miss?"

You slowly lifted your head from your hiding place, glancing at the handsome man from earlier. You should have known they were pirates, his outfit basically screamed it in your face.

"H-Hi?"

He turned his head towards your voice, a small smile gracing his features.

"There you are. Come out, I won't hurt you."

For some reason, you believed him. After all, they managed to take away your town's biggest problem.

You carefully got up, and he could tell your dress was ripped in some places. Probably got caught in one of the broken tables.

"What do you want?" You asked, voice trembling.

He approached you, paying attention to your body language. You were still apprehensive, but slowly loosening up.

"I'll cut right to the chase. Want to come on a little trip with me?"

.

.

It's been about a month since you took Yeosang up on his offer. You weren't sure what came over you to say yes so quickly, but you felt like he was trustworthy.

Honestly, you didn't have much left in the town, and you felt like you weren't leaving anyone behind. You only gained another family, a bit rowdy, but definitely lovely and supportive.

You also gained something else along the way, and you hoped Yeosang was feeling the same.

"Hey there treasure. What's got your head in the clouds?"

His voice brought you out of your daydream, and you could feel him beside you, gripping the railing. The sea was calmer than usual, giving you a sense of peace.

"Oh, nothing much. Just thinking about you."

Yeosang let out a startled noise.

"M-Me?"

You turned to look at him, noticing the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Yeah, you. I don't think I ever thanked you properly for taking me away from my miserable life."

Yeosang stayed silent, observing your expression. You looked... Happy.

"So, forgive me if I'm reading this wrong, but I just can't hold it in."

Before he could get a word in, you placed a kiss on his cheek, lightly catching his lips. It took him off guard, but he wanted to make sure you knew the feelings were mutual.

So, as you went to pull away, he grabbed your waist and placed a proper kiss on your lips.

You just looked at each other, smiles stretched out from ear to ear.

"I can't hold it in either."

.

.

[aonemanarmy]

Sephiroth watched impassively as Lucrecia made her way to the cave mouth and at long last gazed upon the full extent of his anguish and bitterness. The sight of the great Meteor filling the heavens was enough to bring any mortal to their knees - to realize that their time on this Planet was short-lived and bound to end in fiery retribution. It was a thing of beauty and one of the greatest moments of the madman's life, but he doubted anyone else could possibly see or appreciate all that he had accomplished coming from the life that he had.

To come from being a literal lab rat to a god...what greater story could there be than that?

Of course, Sephiroth didn't anticipate anyone else being capable of appreciating his accomplishments and as such he was not surprised by Lucrecia's reaction. Regardless of who the woman might've claimed to be she proved herself in that moment to be no different than any other human. They were all the same in their petty short-sighted and selfish nature, never once thinking how some things were truly greater than themselves.

“Can you hear the call of the Planet? It prays for salvation and soon it shall be granted.”

Like him, the Planet had called out for a release from its' pain and it too had been ignored. For far too long it had suffered at the hands of humanity, its' cries falling on deaf ears and despite his never being able to fully hear or speak with the Planet, Sephiroth could still understand it. But unlike everyone else Sephiroth wasn't simply going to ignore its' pleas and now he sought to set them both free once and for all.

“Hasn’t she suffered enough?”

The madman's cold and calculating gaze remained unwavering despite the ex-Turk's approach. If Vincent had sought to rebuke him then he would find no sympathy from Sephiroth as the whole concept was beyond his comprehension, but even if it wasn't he would lack the capacity to feel such a thing for someone who claimed to have wronged him in such a terrible way.

“What does she know of suffering?” He hissed, narrowing his eyes as he looked them with the gunman. “Is living a life of self-imposed isolation when you have the freedom to walk outside, to live a life you want and not having to worry about being cut open and harvested for parts truly such an unbearable torment?”

In Sephiroth's mind what made Lucrecia's situation so unfathomable was the fact that she had made this decision of her own volition. After all this time the woman could've left her self-imposed prison and made a life for herself away from Shinra, but she chose not to and Vincent made it seem as if she were a martyr. It was easy for someone to pretend to be noble and holier than thou when their suffering was self-inflicted, but it was quite another thing when it was forced upon you with no way for you to escape.

Being in that situation anyone would break eventually.

Out of everyone Sephiroth thought that Vincent would've understood, but apparently the man was unable to break away from his ties to the man he'd once been. It was actually quite disappointing that were the case as no one else could relate to Sephiroth other than his puppet, but nevertheless it served as more proof that he always was and would be something alien.

Turning his head to gaze upon the kneeling woman Sephiroth spoke once more: “Shall I show you true suffering? Do you wish to see what it was like all those long agonizing years ago? With the cells that we both share I can make it happen, and you can see what your bargain has bought.”

The woman would have fallen to her knees had Vincent not caught her mid fall. The voice of truth, however twisted and painful, would never leave her. Jenova was a part of her. Just as Vincent suffered with the voices of 4 demons, she suffered with the voice of Jenova. The pain was becoming unbearable.

“N-no I… I didn’t…” Lucrecia continued to fight the alien in her mind. “Please, enough…. I can’t… I can’t do this anymore… I just…”

…Wanted to hold you… tell you that I will never hurt you again… neither would I ever leave you again… to be there at your lowest, to let you know what love feels like… But I…

Her thoughts were cut off the moment Sephiroth’s scoff rang in her ears, drawing her attention upward to look upon his weary but sadistic set of eyes. What he said next broke her heart, as though there was indeed more to break.

The tear-stained mother followed her son’s hand towards the opening of the cave. Curiosity took over her pangs. The gesture may have confused Lucrecia, but it greatly troubled the gunslinger. He knew what Sephiroth was intending to show her… it would be yet another knife to her heart.

I’ve always been alone…

Lucrecia slowly stood up. Vincent’s grip tightened on her arm, drawing her attention momentarily. Deepest worry filled his eyes, causing her to pause.

“What’s wrong, Vincent?” Lucrecia asked, noting his expression and the grip of his hands. Though she had inquired after his concern, Vincent found it hard to inform her.

But instead of a reply, Vincent hesitated further. Those eyes were still the ones belonging to that naïve kind-hearted Turk who would panic whenever she would get a paper-cut. But then her eyes wandered to his long hair, his pale complexion, the layers of pain behind his expression, and the gauntlet pressed lightly against her sin. He too was a product of her sin. His suffering was begotten of her own hand. And yet here he was still trying to protect her…

Laying a tender yet firm hand on Vincent’s, she coaxed his grip to loosen, allowing it to release her arm.

“…It’s alright, Vincent,” her resolve was undeniable. “Whatever my son—” She bit her lip as if catching herself, or that saying the word was now more painful than before. “…Whatever Sephiroth wants to show me, I will see it. I need to know.” Her voice trembled, as though understanding what she was about to witness would only twist the knife further, but this time she was willing.

Reluctantly, Vincent released her, following close behind as she followed Sephiroth to the opening of the cave. The amber colors bounced off the walls of the crystals, creating a hue that became warmer the further out the cave she walked. Until at last, that terrible scene was within view.

An unspeakable horror filled her chest at the sight of Meteor. She understood what it was, and what it intended to do. She had read about this Meteor in one of the earlier records from the Cetra. But never had she thought that her son would decide to use the most powerful and destructive materia known in existence. It was one thing to wield the powers of Jenova. But it was another to summon the planet destroyer… a sentence of death upon the planet and its inhabitants. Including her. This was a token of his hatred for humanity. She understood…

Terror-stricken, Lucrecia fell to her knees at the mouth of the cave, burring her face in her hands as the heavens were torn by the oncoming Meteor. Distraught, Vincent walked swiftly up towards Sephiroth.

“Hasn’t she suffered enough?” Though perceptively calm, there was restrained tension in his voice. Nevertheless, Vincent knew his words were falling on deaf ears.