#sorry I forgot to take a moment to acknowledge this last week

[shesnake]

Industry season 3 episode 3 "It" (2024) dir. Zoé Wittock

[dcandmarvelimagines]

sweeter than you ever knew. (pt 4)

Series: pt 1 pt 2 pt 3 pt 4 pt 5 Pairing: Wade Wilson x Logan Howlett x Fem!Reader Rating: Mature Word Count: 7.9k (yikes omg)Warnings: AFAB reader (uses she/her pronouns), 1st person POV, non-mutant Reader, fluffy and softness, Logan gives you a bath and also makes food, Wade is so gentle and cute, lots of kissing!!, descriptions of bruises, mildly horny? Author's note: Hi lovelies!! Take some intense fluff and softness! I maybe made Wade a little too serious in a spot but I just needed it, we all needed it after how intense that last chapter was <3 This is also an eternity long omg, but the comfort took me over, mind and soul. Next chapter is the last one :’( it makes me so sad to think that this will be over soon. But it’s going to be THE chapter. All the sexual tension is finally going to be resolved. ao3 Tags (if you would like to be included or removed, just let me know. If I forgot someone I'm so sorry!!): @fallout-girl219 @xolosimp @o0aligoth0o @thedevilsaysthings @jaeyuni @redmitsuru5 @jeffs77 @spideybv28 @trumanbluee @jennapearce13 @chxrrybomb22 @7soulstars @what-the-jams @lostinheavensworld @purplestars222 @movieat @whiskeyghoul @paintballkid711 @unmotivated-artist164 @sun7lowxr @minniekitties @ceobuggy @amararosesblog @harryshousewhore @bontensbabygirl @belgium2 @g0ldenstarr @wolvndmouth @sseleniaa @reddesires

The next hours passed in a haze. A group of men in large cars picked us up. No flashing lights pierced through my closed eyelids, so I didn’t think they were police. Logan kept me in his arms, growls rumbling through his chest whenever someone came closer. At some point my numb hands pushed his mask away. I just want to see him, see the comforting lines of his face, finally be able to read his expression. But my brain was sluggish, unable to make sense of him as he blinked up at me. Instead, I nuzzled my face into his cheek, smearing blood on his skin, eyes drooping closed. 

 Then I was in a bright room and a woman was talking to me. She was wearing a lab coat but I didn’t seem to be in a hospital. Logan and Wade weren’t in the room with me. She told me she was a mutant that would be able to heal me, but not completely, that I would still be stiff and my wound would turn to a horrible bruise. I just gave weak acknowledgements to all her questions. I barely felt the discomfort of my skin and muscles knitting themselves back together. Her touch was gentle as she wiped away the gore from my face and hair, the same healing ability applied to my busted lip and aching cheeks. She handed me a bottle of painkillers, telling me I would need to rest for at least a week. I was grateful that she also gave me a pair of thin pants and slip-on shoes. She helped me hobble to the door and out into a bare hallway. That’s where I found a mask less Wade, bouncing his legs in a chair that seemed near breaking point, and Logan pacing, his hair messy from running his fingers through it. They both sprung toward me and I collapsed into Logan’s awaiting arms. Wade kissed my temple as his hand caressed down my back. The woman explained my situation to them before she disappeared again. 

“We’re going to stay over, at least tonight, okay sugar muffin?” 

“Can you stay longer?” The idea of being alone, especially in my apartment, made my head scream in resistance. My hands scrambled against Logan’s costume, trying to cling to him, to make sure he stayed right here next to me. 

“Of course sweetheart,” Logan murmured, “we can stay as long as you need us to.” His beard scrubbed at my forehead as he drew me close. 

“I’ll go back to the apartment and grab our stuff then.” Wade parted with one last peck at my cheek. Logan let me rest my head against him for a long moment. The fact that I was alive, that I had survived everything hadn’t settled in quiet yet. But I knew it was only a matter of time before I broke down. Maybe Logan knew it as acutely as I did because he lifted me into his arms once again. My consciousness blinked in and out. We were in a car that smelled of cleaner. We passed by the bright skyscrapers. Then I was being jostled once more as Logan stepped out of the car. He placed me on my feet before crouching down in front of me. I didn’t ask for an explanation and just climbed onto his back, arms and legs latched around him. He climbed the steps to my fourth floor apartment. 

“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt,” I whispered, lips next to his ear. His hand squeezed my uninjured thigh. 

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I have plenty more that you can have.” By the time we exited the dingy stairwell, dawn was peaking through the hallways windows. Wade had clearly told him my apartment number, or I had in my pain induced delirium, because he found my door easily. I glanced down. 

“I guess my pizza actually was delivered. Probably bad now though.” I would have thought after two weeks it would have been taken away or would have started to smell. Odd. Logan jiggled my door open and brought us inside, catching the pizza box with his foot and bringing that in as well. My body felt lethargic as I let go of Logan. My healing leg felt far stronger than before, only minor tremors in the muscle. He was drifting through my kitchen, filling a glass with cool water from my fridge, grabbing snacks from my cabinet. “Can we take a bath?” He studied me, worry etched onto his lined face. “I don’t think I have the energy to do it myself.” 

“Drink this,” he tapped the glass, “and eat this first,” he pushed a small packet of crackers toward me. I did as he asked but didn’t sit. If I did, I doubted I would get back up again. He watched me closely, like I had any reason to hide from him. Once the glass was empty and the crackers gone, I trudged to my bathroom. My leg was tense and hard to move. The doctor had done a good job healing my face, leaving me only with two twin bruises on my cheeks. They were already in the yellow stage of bruising and would be gone within a few days. I stood in the familiar space for a moment. Something soothed in my soul at the sight of my towels, the new ones that were like a cloud. I felt back to myself, if only a bit. 

While I waited for Logan to join me, I brushed my teeth. Twice. Then I raked a comb through my knotted hair. I started the bath, not caring about my neighbors and the early hour. When I turned, I found Logan in the doorway, naked. The small horny part of my brain shouted at the rest of it to take in every inch of his sculpted body. But I just didn’t have the energy. “Sorry,” he huffed, sounding a little self conscious. “The suits are hard to get out of without looking stupid.” 

“Hopefully you can help me out of these,” I plucked at my shirt, “without making me look too stupid.” Fine, a small win for horny brain. He approached me in tentative steps, like I was about to attack him or scream. “Logan, I’m not scared of you.” His face relaxed, if only slightly, but he didn’t seem reassured. 

His hands were gentle as he lifted the filthy shirt off me. The calluses whispered across my hips as he reached for my pants, thumbs hooked through my panties, and let them pool around my feet. I braced myself on his shoulders so I could remove my shoes. Logan’s eyes drank my body in before he closed them and shook his head once. “Not the right time,” he grumbled to himself. He stalked to the tub, sitting himself on the lip, before testing the waters with one thick finger. It was seemingly up to his standards and he shut the water off. He collected a washcloth, soap, shampoo, and conditioner before he lowered himself into the hot water. A little groan escaped his throat, neck bared as it fell back. There was a firm muscle in his jaw that relaxed as he sunk into the hot water.  Steam filled the bathroom, the mirror foggy. It made him look like something from the cover of a romance novel, too handsome and otherworldly to be real. He propped one wet arm up on the edge of the tub and I followed a drop of water as it traced down a vein. “You just gonna stand there and stare, princess?” 

I shrugged. “Nice to stare at.” I climbed into the tub, settling between his spread legs, melting into his comforting body. I watched as the blood coating my legs and torso swirled into the clear water, tinting it pink. We didn’t speak for several long minutes, the plunk of the dripping faucet the only sound echoing in the room. My thigh ached but the tight muscle started to loosen the longer I soaked. I absently rubbed at it, hoping to work the last of the soreness out, but only managed a wince of pain. His hair tickled my ear as he leaned closer. 

“Hurt?” I shook my head. His fingers outlined the injury, touch feather light. 

“If it means you keep touching me, then yes.” His chin notched itself between my shoulder and neck. But he kept up his soft touches, his other thick arm curled loosely around my stomach. It seemed like he was intending to let silence fall again. “Why the new nickname?” The question popped out just to give him a reason to keep talking. 

“Wade has a new one every time he talks to you, thought I would try. I thought sweetheart would be dull by now. Don’t like it?” 

“I didn’t say that,” I teased, wet fingers running through his hair. “I figured you would be very old fashioned with your pet names.” I felt his chest rumble with a restrained chuckle. His chest hair tickled at my back. We lapsed into silence again. As it stretched, my mind started to wonder. 

The man’s brain splattering across my face. 

The crack of the wood seat as the knife drove in deeper. 

The creeping numbness in my feet. 

The sight of a man walking through my bedroom door. 

“Hey,” Logan whispered against my ear, “come back to me.” I shuddered and clutched at his arm, wrapping it tighter around me, nails digging into his flesh. “You’re okay. Take a deep breath for me. Good job,” his big hand rested on my chest, right over my heart. “Deep breath again, okay?” I did as he said. His hand pushed down against me in a comforting press as I breathed out. I took five more inhales before he removed his hand. “You’re safe, sweetheart.” 

“I know,” I said, trying to reassure myself. I knew I was. I trusted Logan and Wade with my life. But I felt a confusing mix of vulnerability and numbness. I wanted to cry, to break down at the injustices done upon me. I also wanted to retreat into myself and become nothing but a husk of my former self. Logan gave me a light kiss on the cheek. 

“Time to clean you up I think.” I nodded. He was, as always, gentle. He used a plastic cup to spill water down my hair, hand braced along my forehead to stop any from falling into my eyes. He shampooed my hair three times, trying to get every bit of blood out. His fingers massaged into my scalp and I let out satisfied sighs at the feeling. 

“You’re good at this.” The last of the shampoo was washed away, sending a cascade of soap down my spine. He pumped a generous amount of conditioner into his hand before spreading it along the ends of my hair. He worked diligently through the knots, never tugging or ripping. 

“I’ve had a lot of…” his voice trailed off, seeming uncertain. 

“Girlfriends?” 

“I was going to say practice.” My lips twitched. “Lean forward.” I drew my knees up and rested my head on them. I heard the squirt of soap a moment before the washcloth touched my back. He rubbed in smooth circles, just the right of pressure applied. Eventually his hand curved over my shoulder and I sunk back against him. He was thorough, scrubbing spots I often passed over quickly. The hollow of my throat, the ditch of my elbows, between each of my fingers, behind my ears. Something hard nudged against my back. I pushed experimentally back against him. He let out a hiss and stilled my hips with a single hand. “No. Not now, just relax.” 

“That usually does help me relax.” His hand disappeared under the cloudy water to scrub at my legs. I sat up suddenly and spun, a small wave of water spilling out of the side of the tub. My legs braced themselves on either side of his hips and my hands landed on his shoulders. I caught his hazel eyes flashing down to my breasts where they squished against his chest, before he looked back up at me. “You’re so handsome,” I purred, fingers mapping lines of his face. 

“Hey,” his tone was commanding, but not mean, as his hands latched around my wrists. I tried to catch his lips but he was able to avoid me. 

“Distract me,” I plead. 

“Not like that.” I struggled a moment longer and then I deflated. My forehead fell, landing against his, eyes shut tight. Self consciousness and shame bit at me. 

“I’m sorry. I don’t…I just don’t want to think about it anymore.” 

“Don’t have to apologize, princess.” He brushed my damp hair off my shoulders, hand trailing up my pulse point, before rubbing along my cheekbone. “Let’s get you in bed. I know all your emotions are keeping you up, but you’ll crash soon. You don’t have to worry about anything else until you’re ready.” I groaned.

“Shit, I have to call work. That’s assuming I’m not fired for being gone for weeks.” His thumb stopped. He drew back, pinching my chin, forcing our eyes to lock. 

“Weeks?” 

“Yeah,” I mumbled, looking at him with confusion. “Well maybe more, I was trying to count by the sun.” I pointed at the ceiling to convey the sunroof. He blinked, brows knitted together. “What?” 

“You were only gone for about half a day. Wade started panicking when you didn’t text him that you made it home.” My mind spun. “We would’ve never let you be taken that long.” 

“So, what, it was some illusion?” The water had grown tepid. My thumb nail broke easily when I began biting it after it’s prolonged soak. The fact I could track my days was one of my saving graces. It kept my mind anchored to reality as I sat, bleeding out. But it was all a lie. Why? Logan tugged at my wrist, taking the nail away from me, giving the abused finger a kiss. 

“That woman,” Logan hummed, voice slow as he thought. “She was a mutant. I think she could fuck with time or make us feel like she did. Wade said it felt weird right before he killed her, like he was moving too slow.” That would explain all the odd inconsistencies. The woman standing outside the door for weeks. Bleeding out for days without dying. Never feeling hungry or needing to use the bathroom. 

“Why? Why would they do that to…ah.” 

“What?” He was back to watching me like I was half feral, like I would attack him. It was a heartbreaking combination of weariness and open affection. 

“The man told me that,” my voice stuttered. His touch was light as it moved down my back, disappearing under the water to my waist. “He said that you guys wouldn’t-“ I hated that my eyes now decided to sting. That I was breaking at this, about him. 

“Don’t have to say anything sweetheart.” I shook my head, wet hair sticking to my shoulders. I curled my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, playing with the strands that had curled from the hot water. 

“He said you guys didn’t,” I glanced down, looking at his chest instead, connecting the splatter of moles along his skin. “That you guys didn’t care or want me around anymore. That’s why you were taking so long.”  He growled, the sound reverberating through the water. 

“He’s wrong.” He aimed to reassure, but it was rough around the edges, anger tearing at the corners. It was very Logan. “We want you around as long as you’ll have us.” That mounting anxiety inside me began to dissipate. “Listen,” he squeezed my waist for extra emphasis, “don’t think of that waste of space. He deserved everything that happened to him and more. Everything he ever said to you was a fucking lie.” I nodded and leaned in for a kiss but paused. 

“Just one.” Logan hesitated. “I promise I’ll be gentle.” He grinned and my heart stuttered at the sight. A true Logan grin was like spotting a shooting star, quick and stunning. 

“I remember what your last kiss was like, I’m not sure I’ll survive it again. Having you against me has been enough torture.” Pride made me smile at him. 

“Later then?” He nodded but gave me a quick peck anyways. I didn’t rush after him. 

“Yeah,” he agreed. He cleared his throat. “I promise, I’ll take care of you, do whatever you need, give you anything I can.” My heartbeat stumbled and I blinked back a wave of tears. “I’m sorry I haven’t always been there for you.” His fingers danced along my shoulders. The action felt a little shy, nervous even. But his gaze never left mine. “But I,” his voice died for a moment. He cleared his throat again. “But I don’t want to let you go, not anymore.” I opened my mouth, ready to say he already had me, that I was never going anywhere, but he covered it with his wet hand. “Don’t say anything sweetheart. Just let me help you.” Reluctantly, I nodded. 

He washed the long forgotten conditioner out of my hair before he rose from the bath. I nearly drooled at the sight of his thighs, thick with muscles and covered in a dusting of dark hair. I tried to avoid looking at his dick, it would only rile me up, but I caught a brief sight of it anyways as he stepped from the tub. The tip was a dusky pink and it looked wide. He padded over to my towel rack and grabbed one for each of us. He kept his back, and perfect bubble butt, to me as he dried himself off. While he did, I pulled the stopper from the drain and let the dirty water swirl away. He wrapped the towel around his waist before he turned back to me. 

Logan carefully guided me out of the bath, both hands gripping my arms. Being back on my feet reminded me of the wound on my leg and I grimaced at the tremble that went through it. “Need some of the pills?” I shook my head. I was tempted to look at the injury but my empty stomach lurched at the idea. 

“No,” he squeezed the towel over my wet hair, “the water just felt nice. Gravity is a bitch.” Logan chuckled but still looked worried. When my hair was only slightly damp, he moved to the rest of my body. I let him rub me down, giggling as he found ticklish spots in his thorough work. Occasionally his lips would ghost over where he had just wiped, my knee, my hip, the rib nearest my breast. They were always light and fleeting, but I relished them nonetheless. 

Once I was thoroughly dry, he hung my towel back up. He caught my shoulders before I left the bathroom. “Don’t panic, Wade’s been back for about thirty minutes.” I quirked an eyebrow. 

“And he’s just been sitting there? Without saying anything?” 

“Trust me it’s been hard! Just like me honestly.” Logan sighed, eyes flicking to the ceiling, asking anything that would listen for patience. But I smiled and walked into my short hallway and found Wade sitting on my couch. He was surrounded by an obscene amount of bags. He had changed into a pair of X-Men branded pajama bottoms. When Wade saw me, completely naked, haloed by the dawn light, he made a strangled noise. “Holy fuck, oh my god, shit.” He glanced down at his cock, which was indeed very hard, tenting in a comical way. It gave a noticeable twitch. 

“Calm down bub,” Logan growled, skirting around me to reach Wade and the bags. He glowered down at the other man’s pants. “She’s going to sleep and you,” he punched Wade’s arm for emphasis, “are gonna leave her alone.” Wade whined, head thumping against the back of the couch. Logan opened a bag, fishing out a shirt and boxers, along with a toothbrush. He dropped his towel, not caring that the blinds in the living room were wide open. Both me and Wade tilted our heads, gaze skating over Logan’s exposed body before he covered it with his underwear. He picked the towel up and went to put it back in the bathroom. He handed me the shirt, “don’t get brains on this one.” 

As I took the worn shirt, he turned, but I stopped him with a hand to his cheek. “Thank you.” His hazel eyes nearly glittered in the rising sun’s rays. I gave him a kiss, just on the heavy side of chaste, but not what either of us craved. I drew back first and left him lingering, eyes half closed. I turned on my heel and into my bedroom. As I was picking up a fresh pair of underwear, I spotted Wade coming into my room as well. The faucet in the sink began to run. Exhaustion was finally starting to prickle at me and I yawned so hard my jaw popped. 

“You’re so tired, let me help you.” Wade tugged the underwear from me before falling to his knees. He stared unabashedly at my pussy. I rolled my eyes, smiling despite myself. I was sure to give him a show, stepping into the stretched underwear one leg at a time, spreading myself open more than needed, my hand planted on his head for balance. He was slow to move it up my body, rising into increasingly hunched positions to keep the underwear level with his eyes. He left them down to reveal just a bit of myself to him. He leaned forward, a little point of pink exposed between his lips. 

Logan’s hand clamped around his neck, hoisting him straight, like a mama cat with her misbehaving kitten. “So bad at following directions. Go brush your teeth, asshole.” 

“Yes daddy.” Logan grunted in response. “You sound much scarier all growly like that. Much hotter too.” Wade dodged Logan’s fist as it swung toward him. He scampered away, winking, before the bathroom door shut. 

“Insufferable.” Logan scanned me and I hastily tugged the shirt over my torso. “Good girl, now get into bed.” I blushed but did as he said. Before I collapsed down, I snagged a hair tie and brought my still damp hair up into a haphazard bun. It would be a complete knot when I woke up, whenever that would be, but I just needed it out of my way. Logan climbed after me, the bed frame groaning under his weight. Movement outside my window caught my eyes. It was just a bird fluttering by but a sudden spike of fear rushed through me. There was a clear handprint on the pane of glass. Logan, perhaps hearing my heart rate increase, followed my gaze. “It’s okay,” he mumbled, going to my window to shut the blinds. The room dimmed, the blinds cutting off the bright morning light. “No one will be able to get in here without Wade or me knowing.”  

“I know,” I sighed, curling under my sheets. The bed creaked again as Logan joined me. His arms were like steel rods as they latched around me, drawing me flush against his firm body. He tucked his forehead against the nape of my neck and his breath tickled at the hair dangling there. His breathing was slow and even. My eyes drifted shut, chest synching with his. As if from down a long hallway, I heard Wade make some comment about how cute we looked. Logan’s chest rumbled in response. 

The first thing I felt when consciousness finally reached me was bumpy skin against my nose. I buried my face deeper into Wade’s chest, shifting my stiff legs to feel that ours had tangled together. My thigh twinged at the motion. “Good morning, my lovely sleeping beauty. Never thought you would wake up, thought I would have to do it with true loves fuck.” A sleepy grin tugged at my lips. 

“It’s true loves kiss, Wade,” I croaked, my throat scratchy. I must have been snoring. Cute.

“Not in the movies I watch.” I rolled to my back, stretching my body with a series of cracks and groans. Wade watched me with a hungry glint in his eyes, following Logan’s shirt drifting over my underwear and showing a sliver of stomach. I glanced at the window. With the blinds shut I wasn’t able to tell the time well, but judging by the burnt orange rays leaking through, it was either dusk or dawn. 

“What time is it?” I reached for my phone on its usual spot on my bedside table before I remembered it had been taken with me. It was probably on some long forgotten table or smashed to pieces in a fight. 

“It’s,” his phone flashed, “seven at night.” I scrubbed the lingering sleep from my eyes.

“Where’s Logan?” He wasn’t in the bed and I couldn’t hear any noise from the rest of the apartment. 

“He went to get food. According to him, you don’t eat enough protein.” I shrugged, stretching my hips open, face scrunching at the ache. My hands went to my thigh, kneading at the skin. Wade twisted, kneeling between my spread legs. His pajamas were low, the edges of his hip bones peaking above the waist band. The dim light danced across his stomach and my eyes followed along the ridges of his abs. “You have lotion?” 

“What?” I asked, half laughing, the question taking me off guard. A full giggle bubbled up inside me as his hands coasted along the crease of my thighs, fingertips catching under the elastic of my underwear. 

“Well, I can’t give you a good massage if you aren’t all slippery.” His touch drifted up, pushing farther along my hips, revealing more of my skin to him. “I know you have some, don’t get such buttery smooth skin without it.“ I pointed my thumb to my bedside table. He leaned over me, hips flush with mine, as he rifled through the drawer before he snagged the lotion. My arms snaked around his waist, pressing little kisses to his neck and cheeks. “Logan warned me that you would try to seduce me.” I gave a throaty laugh and it only seemed to rile him up, his hips adjusting between mine. 

“Do you want me to seduce you?” Wade groaned. His nose knocked against mine as he looked at me.

“No need sweetums, your snoring was as much of a turn on as I needed.” I rolled my eyes, pushing his chest back so he was kneeling once again. He grabbed the ankle of my injured leg, bracing my heel against his bare chest. 

“You sure know how to charm a girl.” He smirked and popped open the lid of the lotion with his teeth, squirting a generous amount into his hand, rubbing them together to warm the liquid up. 

“You’re still here aren’t you? Just can’t get enough of me.” I was going to give some sassy retort, but it was cut off by a surprised moan as Wade’s knuckles dug into my calf. The lotion helped his hands glide over my skin, working through knots with pressure that would have been painful without it. He moved in sweeping half circles, squeezing as he went. 

“Shit,” I mumbled, eyes drifting closed. The tips of his fingers worked at the back of my ankle with the last of the lotion. Wade’s hand disappeared before returning to just below my injury, slicked with more lotion. His motions were more controlled, the press lighter, dancing around the bruise. “How bad does it look?” I tried to keep my voice light but there was a faint shake to the words.

“It doesn’t matter how it looks,” Wade responded, fingertips brushing the damaged skin. “How does it feel?” His touch was light and nearly tickled as he doodled idly across it. 

“Doesn’t hurt, just feels numb in that spot. I can feel you touching the skin but it doesn’t feel…connected to me, I guess.” Wade hummed thoughtfully, lifting my heel to be over his shoulder, still damp hands going to the joint of my leg and hip, spreading my leg wider for him to massage. I sighed contentedly. “You’ve been holding out on me,” I teased, “should have made you give me back rubs anytime I saw you.” 

“Just trying to show you all my skills before you let me fuck your brains out.” I opened my heavy eyes to find him smiling softly down at me. I reached out and he met me halfway, resting his cheek on my offered hand. 

“We can add romance to the skill list. Who would have thought.”

“Hey,” Wade nipped my palm, sitting back on his knees. “I can’t do anything nice for Logan without him throwing a fit. So all my hopeless romanticism goes to you.” He lowered my propped up leg carefully before grabbing the other. He added more lotion to his hands. 

“Well I’m honored,” my voice tilted into a moan, back arching as he found a particularly sore spot on my calf. His eyes were glued to my torso, my belly button just peeking out from the bottom of Logan’s shirt, nipples hard enough to point under the fabric. His movement mimicked his work on my other leg, knuckles pushing deep into my tight muscles. He was able to be more thorough with this thigh since he didn’t have a bruise to dodge around. I gasped and moaned, being over dramatic just to see the look on his face. As his hands crept farther up my hips, I spread my legs wider, trying to entice him closer. 

The lotion faded but his touch didn't, fingers going under my shirt. “You’re quiet.” He nodded, middle finger dipping into my belly button and making me laugh. 

“Logan gets like this sometimes.” I cock my head in question. “He gets quiet and will just touch my face. Especially after we get back from jobs. I never really understood it.” He traced up my stomach in soft sweeps, catching the edges of my ribs. “But he’s a grumpy asshole so if I mention he’s doing it, he goes and pouts.” The shirt whispers up my skin as he exposes more of me to him, the bottom curve of my breast visible, and he takes the opportunity to run his thumbs along the sensitive skin. “I get it now though.” I wiggled my hips farther down the bed and Wade drew them higher, resting them on his thighs. “I’m not one to talk about my feelings, and if I do, it’s usually in ways that make people think I’m deranged.” 

“Well you are,” I teased. He pressed feather light kisses to my knees before throwing them over his shoulders. 

“But you love that about me, right?” 

“Ooh, throwing around the big L huh?” Wade grinned. 

“Why shouldn’t I? Life is short.” 

“Mine is, you and Logan will live forever, won’t you?” I reached up, mapping his face. 

“Logan will outlive the sun on pure spite. Who knows for me,” he inched my shirt over my chest, exposing myself completely to him. “I haven’t always been like this. I used to have to worry about my life. It always felt like I saw one wrong step away from dying. I used to be way more reckless.” I raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. He tested the lengths of his healing factor beyond recklessness. “Let’s not point out my flaws while I’m trying to be sweet and open. I at least am guaranteed to live when I do dumb shit now.” I held up my hands in surrender and they moved to his forearms instead. “Even then I didn’t see a point in being guarded and ‘reasonable’. If I loved someone, I loved them.” I swallowed and I knew my cheeks were dusted with pink. “When you were taken, I realized I hadn’t told you. I don’t expect you to say it back but I just want you to know.” He circled my nipples, drawing them to peaks, and a soft sound caught in my chest. “Just think about it, yeah?” 

“I don’t need to,” I mumbled, pushing my chest into his hands. Wade’s mouth opened just as the apartment door was shoved open. My body goes tense for a moment, expecting an intruder, but Wade gave a playful tug on my exposed nipples. 

“Just the old man,” he reassured. I could hear the crinkle of paper bags being placed on my counter, the clink of my keys as he dropped them into my purse, then the light padding of Logan’s feet on the hardwood. 

“I see you’re awake,” Logan said. He strode to where Wade and I were tangled, leaning down to give me a brief kiss, his leather jacket creaking as he did. “You’re a nice sight to come home to.” I preened under the compliment. Wade tugs the shirt back over my chest with an overly jealous huff. 

“Am I not nice to come home to? And where is my loving smooch?” Logan rolls his eyes but gives in, grabbing Wade’s chin with a harsh grip and giving him a rough kiss. But Logan draws back before Wade wants him to and he chuckles at Wade’s pout. “You’re so mean to me.” Logan shakes his head, straightening, his arms crossing. 

“Uh huh. If you excuse me, I’m going to make us dinner since you,” he points an accusing finger at Wade, “would set the place on fire.” Logan, as if he couldn’t help himself, gave me another peck on the forehead. “Do you need anything princess?”

“Well for one, keep Wade out of the kitchen. I don’t have renters insurance.” Logan clicked his tongue, heading back out the bedroom. 

“You need that, especially if you’re keeping us around.” Logan disappeared around the corner. I slid my legs off Wade’s shoulders, sitting up to kiss his nose. 

“I’m going to go out by him, see if he needs any help.”

“Yeah, okay, are you sure you don’t just want to stare at his big bulging muscles?” 

“That’s just a bonus."

Wade signed dramatically. “I suppose I’ll come with you, can’t let him hog all your attention.” 

“I have to go to the bathroom first.” I swung my legs over the edge of the bed but paused. Wade slid off, offering his hands to me. I wanted to refuse, to try and do it myself, but I was afraid of my leg giving out from under me, so I allowed him to help me up. There was a dull throb but no stabs of pain or awful trembles. I appreciated that Wade let me lean on him and walk myself. I felt weak as is. These two men could heal from anything and didn’t seem to feel, or care about, pain and I was nearly debilitated by a thigh wound. 

“Can I come with you?” I walked on my stiff leg into the bathroom, flicking the light on. 

“No Wade, I can pee by myself.” 

“Aw come on, I can hold your hand.” I shook my head, closing the door on him. I took in my appearance reflected back at me in the mirror over my sink. I looked like a mess. There were lines from my pillow pressed into my cheek and my hair was sticking in every direction. I swallowed. 

I knew I needed to look, to get the anxiety out of the way. 

I nearly gagged at the sight of my thigh. The spot, about the size of my spread hand, was deep purple, nearly black. Green and yellow spiderwebbed across the edge. There were broken blood vessels across my entire thigh. I touched it timidly and scrunched my face at the odd numbness. It didn’t hurt to touch, the pain had settled deep into my flesh. The doctor had told me that it would heal from the outside in, so this bruise would be here for a while. The longer I stared, the more I grew to accept it. I had been fucking stabbed and walked away with just this nasty mark. It was the best outcome I could have. I quickly used the toilet and brushed my teeth before exiting to the living room. I found Wade on my couch, tv already switched on, scrolling through my last streaming app. He finally made his decision and I heard the recap of the previous week's Bachelor episode. I had been half way through a rewatch when I was taken. 

“Why am I even surprised you are a fan?” 

“Where else do you think I got my charm and narcissistic tendencies?” 

I found Logan unloading the three overflowing grocery bags into neat groups. There were packages of meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, cookies, and of course, a six pack of beer. 

“No, no, sit down.” He hadn’t even looked up. I ignored him, limping closer. My hands traveled under his jacket, wrapping around his waist, laying my head between his shoulder blades. The leather was soft against my cheek, well worn and well loved. He stilled, one hand encompassing my overlapped wrists. “I don’t need your help.” 

“Perfect,” I hummed, “I wasn’t offering it. Just stand there and let me hug you.” I wanted to crawl under his jacket, to be completely flush with him, to pin him close. A blissful moment passed. 

“Your leg is shaking.” 

“I know.” 

“Then go sit down.” I lightly head butted his back. 

“Stop being bossy.”

“Stop being stubborn.” He turned in my arms, pinning me in place with an exasperated expression. He traced my face with his rough fingers, lingering on the bruises still on my cheek. Then he sighed, resigned. 

“Fine, you can stay over here. But I can’t have you latched on to me like a tumor. Go lean somewhere.” I knew that’s the best I would get. I picked a small section of my counter that would keep me out of Logan’s way. He had clearly inspected my cabinet layout before shopping as he put everything where I would. Eventually he started on dinner: steak, rice, and a salad. Wade was completely enthralled by the Bachelor, shouting dating advice at the tv to try and save the bachelor from his many mistakes. I watched Logan chop vegetables with rapt attention. He had shrugged off his leather jacket, leaving him just in a tight t-shirt. Everytime his hand flexed over the knife or as he grabbed a pan, the prominent veins popped under his skin. I felt like I could watch him for hours. 

He drifted nearer to my perch, grabbing a beer from my fridge. I stuck my foot out to catch his thigh and guide him closer. Once I was able, I hooked my fingers through his belt loops, wedging his body between my spread legs. He took a large gulp of his beer before it clinked against the counter, his hands braced on either side of my hips. I could smell the lingering smoke of his cigar, the barest hint of a cologne. “Need something princess?” I bit my lip as I smirked. 

“Can I ask for that kiss now?” His thumb tugged my lip free of my teeth. I sucked it into my mouth, tongue brushing against the tip. A tiny moan caught in his throat. Just the sound, knowing I made the stoic man weak, shot heat through my veins. 

I drop his thumb and grab the neckline of his shirt, drawing him closer so our lips could connect. For a moment my stomach drops as he stays still against me. He exhaled, breath coasting across my face. Then he’s kissing back. It’s slow, long languid strokes against each other. His hand caressed the side of my neck, thumb against my pulse point, his calloused palm a pleasant scrape. There’s no rush, no desperation like before in the bathroom with Wade. That tension, his resistance to me wanting him, has seemingly evaporated. I plucked his shirt from his jeans, hands exploring his torso, tracing the lines and ridges there. His head tipped to the side and mine mirrored it. His tongue stroked against my lip, begging entrance, which I freely gave. The wheaty tang of beer is heavy on him and it never tasted so good. I wanted to sink into this feeling, this pleasant hum of contentedness, but his mouth moved too soon from mine. It traveled across my cheek, along my jaw, before hoovering over my ear. 

“You can get the rest of your kisses later, okay sweetheart?” I whined in frustration. “Do you want to eat burnt food?” He pressed one last kiss to my cheek before extricating himself from me. I wanted to draw him back, say fuck it to the food. But I just sighed. 

“Fine.” He grinned. He flipped the steaks, checking under the pot lid at the status of the rice. Well, at least I get to watch those hands again. Of course, I rarely ever get what I want. The food was done too quickly and despite my stomach feeling like it was about to eat itself, I mourned watching him. I accepted my plate gratefully, pressing my lips to his in thanks. My steak was cut into thin strips, perfectly done, while his and Wade’s were still whole. I noticed a lack of a knives on their plates as we went to the living room. 

“Not Victoria!” Wade cried, flopping back on the couch in defeat. I nestled next to him, plate balanced precariously on my knee. Logan, realizing we all wouldn’t fit on my tiny couch, sat on the floor in front of me, his wide back against my shins. To my horror, and amusement, both of them picked their steaks up with their hands and ripped into them. I watched a trail of juice run down Wade’s chin. He turned and smiled. “He’s rubbed off on me,” he nudged Logan’s shoulder with his knee. “He gets a hunk of meat in front of him and he just has to rip into it. When he first saw my ass, he tore a chunk out.” 

“I did not.” Logan grumbled. “I just bit you, it’s not my problem your skin is thin.” Wade shook his head in exasperation. 

“He loves downplaying his accomplishments.” I hummed, mouth still full of food. Logan was a great cook, the steak practically melted in my mouth.

“If I’m between you two, could we keep the stabbing and biting to a minimum? I’d rather not have to buy new sheets all the time because you two keep ruining them.” 

“Aw,” Wade cooed, his breath ghosting across my cheek. “Come on baby, you already stabbed me once. Don’t you want to do it again?” I spun to face him. 

“No,” my voice was louder than intended from shock, “didn’t it hurt?” Wade shrugged. 

“Yeah, of course it did. But if your wet pussy is around my dick, the pain doesn’t matter. Probably just make me come harder.” My face was hot and I squirmed. He changed in the most attractive way when he spoke about sex. A look of brazen confidence came over him, his voice smug. 

It turned me on. 

The idea of injuring him was unappealing and sent a wave of fear over me. But if it was something he would want… “I don't even need a super sniffer to know you want to try it out. I promise I fuck so much harder when knives are involved.” 

“Wade,” Logan warned. 

“Doesn’t she smell good? Good enough to eat huh?” My thighs squeezed together and I swallowed. Wade was leaning in closer, like a spring about to snap. Logan’s hand shot up, gripping the other man’s chin, and yanked him to face the tv. 

“Leave her alone. Don’t make me put my claws through your head.” 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time. You know your claws just make me even more sensitive.” Logan slapped Wade’s cheek, not hard enough to injure, just enough to make a crack. Wade groaned but settled back into the couch, giving Logan’s hair a little tug. We finished dinner in relative silence, Logan and I were quiet while Wade continued his narration, critiquing everything from the fashion to the date ideas. With Wade’s attention off me, the sudden flash of arousal faded, but not totally. 

Once our plates were clean, I grabbed them before Logan could even attempt to move. “Hey, let me do that,” he grumbled, trying to grab my shirt to stop me. I evade his hand with a giggle. I run the dirty dishes under the faucet, putting them, along with the pots and pans Logan used to cook, in the dishwasher. “You should go and sit back down. Let me take care of it.” 

“Jesus!” I yelped, the edge of the knife I had been handwashing catching the tip of my finger. “Need to put a bell on you,” I murmured, letting the warm water from the faucet run over the cut. It wasn’t deep but stung like a paper cut. Logan removed my finger, examining the injury. A thin line of blood oozed from it. “It’s okay, just needs a bandaid. Should have seen it after I got a mandolin.” He grunts, kissing the cut, before letting my hand fall. I flicked the water off. 

“Have you taken anything yet?” 

I shook my head. “It doesn’t hurt Logan, just aches.” He drifted closer, our bodies flush to each other, my hips bumping the counter. 

“I’d much rather you take it now,” he nearly purrs, gruff voice tender. “That way it won’t hurt later.” His hands caged me in. 

“I think you just like telling me what to do.” 

Logan shrugged, “one of you two needs to listen to me.” I hummed, considering, arms wrapping around his neck. 

“Fine, you win.” It looked like he was going to pull away but my arms tightened in warning. “For being so nice and following your orders, I want another kiss.” He huffed a laugh. 

“Are we using them are bargaining chips now?” 

“Yes, you’re the one who keeps saying I’ll get more later. So I’m asking for at least one now.” 

“Okay princess, you get whatever you want.” He gently removed my arms, grabbing me a glass of water, as well as the bottle of painkillers. “Here,” he plucked one of the little pills out, holding it for me. I open my mouth in response, tongue out. “You and Wade,” he grumbled, “always trying to tease me.” His fingers graze my tongue as he puts the pill on it. “Now drink,” the command in his voice made my skin prickle. I take the glass dutifully, swallowing the pill down, making a satisfied ah noise once I was done. “Here’s your reward.” The kiss was so brief I thought I had imagined it.

“Hey,” I growled, “don’t be mean.” Logan was smug as he brushed some loose hair from my face. “Fine,” I wiggled from between his arms, heading back to the living room. “I’ll go ask Wade for some.” 

“Oooh smoochie time!”

[cultofdixon]

The father role tends to follow you

Daryl Dixon [PLATONIC] • She/Her Pronouns • when he found you, part of him saw himself when he was younger. Right then and there, he vowed to protect you and cherish every moment • SFW/ANGST • TW: Illness / Injuries / Abandonment Issues / Separation Anxiety / Nightmares

Requested by: Anon

She’s all alone…

She’s so young and she’s all alone

Daryl frowns looking at the small little girl cowering in the rundown shed after he had just killed what felt like a herd of walkers to protect this little girl. He was currently crouched before the opening, waiting for when she was ready to let him take her to safety.

“This place…is warm…walker-free…monster free really…there are other kids…a lot older than you but they are nice…good food made by lovin’ carin’ people…you’ve got me, I’ll take care of you”

Those last words spoke volumes to the little one as she carefully steps out of the shed, Daryl slowly held his hand out for her to take as she was obviously hesitant with it. But she instantly went for the hug and latch, afraid something would take her away from this.

But the way Daryl instantly held her and picked her up. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.

Not anymore.

The little girl sat at one of the benches while Daryl grabbed her some food and to keep her company was Carl. But being in his own little world, he kept his attention to the comic he’s received from Michonne a week prior to the newcomer’s arrival. He was only there to make sure she didn’t run away but the only thought in her mind was to run to Daryl.

“You can go” Daryl interrupts Carl’s thoughts as he got up and before he left entirely he stopped a moment.

“Her name is Y/N. By the way”

“How’d yea get that out of her? She hasn’t talked”

“Her stuffed animal…what is it a dog? Or a bear? Anyway, her name is stitched in the foot. No stuffie is named that”

“Stuffie?” Daryl smiles watching the young grimes glare at the archer before finally leaving. “So Y/N huh? That’s a pretty name” he kept his voice low to keep the small child at ease while he hands her a big bowl of the stew Carol made about an hour ago.

Y/N didn’t utter a word but she took the bowl looking at Daryl confused which lead his own confusion to grow. That’s when she shoved her hand into the bowl, grabbing a chunk of potato and eating it.

“Right. I knew I forgot something” He got up and went to get the poor girl a spoon as she continued to eat what she could with her hands even if it got all over her sleeves.

After she got a meal in her, Daryl lead her to his family’s cellblock and the two were instantly greeted by those there.

“Oh my god I thought Rick was lying when he said you found a little girl” Carol approaches the two, suddenly stopped when Y/N instantly hid before Daryl. “I’m sorry”

“Just. We’ll take it at her speed alright?” Daryl reassures the child mostly as Carol couldn’t help the warmth in her chest seeing how protective her menacing exterior of a friend be toward this small child.

“Okay well how about I go find her some clothes that’ll fit her and you ask Glenn or Tyreese to help you get a spare mattress into your cell for her?”

Daryl only acknowledge with a hum as his undivided attention was on Y/N. Gently brushing the hair out her face when she looked up at him. The sight should’ve been documented for the books.

Tyreese and his sister Sasha helped get the spare mattress in Daryl’s cell and as the two took care of getting it ready, Sasha watches Daryl kneel in front of Y/N as she opened up to him in a kid sense of showing him her prized possession. Her rag doll dog plush.

“You got a name for this little guy?”

Y/N shook her head as she hesitantly hands the plush to Daryl so he could get a look at it.

“Yeah, this guy don’t need a name” He states. “But just between you and me? If I had a dog? Like an actual one? I’d prob name it Dog. It’s easier” He smiles listening to her giggle in response to his words.

“He’s a natural” Sasha whispers her comment to her brother, noticing him admiring the display. “What’s got you so fixated?”

“It’s just nice” Tyreese smiles taking the extra blanket they brought tossing it over the mattress. “Having a little wholesome peace in this hell of a world”

“You’re getting soft” Sasha laughs on her way out of the cell as Y/N watches her leave along with Tyreese following shortly behind, waving goodbye to the small child as she returned the gesture nervously.

At her own pace she entered the cell which was unsettling given where they live, but the way she looked back at Daryl and he gave her a “try it out” look when looking at her new bed. Y/N didn’t care about it being the cell and instantly laid in the bed curling up enjoying every second. He waited till she fell asleep and carefully covered her in his blanket before stepping out to get a few things for her but also ask Rick to reassign the night watch so he could stay with her the night.

This kid has burrowed her way into Daryl’s heart and EVERYONE knew. He would stick with her for most of the day…making sure she ate, brushed her hair, tie her shoes, and make sure she always had Dog with her. He only knew she liked the name for her plush because one night he brought her some crayons and recycled paper where she wrote out her name for him. But also drew a few drawings, one of them being him and her with her name on it but also her plush and its name being Dog.

Y/N has been there for about a month and has her own milk crate of clothes, a new jacket that she wears all the time even if it’s too big for her but the feature she likes is the inside pocket that she puts her plush in. She still doesn’t talk but she’s gotten closer to the other adults in her life which made it easy for Daryl to take on might watch knowing if Y/N woke up she could go to anyone from their cellblock. She’s taken a liking to Carl, looking at him like a big brother. He even shares his comics with her. As long as they are the non-violent ones, per Daryl’s request.

Daryl sat outside at the tables making a few arrows while watching Y/N pick dandelions from the garden so she could bring them back to Maggie who sat beside Daryl also watching the little one.

“You’re so cute with her”

The archer instantly scoffed at the cute comment, even if it is a cute display of the big bad wolf adopting a kitten.

“She’s so lucky to have you” Maggie smiles warmly to her friend as he couldn’t help his thoughts when hearing such.

You had no one

Even if Merle was around, he wasn’t really

You were once a lone wolf in the world

Trying to make do with what life has taken

But life gave you this human ray of sunshine

One that shares the same horror of being left behind…

All you want to do…

Is protect her from everything that once harmed you.

“Yeah?” Daryl asks turning to the eldest Greene sister as she nods with a bigger smile.

Their expression fall when they heard the thud on the concrete only for both to quickly take notice of Y/N who had tripped. Dropping all of her collected dandelions. That really added to the stinging pain in her knees, resulting in a few tears followed by a little bit of a whine.

Before Maggie couldn’t even bring it up, hell even formulate a thought on the matter—-Daryl had already gotten up from his seat and sprinted over to her. He didn’t even ask if she was okay, or not yet. He carefully and quickly picked up Y/N bringing her into his embrace holding her tightly as she latched onto him crying into his shoulder while he softly shushes the crying in a soothing manner. Maggie took notice of the busted knees and got up to go inside to grab the first aid kit for them.

Y/N sat on top of the picnic bench hugging Dog close to her chest, sniffling every now and then as she watches Daryl carefully roll up her pants to expose her knees. Hershel brought and set the first aid kit beside the child while Maggie stood beside her rubbing circles on her back keeping an eye on the archer’s actions and any sign of discomfort in his kid.

“You gotta clean it up first, Maggie can yea get—-“

“I’m here!” Glenn interrupts the inevitable request to get water to clean up the dirt as he brought his canteen after running into both Greenes on their way out to help Y/N. He just had an instinct.

Daryl took his rag out and then Glenn’s canteen to pour a little water on it before looking at Y/N to warn that he’s getting started. Water doesn’t sting too bad but fresh wounds? Still hurts. He gently dabs the scrapes to get the dirt out and glances up at her every now and then.

“Alright. Now the bad stuff. It’ll sting a bit but not long” Daryl warns, grabbing the antibacterial bottle once Hershel pointed it out.

The small child trusted the archer as he took care of her boo boos, that once her knees were all patched up…Daryl watches Y/N make grabby hands toward him as he didn’t hesitate to bring her back into his arms.

“You did good, pumpkin. All patched up” Daryl reassures bringing the circles back onto her back turning his head enough to kiss the top of her head as she relaxed her tense composure.

“He’s such a good dad” Glenn whispers to Maggie as she couldn’t agree more.

Another night graced them and yet another night watch for Daryl. Given the spill today, he didn’t want to go. It wasn’t a serious injury but he didn’t want to leave her alone.

The compromise was Y/N sleeping in the bed in the watchtower with Daryl’s poncho on. She was curled up on the mattress for half the night and the other half in Daryl’s arms when he sat in the chair up there. She had a nightmare which lead to him carefully waking her and needing to hold her to soothe the anxiety brewing in the child. Daryl watches the same night sky listening to the sounds of the forest and the soft snores escaping the child in his arms.

He never thought he’d be a dad in a way. But this kid…is his kid. His daughter. He would tear the world in half if something happened to her.

When one morning the outbreak within a cellblock occurred. The guns firing, the crying, the screaming,…it was stressful. An illness has made its way into the prison and it became dangerous to the point of killing people.

Then it clicked to Daryl.

The archer sprinted out of the infested cellblock booking it for his and his cell finding no sign of Y/N but he soon heard the sobbing. Making him slowly enter the room and took note of where it was coming from as he knelt down by his bed looking underneath finding her curled up.

“Hey…hey, pumpkin C’mere” Daryl frowns bringing himself to lay on the ground looking at her watching her remain. “Everythin’s okay right now. I’m okay. I promise” he whispers to her to keep the calmness in his anxious form stable.

Soon the child came out from hiding and Daryl held her for a moment. He was terrified. Even if the outbreak was nowhere near their cellblock, he would never forgive himself if something happened.

When the council decided to have a group go out and find medicine to help the sick ones that were still alive, sadly Sasha and Glenn getting hit with the illness which caused personal anxiety to spread. Daryl had to go. So when Beth was holding up in one of the conference rooms of the prison with Judith and Carl (who didn’t want to be there but Rick bitched), Daryl carefully set Y/N down in the room kneeling in front of her explaining that what he has to do is important and he was the man for the job. Along with his friends also going.

She still hasn’t spoken and didn’t argue with him, but before he left, he was handed Dog.

“No…pumpkin, he’s supposed to keep yea safe when I’m not around” Daryl frowns trying to hand it back but Y/N gently pushed it back to him giving him a look.

He’s going to protect you out there Y/N thought and Daryl knew. Daryl hooked Dog onto his belt securing him before hugging Y/N one more time.

They couldn’t tell how long it’s been since going from the prison—to a pit stop—-then to the hospital to get the medicine. But there was a moment when retrieving all the medicine they could carry where the sound of clinking bottles caught everyone’s attention.

The anger that instantly built up in Daryl, couldn’t be contained anymore.

People he cared about were dying.

The unthinkable could happen and his kid could get hurt.

He wasn’t having it when he grabbed Bob’s bag and pulled out a bottle of alcohol. Tyreese and Michonne were a bit taken back by the thought that “was Bob really helping us or here for his own agenda?”. Daryl forcefully ripped the bag out of Bob’s grasp entirely, tossing the bottles into the herd that desperately wanted their flesh. Resulting in Bob taking his anger out on Daryl and before the guy could get a punch in, the archer stopped his fist clenching around it to cause some pain before grabbing his shirt and dangling him over the grasping hands.

“I should just let yea go right now”

“Daryl—-“ Michonne tried to stop him but even Tyreese stopped her.

“Please man. The world is rough out there I saw—-“

“Saw what? An opportunity to shitfaced like it’s the old world when people’s lives are on the goddamn line?!” Daryl snaps shaking Bob a bit as he was getting closer to being grabbed by a walker. “People we fuckin’ care about need this medicine. Needed our help and you were fucking selfish!”

“Daryl please. I’m sorry—-“

“Nah sorry ain’t gonna cut it. Now I know you—you probably have a bottle on your person still and if I catch yea taking a sip before any of the medicine gets into our people? I’m not feeding yea to walkers. I’m killing yea where you stand.”

The archer pulled the doc back up and onto the awning they were standing on. He brushes past everyone on his way back to their ride.

When the group was on the ride back, Michonne glanced from the driver’s seat seeing Daryl fiddle with the plush in his hands as the worry spilled out of him.

“She’s okay. Carl and Beth would protect her if anything”

“Yeah, I know”

“Then why are you so worried? We have the medicine. If she had gotten sick when we were gone, it won’t last long”

“I just want to get back to my daughter”

And so they did. But the medicine came first.

Y/N stuck by the door the entire time looking out the small window and stepped away when she heard Carl’s name being called by Rick. But what he didn’t calculate was Y/N slipping past both Carl and Rick when he first opened the door—-then engaged in the conversation. It didn’t click until Rick heard the quick scurrying and jostling of Y/N’s oversized jacket that she had gotten out. There wasn’t any walkers or a threat for the time being but it was still alarming in the sense that if Daryl came down there and no Y/N? Then the world will be set ablaze.

The archer was in A-Block helping Hershel administer the medicine to their family and right as he was helping Maggie get Glenn back in the bed, he heard yelling.

“Daddy!”

An unfamiliar voice with only a caring worry filled force.

Daryl quickly pulled away and saw the tiny human being blocked from entering the area by Michonne. But the second he caught a glimpse, oh now he was sprinting.

The archer quickly ran down the stairs and it didn’t take long for Michonne to notice, making her instinctively move away for Y/N to start her own little sprint toward Daryl.

“Daddy!” She cries reaching about her head as she ran and Daryl quickly swept her up into his arms holding her close.

Part of her knew she was back and knew where he’d be given why he left. Y/N simply couldn’t stay away much longer and had to check on her dad. Make sure he’s still alive and well. Hell, he was going to do the same once the medicine was given but she was a little impatient.

“I’m okay, pumpkin” Daryl reassures as she latched onto him. A small part of him wanted to sob because she finally spoke and called him that. “Everything is gonna be okay”

“Please don’t leave again, daddy…” Y/N sobbed a little into his shoulder as he continued to bear hug her while he held her.

“I promise. I’m never leavin’ yea again” He continues to reassure before setting her down, kneeling before her and taking Dog out for her. “He took really good care of me though”

“Of course he did!” She states, taking Dog back into her embrace. “He kept me safe until you found me”

Now Daryl found himself tearing up, bringing her back into his arms as she happily held onto him.

I’ve got you now, pumpkin

[prettyinpwn]

Re: people taking the Dipper and Ford parallels involving the apprenticeship and the Scholarship, because- like- it's absolutely also a case of the 'fantasy vs reality' theme of the series, like- Ford's apprenticeship was never going to last longer than a week, if Dipper didn't have a breakdown and beg to be taken home (which is not exactly off the table granted Ford isn't in a super emotionally stable place either) then it wouldn't exactly be long until their parents are roadtripping all the way up to Gravity falls to kick Uncle Stanford's ass for trying to keep their child without their knowledge or consent. It's acknowledged in the show that the apprenticeship wasn't REALLY something Dipper realistically thought was an option but was indeed another fantasy, but it's an understated moment in the escape from reality ep and most people forget it was there.(i mean what does staying in oregon with a hermit scientist in the woods studying anomalies do to help him get into film school for his own ghost hunting series?)

and if you take that to parallel ford's 'fantasy setup' one could probably extrapolate that he'd have been kind of miserable at West Coast Tech anyway, of course, we don't have any way to prove that bc Dipper was able to quickly identify that Mabel was emotionally manipulated and tricked into the situation, but Ford was too blinded by his own hurt feelings (and Stanley's terrible attempts at explaining himself) to realize it WAS an accident and lbr the WCT people probably wouldn't have given him a free ride scholarship anyway they were a tech school in Silicon Valley in the 70s and Ford was some poor kid from a poor town in Jersey they absolutely would NOT have given him a free ride scholarship

In a funny way though, this means that Stan is the anomaly among the 'fantasy vs reality' themes of the pines family, bc while Dipper and Ford and Mabel were all, while in the midst of it, utterly convinced of their own fantasies, only able to realize how UNrealistic they were in hindsight, Stan as the family conman was always well aware of the lies he told and that were told to him. And that's how you get so good at selling fantasies that you can out-lie the triangle SO BADLY that he's still raging about it in his therapy journal ten years later

(Oof sorry it took me so long to reply, I've gotten a lot of messages lately and I take these weird ass breaks from Tumblr from days to months at a time for some reason.)

Some great thoughts to ponder in this, Anon, so thank you for sending them in! Yeah, that's another theme I forgot to mention, like you said: fantasy vs. reality. And the beauty of that theme in Gravity Falls, is that even the setting is a symbol of it: where the fantasy of the supernatural and the reality of a little rural town with every day people collide.

I think you're right: Stan is the most balanced of all in this manner. He never really gets drawn into an unreality or fantasy. He knows what's what and what's bullshit, because like you said, he sells bullshit for a living. In fact, I'd argue he's too much into reality. Poor guy needs some escapism and hugs. </3

But yeah, it's very possible that Ford and Dipper would have been utterly miserable if they'd followed the "fantasy" path in life. My favorite way of explaining my thoughts on the whole apprenticeship thing can be summed up in this shot from D&MvsF, and it might be my favorite shot in all of Season 2, honestly:

I can't prove it was intentional - Hirsch and crew would have to do that - but it's almost funny how Ford is portraying himself as this hero. He says, "Dipper, can you honestly tell me you never felt like you were meant for something more?" and strikes this pose. But like... that doesn't look like a hero. That looks like a broken old man with shadows and cracks placed seemingly very intentionally over his reflection.

Even the lighting feels symbolic: there's light on Dipper, whereas the only light on Ford is behind him. Like Dipper's story still has hope and his best days are ahead, whereas Ford squandered the good in his life for decades and is alone in the darkness of his work. It's... kinda depressing, actually. Looking at this shot always makes me feel awful for Ford.

In symbolic language, this shot says to me, "This is the same kind of person, but the older one's a darker reflection of the younger one. A forewarning of what could happen.". Because, look, I'll defend Ford to the end, but like all the other Pines, he's flawed. This man harmed his best friend/lover/however you interpret what Fiddleford was to him, his brother, himself, and almost ended the universe. Like... Ford apocalyptically fucks up, literally. So for him to still think he's on a noble path and tries to portray his way of life to Dipper as this heroic thing in this scene, I feel like he's trying to convince himself as much as Dipper that he's a hero. But his reflection here doesn't lie.

So honestly, I see the apprenticeship as Ford trying to project his image onto Dipper. To become the hero he failed to become, and by training Dipper, he'll think, "Oh, my legacy isn't tarnished, because look at what I produced!". And that's why I think this shot is amazing, because it feels like Dipper starting to see the cracks in his great uncle he's idolized all summer up until this point. He's not the amazing author he fantasized about as this great hero, he's... a broken man with flaws, exploring the husk of a long dead spacecraft with alien death all around him.

I think you're right on the West Coast Tech front, too. This delves into my super big masterpost on Ford's writing, but in that post, I came to the conclusion that Ford's yearning for West Coast Tech was more about impressing his father and providing for family over his own passions.

He didn't even really want to go to West Coast Tech until his principal was like, "Hey, this place exists, and could make you a millionaire.". Filbrick was impressed, and THAT'S when Ford was like, "Hm... now I'm excited!". I think if he went there, he wouldn't have made any friends since that's been a constant in his life except for Fiddleford. Speaking of, he wouldn't have even met Fiddleford if he'd gone there, anyway. So in all likelihood... Ford would have been very alone with very stuffy, elite folks and would have felt more alienated than usual.

Like, can you picture Ford actually fitting in with people at that college? It would have likely been mostly people in the, "Mommy and Daddy bought me a place here!" circle who rode coattails to get in. Like, they'd talk about yachts and crap and Ford would be like, "Yeah, I found a rotten old boat on the beach with my brother once.". And likely it would have ended with raised brows and, "Ew, it's a poor, it has cooties and six fingers!".

That, or he would have been surrounded by other egotistical nerds. And no offense to really intelligent people, but in my experience, some extremely smart people can be condescending. Ford might have found a similar atmosphere at WCT where he might have been looked down on by people that were even smarter than him - or richer - and with even less social tact.

Trust me... I've been around a bunch of Fords on steroids in real life, and it ain't fun being surrounded by arrogant geniuses, speaking as a nerd myself. There are two types of nerds: the ones who accept their outcast-ness and are comfortable with it, and those who are insecure who take it out on others by pulling the "outcast" stick out of their asses and beating up other nerds with it. I'd bet an arm and leg that WCT would have been full of those kinds, making Ford miserable (or he'd have adapted to become just as snooty and/or arrogant as them).

At Backupsmore, he had Fiddleford from a similar poor background he could relate to (and humility - can we all pause to clap for Fiddleford for being a humble genius?) and just enough money for a grant and freedom, but not enough for his father to come running with a hand out, and likely less condescending people. He actually probably was better off going to Backupsmore, honestly.

Anyways, sorry this was a super long reply, but these are all my thoughts on the topics you brought up. Long story short, I agree on the fantasy vs reality theme you mentioned applying to Dipper and Ford. WCT could have been awful for Ford both in the peer and father greediness department, and the apprenticeship likely would have been awful for Dipper in the dark path department. Both Dipper and Ford are way better off being with their twins, imo, or at least that's the show's thesis on the matter.

[simplyholl]

Practice Makes Perfect Pt. 8

Summary: Loki and Y/N have to pretend to be newlyweds for a mission. What can go wrong?

Pairing: Avenger Loki x F. Avenger Reader

Warnings: Angst. Jealousy.

W/C: 884

See my Masterlist here

The only thing that happened between us is cuddling. Loki hasn’t tried to make a move. I’ve wiggled my ass against him, worn revealing pajamas to bed, and there’s no reaction from him. I guess our last time really was on the mission.

It’s been a week and we take turns sleeping in each other’s room. I wish I didn’t feel anything for him, but I do. It would make getting over him easier if he wasn’t in my bed every night. His scent lingers on my sheets, my clothes, my skin.

I squeeze in the crowded elevator. Bruce asked a few of us to come to the lab. He wants us to try this new material on our suits. When I arrive Nat and Loki are already there. Nat is chatting it up with Bruce. Allyson, the newest lab assistant is standing so closely to Loki you couldn’t fit a ruler between them.

She twirls her long, brown hair between her fingers. Her other hand grasps Loki’s muscles. She looks into his eyes, giggling and batting her lashes. He laughs along with her. He doesn’t acknowledge that I’ve arrived. I don’t blame him for not taking his eyes off her. She’s beautiful; tan skin, shiny brown eyes, perfectly manicured nails, her clothes fit perfectly, accentuating every curve of her body.

I think back to how they interacted before the mission. Were they always flirty and I never noticed? I recall a couple days before we left, she brought Loki breakfast before a meeting. So, they had been close before. Why would he want me when he has Miss Perfect waiting for him? Nausea rises in my stomach. He used me. Of course, the sex was meaningless to him. But how could he sleep with me every night when he had Allyson?

Why wasn’t he sleeping with her now that he’s back? “Here’s your new suit. Y/N? Are you okay?” Bruce was speaking to me and I was too distracted by the god in the room. Story of my life. I take my suit from him, thanking him and trying to run out of there. “May I speak with you for a moment?” Loki’s rich voice sends chills down my arms. I hate how my body reacts to him.

Allyson scowls at me. Has she always been like this with me? I always thought she was sweet. I can’t blame her though. If she knows what transpired between me and her boyfriend, she has every right to be mad. I’m mad at myself. “Allyson was telling me she reads those filthy books you like. I told her you read them all the time. Would you care to give her some recommendations?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll make a list for you.” I smile weakly. There is no way in hell I’m giving her horny material so she can jump Loki’s bones. She runs her hand down Loki’s arm. “Thanks. I would appreciate it. I’ve been meaning to tell you. Jordan has been talking about you. I think you would hit it off.”

Jordan also works in the lab. He’s attractive and would be my type if a certain dark-haired god hadn’t ruined me for life. I fake smile and tell her I think he’s great. I take a step back trying to escape this conversation. “We should go on a double date!” Allyson suggests, her grip on Loki tightening.

“Um… okay. Sounds great. Text me the details.” I’ve got one foot out the door when Loki calls me back. “My ring. I’ve been meaning to get it back for some time.” He points to his ring still perched on my finger. I honestly forgot I was still wearing it. It felt like it belonged there. Now with Loki bringing attention to it, and Allyson’s venomous gaze on it, it feels like it’s poisonous burning my skin.

I wiggle it off my finger, placing it in Loki’s waiting hand. “Of course, sorry. I should have given it back sooner.” I don’t miss Allyson’s smirk when I take it off. I don’t know why I’ve agreed to a double date. It sounds like my own personal hell. Honestly, I want to see what Loki and Allyson are like together. I need to know if it’s purely physical or if there’s something there.

I’ve been in bed for a few hours. I can’t sleep with so much on my mind. The familiar sound of Loki knocking on my door echoes throughout my quite room. He has some nerve coming here after he made it clear he is dating Allyson. I barely open it, pressing my face to the crack in the door.

“Are you not going to let me in, darling?” he chuckles. Does he think I’m a joke? Rage and hurt course through me. “What are you doing here?” I ask not moving the door an inch. “I’m coming to bed. What are you doing, love?” He looks at me curiously.

“Don’t call me that! Go sleep in your girlfriend’s bed, Loki. You have no business being here when you have her.” I slam the door in his face, and lock it to make sure I get my point across. I sink down against it resting my face in my hands. How did everything go so wrong?

Tags

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[modern-day-bard]

Other Duties As Assigned: A Joel Miller AU Fanfiction

Content Warning: 18+ This story includes mature themes such as drinking, stalking, violence, and explicit smut. Minors, do not interact.

Chapter 10: Three’s A Crowd

word count: 3.8k

Joel

Whatever kindling of warmth that had ignited between Gwen and me had been altogether snuffed out. If not completely frozen over.

This would probably be fine, except for the fact that I might have caused something worse than just agitation. When Gwen had pulled away, her pupils were dilated, and her breathing was heavy. Not that she’s particularly composed all the time, but even if she’s angry or irritated, it seems to be an emotion she’s showing on purpose. It was always something she wanted to be seen. This was the first time she was hiding something.

That idea prompts guilt to build in my gut. I had wanted her to take all of this seriously, to believe that she was in real danger. But I might have gone too quickly, or maybe I should have walked her through the demonstrations differently…I didn’t mean to scare her.

Gwen spent the rest of Sunday in her room. In the few weeks that I’ve been looking after her, I’ve never seen her stay in there longer than it takes to sleep or change. She had texted me, letting me know what time we’d be leaving the next day for the office. That, at least, was some improvement. After that one text, though, there’s been nothing. Gwen had merely nodded at me this morning while she made her breakfast. The drive over to Russell Corp was silent, but as we rode up in the elevator, I was glad, for my sake, that she had chosen a work-appropriate outfit of a pencil skirt and a silk top. Not that the ensemble meant that she’ll get any less stares as we enter the bullpen.

We had never been here for any real work, and yet Gwen seems to know exactly where to go. Down the hallway, on the left side of the conference room we visited on Saturday night, there are a number of offices that line the stunning view of the city. Gwen stops at the first, knocking whilst opening the door.

“Gwen, good to see you,” Paul rises from his desk, giving her a smile. I don’t enter the room, but I’m close enough for him to acknowledge me. Not that he does. I fight a smirk over the professionalism of it all, and the willingness to forget how tense everything was when they had last seen each other.

“You too, Paul. Arthur said you’d have a spot for me.”

“Absolutely. William is in meetings all day today, likes to front load all the work at the beginning of the week, you know. But there are a few you can sit in on with Julian.”

Even from the back of Gwen’s head, I can tell she’s pissed.

“But Julian works in radio. I asked to be on the philanthropic side.” Her voice is controlled, despite the nails digging into her palm.

Paul goes rigid, tapping his fingers along his desk. “Arthur didn’t tell me about that.”

“Ah…and there’s no way to sit in on my father’s meetings? Or Cyrus’?”

“I don’t believe so.” After a moment’s pause he adds, “I’m sorry.”

Gwen takes in a large breath before plastering a smile on her face. “That’s alright. Arthur said you could show me to my office.”

“Yes. Yes, of course,” Paul guides her out of his office and down the hall. We continue until we’ve rounded another corner, coming to a hallway with an equal amount of private offices. The one Paul leads us to is in the middle. It’s a modest size, with a decent view. Enough space for a desk and a chair on either side.

“Julian should be down here shortly. He can walk you through what your day will look like.”

“Thank you, Paul. I’ll see you around,” Gwen tosses a quick smile at him before walking behind the desk, and turning on one of the monitors on top.

“Message me or Arthur if you need anything, Gwen.” Paul still doesn’t glance at me as he leaves. Now that he’s gone…I’m not sure where I’m meant to be.

“Where would you prefer me, Miss Russell?”

She looks up, startled, like she forgot I was there. It’s the first time we’ve spoken yet today, or at all really since our training, so maybe she has forgotten.

“Prefer…you? Where?” She looks away from me quickly, setting her bag down and opening up the laptop on the desk.

“Uh, would you like me to wait outside of your office today? I can be just behind the door. I can also stay here.”

“Right. Sorry, Mr. Miller. Outside would be great. This place is a little…tighter than I expected.”

I nod, turning to leave.

“Oh, Mr. Miller, one more thing.”

“Yes?” I ask as I watch her take a seat.

“I’m meeting someone tonight for dinner. Nyah set me up. I thought I could send you his name…just in case.”

Maybe there was some warmth still between us after all. Though I did feel a spark of something else as she said it. Something bitter.

“I appreciate it. Anything you want me to look into?”

“No, no. I just thought it was the sort of thing you might need to know.” She looks back down at the laptop, and starts typing in her information.

“Thank you, Miss Russell,” I murmur, closing the door behind me. As soon as my back is pressed against the opposing wall, Gwen texts me the name of her date. Theo Xaiver.

What a fucking name.

A quick internet search and I was gripping my phone a little tighter. Theo is a model, which explains how Nyah would’ve met him. Even without that connection, I have a feeling all of these rich, attractive singles are drawn together like magnets. This one, with his smooth skin and dark eyes, looked like trouble. But everything I can find is just his familial affiliations and designer campaigns. I send his name to Angus for good measure. I’m relieved at least to know about this one, as opposed to her sneaking off on another motorcycle. Gwen telling me about it was the closest I’ll ever come to an invitation.

It takes at least another hour for Julian, a short, middle-aged man to breeze past me and enter Gwen’s office. I take a calming breath as he closes the door behind him. It’s her family’s building, her family’s employees, and only three inches of wood stands between me and that man if anything happens. But it doesn’t mean that I have to like it. And yeah, maybe I’m slightly intrigued to know what they’re talking about.

I hadn’t realized that Gwen had asked to be part of a certain aspect of the company. Not that I’m surprised they denied her. William Russell seemed to prefer the passive aggressive route of communication, and from what I’ve seen so far, he was less than pleased with his daughter. I didn’t expect him not to allow her in on any of his meetings. Surely that can’t look too good for the other people in the building who know she’s here, but maybe that only matters to people in my…economic status. Maybe money can cover even the loudest of mouths.

I accompany Julian and Gwen to their meeting later in the day, and notice through the glass that it’s filled with people I’ve never seen. Not even in the client portfolio. I sigh, knowing that this change of pace will mean more background checks and memorization. Looking at how they all look at her, I wonder if it also means more potential threats. Most seem slightly shocked to see her, though they keep that buzz from becoming a loud roar. What worries me is those that seem irritated. Sure, it might not mean they’re going to attack her, but someone with this much unyielded power is bound to draw a few enemies. All of these people must have worked their asses off their whole lives to be in that room. And this young, beautiful woman steps in on her first day back and commands the type of attention that many CEOs only dream of. I’d be surprised if it didn’t leave at least a few of them on edge.

When the sun finally sets however, I have entered that mode of calm I can usually only achieve when I know my client is by themselves, surrounded by four walls. I lean my head back against the dark hallway. I could get used to this arrangement with Gwen. It would certainly make the remainder of my time easier.

But in the spirit of time, Gwen’s text had said she was meeting Theo at eight o’clock in a restaurant uptown. Glancing down at my watch, she now only has thirty minutes to get there. I don’t really care if she’s late for a date, to be honest. With any other client, though, I would give them a heads up if I noticed something like that. I debate for a moment or two before knocking on the door.

“Yes?” Her muffled, distracted voice sounds from the other side.

I poke my head in, “Sorry, Miss Russell. Are you still planning on dinner tonight at eight?”

Gwen looks up from the laptop, and I’m surprised to see she has glasses balancing on the edge of her nose. I’d never seen her wear them before. In these surroundings, with that skirt…she fits right in.

“Dinner?” She sounds dazed.

“Yeah, at eight,” I repeat, “At, uh, La…Grenouille.” There’s no way I’m pronouncing that correctly.

Realization dawns across her face as she frantically looks to her left at the clock on the wall.

“Shit.”

The corporate princess curses? That’s a first.

“I’m late,” She’s not exactly addressing me as she stuffs two folders into her bag, quickly powering off her computer. She’s moving down the hallway before the light on the screen dies out.

Rodney is waiting out front thanks to this massive building and its lack of an underground garage. We’re on our way to the restaurant immediately.

I can hear her frustrated huffs, followed by rustling around in her bag.

“Do you need something?” I ask, glancing back at her.

She doesn’t look up as she replies, “I had hoped I could go home and change first…lost track of time.” A small smile grows when she finds what she was looking for, a lip gloss. I watch her as she unscrews the cap and applies the shiny color to her lips before fluffing her hair. Her eyes dart to mine momentarily, and I clear my throat, facing forward.

“I see.” I didn’t see. What else could she want to wear on a date? But then I think back to her micro skirts and shake my head a little. Never mind, I should count myself lucky.

“I’ll give you your space tonight. I called ahead and they’ll seat me nearby. You won’t have to…introduce me or anything like that.”

Part of me expects a quip from her about how I shouldn’t be there in the first place, but I just get a soft, “Okay.”

Working today must have tired her out more than she expected.

I get the doors of both the car and the restaurant when we arrive, and a hostess escorts us immediately to a more intimate part of the dining room. Each white tablecloth has a small bouquet of fresh flowers accompanied by a candle holder that has tiny lamp shades covering the flames. Though the lamp shades are small, they cast a reddish hue across the dining room, making each crystal glass sparkle with every flicker. It’s easily the nicest restaurant I’ve ever seen. And it’s certainly rather…romantic.

Theo stands when he sees Gwen approaching, and I wonder if she notices the double take he makes of her figure. But I said I was going to give her space, so I do as I promised. Unfortunately, the table that the staff prepared for me was directly behind Theo’s chair. I was sitting close enough to smell his cologne, but with the amount he had on, I suppose the people three tables down could say the same.

“I’m so glad we finally get to meet,” he says, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Gwen’s voice is sweet, borderline gentle. Rehearsed.

“I probably shouldn’t show all my cards so soon, but I’ve been asking Nyah for your number for weeks.”

“Really? Well she knows I’ve been busy.”

That’s polite of you, Gwen.

“I’d imagine the Guinevere Russell is always busy.”

I smirk to myself as the waitress approaches. I can’t see Gwen cringe, but I can practically feel it.

“Good evening. Dining solo tonight?” The waitress asks, filling my water.

“Yes ma’am,” I wish I had heard Gwen’s answer.

“Well my name is Debra, and I assure you it’s a great experience either way. Do you know what you’d like to drink?”

“Just the water is fine, thank you.”

“Are you sure? We’ve got sparkling, too. Tea? Coffee?”

“A black coffee would be great, actually.” This seems to please Debra, and seeing as an eight o’clock dinner was considered early New York, I might need it.

“---It can certainly take a toll on your body. Depends on the look they’re going for but sometimes I’ll be in the gym two, sometimes three times a day.”

They don’t even have their drinks yet and he’s laying it on thick.

“Why not just stay there all day then?” Gwen asks innocently enough to avoid defensiveness. I feel a small gleam of pride.

“Some days I have.”

I wonder if she’s pursing her lips, the teasing clearly going over Theo’s head.

Their waiter comes to take their order just as the conversation lulls. My waitress is back with my coffee around the same time. I didn’t even think to look at the menu, and now that she’s here, glancing down doesn’t help. I can’t read a word of it.

“Uh, do you have steak?”

Debra gives me a broad smile. “Of course. Medium?”

“That would be perfect, thanks.”

“Absolutely. Let me know if you need anything else.”

I catch the last part of Theo and Gwen ordering and all I hear is Theo’s voice ordering for the two of them. When their waiter leaves, I take my time scanning the room. I should be making an effort not to listen to their conversation. Places like this are usually nice as a security officer, since most people who dine here are used to seeing celebrities or other New York elites. It makes my job easier, less tense. However, it gives me too much time to listen. Too much time to hear just how dull Theo and Gwen’s conversation is, and how long the silence stretches on.

Theo mostly talks about his recent vacation to the Maldives and his new partnership with some designer I’ve never heard of. The only time Theo actually asks Gwen a question, it’s centered around her father. By the time their food arrives, he might as well have asked about the contents of her trust fund.

Gwen is graceful in her replies for the most part, though she does throw out a few quips that Theo either laughs off, or misses entirely.

“I was so happy when I saw you acquired Crescent Productions, they’ve made all my favorite movies. I heard they tried to exclude their streaming platform from the deal and you held them together.” Theo says with an enthusiastic mouthful of pasta.

“At the time I was in England, acquiring my MBA, but thank you. You know more than some of our interns.”

Theo lets out a hearty laugh. “I would've killed to intern there.”

“We don’t have too many model openings.”

“All evidence to the contrary,” Theo’s voice drops an octave lower, and I worry a piece of my steak will reappear. If that’s even possible. It’s one of the best meals I’ve had in years. With the view of the restaurant in front of me, the only thing making this experience less enjoyable is what I can hear from what I assume will be a first, and last, date.

Finally, both of our tables pay and we’re on our way out of the door. Theo asked Gwen twice if she was sure she didn’t want a second drink, and on behalf of both of us, I’m glad she declined.

I follow behind them at a respectable distance, letting Theo get the door for her. When we’re out on the street, though, I need to be next to her. Rodney hasn’t pulled up just yet, and there’s too many damn people in this city passing by all the time. I can feel Theo giving me a few glances, but I survey the street, and pretend to be invisible.

“Are you sure you don’t want to check out another place?” He asks.

“No, thank you. I really should get going with work tomorrow and everything.”

“Right. A nine-to-five woman. That’s admirable.”

“Unfortunately it’s more like eight to eight so far.” Gwen lets out a light laugh.

“Well,” Theo steps closer to her in my peripheral vision, “If you are ever looking for something to do after work, let me know.”

Gwen pauses before speaking softly, “I will.”

And then, his arm is wrapped around her waist, and they’re kissing. Loudly. It sounds as if this man led with his tongue first. Where was the lead up to any of this? How did Theo think that this had gone well enough to earn a kiss? Why is Gwen kissing him back?

Why is Gwen still kissing him back?

Rodney’s black car pulls to the side of the curb just as I feel my jaw might crack in half. I’m trying to hold all of my tension there so I don’t rip Theo off of Gwen by the lapel of what is most likely an egregiously-priced jacket.

I take a few steps forward to get the car door, hoping that it will trigger something in either of them to peel off of each other. Now I have no choice but to stare as I stand with one hand resting on the top of the door. Both of Theo’s hands are traveling dangerously close to Gwen’s ass, and I feel a twinge of worry when I notice the only touch on Gwen’s part is a steadying hand on his chest, nearly pushing him away. I’m about to clear my throat when Gwen gently nudges him back, giving him a coy smile.

“I really do need to get going.”

Theo shows a flash of frustration, but he smiles all the same. “Okay. Have a good night.”

“You too,” finally Gwen walks towards the car, ignoring my face entirely as she says over her shoulder, “Thank you for dinner.”

I shut the door behind her a little too hard.

As soon as we’re on our way home, Gwen is digging around in her bag again. Out of the corner of my eye in the passenger seat, I can just make out the hand sanitizer and mints she pulls out.

Gwen sighs when her phone starts to ring, rubbing in the sanitizer as quickly as she can so she can answer it.

“Hey, Nye.”

I’m more nosy than ever tonight.

“Yeah, I’m on my way back now.” I can feel her glance at the front of the car, so I make sure to take the opportunity to marvel at the city streets passing us by.

“He’s definitely hot, you weren’t wrong. And the conversation flowed really easily and we had such a fun time…No, I’m not taking him home. I have to work tomorrow. But maybe this weekend? We’ll see.”

The conversation flowed? Either she’s lying to her friend or she was right and I should get my ears checked.

“Yeah, I know. Um…” her voice lowers to a whisper, “I can’t talk about that right now. But I’ll call you tomorrow…Okay, bye.”

The rest of the car ride is silent, and we enter her building the same way. When we’re just moments away from her floor, the continual silence of the elevator ride makes me bold enough to ask.

“Why’d you lie?”

Gwen looks up at me, alarmed. “Excuse me?”

“To Miss Abiola. It’s none of my business, I know. It just…it didn’t look like you had a good time.”

For a moment I think I’ve rendered her speechless.

But as the elevator doors open, she tosses her hair back and pierces me with her gaze. “You’re right. It isn’t any of your business.”

I follow her out, and before I can help myself, I add, “So you did lie.”

Gwen scoffs, throwing her bag on the ground before stomping to the living room.

“I could fire you.”

“You can’t fire me. I don’t work for you,” I say plainly.

“I signed the contract,” she whirls around on me, nearly stabbing her own chest with a perfectly manicured finger.

“You signed an agreement for me to be in your residence. If you’d like to appeal that, I’d be happy to buy the apartment on the next floor. I hear there's a vacancy.”

Gwen’s eyes flare at the challenge, taking a step towards me.

“You might have to be around me all the time, but you don’t have to be so insufferable. Don’t most bodyguards know when to keep their mouth shut?”

Knowing she wants a rebuttal, I do what she just said, and keep my mouth shut. I merely raise my eyebrows at her.

As expected, this only infuriates her more. Her chest heaves for a few moments before she responds in an icy, rageful calm.

“I would suggest, Mr. Miller, that you don’t become so involved with your client’s personal lives. Maybe instead you should worry about your own, and solve the mystery of why you might care so much.” If she could’ve spat on me, she would have.

Her blonde hair disappears down the hall without another word.

I can’t help the heat building in my chest. Of course I wanted to tease her, but it was more than that. I wanted to know why she couldn’t trust one of her closest friends with something so trivial. And why she avoided the question. But the fact that I asked it in the first place…I should call Tommy. Get my head screwed on straight. I wasn’t jealous, but something nameless I haven’t felt in a long time. Probably due to her confusing, hot-and-cold attitude. Her sweetened disposition with others and instant irritability with me. And how she left yesterday, locking herself away and refusing to look my way today, and the funny, hollow feeling it gave me. The feeling wasn’t jealousy. It was confusion…and…

And, moreover, it was frustration. Because…she was right. I am getting too involved.

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[thesolarangel]

A touch of cinnamon and spice

Chapter 4

summary: Our boys awkwardly talk about their feelings.

3.569 words · Rated: EXPLICIT · Please read the updated tags on AO3!

Notes: Sorry, I totally forgot to mention this before: Robin and Steve are roommates! Also, Steve doesn’t know what D&D is! For the sake of this fic I will ignore the fact that they normally wouldn’t have their own bathroom at their dorm room. In case you didn’t know: putting a sock on the outer doorknob of a room means “Don’t come in, we’re doing spicy stuff!”

Read on AO3 here

Chapter 4 · November 6th 1987 

“Hey, I’m back!”

Jonathan shut the door and threw his backpack onto his bed.

“Hmm.” Eddie made a noise of acknowledgment but didn’t look up from his book. Not even his favorite story had managed to cheer him up, even though he had loved reading “The Hobbit” since he was a kid. Instead, he was staring at the sketch he had made of Steve, which he had kept between the pages… 

“Listen, you should come to the game with me.” Jonathan sounded determined. 

“Huh?” Eddie turned his head to see if Jonathan was joking. Football? Really? He wasn’t a fan of sports and Jonathan knew that.

“I just think some fresh air would be good for you… And to focus your mind on something else for a change…” Jonathan shrugged. 

Eddie frowned. It hadn’t even been a whole week since the halloween party. He had a hard time shaking off the memory of the kiss. Steve’s soft lips against his own and the fireworks in his chest… And the dreadful scene that unfolded in front of him afterward.

Since then, Eddie had run into Steve a few times in the halls or the cafeteria. He had tried to talk to him, but Eddie had bolted every single time. He had taken notice of Steve’s worried face, but he wasn’t interested in what he had to say. Eddie was still hurting and it was embarrassing. He shouldn’t care so much about a guy he kissed once. So he chose to mope about it in his dorm room and avoid leaving whenever he could.

“I gotta take some pictures for the school paper”, Jonathan went on as he prepared his camera with a new film, cleaned the lens, and stuck it into his camera bag. “You could tag along?”

“Ugh, alright.” Eddie sighed as he got up from his bed and stretched his back. “I guess I don’t have anything better to do anyway.”

…

The moment he stepped outside, Eddie regretted it. He had only thrown his leather jacket over his hoodie when he had left the dorm.

It had been an especially uncomfortable November day. The weather was grim and cold, large dark gray clouds were covering the sky. He pulled the hood over his unruly hair which helped a bit to keep the wind from his neck and face.

Unsure about how this could change his already miserable mood, Eddie grumpily accompanied Jonathan to the football field.

Jonathan took his place at the side of the field, all the way down the bleachers whereas Eddie was walking up a few steps, looking for a free seat. Despite the weather, it was very crowded since it was the last game of the season. 

“Hey, Eddie!” A familiar voice called his name.

Oh no.

Equipped with a dark blue coat and a burgundy scarf, Steve was sitting a few rows ahead. He was giving Eddie a small reluctant smile and offered the free seat beside him. His usually neatly styled hair was a little messy, due to the relentless fall wind. 

Eddie felt his shoulders tense up.

Just be casual, Munson. Like he didn’t consume your thoughts for the last few weeks.

“Hey,” Eddie said as his cheeks blushed slightly with embarrassment. He sat down, hands in his pockets, pretending to follow the game to avoid Steve’s view. Their college’s team had just scored a touchdown and everyone was cheering around them. Colorful banners and big foam fingers flew through the air as they shouted their team’s anthem.

After a while, Steve spoke up carefully: “Um, so I wanted to ask you… why did you leave the party so suddenly?”

Here we go.

“You seemed busy flirting with someone else, so I thought it was better if I left,” Eddie answered dryly. His shoulders felt tight as he waited for the impending rejection. 

“I wasn’t flirting though.” 

“Huh?” Eddie raised his eyebrows at him.

“I was catching up with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while. And when you were gone, I was so confused.” Steve said softly. “I was genuinely looking forward to meeting up with you again…” 

“Oh…” Something inside Eddie began to stir with hope. This was not what he had expected. 

Steve awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “I, um… I thought we had a moment that night.” And now it was him blushing and not looking at Eddie. “Sparks, fireworks, whatever you wanna call it…”

Eddie stared at his feet, letting his long curls fall into his face, hopefully concealing his flushed cheeks. He had to wrap his head around what he had just heard, but Steve sounded honest. After all, he could have just ignored Eddie and moved on, but here he was, talking to him, clarifying what had happened. It had all been a big misunderstanding.

“We did have a moment…” He glanced over at Steve, lips curling into a soft smile.

“So… are we good?” Steve asked, playfully bumping his shoulder into Eddie’s.

“We’re good, Stevie.” Eddie let out a huffed laugh. He sat upright again, relief flooding his body and he felt his shoulders relaxing. “Damn, now I wish I had stayed.”

“There’s always next time if you want.” Steve gave him a charming smile and their eyes locked.

One day Eddie’s heart was gonna jump out of his chest at how beautiful Steve was. He looked at him with kind eyes and this stupid grin on his face. 

What did I get myself into… he’s so pretty…

…

They watched together as Steve made a few comments about the course of the game. Eddie nodded along, pretending to understand the football lingo, but it gave him an excuse to look at Steve’s handsome face.

“So, how come Robin isn’t with you? The two of you seemed pretty inseparable.” Eddie asked, eager to find out more about Steve’s life.

“She’s currently at our dorm with her girlfriend, Nancy, the girl that you saw at the party,” Steve explained. “Also full disclosure, Nancy and I used to date in high school, but that didn’t work out, and now we’re friends.”

Their team scored another goal and the audience around them roared. 

“Honestly I have no idea what’s going on down there!” Eddie chuckled and gestured towards the field.

“Then why are you still here?” Steve laughed.

“It’s the excellent company for me, Stevie” Eddie smirked.

…

Eddie felt a few raindrops fall onto his nose and cheeks and he looked up at the sky. It had started to drizzle, but the dark clouds in the distance looked very ominous.

Those who were thoughtful enough to bring umbrellas and raincoats were fine, but Eddie groaned as his jeans and hood slowly got drenched.

What started as a light shower that was easy to handle, quickly developed into massive rainfall with heavy gusts of wind. Down on the field, the players kept slipping and losing their balance on the soaked lawn due to poor visibility from the rain and wind. 

At first, the announcer reported that they were keeping the game going, hoping the rain would subside soon. But with time, the injuries kept piling up and several players of each team had to be taken off the field to be treated by the paramedics. The breaking point was when one of the quarterbacks had hurt his ankle so badly, they believed it to be broken.

Once again, the announcer’s voice roared from the speakers: “That’s it, folks, we’re gonna have to pick this up another time! Please get inside safely and don’t rush!”

Steve nudged Eddie in the side: “Let’s go!”

…

Back inside, Eddie took off his hood and rubbed his hands together. He was completely drenched and freezing and Steve didn’t seem to have gotten away any better despite his winter coat.

Steve looked like a sad, wet puppy: Big eyes, hair deflated, wet strands hanging in his face, rain dripping from the tip of his nose.

“Are you okay?” Eddie chuckled, the sight that Steve presented was just too cute.

“I can’t go back to my dorm…” Steve let out a groan of frustration.

“Why not?”

“Robin has invited Nancy over to our room.” He glanced over at Eddie. “We have a deal: I watch the game, they can have some alone time…” 

“Ooh.” 

Steve looked at his watch. “I have like 2 more hours to kill at least”, he said with a frown.

“You can come to my dorm”, Eddie offered. “I can help you warm up”, he added with a cheeky smirk.

“You’re ridiculous”, Steve laughed but followed Eddie to his dorm room.

…

Eddie lent Steve some sweatpants, a faded Metallica shirt and showed him to the bathroom where he could get changed.

Meanwhile, he threw his own wet clothes on the radiator, slipped into comfy pajama pants, a Black Sabbath shirt, and then frantically tried to clean up the place. Once he was done, it was still a mess, but he hoped Steve wouldn’t pay much attention to it.

“Thanks for the change of clothes, I already feel so much better”, Steve said, stepping out of the bathroom. He was rubbing his hair dry with a towel which made the already very small shirt ride up at his waist and expose a gorgeous dark trail of hair from his bellybutton to the rim of the sweatpants. 

“No problem…” Eddie’s voice trailed off as he glanced at Steve’s exposed skin and the way his shirt stretched over his pecs and biceps. 

Steve put both hands on his hips and let his gaze wander around Eddie’s side of the room. Posters of his favorite bands, like Metallica, Judas Priest and DIO, magazine cutouts and a few concert tickets were plastered all over the wall. A large banner that said CORRODED COFFIN in black and red distorted letters had been hung in the middle. An acoustic guitar was placed next to the TV at the foot of his bed.

“Corroded Coffin is your band, right?” Steve asked and pointed to the banner.

“Yeah“, Eddie answered, delighted that he remembered the name. 

“I’d love to hear you guys play someday.”

“I’m gonna convert you to a true metal fan, just so you know.”

“We’ll see about that”, Steve laughed.

Next, he wandered over to Eddie’s cluttered desk in the corner. It was covered with drawings, weirdly shaped dice, pencils and books. He picked up one of his books and raised an eyebrow.

“Dungeons and Dragons, huh? Sounds kinky…”

Eddie snorted. “Right…” 

Steve sat down on Eddie’s bed, stretched out his legs and put the towel around his neck.

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Eddie asked. He was happy to see that Steve had already made himself comfortable on his bed. “Here”, he took his blanket and threw it over Steve’s legs.

“Thanks. Do you have Star Wars?”

Eddie’s face lit up, excited that Steve was a fan, too. He went over to his stack of VHS tapes next to the TV. “Sure, which one do you wanna watch?”

“The one with the teddy bears,” Steve replied with a confident grin.

“Really, Steve?” Eddie rolled his eyes at him.

“What?” Steve shrugged. 

“You’re lucky, you’re cute”, Eddie commented while looking for the right tape.

The characteristic Star Wars intro blared from the speakers. The bright yellow writing on the starry sky slowly floated over the screen, introducing the premise of the story. Eddie sat down on the bed next to Steve, who, without saying a word, lifted the blanket and Eddie snuck under it with him.

Smiling to himself, Eddie felt himself buzzing with excitement on the inside. He was ready to take it slow, but he also really wanted to kiss Steve again… 

Throughout the movie, Steve kept asking random questions like “Who’s that old guy again?” and commented “I have no idea what’s going on…” when the rebels around Han, Leia and Luke met up to discuss their plan to bring down the empire.

“I thought you’ve seen this before?” Eddie laughed, but Steve just shrugged.

Eddie shifted in his seat and sneakily scooted a little closer to Steve, snuggling against his side. They were practically cuddling by now and Eddie felt the energy shifting slightly as Steve leaned into the touch. 

“Han Solo is so hot”, Steve remarked about thirty minutes into the movie. 

“Dark cheeky rebels do it for you then, huh, Stevie?” Eddie teased.

“Maybe”, Steve whispered and suddenly there was a broad hand on Eddie’s thigh, giving it a little squeeze. His heart started beating faster. They were so close… Breathing in Steve’s wonderful sweet scent and gazing deep into his longing eyes made Eddie feel warm all over. 

Steve’s gaze dropped to his lips. “Can I kiss you?”

“Next time sure is here faster than I thought”, Eddie gave him a cocky grin.

“Shut up”, Steve laughed and pulled him into a soft kiss. 

The way Steve kissed him was exhilarating, Eddie felt like fireworks were bursting in his chest. He tilted his head and kissed him back impatiently while tugging on his waist to get him to come closer. Steve climbed into Eddie’s lap, both of his legs on either side of Eddie’s. He was met with Eddie’s arms wrapping around him immediately. 

“For the record, it’s called Return of the Jedi...”, he mumbled between kisses.

“Hmm?” 

“The movie. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”

Steve looked at him confused and with kiss swollen lips and flushed cheeks. “Is this your idea of making me swoon?” He asked with a huffed laugh.

Eddie grinned and sealed their mouths again. Steve’s fingers wandered into his hair and started drawing patterns into the nape of his neck, sending shivers over Eddie’s sensitive skin. 

They made out with the movie still playing behind them, neither of them paying attention. When Eddie playfully bit into Steve’s bottom lip, then licked over it apologetically, Steve suddenly let out a small moan. 

Eager to find out what other sweet sounds Steve would make, Eddie did it again, this time biting a little rougher. Steve let out another soft noise of pleasure.

“Eddie…”, he whispered and then his lips were on Eddie’s again, kissing him hungrily. “Eds… I really like you…” Steve said in a low voice, rolling his hips slowly in Eddie’s lap.

“Would be strange if you hated me since you’re in my lap and…” he teasingly grinded his hips upwards and Steve let out a choked whimper “...hard.”

“You don’t seem unaffected by this yourself…” Steve licked his lips and gazed at Eddie from under his long lashes. Experimentally, he drove his hips down harder.

“Stevie…” Eddie groaned and his hands moved to grip Steve’s hips, guiding his motions. 

“God, you’re so hot, why are you so hot…” Steve was almost slurring his words between kisses and driving his hips down into Eddie’s crotch.

Eddie answered by pulling Steve into a filthy kiss, greedily sliding his tongue inside his mouth, earning him another moan. His hand found its way under Steve’s, well, his t-shirt and brushed over his nipple. The lewd noise that Steve made went right to Eddie’s dick. Something hungry was building up in his belly, yearning for more.

“You’re driving me insane, you know that?” Eddie growled against Steve’s hot skin while kissing down his neck, licking and biting gently. “Lie down for me, okay?”

“Okay…” Steve let Eddie maneuver him until he was lying on his back, splayed out, letting his legs fall open for Eddie to fit snugly between them. But instead, Eddie got up.

“Hang on a second…” he said, grabbed one of his socks from the floor and put it on the outer doorknob of the room.

“Woah, you have high hopes”, Steve chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Well, Stevie, I’d say that’s entirely your fault, laid out like this on my bed, looking like a snack!” Eddie just shrugged and laid on top of Steve and kissed him again before he could say anything else about the sock on the door.

“I still wanted to tell you… at the party, hmm” Steve broke off mid-sentence as Eddie was attacking his neck with wet kisses. “You looked so hot… the eyeliner and no shirt, just the jacket… I couldn’t stop staring at you.” 

“You’re one to talk, I wanted to rip that tiny white shirt right off… that chest hair, lemme see, please?” Eddie was tugging at his shirt and Steve sat up so Eddie could take it off.

Eddie immediately buried his face in Steve’s beautiful chest hair. Steve was all broad and hairy, whereas Eddie was more on the lean side and just sported a few hairs on his own chest. Steve’s tanned skin was peppered with moles all over his torso like little kisses and Eddie was determined to find every single one and kiss it himself.

He let out a pleased sigh and began to trace the shape of Steve’s pecs and gently took his nipple into his mouth. He flicked his tongue over it, then the other one, making Steve squirm under his touch.

“Ahh oooh, Eds!” Steve bucked up his hips. 

Eddie came up again to kiss him and rubbed his crotch back against Steve’s whose hands flew to Eddie’s butt, squeezing, spurring him on to give him that delicious friction.

“Steve…” Eddie purred over him and propped himself up on his elbows, stroking with one hand through Steve’s hair that stood up messily from his forehead. “Stevie, baby” he whispered again to get his attention.

“Yeah?” Steve looked utterly ravaged, blinking up at Eddie, trying so hard to concentrate. Eddie knew he was close, he felt it and saw it in his gaze.

“As much as I’d love to mindlessly hump you, Stevie, these are my last clean pants. The ones you’re wearing and mine.”

Steve let out a small frustrated groan. “So what do you propose?”

“Good old-fashioned handjob?” Eddie suggested with a grin.

“I’m up for that” Steve smiled. “But first, take this off please, I wanna see you, too” he pulled on Eddie’s shirt and slid it over his head.

“You have more tattoos!” Steve’s eyes went wide as he traced the tattoo on Eddie’s chest with his fingers.

“I do,” Eddie chuckled. “Planning on getting more, too.”

“Hot…” Steve said in a low voice as he admired Eddie. He reached up to cup his jaw and dragged him down into another kiss.

Eddie helped Steve tug down his sweatpants and underwear as well as his own. He felt his excitement grow upon seeing Steve’s heavy cock again, this time hard and up close. 

His mouth began to water. Another time maybe…

“Here, let me”, Steve offered as he wrapped his broad hand over both of their shafts. Eddie moaned loudly when Steve began to slowly pump his hand, using their precum to ease the glide. 

“Steve… oh god”, Eddie rocked into his hand.

“Feels good?” Steve’s voice sounded rough and filthy. Eddie felt the blood rush through his veins.

“Yeah… you’re amazing” Eddie whimpered shakily. “I’m close, Stevie.”

Steve gently rubbed his thumb over the sensitive underside of his swollen cockhead, taking Eddie by surprise and with a sudden cry, he spilled across Steve’s stomach. Encouraged by this and Eddie’s wrecked noises, Steve moved his hand faster and soon he was shooting his own big load onto his tummy and watched it mix with Eddie’s.

Both of them were breathing heavily. Eddie bent down to give Steve a tender kiss. “I like you, too, you know… In case you didn’t know already.” Steve gave him a stunning smile, eyes gleaming, cheeks pink. Eddie peppered a few more kisses to the corner of his mouth and his cheeks. 

After cleaning themselves up, they cuddled up under the blanket again. They watched the rest of the movie while laughing, kissing, enjoying each other’s company and eventually Eddie asked: “Do you wanna stay here tonight?” 

Steve was sitting in his lap again, with his back to Eddie’s chest, Eddie’s arms around him. “Don’t you think Jonathan will be back at some point?” 

“I’m pretty sure he’ll just go over to Argyle’s and sleep there”, Eddie replied and gave him a suggestive look. “With the sock still on the door…”

“I guess I can stay then.” Steve smiled.

“Awesome! Let’s order some food and then… How about The Lost Boys next?” Eddie grinned.

…

Jonathan had been at the photo lab after the football game had been canceled and was now making his way back to the dorm. It was already dark out and he wanted nothing more than to lie down with a good book. As he approached his dorm, he noticed a white tennis sock hanging on the doorknob and he stopped in his tracks.

He did see Eddie and Steve sitting next to each other on the bleachers and he had hoped they’d talked things through. So hopefully it was them in there… talking.

He grinned to himself and turned around.

Jonathan knocked on the door, heart racing in his chest as he clutched his bag and waited.

The door swung open and Argyle, long dark hair flowing over his shoulders, stood in the doorframe. His face lit up once he saw it was Jonathan.

“Hey!”

“Hi,” Jonathan smiled shyly. “My dorm is occupied tonight, can I stay with you?”

“Absolutely, come on in!”

tag list: @starlady66 @fenharel-enaste @queenmeriadoc @elronds-pointy-ears @hbyrde36 @hammity-hammer @corrodedbisexual @spoookysix @rozzieroos @cranberrymoons

devider by @firefly-graphics

[parkerslatte]

Songbird || TWENTY-ONE

Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.9k

Part Summary: The band perform in Pittsburgh.

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•••

TRACK TWENTY-ONE;

RUNNING AWAY FROM THIS CONVERSATION

…

Y/N L/N: I had decided to to a few more shows and leave the band sooner than I had planned. I hadn’t told anyone of my decision yet, I wanted to keep it quiet. It was their hometown show, it was meant to be a special moment for everyone…

…

“I can’t speak for all of you,” Billy spoke as the band huddled together backstage, “But I sure as hell wouldn’t trade this for anything. Thank you.”

“Alright, who are we playing for tonight?” Graham asked. 

“For family,” Billy says.

Y/N looked down, the only thing she could concentrate on was that letter from her mother. 

“‘Pittsburgh’ on three.” Billy says, placing his hand in the middle, one by one each band member followed suit.

“One, two, three, Pittsburgh!”

While in the huddle, Y/N kept a smile on her face but as soon as she stepped back, it faded. 

“You okay?” Warren asked as they got ready to walk on the stage.

Y/N turned to face him, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You can tell me if something wrong-”

Warren was cut off as Billy as the first to walk on stage and the arena erupted into cheers. Sparing one final glance at Warren, Y/N walked onto the stage, plastering a fake smile across her face.

Physically, Y/N was present, her body playing the songs through muscle memory. However, mentally Y/N was miles away. Eddie was the only other person to know about her mother and she planned to keep it that way. She didn’t need anyone else knowing. 

Warren’s gaze occasionally landed on Y/N and he could tell that her body was simply acting on autopilot. He briefly glanced over at Eddie and noticed him looking in Y/N’s direction, his eyebrows furrowed. Warren could tell there was something happening but he didn’t know what. 

As the band ended the song and all took a bow at the front of the stage before exiting, Warren quickly caught up with Y/N, “So what I was saying was that if you want to talk, I’m here.”

Y/N turned to Warren and gave him a tight lipped smile, “I know, but I’m fine.”

As Y/N grabbed a drink and stood near Karen, Eddie was getting ready to go back out on stage. Just as he was about to put the strap over his head, Billy approached him.

“Let me take this one,” Billy says, grabbing Eddie’s guitar before he could even formulate a response. 

…

EDDIE ROUNDTREE: You gotta understand, going about your life like that, you know, feeling like a second-class citizen in a first-class resort…it messes with you. It messed with me.

…

The smile on Eddie’s face fell instantly as he watched Billy walk onto the stage. Slowly Y/N walked over to him and gripped his hand but Eddie didn’t acknowledge her, he simply continued to look forward. Internally Eddie was angry, he was beyond that, but on the outside all that showed was the heartbreak. 

“Come on,” Y/N says softly, dragging Eddie away to a more secluded area. 

Eddie allowed himself to be dragged by Y/N as he finally tore his eyes away from the stage. 

“I can’t believe he did that shit!” Eddie exclaimed. 

“I know,” Y/N says softly.

“Who the fuck does he think he is?” Eddie paced in the small area where Y/N had taken them to, “That is my only moment of stage and he takes it away from me.”

“Eddie, trust me I know,” Y/N says, cupping his cheeks, “He sang my song.”

Eddie sighed, “I’m sorry, I forgot. I just can’t believe him.”

“It’s okay,” Y/N says, “It’s fine to be angry, trust me I was.”

Eddie sighs and leans forward resting his forehead on Y/N’s, “I’m done. That was the last straw. I’ll finish the rest of the tour then I’m out.”

“Are you sure?” Y/N questioned, wanting to make sure that Eddie wasn’t making a rash decision. 

“I’m sure.” Eddie says, “I’m sick of Billy walking over me.”

Y/N gently rubs his cheek with her thumbs, “I’m leaving at end of the week.”

“What?” Eddie questioned, “I thought you were leaving at the end.”

“I was but our conversation put some things into perspective,” Y/N says, “I’m not happy Eddie. I enjoy playing with everyone, you guys are my friends but I can’t keep pretending that I enjoy being in the band, with everyone and the fans. I want to make my own music, I miss it. And the sooner I leave the faster I can do that, I don’t care if I have to start from scratch.”

“You’re not happy?” Eddie questioned, his hands reaching up to tilt her head to look at him.

Y/N sighs, “I’m happy with you, Eddie. I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you. But with the band, the touring, the drama, my mother dying, I can’t do it anymore.”

“You’re leaving the band?” Warren questioned, coming around the corner. 

Y/N pulled away from Eddie and looked at Warren, the usual smile on his face gone. 

“Warren-”

“What are you three doing?” Rod questioned, “You need to get back on the stage.”

As the three slowly walked back to the stage, Y/N gripped lightly onto Warren’s arm, “I’ll explain everything after the show okay?”

Warren simply nodded before he walks onto the stage, Y/N following behind him, plastering a fake smile on her face to please the crowd.

***

Y/N sat at a bar, nursing her drink waiting for Warren to show up. Her leg bounced up and down as she waited. As they got off the stage, Warren didn’t look at her, he simply left the arena, she had to ask Lisa to pass along the message to meet her here. Y/N looked at the time and he was nearly ten minutes late. 

Y/N didn’t want Warren to find out she was leaving the band the way he did. She didn’t necessarily have a plan on how to tell him but it wasn’t going to be in a way where it would hurt him.

As Y/N took a sip from her drink, someone sat down to her left and ordered. Immediately recognising the voice, Y/N turned to face Warren. Neither of the two said anything, each taking small sips of their drinks. 

“So,” Warren says, breaking the silence, “You’re leaving the band.”

Y/N sighed, “Warren I didn’t want you to find out the way you did. I was going to tell you, I swear on that.”

“How long have you been thinking about it?” Warren asks.

“Honestly,” Y/N starts, “A while, but it’s nothing to do with you or anyone else. I never wanted to join in the first place, you knew that.”

“I know,” Warren says, “But I was hoping that you would change your mind, you seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Y/N offers him a smile, “I am enjoying myself, I’m playing music with my friends, but it’s not what I want. What I wanted was to make my own album, my own music, perform my own music for people and I can’t do that while in a band.”

Y/N places her hand on top of Warren’s, “Look Warren, I love you, you are one of my best friends in the world but I can’t stay in this band if I’m not happy. It will do no one a good.”

“I don’t want you to stay,” Warren finally says, “You never wanted this but I was still hoping that you would change your mind.”

Y/N squeezed his hand, “Warren I’m not leaving forever. I’ll still be around, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Warren turned to Y/N and offered her a smile, “Good, because you’re not getting rid of me either.”

Y/N smiled before wrapping her arms around Warren and pulled him into a hug. The two stayed that way for a while. 

“I love you.” Y/N mumbled into his shoulder.

“I love you too.” Warren replied, “And I’m glad you’re doing something for yourself.”

Y/N pulled away, furrowing her eyebrows, “What do you mean?”

“Ever since you joined the band, Y/N, it’s like you’ve done things because it pleases other people,” Warren says, “You joined the band to please Teddy, you stayed in the band for everyone else. Earlier when something was clearly bothering you, you stepped up to make sure Eddie was okay. Every time someone needs something or needs help, you are the first person that offers not thinking of the effect it would have on you.”

“I’m just trying to look out for everyone.”

“No, you’re putting everyone before yourself.” Warren says, “I do love you Y/N, but you need to do something that makes you happy and if that means taking a break for a while to focus on yourself then do it.”

“I don’t know how to do that.” Y/N says.

“Exactly,” Warren says, “You need to learn how.”

***

“Wheels up, two minutes!” Rod yelled to everyone. 

Y/N stood near Eddie as he said goodbye to his mother and grandmother, Y/N offered them both a wave though Eddie’s mother pulled her into a hug. 

“Thank you for having me, Mrs Roundtree.” Y/N says while pulling away from the hug.

Eddie’s mother smiled, “It was my pleasure and please, call me Patricia.”

“Thank you, Patricia.” Y/N says as she stepped back, allowing Eddie to give his family another hug goodbye. 

Y/N stepped up to the plane and collapsed into a seat. Eddie and her hadn’t spoken much all morning, she had tried to talk to him but all he could think about was the show the previous night. 

Warren sat in a seat next to Y/N as he smiled through the window at Lisa as she blew kisses to him. 

“You know that they’re definitely for me, right?” Y/N jokes. 

Warren didn’t reply as he collapsed back in his seat, “I’m gonna marry that woman.”

Y/N nudged him, “Not before I do.” Warren only chuckled before his gaze focusses back on Lisa until she was completely out of sight. 

Turning her head to look at Eddie, Y/N noticed his gaze fixated out the window. She nudged his foot under the table but he didn’t acknowledge it. Sighing Y/N rested her head on her hand, looking down at the table.

“Next stop, Chicago, Illinois.” Rod announced. 

The tension on the plane was thick, you could cut it with a knife. No one spoke, no one interacted. 

…

Y/N L/N: I remember thinking on that flight that something had changed…between everyone. At the time I just didn’t realise how right I was.

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[noname-friend]

"I wonder who I'm looking for" (Mark x Ex-Reader)

"Cause you don't go to parties." (College!AU)

Who would've known this would happen? Mark didn't expect it, his closest friends wouldn't have guessed. Not even you saw it coming. Yet here he was, sitting on the front porch instead of inside enjoying the party raging on inside. He watched every car pulling up or away as the amount of people seemed to keep steady.

Some said hi, Mark didn't acknowledge them as he sighed. When his phone 'beeped', he looked hopefully at it but it wasn't from you so he put it back in his pocket frustrated.

See, you promised Mark you'd meet him at this little event but that was before you got swamped with homework the week of. Mark's just some frat boy anyways, surely he's still having fun without you. Without you... Right. You didn't need to be there either way. Just because he made your heart flutter with the invitation doesn't mean anything would have changed. You weren't a partier like he was. This is fate, you stay home and study and he goes out and has fun. Exactly how it's always been.

Suddenly, your own phone began to ring. You tried to ignore it, you were so close to finishing this essay. But it kept ringing. You sighed in defeat and answered.

"Hello?"

"Y/N!" The other voice yelled over the music.

"Hm?" You responded.

"Don't tell me you stood my poor boy up tonight." You could hear the music get muffled, you assumed he was outside now.

"What are you talking about, Johnny?" You rolled your eyes. "I didn't stand anyone up. I just didn't accept the invitation."

"Mark's been waiting for you all night on the porch. He hasn't came inside once." Johnny said, disapprovingly.

You shook your head, "Don't lie to me. I know he's inside with his latest fling or with you and the boys taking shots."

"Mm. Nope." Johnny said simply, you phone buzzed.

Confused, you saw that Johnny sent a picture. Just like he said, Mark sat on the porch stairs, one hand holding up his head and looking out at the street.

"N-no way. He's not waiting for me. He's probably getting some fresh air." You tried to reason, guilt plaguing the pit of your stomach.

"I'm telling you man, he's waiting for y o u." Johnny emphasized. "Why aren't you here anyways? You even told me you'd come."

You ran a hand through your hair. "I'm finishing homework up. I forgot I had extra work before the end of the semester so there's no way I can come tonight- Listen Johnny, tell him I'm sorry and to go inside, it's too cold to be sitting like that."

"Wow. I just can't believe you sometimes, alright I got it." You could hear the eye roll but Johnny hung up none-the-less.

You sat, fiddling with your pen for a while, debating if you should go just to apologize or something. You looked at your books and papers piled up. Ruffling up your hair, you stood up. You grabbed a jacket, zipping it up and slipped some slippers on. You stood in front of the door, putting your hair up messily and used your leg to open the door.

Only, to be face-to-face with Mark. Shocked, you just starred for a moment.

"Did you- you didn't run over here, did you?" You finally said.

He leaned against your door way, his face blank but something about his eyes seemed... angry? Disappointed? Maybe even sad? "A simple text would've been nice."

"In my defense. I don't have your number." You looked away and nervously bit your lip. "And, how was I supposed to know you would wait for me this whole time?"

"I invited you because I wanted to hang out." He said in disbelief.

"Ok, I know. I'm sorry." You said simply, "You're right, I guess I could've asked around for your number but this was all last minute to me as well. I mean, now that I know I was going to go see you."

"Obviously." Mark walked past you, taking his shoes off by the door and sitting on the couch. He put a bag on the table next to your homework.

"What are you doing?" You asked, slowly closing the door and slipping your own shoes back off.

"Don't tell me you still don't want to hang out." Mark replied.

You blinked a few times. "You're going to watch me do my work?"

"No, we're going to eat, then I'm going to help you with this work." He pat the cushion beside him, and began taking food out of the bag.

You felt like this was some strange dream. "Ok..." You walked over and sat down. "Mark Lee, of all people, is going to help me with physics. Is this a joke?"

"Why not? I already passed." He shrugged, handing you some of the food.

You scratched the back of your neck. "Are you mad? Is confusing me how you show that you're mad?"

He shook his head no, taking a bite. "I asked you out, and that's all I want to do."

"You're so weird." You didn't know how else to put it and began laughing, causing him to laugh as well. "Fine, fine. Hang out we shall! There's no going back now."

"Cool."

"Cool."

[riddle-me-ri]

I’m so sorry my dumbass forgot to send you a request the other day Mk

Could I request smut for Arkhamverse! Hatter? Like, he’s working with another rogue who he falls for and hangs out with her at home one day and things become intimate?

You don’t have to do this is to don’t wanna, so don’t feel pressured <3

A/N: asddfgg okay but no, I do the same thing all the time. So many messages, stories, and comments go unnoticed because I seen it and thought of the reply so surely that equates to me actually doing it?? Nope, nope not at all lmao. You’re all good! Hope you enjoy! My last Arkhamverse Jervis went waaayyy better than expected here’s hoping the same for this one.

Trigger Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content (make outs, biting, groping, handjobs, p.i.v. intercourse ), but also an obtuse amount of fluffiness in there (a lot of first times for Jervis happens here, lets gooo), Strong Language, slight mentions of criminal activity

Word Count: 2.9 k (uhh oops…so sorry rip)

Arkhamverse Jervis x F!Reader - Don’t Worry

You wouldn’t call yourself a natural rogue per se. You didn’t want to get your hands dirty unless absolutely necessary. Only ever really leaving your shop for more spare computer parts, every now and then relying on thievery alone to achieve it. 

However, no one showed their appreciation more for your services than Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter himself. You found yourself slightly put off when he first came in, it made sense for him to come in, but you’ve heard stories and rumors. You were always one to give everyone a chance. 

You couldn’t help but feel your heart swell whenever he smiled back at you or giggled his gratitude when you complimented his hat. He seemed genuinely excited to be acknowledged in even the slightest positive light. 

It didn’t surprise you that Jervis ultimately became a regular. Even if he had already come by that week twice, he somehow always found an excuse to come back. 

“Ah yes, to say it suffice, I forgot this for a certain device.” 

“No need to worry! I’ll just grab this and then I’ll scurry.” 

You remember the day you showed one of the ultimate acts of kindness Jervis had ever received. 

“Don’t worry, Jervis, you can take them.”

If it was one thing he could never get enough of, it’s the microchips you had. Which made sense in hindsight to his modus operandi. He came in for another pack of them, but you just handed them back to him. 

“What’s this you tell me? I shouldn’t get away with these for free!”

“Jervis, it’s fine. You need them more than I do, I know that for a fact! Consider it a gift, for being a loyal customer. A token of friendship.” 

“F-Friendship? Without…something in return for it? Some hardship to earn it?” 

Your heart dropped at that. His voice cracked at the revelation of someone genuinely being kind to him. 

You pushed through your sympathetic reverie and nodded. Even reaching up and straighten his hat, if it’d been anyone else touching his hat would have sent Jervis in a panic. Albeit, you were different as Jervis started to see. 

After that exchange, what once was weekly visits turned almost daily. Very rarely did he not come back even for a moment, even just to say hi or recite some cute little rhyme. 

Every now and then he’d come in and ramble about what’s on his mind. Those moments are when you learned how he was treated in Arkham, how he hated the way he was perceived and for how things transpired. You made it a point after that to show him genuine companionship, something he’s mentioned yearning for, for so long. 

It didn’t take long before you looked forward to his visits and had to admit how sad it made you when you didn’t see him for sometime. You knew it wasn’t because of anything you’ve said or done, he was a busy rogue after all, but that didn’t make you miss him any less. 

The next time he visited, you were going to finally ask him to spend some time with you outside your shop and outside of work. 

“Callooh callay! It’s so good to see you, dear Y/N, on such a glorious day!” 

“Hey stranger!” You found yourself giggling. “I thought I’d run you off somehow.”

“Oh, no. That’s not true, I always want to see you. I got busy you see, things compounded into twos and threes and fours and more. I…I couldn’t ignore.” 

“That’s okay, Jervis. I get it, trust me. But hey, do you have time to spend the day with me at my place? Just today, and you can get back to whatever it is you were working on?” You offered. 

Things went silent for a moment, and you feared you may have overstepped until you saw a Cheshire cat-like grin across Jervis’ face.

“That sounds truly delightful, my dear! I’d be honored to unload my troubles and see your humble abode.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~

You've never seen a more wholesome image than Jervis as he laid back straight on your sofa and he brought his feet up to dangle off the ground.

Jervis looked around your small apartment living room with such intensity. He felt like he was surrounded and embraced by you, he wanted that more than ever in a literal sense but was afraid to push you away, like he's done all those times before with others.

In hindsight you have no doubt it was the dumbest idea to let a high profile rogue into your home. However, you didn't see Jervis like that, well not anymore it would seem.

It only made sense to make some tea for the both of you. When the man wasn't talking about neurons, electricity, and mock turtles he also talked about his preferences for tea.

You noticed him looking around out of the corner of your eye. For a man constantly getting control over others minds, you don't think you could ever get a grip of his own mind. You wanted to at least try. 

"Are you comfortable, Jervis?" You chortled as he continued dangling his feet off your couch. You noticed his peculiar striped socks and it made you giggle. 

"Indeed." He grinned while looking around more. 

You weren't quite sure what he was looking at or for but he seemed to be enjoying himself nonetheless. 

"Can I inquire about what you've been working on? I can only hope that my…items were beneficial?" 

Jervis pondered for a moment. "Perhaps sometime soon I can show you then. The results of your assistance, my friend." This was the first time he had used the term deliberately back at you, testing the waters. 

You smiled when he called you his friend, alas there was a strange sinking feeling about it. You surely didn't want to be just that…did you? No, you found out, you didn't. 

Your lack of verbal response made Jervis unsure, he began looking down and twiddling his thumbs. 

“Everything okay, Jervis?”

“D-Do you…is it true, that you think I’m a friend to you?” 

Your eyebrows furrowed. “Of course, I do. I love being in your company. I look forward to you visiting my shop every time I open.” 

The way he sat up, his face almost glowing from happiness was way too cute for his own good. 

“Y-You truly mean that don’t you?” He whispered, almost questioning himself if he heard that right more so than asking you. 

“I do mean it, you…you mean a lot to me, Jervis. I-um..er..” It was obvious to yourself you were falling for the eccentric ex-milliner, but didn’t want to send the man into vapor lock. He still couldn’t get over the concept of being friends. 

“Yes?”

Shit. 

“I-um…well…if you don’t mind me saying so…at the risk of making things awkward…But if we’re being honest. I must admit I have grown extremely fond of you…”

“As I have of you, too.” He admitted with a small smile. 

You sighed in exasperation. A slow warmth grew under your cheeks, you didn’t need that right now. You just had to find the best way to say this. 

“I’m glad, because…I foresee us, well maybe possibly…being more than friends?” 

Silence hung in the air, as the rogue sat back and thought about this admission. Do you truly mean it? He may be out of touch with reality most days but he wasn’t entirely foolish, he understood where you were getting at. 

Jervis was trying his damnest not to bounce off the couch in extreme delight. “D-Do you…truly see…a future with you and me?” 

You nodded. “I really do, Jervis. If you want that…”

“My dear, my sweet darling, Y/N. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”    

You felt the sharpest intake of breath from Jervis as your hand came up to cup his cheek, your other hand soon following behind to his other cheek. You glanced again to see any discomfort in his face. 

He did seem terrified, but in a way that spoke of insecurity and uncertainty of the turnout. The way his eyes cut back and forth between your eyes and your lips was the confirmation you needed. 

The moment your lips touched his, Jervis was a goner. Your heart swelled at the smallest sound of his whimpers, as he clumsily but adamantly kissed you back. When you softly and slowly pulled your lips away, you swoon as you noticed Jervis still slightly leaning forwards with his eyes closed hoping the kiss would continue. 

You put your hand on his shoulder to stop him from falling into you. His eyes opened and warmth started tinting his cheeks pink. 

You couldn't resist, you leaned in and kissed him again. After a moment, you attempted to take things further. You slightly nibbled on his bottom lip, when he gasped at the sensation you gently intruded his mouth with your tongue. 

Despite his obvious inexperience, he took your gesture in stride, allowing you more access and actively twirling his tongue with yours. Jervis’ small soft moans caused your lips and mouth to tickle from the vibrations. You pulled away from him giggling sweetly.

“Jervis, was that your first kiss?” You asked, curiously. You never thought to ask until now, you just got caught up in the moment. 

Still rendered speechless from the kisses he nodded. Slowly, but surely coming to the realization himself that was indeed his first kiss. You ask him if he wants to take it further and you’re certain his face flushed a loud pink color, but he still manages somehow to nod, and expectantly waits your next move. 

You give him another reassuring kiss before you sit back on your haunches and began taking off your sweatshirt. To say Jervis’ eyes were locked onto your motions like a hawk is an understatement. He’s committed to keep every last bit of this to memory. Not just to recall later, but to reassure himself this is happening and not some other cruel illusion or dream. 

As you laid out bare as the day you were born, you couldn’t help but blush at the way Jervis was awing you. The fact that he was in awe of you, staring with eyes blown wide like you’re some ethereal being you’ve decided is worthy to be in your presence. 

You lean forward and gently pluck his hat from the top of his head. You whispered softly. “This is usually where you take off your clothes too.” 

You pecked his nose and that seemed to wake him from whatever trance you had him in. You tried so hard not to laugh as he giddily began shucking off his clothes. When he’s done removing his clothes, you’re quick to drag his face back to yours and kiss his lips again. 

You grab his wrists out of the corner of your eye and began leading them over to your body. Always wearing his gloves, you were excited to feel the warmth from his hands. The rough calluses and the small chips in his fingernails. You brought them to your chest and he slowly began rubbing and squeezing your breasts, experimentally. 

It was your turn to moan into his mouth as he gradually got used to kneading and groping your chest. Your hands go up and find purchase in his hair. You could tell he was still unsure, slightly holding back. 

You leaned your forehead onto his. You stared into his eyes, before reassuring him in a hushed tone, “don’t worry, Jervis. It’s okay. You can take me, have all of me.”

If Jervis’ eyes weren’t blown out before they are now. You always told him that, don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s what made him finally feel comfortable around you, made him believe your friendship was real, that what’s to come after this is real. 

Jervis nodded, as a first step to show initiative he brought his lips to yours in a searing kiss. Before you knew it, you were laying back on the couch cushion and Jervis was hovering over you. He pulled away, looking to gauge your reaction. When he saw your wide, loving smile, it made his heart skip a few beats. 

He took your gleeful reaction as an indicator to keep going, that he was doing it right. He let his instincts slowly take over. All the things he dreamt and fantasized about doing to your skin, your body, your mind. 

Jervis began kissing along your face, down your neck, and down to your shoulders. He kissed back up to the junction of your neck and shoulder. He licked and sucked on the skin there attentively. 

You kept on hand at the back of his head, cradling it, to keep him near you. Your other hand slithered down in between the two of you to a growing bulging member that lied just above your mound. You gently gripped the base, causing Jervis to gasp in your ear, but not say anything. He softly thrusted against your hand, silently asking you to continue. 

You slowly dragged your fist and the skin there, up and down his cock. Grip not too tight, pace not to fast. To let him get used to your touch. As he kept littering your neck, shoulders, and chest with kisses and suckles, you developed a decent pace with him. 

His whimpers, moans, and groans had no right to make you as wet as you were right then and there. You could also tell if you kept this up for much longer, he wouldn’t last. You gently slowed your ministrations and removed your hand from his member. 

Jervis was panting at this point, his normally pale complexion was evenly mixed with a heated flushed pink across his face and upper chest. Almost shaking and quaking and he hasn’t even been inside you yet.

“I-If you want to stop-”

“No! No..no please…” He glanced back into your eyes. He brought one of his hands up to cup your cheek. “I-I want you…this, please…”

You nodded reassuringly, giving him a kiss. You help him line himself up to your entrance, your other hand exposing your damp folds to the chilling air. 

When he fully sheaths himself inside of you, it’s an overwhelming feeling, slightly painful at the force but nothing excruciating. He was a decent thickness, but was longer than you anticipated. Practically hitting your cervix upon the first entry. 

You bit down hard on your lip, almost drawing blood. You could feel Jervis panting into your neck. You wait for him to get used to the pressure, to the sensation. You comb your hand through his hair and occasionally peck his head. 

You were about to suggest to switch positions, but he started moving before you could get the words out. He started out the slow and articulate, still somewhat unsure. Once he found your sweet spots that had you moaning his name, Jervis did everything he could to keep you chanting his name. 

“Ah-ah..Jer-Jervis..f-fuck…” 

His back broke out in tiny red lines along his back as you scratched him. Your skin in turn was being slightly pricked him his unevenly clipped nails, digging into your heated flesh. His teeth sinking and marking your neck and shoulders.

You thanked whatever higher power existed that he was a fast learner. It didn’t take long...Between the growing harbored feelings and missing him the last couple of weeks, you could feel the goosebumps begin bubbling up all over your body. 

Jervis’ shaky pants and trembling limbs, you could tell he was at his end too. One of your hands once again went down between your two bodies. Your index and middle finger began quickly making fast and short circles around your clit, as your walls began choking Jervis’ cock. 

You barely heard him groaning something that sounded like; “t-tight, tight, tight, tight..” into your ear, as he began rutting faster and deeper than before. 

“J-Jervis...Jervis, please…please…so close..so close..” You were almost in tears. The ball of nerves in the pit of your stomach bound so tight, just waiting to burst. 

Before you knew it, everything went white. You could make out Jervis’ whimpering gasps as his load flooded into you, causing the dam of your nerves to finally break free. Bolts of electricity ran through every nerve and vein in your body. You didn’t even recognize the pleasurable howls of ecstasy you let out to be your own. 

Much like yourself, Jervis was reluctant to move. It took a lot to get him to even pull out of you finally, again, you being just as reluctant. You were both shaky, breathless, tingling messes, but ultimately satisfied and delighted in the spectacle of your new found relationship. 

Jervis was slowly able to put on his boxers and the white dress shirt he wore underneath most of his layers. You grabbed your sweatshirt and underwear to change back into. 

He glanced up at the clock and let out a soft chortle. “It would appear I’ve overstayed my welcome.” 

You glanced at the clock, sure enough it was midnight. “You gonna run off like the White Rabbit?” You teased, grabbing a blanket to drape over the two of you as you snuggled into his side. 

Jervis let out one of his giddy chuckles that you grew to adore. “I wouldn’t dream of it, my dear. There’s no where else I’d rather be than be with you here.”

[obxthornton]

Chapter 6

WC: 4648

"What is your favorite song?" I asked Luke as we sat in his bedroom. I sat on the floor and he lay on his bed playing with a guitar pick.

"About a girl. Nirvana." He said.

I scribbled it down on my paper, I think that has been his favorite song since we first met.

"And you? Lemme guess, activity grrrl." He said.

"You know me so well," I said rolling my eyes.

It had also been my favorite song since we first met.

"What is your biggest accomplishment?" I asked reading off the list.  Luke didn't say anything for a moment but simply shrugged. "The band I guess."

Scribbling it down, he rolled over on his side looking at me, "What's yours?"

I grazed my tongue over my teeth thinking, the band was great but it would be over soon. "Making great friends," I said.

"Sappy." He said rolling back on his back.

"Do you believe in fate?" I asked.

He scoffed, "No." That was all he said.

I wrote down his no and my yes, not bothering to tell him my answer. "What is your biggest regret in life?"

Silence filled the room. These questions went from pirates or ninjas to your sworn regrets.

"I think mine..." I started, "..letting people change me."

Luke never met my eyes but stared at the ceiling nodding slightly. "Mines dating Jasmine."

I stifled a laugh and scribbled down his answer.

"What's so funny?" He asked an amused smile on his face as he rolled over.

"Come on, you seriously regret dating Jasmine more than me?" I asked giving him a crooked smile.

He nodded slowly, his smile dimming, "Yeah. I do."

My smile was gone now as I stared into his eyes swallowing lightly. "Last question," I said barely above a whisper.

"Do you Believe in second chances?" I breathed out.

He never took his eyes away from me, Staring daggers into my own eyes.

I watched as he nodded slowly, "Yeah. I do."

I nodded back at him. "Me too."

1/15.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday night came faster than I was prepared for and I had one last thing to do before I went. It was currently 3, right after school and the bands started performing at 7.

But here I was, knocking on the front door holding a cheap bag filled with stuff from the local grocery store.

The red haired boy opened up the door, he almost sighed when he saw me. "Hey, Gigi."  I was ashamed of the brown hair covering my head at that moment. I had been avoiding Michael Clifford for the past week because I was well, embarrassed. Running from all emotions of doing what was right.

"I'm... sorry." I breathed out, "Really Mikey I am. I was just so caught up in what Liam wanted that I forgot I had other people in my life as well. It's not even just the hair anymore, it's me ignoring you for a week. It's me being a terrible friend and I just hope that you can forgive me in time."

Michael had a small smile across his face as he held the door wider so I could come in.

I smiled greatfully stepping in the house. 

"What's in the bag." He asked skeptically.

I handed it out to him causing him to grab it and look inside. 

"No... really?" He asked looking at me surprised.

"Only if you're up for it," I said.

Mikey just laughed and shook his head. "is that even a question?"

~~~~~~~~~

"Give it up for the Road Smashers!" The host yelled into the microphone, the crowd cheering clapping their hands. Dad was somewhere in the back as I stood at a standing table drinking water next to my bandmates.

"Hey!" I heard yelling over the crowd, I looked over to see Liam leaning up against the table. 

"I'm sorry!" He yelled.

I nodded in acknowledgment, "It's fine!" 

"Your hair." He stated, "It looks... pink."

I cocked my head slightly taking a sip of my water, "that's because it is!"

"Give it up for our next band, 5 seconds of summer!" I adverted my gaze away from Liam and to the stage where Ashton was behind the drums, swirling his sticks around before pointing them at me and my band.

Calum smiled and winked at Maddie who let out a large scream along with other girls from the crowd.

Michael ran a hand through his newly dyed pink hair and I raised my glass at him, tipping it towards him.

And Luke stayed in the middle, not looking at me, but rather at the boy standing next to me.

"This song is a new one. Goes out to a very lovely lady, and her sucky ass boyfriend." Luke said into the microphone.

My eyebrows fell as I straightened my posture. He wouldn't dare.

"You got a boyfriend and he's a total loser.  All your friends tell you that he's got no future But they like me. Just sayin"

Oh, he wouldnt dare.

Luke's eyes didn't differ from mine and Liam the entire consistency of the song. I knew it was directed at me but Liam looked as if he was still figuring it out. "He's staring at us," Liam stated.

I sighed and rested my face on my hand, "yep."

"He says he loves you, but it's all an act He's seeing someone else right behind your back You know I'd never do that,  just saying."

Did Luke Hemmings just accuse my boyfriend of cheating on me in a song he wrote?

I gritted my teeth lightly slamming my cup down on the table. 

"You know, he's not that good of a singer," Liam said. I knew He wasn't dumb, but he sure acted like it most of the time.

The song finished and they paraded off the stage into the crowd.

"Give it up for 5 seconds of summer. Next up! Green vendors!" 

We were set 6 out of 10 tonight, so I had about 3 more songs to mentally prepare myself. I looked behind me to see my dad standing next to who I assumed was the manager he had been talking about.

"Hey. You're going to do great." Kiara said coming up behind me with a drink.

"Thanks," I mumbled in response. I was a person of little faith. I sighed, "I just don't like the song."

"We can change it if you want." Willow said, "We're here for you tonight."

"I'm okay with that." Maddie nodded.

I sighed and looked to my right, Luke hemmings was standing there smiling down at Jazzy before kissing her lightly. Regret my ass.

"Actually.." I mumbled thinking of his song. "I have the perfect song." 

Willow nodded and grabbed Kiara's beer from her hand taking a long sip before handing it back. "Mate," Kiara said rolling her eyes at Willow.

"Next up! Sugars." The host said.

I started to push my way through the crowd when Liam grabbed my wrist, "Hey." He said, "You're going to kill it." 

I smiled lightly and kissed his cheek, "thanks."

"Gigi! Come on." Willow huffed calling me. I turned around and quickly jogged to the stage and up the steps.

"This song." I stared into the microphone fixing my guitar strap, "This song is dedicated to a shit girl and an even shitter boy." 

I glanced over at Luke whose face was limp, he pulled his arm off from around Jazzy.

"Are we seriously playing that one song we wrote as a joke last week?" Kiara asked leaning up to me.

I sent her a smile and strummed a cord on my guitar.

"This is a shout out to my ex Heard he in love with some other chick Yeah yeah, that hurt me, I'll admit Forget that boy, I'm over it I hope she gettin' better sex Hope she ain't fakin' it like I did, babe Took four long years to call it quits Forget that boy, I'm over it"

It was so bloody obvious about Luke.

The pettiest song my band had written, but hey. You fight fire, With more fire.

I didn't look at Luke once throughout our set but tried my best to be stage present for the crowd and more importantly, the manager in the back.

The set finished, and the crowd cheered along with my friends, Willow planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek, Maddie hugged me and Kiara squeezed my shoulder.

We walked off stage, Maddie kissed Calum, Michael and Ashton told us we were awesome and Luke just sent me a tight smile.

"Babe that was awesome," Liam said smiling at me.

"Give it up for Target Audience!" 

Liam's band was called.

"Break a leg," I said smiling. Break an actual leg.

"Alwasy do babe." He hesitated to kiss my cheek before he ran up the stage with his band.  He started singing and to be honest, he wasn't bad, but it still made me want to strip out my ears.

"Hey!" Someone said tapping my shoulder. I turned around to see a tall girl, older than me by what looked like a few years.

"I just wanted to introduce myself! I'm Jessie Payne." She said holding out her hand which I shook. The last name took me by surprise, "hi! Georgina summers. Are you related to Liam?" I motioned to Liam who was on stage.

She smiled and shook her head side to side as if to say 'so so'. "Well, I suppose. He's my husband."

My face fell as I stared at the women. "Excuse me?" I asked.

She waved me off, "I know! Surprising right? He didn't tell me much about you either so I guess who didn't even know I existed! That's so cool that he got in touch with his cousin after all these years. I'm so glad you guys are so close already!" She sent me a big smile.

Oh, this poor girl. 

"Gigi after party at Calums! Who's this?" Ashton said giving the girl a flirty smile.

"Jessie Payne." She said smiling at Ashton.

"Liam's wife," I said through gritted teeth.

Ashton's smile fell as he turned around and looked at the stage. "Wife?" He asked no one in particular.

"I know. Such a surprise. How could I have married such a catch like him." She said shaking her head and Smiling.

"Did Liam invite you?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Oh no he never lets me come to any of his gigs. I actually was invited by a young man on Facebook." She snapped her fingers thinking, "himbo1999? No. Hector1999? It definitely started with an H."

"Hemmo1996." Ashton sighed running a hand lazily through his hair.

"Exactly! You know him? Is he here? I'd like to thank-"

The music stopped and the crowd cheered. "Ooo he's coming! I can't wait to surprise him." Jess said smiling happily.

I watched as Lima walked off stage and to where I was standing. "Babe enjoy the show?" He asked me smiling.

"Of course I did!" Jessie answered smiling earning a sudden look of fear on Liams face.

"Babe? babe! Yeah hey, babe! What- what are you doing here?" He asked slowly hugging the girl.

"Suprise!" She smiled.

"Surprise." He said his voice wavering lightly with a small laugh at the end.

"I met your cousin! She is just lovely." Jess said smiling at me.

"Cousin?" Ashton asked allowed. "Oh, mate. You fucked up."

"Yeah cousin, you fucked up," I growled at Liam.

"Geo I can explain-" he started.

"No no, I know what's going on. No need to explain to me. I want you to explain to her." I said motioning to his wife.

She looked at me dumbfounded, "explain what?"

"Nothing honey. Geo-"

"No, it's not nothing. Explain or I will." I said crossing my arms.

"Geo-"

"What's going on?" Jess asked, "What do I need explained to me?"

"I can't," Liam said to me sorrowfully.

"Great." I said sarcastically, "I'm not Liam's cousin. We've been dating for a few weeks and I suggest you two go have this conversation elsewhere because you owe her some privacy."

Jess didn't say anything neither did Liam. Liam stared off into space and Jess stared at him. "W-what?" Jess asked.

"Let's talk outside," Liam mumbled lightly pulling the girl lightly by the wrist out the doors into the moonlight.

"Gigi, are you okay?" Ash asked me gulping lightly.

Tears were in my eyes but I blinked them back nodding, "Yeah." I mumbled.

My eyes went around the crowd, they eventually landed on Luke who just stared back. This asshole told me I was being cheated on through a song. 

Fuck Luke Hemmings. Fuck Liam Payne. Fuck me.

----

I stood in Calum's kitchen looking at the alcohol on his back counter. I didn't like drinking, to be honest, however, for the events that happened tonight, I rightfully deserved one.

So I grabbed a plastic cup, poured a shot into it, and down it back.  My face grimaced and I shook my head lightly before pouring one more.

"I'd always be happy that you drinking but sad drinks are never good," Willow said walking up behind me as I sloshed back the second shot.

"Well, I need it," I grumbled grabbing the bottle once again before Willow pulled it away from me.

"Two is enough for right now." She said like a parent. "Here." Willow popped the tab of the beer she was holding and poured it into my cup. "Sipping drink." She said.

Kiara would have given me water, but I assumed beer was water to Willow.

"Thanks," I mumbled sipping it lightly.

Willow smiled before grabbing a plastic cup and pouring liquor into it as I walked out of the kitchen.

It was just my band and Calum's band here so we lay sprawled out across Calum's living room, a CD playing in the CD player. 

The atmosphere was weird. It was tense but no one mentioned it or let it affect the laughter in the conversation. Everyone knew the songs we sang had been about me and Luke but no one dared to mention it.

"Finally! Took you forever to get a drink." Maddie said patting the spot next to her on the couch. Honestly, I did not want to sit there and be third wheeling with her and Calum, but I did.

"How's yours and Luke's project coming?" Calum asked, his arm slung around Maddie.

I shrugged taking a sip of my drink, "We have agreed on 1 out of 15."

"Really?" Maddie asked, "Me and Calum are 14/15. Disagreed on best song."

"Well, that's why you two are the perfect couple," I said smiling at the two. Maddie beamed and looked up at Calum who smiled down at her kissing her temple. "Of course we are." That seemed to be the theme of this project. The more you got alike, the better you two were better friends, partners, lovers.  What 1/15 said, I didn't know.

The front door opened and Luke walked in, "Hey guys, sorry I'm late." He said holding a case of beer, his arm wrapped around the waist of Jasmine Hodge. I didn't acknowledge his presence but only stared at them with a tight breath caught in my throat. I lifted my cup to my lips and downed the rest of the beer like it was a shot.

Siping drink my ass.

~~~~~~~~~

The night was long.

Actually, I couldn't remember if it was that long or not. I was really interested in the hole in the wall.

"Shhhh you can't tell Calum." Michael giggled to me pressing his pointer finger against my lip. I shook my head holding back a fit of laughter before pressing my own finger to Michael's lips. "Shhh," I mumbled against his finger.

Michael turned to the wall next to us, a frame was hung up about a foot over from the hole. Michael pulled it off the hook and held it over the hole, hanging it. He let go and the frame fell to the ground shattering, Probably from the fact he tried to hang it on nothing.

"Michaellllll." I slurred pouting my bottom lip out. "We have to tell Calum now."

"Shhhhhhhh you promised!" He wined like a child.

"But there's glass everywhere," I mumbled looking at the floor.

"Shhhh." He said again before running away.

I pouted my bottom lip out again before walking back to the living room couch and lying across it. 

"Hey, babes." Kiara said walking up, "Need some water?" She held out a bottle of water to me causing me to sigh and shake my head.

"I'm not ready to be sober yet," I said cuddling into the couch cushions.

"Well, no more drinks." She said. Bossy.

I wined and threw my head back annoyed. "Fine Mom."

Kiara just sent me a smile and placed the water next to me on the couch. I sighed and just grabbed it, putting it on my head as an ice pack. My head really hurt from hitting the wall.

I rolled over to look at my friends.

Willow was talking to Ashton, they were both drunk but didn't act drunk. They were probably talking about drum stuff.  Kiara was making Michael sweep up the glass as she tried to hand him a bottle of water. Calum and Maddie were nowhere to be found. Gross. And then Luke and Jasmine were sat in the kitchen. Luke was drunk out of his mind but I hadn't seen Jazzy drink a single thing all night. I hadn't seen a lot of things but that's beside the point.

I rolled off the couch and walked slowly towards the kitchen. Kiara was occupied which meant I could get one more drink before she realized. So I slipped into the Kitchen, quickly and messily pouring a shot, or two, I didn't know how to measure shots, into a cup and quickly downed both of them back.

They didn't make my face grimace anymore which Kiara always said was a "sign to stop" but why would you stop when it got better?

"Hey! Pour me one!" Luke pointed at me from the table.

I grabbed a cup and poured a few glugs of the liquid into the cup before stumbling lightly over to the table and sitting it down infront of him.

"You have a heavy hand," Luke said taking about half of the liquid.

"Welcome." I smiled at him before turning around and walking into the living room.

"Game time!" Michael yelled jumping onto the floor. That looked like it hurt.

"I like games," I said sitting down across from him.

"I know you do that's why I said game time." He rolled his eyes at me.

"Calum!" He yelled loudly.

The coat closet door opened and Calum stuck his head out, "yep?" He asked.

"Game time," Michael said.

"Sweet!" He closed the door once more and then came out with Maddie following behind him. 

Eventually, we all sat in a circle, it went Michael, Calum, Maddie, Kiara, Me, Jasmine, Willow, Ashton, Luke, and then back to Michael. How I got sat next to the bitch, I couldn't answer. Or Remeber.

Michael grabbed a beer bottle from behind him, popping the top off before Chugging it completely. "Michael." Kiara scolded. Michael finished off the drink, burped, and then placed it in the center.

"Truth or dare." Michael smiled proudly.

"I'll go first," Willow said leaning into the middle and spinning the bottle. It landed on Kiara. Willow smiled wickedly, "Truth or dare."

"Truth," Kiara said.

"Boo. You're no fun." Willow complained, "fine. Who's the last person you hooked up with?"

Kiara scoffed placing her tongue in between her teeth and shaking her head, "I am not answering that."

"You have to. That's the rule." I said leaning back on my palms.

Kiara rolled her eyes, "then I'm not playing."

"You can answer the question," Michael said. 

She leaned into the Circle grasping the bottle, "Clifford." She spun the bottle not giving anyone a chance to process the words she had spewed out. 

Ashton coughed, choking on his drink and Maddie let out a cheer. "Fuck yeah!" She said earning a side smile from Kiara. Michael just blushed.

The bottle came to a stop on Calum who smiled. "Dare."

Kiara smiled, "you got eggs in your fridge?" She asked.

Calum nodded slightly confused, "great. Eat one."

"Like.. raw?"

"Shell and all." Kiara smiled.

I grimaced lightly, "Eww." 

Calum stood up, walked to the fridge, opened it, and grabbed a single egg.  "No, do it over there. I'm not cleaning up your puke." Maddie said motioning to the sink.

Calum stood in Infront of the sink, staring at the egg in his hand. I put my hands over my eyes, still peaking, disgusting. He put the egg in his mouth and crunched down. Yolk dribbled out from between his lips and he gagged puking the contents of his stomach up into the sink.

"That's disgusting," Ashton said, his hand over his own mouth. Ashton was bad when people puked, he couldn't stand it.

"You better not throw up ash," Luke warned pushing himself away from Ashton.

Ashton shook his head staring at the floor as he was trying not to puke also. Calum gaged once more and that sent Ashton flying up towards the trash can in the kitchen.

"Ew," Jasmine muttered closing her eyes.

"Someone spin for Calum," I muttered as Maddie reached into the center and spun the bottle.

It landed on Jasmine Hodge who looked at us nervously. I mean I would two if I wasn't even in this friend group.

"Uhh, truth." She said.

"Calum Jazzy said truth," Michael called to Calum.

He was still hunched over the sink, spitting raw eggs out of his mouth. "Why are you such a bitch." He grumbled out right before he puked again. Ashton soon after.

"Calum." Maddie scolded.

I snorted lightly before shaking my head, apologizing into the air.

"That's honestly more a statement," Luke said not even defending his girlfriend, he was too drunk to do that.

"Uh.." jazzy said scratching her neck awkwardly.

"Just spin," Kiara said to Jasmine ignoring Calum.

Jasmine spun the bottle and it slowly stopped on Luke. She smiled as she got the person she wanted, "Truth or dare babe."

Luke drummed on the ground, "Dare. Give me a hard one."

Jasmine cocked her head smiling, "such a hard one. I dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in the room."

Deja vu hit and just like that, I was sober. 

Every single shot that had entered my body was now gone and I sat there silent. My body was no longer numb anymore and heartache filled the void. From Liam cheating on me to the words that came out of Jasmine Hodge's mouth.

Willow scoffed before shaking her head lightly.

Luke shrugged crawling on the floor towards Jasmine's direction who was sitting next to me. He had a large smile on his face as he sat down infront of us.

I didn't know what I felt for Luke but this, this was torture. Who did I wrong to have any of these things happen to me?

Gosh, I hated him.

I hated Luke Hemmings more than death itself.

He was a selfish asshole who only thought about himself. He stole my fucking song and won't admit to it. He kissed Jasmine Hodge when we were dating. He said Horrible things to me.

Luke Hemmings was the scum of the earth and we were all just living in it.

Luke Hemmings was the devil wearing your mom's skinny jeans. His stupid hair quiff and his stupid eyes were piercing into my soul.

Luke Hemminhs lips were on mine. 

I didn't think I had ever been more sober in my entire life.

It had been months. Months since I felt those lips and suddenly I didn't want anything else. Because Luke Hemings was a drug. It will eventually kill you but gosh was it addicting.

~~~~~~

I knocked on Luke's door, my face red From crying just moments early. I'm sure I looked like a mess but it wasn't every day when you woke up to see your song was in the school newspaper and online with over 100k views. I mean we were just on a break right now, it hadn't even been that long of a break, a month at most by this point.

But you don't do this sorta thing. You don't steal your girlfriend's song, change some pronouns, and call it your own.

So again, I banged harshly on Luke Hemmings's front door.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He yelled through the door as I heard the latch Unlock and the door opened. His face fell, "Hey Geo." He said. It had been awkward between me and Luke this past month. I mean, for the past 4 years we had been girlfriend and boyfriend, and now.  Now we were strangers.

"Don't hey me." I snarled at him pushing myself into his own house. His mom was at work so I didn't care about how I presented myself.

"Woah woah. What's up?" He asked.

"My song? Did you really have to go and steal my song?" I said angrily to him.

"Your song?" He defends.

"Yes, my song!" I told him throwing my song journal at him which he caught. "I wrote amnesia, not you. Why would you steal my song? Pissed I broke up with you?" 

"Geo, my friends are upstairs, can we do this later? Or at your place at least?" He asked looking in the journal.

" screw your Friends. Why would you do that to me?" I asked looking at him, my voice cracking lightly.

"I don't know where you came up with this idea that I stole it from you, but I wrote amnesia all by myself." He said throwing the notebook in the chair next to him.

"Bullshit. You can't come up with the same exact song. You're just upset I broke it off is that right?" I huffed.

"Call me anything you want. A shit boyfriend, a shit friend, but don't accuse me of stealing." He said pointing a finger at me.

"You better get that finger out of my face," I said Calmly.

He didn't budge.

"I bet you steal all your songs, don't you? And then go and cheat on all your girlfriends hmm?" I said pushing down his finger, aging the situation on even more. I didn't care.

"I told you Jasmine was a mistake." He said. "Maybe a mistake just like you."

Silence filled the room and we stared at eachother, the words were lingering as if they weren't real. 

"Oh fuck you," I said groaning and turning around to walk deeper into the living room. "Your such an Ass! You've always been a fucking ass. You know I don't know how I put up with you for 4 years of my life!" I yelled at him.

"I'm an ass? Says the one who's late to every event, Comes to zero of my gigs, and yells at me for failing my classes." He yelled back at me.

"You the one who's afraid to tell his mommy why he and his girlfriend don't hang out anymore!" I fired back.

"Yeah well, at least I have a mom to talk to." He snarled at me.

"At least I have a dad who wants me," I said before I could control the words coming out of my mouth.

"Does he though? Where is he now? Texas with my dad? Or maybe.. maybe he's with your mom." Luke said walking slowly up to me. "Seems your batting zero." 

"Oh fuck you." I said through unbelievable laughter, tears spreading through my eyes, "fuck. You. Hemmings." I turned around and walked towards his front door.

"Walk away like alwasy bitch!" He called after me.

I sent him the middle finger as I threw the door open and slammed it shut, the house vibrating from the impact of the door.

Walk away like always bitch 

[triforce-of-mischief]

if you want to, feel free to talk more about trust fall and poor unfortunate souls 👍 id love to hear more of your thoughts :)

sorry for taking a few days, i forgot the original question by now (if there was one) so we’re doing a mini director’s cut ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Poor Unfourtunate Souls:

“You know, nothing you can do to me will make me talk,” the vet drawled, hiding apprehension under snark.

look. look. opening a scene where legend is snarky at first, but we all know it’s a front and then it crumbles so fast- that makes me go feral, I will never get tired of writing it.

Legend scowled, thinking hard about what would be safe to say without being an obvious lie. “One has a huge, ferocious wolf that follows him around everywhere. Could maul you in a heartbeat, but obeys every command from him. Another hates mirrors. Show him his reflection and he’ll be depressed for a week. Oh, and one guy? Pillows, blankets, anything soft and cuddly.”

just one of those little things i was so proud of thinking of :) it’s so fun to write hints that the readers but not the characters will understand.

“You want the truth?” Legend asked, and the blademaster inclined his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been locked up in here for ages, they could be anywhere by now.”

that moment when he realizes that he’s not getting anywhere by being funny and he takes the risk of telling the truth but it’s not enough-

Now that they finally, finally, had a safe and quiet moment, Legend took the time to actually inspect Four. The smith’s breathing was ragged and wet, and Legend prayed that his lungs were free of water. Liquid dribbled from Four’s mouth, nose, and eyes; water and bodily fluids combining into one sticky mess. The tips of his hair were damp, and the feather which usually swayed from his ear was now heavy and still. His broken wrist was clutched to his chest with his other hand to reduce agitation.

if i knew how to render i would draw this in a heartbeat. gonna go cry over the poor thing instead :(

Four’s eyes were wide, swirling with blue and red, but then he narrowed them and nodded determinedly.

foreshadowing for the eventual sequel!! right now vio and green are in shock so the most emotional colors are stuck in the front. red is still terrified and blue is too, but the latter is trying his hardest to direct his anger at the yiga instead of focusing on their own feelings.

Four’s mouth opened in a silent scream, lungs too weak to produce anything but a high, wispy whine.

there's definitely going to be some lasting physical effects too, he just practically drowned three times for goddess' sake.

****

Trust Fall:

starting with the title this time since i already talked about the other one! this was a stand-in title that i immediately fell in love with. it represents the actual trust fall that legend shares with warriors, letting him administer the sedative. it also makes me think about how close legend was to falling (unconscious), without being able to rely on trust. if warriors hadn’t gotten there just in time, this would be a very different story.

They held him in place as he watched the remaining medic draw up a sedative in… in a…

this isn’t the only time this happens; I try to show how even thinking certain words is a big trigger for legend. even in his own mind, he can’t bring himself to fully acknowledge what’s happening.

He knew that it was worse to look but he couldn’t make himself look away and Warriors would tell him to stop but Legend was alone and scared and-

here’s a writing tip! run-on sentences are very good for when you want to portray that your character is spiraling into a panic. shorter sentences work for a character who can barely think because their panic is more of the hyperventilating kind.

Then the captain spoke, and Legend realized that he was furious. His tone cold and commanding as he ordered the other soldiers to “Release him. Now.” “B-but sir,” the soldier on Legend’s right said, “He’s highly dangerous and violent.” “So am I,” Warriors hissed. “Hands. Off.”

*obligatory pause for the screaming fangirls*

He let out a ragged sob, and let Warriors pull him into a loose embrace.

in hanging by a thread, warriors asked hyrule to hold legend because hyrule is more comfortable with touch. warriors is able and willing to provide physical comfort if there's no other option, and he doesn't hesitate for a moment this time. anything to help his brother feel safe.

While Legend did that, Warriors looked over his shoulder at the confused medic. “Put that away,” he whispered, nodding at the syringe in their hand. [...] Legend heard a few soft clicks as they capped the needle and hid the syringe in a drawer.

this is the first time that legend actually acknowledges the fact that the medic is wielding a syringe. warriors' presence helps him face his fears even the tiniest bit.

He could do this. He was still injured for goddess’ sake.

fun fact i spent so long trying to figure out what injury he should have before deciding that it isn't plot-relevant enough to bother wasting my time on it.

If Warriors asked if he was ready, Legend didn’t think that he would say yes. Warriors gently loosened Legend’s hands and held them in his own. “Come with me,” he said, pulling Legend up to stand with him.

warriors knows. he knows that asking would make things worse, so he just takes things into his own hands. he's exactly who legend needs right now.

Legend heard the rustle of fabric as Warriors awkwardly unclipped his scarf. He fumbled to undo the clasp with only one hand; the other was holding something.

we're back to treating the syringe as an unspoken thing... legend's fear has returned in full force and not even warriors can comfort him enough.

“I’ll be fast. Just a few moments, then you can rest.” The cadence of Warriors’ voice was steady, almost unnaturally so.

this isn't easy for warriors either. he hates that he has to do this again, but he can't let legend know that. maybe i'll mess around with a warriors pov someday...

[pokeglitchden]

[The Following is an Offscreen Event. All recorded evidence of the following Events have been lost due to device malfunction

It is the last day of trials for the week for the Hoenn glitch labs, and it's looking to be another mild one. So far every single Trainer Fly trial that week had resulted in a Missingno appearing. It wasn't exactly by design, but the lab workers were starting to grumble.

Another day. Another Missingno. Surely it had to be the new regulations that had been imposed upon them after a long week of mishaps.

The study was behind, and now due to new restrictions, moving at a snail's pace. Corporate wanted rare pokemon, strong pokemon, or at least a glimmer of hope that this process could produce them.

And well,

Sometimes drastic measures were necessary for the sake of the project.

It was Simon's turn to host. A small group of his fellow lab workers had spent the morning deep in discussion before the start of the trial. The donor that day was a greasy looking younger lab member. As he approaches to start the trial he looks just a little nervous.

"Darryl's got two pokemon today, is that okay?" A lab workers asks.

‎

That… doesn't sound too bad. Strange to make a change like that, but the only pokemon that really matters is the last one battled. Right?

"The last one battled is the one that matters, I am curious why you need two," �aver asks. "We probably should not draw out the battle of the host."

"I just realized I forgot to box one." Darryl admits, hands in his pockets, "Sorry. I'll make it quick though! Honest!"

Simon doesn't seem all that concerned about it.

"Well, if you're fast about it, it's fine. " Simon says with a shrug, "you know I wouldn't stop you from running back to a PC though. The time table isn't that tight. We DO want to stick to…"

"Procedure, yeah I know." Darryl replies, "Don't worry. I've still got the pokemon we need for the test. It'll still be by the book!"

Simon frowns a little. Everyone seems a little impatient today.

‎

Well… no use in delaying.

‎

"Alright, as long as you're sure, let's get into places." Simon replies.

They take their places. A few berries are placed in a bowl next to the testing site, as an offering to Mew. To start it, something must be taken. Simon locks eyes with �aver, preparing to initiate a pokemon battle before Simon at the last moment disengages, flying off on the back of his Pelipper and leaving the route momentarily. As he flies away he can feel the lines of Code constricting around him.

He lands, and it pulls tight, locking him into place. There is now only one way forward, and that is to finish the fight that was started.

Darryl sends out his Wingull, a weak, barely trained pokemon that Simon's Pelipper takes little time to defeat.

But something feels off.

That Wingull had been the pokemon that was supposed to be used as the Donor. If it came out first ... something else had to come out next to serve as the actual Donor pokemon.

Simon had no way of knowing what it was going to be. And no way to question it. Speaking was impossible in the Trainer Fly state, except for giving battle commands.

He nearly balks when the next pokemon to emerge is a Grumpig. A powerful looking one at that. �aver looks just as alarmed.

"Hey- hey, why do you have that," �aver asks in alarm. "You can't use a pokemon that strong!"

Darryl doesn't say anything back. He barely even seems to acknowledge �aver.

"You need to finish the match you know." He says to Simon.

The other scientists seem to nod in agreement. A few look tense. At least one looks a little intrigued.

This was a set up, wasn't it?

There isn't any way to get out. Not without surging, not without possibly injuring or killing all the rest of them. And the cords were tightening. He didn't want to take so long that he'd start to suffocate.

There was really only one thing he could do.

"Gilligan, Growl." He commands.

What ever pokemon came out, he would take it to the lowest level it could be to mitigate harm. It was all he could really do now.

"You could get us all killed!!" �aver interjects again. He doesn't move to stop the battle. They can't do that now, "This is probably going to bring in a pokemon not found in kanto, and that causes all kinds of issues! Who knows what's gonna happen?!"

"Grumpig wasn't on the list of non-approved pokemon." Darryl points out, "You had Gardivoir, Alakazam, Kadabra, Claydoll, Lunatone and Solrock. Grumpig and Hypno were fine. This one is just a little big that's all."

A look of horror, and more than that, burning anger crosses �aver's face. They'd found a LOOPHOLE? In a safety document of all things. And now they might have consigned the rest of them to oblivion. He glances at Simon, worried, and terrified for him. He looks like he's suffering, but... there really isn't anything they can do.. is there?

There is a third turn, and then a fourth just of growls. Simon doesn't lose focus, but it's clear he is only just hanging on. Between turns his hands twitch, as if struggling to maintain composure. And, at this point, likely consciousness as well.

At last the sixth turn passes. Six growls, dropping the Grumpig's attack as low as it can go. This would ensure the pokemon they summoned was as weak as it could be. It's all that Simon can do now to mitigate the damage. But he's wavering on his feet. Every turn the cords feel tighter. He can only just turn his head to see the worry on �aver's face. He isn't going to last in this state much longer and he knows it.

At last he switches to Æther, greyscale hue now bathing the battlefield. He finishes off the Grumpig quickly, and as the battle ends, and Simon nearly falls directly onto Æther's back. They leave the ground, soaring up into the air to leave the route and as they reenter-

Simon tumbles straight off Æther when he lands. And above him, looms a fuzzy, black and purple pokemon that stands a full 81 feet tall.

"Oh-..." �aver whispers.

"Oh shit..."

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Tw brief mentions of panic attacks, suicidality, death, trauma and dissociation, not so brief of self harm

Hey, I am currently looking for a therapist and I am a bit afraid of therapy tbh. I have a lot of trauma and forgot a lot and guessing by my symptoms, even worse stuff than that, what I remember. Most of it goes back to my abusive childhood home. And I am afraid what will happen, when I'll work on it and maybe/hopefully remember stuff again. I am afraid I'll go back to having 4 panic attacks a day, 3 day in a row unable to sleep, flashbacks or suicidality again. I once "woke up" (from dissociation-ish) and realized, I had zero memories of the last 3 months.

(Idk I just need to write this down: the like last thing I remembered was that I started to cut myself very lightly for... the feeling of overcoming myself. My natural will to be unharmed, whatever. And then I "woke up" and was sitting on my bed and was self harming at that moment, already had bad scars and didn't cut lightly anymore.)

I don't want this to ever happen again.

It's not like I overcame any of this, but panic attacks are rare, sleep issues not that bad, flashbacks very rare and I've gotten used to my suicidality. Okay I actually stopped self harming. I am not thriving but living in a way that is... okay. And I am leaving this relative safety (at least I know what shit to expect) for therapy and I am scared.

I mean... at the end of the session you'll leave their office after 45min, no matter how shocked or dissociated etc. you are and you are forced to sit with whatever issue on your own for the next week. That sounds scary as shit. I occasionally remember stuff that I once forgot and even then, like "remember when that aunt you barely knew died?" leaves me so unable to cope for many days. What about serious memories?

I am very scared.

Hi anon,

Thank you for reaching out so I could have the opportunity to validate and acknowledge your pain: I am so sorry for your experiences, and the impact it has on your daily life.  

I want to commend you for having the self awareness to even reach out for therapy options - many people do not - and it is very understandable that the process of unpacking memories, especially ones where our body remembers, but not our minds, feels panic inducing.  I’ve talked about this before, but essentially there is such a thing as trauma amnesia, and there have been studies (one, and two) and books (one, and two) on how trauma impacts our brains, where our body remembers but our conscious minds do not.  

Now when it comes to therapy, yes, there is a chance that unpacking your feelings, experiences, and memories in a safe space with a professional who is hoping to help form a treatment plan to help you thrive - might in fact, bring up painful ones that feel new to you.  But there is also a possibility that even with treatment you may never recover these memories and it might be more imperative to navigate the physical reactions to the feelings without the memories.

My hope would be that you could further explore them in your session for a set time, and then with the help of the therapist help calm your nervous system down with enough time to discuss coping skills/tools for how to handle the remainder of the week before you go into your next session.  

However, this is a skill that can take time to develop, so whether you find something that speaks to you right away, or whether it takes months, you are commendable for even wanting to put in the effort in the first place.  I do believe with the help of a trained professional it will go much faster than if you were simply tackling this on your own, and my hope is that with the healthiest supports in place for you, you will go from surviving to thriving.

Good luck <3

- Mod Kat

[briamichellewrites]

44

There was silence in the house and Otis was in bed. He was accompanied by his favourite blanket and stuffed animal. He was changed into fresh pyjamas and a clean diaper after bathing. Jason, his uncle, engaged him in play in the bathtub. He was so silly! Jason had a deep affection for his nephew. He was more interested in his career and would never have children of his own. He did not consider them important. With his tiny fists, Otis rubbed his eyes.

The time for sleep had come. Mike told him he loved him and planted a kiss on his forehead. In a message to Anna, Bria said that she and Dave were at her house.

They spent time with the children and her mother, who was going through a tough moment. Both of them were worn out. They would therefore spend the remainder of the day at home. She expressed gratitude to her for informing them. Is it possible for her to text her tomorrow to update them on her condition?

Sure, I will do it! Perhaps we should spend the afternoon with Sheena. It simply depends on how everything turns out. - Bria

After taking her medicine, Bria prepared to go to bed. She was prescribed a new ADHD medication that would not affect her heart. She was more sleepy than normal because of it. Her body needed a few weeks to adjust to the change. She was advised by her cardiologist to take it easy. She still had the risk of a heart attack or stroke even with the pacemaker.

In order to promote Minuets to Midnight, their new album, Dave and the band were embarking on a tour.They were reassured that her father would be there in case something went wrong. To find out how Joe was doing, Bradford visited him. He was doing just fine. Was he having trouble?

"I am," he acknowledged.

What was happening? He learned of the suicide overdose death of a girl he had met in treatment. She allegedly shared a home with Bria's mother. On TV, he saw that her body had been discovered. He broke down in tears upon learning the truth. Bradford offered his sympathies.

"Thank you," he said.

He learned from the other people he knew from rehab that she had relapsed after about a year of sobriety. She left the house after arguing with Bria's mother. She got high after using heroin. The demands the drug was placing on her body caused it to shut down. Her remarks about wanting to die led to the assumption that it was suicide. He was embraced by Bradford's long arms. He could not say anything to reassure him. He said he was sorry for that.

When Dave dropped by, Sheena was feeling upbeat. As soon as she saw him at the front door, she grinned. Goldie and his toys were playing in the living room. They just came back from a stroll outside. Donna was scheduled to return home later because she had some errands to run. They bid her farewell. He had so much to hear from Sheena! She and Angel had a girls night with her friends.

A baking party was held. She had the opportunity to create a variety of cookies. Her tray was used to store ingredients. Did Goldie accompany her? Not at all, since her sister was present. Additionally, one of the girls had a dog allergy. In any case, he would have been in the way and would not have liked it. Indeed, he could understand how that might occur. Did she stay overnight? No, they returned home. She went home with some cookies. Her father desired to bring them along to his workplace.

"I want them to last a while," she said, allowing him to bring a few.

After placing them in a ziplock bag, he left them on the kitchen counter and forgot about it. He picked them up when he returned home from his lunch break. All morning long, he craved them! Dave chuckled. A few of them were given to him to try. They tasted really good! He understood why he wanted them so badly! Her smile came to her face.

Prince did not have cerebral palsy as was thought. Instead, he received a paraplegia diagnosis. Due to his paralysis from the waist down, he would require a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Because of a spinal cord injury, his brain and legs were unable to communicate with one another. It was thought to be brought on by Crystal's drug use while she was pregnant. At what point would he be eligible for a wheelchair? By the time he was three, they could discuss that.

Despite his disability, Michelle was determined to help him. He would be treated the same as the others. He could not be treated as inferior by anyone, she insisted. Prince grinned at the physician. He gestured toward him. He had no interest in whatever they were discussing. Putting his toy in his mouth was more important to him. It had a plastic-like flavor.

Dave discovered the cats keeping watch while Bria slept on the couch. The time was nearly five o'clock. He pondered her reason for taking a nap. He questioned her about why she was so exhausted when she awoke. She had no idea. It was probably her medicine. He took a seat next to her and touched her forehead. She did not feel as though she had a temperature. Most likely, it was a bad day. Because she wanted attention, Luna meowed at him. He stroked her and her sibling. Both of them purred with joy.

Henry had returned to his job. He was tense, anticipating a gunshot at any second. Even the sound of shouting made him scan the area for threats. He heard his name called out by one of his residents. He gave them a nod and returned his focus to them. Something strange about his behaviour was noticed by his nurses, who had been with him since the beginning.

He was always composed and concentrated. Only a few days had passed since the gun was aimed directly at his face. It was more than understandable that he was experiencing difficulties. They gave him a pass because they had no idea how traumatising that must have been for him.

They were unaware that he was going to therapy for his mental health issues. He had to wait a year before getting a diagnosis of PTSD. He was prescribed anti-anxiety medication by his therapist in order to alleviate some of his symptoms. Unless it affected his employment, he was not going to be candid about his mental health. Jerry stopped by while he was on his lunch break. He brought a sandwich from Panera Bread, a salad, and a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," Henry said.

Together, they took a seat.

"You appear to be in need of some rest. We should go on a trip together.”

"You were working overtime, I thought."

"Come on. Just because you took a week off does not mean the hospital will collapse. We could go camping with the dogs or something. Unfortunately, we are not getting any younger.”

"I am reminded more and more of that as Bria gets older."

The food was delicious! They enjoyed it more than the cafeteria fare. He intended to sleep in and check on Bria because he had the following day off. Once he slept well, he and Jerry would discuss the vacation in more detail. The idea did seem like a good one. Finding time in his schedule was all he needed to do. They both had to return to their jobs after eating. The two of them bid each other farewell.

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon

[bigasswritingmagnet]

Material Gain, Immeterial Loss

Fandom: Dragon Age Pairing: Bartrand Tethras/Raella Dace Summary: Bartrand has been very busy of late. The people who care for him are worried.

He wasn't always like this.

AO3 Link

"Bartrand." 

The numbers whirled by, sliding off of bills and debt notices and expense reports and into the heavy leather-bound book under his hands. The worn tip of his pen jumped from column to column, page to page like a living thing, bleeding hard-earned profits. 

"Bartrand." 

He grunted, but the voice that had broken through his concentration was familiar. His eyes darted up momentarily to acknowledge the intruder. 

"Raella," he said, turning a page. "You look nice." 

She did look nice. Her dress was a cream-colored surface silk, 20 silver a yard, with intricate embroidery ( 50 silver) in gold and green thread (4 and 3 copper a yard, respectively). Topaz and emeralds glittered at her throat (8 gold), her wrists (5 each), and her ears (5 for the pair). She practically shone in the bright candlelight. 

"Thank you," she said, her voice somewhat stiff. "Do you know why?" 

Bartrand grunted. If she wanted him to know, she would say. He didn't have time for guessing games. 

"I was attending the Helmi's dinner party tonight." 

"That's nice." Some distant memory managed to flick in front of the accounts, and he looked up at her again, brow furrowed. "I thought that was next week." 

"It was not." Her grey eyes were iron in winter, cold, sharp, hard. Brittle. "It was tonight. I had to attend alone." 

"Oh."

"Again."  

"I forgot." 

"Clearly." 

"Sorry." When Raella continued to glare at him in silence, he turned back to his books. He would find a way to make it up to her later. "I'll remember the next one." 

"You said that last time. And the time before. Bartrand!" 

Finally Bartrand threw down his pen. 

"Raella, I'm busy ." 

"You are always busy!" Her anger melted suddenly, softened into concern. Her hand was warm on his. "You never go out anymore," she said softly. "You don't come to the parties, you don't come to the dinners, you never have time for your friends, for me. All you do is work." 

"There's too much to do. I can't be distracted."  

"There's a difference between distraction and living your life! I'm worried about you. I want you to take a break. Varric says--" 

"Did he ask you to come here?" Bartrand interrupted. "Nosy little nughumper never could mind his own business--"

"Bartrand!" Raella exclaimed, aghast. He shrugged his shoulders, only slightly embarrassed at the admonishment. "I asked him if something was wrong, and he told me you've been neglecting-- everything . He's as worried as I am." 

He snorted derisively. Varric made no secret of his opinion of his brother, and never had. They'd never gotten along, even as children, and after the whole Davri fiasco, they could barely stand to be in the same room.  If he keeled over dead tomorrow, he doubted Varric would shed a single tear. 

"Varric hasn't spent more than a few hours in this house in almost a year. What would he know about how I'm doing?" 

"Bartrand," Raella said softly. "I can't keep doing this."

He sighed, and picked up his pen, turning back to his books. 

"Look, everything will slow down in winter, and we'll do something then." 

"You want me to wait four months just for a chance to spend time with you? Is that how things will be from now on? Is that what our marriage will be like?" 

"I'm running a sodding house here, Raella. I can't just take a day off for no reason. What do you want me to say?"

There was no response. Bartrand pressed his lips together tightly and kept his head bent, even when he heard a soft click of something being set on the desk. 

"Goodbye, Bartrand," Raella said softly. He grunted, and the door shut softly behind her. 

Several minutes passed before he looked up. 

Raella's engagement ring was sitting on the corner of his desk. Bartrand stared at the ring for a moment, eyes tracing the engravings that bracketed the embedded stones. A proper dwarven ring. He'd spent hours designing it, and he hadn't even hesitated when the jeweler told him the price was--

He flipped to 'future earnings' and scratched in '8g, 15s - recouped loss'. 

There was so much work to do.