#sweet old lady horrible driver

[plebeiangoth]

Cool how some spinal injuries from a car crash years ago is ruining my day right now

[natailiatulls07]

Hi Ivan you please do teenage reader is Jules bianchi daughter and Charles raised her as he’s her godfather and she’s his pride and joy and grew up basically at the paddock so all the drivers knew her and are like uncles to her and there all wrapped around her finger cause of how sweet she is ( she’s like sunshine ) and can you do them and Charles reaction to her getting her first boyfriend?

Marguerite

Jules Bianchi x Daughter!reader

Charles Leclerc x little sister!reader

Summary - Charles’ little sister, is now dating but that’s not much of a celebration to her brother and the three other drivers

Warnings - swearing in french, probably horrible french translations lmao, Jules Bianchi's death, funeral

A/n - Charles and Y/n aren’t blood related but consider each other brother and sister

Marguerite

-

2015

Front row in Nice Cathedral sat Y/n Bianchi. She was dressed in a lacy black dress, her hair in curls tied up in a half up half down hairstyle. Beside her was Charles Leclerc, her older brother. He kept glancing over at the nine year old girl.

In front of them sat her fathers coffin surrounded with daisies, his favourite flower. It was also what Jules nicknamed Y/n.

'Marguerite'

She was playing with the lace, this isn't the right place for a nine year old to be. Outside were a plethora of media and press, ready to capture the drivers attending the funeral, Jules' coffin or Y/n Bianchi. There was little to no pity for the young girl on this hard for her from the media or press.

"Charlie?" Y/n's small and unsure voice pulled his attention to her. "Who are all these people?" Pointing to the many people attending the funeral around the cathedral, Y/n made a face of confusion.

Charles was quick to look around the cathedral. "They are here to pay their respect to papa...just like us" He took a deep breath, trying to keep composure for the nine year old. "Papa is a very loved and respected man by many"

Y/n knew of the love and respect her father had, but still couldn't understand that. "But they didn't know him like we do?" It was true, these people don't know Jules like his daughter and godson does.

They didn't know that he was doing formula one for Y/n, they didn't know that he was both terrified and proud of Charles for following in his path. They didn't know this stuff, personal stuff.

The Monégasque loved how observant she was, he loved that she could seperate personal love and platonic love. "That's why you don't need to give them anything today, just focus on loving and saying goodbye to papa..." Nodding her head, Y/n listened to Charles' request.

"Focus on papa..."

-

2023

After Jules' death, Charles' practically adopted his daughter. Only a couple months after the funeral, Y/n moved in with Charles. He became her legal guardian.

Y/n, now seventeen years old, was sat at a lunch table with Alex, Charles' current girlfriend and Rebecca, Carlos' current girlfriend. On any race weekend, she would attach herself mostly to the two girls and looked up to them a lot .

"So babes any more news on that boy, what was his name? Tom?" Alex asked curiously. With Charles being Y/n's legal guardian, Alex would take on the role of big sister and would give anything to talk about the seventeen years olds love life.

"Oh my god yeah! Has it moved any more from the dms?" Rebecca would chime in, she was also a great lover of listening about Y/n's love life.

"Well..." Y/n dragged this bit out, seeing how anticipated the two older women were getting. "We've been on a few dates, Charlie doesn't know though"

Both Alex and Rebecca were quick to gasp, drawing the attention of those around them before snickering slightly. "Oh and when I asked what we were, he said that I'm his and he's mine!"

All three females were grinning at that last piece of information and Alex was about to say something when the two ferrari boys had made their arrival at the table. Both dressed in the racing suits, red head to toe.

"What we talking about ladies?" Charles asked excitedly, giving Alex a quick peck on the lips before checking on his adopted sister who was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Oh nothing! Just asking Y/n how she's finding college at the moment..." The oldest of the ladies, Rebecca, spoke up and quickly covered up their previous conversation with a lie.

Y/n let out a nervous laugh, glad that Rebecca had managed to cover it all up. "Yeah, it um...great at the moment, love it"

She was about to say something else but Charles was quick and swift to step in and essential boost about the girls success in college. "Better than great! Marguerite is at the top of her class, studying media and communication!"

'Marguerite'

It warmed Y/n's heart to know that Charles had carried on her papas legacy.

"Oh wow! Go on Y/n!" The tall spanard celebrated, clearing proud of her success much like his teammate. "Top of the class! You really are a smart lady, you gonna conquer the world!"

The whole table laughed at Carlos’ enthusiasm to praise the seventeen year olds success in her studies.

-

It was two am in the morning, Charles and Alex were asleep in their room however the teenager was not.

No, she was pulling on her Jordans. Wearing a white and baby pink tracksuit, Y/n grabbed her phone before quickly and quietly rushing to the front door of the apartment.

She was going to hang out at Toms house, yet Charles still didn’t know. Also the Monégasque had a curfew for Y/n, two am was much past that curfew by now.

Y/n went to unlock the apartment door but when she accidentally dropped her keys on the hardwood floors, she panicked. The walls are paper thin.

Of course this meant that she had woken up Charles and Alex. “Fuck!” Y/n quietly cursed herself for ruining her plan.

As she went to pick up the keys, the hallway light flickered on. “Y/n? What are you doing up?” It was Charles. “And dressed?”

“C-Charlie…hi” He gave her a confused expression, clearly not oblivious to her nervousness.

“Y/n what’s going on?” Charles asked again, more firm now.

“I um…nothing” Y/n replied to his question horribly, it was evident that she was lying. He held a intimidating glance over the girl, prompting her to open up and spill. “I was sneaking out! I’m sorry Charlie!” She pleaded.

“Where to? A party?”

“No…um my boyfriends house…” She knew it would come out eventually so it was better to rip off the bandaid and fast.

Silence filled the hallway, Charles looked shocked and unsure of how to react whilst Y/n felt ashamed and anxious.

Another voice filled the air, Alex. “How about we all go to bed, yeah? Talk about this in the morning” She waited for the two to nod, Y/n much quicker than Charles but he did still nod. “Y/n, I suggest you text Tom and tell him you can’t come over”

“Okay…” Charles look even more shocked and angry when he realised that Alex must of known about this the whole time.

-

Waking up the next morning, Y/n could hear distant voices from the kitchen. Getting out of bed and making her way to the kitchen, the voices became more identifiable.

There were four, all with various accents. Monégasque, Spanish, British and finally Dutch. That could mean only four people.

As she walked into the kitchen dining room, it was confirmed to Y/n that she had Charles, Carlos, Lando and Max there, all seemingly waiting for her.

"Morning..." It hadn't seemed to click in her mind as to why they were all there staring at her disapprovingly.

It was only when she realised that Alex was not there and the usual bubbily behaviour the men would have was no where to be seen that the penny dropped. "Oh..."

"You wanna tell the guys whats happened?" The sarcastic tone Charles had set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Plus it was bullshit. The Monégasque would have already told them the whole story, it was evident on their faces.

"Go on Y/n, do tell..." The third time world champion pushed.

Looking down, Y/n had now instantly found her acrylic nalls very interesting. "I was sneaking out...and Charles caught me..." The seventeen year old mumbled.

"Where were you sneaking out to?"

"My boyfriends place..." The girl finally looked up and was met once again with disappointed facial expressions. "I'm sorry, I know you like me dating but he's a really sweet guy..." Y/n tried to reason with them but before anyone else could say anything, there was a knock on the front door.

"I'll get it and you." Charles got up from his seat, pointing to Y/n. "You are still not off the hook." He was quick to make his way to the front door whilst Carlos, Max and Lando spoke to Y/n a little bit more, slightly softer now.

However, their conversation was cut short rather quickly when they heard Charles shout. "You got to be fucking kidding me!"

Turns out Tom had decided to come over, expecting only Y/n to be home. So now he was being dragged into the kitchen dining room by his shirts neck line. "Carlos, Max and Lando meet the boyfriend. Go on introduce yourself."

Tom and Y/n locked eyes, his more panicked and hers more guilty. "Charlie come on, let him go! He hasn't done anything wrong!" The twenty six year old did thankfully listen to her, but dropped the boy to the ground in the process.

“Except violate our Marguerites innocent mind” Lando snapped back, truly believing that Y/n’s mind was completely innocent.

The young boys hands went up in defence, smirking slightly. He knew that Y/n was far from innocent. “Oh don’t smirk!” The Spaniard caught Toms smirk, and was not happy about it.

It was Maxs turn to speak again. “Okay okay, right Y/n and Tom sit down on the couch” He demanded.

Listening to the Dutch man, the two seventeen year olds were quick to sit down on the couch. Toms hand unconsciously moved to rest on Y/n’s thigh but drew back to his own lap when he felt the sharp glare from all four of the drivers.

“You explain yourself” Max pointed toward the female.

“Me and Tom met through a mutual friend, we’ve been on a few dates and I love him” A deep crimson blush covered her cheeks. Giggling softly.

It was hard for the drivers to stay annoyed at Tom, they could see how happy this one boy made her.

Happiness is all Charles ever wanted for Y/n especially after losing her father. Happiness was something the Monégasque always deeply prioritised whilst raising his little sister.

“He makes me happy…Charlie please”

That same deep blush covered Toms cheeks, he was still a young and awkward teen. “Oh I didn’t know that…you love me?”

They were like love sick puppies, anyone could tell even if they were blind or deaf. “Yeah of course I do…”

This stumped Charles, Max, Lando and Carlos. They wanted to be angry at Tom but they simply couldn’t. Why? Because it was obvious how happy and loved Y/n felt with Tom.

“Putain!” Cursed Charles. How is he meant to be angry now? “You know, you are really making it hard for us to be angry at you”

Lando nodded in agreement. “Yeah fuck you for that guys”

A smirk cracked through Y/n’s rosey cheeks, well aware of what was happening. She knew full well that they weren’t annoyed at them anymore.

“So does this mean that you approve?” As soon as Y/n asked the question, Tom became confident once again and moved his hand back to her thigh, caressing it slightly.

All the older men just groaned, knowing that they’d just have to endure with the relationship. It was gonna happen eventually, Charles just wished it didn’t come round so soon. “Yes fine, just keep it pg thirteen around us please”

Nodding excitedly, Y/n happily jumped up from the couch before wrapping her arms around Charles hugging him tightly. “Thank you thank you thank you!”

This made him reminisce on when Y/n was younger, hugging was on of her favourite things to, especially with Jules.

Whilst the brother and sister hugged tightly, Tom with his new found confidence also got up. Shaking the hands of the three other drivers.

“You protect her, you hear me.” Carlos warned. Tom was quick in nodding, not wanting to cause any more bad impressions.

And in those moments where Y/ns relationship with Tom could come free, letting them love each other openly and without fear, both Charles and Y/n could feel Jules’ presence.

They could feel how he was looking down on them, protecting them, loving them and being their guardian angel.

Watching over his dear godson and his Marguerite.

Marguerite

-

[safely-in-vhagars-belly]

Dancing with a wolf (FemalereaderocxAemondxAegon)

Aemond x reader x Aegon

Tags: Showsetting, blackmail, piracy, warcrimes.

🔷Summary: A long time ago, you paid the ultimate price for Prince Aemond's hand. And now your sister summons you back to court.

🔷Author's note: Dark.

🔷Wordcount :7000

🔷Warnings: Piracy, child-abuse and mentions of traumas and blood and gore.

Dancing with a Wolf

The Red Keep had not changed in years. It was the same old horrible looking building, with the same boring old towers and the same horrible people that called it their home. You look out the window of the carriage, quickly closing the curtains when a single sunray finds its way into your carriage. Today is a sunny, lovely day. So unlike how you feel inside.

You are irritated, hollow of the greed you have been feeling for a while now, as well as that anxious choking feeling you had hoped to be rid of for years now. You prided yourself into not feeling fear anymore, or not allowing yourself to feel it. Yet here you are, back in the city of Hell, King’s Landing on no one’s order than your sweet darling twin sister, Adalina. Or is it Princess Adalina now? You wouldn’t know. You haven’t written a word to that brat since you were exiled.

The Carriage finally drives up to the familiar courtyard, and when you are nearing the gates, you notice there is blood under your fingernails from where you slammed your fingers too deep into your own skin. You quickly wipe it away, on your skirt. The driver of your carriage, Haryold takes notice of your behavior. ‘’Ye Nervous, Miss?’’

You huff, denying it to yourself. As long as you don’t admit your feelings are real, they won’t feel real. ‘’That’s a ridiculous observation, Haryold.’’

He continues, stabbing the poorly healed wound.

‘’It’s just…Last time you were here, you were in quite the trouble.’’ Memories flash back to you, as you pretend that they are not your own. You are not the same girl you were back then. 

‘’I don’t pay you to have an opinion on my personal matters. People who lurk around in caskets, shouldn’t be surprised if they ended up in one.’’ You warn him with that and one of your glares. Haroyld nods, understanding he crossed a line and does not speak when riding the carriage to the entrance of the keep.

There, two servants help you out of the carriage. One offers his arm, the other is prepared to help you with your feet. You drop your bag in the hand of the man, and after that you jump out of the carriage, landing on your leather shoes, glancing up at the sun and the castle.

It is quiet in the courtyard. Adalia invited you here, yet she isn’t here. You would be insulted, if you didn’t hate her. You walk towards the castle doors, your boots leaving muddy footprints from your last trip. A page or servant, someone who works for the castle, as you didn’t bother to keep up with titles of the staff, rushes after you. ‘’Lady! Lady Ethel! You must wait.’’

You turn on your heel, facing him. You smile, revealing your glimmering teeth, folding your hands on your back. ‘’I’m just visiting my sister’s future home. If you like me to report that you had a issue with me, be my guest.’’ You wait for him to deny that claim, that she’s an angel, a gift sent by the Seven. Instead of that he bows his head, letting you, as a dog rolling over. You smile, patting his shoulder and tossing him a coin, before entering the Red Keep.

—-------------

The smells, the lights and the damn banners. It all brings you back. You tried to look as yourself as much as possible. Your parents don’t need to be pleased. Your hair is loose, wild, untamed, unbothered. It is as wild as a river, as deep as an ocean and endless as the sea. Your good eye has a beautiful black line around it, highlighting the color of your pupil, and your other eye is shining as beautifully as ever. The silversmith did an amazing job, fitting your new eye. It is a small, pure silver orb with a citrine in it, symbolizing the pupil and the eye you lost. Your dress is a simple but practical dress in the colors of the Dornish. 

Inside the castle, someone awaits you already. Two guards size you up, narrowing their eyes almost at the same time. ‘’I am here for Princess Adalia.’’ You tell one of them, when watching the other. The two men share a glance.

He judges your poor quality dress, your cloak with holes and your old boots. ‘’You are Lady Ethel?’’ No. 

‘’Yes.’’ You say, smiling to hide your disgust. You are, in ways. In others, no. Not anymore.

You turn your head at the same time, and notice someone coming down the stairs. Someone with your hair color, someone wearing your smile. Someone living a life so different from yours. Your twin sister wears a fine silk gown with embroidered details of gold. She spots you easily, dismissing the ladies following her around as helpless little pups stalking their mother.

She comes over, and both guards nod in respect to Lady Adalia. You don’t. You do smile, and you notice her staring at your clothing and your fake eye. ‘’You changed.’’ That is the first time your twin sister says to you. Her voice almost sounds sincere. She sounds shocked.

You shrug. ‘’Disownment and exile does that to a person. Shall we go discuss things upstairs? I’m sure you can fetch a decent bottle of wine here.’’ You add with a wink. 

Adalia groans, but follows.

You soon walk over the same stairs you did years ago, and it all comes back to you.

-ten years ago-

Your hair is put up high, making you look so much older than you actually are. The coal and berry juice  itches on your face, as you aren’t used to wearing any of it. And your dress, it is the pretty own with the silver sparkles, as your mother requested by the seamstress. You never felt as a princess as much as you do tonight. 

Your parents worked hard to arrange this match with Queen Alicent of House Hightower. Despite your family being some of her most loyal supporters, Queen Alicent was being ‘’difficult’’ about the match for months. But now, tonight, she finally has accepted: Her son, Prince Aemond of House Targaryen, will marry either you or your sister, Adalia. You and her were born during the same moon and have shared everything in life. From plush toys to dresses and from dresses to secret wishes. You both love each other deeply.

You are presented first to court. You have to wait until the page reads your name out loud and when he does, you finally make your debut and enter the castle hall. Many eyes are fixated on you, but only one pair of eyes matters. You see him standing near the throne where his father sits, the boy with silver hair that one day will become your husband. ‘’Lady Ethel of House Mossdam!’’ A few murmurs rise up as you pass the crowds of people, coming closer to the Prince. He waits with his hands folded on his back, taking in your gown with a smile on his lips.

When you are finally in front of the King and Queen, you make a curtsy for them and turn to your future husband. He smiles, greeting you. Your mother who had escorted you, quickly tells the Queen which one of the two twins you are as you and Aemond converse about the candy that is put on the table. ‘’I personally prefer the dragonsticks but I can also recommend the chocolate cake.’’ The prince says, moving a bit with his hands as he talks, likely nervous. You nod and smile. Chocolate cake sounds delicious. You plan to get a piece when your sister is announced. Once again, all heads turn.

But this time it is different. Gasps and adoring coes are heard as your sister parades to the Prince, her head held high as a true Queen. You look at the Prince, trying to get his attention by offering him chocolate cake, but it doesn't matter anymore. 

The moment he sees her, his eyes light up in a way they never did when he looked at you. Despite your best efforts, your smile fades and you turn to your parents for direction and help. You gently tap the Prince’s shoulder but he does not only ignore you, he also glares at you to warn you to not do that again. Insulted and confused, you look at the Queen who only smiles back at you the way you once saw so many smile at you. Her smile speaks where her mouth cannot. Disappointment, shame and embarrassment wash over you as Prince Aemond and your sister take off in another direction entirely, gushing happily to one another. 

‘’Prince Aemond made his choice.’’ Queen Alicent declares with a smile. ‘’Adelia and him will be married when they both turn sixteen.’’ 

You came here, hoping that Aemond would like you. You came here, hoping that this would be your home. A strange, hollow feeling eats away at your soul, bringing out an unfamiliar darkness in you that you never felt before as you look at the smiling Adelia. Your feet act before you can think and you quickly dispose of the chocolate cake you had gathered. Fresh tears pierce in your eyes, threatening to cause a scene and to ruin all what you worked so hard for.  And now he doesn't even want you. 

You hear footsteps approach and see that your father has followed you. You offer him a piece of cake too. He only needs to glare at you so you put the plate down. ‘’I am very disappointed in you.’’ He tells you, his voice soft so only you may hear. ‘’Your sister only needed a few moments with the Prince, and you are making a fool of yourself and he doesn’t even care.’’ He refers to the cake incident. You had hoped that no one would’ve noticed. But as you lift your head and a few tears escape, you notice that all eyes in the crowd are on you, stuck as a fly in honey.

You must defend yourself. You must.

‘’Daddy, I tried.’’ You manage to stutter. He raises his hand, to silence you.

He has a scoff in his voice, but you hear anger more than anything else.  ‘’You didn’t try hard enough. Do you know how much effort me and your mother put into this match? You could at least try to not look like a clown.’’ You quickly wipe at your make-up, smearing most of it on the sleeve of your dress.

 He walks away with one final word that would forever haunt your memory. ‘’Disappointment.’’

Prince Aemond and Adalia seem to be happy, at least. You try to be happy for your sister, but somehow you are only reminded of your own failures and your own misery whenever you see the two of them together. You can’t take the suffocating growing feeling inside of you, threatening to tear you apart the way a wolf would tear apart a lamb. Your legs take off, running to the exit of the ballroom when you think no one looks.

When you try to enter the cool and calming gardens of the castle, you bump into a tall silver-haired person that smells unpleasantly. You don’t need to see his face to know it is the Prince’s older brother, Prince Aegon. 

Aegon smirks at your teary face, your trembling hands and your dirty dress enjoying every miserable little minute. ‘’You’re one of the little brats who my brother would marry.’’ He observes, quickly blocking your way to the gardens. 

You sniffle, nodding to confirm, as you know well enough it is rude to not answer a prince.

‘’I-I am. Please let me through.’’

He does not comply. ‘’Shouldn’t you be talking with my brother?’’ He asks. You huff, anger, getting the better of you.

Why does he care? ‘’No. He picked my sister.’’ You say, pointing to the two children who are now enjoying a chocolate cake.

The other prince huffs, annoyed quickly. ‘’You give up so easily? Do you know what’s at stake here?’’

He leans in a little closer, a mischievous spark growing in his eyes. ‘’I’ll let you into a little secret. If you want to hold Aemond’s attention, mention dragons. He never had one, he would do anything for one.’’ Dragons. You know of dragons.

House Targaryen is one of the few surviving houses of old Valyria, where dragons once roamed the big skies. Before the doom. ‘’Anything?’’ You reply, a plan forming in your head.

–

That night, when everyone is asleep, you sneak out of your rooms at the palace. You pass Ada’s bed on the way out, and you can’t help but feel horrible for how you are going to steal her husband and her future away from her. You even tear up, and can barely muffle your cries as you sneak past her. 

On your own, you dress and prepare yourself. Your mission is simple: You will find a dragon, convince it to bring it with you, and offer it as a gift of betrothal to the Prince. He would not even dare to refuse it. It sounds like an amazing plan, and you are pretty proud of yourself for thinking it up. 

There are just a few irons to work out:

You don’t know where dragons are, you don’t know how to bring a dragon home, and you don’t know how to speak with a dragon. But you assume that if you learn one, you learn the other two. It has to be.

You manage to sneak out of the castle easily: No one cares where you go, who you are, or what you come to do. You are a shadow in the light of the Red Keep. And whoever pays attention to shadows? You hear your own footsteps and take comfort into this.

You read in your history books about the Dragon pit, located in King’s Landing. That is where the dragons of the Targaryens are where their riders can’t attend them, and that is where you will go.

It is dark and cold in the city as you walk through it, but no one seems to pay you any mind. That is until you are in front of the huge colossal housing where the dragons stay. You never saw anything like it. It’s structure reminds you a lot of the Red Keep. A memory of a time long ago, long forgotten by most. Two guards outside warn you of trespassers and what will be done to them. 

Both guards seem bored, yet dangerous. You had hoped there would be no security at all, but that might have been wishful thinking. Instead of backing down and rolling over, you think of a plan on how to get inside.

Luckily for you, a huge cart is approaching, with dead animal meat on top of it. Huge slabs of meat, likely meant for the dragons. You make yourself as small as possible. The driver is asked to stop and when the two guards are busy inspecting the meat on intruders, you sneak past them both, into the famous Dragon Pit.

There you avoid most torches, and go from pen to pen. First there is a big goldenlike dragon. It warns you when you approach by flapping it’s wings violently, hissing and warning you. You bet it would impress the prince, but you aren’t stupid enough to even risk that. So, you go onto another pit.

Most dragons you pass do not please you. Most are too big, too dangerous or too scary. You had almost given up your quest entirely when you stumbled upon a small, red with black dragon sitting in a lone pen, straw and food near him. He is as big as four apples, and arguably the smallest dragon you ever saw. It looks weak, tiny, vulnerable. And perfect as a gift for Prince Aemond.

You open the pen, easily and slip inside of the pen, as the dragon cocks its head at you. You withhold a giggle of excitement and glee as you realize that everyone will soon be either impressed or happy with you. 

You approach the dragon, hands out to grab it. The dragon takes a few steps back, watching you very closely but does not fight or breathe fire at you. ‘’Please, dragon. Work with me! Prince Aemond wants a dragon, and I want Prince Aemond to like me.’’ You whisper to the creature that awkwardly stares back at you with its big hollow eyes.

You lean in closer to the hatchling, coming as close that you can smell its poop nearby it and the meat it devoured recently. You watch it twitch it head at you and both your hands come closer to his body, grabbing hold of it firmly.

It seems so tiny. So helpless. 

And so, so threatened by your presence. 

The dragon hisses, before slamming a claw down your face, tearing open your flesh, blood bursting from the wound as you open your mouth. You know you are supposed to be silent. You know this is forbidden. You know you can’t be heard.

But that pain…

The pain of a dragon’s claw, it is the worst pain you ever have been subjected to.

You cry out in agony, pain slashes through you as the claw of the dragon pierces your flesh, cutting deep and unforgiven. Your screams of pain echo through the dragon pit as you back away from the baby hatchling, covering the right side of your face.

When you remove your hands, they are drenched in your own blood. Your face feels as if it was ripped from your very own skin. You pant, heavily, as the dragon follows you around its pen. You finally manage to get back on your feet, your small legs trembling as you make it out of the pen at long last.

Outside of the pen, with the dragon safely behind bars, you fall back to your knees, your pain becoming too much too quickly. Blood is flowing down your face, your dress, your shoes. It drips on the floor and for your own sanity, it feels like it slips between the tiles itself, going into the earth below.

You can only wail and cry in pain as someone approaches, carrying a torch. It appears to be a old man, wearing a classic scribe robe you would see on septons. But this man is no septon. He is a guard to the dragons. He sees your bloodied face, your trembling legs and your shaking body and the dragon who keeps hissing at you from behind bars.

It is all he needs to leave. You assume he is leaving you to die.  Your breath quickens, as panic takes hold of you. But you soon hear three voices, coming closer as you crawl in the direction of the door.

It is the dragon guard. And he brought the two outdoor guards. The dragon guard lifts his torch, shining a light upon your face. You blink back against the sudden warmth and light. The dragon guard mumbles something, and the other two guards look at you speechless as they take in your face.

“It's a girl!” One of them shouts. “Child, what were you doing here?’ He tries to get your attention. You don’t respond. 

You can only look at the crying girl looking back at you in the reflection of his blade, and you see that something ripped her face in half. It is you. It is your face. You cower, making yourself as small as possible as your face keeps stinging, reminding you of your injuries. Of a very bleak looking future without any Prince by your side. Without any approval of your parents. 

Without any husband at all.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------

The dragonguards brought you to the King. It is embarrassing, seeing the entire castle woken up and everyone in their nightclothes for something you did. The King did you give the privilege and kindness to first receive excessive stitching in your face. You were offered milk of the poppy, but your mother denied it. ‘’Let her suffer the consequences of her actions.’’ She said. And so, your skin was pressed back together and stitched with a needle and thread in a slow, torturous manner. The Maester had never seen anything like it, and you could tell most women were horrified to see you like this, scarred and bloody.

All but Rhaenyra Targaryen.

The Princess of Dragonstone seems as furious as her little boy, the owner of the dragon you tried to steal. She resembles her ancestor, Queen Visenya.

You can only cry, no words to defend yourself or your actions come to mind. Your parents are near, yet they stand in the back of the room, disappointment and anger chizeld into their eyes forever. Adalia is near the King and Queen, close to Prince Aemond.

“What were you doing there?’’ King Viserys has a powerful voice that booms through the room as you are finally done with your stitches. What were you doing there? How could you be so stupid?

“Can we discuss this in private?” You ask, your voice soft. You don’t want Aemond to find out. Or your parents for that matter. Anyone but the King.

The king continues his sharp questions, spitting them out as fire. “Why were you trying to steal Prince’s Joffrey's dragon?” You don’t know. You really don’t. Maybe you wanted everyone to stop judging you. To stop pressuring you. To finally be in control for once. And you ruined it all.

“It was all my fault. I didn't know a dragon would be so aggressive.’’ You say, and the King’s harsh features soften, as he takes in your new fresh scars and trembling hands. You can see he feels pity for you.

A voice as sharp as glass cuts through the silence, surprising both his foes and friends. “You know nothing of dragons then.” Prince Aemond sneers. It's somehow even more painful when he scolds you. Unknowingly to him,  you wanted to please him. You wanted him to like you. To pick you as his wife.

And now he is lecturing you as if you are a little stupid girl. You look in the reflection of a sword of the King’s guard from Dorne, seeing your scarred poorly stitched and terribly mangled face. You are just that. A stupid, little girl.

Aemond continues, taking steps in your direction.

“You came into its pen, you threatened it and tried to take it away. Of course it would lash out.” You don’t know anything about dragons. You don’t know much about anything.

You would love your parents near you. To defend you and to hold your hand. But they remain in the back, present but silent. And holding your hands? They won't even look at you. 

For all they are concerned: You are a disgrace, a failure, a disappointment.

You expect to be executed on the spot for your treason. And truth be told? You’d welcome it. Anything to end the pain of your face, of the humiliation and the disappointment your parents feel for you. 

So when Prince Daemon takes out Dark Sister, his famous sword, you just stand there and allow him to approach you.

Queen Alicent is quick to interfere. 

“The girl has been scared. Forever. Lower your blade, Daemon. Even you won’t harm a disabled child.’’ You are shocked at her kindness. Why does she even care, you wonder? She didn’t like you during the ball.

But someone else disagrees firmly with the Queen. It is the Princess. ‘’My sons will have their answer. We must know why she stole the dragon. If not willingly we can always sharply question her.” You know what that means. Torture.

So you start talking, avoiding all eyes, your eyes aimed at your bloodied slippers. “I heard Aemond liked dragons. I wanted to give him one.” You confess, softly. Queen Alicent’s eyes shimmer with tears as she turns to look at her son, the prince who has many eyes on him now.

His face betrays that he is enraged. “You can't gift dragons!” He shouts, instead of taking you for your sacrifice, for your thoughtful gift, for the gesture, for the blood you lost because of him.

“I know that now.’’ You mutter, a tear falling rolling down your scarred cheeks.

Princess Rhaenyra approaches now too, angry and terrifying as a thunderstorm or maybe a big mother dragon. “Why would you give him a dragon? Why did you think my son's dragon was a good gift?” She makes it sound like this was some deliberate attack on her son. You would never. You don’t care for her sons. 

You decide to tell the truth, hoping she will believe you. “Because the others seemed too big. This one seemed harmless.” You feel all eyes on you as you fumble with your hands.

“And because…Aemond had to pick a wife…and…” Briefly, your air is cut off as you sob, your emotions becoming too much. “I wanted it to be me.” Followed by a final plea. ‘’I’m sorry!’’ You shout.

If Rhaenyra cared, she has become quite good at not showing it. “What will we do with her, father? She tried to steal my son's dragon.” This is madness. She thinks that this was some plot to hurt her, to hurt her sons, her claim to the Throne. That was not what this was. This was a desperate act.

Queen Alicent scoffs in disbelief at her words, as if she can’t believe what the Princess is saying. “For Aemond. To please him. I fully believe there was no ill will in Ethel's heart.” She adds. “She only did what she thought was right.”

Rhaenyra glances at Alicent, but her glares are for you and you alone. She turns her silver braided head in the direction of your silent parents. ‘’What do the parents think?’’ You gulp.

Your mother steps forward first. ‘’In all truth, we are disappointed and grieved by Ethel’s stupidity. We fully believe she is not capable of marrying any noble.’’ Your mother says. ‘’We certainly cannot approve of a marriage between her and House Targaryen anymore. We all ask that we may leave with Adelia and our heads on our shoulders. You may do with Ethel as you wish.’’ Your head fills with horrible images of you losing your head, or rotting away in a prison cell.

You don’t feel well. You feel as if you can pass out any moment now. ‘’’Mother,’’ you manage to squeak. ‘’You can’t mean that.’’ Yet your mother turns away, ignoring you as if you don’t exist. It is the cruelest thing she has ever done to you.

‘’Will you disown Ethel?’’ Alicent asks, and at that point, you start crying to a hysterical angle. You can’t handle being alone. You can’t be alone. Your twin sister is perfectly silent by Aemond’s side, a faint smile on her lips. 

Your mother glances one time at your face. ‘’I will do as the King wants.’’ She says.

The King glares. Not at you, however. At your parents. At your mother, your father, even at your sister. To you, he only speaks. “We will spare you. But we can't allow a marriage between you and Prince Aemond, not any other Targaryen.” You had figured that one out already.

Aegon snorts, reminding everyone that that weasel is present. “As if he even wanted her anymore.”

King Viserys ignores his son, standing up from the Iron throne. ‘’We must all rest now. The hour has grown late and I’m sure Ethel wants to forget this has even happened.’’ 

The Princess chases her father, her black and red skirts lifted so she may go faster. 

‘’Father-’’ She smiles but this time her father does not fall for it.

‘’The matter, has been settled, Rhaenyra.’’

You are returned to your rooms after. You don’t even dare to glance at the Princess, convinced you made a powerful enemy for life.

—

You are cooling your face with a towel, still somehow crying, minutes later. “Where is Ada?” You ask as your parents enter. They had an argument. You heard both of them scream and things break. 

The towel brings small comfort but the pain is unbearable. “Ada has been removed from her Chambers. She is living with the royal family. And that is for the best. You could ruin it all again. Forever  this time.” Your mother warns you. You roll your eyes.

She gasps at your audacity, before she sits down, grabbing you by your freshly stitched face. You yelp in pain. “We are already a minor house. Our coffins are nearing their bottom. And to top it all you now have a hideous scar that makes you unattractive and reminds every man how stupid you truly are.” She hisses, close to strangling you. 

‘’Resa, let her go.’’ Your father begs your mother. ‘’The king warned us if anything happened to her, he would know.’’ Why does the King even care? 

Your mother stops her actions, as if only now realizing what she did in a wave of anger. She turns her back to you, her first born child. ‘’You disgust me.’’ She whispers before she leaves. 

Ada and you never became close again after the incident. She blamed you for trying to ruin her chance at becoming a princess and you blamed her for ignoring you and shutting you out when your entire world was on fire.

—-------------

present

You watch the wine splash around in your cup. ‘’What do you want?’’ You ask your twin sister. Your sister raises her chin, trying to intimidate you. She has no idea what you've been through, however but you are not impressed. 

‘’I want you to attend my wedding to prince Aemond.’’ Ah, yes. Aemond. The man you lost your eye for. The man who you became a scarred mess for. The man who changed your life.

You can’t and don’t want anything to do with him anymore. ‘’I heard men lie better than that.’’ You say. ‘’Whatever you want, it’s not my support when that Valyrian scum fucks you.’’ You become distant and eye her room for anything unusual. You notice a vanity with an excessive bouquet of flowers, likely a gift from her husband to be. You notice your eyes glide to the hair bracelet around your wrist, where black, dornish locks hang. You try to hide your smirk, but you fail.

‘’I am serious. I want your support.’’ She says, using her big puppy eyes. ‘’Mother and father died so suddenly.’’ There is an accusation there. You had nothing to do with it. In a way. Sort of. Kind of. Ok, it was your fault, but you didn’t use the daggers. That was someone else. 

You know it is risky for you to stay at the castle. But you want to see how her marriage with Aemond is treating her. You tell yourself that lie, feeding it your brain, repeating it until it becomes the truth. You feel your tattoo ache on your back, the one you had Aros put there years ago. You want revenge, in truth. But you can’t let Ada know that. Sweet, doe-eyed Ada would never let anything happen to her Aemond, her precious Prince. 

You try to think back of the last time you felt sadness. ‘’It was a great tragedy. I regret missing their funeral, but as you know, I was not allowed back in the estate.’’ You need to cough. Your sister however thinks you have become emotional and rubs your back. 

She takes a deep breath as if what she says costs her great energy. ‘’I regret the way we parted, Ethel.’’ Not Ethel.

‘’So do I.’’ You lie smoothly. You do, but it is easier to convince yourself that this is just another harmless lie. You won’t allow yourself to see it as a truth.

Adalia does not notice and pulls you in a hug. You notice her eyes close, but yours are wide open. ‘’You may take a bath.’’ She says after the hug has ended. ‘’You …smell.’’ She adds, softly. You chuckle, scoffing a bit but agreeing. You smell.

She stops in her tracks. ‘’After that, we must talk. We have much to discuss. I want my sister to be near me when I become a Princess.’’ You are confused. Didn't you just talk? You were right. She wants more from you. Much more.

—

You are even allowed to use her bathroom when your sister is busy arranging a room for you. You fill the bath to the brim and toss in three different bars of soap, and wait for the bubbles to appear. You drop out of your dress, putting your golden dagger in your boots. You also raid your sister’s closet, searching for pretty fabrics and bottles of wine. You find a delicious Dornish well-aged bottle, likely a gift from one lord or the other. You pop the bottle open and take a big swing, lying down in the warm bath, drinking freely from the bottle as the soap bars continue to create bubbles. You could get used to this. 

The door is pushed open after a few minutes. Your eyes shoot open and you reach for your boot, for your dagger to see who is approaching. Once you see who it is, you are shocked. You did hear rumors he lost his eye. A blessing, you called it. You remember treating the whole bar on a drink when you heard it the first time. Aros was furious you spent so much gold, but he did forgive you, and once he heard the news too, he bought everyone a second round.

Prince Aemond has interrupted your drinking and bath moment, staring at your bare naked chest as if he never saw a pair of tits before. You lower your hands, back in the warm water and pick the bottle back up and take another sip of the bottle, daring him to speak up. 

He doesn't. He seems shocked yet fascinated by what he found in his fiancee’s bathtub. You have had many men look at you that way before. You know what is on his mind.

You don't even attempt to cover yourself. “O. You're not…” He begins, soft and gentle with his way of speaking to you. You recall how he yelled at you, how he screamed at you. So you don’t even blink. 

You raise your eyebrows, picking up the soap and continuing where you left off before he interrupted. “Clearly. Did you hear about this wonderful invention?” You ask, when cleaning your arms. Fascinated, he watches, shaking his head, his cheeks growing warmer and warmer.

“No.” He breathes, as you lower the soapbar underwater. You grab it, throwing it at his head. It hits him, perfectly, as he quickly backs away.

You scowl, lecturing him angrily. “It's called knocking. People usually do that before storming in.’’ You dryly respond.

Prince Aemond gawks, looking at you and the door, you and the door, the door and you and finally decides it's for the best to leave. “I-, yes.” He says. ‘’It’s just…I haven’t seen you in years and…You’ve grown.’’ Clearly.

As much as you enjoy him flustered over your body, you do have more things to do.  “Where is your brother?’’ You ask. ‘’I have things to discuss.’’ You smile, and you watch Aemond’s gleeness die in a mere moment, jealousy breaking out of him.

‘’My brother?” He asks, dumbfounded. Aros needs a new ship. Aegon has money. Aros is not stupid, Aegon is, there is the end of the story.

You smile, sweetly, tilting your head. ‘’Are you deaf too?’’

He approaches, anger getting the better of him. You can’t even move but if you could, you wouldn’t have done that either. You just smirk, enjoying his little worked up face and angry pouty lips.

‘’I’m your Prince.’’ He reminds you, firmly. ‘’You will grant me your respect.’’ You have one prince. It is not Aemond.

You laugh, empty and shallow. ‘’No you’re not. You made that choice years ago. You choose wrong, little princeling.’’ You continue, taking another sip from the bottle. ‘’I made my own happiness. I don’t know what my sister wants from me yet, but I am not interested in feeding that brat if she was dying of hunger in a desert.’’ 

‘’Our interests align, then.’’ He leans on the tub with his hands, coming closer to your naked body. His voice becomes a soft, breakable plea. ‘’I want my freedom back.’’ You laugh, enjoying his misery. ‘’I should’ve chosen you. I didn’t know how she was.’’ He adds. There it is. Words you always dreamt of hearing.

Yet this marriage is old as stone, and it is likely that Prince Aemond has tried to talk his mother out of it before. ‘’The marriage is an old agreement. How do you plan to break it, Prince Aemond?’’ 

‘’I was hoping you’d know that.’’ He says. ‘’I heard you are quite the clever girl.’’ You roll your eyes. Did he really think that would work? No wonder he is in a arranged marriage. This man couldn't seduce a wife if his life depended on it.

‘’Hah! Flattery won’t get you anywhere with me. I am not a weak little doe eyed girl.’’ You tell him.

He doesn’t respond, looking at your wrist. ‘’Whose hair are you wearing around your wrist?’’ Aros. Yet you won't tell him. It is bad that he notices. The hair is a tradition among sea folks, people who travel a lot and yes; pirates. You cut off a lock of your own hair, so your loved one may tie it around their wrist, keeping you near them in a way.

‘’Please answer me, Adder.’’ For the first time during your time in the Red Keep, your head twists, shock written across your face as you look at Aemond’s smirking pink lips. He adressed you by your nickname. He knows. But how much?

Prince Aemond smirks. You glare, putting the bottle aside, as this has just become a serious conversation. One of life and death. You reach for your boots, showing him your dagger. He chuckles, delighted. ‘’Oh, that’s a adorable little blade. Did your boyfriend give you that?’’ He asks, mockingly. 

It is true. You are not Ethel. You have become the first mate and paramour of Aros Blackwaters, the fearless Dornish pirate that captured your heart. You have stolen from royal and merchant ships belonging to many nations and kingdoms, including the Seven Kingdoms.

You sigh. ‘’I am not his girlfriend. I am his paramour.’’ 

‘’So, his slut.’’ He remarks, unimpressed. 

You roll your eyes. He’s such a simpleminded man. ‘’What do you want with Aros?’’ Although, it is pretty obvious. He is a pirate. Aros regularly attacks Westerosi ships.

Aemond pretends to think. ‘’I am certain he can be of use on a rainy day.’’ He chuckles. You are silent.

‘’Aros never told you, did he?’’ 

You only look at him. Aemond leans in closer.

‘’He’s not just any Dornish man. He’s the bastard of Qoren Nymeros Martell. His first born bastard at that.’’ He pats your wet hand, as if rewarding you. ‘’Congratulations, your pirate boyfriend is the runaway prince of Dorne.’’ He reveals as if this isn’t already known to you at all.

You glare at the ceiling, smacking his hand away from your own. ‘’Touch me again and become known as Aemond one-hand as well.’’ You warn him. ‘’Aros never liked his family or his birthright. I’m telling him of you and your plans.’’ It is true. He would never help Aemond.

He smirks, a bit darker as he takes in your body. 

‘’Do that. If I put you in a nice, dark cell, your boyfriend will come here and I’ll finally be able to jail him for his crimes, or worse, depending on my mood.’’ You know he would. You know he could. Aros would save you. He would risk his life for you. He is just as stupid as Aemond is.

You glare. Aemond leans closer, his lips coming closer to your ear so he can whisper. ‘’Now, I don’t want to hurt you. But for the sake of my family, for duty, for the crown, for the greater good? I will run you through with my sword and make that little scar of yours look like a adorable little accident.’’ You scoff.

‘’Looks like the gods gave you your own little adorable scar.’’ You remark, making him much more upset than before. He growls, clutching the bathtub to avoid hurting you personally. ‘’Although, I’m the lucky one. I at least have my wits so I can make my own happiness. But you, a little boy who always seeks validation from others? I pity you.’’ you whisper, brushing your fingers over his cheeks. He does not pull away. ‘’I despise you.’’ You add. 

He only smirks. ‘’Soon I don't need validation. I will have it all. And more. You can either play along with my games and my plans, serve me and my brother well-’’ You frown, turning your head.

‘’Serve?’’ He makes it sound so sexual.

Aemond slightly blushes. ‘’Well, do our dirty work.  I promise you, we won’t need help in the bedroom.’’ You see another plan forming in your head, one where you and Aron take the throne from the two princes, and sit it.

You nod, smiling. ‘’No, you do have both your hands.’’

He glares. He rolls his eyes, eying the heavens as if to ask the gods why he is forced to work with you. ‘’Or I will reveal you for the Pirate that you are, for the war criminal you are, and will see you hanged at dawn.’’ How romantic.

‘’I have never received a more moving proposal-’’ Your mockery is interrupted by your own thoughts. ‘’What do we do about my sister?’’ You ask.

Aemond smiles, mischievously. ‘’I might take her flying later, you of all people should know just how dangerous dragons can truly be.’’

A/N

Who's gonna listen when you run out of lies? Who's gonna hear you, when your words seem worthless? Who's gonna save you when you're out of time? And who's gonna want you, when you're on your knees, begging

"Oh, please take me at my word, I'm desperate I swear, I never meant to hurt no one, no Oh, please stay for what it's worth, I'm desperate" You're on your own

So don't you call my name I will take you down Should've known that you've been dancing with a wolf So don't you call my name I will take you down I'm not your friend, you burned a bridge I chew you up and spit you out

Really captures this fic really well.

I hope yall liked this little one shot!

:) i was inspired by @valeskafics latest aemond/aegon/witch reader thingy and wanted to make something!:) Hope yall liked it and im sorry for leaving for so long. mental health is kicking my butt.

[respectthepetty]

With My Dear Bro Day One

Love Tractor's leads got sent to El Nido in the Philippines by the production company and recorded it for With My Dear Bro. I truly have nothing better to do with my time during this quiet holiday break now that midnight mass is done, and GMMTV didn't give me Safe House this year, so I'm binging it and writing about it in three posts (One, Two, Three) because why not?

First off, the opening credits are adorable.

Next, their only concern when packing was making sure to bring a hairdryer. Not a joke. Very serious business.

There is only ONE BED, and they did not realize that until they get to the house. Yoon Do Jin said he would sleep on the couch.

That was a lie.

Yoon Do Jin is very outgoing and travels often while Do Won is introverted and hasn't traveled much. Yoon Do Jin is fine spending all their money. Do Won is frugal. Yoo Do Jin wants to try all the things. Do Won, not so much.

They both speak English often on the trip, but Do Won, who has a degree in hotel management teaches Yoon Do Jin the words for fork, knife, and spoon, plus that the taller glass is for wine and the shorter glass is for water (the more you know). They struggle with the laid-back style of the island aka the speed of service.

Much like their characters in Love Tractor, Yoon Do Jin fills every silence (with horrible dad jokes!). Do Won, not so much.

They have $700 which equals over 40,000 pesos! I'm on Yoon Do Jin's side here. BALLIN'! Treat yo' self! But they are counting the money with ALL THESE PEOPLE WATCHING!

They even had the money changer stressed out. 40,000 pesos is a lot to be counting out in the open like that. No, baby boys, NO!

Oh, lord. Men. Do Won wants to buy a wallet and Yoon Do Jin wants slippers. Then, the walkway is wet, and Yoon Do Jin needs help crossing it. They are 60-year old dads.

They haggle (as they should), but they misunderstand. The price is 3 for 100. They think each item is 300, so the haggling gets lost in translation! The lady is actually really sweet to them and shows them which bill to hand her.

Everyone is watching them and wants to take a picture with them since it's become obvious that they are Korean actors (with the cameras and the 40,000+ pesos!). I am bothered for them, especially Do Won who is anxious, but they don't want to make ALL Koreans look bad because that's what they think will happen.

They take a taxi which was supposed to cost 100, but haggle for 90. Then, they only hand the driver a 50. These men are wildin'!

Yoon Do Jin is haggling his ass off, and the ladies are loving it He ends up getting free fruit!

Oh, God, they spot balut, and Yoon Do Jin, who is down to try everything, goes for it. Do Won lets Yoon Do Jin take the L for both of them.

This is adorable. They shop because Do Won likes to cook. Yoon Do Jin sneaks chocolate into the cart. Do Won wants to carry the bags. Yoon Di Jin says no. Yoon Di Jin wants to help cook. Do Won says no.

Do Won, who is visibly nervous when they sit down to eat, waits for Yoon Di Jon to take a bite, then immediately asks for a score repeatedly as he begins to freak out about how he cooked it.

But Yoon Di Jon comes through with the compliments!

They bought banana blossoms, and have no idea what to do with them or how to eat them, so Do Won tricks Yoon Di Jon into eating it as it is.

They didn't even google or anything. They just ate it. Raw. With the leaves y todo. No bueno.

A bug is spotted. Do Won is terrified of bugs. Yoon Di Jon kills it.

But then he teases Do Won with it. Do Won is not pleased.

They shower, Yoon Di Jon kills a moth for Do Won, they drink, then Do Won attempts to make plans for the next day.

To which Yoon Di Jon responds.

Man's got jokes, all day, every day.

And that was just the first day, so they hop into their one bed and get ready for day two.

[silverselfshippingchaos]

HI FELLOW EPIC XENOBLADER I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION! How does the rest of Torna feel about you and Akhos? Tbh I think his feelings for you are VERY obvious bc he is just very down bad. So even before you get together Mikhail teases him all the time like ‘LOOK YOUR LOVE IS RIGHT THERE!’ Or going ‘Just ask her out already’ YFVGUBHI. Did I guess correctly?

BAHAHAHAHA! You did indeed guess correctly!

So... You know how Akhos wears red glasses? Here's a bit of Ash lore for ya: I wear red glasses too! So the first time I saw him, I hated him. I felt a rivalry. But... As I hated him... I fell in love with him.

My S/I and him absolutely hate each other at first. They're always at each other's necks and bickering constantly. But it's pretty obvious whenever those insults don't have that same bite to them, when they're sneaking glances at each other instead of wanting to punch each other. They both fall for each other so hard.

Mikhail teases Akhos quite a bit, and Akhos denies his feelings every time.

"Oh please, her?! A foul beast like her is in no way suited to be the leading lady of my story!"

(Oh and, once they do get together, Akhos does affectionately call her "my leading lady". He calls Pyra something similar in his boss fights, but the difference here is that Pyra is the leading lady of the story. Ash is HIS leading lady.)

All Akhos can imagine is Ash being his leading lady. More and more of the plays he writes end up being about her. She's become his muse. Obrona teases him quite a lot for it, saying that she'll show Ash the play he wrote that features a main character that just-so-happens to have dark red glasses and long, black hair like Ash does.

As for Ash, she tries to deny her feelings. But she can't for very long. Mikhail catches her staring quite often, and although she tries to deny it, she gets quite flustered. Enough pressure, and she admits to it.

However, Ash is quite close with Patroka! Since they're such close friends, Ash just tells her. Tells her that she has a crush on Akhos.

Patroka is disappointed. SO disappointed. She's all 😐. Really?! Akhos?! Ash could do better than him! She thought Ash hated him!

"Well- I mean- Yeah! ... But he's cute. And so strong. And that passion he has for his writing... I admire it so dearly. He has such stunning eyes and-"

I love Jin, but he is not the kind of man you discuss your feelings with LMAAOO. However, he does pick up on it. He thinks that Ash works well with Akhos and so they often do a lot of Torna work together.

Ash loves Malos. Loves him so so so much. She loves how bold he is, and he's the reason Ash swears so much. Ash kinda tends to follow him around like a little duckling. I won't get into Ash's backstory right now, but it's not very happy. Her old Driver treated her very poorly, and Torna was what helped he'd escape from that horrible situation. She'd do anything for Torna not because she believes in their goal, but because she loves them all. Ash gets all happy whenever Malos calls her a little shit!

(It's pretty funny how huge he is considering that Ash is around 5'2")

I actually think that Malos was the first one who noticed! He doesn't pay Ash too much mind usually, but she likes to be around him. So he picks up on the little things, like when she isn't looking at Akhos with so much hatred anymore.

Anyhow, Akhos and Ash do get together eventually! And they're very sweet and cute... Until the end. Ash watches what happens, is heartbroken, and suffers a very similar fate. However, Blades are Blades and you can have Ash in your party too eventually. I like to think they find each other in almost every single life they live and always fall in love. They truly are soulmates.

[audible--silence]

“I’m a walking talking never shutting the fuck up tequila tour”

-

The mexican taxi driver sings along to marion ryan as we drive to the airport in comfortable silence. Mexico I’ll miss you

-

Whatd mexico teach u

I learned how to make friends, older with less patience

I learned to be uncomfortable again

I learned to learn is important

I learned that the good times need effort and risk

—

The sun hits different in Guatemala

-

A country that makes no sense

That works hard but never works

Rich in culture but poor of pocket

Maddeningly massive and chronically chaotic yet personal and real and increasingly sensible

“You cant fix someone that doesn’t feel love”

An old bar with enough charm to help you forget what goes on outside those walls is all you need to be reminded of the joys of pure judgement

At least they make money

People on the street drunk and high

Passed out

Not ok

Walking with strangers

People pissing on the street

Fireworks sounding horribly like gunshots

Old ladys speaking in Spanish

Cobblestone roads damn near claiming my ankles

My laptop in my bag

My hostel about to close

$140 spent on a girl i never had a shot with

What am I doing

Why am I knowingly wasting my time

“So his injuries totaled 2.2 million and he gets to the end of all his surgeries and looks and tells me, I finally feel like my life is worth something”

overheard conversation of annoying Americans

“Yeah a heart attack aint that bad, it hurts for three minutes then youre done”

same guys, about the same guy

“Did you get a moscow mule or tea?”

The guilt that I feel from traveling

To a place where my very existence here

Indicates my privilege.

I feel a resentment

A judging

An envy

I dont know even think thats the people

I think thats my own guilt.

To see people with nothing

And even those better off

Struggling

Never to be capable of even dreaming of the life i lead

Here an now

In their country

Let alone back in mine.

To know that all around the world, people would consider me the luckiest of the luckiest.

And they’re right

And i know it.

I should act like it.

We all should.

When life gives u lemons, give em to someone else as a blessing - bens wisdom

“I fall in a little bit of love with a lot of people, all of the time” - Not Wife - Shakey Graves

“And the entire continent of South America said “oh fuck”

“Yeahhhhh i think you might be un poco fucked in that case”

Say for example you decide to treat your very treatable cancer with orange juice and yoga, as an adult, you’re within your rigjts to do so

He came, he saw, he said nah

10/10 doctors say you should dance until the room stops spinning

Gatorade and lollipops

Ketamine always makes me sneeze

You cant remember all of it

Which is what makes it so damn appealing

The sound of a rooster in Guatemala, the way a sweet old abuela says your name when she needs help and the way the light graces the mountains and the lake

I wont remember it all,

So I better enjoy it now

Being a woman sucks but at least i dont have to contend with balding

Your dungarees get more action than you do

Do you reckon they race babies or just frogs n shit?

People kept saying that like “wow good on you!” But in reality we’re actually just idiots you know?

“Fucking Jermain!”

“I dont have a bank account. I’m an economist”

“If i drink too much I’ll just fall asleep”

“I wish i did”

“I wish you did too”

You know what

As i sit here reading my old notes

I take it back

I wasn’t bad

I was tired

Sore

And hurt

“You’re a good person”

Says the sweetest, most beautiful person I’ve met in a minute

With a crowd full of people I brought together

In a situation not unusual to me.

I cant be that bad

I just need to remind myself that i am good

And remind myself how to focus on one person.

Instead of every fuckn mf that calls themselves a model

[bigbillybepper]

Okay so I got a message about this so I will get into it:

I don’t want to doxx this person so I will be keeping details to a minimum or even changing details to protect those involved.

So this roommate let’s call Sadie.

When they moved in they brought in a cat that really truly wasn’t their own cat, but one they had inherited from a deceased family member. I was happy to have a new roommate, and I especially didn’t mind having a little kitty around. I can’t say that we really talked much about Sadie’s loss. And I probably should have asked more.

Regardless, I liked my roommate and their kitty they moved in with.

This kitties name was Rabbit. ( not really. Just something close to that)

I really loved rabbit. Over time I started replenishing her water when I noticed it was empty. And then I refilled her food bowl. I cleaned up after her. And then I was buying her kitty meal. And then I was taking her to the vet. Sadie mostly wasn’t doing these things. I didn’t ask questions.

Rabbit was an old, old cat. Old enough to have a drivers license and an adult criminal record. But she persisted. She was such a smelly, grumpy old cat haha. But she was loving and sweet and really got me through some of the loneliest times of my life.

I didn’t do the best job as a pet owner but then again I wasn’t sure that I really owned this cat.

It was about two weeks til the end of our lease, and things weren’t pretty. I didn’t know what the fuck to do or where I was going to live but I knew rabbit was coming with me.

So I confronted Sadie.

I knocked on their door and they let me in. Our personal relationship had been a bit tense and I will say a lot of it had to do with my behavior as well so I don’t even blame them for being so on guard around me. But they knew I would do anything in my power to help Rabbit.

I gently said I would be happy to take rabbit off their hands once we have to move and split ways. I know they were tired of caring for rabbit and waiting for an excuse to let go…but something in their face changed when I told them I would take on rabbit as my own when we had to move. They agreed, but something in their expression made me nervous.

Maybe I was too presumptuous. I thought I was doing us both a favor. I was so excited to finally have a cat (especially one that I had bonded so firmly with- she woke me up every day by laying on my chest and licking my face with her old lady nasty breath) . And this roommate obviously didn’t want to take care of her. It had to have been a painful reminder of her past, even if Sadie had the best of intentions with this cat.

Even if Sadie meant the best for this little cat, it was a painful horrible reminder of… I don’t want to even assume what she was going through.

Fast forward to about two weeks before our lease was up,

I was at school working on a project for hours. In the morning before I left for class I was trying to get rabbit to eat but she was just not doing it. She looked at me with a pained expression as I begged her to eat the stupid fancy canned food I got her.

A couple hours later I returned and rabbit had passed. And it was not just a simple passing. She had thrown up blood… it was awful. and I was completely taken off guard.

Long story short the vet said sheepishly “I guess we missed something” when I asked them how the hell this could have happened. I suspect it was the rat poison that had been surreptitiously hanging out beneath our kitchen sink for months that Sadie suddenly found a new use for.

I know this was an old cat. And I know that I was a new cat owner. But this extremely prominent and well known vet clinic in the city was just absolutely flabbergasted and confused as to how this cat could have died so suddenly.

I ran to a neighbor’s apartment where I knew Sadie would be hanging out with an ex-friend. I barged in crying my eyes out and told them that rabbit was gone…

Maybe they had already moved on and maybe Sadie was relieved to be released of her responsibility to rabbit. But Sadie almost seemed unreasonably calm… almost somewhat pleased by the results of what happened? Everyone responds to trauma differently, so I really can’t judge.

Getting rabbit cremated was expensive enough on my fucked up budget that I didnt even consider an autopsy. So I didn’t ever find out how rabbit really passed.

But I do know that how Sadie responded was not normal… and it sounds crazy if you didn’t know Sadie but I’ve confirmed with other people that knew her that it’s not too far fetched to believe that she just didn’t want me to take care of rabbit, even if it was easier for everyone involved.

I will say I was so taken off guard because the vet was so INSISTENT that rabbit was a healthy girl and nothing to worry about considering all the tests they did.

Regardless, I love rabbit and always will. I can’t blame Sadie for having such a hard time with rabbit if there was trauma involved. But I will say there is one moment that i will always remember no matter what I try to forget;

It was a morning very closely post-rabbit’s passing. I don’t know what triggered me but maybe it was just trying to leave the house without seeing lil rabbit smiling up at me. I was crumpled doubled over the kitchen table crying with disbelief at the loss.

Sadie walked past me and said without a passing glance,

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

Sadie slid her sunglasses onto her face, and glided out the front door.

As far as I remember we never discussed this again. I am in a way better place now and I really am just so thankful for the sweet times I did have with rabbit. She really saved my life in many ways.

I don’t know for sure what really happened and I don’t even know if this fully explains the extent of the mystery of it all, regardless :

rip rabbit. I love you and I will never forget the winter that you saved my life

Anyone curious about how I think my ex-roommate killed a cat ?

A cat that I meant to adopt btw. It was a whole thing

[crescent-witch]

Special Delivery

ship: neighbour!natasha x fem!reader

summary: your neighbour natasha gets your mail when you’re not home, and one day a particularly interesting package arrives at her home.

warnings: Amazon delivery drivers (yes they have their own warning, cause they’re assholes), degradation, daddy kink, pet names (detka, good girl, sweet girl), cum-filled strap, dumbification, sort of innocence kink? but like not really, a tiny bit of overstim at the end | Minors DNI

word count: 2.5k

a/n: this was inspired by a post by @onmykneesforwanda. I….I tried my best. This is the first piece of smut I’ve published so none of you can hate on me if it’s bad.

masterlist

Amazon delivery drivers were assholes. That’s all you could think of as you stormed out your front door.

Despite leaving very clear instructions on the website every time to leave the package in your recycling bin at the side of your house, they always ignored it and instead left your packages with one of your neighbours.

Sometimes you wondered if they were all in cahoots and did it just to piss you off.

Sometimes it was alright because the delivery guy would leave it with your neighbour to the right, an old lady who you didn’t really see ever leave her house. She was always annoyed when you knocked on her door, but her anger was directed at the drivers and not at you, so talking to her wasn’t all bad. You at least both shared a hatred for Amazon.

The problem was when they left your mail with your neighbour to the left.

Natasha Romanoff. A Russian immigrant who moved here when she was a kid.

The redheaded woman wasn’t horrible to you. Anything but. It was the fact that you were insanely attracted to her which made it nearly imposible to knock on her door.

The Russian worked for some tech company up in the city, but she was more the brawn than the brains. As far as you could figure out from what she told you, her main job was to protect Tony Stark, the billionaire philanthropist who ran the company. But given that Stark had about a million different security guards, that gave Natasha plenty of free time to drive you to madness.

You stalked up Natasha’s driveway, catching a glimpse of her through the living room window.

You jogged up the front steps, realising you had no idea how you were going to get past your blushing to ask for the package as you rang the doorbell, and a second later Natasha was opening the door, a sight which made your breathe catch.

The redhead was wearing a tank top, her strong muscles rippling from where the fabric cut off on her broad shoulders, a braid flipped over the side of one of them. She seemed so relaxed, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed and smirking at you. That god damn smirk. It would be a miracle if you didn’t faint or just outright drop dead before even asking for your mail.

“I think these delivery drivers are doing it on purpose now.” Natasha joked, although you barely heard what she was saying as you tried to focus on anything other than her biceps flexing.

“Yeah…it’s getting really inconvenient.” You laughed awkwardly, pulling at the end of your dress to give yourself something to do as you tried to distract yourself from the way her shirt rode up her abs when she reached to scratch the back of her head.

“Why don’t you come in and I’ll give you your package?” Natasha suggested, nodding into the house as she pushed herself away from the door, stepping aside to allow you to walk in.

You nodded, sliding past Natasha and into the front hall. The setup of her house was pretty similar to yours, just on opposite sides. There was a tall staircase leading to the second floor, pictures of Natasha’s friends and family lining the way up, her living room just off the the left of it, which Natasha led you into.

“So…where’s my mail?” You asked awkwardly, cringing at your slightly impatient tone as Natasha plopped herself down on the couch, manspread.

You were careful with your words when you asked, avoiding Natasha’s use of the word package, which she used intentionally, unbeknownst to you.

You weren’t one to normally buy sex toys, especially not on Amazon of all places. The strap on that was sitting in a box somewhere in Natasha’s house was an impulse buy, which you were embarrassed to admit was bought after you saw her working out in her garage on your way home from work a week ago, the door left wide open as she lifted weights, sweat glistening on her arms and forehead.

The smirk never left Natasha’s face as she stared up at you, leaning back comfortably with a cocky look on her face.

“Come and get it.” She told you, patting her thigh, and your eyes widened as you spotted the slight bulge in her sweats.

She was wearing your fucking strap.

You suddenly felt like you were in a bad porno with an even worse title to match. A blush stained your cheeks as you continued to stare at the print in Natasha’s sweats, something which didn’t escape her notice and only fuelled her arrogance.

“Come on, detka.” Natasha coaxed you towards her, leaning forward to grab your hand and pulled you into her lap. You ground your teeth together as you felt the tip of the strap grind against your clothed cunt, cursing yourself for wearing a dress since you didn’t have the thickness of jeans to help you maintain at least some of your dignity.

Natasha’s fingers wound themselves in your hair, tugging your head to the side to expose your neck, which her lips immediately began ghosting along, sending shivers up your spine as she pressed light kisses to your throat, “Let me make you feel good.”

Somewhere within the haze that clouded your head, common sense broke through. You started shaking your head as Natasha began sucking deep purple marks into your skin, although you made no attempt to push her away.

“We can’t do this. It isn’t right.” You told her. Natasha sighed as she stopped sucking on your skin, instead running her lips up and down the column of your throat.

“Why?” She asked, pressing kisses under your jaw after every other word, “We’re both single. Nobody else is here. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you watch me when I work out, sweet girl. You can pretend to act innocent all you want, but now I really know just how much of a little slut you are.”

Her words made heat pool in your lower belly and you had to bite your lip to stifle a whimper as you discreetly tried to grind down on the strap, which of course Natasha noticed.

“Look at you.” She chuckled, suddenly grabbing your hips and forcing you to fully push against the strap. You had to bite your lip even harder, to the point of almost breaking the skin, to stifle a whine as you gripped at her shoulders for support, “Come on, detka. Grind against my cock like a good girl.”

The name, along with Natasha’s firm grip on your hips and the feeling of grinding down on her, almost made you loose control, burying your face in the crook of Natasha’s neck to try and hide your flushed cheeks.

“Aw, don’t go all shy on me now, sweet girl.” Natasha cooed, and in a second you found yourself being pulled to your feet and your front was bent over the arm of the sofa, ass in the air.

“You look so pretty like this.” Natasha said as she pushed up the skirt of your dress, leaving your bare ass on display for her, your thin cotton panties being the only thing now covering your centre.

You were eventually unable to mute your noises as Natasha began grinding the strap into your ass, a guttural moan leaving you at the action.

“Come on, tell me what you want, pretty girl.” Natasha encouraged as she cupped your sex, her fingers just barely touching where you needed them most.

“Please.” You begged, your resolve finally breaking as you tried to roll your hips against Natasha’s fingers, “Please, Natasha. I want you to fuck me.”

Natasha’s hand gripped your chin, forcing your head around to look her in the eyes.

“Do you have a safe word, detka?” She asked softly, her concern melting your heart a little bit.

“Yes. Red for stop, yellow to slow down.” You nodded as much as Natasha’s vice grip allowed you to.

“Good girl.” Natasha praised you, immediately settling back into her dominant demeanour, releasing your chin and sliding your underwear to the side before suddenly plunging two fingers into your pussy.

“Daddy!” You cried out suddenly, the title even making Natasha faulted for a second before a smirk plastered across her face.

“You like this, baby?” She asked, her thumb moving to lightly play with your clit and her fingers moved in and out of you, “You like being a good whore for daddy?”

You nodded your head eagerly, a mixture of whines and moans leaving your lips as you begged Natasha for more. What she was giving you was just barely enough.

“Use your words.” Natasha commanded, removing her fingers from your core when you failed to answer her out loud, pulling away from you completely.

“Yes daddy, I like being your whore.” You quickly reconciled, huffing in annoyance when Natasha didn’t start touching you again.

“Getting impatient, detka?” Natasha teased you, chuckling at your small huffs and whines.

Natasha reached out towards your hip, hooking two fingers around the waistband of your white cotton panties and pulled them slowly down your legs, letting them pool at your feet.

“So wet for me and I’ve barely even fucked you yet.” Natasha taunted, grazing your slit to collect the wetness that had begun to spread onto your thighs, “You’ve been so good for me. I think you’re ready now.”

Confusion clouded your brain at her words until you felt the tip of her strap rest against your entrance and you caught a glimpse of Natasha’s sweatpants being kicked away in the corner of your eye.

“You want my dick inside you, baby? You want me to fill you up with my cock?”

“Yes please, daddy.” You moaned, embarrassment flooding your body at how needy you sounded, “Please fuck me hard with your cock.”

“Aw, such good manners.” Natasha told you, and you preened at the praise, “You’ve been so good for me, such a good slut. You deserve a reward.”

A second later Natasha was sliding the fake cock into your dripping cunt and you practically screamed in pleasure as she bottomed out inside you, the redheads teasing until that point having made you drip down your thighs.

Natasha pounded the strap into you, setting a brutal pace that had you moaning so loudly you were sure the neighbours could hear, although you were too far gone to care as you rutted back against her.

“God, who would’ve thought innocent y/n would turn out to be such a desperate little bitch?” Natasha grunted, “Look at you. Your desperate pussy is practically sucking in my cock.”

“Fuck! Faster, please!” You babbled, Natasha smirking down at you. She complied, her thrusts picking up in pace as she fucked into you, moaning herself at the view of you writhing beneath her and the strap rubbing against her clit.

“Such an eager little cockslut.”

Your pathetic moans mixed with the sound of skin slapping together as Natasha continued to mercilessly degrade you. The strap hit the perfect spot in the back of your pussy every time, drawing out loud and deep moans from you.

The sofa began to shake as Natasha pounded into you with force, and you found yourself quickly reaching your climax as the coil in your stomach tightened.

“Daddy!” You moaned as Natasha reached around you to start rubbing harsh circles on your clit, the other resting on your hip to give her leverage, helping her reach an impossibly deeper angle in you.

“What do you need, detka?”

“Wanna cum, please!” You pleaded, your words slurred from pleasure.

“Yeah? You close, baby? Wanna cum on my cock?” Natasha asked as her strap continued to slosh in an out of your cunt.

You nodded fervently, incoherently begging for release in between wanton moans and cries of pleasure. You couldn’t even understand what you were saying, but by some miracle Natasha understood your mindless cries.

“Cum for me, slut. Cum all over your daddy’s cock.”

At those words your orgasm hit you, your vision blurring slightly as you came the hardest you had in a long time. Your knees buckled under your weight, and if it wasn’t for Natasha standing closely behind you with her hand on your hip you would have slid down the back of the couch.

You whimpered as Natasha continued to fuck her strap into you even after you had came down from your high. You attempted to move it out of you, but Natasha’s iron grip kept you bent over the arm of the couch.

“Too much, daddy.” You complained, wiggling your hips to try and shimmy away from her, only resulting in eliciting a groan from the redhead.

“Come on, detka. You can take a little more, can’t you? Take some more and let me cum in you.” Natasha swayed you, and you nodded in agreement, allowing the Russian to continue pounding into you.

“Gonna make daddy come so hard in you, dorogoy. You make the perfect little cumslut.” Natasha’s words reminded you that the strap you had ordered was a cum-filled one, spurring on your arousal as you felt a fire ignite itself in your belly again.

“Daddy.” You whined pitifully, squirming against Natasha as her breathes came out laboured.

“You already close again? God, such a fucking slut.” She chuckled, smacking your ass as her hips began to stutter and you knew she wasn’t far from the edge.

“Cum in me, daddy. Please. Need it so bad.”

A moan rumbled from Natasha’s throat at your begging, the redhead tilting her head back in pure ecstasy.

“Such a good little cumdump.” Natasha groaned, and almost immediately you felt the load of fake cum being shot into you, the feeling in your oversensitive pussy almost making you weep as you fell over the edge again, the pleasure overwhelming.

You hardly registered it when Natasha pulled out of you, a trail of your juices mixed with the fake cum leaving a trail connecting the strap to your pussy.

Natasha stepped out of the harness, throwing it, and the dildo, on top of her sweatpants a few feet away. She lifted you up by your waist, your short dress falling back over the curve of your ass as Natasha carried you back around to the side of the couch, laying down before placing you over her chest.

“Did you enjoy that, baby?” She asked as she stroked your hair, sleep already tugging at you.

“Mhmm.” You hummed along with some slurred babbling, your mind too scrambled to even come up with one coherent thought, causing Natasha to laugh.

“Aw, sweet thing. Have I fucked you dumb? Not one thought in that pretty little head?” You didn’t take notice of Natasha’s dark, almost possessive tone as you buried yourself further into her, seeking her warmth, “Don’t worry, detka. You can just be my pretty whore. You’re just a stupid slut who needs to be fucked dumb by her daddy, huh?”

Unable to even form the words to agree or disagree, you just clung to Natasha even tighter as sleep finally took you and Natasha smirked down at you triumphantly.

And now that she had you, there was no way she was ever going to let you go.

[natashxromanovf]

The Accident

Spencer Reid x paramedic!fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 1677

WARNINGS: a lot of dialogue (as always), mentions of a crash, mentions of a hospital, swearing

REQUESTED: no, hurt/comfort

SUMMARY: When an accident occurs, Spencer is worried out of his mind not knowing if something bad happened to you.

A/N: finally kinda done with requests, so i can write some of my ideas. this is a crossover between the show's criminal minds and chicago fire, but it’s not very relevant to the story. it’s more leaning against criminal minds (obviously, it's spencer) and it’s not chicago fire anymore cause it’s happening in quantico😂 gif credits to @toyboxboy

The sound of a siren goes off, signalling it’s time to go. You look up, eyes searching for your partner, just as she comes up behind you, tapping your shoulder.

“Ready?” she asks, earning a nod from you. You hop on the passenger's side, your partner sitting down on the driver's seat. The door opens and the two of you are on your way to help the old lady who, according to the dispatch, fell down the stairs. You just hope it’s not too bad.

“So, how’s it going with that agent of yours?” Shay suddenly asks, making you remember she’s one of the nosiest people you know.

“First of all, he’s a doctor. He’s very sensitive when it comes to that,” you laugh, the blonde mirroring your actions. “And it’s going amazing. He’s so sweet, I love it when he rambles about the most random things and even though I don’t know what he’s talking about half the time, it reminds me of home. I really don’t get why people are so annoyed by his facts,” you say, now already starting to ramble.

“Wow, you’re in bad, girl,” she states, a big grin on her face. It’s her thing - she’s happy when she knows people around her are too. And that’s one of the many things you love about her, even though it can hurt her from time to time.

“Don’t I know it,” you sigh, looking out the window, thinking about the genius. You’ve been dating for a couple of months now, almost a year actually, and he’s the best thing that has happened to you. Despite the horrible job he does, the horrors he sees he’s one of the nicest people in the world. He always tries to come home in time to at least kiss you goodnight, and when he’s on a case he never fails to find some time to call you.

“Can you check if we’re close already?” Shay questions, snapping you out of your thoughts. You hum, looking at the GPS.

“Yes, we should be there in half a minute,” you inform, just as the blonde passes an intersection. The next few things that happen are a complete blur - it all happened so quickly. A truck ran over a red light, crashing into the ambulance. You hear glass shattering, pieces of it falling everywhere. That’s the last thing you feel before darkness overtakes your senses, losing consciousness momentarily.

You slowly open your eyes, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the brightness. You can hear sirens from every direction, the sound still slightly muffled by the ringing in your ears. And then you feel a hand on your neck, stilling you as the other person wraps something around it.

“Y/N, can you hear me?” a voice calls out, a head appearing in front of your eyes. It takes some time to register who it is, just to recognise one of your co-workers.

“Matt?” you ask, all of a sudden aware of your aching muscles, literally feeling the pain in your bones.

“Yes it’s me, you’re going to be okay,” he mutters, letting the paramedics lift you up to a gurney.

“Shay?”

“She’s going to be fine,” Casey quickly replies, not wanting to scare you even further. The truth is, she’s in a far worse shape than you are, the truck crashed into her side.

“Please call Spencer,” you murmur, just before the doors of the ambulance close, Matt nodding.

~

It was a slow day at work for Spencer. There wasn’t a new case, just piles of paperwork. If he wanted to, he could finish it in an hour or two, but he really doesn’t feel like it today. He doesn’t know what’s happening but the day is somehow longer than usual. And it also seems like it’s affecting everyone, not just him.

Taking his eyes off the report he was working on, he looks across to Morgan’s desk, where the man is almost sleeping already. The genius quickly takes an eraser that was sitting on his desk, throwing it on Derek’s desk. That startles him, wildly opening his eyes before he realises what’s going on.

“Reiddd,” he groans, throwing the rubber back. Spencer just laughs, slightly shaking his head. Morgan was about to say something else but Spencer’s phone rings, shutting him up. He picks up, quiet chuckles still coming out of his throat.

“Hello, this is Spencer Reid,” he introduces himself because it was an unknown number.

“Hi, this is Matthew Casey I work-”

“With Y/N, yeah, I’ve heard great things about you,” Spencer finishes for the lieutenant. Slight worry settles itself into the younger man though, cause why would the man be calling him? “I’m sorry, but is everything okay?” Reid asks, a sigh is heard from the other end of the line. He knows that kind of sigh - it’s an “I’m about to deliver you some bad news” kind of sigh, he heard it a million times before, even did it himself. “What’s wrong?” he now says, his expression changing completely. That catches Derek’s attention, dropping whatever he was working on and focusing on the conversation instead.

“Y/N, she- she was in an accident. She’s fine, she just has a concussion, some bruises and cuts. She’s at the hospital now. If I’m honest, she was really lucky,” Casey finishes, worry now written all over Spencer’s face.

“Which hospital?” he almost whispers, his head still not fully wrapping around what happened. That alerts Morgan, standing up and coming to his friend’s desk.

“The one closest to our firehouse,” the blonde replies, still staying on the line despite someone calling him.

“I’m on my way,” the doctor states, hanging up and quickly walking to Hotch’s office. “Hotch,” he greets as he steps into his office just enough so his boss can see him.

“What is it?” Hotch quickly asks, knowing the expression on his team member’s face all too well. He can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but it’s bad.

“Y/N, she’s at the hospital, I have to- can I-”

“Yes, of course, take as much time as you need,” Aaron comments, standing up. “And please, don’t hesitate to call if you need anything,” he adds, Spencer already half on his way down the stairs.

“Morgan can you-”

“Right behind you, kid,” Derek mutters, grabbing his jacket and running after the genius.

~

Arriving at the hospital, they stop in the parking lot, Reid practically jumping out of the car. In a matter of seconds, he’s inside the hospital, frantically looking around for your coworkers. They’re all seated in chairs, some pacing up and down, running out of patience. He’s quick to approach them, startling some of the men.

“She’s okay,” Severide states the second your boyfriend is in the line of hearing. A breath leaves Spencer’s mouth, one he hasn’t even realised he was holding. Now that he knows you’re fine, there’s one more thing he has to ask, knowing both you and him have to know. Shay is the only person Spencer has officially met from the firehouse and he took a quick liking to the woman. She’s funny and makes people smile, so he’s happy you found a good friend in her.

“How’s Leslie?” he questions, a lump forming in his throat. He swallows hard, fearing the answer. A shake of Severide’s head is all it takes for him to know. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah, they’re operating on her right now,” Kelly informs, his voice slightly breaking at the end.

“Y/N’s in the room down the hall,” someone who Spencer assumes is Herman says, earning a nod as a thank you from the Agent. On the way he momentarily grabs Severide’s shoulder, squeezing it as a reminder that the blonde girl is going to be just fine. After all, she’s very strong from what Spencer heard. Kelly thanks him with a look and a small, sad smile.

Knocking on the door of the room where you’re in he opens them, stepping inside. Your sitting form immediately shifts to the intruder, quickly standing up and jumping into his arms. He wraps you in a tight hug, a little too tight considering your injuries but you don’t say anything, you’re just happy you’re in his arms again. A tear rolls down your cheek because right before you passed out, all you could think about is how you won’t see him again - but by some miracle he’s here, standing in front of you.

“Please don’t do that to me ever again,” Spencer whispers, his voice muffled by your hair. You just lean more into him, adjusting your hands. He presses a kiss to the side of your head, now his turn to cry. He also thought he lost you forever.

“Spencer, no one will tell me a thing. How’s- How’s she?” you manage to get out, slowly starting to pull away from him so you can see his face.

Spencer knows there’s no point in lying. After all, you do deserve a truth. “It’s bad. She’s in surgery, that’s all I know. The whole firehouse is out there, we can go wait with them if the doctor cleared you,” Spencer sympathetically implies, earning a firm nod from you. You stop quickly though, your head started pounding, just as the doctor said. You had a concussion, you knew your head was going to be a bitch for the next week or so.

“Please, I need to know,” you mutter, grabbing your things, accepting Spencer’s offered hand. He leads you to them, all of them looking up once they hear the footsteps.

“Oh, Y/N, we’re so glad you’re okay,” Gabby immediately stands up, wrapping you into a gentler hug than the one you received before this one. You take a deep breath, knowing how hard the next few hours will be. And all you can do is wait - wait with friends by your side, with the love of your life sitting next to you. But deep down, you know she’ll make it; she’s Leslie Elizabeth Shay for God’s sake.

criminal minds taglist: /

spencer reid: @hallecarey1

i hope you enjoyed this! don't forget to like, reblog and/or comment, it really helps writers with motivation <33

taglist form

[ladydaemon]

HOME IS THE TWO OF US

jesper fahey x female! reader

A/N: this is my fic for @magpiencrow's 1.2k writing challenge - i chose to combine 'you and i' by queen and 'two of us' by the beatles. and yeah this is more than two weeks later than when i said i would post this what about it

Summary: jesper and y/n have a wonderful night on ghezen's day

Warnings: swearing, i think that's it? its literally just pure indulgent fluff

"You do realize someone probably worked very hard to earn kruge like this, right?" Y/N L/N grinned, holding up a thick wad of money they had stolen from someone's pockets. She was seemingly unperturbed by the fact, her tone light and teasing as she bumped playfully into Jesper.

"And we, my dear, are working very hard on spending it," Jesper winked, wrapping one of his long arms around her shoulders. He snatched the kruge from her hand, immediately spending a portion of it on the first thing he laid eyes on, which was a ridiculously bright orange hat that burned Y/N’s eyes just looking at.

Jesper plopped it on her head, adjusting it so it was crooked, laughing.

Y/N would have done anything to hear that laugh.

The streets were loud and boisterous and carefree, and for the first time in a very long while, the two of them felt the same way. For today, at least, there were no chores or errands or jobs to do.

It was Ghezen's Day - the holiday that signified the starting of spring, where everything was sunny and bright. It was the one day where even the lowest of the Barrel thugs were out enjoying this tiny sliver of happiness, where there was only whistling vendors and cheery parades and star-gazing at night.

But for Y/N and Jesper, it was something more. It was a day where they weren't con artists or thieves or sharpshooters. They weren't thugs or gamblers or criminals.

They were teenagers.

Kaz, of course, pretended like he didn't care. He rolled his eyes and told them that were just trying to get away from chores they despised or any actual work. But everyone knew, even if they didn't admit it, that today was a day where they could pretend.

Pretend to be normal, pretend to be regular, pretend that they had loving families and good homes. Pretend that the weight of being hated and criminalized and addicted didn't make their shoulders slump and their heads hang. Pretend that they didn't muffle their sobs behind closed doors or shake in bed as they tried to rid their minds of all the horrible, treacherous, necessary things they had done.

Pretend that they were just a pair of inseparable best friends having a good holiday.

"C'mon, we need to find a good spot to see the sky," Jesper needled, taking Y/N by the arm and dragging her toward a carriage, elbowing a small, old lady out of the way and almost running them over a few small children on the way.

On Ghezen's Day, an hour after the sun set, the city mandated that all lights be shut off - the sky was clearer than it ever was in the hours that followed, and nearly everyone over the age of twelve stayed up until dawn, watching the sky. However, there was still pollution in the city, remainders of the gas and oil and muck churned up from the sea and the homes of the wealthy, and many preferred to ride to the outskirts of town, if not all the way into the country, where the sky was more visible.

Those towns that bordered between rural and urban, which never saw much tourism or profit, were the most popular places to be, full of tents for dancing outside and vendors selling foreign delicacies and musicians standing in the streets.

And as such, it was almost impossible to get a carriage out of the city without deploying either bony knees, steel-capped boots, or vicious elbows.

And that was exactly what was happening as people shoved and hassled people out of the way, even occasionally pulling out thick wads of kruge, trying to bribe other people in getting out of the limited selection of carriages going out of the city.

"The woman with the black shawl," Y/N whispered (though she needn't have bothered - the city was loud enough to mask any noise), leaning in and brushing her lips against Jesper's ear so he could hear her.

She could’ve sworn she felt him shudder.

"Ten minutes. No less."

"Twenty kruge.”

"Done."

Y/N grinned, slipping out of Jesper's hold and sauntering over to the woman in question, a pretty red-head. The woman was obviously rich (Y/N took a moment to appreciate the elegant dark blue dress she was wearing, paired with pretty gold earring and a matching necklace) and was about to step into a black carriage - one that Y/N was about to charm her out of.

"Hey there, miss," Y/N called out, putting on the face of an entitled, flirtatious mercher. "You wouldn't mind sharing the carriage, would you? I can’t seem to find an available one, and I’d rather share one with a beautiful lady such as yourself instead of some of those Barrel barbarians.”

The woman stopped halfway into her seat, looking back at Y/N.

If Y/N hadn’t been wearing the obviously expensive clothes she was, with the even more expensive diamond necklace around her throat (that Jesper had given her last Ghezen’s Day, as a present), the woman would have simply shut the carriage door in Y/N’s face.

Then there was the fact that she was gorgeous, and nobody in their right mind would refuse a two hour carriage ride alone with her.

That was Jesper’s opinion, at least.

“I could say the same about you,” the mercher grinned, opening the door wider.

Y/N smiled back, stepping into the carriage and placing her hand delicately on the other woman’s arm-

And swiftly shoved her into the streets, slamming the door behind her. Jesper climbed in from the other side, shaking his head in mock disappointment. “Cruel.”

“Please, I slipped fifty kruge in her sleeve, she’ll be fine.”

“Ah. In that case, proceed. I don’t like anyone flirting with my Y/N, anyway.”

Y/N smirked at him, handing the driver a wad of kruge and telling him to step on it.

“Criminals,” he muttered, snapping the reins.

~

"Heels down, Y/N, love," Jesper shouted, grinning.

Y/N, switching the reins to one hand, flipped him off, scowling, but adjusted her feet in the stirrups anyways, forcing her heels downward and huffing when her calves ached. “I hate you.”

“We both know you love me,” Jesper shouted back, easing back into a trot - Y/N did the same, easing her weight further into the balls of her feet and gripping the saddle tighter between her knees. Beside her, Jesper had already done the same, posting in time with his horse’s gait.

“Where are we going again?” Y/N asked, panting as she slowed her horse down to a full stop.

“Absolutely nowhere.”

“Do we’re going nowhere, and basically getting nowhere and you want me to be happy about all this work?”

“Yes? You’re being blessed with my presence.” Mock indignation filled the words and Y/N rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” Jesper huffed, “let’s go back home.”

But home wasn’t always a place, was it?

~

”Come on, I’m hungry,” Y/N whined, pulling Jesper’s wrist with her as she power-walked through the crowded, small town in search of some sweets.

”Ooh, cinnamon honey cakes,” Jesper said dryly, almost smacking into Y/N when she came to a full, screeching halt.

”Don’t you dare joke about honey cakes,” she hissed, poking him in the chest.

”I wasn’t,“ Jesper chuckle, nodding toward the vendor selling the sweets in question.

Y/N gasped audibly, dragging him along with her as she practically sprinted for the cart.

”After this, we’re going straight to the pond. We don’t want anyone to steal our spot.”

~

Y/N flopped down on her bed, staring at her wall of paper in boredom.

Each scrap of parchment, every napkin with hastily scribbled writing in the back, was a letter from Jesper.

Every week, no matter where Jesper was at the moment, he would write her a letter - describe where he was in detail, and then every thought that came to mind. It was a strange tradition (that nobody remembered how it came about) that Nina liked to tease them about.

You two have separation anxiety, she would giggle. Like an overprotective mother and her baby.

Two best friends, actually, Y/N would respond, stuffing her face with waffles.

Um, no. Would ‘best friends’ write, and I quote, “I’ll be home soon” on every letter they write?

Yes, they would, Y/N would sigh, snatching whichever letter Nina had gotten ahold of that time, and stare at the phrase in question.

Because home wasn’t a place.

~

“Stop doing that,” Jesper whined, plucking the lit match from Y/N’s fingers and tossing it into the pond.

She huffed, sticking out her tongue and lighting another one, waiting until it had burned down to her fingers before flinging it into the lake. “It’s a habit, Jes.”

They could’ve been there bickering playfully, enjoying each other’s company in silence for three days or three hours or a mere three minutes. Time didn’t exist, didn’t matter when they were alone together.

Laughter rang through the darkness, lanterns only bobbing pinpricks of light behind them - drunk giggles and cheerful music echoed back to them, but it didn’t really register to either of the two.

Moonlight bathed the two of them in a white glow as they both stood up as the stars gradually came out, twinkling, tiny lights covering the marbled, dusky blue-purple-black night sky, exposing nebulae and swirls and whorls of colors.

~

“Y/N, love, you’re gonna catch a cold.”

“I don’t care in the slightest.”

Jesper sighed, a grudging smile overtaking his face as he watched Y/N. She was soaked to the bone, hair and clothes sticking to her skin, nose ruddy from the cold.

“Dance with me,” she pleaded, holding out a hand to him.

She looked beautiful.

Jesper finally relented, picking Y/N up and twirling her around. She squeaked, closing her eyes, gripping onto his arms for dear life as the rain came down in silver sheets around them.

When he set her back down, the world seemed to stop spinning, the carriages stopped moving, it was just him and her and the rain.

“Let’s go home,” Y/N said eventually, quiet and peaceful, smiling up at Jesper.

But they were already home.

~

She turned to Jesper, about to remark on how pretty the whole thing was, but stopped in her tracks. He was staring at her, a small, happy smile on his face, an unreadable emotion in his silver eyes.

“Wha-“

He closed the three feet of space between them, grabbing her face between his hands, gently, like she was as precious as the diamonds around her neck. Not like she was breakable - like she was valuable, and he never wanted to lose her.

He gave her time to pull away, to laugh and make a joke, but she only stared back at him, the quizzical expression gone, on its place one of fear and hope and happiness.

And then his mouth was on hers and her hands were messing up his hair and she couldn’t feel the grass on her feet anymore or the wind on her neck or her heart, jittering in her chest like it wanted to burst out and fly into the night, only him, him, him.

And then he pulled away and kissed her nose, her eyelids, her forehead. He was laughing, hands going to her waist to twirl her around and around and then she was laughing too, too many emotions to count bubbling up in her chest. Elation, hope, almost hysterical happiness, and-

Absolute certainty.

That was the feeling, that was the one thought filling her head - that there weren’t any questions anymore, because this was where she was supposed to be, this is what she was supposed to be doing, and for once, she was letting herself.

For once, she wasn’t thinking about the next day or the next job or the next week.

It was just the two of them.

Because she could never predict where life was going to lead her next, or foresee the future years, or know what horrible thing was going to happen to her next. Hell, she didn’t know what was going to happen in the next couple hours, let alone what type of sandwich she was going to eat tomorrow.

But she knew, with absolute and utter certainty, that she wanted to do it with him.

That whatever happened, she would be alright, because home wasn’t a place - and it wasn’t Jesper, either.

It was the two of them, together.

~

Music floated gently in the darkness, down to were Y/N and Jesper were laying in the grass. Her head was on his chest, and they were both staring at the stars.

Home is the two of us.

[darksideaskblog]

Drensi couldn’t help but chuckle at Kitt’s retort about him going crazy and him being the one to get the Erasers there, and at the door now, their conversation still continued as Jay watched it all unfold, putting his two cents in whenever necessary as Drensi explained further, “Well I’m not actually the one who brought them there, they’ve been there for far longer than I have actually, so has the Three Islands themselves. That doesn’t really mean they don’t know me either, I kinda do go crazy sometimes when I haven’t fed, because I actually don’t like feeding on people..,” Drensi trailed off.

Jay then chimed in, “We know you don’t man,” he patted Drensi on the upper back and continued, sounding serious and unknowingly answering Kitt’s question about Drensi feeding, “If I hadn’t been there the other day, you would have gone crazy, but luckily you’re doing great now,” Jay said patting Drensi’s chest, and Drensi gave him a sad look and Jay gave Drensi a hug, “Come on man, it’s ok, it’s ok, I know you feel horrible when it happens, it’s ok.”

They both stayed silent for a bit, just hugging, and Drensi wrapped his arms around Jay to continue the hug. He stayed in Jay’s arms for a few minutes then stepped away gently rubbing a forming tear with the heal of his hand and forced himself to smile at Jay, but Jay didn’t smile back, because he knew it was a very sensitive subject for Drensi and he knew Drensi was forcing himself to smile and change the subject. Jay did change the subject, not going deeper into the uncomfortable subject for Drensi, and that is when Jay actually smiled when he turned his head back to Kitt to answer for Drensi when she said the part about cats and dogs, trying to lighten the sudden sad mood, “Hey he didn’t know that, and as far as I know, most dogs I’ve seen actually despise cats and vise versa, but I think the Erasers will like you, especially Mrs. Jemmah.”

Drensi lightened up a bit more, still looking slightly sad, but it began to vanish after a while the more they talked, and it seemed his mood completely turned when Jay mentioned Mrs. Jemmah and Drensi chuckled, “Oh yeah, if I know her, she’ll love you as soon as you walk in, especially if you’re with me,” he began walking, making sure everyone was moving before he closed the door to his home and locked it then fell into step with Kitt and Jay.

Jay had his hands stuffed into his jean pockets, which must have looked silly but Jay followed as Drensi kept in step with the others on their way to the Bentley, and far away, the driver in the Bentley saw all that occurred but straightened himself when he saw the three making their way over. The driver and back seat passenger took a quick glance at each other and the driver made a soft shrug and then started the Bentley to get ready to leave as soon as they had entered.

Jay continued the conversation as they walked, as Jay himself pulled the draw strings on his hood to hide his face better, “Yeah, anybody who is Drensi’s friend is automatically considered family by Mrs. Jemmah, such a sweet old lady.”

Drensi rolled his eyes at that, and gave him a chuckle, “Well she does have to meet Mrs. Jemmah anyway, let’s just kill two birds with one stone then,” and Drensi caught Jay making an imaginary basketball hoop throw motion and shared another chuckle with him as he shook his head at Jay. Jay of course responded back with sticking his tongue out like a little kid, and Drensi responded back the same way.

During that whole time to the Bentley, Drensi and Jay both had a quiet fight with each other, making the other laugh and doing so again. Anyone could tell these two were great friends, even if their silent fight suddenly went to flipping each other the bird. It was kind of sweet, and the Driver in the Bentley couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched the whole thing with the backseat passenger. It was quite silly indeed.

@muppeteyes1001 summitted

Drensi had fallen asleep late last night, tinkering with one of his little inventions for his secret hacking job, which was now halfway finished and laying in plain sight on his table. He only woke up after the third knock and opened his eyes.

With a small little grumble, he got up out of bed and sleepily stumbled his way to his front door. He almost had to do a double take because his sleepy mind didn’t register it was Kitt standing in front of him, his sleepy brain wouldn’t let him see that.

He yawned and gave Kitt a very sleepy smile and invited her inside, while also helping her with one of the boxes. In all reality, he had no clue what today actually was, so he smiled and asked, “What are these for, and what’s the special occasion?”

[abbysfrenchbraid]

Daring - Chapter 3

This is the last chapter for Daring! If you haven't, read part one and two first 💛 This is just a very fluffy chapter with vanilla smut at the end (with love for all of you who got whiplash from my last fic).

CW for alcohol consumption, language, talk of loss/trauma, sex and SPOILER WARNING for Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water. I will spoil the ending for the movie here so if you want to watch it first and haven't yet, now's the time! Honestly, it's an amazing movie and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, so lmk if you have ~thoughts~

Chapter 3 - Home

The days until Thursday went just as excruciatingly slow as the days before your first date had. The only difference was that now you knew what to expect. Or did you? You knew she liked you, too. Wanted you, too. She had told you every night on the phone. Every day after you finished at work you waited patiently for Abby to get off her shift, too. She was on day shifts at the moment, usually from 6 am to 4 pm, but more often than not it took a few hours longer.

Abby was very kind with her patients, often taking people back home from the hospital or helping them get accommodated in their hospital rooms. It cost her a lot of time, but when she told you how grateful they all were you could hear how much she cared.

“I’m telling you Y/N, she actually cried in my arms. This poor old lady, I think she must have been over 80. She could barely raise her arms to put on the gown, the fall had stunned her pretty bad.”

You and Abby were cooking on FaceTime, or rather you were pouring yourself some cereal and Abby was making pasta with fresh tomatoes and herbs. You wished you were there.

“I hope she recovers fast,” you said, pouring in the milk. “It must be awful, being away from home in that state.”

“Yeah,” Abby sighed, “but she luckily didn’t break anything. It’s horrible though, the way elderly people bruise. She is going to have every single step of those stairs visible on her torso for at least a week.”

You took your phone and bowl, using your elbow to open the door to your room. Leah winked at you from the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth and water dripping from her hair. She was going out with Nora and Jordan, seeing some action movie.

“You’re incredible for taking the time to help her. Did she really have no one else?”

Abby sprinkled some basil into her pasta sauce.

“I don’t think so. She was pretty confused, but she said her daughter lives in New York and she didn’t want me to call her. I’m gonna check on her tomorrow when I have a minute between calls.”

“Oh speaking of…” You leaned back against your headboard and propped up your phone against your thigh, staring into your bowl. “Are we still on tomorrow?”

Abby laughed quietly.

“Baby, I’ve been counting the hours. I can’t wait.” You felt a pull in your stomach at the name. She had never called you baby before. Looking at her, you could see she was trying to hide her nervousness. You smiled at her.

“When can I come over?”

“I hope I get off at 5 and they don’t rope me into an emergency in the last minute of my shift. I’ll just call you as soon as I head out and you can come over straight away. I’ll buy all the groceries we need tonight.”

“Hey, I can -” you protested, but Abby cut you off.

“No, you just grace me with your presence, that’s enough. You don’t know the exact ingredients anyway.”

You smiled and finished your cereal. You couldn’t wait.

-

Abby called you at 6 pm, still sitting in the passenger seat of the ambulance.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t call sooner.” Little strands of hair had fallen out of her braid and framed her face, some of them looking damp with sweat. There was a flush on her face and dark circles loomed under her eyes. You felt just a little bit guilty, having stayed up with her on facetime until after midnight the night before.

“Don’t worry, I’m not the one working extra hours. How was your shift?”

“Honestly? Terrible.” You knew Abby was not one to complain, so that really had to mean something. You saw her sway in the seat as the ambulance pulled into the garage and finally came to a halt. “I’ll tell you about it later, okay? I’ll be home in half an hour, so just come over whenever you want. I’ll leave the front door unlocked in case I’m still in the shower.”

A prickle went over your skin at the thought, but you quickly pushed it away. Abby was obviously exhausted, this was not the time to imagine her and you in a shower.

“Are you sure you really want to cook? We could just order takeout and call it a night.”

Abby considered it for a moment. It had to have been the worst day. She quickly spoke to the person next to her in the driver’s seat, then you heard the car door being shut. Abby looked back at you.

“Abby. Let me take care of you.” Your voice was soft. You wished you could brush the loose strands of hair behind her ear. The blonde sighed and unfastened her seatbelt.

“Just come over, okay? We can decide then. I just want you with me.”

You jumped up and grabbed the bag you had already prepared for sleeping over, a bottle of Merlot on top of your clothes.

“I’m on my way. I can’t wait to see you,” you said as you struggled to put on your shoes with one hand.

“See you soon,” Abby smiled and ended the call.

You called out a goodbye to Leah and she yelled back “Go get her!” Smiling to yourself, you closed the door behind you and rushed to the train station.

Sitting in the uncomfortable plastic seat of the train, you couldn’t help but grow more and more nervous, just like the last time. But this time was different, you reminded yourself. This time you could make your way straight into Abby’s arms, straight to her lips. You secretly checked your breath in your hand. The train arrived both too quickly and not fast enough.

After knocking at the front door twice without any answer, you made your way inside the house. Abby had told you to just come in, but you felt like an intruder nonetheless. Where could you wait without taking up space that wasn’t hers?  You didn’t want to be sitting there like a movie villain when she came down. You called out but there was no answer, only the bass of a rock song playing upstairs and the sound of water rushing through pipes in the wall.

Deciding to make your presence as visible as possible, you dropped your bag on the stairs and took the bottle of the wine to the kitchen. Abby’s heavy paramedic jacket was thrown over a chair and her keys were on the table. An empty glass was standing next to them, water droplets running down on the outside and leaving a wet ring on the wooden surface. You picked it up and placed it in the sink, drying the spot with a tea towel. Then you took out two wine glasses from the cupboard you had put them into after cleaning up the last time and put them on the counter. You leaned against it, wondering what you should do now.

Thankfully, you heard the water shut off upstairs and a few seconds later there was the soft thump of naked heels on tile floor. You decided just to wait until Abby came down. It only took two minutes, then you heard her on the stairs. She slowed when she reached the bottom, probably noticing your bag.

“Y/N?” Her voice was light, but there was excitement in it, carefully restrained.

“I’m in the kitchen!” You suddenly didn’t know what to do with your hands and reached for the bottle, then realized you didn’t have an opener and you probably wouldn’t be able to use one either. You let your arms drop to your side and Abby entered the kitchen, stopping a few steps from you.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a light grey cutoff shirt and dark navy sweatpants. Her hair was still wet and hung loosely over her shoulders, darkening the cotton where it touched the fabric. Her face was still tired and her shoulders slumped slightly, but her eyes had lit up at the sight of you.

“You’re here!” She held out her hands, still not moving from her spot.

You closed the distance and threw your arms around her, burying your face in her neck.

“I’m here,” you mumbled and Abby’s arms closed around you, encasing you completely. She smelled wonderful, moisture still evaporating from her skin and warmth spreading from her body to yours where you touched. Your excitement didn’t falter, but your nervousness did. A wave of calm came over you. You were here.

“I’m sorry your day was so terrible,” you murmured, lips brushing the skin of Abby’s throat just above the neckline of her shirt. “Wanna spend the rest of it on the couch?”

Her upper body fell forward into you and her forehead came to rest on your shoulder. She nodded and you gave her waist a gentle squeeze before drawing back, resting your foreheads together and cradling her cheek with your hand.

“Come on, then. Let’s order you some food. I brought wine as well if you want some.”

Abby sighed.

“I’d love some.”

You wanted to step aside and take the glasses to the living room but Abby’s arms around you tightened and the corner of her mouth lifted.

“You’re an angel,” she whispered. And then she kissed you.

It was sweet, gentle, and tired, her lips soft and warm. You melted into her, both of you clinging to each other for a moment until Abby pulled away smiling. She took the bottle of wine and rummaged through a drawer for the opener. You held the glasses and watched her open the bottle, brows knit together and her tongue peeking out between her lips. It was both adorable and incredibly hot. You sat down on the large sofa together and Abby poured both of you a generous amount, then you clinked glasses and the blonde stole another kiss.

“Alright,” you unlocked your phone, “what are you craving?”

Abby gave you an amused look before she let her head fall back on the sofa cushion and thought for a second.

“Do you like Mexican food? Burritos?”

“Love it,” you said, searching for the closest restaurant and checking their website for delivery service. Abby just hummed in approval when she saw which one you had picked out. You placed the order together, Abby’s right hand never releasing yours as she clumsily used her left to pick her food. When the order was sent, you threw your phone to the foot of the sofa.

“So,” you said, turning to your side in order to get a better look at the blonde. “Wanna tell me about work?”

Abby sighed and opened her arm for you to crawl into. You gladly scooted closer, resting your head on her shoulder and throwing an arm over her stomach. When she spoke, you could feel the thrum of her voice in her chest.

“I went in early to check on the old lady who fell yesterday and found out she’d fallen again last night. She hadn’t told anyone because she was embarrassed, but I could tell something was wrong. Turns out her arm was broken in three places. I had them call her daughter even though she begged me not to bother her. I don’t know what her daughter is like, but I hope she takes care of her.”

You hummed and pushed yourself even closer to Abby’s side.

“After that, we had a call because of a domestic violence case. The police were there already, it was horrible.”

She rubbed a hand over her face and you pressed a kiss to her collarbone.

“After that, we had to go straight to another family dispute that ended in someone being stabbed with a steak knife. We got them to the hospital fast enough and it all went well in the end but I just hate cases that revolve around psychological trauma as well. All those family issues… I hate it.”

You could only imagine how horrible this must be for her after what had happened to her dad. Though you still didn’t know the whole story and you could probably find out easily by googling her name, you didn’t want to feel like an intruder in her past. She would tell you when she was ready.

“I’m glad you’re telling me about it,” you said, trying to sound firm and gentle at the same time.

Abby let out a little huff that sounded slightly surprised.

“Yeah, I don’t usually do that. Normally I would have just shoved all that into the back of my mind and tried to make this evening go perfect. Not that I don’t want to put in the effort with you-”

“I know,” you interrupted her, raising your head to smile at her, noses brushing against each other. “I think this is perfect. You are.”

You moved in for a kiss and Abby placed a hand on the back of your head, holding you gently as your lips touched. She deepened the kiss soon, breath going a little faster as her arms pulled you even closer. You threw your leg over her thigh, half on top of her now. Her tongue was smooth and hot against yours and when her teeth scraped over your bottom lip, you let out a whimper that she caught in another kiss. Feeling bold, you finally moved on top of Abby, straddling her thigh and placing your hands left and right of her flushed face. You rolled your hips forward and she made a guttural sound, low and hungry.

Her hands were all over you, pressing between your shoulder blades, wrapping around your waist, grabbing your hips to make you grind forward again, then finally cupping your ass and digging her fingers into the muscle. You stopped trying to keep yourself from panting and leaned forward to kiss Abby’s jaw, then the soft spot beneath her earlobe. She drew up her leg behind you, pressing her thigh between your legs, and you whimpered into her ear.

“Abby,” you whispered, “what are you doing to me?”

“Anything you want,” she murmured against your cheek, “anything, baby.”

You could hear your pulse drumming in your ears as you kissed the blonde fiercely, then moved your lips over that chiseled jaw again before biting the delicate skin of her throat. You dragged your tongue over her pulse point, actually feeling the beat of her heart fluttering against your sensitive nerve endings. She smelled intoxicating, warm, and earthy, and it made you want to take her in completely, to drown in her and never come to the surface again.

Her hands were on your hips again, guiding them against hers as she let out another low moan, lips parted and pupils blown as she looked at you with a mixture of amazement and pure, burning desire. You let your hands wander down her torso, trailing your fingers along the hem of her shirt and slipping them underneath. Abby’s skin was radiating heat, her stomach flexing beneath your touch.

“May I?” You asked, your voice breathless. Abby just nodded, lifting her arms over her head and arching her back so you could push the fabric up, revealing her broad frame, toned abs, and a black sports bra. You threw the shirt to the side and fell back onto her, your chests pressing together as you enveloped her in another heated kiss. You ground down against her thigh, the seam of your jeans pressing against all the right places. Abby’s hands were on your back again, broad and warm and reassuring.

You stayed like that for a while, melting into each other, catching the other’s breath, and trying to move in ways that would get the other to moan even though you were both still shy and careful about making noise. Abby twisted her pelvis ever so slightly so you could keep riding her thigh and hit her hipbone at the front of every movement. You responded by pulling her damp hair and making her hiss before she pulled you in and kissed you fiercely.

“God, Abby…” Heat was pooling at the bottom of your stomach and there was a sudden, almost painful sensitivity to your core. Pleasure had sneaked up on you without you noticing, completely surprising you with its intensity as Abby rolled her hips upward and you had no choice but to cry out. There was a hunger in her eyes, a triumphant glint and she held your face gently with one hand while the other was tight around your hip, guiding your movements against her and pressing into your flesh.

“Fuck, Abby, fuck, I’m so -” She swallowed your whimpers with another searing kiss, her tongue pressing into your mouth and her thumb stroking your cheek.

“Come on, baby, you’re so good, so beautiful, baby,” Abby mumbled against your lips, followed by more sweet compliments and hot kisses, her eyes always on yours. You found the perfect angle at last and dug your fingers into her shoulder, your moans going high and fast as you pressed your forehead to hers. She placed a last gentle kiss on your lips and you came undone on top of her. Her hands caught you easily, stroking you through your high, her lips caressing every inch of your face. Her skin was warm beneath you and slightly sweaty. You licked a small stripe up the side of her throat and kissed her jaw.

Abby pulled back just an inch to get a better look at your face, running her hands through your hair and over your cheeks, then down your shoulders and coming to rest around your waist.

“You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever known,” she said quietly and with a blissful smile. “An angel.”

Her gaze was so piercing, so raw and knowing that you suddenly had the urge to bury your face in your hands, to hide from this infinite feeling inside of you that you could see in Abby’s eyes as well. You forced yourself to hold her gaze and reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face.

“I’ve never… this has never happened to me before,” you confessed softly. “You are doing things to me I never even dreamed of.”

Abby chuckled at that and caught your hand, kissing every knuckle and then the inside of your palm.

“We fit well, don’t we?” It was cautious, a step forward with no weight on it yet, a hand on a door handle.

“We do.” You grinned at her, and maybe it was the rush of the high that still hadn’t faded or a rare wave of courage, but you decided to rip open that door from the other side. You sat up and placed a hand on her sternum, feeling her heart thrum beneath your palm.

“Abby, I want to be with you. I’ve wanted to for a long time. You don’t have to have an answer right now, but just know that I’m already yours, no matter what.”

For a moment, Abby didn’t seem to fully comprehend. Then she frowned, the smile not fully leaving her lips but turning bittersweet. You felt your stomach drop. Had you spoken too soon?

“Y/N.” Abby’s hand covered yours on her chest. “I’d love nothing more.” A weight fell off your shoulders. Abby wasn’t done talking yet.

“I’m a difficult person to… be with. I’ve really put in all I had with you so far, but there are times when I will be cold and closed off and I won’t be able to let you in, to let anyone in. I don’t know if I could hurt you like that.” She squeezed your hand now, her eyes glossy. “I’m not saying this because I’m scared or unsure, I’m saying this to give you an out. Or at least some more time to really get to know what it’s like with me in your life. I can be exhausting. At least that’s what I’m told.”

You felt something hot flare up in your throat. That was not fair.

“Who told you that?”

“Owen. I mean, he’s the only person who knows what it’s like being with me and he certainly didn’t like it very much.” Even with her broad shoulders, her set jaw, all her muscles, she looked strangely small now. You felt like you were going to burst with rage.

“Abby, do you honestly think an ex’s opinion of you counts? To me? I don’t give a shit what Owen thinks because I’m not him and this is not the same thing. I get to decide what it’s like and so far it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” You placed both your hands on her cheeks and leaned forward. “Babe, stop trying to deny yourself happiness. You deserve to be happy. And if I make you happy, if you���ll have me, I’m yours.”

Abby sat up straight, her face now directly in front of yours, and wrapped her arms around you tightly. She blinked the tears away, a smile beginning to tug on her lips.

“You’re mine?”

“Only yours.”

She kissed you and you could feel her grin against your mouth, smooth teeth softly clicking against yours.

“Mine,” she mumbled and began trailing kisses down your throat, hands now wandering down your back and under your t-shirt where they immediately provoked goosebumps to spread over your entire body. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Both of you pulled back with surprised faces.

“The food!” you realized and you had to laugh as you scrambled to get up from the couch. You had almost forgotten how hungry you were. Abby quickly pulled on her shirt, grabbed her wallet, and opened the door, hair wild and her lips still red and swollen. You hovered in the background, probably looking just as disheveled, and tried not to giggle like an idiot.

The delivery guy took one look at you and just gave Abby an amused smirk as he handed her the food. She tipped him generously and thanked him before closing the door and turning to you, both of you frozen in your spots for a second. Then you both burst out in laughter. Abby was next to you in three strides and pressed a kiss to the top of your head before you let yourself flop down on the sofa together. Abby had ordered two large burritos, you had chosen a vegetarian taco bowl and a big bag of tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. While you unpacked all the food and laid it out on the coffee table, Abby turned on the TV and scrolled through the movie options.

After some looking around, you decided to watch The Shape of Water, which you hadn’t seen yet despite being a big Guillermo del Toro fan. You ate in silence, letting the film pull you into a cold war era story of a mute woman, her gay best friend, and a strange fish-human being in the facility she was a cleaner at. You generally avoided watching more artistic, less Hollywood-typical movies with other people in fear of them constantly ridiculing the story to hide their own discomfort with monsters, but Abby was just as immersed in the story as you were. Sally Hawkins was a fantastic actress and the amphibian man was beautifully designed and a fascinating character. Del Toro’s handwriting was all over the film - beautiful colors and cinematography, fairytale monsters next to very human, real-life ones, the fear of the Other and the idea that maybe if one just dares to look beyond, the Other may have a story to tell and love to give.

When you had finished your food, you snuggled up to Abby, occasionally feeding her chips with guacamole and kissing the salt from her lips. During the final scenes when the shooting happened, Abby tensed up next to you. You hadn’t even thought about movies possibly triggering her or making her uncomfortable. Fuck, you should have looked it up beforehand. Now all you could do was press your temple to her collarbone and wrap your arms around her as tightly as possible.

“Do you want to turn it off?” You mumbled, your thumb drawing circles on her ribcage. You could feel Abby shake her head.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it by now. The movie is almost over anyway.” She pressed a kiss to your forehead and pulled you close. The ending was beautiful and heart-wrenching and you shed a few tears, staining Abby’s shirt. She just smiled and kissed the tears from your cheeks.

“Did you like it?” You asked tentatively, not sure if the shooting may have ruined it for Abby.

“I loved it.” Her expression was warm. “That scene in which she talks about the way he sees her without any of her flaws, just her, and how her fight for his life is what makes her human was beautiful.”

“And then in the end she wasn’t human after all,” you added, “I’ve never really seen it that way around. Usually, the beast turns into a prince at the end. I always hate that. Why can’t the monster stay a monster after having proven their love and their honor and whatever else is needed to redeem them, you know?”

Abby thought about that for a moment, her eyes going unfocused.

“That’s true. In so many stories, all the things that make the monster monstrous are stripped away as soon as they have proven their worth and found true love. It doesn’t work like that in real life. We all have things inside that could deem us monsters and it’s only when we hope to have found love that we can dare to reveal them and hope the other person loves us anyway.”

Something warm spread inside you, reaching out to every corner of your body, every toe and every fingertip. You leaned in and kissed her gently.

“The silver plate.”

Abby looked confused for a second, then she remembered the things she had said during your last date.

“Yeah, my own monstrous silver plate.” She smiled. “Scared?”

“Not at all,” you grinned and climbed on top of her. “I’ll devour you.”

You pressed your lips to hers her and it quickly turned into another heated makeout session. Your limbs were tangled together and her hands roamed your body as you kissed her neck and when she finally asked: “can I?” you almost knocked your head against her jaw trying to sit up so she could take off your shirt.

Sitting up on her hips, you dragged your nail from her ear to the hem of her shirt, scratching the skin and making her hiss, eyes burning.

“Want to show me your bedroom?” you asked, trying not to lose your focus at the feeling of her hands wandering up your thighs. You yelped as Abby sat and stood up in one swift motion, arms secure around your waist and thighs so you’d stay pressed to her chest. You wrapped your legs around her and laughed into her mouth before she kissed you again.

The tall blonde carried you up the stairs like it was nothing, making soft noises when you bit into the soft skin just below her jaw.

“Y/N…” She kicked open a door and didn’t give you any time to look around, crawling on the bed and trapping you under her large body, attacking you with kisses, all teeth and tongue. It was glorious.

You pulled on Abby’s shirt until she grunted and took it off herself, then her hands were trailing the skin above the waistband of your jeans. More, more, more.

“Can I take those off?” Abby asked, sitting back on her knees between your legs.

“Please,” you whimpered, lifting your hips for better access, but Abby had other plans. She let her hands wander over your upper body, her fingers teasing your nipples over the thin fabric of your bralette, then softly tickling your stomach on their way down. Finally, she opened the button of your jeans and slowly opened the zipper, her eyes flickering up to your face and back down to her hands.

“Come ooon,” you begged, “please, Abby.”

There was the hint of a smirk on her lips, but she complied and pulled off your jeans, both of you laughing as they caught around your ankles and Abby had to wrestle them off. Then Abby’s hand was on your foot and she held it in place on her shoulder, slowly kissing her way up your leg. Your breath got faster with every inch she came closer to your heated center, that place that had gotten a taste of what was to come and wanted more. She dragged her lips over your clothed core and your legs trembled, a gasp escaping you.

Abby took her time with you, kissing your stomach and chest before taking off your bralette and teasing your nipples with a gentle tongue and fluttering fingers. You were squirming beneath her, a mess of pleasure and want for more, begging her to touch you. Finally, she sat back up and hooked her fingers under the waistband of your panties, keeping eye contact and pulling them down slowly. Her gaze was burning, pupils wide, lips hanging open and breath going in shallow pants.

Her tongue was heaven, it was heat and silk and everything at once, enveloping you in waves of ecstasy and making you moan and bury your hands in her hair. She was gentle, cleaning up the mess you had made earlier and the one just now, broad tongue and small circles sending your hips up to meet her, her fingers around your thighs too far away.

“Abby, please…” you gasped and she looked up to meet your gaze. You melted inside.

“What do you want, baby?” Her voice was deep and husked, lips shining with your juices.

“Your fingers.” You gave her hand a light push downward and with a smile, she complied.

If you had thought you had already reached the pinnacle of pleasure, the best there was, you had been oh so wrong. Abby’s fingers were magical, teasing you and filling you up, stroking against that tender spot inside you, then slowing down as her tongue made you see stars, complying when you begged her for more, faster, harder. Your legs hadn’t stopped shaking in what felt like forever, your fingers were cramped into Abby’s beautiful blonde mane and you were crying out her name over and over again as she brought you to your peak, guiding you through it and moaning along with you as your juices covered her fingers and her tongue.

When she finally crawled back up to meet you, her arms were shaking slightly and her face was flushed. You still felt like you were somewhere far away, but her smile pulled you back to the present. She kissed you, letting you taste yourself on her tongue. Slowly, you let your hand wander down and play with the seam of her sweatpants and the hem of her boxers peeking out underneath.

“Wanna take these off?” you mumbled in her ear and you could see she was trying to keep her composure as she tried to get out of her pants as fast as possible before coming back to you. She stopped and looked unsure suddenly.

“Is it okay if I keep these on for now?” She gestured to her sports bra and underwear.

“Of course, baby. Can I touch you?” You whispered, one hand on the back of her neck as the other wandered lower. Abby nodded and kissed you again.

“Yes, please,” she whispered back. You slid your hand into her boxers and were greeted by wet heat, desire practically pooling in your palm. Both of you gasped at the same time, eyes flying open to meet each other’s, bodies grinding together.

“Fuck baby, you’re so wet,” you cooed and watched Abby dissolve in front of you, blood shooting into her cheeks before she buried her face in your neck and began leaving lovebites on your throat. You dragged your fingers between her folds, relishing in the tiny noises she made whenever you touched her clit or came near her entrance.

You put all your strength into throwing Abby to the side and rolling on top of her, hand never leaving her center. She laughed in surprise and grabbed the back of your neck to pull you in, and at that moment you slid a finger inside her. Her eyes went wide and the noise she made would visit your dreams for the rest of your days. You kept your lips wandering over her throat and back to her lips, pulling moan after moan from her with your fingers, gently pushing inside her and curling upward, your thumb drawing circles on her clit. After a while, you could see her abs flexing as her core convulsed rhythmically, her moans getting higher and breathless, her fingers digging into your waist.

“Will you come for me, Abby?” you whispered and kissed her again. Her hips bucked up into your hand and she made a strangled noise, then her legs clamped together around your fingers and she sighed, tongue darting out to brush against yours as you slowly pulled your hand from her sensitive core.

You threw your thigh over her hips and pressed your face into the crook of her neck, giving her time to breathe as you drew patterns on her bare stomach with your fingers.

“Baby…” she mumbled above you, voice vibrating through her chest. “That was… I don’t even have words.”

You grinned up at her and she brushed your hair behind your ear. Her gaze was full of love and adoration, like sunlight warming your skin, soft fingertips caressing your cheeks.

“I’ve never felt so safe,” you said, resting your head on her shoulder so you could look at her. “You’re so careful.”

Abby smiled and followed the path of your fingers with her eyes.

“I’ve had other experiences in the past that made me realize how important it is to always check on your partner.” She looked down at her clothed hips. “Thank you for… not making this weird. I’m just… one step at a time.”

“Of course, baby.” You moved your lips closer to her ear. “I think it’s really fucking hot, you between my legs in those boxers, all muscles and freckles. But then when I touch you, you’re so needy, just a wet mess, coming on my fingers in your underwear.”

Abby let out a shaky breath, chest trembling at your words. She laced her fingers between yours and pressed them to her sternum.

“You leave me speechless every time,” she said, voice quiet and content.

“I love it.” You pulled the blanket up with your foot and covered both of your bodies up to your hips, yawning into her shoulder. Abby chuckled quietly.

“Do you need to set an alarm for tomorrow?” She reached over to the bedside table, then let her arm drop. “Our phones are still downstairs.”

You groaned and rolled onto your back before blinking up at Abby innocently, hoping she would go and get them. She just laughed and got up, stretching her arms and making the muscles on her back dance beautifully.

“You need to go pee,” she said with raised eyebrows. You sighed and lazily rolled out of bed, pulling the blanket up around you.

Abby showed you the bathroom across the hall and made her way down the stairs, a bounce in her step. You could hear her clean up the takeout containers and throw away the trash in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a noise outside, a deep voice and the jingle of keys at the door. You froze with the towel in your hands. The front door opened and Manny tried to stay quiet in that completely ineffective way most men do, dropping his shoes with loud thumps and whispering into his phone so loudly you could hear every word.

“Hi, Manny,” Abby said in the hallway. Keys dropped to the floor with a clunk.

“Dios mio! What the hell are you doing sneaking around here, Abby? You just get back from the gym?” You could hear her laugh quietly as he tried to catch his breath.

“I could ask you the same. Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?”

You snuck back into her bedroom on tiptoes, wrapping the blanket around you tightly and staying near the door to hear the conversation downstairs.

“Had to go early, my dad had a hot date tonight.” You could actually hear his grin.

“Yeah, well, me too.” Abby’s voice was dry, but you could tell she wasn’t actually annoyed.

“Really? Y/N? How'd it go?” A pause, then another loud whisper - “holy shit, she still here?

“Y/N, Manny’s home!” Abby’s raised voice rang through the house. You grinned. She knew you were listening.

“Hi, Manny!” You looked around for any clothes you could throw on quickly but came up empty. Sighing, you checked your blanket placement and went to the top of the stairs, looking down at Manny and Abby in the entrance hall.

Abby was still just in her sports bra and boxer shorts but didn’t seem to mind at all. Manny wore sweatpants and a green sweater, along with a hat that said women want me, fish fear me. Behind him were two large bags, one of them clearly full of fishing equipment. His smile lit the room.

“Hi Y/N, nice seeing you here. You two have a good night?”

You nodded and he made a knowing ah-ha sound. Abby elbowed him and red spots formed on her neck.

“Well, I’m gonna eat something and pass out. Breakfast tomorrow?” He threw a hopeful look in Abby’s direction. “When does your shift start?”

“Noon, I get late shift for the next two weeks. Y/N, what about you?” Both of them looked up at you and you shifted your weight, very aware of the way you looked right now.

“I just need to study, I can sleep in for once.”

Abby nodded and patted Manny’s shoulder.

“Breakfast at 10.”

She came up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and grinning from ear to ear. Manny vanished into the kitchen, continuing to scream-whisper into his phone. You made out the words “finally… girl is here” before Abby simply picked you up and carried you back to bed, kicking the door closed behind her.

You snuggled up together and Abby stroked your hair while she told you about her friendship with Manny and how glad she was to have him. He had been there for her through everything and he had wanted her to make a move and ask you out for weeks. You felt yourself drift away slowly.

“I’m so glad I’m here,” you mumbled, hand stroking Abby’s chest.

“Me too, baby. I still can’t believe I get to call you mine.” The bliss in her voice was the same you felt in your heart.

“Finally.” You craned your neck for a last kiss and melted beneath Abby’s soft lips and warm hands.

She held you wrapped tightly in her arms, almost as if she was scared you could vanish in the night. As if you'd ever leave her now. The last thing you thought before falling asleep was that you were finally home.

-

Author's note: Have you seen The Shape of Water? Did you like it? Let me know here 💌 If you'd like to support me, you can buy me a coffee here 🤎

[valdemart]

Valdebreed (Part 1)

When your significant other is a wealthy mad scientist demon lacking several human emotions, you don’t get a normal life. In fact, you give up a lot more than you realized you would have to. You just have to hope they also realize it.

(Afab Reader has sex with Valdemar with the intent to start a family. Some good angst, minor body horror, breeding kink tentacle smut. No sex in the first part. I wrote too damn much.)

 “You’re going to pop any day, huh?”

Annabella beamed at you, grinning widely.

“The doctor says it will happen sometime this week. Early next week at the latest.”

That comment gave you pause.

“Wait. You’re not working, are you?”

Annabella waved your concern off.

“Of course not. Even if I wanted to, the Countess wouldn’t allow it. But I’m bored at home all day just waiting for the baby to come and I wanted to chat with everyone.”

That was reassuring, at least. You didn’t think Annabella could work, not with such a huge belly. Her arms probably couldn’t even reach the stove at this point.

“Oh! They’re kicking! Did you want to feel?”

Without waiting for your answer, Annabella grabbed your hand and placed it on her lower stomach and, sure enough, you felt a little kick against your searching fingers. You couldn’t hide your delight and the mother laughed at how happy you looked.

“Careful. You’ll catch baby fever from me and end up the next staff out on maternity leave.”

You smiled in response, your hand still resting against her stomach.

“Who knows? Maybe.”

You didn’t know Annabella well enough to get into why children probably weren’t in the cards for you. Besides, why bring the mood down? You were perfectly content to let this little baby kick you all day.

“Ugh. Excuse me, dear. This little bundle of joy has me having to pee every 20 minutes, I swear.”

You waved goodbye and watched the cook waddle away down the hall. As you stood there, lost in your thoughts, you felt a small hand tug on your shirt and you jumped in surprise.

“Procurator! You scared me!”

Volta stood well below you, looking up at you with her large, watery eyes.

“Volta saw you rubbing that servant girl’s belly. Do you like babies?”

“Oh, yeah. Of course, I do. Doesn’t everyone?”

Volta shook her head.

“No. They are loud and their crying scares Volta. But Volta wonders if what the servant said is true.”

“If what part was true?”

“That you will be the next one to have a baby.”

The bluntness of ponderings made you blush.

“Oh, um…probably not.”

She cocked her head to the side like a confused puppy.

“But why not. You just told Volta that you like babies.”

You liked Volta. She was genuinely sweet, weird quirks of hers aside. But this was a weird conversation to be stuck in with her. Even if she was pushing a couple decades old, she didn’t seem to know much about more ‘grown up’ matters. And you didn’t want to explain the birds and a bees to a tiny demon in the middle of a palace hallway. Especially when there were elements of your particular birds and bees that you yourself were unsure of.

“I don’t think the Quaestor would be much interested in having children.”

“Did you ask Quaestor Valdemar to have a baby with you?”

That one was a step too far for you. You could feel your cheeks heating up.

“Oh no! Volta has embarrassed the magician!”

“It’s-it’s fine, Volta. It’s just complicated, is all. Hey, uh, I heard they were making cucumber ice cream in the kitchen.”

That was all you had to say to make Volta scamper off. While horribly embarrassing, at least that conversation was short. However, you noticed your mood had soured quite considerably in that time. While you had never discussed children, you knew Valdemar would never want them even if they could get you pregnant, and you doubted very much that they could. Your elation for the sweet mother to be had deflated and you felt a weak longing in your chest.

You could give sweets to the children of staffers and entertain them with card tricks and little illusions, but you would always be the fun auntie and never the mother. That was just your life now. A part of you had always known. From the moment you let Valdemar kiss you after learning what they truly were, you knew your life would never be ‘normal’. And that was fine at the time. It was then, it was when you moved in with them, and it was still fine now. But it wasn’t until now that you were hurt by that knowledge.

As long as you were with Valdemar, you would never be a mother.

 The sun was setting as your carriage pulled up at the front gate of Valdemar’s estate. You had been able to forget your somber morning realization enough to fulfill all your duties as Court Magician that day. Luckily it had just been some minor spells and charms. But, as you had worked, you made a promise to yourself to not think about it any longer. Why should you lose sleep tonight over something you couldn’t control?

You thanked the driver and gave him a few coins while ignoring his concerned look. It was the same look all the drivers gave you when they dropped you off. Every single one of them always looked at you with a face that screamed ‘Hey, Lady, are you sure you want to go in there? I’ll drive you somewhere safe and not horrifying’. It was just another concession you made in your new life. Put ignoring weird looks right up there with never having babies and never getting married and sleeping alone most of the time and…

You felt the sting of tears in your eyes and your shoulders slumped.

‘So much for not letting me get myself down.’

You stood at the front door for a moment. You could run. You could go back to town and start a normal life. Fall in love with a human. Do normal human things. Fall asleep with a warm body next to you every night. Have a family. Grow old with them and die a few months after each other.

You shook your head at your foolishness. You don’t pick who you fall in love with, and you don’t deny it for the sake of comfort and familiarity. If anyone could roll with the punches, it was you. So far, not even death had been able to stop you.

“I’m home!” You called out once you were in the large marble foyer. You did this every time you came home, but you rarely got an answer. If Valdemar wasn’t out doing gods only knew what, then they were downstairs working.

“In the dining room, Little One,” came the reply, and you almost jumped out of your skin.

Valdemar? In the dining room? Not once had you ever seen them in there. Not once in over a year. Did they even know how to get to the dining room?

If you had been confused when you first arrived home, you were double confused once you were actually in the dining room. The fireplace as well as several candelabras were lit, warming off the darkness that was taking over outside.

“There you are, Dear Magician. Please, have a seat.”

Valdemar was sitting at the far end of the dining table, which was clear on the other side of the room. On the side nearest you was a bowl of soup in fine, white china. There was steam rising tantalizingly off it, and your stomach rumbled. You were always invited to dine with the servants at the palace, and normally you did, but your dower mood had spoiled your appetite so you hadn’t had much. Still, this was a bizarre sight and you stayed where you were.

“Who died?”

Valdemar grinned. You could see their large, white shark teeth clear across the table.

“Several thousand humans I imagine. As they do every night. But no one we know.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

Valdemar just sat, unblinking and smiling, waiting patiently for you to sit. So, you did.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment until Valdemar motioned towards the food. You could smell that it was chicken and you saw droplets of oil floating on top of the broth above peas and carrots. Whatever horrible news Valdemar was about to tell you, you could at least hear it with a full stomach. It was warm and salty and you were quickly halfway through the bowl. Then they finally spoke.

“I had an unexpected guest for lunch. They brought their own servants to cook.”

Well, that was still weird, but at least it explained everything. Valdemar only had a few cleaning staff that came a couple times a week. You were the only one that ever used the kitchen. Valdemar also wasn’t terribly concerned with etiquette, so you raised the bowl to your lips to drink down the rich broth.

“My guest was the Procurator.”

Also weird for Valdemar to actually host the Procurator, since they usually didn’t care what she had to say, but they did work together.

You licked your lips and set the bowl down, realizing how much better you felt with something warm in your stomach.

“What did the Procurator need?”

Valdemar smiled wider, which shouldn’t have been possible, but it was Valdemar, so they could.

“She told me the two of you had a very interesting conversation.”

“We did?”

You talked to Volta about Annabella’s baby for all of two minutes before she ran off for a snack. It was embarrassing, yes, but hardly lunch visit worthy. You tried to think back to any other conversations the two of you had in the past month, but they had all been about food. What the Hell was Valdemar talking about?

“What makes you so sure I don’t want children?”

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no no!

Your mouth opened to speak, but no words came out, so you sat there, looking like a palace pond koi.

“I must say, that’s a bit presumptuous of you. I don’t recall ever having spoken to you on the subject.”

Valdemar was clearly enjoying your discomfort. They were looking at you like they were Valerius reading the label of a fine bottle of vintage wine.

“You look embarrassed. You couldn’t have been this embarrassed when you were discussing such intimate things with the Procurator. She said it was imperative that I give you a baby. She recommended us starting on it tonight.”

Did you know a spell to make the ground open up and swallow you? No, unfortunately. But you did make a mental note to figure one out if you survived this.

“I…It’s not like I…She didn’t even…”

Valdemar watch you flounder with your words, savoring each mortified little stutter you made. They may not have been physically sadistic with you, but no one could say they didn’t love to torture you other ways.

You sighed and looked down at the table, trying to collect yourself.

“Ok, I shouldn’t have assumed. But am I wrong? Do you want children? Can you even make children?”

At least hearing Valdemar admit you were right would help soothe your ego a little.

“I’m not sure.”

“See!? You don’t even want-“

You cut yourself off and stared at them.

“Wait. What?”

“I said I’m not sure. I hadn’t ever taken the time to think about it. Only a few short years ago I wouldn’t have considered a relationship with a human and yet here we are. That means there are other aspects that need to be considered as well. And physically, I’m unsure if I am able to procreate, especially with a human. It’s not something I had ever looked into.”

Valdemar admitting to being unsure of something? Clearly, you had died from the plague again and you were stuck in some coo coo crazy afterlife. Absurdity of it all aside, you felt yourself growing aggravated.

“Ok. Are you done now?”

Valdemar cocked their head.

“Whatever do you mean, Little One?”

“I mean, are you done now? You had this whole nice set up to embarrass me and I am. So, are you done now? You’re very clever and I’m a very dumb little human. I fucking get it.”

Valdemar’s smile dropped.

“I don’t appreciate that tone, Apprentice.”

Your arms prickled with goosebumps as they stared you down across the table. ‘Apprentice’ was what they said as a more polite way of calling you an insolent little shit. They rarely used it with you but, when they did, it usually had you shape up pretty quickly. But tonight, it wasn’t going to work. All the heartache of the day had come back to you, and you felt that hurt bubble into anger. Your mouth filled with venom. How dare they embarrass you like this? After all you’ve given up for them.

“I didn’t talk to you about it because I knew you wouldn’t care! You don’t care when I get home, you don’t care when I go to bed alone, and you don’t care if I’m lonely! I-“

You stopped. That’s exactly what it was. You got lonely. It was lonely in a giant palace with a demon that didn’t like to cuddle or play kissy face or have sex. You felt the unshed tears from earlier and all the anger in you shriveled and died like early clover under a frost. You couldn’t just have kids because you were lonely. Children shouldn’t come into the world with a job to do. That was a terribly unfair burden to place on an infant. You couldn’t just make someone and want them to fix you.

You turned away from the table, knowing that if you had to look at them you would cry.

“I’m going to spend to night at the shop,” You said, your voice unsteady.

Two cold, gloved arms wrapped around your waist and you were pulled back against Valdemar. They had crossed the room in a few silent seconds.

“Lemme go,” you whimpered quietly, your bottom lip trembling. You didn’t want to start sobbing after you had just gotten done yelling like some kind of mad woman.

One of the hands released you and brushed your hair back from your face.

“Hush now, Little Mouse. There’s no need for tears.”

Of course, with Valdemar asking you not to cry, your eyes decided you absolutely had you and you sobbed pitifully.

“Poor Little Human. So many emotions to feel.”

They loosened their grip and turned you around gently so you could cry against them. You always tried so hard not to cry in front of them, but you were too far gone to stop now. Their fingertips started to trail up and down your back soothingly as they made no attempt to push you off of them despite the excessive display of emotion you were putting on.

“I knew you were lonely. It would be very lonely, to come back from death’s realm. Perhaps the only human to do so. I suppose it feels simpler than that.”

You stopped crying and looked up at them with surprise. They were right. Even when people knew you had come back, Hell, even with Asra, you felt a wall between yourself and them. No one understood what it was like to come back. No one understood death like you did. No one understood being alive but knowing exactly how it felt to die. Except Valdemar, of course. But you didn’t know they knew about those feelings.

“A child won’t understand you either,” they explained as they softly brushed their thumb against your cheek.

“Do you…can you have children?” You asked softly. The pain of earlier was gone. You finally felt seen. Someone finally understood your quandary. You had tried to voice your loneliness to Asra and Portia once. They had both hugged you tightly and assured you that you weren’t alone and that they loved you. But they were wrong. As much as you loved each other, they didn’t understand the loneliness you meant. Even with half a heart, Asra didn’t know what it was to be alive when you shouldn’t be.

“I simply don’t know. I’ve never tried.”

Valdemar looked down at you with crimson, slitted eyes that should have been unnerving, if not terrifying, but you felt so soft and safe under them.

“It’s…probably something we should talk about later.”

“Of course, Dear One. Although, for the sake of science, I was hoping you’d try with me tonight.”

You stared at them, trying to process what they were saying. You had swung through too many moods tonight for their weird analytical speaking.

“I had had your bedroom ready for after dinner. Before I had teased you too much.”

“Wait, you mean you wanted to...” Were they talking about sex? Had they planned to have sex with you before you blew up?

“Considering how the evening played out, perhaps you should just sleep for tonight, hm?”

Perhaps. They were probably right about you needing to sleep this off. But you had had sex with Valdemar so rarely that just the prospect had your body lit up. Of course, they got you off plenty with their hands and occasionally their mouth, but the two of you had only had actual sex a handful of times. But now they wanted to? And they set up for it?

You wiped your eyes on the back of your hands quickly.

“No. We mustn’t keep science waiting. Important discoveries to be made and all that.”

Valdemar searched your face, looking for any sign that you might be lying to them about being ok now. When they could only see your genuine excitement, they grinned.

“Fascinating little thing that you are.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 2 is gonna have it all! Body horror! Tentacle sex! Knotting! Dirty talk! Whatever else I decide is hot! Stay tuned!

[little-writings]

can i request a fanfic where mc is a veterinarian with her own clinic and the reason she meets jumin is because of elizabeth needing a checkup!

Oh my goodness absolutely! This was actually so fun to write! 

Anyhow, I hope you have an amazing day and enjoy!

———————————————————————————————————–

“How long has it been since Elizabeth 3rd has been to the vet?” V asked, grinning fondly as the snowy-white cat pressed against his legs, a purr beginning to rumble in her throat.  

“She doesn’t need to see a vet. She’s in perfect health.” Jumin remarked, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves absentmindedly. “I have a chef prepare her a perfectly figured diet, one of the most  accalimed groomers brush her coat once a week, and-”  

“They’re supposed to get examined yearly.”  

“Who are?”  

V scoffed. “Cats, dogs, and any other animal you could call a pet.”  

“I’ll see about having a house veterinarian come by.”  

“Well, I’ve actually been hearing quite a bit about a certain veterinarian. I think you’d like them.”  

“Are they on call?”  

“No, they have a well-established practice downtown.”  

“Then I’m not interested.” Jumin stated matter-of-factly. “Taking Elizabeth 3rd outside presents too many risks. She could get hurt, lost or both – or even worse. I would never forgive myself if that were to happen.”  

V’s brows furrowed behind his tinted frames. “They’re apparently one of the best in the country. I hear there’s not a pet they don’t get along with.”  

“I would hope so, being a professional. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s an on-site practice. Any potential danger to Elizabeth 3rd isn’t worth it.”  

“Do you really think I’d recommend something that could hurt Elizabeth 3rd?”  

Jumin jerked his head to V and found himself stumbling over his words, cornered by his own stubborn mind. “What? No, I ah – no of course not.”  

The ends of V’s lips curled up and he knelt down to scratch Elizabeth behind the ears, her quiet purring volume erupting to that of a lawnmower.  

“Then give them a try.”  

Jumin wrinkled his nose. “Why are you so adamant?”  

“Because,” V simpered. “I think you’d like them.”  

Jumin didn’t have to ask the next question for V to know what he was wondering.  

“They’re professional and very devoted to their work,” He rose to his feet and rummaged through his jacket, snagging a crisp, clean card from his pocket. He gave it to Jumin who eyed it curiously.  

“In fact, they remind me of you.”  

Jumin paused. Pawprints bordered the card alongside hearts and a phone number he supposed he had no choice but to call at this point. He hardly saw V enough these days, the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint him.  

“I’ll… I’ll think about it.”  

And so, later that evening, he found himself calling.  

“Loving Paws Animal Hospital, how can I help you?” The voice on the other line was sickeningly sweet and welcoming, as though dipped in honey and soaked in sugar.  

Jumin paused and bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing his pride. ”Yes, I’d like to speak to your lead veterinarian?”  

“MC? They’re currently with a client at the moment, but I’d be more than happy to transfer you to their voicemail. Have we seen the pet before?”  

“No. No one has.”  

The secretary must’ve been left at a loss at the stern tone and proclamation, but she did her best regardless against the statue that was Jumin Han.

“So, it’s a new pet?”  

“No.”

“Then… you’re a new client?”  

“Yes. Potentially.”  

Jumin heard an attempt at a stifled snicker and the hospital gained a mental strike in his mind.  

“Okay well, I’ll just go ahead and transfer you to MC’s voicemail. You have a wonderful day, sir!”

That sugary sweetness returned once more, perhaps even more high-pitched than it had been. There was a pause on the other line before your voicemail began. Your voice, in comparison, was light, airy. Jumin could only think of a pleasant song when listening to it – something he found himself falling into.

“Hi this is MC, I can’t get to the phone right now but if you’ll leave a message I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can!”

Despite all the preparedness Jumin thought he might’ve had, he still managed to stumble the second that alerting sound went off.

“I-I ah yes – my name is Jumin Han, and I was considering setting up an appointment for my cat, Elizbeth 3rd. It’s just for an annual exam, though I don’t even think she really needs it she’s in pristine-”

Jumin realized he was rambling and cleared his throat sheepishly.

“Anyways, I was hoping I could ask you some questions before making a final decision. If you would call me back, it’d be appreciated. Thank you.”

Jumin let out a deep sigh and relented to the horrible process of waiting.

You returned the phone call in the evening when the warm oranges, purples, and slightest hues of a deep, murky blue were settling in and spreading overhead. Jumin answered in an instant.

“Hi! Is this Mr. Han?” Your voice was even softer beyond a recorded message. You sounded sweet, but just the tiniest bit tired.

“Yes. MC, isn’t it? I’ve heard many things about you.”

You chuckled. “Good things I hope.”

A smile tugged at Jumin’s face. “Good things only. It has set my expectations high.”

“Well, I’d be delighted to meet those expectations, Mr. Han. Now, what can I do for your Elizabeth 3rd?”

“Technically speaking, there is nothing that’s necessary. Elizabeth 3rd is perfectly taken care of. I simply can’t imagine any problems arising for such a creature.”

“And what kind of perfect creature is she?”

“She is a Persian.”

You thought for a moment, and Jumin could hear a pen tapping against a desk. “Persian cats can have some complications, even if they’re in otherwise perfect living conditions. Unfortunately, it just comes with the breed.”

A sudden twisting of knots appeared in Jumin’s stomach. He tensed. “Such as…?”

“Well, you know their cute little smushed faces? Like pugs their nasal passages are shorter and more susceptible to their environments.”

Jumin opened his mouth to speak, but you continued on like a textbook’s worth of knowledge had just been released.

“And Persians specifically are prone to polycystic kidney disease, and you have to watch out for that because if ignored when they reach eight or nine years old they could suddenly collapse and die-”

You stopped yourself. You might’ve not needed to jump to that immediate conclusion.

“But I uh – it is also perfectly possible that Elizabeth 3rd is in a completely healthy state!”

Jumin was now staring wide-eyed at Elizabeth 3rd who sat uncaringly in the center of the living room. She was grooming herself and only her tail was lightly swaying from side to side across the carpet. She appeared almost serene.

‘They could suddenly collapse and die.”

A pit crumpled in Jumin’s insides.

“When’s the soonest I can come in?”

You laughed nervously. There was a clicking of a computer mouse and a brief moment of silence where you glanced through the schedule. “I can squeeze you in tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Mr. Han… are you okay?”

Jumin looked once more at Elizabeth 3rd who now raised her head to meet him. She closed and opened her eyes slowly, mewing.

“I will be when I know Elizabeth 3rd is okay.”

You sighed. “It sounds like Elizabeth 3rd has a very devoted pet parent. She is lucky to have you Mr. Han.”

“I am lucky to have her.”

The call ended soon after with you meekly attempting to assuage his fears, and Jumin beginning to pace about Elizabeth like any cause for concern he’d already miss would simply leap out for a dramatic entrance.

Jumin could now hardly wait for the appointment he considered pointless just hours ago.

V may or may not have received multiple texts of concerns throughout the night. The internet truly did not help the situation.

‘I read online that Persians with blue eyes can have something called Congenital ankyloblepharon. While the website says it’s not deadly, another said it’s linked to a fatal disease.’

‘Because of Elizabeth’s small nasal passage, a website is now telling me Elizabeth will more than likely develop a heart condition. Elizabeth 3rd does not deserve this.’

V had begged him to just wait until tomorrow and Jumin reluctantly agreed.

When the appointment finally arrived, Jumin had made sure Elizabeth would only travel in the best his wealth could provide. However, diamond-encrusted cat carriers apparently took a great deal of time to create, so a polyester and mesh carrier would have to do – lined with sherpa, of course, and filled with her favorite toys.

While Jumin had been anxious and fidgety the entire drive, Elizabeth 3rd was curious, excited even. When Elizabeth was pawing at the mesh lining to peek closer at the car window Jumin was tugging at his sleeves and holding his breath. Even Driver Kim took notice, though his support did little to ease his worries.

He only felt a little ease when he finally arrived at the clinic. The secretary had been stunned at the famous heir’s arrival, but quickly recognized his voice. Her surprise then shifted to amusement, a sly smile stretched across her face.

“Hello Mr. Han! How’re you doing today?”

Jumin furrowed his brow, glancing away. “I am… anticipating my meeting with MC.”

“Stressed for the little lady?” The secretary pointed with her pen to Elizabeth 3rd, now rolled over on her back and playing with one of her toys. This was easily one of her favorite days already.

“Very much so.” Jumin answered.

“We’ll be sure to get you in quick then.”

Jumin nodded hurriedly, and sat down. When his name was called he nearly tripped from how quickly he shot up. It was a… difficult day for maintaining composure.

He ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath, and then proceeded on through the hall where you waited in the consulting room.

He hadn’t quite known what he’d expected when he saw you, but he still found himself without words, if only for a second. Your face was kind, far more than the ones he’d known throughout his life with eyes that offered a sense of comfort to soften the stress so clearly brimming at the surface.

“Hi Mr. Han.” You set a ginger hand on Jumin’s shoulder, offering a warm smile. “I heard you’re feeling a little concerned for Elizabeth 3rd?”

“That is an understatement.”

You folded your lips in thought, drawing your hand away only to lightly clap, determined. “Well I’ve never met an animal I can’t help, and I don’t intend to stop now.”

A bit of the weight dropped from Jumin’s chest. You tapped against the examination table – a heavy counter in the center of the room with a smooth, thick surface.

The room itself was decorated with pictures of animals surrounded by varying degrees of puns. The one the most caught Jumin’s eye was a photo of a cat, tail tucked just over its paws and a sweet expression beneath the words, ‘you’re purrfect.’

He wondered if you chose that one personally. He hoped so.

Jumin unzipped the carrier atop the counter for Elizabeth 3rd to poke out. She only hesitated for a moment before stepping out to greet your hand, fingers outstretched for her to curiously sniff. You beamed at the very sight of her, leaning down as she dipped her head against your hand, eager to be pet.

“Hello, Ms. Elizabeth! Aren’t you beautiful?” You scratched her cheek and her purring began, akin to a lawnmower. “She’s so sweet!”

Jumin watched as you examined her, flashing a light in her eyes and ears, squeezing her tummy for any masses, and flexing her legs for achy joints. Her temperature was normal, not even a rapid heart rate.

“Now I don’t want to stress her out on her first visit but I recommend we do an ultrasound,” You had remarked, rubbing her belly in one of the rare opportunities that a cat not only tolerated such an action but enjoyed it. Elizabeth 3rd was a rare creature indeed. “It’s just to make sure she doesn’t have anything bad developing in her kidneys.” 

“Do you expect there to be anything?” 

Elizabeth pawed playfully at your fingers, pulling them close to rub her cheeks against them when you relented. You had to draw your gaze back to Jumin to keep yourself from becoming distracted. It was rare to see Elizabeth 3rd warming up to someone so quickly. “Do I?” 

You paused, and then laughed. “Of course you’re asking me, I’m sorry! I don’t know what got into me – she’s just such a cutie! But ah – no I don’t. Elizabeth 3rd is as close to perfect as it gets. You weren’t kidding when you said how well she’s taken care of.” 

“She means the world to me.” Jumin hummed, Elizabeth tipping her head to see him and meowing. She almost appeared to smile when he scratched just beneath her chin. 

“May I ask how you found her?” 

Jumin hesitated, remembering the golden hair and slender hands that once held Elizabeth. It brought a pang. 

“She was a gift from someone dear.” 

You could see Jumin’s sadness so easily. You could only make your best effort to soften the hurt. “They must’ve known you two would be perfect for each other.” 

Jumin lifted his head to look up at you, and you smiled. It was gentle, and at that moment, brighter than the very sun. You wore your heart on your sleeve, and it was beautiful. He grinned, if only gently. “Thank you.” 

“Just being honest.” 

The ultrasound was an experience. Jumin thought you had to be lying or attempting a cruel joke when you brought the clippers. There was simply no way you truly could want to ruin Elizabeth’s coat! 

You had promised only the ‘teeny-tiniest’ area would be shaved, but you also promised it’d be cute. Jumin couldn’t completely disagree. 

You had him hold her still during the ordeal, his hands folded over her front legs and keeping her close as you carefully ran the clippers over her stomach. Elizabeth simply rubbed her head against Jumin’s suit. 

“See! Look at that little pink tummy!” You pointed to the now thin white hairs where just between the faintest hints of skin could be spotted. You encouraged Jumin to run his hand over and it was… oddly soft if admittedly strange. 

“There’s no way you don’t think that’s adorable.” You exclaimed. 

“It’s not not adorable. 

That made you laugh. 

The procedure itself was quick and easy. The probe found no problems within Elizabeth’s kidneys and the only issue that arose was Elizabeth 3rd squeaking in surprise at the cold gel spread over her stomach. 

“I’m sorry sweetie, I’ll get this chilly stuff off you quick, okay?” 

You made plenty of little comments like those to Elizabeth 3rd. While many others would hardly regard something as minuscule you took every effort to make Elizabeth 3rd comfortable. Jumin noticed each and every time. You were doting. 

Just as you said, you wiped her clean, only peppering her in pets all over her belly and sides as she could rollover. 

“She is the picture of health, Mr. Han. The only thing I’d recommend is we make these ultrasounds yearly to keep an eye on her – and so I can see her again.” 

Jumin chuckled. “I take it she’s swept you off your feet?” 

“Like she’s my prince charming.” You snickered. “I’m a sucker for pretty kitties.” 

“I’m glad someone else can appreciate Elizabeth 3rd for her perfection.” 

You nodded. “I also appreciate the owner that’s given her the chance to flourish so much.” 

There was a different type of pang in his chest and the tiniest bit of red flickered upon Jumin’s cheeks. Either you didn’t notice, or you didn’t say anything. 

But you smiled. 

“I ah – I might need to bring her in again sooner than her next yearly. I’ve been researching and read of other conditions in her breed that I’d like to look into.” 

You caught on quick. “Right, and we wouldn’t want to overwhelm Elizabeth 3rd with so much on her first visit! It might be best to stretch these concerns over multiple appointments just so we can do the best job possible for her.” 

“And you can teach me what to look out for and how to find them.” Jumin settled Elizabeth 3rd back in her carrier, pawing at you through the mesh, pink pads just barely peeking through. 

“Of course! And you are more than welcome to call! In fact…” 

You tore off a piece of paper from your notes, scribbling quickly before giving it to him. “Here is my personal phone number, for any questions you may have.” 

Jumin smirked and tucked it away in his pocket. “I expect I could find quite a few until our next appointment.” 

You clicked your pen, simpering. “I’ll be patiently waiting, Mr. Han.” 

“Jumin is fine.” He stretched out his hand, palm open. “In fact, allow me to properly introduce myself – we weren’t given the proper chance. I’m Jumin Han. It is a pleasure to meet you.” 

Warmth reached your cheeks, but you didn’t object, returning the gesture with a firm grip. “MC. The pleasure is all mine. I really do look forward to seeing you again, Jumin.” 

It was rare Jumin could say the same, but for once he did, he truly, truly did. 

“As do I.” 

[ssatoritendou]

Backup | i.

back up | ii.

Pairing: Bokuto/reader Atsumu /reader

Miya Atsumu, Bokuto Koutarou 

Word count: 5.4k

+ summary: (time skip) You have a one-sided crush on your close friend, best friend Bokuto Koutarou however you’re are being strung along after he suffers heartbreak after heartbreak with his loving heart. Atsumu is both of your friends and sees the clear problems with the situation so he plans to help you to get over Bokuto.

Genre: angst fluff 

Warning: vulgar language, 18+ scenarios

You were currently eating dinner with some of the Black Jackals. You had met them through Bokuto. Which right now was out with his new girlfriend or should you say the new love of his. It was painfully obvious to everyone except Bokuto himself that you had a crush on him. “____ it’s not that he doesn’t like you,” Hinata said trying to cheer you up. “Hinata that doesn’t really help her,” Sakusa said rubbing his eyes. “It’s ok Sho. Personally, I just don’t get what he sees in her. She is just so-” “Let’s not sugar coat it. She a controlling bitch who has her hand so far up his ass that she can talk for him. Like he’s a ventriloquist dummy.” Atsumu said sipping on his beer happy with his analogy. Even under a face mask, Sakusa can still make a disgusted look. “You are always so vulgar. Please a lady is present.” “He’s right though Sakusa. He’s just different. He doesn’t even gel his hair up anymore. He dresses differently. He isn’t the usual ‘Hey, Hey, Hey!’ spirit.” You pointed out. “I do have to agree with you there. At first, it was kind of relaxing and now it’s bone-chilling.” “I miss the old Bokuto. He makes you excited about volleyball even if you are playing against him.” Hinata sighed. 

“____, get over it. This is how it goes he dates the girlfriend and for lack of a better term-” “There is a better term so don’t say what you are going to say.” “He is pussy-whipped.” Atsumu stated once again with Sakusa rolled his eyes. “This is his routine. He falls in love with every girl he lays eyes on and then they break his heart because they get bored of someone doing every little thing for them.” Except you, Bokuto didn’t fall in love with you when he laid eyes on you. Maybe because his actions were pure. But you didn’t have a crush when you first saw him either. This one-sided love thing was killing you slowly. So much it was like you could breathe in front of your best friend. 

By the end of the night, you and Atsumu were driving home together since you both lived near each other. He always walked you to your door. “Are you sure you are ok to drive?” You asked. “____ I only had one beer tonight and I was nursing it. I have to get up early tomorrow. Long day at the gym.” “You shouldn’t work out too much. Then the girls will be fawning over you too much.” You said with a laugh. “You mean my fan club? Now it’s just getting annoying. It was funny at first when there were only 3 showing up to my game and all I would do is a wink and they would collapse. Now it’s a crowd like Oikawa gets.” “Really seems like you really enjoy and they do more than just stroke your ego.” You chuckled again. “You have had too much to drink.” “Have not! Bokuto told me that.” You whined. Atsumu thought for a minute. He knows he has complained a lot about his fan club to the team. But he wasn’t the only one with a fan club it seemed. Sakusa had fans too but he was much blunter towards them. He made a couple of them cry and Atsumu could never make a girl cry. Just wasn’t in his nature and if his mother found out...his ass would be handed to him. “Bokuto doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I would never hook up with a fan. It’s not right. They have feelings for me and I wouldn’t use them for my own enjoyment.” “That’s rather noble of you. So you are a gentleman.” “Of course I am.” He defended himself. “Are you coming to the game on Tuesday?” “Yeah, it starts at 4 right?” “Yeah, it does. But don’t you usually come for our warm-ups, before anything starts?” “Bo told me that is when the warm-ups were. Maybe he just got confused with the times.” Atsumu rolled his eyes. That’s right the girlfriend was coming now too. Didn’t want you there obviously. But Atsumu wasn’t going to let that happen. “Listen ___.” He became all serious. “I know you like him a lot. I do too in a different way but that is beside the point. Everyone likes him because he has that personality. You shouldn't wait for him. For him to get a new girlfriend every 4 months and him saying she is the one. When in reality she doesn’t even meet anyone besides us. You shouldn’t have to mend his broken heart every single time either. You shouldn’t have to feel like his back up when he feels like all else fails. Instead, make him feel like he is your back up. Because if he was truly just your best friend he wouldn’t treat you like this.” You listened carefully to his words. He was right Bokuto was dim-witted but he wasn’t a complete idiot. He always came to you when he was broken. But you didn’t understand what the term back up meant. But you were too tipsy and tried to go into a detailed conversation about that. “Goodnight.” He said kissing the top of your head leaving your apartment.

Tuesday had come. Which meant seeing Bokuto. Who you haven’t seen or heard from in a while. There were the occasional hi’s and he asked questions about preparing a meal in a microwave. Just out of curiosity you asked what time you should be at the game today. He still told you 4. You wanted to double-check with Atsumu. He told you again that the game started at four and that they would probably arrive at 3:15. He even offered to pick you before he headed to the bus to drive there. You had never driven on the bus with Bokuto. It almost felt like you were stabbing him in the back. But Atsumu sent a funny message saying, ‘I only ask because you are a horrible drive. I’m afraid for the pedestrians on the road.’ It made you laugh. You agreed to go on the bus with them. You knew everyone. It wouldn’t be awkward.

“M’lady,” Atsumu said bowing in front of the open doors of the bus. “Are you still keeping out the gentleman act?” “I assure you it is not an act. I will even offer my hand in helping you up these steps.” “You are so weird sometimes. It makes me wonder about your twin.” He did indeed help you on the bus following right behind you and picking the back seat and even giving you the window seat. “I’ll have you know I’m not the weirder twin. If anything it’s Samu.” “Oh, really why is that?” Before he could give you an answer. Hinata, Bokuto, and his girlfriend were making their way on the bus. You had no clue she was going to be here. Atsumu knew and that is why he offered. Atsumu didn’t think you deserved to be treated like this even if Bokuto was his friend. He needed to break your heart sadly. You had to learn that there was no chance between you and Bokuto. That you two would remain friends. “Hey ___!” Hinata shouted running towards the backsliding next to Atsumu. “Bokuto didn’t tell us you were coming on the ride too.” “Because he didn’t. I did. You have been in her car those pedestrians are endangered when she is behind the wheel.” Atsumu said. “I’m not that bad. I passed my driver's test.” “Probably because the teacher had already seen you try so many times he just gave it to you to never get back in the car with you.” You hit his stomach. He leaned over. “I’ve had worse than that Princess.” You blushed at his sudden sweet nickname for you. “Don’t call me that.” “Alright, babe.” He said with a laugh stretching out. “You want a drink before we start moving? I know you get car sick easily.” “Yes please.” He got up from his spot and took off his jacket and put it down on the seat. And walked over to the cooler sitting in the front of the bus. Bokuto had been watching your interaction with the setter. He found it strange. He knew you were friendly with his team but not full friends like the two of you were right? “Hey, Atsumu why did you bring ___?” “She asked me if the game was still at 4 today and I had to remind her that warm-ups were before that. I just offered to bring her here. It’s a lot easier. I didn’t think the coach would mind since your girlfriend rides the bus every game now.” ‘Your Girlfriend?’ The owl thought to himself. That was an odd way of phrasing it. Did that mean that you two were dating? And you didn’t tell him!? And with a fuck boy like Atsumu?!   “Can me and ___ sit in the back seat?” “You really want to sit back there with both Hinata and ___ who both are prone to being car sick. I can afford to have vomit on me. I always bring an extra pair of sweatpants.” “Ko we can sit up here it’s fine. I don’t want to be near throw up again.” Atsumu rolled his eyes at her and walked back to you and Hinata. “Sho says that Saeko Tanka is a worse driver than me.” “You don’t even know her how can you be a definitive judge on her driving skills.” “Shoyo says he almost died with Kageyama in the car.” “It’s true Sumu, except he was sleeping half the time and eating the other half. He wouldn’t have noticed.” “So she is worse than ___ but doesn’t mean ___ is the best driver in the world.” You pouted on not winning this argument. “Stop pouting babe. I rather see you smile.” He smirked. You falsed a smile. “What was Bo asking?” You asked him. “He asked if he and she could sit back here like they always do.” “Always do?” You asked out-loud. “Yeah, almost every game he takes her on the bus and brings her to the games. He has she likes this VIP treatment of being the only one on the bus beside the team. And the only one who can really watch us while we warm up.” He said going into his bag pulling out his iPad and headphones. ‘Only one.’ You repeated in your head. “But I figured she was feeling too special as of late. And besides, you know more about volleyball and you can see Sakusa basically wash his entire seat before he sits in it.” “Isn’t this the Jackal's bus?” You asked thinking you saw the jacket's decal on the side of the bus. “Yes. We are the only ones that use it. And he has sat in that seat every single time. I’m convinced that he comes here it a vacuum cleaner and cleans the entire bus when we aren’t practicing.” He laughed a little. He noticed you weren’t really paying attention to him. “Don’t bother with them. Don’t even think about it. You want to watch the other team play?” “Sure.”

You arrived at the gym. Atsumu told you to go to the bench where the coach and to watch them warm-up. “We can take the train home. And get dinner.” “Yeah let’s do that. Is the train station far from here?” “No, I don’t think so,” Atsumu said. “Gotta go now.” Bokuto came up to you to say something. “Hey ___. I didn’t think you were going to come to warm-ups today.” It was his phrasing that got to you. He never spoke to you like that before. “Atsumu asked me to come.” “Oh. Why aren’t you sitting up in the bleachers?” “Atsumu said it was fine that I sit here.” You weren’t even looking up from your phone. “Are you just doing everything he says?” “Yes. Were friends Bokuto we live close to each other. He almost always drives me home or I drive him home. We have dinners together too.” “So you guys are just friends?” He asked suspiciously. “Yes. Why do you ask that?” ‘Because he was calling you pet names and basically called you his girlfriend.’ He was thinking but he said in return, “No reason. But does that mean you are better friends with him than me?” He pouted. It was hard to tell now that he stopped gelling his hair up. You wanted to tell him, ‘Yes. He’s been a better friend as of recently.’ But you opted for one that wouldn’t hurt his feelings so much. “Of course not Bo.” You cupped his face. His face brightened up he almost looked like the old Bokuto that you knew. He glanced away for a second and then pulled from your hands. “I have to go now. The game is going to start soon. Make sure to go to the bleachers.” “Atsumu said I could stay here for the game.” You smiled at him.  

“You guys played well today.” “We won by the skin of our teeth today, ___,” Atsumu said frustrated. “But you still won. That is a positive.” “Yeah, you are. What are you going to get?” “I think noodles. I’m not sure if I want soba or udon though. What about you?” “Skewers and onigiri.” “That does sound good.” “We can share if you get soba.” He said wiggling his eyebrows. You nodded your head and agreed. “You know my brother owns an onigiri shop.” “Really? That sounds fun.” “You find that interesting? That is what makes him the weird twin.” “How does that make him the unusual twin? You are a pro volleyball player and the setter. You have high chances of making it on the national team. Onigiri shop is pretty common.” “Exactly who wants to be ordinary.” He stated. “I don’t know. I like to think I’m ordinary.” “Please you are far from ordinary. You are an artist for Shonen Jump. And you are friends with me.” He smiled. “Sometimes Atsumu I wanna punch you across the face. But then you have those puffy cheeks and I could never.” “My cheeks are not puffy.” “They are when you smile.” You squished his cheeks. You enjoyed the light conversation with Atsumu. It made you feel like you were almost talking to Bokuto. But it was different Atsumu didn’t need your constant attention. Plus he wasn’t always happy-happy with everyone. When he didn’t like someone he made it very clear he didn’t not like you. Sometimes he was a dick to people he first meets but gives him the time. “I have a question what is a backup?” You asked. “A backup?” He asked back thinking about what you were asking. “Oh. What Bokuto is using you as?” “Yes.” “It means that you are a standby partner or significant other anticipated as a potential romantic or sexual partner in the event of a failure or unforeseen end of the current relationship.” “And you think Bo is using me for that?” “It’s known at this point. Just his body language and the way he talks to you or about you. It is like he’s territorial over you but doesn’t want you to think that he is actually attracted to you all the time like right now with his girlfriend. Then he goes back to you and then the cycle starts all over again. At least you don’t use him as an emotional fluffer.” “What is an emotional fluffer?” “Oh my, you are so innocent when it comes to relationships. It means using a friend as a significant except they don’t get any of the benefits.” “Shouldn’t shock you that I’m a relationship virgin. I’ve never been in a relationship.” “Not even in high school.” “I was focused on graduating and getting into college.” “Let’s face it your volleyball team wasn’t that attractive.” “Are you calling me a groupie?” “Maybe.” He was laughing. “Nah I’m just joking.” “Wouldn't you be my fluffer?” “How so?” “We go out to dinner, you drive me home sometimes, you have pet-names for me, and you sometimes fix things around my apartment.” “Yeah, but you do the same things for me. Accept the fixing, you just cook for me. You pay for some dinners and you drive me home. So we are both equally fluffers.” You nodded. “Is that a bad thing?” “I don’t think so.” “How does one stop being a backup?” “You date someone else make it apparent to him that you are off the market.” “Good. How do I do that?” “Have you ever been on a date?” “No.” You said lowly. “Ok. Ok. So Friday I have a practice. I will be taking you to a nice restaurant, I’ll come to pick you up, I’ll pay for dinner and dessert.” “Atsumu...” He put his finger in front of your face. “And dress nice too.”

“Come on Atsumu one more set let’s go,” Bokuto said. “Bokuto I have to go. I have a date.” “A date Atsumu?” Sakusa questioned. “With who, Tsumu?” Shoyo asked. “____.” He said sternly but he was excited. While the team was staring him down. Bokuto dropping the ball. “I gotta get home and shower. I have to look nice for her and pick up flowers.” “Didn’t think she would ever say yes to you,” Sakusa said. “But you have to be a gentleman towards her.” “I always am. But I seriously have to go.” Atsumu collected his things and was making his way out the door. Bokuto came running after him. “Why are you taking her out?” “I like her. She is sweet. I like spending time with her.” “She isn’t-” “Yeah I know she isn’t one of my fangirls. And she said something about you telling her that I fucked around with them. Which you and I both know I didn’t. That would be a waste of time. ____ isn’t a waste of my time.” “She said yes.” “Yeah, she did. Why does that surprise you? I spend more time with her than you have in the past month, past year whenever you have a new girlfriend.” Atsumu wasn’t going to listen to any more of whatever pure crap was about to come out of Bokuto’s mouth. And went home to prepare for his date with you.

“___ why did you FaceTime me on a Friday night while I’m editing?” Akaashi asked over the phone call. “You are a guy and my friend and I wanted to ask your opinion on this dress.” You said to your coworker and friend. “Why not ask Bokuto?” “I can’t ask him.” “Why can’t you ask him? And be honest with me because if you don’t tell me he will.” “I’m going on a date.” “A date? With who?” “Miya Atsumu.” “His teammate!” He yelled into the phone surprised. “Akaashi that is beside the point. He doesn’t know that I’m going on this date. And as it was pointed out to me I can’t just sit and wait for Bokuto to decide he wants to be with me. It’s not healthy.” “No, it’s not.” Akaashi agreed. Akaashi never met any of Bokuto’s fleeting romances. He told Bokuto after he met one that was completely rude to everyone. He made it a rule that they had to be dating for at least 5 months. Which was never going to happen. “What was your question?” “Is this dress slutty to go to a nice dinner?” You were wearing a black spaghetti strap dress that fell just at your knees with black stockings. Your hair down with a clip-on on either side. Wearing a simple locket that your mother had bought you for Valentine’s Day last year. You were wearing basic black heels. “You remember those earrings I bought for your birthday the blue ones. Put those in and put on that crop navy cardigan.” You listened to your friend and put those things on. “I do have navy heels, should I put them on?” Akaashi thought about it for a minute. “Yes. I think that will pull the look together.” He hummed with that. “It is nice to see you going out since you are a homebody.” You chuckled. You knew he was just trying to ease you. “I go out with friends. But I see what you are saying because of my position at Jump I can be anywhere and do my work. Hey, I could be in Antarctica all I have to do is meet the deadline and attend meetings virtually.” “What I mean is whenever Bokuto gets a new girlfriend he prioritizes them after volleyball. He even combines the two. When you two became friends through me I asked him to keep an eye on you. But he failed obviously.” “Don’t blame him for having a big heart Akaashi. That he loves so deeply.” You hummed. “Are you going out to go out with and to date Atsumu? Or are you going out with him to get over your crush on Bokuto?” It was a practice date you knew that. Atsumu didn’t really have feelings for you. He wanted to help you get over Bokuto. It wasn’t real. But you weren’t sure if you say to Akaashi that it was that. “Can’t it be both?” “I just worry that you might hurt him if he is just a rebound for your crush. And I don’t that burden on your shoulders.” “It will be fine Akaashi. Now how do I look?” Akaashi was starring at you attentively. “Yes, you look nice. Definitely not slutty.”

Atsumu knocked on your door. He straightened his tie and he held the bouquet of flowers close to his chest. When you opened the door you almost made him speechless. “Hello, Gorgeous. I bought you some flowers.” “Thank you Atsumu.” You took the flowers and placed them in the kitchen vase. “You look very handsome tonight Atsumu. All for me?” “Of course for you. M’lady?” He stuck out his arm out to you. You gladly took it. “And where are you taking me on this fine evening?” “I’m taking you to the new hibachi restaurant.” “Atsumu that is expensive.” “Hush now. I plan to treat you to a wonderful meal after you got dressed up.” He said to you opening the car door for you abs helping you into the passenger seat. “You cleaned your car for me. You really are a gentleman for your dates. Careful Atsumu you might accidentally cause me to fall in love with you.” You joked. “Like I would mind you falling for me Babe.” He stated.

The restaurant was beautiful. Atsumu was able to snag a really good table too. He requested the corner table in the right corner booth. You and he were able to look out at the restaurant. You sat next to him in the booth, he made sure that you sat close to him. “Do you know what you want? Do you want appetizers?” “I do if it means I can spend more time with you.” He smirked at you. “Let’s get soup. It’s light filling so we can enjoy our meal.” He leaned into your ear and whispered, “Hopefully dessert too.” You never thought Atsumu can be this attractive to you. You knew he was hot but this was different. You kind of enjoyed it. You turned your head your lips almost touching, “Trust me I want dessert.” “Hmm. You are good at flirting can’t believe you haven’t been on a date.” He pulled away slightly he had his hand resting on your thigh. You had to remind yourself this isn’t real. “Are you always this flirty with your dates?” You ask. “Yes.” He sighed. “But it’s not that I go out a lot. I am really focused on volleyball and time with my friends. Plus my alone time.” “What do you do during your free time?” “I play video games, go to the gym, watch old matches and try to learn new sets. Sometimes I go to Osamu’s shop and help there. I should take you there sometime.” “Planning a second date already Atsumu?” You teased him. “Of course anything for my beautiful girl.” He laughed. “What have you been up to recently?” “Currently I’m working with an illustrator and author of romance that also has monsters in it. It’s only just starting. It’s a lot of meetings and figuring out what they want the style to be and where the story will go.” “It is not too much for you right?” “No. I like this part of it.” You smiled at him. The waiter was coming over to your table. “Let’s order now.”

“Do you actually want dessert or do you want to go home?” Atsumu asked you as the waiter was taking your plate away. “Mmm. Let’s get ice cream at that ice cream place not far from your apartment.” You said. He paid the bill and he didn’t let you see the bill and you left. You however paid for the ice cream. You knew guys shouldn’t always have to pay. “I was supposed to be treating you on this date.” “I’m your date too, Atsumu. It is only fair that I also pay for something.” He smiled happily at that comment. “I like the idea of being treated nicely. The way I deserve.” Atsumu said sticking his spoon in his mouth. “What flavor-” Before you could even finish asking the question, he stuck the spoon in your mouth. “Pistachio? I didn’t peg you as a pistachio guy.” “Trust me you will never peg me.” He hummed at his perfectly timed comment. “You do realize that I inadvertently kissed you.” You blushed. “Don’t be an idiot Atsumu.” He laughed at your cute reaction. He put out his hand, “Come on let’s go home ___.”

He was walking you upstairs with his arm around your waist. It wasn’t weird being this flirty with Atsumu, in fact, it felt oddly comfortable. “Did you have fun tonight?” He asked as you were opening the door. “Yes, I did. Too bad every date isn’t going to be like this one.” You sighed. “No one can live up to my first date with the Great Miya Atsumu.” “No one has to if you don’t want to.” He stated leaning against the wall. “What Atsumu?” He shifted facing towards you and looking you in the eyes. “If you want to continue going on dates, hold hands in public, kiss even if you are comfortable with that. I don’t do things that will waste my time. I don’t think it would be a waste of time to date you.” You were speechless. “Atsumu I-I don’t know what to say.” “Think about it then. You have my number and you know where I live.”

“Sakusa, Bokuto, Oriver let’s run some quick attacks.” “Sure Tsumu-Tsumu!” Bokuto yelled. “What about me Atsumu?” Hinata asked. “We have been running attacks all day. I have to practice with other spikers too.” “Hinata I want to practice my setting with you,” Inunaki said. Atsumu started practicing his spikes with his teammates. He had a set way of setting to each player. He was working hard on that. Being able to predict his teammate's moves much like his rival Kageyama. Bokuto liked softer spikes than Sakusa’s so he could slam them hard on the ground. He sets the ball just as Bokuto was coming to spike it over the net. The ball made its way over the net but not to Atsumu’s satisfactory. “Sorry, Bokkun wasn’t my best set for you today. I think I need a break.” Atsumu went to the bench and pulled his water from his bag. Sakusa came over to him handing him a towel to wipe himself with. “How did your date go with ___ on Friday.” “It went well. I took her to this new hibachi restaurant I paid for. She bought ice cream for us. I cleaned my car, dressed nice and bought her flowers. I wanted her to feel special. She means a lot to me.” “I still can’t believe she said yes. Considering.” Sakusa looked over to Bokuto. “Sakusa can I tell you something in private?” The spiker nodded and they walked away from their teammates. Sakusa perked his ears to the bottle blonde's information. “It was her first date.” “Oh.” “Not that I had a problem with that. When she told me that I decided that I was going to treat her out. The only reason she even mentioned it was because she wants to get over the great horned owl.” “So you took her out as a practice date?” “Something like that. But I do like her. I told her that and I told her I would like to date her. I asked her to think about it. I wouldn’t be mad at her if she turned down the offer. I would still like to be her friend if she was comfortable with that.” “Would you be ok with being her rebound or second option?” “I wouldn’t think of it like that.” “That’s rather mature of you Atsumu. It seems that you are growing up.”

Miya Atsumu had officially distracted you from work. Sure you have or had a crush on Bokuto but this feeling of being strung along and used felt horrible. He was a great friend. But this feeling was crushing you. Atsumu was nice. He was great. He made you feel good about yourself and he made you feel alive. He made you feel special. Akaashi's words were stuck in your head. You didn’t want Atsumu to feel second to Bokuto. The idea, the action dating him was more than tempting it sounded like a dream. You needed to talk to him. You decided to text him to come to your house after his workout.

You had put out cookies. Baking had always calmed you and Atsumu loves to eat. The knock on the door had you up on your feet so fast. “hi.” You said in a small voice. “Hello ___. May I come in?” “Please. Do you want a cookie?” “I will literally eat anything you bake.” He smiled happily taking off his shoes. He rushed to the cookie plate and brought it to a seat in your living room. “You said you wanted to talk?” “Yes, about your proposal.” “Ok. Before we talk I want to say something. I want you to say everything that you are thinking. I will respond when you are done. If it is a rejection, I want you to know I will not be mad and I would still like to be friends.” You nodded. Ok, here you go. “First things first, I would like to date you. I like how you made me feel on our date. I liked how you made me feel before the date. I worry though that at some point you will feel I choose you second that I put you second. I don’t want you to feel like a second option I know that you sometimes felt that way in childhood being a twin. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that to you.” You leaned into your body not wanting to look at him. Atsumu put the plate down and held you close to him. “I hear you. I want to say if I don’t want or think I will feel that way. I promise you that your crush your one-sided love will mean nothing to me. If I help you get over him I’m happy to do that. I want to date you in spite of that because I care about you a lot. And that date meant a lot to me. I wanted you to feel special because you are that to me. I will try every day to treat you like that if you will be my girlfriend.” You squeezed his body. “Alright let’s do this. I want to be your girlfriend.” You looked up to him. He did his childish smirk, pulled your face to his, and placed a light kiss. "I am yours, My Beautiful Girl."

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Empires on the Horizon XIV

Jason is a CEO: Part XIV

masterlist for other parts, more jercy, bad headcanons, and an abundance of crackships

SURPRISE!!! i finally got my laptop back and thankfully they didn’t have to wipe anything so i still had all my work! Between you and me i was more worried about all my fanfics than my uni work...... But I’ve learned my lesson. Do everything on google docs now!! Anyway this is a Percy POV and i hope you enjoy because i’ve missed this little universe more than you could possibly know and we’re finally (only fourteen chapters later) getting to the jercy part of this fic?! LOL it’s been wild.

i know i’m releasing a ton of fanfics at the moment so i hope you guys don’t feel overwhelmed. You know i adore your comments and thoughts but please don’t feel pressured to read all the fics i’m posting. I’ve just had a lot of time in the last weeks so it’s been easier to create. Please take care  of yourself, i love you very much and i hope you have a magical holiday season!

Percy Jackson stretched his legs out in front of him and draped a blanket over them. There were few things he indulged in, but a good plane seat was one of them. He was spoilt for it but having the space to lay his unreasonably tall body down for eight hours seemed like a worthy investment. The announcements that continuously filtered through the crackly speakers were background noise as the bustle of people getting to their seats flowed throughout the cabins. He stared out his little window at the neon-jacketed guides and airport officials directing people to wherever they needed to be. He loved watching people just do things. There was something calming about knowing others weren’t interested in him in any way. That people got on with their lives despite the turmoil nobody knew about.

A flight attendant stopped next to him with a polite smile, “Champagne sir?”

“No thank you, a water please. Too early for alcohol.” He grimaced.

Mirth danced in her eyes as she glanced up at the rest of the passengers, some dangling flutes between their fingers. “Absolutely sir, anything else?”

He shook his head, before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. His pre-flight ritual, which consisted of him snuggling as comfortably as possible it his seat and trying to fall asleep, was already behind. The presence of a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed CEO taking up the scattered pieces of his mind. It was crazy to think they had met almost a year ago, crazier still to think that about how much they had changed in that time. Percy at least felt like a completely different person to the one who had stepped off a plane from Hawaii all those months ago and attended his alma mater’s dinner. Although the university had surprised them with plaques honouring their contributions, it was seeing Jason Grace, learning about him that felt like the real reward. Hell, he was only half joking when he said he’d marry the guy the next Tuesday.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We will be taking off shortly. In the meantime please turn your attention to the screens in front of you for a video detailing the safety measures you will need to know while aboard this flight.”

He blinked back into the world and turned half his attention to the screen and the other half to locating the blonde he couldn’t seem to keep away from. He knew the safety briefings by heart, but he always felt bad for not paying attention. Someone worked hard to make those. He didn’t spot Jason in the two minutes the video played and then it was too late because the plane gave a low rumble and suddenly, they were lurching into motion. His heart climbed to his throat and he gripped his fingers underneath the blanket.

“Okay Percy,” He mouthed to himself, “You can do this. It’s at most fifteen minutes of instability and then you’ll be up in the air and you won’t even feel it.”

“Just fifteen minutes.” He kept repeating, taking deep shaky breaths. “Fifteen minutes.”

The plane jaggered down the runway, slow enough that he could still read the road signs indicating altitudes and compass directions and all sorts of fun information he didn’t care about. He felt the huge machine turn into the long stretch of tar that led them to the sky and his stomach clenched painfully. This was always the worst part. Take off. It felt like his entire body flew off with the plane while he stuck to the ground, superglue cementing him to the floor with no escape. He didn’t feel free. He felt torn.

The plane gave a horrible lurch and then it was screaming down the runway, grass and yellow lines blurring past them. They were going so fast he’s sure they’d break the sound barrier. He squeezed his eyes shut. Knuckles white as he twisted his hands together. The plan flew down the road and into the sky. His whole body felt suspended in space. He wanted to come down. He didn’t want to be here. Even with his eyes closed he could feel how high they were. He hated it.

Slowly, the plane started to level out until he felt his body realign: feet under him, hands beside him, head above him. He opened his eyes, spots dancing in his vision as they got used to the light once more. The seatbelt sign dinged above him, and a series of clicks followed. People got up to use the bathroom and grab things from the overhead compartments. He wasn’t going to get up until he was out of this plane. So he shoved his headphones over his ears and pressed play.

I will always love you how I do

Let go of a prayer for you

Just a sweet word

He gazed out the window, clouds close enough to whisper to, and his lips pulled up in a soft smile. The sky was beautiful. It just sucked that they had to get into a death trap to get to it. With his ocean eyes pinned to the balls of cotton hanging in the blue expanse his mind drifted. Reyna. He blinked. It was almost shameful how little he had thought of her since their breakup considering their year together. She had taught him tai quan do and baked him blueberry tarts. They had escaped to a little bubble in the forest and watched the leaves turn brown as they tumbled in bed. He knew she tapped her right foot when she was annoyed but her left fingers danced when she was excited. He knew she liked her eggs fried hard because she didn’t have time for sloppy yolk, but she liked them scrambled soft because it meant a richer croissant. But despite this she did not light his soul on fire. And he did not light hers either. They were merely striking matches without wood to burn. He heaved a sigh as he watched the threads of his relationship flutter before his eyes and fell asleep to them disappearing in gold strands leaking into the clouds. He succumbed to the bright sun and the soft warmth of memories and he didn’t wake until a loud announcement gave the signal that they were landing.

It was over so fast he didn’t have time to panic and he was grateful. Finally he was collecting his bags and walking out. A driver with his surname scribbled on a plaque stood front and center and with a quick flash of his ID and a hello they were piling into the car. He didn’t get a chance to see the blonde beauty, but the island was small and time was a plenty. They would find each other again.

“To the hotel sir?”

“Yes Luca, and then please stick around for half an hour. It’s just a quick freshen before I go to work. We have a lab meeting.”

The man nodded and then focused on the busy Italian streets they were navigating. He took in the colours and sounds as they whizzed by. It felt like a different universe. People were loud and excited and full of life and the little markets seemed to pull energy from the sun and direct it into joy. He wanted to tell Luca, to pull over, screw work, and take in the beauty of this little section of the world. But his phone buzzed in his pocket and he knew with a disappointed sinking in his chest that adventure would have to wait.

“Hello Percy,” Rachel Elizabeth Dare bubbled, ‘I assume you’ve arrived?”

“Yes Rach,” He sighed but amusement caught between his lips, “Have you got news for me?”

“No,” She sounded suspicious, “Why would I have news for you?”

“Because you only track my exact times when you want something but you’re too scared to ask me so you wait till I’m halfway across the country before asking.” He wanted to laugh as she made an indignant sound.

“Okay fine,’ She grumbled, “I wanted to know if I could close up the scuba for the weekend. I met a girl and i wanted to go out on Friday night with her.”

He couldn’t hold in his laugh any longer, “Of course you can Rachel. But I’m curious to know…” He trailed off.

“Ugh you are impossible.” He could imagine her eye roll so vividly. “It’s Clarisse. The principal from your old school.”

“Well, well, well,” He grinned, “I better be getting premium seats to the wedding.”

“Why does everything always end in weddings for you?” She groaned.

“Scuse me for wanting a happily ever after.” He scrunched his face, “Oh and guess who’s here?”

“Is this a good guess or a bad one?”

“Good.” He smiled, “Very good.”

She gasped, speaker crackling at his ear, “Tell me!”

“Jason Grace.”

“What?” She squealed, “Are you guys going to have hot rebound sex and then realise you like each other more than just casual fuck-buddies and end up getting married and adopting like six children?”

He burst with amusement, “Slow down there Rach. I know I throw around the marriage idea, but kids seem like a big commitment.”

“You right,” She said decidedly, “Kids are a lot of effort. Just get married then. But no eloping!” He pictured the crease in her freckled brows. “I want to be a bridesmaid.”

“Can’t promise anything,” He giggled.

“Perseus Jackson!” She scolded.

“Oof the full name.”

“I will tell your mother and she will kick your ass.”

“Okay, okay,” He laughed, “No eloping. I have to go. But remember to take the keys for the scuba with you. We do not need the fire department breaking the door again.”

She grumbled about hating him and then blew him a kiss and ended the call. With a smile still playing on his lips he thanked Luca and rushed into the hotel. Thankfully the check in was painless and fast and he was stumbling into his room in no time. He barely had time to appreciate the gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows and the ocean view it laid out before him. He promised himself he would take the time when he got back.

Quickly he hopped into the shower cursing when he realised he’d forgotten to take his socks off. With a horrified shudder he peeled them off and chucked them into the laundry basket, thankful it gets emptied every day. The water beat against his back, fogging up the glass and calming the racing in his veins. He gave himself the luxury of one extra minute to just take a deep breath and screw his head back onto his shoulders and then he jumped out and shoved on a pair of black slacks and a white button down. He didn’t bother to do the top few buttons, figuring he’d have time in the car. Instead he fastened a watch to his wrists, rolled up the sleeves till they sat at his forearms– any attempt to bear the Italian heat– and then he slid his feet into a pair of sleek ankle boots and mussed his damp curls. With half a moments glance at the mirror to make sure his face didn’t have patches of sun-cream and his collar was straight he grabbed his briefcase and walked out.

Glancing at his watch distractedly he rounded the corner, only to bump right into a hard chest.

“Oh,” He frowned, stepping back into a door. “Jason.”

“Hey,” The blonde smiled, “What a coincidence?” He laughed.

“You’re staying here?” It was really starting to feel like the universe was trying to tell him something.

‘Yep,” He gave a shy smile, blue gaze bright. “Guess you’re going to see a lot more of me then you expected huh?”

“I think you may be at more of a disadvantage than me.”

Jason looked at him, eyes dragging from his face down his body and eventually dropping to his shoes. Percy gave an involuntary shiver as the blonde tracked the same slow pace back up. “I think this could be very advantageous.”

“If you don’t stop staring at me like that I’m going to be very late for my meeting.”

He laughed, the previous sultriness giving away to a sparkle and flashing white teeth, “See you around Jackson.” He started walking away.

“Wait!” Percy called, “Date? Tonight? We can explore the city together?”

Jason smiled as bright as diamonds, “Sounds fun. Meet you in the bar at?”

He realised their time depended on when his meeting finished and suddenly, he wanted to cancel the whole thing and start now. ‘Seven thirty?”

“See you there. And have a good meeting.”

The blonde walked away, and Percy felt this time like he was floating away while his body remained superglued to the floor. He wanted to live in this feeling. Because this did not feel like being torn apart. This felt like coming home.

The elevator dinged down the passage and he crashed back to reality. With a string of curse words he raced for it and jumped in just as the doors began to close.

The meeting and subsequent lab tour felt endless and he concentrated on little less than half of what was being said, his mind more interested on the things waiting for him at the hotel, the person. But eventually it was over and him and Luca were cruising towards the Casa de Vita.

“Anything else you need sir?” His driver looked at him from the rear-view mirror as they turned into the hotel road.

“Recommend any good places for a first date?”

“Already met a lady sir?” Luca’s dark eyebrows almost touched his hairline in surprise.

“A man actually.”

The Italian chuckled, nodding his head as if in on some invisible joke, “The Tesora. It is just down the path and near the ocean.”

“Thank you Luca, have a goodnight.”

“And you sir.” Luca winked before peeling out of the entrance and fading into the setting sun.

Percy strolled to his room with a smile on his face, lost in a world full of possibilities. It was unsurprising then that he didn’t see the extra bag against the wall, or the shoes neatly placed by the door that weren’t his.

He took off his watch and undid the few buttons on his shirt, head lost to the glimmer of the ocean. He let his shirt fall open as he slipped off his shoes and walked towards the windows. The view really was spectacular. No matter how much he travelled it always blew his mind the places that existed, that he had yet to learn of. It was irresistible. It was perfect. It didn’t fail to cross his mind that the ocean was the exact same colour as a certain pair of gorgeous blue eyes. He blinked the image away, turning around, and his gaze landed on that exact aquamarine gaze.

“Jason?” He gasped, clutching his chest in surprise. “What are you doing in my room?”

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