#take two! I’m seeing if this version gets the mature rating

[i-am-a-fan]

Ah yes, go ask Tang for help. Tang, the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, who totally had a normal childhood ™.

Requested by @mythicalmagical-monkeyman (i just made it separate since it basically turned into a comic)

Typed out script under the cut:

Panel one:

Pigsy: There’s a lot more to Pig demons than people think…we’re like onions.

Mk: Woah…

Panel two:

Mk: Grow!

Pigsy (whispering): Kids can do that?

Panel three:

sfx: Ring Ring- Chck

Pigsy: Tang?

Tang (over the phone): Oh! Hey, Pigsy, how’s the-

P: Hey, uh, do human kids have “powers”?

T: Uhhh…. maybe?

P: … can you check?

T: What… okay.

P: …Thank you.

T: You can thank me with food <3

[daengtokki]

𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓇𝒹 𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒

Kim Seungmin/Female Reader

wc: 8.5k

rating: mature/explicit ಇ

comments: part three was heavily edited from it's original version. There are most likely some grammatical errors that I've glossed over from staring at the screen for so long. Feel free to send a message and let me know if you see anything wildly wrong.

→ PART ONE

→ PART TWO

Part 3 of 4

“You can’t be nervous if I’m nervous.”

He’s right. You take a deep breath and turn to face him again. Kiss him on the lips. Your free hand snakes around his waist, finds the hem of his shirt, and tucks underneath to run over his skin.

His muscles tighten for a second, then slowly relax as your hand moves upward against his side and back across his shoulder blade. He sighs as you touch him.

You haven’t felt this much of his body until now.

-

Your plane lands four hours later than scheduled. You’re tired, hungry, and your back is killing you. Korea Air is fine, and it always has been, but 13 hours in coach is something you’ll never get used to.

There were no plans to travel home up until three days ago, and it’s a miracle you got the week off to deal with your family. As much as you hate doing it, you don’t mind a change of scenery and a break from your typical work days in Korea.

Honestly, this is the perfect solution to the loneliness and monotony. It was only three weeks ago that you finally got to see Seungmin again, but it’s been a long three weeks. And he has kept his promise of keeping in touch.

Every single day since date number two, he's sent at least one text. You try to send messages only when he does, but occasionally you can’t help yourself, and you send something in the middle of your work day, or right before you go to bed. You’re still a little worried about being a bother, and holding back your clingy-ness has been difficult, but he always sends something back. Not always right away, but he does answer. And he sends selfies often—those texts are your favorite.

You have failed to mention that you’ve been on your way to Chicago (he sent a text about two hours ago, letting you know the first two shows had gone well), and that you’d be arriving the day before he would also be in the same city. But you’ll let him know soon. You don’t have much hope for getting to see him while you’re both here; he’s busy, and the last thing you want to do is bother him during a tight schedule. But he's been the only thing on your mind for weeks.

You managed to get a ticket to the Chicago concert the night you realized you be in town for it, but it wasn’t cheap. Even if you don’t get to see him alone, seeing him on stage will be worth the price.

____

“Who are you talking to?”

There’s a giggle in his ear, and a sharp chin lands on his shoulder. “Why are you smiliiing?”

IN grabs Seungmin’s shoulders and takes a seat directly behind him, giving him a good view of the phone in his friends hands.

“Don’t be nosy.”

“Is it the girl you’ve been talking to?”

Seungmin half turns and stares at IN, then looks him up and down, “What are you talking about?”

IN stares back wordlessly, a grin plastered on his face. He’s squinting his eyes at him accusingly. “I’m talking about the girl you’re always texting.”

Seungmin picks up his iced coffee, takes a sip, then releases himself from IN’s stare.

IN follows him across the room.

“Send her a cute selfie.”

“I already did.”

“Oh, haha!” He beams with pride at thinking he got him to slip up. “Did she send one back? Can I see her?”

“No. And no.”

“I won’t tell anyone else, I promise.”

“How did you know if nobody else knows?”

IN stops and thinks for a moment, then he side-eyes the other two members that are currently in the same room. They’re too far away to hear the conversation, but Seungmin stands and heads over to them.

“Chan?”

Chan turns and looks at him with a smile. He doesn’t get a chance to speak before Seungmin does.

“Did you tell IN about her?”

It takes him a few seconds to process what he’s being asked. “No, no…I didn’t tell anyone.” his voice lowers as he realizes what they’re talking about.

“How does he know?”

Chan peaks around him at IN, who’s already staring wide eyed. He beckons him over with two fingers, and he runs over, unbothered.

“How do you know?” He asks softly, very curiously. “I didn’t tell you.”

“I just guessed.”

Seungmin and Chan stare, speechless.

“I always see him smiling and laughing while he’s texting, and then taking selfies. I didn’t know he was actually texting…” he looks around at the others that just walked into the room. “…texting someone.” He whispers the last part.

“The less people that know, the better…” Chan says, but casually, as if he knows he doesn’t really have to tell IN. “It’s nothing serious, right Seungmin?”

“Huh…” he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. “Oh um, no…it’s not.”

Chan stares a little longer, “is it?”

Seungmin feels like his mind is being read. “We just talk a lot.”

He nods and leaves it at that. IN smiles at Seungmin once more before walking off. Then he pulls his phone out to check his notification.

Sounds like you guys had a good time. I did catch some fan videos from last night!

He smiles at the text, and then wonders what you’re doing up at four in the morning.

____

You pull out your phone, hoping the buzz in your pocket is him.

What are you doing up so late? Are you okay?

Oh, you forgot about the time difference. Maybe it’s time to let him know you’re not in Korea.

“I’m okay. I just landed in Chicago. I had a family thing come up, and I had to come home. I promise I’m not following you.”

You see him typing a few seconds after your message is delivered.

oh, you’re from Chicago! That’s so exciting that you’re here. Are you coming to the concert tomorrow night? Please come!

Before you have time to reply, he’s typing again…

Maybe not if you have family to see

“No, I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it”

let me know what seats you have…maybe I can get you closer

You’re trying to text him and stuff your bags into the trunk of you moms car at the same time.

“I don’t think they’re very close, but I’ll let you know as soon as I get home”

don’t worry, I’ll figure something out

“What are you so smiley about?” Your mom asks and slams the trunk shut.

“Just a text.”

____

“Sooo…”

“Soooo what?” Seungmin glances at IN. He has an inkling about what he’s getting at, and he’s trying not to indulge him too much. But Seungmin will admit that if any of them were going to find out prematurely, he's glad it was him.

“Can I see her?” He’s careful and quiet saying it. “Please?”

“Fine, give me a second.” He types a quick message and then pulls up the photos you’ve both shared. He finds one of the very few selfies you’ve sent him and shoves it a few inches from IN’s face.

He looks and his eyes widen, smirk grows. “Oh she’s not…” he stops himself and lowers his excited voice, “she’s not Korean? Oh she sent a text.” He giggled and tries to finish reading before Seungmin pulls the phone back.

“No, she’s not.”

“Where is she from?”

“Chicago. She’s here now, too.”

“Oh she’s gonna come see us tomorrow!”

Seungmin nods and types, “yeah, she is coming. I need to get her a better seat.”

“Sneak her into soundcheck.“

____

The next morning, you wake up to the buzzing of a text notification. A Seungmin message. You open it up and squint through sleepy, jet-lagged eyes. It’s barely 8 am. You slept an entire ten hours, at least.

Good morning 🤍 if you’re able to, come down to the venue at around 2!

A close-up selfie follows. You can only see his eye, a peace sign, and a little bit of hair.

And a heart emoji. That combination is a first.

You reply, set an alarm, and immediately fall back asleep.

And luckily, you don’t sleep through it. At eleven, you’re up, nervous, showered, more nervous, and then when it’s time to figure out your wardrobe, you feel like you’re going to puke. Knowing you’ll see Seungmin is keeping most of your nerves at bay, but the fact that it’ll be at an arena of this size, with this many people (you assume there will be a massive amount of fans already hanging around that early, because you know how concerts here are), and throw in the possibility of meeting his friends…you’re nervous.

____

It’s as busy near the venue as you expected. And you find yourself enjoying it, surprisingly. Seeing all of the fans gathered around and clearly having a good time, despite the heat, is nice.

You jump out of your Uber and send a text to Seungmin. You need a more accurate location to head to, but for now you don’t mind wandering around and people watching. Just a glance at someone seems to immediately give away their favorite member, and you make it a point to look for anyone who prefers your favorite.

A text message buzzes before you get too far.

there is a staff entrance at the box office, just walk in and pretend like you belong

That sounds like a terrible idea, but you trust him and head in that direction. It’s not very busy there, because the tickets have long since sold out, but there are staff members milling around. You don’t look like you belong, but you also know that attitude and demeanor can get you far, so…

____

Seungmin only mentioned his plan (IN’s, really) to Chan about ten minutes prior to his last message to you.

“I don’t know if that was the best idea,” he says. “Is she already here?”

“Yes, she’s somewhere outside. And I know.”

“Okay, I might have a solution. Wait here.”

Chan disappears for a few minutes, and in the meantime, Seungmin actually starts to feel a little nervous. His plan was simple: have you walk casually in through the staff entrance he’s already seen used many times that days, by many different people—some with and some without staff shirts or lanyards.

“Even if she gets in using your terrible plan,” Chan returns, and behind him is a man much larger and taller than either of them. “She can’t walk around alone or with you the entire time.”

“She gets her own bodyguard!”

“Chaperone. And she won’t look too out of place with him. “

“Thanks, Chan. Thank you, Jay.”

“No problem, buddy. Let’s go find her before she gets lost.” Jay pats Seungmin on the back and leads him down the hallway. “What does she look like?”

It’s a long walk toward the entrance, but both of them scan every person and group as they pass by. It gives the butterflies in his stomach more time to move up to his chest and throat.

“She’s right there!” Seungmin waves and gets your attention before approaching. He doesn’t want to make a scene, so he waits until none of the venue staff is around.

You have a hard time containing yourself when you finally catch sight of him. You don’t remember him ever smiling as wide as he is right now, and it makes your legs tremble a little.

You wave and wait for him to reach you.

“Hey…” Seungmin stands a few feet from you. He seems a little uneasy.

The man following behind him is obviously trying to keep some distance, but not too much distance. “I can turn away if it makes you both more comfortable.”

“No Jay, you’re fine,” Seungmin laughs but doesn’t look away from you.

“Is this your bodyguard?”

“He is, actually. But today he’s going to hang out with you so you don’t look out of place, and you have someone who knows what’s going on.”

“Oh, that's a relief.”

“But I’ll take you to our dressing room if you’d like…if you want to meet everyone."

"I'm...I do, but do you think it's too much? I mean, too much too soon?"

"Meeting them?" He thinks about it. His mouth is pushed to one side, puffing up his cheek. "I don't mind if you want to wait. We can always just go right out by the stage for soundcheck. You'll see them out there, they'll probably see you. You'll be a mystery."

"I like that idea. Maybe afterward I'll feel better about it."

He nods and waves Jay over. He still hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.

“You look nice.” He lowers his voice and and drops his gaze to the floor. But you can still see his smile.

____

You’re sitting a few rows back from the main stage. Your chaperone is a few yards away and much more relaxed out here. There are so many people working the sound check that your extra face is hardly out of place, so now you feel like you can relax and enjoy the view.

All eight of them are on stage, along with a few band members, and some techs. There’s a camera filming everything just off stage, and another directly on stage with them. You watch Seungmin as he interacts with it. He looks relaxed and happy. No more worry in his eyes.

You get out the earplugs he gave you, but for now you just enjoy listening to him speak into his mic and headset. He looks at you a few times, but subtly, trying not to direct too much attention.

One of the others keeps looking your way, you assume out of confusion or curiosity. Or both. It’s Lee Know. You watch as he walks along the edge of the stage closest to where you’re sitting. Another member joins him and looks out; this one is smiling, almost as wide as Seungmin smiled at you earlier. You know who everyone is thanks to the endless videos you've watched. It's IN.

You try not to make too much eye contact, but you don’t avoid them completely. They seem to know who you are.

Your chaperone appears next to again and takes a seat, “having a good time?”

“I am, thank you for dealing with me.”

“No problem, anything for these boys.”

“Do you know them well?”

“I’ve been working with them for a while now, so I’d say I do. How’d a girl like you meet Mr. Kim?”

The Mr. Kim is said with a bit of sarcasm, but a cute, playful sarcasm. And by a girl like you, you assume he means an American.

“I live in Korea, near where he grew up. We met through a friend. Do we seem like a weird match? I mean…we’re not a couple—"

“Are you sure about that? He’s looking at you right now with those big puppy dog eyes.”

Jay points up to Seungmin. When you look, he quickly smiles and waves before running back to the center of the stage.

____

Your adrenaline is off the charts at the end of the concert. You had an idea of what to expect from footage of other concerts, but being there in person, watching them…watching him, was obviously on another level. You feel like you’ve been introduced to a new little part of Seungmin’s personality. You feel closer to him.

Now you’re back outside in the fresh night air. You haven’t heard from him yet, but you’re not surprised. He’s probably exhausted. You stick around, though. He didn’t mention anything about seeing each other after the concert ended, so you don’t assume anything or get your hopes up (even though they are, by default, always up when it comes to him).

A small group of girls—you can’t really tell how old, maybe around your age—find a place to sit near you. They’re understandably excited and very loud, so you listen in as they talk about their favorite parts, favorite songs, and biases. The loudest of the group is a Felix fan. You sneak a glance at them and one of them notices you.

She waves, “are you here alone?”

You look around and then point to yourself, “Me? Oh, yeah I am.”

The rest of them wave you over with such enthusiasm that you can’t possibly deny them your presence.

“Was it your first concert? It was mine, but not theirs. We’re flying to California for the first two next week.” The girl who looks the youngest, and has a Han Quokka plush strapped to her gestures to the whole group. “Are you going to any more?”

“This is the only one I got a ticket for, so probably not.

“Who’s you bias?” The one who spoke to you first asks.

You hesitate for a moment. Who is your bias?

“It’s Seungmin.”

The girl continues talking, but you’re distracted by the buzzing of your phone. It’s him.

you are still around, yeah?

“Of course! I’m outside”

Now he’s calling. “Sorry, I gotta get this!” You excuse yourself from the group and answer.

“Hi, it’s a little loud out here.”

“Okay, I just figured calling would be easier. Come back in the way you did earlier, I’m already here.”

“Okay, I’m near there. Give me 10 seconds.”

He starts counting down…

“Okay…nine…”

You laugh and speed up a little—

“Eight…”

—but there are more people here and dodging them is not easy.

“Seven…six…five…”

“Count slower!”

“Fooooouur…three…”

You see the door and push through a couple much harder than you intend, but your hand is pushing the door open just as Seungmin says—

“Two! You did it!”

He’s a good distance away, but you can see his smile. He takes a few steps toward you, but lets you finish closing the gap. He holds out his arms and pulls you into a hug, which catches you off guard. You’re surprised oh makes him giggle. There’s nobody around except for Jay, but it still feels very bold.

“You were amazing.” You squeeze him a little tighter around the waist, and he reciprocates.

“Thank you…I hope you had a good time.”

“I did,” you slowly release him but keep a bit of his shirt clenched in your fist. “What’s your plan for tonight?”

“Hotel tonight…and I think we are leaving in the morning. Unless they change things last minute, which sometimes happens.”

“Well, at least you don’t have to leave right away. It’d be nice if you stayed in Chicago a little longer, though.”

“Yes, it would be nice.” You see him glance at Jay and lower his voice. “I can let you know which hotel, though. And I’ll text you my room number.“

“Oh?” You feel your face getting hot, and Seungmin’s cheeks have definitely turned a shade of pink.

“Unless I have to share the room.”

“Well, you just let know which hotel. And we’ll figure something out if we need to.”

He nods shyly and takes your face in his hands. He doesn’t pull you in for a kiss, though, just gently rubs his thumb over your cheek. And it’s somehow even better.

“I have to go, but I’ll text you.” He disappears with Jay around the corner.

And then you panic a little, because you weren’t ready for a hotel invitation. You’re having flashbacks of the last date, and how heavy things got for just a few minutes. And how Seungmin reacted, because he hasn’t gone that far with anyone yet.

Maybe that isn’t what he was getting at. You’ve spent plenty of time with him alone in your apartment, why would being alone in his hotel be any different?

It’s just a feeling. Just in the way he lowered his voice and blushed. Things will play out how they’re supposed to, though. No pressure. You’d never put him in an uncomfortable situation.

It might be a good idea to prepare anyway.

Going home seems pointless, because the hotel is most likely here in the city. You don’t want to waste time traveling home and then back. You’re already short on time as it is.

But when you find a convenience store to pop into, you get a look at yourself in the mirror. It could be worse, you suppose. It was a hot day, and the concert was no different. Besides, Seungmin has already seen you like this. It can’t be that bad.

But you do buy a water to chug, gum, and when you pass by the condoms, you stare at them for far too long. Buying them means you expect something to happen, and you feel weird about expecting it for some reason. Not buying them and being unprepared seems worse, though.

You grab a pack. You grab two, actually. You did get a quick feel of him before. And you remember it well. Now you just have to deal with the awkwardness of checking out with two different sizes of condoms.

You stuff your purchases between the mess of other things in your bag and walk aimlessly for a few blocks. It’s still crowded down here, even though it’s getting late, and you can’t help but start worrying when almost an hour passes with no text from a Seungmin.

Maybe you should have gone home and waited.

But just as the thought crosses your mind, you get a message.

“Here’s the address, and my room number is 1344.”

Your heart starts to race when you read it. He has his own room, so things will at least be easy. And the address is only another two blocks away.

____

You text him when you get to his room instead of knocking. You’re afraid to make any unnecessary noise. He's shuffling around in the room before the latch clicks and the doorknob turns.

Somehow every time you see him, he’s even better looking.

The door is closed and locked behind you before either of you speak.

“Hi…you got here fast!”

“I was close by. Was I too fast?” You look him up and down. He’s in sweatpants and a black t-shirt, and his hair is a little damp.

“No, definitely not. As long as I don’t look like a wet dog.”

“No, you look very handsome,” you grab a handful of his shirt and pull him toward you. “It’s a good look.”

He leans forward and kisses you on the forehead. Another romantic gesture. It gives you butterflies. You like it, but you can't help but be baffled by his very bold and distinct romantic gestures. Three weeks ago he had a hard time with your hypothetical dating question. But that was three weeks ago.

“Do you want something more comfortable to wear? I can give you one of my shirts.

Okay, so maybe he does want you to spend the night, “Yes, I'd like that.”

He grabs one from his bag and shakes it out. Then he brings it to his face to smell it, “this is clean.”

“Thanks,” you hold it up and look at it.

“It not very big on me, so it should fit okay.”

You head into the bathroom and look at yourself again, try to get the butterflies in your stomach to calm down. Big breath in, slow breath out. It doesn’t seem like he’s trying to drive you crazy, but he’s doing a very good job.

You start taking off your necklaces, your bracelets, and then peel off your shirt that’s long since dried from the sweating you did all day. You check yourself for any offending odors, and even though it’s not bad, you take the time clean up the best you can.

It’s been a while since you had to do a sink bath before a potential lay. And every single one before this wasn’t even worth it. Seungmin is different, though.

Now you wonder if this is the way you want things to go. In a hotel, very little preparation. But you may not see him again for a while after tonight. And if this feels good for him, it's good for you.

There is still the possibility that he won’t be ready.

You slip into his shirt, and it's still pretty big. The sleeves reach your elbows and the bottom hem just covers your shorts. You could walk out without them and he might not even realize it—you take them off and fold them up neatly with your shirt and jewelry, look at yourself one more time, and then head back out to him.

“Oh, that looks good on you,” he turns from his seat at the edge of the bed, then pats his hands on the spot next to him. “Come here.”

As you climb onto the bed and crawl toward him, he slowly lies down on his back. “Are you tired?”

“No, not tired,” he props himself up on his elbow to get a better look at you. “Not yet...it takes a while to relax after a concert." He pulls at the hem of your shirt and his fingers slide across your thigh. He takes his hand away, so you grab it and put it back. Seungmin takes the hint and slides his palm to the side and gently squeezes.

When he looks up at you, you grin, but he just lets himself fall forward so he can hide his face in the blanket. You hear a big sigh, and maybe a soft laugh.

“What’s the matter?” You lie down next to him and wait until he turns his face to yours. “Minnie?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“Do you want to get cozy and watch something?”

“Yes, that sounds nice.”

You pull the blankets down and fluff the pillows while he gathers himself again. “Which side do you prefer?”

“I’m not sure, I don’t usually have to choose.”

“Okay, I’ll take the left side.” You cover yourself up and relax against the pillows.

Seungmin follows, but he stays on top of the blankets for a moment and stares at you. You stare back and say nothing. Then he crawls underneath them, too.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my hands to myself.” You say.

He just pushes himself into the pillows and pulls the blanket up to his chin without a word, but he turns himself to face you.

You do the same.

“If that’s what you want.” He says.

You roll your eyes around as if you’re thinking and hmm under your breath. “Can I come closer?”

He nods.

You scoot yourself toward him until you can rest your forehead against his. “That’s better.”

“Can’t watch anything like this.”

“Oh, no I guess not,” you move back a little and look him over. “Should we—“

“No,” he wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you back. “This is good.”

You take the invitation and place your hand on his neck; he moves in for a kiss before you get the chance to, though. And he kisses hard enough to push you on your back.

For a moment you think this might be it, but you find yourself hesitating and softening your kiss. Then loosening the grip on his neck.

He pulls back and stares down at you.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna do,” you cup his face and hold him there. “There’s no rush.”

“I know.” He comes back down, kisses you once, and then falls back at your side. But his arm remains draped over your stomach.

Your heart sinks a little. It feels like you don’t know what you want. Well, you do know you want him, but you’re nervous. Maybe just as nervous as he is. “Don’t think I don’t want to, because I do.”

Seungmin smiles and sets his head against your shoulder. “I know you do.”

He knows you want him. You’re glad he knows—and you love the way he says it.

“Are you stopping because you’re worried I’m not ready?”

“No, only you know that. I’m just a little nervous, I guess.”

“You’re nervous?”

“I am.”

“You can’t be nervous if I’m nervous.”

He’s right. You take a deep breath and turn to face him again. Kiss him on the lips. Your free hand snakes around his waist, finds the hem of his shirt, and tucks underneath to run over his skin.

His muscles tighten for a second, then slowly relax as your hand moves upward against his side and across his shoulder blade. He sighs as you touch him.

You haven’t felt this much of his body until now.

You keep going, touching his stomach, his chest. It’s then that you feel his hand on you. It’s warm moving across your thigh, over your hip. His touch is soft, but he squeezes when he pulls you closer.

Seungmin slides his hand down to the back of your thigh and brings you as close as he can manage.

He’s on top off you again, hand still on you. His hips are gently pushing into yours. You can feel him through his sweatpants, and now your brain only wants one thing: to get them off of him.

“Seungmin,” you get him to look at you. “Seungmin?”

“Mhm?”

You pull his shirt over his head and toss it aside.

“Yeah?” He kisses your neck and lifts your shirt. “Are you okay?”

You nod and help him get it off.

“Oh,” he laughs and touches the spot directly below your sternum. “Tattoo.”

He looks over you slowly, a little shyly, before placing a kiss on your collarbone. You run a hand across the back of his neck. The other slides down his stomach until it reaches the band of his sweatpants.

Your heart beats wildly in your throat as your hand disappears. Fingers wrap around him and feel every inch. He whimpers softly into your neck. The hand buried in his hair moves down and kneads hard into his shoulder as your fingers stroke him.

Seungmin’s face is still in your neck, breathing hard. Eventually he takes a hand and maneuvers it to pull at his sweatpants. You let go to help slide them down enough to free him.

He moans, a little apprehensively, when you touch him again. You know you have to take it easy; he’s obviously very sensitive and you want this to last as long as possible for him.

“I like hearing you, don’t be shy.”

He tries to hold back an embarrassed laugh, but he does a bad job of it.

“Are you comfortable in this position? I could…do this with you on your back.”

He nods, but you don’t know which part he’s nodding to.

“Lie down.”

You let go of him until he’s on his back and relaxing. His face is still flushed and his breathing is a little shaky, but his eyes are almost closed. He seems relaxed enough. You kiss him and wrap your hand around him again.

His eyes open fully when you begin to stroke him again. His lips part and you slide your tongue against his.

The moans coming from him become a little louder. His hand lightly grips and slides down you arm.

“I didn’t really prepare for this. It could be better…if we had lube.”

“It feels good.” He whispers and smiles into your mouth. “Oh, I do have some.”

“Where?” You slow down a bit and let go of his lips. “I can grab it.”

“It’s…” he laughs sleepily, “it’s in my bag on the chair, in the smaller black bag.”

You climb over him and jump off the bed. The bag is is already open and a few things have been pulled out, but you can see a small black bag on the side. “I found it,” you unzip it and look around.

“It’s in the other little bag inside of that.” He laughs again. “Everyone is very nosy.”

You unzip the second bag, and there it is. It’s small, and still looks pretty full. You turn and look at him, “for when you’re lonely and horny on the road.”

He laughs again. “Yes, exactly.”

You warm a small amount in your hand and push the blanket down a little. You’ve touched him, but you haven’t really looked anywhere besides his lips and eyes yet. Now you watch your hand slowly move up and down , and the warmth and slickness makes everything so much better. You can feel how good it is for him. Your heartbeat drops into your stomach and you can feel yourself getting wetter every time he lets himself moan.

But as wet as you think you might be, his size is still more intimidating than you expected.

“You’re very good at this.”

You don’t think you’ve ever heard his voice so soft.

“Yeah?”

He bites his lips and nods. “It feels so good.”

The room is warm, and the AC hasn't kicked on again. There are a few beads of sweat forming at his temple—you kiss him there and work your way down to his chest, then across his stomach.

The muscles tighten as you move across his hot skin, further and further down. When you slide your tongue across his head, he moans out the breath he’d been holding since you got to his chest. The sound he makes is desperate. He does it again when your lips close around him and your hand grips a little more tightly.

He wasn’t prepared for your mouth. He breathes out your name and it sends a wave of pleasure through you. His hand touches softly across your back and neck.

He says your name again.

“You okay, Minnie?” You kiss his stomach again and look up at him.

He nods and sits up, “can I touch you?”

You let go of him and straddle his stomach. He reaches for you and runs his fingers over the thin fabric. You put your hand over his and push your underwear to the side so he can feel you. There’s another, almost inaudible moan when he does.

Two fingers slip deep inside as you lean in to kiss him, and with your help, he gets the hang of moving inside of you.

You sigh sweetly into his mouth. You’re already much more sensitive than you normally would be. Every little movement he makes is causing just enough friction where you need it. The heel of his palm found your clit and you’re not sure he even realizes.

“I’m gonna come if you keep that up, wait a sec,” you stop his hand and take a deep breath.

“You are?” His voice cracks and he sits up more. His other hand has been digging into your hip, and he finally loosens his grip. There might be a bruise there later.

You grab his face and kiss him hard, then finally maneuver yourself out of your underwear while he’s there to keep you balanced. You reach behind and find his cock, stroke him a few times, and move back.

“Are you good if I…have a seat?” You laugh and wrap your other arm around his shoulder.

“Yes, very good,” he holds onto your waist to help steady you both.

When his head slides across you, he smiles and throws his head back. You do it again before carefully pushing him a little bit inside of you. It doesn’t take much to get another sound out of him.

“There’s a lot more to go,”

He looks drunk, but he smirks, “sorry.”

“For what?”

“For having a lot more to go,” he laughs.

“I’m not complaining.”

You push him deeper, just a little, because you’re not sure what your limit will be in this position.

And deeper. You watch him carefully. His eyes are closed and his mouth is open. You hold him tightly around the neck with both arms before slowly lifting yourself.

It takes a few more times before you find a rhythm , but when you do, you’re sure the sound Seungmin makes reaches the surrounding hotel rooms.

You try to quiet him with your mouth, but it only stifles him a little. You love the noise, but if the others are close enough to hear him, it might makes things awkward.

His hands hold your hips and slowly guide you up and down on his cock. You breath his name into his mouth, and he bites down on your lip.

His voice is a whisper. “Is it okay?”

“Yes,” you whine and push yourself as far down as you can. It stings, just a little, and only for a moment. “You feel so good.”

He leans back to watch himself slide inside of you, and the lusty, satisfied look on his face is making the ride even smoother. “Do I?” He takes your face in his hand and runs his thumb along your lips and cheek.

The room disappears and all that exists is the feeling of him; his breath on your neck, his voice in your ears. His hands grip you tighter, lifting you, and holding you steady when he fills you up again.

He’s not ready for it when you pick up your pace. His fingers dig hard into your hips—you hear him swear under his breath as he attempts to keep himself under control.

“Talk to me, I wanna hear your voice. Do you like it, Minnie?”

Seungmin kisses your neck, his lips graze over your ear, “yes,” he manages through the soft sounds he can’t hold back, “yes, fuck. You feel amazing.”

You pull him away and look at him, arms still wrapped firmly around his neck. One hand slides up and into his hair. “I like you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Under me, lost in it. I thought you were sexy before…but—“

“You think I’m sexy?” His smile is cute and tipsy, voice is airy. If it weren’t for you holding him up, he’d be flat on his back.

All of the sudden, you’re snapped back to reality. Seungmin is there, eyes wide, but the room is back. You’re no longer floating. You lost control and went a little too hard, and it hurt. You make a pained sound and all of your weight is on his shoulders.

“Did I hurt you?” He holds you up and pulls out, and you’re now relieved to be giving your burning thighs a break.

“No, no you didn’t,” You have to kiss him to get rid of the worried look on his face. “That was my fault.”

“We should change positions.”

You lay back on the pillows and grab his waist when he crawls over you. Your legs fall open and rest on either side of him.

“This is a bad angle for you to look at,” he smiles and hides his face in your neck.

You lift his face back up, “is that a joke? You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever had between my legs.”

He whispers a��no and hides his face again, but at the same time, his fingertips slide down your thigh as if he’s teasing you.

”Sexiest…” you moan into his ear and wrap your legs around him to bring him closer.

You don’t need to give him any more direction. He explores you briefly with his fingers before guiding himself in the same way you did; slow and gentle.

“I’ll be careful…” he slides in easily in this position, stopping short to make sure he isn’t going too far.

You take his hips and carefully pull him in the rest of the way.

A rough groan jumps out of him when you meet. He stays there and looks at you until you brush the hair from his eyes and speak. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he smiles, looks down your body, then back up to your face. “Just like looking at you.”

“I’m the one with the view,” you kiss him and shift your hips, getting another sound out of him.

Now he’s finding a rhythm, but he’s much more reserved than you were. He seems to know his own limits, and maybe he’s trying not to overdo it and finish too fast.

“Is this okay?” He nuzzles into your ear and whispers before kissing you just below it.

“Yes,” your hands run up his sides and back, his neck, into his hair, “it’s perfect.”

He thrusts into you, very delicately, a few more times before slowing down. Then he stops completely, still inside of you. He’s breathing hard, eyes closed in concentration.

“Seungmin?”

“I just…need a few seconds.”

“Take your time,” you take his hand in yours and help his thumb find your clit.

He moves it in slow circles and watches you for any direction. But he does very well. He has a light touch, and a good pace. His hands are soft and warm. This, combined with him inside of you, looking down at you with eyes drunk with pleasure trying so hard not to come yet, is making everything happen very fast. But you don’t mind.

When he pulls out halfway and pushes back inside, you whimper and the pleased look on his face pushes you over the edge. He smiles and starts fucking you again, and he doesn't let up—you feel it coming. You moan much louder than you intend. He loves hearing it.

Your back arches up and your legs squeeze around him. It lasts a long time, and he doesn’t stop—just carefully touches you in the right spot until your body finally relaxes

“Wow…did you—”

You nod and try to catch your breath.

He doesn’t get through his question because it’s his turn. He comes hard and fast. The condom was completely forgotten up until this point, and he certainly doesn’t attempt to pull out. You don’t even allow yourself to dwell on it—you just enjoy the moment.

Seungmin’s mouth hangs open, and his eyes water. His moan is different this time; it’s more feral. His whole body tightens and moves in slow motion as his orgasm passes through him. He pumps into you until he can't take it anymore..

Then he’s catching his breath and regaining his composure. He comes down to kiss you, tucks an arm under your neck to bring you closer. He slowly pulls out and puts his weight on his knees.

“Come here…”

He listens and slowly lowers himself next to you. His hair is a little damp from sweat, and his face is pink. It’s a good look for him. You pull the sheet up and over both of you, then wipe at his brow with your thumb.

“That was nice,” he’s still catching his breath. His eyes close and you can see his body soften and relax on the pillows. “That was very nice.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“It was better than nice,” his eyes flutter open and he looks at you. Then he reaches out and pulls until there’s no space left between you. “It was much better than I thought it could be.”

“Wow,” you say into his neck. “That’s quite a compliment.”

“But I’m sorry, it’s probably not great that we didn’t use protection.”

“No, but I’ll take care of it in the morning.”

Someone’s phone buzzes.

“I think that was me,” Seungmin says and reaches behind him. His phone got lost somewhere underneath the blankets. As soon as he glances at the screen, he tosses it behind him again. “Are you going to stay the night?” He asks, arms tight around you again.

“I should get home before my mom starts to worry.”

He nods and tries to hide a pout.

“But you’re leaving in the morning, right?

“I think so, I’m not sure what time.”

“Would it be alright if I spent the night? So we can say goodbye.”

“Yes, that's a much better plan.”

“Can I use the shower?” You wiggle free of his grasp and look at him, “heat, concert, sex…that’s a lot to sleep in.”

Seungmin laughs and nods, “yes, go take a long hot shower.”

____

When you come back to the room, Seungmin is sitting at the desk writing. You can hear soft music playing from his phone. There are fresh clothes laid out on your side of the bed: the shirt you had on very briefly, and a pair of very comfy looking sweatpants.

“Are these for me?” You ask. He’s already cleaned up and redressed.

He closes his book he’s writing in and spins around in the chair, “yes, I’m sure they won’t fit very well, but they’re comfortable.”

“Thank you.” You drop your towel and pick up the shirt.

Seungmin stares at you as you pull it over your head, “what?” You laugh and grab the sweatpants. They are soft and they look expensive.

“Uhm, sorry…I didn’t see you without your bra before.”

You think he might be blushing.

“Oh!” You grab your chest, “I guess you didn’t. Come here.”

“Hm?” He smirks and walks toward you as you lift the shirt back over your head. “Oh…”

You take his hands and he immediately touches you, running his palms, and then his fingertips, over your nipples. They stiffen from his touch. He sits at the edge of the bed and pulls you closer, keeping one hand on your chest. The other runs down your side and over your ass. He squeezes and kisses the spot where your tattoo is.

This could turn into something very quickly, but right now you want nothing more than to get under the covers with him and sleep. You know he needs it.

“I like this,” he pulls at the hem of your shirt when you slip it back on. “You look cute in my clothes.”

____

It’s nice waking up next to him.

The room is still dark because the curtains are pulled shut, but not completely—little bits of sunlight make it in through the sides. You can see his sleeping face, cheek squashed against the pillow, lips slightly parted. He’s curled up tight in his spot with the blanket only covering his lower half, but one bare knee is far up enough to poke out.

His arm is reaching toward you, palm up and fingers curled. You slide your hand over the sheets and gently touch him. His fingers twitch and then close around yours.

He sighs deeply, then opens his eyes. First he looks at his hand holding onto yours, then his eyes move along your arm and up to where you’re laying on your pillow.

“Good morning,” he squeezes your hand and moves himself closer to you. “Did you sleep well?”

You nod and pull his hand up to your lips. “Did you?”

“Mhm, very well.”

“Did I tell you how amazing you were last night?” You ask and fluff his hair, “I mean…” you hide behind a hand, “I’m still asleep.”

“Well, I don’t know about…amazing.”

“The concert I mean!” you hide your face in the pillow, and Seungmin giggles as he tries to get you to look at him.

“I was okay I think.”

“The concert was…and you. I was focused on you the whole time.” You clarify as much as possible through your grin.

“You focused on Seungmin the whole time?”

“Yeah, the best part.

“And last night…last last night.” He smiles wide.

“Also focused on Seungmin.”

He pushes himself closer until his face disappears into your neck. “Thank you.”

A knock echoes through the room. Three heavy knocks. The voice that comes through is soft. “Seungmin, are you up?”

“Oh, it’s Lee Know. Stay here.”

You stay put and pull the covers up over your shoulders, but you turn to face the door. Seungmin opens the locks and pulls it open a few inches.

“What’s wrong? It’s still early.”

“I know, but I thought you might want to get breakfast,” Lee Know puts a palm on his side of the door and pushes, “can I not come in?”

“Uh, you can but…” Seungmin hesitates. “I’m not alone.” He gives in when Lee Know takes several steps into the room. He won’t be able to hide you for much longer.

“Oh,” he looks to the spot on the bed where you’re under a pile of covers. “Is it the girl, the one who was at the soundcheck?”

“Did IN tell you about her?.”

“No, Chan did. I should go. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to go,” you squeak out. You can just make him out from your spot, and when you pull the covers down from your nose, his whole body comes into view. Then you remember that one of them doesn't speak English very well, and you think it may have been him. You repeat yourself in Korean.

His eyes widen a bit. “Should we all get into bed, then?” He can be sarcastic and dry; you remember Seungmin mentioned that as well.

You sit up and look at him with a smirk on your face. “He’s the boss.” You nod toward Seungmin.

“You’re the boss,” Lee Know looks at Seungmin and winks. “Text me if you want to come.”

Now he turns to you, “nice to meet you,” he smirks and lets himself out.

Seungmin let’s out a long sigh when he’s gone.

“Come back to bed,” you move the blankets from his spot and fluff up his pillow. “Please.”

He listens and crawls back to your side. When he puts an arm around your waist and pulls you close, he says, “I was nervous about you meeting him.”

“Lee Know? Why were you nervous?”

“Am…am nervous, I guess.”

“You don’t think he’d like me?”

“The opposite, actually.” He hides his face in your chest and whines.

You oooh into his ear and it makes him giggle. “Does that tickle?” You move his hair and place a kiss there.

“I think you two are very similar.” Seungmin says. “You remind me of him sometimes, especially when we text.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” he shakes his head, still shoved into your chest. “But, I just think you’d like him.”

You scoot yourself down until you’re face to face with him, but he still doesn’t lift his gaze. “Hey, look at me.”

He doesn't.

"Minnie?"

This time he listens, but he also gives you his best puppy eyes.

“You think I’ll get to know him and like him more than I like you?”

Seungmin nods.

“And that he’ll steal me away from you?”

He nods again, then stops and shakes his head, "You're not really mine to be stolen away..." he scrunches his face up in thought, wondering if his English made any sense.

“Well, I’m a little flattered you’d think someone else would like me that much. I’m much more flattered you don’t wanna have me stolen away.”

He rubs his eyes and sits himself up on the bed. “I’m sorry, I know we already talked about this.”

“We can talk about it again if you want to.”

He shakes his head and gets back under the covers. His hands find you and start to paw—at your side, your hip. He slides one down your outer thigh, and slowly back up. Then he starts to talk anyway. “He also knows Choonhee very well.”

“Okay, I think I'm understanding. I could have possibly been set up with Lee Know instead of Seungmin?”

You can hear his dramatic whine from underneath the covers. “It is very possible.”

“But I was set up with you for a reason. And you’re the first person I went on a date with since I left home, so I got very lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah, lucky. Good dates are hard to find.”

Seungmin pokes his head out from the covers and smiles at you. “I’m glad I was a good date.”

"You were a perfect date."

"You should call me Minnie more." He says it's softly, but his hands are in a dangerous spot. "All the time. I like it.

"You were a perfect date, Minnie."

[ghosty-writes-23]

Take Me Home To My Heart. - Ada Wong.

!TAGS!: Lesbian relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, NSFW Content, Sub!Ada, Dom!Fem!Reader, Rough, !CONSENT IS KEY!, Body worship, Fingering, Eating out, Choking, Doggy style, Strap on, Hair pulling, Aftercare.

Pairing: Sub!Girlfriend!Ada + Dom!Fem!Reader.

Rating: Mature.

Summary: “Just Be A Good Girl, I Know You Can Take It.” Just when you thought your loving girlfriend Ada wasn't going to make it home for Valentines day, she surprises and you by coming home a few hours before midnight and you both spend the last remaining hours lost in each other in the heat of passion and even a little romance.

Word Count: 3.3k

Ghosty's Notes: Hello, I decided I wanted to publish something for Valentines Day but of course I get sick at the same time, so I thought it would be a smart idea to write 2 one-shots while I had the energy to do nothing, so I am sorry if these feel rushed or a poorly edited, I wrote these in 1 day and slept for the rest, once I am feeling better I will be working on a P.t 2 of his Precious Dollface for next month crossing my fingers and I hope you enjoy these two holiday themed one-shots about our favourite Agent and Super spy.

Thank you for all the support, it means alot❤️

-Ghosty❤️

Leon's Version.

----------

18+ Content // Minors DO NOT Interact // 18+ Content.

Sitting in your apartment living resting on the couch, you were alone with a glass half full of red wine, a spicy enemies to lovers novel in your lap but you had lost interest in it as you glanced at the small clock on the couch side table. Today was valentine's day and your love was away on a mission fighting god knows what but that didn't stop the sad sigh that left your lips as you felt a slight clench around your heart. 

When you saw all your friends posting online about there special valentines dates with their significant other, It made you want her to selfishly come home and spend valentine's day with you but that wasn’t possible, you weren't even sure if she was in the country at the moment, You understood her job and that there were times you wouldn’t see her for months on end, but there still doesn’t make the pain in your chest go away. 

Taking a sip out of your wine glass you place it back on the table as you placed your bookmark in your book before closing it then placing it on the table, you glanced up at the TV seeing a random show playing you had put it on so it wasn’t completely silent.

Grabbing the remote you decided to flick off the TV and head up to yours and Ada’s shared bedroom to try and get some sleep, lately you hadn’t been sleeping well getting off the couch you started walking upstairs when you heard what sounded like the front door unlocking as soon as the front door opened your feeling as if it was beating out of your chest. 

Ada walked through the door, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, she was holding what looked like a small bag and a bottle of something, she looked exhausted but she gave you a small smile you could see the tension melt from her body as her eyes met yours, closing the front door behind her and placed her things on the small table beside the door.

“Your home.” you say softly as you were slightly shocked but over the moon that she was home alive and safe, soon you found yourself running over to her and hugging her tightly, you heard a soft noise leave her lips at the impact your body hit hers but she wrapped her arms around you just as quickly.

"I’m home.” she softly repeated what you said as she gave the top of your head a kiss, you pull away slightly and go on your tippy toes and softly kiss her lips were soft and warm against yours, you could taste her sweet lip balm and the scent of her perfume filling your senses making you feel truly relaxed to finally have your love home.

“I have a gift for you?” Ada says making you look at her with a raised eyebrow, moving away slightly she handed you a small bag, inside was a small box, opening the small box was 2 lockets with your favourite picture of you both and both your initials engraved on the back.

“When did you have time to do this?” you asked as you admired the piece of jewelry. “I got it done just before my last mission, I was going to give it to you then but I got called away early.” Ada says with a sad look on her face but you smiled up at her as you took one of the lockets out from the box. 

“This is so thoughtful.” you say looking up at your girlfriend who had a slight blush on her cheeks, they looked expensive and good quality. “So you can have a piece of me while I'm away on missions.” Ada says as she places a kiss on the top of your head then she grabs the locket from your hand and moves your hair before she clips it around your neck, the locket falling to the middle of your breasts. 

“I love you.” you heard her mumble as she placed a soft kiss on your shoulder, then another just under your ear. “I love you too princess, now why don’t we go upstairs and celebrate what little time we have left of valentines day?” you suggested as you felt her nibbling on your neck, causing you to giggle softly at the feeling, once she nodded her head and laced her fingers with yours you grabbed the bottle she had brought and led her upstairs to your guys shared bedroom. 

As you both walked up the stairs you both were locked in a heated and passionate kiss, your arms around her neck and legs around her waist she held you up by your thighs as she walked up the stairs and into your shared bedroom, once inside your bedroom she laid you on the big comfortable bed breaking the kiss you both were breathing heavily and there was a blush on both of your cheeks.

“Are you the dom tonight?” you asked in a teasing tone there was a sly grin on your face as well, it was a rare sight to see Ada wanting to take control in the bedroom. Usually she was your pillow princess, but it seemed a switch had flipped in her tonight. 

Ada nodded her head as her gloved hand went under your shirt, the cold leather causing a shiver to run through your body before she tugged your shirt up to where it was just covering your eyes like a blindfold, leaving you in just your panties since you didn’t feel like wearing a bra tonight, the air was slightly chilly but your body felt hot as all your other senses were heightened due to your sight being taken away. You felt Ada’s lips on your neck causing a soft noise to leave your lips as she started to trail kisses and soft nibbles down your neck to your chest. 

Her kisses were soft and gentle, almost teasing with how feather light they were as they travelled down your stomach to the top of your panties, your breathing had picked up slightly you wanted to touch her but you couldn’t as your t-shirt kept your arms in place above your head, but if you had to guess Ada had a smirk on her face. Her gloved hands made their way up your sides before she softly pinched your nipples causing a soft moan to leave your lips at the slight painful pleasure.

“You're teasing me.” you say as you found your hands softly gripping the pillow behind you so desperately wanted to see her you could feel your pussy clenching around nothing, soon there was the sound of material tearing and before you could ask Ada what was that, you felt her warm tongue on your heat collecting your slick and causing a soft whine to leave your lips as you bucked your hips. 

“Shit.” you cursed softly when you felt her roughly gripped your thighs, her gloved fingers digging in possibly leaving bruises but you didn’t care, she feasted on you as if you were her last meal her soft groans as she pulled you closer by your thighs, her tongue circling your clit before she softy sucked, you so desperately wanted to see her face you wanted to see the blush on her cheeks, the glossy and hazy in her eyes as her tongue was buried inside of you wanted to see her bruised lips. 

“Wanna see you.” you were able to breathe out in between your moans, you could feel your eyes rolling to the back of your head, soon your t-shirt was fully removed from you and you took in Ada’s appearance. Her inky black hair slightly messy with some stuck to her forehead, her lips were bruised slightly but wet with your slick, her eyes holding the look of lust but warmth causing your heart to skip a beat and your pussy to clench around nothing.

“Happy?” she asked as she bites one end of her gloved fingertips and pulls the glove off with her teeth before you felt two of her fingers run up and down your slit collecting your slick, You nodded your head finally being able to see your girlfriend.

She grinned at you before you felt her two fingers sink onto your gummy walls causing you to bite down on your bottom lip, she always knew where your sweet spots were as she curled her fingers causing your toes to curl slightly. “So wet princess.” Ada says with a teasing tone but all you could do was nod your head, it felt different being the bottom or the sub this time but it wasn’t an unwelcome feeling.

“Did you touch yourself while I was gone?” Ada asked as she placed a soft kiss on your cheek as if she was trying to be sweet while her fingers were skillfully knuckles deep in your pussy. 

“Yes, but it wasn’t the same, I couldn't finish.” you say bucking your hips slightly when her thumb started to rub your clit, you were close and she knew it you heard her softly chuckle as she kissed your neck no doubt leaving little love bites. “Couldn’t you come without me, your precious little princess.” she teases and you would have rolled your eyes at her comment if she didn't make you feel so good, she was being a brat and she knew it.

“Watch it sweetheart.” you warned her but you felt your eyes roll back when he curled her finger hitting your sweet spot more. “What are you going to do about it?” she grinned before she felt her gently nibbled on your ear, this was the final straw and you felt yourself cumming on her fingers. 

Once you finally got your breathing under control you knew what you needed to do, reaching over you carefully grabbed Ada by the back of the neck and kissed her deeply, you could taste yourself on her lips but that was the least of your worries, right now you needed to tam your little brat, softly biting her bottom lip you heard her softly moan she make act all bratty and naughty but deep down you knew she just wanted to be your good girl, breaking the kiss you trailed your lips up to her ear before softly biting the shell of it. 

“Go grab the box from the cupboard.” you whisper into her ear, as she got off the bed you decided to clean yourself and the bed up, soon Ada came back with the box and you couldn’t help but smirk because you knew what was in that box.

“Strip.” you asked, taking the box from her and placing it on the bed, there was a slight blush on her cheeks but she nodded her head and started to strip, you admired her body with all its curves and scars. To you she was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen and sometimes you felt as if you didn’t deserve her. When her red dress hit the floor you walked over to her and gently cupped her face before kissing her softly, you felt her melt against you as soft noise left her lips. 

When you pulled away a soft whine left her lips making you chuckle softly before you turned her around so she was facing the bed. “Since my princess is being a brat, i guess i have to make her my good girl now.” you say before you gently pushed her onto the bed she made a soft noise when she wet the bed before she turned her head and looked at you, passion, lust and love swimming in her dark eyes, she wanted this and you knew it. Opening the box you grabbed the strap on and the small bottle of lube, you didn’t want to hurt your girlfriend. 

You stepped into the harness and strapped it around your waist and thighs, it was Ada’s favourite it was the perfect size and curve it always left her a mess, walking over to her you grabbed her by the hip and pulled her up so now she was on her hands and knees, glancing down you could see how wet she was it was partially running down her thighs kneeling down you placed a soft kiss on her back and trailed kisses down her body even giving her ass a little bite before you ran your tongue up her folds from the back. 

Her taste makes your eyes roll back slightly feasting on your girlfriend was your favourite thing to do, you could stay for hours in between her legs if she would let you, but she gets too embarrassed especially when she squirts but that's a story for a different day, after having a little taste you felt Ada wiggle her hips showing she needed something more, grabbing the bottle of lube you reluctantly pulled away licking your lips and applied a small blob of the clear liquid, she was wet almost soaking but you wanted to be extra careful not to hurt her even if she thinks she will be okay.

Standing up you moved behind her and gently tapped the plastic strap against her pussy, Ada looked over her shoulder at you, her eyes where dazed her lips bitting slightly raw, she looked fucked out already and you hadn’t even touched her, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder you slowly slid in her a soft moan leaving her lips as she gripped the pillow underneath her, it had been a while since the last time you to where this intimate. 

“Are you ok?” you asked wanting to make sure she was ok, you placed gentle kisses around her neck and shoulder as you waited for her to adjust to the size, you could hear her take a few breaths before she nodded her head and gave you a small kind smile. “I’m ok you can move now.” she says giving you the greenlight, smiling you softly began to move your hips in small movements as you softly bit into the soft flesh of her neck causing whine like moans to leave her lips.

Once you knew she was comfortable, you thought this would be a good time to get some payback for her being a brat, you moved and gripped her hips and started to move your own hips quicker causing your thrusts to do deeper, this caused her moans to become louder as she gripped the pillows beneath her.

“Are you my brat or my good girl?” you asked as you thrust into her quickly your hands finding their way to her soft ink black hair and tugging on it slightly, when you didn’t get an answer you stopped your movements causing Ada to whine softly and begin moving her own hips, but you spanked her ass causing a hiss through her teeth. 

“I expect an answer princess, are you my brat or my good girl?” you asked in her ear before you softly bit her earlobe, you heard her suck in a breath when you trailed your hand around her neck and gave a soft squeeze. “I’m your good girl.” she says as you swear you could see hearts in her eyes showing you how fucked out she was, smiling softly you gave another squeeze ever so gently before you started moving your hips again, but this time you pulled her against your body, you could see a little bulge where the strap was in her stomach. 

“Are you going to cum for me?” you asked as you thrusted into her quickly and used your hand that wasn’t around her neck to rub her clit, you could see her eyes were rolling back and her moans were getting more high pitched. “Yes.” she choked out in between moans, her body was trembling. You could tell this was going to be a big one, moving so now she is laying flat on the bed, you used the last of your energy to get her to finish. 

“What do good girls ask when they want to cum?” you asked as you gripped the pillow just by her head, you could feel the burning in your thighs and your back, but you pushed those aside as you wanted to make your girlfriend feel good.

“Please can I cum?” she asks, looking as you desperately, sweat covered both your bodies and your hair stuck to your forehead, using the hand that was around her neck you used it to angle her head so you could kiss her. “Cum.” was all you said before kissing her, you swallowed her moans as you felt her body tremble as she came undone in your hands. 

Once her trembling started to calm down you gently pulled away and rested your forehead on hers a grin on both of your lips. “Happy Valentine's Day princess.” you say as you move some hair out of her face, she nuzzled into her hand breathing heavily. “Happy Valentine's Day.” Ada says with a gentle smile as she leaned forward and kissed you again.

Half An Hour Later

You and Ada laid together in your bathtub as you finally cleaned up after a couple more rounds, both of you were sore and tried but so glad to finally have each other back, the tub was decorated with candles and rose petals every on brand for the day, placing a gentle kiss on Ada’s shoulder you heard her hum softly as she sipped on a glass of the champagne she had brought for you both.

“I almost forgot your valentine's day gift.” you say when you remembered about the small box in your bedside table draw, moving out the tub you heard Ada whine as you tied your bath robe around yourself and softly kissed her head as she stayed in the tub.

Going back into your shared bedroom you grabbed the small box and took a deep breath, this could either go really good or really bad you were hoping for the first option, walking back into the bathroom you noticed Ada was resting against the side of the table, a dopey smile on her face that you rarely get to see only when she is really relaxed and comfortable, her ears perked up when she heard you enter the room with a small box in your hand. 

“I have something I want to ask you?” you say trying to hide the nerves in your voice, you didn’t know why you felt nerves it felt right you and her together forever but that still didn’t help the nerves, you saw Ada nod her head and slowly you kneeled down on one knee and opened the small box which contained a small diamond ring you knew she had been eyeing when you went out shopping together, you even got it custom sized and engraved.

“Will you marry me?” you asked her feeling as if a weight had been lifted off your shoulders, you could see Ada thinking about it. “Are you sure you want to be with somebody like me?” you heard her ask her voice was quiet and small not what you were expecting, reaching up you gently placed a hand on her cheek.

“I couldn’t picture my life with anybody else, I want you Ada and only you.” you say to her and you could swear you saw tears in her arms before she hugged you tightly, the position was a little awkward but you didn’t care.

“So is that a yes.” you asked against her neck, she nodded her head as you pulled away slightly and took the ring out of the box, it had “Forever & Always’ engraved in the band of the ring. “Perfect fit.” she says, admiring the ring. “Just like us.” you say causing her to roll her eyes but her smile warms your heart, you made the right decision you wanted to be with Ada forever and always.

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©Ghosty-writes-23, 2024. all rights reserved. !I DO NOT! consent to translations or replications or reproduction of my work on any other social media platforms and or make AI Bots without my explict consent and permission.

[dindjarindiaries]

Senator's Shadow - Chapter 8

summary: You, Hunter, and the squad head to your home village for a fight that could put an end to this crisis, no matter whose side wins.

pairing: hunter (the bad batch) x fem!reader

rating: mature (18+)

tags: bodyguard romance, forbidden love, fluff & angst, emotional & physical hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence, injuries & blood, trauma, eventual/mild smut

word count: 7.115k

chapter 7 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 9

chapter 8 ⟹

You checked yourself over in the reflector as you secured your belt in place. Putting on your combat gear was like returning home, bringing you back to the truest and most familiar version of yourself. You were beginning to miss the simplicity of it more and more.

And Hunter’s earnest gaze on you made it all the more appealing to have on.

You smiled before you threw him a glance over your shoulder. He was leaning against one of your bedposts, his arms crossed and his eyes busy with the sight of you. You shook your head fondly and turned back to the reflector, reaching for your gloves before your holsters.

“It still makes me laugh.” Your tone was lighthearted as you pulled the leather over your hands.

Hunter’s voice was even lower than usual. “What does?”

You huffed and grabbed your first holster. “The fact you like this look more than the gowns.”

Hunter hummed, and the sound gave you pause for a moment. “I like both.” You bit back a smile and tightened the straps around your thigh. “But I get the feeling you prefer this look, and it’s that confidence that makes this… well, attractive.”

You beamed and sheathed your knife. He was getting better with his vulnerability already. “Thank you, Hunt.” You grabbed the second holster.

“I like that name, too.” You looked up for a moment to see Hunter approaching you, his helmet left behind on your bed. “The last time you said it…”

“I remember.” You raised your brow at him. “We can’t go down that road right now. We’ve already indulged enough.”

Hunter raised a hand to your chin, his stare searching yours with a breathless mixture of admiration, affection, and desire. “I’m not sure it’ll ever be enough.” He released a mirthless chuckle. “Not when I know what I know now.”

Your ears burned, and the shyness forced you to look down at the holster in your hands. “I understand.” You attached the top part of the holster to your belt. “I just have to put my people first.”

“I agree.” Hunter stopped you for a moment, his gloved hands covering yours as he nodded. “I can take it from here.”

You grinned as he secured the straps of the holster to your thigh. It was the same one he had fixed back in the ballroom what felt like ages ago. So much time together, with so much danger, really made it pass differently.

Once he was done, Hunter rose back to his full height. You holstered your blaster and set your gloved hands on his shoulder to push yourself high enough for a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Sergeant.” You pulled away with a deep breath, allowing yourself one last smile at the sight of his flushed cheeks before forcing yourself to focus. “Is the squad here yet?”

Hunter nodded and gestured with his head to your bedroom door. “They got here a minute ago or so.”

You returned his nod and stepped away to grab your hood and mask. “Do you have your poncho?”

“Yeah, it’s in my pack.” Hunter had gone to grab his helmet, which he held under his arm as he joined you once again. “You ready to get started?”

You nodded, and though you portrayed the true strength and determination you felt, you were still grateful for the reassuring touch of his hand on your back as the two of you headed into the suite. Hunter went for the doors as you stood by the holotable, waiting for Echo or Tech to plug in the plans they had all been working on. The doors opened when Hunter activated them, and he ushered his squad in with a wave of his head.

Wrecker nearly tackled the others to get in first. “There you are!” He laughed and all but ran over to you, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace that took your feet off the floor. You laughed in surprise and joy as you tried your best to reciprocate the unexpected gesture.

Hunter’s voice was strained with both worry and embarrassment as he spoke up. “Wrecker, put her down.”

“Aw, don’t get jealous, Hunter.” Wrecker set you down and squeezed your shoulder. “She’s one of us, now. She deserves all the same greetings.”

“I wasn’t…” Hunter clearly decided better than to argue, and he sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“You don’t greet me like that,” Crosshair insisted, setting a toothpick between his smirking lips as he made his way over.

You giggled at their brotherly bickering. “Thank you for the warm welcome, Wrecker.” You gave him a quick hug of your own. “It means a lot that you’ve all accepted me.” Your stare found Hunter’s with ease, and your smile grew. “And accepted us.”

“We knew it was coming,” Echo assured you.

“Echo is right,” Tech agreed, even as he attended to the holotable. “Neither of you were very subtle with your blossoming relationship.” He paused, his brow furrowed in severity. “Though I am sure you are aware of the rules that—.”

“That’s a later problem, Tech.” Hunter clearly wanted to move past this topic, and his reddened face was evidence of that. “Get those plans up. We’re on the clock.”

Tech focused back on the holotable, and soon, your home village appeared in blue holographic light. The fighters’ camp was outlined in red, and a few dots were scattered throughout the village. You crossed your arms and studied it as Hunter started to explain their findings.

“These are the main targets we’ve identified inside the village.” He pointed at the circle in the middle of the village. “They’ll want to hit the Republic outpost the hardest. Our guess is they’ll strike around it to divert the outpost’s forces, then they’ll move in to claim the outpost.”

You raised your brow. “What do they want with the outpost?”

“To make a statement.” It was Echo who answered your question. “To them, it’ll prove that the Republic isn’t capable of protecting Eirus, and that it’s time for new leadership.”

You shook your head. “That outpost is barely fortified. They won’t be able to prevent this whatsoever.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Hunter’s tone was both confident and hopeful, and it lent you some necessary strength. “We’re going in three groups. Two groups are gonna reinforce the perimeter, and one group is gonna hold down the outpost.”

You nodded. “I like that plan.” You tightened your grasp on your arms. “What are the groups?”

Hunter let out a soft sigh. “I want Wrecker and Crosshair together, one down low and one up high.” He looked across the holotable at Echo. “Echo and Tech need to stick together in case there’s any data we need them to retrieve.”

You started to smile at him. “Well, Sergeant, I guess that leaves me and you.”

Crosshair snickered. “Surprise, surprise.”

Hunter ignored his brother and nodded at you. “We’ll take the outpost.”

You returned his nod. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” You moved your hands to your hips and let out a steady exhale. “Have you spotted Lii Alvani or any of his associates?”

“Just the ones we memorized for the banquet,” Echo spoke up. “No sign of Alvani. I doubt he’d get his hands dirty, anyway.”

You shook your head. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“As far as the ones who’ll be coming here tonight while we’re gone…” Hunter sighed and shrugged, “we’re not sure. We got nothing useful out of the attackers in the brig, considering they were rogues.”

“They won’t send anyone important.” You tapped your fingers against your hips and caught Hunter’s gaze. “They’ll all know what choice I’m making. They won’t want to waste any of their best fighters.”

Hunter’s jaw tightened before he looked away from you. Your heart ached at the pure worry etched within the knit of his brow as he went on. “Our biggest goals on this mission are to minimize the damage from the attack, keep the villagers safe, hold down the outpost, and…” he paused, his stare finding yours again, “protect you.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s not as big of a priority as the other three.”

Hunter lifted his chin. “This is a protection job, and we’re going to follow through on that objective.”

“Not if it comes at the cost of the other three.”

Wrecker looked between the two of you with a grimace. “We can do ‘em all no problem!” He glanced pointedly at Hunter. “Just don’t fight again.”

You relaxed a bit to chuckle at him. “We’re not fighting, Wrecker.” You crossed your arms again and nodded in Hunter’s direction. “Your sergeant is just protective.”

“We are well aware,” Tech remarked.

You smirked as Hunter’s face began to flush once again. “Has he always been like this?”

Wrecker, Crosshair, and Tech all answered in unison. “Yes.”

Hunter rolled his eyes, though he maintained his severity. “I have every right to be. Those fighters would gladly see you dead.”

You softened, offering him a more reassuring nod as your arms fell to your sides. “I’ll be fine.” You searched his gaze, pleading for him to understand you as he always did. “But the safety of my people comes first, always.”

Hunter circled his jaw as he held your stare, but after a few moments, he nodded. You smiled. Of course he would understand; there was no doubt he would do the same for his squad.

“Is there anything else before we get going?” You were already setting your hood and your mask on.

“That’s really it.” Hunter and the rest of the squad were following your lead in sliding their helmets on and slipping their hooded ponchos over them. “You know we like to keep our planning to a minimum.”

“I do.” As Hunter got closer to you, you pointed two fingers against your temple. “On the outside, at least.”

Hunter tilted his helmet, but he said nothing as he instead looked around the group. The squad was fully ready to go, each one properly concealed by their dark ponchos as they waited for his order. Hunter nodded at them. “Let’s head out.”

Hunter led the way, and you joined him at his side as the others brought up the rear. Once the group had entered the darkness of the secret passageway, a gloved hand brushed yours, and you smiled as you took it. Your fingers laced through his, and you let him hold on tight for comfort. His other hand was holding his torch, guiding you through the way ahead.

You only let go once you reached the other end and stepped out into the humid twilight. Even though Hunter was still leading, the path to your village was utterly familiar, and you didn’t have to look to him for guidance. The closer you got, however, the more your dread began to build, attempting to dwindle your hopes of keeping your home safe.

When you looked around you, those hopes returned, because you weren’t alone. Clone Force 99 was more than capable of seeing this mission through with ease. You smiled to yourself and nodded.

Hunter held up his fist to stop the group as you made it to the perimeter of your home village. Just seeing it filled you with a mixture of emotions too powerful to process all at once, especially with the knowledge of what was about to happen there—all on your accord. This time, you made the move for Hunter’s hand, and he accepted it without missing a beat.

“It’s time to split up,” Hunter announced to his squad. You caught Echo’s and Crosshair’s visors drifting down to your entwined hands before they shared a look. “Echo and Tech, start at the opposite side of the village. Wrecker and Crosshair, hold your position here for now. We’re gonna need Crosshair on the lookout for us so we can get to the outpost undetected.”

Crosshair offered a two-fingered salute before he began to climb. Wrecker stood his ground below his brother’s position and nodded. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

Hunter tilted his helmet at him. “No promises.” You smiled at Hunter reciprocating Wrecker’s playful energy. It was like watching his familiar self re-emerge, if only for a moment.

You and Hunter turned to face Echo and Tech, who waited for Hunter’s nod to set off. Echo gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze before he did so. Your chest warmed at his silent support.

“Ready?” Hunter’s voice was gentle as he gave your hand a soft squeeze.

You summoned all the strength and resolve you had built up over the years and nodded. “Ready.”

Hunter returned your nod. “I’ll be right here.”

You beamed at him. “I know.”

Hunter tilted his helmet before he released your hand to hold his blaster. You did the same, following his lead as he charged towards the village and stuck to the shadows. Once you reached the first structure, Hunter lifted his fist and spoke into the comms. “I’m detecting a path, Crosshair, but I need you to pick up on anything I don’t. There’s a lot of activity here for me to sort through.”

“Understood.”

Hunter lowered his hand to the ground and splayed out his fingers, waiting a beat before he drew up some of the dirt between his fingers. He motioned to the way ahead, and you nodded before following him. You acted as his shadow, staying no more than a foot or two apart as you snuck through the infrastructure.

It was much denser than the smaller village you had protected before, but you knew this place a lot better. Hunter’s ability to sense hidden threats was the only reason why you weren’t leading the way.

But he still didn’t know everything.

“Here.” Your voice was a curt whisper as you reached forward to grasp Hunter’s arm and pull him to the right. The two of you were enclosed in a narrow alleyway, one that twisted at the end into a path you remembered well. Hunter’s helmet started to tilt at you, but you set a firm hand on his covered chestplate. “Before you get any ideas, this is just a shortcut to get us through the busiest part of the village undetected.”

Hunter lifted his gloved hands in surrender. You chuckled and tapped his helmeted cheek before leading him ahead. Your pace slowed as you approached the bend, your back getting closer to the nearby wall as you looked to Hunter for guidance.

He nodded. “It’s clear.”

You returned his nod and stepped out into the bend, holding up your blaster as you did so. The two of you were nearly at the next bend when you heard Crosshair’s voice in your earpiece. “Stop.”

You froze where you were, and Hunter did the same alongside you. He lifted his fingers to the side of his helmet. “What is it?”

“Hostiles ahead, guarding the end of the bend.”

You cursed as Hunter looked over his shoulder. “Can we backtrack?”

“Negative. They’ve started guarding the way you came in.”

Hunter’s visor found your gaze, and his tensed shoulders told you everything his eyes would have. “Do you think they saw us?”

You pressed your lips together in thought. “It’s possible.” You shook your head. “But if they did, we would probably already be cornered.”

“They don’t know you’re there.” You hadn’t realized Hunter was keeping his comm engaged. “They’re facing outward, not inward. You’ll have to find another way out.”

Hunter looked up, and he nodded to himself before he said one last thing into the comms. “We’ll go up.” He lowered his hand and grabbed the grappling attachment from his belt. Once he had fixed it into place, he opened his left arm to you. “Hold on tight.”

You smiled and followed his gentle order, regardless of the fact you had a grappling attachment of your own on your belt. Your arms wrapped tight around his neck as he shot the line up and got you to the top. Sure, you had to stay focused on this mission, but having this self-indulgent moment of closeness to him was nicer than you could say.

Hunter was just as hesitant to put space between you once you got to the top of the building. You gave him a once-over and watched the stall in his chest before he focused on removing the attachment from his blaster. You shifted your own focus to your surroundings.

“I’m not seeing anyone up here.” You stayed low as you scanned the nearby rooftops. The outpost stood apart at the heart of the village. Thankfully, this wouldn’t be your first time infiltrating it, and having a higher angle on it would make it even easier—if you could maintain your position.

Hunter’s own visor looked around the area. “Same here.” He lifted one hand to your back to keep you low and close, and the other found the side of his helmet. “Crosshair, do they have anyone up top?”

“Negative. Their focus is on the ground assault, for now.”

Hunter nodded. “Good. We’ll keep the high ground.” He was about to drop both his hands, much to your dismay, until a new voice crackled through the comms.

“Hunter, I have tapped into their comms.” You and Hunter exchanged a look as Tech spoke, and even through his helmet, you could picture what expression he wore underneath. “They have a team en route to the planetary capitol. It will not be long before they discover that the senator is absent.”

“And that she’s here.” Hunter exhaled a breath that he tried, and failed, to keep steady. You took a hand and set it on his armored thigh, which was crouched down next to yours. “We’ll want to be at the outpost by the time that happens.”

“That is precisely what I was about to propose.”

Hunter kept his visor fixed on you as he began to give his orders. “We need to draw the forces out of the outpost. Echo, Tech, Wrecker, it’s time to have some fun. Crosshair, hold off until Wrecker needs reinforcements. We need your eyes.”

Wrecker was clearly happy to get the fight started. “Hah! Bold of you to think I’ll need reinforcements, Sarge!” You smiled to yourself and shook your head.

Hunter continued like the protective yet confident older-brother-turned-sergeant he was. “If you need to fall back, head to the outpost. We’ll reinforce it together.”

“We read you loud and clear,” Echo assured him. “Be careful in there.” His tone was laced with newfound amusement. “And stay focused.”

You hid your face against Hunter’s covered shoulder for a moment as you chuckled with him, and despite the fact you were alone, your ears began to burn in sweet embarrassment. Crosshair, as usual, didn’t miss a beat. “That mission’s already failing.”

“Speak for yourself.” Hunter was just as quick with his retort. You had to fight back another laugh. “Your eyes are supposed to be on our surroundings, not us.”

“And you’re clear for now. You wouldn’t want me getting bored up here, Hunter. That’s when I start firing shots.”

“Not this time.” Hunter’s tone, which had been amused before, reverted back to severity. You lifted your head up and reveled in the feeling of his hand brushing down your back before it fell away. “That’s an order, Crosshair.”

A sigh crackled through the comms. “Yes, sir.”

Hunter’s other hand lowered from his helmet as he focused on you again. He gestured with his head to the rooftops that stood between the two of you and the outpost in the distance. “Ready?”

You nodded, and that was all it took for Hunter to lead the way. The buildings in the village were all close together, which meant that leaping from rooftop-to-rooftop was no more than hopping over a small hurdle. Still, after each jump, Hunter glanced back to make sure you were okay. It filled your chest with that familiar, comforting warmth he always brought you, long before he had truly caught your affection.

Hunter raised his fist to stop you when you got to the last rooftop. He lowered himself even more in his crouch, and you did the same. When you made it to his side, you followed the invisible trail of his visor, observing the ragtag guards who were pouring in their measly numbers out of the outpost.

“Just like I told you.” Your voice was a whisper as you shook your head. “Barely fortified.”

Hunter shuffled even closer to your side. “Who’s responsible for them?”

You snorted. “The Prime Minister, technically. He’s supposed to be the liaison between them and the Republic.” Your free hand tightened into a fist. “I stopped receiving their requests for further aid and gear a month ago. That’s when I knew things were getting worse, and fast.”

Hunter’s fingers spread gently over your closed fist, relaxing it underneath his touch. “Well, we’re here, now. We’ll make things right.” His visor turned to you as he nodded. “This ends tonight.”

You blinked slowly up at him. “I’m glad we’re on the same page about that.”

Despite the sweetness of his reassurances, your stomach turned. The chrono was ticking relentlessly in the back of your mind, especially with Tech’s warning about the departed hunting party. You would be found out soon, and when you were… well, that was the part of the plan no one else was privy to.

Not even Hunter.

But for now, your only objective was to protect your people from this Separatist-fueled attack. You could focus on the other part of the plan when the time was right.

“They’ve cleared out.” Hunter was reaching for his grappling attachment again as the shadows of the setting sun made it even harder to see. His heightened senses obviated the need for sight. “The boys really got to work fast.”

“Either them or Alvani’s forces.” You holstered your blaster and lifted your brow. “Let me guess. ‘Hold on tight?’”

Hunter huffed and held his arm open. You clung to him even tighter than before, selfishly needing the proximity. Hunter aimed his blaster up at the elevated rooftop of the outpost and took the shot, getting the two of you to the top with ease. Before he took you over the edge, he managed to press a finger against his helmet. “Is it clear up here, Crosshair?”

You waited a beat. “Affirmative.”

Hunter wasted no time helping you up before he followed. You pulled your blaster as soon as your feet had touched the stone, lowering into a steady crouch as you scanned the area. Hunter did the same once he had joined you again, but he brought himself to stand slightly in front of you. One hand held his blaster as the other acted as reinforcement with his blade drawn.

“Okay, Sergeant.” There was a lilt of teasing to your tone. “What next?”

Hunter was all business. “This is the best place for us to be positioned. We can reinforce whoever’s left without them knowing.” He spared a glance back at you, and even in the darkness of the night and the shadow of his hood, there was a glint of light that caught his visor. “But let’s do a sweep around the perimeter up here, just to make sure we’re alone.”

You nodded and followed his lead. Hunter guided the two of you around the square rooftop, which was solely made up of narrow stone pathways. The center of the outpost’s square shape plunged downward, and at a certain point, it was separated from the rest of the galaxy by a large piece of transparisteel. The outpost had clearly been constructed with the intent of looking beautiful rather than being functional.

Considering Eirus was once a planet that swore peace above all else, that wasn’t a surprise. You scoffed under your breath at the mere thought. How far all of you had fallen, thanks to Lii Alvani.

Once you and Hunter had completed your sweep, he stopped you with his hand raised before he activated his comm. “We’re all set here, Crosshair. Get down and reinforce Wrecker.”

“Finally.” It was perhaps the most excited you had heard Crosshair this entire mission.

You chuckled and began to relax as you raised your brow at Hunter. “He’s about to be in his element.”

Hunter tilted his helmet. “They all are.”

You grinned and hoped that Hunter could sense it somehow behind your mask. “And you?”

His posture relaxed. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” There was the amusement you had been looking for earlier. “You know the answer.”

You pretended to check something on your blaster. “Then you should say it.”

Hunter hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Why not?”

“Because.” He sheathed his knife and pointed two fingers in your direction. “That ‘contusion’ on your neck speaks for me.”

Your face began to warm underneath your mask as you shook your head. The smile you wore faded as the reality of your surroundings contrasted with your sweet teasing. Knowing what you were hiding from him started to weigh your shoulders down.

Hunter must have grown just as anxious. “Tech,” he said with a hand lifted to the side of his helmet. “Anything new on the comms?”

“I…” there was blaster fire in the background, “... am a bit preoccupied at the moment. If Echo would be so kind as to provide me with cover…”

Echo was quick to chime in. “I’m working on it!”

You snickered as Hunter shook his helmet. After a few more heartbeats of silence, Tech returned. “Tuning in now.” You only had time for one unsteady breath before he spoke again. “It seems they are making haste. They have reported that they are only a few standard minutes within the capitol.”

Hunter cursed. “They must’ve used bikes.” He nodded to himself. “Keep me updated, Tech.”

“Affirmative.”

You closed your eyes and hung your head. The weight of what you knew was too much. To act like everything was okay around Hunter, especially with the vulnerability the two of you had shared not even a full day’s time ago, was something you could no longer do. With a light sigh, you dared to speak. “Hunter…”

“No.” You looked up to meet Hunter’s visor. He had repositioned himself in a flash, his entire front facing yours as he crouched down on one knee. “Don’t even think about it.”

Your jaw tightened. “Fighting isn’t going to end this. There’s a reason why they want me here.”

Hunter’s free hand held tight to his knee. “Don’t…”

“They don’t realize it yet, but they’re giving me a chance. When the time comes, I have to take it.”

“A chance to what? Let them have a clear shot at you?”

“No.” You remained gentle as you reached forward to set your hand over his. Your stare never strayed from his visor. “It’s a chance to reach my people. No diplomats, no half-truths, nothing like that standing between us. Just my voice and their ears.”

Hunter’s fingers danced underneath your grasp in an uncertain rhythm. “But we can fight. That’s why you brought us here.”

“Because I thought fighting was the solution. That’s what I’ve always known.” You shook your head, pleading for him to understand—just like he always did. “But it won’t work. They’ll only use it against me.”

Hunter’s visor lowered. You lifted your hand to the side of his helmet.

“You know it’s true.” You leaned close enough to rest your forehead against his helmet. “You’ll have to let me go. Okay?” You nodded at him. “I’ll be fine.”

The breath Hunter exhaled was shaky at best. “And if you’re not?”

You smiled at him, despite the fact he couldn’t see it with your mask. “I don’t have to worry about that.” You gestured with your eyes to the comlink on your belt. “Because I’ve got Clone Force 99 reinforcing me.”

Hunter’s deflated shoulders rose. He looked as if he was about to speak, but he stopped himself, his helmet turning away from you as his hand wrapped around your wrist and lowered it. He spoke before you could even question him. “They’re coming.”

You steadied yourself with a breath and nodded, raising your blaster. “How many?”

Hunter gave his helmet a tilt. “Hard to tell.”

Your heart plunged into your stomach. The goal wasn’t to win the fight, but you had to hold them off long enough to keep the outpost secure. It was vital that Hunter and the squad had this outpost when you turned yourself over to them.

Your plan formed quickly. “Let’s split up.” Hunter was about to protest when you held up your hand to stop him. “You take one side of the perimeter and I’ll take the other. We won’t be far from each other.” You gestured with your head to the nearest stone railing. “We just have to cover as many angles of their approach as possible.”

Hunter sighed before he nodded. His gloved hand took yours and gave it a gentle squeeze before he ran off. You watched him for a moment, amazed by his willingness to comply with your orders, before you walked up to the railing. Pressing your back against it, you reached for your scope attachment and locked it in place. Only then did you turn and position your blaster at the ground below.

All you could see were shadows, but after a minute or so of watching, those shadows began to move. You clocked at least a dozen of them on your side alone. You uttered a curse, but hesitated on the trigger. Your hands found your comlink and activated it. “Hunter, I’ve got some company over here.”

“Yeah, me too.” Hunter paused, and you held your breath until he responded. “Hold your fire until they engage.”

“Copy that.” You maintained your position, your blaster set to stun and your finger flexing over the trigger as you waited.

Suddenly, they all stopped, holding their positions and waiting just like you were. You furrowed your brow as an eerie chill scuttled down your spine.

You reached for the comm again. “Hunter…”

“Same thing over here.” Hunter projected his usual reassurance and confidence, but there was an alarmed undertone to his words. “Tech, anything new to report?”

“They have not yet reached the capitol.” Tech’s tone was just as matter-of-fact as usual. “Though they have been given an order not to move in on the outpost until they can confirm the senator’s whereabouts.”

You aired your stunned thoughts into the comm channel. “They know I’ll be here.”

Of course they knew. Many of these fighters were the same ones who had fought with you for years, who had made battle plans with you, and who had followed your orders. They knew you would want to be at the heart of the action.

It was all a trap, and you had allowed Hunter and his squad to run directly into it.

“New plan.” The urgency in Hunter’s voice proved he had reached the same conclusion as you. “All of you need to fall back to the outpost, now. There’s plenty of action waiting for you here.”

“Oh, yeah!” Wrecker continued to bring light to an otherwise dark situation. “We’re on our way!”

Echo matched Hunter’s own severity. “We copy, Hunter.”

It was a race against the chrono. If the rest of the squad wasn’t at the outpost before the team at the capitol discovered you were missing, then they would have to fight their way in. You fought hard to keep your focus on the unmoving shadows below, but the guilt of your oversight was making it extremely difficult.

If something happened to Hunter and his squad, it really would be your fault.

“Hey.”

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you heard Hunter’s modulated voice just behind you. After blinking a few times, you spun around to face him, your brow furrowed as you gave him an incredulous once-over. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be—.”

“They’re not going anywhere.” Hunter set a hand on your shoulder. “You need me more right now.”

Your gaze and your head both fell at his words. You tried to think of something to say, to deny that the overwhelming dark cloud of guilt and dread was looming over you, but nothing would form on your tongue. Hunter’s hand rose to your chin, and just like he often did, he tilted your head back up to face him.

“This isn’t your fault. We made this plan.” Hunter nodded, holstering his blaster in favor of holding your face between his gloved hands. “We’ve known the risks this entire time. And honestly, the higher the stakes, the better for us.” He gave his helmet a quick tilt. “This isn’t the first time one of our plans hasn't worked out. But we still have a one-hundred percent success rate, and that won’t end here.”

There were no proper words to describe how meaningful his reassurance was. You held his wrist with your free hand. “Thank you.” You gave it a gentle squeeze. “I still have to give myself up, though.”

Hunter tensed. When he spoke, it was with a heavy exhale. “I know.”

“They want me to fight, and I can’t give in to them.” You huffed a self-deprecating breath. “I’ve played right into their hands enough times already.”

“Only because they were taking advantage of the fierce loyalty you have to your people.” Hunter’s visor lowered for a moment. “Now, you get to do things on your own terms.” His helmet’s stare found yours again. “You protect your people, and we’ll protect you. Just like we signed up for.”

You searched his visor for a moment before you nodded. “You’re right.”

You smiled as you steadied yourself with a breath, but you quickly became more serious again. The what-if of everything going wrong, despite the faith you had in Hunter and his squad to protect you, was getting too real. There was more you had to say.

The comm went off before you could even part your lips. “Hunter!” Tech sounded both out of breath and alert. “They have… arrived at… the capitol. The order is… being given… now!”

Hunter pulled away and reached for his blaster as you leaned over to look at the forces below. Sure enough, they were all starting to advance once again, causing you to curse under your breath.

“All of you, go up high. The senator and I have the roof secure. We’ll hold them off on our own until you get here.”

“And then?” Crosshair wasn’t even struggling for breath.

Hunter didn’t answer right away. His visor caught your gaze before he nodded and set his hand over your back. “Stay focused on the present.”

You returned Hunter’s nod, and only then did he return to his position. You set yourself back up along the stone wall and took a deep breath. It was so easy to prepare yourself for this fight, but knowing what would come next made your chest tighten. When fighting was all you knew, could you really change the tide with just your words?

You at least had to try. You owed your people that much.

As soon as you saw the first flash of blaster fire below, you pulled your own trigger. Blue circles of bright light streamed from your blaster, illuminating the darkened night as many of them found their targets. Some of the fighters began to look up, causing you to duck behind the protection of the wall as live rounds fired in your direction.

You found your rhythm quickly. One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats, then rise. Steady the blaster, align yourself to the scope, then open fire. Keep going until you were spotted again. Crouch down, move along the wall, and repeat. One, two, three. Rise. Steady. Fire. Duck. Repeat.

It was all you could focus on until the sound of footsteps landing on the stone surface drew your attention over your shoulder. Every muscle in your body was tense and ready to fight, but when you identified Crosshair first and Echo second, you relaxed. The relief that washed over you was nearly enough to make you physically fall backwards.

“Senator,” greeted Echo with a nod. “The other two should be—.”

“Right behind you, as always.” Tech didn’t miss a beat even as he surveyed the rooftop around you. “Seeing as your speed is never quite ideal.”

“Yeah,” Echo huffed, “because it’s too fast for you.”

“That is not what I was—.”

“Who cares?” Wrecker was the last to join the fray, and he gave Tech a shove from behind. Tech tripped a few steps and shot him a look. “We’ve got some fightin’ to do!”

You sighed and lowered your mask as you looked upon the four of them. “Not exactly. All I need you to do is help Hunter reinforce from up here.”

Crosshair was the first to sense your unspoken words. “And what will you be doing?”

You answered him just as Hunter rounded the corner. “Turning myself in.”

Echo stepped forward. “You what?”

“That strategy is not sound,” Tech insisted. “The likeliest outcomes will be either your capture for ransom or… swift death.” It was the first time you had ever heard Tech hesitate before speaking.

“You don’t have to do that!” Wrecker punched his fist into his hand. “We can take ‘em!”

You at least smiled at that. “I know.” The ticking chrono in the back of your mind made you go on faster. “But I’ve done enough fighting. I may have failed in diplomacy with Eirus’ representatives, but… I haven’t even given my people that same chance.” You nodded at the group of men standing before you. “I have to have faith in them and try.”

Silence sat amongst the squad for more heartbeats than you expected. Echo was the first to move, his visor looking beyond you. “And you’re okay with this, Hunter?”

You turned your head to look at the sergeant, who sighed before lowering his hood and removing his helmet. “I am.” His brown eyes were focused on his squad as he spoke to them. “It’s the senator’s choice to make, just like I said before. We’re standing behind her no matter what she chooses.” Hunter’s stare found yours, telling you everything he couldn’t. “Tell us what you need us to do, and we’ll do it.”

You beamed at him, despite the fierce desperation clawing at your chest. What you wanted to do was to stay here with him and the squad, if only to keep all of you at ease—but that wasn’t what you needed to do. “Set yourselves up around the perimeter of the courtyard at the front of the outpost. That’s where I’ll surrender.” You glanced at the rest of the squad and nodded. “I’ll give you a signal if I need you to engage.”

“And if you don’t signal us in time?” Crosshair pressed.

You lifted the corner of your mouth. “I trust your instincts.” You bowed your head at all of them. “Thank you, and best of luck.”

Echo walked up to set a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll need it more than us.” He gave your shoulder a soft squeeze. “But we’ll see you on the other side of this.”

You nodded, smiling in appreciation of his optimism. With a heavy breath, you turned around to face Hunter. His stare had never once left you, and though you could see devastation and dismay clearly in his dark eyes, he continued to project strength and determination. You closed the distance between the two of you, stopping just in front of him and searching his gaze.

Hunter nodded as dutifully as ever, but when he spoke, his voice was low. “Be careful.”

You returned his severity. “You too.”

You didn’t give yourself enough time to mind your audience as you reached for his face and brought his mouth to yours. You kissed him hard, knowing it would soften the harsh edges of his fierce worry for you. He kept you close, his free hand wrapped around you in a way that made you wish he would never let go.

But the truth was that you didn’t have enough time as it was. You pulled away and let your stare linger on his own before you forced yourself away from him. Your eyes squeezed shut and your fists tightened as you fought the urge to run back to him.

This was what you had signed up for when you accepted your appointment as senator. The right choice always seemed to be the hardest one, and there was no guarantee it would even pay off. But you had to try.

You descended the staircases to the lowest level of the outpost, lowering your hood and making sure all your weapons were put away. Once you arrived, you heard the sounds of the blaster fire still ringing out.

One inhale, one exhale, and one chance.

“Stop!” You raised your voice as loud as you could to be heard over the chaos.

Instantly, the forces within the outpost stopped firing, their heads whipping around to face you with pure shock. Thankfully, the collective halt of their attack stopped the others as well. You stepped forward and nodded in reassurance at those you passed.

“Stand down.” You waved a hand to gesture to their weapons. Each soldier stared at each other before obeying. You focused back on the way ahead as you stepped out of the building and raised your hands in surrender. “There’s no need for fighting.” You looked around the fighters, who kept their blasters raised at you. “I’m here now. Let’s talk this through.”

“At last.” The voice was so chilling it turned your blood to ice in your veins. Every muscle in your body went rigid as you watched a new shadow emerge from the darkness. “We’ve been waiting for you, Senator.”

The light of the outpost shined on the figure, but you didn’t need the visual to confirm that you were staring into the eyes of Lii Alvani once again.

chapter 7 ⟸ series masterlist ⟹ chapter 9

hunter tag list: @zenrobbins0021 @cw80831 @yunggoblin @maddiedrmr @Molmcb @jellybeanstacey0519 

senator’s shadow tag list: @violetlilly2020  @callsign-denmark @dindadjarin

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Chapter One

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: On the night of November 6th, 1983, Stephanie Henderson decided to walk her little brother’s friend, Will, back home. However… they never arrive. Now, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, and soon the exception of the girl’s ex-best friend, Steve, must band together to find out what happened. Meanwhile, Steph and Will must fight for their survival in this nightmarish version of Hawkins, Indiana.

🎲Chapter Summary: On his way home from a friend’s house, young Will and his best friend’s sister, Stephanie, sees something terrifying. Nearby, their loved ones start worrying hysterically, all while Steve hears some unsettling news.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 9,471

🎲Date: 3/12

🎲Warnings: Angst; Swearing; Implied Broken Friendship; Racist Comment; Talks of Kidnapping; Car Crash; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Implying to Sex; Lying; Suicide Comment; Homophobic Comment/Calling A Person A Derogatory Word; Implied Death; Steve's 'Asshole Era. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Here we go folks. The official rewrite of episode one. Can't say it's perfect, might be a little messy, but think of it as it setting the whole plot up. Anyway, stay safe, and enjoy!

“It was a seven.” The words fell from his lips that would predestine this night. On the chilly night of November 6th, 1983, the small group of friends had gotten together to play their weekly game of DnD that was cut long short for being on a school night. Two of the boys had rode off on their bikes, away from the host’s house as the young brunette told his friend the truth.

The boy of the house, Mike Wheeler, turned his head, confusion on his face. “Huh?”

“The roll, it was a seven.” The brunette, Will Byers, replies, a frown on his face. “The Demogorgon, it got me.” He kicks the stand off and starts riding. “See you tomorrow.”

As his words lingered in the air, the garage lights flickered on and off that was forgotten with a shrug. 

Young Will catches up quickly with the other boys, Lucas Sinclair and Dustin Henderson. The wind in their eyes and smiles on their faces, they continued to ride for many blocks, slowly coming unwind.

“Good night, ladies.” Lucas teased as he broke from the group for his driveway.

“Kiss your mom ‘night for me.” Dustin quips back, before facing the other boy. “Race you back to my place? Winner gets whatever my sister brings home this time.”

Will’s eyes light up from that. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Dustin says, not expecting for his opponent to take off immediately. 

“Hey! Hey! I didn’t say ‘go’! Get back here!” But as he says that, he knows there was no stopping his friend. “I’m gonna kill you!”

Will chuckled and shouted, “Bring it to school tomorrow!”

Dustin hits the breaks, out of breath and frustrated as he replies, “Son of a bitch…” Meanwhile, his friend pretended he didn’t hear that as he rode down the street they dubbed ‘Mirkwood’.

Yes, he lived the farthest away from… anything really; His friends’ houses, his school, the nearby strip mall, pretty much everything that was ‘useful’, But he didn’t mind it. As long as his family was happy with their place he could go along with it.

So Will continued to ride, in his own head that was causing him to ignore when his headlight flickered off and on until his bike chain magically came apart. 

The boy gasped and swerved in a jagged line, worriedness on his features as he used his feet to forcefully come to a complete halt. Stopping along the side of the road, he looked down, trying to figure out what the problem was. While doing so, he didn’t even notice a car had slowed and rolled its window down.

“Will?” The person in the vehicle said, catching him by surprise. 

He was met with a familiar face, the fair skin, freckled nose, and dark curls tied back in a small pony was a girl he practically grew up with. Ironically, she was the older sister of the boy he raced, Stephanie Henderson.

“Steph?” He said, still shocked as he watched her get out. Those bright blue eyes of hers trailed to his only transportation and frowned.

“What happened to your bike?” 

“Uh, chain broke. I think.” Will says, looking at it again, and then back at her. “You’re coming home late.”

“You’ll understand when you have a job and a crappy boss.” She smiles, softly. “Come on. Put your bike in the car and I’ll drive you.”

“What?” He looks at her in disbelief. “Are you sure? You came that direction.”

“You know I don’t mind. Besides, it’s quicker and safer than walking. Plus I’m sure your brother and mother would appreciate it.” She says, opening the back door.

“But what about your mom?”

“I called her already and told her that I’ll be a little late.” She gestures to the car. “Come on.” He smiles and puts the bike in before hopping in the passenger seat. She even spoils him by handing him a paper brown bag. “Cinnamon bun?”

His eyes light up. “Actually, Dustin betted me that if I beat him in a race back to his house I can have whatever you bring.”

“Then I guess they’re all yours.” She turns the car around. “So how was your campaign?”

“It was good until the end.” He takes a bite of the pastry. “I ended up getting beaten by the Demogorgon.”

“Remind me what that is again?”

“He’s a two headed demon prince. Very evil.”

“I see.”

Another bite and a small hum. “You should try playing it.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You think?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fun!” Now he was like a kid in a candy store. “You can be… our mage! A druid, or maybe even a ranger.”

She chuckles quietly. “I… have no idea what any of that even means. But uh… I’ll give it a shot. What’s the worst that can happen? I hate it?”

“Or you get eaten by a Demogorgon.”

“That’s true.” Steph agreed, and continued their light conversation until something strange started to happen. She watches as her headlights suddenly start to flicker. “What the?”

“Look out!” Will yelled, and her eyes snapped back up just in time to spot the bizarre looking figure in the road. 

She gasps and veers off the road, foot slamming into the brakes as it rolled down and down into the woods, crashing into a tree. Now, it wasn’t that bad of a hit, more like a little thump, but still. A crash is a crash.

Stephanie lets out a pant, tiling her baseball cap back up to look worriedly towards her passenger. “Shit! You okay?”

“Uh…” He nods, a little shaken up, but looking unharmed. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Another pant and she looks around. “Who that fuck was that?!” She snaps, upset. “Who the fuck stands in the middle of the road at nine o’clock at night?!”

But as she was having her meltdown, Will was staring at the side mirror and paled. “Steph?” He says, terrified.

“What?”

“I think he’s coming.”

“What?” She followed his eyes to the mirror before turning around. Standing behind them a few feet away was the figure who made her heart sink at its unnaturally long arms, and fingers coming at a point. Now she starts pales. “That’s not a person.”

“Huh?”

She starts fiddling with the door. “Get out of– Get out of the car, now!”

Once they were both out, she snags him by the wrist and pulls him along, running as fast as they could, a few miles down, all the way back to what their destination was. As soon as they stepped a foot inside the Byers home, the family’s dog, Chester, started barking defensively as she told the boy to lock the door.

“Mom? Jonathan? Mom?!” He replies after finishing the task, but alas it seems like they were the only ones home.

“Ms. Byers?!” Steph yells out, biting her lip. “Shit.” She runs for the phone as he looks out a window and sees the figure approaching the house. She tries dialing 911, but all she receives on the other end is static. “What the fuck?!”

“It’s unlocking the chain!” Will yells, backing away as she takes a look. Sure enough, they watched the chain on the door slide itself across the track as the other locks started to turn (What in the fresh hell is going on?!).

“Come on!” She pulls him away, thinking the only thing they can do is protect themselves now. 

They both run into the shed in the back, Will remembering what his mother had told him if something to this degree started happening, and begins loading the shotgun on the wall. 

“Is that all you got?” She asked, searching around for anything else she could use.

“Y-Yeah.” He mutters, and frantically points the weapon at the door, trembling as the girl stood behind him, hands over his and shielding his body protectively.

“If that thing comes in, shoot it. I’ll hold you steady so you don’t fall back.” She says, and he nods (His body subconsciously pressing into hers out of fear and comfort).

But the next few moments were tedtious, hearing that thing growling, which got louder and louder, until it sounded like it was right next to them. Steph, who felt the wind get knocked out of her, was the first to turn around, eyes widened as she kept the boy behind her, feeling him clench her jacket. 

“What the fuck are you?!” She screamed, the growling turning into screeching. 

Then the light in the shed gets brighter and brighter– Until everything suddenly stops.

Then…

.

.

.

There was no one left.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As soon as the sun touched his face, the boy reached over and shut his alarm clock off before it could even ring. Groaning and stretching, he was feeling extremely exhausted after being up so late (But last night was so fun, it was totally worth it!). Grinning a toothless grin, Dustin rolled out of bed, his clothes in hand as he strolls to the end of the hall for the bathroom. However–

He lets out a sigh and throws his head back at the door being closed. “Oh, my god. Phanie! I told you I needed to use the bathroom first on school days.” Seriously, how many times has he told his sister this? He doesn’t get a reply, and bangs on the door. “Phanie!! Are you listening?”

And on the last knock, to his surprise, the door creaked open. Being cautious, he poked his head inside finding the light was off and the room was unoccupied. 

“Huh.” He said, looking around again. “Okay…” He quickly gets ready for the day, fixing his curls so his hat stays on, before adventuring back out. “Goodbye, sleepyhead!”

And once again, Dustin was shocked to find that now his sister’s room was unoccupied as well. The only thing present was their cat, Mews, who was curled up in a ball on the still perfectly made bed… with everything on it still looking the same in place.

What the? He thought, before heading for the kitchen where his mother was listening to the news.

// -And that’s it for News Center this morning. Thanks for joining us. Let’s hand off now to Liz at the news desk //

// All right, thank you, Donna. Turning now to local news, we’re getting reports of surges and power outages all across the county. Last night, hundreds of homes in East Hawkins were affected, leaving many residents in the dark. The cause of the outage is still unknown. We reached out to Roane County Water and Electric, and a spokesperson says that they are confident power will be restored to all remaining homes within the next– //

“Hey, mom, have you seen Stephanie?” He asked, ignoring the fact his mother was making him his favorite breakfast meal.

“Stephanie?” His mother, Claudia, asked as she slid him a plate. “No, I haven’t.”

“She’s not in her room.” He replies, taking a seat, thinking. ���Did you see her come home last night?”

“Well, she did call me saying that she was going to be late, but I’ll admit, I dozed off before I heard her come in.” She notices her son’s worried expression, and smiles. “Oh, don’t worry, Dusty-buns. I’m sure she had to just pick up a friend for school. I can drive you.”

“No, I can bike, I just…” He trails off, not really hungry anymore. We always eat together.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in another household. Joyce Byers was rummaging around her living room for her keys, cursing under her breath after every failed attempt.

“Where the hell are they?” She sighs. “Jonathan?”

“Check the couch!” Her oldest child said from the kitchen.

“Ugh, I did.” She moves the cushions around again, finally spotting them. “Oh, got them.” She smiles and comes over to give him a pat on the shoulder. “Okay, sweetie, I will see you tonight.”

“Yeah, see you later.” He says, finishing up the eggs.

“Where’s Will?”

“Oh, I didn’t get him up yet. He’s probably still sleeping.”

Joyce sighs, already leaving the room. “Jonathan, you have to make sure he’s up!”

“Mom, I’m making breakfast.”

“I told you this a thousand times. Will!” She claps her hands. “Come on, honey. It’s time to get up.” She pushes open his door only to find that his bed was empty. “He came home last night, right?”

Jonathan’s heart sank as he faced his mother. “He’s not in his room?

“Did he come home or not?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. I-I got home late. I was working.”

She gives her son ‘the look’. “You were working?”

“Eric asked if I could cover. I said yeah. I just thought we could use the extra cash.”

“Jonathan, we’ve talked about this.”

He frowns, looking away. “I know…”

“You can’t take shifts when I’m working.” She says, wheels turning in her head at where he could be.

“Mom, it’s not a big deal.” He makes eye contact again. “Look, he was at the Wheelers’ all day. I’m sure he just stayed over.”

“I can’t believe you.” She says, already grabbing the phone. “I can’t believe you sometimes.” She starts dialing the phone number she knows by heart and waits.

[ ‘Hello?’ ]

“Hi, Karen. It’s Joyce.”

[ ‘Oh, Joyce, hi.’ ]

Before Joyce could ask, she hears a ruckus in the background.

[ ‘Quiet!’ ]

“Was that Will I heard back there?” She asked, hopefully.

[ ‘Will? No, no, no, it’s just Mike.’ ]

“Will didn’t spend the night?”

[ ‘No, he left here a little bit after 8:00. Why? He’s not home?’] 

Joyce tries to keep the panic off her face as she replies, “Um, you know what? I think he just left early for... for school. Thank you so much.”

[ ‘Okay.’ ]

“Bye.”

[ ‘Bye.’ ]

Joyce hangs up the phone, exchanging concerned glances with her eldest child.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Three out of the four boys rode to school that morning, chattering away about a certain person that’ll only end in sadness. Frowning as they slowed down to their usual bike rack that laid empty before them.

“That’s weird. I don’t see him.” Mike said, noticing the absent bike. Did he park somewhere else this time?

“I’m telling you, his mom’s right.” Lucas said, trying to be the reasonable one. “He probably just went to class early again. You know he’s always paranoid that Gursky’s gonna give him another pop quiz.”

“That’s true.”

“Yeah… pop quiz...” Dustin mumbled, being completely distant from the group. 

Lucas sighs, rolling his eyes. “Dude, you still worried about your sister?” 

“Well, yeah! I mean, why was she not home? We always eat breakfast with each other, how could she just skip out on it?”

“She’s sixteen, you know? You’re just overreacting. I’m sure Steph is fine.”

“I don’t man, this ain’t like her.”

“Dustin–”

“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen!” A bully, named Troy, announced as he came over with another boy. “Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show.” He smirks. “Who do you think would make more money in a freak show?” He pushes Lucas first. “Midnight–” Then Mike. “Frogface–” Then Dustin. “Or Toothless?”

The other bully, James, looks pensive for a moment before making his decision with a point. “I’d go with Toothless.”

Dustin’s cheeks flush out of embarrassment. “I told you a million times, my teeth are coming in. It’s called cleidocranial dysplasia.”

“‘I told you a million times’.” James mocks, and laughs. 

“Do the arm thing.” Troy pressures, as Dustin takes a small step back.

“Do it, freak!” Deciding to just comply, Dustin cracks his arms with his collar bone, making him and Troy groan and recoil. “God, it gets me every time.”

Then the two of them push through the boys as they leave for class; The trio sending them a death glare.

“Assholes.” Luca scoffed.

“I think it’s kinda cool.” Mike said, trying to cheer Dustin up. “It’s like you have superpowers or something. Like Mr. Fantastic.”

Dustin chuckles. “Yeah, except I can’t fight evil with it.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in the high school next door, Mike’s older sister was hustling inside, books in hand, acting all flustered. It especially didn’t help when her friend came over, grinning like the Chester Cat.

“So, did he call? The ginger girl, Barb, asked all giggly.

The sister, Nancy, shushes her looking around. “Keep your voice down.”

She nudges her with her elbow. “Did he?”

“I told you, it’s not like that.” Nancy blushes harder when Barb gave her a look. “Okay, I mean, yes, he likes me, but not like that. We just made out a couple times.

Barb raises an eyebrow. “‘We just made out a couple times’. Nance, seriously, you’re gonna be so cool now, it’s ridiculous.”

“No, I’m not.” She shakes her head while unlocking her locker.

“You better still hang out with me, that’s all I’m saying. If you become friends with Tommy H. or Carol–”

“Oh, that’s gross!”

“I’m just saying, you better still be friends with me. I heard that the King pushed a close friend out of his circle when he took the throne and–”

“Okay, I’m telling you, it was a one-time... two-time thing.”

She opens her locker, finding a note that read: MEET ME IN BATHROOM -STEVE.

Barb’s expression grew. “You were saying?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Before you know it, Nancy is having a make out session with the highschool’s King, Steve “The Hair” Harrington. The cocky bad boy that every girl fawns over, and the physic that every guy envies. If you wanted any kind of popularity while running around this place, you had to make a guarantee that he would be in your corner.

“Steve.” Nancy croaked in between kisses, making him hum. “I have to go.”

“In a minute.” He mumbled, nibbling at her neck as the school bell rings.

“Steve–” She nudged her way out from him. “I really, like seriously, I have to go.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Let’s…” He snags her bag, keeping her in place for a second. “Come on, let’s do something tonight, yeah?”

“No, I can’t. I have to study for Kaminsky’s test.”

“Oh, come on. What’s your GPA again? 3.999–”

“Kaminsky’s tests are impossible.”

“Well, then, just let me help.” He said, smirking.

She rolls her eyes with a smile. “You failed chem.”

“C-minus.”

“Well, in that case–”

“So I’ll be over around, say, like, 8:00?”

“Are you crazy?” Nancy shakes her head. “My mom would not–”

“I’ll climb through your window.” He insisted, all pumped up at the idea. “She won’t even know I’m there. I’m stealthy, like a ninja.”

“You are crazy.” She says, taking her bag back and starts leaving. 

“Wait, wait, wait. Just…” He steps in front of her. “Okay, forget about that. We can just– We can just, like, chill in my car. We can find a nice quiet place to park, and–”

“Steve, I have to study. I’m not kidding.”

“Well, why do you think I want it to be nice and quiet?”

That got her to crack another smile. “You’re an idiot, Steve Harrington.” She replies, stepping around him. “Meet me at Dearborn and Maple at 8:00. To study.”

The school bell rings again, leaving behind a very satisfied teen.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Alright, class, I’ll be your sub for today.” The man explains, writing his name on the board. “I’m Mr. Dunwoody. If you have any questions, please refrain before I take attendance.” He ignores as some of the ‘cool kids’ snickered under their breaths and chuck paper balls around. “Uh, Barkley?”

“Here.”

“Brown?”

“Here.”

“Byers?” No reply. “Jonathan Byers?” He scopes the room, the seat in the back corner was absent. “No Byers. M’kay, uh, Davidson?”

“Present.”

“Evans?”

“Here.”

“Eubank?”

“Here.”

“Henderson.” No reply, he looks around – Yet another seat in the back unattended (And certain eyes following). “Henderson? Is a… Stephanie Henderson in?” His gaze shifts with the class’ and frowns. “No, okay. Uh, Harrington?” Silence. “Harrington?”

Steve blinks and faces forward, snapping out of his trace. “Uh, present.”

“‘Kay, uh–” He started shooting off more names, but the teenager wasn’t honestly listening. Something about that empty space (the space that seemed so far away now) didn’t sit right with him. And the gossiping in the background wasn’t helping his troubled mind either.

“Maybe grunge girl finally got the hint.” 

“Oh, yeah. For sure.” 

“Do you think the pressure made her drop out?”

“Drop out?” A laugh. “Maybe she took a dive off the overpass.”

“Guess we’ll have to check the news later for that!”

They laughed under their breaths and Steve’s hands started subconsciously squeezing his crossed arms. This shouldn’t bother him. It’s not like they’re–

He didn’t even realize he was turning around to say something if it was for Tommy’s hand snagging his shoulder. It, and he’s not sure if he can admit, hurt in a way he can’t describe. They both locked eyes, and Tommy shook his head ‘no’ just as the substitute finished calling out names, starting the soulless class.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

As usual the town’s head sheriff was strolling into his job late and looking like he’d been hit by truck after truck. His five o’clock shadow was strong and so were the bags under his eyes; Jim Hopper walks in with a lit cigarette in his hand, the receptionist amazed by his appearance.

“Good of you to show.” She said, as he passed by and gave a small nod to the other officers present.

“Oh, hey, morning, Flo. Morning, everybody.” He says, heading for the small kitchenette to pour himself some coffee.

“Hey, Chief.” Powell greeted with a grin.

“Damn! You look like hell, Chief.” Callahan replies, looking up from his game of cards.

“Oh, yeah?” Hopper spares him a look.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I looked better than your wife when I left her this morning.” His response made his brothers bust a gut as the elderly woman came over, trying to get his attention.

“While you were drinking or sleeping, or whatever it is you deemed so necessary on Monday morning, Phil Larson called. Said some kids are stealing the gnomes out of his garden again.” Flo explains, as he tries not to roll his eyes (or maybe he did?).

“Oh, those garden gnomes again.” He sighs, and picks up a donut too. “Well, I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna get right on that.”

Flo keeps a straight face, used to his antics by now. “On a more pressing matter, Joyce Byers can’t find her son this morning.”

He hums after taking a bite of the pastry. “Okay, I’m gonna get on that.” He starts walking away. “Just give me a minute.”

“Joyce is very upset.” She pushes, as he shakes his head.

“Well, Flo– Flo, we’ve discussed this. Mornings are for coffee and contemplation.”

“Chief, she’s already in your–”

“Coffee and contemplation, Flo!” He shouts as he leaves the room, and, due to not paying attention, is surprised to see Ms. Byers already waiting in his office. His jaw clenched. “Okay… Missing? I’ve been told.”

“Yes, missing!” Joyce says, watching him sit down and start typewriting a file out for her boy. Worriedly she waits for him to finish, even smoking bud after bud to calm the jitters. “I have been waiting here over an hour, Hopper.”

“And I apologize.” He says, trying to calm her.

“I’m going out of my mind!”

“Look, boy his age, he’s probably just playing hooky, okay?”

She shakes her head. “No, not my Will. He’s not like that– He wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, you never know.” He suggests, a little smirk growing on his lips. “I mean, my mom thought I was on the debate team, when really I was just screwing Chrissy Carpenter in the back of my dad’s Oldsmobile, so–”

“Look, he’s not like you, Hopper. He’s not like me. He’s not like most.” She explains, her face saddening. “He has a couple of friends, but, you know, the kids, they’re mean. They make fun of him. They call him names. They laugh at him, his clothes–”

“His clothes?” Hopper’s eyebrows shoot up. “What’s wrong with his clothes?”

“I don’t know. Does that matter?”

“Maybe.”

Joyce inhales deeply. “Look, he’s... He’s a sensitive kid. Lonnie…” God she could punch that man right now. “Lonnie used to say he was queer. Called him a fag.”

Another eyebrow raise. “Is he?”

“He’s missing! Is what he is.” 

“When was the last time you heard from Lonnie?”

“Uh, last I heard, he was in Indianapolis. That was about a year ago. But he has nothing to do with this.”

“Why don’t you give me his number?”

“You know, Hopper, he has nothing to do with this. Trust me.”

Hopper’s body straightens, hands coming to rest on his desk to make sure she was listening. “Joyce, 99 out of 100 times, kid goes missing, the kid is with a parent or relative.”

Her eyes widened. “What about the other time?”

He blinks. “What?”

“You said, ‘99 out of 100’. What about the other time, the one?”

“Joyce.”

“The one!”

Hopper tries to deescalate again. “Joyce, this is Hawkins, okay? You wanna know the worst thing that’s ever happened here in the four years I’ve been working here?” He could hold back a small smile. “Do you wanna know the worst thing? It was when an owl attacked Eleanor Gillespie’s head because it thought that her hair was a nest.”

Joyce sighs. “Okay, fine. I will call Lonnie. He will talk to me before he talks to–”

“What, a pig?”

“A cop! Just find my son, Hop. Find him!”

And then came a knock on the doorframe, which happened to be Flo who looked apologetic this time.

“Chief, I’m sorry, I have another hectic parent. A Ms. Claudia Henderson is here to see you.”

“What?” Hopper said, and just before he could blink, a blonde woman came stumbling in, all nervous just like someone else in present.

“Hopper, I’m sorry if you’re busy, but–”

“Claudia?” Joyce said, standing up with surprise. 

“Joyce?” Claudia’s face washes over with relief upon seeing her. “What brings you here?”

“It’s Will, I can’t find him.” She says, missing the way the other woman’s face lost all color. “And apparently he didn’t go to school either.”

“Well, what a coincidence. I can’t find my daughter, either.”

And then all eyes are now on the police Chief who was dumbfounded this was all happening at once. After a moment, he sighed and pulled Will’s form out of the typewriter before sliding in a new piece of paper.

“Alright.” He gestures to the chair. “Let’s hear your story.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

And then that’s how the police chief found himself at a middle school. His first “suspects” in this case was Will’s inner circle of friends. But what he wasn’t expecting while sitting in the principal’s office was the trio to be talking over one another frantically.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Hopper says, waving for them to stop which they did. “One at a time, all right?” He points to Mike. “You. You said he takes what?”

“Mirkwood.” Mike said, confusing him.

“Mirkwood?”

“Yeah.”

Hopper sighs, looking at his partner. “Have you ever heard of Mirkwood?”

“I have not.” Callahan shakes his head. “That sounds made up to me.”

“No, it’s from Lord of the Rings.” Lucas says, offended.

“Well, The Hobbit.” Dustin pushes as his friend rolls his eyes.

“Who cares?”

“He asked!”

“‘He asked’!” Lucas mocked which started their bickering again.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Hopper yells, getting to stop once more. “What’d I just say? One at a damn time.” He points to Mike again. “You.”

“Mirkwood, it’s a real road. It’s just the name that’s made up. It’s where Cornwallis and Kerley meet.” Mike explains, giving the Chief a picture now.

“Yeah, all right, I think I know that.”

“We can show you, if you want.” The boy replies, his friends agreeing with him immediately. 

Hopper shakes his head. “I said that I know it!”

“We can help look.” Mike pleads.

“Yeah.” Dustin encouraged.

“No.” The boys try to protest, but he shuts it down again. “No. After school, you are all to go home. Immediately. That means no biking around looking for your friend, no investigating, no nonsense. This isn’t some Lord of the Rings book.”

“The Hobbit.” Dustin mumbles, quietly.

“Shut up!” Lucas said, elbowing him.

“Hey!”

“Stop it!” Hopper snaps, while standing up. “Do I make myself clear?” He gets no answer. “Do I make myself clear?”

Mike nods. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He faces the principal. “Sir, thank you for your time.”

“Wait!” Dustin cuts in, and makes the man groan.

“What?”

“What about my sister? You mentioned her earlier. What about her?”

“Kid, listen, your sister’s sixteen, and to be honest, I believe a teenager playing hooky more than your friend Will. Okay?” Hopper tried to leave again, but the kid wasn’t letting up.

“But Stephanie’s not like that! I mean, yeah, she doesn’t necessarily like school, but she always studies hard to get good grades. She’s a good noodle.” Dustin frowns worriedly. “Trust me, she would never skip school. I mean… did you even check the parking lot to see if her car was there? Or the mall that she works at?”

I guess… the kid did have a point, Hopper will admit that one. He locks eyes with his partner who shrugs.

“I mean, we might as well kill two birds with one stone while we’re here.” Callahan says, truthfully.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Hopper sighs. “Okay. So Dustin, did your sister have any… friends we could talk to?” Then they got quiet, looking amongst themselves. “What? No? She didn’t? Or–?”

“Well, not really.” Dustin admits, bittersweet. “I mean, she probably hangs out with us more than anything at this point.”

“I mean, she’s friends with that douchebag Steve.” Lucas said, upset.

“Was friends. Not anymore.” Mike clarifies.

“Was a friend?” Hopper asked, skeptical. “What happened?”

“Not sure. They were inseparable until one day they just… weren’t.” Dustin replies, which was the truth. He remembers seeing Steve around a few times as he grew up, but then one day his sister stopped going out and didn’t even mention him anymore. Then before he knew it, he witnessed first hand the boy’s ‘asshole’ attitude (Makes him glad that she wasn’t around him anymore).

“Okay, then. What’s his name?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

“Steve Harrington.” 

Steve stopped himself from getting into his BMW to look who was calling him out. To his shock he found two police officers in his presence, and immediately felt sick.

“Um, can I help you, officers?” He asked, paying no heed to the passing stares from other students.

“I’m officer Hopper, this is my partner Callahan. We just want to ask you a few questions.” Hopper explains, as the teenager nods.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No, son. As long as you comply.”

“Okay.”

“Alright then, do you know a girl by the name of Stephanie Henderson?”

His heart sank again like earlier. “Stephanie?” Steve asked, his throat feeling tight (Why was his throat closing up?).

“Yeah. We were told by her brother that you guys used to be friends. Is that true?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“Have you spoken to her recently? Seen her?” Hopper asked, getting a shake of his head.

“Seen her? Yeah, I mean I see her everyday, we’re in the same classes, but I didn’t see her today.” Steve shifts his weight around on his feet. “As for talking, I haven’t spoken to her in years.”

“So you haven’t had any real contact with her?”

“No, sir.” Steve watches the two adults exchange glances which pique his interest. “May I ask what’s going on with her? Is she in trouble?”

“Not necessarily trouble, I would say. Her mom came down by the station earlier and reported her missing, saying she didn’t see her in the morning and when they called the school she wasn’t there.”

“If I’m being honest, son, she’s a teenager, she probably just wanted some time alone.” Callahan replies, with a half shrug. “Besides, everyone knows her mother’s a bit… out there. She tends to overreact.”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about, Mr. Harrington. We appreciate your time.” Hopper replies, bidding him a farewell as he begins to leave (but this wasn’t sitting right with the boy’s stomach).

“She never misses her classes though.” Steve blurts out, getting their attention. “Even now, even if we aren’t friends, I notice she never misses school. It’s completely out of her character.”

It really is though. Steve waited until the officers processed his comment, before nodding.

“Noted.” Was all Hopper said and they left, leaving him high and dry, wondering what was truly going on. He was so stuck in his head he didn’t even notice Tommy and Carol making their way towards him.

“Oooh, looks like someone’s in trouble.” Tommy coos, with a grin.

“What did you do, Harrington? Slash Tammy Thompson’s tires finally?” Carol asked, making herself laugh.

But Steve didn’t find this funny, instead his attention was turned back to climbing in the passenger seat. “I gotta go home.”

“What?” Tommy said, caught off guard.

“I gotta go home.”

“What? But you said we were going to the movies?”

“Maybe tomorrow I–” He couldn’t even think straight. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He shuts his car door as his name is being called, and quickly pulls away.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Along the Mirkwood road, the three officers were paneling out, surveying the area. Everyone was shouting Will’s name, except Hopper who nerves were shooting through the roof; So much so, he had to stop and pop a pill. These kinds of situations, especially evolving children, were hard for him to deal with. It reminded him too much of his own–

Wait a minute. Were his eyes deceiving him? Does actually see this or was this another one of his episodes? 

But after triple checking, he finally calls the others forward. “Hey! I think I got something.”

He steps off the room, jogging a few feet into the woods. If it wasn’t for the daylight, he surely would have missed a huge clue that was being covered by a few shrubs and ankle deep piles of autumn leaves. Smashed into one of the sweet gum trees was a car, windshield cracked and lightly powdered in stray branches.

“I don’t remember hearing anything about crashes this morning.” Powell said, confused as he examined it. 

Hopper’s keen eyes also caught something lying in the backseat and pulled it out. He frowns, his nerves spiking again. “This is Will’s bike.”

“His bike?” Powell asked, suspicious now. “You don’t think this was uh… a kidnapping?”

“It’s possible. But it doesn’t explain why the kidnapper would crash and abandon the car. Then leave evidence of the child behind.”

“Now, what a second.” Callahan said, perking up. “This is a 1975 Tan Ford Granada, the same car that Ms. Henderson said her daughter drives.”

Hopper’s eyes widen as he sets the bike down. “She also said that her daughter had a Journey keychain.” He opens the driver door, and sure enough, still in the dead ignition, there was a little band keychain dangling off her car key. “Shit.” He locks eyes with his partners. “Which way is the mall?”

Powell pointed in the direction that he feared the most. It was in the same direction the Byers’ house was. Now it was starting to make sense. 

“What are you thinking, Chief?” 

Hopper frowns. “Well, if you look at the bike, the chain’s broken. My guess, Stephanie was driving by and saw him on the side of the road, and offered him a ride home.”

“Then how do you explain the car being off road?”

He sighs, dreading for the answer (both in a good and a bad way). “I’m not sure.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Saying Joyce Byers was livid was probably not a strong enough word after being hung up on so many times. Why, out of the times she actually needed to talk to her ex-husband, he doesn’t answer the phone?! She could pull all her hair out from that man. No wonder they were divorced since he frustrates her so–

“Mom?” Jonathan said, standing up from the couch (He was currently making missing child signs for his brother).

“What?” 

“Cops.” Sure enough, they saw many cop cars pull up, including a tow truck with a car none of them recognize. 

“Is that his bike?” Joyce said, worriedly once she was outside. “And who’s car is that?”

“We found this in Stephanie Henderson’s car.” Hopper replies, sitting the bike down. 

“Stephanie’s car?” Jonathan said, surprised. Well, I guess he shouldn’t be that surprise, ‘cause although they’re not exactly friends as one thinks they might be, given the situation, he knows her enough that she’s the type of girl to give you the shirt off her back if you need it.

“Our best guess right now is that she saw him on the side of the road and offered to drive him back. It makes sense since her mother told us Stephanie called to let her know she’ll be running late from work. And given the time stamp Will’s friends provided us, them crossing paths match up.”

“But that still doesn’t explain everything!” Joyce says, trying to piece this together. “Where did you find her car?”

He sighs quietly. “Down off the road, into the forest.” He starts walking away, motioning for his men to follow him. “Split up, fellas.” He said, once they were inside.

“Did it have any blood on it? Or– or what was the condition of the car? Did it slide off the road?” Joyce asked as she followed him around. “And why are you here instead of looking?”

“Well, he had a key to the house, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So maybe he came home. Maybe they both came home.”

Joyce scoffs, stepping in front of him. “You think I didn’t check my own house?”

“I’m not saying that.” He says, eyes trailing away upon catching something else. “Has this always been here?” He walked over and pointed to an indent in the wall.

“What? I don’t know. Probably. I mean, I have two boys. Look at this place.”

He suddenly opens the door to the backyard, the doorknob trailing directly to the spot of the mini hole. “You’re not sure?” He’s about to question it some more when the dog suddenly starts barking. He heads outside, finding Chester angrily staring down the shed. “Hey, what’s up with this guy, huh?”

“Nothing, he’s probably just hungry.” Joyce said, after following him out. She sighs and drags the dog by the collar. “Come on.”

But as they left, Hopper’s gaze was focused on the shed. Why was the dog so wound up from that place? Treading carefully, he goes inside, flipping the lightswitch on that buzzed lightly above. His eyes scaled the room, immediately noticing something. His fingers wrapped around the box full of shotgun shells, realizing it was half empty.

Empty? He thought, setting it down and heading for where the weapon would be stored. But the two hooks screwed into the wall were bare, and to a shock, when his fingers brushed where it should be, the light suddenly shut itself off.

Out of instinct his hand latched around a flashlight nearby, turning it on. He turned the light towards the door, wondering if someone was just screwing with him but… no one. 

Okay… not creepy at all. He trailed it around, looking closely, nothing making him want to stand on his toes until he decided to turn around. That’s when he saw the back half of the shed was a mess, shelves torn off, boxes and objects thrown everywhere, some even being crushed under some kind of weight. Even the hair on the back of his neck stood up when he swears he could hear someone growling.

His heart was beating in his ears as he crouched down, looking around for anything. (Un)Luckily enough, there was no kid laying emotionless in the pile. He frowns, wondering what scared the boy so much that he went to grab a gun. And then–

Something shiny caught his eye.

He reached out and picked it up, a gold chain unraveled, showing off a heart shaped pendant with two initials carved into it. 

S.H.

“Shit.” Hopper whispered, horrified.

“Hey!”

He shot to his feet, turning around to face his brother in blue. “Jesus!”

“What are you, deaf? I’ve been calling you.” Callahan said, before noticing how ill his boss looked. “What’s going on?”

“Fuck…” Hopper mumbled and started racing back outside.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Chief?”

“Listen, I want you to call Flo. I want to get a search party together, all right? All the volunteers she can muster. Bring flashlights, too.”

“Chief?” Callahan stops him before he goes back into the house. “Hey, you think we got a problem here?”

“I don’t think, I know.” Hopper shows off the necklace. “We’re going to the Henderson’s house.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin watches with fear as the officers explain the situation on hand about his older sister. His mom of course was hysterical, giving the professionals a challenge to get answers out of her. 

“Oh, who could have hurt my baby? And poor Will too.” Claudia sobbed into her handkerchief. “She’s always so kind to others, of course she would have offered him a ride.”

“Ma’am, I know you’re upset, and we’re sending a search party out as soon as possible. But I just need you to confirm that this is your daughter’s, then we can make this one big old case.” Hoppy explains, trying not to be snappy with his words. “Now–” He shows off the necklace. “Is this your daughter’s?”

Dustin’s eyebrows shot up through the roof. “She still wears that?!” He said, shocking both himself and the officer.

“What?”

“Y-Yes.” Claudia said, nodding. “That’s hers.”

“Thank you.” Hopper says, placing it in her palm. He spins his heels around to Powell. “Let’s go. We got two missing people we’re looking for.” 

“Please find her.” She begged, getting his attention once more. “I can’t lose my only daughter.” But all she gets is a sad nod from him as he leaves, watching as all the cars pull off her driveway in a hurry. She sighs and then gasps when felt her son take the necklace away from her, studying it intensely. “Dusty, why were you so surprised she still wears it?”

“Don’t you remember who gave this to her?” He asked, slightly sour.

“Well, no.”

He sighs, and starts leaving the room. “It’s nothing.” 

And it should stay that way.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, later in the day, a heated discussion was going on at the Wheeler’s house over a nice homemade dinner.

“We should be out there right now. We should be helping look for him.” Mike said for the millionth time tonight, extremely close to igniting the fuse in his own mother.

“We’ve been over this, Mike.” Karen said, drawing her attention away from her toddler. “The chief says–”

“I don’t care what the chief said.”

“Michael!”

“We have to do something! Will can be in danger.”

“More reason to stay put.”

“Mom!”

“End of discussion.” She snapped, silencing her son. But when one bird stops chirping, another one decides to start a tune.

“So me and Barbara are gonna study at her house tonight. That’s cool, right?” Nancy says, not an ask, but that of course gets shot down too.

“No, not cool.”

“What? Why not?”

“Why do you think? Am I speaking Chinese in this house? Until we know Will is okay, no one leaves.”

“This is such bullshit.” Nancy replies, dropping her fork.

“Language.” Ted chimes in, still munching on his food.

“So we’re under house arrest? Just because Mike’s friend got lost on the way home from–”

“Wait, this is Will’s fault?” Mike spat, sending daggers at his sister.

“Nancy, take that back.” Karen warned, as Holly started to get teary eyed.

“No!” Nancy scoffed.

“You’re just pissed off ‘cause you wanna hang out with Steve.” Mike quips, sending the whole room into silence. He swallows when he realizes he messed up (and how his sister looked like she was going to kill him).

“Steve?” Her father asked, finally tuning back in.

“Who is Steve?” Her mother asked, as her son decided to just roll with it anyway.

“Her new boyfriend.”

“You are such a douchebag, Mike!” Nancy yells, throwing the chair back and marching out of the room.

“Language!” Ted says, as Karen sighs.

“Nancy, come back. Come back!” She shakes her head, and cups her youngest cheek. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Holly.” She holds up her sippy cup. “Here, have some juice, okay?”

“You see, Michael? You see what happens?”

“What happens when what?” Mike snaps again, still in disbelief. “I’m the only one acting normal here! I’m the only one that cares about Will!”

“That is really unfair, son. We care.” And now his words drove his son away from the dinner table.

“Mike!” Karen yells after him too.

“Let him go.” Ted encourages, as his wife picks up their child.

“I hope you’re enjoying your chicken, Ted.” She says, then leaves herself.

“What did I do?” He notices he is truly alone now. “What’d I do?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Dustin was sitting on his bed, holding his sister’s necklace in his palm. It was a gold color chain with a dark red heart shaped guitar pick. It even had her initials scratched into it. Such a beautiful and expensive gift. However, he still wonders why she even still wears it. Especially since it was gifted by none of other then–

[ ‘Dustin, do you copy? It’s Lucas.’ ]

He perked up from the voice of his friend coming through on his walkie, and scrambled off the bed to his desk. “Lucas. What’s up?”

[ ‘Mike just called me. Says he wants to go out looking for Will.’ ]

“Looking for Will?” He gasps at how perfect this was. “We can look for Phanie too!”

[ ‘Steph? You mean she hasn’t come home yet?’ ]

“No! That’s what I’ve been saying!” Why don’t his friends listen to him sometimes? “So she’s out there, we have to go find her as well!”

[ ‘I mean, we can. But we’re biking over where Will was last–’ ]

“Oh, no. I got that! But…” Dustin frowns. “Wait. You didn’t hear?”

[ ‘Hear what?’ ]

“Oh, my god– Okay! Well, long story short, my sister wasn’t playing hooky like everyone thought.”

[ ‘What do you mean?’ ]

“According to the police, Phanie apparently gave Will a ride home before somewhere along the way, her car ended up in the woods. They found his bike in her car, and even found her necklace at his home. So, Lucas, my sister was with Will! It’s not just Will who’s missing! My sister is too! Together!”

He thought might have exploded his friend’s brain after the long silence he was given.

[ ‘Oh shit…’ ]

“Yeah!”

[ ‘We have to tell Mike this when we meet up. Don’t worry, man, we’ll find her too.’ ]

“And I have faith in us.” Dustin peeks outside his door. “My mom’s watching her shows right now to keep herself distracted. So we have a few hours.”

[ ‘Perfect. See you in ten.’ ]

“See you in ten.” He puts down the antenna, clenching the necklace in his palm. “Don’t worry, sis, we’re going to find you too.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[ ‘I’m sorry.’ ]

He heard her apologize for the millionth time while over the phone. He can imagine her cute little face full of irritation (was that reason to be in love with a person?). 

[ ‘My… dumb mother has me under house arrest until morning.’ ]

“Don’t sweat it, Nance.” He said, leaning against the wall while they talked. “You know… I could always be sneaky like a ninja and–”

[ ‘No, Steve. You know what my parents would do if they caught you?’ ]

He hums. “Um, congratulate me?”

[ ‘Steve.’ ]

Steve laughs. “Alright, alright. I’m joking. Uh–” He runs a hand through his locks. “We could… study over the phone?”

That was a good idea.

Right?

Her silence was making him worry. “Um, Nancy?”

[ ‘Sorry. I was thinking. It’s a tempting offer but… risky. I don’t want my parents eavesdropping.’ ]

“Do they tend to eavesdrop?”

[ ‘Steve!’ ]

“Alright, I’ll stop.”

[ ‘We’ll just see each other tomorrow.’ ]

“Of course we will.” He smiles. “As long as uh… the search for that Byers boy isn’t still going on. Heard they’re grabbing everyone in town.”

[ ‘Yeah. Well, it’s not just for him, l mean they’re looking for the Henderson girl too.’ ]

And there it is again.

The horrible, aching feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“S-Stephanie?” The air got trapped in his lungs (Why was it so hard to breathe?). “I thought Will just went missing?” It was just him, right? There’s no way she went missing too. And at the same time no less. “Right, Nancy?”

[ ‘No. From what it sounds like on the news I just overheard, she gave him a ride home, but her car was found abandoned with his bike in it. So… as of now, we have two people missing.’ ]

Stephanie’s really missing? Once again he’s asking himself that it shouldn’t hurt this much, right? It’s not like they’ve been acquitted in years, so–

[ ‘Steve? You there?’ ]

“Uh, um, N-Nancy I… I think I hear my parents. I… I-I got to go.” He said, slurring his words and could practically feel the strange look she was probably giving him right now.

[ ‘You okay?’ ]

“Y-Yeah. I’m… I’m good, I– I think it’s time for dinner.”

[ ‘Isn’t it kind of late for dinner now?’ ]

“Oh, you know, we Harringtons like to have it late. So, uh, pfff– I’ll see you at school tomorrow. Have fun studying.”

[ ‘Steve–’ ]

He hangs up the phone before she questions him anymore.

It just doesn’t make sense. They’re not friends any more so…

.

.

.

Why does it hurt so much?

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The rain was coming down like a monsoon. Thunder was starting to rumble, lightning was lingering around waiting to strike. Speaking of waiting… The Byers were on their couch, rummaging through photos that touched their emotions.

“Jonathan, wow. You took these?” Joyce asked, amazed by them. “These are great.” She got her son to crack a smile. “Wow, they really are.” Then came the sniffles again. “I-I know I haven’t been there for you. I’ve been working so hard and… I-I just feel bad. I don’t even barely know what’s going on with you. All right? I am so sorry about that.” And then the sobs started coming from her child. “Hey, what is it? What is it, honey?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Tell me. Tell me.” Joyce urges, rubbing his forearm. “Come on. You can–”

“No. It’s just…” Jonathan’s blank expression broke. “I s-should’ve been there for him.”

“No. Oh, no. You can’t do that to yourself.” She shakes her own head and gives him a gentle squeeze. “This was not your fault. Do you hear me? He is… close. I know it. I-I feel it in my heart.” She clenches the left side of her chest. “You just have to… You have to trust me on this, okay?”

He nods while leaning into his mother’s touch. “Yeah.”

“Oh, look at this.” She says, picking one where it was just Will and his cute smile. “Look at this one.” It makes them both quietly laugh. “I mean, that’s it, right?”

“Yeah. That’s it.” He smiles sadly. “W-We should… see if Ms. Henderson had any photos of Stephanie. Maybe we can make a poster together.”

Then her whole world gets thrown around when she hears breathing. “Will?” She chokes, eyes widening. “Will? It’s Will!”

“That’s a good idea.” And the phone rings and she shoots off the couch. She prays and prays it’s good news as she yanks the phone off the receiver. “Hello?” She answers, which happened to be nothing but static.

“Hello? Lonnie? Hopper? Who is this?”

Jonathan was by her side in a split second. “Mom, it’s Will?”

“Who is this?!” Joyce screamed when growling came on the other side. “What have you done to my boy? Give me back my son!” And whoever was truly on the other side, replied by shocking her with electricity. She shrieked and threw the phone away, her son picking it up right after.

“Hello? Hello, who is this?” Jonathan asked, the silence making him furiously hit the phone box. “Hello? Who is this?” He finally hangs up, turning towards his hysterical mother. “Mom, who was it? Who was it, Mom?”

“It was him.” She sobbed, as she was taken in his arms.

“Look at me, was it Will?”

“Yes!”

“What did he say?” Jonathan choked, as his mother reached for the phone, hoping they were still connected.

“He just breathed. He just breathed.”

“And was someone else there?”

“I–”

“Mom, who was there? Who was it?”

“It was him…” She wraps her arms around him, knees almost buckling at the emotional exhaustion. “I know it was his breathing. I know it was his breathing.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Meanwhile, in the deep depths of the forest, drenched head to toe, the trio was shouting until their lungs hurt, hoping to find any one of their loved ones. 

“Will!” 

“Stephanie!”

“Byers! Henderson!”

“Anyone?!”

Lucas sighs. “Guys, I’m starting to feel like this is hopeless.” 

“Don’t be a big sissy.” Dustin says, getting ‘the look’.

“I’m just being realistic, man.”

“Well, stop being realistic! My sister and Will are missing, and they’re fine.” They have to be. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if they’re–

“Maybe…”

“Lucas!” Mike scolded, getting a shrug.

“What?” Lucas snapped. “I’m just saying. I mean, did any of you ever think Will and Steph went missing because they ran into something bad? And we happened to be going to the exact same spot where they were last seen? And we have no weapons or anything?”

“So?!” Dustin scoffed. “If it was any of us in their place, my sister and Will would be busting their asses trying to find us!”

“Really? How would you know that?”

“I just do!”

“Shut up!” Mike yells, facing them. Their jaws closed and he shushed them quietly. “Shut up and listen.” And then there was a faint sound of rustling. “Do you guys hear that?”

And then the rustling got louder and louder, the boys spinning on their heels and waving their flashlights around for any signs of life. Just as thunder roared and the spotlights moved to another side, that’s when they were practically blinding a person.

Although it was not Will or Stephanie.

It was another child, barefoot and in a shirt that was practically a dress.

Staring in amazed and confusion, the boys weren’t sure what to say except,

“What the hell?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

|| THE NIGHT BEFORE ||

The lights flickered back on with an audible gasp. 

She heaved the strange tasting air into her lungs, eyes adjusting to the bright world before it completely went dim, like an eclipse was happening just overhead. Before she could question where she was, she felt someone tug on her jacket and gasp themself.

Stephanie whipped her body around, catching the sight of the young boy who was now having a bit of coughing fit. “Will?” She says, taking the boy by his shoulders, relieved to see him.

“S-Steph?” He choked, taking a moment to look around with his big cocoa eyes. “What just happened?”

Well that was the million dollar question. What actually happened?

She takes a moment to finally look around herself, realizing they were in the… same spot? Yeah… the same spot. They were still inside the shed, still holding the shotgun, but the only difference was no… what can you even call that thing they encountered?

“We’re still in the shed. But it’s…” Will crinkled his button nose at the sight. “Gross.”

Steph swallows, blue orbs landing on the door. “Stay behind me.” She lets herself push open the shed door slowly, heart beating like crazy as she luckily met with no scary creature. She shivered at the sudden drop in temperature. “Jesus, It’s freezing.”

The outside world seemed to be encased in a blue hue, the places around seemed to be tangled with vines and covered in something sticky. There was also a white powder that looked like snow, raining down from the dark skies above. A sky that didn’t even have moonlight like it did a few minutes ago.

Holy shit… She thought, before feeling around her head, worriedly. She then locked eyes with him and asked, “Did you hit your head when we crashed?” He shakes his head, fueling her emotions. So they weren’t dreaming or having a concussion. So what even is this place? 

Where the hell are we? And in the distance…

A creature snarled…

.

.

.

While waiting for his orders from his master beyond.

(TBC)

A/N: 😬🤭🫣

-Taglist is Open-

@ladygrey03 @poppet05 @tooearlyforthis @lovesfics @lordzzz

@mirkwoodshewolf @sadbitchfangirl

[sakuraaachan]

Virtual Experience - Izuku M.

​Have you ever loved someone so much you created a fantasy virtual world to have sex with them? No?…..Okay.

Izuku Midoryia x Reader

Rating: mature, smut

Wanna submit a request? Click here

This is the full version of this story!

“Going stupid on that cock huh?”

You couldn’t speak, your body stuffed with Izuku’s cock. He relentlessly pounded into you while you held onto his shoulder for dear life.

He groans into your ear. ”Answer me baby.”

“Yes-yes- mhh!” You struggled to moan out, some drool coming out your mouth. Your nails start to poke into Izuku’s back. You're unable to see and only hold onto Izuku in hopes you won't get lost in the abyss of pleasure you were in.  

You can hear Izuku chuckle, “relax baby you're gonna make me cum too fast.”

You close your eyes, doing your best to breathe while relaxing your muscles.

“THE TIME IS CURRENTLY 6:00PM, NOW SHUTTING DOWN”

The word goes black as you're brought back to reality. You remove the headset from your face, wiping some sweat from your forehead. 

“How was that?” The intercom turns on, Mei Hatsumes voice speaking into it.

You look over at her through the glass doors, a smile on your face. “It felt so real Mei, your work is amazing.”

“Our work,” she corrects, pressing a button to release cold air into the chamber. “And of course it is a VR sexual experience you can actually feel, now that’s the future.”

The door makes a loud click as it unlocks. You grab a towel before exiting and heading up the stairs towards your shared office. 

“So you're gonna tell me why you chose Deku as your male participant?”

You pause as you enter, looking at Mei with a shocked face. “You looked at the code didn’t you?” 

“Duh! Now tell me everything.”

You sigh in defeat as you slumped into your chair, “so maybe being able to feel him up everytime he rips his suit was kinda getting to my head.”

“So that’s why you wanted to make this,” Mei allows a smirk to come over her face. “Pervert!” She shouts playfully, pointing a finger at you.

Pouting as you let out a small whine, you cross your arms. “Haven’t you ever wanted something so bad, but it was just out of reach?”

“You two are pretty close, so why would he reject you?”

“Have you seen the curves on Uraraka-san? You should have seen them in UA, it was disgusting how obvious it was that she was crushing on him,” you stare at the framed photo of you and Izuku at graduation.

“Doesn’t mean he liked her,” Mei mutters, shrugging her shoulders before abruptly turning your chair to face her. “Use the VR again.”

You raise a brow, “huh? I just got off and it’s 6:30.”

“Just go!” She persists, pulling you out the seat and pushing you out the officer door. “I wanna try something so get going!” She gives you one last push before slamming the door, you huff before going back down the stairs.

“Mei, can’t this wait for tomorrow?”

“Is someone talking?” She blankly ignores you, opening the glass chamber to the VR testing room. 

“Mei!” You groan, reluctantly going into the room. “Whatever your testing, it better be worth it.”

She locks the door as you place the body pins on your chest, you take a deep breath before putting on the headset. The system loads you up before eventually you're placed in a different reality.

“Y/n? Are you okay?”

The system specs in your eyes, loading as you get used to your surroundings. “Oh! Yes, I’m fine,” you blink a few times as your vision clears. 

You're in a fancy restaurant, one that was illuminated by an orange light setting. Across from you is Izuku Midoriya, dressed in a fancy black suit. He smiles at you, a little bit of concern in his eyes. “Are you sure? Maybe you had too much wine?” 

You giggle at his caring nature, “It’s nothing Deku, I just spaced out a bit”

He places a hand over yours. “Please...just call me Izuku.” Your face heats up at the contact, and a smile melts onto your face.

The waiter comes up to the table, a few more behind him. “Here is your check Mr and Mrs, and a complimentary champagne on us,” the waitress places a tray down, smiling at the two of you.

They walk away and you reach for the check, but Izuku grabs it from you shaking his head slightly. “What type of man would I be if I let you pay?”

“Oh, it’s okay Izuku, you do so much for me already….let me pay you back at least.”

He places his card in the checkbook, placing it down by the edge of the table. “You can pay me back later, tonight.” His voice is deep, hotter than it was before. 

“O-oh” You flush.

“Y/n? Hatsume-san?” 

Mei slams her laptop shut as an uninvited guest enters the office. “Deku! What a surprise, come here for some more testing?” 

Izuku shakes his head with a small chuckle, “I’m here to see Y/n, she wasn’t answering her phone.”

Opportunity rushes into Mei's head and her grin widens. “Y/n is just testing our latest invention,” she points out the large window and Izuku walks over to look out.  

He arches a brow, “is there something wrong with her?”

You were a sight to see, sitting down on a couch with your legs spreaded. Neck craned back with your mouth opening from time to time.

“We're still working on the name but introducing Fantasy VR, this baby allows you to have sex with anyone of your choosing.” 

“Like..transportation?” Izuku asks.

“Illusions, nobody’s actually in there. Just Y/n’s subconscious, and the code of whoever she is doing it with. ” Mei explains, watching your trembling body. “I wonder who it is.”

“Me too,” He whispers.

Your heart rate spikes up, sounding an alarm on Mei’s closed computer. The girl grabs a nearby tablet before turning off your simulation. Izuku watches as you pull the headset off, brushing the sweaty hairs out of your face.

“This is literally the best thing ever Mei, we gotta make it portable.” You let out a laugh of amusement, “having sex with I-”

“You have a visitor!” She interrupts you, pressing the AC button. Confused you look at the window, the man that had just “fucked” you standing next to your best friend.

Shit.

The door clicks as it unlocks and you pull it open before exiting. It was like the walk of shame as you went up the stairs, with every step more embarrassment built within you. “Heyyy Deku…” You enter the office, grabbing the towel you left at your desk. “What brings you here?”

You try your best to act nonchalant, despite the blush that creeps up your cheeks. Izuku raises an eyebrow, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "I tried calling you, but you didn't pick up. I was just worried. Are you okay?"

“Fuck, it’s friday isn’t it.” You facepalm, groaning into your hand. “Shit, I’m sorry”

“It’s okay, it seems like you’ve been busy.” He jokes, chuckling slightly at your flustered state. 

You give him a sheepish smile, using the towel to wipe off the remaining sweat from your face. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was... testing out a new VR invention Mei and I have been working on.”

“Hey lovebirds calm it down a bit, I need to use Deku,” Mei interrupts the two of you, patting her plastic model of the VR headset. “I haven’t tried this baby on a male yet, since he’s here at perfect timing.”

You shake your head at her with a disapproving look, “no, it’s still just a prototype we don’t know what the after effects could be-.  

“Sure.”

You turn to Izuku shocked, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Deku, you don’t have to do this, it’s just a prototype, the effects-.” 

He shakes his head, “It’s fine, I owe it to you guys for always fixing my suit.” He glances out the window, “besides, I’ll be locked in a quirk-proof chamber, it’ll be fine.”

“Testroom 5” Mei tells Izuku as he exits.

“Are you insane?!” You whisper yell once the door shuts. 

“This is your chance to see who Deku wet dreams about” She says suggestively, typing quickly on her laptop.

“I don’t want to invade his personal privacy,”

“You already invaded it when you made a device to have virtual sex with him.” She continues to type, “I saw an opportunity and I took it, you’ll stay single forever if you don’t take chances.” 

“What if it fails, and he likes someone else…” Your voice drops, looking down to the floor.

“Then that’s it, at least you’d know” 

“Hey, you guys ready?” Deku's voice interrupts the two of you, Mei clicks the mic button before speaking. 

“Sending Y/n in to help you with the body pins”

“What is this fucked up romance going on in your head?” You question, crossing your arms at her. “Expect me to just confess my overlonging feelings for him as I help him with body pins?” You walk over to the office door, before mocking yourself “oh Deku, I’ve loved you since high school and I created a whole sexual fantasy land because of how badly I wanted to have sex with you, yeah that sounds fucking romantic.” 

Mei spins to face you, “it’ll be something like that.”

You scoff at her before exiting and marching down the steps. “Alright hot stuff you know the drill, shirt off.” Deku complies immediately, tugging his shirt off overhead and giving you a view of his abs. He throws the cloth onto the couch in the room and you walk over and smooth a hand over his chest before placing the clips.

“So how does this work?” He breaks the silence.

 You stick on the last pin “you can have sex with anyone of your choosing, just think of them while the VR loads your subconscious into the programmed reality.”

“Hey, I’m going to get some takeout,” Mei’s loud voice booms in the chamber, scaring the both of you. 

“Okay!” You shout back, grabbing the headset and handing it to Izuku. “You’ll be in there for 30 to 60 minutes, and nothing will happen to you here…besides the moaning and whatnot but, that’s why we have soundproof chambers.”

He places the VR above his eyes, and you help fit the strap to his head size. It was hard trying to keep his green curls out the velcro strap, you have to note to make an easier way to put the headset on. “Also, try not to get into stressful situations, the headset will kick you out if your heart rate goes up too high, don’t want you to have a heart attack.”

He nods. “You said it could be anyone right?”

“Mhm!” You finished tightening it, stepping back a bit with a victorious grin. “You could have sex with Dynamight if you wanted-...” Izuku doesn’t look amused at your joke. “Yeah…that sounded better in my head- okay! So enjoy and I’ll be up there keeping an eye on your vitals.”

He lets out a hum before sliding the headset down, a second passes before you leave. You tug at the handle, but it wouldn't budge. Did Mei lock you in before she left?

“Fuck-fuck, Mei! I’ll kill you for this!” You shout, still roughly trying to open the door which still wouldn’t budge. “Aww fuck me” You curse, walking over to the couch in defeat. Now you’ll have to listen to Izuku fuck who ever he wants. “I’m going to murder you Mei Hatsume!”

As you sit on the couch, frustration and embarrassment wash over you. You can't believe Mei locked you in the room, leaving you to listen to whatever is happening inside the virtual reality chamber. You look at Izuku, who stands in front of you still unaware of your presence in the room. You should wake him up, savor the little bit of his privacy you haven’t invaded.

But…you’ve never tested interrupting the fantasy while the VR was still active. It could have very dangerous effects. Shit.

A bead of sweat drops down Izuku’s chest, and his fist clenches. You watch through your lashes, staring at the bead as it slowly moves through the maze of Izuku’s chest. How lucky.

Eyes landed on a boner sitting in Izuku’s pants, gosh and he was packing. Your eyes widen and you place a hand over your mouth to stop yourself from gasping. 

“Puppy-” He groans out, his fist clenching again. 

You feel a spark in your pussy, as you clench around nothing. He groans again, making you moan at the feeling it brought to you. “Shit-” you curse, crossing your legs before chewing on your bottom lip.

His hips seemed to thrust every now and then and more sweat rolled down his chest. It was a heavenly sight to see and you had a front row seat, but the throbbing in your cunt was becoming unbearable.

You uncross your legs and hand drifts in between your legs, pressing at your clothed clit to try and relieve some of the pressure. You moan, clasping a hand over your mouth before looking over Izuku to see if he had heard you. 

He remained the same.

You hand teases the waistband of your sweat pants, and your eyes darted at the glass wall from time to time, making sure Mei wasn’t back at the office yet. 

“Y-your such a good girl- taking my cock like this- ah..fuck.” 

You unconsciously whine, allowing your fingers to do as they please as you listen to Izuku’s grunts and cries. It felt heavenly, the risk of getting caught adding more pleasure to it all.

“THE TIME IS CURRENTLY  8:30PM NOW SHUTTING DOWN”

Damn, you glared at the speaker. Taking your hand out your pants, still unsatisfied. Izuku should have taken off his headset by now, but he remained still. 

“Deku?” You squeak, afraid of the questions he might ask. 

The male remains unresponsive.

You arch a brow, swallowing your pride and getting up to take his headset off. “Hey, Deku…are you okay?”

You pull the VR above his eyes, and his dark green orbs immediately meet with yours. “Deku?” You ask again, but there still isn’t a response. 

You're cut off when Izuku slams you against the glass wall of the chamber, the sound of the VR headset crashing to the ground making you cringe. “Midoriya-?”

“I’ve always wondered why you never call me by my first name.”

His mouth traces over your ear as he whispers into it, a shiver goes down your spine leaving you at a loss for words. “I don’t think you understand what you do to me Y/n.”

He moves so his face is in front of yours. His eyes were filled with lust, so different from the way he’d always look at you. “Say it.”

“W-what?” You quiver, feeling tiny in between Izuku’s arms and the wall. “Say what?”

“My name!” You squeeze your eyes shut as he shouts. He mutters an apology, taking a second to breath. “Please. Say my name.”

“Deku?” 

“No.” He says in a faint whisper, “my first name.”

“I-izuku,” you hesitate, unable to figure out what could be the cause of Izuku’s sudden actions. It had to be a side effect from the headset, but what could you do? It didn’t seem like Izuku wanted to hurt you, so what..-Your lips never felt anything so warm and soft, your eyes widened as Izuku’s sudden kiss made your knees feel weak. 

He caught you before you could fall, slotting himself in between your legs. Hypnotized by the drunk feeling his scent gave you, slowly you parted your lips and allowed Izuku’s tongue to slip inside.

He pulls away, moving his face into the nape of your neck. You gasp for air as finally you're able to think, but your thoughts are stolen from you as Izuku presses his boner into your clothed pussy.

“Ah-! Izuku-” You squeak in surprise, holding onto his shoulders. 

“Who did you fuck?” He continues to rub himself against you, staring you directly in the eyes. “Come on puppy, tell me who you fucked with that damned machine.”

You can’t think, looking up at the ceiling as all the built up pressure from before was finally being let out. It felt wonderful, fantastic, so good you wanted to pull away from it.

“Who.” He stops humping you, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look down at him, “did you fuck?”

You hesitate, feeling embarrassed but Izuku wasn’t going to take silence for an answer. He presses himself up against you roughly, making you speak out. “You!” You shout, “I made the whole thing for you!”

He groaned in response, “gonna make you feel so good.”

Your back hits the soft couch in the room, Izuku’s body never straying too far from yours. He tugs at the ends of your sweatpants, and you lift your butt up to help him pull it off.

The garment is tossed to the side and his hands run up and down your thighs. He brings his face in between your legs, nudging his nose into your panties and taking a huge sniff. You let out a small gasp before he’s sliding your panties off.

He doesn’t wait before he starts to devour you. His tongue licked up the slit of your pussy as he pushed your thighs up against his shoulders.

“Oh shit-!” You squeak, propping yourself up onto your elbows to watch his green curls bounce as his head moves in between your legs. He sticks a finger inside of you before starting to suck on your clit making you drop your head back with a loud moan.

You drop onto your back, filled with helpless pleasure as your hands begin to reach for something to hold onto. Your hands find themselves in Izuku’s hair and you swear you can feel him smile into your pussy.

A feeling begins to coil in your stomach, you were close and Izuku wasn’t planning on stopping yet. You started to push his head down, moaning out desperately from him to make you cum. 

Your eyes roll to the back of your head as the feeling inside you finally comes undone, Izuku laps up your juices before tapping on your leg to let him go. Once he’s released, he crawls back over you with a sweet smile on his face, one that looks so innocent in contrast to his recent actions. You're both catching your breaths, chests heaving up and down in sync.

He kisses you, the taste of yourself still on his lips, but you're too spaced out to care, caught up in your own pleasure and excitement. Your hands begin to travel down his chest, starting to tug downwards at his pants.

He chuckles. “Can’t wait, can you?”

“Shut up and lose the pants.”

He pulls away slightly, pulling down his pants and taking his boxers with him. Your jaw slacks when you see his dick, it was bigger than how it looked on the VR. He takes pride in your reaction, a smirk reaching his lips as he crawls back on top of you.

“I never want to see you use that machine, ever again,” his mouth hovers over your ear, “when you want sex, you come to me, not some fucking piece of plastic.”

His hips move slightly before you feel the tip of his dick poking your entrance. His right hand comes up to lace fingers with yours, the two of you just staring at one another intently. Slowly his hips move forward and he starts to enter you. Your grip on his hand tightens and you hold onto his arm, pain seeping within your body as he ventures deeper inside.

He bottoms out inside you, staying completely still as you adjust to the size within you. His face is in the crook of your neck, distracting you with kissing and sweet nothings.

You gasp out the breath you hadn’t known you had been holding, a small string of curses coming out of your mouth. 

“God fuck,” he whispers. “Waited too damn long.”

The feeling of pain subsided into an uncomfortable sensation, and your legs wrapped around Izuku, forcing him to move further into you. You both moan from pleasure, and Izuku takes it as his sign to start moving, going slow in case you're still adjusting. 

You cry out for him, holding onto his arms as you pleaded for him to move faster, “please Izuku, god please.” He had you hypnotized, drunk off his kisses and intoxicated by his smell.

“Ah-mhmm, haaa-” You're unable to speak, your mouth hanging open as Izuku rocked in and out of you. He captures your mouth again, the kiss is messy which only adds more to your fantasy.

“Mm fuck” he curses as he pulls away from the kiss. You start to whine out broken praises, feeling the warmth of your upcoming orgasm starting to build up. You can’t think, not a single thought is able to process in your mind, tears begin to flow out your eyes and you cover your mouth with your hand.

Your voice threatens to scream out and the lack of oxygen makes you feel slightly light headed, the room spinning around you. He groans at your now muffled whimpers, his finger going down to your clit and starting playing with it.

It felt like time slowed down as your building up orgasm tumbled down, you stared Izuku in the eyes as your entire body just stopped functioning. He doesn’t stop though, but you can feel the long thick streams of cum spurt from his cock inside you, both of you sweaty messes.

A couple more thrusts for good measure before he collapsed on top of you. The world doesn’t come back to you yet, you basically been fucked dumb. You start to catch your breath, struggling with the heavy weight on top of your body.

“Izuku?” You whisper. No reply.

You move your head to look at him, the man was knocked out. A small groan escapes you as you start to wiggle, accidentally pushing Izuku off the couch and onto the floor when you attempt to lift him.

“Shit,” you curse. 

Looking around the room, you had almost forgotten where you were, what you were doing, and you totally just took advantage of your best friend as he was not in his right mind. He was under the influence of the side effects of the VR and you completely took advantage of that! 

Your hands begin to run through your hair as a million thoughts processed through your head at once. Holy shit, you actually just had sex with Izuku Midoryia, who is not only the number one hero, your best client, and your literal best friend.

Would he be disgusted? Mortified, maybe he would feel bad for you. “Fuck!” You curse again, hopping off the couch and searching for your clothes. Oh shit, Mei! Who knows how long you had been in here with him, what if she had seen you?!

You quickly put your clothes back on, before grabbing Izuku’s boxers and attempting to put them back on him. It was the least you could do, after you exploited him. You fold his pants up and place them neatly on the couch before walking over to the door and pulling at it again. It still wouldn’t budge!

Wait a minute…this was test chamber number 5 right?

Instead of pulling at the door, you give it a small push and it opens easily. “No…fucking-” you mutter under your breath.

You quickly exit the room, giving Izuku’s unconscious body one last look before you swiftly make your way to the exit. He’d be fine, those test chambers were one of the safest places in Musutafu.

“I’m sorry Izuku.” 

It had been a week, a whole week of you arriving to work stupidly early and leaving just before Izuku’s patrol schedule would give him enough time to stop by. A whole week of ignoring all the messages you’d been receiving on your phone, most of them from Izuku.

It was a Wednesday morning, Mei would be coming in quite late since she had to run some errands across town. You were currently on a small break, taking small bites of your oatmeal as you watched your favorite show on your laptop.

But you couldn’t focus. A million thoughts and each of them were about Izuku, the way he made your body feel, the sounds that came out of him, how his tongue felt in between your legs. 

There was no way you could ever look at Izuku the same again. How could you ever apologize for what you did, and to make matters worse, you just left him half-naked in that chamber.

What could he possibly have to say to you?

“Hey.”

You clicked the spacebar on your laptop, pausing the show and turning over to the door of your office. Izuku stood there dressed in his regular clothes with a bag strapped over his shoulder.

Your eyes widen but you're quick to mask your look of surprise with an awkward smile. “Hey.”

A moment of silence passes before you clear your throat. “It’s um, very early, what are you doing here?”

He doesn’t say anything, almost like he forgot himself. “Oh yeah…My suit, it’s um…ripped.”

You hate that Mei isn’t here so you can’t just throw this onto her. With a small sigh you get up from your chair, tossing your blanket aside and walking over to Izuku. “Come on, let’s get that fixed up.”

No matter what happens between you and Izuku, you still would never want him to go somewhere else to fix his suit. It’s like cheating on your hairdresser. 

It was unbearably silent between you two. Your plan was to act like Friday never happened but it was easier said than done, just seeing Izuku made you want to clench your legs together. 

“You haven’t been answering my messages, or calls.”

There it was, the elephant in the room. How were you supposed to act like nothing happened between you two, when you’ve been ignoring him for the whole week!

“My phone has been acting weird, I think it might be broken,” you mutter out a lame excuse as you take Izuku’s suit out the bag and lay it out on the table.  Like hell he would believe that. Your best friend could make a whole new brand of phone that would be 100 times better than any phone you could buy now.

He only clicks his tongue and nods and you begin to look over the suit for the damage. “It’s over here,” you almost squeak as you feel a chest press up behind you, Izuku leaning over you to point at where the rips were.

“Thanks,” you mutter out breathlessly, his actions not helping to the throbbing in between your legs. The way his abs felt pressed against your back reminded you of how he held you up against that wall, humping himself in between your legs to pleasure himself and you. 

You stop yourself before you lean back into Izuku, moving away from his arms and over to the waist of the suit. If you didn’t know any better, you could say the marks looked intentional. Just too clean to be from a battle, and too straight to not have been done on purpose.

Should you say something? Why would Izuku cut his suit on purpose? No, no, just fix the suit and get him out of here.

You walk over to the nearby computer, typing in a few codes before the table you had set the suit on begins to move, it descended into the floor before it was covered by a glass panel. Some robot hands appeared out from the side before beginning to work on the repairs.

You finish typing on the computer, “alright, should be about 5 minutes.”

“Can we talk?”

A strong smell of bleach enters your nose, the process of repairing is almost done, and is now on the cleaning cycle. The smell is so strong you can’t find yourself to reply to Izuku. “Is it just me, or does that bleach smell really strong?”

“No-”

The smell irritates your mind, it doesn’t help that your heart is racing too. “Geez, that smell is strong,” you breathe out, stumbling out of the cleaning room for some fresh air. Izuku follows behind and though you’ve left the heavily scented room your mind is beginning to spiral. 

“Y/n, please, I just wanna talk-” he pleads, but you couldn’t listen if you wanted to run down by fatigue. 

“Yesh, yeah, we can talk, just wait here” you put your hand up to stop him. “I’m gonna go get some water.”

He stands still as you make your way to the cafeteria in the building. The cleaning room was quite a ways away now but the annoying smell of lemon bleach clouded your nostrils. You don’t even make it to the cafeteria before you sprint into a nearby bathroom and start to puke your guts out. You attempted to keep your hair from falling into the toilet bowl, but it was quite difficult as you emptied your stomach into the toilet.

You weren’t used to throwing up, you never really drank to that point, and your stomach was normally quite strong when it came to bad food. You stop puking, and rest your face onto the side of the toilet as you catch your breath.

You rub your stomach, it was strange for you to just become sick all of a sudden. Weakly your hand comes up to flush the toilet, and you carefully lift yourself up off the floor. You trudge out the bathroom, leaning against the wall as you take a second to catch your breath.

 A weird smell hits your nose, making you want to vomit all over again, and it was coming from outside the bathroom. You walk over to the door and open it, catching one of the building  workers who was carrying a plate of food off guard. “Ma’am?” She asks.

“What is that? It smells terrible.” 

She brings the plate in front of you, before taking off the cover to show a very beautifully plated breakfast. It looked absolutely delicious, but the sight and smell of it was going to make you throw up again.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” you quickly run back into the bathroom as your mouth waters, starting to vomit into the toilet again. The worker follows, placing her tray of food onto the bathroom counter before walking over to help.

She grabs your hair and holds it up, a smooth hand running up and down your back. She lets out a small chuckle, “I was the same way when I first got pregnant.”

Pregnant? 

“But--” You try to speak in between breaths, “I’m not pregnant?”

The worker only shushes you, continuing to rub your back. Her words still don’t leave your mind, and now that you think about it, you and Izuku definitely didn’t use a condom, and he was too out of his mind to pull out.

It’s way too early for you to be showing signs this heavily though right?

Right?

The vomiting stops and you sit there and take a moment to catch your breath. The worker stands up, “I’m going to get you some soup, my mother used to make it when I was pregnant, it doesn’t have any strong smells so you’ll be able to eat peacefully.”

She opens one of the cabinets in the bathroom and grabs you a few small white towels, placing them next to you before exiting. You flush the toilet again before slowly standing up, grabbing one of the towels and running some warm water on it. 

You drag the cloth over your mouth, wiping away any residue that might be left from your previous puking session.

Pregnant? This couldn’t be real, the universe had to be just toying with you, punishing you for taking advantage of Izuku.

As you stand there, the weight of the possibility settling in, you can't help but feel overwhelmed. Thoughts race through your mind as you try to process the implications of the situation. The worker returns with a bowl of soup, and you gratefully accept it, hoping it will help settle your stomach.

The take out bowl, lifting the lid she had put on it to glance at the soup. She was right, it was odorless, and looked delicious. "Thank you," you manage to say, your voice still shaky.

She gives you a kind smile. "You're welcome, dear. Take your time and eat slowly. It'll help you feel better."

You leave the bathroom with the soup in hand, avoiding the cleaning room where you had left Izuku and entering your office. 

 Mei turned to you, her laptop was still closed which meant she probably just got here. “Whoa you look like shit.”

“Thanks,” you say swifty, grabbing your bag from a nearby couch. “I’m not feeling well so I’m gonna go home, I have a really bad stomach bug.”

Mei eyes you suspiciously, she had gotten into the habit of doing that after your refusal to tell her what happened last week. With the damages to the VR set, and your constant avoidance of Izuku, it was hard to say nothing happened.

“And this has nothing to do with Deku, who’s currently coming up to the office now.”

Shit. “Nope, nothing! Okay bye!” You burst out of the office and hurried to the elevators, spamming the button so you could get down to the garage floor. 

As you anxiously wait for the elevator, your mind races with thoughts of how to handle the situation. You can't face Izuku right now, not when you're still processing the possibility of being pregnant. The elevator doors finally open, and you step inside, relieved to have a momentary escape.

Once you reach the ground floor, you rush to your car in the garage, hoping to make a quick getaway. You start the engine and speed out of the parking lot, the weight of the situation weighing heavily on your shoulders.

Driving aimlessly until you find yourself on a quiet street, parked by the side of the road. Tears well up in your eyes as you struggle to come to terms with everything. You feel mixed emotions. What will this mean for your relationship with Izuku? And if you are pregnant, what choices will you have to make?

You take a deep breath, trying to steady your emotions. It's clear that you can't continue avoiding Izuku or the situation at hand. Things had just gotten very serious and it was time to face the truth and have an honest conversation with him. You reach for your phone, intending to call him but stop when it rings. He was calling you.

You hesitate. Maybe you should wait. Just until you have some more information. The uncertainty of the situation weighs heavily on your decision-making process. Once Izuku’s call ends you quickly grab your phone, opening your search browser and searching up how early signs can show, and what the symptoms were.

The internet seemed to make it worse, listing each of your symptoms in many different articles. Before you know it you’re starting to cry, small sobs leaving your mouth.

You stared at one of the articles, a huge text practically mocking you. ‘It’s going to be okay!’ But it wasn’t,  it was not going to be okay.

Was buying a pregnancy test always so awkward? 

The long line on the one register that was open, the simple music they play to drown out the silence in the store. 

Standing with a hoodie pulled over your head and a stack of pregnancy tests in your arms, each a different brand, you can't help but feel self-conscious. The aisle you found yourself in seemed so distant from your usual shopping routine, and the music playing in the store only amplifies the awkwardness of the moment.

The weight of your situation hangs heavily on your shoulders while you wait for your turn to make the purchase. You glance around, hoping that no one you know sees you here. The line seems to move at a snail's pace, prolonging your discomfort. Each passing second feels like an eternity as you become acutely aware of the cashier's gaze and the potential judgment of other customers.

You were next in line, but the grandma that was in front of you just decided she wanted to take her sweet time. Pulling out her phone in request that the cashier explain the store’s mobile app to her. You let out a small groan of frustration, starting to tap your foot on the ground.

“Y/n?”

You freeze. Hoping that maybe whoever called your name would figure it wasn’t you.

You almost jump at the small tap of your shoulder, slowly turning around to meet the face of Uraraka. 

“Ohhh heyyy Uraraka,” you extended out the words, trying to act surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh I was just patrolling around and wanted to grab a snack,” she says with a sweet smile. “What are you-“ she glances down at the unmistakable items in your hands.

You drop all the pregnancy tests onto the conveyor belt, “I’m  just grabbing some items for a friend!” The transaction feels like it takes forever as you fumble for your wallet, your fingers seemingly incapable of functioning properly. 

“You know, Deku has been asking about you.” Her voice turns into one of worry, “he says you haven’t been answering his calls.” 

You feel a mix of relief and anxiety as Uraraka believes your hurried explanation and doesn't press further about the pregnancy tests. However, her mention of Izuku only adds to your growing unease.

"Yeah, I've just been really busy lately," you reply, attempting to sound nonchalant as you finally locate your wallet and pay for the items. "Lots of stuff going on, you know?"

Uraraka studies your face for a moment, her concern evident in her eyes. She reaches out and gently touches your arm.

"Y/n, if something's bothering you, you can always talk to me," she offers, her voice filled with sincerity.

 “Well, I really have to go.” You tell the cashier to keep the change, grabbing your plastic bag. “Bye Uraraka,” you say quickly before walking out the store. 

The one thing that could have gone wrong, went really fucking wrong. Uraraka would definitely tell Izuku that she saw you here. You purposely came out into the store when you knew Izuku would be across town patrolling so you wouldn’t have to run into him.

You look at the tests in your bag, it felt like the word ‘pregnancy’ that’s printed on the box was just mocking you. You throw the bag into the passenger seat of your car before getting in, leaning your head on the top of the steering wheel.

“Fuck…fuck!”

You contemplate your options, the right thing to do here was to stop being such a coward and tell Izuku straight up. But you weren’t going to do that, not yet. So you decided on locking yourself in your home until you gained the courage.

While navigating through the street you mind seems to torture you with all types of different sinarios , each of them ending with Izuku finding out and hating you forever.

You step out of the car, once you arrive home, and retrieve the bag of pregnancy tests from the passenger seat. As you enter your apartment, you close the door behind you, creating a barrier between yourself and the outside world. The familiar surroundings offer a temporary sanctuary, shielding you from the uncertainties that have been plaguing your mind.

You toss the bag onto the table, walking over to your fridge and taking out a gallon of water. You were going to need a lot of pee. As you chug down glass after glass, you find yourself pacing back and forth, your thoughts consumed. It is important that you stay honest with Izuku here, but fear grips you tightly.

Sitting down at the table, you reach for the bag of pregnancy tests and carefully examine them. Each test represents a potential answer to the question that has been haunting you. The longer you keep this secret, the harder it will be to face the consequences and find a resolution.

You take the bag and head to the bathroom. Filled with anxiety and hope, you follow the instructions carefully and lay out the multitude of tests you had on the counter. 

You sat on the edge of your bathtub, biting down onto your knuckles as you awaited for some form of answer, but your wait was swiftly interrupted by a knock on your door.

Startled by the knock on the door, you quickly stand up, leaving the pregnancy tests on the counter. Your heart races, wondering who could be at your door at a time like this. The interruption adds another layer of tension to an already overwhelming situation.

Your heart almost stops as you peek through the peephole, it’s Deku and he’s holding many brown bags. You want to ignore his knocks, pretend like you weren’t home. But he calls out for you.

“I know you in there. Just open up please.”

Despite the fear inside you demanding you to say no, you opened the door to your friend. “Hey.”

"Hey, Izuku," you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. "What brings you here?"

Izuku shifts nervously, his gaze flickering from your face to the ground and back again. "I've been trying to reach you, but you haven't been answering my calls or messages," he says, his voice filled with genuine worry. "I was really concerned. Are you okay?"

You swallow hard, the weight of your secret pressing heavily upon you. You're not ready to face the potential consequences and the impact it may have on your relationship with him.

"I... I've just been dealing with some personal stuff," you manage to say, though your voice quivers slightly. "I needed some time alone."

Izuku's concern deepens, and he steps closer, his eyes searching yours for answers. "Y/n, you know you can always talk to me, right? I'm here for you."

His words are filled with sincerity, and a part of you longs to open up and let him in. But the fear of his reaction and the uncertain future holds you back. You can't bear to lose his friendship, especially not now. You change the subject.

“What cha got there?” You point to the brown bags in his hands. 

“Oh- these, some grocery, figured we could make some dinner together.” He says sweetly, walking inside and placing the bags onto the countertop. “I got all the ingredients to make your favorite.”

A small smile tugs at the corners of your lips as you step closer to inspect the contents of the bags. Izuku's gesture brings a sense of comfort and normalcy to the moment.

As you unpack the groceries together, a sense of ease settles over the room. Throughout the cooking process, conversation flows easily between you. You discuss everyday topics, while he shares villain stories, and engage in laughter that momentarily lifts the weight from your heart.

“You should have seen Mei’s face, she looked more pissed than Bakugou” you chuckle as you chop the carrots. Izuku's laughter is warm, his peace bringing the same butterflies you felt in highschool to your stomach. 

 "She does have that fiery temper, doesn't she? It must have been quite a sight." He says, standing over by the large pot. You glance over at him, he looks silly with the apron you forced him to wear, but you couldn’t love him any less. It's in these moments that you realize how much you cherish his presence and the connection you share. But there is something important hanging in the air between you.

But for now, you choose to enjoy the simplicity of the present, relishing in the familiar banter that has always made your friendship special. Until a sharp pain shoots through your finger as your hand slips and the knife almost chops your thumb off.

“Shit!” You curse at the pain, holding your hand up and seeing the crimson blood flow out the wound. 

“What happened?” Izuku turns around immediately, grabbing a paper towel to help you with the bleeding. “Where’s your first aid kit?”

“The bathroom,” you say, putting pressure on the wound as he leaves the kitchen and walks down the hallway. The pain throbs through your finger, causing you to wince, but none of that matters when you remember what you had laid out in the bathroom.

The pregnancy test!

You follow Izuku's hurried footsteps with your eyes, cursing him in your mind for his quickness. The pain in your injured finger momentarily fades into the background as your thoughts are consumed by the pregnancy tests laid out in the bathroom. But it’s too late. 

He’d paused in the bathroom doorway, eyes set on the multiple pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter. You peaked over his broad shoulder, they still had yet to show results. 

Izuku turns his head slightly, glancing at you with surprise, concern, and a hint of fear in his eyes. He opens his mouth to say something, but the words seem to escape him, lost in the moment. His brows furrowed in confusion, searching for an explanation that you have yet to give.

He finally summons the courage to speak. “You’re pregnant?” 

“I-I don’t know yet,” you mutter.

He’s fully turned around now, looking at you with an intense eye. “Is this why you’ve been avoiding me? If you thought I wouldn’t take responsibility-”

“Wait- you remember that night?” The words escape your lips before you can stop yourself.

Izuku's expression softens. "Yes, I remember," he replies, his voice laced with vulnerability. "I've been trying to reach out to you, to talk about it, but you've been avoiding me."

Guilt gnaws at you, and you lower your gaze, unable to meet his eye. "I didn't know how to face you, Izuku. I was scared and confused. I took advantage of you…."

“Took advantage?” He repeats humorously. “Y/n…I was well aware of what I was doing. If anything, I took advantage of you.”

Now you were at a loss for words. You stutter as the guilt and self-blame that had been weighing heavily on you start to dissipate. “No, no, it was a side effect, from the VR.”

“Well, maybe it influenced me,” he shakes his head. “But it was you I had in that simulation, and when I saw you in the room with me, I couldn’t help myself.”

You stand there, stunned by Izuku's words. "Izuku," you say. "I didn't know. I thought I had crossed a line, that I had taken advantage of you."

He reaches out, gently wiping away a tear from your cheek. A wave of warmth spreads through your chest. The barriers that had kept you apart crumble, and a renewed sense of closeness envelops you both.

But the moment is interrupted by a loud beep from one of the electronic tests you had bought. With a quick glance at each other, you both swiftly made your way back into the bathroom, each test fading in a result. 

Not Pregnant. 

You could almost pass out from the relief you felt, another tear slipping out your eye. You begin to laugh at yourself, a self-deprecating laugh.

Izuku puts his hand on your shoulder, pulling you close. “What’s so funny?”

“I was so stressed out for nothing,” you say with a sigh. “I literally thought my life was over.”

He pouts, “and what’s so life ruining about being pregnant with my kid?”

You can't help but chuckle at Izuku's playful response, his words easing the tension that had built up inside you. You lean into his embrace, feeling a sense of warmth and comfort enveloping you.

"You're right," you reply, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "Being pregnant with your child doesn't sound so bad after all."

“Great.” He says, lifting you up easily into his arms. “Then you won’t mind trying again.” 

©LuvloveUni

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 38: Here Comes the Bride?

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes

Word Count: 2,169

My other stuff: Master List.

The moment we were back on Cordonian soil, and I was free of Madeleine, I texted Liam, asking for an immediate meeting.

He responded instantly. Come to my quarters. Leo is here now.

I made my way to Liam’s private suite. He was alone with his brother. He swept me into his arms, pressing me close to his body as he whispered, “I was worried about you. I’m so glad you’re back.”

I melted into his embrace for a moment before remembering that I was there to give my official report about what I’d learned in Hidar. Noting that no one else was present, I asked, “Should we wait until the entire team is assembled?”

Liam shook his head. “We can brief them later on the parts they need to know. Tell us what happened in Hidar. Was Lena there?”

“No. She wasn’t. Was she in Rivala?”

Leo looked at Liam, who nodded, then turned to me and said, “She wasn’t home, but her mother was. Her mother turns out to be my mother. My biological one, I mean.”

“Oh wow! Oh, Leo.” I crossed the room and sat on the couch next to him so that I could throw my arms around him. “That must have been so hard for you! Are you okay?”

He returned the hug quickly, then released me as he answered. “Yeah…I mean, no, not really, but yes. Liv was with me. I’ll be fine. It’s a lot to process, but the short version is that when Eleanor was alive, she let my mom see me secretly. The plan was for her to take me and Liam with her when she went back to Auvernall for Lena. Obviously, that never happened and Helena ended up adopting an alias and raising the baby herself.”

“That is a lot!” I sympathized.

“That’s not the biggest bombshell,” Liam interjected. “Turns out Constantine wasn’t the baby’s father and that’s why she ran away.”

Oh, boy. The hits just kept coming. I stood and turned to Liam, my eyes tracking across his face, looking for signs of distress. “And how are you handling that news?”

“I’m not judging her if that’s what you mean, and I don’t blame her either. Our father isn’t an easy man to love and I’m sure he wasn’t a great husband. The bigger twist is who she was having an affair with.”

My head swiveled between the two men. “Who was it?”

Leo answered. “Jackson Walker.”

“Drake’s father?”

“Yes.”

My heart dropped. “Does he know?”

Liam gave me an understanding smile as he reached out and took my hand in his. “You’re worried about him.”

“Yes, Liam. I’m worried about all of you! This is a huge shock for everyone, I’m sure, and it’s not even the biggest issue in your life at the moment.”

The biggest issue was the threat to life and limb that the Via Imperii posed. Not to mention Liam having to get up to speed on becoming king since he’d had the crown unexpectedly thrust upon him just days before.

I filled them in on everything that had happened in Hidar.

“Wow.” Leo grasped a handful of his own hair as he took in the information. “First, we find out we have a sister, then I find out she’s not my sister, and now we have a brother.”

“One that’s been weaponized against us,” Liam added.

“We can try to extract him when take them down. Give orders that he isn’t to be killed,” I offered. “Maybe he can be deprogrammed.”

“Maybe,” He replied doubtfully.

“It’s worth a try,” Leo argued. “We don’t know what he’s been told or how he feels about any of it.”

“Great.” I nodded, “I’ll make sure the team that breeches has his photograph and understands he’s to be taken alive.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Are we ready to breech?”

“Hopefully soon.” Getting their brother safely out of Via Imperii control added yet another layer to my resolve to take down the entire thing, not just the local branch.

“Did you learn anything else that we need to know?” Liam asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, I have news. While you were gone, I received the same invitation to join the Via Imperii that Leo received.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be open to playing along by accepting the invitation and pretending to—”

“Absolutely not.”

I suppressed a sigh of frustration. “You are expected to pick a bride at the end of the week!”

My time was running out.

“That seems unreasonable given that I just took over the role of crown prince less than a week ago.”

“About that.” Leo interrupted. “I’ve met with father and we agreed to a course of action. I’ll be officially announcing my pick and my abdication at the same time. So technically, the goal of me finding a wife will be satisfied, so hopefully the suitors won’t feel they have wasted their time.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” I nodded my approval. “Announce your choice first, so that the suitors and their families don’t feel tricked, and then announce that you’re stepping down so that the Via Imperii don’t see your choice as a threat.”

“That’s great!” Liam’s face brightened. “Then I can just wait until next year to pick a wife!”

“Yeah…. sorry, but I pitched that idea to dear old Dad, and he insisted that you choose someone now.”

“But—”

Sympathy passed across Leo’s face. “I get it. But I also agree that it needs to happen now.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to be engaged to ascend the throne and let’s face it…. Our father is getting worse by the day. He needs to retire. This morning he was sharp as a tack, but by lunchtime he thought I was Uncle Fabian.”

Liam uttered a string of swear words that I would have sworn he didn’t know.

“I know. And I’m sorry. If I hadn’t dropped this in your lap—”

“What? No!” Liam shook his head adamantly. “Your hand was forced, Leo. It’s fine. I don’t mind picking up the crown. It’s just the marriage part…” he trailed off as his eyes found mine.

The desperation in his eyes killed me a little. He had to marry, there was no choice about that. The only choice was who. He didn’t want to marry someone he wasn’t in love with.

He was in love with me.

That thought sent warmth cascading through me. It wasn’t the time to think about that, though. “What about just pretending to pick Madeleine? You can always break the engagement after we take down the—”

“That won’t work.” Liam shook his head. “A marriage contract must be signed at the conclusion of the selection ceremony. I would need cause to break it.”

“Proof that she’s a member of an organization trying to take over the government ought to do it, right?”

“The wedding is two weeks after the engagement,” Leo broke in. “If you don’t take them down quickly enough, then she will be queen, with access to classified information and places inside the palace. We can’t risk it.”

Liam stepped closer to me and took my hand in his as his eyes searched my face. “Does the idea of me marrying someone else do nothing to you, Riley?”

“I….” I had no easy answer for him, or for myself. I had no issue with him getting fake engaged to Madeleine for the purpose of taking down the bad guys. Hell, I’d accepted a proposal or two in the course of my career. But the idea of him actually marrying someone…. anyone…. bothered me far more than I was willing to admit.

My personal feelings aside, choosing any of the other suitors was going to get him killed. I stared into his eyes as all the available options fell through my mind. The thought of him being hurt…. Or worse... sent all my professionalism flying out the window.

“Of course I don’t want to see you marry someone else,” I said softly before snapping back into work mode and stepping away from him. “And there’s the added wrinkle that if you choose anyone that the Via Imperii doesn’t approve of, her life will be in danger. Not to mention yours.”

“I’m open to ideas.” His voice was suspiciously devoid of emotion.

There was only one answer, and we both knew it.

“Choose me.”

A storm of emotions chased each other across his face. “I want to, Riley but I can’t ask you to—”

“You’re not asking. It was my idea.”

“Yes. However, I know that you don’t actually want to get married.”

Leo stood from the couch. “I should go. Let you two sort this out.” He stopped on his way to the door to lean in and whisper to me, “Don’t let your intractable stubbornness get in the way of your happiness, double oh seven. Tell him how you feel.”

Once we were alone, we turned to each other, the air around us laden with emotion. “I can’t choose you, Riley.”

“Yes, Liam, you can!”

A sad smile flittered across his face. “I’ve made no secret of my feelings nor my intentions. I would marry you tomorrow if that’s what you wanted.”

“It is what I want.”

He shook his head. “As I said, you would be expected to sign an iron clad marriage contract upon acceptance of the engagement. One you would not be able to break later. Agreeing to marry to take down the Via Imperii will not constitute adequate cause to terminate the contract, as you will have entered into it knowingly and willingly, no matter your motives.”

I stepped closer to him as my heart began to thud in my chest. My eyes locked on his, drinking in all the longing and desperation that I found there. “I understand that.”

Hope flashed through his eyes. “You’d have to actually marry me.”

“I know.”

He stepped into my personal space, his eyes searching mine. “You’re prepared to spend the rest of your life with me?”

I shrugged, trying for a nonchalance that I did not feel. “Unless we can take them down in the next six days.”

“Is there any chance of that happening?”

“To be honest, we could take down the Cordonian branch right now.”

“But?”

I traced my fingers down his face and across his lips, my eyes taking in his hopeful expression.

His hand reached out to grasp mine. Bringing my fingers to his lips, he kissed each one individually.

My voice was thick as I whispered, “They’ll just come back. New people will take their place and you’ll never be safe.” I cleared my throat and forced a smidge of professionalism into my voice. “We have to cut off the head.”

It was the only way to keep him safe long term. It might take the Via Imperii months to years to regroup and set up a new branch in Cordonia, but regroup they would and Liam would be their first target.

His eyes lit up with delight. “You’re worried about me.”

“Of course I am.” Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I scoffed. “I’d be an idiot not to recognize the danger. Not only will they want to realize their original ends, but they’ll be out for vengeance on the monarch that helped take them down.”

“Do you always worry about the long term repercussions of your missions? Or do you usually just complete the assignment and get out?”

I stared at him in consternation. I didn’t want to answer that because the truth was that I never worried about what happened after I left. I took down my target. Cleaning up the aftermath was someone else’s job. Leo’s words echoed through my head, and I suppressed the smile that fought to bloom across my face. With a shake of my head, I lost the fight. “You’re incorrigible, you know that? I see what you’re doing.”

“What?” He grinned as he reached for me and pulled me back into his embrace. “Tell me you’re not acting illogically because you love me.”

“Shut up,” I breathed as my head fell back, giving him access to my neck and anything else he wanted.

He was right, but I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. I couldn’t.

Maybe it was a toxic trait. Maybe it was a self protection mechanism. Maybe I was just bad at relationships. Or maybe it was my equally strong feelings for his best friend that kept those three little words off the tip of my tongue.

Spoken out loud or not, my feelings…. And yes, it was time to admit that I had them…. My feelings for him were driving my decisions, not my professional ambition or my years of experience as a field agent. Leaving him vulnerable to assassination was simply not an option for me.

I would do whatever I had to do to ensure his safety, and I didn’t care about the cost.

[yandere-writer-momo]

Heart Shaped Wound:

Katsumi’s Ending

Heart Shaped Wound

………………………………..

Author’s note: I’m back! It took me awhile but I’ve been slowly editing this story and trying to decide whether or not to make the endings smutty. If anyone wants that, I will upload it to my tumblr to avoid this story getting rated M for mature! 

So we are continuing where we left off here is Katsumi’s ending! A more PG 13 version!

Enjoy!

……………………………………………………………………..

     Baki shook (your name) with wide eyes. The young man desperately made an attempt to stir her while Hanayama held Katsumi up by the scruff of his shirt. 

      “(Your name)? (Your name), wake up-“

      “She just fell asleep from eating so much.” Natsue tried to diffuse the situation but Baki gave her a look that could kill.

        “What the hell is wrong with you guys? That is clearly a lie. What has gotten into everyone-“

      “(Your name) agreed to marry me.” Katsumi piped up, Hanayama dropped him in shock. The yakuza glared at Katsumi in anger. Agreed to marry Katsumi… why on earth would she agree to be with Katsumi and not him? Hanayama was better in every way-

       “She’s unconscious. I don’t think there was any consent at all.” Baki cradled her body close to his. The younger man felt incredibly protective over the young woman since she was momentarily defenseless. “Let’s go Hanayama. We’re taking her to the hospital.”

       Baki scooped (Your name) up in his arms. The young man made sure to comfortable rest her head on the crook of his arm while Hanayama led him to the limousine. 

      A grumble escaped her lips and she opened her eyes for a minute. “Katsumi? Where’s Katsumi?”

       Katsumi perked up and ran to her, the karateka took her hands in his. “I’m right here, darling. Are you okay?”

       “I’m just sleepy…” She leaned toward Katsumi, the young man snatched her out of Baki’s arms. “Can we lay down?”

      “Of course…” Katusmi then gave Baki and Hanayama a victorious grin. “See? My fiancée wants to go to bed. So leave.”

       The two men turned to each other and sighed. Hanayama resisted the urge to punch Katsumi’s face in. His fists clenched tightly to his side.

       “This isn’t over, Orochi.” Hanayama hissed while he tucked his hands in his pockets. He made sure to bump his shoulders into Katsumi’s. Katsumi stepped back a few steps from the impact, a disgruntled expression on his face before he turned to (your name) with a smile. 

     “My darling… I’m so happy you chose me. Let’s go lay down together… We’ll get married soon and then we can have a beautiful life together…” Katsumi babbled while she drifted in and out of consciousness. “We can start working on our family then! My parents have already started putting a nursery together… w Evan teach our kid karate and capoeira. It’ll be so exciting… I can’t wait.”

        (Your name) felt her eyes get heavy again while Katsumi continued on with his delusional rant. His lips pressed numerous kisses on her eyelids and cheeks. “Let’s go lay down together my love. God… I love you so much.”

      (Your name) was lulled into a deep sleep, Katsumi carried her to a room. The man gently placed her down on the futon before he crawled in beside her. His arms wrapped possessive of around her like a snake.

       Katsumi buried his nose in her hair and deeply inhaled her scent. The young man fished his hand into his pocket to hold the ring he had hastily shoved in there before the interruption. He slipped the elegant ring on her finger with a smile.

     “You’re finally mine… my wife.”

.

.

.

       When (your name) woke, she was startled to see a diamond ring on her finger and Katsumi cuddled up beside her. What happened? Where was she?

       Wait… the events from last night replayed in her mind. Katsumi had proposed to her and then… and then she fell asleep. Did they drug her? Oh god… did he take advantage of her while she was unconscious?

      She tried to scoot away from him but Katsumi only held her closer. The young man pressed hot kisses to her neck with a sleepy smile.

      “Good morning, darling.” Katsumi sat up as he pressed more kisses across her skin. “Did you sleep well? You were out like a light last night so I brought you in here to sleep… I didn’t think you’d wear yourself out after I proposed.”

      “Katsumi? What-“ Katsumi pressed his lips, he smiled into the sweet kiss.

       “You’re my fiancée now! How soon do you want the wedding? My parents are willing to pay… so you want to invite your mother? Any family? We can fly them out. We have the money.” Katsumi babbled excitedly while his hands kept her in place so she wouldn’t run for the hills. “Do you want to do a traditional wedding? Or we could combine our cultures! What do you think?”

        “Katsumi, I really don’t-“ Katsumi moved his hands to cup her cheeks. Her words did little to deter his excited rambling. His eyes were filled with stars and his cheeks were flushed.

      “I was already going through baby names too… god. Can you picture it? Our first bundle of joy?” Katsumi sighed dreamily, he looked so out of reality that he had no idea he just forced the woman he loved to be with him. “I’ll give you as many kids as you want! I have a list of baby names but I’d love to hear your opinion as well.”

       “Katsumi-“

       Katsumi placed his head on her stomach with a goofy grin. His arms gave her a firm squeeze. “Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl? God… I’m so happy this is finally happening. I’ve been dreaming of marrying you since I met you! I’m the happiest man in the world!”

       (Your name) bit her tongue once she realized resistance was futile. Katsumi wasn’t going to listen to her… she needed to escape.

      “Let’s go enjoy breakfast together, okay?” Katsumi beamed. “As fiancé and fiancée!”

       Katsumi practically dragged her out of the futon and towards the dining room. His mother and father already sat at the table with a big breakfast prepared. Natsue and Doppo smiled at the ‘couple.’

      “There’s my daughter in law! How did you sleep? You were so tired yesterday, we were certain you wouldn’t wake up.” Natsue put a hand over her mouth. “You two lovebirds were cuddled up together last night and it was so cute… remember when we were young, Doppo?”

     Doppo smiled at his wife. “Darling. Our love is eternal. We will always be in love.” The couple shared a laugh before they turned their attention back to (your name) and Katsumi. “I’m hoping you two stay in love as well.”

     “Ah yes but-“

     Katusmi dragged her to the table, a large meal of omelet rice and a bowl of natto was placed  in front of her at the table. A glass of tea beside the meal.

      “Warm food for a warm body.” Natsue winked at (your name). “You need to keep your immune system built up so you can have a baby.”

       (Your name) choked on her spit in shock. Baby? They were just like Katsumi.. the whole family was delusional.

      “I really don’t think this is necessary.” (Your name) back tracked once she saw the disappointed look on Natsue’s face. “You two have already done so much for me-“

       “Well you’re practically part of the family now.” Doppo smiled warmly at her. The older man smiled at her and Katsumi. “And families take care of each other.”

      (Your name) smiled politely and began to eat the meal prepared for her. It was delicious but she was still terrified of what was to come… there was no way she could fight off all three of them and make a run for it… not unless she wanted to get seriously injured.

      Katusmi ate along with her. His onyx eyes observed her happily eat his food. He was so happy she wanted to be his wife.

.

.

.

      (Your name) had tried to escape a few times but it was futile. The Orochi family kept a close watch on her… even when she went to work. There was always one of the members of their dojo close by the report if she made a break for it.

      It was miserable… they even confiscated her phone so she couldn’t contact anyone for help.

      (Your name) tried to reach her students as usual but Satoshi and the others gushed about her ring. It seems even the students knew she was going to be married to Katsumi soon…

       The ring felt like a chain attached to her rather than a sign of a lifetime of love and devotion.

       Katsumi dropped by her classroom with a big bouquet of flowers. The karateka strolled up to her and pressed his lips against her cheek in front of the kindergartners who cheered for them.

       “What has my beautiful fiancée so lost in thought? Did you miss me?” Katsumi whispered in her ear with a grin. “Our wedding is in two days… I’m so excited.”

       (Your name) weakly smiled at him. There was no hope of escape. All she could do was accept this new life.

.

.

.

       (Your name) did her best not to cry while they shared their vows. Katsumi’s vows would have been incredibly romantic if he would have approached her like a normal person rather than force her to marry him against her will.

       But life didn’t always work that way… his grip on her hands was too tight and his eyes held such a heavy lust in them that it almost made her knees give out from under her. 

      “You may kiss the bride.” And Katsumi pounced on her like a starving tiger. His lips enveloped hers in an eagerness that finally broke the dam of her tears. The young man wiped away her tears as he continued to kiss her.

      To the many guests she may have looked like a bride who was excited to marry her now husband to the point of joyous tears but only she knew the truth… this wasn’t a happy union at all.

     Katsumi scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the aisle. His hand tugged at her white kimono for what was to come… Katsumi was eager to finally copulate their marriage. To harvest the fruit of his maddening obsession. To fill her to the brim with his love and to form a child from it.

     “I love you so much, my darling wife.” Katusmi pressed his lips to her red, puffy cheeks. “Till death do us part.

._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.

Author’s note: short and messed up ending! But I’m sure you guys understand what was insinuated at the end. Poor you 🥹

[pkg4mumtown]

Burning

Pairing: Bobby Nash x Male!Reader

Rating: Mature

AO3 (highly reccomend reading on AO3 for the iOS workskin): Read Here

Summary: You’re finally cleared by your doctor for normal activities—not by your Captain of course—but Athena thinks you two can bend the rules a little bit. What happens when you finally run into the 118 team that Athena has mentioned?

A/N: My first 9-1-1 fic! It’s been a long time coming! Takes place a few months or more after the tsunami episode, so the timeline might not be all correct but…oh well. As much as I adore Bathena, it’s not established in this fic and for all intents and purposes, they’re just friends. There is art scattered in the fic and there is my interpretation of the main character but in no way is that how he has to look—there are no specific descriptors in the writing for hair, eyes, skin color, etc. By all means, if you’d like to create your own version of him, I’d love to see it!

Warnings: canon typical injuries, male!reader (no y/n), mentions of blood and burns, first kiss, Bi!Bobby, older man/younger man, meet cute

“Sergeant Grant,” I grinned with a sing-songy lilt to my voice, leaning back in my seat as I looked up at her.

Groaning and flexing my forearm for the fourth time that morning, I sighed and closed the file on my desk and pushed it aside. I reached for my coffee mug with my good hand before pulling it back and reaching for it with the arm I could actually use now. I grimaced as lukewarm liquid touched my lips, having half a mind to get up and warm it up when I heard a couple short raps on the doorframe of the office I was inhabiting in the short term.

“How’s the arm doing, Officer?” she grinned with her voice equally as playful while dropping my last name, with her own coffee clasped between her hands.

“Oh you know…” I shrugged, putting it through some motions. “Doc said I didn’t have to wear a sling anymore and I can start working it out again at a hundred percent, so that’s good.”

“If it's any consolation, you don’t look like you lost muscle in that arm,” she pursed her lips and laughed.

“It’s nice to know someone’s looking,” I chuckled, taking another disgusting sip. “So, what can I do for you?”

“It’s more like what I can do for you,” she sauntered in and took a seat across from me. “I spoke to Cap and she might have agreed for me to take you out on patrol with me.”

“No…” I breathed in disbelief, knowing full well the Captain had just told me I wasn’t cleared for leading field work yet or training any new officers.

“Unless you’re too busy, of course,” Athena dismissed, scooting her chair back and standing up, gesturing to the pile of folders on my desk with her eyebrows.

“Not too busy!” I exclaimed quickly, standing before she could leave the room. “It’s just busy work and evaluations anyway…”

“Are you su—“

“—very sure,” I responded before she could finish, grabbing my bag and vest for patrol from the floor next to me.

Athena simply gave me an amused grin and nodded her head for me to follow her out.

“Don’t laugh at me, I was going crazy stuck to a desk, Athena.”

“I’m not surprised, you hyperactive man-baby.”

—

We prepped her patrol car, making sure everything was situated and tossing my bag in the trunk of the Explorer. I hesitated in the back, looking at my body armor secured to my bag. Before the tsunami, I would have had it on as soon as I got to the station, but being on desk duty for the last few months, I hadn’t needed it. It was unlikely I would need it in Athena’s beat, but I knew I would feel less uneasy with it on.

Now, I just had to get it on without completely disrobing or jostling my shirt-stays. As I contemplated my predicament, I undid my uniform shirt all the way down to my belt. I opened the Velcro flaps on my vest and began an awkward shimmy of sliding the back of the vest underneath and behind my collar, sliding my head through the middle, and letting the front flap over my chest. I rolled my shoulders to let it fall in place on its own and tugged my open shirt to get any material stuck underneath the vest out. When I was situated, I closed up the Velcro sides snuggly and buttoned up my shirt.

“Are you lost or—“ Athena asked impatiently—having already checked to make sure the vehicle was in order—coming around to the back of the patrol vehicle while I fussed with my buttons.

“Sorry, one sec,” I offered apologetically.

“I’m not taking you to any high risk calls, so don’t get too excited,” she laughed saying my name like that of an over-eager child. “Cap would have my head.”

“Hey, take it easy on me, Athena. I used to work narcotics and those calls were never chill, so this puts me at ease a little.”

“Alright, alright. Hurry up, before I tell Cap about that very non regulation patch on your body armor,” she gave me a pointed look, glancing down at the terrible sewing job I had done on my body armor that held a small pansexual flag. The Sergeant pushed her sunglasses up to her face but not before winking in my direction to let me know she was joking.

Piling in to the Explorer, Athena immediately got on the radio, “This is 727-A-30, we are 10-8.”

I tuned out the radio conversation after that, knowing Athena would be giving our info to dispatch quickly as we pulled out of the station. 

—

We started patrolling her beat, finding it fairly quiet but knowing better than to voice that out loud. Not twenty minutes into our patrol shift, did Athena’s phone start pinging messages in quick succession from where it hung in the dash mount. 

“Damn, ‘Thena, you got a hot date or what?” I snorted, trying to sneakily grab her phone but telegraphing my movements purposely so she’d slap me away.

“Oh shut it,” she slapped my arm. “Your doctor cleared you so I won’t feel bad if I have to hit you harder.”

“I expect nothing less, sarge,” I grinned. “But, come on, you know I love me some chisme, cough it up.”

“It’s nothing,” she rolled her eyes, quickly replying as we stopped at a red light.

“Oooh, is it about me?” I waggled my eyebrows, while she gave me a blank stare from behind her sunglasses.

The patrol car was silent for a few moments, the only sound being from outside the car and the radio faintly playing.

“Yes, it was about you,” I finally heard her mumble.

“I knew it! Let me see!” I made grabby hands for her phone.

“I’m gonna regret this,” she sighed and tossed the phone in my lap.

I laughed as I scrolled to the beginning of the conversation, someone by the name of “Maddie” starting off by asking who I was and why I was with Athena when she usually patrolled solo, with the eyes emoji to end the question.

The transfer from Pacific I told you about! - Athena

Ooh! Pics! I remember you talking about him! He sounds hot! -Maddie

Pics! -Hen

Show us! -Eddie

He’s a dork, but he’s cool. - Athena

Oh, he IS hot! -Maddie

Seconded! -Eddie

Hey! -Buck

Sorry… -Eddie

You’re right, though -Buck

I’m NOT asking out a subordinate, stop it -Athena

“Hey, I’m not a dork,” I teased.

“You so are.”

“How did this Maddie person know I was with you so fast anyway…?” I drifted off as another text came in.

“She’s a dispatcher. Everyone else there is from the 118. Her brother and boyfriend are with the 118, too. You’ll probably run into them a lot on patrol, that’s how I met them anyway.”

You definitely withheld the hot part from me, Athena -Bobby

Ooooo, Cap! -Hen

“Ooh, firefighters…mmm,” I sighed dreamily just to annoy her. “And who is Bobby? He looks fine as hell and he just called me hot.” I hurriedly clicked on his contact photo to get a better look.

“The 118 Captain. I knew your gay little heart wouldn’t be able to resist him,” she laughed and took the phone from me.

“I’m not gay, ‘Thena, I’m pansexual. You know this!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You just only talk about the guys, so I forget sometimes.”

“That’s because they usually have the most drama,” I snorted. “So, you’re forgiven.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s straight, though. Well, I’ve never heard him talk about going out with any men, so I suppose I’m just assuming.”

“Oh, I will be devastated if he is,” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “What about you?”

“Nah, after Michael…I’ve been taking some time for me. I didn’t want to jump into anyone’s arms, I’m too focused on my kids after the divorce, you know?”

“Aw, yea, I understand. But, you know I’d take you out in a heartbeat if you let me,” I shot her a smile.

“You are too young for me!” She scoffed and shook her head.

“No, you’re just experienced,” I winked. “Also, I take offense to that. I’m in my thirties with two degrees and a career, ma’am.”

“Lord help me.”

—

“911, What’s your emergency?”

“My mother! She’s out of control! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE!” wild screaming arises in the background, “Get away from me! YOU’VE OFFICIALLY LOST IT!”

“This is dispatch requesting a unit at 294 Moreno Drive. Reports of a family disturbance and possible assault.”

“Dispatch, this is 727-A-30 handling.”

“10-4, 727-A-30.”

Athena flicked the sirens and lights on and sighed heavily as we sped off to the call, “Oh boy.”

—

“727-A-30, 10-97 on scene,” Athena announced into her radio.

“I’m just saying, thin crust is delicious but my fat ass will eat the whole thing. So, I never allow myself to get it!” I groaned to Athena.

“Or you could have some self control lik—”

I glared at Athena and smirked thinking my glare cut her off but saw her staring past me.

“You’re psychotic! All of you!” a high pitched yell sounded as the front door of the house ripped open.

A middle-aged woman wielding a brightly colored, tissue paper covered stick stormed out of the house followed by a flock of elderly people.

“I told you not to come!” a half dressed older lady shouted back at her.

Oh shit. I immediately averted my eyes at the sight, hearing Athena chuckle behind me.

“It’s your birthday! I was just supposed to ignore that!?” She flailed the stick around.

“Obviously!”

“Mom, did you order strippers!?” the woman screamed, finally noticing Athena and me.

“Honey, you called 911,” an older man, likely her father, spoke up from next to her mother.

“Well, Mom was stripping and doing body shots!”

“I just turned seventy! Let me live a little! Also, you hit me with that stick!”

“Yea, to knock some sen—”

“Okay!” I spoke up, ending the argument. “I’m flattered you think I could pass as a stripper but I’m going to have to ask you to put the piñata stick down, ma’am,” I held my hands out as non-threateningly as possible. When she didn’t immediately put it down, I cocked my head and gave a slower warning, “Ma’am…”

“Yea, yea, fine,” she rolled her eyes and thrust the stick at me. 

I jumped but grabbed it tightly and and took it from her hands. Athena took it from me and held it far out of reach.

“Now, are we pressing charges and do you need medical attention?” I looked pointedly at the mother.

“No…no…” the mother waved me off.

“Press charges against me? I called you!”

“You also assaulted someone, so it doesn’t matter who called us,” I sighed, resting my hands on my duty belt. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave the property.”

The woman huffed and stomped off, making Athena and me sag with relief. 

“I hope you have a nice rest of your party, ma’am,” I smiled and nodded my head to her, her husband, and the rest of the guests who had come out onto the lawn.

I turned back toward Athena, my eyes widening comically and mouthing, “Oh my god,” with an exasperated expression.

“Hey, you said you liked a little experience…” Athena laughed as we got in the car.

“Shut up,” I mumbled with a smirk.

“727-A-30, 10-98.”

“I need some bleach for my eyes,” I sighed heavily.

—

“911, What’s your emergency?”

“I’m trapped! There’s a—a huge pile up on—“ the caller wheezed, “—Wilshire.”

“911, What’s your emergency?” 

“The traffic lights! They’re all green! There’s a huge accident on Wilshire and Irolo.”

“911, What’s your emergency?”

“I’m the manager at Bank of Hope on Wilshire and Vermont, we just had a robbery take place. I think they hit Wells Fargo, too!”

“All available units in the vicinity of Wilshire and Irolo, please respond to a pileup in the intersection for traffic control. Firehouse 118 is arriving on scene shortly.”

“727-A-30, responding,” Athena answered immediately and made a u-turn while turning on the lights and sirens.

“10-4, 727-A-30. Please be advised, 211 just took place on Wilshire and Vermont. A unit has already been dispatched but witnesses report the getaway car heading toward the accident intersection. Suspect is 10-29FD possibly carrying a knife. Gun was left at the scene.”

“10-4, Dispatch. Patch me in to Captain Nash.”

There was silence before the radio crackled finally.

“This is Captain Nash.”

“Bobby, I’m on route to the accident, use extreme caution. Suspect is armed.”

“Athena, dispatch notified us that it was a knife. Have a little faith, I think we can take it,” he chuckled over the radio.

“Bobby…”

“We’ll be looking out, don’t worry. Just arrived on scene.”

Bobby cut out leaving us to listen to the sirens as we sped to the scene.

“Responders, please be advised the getaway vehicle was a black sedan.”

“10-4.”

“Dispatch, there’s three black sedans, proceeding with caution,” Bobby interjected.

We pulled up to the scene eight minutes later, seeing a horrific display of mangled cars, smoke, and flames. A couple LAPD units had already arrived on scene and started directing traffic away from the intersection. Firefighters, the 118 I assumed, were split up around the cars to attend to as many people as they could.

“You find one black sedan, I’ll find another. Clear it and head to the last one.”

“Copy that,” I clipped and opened the door, immediately dropping my hand to my taser to pull out if needed.

I jogged over to where one of the cars was, slowing down as I approached to be able to assess the situation better. I rounded other cars cautiously but didn’t immediately see anyone that screamed “robber” at me, nor evidence of a robbery in the car as I approached it.

I jumped as my radio crackled, “Responders, Station 122 is arriving shortly for medical back up.”

“Athena!” I called out in her general direction, “Clear over here!”

“Here, too! Dispatch, suspect has not been located yet.”

“I’m heading to the nex—” I called out, stopping when I saw an unresponsive woman in her car just a few down from the one I had checked.

The car next to hers had caught fire, which had spread near hers. Her car was leaking fluid, making me curse and not want to find out what it was until it was too late.

“I need an extinguisher here!” I shouted.

I saw a couple of the 118’s heads pop up and look in my direction. Captain Nash's distinctive helmet nodded to his other teammates before running toward the fire truck. 

“Don’t move the victim!” I heard one of them yell.

“She can’t wait! This whole this is about to go up!”

I tried for the door handle but it was dented and crushed. The front of the car was too close to the flames for comfort, so I hastily pulled out a knife and cut the seat belt off her. Leaning into the window to drag her out, my duty belt caught on the broken glass and twisted metal so I couldn’t fully clutch her. With a growl, I let go and unbuckled my belt, letting it drop to the floor and kicking it away from the flames. The fire had spread to the front of her car, licking and burning at my skin as I reached in again for her. I didn’t register any pain from the adrenaline, not stopping until she was fully out of the car and in my arms as I watched the car fully engulf.

“Officer, put her here,” Captain Nash instructed me, running up with a group of EMTs and heading straight to the fire to put it out. 

I placed the woman on the stretcher, making sure they took her to safety as I fetched my belt and strapped it back around my waist. It wasn’t until I cinched it closed that I felt a searing pain in my side just underneath my vest. My breath hitched and a groan of pain escaped my lips, causing Bobby to do a double take as he worked on the flames. I gulped—swaying on my feet as the pain fully registered and threatened to send me into shock—but clenched my teeth as I finished the buckle.

With a nod to Captain Nash, I waited for a responding nod before jogging off to find Athena.

“Sergeant! Nothing…” I slowed my run as I approached her, turning into a slow jog with a limp as it caused more chafing to occur against my wound.

“Nothing at this one either,” she sighed, shaking her head as she took another look in the car. “Either way, this car can’t have been it. It’s too close to the beginning of the pileup. The suspect would have been closer to the outside.”

“You’re right,” I grimaced.

“What’s wrong with you?” She furrowed her brows and stepped over menacingly.

“Nothing. I’m fine, I—,” I paused as her words hit me. “The first one I checked was on the outside…the door was open but it was empty inside I—.”

Shit.

Bobby was over there alone now.

“Captain!” I turned an ran, seeing him speaking with someone near where I left him.

The scene was loud, understandably so, but I slowed as I neared anyway to avoid spooking the potentially dangerous suspect.

“Look, sir, it’s my job to make sure you’re okay. That cut on the side of your head looks pretty bad,” Bobby held his palms out to the man who was clad in all black and clutching a gym bag to his chest. “At least let me make sure you don’t have a concussion,” Bobby stepped closer again.

From where the man’s back was facing me, I saw a glint of metal appearing from his back pocket and felt adrenaline surge through my veins. I took the remaining steps forward and lunged, wrapping my whole hand around his wrist and shoving it up so it was pinned against his lower to mid back.

“Drop it!” I growled. When he didn’t immediately comply, I repeated myself, “Drop it, or I will make you.”

At the lack of movement I bent his wrist inward with my free hand and used the pain of the wrist lock to force him to open his hand. When the knife clattered to the floor, I kicked it away and began slapping cuffs on the man. The bag was cut from his body, since I had trapped it on his body with his arms in cuffs, and Athena took the liberty of guiding him to a free unit to take him in while reading him his rights.

“Come on, I think I could have taken him?” Bobby chuckled as Athena dragged the suspect away. “But thank you.”

I shot him a glare that was soon diluted by a smirk. The smirk soon faded away as my wound throbbed, so I leaned my weight on the car next to me. Whatever the hell I did hurt. A lot. 

“Are you okay?”

“Mhm, just taking a second,” I groaned as I straightened back up. “I should help…”

“Whoa, there,” Bobby stopped me with a hand gripping my tricep, steadying me as I wobbled. “You’re not fine. And anyway, the 122 is here and helping. It’s under control.”

I slumped, watching the firefighters work, but knew he was right. Athena was going to kill me. Then, Bobby was going to resurrect me. And then, my Captain was going to kill me all over again.

“Let me check it out?” He asked, though it definitely felt like more of a gentle demand than a question.

I nodded and let him guide me to the 118 Paramedic truck.

He sat me on the edge of the truck and jumped into the back to clean his hands and find supplies. When he came back out, his hands were covered in black medical gloves and his arms were full of random items.

“You’re gonna have to uh…” he gestured to my torso with his head as he laid the supplies down in the entry way of the back doors of the truck. 

I stood, stepping out of his way as he opened the second door wider for me to place my belt and uniform. The duty belt came off first, making me wince. I watched the firefighter’s eyebrows raise as he saw the slashed front and tattered side of my uniform shirt. The belt fell to the metal flooring with a heavy thud. I paused, willing the pain to subside before moving on to my shirt but to no avail.

“Shirt, too,” Bobby stood with his hands clasped down in front of him. “Or I can cut it off.”

“No need, Captain, just give me a sec,” I grunted and started undoing the buttons.

The hard part came when I had to shrug the shirt off. The movements made me tense up and clench my teeth.

“May I?” Bobby offered with medical shears in hand. “Not like you can wear that shirt again, anyway.”

“Fair enough…”

Bobby made quick work of the uniform shirt, cutting away as much as he could so I wouldn’t have to twist at all. He dropped his hands to where the shirt met my trousers, tugging the material forcefully out of my shirt stays—causing me to wince as the elastic snapped down my legs. He undid the Velcro of my body armor and lifted it over my head. He paused, taking in the slashed material below my patch. Luckily, only the outer covering had been frayed a bit, but no damage to the internal armor.

“Good thing you had this on, could have sliced yourself when you grabbed him,” Bobby indicated to the slice. His thumb ran over the small pink, yellow, and cyan patch, “Nice,” he smirked before setting that aside with my duty belt.

“Yea,” I jumped as he lifted my undershirt, some of my skin catching on the cotton. “You know what that is?”

“‘Course I do,” he stated matter-of-factly and sat on the edge of the truck so he was eye level with my affected side, below where the body armor had covered. “Pansexual flag, right?”

Surprised, I was too shocked to react when he began cleaning the wound, only reacting with a hiss when the delayed sting of antiseptic sunk in.

“Don’t look so shocked,” he laughed, dabbing at the wound to make sure there was nothing foreign in it. “I’m Bi.”

Still speechless, I simply held my shirt up for him as he worked with my mouth slightly open in shock.

“Again, don’t look so surprised,” he chuckled.

“It’s just…sorry. Sorry,” I laughed. “Athena thought you were straight.”

“Talking about me, huh?” He chuckled, making my face heat up before he continued, “Don’t worry, we’ve all discussed you plenty. And, anyway, I mean I’ve never expressly said it. Nor, have I publicly dated a man,” he shrugged. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it, of course.”

By now, Bobby had stopped working on the wound and was just staring up at me with an amused expression on his handsome face. 

“You should close your mouth before you catch something with it, Officer.”

Without thinking, I blurted out my name and immediately apologized, “Sorry, uh, you can…yea you can just call me…yea.”

“Bobby,” he offered me. “Well,” he sighed my name, causing shivers to go up my spine. “Laceration isn’t too deep, you won’t need stitches, thankfully, but it’s also not going to feel nice because the area gets a lot of movement and creasing. The burn around it is pretty enflamed. You won’t need anything major done but this’ll take some time to heal. I have some burn cream if you want it?”

“Please, thank you,” I cleared my throat, hoping to get rid of the raspy, huskiness that had developed. 

Soon, cold, white paste was being gently applied to the burned area and then he was covering it with gauze and tape. I let my under shirt fall back down into place, catching a split second where Bobby’s eyes flicked to the rest of my abdomen before it was covered. 

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” he smiled, pausing briefly to look at his boots. “Would yo—.”

“Cap is going to murder me,” Athena groaned from behind me, startling me out of whatever trance Bobby had pulled me into. “What the hell happened?”

“I—I’m okay…”

“Just a cut and a burn, ‘Thena, he’ll live,” Bobby chuckled, standing and snapping off the gloves now smeared with cream.

“Next time warn your partner before you go gallivanting into a burning car?” 

“Sorry,” I smiled. 

“Mhmm,” she responded, entirely unconvinced. “I gotta get him out of here, Bobby. Is he good to go?” Athena asked, tearing Bobby’s attention from me to her.

“Oh, uh, yea he’s perf—good, he’s good,” Bobby stumbled, a flush creeping up his neck. “It was nice to finally meet you.”

“You as well, Captain Nash,” I smiled, biting the inside of my cheek. I hastily grabbed my duty belt and shredded shirt before following Athena to her patrol car, waving to Bobby with a wince as my skin stretched.

We sat in the silence of the car for a few beats before Athena burst into laughter.

“You damn flirt, I knew it,” she laughed at me.

“Athena, he’s hot,” I whined. “Did you really expect me not to?”

“How about, we don’t tell Captain the extent of your injuries and I won’t tell anyone how shamelessly you flirted with Bobby.”

“To be fair—” I interjected, “—he totally flirted back.”

—

After a stern talking to—in the form of shouting—from our Captain, Athena and I cleaned up, changed, and were confined to the station for the rest of our shift. Athena assured me that we weren’t in actual trouble before we left the station to go home, making me at ease since the last thing I wanted was for her to get in trouble for my stupidity.

Currently, I was too hungry to dwell on it.

I was salivating over a pot of sautéing garlic, crushed red pepper, and oregano for a quick and easy red sauce and stirring loosely so they didn’t burn.  Letting out a wild yawn and grunt, wiping my hands on the towel slung over my bare shoulder and turning to open the refrigerator, feeling my side twinge as I did. I yanked out a protein drink and downed it in two gulps, hoping to stave off my hunger while I cooked, before turning toward my designated medicine cabinet in the kitchen and popping a couple pain relievers. I got back to work and was just picking up a tube of tomato paste, ready to squeeze it in when there was a hesitant knock, followed by two firmer ones. 

I certainly wasn’t expecting any guests, but grumbled and shut off the flame under my pot just in case and moved it to a cool burner. It would be a tragedy if my garlic burned, after all. I didn’t even think twice about my state of undress, clad in only a pair of sweats and socks—with my kitchen towel over my shoulder—before I was yanking my door open to find the last person I expected to be on the other side of it.

Bobby. Dressed in jeans and a worn button down with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he immediately yanked them out and stood straighter like he had at the scene earlier.

“Hey, uh, hope this isn’t too strange—uh,” he scratched the back of his head. “I—uh—wasn’t sure if you had any burn cream and I forgot to sneak you some earlier.”

I didn’t know what to say, my mouth opening and shutting a couple times, “No—I—I was actually going to Instacart some so you saved me a few dollars.”

“Ours is better anyway,” he chuckled before his smile dropped again. “I—er—got your address from Athena, sorry if that was not…good.”

“It’s fine. I’ll give her a stern talking to about giving my address to strange men,” I smiled at his good natured laugh and opened my door wider. “Do you want to come in? I was just making dinner if you’re hungry.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude. You look…busy,” he cleared his throat, clearly avoiding looking at my bare chest.

I looked down at myself and chuckled, “Not busy enough to put a shirt on, clearly. But I could be…” I relished watching his neck flush up to his cheeks, “Come on in, I hear you’re the resident cook at the firehouse. I need a chef’s opinion on this sauce.”

Bobby perked up at the offer, “Well, if it’s a professional opinion you need…” He stepped through the doorway, shoulder brushing my chest as he tugged the towel off my shoulder and promptly slapped it over his own in transit. 

“Give me one sec, let me grab a shirt,” I said, jogging over to where I had a black t-shirt thrown over my couch. I did a three-sixty to make sure the rest of the living room wasn’t a complete mess.

“You don’t have to, it’s your apartment,” he mumbled. “Plus, I’m sure that hurts to put on,” Bobby finally looked over at me, his gaze unmistakably on my exposed skin.

“Ah, well,” I shrugged, tugging the shirt on the arm of the injured side, maneuvering my other arm in, and flinging the rest over my head. I smirked to myself when the material clung tightly to my body, probably one size too small for me. “It hurt more taking it off, honestly, and I don’t wanna be too underdressed,” I grinned.

I jogged quickly back over to the kitchen, sliding in my socks near the end and found Bobby gazing at me with an amused upturn of his lips with his arms folded tightly over his chest. Fuck. 

“Had to turn the flame off to answer the door, so let me get this warm again,” I hummed. “Alexa! Play my ‘Oldies but Goodies’ playlist on low.” I ignored her response and immediately began humming and swaying to myself as Billy Joel started playing while I brought the ingredients back up to a good temperature.

“Really? Is that because I’m here?” Bobby shoved my shoulder.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I was raised on this!” I pushed back before grabbing the tube of tomato paste off the counter. I was opening the tube when I stopped and just about broke my neck looking at him quickly.

The sudden movement broke him put of whatever trance he was in while watching me cook, eyes widening in surprise, “What?”

“I’m so rude. Can I get you something to drink? I have water, juice, and—er—protein shakes. I think that’s it.”

“Water's fine, I can get it. Fridge?” at my hum of affirmation he opened the refrigerator behind me and looked back at me in the small space, his voice suddenly very close to my back and neck, “Want one?”

I cleared my suddenly dry throat, “Please.”

Licking my lips, I set back to work and squeezed the paste in the pot before stirring it in. 

“Here you go,” he set the bottle on the counter before twisting his own open and taking a sip.

I fumbled with closing the tube of paste nearly dropping the cap, “Shit—ah!” I squeaked and snatched the cap as it fell. “Sorry. Thank you,” I finally responded, licking paste off my wrist and grimacing at the acidity.

Bobby smiled for the umpteenth time—and god I hope he never stopped—shaking his head as he took another drink, “Athena was right.”

“About what?” I asked, stirring so the ingredients wouldn’t burn.

“You,” he cocked his head at me. “You are a dork.”

“Rude.”

“Maybe,” he teased. “So, what brought you to that station?”

“Mm,” I hummed while opening the can of tomato sauce, “The tsunami actually. It did a number on my old station, I don’t even think it’s up and running yet, I think they’re still running out of another building. But, anyway, during some of the search and rescue, I broke my arm and I’d been in a cast for a while. They transferred me to this station to do more administrative work in the mean time, that’s how I met Athena.”

“Oh wow, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all part of the job,” I shrugged, pouring in the sauce and throwing the flame higher while I stirred. “It’s funny actually. Today, Athena convinced our Captain to let me out on patrol with her since my doctor cleared me for normal exercise with my arm and then that call happened,” I laughed.

“Luckily, you had a strapping firefighter to rescue you,” Bobby teased.

“Luckily, I had a strapping firefighter to rescue, I think you mean,” I teased back, flicking the burner to simmer. 

“Of course, how could I forget my knight in body armor.”

“Damn right,” I winked. “Now, come over here, Chef Nash, and let me know how I did.” I waved my hand in presentation to the simmering pot, “Shit, wait!” I stopped him with a hand between his shoulder and chest—wow, that was firm—to hastily pour some salt in my hand, pinch some, throw it in with a flourish, and toss the rest in the sink. I gave it another stir and stepped back.

Bobby stepped up, grabbed the spoon and dipped his pinky in it. Then, proceeded to push the spoon toward me to do the same while shoving his pinky in his mouth to suck the sauce off. I barely managed to dip my own finger in the spoon as I imagined his tongue lapping the sauce away. By the way his eyes swirled with playfulness, I knew that he knew exactly what he was doing. I could finally breathe again when he released his pinky, taking the opportunity to lick my finger and suck the end with a quick ‘pop’ and a moan thrown in for good measure. 

“It’s really good,” he praised.

“Thank y—”

“—But! We can do better.”

My mouth snapped shut with a pout as Bobby turned and opened my refrigerator with renewed purpose. He hummed to himself quietly before making a noise of success and coming back out with a sprig of leftover basil I had bought for a pesto I made a few days ago.

“You’re a genius!” I groaned, snagging the sprig from him and plucking the leaves off. 

I went to throw them haphazardly into the sauce when Bobby’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist before I could let them go, “Woah, there.” He guided my hand toward himself, bringing me deliciously close to him. Close enough to breathe in whatever he had sprayed himself with before coming here, and definitely close enough to see the way his eyes dropped to my parted lips. “We can be a little more sophisticated than that,” he breathed, his voice suddenly huskier than it was a few seconds ago.

“Show me.”

“With pleasure,” he licked his bottom lip and plucked the leaves from my fingers. 

I watched as he stepped over to the cutting board where I had chopped the garlic, taking the time to stack the basil leaves on each other before rolling them into a cylinder. He fetched the knife that lay nearby and sliced the leaves with quick, light strokes, leaving green ribbons in his wake. Bobby lifted the cutting board and slid the ribbons into the sauce to simmer, giving me a smug smirk as he turned to face me after. I took the liberty of stirring the sauce while we waited for it to come together.

“It should be good now,” he nodded toward the pot, so I lifted the spoon and dipped my finger right after he did.

He sucked the sauce off his finger with a proud hum and a nod of approval, me not getting as distracted as I did the first time. I stuck my finger my mouth, my eyes immediately falling shut as I tasted the small difference the basil made. Letting my eyes flutter back open as I removed my finger, the air was sucked out of the room as I saw how dark Bobby’s eyes had gotten.

“I concede. You were right.”

Bobby didn’t respond, instead staring at my mouth.

“What’s wrong?”

Snapped out of his stare, Bobby blinked rapidly, “N—nothing, sorry. You have a little sauce…” He mimed the general area with his hand on his own face.

“Oh,” I furrowed my brows and wiped my face with my palm but didn’t feel any. “Did I get it?”

“No, it’s…” he mimed again, stepping closer.

“Whe—” my words were cut off as I felt warm lips on mine.

I sagged into his arms, a sigh escaping my throat as he pressed himself against me. In an attempt to not stretch my side so much, I kept my hands low and framing the sides of Bobby’s torso. It was nice—really nice—and I had to stop myself from deepening the kiss as I felt his hands clutch my upper arms. I let him pull away but kept him close since he didn’t step back.

“Bobby…”

“I’m sorry, that was inappro—”

“No…” I shook my head. I leaned forward again, just enough to feel his nose touch mine, “Can I…?” I felt him nod against me and dipped my head back in to touch my lips to his, letting my hand on my non-injured side come up to the back of his neck. This kiss was just as short as the last and just as nice, not wanting to overwhelm him so quickly.

“That was…” Bobby trailed off as we separated again.

“…Life changing?” I winked.

Bobby scoffed out a laugh, “I was going to say good, but you ruined it so…”

“Shut up,” I scowled playfully, tugging him back by the belt and kissing him sweetly once more. I furrowed my brows as I pulled back, tilting my head to the side in thought, “There wasn’t anything on my face, was there?” I squinted at him.

“Definitely not,” he let out a soft chuckle.

“Mm,” I hummed, “you’re forgiven.”

We pulled apart, somewhat reluctantly, and served two plates after making sure the stove was shut off. While the kisses were brief, I couldn’t stop licking my lips and remembering what Bobby's felt like on mine. Lingering glances and sly smirks permeated our conversation over dinner. I learned more about him than what Athena divulged to me and I’m sure the same went for him. Soon enough our plates were empty and we were idly chatting over the nearly clean plates. 

“Do you want more?” Bobby spoke up during a lull in the conversation.

“Yea, but I can—,” I stood to go get more, wincing as the skin pulled.

“Nonsense,” Bobby stood and grabbed my plate, balancing both on one forearm. With his free hand, I felt his fingers brush the nape of my neck before disappearing entirely. 

With full bellies, we sat on the couch and picked up the conversation again until it died off into a comfortable silence.

“You shower already?” Bobby muttered as he fished something out of his jean pocket.

“Mm,” I hummed and nodded. “Why? You trying to give me a sponge bath, Nurse Nash?”

“You wish,” he snorted. “Here.”

“Oh, bless,” I sighed, grabbing the burn cream from Bobby. “I’ll switch my gauze out before bed and put it on.”

“I'll do it for you. Bring it out here,” Bobby nodded in the general direction of my bathroom.

“You just want my shirt off again,” I teased.

“I will neither confirm nor deny,” Bobby murmured back with pink cheeks. “But I’m sure it’s easier than twisting.”

“You have a point…” I pursed my lips and headed off to grab my first aid kit from the bathroom. 

When I returned with the box, Bobby was fiddling with the cap of the tube absentmindedly. I set the box on the arm of the couch and reached my arm on my good side back to grab the back of my shirt collar. I yanked the material over my head and let it slide off the arm of my burned side and on to the floor. At some point as I took it off, Bobby stared at the skin revealed to him.

“Earth to Captain Nash,” I snickered at the dazed expression on the older man’s face, letting my hand slip to the back of his head to run over the soft hairs while guiding his head up to look at me.

“Sorry…” Bobby gulped, eyes tracing my form as he felt blindly for the first aid box. 

When he found it, he placed the box in his lap to distract himself, finding gloves, gauze, and tape with little effort. He snapped the gloves on with practiced ease and leaned forward as I stepped in between his legs and turned my side toward him. I winced as he pulled at one end of the tape, grabbing his shoulder with the hand on my bad side for some kind of support as he continued. When the cut and burn were open to the air, Bobby took a second to look it over to make sure it hadn’t gotten worse since the last time he saw it. Satisfied, Bobby twisted open the tube and applied more burn cream, making me shiver from the cold touch. 

I let my fingers curve around the nape of his neck, barely noticing Bobby pressing back against my hand in the slightest of ways. He quickly covered the wound with new gauze and tape and sat back a little to take the gloves off, which he deposited on the closed first aid kit with the other trash. He set the box and trash aside while I deliberated picking up my shirt or not.  

Deciding to leave it on the floor, I looked down at where Bobby sat waiting in quiet contemplation, “So, Captain…” I trailed off, stepping back into his space, which he gladly leaned in for. “…in your professional experience, does ‘kissing it better’ usually work?”

A smile lit up his face, followed by an incredulous snort, “No, never.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “Though, it might not hurt to try.” Bobby hooked a finger in the waistband of my sweats to pull me closer, glancing up at me once before pressing his lips to the undamaged skin next to the medical tape, “Better?”

“Mmm, no,” I sighed feigning dejection. “Maybe you’re administering it incorrectly.”

“Oh?”

“Mm,” I hummed, leaning forward until I had one knee pressed against the outside of his thigh on the couch cushion.

When he didn’t stop me, I closed the distance further and threw my other knee down so I was straddling his hips but not fulling sitting in his lap just yet. Garnering no complaints, if the way his hands squeezed my thighs were anything to go by, I draped my arms over his shoulders and gave him a playful smirk with my tongue running over my lower lip.

“Here?” He raised his eyebrows, and pressed a kiss to where his mouth height was at my sternum.

“Eh…” I teased, letting my fingers play with the buzzed hair at the nape of his neck.

Bobby hummed dramatically, letting his arm wind around my good side until his hand was splayed over my back. With a sharp tug from Bobby that I hadn’t been expecting, my ass was forced into his lap. A rather embarrassing whine slipped past my lips at the contact.

“Oh, here…?” Bobby murmured, tilting his head to press his lips where my neck met my shoulders.

“A—almost…” I sighed. 

Bobby tilted his head up higher to find a new spot, making me lick my lips in anticipation of feeling his once more. He surged up—finally—but my previous anticipation was wasted as my lips met his chin and a soft pressure pressed against my nose.

“Jerk,” I mumbled against his skin.

Bobby gasped softly, “You mean that didn’t work either?”

“You know it didn’t, Bo—” the words died in my throat as Bobby finally pressed his mouth where I wanted it. 

His lips meshed easily with mine, pressing just as softly as before but with more urgency just below the surface. I moaned suddenly as his lips parted and sucked my bottom lip between his, tongue laving over the skin and—oh—was he good at that. Taking his cue, I returned the urgency, parting my own lips and tentatively meeting his tongue; retreating with a quick flick to the roof of his mouth. Thick, strong fingers dug into my hips while I searched for any purchase on his head but his hair was far too short for me to do much. I settled for running a thumb across his jaw instead—oh that strong jaw—

Bobby suddenly parted, breathing just the slightest bit elevated with his normally thin lips now spit slick and veering on the side of swollen. His hands refused to move, keeping me close as he caught his breath.

“Better?” He panted, licking over his lips.

I was confused for a moment, so worked up that I had forgotten what he was referring to until his knowing smirk made me remember, “Oh! Oh, yes. Much better, Captain. You were definitely administering it wrong initially.”

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, “Good to know, I’ll take notes for my next patient.”

My eyes narrowed at his teasing, a small pout forming on my lips, “Next patient?”

“Well, unless you’re going to go getting hurt again…”

“A hot firefighter told me earlier this was going to take some time to heal…” I trailed off, pursing my lips to hold back a laugh while still running my hands over his hair soothingly. “Plus, I’ve been told I can be a danger to myself on the job—and—well, and off the job. I’m a bit of a klutz, okay?”

A brilliant smile spread over his face, eyes sparkling with humor, “Got it, so…you’d like me to continue being your care provider?”

“If you’re amenable, of course.”

“Would you be available for a consultation this Thursday at seven? No charge, of course, my treat.” 

“I can definitely do that and—” I brought my lips down for another kiss, “—I think we can agree to split the bill, I’m a big boy.”

“You…” Bobby trailed off, eyes looking down appreciatively and landing on my tented sweatpants, “…you sure are, Officer.”

I felt my face redden at the innuendo and the fact that I was very clearly tenting the sweatpants, “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. Because, believe me, if I wasn’t trapped in jeans right now…” Bobby trailed off with a chuckle. “And with that…I think it’s time for me to go before I lose whatever self control I might have right now.”

“Good idea. I suppose there’s a reason you’re a Captain and I’m most definitely not,” I laughed, pushing myself up and sliding off his lap until I was on my own two feet again. I just about giggled under my breath as Bobby stood, readjusting his jeans to a more comfortable position.

He followed me to the front door, stopping short when he saw the mess in my kitchen, “I should probably help you with that.”

“As nice as that would be…” I cut him off from the entryway, “…the longer you stay, the more both of us will be worked up and I kind of want to wait a couple more dates.”

“Good,” Bobby smiled, moving into my space, “me too.” He caged me in against the wall somewhat, not that I minded, “You should swing by the firehouse some time for food. If you—uh—if you give me your number I can let you know when I make something or need a sous-chef.”

“I’d like that,” I chewed on my lip while fishing my phone from my pocket and making a new contact. I preemptively typed his name out with “Bobby” being the beginning, followed by both a flame and a heart emoji.

Soft laughter bubbled up from Bobby’s throat as I handed the phone to him and he noticed the name.

“Let me know when you get home safe?” I murmured when he handed it back with the contact already saved. I shot him a quick text so he would have my number.

“Of course.”

Bobby pressed me firmly against the wall, stealing another kiss that I was all too willing to give. With a press of his hips against mine, my brain was short circuiting and I had to convince myself all over again that picking him up and carrying him to my bed was not what either of us wanted.

“Think about me later?” I winked as we pulled apart.

“I—uh—most likely will, “ Bobby murmured, his flush meeting his ears instantly. “I’ll see you Thursday, then? I’ll text you with the details,” he finally stepped back and grasped the door handle, twisting it as he spoke.

“You’ll see me Thursday,” I confirmed, following him half way out of the door as he opened it and stepped through.

Like a lovesick teenager, I pressed my back against the door after it closed, hoping to hear back from him like he promised. With a final glance at the mess in my kitchen, I sighed and decided to distract myself with cleaning until then.

[writingwell]

20 13 fanfic questions

Thanks to @randomfoggytiger for the tag. I didn’t do all of them, just the pertinent ones, and I modified those just to include ffnet as well. 

1. How many works do you have? 26 on AO3 (for my mature rated Spy Castle stuff); fanfiction.net has 278 Castle fics;and about 300ish archived at Gossamer for X-Files.

4. What are your top fics by kudos/reviews? The Return of Vulcan Simmons, Tempest (not a spy work!) on AO3; ffnet would be One Hundred Days of Summer (co-authored with SandianeCarter) and Dash It All.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yeah, I think if you take the time to contact me, you deserve the respect of hearing from me. It might not be a full-blown conversation, but I’ll do what I can with a full-time profession and a writing one as well. Also, suuuuper sorry, just discovered AO3 has an inbox. 300 days ago, some of you messaged me and I am just now seeing those. Lol. 

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I have a spy fic where the two of them are just so at odds, so grieving with and over each other… okay that’s most of them. But I try not to end on angst, as it’s supposed to be the journey not the destination. (Angst is a twisting of the heart, not a place where you stay. According to me.)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Dash series has the ‘happiest’ endings. Not because life is happy, but because they figured out how to create contentment within what they’d been given/dealt in life. And in ways other versions of the Castle characters hadn’t accomplished. They did the work.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Oh definitely. A while back, I turned off comments on tumblr for about a year as I processed and healed from some targeted attacks, and I can say that I came out more certain of myself and my writing. But I was also an adult who had not been forced to weather these attacks as a vulnerable 13 y-o on social media (as so many of you are unfortunately dealing with). I was able to detach, center myself once more, and rise above because I’d grown up IRL, so to speak. I have a faith in something bigger than me which, while it doesn’t look like what it did, has sustained me and given me the confidence to know my worth even as it spurs me to be/do better. 

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind? Oh definitely, lol. It’s on AO3. Usually I like to explore M/F with a third in there for kicks, as the concept of generosity and giving within the sexual relationship/experience is intriguing to me.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I objected to the term ‘stolen.’ I’ve had my fics, without my knowledge, posted elsewhere, translated without my knowledge, and changed to other fandom characters to be posted elsewhere. However! I’ve had loads of people ask me too, and I really appreciate being able to go visit them. (Stolen would indicate I somehow own these fanfictions, and I do not, as that would be a legally difficult hill to stand on. I also do not perceive collective fan art in this manner, because the world is all of ours.)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Oh there’s a co-written story that me, carto, and muppet47 started and have NEVER finished. We all know Castle has to go to jail, but we can’t write it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Writing it the first time. Correctly. As in, it comes out the way it should or ought to or how I am seeing it in the moment. I have the right rhythm, I can spell and I have the grammar skills. My first draft is fast and good enough for submission. Of course, I go back and edit, and I have to, but I’m very blessed in not ever going through anything like writer’s block.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Secondary characters. I have a tendency for tunnel vision, where all I want to do is talk about and to and for the main characters. If they have friends or family, I barely include them. I can’t manage to care that they exist. But all of us live in a complex web of relationships and community; no one is alone. My last novel, Taste of Salt, was an concentrated effort to include as many other perspectives as possible, so it was told through the POVs of the two main characters and interspersed with flashback chapters from the POVs of their friends, family, coworkers, chance encounters, medical personnel, kids, support networks… there you go.You have to do the thing that’s hard. Write it out, over and over, keep practicing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? Yeah, sometimes it becomes necessary for the character. But please keep it to a minimum (imo) as it detracts from the reader’s understanding and experience of reading. It ought to be rather easy to understand what the person is saying due to context or just the flow of the scene. If you’re writing in English, and you have a character visiting France, then obviously some of that ought to be in French, but after a while, you can indicate that the language is being used while writing it in English. I say this because most of you are fandom writers who are not writing for literary audiences; therefore, don’t ruin everyone’s fun my making it incomprehensible or inaccessible. Please.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Don’t ask me to choose between my children! I can tell you that Dash holds a special place in my heart due to the amount of readers who said it gave them understanding of their own sensory issues or their child’s autism, etc. Spy gave me one of my greatest friends, carto, who continues to love and support me and my writing. 

I won't tag anyone, because I deleted so many of these questions, but feel free to answer or share or talk with me about them!

[bucknastysbabe]

Flirting with Death

Rating: Explicit/Mature

Word Count: 2,551

Synopsis: Reader can see an Angel of death doing his day to day job when she shouldn’t. Constantly intertwined…things get more intense than ever should have between the two.

Tags: angelofdeath!Bucky, possession of the sexual variety (non-con), pnv!sex, death and other things, NO DRUNK DRIVING, Bucky is Conflicted, Lots of angst/fluff/smut like literally a whirlwind.

A/N: I don’t make the rules Bucky was chosen to be an escort to the after life when he fell. Since this is my story I’d like to believe that they **** ***** happily together. So open ending but on a good note :) Also I don’t beta I die like a true spartan

Death followed you around. Literally. You could see the grim reaper. You wished that you were just tripping balls. He had a idiotic nickname. Also he was strangely cheery and grumpy simultaneously. Bucky. You were also in love with him.

You remembered the first time you saw him.

The boy in front of you was coughing and writhing on the ground. You watched in horror as his face turned purple, unable to draw breath. Your classmates screamed and cried, the teacher trying to dislodge the toy in his windpipe to no avail.

A man was standing just outside the circle. He wore a strange blue coat. Swept dark hair and a nice looking face. He stared at the boy and checked his watch. In the midst of the chaos he just stood and waited.

You walked to his side and yanked on a blue sleeve. It was horribly cold to the touch so you ripped your hand away in shock. He jumped and looked down at you, obviously startled. The man growled, “You aren’t supposed to see me.” You didn’t know why he said that. So you asked, “Why not? I see you just fine.”

He raised a brow, mouth agape in confusion.

“You’re very cold and weird, mister.”

The man in blue shook his head and stepped forward to the boy— lifeless in the teachers arms. Sadness twisted your gut at the sight. In a flash another version of your dead classmate was next to the strange figure, who grabbed the boy’s hand. They passed you hand-in-hand.

“Forget you saw anything. Must’ve been a mistake,” he grumbled.

After that first incident, you’d seen the man in blue a two more times. He was even more surprised than you were, getting quite angry about it actually. But you shrugged and told him you had no clue why he was showing up.

By the third occasion you were 13 years old. A girl had been struck by a car after school. There he was at the crosswalk. You deadpanned, “Do I always have to see you at the sites of horrific deaths? What are you, the grim reaper?” He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, full lips in a pout.

“My boss must have fucked this up,” he groused.

“Well, are you the grim reaper or not?”

He rolled his eyes, shoving his big hands into coat pockets. “I’m not the grim reaper, girl.” You frowned at his rude tone and spat, “What are you then? A man dressed in old ass clothes ushering dead people,” you chirped, “An angel!”

The man looked like he was going to take you next before gritting out, “I’m an angel of death. You happy? I got to get this soul to the afterlife now. Bye.” You watched him grab the girl’s hand gently, crossing the rest of the road. He was kind of hot, you thought.

It was a long time before he would make his appearance again but sometimes you swore blue eyes and a matching coat would swirl in your dreams. Life went on. You were bored most of the time, researching about the afterlife for fun. Which didn’t attract many friends.

It was after senior prom. You were dazed on the side of the road, nose bloody and cracked. The boy who had taken you was crumpled behind the wheel— pinched between the car and a tree. He was drunk, so were you, and the other two were either still in the car or flung to the pavement.

Heavy boots crunched in front of your face. Your eyes almost crossed trying to focus on them. The man in blue’s familiar voice sighed, “I thought I was going to have to take you tonight.” Blearily you turned to look up at the twisted angel. He frowned down at you, face ashen.

“C-can you help me up?”

“Yes. But be quick, I don’t wish to rip the soul from your body.”

His icy touch yanked you upright and let go. The skin on your shoulder burned and tingled from the freezing temperature. You slurred, “Need’ta call…the police.” Utter panic and grief was beginning to fill your chest. You looked at him and whimpered, “Please help.”

He kneeled down to you and shook his head, a sad smile on his handsome face. The angel murmured, “That’s not my job. I can’t change fate.” Fat tears rolled down your cheeks as you sobbed, “B-but we didn’t mean to! I should’ve called someone, fuck.”

He wiped a tear away, droplet crystallizing, the burn from the cold was less intense on your alcohol flushed cheeks.

He sighed, “You’re a stupid kid. You’ll have to live with it, I’m sorry. The police are on their way.” Your head hung between your legs as you cried. Crickets and the sound of wind echoed around— like nothing ever occurred.

You could hear sirens in the distance. The man in blue stood up. In a raspy crack you asked, “Whas’ your name?” He stilled suddenly, shoulders tightening. The angel of death had the police lights flicker over his sharp cheeks while he said, “James,” his jaw worked over, “Bucky, call me Bucky.”

“Bucky,” you whispered to yourself, shaking even in the humid air of the night.

Life got better after that horrid night. You’d gone to therapy and many court-ordered classes into your freshman year of college. You were getting a degree in history and religion. If the angel of death that frequented your life would show up maybe you could get some answers and make a shit ton of money from it.

You honestly didn’t care if that fell through— something told you that life would likely be a short occurrence.

After your 21st birthday you groggily laid in your dark bedroom. With a groan you flipped over, head aching like hell. Maybe old Bucky would put you out of your misery. Flipping around a couple more times you paused.

Something was off.

You felt a horrid chill in the room and the feeling of someone watching you. Bolting upright with a wince you shouted in fear, “Motherfucker!” The blue angel himself was standing over your bed, an amused smirk on his face.

“What the hell are you doing here? Am I dying?”

He chuckled, leaning against your drawers, “The guy below you will be in about ten minutes. I noticed you were around and wanted to say hello.” You squinted at him in the low light and muttered, “Well hello to you, Bucky the herald of death.”

He grinned rakishly and hummed, “How have you been holding up? It dawned on me how nice it would be to have a living person to talk to. The other angels are boring.” With a grunt he pushed himself up to sit on the drawer.

“Well. I’ve been studying a lot. Last night was my twenty-first and I’m very hungover right now to be honest.” He laughed and inquired, “What’cha studying?”

You told him about the history and religion stuff, even hinting at him spilling the deets for your eventual book. To which he scoffed and flat out said no. After a pointed pause and Bucky checking his watch one more time he asked, “Can I see you again?”

You shrugged. Why not after all? He smiled like a giddy boy and bid goodbye with a salute. Flopping onto the pillows you laughed, “What the actual fuck?”

Bucky was true to his word, visiting quite often. Sometimes he was in a good mood. Other days the angel said he wanted company and nothing more. Spending eternity escorting dead people to the afterlife was not the most cheery affair. When he was in better spirits the man could be a chatterbox, telling stories of other angels and bantering with you on the mortal plane.

You’d grown very fond of him, almost too fond. His presence would grow closer and closer until Bucky was perched on your bed, long legs slung off the side. You’d been wearing warm clothes to combat the chill he emitted. Down deep the yearn for Bucky’s touch intensified by tenfold.

One night you had taken a guy home, a tipsy hook-up and nothing more. You were on your hands and knees, the man drunkenly rutting into your cunt. You almost bit your tongue off when Bucky’s icy blue eyes were directly in your line of sight. A shiver rolled down your spine, nipples peaking almost painfully.

You glared at him, tilting your head for the handsome angel to leave. He pouted and whined, “Really? This guy fucks like a clown.” On a disjointed thrust you gasped, “Uh-huh! Sure.” Bucky tilted his head and a devious smile flitted over his features. He hummed, “Does he feel any good? Bet I could do better than that. Maybe I should possess the idiot and fuck you like you need.”

A warbling whine exited your throat at Bucky’s heated words. You begged, “Oh fuck, please.” His sharp white teeth flashed before your blue angel of death disappeared. Then the drunk pawing stopped, hands gripping your waist tightly. Lips found your ear, cooing, “That’s much better. Shame about his dick size but we can make it work.”

You didn’t want to know what he was wielding if this fling’s already decent sized package wasn’t up to his standards. Bucky— well the flesh bag that was housing him— laved at your neck. You moaned, “He’s, ah, not gonna die, shit! Or anything?”

Bucky laughed, “No, possessing someone is different than me physically making contact. It’s all fucking weird,” he gave an experimental roll of his hips, “Enough questions. Can I fuck my favorite mortal now? I’ve got about an hour.”

You groaned as he pounded into your suddenly sopping cunt. Bucky nipped along the column of your neck, murmuring about ‘how pretty’ you were. In a quick motion he jerked you flush to his chest, laughing darkly. You yelped and writhed around his pulsing cock, overwhelmed with his attentions.

He felt up your tits, tweaking the swollen buds. You turned to the strangers face and imagined it was Bucky’s, pleading, “Kiss me, c’mon Buck, please?” His eyes softened and he took your mouth hotly, tongues immediately into play. His lips massaged your own while sharing eachother.

The lip lock grew messy and slick while he drove into your most sensitive spots. Bucky teased, “That feel good huh? Pretty baby gets a little fuck-dumb,” he took in your glassy eyes with awe, “Betcha’ didn’t know that, just needed someone to treat you right.” All you could do was whine and shiver, desperately licking against stranger’s lips.

He nuzzled into your hair while holding on your waist— hips snapping brutally into your pussy. You wailed in pleasure, meeting his hips in sharp slaps and sharp cries. Bucky ran his mouth to no avail. Just accelerating the breakneck pace to your orgasm.

Wracking with a shiver you whined, “You feel so fucking good, god, don’t stop!” He groaned against your lax lips, “I won’t, not until my baby cums on my cock.” One of the man’s hands snaked to your obscenely swollen clit, drawing circles around the flushed bud. You cried out again, almost jerking away from the intensity if it weren’t for the arm snug around your waist.

He didn’t relent, fingers lazily striking the sensitive nerves. Bucky smirked and teased meanly, hoarse whispers in your ear. Your belly was growing hot, hot, hot and tight. Every nerve ending felt alight from Bucky’s onslaught on your clit and weeping pussy. You whimpered softly, him cooing, “I know babydoll, I know, feels s’good ya’ don’t know up from down. Let it happen.”

When the inevitable coil broke your body seized as pathetic noises left your throat. Bucky cursed and moaned at the feeling of you squeezing his notcock. Big hands rubbed at your waist and the soft skin under your breasts. He lazily rolled his hips through your convulsing and crying, eventually pulling out and spilling on your ass with a broken cry.

You panted raggedly and leaned back against a hard chest. He chuckled, “You good sweetheart?” A dumb shake of your head was all you could manage in return. He stayed in the stranger’s body to hold you, a hand rubbing your hip warmly. His blue eyes scanned you, almost wistful in nature.

You looked up at him and asked, “Think we could keep this up,” you paused, “Whole possessing and having good sex thing?”

Bucky chuckled softly.

You chewed on your lip, nuzzling the stranger’s body, “They don’t remember any of this do they? Then maybe we shouldn’t.”

“It will be like a dream for them. Weird memory or so. So yeah, I think we can keep it up,” he smiled, “I keep my eye on you anyways— I’ll find the time. But I’ve gotta go now.” Before you could speak he was back out in his usual blue form, face pouty. Scrambling towards the edge of the bed you reached out, “A kiss?”

Bucky frowned, blue eyes mournful. He murmured, “Only when it’s your time sweetheart. Gotta use the others. Have a good night.”

You frowned and let him go, flopping back onto the bed with the idiot you’d brought home. He wasn’t your Bucky that’s for sure. More research on angels of death will be your next excursion.

In the meantime you were deep into school, researching, and church of all places. Then fucking Bucky in another man’s form all over the place. On the couch, shower, bathroom stalls, tables in so many different positions. Heavenly.

But the ache to be one with Bucky, James, was growing fervent and strong. It was only a snap until you fucked it up or something. Which you did.

This time you’d brought home some dumb Nordic exchange student named Thor. He had a massive cock and that’s what Bucky requested. On orgasm number three, face shoved into the pillows you cried out, “I love you! James, Bucky- fuck- I love you!”

Then he was gone. Thor was slumped over, snoring. But you’d never felt so alone. Of course he didn’t want you, just needed a fix in his dreary life. You cried silently, apologizing to the void.

A couple of weeks later you sat on a park bench reading Dante’s Inferno. It was sunny and nice, something you needed after the depression from Bucky’s rejection. You flipped a page, wind sifting your hair.

“I want you to myself and I can’t. So I bolted like a coward.”

You whipped to look at Bucky’s handsome face, unbidden tears rising. Your lip jutted as you glared, trying to not cry. Bucky’s brows were pinched and his jaw worked. He mumbled, “I love you. I love you. I love you,” the brunette blinked back tears, “I’m trying to find a way. I am. I’d give up immortality in a heartbeat.”

You pondered over his words, nails digging into your book. Taking a deep breath you grumbled, “Don’t do that to me again. I was so..lost.” He nodded in agony, fingers twitching to console you. Bucky hummed, “I’m talking with my boss soon, maybe you can join me.” He checked his watch with a huff.

You nodded slowly and asked, “Do you want me to walk with you to the site?”

A tear fell down his porcelain cheeks, “Please.”

[dcbbw]

Commoner

Before anyone gets super excited that I have finally written and posted a full-fledged fic, please be aware that this is a Savannah Walker story, and there isn’t a main LI or primary character in sight. And no happy ending guaranteed.

Yeah, sounds risky A.F. for a romance reader, but it’s a take on what leads to her circumstances pre-social season (a story we don’t know a lot about), and bonus for me: I get to explore a facet of my head canon of Leo x Savannah (Lavannah).

I may be the only person currently in this fandom with this ship in her head. Seriously.

This story was born of a long-standing head canon, and the song inspiration (original version but used the sad and acoustic version for this fic); lyrics are also taken from the song inspo.

IF you read this, THANK YOU! Your likes, comments, and/or reblogs are appreciated more than you realize. Please excuse any and all typos, missing/extraneous words, and/or grammatical errors. MS Editor rates this story as 99% error-free.

To all those who read over this story in its various variations and renditions, THANK YOU! Your feedback, ideas, and encouragement were invaluable (as always).

Thanks to @choicesflashfics for their Week 61 prompt #2, which will appear in bold.

This post will be broken into two parts (WORD.COUNT.)

Part 2 here

Song Inspo: Strangers (sad and acoustic version), Kenya Grace

Pairing(s): Savannah Walker x Leo Rys; Savannah Walker x Bertrand Beaumont

Word Count: 2,493

Rating: M for Mature themes

The car smells of rich leather mixed with pheromones and sweat, as it always does when we’re together. It’s a deeply masculine aroma that I will forever associate with him. The fingers of one of my hands tangle in his hair, the other hand is splayed against his back, my fingernails digging into his skin. I let out a soft gasp as his teeth scrape against my neck; I feel my head fall back further against the car’s seat.

The moon roof is open and the Cordornian night sky is a ribbon of black silk, the twinkling stars a scatter of white. I feel I should close my eyes, let scent and touch bask in this moment but I want to see. I want the most insignificant details of this night imprinted upon my brain because no matter how often these trysts occur, they are still too infrequent.

It always ends the same When it was me and you

I hadn’t expected to see him tonight. When I saw him earlier, he looked harried. Busy.

Uninterested.

I walk down the hall of the West Wing of the Palace, standing straight and tall with my shoulders back. Just as I was taught. I’m not supposed to be here; the West Wing is for the royal family. I am neither. Rather, I am an orphaned commoner, a ward of the Crown due to the most devastating circumstances.

I see the Crown Prince and feel the familiar butterflies. My breath hitches and I stumble a bit in my heels because my legs suddenly can’t support my weight. The way this man makes me feel … it is nothing as mere as a crush, nor is it infatuation. It’s love.

First love.

He wears a white oxford shirt that stretches across his broad shoulders. The top buttons undone give me a glimpse of his neck, throat, and a few errant chest hairs. His shirtsleeves are neatly rolled to his elbows, and I swear I can see the soft down of hair that covers his forearms. He is surrounded by staff … as usual. One hand holds stacks of paper; the other a pen. Even from our still considerable distance, I can hear the group’s murmurs, and see the furrow of his brow and the frown on his lips as he peruses a document. I see him decisively shake his head ever so slightly before handing the paper back to his assistant. He then leans over to whisper in the secretary’s ear before he breaks away from the large group.

He is heading my way, but I know he is unaware I am here. I can tell by the way he walks, the slight clench of his hand. When he gets closer, I drop into a low curtsy. “Your Royal Highness,” I greet in a low voice.

His eyes glance my way, but he doesn’t see me. He acknowledges my salutation with a distant nod as he fishes his phone from his pocket, dialing a number by heart. I don’t hear his words as he speaks into his mobile, but I know he’s talking to her. Even though all of Cordonia knows he doesn’t love her, my heart still breaks a little.

That night while the hour is still young despite the full moon in the now-darkened sky, I am ready for sleep. My hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and I’m wearing a pink babydoll nightgown. I am climbing into bed when my phone rings.

“Meet me in the garage. The Aston Martin.”

He hangs up, not waiting for my response. We both know it’s in the affirmative.

My nightgown is still bunched around my neck; the side of his thumb idly strums against one of my nipples. The Crown Prince of Cordonia lays atop me as we share a fevered kiss. His tongue in my mouth feels firm, assertive, yet so soft as it rolls against mine. Our hips are still pressed together as his now-limp manhood slips from my center.

He ends the kiss slowly, his lips lingering over mine before pulling away completely. He awkwardly climbs off me and I scoot into a corner of the back seat before sitting up and pulling down my nightgown. I thrust my arm downward to the car’s floor to retrieve my underwear. Leo remains shirtless as he struggles to pull up his boxer briefs and pants. 

We always have sex in the backseat of one of the many cars belonging to the royal family. We cannot chance being caught in either of our rooms; those spaces are off-limits to both of us. Crown properties, hotel rooms …  either here or in neighboring duchies and countries … are a risk he isn’t willing to chance. There’s staff, security, paparazzi everywhere.

Reputations are at stake.

We position and maneuver ourselves so we are stretched out on the backseat, his arm draped around my side and my head on his chest. His heartbeat fills my ear as we cuddle and talk.

This is my favorite part. Yes, a physical attraction is important, but an emotional bond and mental connection is paramount. I may only be 18, but I’m an old soul.

We'll get in your car and you'll lean to kiss me We'll talk for hours and lie on the backseat

We lay quietly, our breathing becoming even and our heart rates slowing. I hear the spring breeze above us rustle tree leaves, and crickets chirping. Leo exhales a long breath that blows through my hair before speaking.

“You’ll be going to Ramsford next week.” His statement rumbles from his chest to my ear.

My nose scrunches in confusion. Ramsford? “Why?”

“You successfully completed your mandatory education six months ago. Now it’s time for you to learn the ways of Court: etiquette, societal norms, lineage of the various families … stuff that only the bluebloods care about. Bertrand has agreed to tutor you for one month.”

I bite my lip. Once upon a time, being recognized as an aristocratic member of Cordonian society had been my only goal. To wear a silk gown, with tendrils of my hair falling in soft curls against my cheek while being announced as Lady Savannah Walker would have been a dream come true.

Not anymore.

Now, I just want to be Leo’s wife one day.

“No!” I respond petulantly. “I don’t want to go.”

He pulls me closer to him, if that’s even possible. “Hey,” he says gently, “even the nobles have to do it. It’s a rite of passage into Court.” Silence before he asks quietly, "It's what you’ve always wanted, right?”

“Not anymore,” I protest as I bury my face into his chest.

He continues as if I had never spoken.

“It’s for the best. You’ll learn our ways and find a nobleman to marry you and make you a Lady.” He pauses; when he speaks again, contrition laces his tone. “That didn’t come out right, but you know what I mean. AND you need to network. Get yourself an ally … an advocate; Drake has Liam. You need someone as well.”

“I have you …”

“I leave in three days for the Mediterranean cruise; two weeks after that, it’s Coronation. Six weeks later, the wedding. Whatever I am able to do for you as Crown Prince changes once I become King.”

His words slice me apart as he speaks them in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. And that is when I conclude this love is one-sided.

“I see,” I reply coolly as I pull away, signaling I am ready to leave.

Leo doesn’t release me. “Don’t put all the blame on me.”

“I’m not,” I lie as I avert my eyes from his gaze.

His eyes close briefly before they re-open. Even in the dark shadows of the automobile, they are intensely blue, like flames of gas.

“I’m 27 years old, and the last decision I made for myself by myself was when I was five years old! There are so many things I want to do, things I have never done! And I never will, all because of station and status.”

His head falls, his breath catches in his throat. “You want nothing more than this life you think I’m living, and I want nothing more than to leave it.”

“NOT ANYMORE!” I rage as I bend over to look for my shoes. “I just want YOU!”

“Why?” he asks. The question is simple enough, yet I can’t help but feel it’s a loaded weapon.

I find my shoes but stay bent over. My hair is a curtain that hides my face. “I’m in love with you.”

Silence as he ponders my answer. “Emotions don’t do well at Court. You want to be labeled a crown chaser? Because no one would ever believe that we’re together for love.”

He sits up, pulling his shirt back on. “Being with me comes with a price, love. You’ll go broke trying to pay it.”

I slip on my sneakers and open the car door so I can step outside and put on my trench coat. “You’re breaking up with me and sending me to Ramsford so you no longer have to be bothered!” I accuse. “It’s out of sight, out of mind with you nobles!”

My voice cracks and stumbles over the words, but I don’t cry. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

Fully dressed, he climbs out of the car, walking around to my side to help me with my coat. He pulls me into an embrace before adjusting my collar and fastening buttons.

“You deserve someone who can openly be with you. Someone who can fuck you in a bed. Someone who will love living their life with you, not someone who will grow to resent you because of the life they have to live.”

“And you wait until after we have sex to TELL MY THIS?” I holler. “THIS is something best discussed over comfort food and wine, NOT in the back seat of your father’s car!”

He sighs, his forehead in his palm. “I needed at least one more night with you.”

He lifts his face to meet my skeptical gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you, Vannah but the trajectory my life is on right now, I will. Hell, I ALREADY AM! I know you don’t see it the way I do, but I am trying to help you avoid wasting your life and breaking your own heart.”

We climb into the Aston Martin’s front seats, a stony silence between us. He’s absolutely correct in that I don’t see it his way, and I never will. Yet, we hold hands during the ride back to the Palace, trying to maintain our fragile connection.

It's something that I hate How everyone's disposable

Two weeks later, I am sitting in House Beaumont at the breakfast table, nibbling on chicken apple sausage and toast. My phone is placed beside my plate, but I have no notifications, no texts, no emails. I haven’t heard from Leo in three days. That is when our communications ended; my last message to him sits on delivered.

Unread.

The night before he left for his cruise, Leo slipped into my room unannounced. I gasp in fright and disbelief; we haven’t spoken since our last time together. Since he dumped me. I stare at him as the shock and surprise of the Crown Prince being in my South Wing bedroom dissipates. He returns my gaze steadily as he strides to me and pulls me almost harshly against him.

His lips seek mine, and our kiss is salty from tears; I still don’t know if they were mine or Leo’s.  With only Nora Jones crooning in the background, we hastily undress each other; my dress falls atop his shirt. His pants fall against my bra; our underwear tangles as they join the heap piled upon the carpet.

I kiss his neck softly as I straddle his lap. He marks mine as his lips and mouth blaze a trail down my body. He kisses the inside of my thighs before whispering he’s in love with me too; he then feasted upon my sex, and I think I died a little bit.

Night is lifting, a hidden sun streaking the sky with oranges and pinks when he leaves, promising to text me every day.

“SAVANNAH! Why is your phone on the table during a meal? And sit up straight, you’re slouching again!”

Bertrand’s overdramatic reprimand jostles me from my reverie, and I roll my eyes. I drop my sausage onto my plate. I’m not really hungry; the smell of strong-brewed coffee and the sight of eggs is making me nauseous. Maxwell’s eyes meet mine and he gives me a sympathetic look; I shake my head reassuringly before turning to face his brother.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I mistakenly assumed that since you were reading the newspaper, my phone would be acceptable this morning,” I say in a conciliatory tone.

The Duke looks flustered, obviously expecting a different reaction. I take the time to study the features he has grown into. However, becoming the youngest Duke at Cordonian court in centuries has taken a toll on him: his brow is constantly in a state of furrow, and his mouth is forever downturned. His eyes are filled with worry and disdain.

Despite this, Bertrand is extremely good-looking. Most assholes are.

I ask to be excused; the nausea is rising and I’m feeling light-headed.

“Are you okay, Sav?” Maxwell asks in concern.

“I’ll be fine,” I say convincingly.

As I leave, I hear a cellphone ring, but it isn’t mine, so I don’t care.

Two more weeks pass, and I realize I am pregnant.  My cycle is six weeks late, my breasts are swelling and slightly tender to the touch, and certain smells make me nauseous. Of course it’s Leo’s, he is my first and only lover. No one knows; I’m too in shock to tell anyone. And who would I tell?

Leo is the obvious choice, but he has yet to respond to any of my messages. The newspapers and social media are exploding with news of a supposed abdication and accounts of his adventures with some mystery woman from the cruise ship. There are photos of them taking in tourist sites, sneaking underneath a fence covered with NO TRESPASSING signs, feeding each other street food.

Rumor has it he returned to Cordonia briefly with the woman in tow, abdicated the Crown, broke off his relationship with Madeleine, and disappeared like a thief in the night.

I don’t believe any of it. He was in love with me, he said so. He would have told me if he were abdicating. He would have rushed to me to tell me the wedding was off.

Wouldn’t he?

Except he was no longer speaking to me ….

And then one random night when everything changes You won't reply and we'll go back to strangers

Tagging: @jared2612 ​@ao719 @marietrinmimi​ @indiacater​​​ @kingliam2019​ @bebepac @liamxs-world @mom2000aggie​​​ @liamrhysstalker2020​​​ @twinkleallnight @umccall71 @superharriet @busywoman​​​ @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam​​​ @beezm @gardeningourmet​​​ @lovingchoices14​​​ @mainstreetreader @angelasscribbles​​​ @lady-calypso @emkay512 @princessleac1 @charlotteg234 @alj4890​ @motorcitymademadame​​​ @queenmiarys @choicesficwriterscreations

[crazylittlejester]

Jes when is mandarin warriors’s fic coming out? 😭

It’s gonna be the next one posted in You’re A Part Of Me, I can promise you that, but I don’t think I can give a rough estimate of a timeline for when I’ll be able to post it yet-

part of why it’s taking me so long is because I am writing two versions of it at once, and they will be posted at the same time (I explained why on another post but for those who didn’t see that: The topic and themes of this fic are a bit heavy and I don’t feel comfortable rating it teen. I DO NOT and WILL NOT write explicit scenes, but just because I’m no longer implying things and am talkin about them fairly directly and showing the trauma and healing that follows certain events, it will be rated mature. There will be a watered down version rated teen because I know a lot of people are excited about this but may not want to read a heavier fic, so the teen one will have pretty much the same plot and end the same way, it’ll literally just be watered down)

it’d be so wonderful and so cool if i could post it in the next week or so, but I’m coming down with somethin and I’m also still really burnt out from school, which is why there has not been a fic posted by me in like a week. Also writing about trauma like this specifically is really hard for me, and also I’ve run into a lot of pole holes i’ve needed to patch up along the way

it may not be the next fic I post in general, but it is higher on my priority list than FH9 or my own links meet au, and believe me I do feel bad that it’s taken me two months and I’m still not done

im also a bit Scared because i feel like people are getting very hyped for this fic and im worried its not gonna be worth the hype, but im doing my best and I hope you all enjoy it when i AM able to post it

thank you all for being real patient with me, i promise i AM working on it 🫶

[felicitysmoaksx]

Hi everyone! This is by no means my favorite chapter, but it has some of my favorite moments in the story and I'm curious to see which ones yours are and the ones you think mine are. But this chapter is very grief heavy so take care of yourselves and I hope you enjoy it. Also fun fact: we start this chapter where I initially started the story but then changed it. Song recs for this chapter: See You Again (Acoustic) by Tyler Ward, Hold On by Chord Overstreet, Forever Winter by Taylor Swift, and The Good Ones by Gabby Barrett

Rating: Mature

Summary: Her eyes squeezed shut before she dropped her head. Borrowed time. It was meant to be her…It was meant to be-

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: implied/references a canonical character death and in depth survivors’ guilt  

Read On AO3 | Fic Playlist | Fic Playlist but Less Shippy  | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 |  Want to be tagged when I post a Rheese story?

The creamy beige walls with green accents, with picture frames lining those walls and warm wooden floors, were not what Connor was expecting when he stepped foot in Hank Voight’s two-story townhouse, after the funeral. Truthfully he didn’t know what he was expecting but the cozy-looking house, wasn’t it.

They were the first ones there after the service and Sarah had used her key to let them in.

“Camille, Hank’s wife, decorated the house, and he didn’t have the heart to change it after she lost her battle with cancer,” Sarah informed him when she caught him looking around. Like it had been since she was discharged from the hospital and in the days leading up to Justin Voight’s funeral. Sarah’s voice was quiet and tinged with sadness.  

Connor let his eyes wander around the room once more and now his lover had said something, he could the feminine touches around the parts of the house that he could see from the entryway.

“It’s nice,” he said quietly, keeping his voice just as quiet as hers, as his hand, that wasn’t already holding hers, picked up a picture frame. A much younger version of the brunette beside him stared back up at him. Sarah couldn’t have been more than sixteen in the picture. She stood smiling, along with Hank, Justin Voight, Erin Lindsay, and a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes, he didn’t recognize stared back at him. Their smiles were bright.

“Camille?” He asked, nodding a little at the picture though he was fairly certain. Sarah nodded, nuzzling his shoulder a little as she leaned against it. She probably didn’t realize what she was doing, but Connor wrapped an arm around her waist. It wasn’t often that Sarah clung to him, but she was right now and Connor was willing to give his affection to her in spades.

“That was taken the day of mine and Justin’s high school graduation. Camille’s chemo had started to affect her with nausea and hair loss about a month before. She had even started to lose weight, but you wouldn’t have known it with the way she acted. It was like she was superwoman.” She explained and it was clear from her tone of voice, she held a fondness for the woman. 

“You miss her.” It wasn’t a question. But his lover still nodded as she explained, “I owe a lot to her and Hank. But I think the most I owe to Camille is making sure I at least finished high school. She’s probably the reason I’m standing here next to you right now.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Camille taught middle school. So education was pretty important to her and to put it lightly my grades were less than stellar. But it wasn’t because I didn’t get it. I just didn’t care.” It was hard to imagine the brunette beside him as a delinquent as she was alluding to. He always thought of Sarah as a brainiac and a perfectionist.

She huffed a ghost of a laugh, “I still remember the speech she gave me. 'I know the system and the world have failed you. You got into a situation that you didn’t put yourself in and you’re angry. And I’m not denying that you have a right to be angry. But Sarah, you’re smart. So smart. Don’t think I don’t see you helping Justin with his homework sometimes. So I don’t understand why a girl who is as smart as you, thinks it’s okay to fail yourself by not even trying to finish high school.'”

“Did it work?” 

“To an extent. At least in middle school. I put in just enough effort to pass. It wasn’t till I entered high school that my teachers noticed I wasn’t trying because I was bored. I wasn’t being challenged enough, so a month into the school year I took a lot of tests. Turns out I was testing out of subjects to see where I could be placed at.” 

Another barely there chuckle, “I tested out of the ninth and tenth grade. I was fourteen and a junior in high school.”

Connor couldn’t hide his wince. He remembered being fourteen and really couldn’t imagine being in junior year at that age. Fourteen and freshman year was bad enough. A watery chuckle fell from her lips, “Yeah, I had it easier than most though. Hank and Camille pulled me out of the private school they had Erin and me in when we came to live with them and put me in the public high school Justin was at. He and Tucker looked out for me. I had one of them most of the time. And if I didn’t have them, there was usually a guy Justin was friendly with.”

Silence fell as he placed the picture back on the table. Then Sarah spoke quietly, “She wasn’t my mother and I know that. But when I picture my mother, she’s who comes to mind. With my father, it’s different. Hank has been my dad for sixteen years now. But I still remember how my father looked. How he smelled and what he sounded like. At least a little. But my mom, my actual mother, I only have a blurry outline of her. I can’t even remember her face. Let alone what she smelled like or sounded like and Bunny, well was Bunny. We’ll just leave it at that. But Camille always smelled like flowers and lemon pledge because of her dust allergy. And in the mornings, when getting three kids up and moving for school, she sounded like a drill sergeant. But when you were sad or upset, she was the most soothing voice. The hypnotic kind you could fall asleep to.”

The brunette shook her head, “That must sound so weird.”

A wistful vulnerability had entered her voice now. So Connor pressed his lips to her forehead gently as he played with a loose curl to get her attention. Brown eyes peered back up at him from where her head rested against his shoulder. 

“It doesn’t sound weird, baby. Hank and Camille raised you. Helped make you the person you are today. It makes sense that they’re who you picture as your parents.”

“Thank you,” he felt Sarah sag just a little into him and Connor took her weight easily, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “And thank you for being here today too. It means a lot to me.”

“You don’t need to thank me. You know I’m here for you.” He told her softly. Then it was over as his lover pulled away from him, rubbing tears away from her face while she made her way to the kitchen. Connor bit back a sigh. He wanted her to lean on him. He wanted to be there for her, but for all his wanting, when she did lean on him; Sarah pulled away just as quick.

Like the brunette was afraid of something. But Connor couldn’t figure out what that was yet. Though he had a nagging feeling that it had something to do with her comment about being an “extended booty call.”

The conversation about their relationship hadn’t happened yet. Though he promised his sister, he couldn’t talk to Sarah about their relationship right now. It wasn’t the right time. There was just too much going on right now and she was too vulnerable. But it was just a formality to Connor anyway. It could wait; it had for six months. Conversation or not, he was hers. Now he was just trying to ease her into it.

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and Sarah came out of the kitchen, raising her eyebrows back at Connor who looked confused as well. It was too early for anyone from the service to show up yet. According to Erin’s text, there was a bad wreck on Roosevelt holding everyone up. (Sarah and Connor had come the back way to the house so they had missed it.)

“Do you want me to get it?” Connor offered and the brunette shook her head. He had been great before the service, talking with everyone when she didn’t have the energy to socialize. And her lover had even let her hide in his embrace when the service was too much for her. But she couldn’t keep using him as a crutch. She knew she couldn’t; it wasn’t right. She made her way to the door.

“Maggie,” Sarah said slowly before her eyes widened as she took in everyone else who stood behind the charge nurse. Will, Natalie, April, Ethan, Ava, and Monique stood there. 

“Are we late? Sorry, Reese, we wanted to come to the service too but we couldn’t find enough people to cover a whole shift.” Maggie explained, wrapping her in a one-armed hug. In her other hand were two casserole dishes. One was regular-sized, made for serving people and the other was smaller. Made to serve one or two people. Sarah returned it, feeling a little stunned at the sight of everyone there, looking at her with varying degrees of sympathetic smiles. Ms. Goodwin and Dr. Charles and his ex-wife had showed up to the service, but Sarah figured it was a respect thing more than anything. She wasn’t expecting anyone else from the hospital with the exception of Connor to show up. (Despite her many claims that he didn’t have to come with her.)

“And the service felt more like a family thing and we didn’t want to intrude.” Natalie chimed in, taking Maggie’s place when the charge nurse released her. “How’re you holding up Sarah?” 

“Plus we got lost. Whenever Jay talked, he made it sound like Voight lived in Pilsen. Not North Lawndale.” Will was next to hug her, squeezing her in a big bear hug.

“The GPS always gets it wrong anyway,” Sarah answered feeling a little like she was in a daze at the sight of her coworkers and friends. Choi wrapped his arms around her next and Sarah hugged him a little tighter than the others simply because he and Justin used the same cologne. The clean spearmint smell brought tears to her eyes and she had to blink back.  

She couldn’t cry. Not here. Not with everyone staring at her with everyone looking at her with varying degrees of pity. 

“But Sarah, something awful happened to you. It’s okay to cry.” Justin’s ghost told her sadly. Her tears pricked her eyes and threatened to fall again. She jerked herself out of Ethan’s arms as if she was burned. Thankfully no one noticed or they were too nice to mention it. April came next, whispering how she was sorry. Then Monique, who didn’t have anything to say, but squeezed her extra tight. Borrowed time. It was always meant to be her-

“If you want we can check the bandage? See how it’s healing?” Ava asked, when Sarah pulled away from her. She had been the last to hug her. Thankful for the interruption to her guilt-consuming thoughts, the brunette shrugged and grabbed the first aid kit from the kitchen before she led her to the upstairs bathroom in case someone else showed up. 

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“We expected Sarah to not be herself but I didn’t think we expected her to be so…” Natalie trailed off sadly, looking around at their friends for help. 

“Lifeless?” Choi inputted softly and she nodded. Feeling a wave of protectiveness hit him, Connor opened his mouth to remind them that of course, Sarah was

going to be in a daze. Her brother had died. But Maggie and Will beat him to it. 

“Nat, you were more or less the same way after Jeff died.” The charge nurse reminded Natalie, coming back from the kitchen. Maggie hadn’t said this in an unkind tone.  Merely a gentle reminder, but the other brunette woman blushed and looked at her hands. 

Their red-headed friend nodded in agreement as he told them, “And to be honest, it makes sense for her to be like this. There are entire weeks that I don’t remember when my mom and dad both passed. Let alone their actual services. Sarah will probably be on autopilot for a while. The best thing we can probably do for her is to be there and not treat her differently.”

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“It looks okay. Rhodes is doing a good job.” Ava said, inspecting the bullet wound. Then meeting Sarah’s eye she smirked weakly. “You have no idea how much I hate admitting that.” 

For her efforts at normalcy, the curly-haired brunette gave her friend a weak smile. Ava placed a piece of gauze on the hole and secured it with some surgical tape as she spoke in a quiet voice, “Though I wish you stayed in the hospital a little bit longer.”

A tear rolled down Sarah’s cheek. Her voice was broken and her face screwed up with a sob. “And I told you that wasn’t an option.”

“I know. And even though I  don’t like it. I can understand why that wasn’t an option. I can’t imagine how hard today is for you.”

There were those tears again that threatened to fall. She tried to push them back but once the traderious tears fell. They didn’t stop and Sarah sobbed, “It feels like I’m in a daze. Like everything is just a bad dream but I can’t seem to wake up. No matter how hard I try to pinch myself.”  

She showed her friend the welt that was starting to form on her wrist from where she had been pinching all day.

“Oh Reese,” Ava sank to her knees in front of her brunette friend as the other woman crumbled. Sarah buried her face into her hands. “And when I can’t wake up, I just start crying…”

Another broken sob as Sarah felt her body start to shake. “I.  Hate. crying, Ava. It feels like the last few days, all I’ve done is cry. I should be all dried up by now. I shouldn’t have any tears left.”

“You faced something terrible. Something no one should have to go through and you lost someone important to you.” The blonde told her with a slight frown, bringing her into a tight hug. “You are allowed to cry, to grieve. To be hurt and angry that this happened. Don’t deny yourself that.”

Was it ironic that Justin’s ghost who seemed to follow her had said the same thing to her earlier? 

Sarah felt herself start to crumble in Ava’s arms. Sobs wracked her body and that familiar stiff ache of a migraine emerging. With a sigh, she pulled away and scrubbed roughly at her face. 

“Sarah,” the blonde said, but Sarah was already shaking her head as she pushed herself to her feet. “Other people are going to be here soon. I can’t-”

She couldn’t cry in front of them. She didn’t feel like she could because who was she? What right did she have to cry when in reality, as much as they acted like it, she wasn’t Justin’s sister. She wasn’t Hank’s daughter. She was the girl no one wanted. Her own parents had left her. Had left her with Bunny, who had no problem telling her she was just another mouth to feed. Another burden that no one wanted. (“But you are my sister, Sarah. Just like you’re Dad’s kid too. Just like Erin and Teddy.” The ghost seemed to whisper.)

“Sarah,” Ava said again, but Sarah shook her head again, already headed for the door. It was meant to be her. Not Justin.

“Thank you. For changing my bandage.” The curly-haired brunette said before she walked out of the door without another word.

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“I appreciate you all coming but you really didn’t have to.” Sarah said, making her way back down the steps. By the way, everyone seemed to stop talking, she knew they had been talking about her.

“You didn’t have to come to my Dad’s memorial but you did. And you stopped Jay from kicking Timmy Oaks ass.” Will said as he grinned at her, nudging her with his shoulder. 

“That’s because Erin was sick and at the rate Jay was going, she was worried he was going to kick someone's ass.” 

“And you didn’t have to help me put together furniture pieces for my apartment but you did,” Ava said, making her way down the steps. She stopped behind her and Sarah turned.

“I bribed Jay, Adam, and Kevin with pizza and beer to put together your furniture. Then I helped you read the directions.”

“And you didn’t have to take me to the 21st and wait with me when my place was broken into a few months ago. But you did.” Monique added. 

“I knew they would send you to the 13th. And I also knew Alder who runs the B&E unit. He graduated with Erin’s class at the academy. He’s misogynistic and thinks the only thing a female cop is good for is being a figurehead. He wouldn’t have taken you seriously. At least with Ruz and Kev, I knew you’d be in good hands.”

“And you didn’t have to come to my Uncle Paul’s funeral and listen to my Grandma’s ramble on about knitting. But you did. She also made a casserole by the way. She also made a smaller vegetarian one for you. I put them on the counter.” Maggie told her. 

“She didn’t have to do that.” This time Sarah didn’t have a way to contradict the charge nurse. So she just shook her head. Because everything everyone had just said, although true, was different. That was them. Not her.

"She wanted to Reese," Maggie told her.

“You’re just as important to us as we are to you, Sarah,” Choi told her. His usual intense demeanor seemed to be toned down a few notches. April nodded. 

“Friends show up for each other and you’ve shown up for us when we've needed it. Now let us do the same.”

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

Thirty minutes to an hour later, more people started to show up and the brunette learned just how small the world actually was when Autumn looked at Natalie from where she was pressing herself into Sarah’s leg with a large grin and said, “Hi Owen’s mom!”

 Autumn and Owen had gone to the same daycare while the hospital’s in-house one was being renovated. Natalie told her, waving to the little girl. 

“And,” Natalie added, “I had been room mom a few times. Is Autumn yours? I’ve only seen Tucker pick her up. But wait, she would’ve had to be born around the time Owen was because they’re about the same age…”

Sarah shook her head as the little girl left her side to chase after Travis, who was trying to convince Annie to let him have another soda. “No, Tucker and I go way back, and don’t get me wrong he’s great. But we don’t go back like that.  He was Justin’s best friend and we went to school together. After his wife, Leah passed because of complications with the birth, everyone around Tucker stepped up to help out with Autumn.”

“I only asked because she seems pretty attached to you in particular,” Nat remarked gently. It was true. Since arriving with her father, and despite Sarah’s place by Connor’s, the small girl had attached herself to Sarah’s side (like she usually did) until a few minutes ago. 

“Well,” the curly-haired brunette shrugged at the other woman, “It takes a village right?” 

“It does,” Natalie agreed, and though she could tell there was more to the story, she let Sarah go back to her place by Connor’s side on the couch.

[LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK] [LINE BREAK]

“You’re not the guy I pictured for my little sister.” Erin took Sarah’s spot beside him on the couch, after Hank had pulled his lover into the kitchen to eat a plate of food he made for her. Connor took a swig of his beer, an eyebrow raised at the police detective. 

“I’m hoping there’s a ‘but’ coming here?”  

“I thought you were too overconfident. A little too full of himself because he was good at what he did and he knew it. It makes for a big ego in people and I thought you were too full of yourself to be what my sister needed in a partner.” She continued and when his frown deepened, Erin smiled softly in return, “But then I watched you look at my sister like she was the moon and the stars in your universe. I watched you sit by her side for hours upon hours while she was sedated. And when she was discharged and we were fighting about her staying by herself, you stepped in and offered up yourself and your apartment to try and make everyone happy. And you came with her today, to a funeral service of a person you didn't. Not many people would do that.”

Connor shrugged, looking away when Erin’s eyes bore into his. It was only then that the woman said, “A lot of guys would’ve cut and run by now.”

“It’s not in my nature.” It wasn’t. Maybe it was the trauma of losing his mom like he had. A subconscious pull that he wasn’t always aware of. If his father had reached his hand out to his mother more, and helped her deal with her bad days and her mental illnesses in general, she might still be here. Maybe that’s why Connor didn't, as Erin put it, ‘cut and run.’ Instead, he found himself doubling down when things got hard. “I don’t scare easily.”

He returned Erin’s look finally and she gave him another smile. “Clearly, you don’t and to be clear, this isn’t me saying I like or approve of you yet…”

“But?”

“But you love my sister. There is no denying that. Anyone who’s paying attention can see that and that is a good first step.” Connor shifted in his seat. He wasn’t denying her statement and you could definitely call him old fashioned in this regard but he hadn’t even uttered those words to Sarah yet. If he was going to tell anyone he loved the brunette beauty, it was going to be him telling her first.

So instead he said, “She’s not ready to hear that yet.” 

“She will be though.” Erin told him with a sad smile, “We’re all just a little fragile right now.”

[bilightningwhumper]

Picture Perfect- Rapunzel+Hansel and Gretel retelling

TNEI Tumblr Masterlist

Rating:

Explicit (18+ only)

Basic Premise:

F/F/M romance; female whumpees, female+various whumpers, various caretakers; nonhuman whump, institutional whump, pet whump

Summary:

When Leslie betrayed Mama, she lost her name and self, forever a Baby Bird from then on. It's still hurting Mama, not giving her the grandchildren she craves. As a last resort, it's sent to the New Eden Institution for help conceiving. But its new friends insist on it escaping with them and… Baby Bird doesn't *want* to stay. Maybe if it goes with them instead, maybe it won't be a disappointment anymore.

Josh fell in love with a long-haired blonde girl when he fell over her garden wall as a child. Years of a secret friendship turned romance was abruptly torn apart as they became adults. Now he has Amalia, who, while being her own person, can't help but remind him of Leslie when he soothes her nightmares and sees her soul-mark that matches his and Leslie's. But when two finally becomes three, things change. A lot.

After Leslie is found, Amalia’s recovery starts falling apart. Josh already knows her past; she already confessed to him some years ago. But guilt starts setting in as Leslie becomes more attached. If she hadn't abandoned her brother for freedom, would this have ever happened?

All main characters 18+ unless specified otherwise (ie, certain flashbacks)

Notes:

This fic is going to contain heavy abuse from female abuser to female victim. Mental, physical, sexual, etc. Mostly in flashbacks. I've put as much warning as I can in the tags. So please take care of yourselves and don't read if it'll be triggering. I do not condone Rape/Noncon irl. This is purely a way to vent and cope.

Ao3 link

(* for mature/18+ posts)

Tumblr posts:

Prologue [under construction]

Excerpts (chronological order as of now):

Everything I've given up is worth nothing to you. (Mangst 2024- Day 28 / Spoilers)- [Flashback] Leslie is scared to go to her first "adult" party

You don't act like yourself anymore.* (Mangst 2024- Day 7 / Spoilers)- [Flashback] Mama finds out about Leslie mating with her soulmate

I can't breathe. (Mangst 2024- Day 31 / Spoilers)- Josh comes home from the Evergreen Heart Medical Center to tell Amalia what happened

You don't remember, do you? (Mangst 2024- Day 3 / Partial Spoilers)- Leslie learns more about her family

Sensory Saturday (AI-less Whumptober 2024- Day 12 [sensory deprivation, “Can you feel me? I’m right here, whumpee.”] / Spoilers)- Leslie attempts a reunion with Josh after the first one didn't go so well

Yarn (Flufftober 2024- Day 19 / Partial Spoilers)- Amalia tries out a new hobby... with little success

Ingredients & Spells (Flufftober 2024- Day 11 / Partial Spoilers)- Josh's attempt to make dinner wasn't as great as he'd hoped

Attic, Cellar, Hidden Room (Flufftober 2024- Day 13 / Partial Spoilers)- Leslie gets a happy surprise

Old Versions:

Prologue V1

[nowis-scales]

Rating: Mature

Fandoms: Fire Emblem IF / Fire Emblem Fates

Relationships: M Corrin / Felicia

Additional Tags: Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Self-Doubt, Childhood Friends, Parenthood, Post-War, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Implied/Referenced Sex, Implied/Referenced Pregnancy, Menstruation Mention

Word Count: 3,590 words

Summary: There is nothing Corrin has wanted more than to be a father, but as he and his wife begin to try for their first child after the war, he finds that she is harbouring a few more anxieties about parenthood than she was ready to admit. Hearing her concerns, he realizes that it's up to him to make her see what an amazing mom she's going to be.

[Read the Felicia/Corrin one-shot on AO3.]

When they were little, Corrin and Felicia used to play house.

It was one of their absolute favourite games. Shedding status and decorum, they would take on the roles of a simple husband and wife. Proud and loving, they pretended to be a couple who lived in the countryside, and worked hard for every piece of gold they had. They may not have been rolling in riches and jewels, but they were happy and healthy, and they had their love to keep them warm. In some versions of their game, they even had a daughter or a dog (depending on if Flora or Lilith wanted to play with them at the time). Their little lives were absolutely perfect, and they would spend hours just playing together, imagining a sweet, domestic life for themselves.

And in the end, Corrin supposes that they did get it, but… it’s certainly turned out a little differently than they planned.

He’s not entirely sure Felicia ever anticipated becoming the queen of a kingdom, much less one that had just recently been freed from an insane god.

Then again, Felicia never thought she would marry him. In fact, he’s pretty sure he recalls several remarks about how she would probably never get married at all. “I’m far too clumsy to make a good wife,” she would sigh, lamenting her restriction to enjoying romance through novels, unaware that Corrin was completely smitten with her. After all, those little games of house didn’t come out of nowhere. Even growing into a young adult, he couldn’t ignore the growing desire to have her as his own, so while she never anticipated her future, he spent years fantasizing about the joy of it all. The flustered giggles that came with the first handholding in courtship, the months spent tasting cakes and choosing fabrics for their grand marriage, the cool summer evenings spent flirting and fawning over each other until they somehow wound up in bed, the late nights and early mornings they would spend with their chubby little baby… Life sure had taken a turn for his lovably awkward wife, but for him, it was almost exactly where he wanted to be. Of course, being king did make several aspects of life pretty different – and unfortunately, some of them did tamper with his vision. He still has what he desperately wanted with her, but… things aren’t always so straightforward and sweet. Some aspects of life are just a bit more than he initially bargained for – and in this case, that includes having children.

Their fellow officials have been on their backs about having a baby for months now. He always kind of thought that Xander and Ryoma were exaggerating when they said that babies are all anyone talks about once you get to a certain age – no. Much to his frustration, his brothers were unfortunately quite correct. He has never seen so many people so fascinated with the idea of two other people having sex. It seems as if everyone has been pestering him to just get Felicia pregnant already. It’s certainly not as if he hasn’t been trying, either, it’s just a lot of pressure. Not just for him, either, but for both of them. There is more to having a baby than just the actual act of getting pregnant with one. If there’s one thing he knows about his wife, it’s that motherhood worries are probably the kind of thing that’s going to keep her up at night… which only makes it worse that today is a good day in her monthly schedule.

Knowing that has made the day a blur for them both. Her more so than him, but it is hard to focus on whatever arbitrary problem the courtiers are having when you’re busy worrying about your wife. Towards the end of the day, he feels as if he has done nothing but repeatedly glance at Felicia, searching her face from moment to moment just to see the slightest twitch. He’s sure that by now some of the others have noticed that neither the king nor the queen is focused on the task at hand, but nobody seems to mind all that much. There’s probably some rumour floating around that their lack of focus is exhaustion from night after night of dragon’s bliss… He really hopes that one never leaves the castle.

Still, in a way there is an exhaustion that overtakes them, it’s just the kind that comes from micromanaging themselves all day. It is only once they settle into the beginning of a nice, quiet dinner alone that either of them can even begin to feel peace. Rather than dining out in the open, the couple requested that they have some time alone in a private room. After all, if all of their time is given to their people, surely they should be allowed just a little bit alone as husband and wife. Luckily, the staff agreed that such a prospect was reasonable, likely hoping that their intimate night alone would breed good fortune for their country’s potential heir. Thankfully, this meant that by the time dinner rolled around, Corrin was finally able to relax his shoulders a little.

Some of that admittedly came from the fact that tonight’s dinner dish was as good as it was. With the gifts of land from both Xander and Ryoma, Nohrian and Hoshidan culture quickly became blended with what remained of the Vallites. This meant that the cuisine had, in part, evolved to become something fresh, new, and undeniably delicious. Tonight’s dinner is proof of that: black sesame tan tan men, paired with three steamed pork buns each for added protein. The whole meal is steaming hot and smells both nutty and meaty, practically making both of their mouths water at the smell. For the first few minutes of the meal, the two of them are more focus on their bowls than they are each other, taking in happy, greedy bites. After a long day of work that left them starving, the food is so hypnotizing that when Felicia speaks, it takes Corrin a few extra seconds to pull away.

“So… today’s another good day, huh?”

He can’t help but notice how her voice shakes a little bit when she says it, with that same little waiver that tinges her speech when she’s trying to be cool about something. A small smile graces her lips, but it doesn’t match the look in her eyes.

“It should be, if we have your schedule right.”

There had been an incident with that, in the past. Just as Felicia could forget which direction was north and which was south, she often forgot exactly when her period had started each time that it happened. This meant that once or twice they were missing the target by more than just a little bit. Oh, how annoyed some of the healers overseeing them had been on that day! Still, he couldn’t blame her for that – from what he knew, menstruation was a period of severe discomfort for her, perhaps even more so than for the average woman, so it must have felt like it went on for ages. He’s sure that she’s looking forward to missing it when she’s pregnant.

“So after dinner’s over, do you wanna give some time for our food to settle and then, um…?” It’s hard not to smile at the way Felicia’s face turns strawberry-red, and how she almost seems to cringe at having to say the word. “Y’know.”

With that reaction, you’d have thought it was her first time asking for a night of sexual intimacy. Corrin chuckles softly, shaking his head. “You’re not nearly this bashful in the bedroom, Felicia.”

His wife lets out a loud squeak and grabs her ponytail, hiding her embarrassment in her silky pink hair. “D-Don’t say stuff like that so casually! What if someone hears you?”

Reaching across the table, Corrin places a comforting hand on Felicia’s. “Hey, it’s a private dinner, you have nothing to worry about,” he assures her, patting her hand, “Besides, I’m only teasing. It’s just so cute how you still seem to get so bashful over it. It’s not like it’s our first time.”

Slowly but surely, Felicia releases her hair to reveal her still-pink face, her lips pursed into an adorable pout. “I know, I know… It’s just really intimate, that’s all. I’m not used to talking about it like it’s no big deal.”

Corrin sighs, still trying to keep that smile on his face. He leans back in his chair, hoping to appear nonchalant. Truth be told, he’s as shy about some of this stuff as she is, but he does like knowing that thinking of him in such a way stirs passion in her. If only they could be harnessing that passion in full, instead of fretting and fussing over all the minor details.

“I know what you mean. With all this fuss around baby-making, the whole thing is starting to feel a little procedural. It’s not usually a subject we can talk about so openly like this, but throw the kingdom’s heir into the mix, and now suddenly everyone’s invested.”

Felicia nods, biting her lip. “It’s weird… I can’t say that I like it, but I guess everyone’s just r-really excited about us having a baby, yeah? They want a little crown prince or princess to dote on.”

“I guess that’s a more positive way of looking at it.”

He pauses, turning the noodles around with his fork. It’s weird to talk about this with her. Not the actual baby making part, as they’ve discussed the logistics, but the social perspective. This whole time he’s had to wonder if she feels as uncomfortable as he suspects, watching her every moment, but he’s had no opportunity to ask. Part of him wants to just blurt out everything to her in some sort of word vomit, but he doubts that would be helpful. Spontaneously subjecting your partner to chamberpot treatment is a bit unfair. So, when he sees the opportunity, he tries to make it a bit more graceful.

“It just feels like a lot of pressure sometimes, though, doesn’t it?”

She nods once more, this time much more enthusiastically. “Gods, it is so much pressure! Everyone keeps telling me that I need to get pregnant, that we only have so long to have kids, but nobody really bothered to ask me if I was ready. I haven’t been offered parenting tips or, or anything! Just a lot of questions about when it’s going to happen. They’re coming from everybody – even Father asked the last time he wrote to me!”

Corrin tries not to cringe at that last part. He knows that Kilma is probably just being a doting father, given his particular affection for Felicia, but he knows his expectations have always exerted some pressure on both of the twins. It’s probably even worse for her now, knowing that somewhere, Flora is on the other end of this – “Why can’t you settle down like your sister, Flora? Find a nice husband and start having children. We need the tribe to grow strong, and they will do that with a strong family guiding them!”

Able to do nothing else, he laughs awkwardly instead. “I don’t know why everyone’s so fussed up about it. It’s not like we don’t want to have kids, right?”

“Right!” Felicia throws her arms in the air dramatically, nearly knocking over her dinner. For once, however, her reflexes kick in and she manages to catch the bowl before it spills. “We used to play pretend family all the time! It’s not like we don’t want them, it’s just… parenting is kind of scary.”

Oh.

He was right. That is what it’s about for her. His heart aches, and his expression softens at the sound of those words. He always suspected that motherhood worried her, yet it feels different to hear the words from her mouth. Different than he thought it would feel, anyway. He has no control over it, but he wishes she wouldn’t be afraid. She’s one of the kindest, most nurturing people that he’s ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“What about it scares you?”

Felicia shifts awkwardly in her seat, her gaze darting down to stare at her food. “It’s just… I’m not sure I’m worthy to be the mother of a crown prince or princess. Most days I don’t even feel like I’m worthy of being queen.”

“Felicia, you-”

“You know it’s true! I’m still the same scatterbrained klutz I was back in the Northern Fortress. I can’t do anything by myself without completely messing it up. What if I messed up while taking care of our baby?”

A look of serious alarm crosses Felicia’s face, and tears begin to well up in her eyes. One look at her face in that state, and Corrin’s stomach drops.

“What if I slip while holding them? What if I put too much comfy stuff in their crib and they suffocate? What if I oversleep and leave them hungry? You know how important the breastfeeding tradition is in my tribe! I’d never forgive myself if I forgot something so important!”

With her tendency to spiral with hard thoughts, it is no surprise to Corrin that she is now holding her head and letting out shaky breaths. He can hear and see her trying desperately not to cry. Gods, this must have been weighing on her for longer than he knew. He could kick himself for not having asked sooner. No matter. He cannot waste another moment sitting idly by. He rises from the table and rushes to her side, kneeling to hold her hand once more. As he gets closer, he can hear her whimpering. Her bottom lip quivers as she turns to down at him, and he cannot help but frown as he sees the tears begin to drip down her cheeks.

“Felicia, you’re being far too hard on yourself. Any child we have would be lucky to have you as a mother. You may be clumsy and forgetful sometimes, sure, but when push comes to shove, you are one of the most reliable and compassionate people I know.”

Felicia only lowers her head further, letting out a quiet sob.

“Washing dishes and doing laundry is one thing, but I’ve never seen one important job that you did not take seriously. When you truly put your mind to something, you come out the other side okay. Silas told me about those exercises that you guys did together, and he said you did great.”

“They didn’t even work…” Felicia moans pitifully, swiping at her eyes.

“They took some particular thinking,” he corrects, placing a hand on her hand, “And if that thinking happens to be too particular, we can work on it. Every parent does some reading and practicing before they get into it. Nobody starts out knowing everything.”

She shakes her head, still desperately hiding her eyes behind her bangs. Moments ago, their dinner was welcome respite from their pressures, yet now he can see how deeply they are weighing on her. How long as she spent today thinking about them, he wonders? For her sake, he pushes a smile.

“I don’t remember you being inattentive at all when we used to play house together,” he adds, “In fact, you were a very good mother. You remembered everything about our daughter.”

“That’s because our daughter was Flora.”

“But you remember everything about Flora. And you were always at her side when you thought she needed you, regardless of whether she told you she needed the help. Remember that time she got sick with the flu, but kept trying to work like she was fine? You were all over her. Even when we finally managed to get her in bed, you were ready to feed her, bring her medicine, and even cool her down with your powers. You were a diligent caretaker, even if you sometimes messed up along the way.”

“I still messed up.”

Corrin quirks a brow. “Have you ever thought to ask Flora if she minded you did? She was probably touched that you cared so much. I know I was, when you helped me all those years ago. You put yourself out of commission, but you did it because you cared about me.”

It is this comment that, finally, prompts Felicia to lift her head. Tears continue to wet her lashes, but they do not fall. It is almost like they are waiting, ready to be convinced that what Corrin is saying is truth. As for the rest of her eyes, the sparkling pools of azure he loves so dearly – they are sharp, shocked into stopping – just like the rest of her. Her body is incredibly still now.

“If that kind of compassion and self-sacrifice doesn’t make you capable of being a great mom, I don’t know what does.”

“But what if they’re embarrassed of me?” She whispers, biting her lip. “What if they think I cry or talk too much?”

“Felicia, this is our kid we’re talking about.” Corrin half-laughs. “Do you really think they won’t cry and talk a lot too? We’re very emotional people. They’ll have to learn it from somewhere!”

By the grace of the gods, Felicia finally lets out a tiny giggle and wipes her nose on the back of her free hand. The remaining tears begin to be blinked away. “I guess that’s true.”

“Exactly. I know you have your reasons to be worried, and you’re allowed to be, but I don’t want you to be too hard on yourself, either. I have full confidence that you’re going to be a great mom. Anything that might come up is just something we can work on. The gods know that I have things that I should be working on, too.”

To this, Felicia quirks a brow. That soft grin of hers is still there, but she seems to lean towards him a little bit, as if interested. She sniffles. “You have stuff you want to work on?”

“You don’t think I should?”

“Well, i-it never hurts to practice anything – it’s what Gunter always told us, but you’re already so kind and loving, I guess I just have a hard time thinking about what you should improve on,” she laughs softly, “For what it’s worth, you were a great dad when we were kids, too.”

Corrin pokes his tongue out from between his lips. “I thought that didn’t count because our daughter was Flora?”

She swats at him playfully, careful to be too far away to even make an impact. He’s glad to see that she has learned from the last one or two times where she did accidentally swat him. “Only for me. You didn’t share a womb with her for nine months,” she sniffles, her tone then turning more serious, “Really though, Corrin, is there something you’re worried about too?”

He shrugs. “It’s just as you said, Felicia. Parenting is scary. I worry about being too much or not enough, or both at the same time. I know that the family situation that I was raised in is unique, so I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to affect the way that I interact with our child, but…”

“But?”

“But when I think about having you at my side, I know I can do it. We may not have had the easiest or the most straightforward lives, but these days, things are different. We have a beautiful kingdom, lots of loyal subjects, a big and loving family, and best of all, a continent at peace. Even if it seems scary, I know that everything will be okay. We’ll take care of each other and our baby all the same.”

Felicia wipes at her eyes once more. “I think that’s a really nice way of looking at it.”

“I’m glad you think so. The last thing I want is for you to feel like you’re doing this alone.”

“When I have you with me?” She shakes her head. “Never.”

Corrin lets out a sigh of relief as he rises from the ground, leaning over instead to embrace his wife. She receives him readily, wrapping him in her arms and holding him tight. She’s been hugging him since their youth, but every time he finds himself overwhelmed by her scent. Mint and clean bedsheets, he remembers readily. They are the two smells that have always reminded him of home. Just being close to her is enough to put a smile on his face as he draws back from their hug, and as he catches her eye as he’s moving, a glint of mischief stops him in his tracks.

“You know, um… today is still a good day for me,” Felicia says quietly, her cheeks dusted rouge, “Any chance I could thank you for this later?”

Corrin swallows hard, blood rushing to his face. Oh. He was not expecting to get lucky after that conversation, but like hell is he complaining that he’s going to. Heat pools in his stomach. They’re… probably going to be needing to do some of that parenting practice sooner rather than later, if that’s the case. Nevertheless, the words are barely out of Felicia’s mouth when he finds himself nodding enthusiastically.

“S-Sure,” he sputters out like a doofus, “If only you’ll allow me the same.”

Planting one last kiss on his cheek, she murmurs, “It’s a deal.”