#the great wave chapter 11 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

notiddygothgf · 1 year ago

Text

1/2

★ pairings: choso kamo x f!reader

★ synopsis: Yuuji Itadori truly was the best friend a girl like you could ask for, but he wasn't the only reason you came to visit. (His older brother, the devilishly handsome Choso Kamo, had always been the apple of your eye).

★ c.w.: slow burn, friends to lovers, eventual smut, childhood sweethearts, kinda, mutual pining, choso with a tongue piercing, rough sex, cunnilingus, backshots, unprotected sex, regular people au, two year age gap, PWP.

★ a/n: hi pookie dookies!! ive been wanting to write choso for a while!! this is a one shot I split into two chapters bc its like, 11k words.... but! if u guys request it, I might add more chapters!!! thank u for ur support as always, muah muah!! (btw if u like tokyo rev go check out my other shit teehee).

★ w.c.; 4.5k

best friend's brother ; chapter index

YUUJI ITADORI WAS truly the best friend a girl like you could ask for. The two of you were kind of like childhood friends, though you hadn’t been close for a good portion of it. You didn’t remember the exact day Itadori had invited you into his home – though you knew it was some time in elementary school. The two of you had been practically inseparable ever since.

There was one thing about the pinkette’s home life in particular that seemed to catch your young eye.

His older brother, Choso.

He was two years your senior – dark hair, dark eyes, he looked nothing like his brother. He had this scar over the bridge of his nose from an accident that had happened when he was younger. He was an elusive figure, something of a mystery to your young mind – he was always there, but never there.

He was content to dwell in the background like some sort of side character.

The first time you’d ever met him had been at one of Itadori’s baseball games. He’d invited you to show up – and at this point you had to have been no older than 8 or 9 – and show out for him. And show out you sure did.

You had your mother do your hair up real nice in those cute little pigtails you used to love wearing. You had scribbled his jersey number onto a plain white tee the night before, donning some hot pink leggings beneath.

And you screamed for Itadori, cheered as loud as your little lungs would allow you to. He won, of course, but that’s not the point here. You’d gone up to him after the game, wrapping your short arms around his frame – and at the time he was no larger than you were – and telling him he’d done great. Itadori grinned at you, faint blush dusting his cheeks, and thanked you. His smile was a thousand suns in one.

A hand on his shoulder had shaken the two of you out of the moment. A bigger hand.

It was his 11-year-old adoptive brother, Choso Kamo. An angel of the darkness, as corny as that sounds, but in that moment you swore the gates of heaven resided in those dark eyes of his. He stood out against the bright backdrop of the September afternoon. The sunlight filtered through his short black hair, reflected off of his pale skin, shooting rays right into your stomach and sending a horde of butterflies fluttering.

“This your girlfriend, Yuuji?” He commented with a half-grin.

You remember turning red at his comment, waving your arms around wildly. You remember the way his eyes creased as he laughed at you, one of the few times you recall seeing him laugh.

So what if you had heart eyes for your best friend’s older brother? It was harmless, just a little crush you had formed on the guy you felt had stolen your heart away. Harmless.

At least, it was until the two of you grew older. You started junior high, you started puberty , and as your body changed, so did his. So did your feelings, morphing from a butterfly crush to something more akin to desire as you began to see him in a different light.

He lost the baby fat around his face. His eyes had darkened, shoulders broadening. His hair got longer, falling into his boyish, scarred face in a way that rendered you entirely breathless.

He was becoming a man.

You were 13 and 15 now, stealing sneaky glances at him whenever he would pass by his brother’s room. Yuji, who had just been boasting about how he was starting to get taller than you, would pay it no mind.

It was just a crush. He was two years your senior, after all. You had no chance.

You were 13 when he would poke fun at you and his brother. He was 15 when he would laugh at the way your face would go red. He didn’t know that it wasn’t his brother you wanted.

14 and 16 when you first began to notice the subtle slope of his shoulders become more pronounced, more defined. When you began to notice the way his muscles would strain against the sleeves of his tee shirt.

He had always been a large guy, having hit quite a few growth spurts along the way. He had to have been about 5’10 at that point, practically towering over you. But lately, you thought he must have been hitting the gym. He would walk past Yuji’s open door – and in their house it was a family policy to leave the door open when you came over, even if Yuji was only a brother to you – with gym gear on. He would come back with sweat-slicked hair plastered to his forehead, chest rising and falling steadily.

Something about that made your hormones go wild for him. Inappropriate thoughts began to chew away at you from the inside, images of what he could do to you with such strength, even if you weren’t too certain what ‘doing’ even entailed at that time. The scent of his pheromones, something like that – or maybe it was the way his gym clothes hugged his body while he marched towards the bathroom to take a shower – it made you feral for him.

He was so much bigger than you now. It made your head spin with feelings you didn’t quite understand. It was just a crush… so why did you stay awake at night imagining him panting over you, sweat trickling down his bare chest? The way his muscles might ripple under your hesitant, inexperienced touch? The warmth that would bloom over your face when you imagined his lips on yours – this man who you had never gotten close to.

A man who you remembered having a late night conversation with in the kitchen while Yuuji slept right down the hall one night.

He was ransacking the cabinet for snacks when you found him. He relaxed once he’d noticed it was you, the two of you eventually falling into sugar-fueled conversation after he cracked open a pack of double-stuff oreos. A conversation about the taboo , about the things you had been told to keep quiet.

“You don’t have to be all flustered ‘round me, y’know,” He had told you rather softly. The two of you were separated by the kitchen island, but it felt like he was way to close to you. “You can ask me anything you’re curious about.”

“I’m not curious!” You had whisper-shouted back with a roll of your eyes. “I don’t want to know about your sex life, you whore.”

“You just asked me what it felt like, liar,” He noted, quirking a brow at your outward reaction. He loved to get under your skin. Lived for it. “And for the record, I’m not a whore. Most of the times I’ve been touched have been with my own hand.”

“I’ve never tried… that, ” You mused quietly, head low. Your face burned with the heat of your admission.

He popped an oreo into his mouth, dusting his hands off carelessly. “What, masturbating?”

Your heart did a weak somersault. “Quiet!” You hissed at him. “Now what if Yuuji heard you talking to me like that?”

“Calm your shit,” he told you. “You’re too young f’me. Relax.”

He only chuckled at your words, shaking his head quietly while he resealed the oreos. Still, if he was thinking anything about your reaction, he didn’t voice it. You were glad.

But it hurt. It hurt, hearing him talk about you like you didn’t have a chance. Like none of the effort you put into your appearance around him had any effect on him because you were too young to steal his attention away. None of it mattered – the push up bras, the low cut tanks, the cherry lip balm.

In his eyes, you were only a kid.

“I’m a virgin,” you had blurted out, for some odd reason you still didn’t quite understand.

The pause that befell the two of you was one that you remembered years later.

“I can tell,” He had said, slim waist swinging side to side as he walked around the kitchen island, towards the exit behind you. He sauntered over to you with a smirk on his face and a plate in his hand, dark hair pulled back into a bun while his layers fell around his face. He was breathtaking, handsome, tantalizing build towering over you.

16, A man whose voice had dropped again in the last few months whispered those words, the ones you would never forget, “‘S fun. You should try it.”

You didn’t know what he had wanted you to try – having sex or performing it on yourself.

Either way, that night when you went home was the first time you ever tried to touch yourself. Fantasized about him whispering in your ear, holding you down, talking you through – while your pink-manicured fingers worked you up to your first orgasm.

Two years had never felt so far apart.

Choso had a girlfriend at one point. It was only for, like, four months – he was 17, you were 15. You only found this out when he’d come home after a pretty rough night with her. He looked pissed, lips pressed into a thin line, arms crossed over his broad chest.

You knew he was too old for you, that you weren’t old enough for him, more specifically – but, still, you batted those lashes of yours up at him while you asked him what was wrong.

You didn’t tell him about the way butterflies erupted in your stomach like a hundred angry guisers when he told you his girlfriend had cheated, left him for another man.

You hugged him instead, telling him that it would be alright, telling him that she never deserved him anyway. You were the one for him, and one day he would see that.

Instead of turning to you – who had been right there all along, he had just been too blind to notice – he took his anger out on everyone else. He became cold, emotionally closed off. He became a serial heartbreaker.

For a while, whenever you came over to Yuuji’s, his bedroom would be vacant. Open, dark, just as he had left it. For a while, he would spend his nights with faceless hookups and meaningless dates. Itadori would call you to complain about it, about how “we’re home alone for dinner tonight and Choso just walked out”.

Your heart broke, too. He just didn’t know it.

He didn’t know you were waiting for him to come to his senses, for him to see you as a woman .

You were seated in the kitchen across from Itadori enjoying another late-night snack, sharing some hearty laughter. You had always adored your conversations with him, the ‘After-Hours’ talks, as you would often refer to them.

Your night had taken an unexpected turn when Itadori’s brother burst through the kitchen door with a giggling girl in tow. The late hour suggested that this was no ordinary visit.

Still, even though you couldn’t pry your eyes away from her, you didn’t say anything. You stayed quiet while your heart shattered into one hundred million pieces inside of your tight chest.

Itadori’s laughter had died down, giving way to an awkward silence. He greeted his brother with a smile, “Hey, bro. Who’s she?”

Choso shrugged, dark hair shifting over his eyes that seemed to glint beneath the dim lighting as he replied, “Company.”

His mischievous tone and the girl at his side left little to the imagination. Your cheeks flushed as you exchanged another quick glance with Itadori.

You felt frozen in place. You couldn’t move. No, all you could do was sit there like a dumbass and stare at him, watch the man you loved liked guide her by her hand up the stairs.

Of course. You had been naive to think that he would wait for you. He would be 18 next year.

He was out of your league.

Feeling the need for a momentary escape, you had excused yourself, muttering something about needing to use the bathroom. You had stood up, heart racing, and made your way up the stairs and towards the bathroom.

Conveniently, of course, it was located just down the hall from Choso’s room.

You crept down the hall slowly. As you passed by his door, you caught a sound. Something unmistakable – two people in hushed conversation uttering words in between kisses.

“Choso, baby.”

Another quiet kiss. Their lips separated.

“I’m ready.”

“You brought protection?”

Your embarrassment grew as you realized the intimate nature of the encounter happening on the other side of the door. Quickly, you averted your gaze, face burning, and ran off to the bathroom.

It took you a moment to catch your breath. You couldn’t believe the awkwardness of the whole situation. Shit, you didn’t even know how to approach him after this.

Worst of all, you didn’t even know why you were still only able to imagine it was your voice behind that door instead of hers. That it was him pressing butterfly kisses to your lips. Him asking you if you were ready for him.

With your cheeks tinged a rosey hue, you resolved to keep yourself locked away in the bathroom until the thoughts subsided.

It seemed like it was a new girl every time you came to visit. A blonde, a brunette – he didn’t seem to have a preference. Every time you would watch him walk another girl to the front door, bidding her safe travels on her way home, your hope would wither away.

But the feelings never subsided. No, even when you would spend a little more time walking past his room on your way to the bathroom to eavesdrop. Not even when you would hear hushed whispers and quiet moans from the other side and imagine what kind of lover Choso would be. Would he leave marks? Talk dirty to you? Was he a giver or a taker?

Not even when the two of you would cross paths in the kitchen after his plans for the evening went home. He would turn to you with a knowing smirk, hair down and messy even though it did nothing to hide the red and purple love bites that littered the valley of his neck.

And he looked so good that you often found yourself wishing it was you who had left those marks.

It was as if he knew you were dying inside. Like something was beginning to change inside of him after all of these years. Like he took some strangely cruel pleasure in showing off to you.

No, you would have to remind yourself in vain. I’m too young for him.

You were just a girl in his eyes. That’s what you maintained.

So you went out and retaliated by losing your V-card to some kid from your class. Well, in your head it was retaliation. He was none the wiser about it, but it gave you a sense of satisfaction knowing you were able to fuck people who weren’t him.

Take that, Choso.

Yuji groaned, laying spread eagle over his carpeted floor, arms spread out on either side of him. He had grown so much – you could hardly contain the way your eyes wandered from his pretty face to his new physique. Like his brother, Itadori was a well-defined man.

God picked favorites, and it wasn’t you.

There was an open notebook splayed over his face. He gripped the spine, tossing it to the side.

“I’m over this chemistry shit,” He sighed.

You couldn’t possibly have agreed more. Still, you continued to sketch the rough outline of a circle onto the sheet of construction paper in your hand. You would need to make it perfect, just right, so that you would be able to incorporate it into your group project.

You turned the pencil over between your fingertips. “We’re gonna need more supplies.”

"Like what?" Yuuji asked, his frustration still evident. "I’m pretty sure we’ve purchased, like… every craft supply on the market."

You quirked a brow at the thought. "Scissors…?"

Yuuji pursed his lips, his brow furrowing. "I don’t have those."

"Of course you don’t," you sighed, shaking your head. "Who the hell doesn’t have scissors?"

"I lent them to Choso," he retorted with a hint of annoyance.

Your heart dropped at the mention of Choso. You couldn't help but picture his face, his body, and wondered if he was asleep. You didn't want to disturb him.

Yuuji sat up, nudging you with his foot playfully. "Hey, why don't you go over there and get them? Make some goo-goo eyes, bat your lashes. I’m sure he wouldn’t say no to you."

You hesitated for a moment, considering your options. "I'm sure I can find some in my backpack," you said instead, trying to avoid the suggestion.

"Come onnnn, you know you wanna go over there," Yuuji teased with a sly grin. He leaned in closer, cupping his hand around his mouth, and whispered, " He just got back from the gym. "

Another nudge from Yuuji finally made you relent. "Fine," you said with a playful roll of your eyes. "I’ll be back."

Only moments later, you found yourself standing in front of Choso's door, a mix of anticipation and nervousness coursing through you as you raised your hand up to knock. You rapped twice against the wooden surface. There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the world, one that made your heartrate pick up, and then the door cracked open.

He had one earbud in his ear, the other dangling over his chest. He wore a black wife pleaser and some grey sweats that hung loose over his hips – leaving little to the imagination. He looked so strong, muscular arm braced against the doorframe while the other held it open. His waist was thin, toned, so much so that you could see it through the fabric of his shirt.

He smelled like he had just hopped out of the shower – like cherry and musk. His wet hair was done back into a messy bun. His eyes raked over your trembling form.

With a gentle, familiar grin, he said, “What’s up?”

Your throat felt dry. You swallowed anyway, with a great deal of discomfort, averting your wide-eyed gaze. Ignoring the way your eyes lingered over the pale skin of his toned navel revealed where his tank had ridden up, over the v line that dipped down into his waistband, over the neatly trimmed trail that led down south .

“Do… Do you have scissors?” You asked him. You didn’t like how timid you sounded, or the way your stomach churned at the sight of him.

He paused for a moment, and somehow you knew he was looking at you. You were suddenly very glad you had worn a fitted v-neck tee shirt today, one that would have provided him with a bird’s eye view of your cleavage.

He’s looking at me.

“Yeah,” he muttered quietly, stepping away from the door and into his room. You had only wandered into Choso’s quarters a few times with Yuuji, usually to steal something from him while he wasn’t home. You had never really taken the time to notice the band posters taped up over his walls, the black sheets on his bed, the clothes scattered over his floor in typical teenage boy fashion.

You poked your head in, taking a quick look around while his muscular back was turned. Ultimately, it was him you wound up gawking at, hungry eyes following the well-defined curve of his back into his slim waist, the curve of his bubble butt.

You looked away just as he had turned around. If he noticed you staring, he didn’t say anything. A red pair of scissors dangled from his curled finger.

“Here,” was all he said, offering the tool to you.

You didn’t know when conversations between the two of you had gotten to be so tense, so strained. It used to come effortlessly. These days, however, it seemed as if you were always trying to run away from conversation with him.

You took it from him gently, dying a bit more inside when his large fingers brushed against yours, offering a slight nod in return. “Thanks.”

16 and 18, now.

You had texted Choso asking for his help on a particularly difficult math assignment. He was older, after all, you didn’t doubt that he was better equipped to complete the homework than you were.

That was the first time you had ever hung out alone with him. Without Itadori.

You would never forget the way the atmosphere changed when he sat close to you at the kitchen table. The way your skin prickled with electricity beneath his hesitant touch. He poked fun at you and your incompetence. You didn’t even care, not when he was sitting so close to you.

Alone.

The possibilities that filled your mind were less than holy.

Tensions were at an all time high. He had leaned over to help you, breath ghosting over the shell of your ear, when it finally snapped.

When you met his gaze with uncertainty in your eyes, making no real effort to put any distance between you and the man you had been pining after for so many years. In that moment, you saw it – saw him, saw that he finally looked at you as something more than just a girl.

Saw the way his gaze softened as he leaned into you. You let him get closer, close enough that his nose brushed against the tip of yours.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” You remarked, even though you ached to be trapped in this moment with him a while longer.

He licked his lips, murmuring, “You’re probably right.”

Nothing compared to the delicate brush of his lips against yours as the two of you finally met in the middle, The way fireworks blew up in your gut. The way he cradled your cheek gently in the palm of his hand, crossing that unspoken boundary that the two of you had been toeing for so long.

Though you had made out with a few guys before, in your eyes, you had shared your first kiss with Choso in the kitchen that night. The first of many to come .

The summer between 16 and 17 was spent sharing secret moments with him behind doors, between appearances.

You sat on the couch next to Itadori, trapped in the second installment of a film series the two of you had been watching yesterday. You were wearing a zip-up hoodie over your school uniform.

You had come over to do homework. Just like yesterday, though, you wound up fucking around.

Itadori was far too engrossed in whatever was happening on screen to notice his brother leaving the kitchen just a few feet off to the side. He looked you up and down, dark eyes reaching into your soul and picking you apart at the seams. With a barely noticeable motion, he nodded towards the stairs.

You nodded back, heart thrumming wildly in your chest.

Choso gripped the meat of your ass in his hands, throwing your legs around his waist while his mouth danced against yours. You tossed your arms around his shoulders, head reeling from how effortlessly he had picked you up. He walked the two of you backwards until your back hit the door.

He continued to ravage you against that surface, too, tongue slipping in between your lips and exploring your mouth. You trembled against him, trying your best to keep up with him.

It felt so good – being pressed up against him, being given his attention. You wished it was more than secret kisses here and there, of course, but you would take what you could get.

“Missed you,” he hummed against your lips.

You didn’t even care if that was the line he used on all of the other girls. In that moment, all that mattered was his lips against yours, his hands on you, his attention.

You snaked your hands up the back of his neck and into his hair, twisting some of the dark strands between your fingertips. “I should really get back soon,” You gasped, relishing in the way his kisses felt up and down your neck.

He relented, letting you down. You pressed one more chaste kiss to his lips.

“Didn’t mean to keep ‘ya,” he chuckled lowly, breaths still heavy from the makeout session you had been having only seconds before. He nodded towards the door behind you. “Get back out there.”

You nodded wordlessly, opening the door. With one final smile, you slipped behind it. You felt like you were floating as your legs carried you down the stairs and into the living room. You didn’t even care how disheveled you looked.

Thankfully, Yuuji didn’t notice the way you were wiping your mouth on the back of your hand as you plopped onto the couch beside him. He also didn’t notice when his brother wandered down the stairs a few minutes later, or the way he smiled knowingly at you before disappearing into the kitchen.

You were 17 when Choso left for college. He was 19 when his brother had thrown him a going-away party.

There were 10 of you in the living room, a few of Yuuji and his childhood friends all gathered around the coffee table. A movie was on. Some of them were engrossed in a card game in the corner of the room.

You and Choso lingered behind the group, situated comfortably on the couch behind all of the action. He was sitting so close that your thighs brushed against his, so close that it felt like he, too, wanted to savor the moment before interacting with you became a rarity. Before he moved out and started a new life somewhere hours away.

He didn’t voice any of these feelings, keeping his dark eyes unreadable and steady on the movie that Yuji had put on in the background. Selena Gomez was playing from a speaker somewhere behind the couch.

You almost wanted to lean your head on his shoulder. Almost. Never mind the fact that everyone would see it.

You distinctly remember the way he shifted closer to you when you pulled out a blanket. You let him make the bold move, seemingly unfazed by the potential audience only feet away from the two of you.

He tossed the plush blanket over his legs. The lights were dim. Dim enough that they wouldn’t see the way your face flushed at the proximity.

Sixteen minutes passed. You felt like you were going to explode.

Somewhere along the way, though it’s all a bit fuzzy now, you remember feeling his hand creep down beneath the blanket to rest on your thigh. You fought to remain composed, even though the darkness undoubtedly shrouded whatever it was that Choso was planning to do.

He lingered over the skin on your thighs left bare by the shorts you had chosen to wear. His finger traced over you, igniting fire in your nerves. Again, you said nothing, letting him go about tracing shapes on your thigh while his face remained stoic and composed.

You glanced between him and the blanket. You couldn’t see the imprint of his hand moving, somehow, but you could practically feel the heat radiating from beneath it when his index finger slipped between your thighs.

19 years old. Two years had never seemed so far apart. When he was the age you were now, you recalled his voice being quite a few pitches higher. The same voice that had dropped even lower over the last year, now drawing you closer to him as he murmured into your ear, “Can I touch you?”

Parting your legs infinitesimally, you wordlessly granted him entrance. His fingers dipped down, ghosting over your cotton panties in a way that had you wondering how well of a disguise the dim lighting really was.

“What if they see us?” You had whispered back, even quieter. None of them had bothered to turn back. Even still, you wondered if one of them had X-Ray vision.

His voice seemed even deeper as it vibrated against your side. “You’ll be quiet for me, won’t you?”

The moment his fingers dipped beneath the waistband of your panties, you knew you were in no position to disagree.

Yuuji and his friends were none the more wiser. Yuji didn’t notice when you whined quietly, letting him slip two fingers into your aching cunt, or when his brother worked you open on his fingers.

He didn’t notice when the two of you had left to make out heatedly in the pantry, right against the box of assorted chips, right where anyone could walk in, turn on the light, and see you there pressed up against him disappeared to the pantry for ten minutes.

Though the moment you returned to see him glancing at you with a curious brow raised, you knew he had finally caught on. Even if he didn’t say anything about it.

It would be another three months before you would see Choso again.

I obviously do not own jjk or anything related to it. please do not reproduce, copy, or translate my works anywhere. dont fk w me im a bruja.

taglist: @missphanosaur18 ,

wanna join the ' choso kamo ' taglist?| bfb; chapter index

#notiddygxthgf ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚#choso kamo #kamo choso #choso #choso jjk #choso x reader #choso kamo xreader #choso kamo x you #choso x you #chousou #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #yuuji itadori #itadori x reader #geto x reader #gojo x reader #choso smut #choso fluff

1K notes · View notes

dreamwritesimagines · 11 months ago

Text

The Eye of the Hurricane [11] - Arrogance

A.N: Here’s the new chapter my loves! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: Engagement period is supposed to be romantic.

Word Count: 3300

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Violence, death, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, drinking. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

For the next couple of days, you barely had any time for yourself. It wasn’t as if you were naive enough to believe planning a wedding would be relaxing, but this?

This was something else.

“Can I just let you handle the whole thing?” you asked your wedding planner on the phone, leaning back on your seat while you kept your eyes on the people in the café and she let out a laugh.

“I mean don’t get me wrong, I appreciate your trust in me,” she said. “But you still need to choose among the things I send you, otherwise it’ll be like it's my wedding.”

“I don’t know, you strike me as a person who has good taste,” you said. “I might not be completely opposed to that idea.”

“Thanks but I already planned and had my wedding.”

“Right!” you said, snapping your fingers. “You said you were married to a professor, right?”

“Mm hm.”

“Was there like an open floor for discussions on your wedding?”

“Nah, more like an open bar,” she said. “And don’t try to distract me, my assistant sent you like one hundred emails.”

“I know, I know…” you muttered. “At least I decided on the place.”

“Yeah one down, ninety-nine to go,” she said. “Barnes weekend residence. We’re going there tomorrow right?”

“Yeah at 2 o’clock, it’s already on my calendar.”

“Great,” she said. “Answer my emails by then, please?”

“I will, talk to you later!” you said as you saw Ethan walk into the café and you waved at him after hanging up.

“Hey!” he said, coming to hug you when you stood up from your seat. “It’s been a while!”

“Hey yourself,” you said and pulled back from the hug to smile at him, then sat down when he did. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been busy.”

“So I figured,” he said after ordering a coffee to the waiter who approached your table to take his order and you sat up straighter.

“How about you?” you said. “How is everything at the company?”

“Also pretty chaotic,” he said with a small smile. “I’ve been working overtime, a lot.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah!” he said. “Yeah it’s just…it’s a really big company that wants things done in a certain way.”

“Do you want me to send someone around so that they can talk to your boss?”

His eyes widened.

“I—you—” he stammered. “I’m— I’m honored but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” you asked, tilting your head. “If they’re giving you a hard time, it’s only fair if they have a hard time as well.”

He stared at you as the waiter put the cup of coffee in front of him, and then he cleared his throat.

“I’ll never get used to your lifestyle I think.”

“That’s a good thing,” you said with a small smile. “Please don’t.”

“So how about you?” he asked. “What have you been up to?”

You blinked a couple of times, nervousness churning your stomach before you took a sip of your coffee.

“That’s actually why I asked you here,” you muttered. “And I—I know it’s going to sound a bit rushed, but um…”

He pulled his brows together, his whole attention on you.

“What is it?” he asked and you swallowed thickly, then tried to smile.

“I’m getting married.”

He gawked at you for a couple of seconds in complete silence as if he wasn’t sure if he had heard you right while you just sat there, nibbling on your lip.

“You…you what?” he asked when he could pull himself together and you shrugged your shoulders.

“Getting married,” you said. “In a month, actually.”

“I wasn’t aware you were in a relationship—”

“I wasn’t,” you cut him off and a look of realization dawned on his face, making him pull back slightly.

“This is what we talked about all those years ago, isn’t it?” he asked. “Back at college. I asked you numerous times and you said no but in your world—”

“Don’t,” you interrupted him again. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You can say no,” he insisted and you sipped your coffee, reminding yourself to not let anything show on your face.

“What makes you think I want to say no?”

“You want to get married?” he asked with a dry laugh. “And to whom, if you don’t mind me ask?”

“Bucky Barnes.”

Ethan blinked a couple of times.

“…Bucky Barnes as in the guy you hate?”

“Things change,” you said calmly and he scoffed.

“Do they?” he asked. “So it’s a love marriage? Nothing to do with your family business?”

“To repeat, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Your world—”

“Ethan, I don’t mean to be rude,” you said through your teeth. “But if you genuinely believe that you know anything about my world, you’re fooling yourself.”

He pressed his lips together, then took a deep breath and pushed his chair back, your bodyguards sitting up straighter as if on cue but you held up a hand, gesturing at them to sit still. Ethan looked between you and the bodyguards, then let out a somber chuckle and put some cash on the table.

“For the coffee,” he said and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Ethan…”

“If they’re forcing you to do this—”

“Nobody is forcing me,” you told him, looking him in the eye and he nodded his head slowly.

“Then I guess congratulations on the wedding,” he said with a sad smile. “I’m not going to pretend I know anything about your world Y/N, I’m just…I’m just wondering what happened to the girl who told me she’d only marry for love, that’s all.”

With that, he walked out of the café and you gritted your teeth, then pressed your palms on your eyes, slouching in your chair.

“I killed her I guess,” you muttered to yourself and lowered your hands. “Occupational hazard and all.”

As you knocked on the door to Becca’s apartment, you could swear your head was about to explode from the headache pounding in your temples. You heaved a sigh and rubbed at your eyes, then heard the footsteps before the door opened.

“Oh hi Y/N!” Leila said. “It's great to see you, I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Sorry to bother you,” you said, offering her a smile. “Is this a bad time?”

“Not at all, come in!”

“Is Becca here?”

“Yeah!” she said as she stepped aside so that you could go in. “We were just watching—um, are you okay?”

“Not exactly,” you grumbled and made your way to the living room to see Becca sitting on the couch with the remote in her hand.

“Hey, I didn’t know—” she started but stopped talking when you flung yourself on the other couch across from hers, letting out a groan. You could hear Leila entering the living room as well and you raised your head from the pillow with a sigh.

“Do either of you have a painkiller?”

“Oh yeah, let me get it for you,” Leila said and rushed to the kitchen while you pulled yourself up into a sitting position, then hugged a pillow over your stomach.

“What’s going on?” Becca asked and you huffed out.

“Terrible day. Do you want to go out for drinks?”

“I’d love to but I have plans,” she said apologetically. “I’ll go out in like an hour.”

“What plans?”

“Uh…therapy,” she answered as Leila came back to the living room holding a glass of water and a pill.

“Thank you so much,” you said as you took them from her and she smiled at you, then went to sit beside Becca after you swallowed the pill and put the glass on the small coffee table.

“So?” Becca said. “What happened? Is it Bucky?”

“For once, nope.”

“Congratulations on the engagement by the way!” Leila said. “To be honest, I could kind of tell something was there even when you two kept arguing that night.”

You raised your brows and stole a look at Becca who shrugged her shoulders subtly. It wasn’t that you thought she would say anything to anyone about the real reason why you and Bucky were getting married, but she had fallen so head over heels in love with Leila that it took you by surprise that she hadn’t told her either.

But on a second thought, you knew you shouldn’t have been surprised. Not only would you trust Becca with your life, but Becca was also raised with the same rules as you and Bucky were, and secrets were almost sacred in your world.

“Thanks,” you said with a small smile. “It’s a bit rushed but when you know you know.”

“That’s so true,” Leila said, holding Becca’s hand and a cute blush spread over Becca’s cheeks, making you smile despite the headache.

“So it’s not Bucky then?” Becca asked and you massaged your temples.

“Ethan.”

“Oh I liked Ethan—” Leila started, but stopped when she saw the look on your face. “Or you know, I could also hate him if we hate him now, I don’t mind.”

“No no,” you said. “He’s sweet but um…I told him the news about the wedding and he understandably did not like it.”

“You two weren’t together though?”

“Eh, there was still something,” Becca said. “He likes you, a lot.”

“He thinks I’m being forced into this,” you said and Becca shot you a smile.

“As if anyone could force you into marrying my brother.”

“I mean it’s not the nineteenth century,” Leila pointed out and Becca let out a laugh.

“So, how heartbroken was he?”

“I wouldn’t say he was heartbroken,” you muttered. “Just angry I guess. And I get it, I haven’t been completely honest with him—” You were cut off when your phone started vibrating and you took a look at the screen, then pushed yourself off the couch.

“I’ll be right back,” you said and walked to Becca’s bedroom, then took the phone to your ear.

“Yeah?”

“Hey beautiful,” Bucky’s voice reached you and you sat down on Becca’s bed, fully aware that you were pouting your lips.

“Hey.”

“How’s your day going?”

“Meh,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders. “What is it?”

“I just called to let you know we have a dinner reservation tonight,” he said. “I’ll pick you up from the hotel around 8?”

You made a face. “Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t like your presence any more than you like mine,” you stated. “And it’ll be harder for me to ignore you in a restaurant if it’s just the two of us having dinner.”

“I mean, you do realize you don’t have to ignore me—”

“I know I don’t have to, it’s more of a hobby,” you said. “So? Why are you taking me out to dinner?”

“Because if we want people to believe it’s a love marriage rather than what it actually is, we need to be seen outside as a couple,” he said and you heaved a sigh, then ran a hand over your face.

“Right.”

“So then—”

“Yeah you can pick me up at 8,” you said and he paused for a second.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked. “You sound a bit…”

“Yeah I’m fine,” you said in a rush. “It’s just you know, this whole marriage thing—I’m fine. I’m great.”

“Very convincing,” he deadpanned and you scoffed a laugh.

“Just pick a nice restaurant, will you?” you asked and hung up before he could retort, then huffed out and got up from the bed to walk back to the living room to see Leila walking to the kitchen.

“So Becca has stuff to do but I figured we could drink and watch trash TV if you’d like?” she asked as soon as she saw you. “I can make mimosas.”

You blinked a couple of times and nodded fervently.

“That’d be great!” you said and she gave you a happy smile, then entered the kitchen. You smiled to yourself, then flung yourself next to Becca.

“I’ve changed my mind,” you said and Becca tilted her head.

“About what?”

“About what I said earlier,” you said. “You totally should propose and marry her, she’s amazing.”

Even you had to admit, the restaurants in Bucky’s territory were better than the ones in your father’s territory.

It was rather annoying but considering your house with him would of course be in his territory, at least you already knew you would get good food whenever you two went out for dinner. Bucky’s palm was warm on the small of your back and if it were any other time you would have slipped out of his grasp but you let him guide you to the restaurant.

“Mr. Barnes, it’s an honor,” A man greeted you two by the entrance. “Your table is ready, please follow me.”

You looked around the luxurious interior as you and Bucky made your way to your table, and a waiter pulled your chair for you to sit down. You took a quick look at the menu before ordering and Bucky just asked for his usual, and you watched the waiter walk away with the man.

“I don’t think I’ve been here before,” you told Bucky. “When did it open?”

“Around a year ago,” he said. “I like it here, it’s…private, mostly.”

You hummed while the waiter filled your glass with wine and you took a sip, enjoying the nice taste.

“So my dad called while I was getting ready,” you said. “Apparently he will talk to Stark sometime this week.”

“I have a pretty good guess about how that will go,” Bucky muttered and you bit inside your cheek.

“You think Stark will make things difficult?”

“I mean he’s not going to like it because two families uniting means a tremendous power in the city,” Bucky stated. “Let’s see how he reacts and plan accordingly.”

“Might have to sweettalk him,” you said. “Gift him a shipment or two. And Romanoff?”

“I’m meeting her tomorrow,” he said. “Steve will be there too, they’re old friends. Any stupid comments from Ian lately?”

“Nope. By the way I was going to ask you but I forgot—that night, when you and Ian were talking,” you said. “What did he tell you?”

Bucky scoffed before taking a sip of his wine.

“He was saying that you wanted to be an active player in the business,” he said with a small smile. “Just in case I didn’t know.”

You rolled your eyes. “Idiot.”

“But I don’t think he suspects anything.”

“No, he thinks the same as my dad,” you said with a dry laugh. “I get married and pop out a few babies and become a fucking Stepford Wife.”

Bucky shot you a grin, then his head shot up.

“Oh I almost forgot,” he said and took out a small velvet box out of his pocket, then put it on the table. You arched a brow.

“Is that the ring?”

“Yeah.”

“Nah you can take it back,” you said after sipping your wine. “I’ll go and check some jewelers tomorrow and get something pretty, they can send you the bill.”

He pulled his brows together. “You didn’t even look at it.”

“I don’t need to, I’ve seen the women you dated,” you pointed out. “Something tells me they didn’t educate you well about jewelry so there’s no need for—”

You stopped talking when he reached out to open the small box for you and your eyes fell upon the ring, the rest of your sentence getting stuck in your throat. The pear-shaped diamond on the delicate rose gold band was so pretty that for a couple of seconds you could only stare at it while it glimmered under the dim light of the restaurant, almost hypnotizing you before you remembered to pull yourself together.

It was definitely to your taste, as if…

“Becca helped you,” you managed to say as you reached out to take it into your hand and he nodded.

“Mm hm. Today.”

“Well played.”

Bucky gave you a proud smile, his piercing blue gaze almost too hot on your skin and you slipped the ring onto your finger, then held up your hand so that you could look at it better.

“It’s pretty,” you said. “I’m keeping it in the divorce by the way.”

He clutched as his chest. “Don’t be so romantic Charm, I’m going to get emotional.”

That made a laugh spill from your lips while the waiter brought your food, and you thanked him while Bucky leaned forward on his elbows as if he wasn’t even aware of anything else but you.

“Can I ask you something?”

“No.”

“How did you use to imagine it?”

You looked at him. “Imagine what?”

“Your engagement period, your wedding, you name it,” he said and you hummed, then leaned back.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Maybe we can make the wedding the way you pictured it,” he said and you scoffed a laugh.

“I doubt it,” you said. “When I pictured my wedding, I always pictured myself in love. There was this fairytale wedding, gorgeous wedding gown, we’d go to Paris for the honeymoon and he’d be reciting poetry about how much he was in love with me in bed.”

Bucky blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat.

“I’m not good with poetry.”

“Never thought you were,” you said. “Eh, maybe my second marriage will go the way I pictured it.”

That caused a shadow to cross his eyes but he recovered fast, sipping his drink.

“How about you?” you asked. “How did you use to imagine your second marriage?”

He tilted his head. “What happened to my first marriage?”

“I’m glad you asked,” you said, pointing at him with your fork. “Funny story. You knocked her up and you guys decided to keep it because you got emotional and it would be your first heir, so you two ended up getting married in a rush and named that baby your actual heir.”

An amused smile curled his lips. “Interesting. Go on.”

“But after the baby, that marriage turned into one full of resentment and then you decided it was a good idea to fuck your secretary.”

“So I live in a porn scenario?” he asked and you nodded.

“Pretty much. Then your wife left you, took away all your things—”

“I don’t have a prenup?”

You shook your head. “Nope.”

“Impossible.”

“You don’t exactly have a prenup with me.”

He winked at you. “Maybe I trust you.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” you retorted, making him chuckle. “But yeah, your first wife divorced you. Sorry you had to find out this way.”

“It was good while it lasted, I’m sure.”

“Wouldn’t be so sure, she hates you,” you said airily. “Rightfully, that is. Then you meet your second wife who definitely deserves better than you, but by some miracle she stays with you.”

“Thanks a lot, she sounds amazing.”

“Right?” you said. “There you go. Your two marriages.”

“Very creative,” he pointed out. “Do I recite poetry to her in this scenario?”

“Yes but you also have performance problems so romance makes up for it, in a way,” you stated and he smirked.

“You seem to put a lot of thought into my performance, pillow princess.”

Your jaw dropped as you gasped. “Wh—how dare—you don’t even—”

“Please,” he said. “You dream of a guy reciting poetry to you on your honeymoon.”

You could feel your cheeks burning as you glared daggers at him.

“Shut up,” you grumbled, making him smirk.

“That being said, you have nothing to worry about my performance.”

You rolled your eyes at him while you chewed on your bite, then swallowed it.

“See Bucky, this is exactly why when I divorce you, I’m keeping the ring and the weekend house,” you pointed at him with your fork, coaxing a chuckle out of him. “You’re too arrogant for your own good.”

Chapter 12

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky barnes #mob! bucky #mob!bucky x reader #mob!bucky #mafia!bucky barnes #mafia bucky barnes #mafia!bucky barnes x reader #mafia bucky x reader #mafia!bucky #mob bucky barnes #mob bucky #mob boss!bucky #mob bucky x reader #mob boss bucky barnes #mob!au #mob au

444 notes · View notes

sinnabarmoth · 1 month ago

Text

Tribute for the Dragon (7/18)

Pairing: Dragon|Sylus x Fem|Reader

Summary: You and Sylus exchange stories.

Content Warnings: Mention of past suicide attempt.

Length: 2k

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18)

Read on AO3

In the morning you went about making breakfast and found Sylus waiting there for you. You felt a bit ridiculous thinking back to last night and how Sylus had to carry you back to the room like you were a child. He seemed to do that a lot, carry you around. Always made you feel light as a feather too. No grunting or huffing, he just swept you up like you were an empty sack of flour.

“Morning,” he said.

“Good morning.” you came in and started cooking some breakfast. “Sorry to make you carry me back to the room last night. I really tried staying up till you got back.”

“And why was it you were so insistent on waiting till I got back?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you.”

“I gathered as much.”

You rolled your eyes. “I just wanted to apologize for going through your stuff and figure out where we stood. I know I crossed a boundary and poked my nose into something very personal to you.”

“If we’re making apologies then I have to apologize too.” he said. “I scared you yesterday. I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t--”

“I could smell it. There’s no use denying it.”

You squared your shoulders and turned to look at him. “I wasn’t scared of you. I was more frightened about having been caught. Surprised really. Not scared.”

“If you say so.”

“If I was really scared of you wouldn’t I be stinking up the place right now?” you divided up the food onto two plates and set one in front of him. “Although, I will admit it unsettled me seeing you angry like that.”

“It shouldn’t be a surprise that dragons have tempers.”

“But I’ve yet to see it before yesterday. You’re usually very level headed actually.”

“I never had reason to lose my temper before. I regret that you had to see that.”

You waved it off. “I think maybe we should think of it as getting to know more about each other. You promised that we’d do that today. Get to know one another.”

“I did say that.” he pushed the meat around on his plate. “Alright, ask whatever you wish.”

And just like that, it was as if the previous day had never happened. You fell back into easy conversation. The best conversation you had ever had with him in fact. Over the next several days you kept having great conversations.

You learned a lot about him in that time, much more in depth than what you had learned already. A lot of your questions had to revolve around dragons and their culture. It was fascinating to hear everything he knew and it gave you a better understanding about who you were living with. Some of the things he explained to you included him taking you into the hoard room and explaining why he was attracted to certain treasures and not others.

Apparently while dragons all had a taste for treasure, their hoards were actually rather diverse. Most liked gold but there were some dragons that dealt only in gems. There are sea dragons who sometimes only collect pearls for their hoards. Sylus was one of the dragons that was attracted to gold but primarily he was attracted to gold coins in particular. He couldn’t explain why but the shape and plentifulness of it attracted him. Hoards could get cluttered with many large objects that get caught up in the mix and buried, by coins are small and can scatter. There is something in all the sameness he had said. That didn’t mean he didn’t like gems or the occasional other treasures but coins were his favorite.

He told you about dragon traditions, celebrations, species hierarchies, family dynamics, and special rites. You had never thought of dragons having traditions or parties before but it was nice to hear.

You liked especially when he told you about how hoarding worked in adolescent dragons, hatchlings is what he called them.

“Hoarding is a kind of instinct for dragons.” Sylus explained. “When you’re a child you don’t have the means to plunder castles and whatnot stealing treasure but you still want to collect something. So they’ll run around and collect little things like pinecones, feathers, bottles, that kind of thing.”

“Did you collect anything when you were a child?” you asked.

“Nuts.”

“Nuts?”

“Acorns. Walnuts. Chestnuts. Whatever I could get my hands on.”

You snorted. “Are you a dragon or a squirrel?”

“Har har, yes, I didn’t get enough of those comments when I was little.” his tail poked you in the side. “If you were a dragon as a kid what do you think you would have collected?”

“Me? Buttons.”

“Buttons?”

“Why not?”

“Certainly a new one. But it fits for you.”

In turn you told him about your own life. You told him about your childhood growing up with just your father in the village and how you had worked in his glass shop with him. You had pulled out the pendant your father had made for you before you left and showed it to him to see the kind of wonderful work he was capable of.

“It’s beautiful.” he held the charm up to the light. “What sort of flower is this?”

“It’s a moonflower, specifically a blood moonflower. They’re a rare breed of moonflower that grows in shades of red. Strangely enough they’re also the only ones that aren’t toxic.” you took the charm back, holding it close to your chest. “My favorite story growing up was actually about the myth of the blood moon flower.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know that one.”

“Want me to tell you?”

“Sure. Tell me a story.”

“There once was a little girl that lived in a small village. One day the village was attacked by foreign invaders and everything and everyone was lost, except for her. During the chaos of the attack she had ran as fast as her feet could carry her and went up into the mountains seeking protection.”

“Wait, this sounds familiar. A girl whose village is under attack so she flees to the mountains searching for help. Where have I heard this before?” Sylus tapped his chin.

You rolled your eyes. “May I continue?”

“Go ahead.”

“Anyway, the girl makes it to the mountain and starts to climb it. She climbs and climbs and climbs till her shoes have worn through and she has made it to the top. There she finds a huge empty nest with a patch of brilliant white moonflowers growing all around it. Inside the nest were dozens of huge feathers. The girl, being cold, decided to rest there and use the feathers as a blanket.

“The next morning she awoke to find the giant bird whose nest she was resting in had returned. She feared that this would be her end but the bird saw the blanket of feathers surrounding the girl and mistook her for a baby bird.

“For years the girl lived with the bird, eating the food the giant mama bird had brought and resting warmly under her feathered body during the long windy nights. All was well until one evening under the light of the full moon the mama bird had decided that it was time for the girl to leave the nest. The girl naturally did not know what to do since she was not an actual bird. She was liable to fall and die if she leapt from the nest.

“But the mama bird kept on pushing and pushing, edging the girl out of the nest. Without any other options the girl took the feathers of her blanket in hand and held them tight. The sharp ends of the quills dug into her palms and blood seeped from her hands. The blood that fell from her hands landed on the white moonflowers around the nest and when they did it created magic. The girl stared out at the starry sky and wished with all her might, and she jumped. The moment she leapt her wish came true and the girl was turned into a bird and she flew off into the world.”

You looked back at Sylus, “And that’s why blood moonflowers are red.”

“That is a fascinating story. I do not think such magic is actually possible but it makes a nice tale.”

“Whether it was actually possible or not wasn’t what I liked about it. I don’t know why but I found it comforting. It made me believe that even in a world where I’m backed into a corner there’s another way out, another way to do things. I don’t have to plummet, I might fly.”

“It’s a lovely message my little bird. I’m afraid the tales dragons tell do not have such heartfelt meanings.”

“What kind of stories do dragons tell?”

“You want to hear one?”

“Yes.” you scooted closer. “Please?”

“Fine. Fine.” Sylus sighed. “I have a story for you.”

You smiled at him expectantly. Sylus cleared his throat and stared off into the distance. “This story does not begin with a dragon. It actually starts with a human.” he said.

“A long time ago there was a human woman who had longed for a child. She went to every healer she could find but no matter what they tried, she remained barren. So, one day, she decided to seek out magic. Not just any magic, dragon magic. Said to be the most powerful of all.

“The woman had come into their land hoping to steal some of their magic for herself so she could have her child. The dragons asked her what she was doing in their land and when she told them she came to humbly ask for their assistance, they saw through her deceit. She had not just wanted a child, she wanted a strong one. She longed to give birth to a warrior that would bring fame and glory to her family’s name. That is why she truly came to the dragons.

“The dragons decided to punish the woman with exactly what she wanted. The elder of the dragon tribe plucked a scale from their body and gave it to the woman. They told her to eat the scale and that the magic within would make her fertile. And so the woman ate the scale and returned home. Soon after she became pregnant.

“Because she had eaten the scale though her pregnancy was no normal human birth. Instead of birthing a human child she had birthed a giant egg. She realized then that she had been cursed by the dragons and tried to destroy it, but the egg was too strong. Not with a hundred hammers could it be broken. So she abandoned the egg in the forest.

“The egg was found by some passing dragons and taken back to their land. When it hatched though, what emerged was neither human nor dragon, but some monstrosity stuck in a crossroads between the two.” Sylus’s face twisted, loathing you had not seen before etched into the crease of his brow.

You wanted to reach out to him but you were scared he’d stop if you tried to comfort him.

“The dragons could not abandon this thing because it was of their kin, but they did not embrace it either.” Sylus said, his hands balling into fists, “The hatchling grew, neither a part of either world. So they decided to cut off their horns and their tail and go to live with the humans.

“For a while life with the humans was good, until his horns and tail started to grow back. He was driven out again. From town to town he went, cutting off his horns and tail over and over. When scales started to grow along his arms he scraped them off too. What no one knew was that every time he cut off his horns and tail the appendages were sinking into the earth, causing the land to fallow. Soon word had spread of a silver haired boy that would bring famine to your land if allowed to remain. Village after village he was driven out.”

Sylus had gone quiet again. The rage had swelled but smoldered into ashes before it could erupt. When he spoke again, he sounded weak and tired. “One day,” he muttered, “He came to a great cliff. Feeling he had nowhere in this world, he jumped. He fell and he fell…then, a pain exploded from his back. A pair of large webbed wings caught the air and he soared across the sky. Why it happened then he could not say but he thought perhaps it meant something. Perhaps there was a land yet that would accept him.”

For a long time neither of you said anything. Sylus was stone faced but the way his tail twitched from side to side let you know how he was really feeling. “This is a story that dragons tell their children?” you asked, quietly.

“It is.”

“Is it true?”

“What do you think?”

You lapsed back into silence. You looked him up and down, your eyes lingering on his horns. You brushed a hand through his hair. “Did it hurt?”

“What?” he looked at you out of the corner of his eye.

“Your horns. Maybe that’s why they’re so sensitive.”

He looked back out into the distance. “Maybe.”

You could not imagine what his childhood was like if that was what he had lived through. It was the most he had ever confided in you. You wanted to say something. Encourage him. Assure him. Tell him in no uncertain terms that he was not a monstrosity. You wanted to let him know that it broke your heart to hear what he had tried to do. You could not imagine being in so much pain and being so alone for so many years.

Words would not come. So instead, you pulled yourself into his lap and hugged him tight. His arms closed around you, holding you close to him. His tail even had curled around you, pushing you as close to him as you could get.

You didn’t know how long you stayed like that but it did not feel at all long enough. One hug could not put all his broken pieces together. But maybe the fact that you embraced him at all let him know that he was not alone in this world. Not anymore.

#love and deepspace #lads sylus #lads mc #sylus x mc #sylus x reader #dragon sylus #lads dragon au

111 notes · View notes

graciereadshannigram · 4 months ago

Text

Scifibabe's '24 Kinktober Masterlist

hi y'all, so stoked to have you here!

below are links to each day’s prompt with a brief preview of the fics. click the links to find full summaries, relevant tags, and the ao3 link :)

xoxoxo,

Grace

Oct. 1: Handjobs – Caught In His Desire

ft. Hannibal providing his particular brand of "help" while Will's mind is on fire

Oct. 2: Voyeurism – Press Play for Horror

ft. a sex tape left for Jack, they flip!, and a bonus Jimmy + Zeller appearance

Oct. 3: Public Sex – Neon Desire

ft. bathroom sex, and top Will/bottom Hannibal

Oct. 4: Sensory Deprivation – In Hannibal's Hands

ft. autistic Will, an established relationship, and coming untouched

Oct. 5: Rough Sex – Where It Hurts

ft. vulnerable bottom Hannibal and protective top Will

Oct. 6: Anonymous Sex – Predators in the Night

ft. alternate first meeting, dark Will, top Hannibal, and more bathroom sex

Oct. 7: Virgin – Seduced for the First Time

ft. fun use of Will's empathy, top Hannibal, and a light daddy kink

Oct. 8: Cock Warming – Where Thought Dissolves

ft. agitated Will, Dom Hannibal, and subspace as therapy

Oct. 9: Praise Kink – Devour You Whole

ft. manipulation, Hannibal catching feelings, and insecure Will

Oct. 10: Face Sitting/Overstimulation – Not So Fast

ft. needy omega Hannibal, and sleepy but enthusiastic alpha Will

Oct. 11: Knife Play – Want to Feel You from the Inside

ft. what if Will showed up at Hannibal's after being released from the BSHCI with a knife instead of a gun?

Oct. 12: Breath Play/Dirty Talk – Breathless Submission

ft. under-negotiated kink but everybody has a good time anyway

Oct. 13: Aftercare – In the Quiet I Am Yours

ft. an established relationship and Will gently surfacing from subspace

Oct. 14: Collaring – In the Temple of Our Minds

ft. a collaring ceremony in their shared memory palace

Oct. 15: Teasing – Just a Touch

ft. Will stuck in a vehicle with Jack and Alana while Hannibal sends him provocative texts

Oct. 16: Nipple Play – Marveling at a Spoon

ft. stoned Hannibal, need i say more?

Oct. 17: Period Sex – Where Flesh Bleeds and Hungers

ft. trans Will, some mild gender dysphoria, and a Hannibal all too eager to make his Will feel better

Oct. 18: Massaging – Gentle Revelations

ft. non-sexual intimacy and vulnerable Hannibal

Oct. 19: Fisting – Hush Now

ft. daddy!Will, need i say more?

Oct. 20: Cuckolding – After Everything We've Been Through

ft. a woman who looks suspiciously like Alana, straight smut (stick with me pls), possessive Hannibal, and Will crying during sex.

Oct. 21: Bath Sex – Something Sacred

ft. mute Hannibal recovering from his wounds post-fall and a very tender Will

Oct. 22: Thigh Fucking – Vocal

ft. a shared motel room with only one bed, a darker Will, and bonus best friend Bev POV

Oct. 23: Breeding – In Our Own Way

ft. Will matching Hannibal's freak

Oct. 24: Somnophilia – call it love (because it is)

ft. Hannibal being creepy set sometime during S1

Oct. 25: Pussy Slapping – Count

ft. Will's been naughty!! with another appearance of trans Will :)

Oct. 26: Pegging – A Hollow Imitation

ft. an intense level of pining, Molly being a great sport, and Will coming to some rather obvious conclusions

Oct. 27: Hate Sex – Into the Abyss

ft. feral, animalistic sex following a violent altercation, and top Will

Oct. 28: Impact Play – Hurt Me

ft. Will needing release after a long day and Hannibal being only too happy to provide

Oct. 29: Branding – Blade Kissed Flesh

ft. a very possessive Will Graham and a happy-to-go-along-with-it Hannibal Lecter

Oct. 30: Sex Pollen – Into the Woods

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

ft. magical realism, Will's Becoming, and a lot of outdoor sex

Oct. 31: Free for All – I'm So Hot

ft. SELF-CEST and hand wave-y time travel stuff

#scifibabe's kinktober #masterlist #kinktober #hannigram #hannigram fics #will graham #hannibal lecter #murder husbands #nbc hannibal #hannibal #mads mikkelsen #hugh dancy #hannigram fic

132 notes · View notes

pedrosgrogu · 2 months ago

Text

Born Too Late - Chapter 10

pairing/au: neighbor!joel x reader // no outbreak

Warnings: MDNI!! slight dubcon, hate sex (unprotected, dont be silly, wrap ur willy), rough, degrading, no aftercare, mean!joel, possessive!joel, crying after sex, overstim, drunk dom joel, alcohol consumption, cheater cheater pumpkin eater joel, please let me know if i forgot something.

Summary: Thanksgiving at the Millers was supposed to be an easy-going afternoon. Shit goes South very quickly once Joels girlfriend opens her mouth. After the tenseness of the evening, Joel decides its time to set things straight. (3.4k+)

a/n: im so scared. this is the craziest and longest shit i have ever written but i LOVE it. i hope you all love it as much as i do. <3 i welcome any and all feedback, it keeps me writing :3 xoxox

Chapter 9 - Chapter 11 - Masterlist

You walk up to the door and debate on just walking it. You decide against it considering the circumstances. You knock lightly and after a few seconds, Tommy opens the door. “Hey pretty girl.” He says. You notice his eye, swollen and bruised. You give him a “what the fuck happened?” look and open your mouth to actually ask, but he shakes his head no before the words come out. You nod in understanding and head to the kitchen. Sarah is on the couch watching TV, and Joel is out back with the smoker. You set the casserole dish on the island and say hi to Sarah. She waves but is very invested in the latest episode of Hannah Montana. You walk over to the fridge and grab a beer, popping the cap over the sink. You look out the window and your eyes meet Joels. His facial expression and eyes say so much, but nothing at all. You miss looking into them. You smile and wave but he looks back down. You turn around, chuckling. “This afternoon is gonna be fucking great.” you say to yourself, shaking your head and taking a large gulp of your drink. Tommy comes into the kitchen and you stare at his eye. Wondering if that happened once he got home yesterday. Wondering if that happened because of you. “Tommy?” you say quietly. “Hm?” he looks up at you. “What happened?” you say, rubbing his face gently. “Nothing you need to be concerned about sweetheart. I promise Im alright.” he says, smiling. You hear the patio door slide open and quickly remove your hand from Tommys face, you fear what would happen to him if Joel saw. “Don't stop on account of me.” he grunts, staring through you.

“Foods done. Sarah, set the table. Theres five of us.” “Five?” you say, louder than you mean to. “Did I stutter? Five. You, Tommy, Sarah, Me, and Celeste.” You stomach churns. “Excuse me.” You whisper, tears falling from your eyes. You run to the bathroom, anticipating the churning in your stomach to turn into actual vomit. This time, no one chases you. You hear Sarah setting the table, Tommy helping her, and Joel answering the door. Then you hear her. Celeste. “Hi sweetie! Im Celeste. You must be Sarah. Im a friend of your dads.” she says. You wanted so badly for her voice to be anything but what it was. Its smooth like honey, and her accent is the same as Joel and Tommys. Southern with a touch of twang. You grab a tissue to dab your makeup. Trying to fix the smudging from your obvious crying. Once you feel that you’re as put together as you can be, you exit. Today, Celestes hair is long and straight. Shes wearing a cream cashmere sweater, black leather leggings, and oxblood colored flats. You plaster a smile on your face and walk toward her, you open your mouth to speak but she beats you to it. “Hi, Im Celeste. You must be Tommys new girlfriend.” she spits, her eyes cutting daggers at you. You look at Sarah, who thank god isnt paying attention. “Well, n-” and Tommy interrupts you “Yes! This is her!”. If looks could kill, Joel would have Tommy dead six ways to Sunday. She rolls her eyes, walking away without saying anything else. “Fuckin’ nice one, Joel. Shes a fuckin keeper.” you mutter in his direction.

Tommy grabs your hand and leads you to your chair, pulling it out for you. Him and Joel lay the food across the table in various spots. Sarah says the blessing and you begin passing the dishes around. Celeste laughs at just about everything Joel says, and its kind of annoying because half the shit he’s saying isn't even funny. Tommy can see your face growing with annoyance and disgust. His hand grabs your thigh under the table, a thumb going back and forth.

The rest of dinner goes about as well as it can. Tommys hand occasionally brushing your thigh. You squeeze his a couple times to keep yourself from flipping the goddamn dinner table. Sarah gets up to get her pajamas on, and suitcase packed for the long weekend at her moms. You stand up and begin collecting plates while the boys talk. Celeste holds hers over her shoulder, still laughing at every little thing Joel says. You roll your eyes in Tommys direction and he stifles a laugh.

Eventually, Sarahs mom arrives and you walk out with everyone to say goodbye. Funny, you notice Celeste doesn't join you all; remembering her scuffle with Sarahs mom. Sarah gives you a big hug around the neck, and whispers in your ear “I don’t like that woman. Don't let my dad keep her here.” She says, her eyes bigger than the sun. You hug her back, telling her to have fun at her moms. Tommy and Joel both give her a kiss on the head and tuck her into the car. You all wave goodbye and head toward the house. You lead, Tommys hand guiding you on your lower back, Joel in the very back, breathing so heavy that if you didn’t know better, you’d think something was wrong. But you know it’s Tommy. He’s pushing him to his breaking point, and his breaking point is you. Once back inside, you pour yourself a glass of wine. You’ve lost count on what number this is. You know you had 3 beers but the wine went down like water during dinner and desert.

The hours pass and you've played a couple card games, trying not to focus on the way Celeste grabs Joels biceps. The way she allows her head to fall on him when she laughs. You finish your umpteenth glass of wine and excuse yourself. You walk down the hall until you find the spare room. You shut the door and turn the light on, sitting on the bed. Trying not to freak out. You cant read Joel. He used to be so easy to read, his facial expressions like an open book. The creases around his eyes told you how his day was, his eyes told you what he wanted, his lips saying what he needed. But for weeks they’ve given you nothing. The door opening snaps you out of your trance. “If you wanted me again, you could’ve just invited me over.” Tommy says laughing, shutting the door behind him. “Tommy, shut up.” You say, hitting him on the arm. “Hey hey, I already got my ass whooped once in the last 2 days, Id rather it not happen again.” He sits beside you, the bed creaking with every movement. “Tommy,” you start “I thought you said she wasn’t coming.” he sighs. “She wasn’t s’posed to. Joel told me weeks ago that he was breakin’ things off. I guess he never did. I didn’t know. Maria and I broke up and I hadn’t seen her here so I just assumed he’d done it.” You look him in the eyes. “Im sorry about you and Maria. It hadn’t even crossed my mind yesterday.” you look at the ground, your feet swinging from the bed. “Nothin’ you coulda done. She broke it off for some schmuck she met on business in Dallas. Not sure why Celeste is makin’ me out to be the bad guy.” he retorts. You both laugh for a second. Unsure of where to go from here. You don’t want to go back out there, but you don’t want to be alone. The thought of asking Tommy to go home with you pops into your head but after yesterday, thats probably the worst idea you’ve ever had. As if he can read your mind, he stands, reaching for your hand. “M’lady” he says, kissing the back of your hand. You laugh, opening the door “Shut the hell up Tommy”.

You both walk back down the hall to find Celeste and Joel watching a movie. Shes kissing his neck, and he looks every bit of uninterested. When you kissed his neck, he returned the favor 10 fold. He couldn’t keep his hands off you. You head to the kitchen and her head perks up at the sound of the fridge opening. “It’s about time you came back out” she starts “and what a rude thing to do in someone elses home.” she says, looking you up and down. Now, usually, you’d just let it roll off your back. But after the last 3 weeks, after today, you dont have the patience. “Im not sure what you’re insinuating, but Tommy and I are just friends. We were just talking. Nothing more.” You say, popping the top off another beer. Joel stifles a laugh. “Something you’d like to add, Joel?” you say, waiting for a grunt since thats the only language he seems to speak around you these days. “Nah, nothin to say to you.” he hisses. You laugh. It’s truly comical how hes acting. He gave Tommy a shiner for assumingly fucking you, but she speaks to you like that and he seems to forget how to be a halfway decent human.

The air in the house is thick with tension, you’re suffocating. You decide this is your last beer, and then you’re going home. You have one foot out the patio door before you hear the words “But what do you expect from someone that sluts around like that?” You see red. You’ve had way too much to drink, but just enough to speak up for yourself. You don’t give either man a chance to say anything, not that you were banking on Joel doing it regardless. Spinning around and shutting her up in her tracks. “I’m not sure who the FUCK you think you are, but you are not going to speak to me, or about me like that.” you scream. She laughs in your face. “Baby I’m just telling it how it is. You can’t honestly expect anything else when you’re homie hopping two brothers” she says laughing. Tommy and Joel both look absolutely mortified. Joel’s mouth opens but you stop him. “Don’t. You obviously haven’t come to my defense the last few weeks, hell you cant even bother to fucking look at me, so I dont want to hear anything from you.” You turn back to Celeste, your entire body shaking, tears on the brink of starting a tsunami from your eyes. “What the fuck are you even talking about?” you take another step toward her. She stands from the couch. “I’m talking about how you can’t decide which Miller brother you’d rather have in your bed. I mean it’s obvious.” she pauses, and then laughs “Is it like split custody? Like do you have Tommy one week, and Joel the next? I mean, obviously not anymore, but how did you think that was going to play out? Did you even-” you drop you beer bottle onto Joel's floor, it shatters upon impact. The floor now littered with cheap ale and glass shards. “Thanks for dinner Joel, but fuck you. And fuck your piece of work girlfriend too.” you hiss, kicking glass out of your way and walking out the door.

You stumble in your front door, slamming it behind you. You cry, harder than you’ve ever cried before. It’s hard to catch your breath. You feel like your heart has been ripped from your chest, and then stomped on. You call Penny but it goes right to voicemail. Unsure of what to do next, you do nothing. You sit in the dark, and let your sadness swallow you whole. Your tears soak the couch cushion but you’re too sad, and too drunk to care.

You have no idea what time it is, but wake up to a consistent banging on your front door, along with your phone ringing. You stand up and your head is screaming, pleading for you to lay back down. You pick up your phone first. It’s Joel. “Hello?” “Open your fuckin door.” he says, hanging up right after. You stumble to the door, opening it. He pushes past you, slamming it behind him. He reeks of alcohol. “I don’t know what the hell you thought was going on at dinner, but that shit ends NOW.” You turn the lamp on, rubbing your eyes. “Joel, its late. Why are you here? And what the actual fuck are you-” and his lips are crashing into yours. You push him away from you. “I don’t know what you think this is, but you have a fucking girlfriend. A very hot, girlfriend. A girlfriend that you let speak so rudely to me earlier. A girlfriend that-” and his finger is in front of your mouth, shushing you. “My turn. Understand?” you laugh. “Joel, this isn’t a fucking game. You aren’t allowed to speak to me like that, and honestly, you aren’t allowed to speak to me for the foreseeable future.” His eyes are dark, but not in the warm doe-eyed way. They’re like a bottomless well. They’re full of anger, or sadness, or maybe both. You genuinely cant tell, but it doesn't stop you. “I don’t know what gets you off, but inviting me to Thanksgiving, knowing your fucking girlfriend is going to be there? I mean, honestly. And then to tell her I fucked both you and Tommy? Which never happened might I add. You really need to consider- “I know what I saw, what I heard.” you scoff at him. “What did you see Joel? Please enlighten me.” He takes a step toward you. “I saw my brother fixin’ his goddamn belt in your living room. I saw your bra on the floor. I saw that same disheveled look on your face that you had in my bed.” You sigh, not sure if from exhaustion, frustration, or both. His words are slurring, and you’re becoming increasingly worried. “You want to know what you saw, Joel? You saw me in an emotional and vulnerable place. You saw me after your brother fingered me. No parts entered any others with the exception of his goddamn fingers. You saw me coping with your actions.” your voice cracking. “So out of all people, you go to my fuckin’ brother?” You look at him, your eyes burning, your tear ducts working goddamn overtime. “Your brother came to me. He came to check on me, after you decided to treat me like I was invisible. For weeks, you wouldn’t even look at me. And the one time you did, it was to ask for shampoo for your fucking date.” He looks at you, his face finally showing an emotion other than nothing. You pick up your phone. “Joel, get out. Please.” you finally say. “I don't have the energy to deal with this anymore. To deal with you anymore.” He tilts his head, laughing.

He slings you over his shoulder, stomping into your room. He kicks his boots off and throws you on the bed. You scurry to turn the light on, unsure of whats coming. The light is on and you turn to look at him. But he isn’t there. He is, but isn’t. His eyes don’t look like him, they aren’t soft and warm like honey in mid-summer. They’re black, his pupils blown so big you question if he’s on something. His body is reeking of desperation, but his actions are scaring you. “Up.” he says, his voice bellowing through your room. You flip your phone open, trying to find Tommy’s name, because Joel is obviously drunk, and you don’t have the patience for him, or drunk him. He grabs your phone from you and drops it off the bed. “I said up.” he says in your ear, nipping your neck in the process. And your body does something funny. You get the butterflies, the good ones; and theres a wet spot in your underwear. You whimper. “There’s my good girl.” he grunts, his eyes still black. You open your mouth to speak, but he covers it with his hand. “No more talkin’”. The next 15 minutes happen so quickly, but so slowly. He rips your shirt off of you, the fabric tearing down the middle. Your pants fly off, underwear going with them. He flips you on your stomach, “All fours, now.” he says. You quickly roll over and arch your back, spreading your legs far enough apart so that he can see your frothing pussy. You quickly realize that no matter how much you hate him right now, you’re also aching for him. You hear his belt come undone, and his pants hit the floor. He slaps your ass, hard. You squeal in both pleasure and pain. “That’s for fuckin’ my brother.” He slaps it again. “And that’s for fuckin’ avoidin’ me the last 3 weeks.” You stifle another squeal, preparing for a 3rd slap. He reaches under you, his thumb circling your clit and his fingers hitting all the right spots inside you. You moan, and it doesn’t take long for your body to twitch. You’re on the verge of coming undone, and he can tell. His pace picks up. “P-p-please Joel. N-n-need you.” you stutter. He laughs, yanking his hand away. Leaving you feeling so fucking empty. You turn your head to him and scream in agony. “Didn’t I say no fuckin talkin?” he says, spit hitting your nose. “For once, this ain't about you. Now turn around, and do what I say.” he says, angrily.

You can feel tears welling in your eyes, confident they’re from how overstimulated you are. He’s leaving bite marks down your back, naming each reason. “This ones for fuckin my brother” and he bites hard for that one. “I told you, I didn’t fuck Tommy. He fucked me.” you say, immediately realizing your mistake. Another slap to the ass echos through the room. “I said stop fuckin’ talkin’.” His breathing is heavy and rugged. The bites end and theres a second of relief. Of no pain or pleasure, of just pure bliss. You bask in the moment. Trying to come down from the adrenaline rush you’ve been on for the last 12 hours. The silence is ruined by his cock stabbing its way through every inch of you. You scream in agony as he splits you in 2 with no warning. His pace quickening and your release on the horizon. “Did my brother fuck you this good?” his pace quickening “Did he make you scream like this?” he says, not letting up. You’re quick to remember what happened last time you spoke, and choose to ignore the question. You can hear the sound of his balls slapping you, the sound of your juices combining. You moan, gutturally. And he fucking pulls out, completely out. You turn to look at him and he grabs your face “Answer the goddamn question.” he spits. You’re mortified. “No.” you say quietly. He drops your face and throws himself back into you. “Speak up.” he grunts. “N-No J-J-Joel!” You scream. You’re drowning in the ecstasy of the moment, your head barely above water. He lets out a chuckle, saying nothing else. His pace quickens again and your body tenses up. You reach to pleasure yourself, your fingers landing in exactly the right places. “I done told you, this ain't about you.” he says, swatting your hand away. You cry out in agony, begging for your own release. “Please Joel, please let me-” and before you can finish your sentence, he’s flipped you around and his cock is filling your throat. “Im tired of listenin’ to that mouth.” His hands wrapped in your hair, pushing your head down his full length. His pace picks up and you gag. “That mouth is only good enough for my fuckin’ cock.” he moans. Tears are falling from your face, gags escaping your throat. You feel him twitch, and then a warmth in your throat. His pace slows, and he moans.

He pulls out and you wail, tears still falling from your eyes. “Don’t fuckin forget who you belong to.” He turns around and begins putting his pants on, the sound of his belt buckle echoing through your ears. “J-Joel?” you say, with no response. He pulls his shirt over his head and grabs his boots off the floor. “Joel, where are you going?” you say, sitting up, coving yourself with the comforter. He’s halfway down the hall before he turns around, his eyes back to the soft honey brown. “Joel, please.” you squeak out. But he keeps going, and you hear your front door close. You do the only thing that you seem to know how to these days, and cry.

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel miller fic #last of us #neighbor joel x reader #neighbor joel #cliffhanger #joel miller smut #pedro pascal #joel miller x you #the last of us #neighbor!joel #joel x reader #daddy joel #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x f!reader #my writing #tlou #joel tlou

90 notes · View notes

ladykailitha · 3 months ago

Text

The Hellfire Exotic Club Part 11

Just two more chapters to go. The tension is ramping up and you're gonna want to hold on to your seats. This is the penultimate chapter before everything is revealed. And hooboy is it going to be great fun.

In this we find out who the cleaner was and he gives Eddie the final clue he needs to stop his troubles once and for all.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Eddie enjoyed watching the cleaning crew. They were like bees in a hive, not bumping up against each other or trying to do the same tasks. Cleaning up after some days was hell, like Tuesdays and Saturdays and he always made sure to pay extra on those days.

That said, he really didn’t know any of them. The only familiar faces were the foremen. Eddie has asked the head forman about it once and was told that cleaning Hellfire was such a cushy job that he rotated teams so that everyone got a chance at it.

So imagine his surprise when one of the cleaners stopped Steve on his way out of the dressing room for a short chat.

It looked a little heated, if Eddie was being honest and was about to step in when Steve broke away from the conversation and drifted his direction.

Eddie cocked his head toward the cleaner. “Who was that?”

“An old friend of mine,” Steve said with a shrug. “I didn’t realize he had fallen on such hard times. Apparently his mom broke her hip and hasn’t been able to work for the last year.”

“That’s rough,” Eddie said, and waved his arm for Steve to go first. “I don’t know how much the cleaners make, but maybe if he puts in an application we can find him something to do here. Hell, he could work in the kitchen if Monty liked him well enough.”

His chef was a thin, wiry looking fellow, but he knew how to make the best club food anyone had ever tasted. He was also particular about who worked with him. But Monty could always use an extra hand or two and it would never hurt to try.

“I’ll let him know the next time I see him,” Steve said with a fond smile. “He’s also got a little brother in college, maybe have him apply too. Couldn’t hurt. What’s the least that’s going to happen, you say no? They won’t be any worse off for applying.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. He didn’t think that he would hire either of them if he was honest, but like Steve said, they wouldn’t be worse off for it. “So how was Creepy McCreepy?”

Steve bumped Eddie with his hip. “Henry Creel was fine. He’s just passing through, by the way, Mr. Worry Wort. I think he has bigger fish to fry then some high end exotic dancing club. Not that this place isn’t worth scalping, but I think he’s aiming for higher?”

“World domination?” Eddie teased, leaning into Steve space.

He laughed and nudged him away with his elbow. “Yeah, probably.”

Eddie ended up meeting with Steve’s friend because the guy needed consistent money coming in and while cleaning job paid okay, it really didn’t have many regular clients other than the club. Mostly they cleaned up after major sporting events, political conventions, stuff like that. And with their boss Murray always rotating the crew who cleaned the club, some weeks were good, others not so much.

Eddie had to admit that guy cleaned up really good. With his hair out of his face and wearing nice clothes, he wasn’t bad to look at.

“Jonathan Byers?” he said, rising to greet him from a table he had sectioned off for the interview.

“Yeah,” he said, shaking Eddie’s hand. “Thanks for agreeing to see me.”

Eddie smiled. “No problem. I’m sorry to hear about your mom.”

“Thank you.”

Eddie pulled out three pages and spread them out in front of Jonathan. “There are three positions open right now, let’s see if you fit any one of them.”

He pointed to the first one. “This is for the busser position. Basically you go around after people have left to take away plates and glasses as well as pick up any tips. You’ll get a small portion of the tips but mostly it’s a flat rate of $15 an hour.”

Jonathan nodded.

“This one is for a cook’s assistant,” Eddie said tapping on the second one. “Often called a prep chef in bigger kitchens. Basically you’ll prepare everything for the chef and put it in the fridge for him to grab as he goes. You’ll get here at 4pm and leave at 8pm when the club opens. Pay is $22 an hour because it’s only four hours a day.”

Again Jonathan nodded. “That makes sense.”

“And finally the waiter position,” Eddie said. “This one in the highest paid, but also the most demanding. You’ll only have two days off a week and you’ll work from 8pm-2am. Base pay is $15 an hour, but you get a set amount of tips every night. Usually it’s percentage, but if it’s a rough night, you’ll see a base pay of $200 in tips for the night. You aren’t expected to pimp for tips as it were, as you aren’t the main attraction. You’ll be invisible for most of the time and some will even get mad at you for blocking their view of the show.”

“Wow,” Jonathan said. “That’s really fucking generous.”

“I try to be,” Eddie said cocking his head to side, “because living in this hellscape we call American Capitalism is hard enough without having to worry about not having enough money for shit.”

“Can I take these with me and then send over my resume for the position I’m most interested in applying for?” Jonathan asked, placing his hand over the a couple of the pages.

“Sure thing,” Eddie said. “I have copies on my computer. I’ll give you to the end of the week, otherwise I’m going to have to start looking elsewhere.” He stood up and Jonathan did the same.

“That’s fair,” Jonathan said, holding up the pages. “Thanks for this. Because you gave me a chance, even if I don’t end up working here.”

They shook hands.

“Let me walk you to your car,” Eddie said, waving his arm for Jonathan to go first.

He huffed out a laugh. “I don’t have a car right now, my girlfriend is coming to pick me.”

“Then I’ll wait with you,” Eddie offered.

Jonathan considered it a moment and then shrugged. “Sure, man. Whatever.”

They walked out to the curb and chatted about Jonathan’s family and how his mom was doing. “My brother is going to be famous one day,” Jonathan said with pride. “He is such an amazing painter, his work should be hung galleries.”

“Yeah?” Eddie said with a smile. He knew that tone of voice. It was the same tone Wayne got when he talked about him. “So what did baby Jonathan Byers want to be when he grew up?”

“This is going to sound so weird,” Jonathan said with a smirk, “but a bug photographer. Not wild life in general. Bugs. Creepy crawlies. Insects and spiders. I loved that shit as a kid. I don’t know how many times I freaked out my mom by bringing in a new bug to take pictures of and then release back into the wild.”

“Young Eddie would have loved you,” he said softly. “I liked bugs and critters you aren’t supposed to go anywhere near. Raccoons, possums, squirrels. Baby Eddie loved them all. My mom,” he wagged his hand back and forth, “not so much.”

“There she is now,” Jonathan said jutting his chin at the red hatchback pulling into the parking lot.

Eddie pursed his lips and resolved not to say a damn word until she did.

And oh boy did she ever. She got out of the car and immediately started yelling at Jonathan.

“What on earth are you doing here?” she cried. “I thought you had an interview.”

Eddie tilted his head to side. “Not an interview yet, more like a fact finding mission. But I like him.” He grinned at her.

“I forbid you from working here!” she shrieked. “This is a den of sin! I have vowed to take it down.”

“Nancy,” Jonathan said warningly. “We’ve had this discussion. If I didn’t work at every place you found morally objectionable, I wouldn’t be able to work at all. I just need something stable until Will graduates and Mom can move around on her own again.”

“When you told me that Steve was working in this hive of iniquity ,” Nancy growled, “I made it my responsibility to shut it down once and for all. To save Steve, to save you from having to sweep the vile filth from its floors.”

“What?!” Jonathan cried. “I didn’t tell you Steve was working here to have you go on one of your crusades. I told you because Steve was a good friend when both of you were dancing ballet together.”

“It’s a sin!” she cried one more time.

“So is fornication,” Jonathan huffed. “And breaking and entering and a shit ton of other things you do that are supposedly okay as long as you do them.”

Nancy folded her arms and stomped her foot. “That’s not the same and you know it. They have actual fucking nights dedicated to a specific deadly sin. I may have broken a few laws in my time, but I would never stoop the depths of depravity that his club sinks to!”

“You continue with this vendetta,” Jonathan warned, “and I swear to God, we’re through. There is nothing wrong with what they do. So what if people see them naked. Don’t go see it. Your rights stop at their personhood. You can only dictate what you do and not anyone else.”

He turned to Eddie. “Can you take me home? I don’t think I want to be in the same car as her.”

“Sure thing, man,” he replied, thumbing behind him. “Just let me lock up and I’ll be right out.”

When he came back Nancy had gone and Jonathan looked like a kicked puppy.

“You ready to go?”

Jonathan nodded and without a word followed him to his car. After get the address and putting it into the GPS, Eddie said, “I’m sorry about how she acted. Has she done this sort of thing before?”

“When I first graduated high school I got a job at a photography studio,” he muttered. “I took pictures of babies and toddlers. I had this cute little pink rabbit that never failed to get a smile.” He cleared his throat. “She found out that in addition to family portraits, bridal and wedding photos, they also did boudoir photo shoots.”

“Oh no,” Eddie moaned, completely seeing where this was going.

“Yeah,” Jonathan said with a sniffle. “She got the place shut down when she found out that some official’s daughter got them for the guy she was sleeping with, who was not her fiancé.”

Eddie frowned. That sounded too familiar.

“Anyway,” Jonathan continued, “this bitch got the whole place shut down and suddenly I was without a job. If I ever find her, I think I’d like to strangle her with my bare hands.”

“Her named wouldn’t be Heather Holloway, would it? Mayor Kirk Holloway’s daughter?” Eddie asked running his tongue over his upper lip slowly.

Jonathan snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that’s the snake in the grass.”

Eddie pulled off to the side of the road and closed his eyes. “It’s a fucking scam. Holy shit! It’s a fucking scam.”

“What is?” Jonathan asked.

Eddie turned around. “I just figured the whole thing out. All of it. The attacks against Steve, Billy getting caught with his hands up the wrong skirt, Jason fucking Carver. I’ve got to give it to your girl, she is one smart manipulative bitch. But I’m smarter.”

Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

Tag List: CLOSED

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @dreamercec @sadisticaltarts @too-much-tma-stuff @dolphincliffs @chameleonhair

10- @themoonagainstmers @gloomysoup @novelnovella @micheledawn1975 @garden-of-gay

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #dance club au

89 notes · View notes

redroomreflections · 1 month ago

Text

Hotel California | Track 11: Ignore The Noise

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: Natasha Romanoff, frontwoman of the punk rock band Velvet Rebellion, falls hard for a woman she believes is too good for her. Their intense relationship unfolds in the chaotic world of rock 'n' roll, where they struggle to balance fame, personal demons, and their undeniable passion for each other.

W/c: 5.8k

Chapter 11/15

Masterlist | General Masterlist

Note: another week

18+ Minors DNI (mature)

Themes: love, fame, sex, drugs

"Alright," Natasha muttered, angling the phone’s camera. The faint ping of Instagram Live starting echoed in the otherwise quiet studio. She leaned back against the armrest, her knee bumping against yours as she adjusted the frame. "Do I look okay? Or do I look like someone who hasn’t slept in three days?"

"You look fine," you replied with a soft laugh. "More than fine, actually."

"Good answer," Natasha smirked, her lips quirking up before she turned her attention to the screen. "Okay, we’re live. Let’s see who’s actually bored enough to join us."

Within seconds, the chat began to flood with messages, hearts bubbling up on the side of the screen. Natasha’s username was pinned at the top, and her followers started pouring in like clockwork. You could almost swear half of her fanbase had been waiting for this, the comments streaming so quickly they were nearly unreadable.

"Hi, everyone," Natasha greeted with a quick wave, her smile easy and relaxed. "I don’t really do this whole Instagram Live thing much—I think this might be my second time ever—but here we are. We’re at the studio. Everyone’s left, so it’s just us."

She leaned back against the couch, her knee brushing against yours as she casually scrolled through the comments. "And, as I mentioned on Twitter, we’ll answer a few questions. Maybe play some music, too, if you’re lucky."

You nodded and adjusted your position, scooting closer to her so you’d both stay in the frame. "Key word being maybe," you teased, glancing at her with a playful smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," Natasha rolled her eyes, though her grin didn’t falter. She passed you the phone to give you the first pick of questions. She tapped a beat against the notebook resting in her lap. "Alright, let’s see what you’ve got for us."

You used your phone as a reader and silently tuned into Natasha's Instagram. The chat exploded with questions, some straightforward, others ridiculous. Natasha tapped a particular question asking about Carol, and you nodded. That was one you could skip over for the time being. You momentarily leaned against her shoulder as you scanned the endless comments together. The whole thing felt unfiltered, casual—the moment that made her fans adore her even more. Of course, you both knew it was meant to be lowkey PR. It's nothing unusual but also a gift to the fans.

"Okay, first question," You began, reading a comment aloud. "natalialovesshaw: 'How has the new album recording been?'"

"Oh, it's been fun," Natasha hummed, a small smile on her lips. "I don't want to sound cheesy, but it's been an incredible experience. Everyone in the studio was amazing. We recorded songs with a few special people on the track. I think you guys will like our first single. It's releasing in a few weeks."

"And, if you guys want," you said, raising your head, "she'll give us a sneak peek."

"Don't tempt me," Natasha quipped, a soft laugh escaping her lips. She playfully rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the comments. "Let's find a good one. velvetlover29, what is the creative process like for me?"

You grinned and glanced up at her. "That's a great question. What is the creative process like for you?"

"You know," Natasha shrugged, her tone light and playful. She tilted her head slightly, the light catching her face in a way that made your breath hitch. "I don't have a step-by-step guide to write a song. There's no formula. I usually have a melody in my head for a while. Put pen to paper. Scrap that and try again fifteen times until I have a semblance of a song. Of course, Wanda and the rest of the band help write. They bring so much star power. It's interesting. "

"It is," you nodded, a soft smile on your lips. You studied her as she spoke, her green eyes focused on the phone in your hand. A few heart emojis littered the comments, and you couldn't help but smile.

Natasha looked back at you, a curious brow raised. "What?"

"Nothing," you shook your head, biting back a laugh. "I think you're cute."

Natasha scoffed, though a smile still lingered on her lips. She nudged your shoulder, her gaze turning back to the screen. "You're lucky we're live."

"I know." You grinned, turning your attention back to the stream. You spotted another question, your eyes flickering to her briefly. "Oh, I've got a good one. What is it like having Y/N around all the time?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "It's great," she deadpanned, though a hint of amusement remained evident in her tone. "We're having a blast."

"We're living the life," you hummed in agreement, a smile lingering on your lips."Oh, this one is for me. How have your industry experiences shaped your values or beliefs?"

You paused for a moment, pursing your lips. "It was different, that's for sure. I went to a good school. I did everything the average person would do, except I had a job as a background singer. A job I got through my father's connections. Which people haven't failed to bring up to this day. So, I think I have always wanted that privacy aspect. But, it's difficult when the world wants a piece of you."

"They certainly do," Natasha mused, her lips quirking into a grin.

"But, I think my experiences have taught me to be resilient, honest, and kind," you continued, your gaze flickering from the comments and back to her. "I want to work with people that respect me. And I want to continue to live a life I'm proud of."

"And are you?" Natasha asked, her voice low. Her eyes met yours; her brows knitted together.

"Am I what?"

"Proud," Natasha replied. "Of the life you live. Of yourself."

"Yes," you murmured, swallowing hard. The sincerity in her tone caught you off guard, and your cheeks grew warm. "Of all of it."

"That's good then," Natasha nodded. "We have several questions asking about Isabella."

"That's interesting," You leaned back against the couch. "She's turning ten very soon. She's great, though." That was all you were willing to answer about her.

"She is," Natasha smiled. She cleared her throat, her attention turning back to the screen. "Alright. Any more questions?"

"I think that's a good note to end," you said. Your eyes scanned the comments, and a few people asked for a sneak peek of the new single. "But we do have something else. One last thing before we go."

"I think I know what this is," Natasha smirked. "Fine. Just a few chords."

"A few," you agreed.

Natasha grabbed the guitar from the side of the couch. She plucked a few strings, strumming them gently as she adjusted the knobs. A soft tune began to fill the air, the gentle chords washing over you. Natasha hummed softly, her fingers running over the frets as she played the melody.

You watched her with a complete smile on your face. She was in her element, and watching was a complete privilege.

When she finished, she looked back at the screen. "There you go. Our new single is coming soon."

You gave the phone a little wave. "Thanks for watching, everyone."

"See you soon," Natasha chimed in, giving a wave. She pressed the button to end the stream, setting the phone aside.

"That was great," You sighed. "Way less intimidating than I originally thought."

"You really are a shy thing?" Natasha teased.

"No, not shy," You shook your head. "Just not 100% okay with the idea of being perceived."

"Oh, is that all?" Natasha smiled. She rested her hand on the couch cushion beside you. "Sam's a majorly famous football player. How did you handle your relationship then?" The question caught you off guard. Natasha knew well enough that talking about your ex-husband could be a touchy subject. But you and Sam had managed to stay amicable for all intents and purposes. You took a breath, the memory of your past relationship still there but not as sharp as it used to be.

"It was... complicated," you said slowly, glancing down at your hands before meeting Natasha's eyes again. "I mean, Sam’s career was always the center of everything. People were always watching, always judging. It wasn’t easy, but we figured it out, at least for a while. Eventually, I had to come to terms with the fact that our lives were pulling in different directions. We had different needs. But... we’re on good terms now. We’ve both moved on. We were also quite young when we got together. Then we had Bella. Got married shortly after. We're better friends."

"Right," Natasha nodded. She hesitated momentarily, her hand moving a bit closer to yours. "Does this scare you? The idea of us?"

"Not at all," You shrugged. "I knew what I wanted when I first saw you. I knew I wanted to have you. I knew what that came with."

"Good," Natasha breathed. "Because I don't plan on letting go anytime soon."

"Is that a promise?" You whispered, a slight smirk tugging at your lips.

"Of course," Natasha hummed, her eyes flickering between your own and your lips.

"You know, you could kiss me, right?" You suggested playfully.

Natasha grinned and closed the gap, pressing her lips to yours. She pulled back for a second, her thumb caressing your jaw. "You're the one who wanted to wait," she murmured, her lips brushing against yours.

"I did," you agreed, a soft laugh escaping you. "There hasn't been a moment we've been together where we aren't kissing or..."

"Fucking?" Natasha supplied.

"Right," You laughed. "Not that I'm complaining. The sex is great. It's almost been six months of dating for us. We're still learning each other. That's a pretty big deal."

"Yeah, in high school," She snorted.

"I hate you so much," You laughed.

"Oh really?" Natasha raised a brow. "I remember last night you were telling me you loved me. Screaming my name practically." She leaned over you, pushing you to lie back on the couch.

"Mm, I can't remember that," You looked up at her.

"Probably from how many times your head bumped into the headboard, " Natasha rubbed the slightly sore spot. "I'm sorry, baby."

"I'll live," You laughed, tilting your head.

"Good," Natasha smirked, pressing a kiss to your forehead. She brushed her lips against your eyebrow, your nose, your cheek.

"Nat," You said.

"Hmm?" She hummed, her lips grazing your own.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she replied, her voice soft, carrying the kind of tenderness that made your heartache in the best way. Her green eyes flickered with adoration, and a small, genuine smile tugged at her lips.

"I want to do something tomorrow," Natasha said after a moment.

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued.

"I want to take Isabella out for lunch," she offered, her voice steady but her expression a little hesitant, as though gauging your reaction. "If that’s okay."

Your heart swelled, the unexpected offer leaving you momentarily speechless. Natasha had taken steps into your world before, but this felt different. Bigger. She had said how she felt about you—plenty of times—but this was something else. This was about Isabella. About your daughter.

"Okay," you nodded, trying to keep your emotions in check even though you were bursting inside.

"I just want to show her that I care about you," Natasha explained, her voice softening further, vulnerable in a way she rarely let herself be. "That I care about her. That she’s important to me, too." She paused. "But only if she’s ready. I don’t want to rush anything."

You couldn’t help but laugh softly, the joy bubbling out of you. "Please, if she could have you to herself, you’d be her new best friend by tomorrow," you joked, your voice light but full of warmth. "She’s going to love it. And you."

Natasha’s smile grew, her shoulders relaxing at your reassurance. "Good. Because I want her to know I’m all in. For both of you."

"You better be," You teased, brushing her hair from your face. "I'm all in for you too."

"And, I mean, she already has an amazing dad," Natasha pointed out. "It can't hurt to have an amazing step-mom."

"Step-mom," you repeated slowly, the words unfamiliar but not entirely unpleasant.

"I'm not proposing," Natasha chuckled. "Don't look so scared."

"I'm not," you said quickly. "It's just... I've never dated anyone serious enough to have that conversation."

"Well, call me crazy, but..." Natasha began, a hint of playfulness in her tone, "I'd say the woman I've been seeing for almost half a year and am completely in love with is pretty serious."

"Completely?" You echoed, a smile tugging at your lips.

"Mm," Natasha hummed. She pressed her forehead against yours. "I'm all yours. Forever, if you'll have me."

"Don't make big promises you can't keep," You murmured.

"Who says I can't?"

"No one," You smiled, tilting your chin and capturing her lips. Natasha responded immediately, her lips moving in tandem with yours. You pulled back briefly, a mischievous smile forming on your lips. "But what makes you think I'm so easily won over?"

"I don't," Natasha admitted. Her eyes glimmered. "But I'm a damn good catch."

"Oh, you're something alright," you muttered, shaking your head.

"So, you'll have me?" Natasha asked, her expression softening.

You smiled. "Yes. I'll have you. Always."

********

Natasha had underestimated how exhausting it could be to spend a day with a child. She’d heard the warnings from you—things like don’t let Isabella sit in the front seat under any circumstances and don't allow her to con you into buying anything—, but it hadn’t quite sunk in until she was in the thick of it.

Isabella, on the other hand, was completely enamored. From the second Natasha picked her up, she had chattered non-stop. Asking questions about Natasha's life, music, and the upcoming tour. When Natasha suggested that they spend the day together, Isabella practically jumped with joy. She truly enjoyed Natasha's presence when you'd hung around each other. It was only fair she got to hang out with her, too.

"So, do you like Chuck E Cheese's?" Natasha asked as she drove into the empty intersection. She wasn't up to date on what nine-year-olds like these days.

"I do," Isabella nodded enthusiastically. "But mom doesn't."

"That doesn't sound like her," Natasha smiled, glancing at the young girl through the rearview mirror.

"Oh, well," Isabella sighed dramatically. "She thinks it's too loud and doesn't like Chuck E."

"Well, what does she think about laser tag?" Natasha offered. "I hear they have an arcade at the mall."

"I don't know," Isabella replied thoughtfully. She leaned forward between the seats. "What's laser tag?"

"It's a game where you and several others go into a dark room with guns that shoot out lasers," Natasha explained, keeping her tone casual. "Put your seatbelt back on."

"Fine," Isabella sighed before throwing herself back into the seat. "Can we get my ears pierced too?"

"And have your mom break up with me instantly? I don't think so," Natasha laughed. "Are you trying to sabotage me?"

"Not intentionally, no," Isabella shrugged. "Mom's a cool mom."

"Your mom is a cool mom," Natasha agreed, glancing at Isabella in the rearview mirror. "But even cool moms have their limits. I’m pretty sure earrings are one of those limits."

Isabella pouted dramatically, crossing her arms. "But everyone in my class already has them!"

Natasha chuckled. "Nice try, kid. You’re not dragging me into that fight. Besides, you’ve got plenty of time for earrings. Let’s focus on laser tag first, yeah?"

"Okay, fine," Isabella relented, though her pout lingered. Then, her face lit up. "Can I at least pick the team name?"

"Absolutely. Team names are critical," Natasha nodded thoughtfully, playing along. "What are you thinking?"

"Something cool," Isabella said, tapping her chin like she was deep in thought. "The Dolls."

"Sounds very girly," Natasha said.

"Well, we are girls," Isabella said matter of fact.

"Touche," Natasha laughed.

After a quick stop to grab gas, they arrived at the arcade. The place was filled with screaming kids, and the smell of greasy food lingered in the air. The sounds of games, arcade music, and laughter mixed.

"Oh, this place is amazing," Isabella grinned. "This is the coolest."

"It's alright," Natasha mused, glancing around the room. She turned to Isabella. "Alright. We need a game plan. Stick beside me, and we take everyone out one by one."

"That sounds good," Isabella nodded. "Can you help me with this?" She stood up straight so Natasha could help with the team vest.

"Yeah, of course," Natasha adjusted the straps, tightening them. "There you go."

"Thanks," Isabella grinned. "What's our game plan?"

"Okay," Natasha crouched down, getting on Isabella's level. She tapped the girl's chest. "I'm going to have you be the leader of the team. You have the most important job."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and that's to watch my back," Natasha nodded.

"Got it," Isabella smirked, giving her a thumbs up.

"Great," Natasha stood. "Let's go."

The two played several rounds, and Natasha genuinely enjoyed her time with the little girl. Isabella had endless energy and an infectious enthusiasm for life. Not to mention her maniacal giggles whenever she dodged the other team's laser. By the time they were done, they were both more than hungry. Natasha decided pizza and a salad from the arcade's restaurant would be more than filling.

"So," Isabella said, pressing her pizza in half like a taco. "You and my mom are getting pretty serious."

"We are," Natasha nodded. She took a bite of her salad, swallowing the food before continuing. "Do you think it's serious?"

"Yeah," Isabella nodded, shoving a piece of her pizza in her mouth. She swallowed before speaking again. "My mom's been happy. A lot happier."

"That's good," Natasha smiled. "Was she sad before?"

"No," Isabella furrowed her brows. "Not sad. But things are good for her now. I don't know how to describe it."

"How about you say what you're thinking, and I can see if that's a good description?"

"Okay," Isabella pursed her lips. She looked down, picking at her slice. "I've never seen her talk about a relationship like this. Like, when she's on the phone, she's always smiling. Or she's telling me something about you."

"And is that a good thing for you?"

"I think so," Isabella nodded. She hesitated, biting her lip.

"What is it?" Natasha pressed gently.

"Nothing," Isabella shook her head. She sighed. "Will you be there?"

"When?"

"For my birthday," Isabella explained, her gaze fixed on her pizza. "I want to go to Paris, but Mama says I should save that for when I turn thirteen. So I decided a spa day would be cool."

"Spa days are great," Natasha agreed. "But I think Paris is a wonderful gift for your birthday."

"I've been to Paris before," Isabella shrugged.

"Have you?" Natasha raised her brows.

"Yeah, with Mom and Daddy," Isabella explained. "It was a really long time ago. When I was like two."

"Well, it is a pretty magical place," Natasha hummed. "Of course, I'll come to your party."

"It's in three months. I'll finally be double digits, and Mom will let me get my nails done," Isabella grinned, wiggling her fingers in the air. "Not just painted—like, the fancy kind. Gel or acrylic or something."

Natasha chuckled. "Big milestone. Double digits and fancy nails? Sounds like a big deal."

"It is," Isabella said matter-of-factly, taking a big bite of her pizza. She added, "Mama said I can even invite two friends to come with us."

"That sounds like fun," Natasha said, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. "Do you know who you're going to invite?"

"Maybe Lenny and Sophia," Isabella mused, her face scrunching up thoughtfully. "They're my best friends, but Sophia sometimes says mean things, so maybe just Lenny."

Natasha nodded, offering a small smile. "It's your day, so spend it with the people who make you happiest."

"Yeah," Isabella agreed, then looked up at Natasha, her expression suddenly shy. "And... I’m glad you’ll be there. I like that you and Mama are, you know, together."

Natasha softened, touched by her honesty. "I am, too," she said quietly. "I like being with her. And I'm so glad I've gotten the chance to know you. I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, she'll finally have someone else to hang out with other than me," Isabella said with an exasperated sigh.

"I don't think she minds hanging out with you," Natasha teased.

"No, she doesn't. I'm the best," Isabella laughed. "But I do have a life of my own."

"So," Natasha leaned back, a smirk on her lips. "Now that you've spent time with me. What's the verdict? Do I pass the test?"

"Let's see how the rest of the day goes," Isabella patted Natasha's hand.

She couldn't argue with that.

******

A week later was the album photoshoot. With most of the tracks fleshed out and ready for post-production, it was time for other things that bands did. Natasha could do without press and pictures and all that other stuff. Cameras flashed incessantly, their brightness like miniature explosions that pierced her vision. She couldn’t pinpoint why they grated on her nerves—maybe it was the performative nature of it all, the forced energy that felt miles away from the authenticity she craved.

The microphone was cold against her hands as she leaned forward, feigning a scream into its mesh head. Equally uncomfortable in their unnatural poses, her bandmates were arranged behind her.

Steve stood by a keyboard angled awkwardly toward the camera, his brow furrowed in concentration as though he was taking the photos. His natural charm didn’t seem to help him here. Tony sat perched behind his drum kit, twirling a drumstick in one hand while resting the other on the cymbal, his cocky grin firmly in place. "I was born for this, Nat," he had joked earlier, though the shine of sweat on his brow betrayed his irritation. Bucky stood slightly off-center, his hands on his guitar as though caught mid-strum. His scowl, however, didn’t seem as performative.

And then there was Wanda, holding her bass with practiced ease, her red hair catching the light. She was the only one who looked remotely comfortable, even enjoying the attention. She locked eyes with Natasha and smirked as if to say, 'Just roll with it.'

Natasha sighed under her breath, her hair falling into her face slightly as the photographer barked directions. "Energy! Let’s see some energy!"

"We are," Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes.

"More! More! You're too stiff!"

"This is a photoshoot," Steve said, his voice tight. "Not a porno."

"Less attitude and more energy!" The photographer shouted, ignoring the jab. He sighed before lowering his camera. Mitch hurried to address the band.

"What can I do to get you guys more comfortable?"

Wanda snorted softly, earning a sharp look from the photographer. "I'm sorry, can we do away with the instruments."

"And this hair," Bucky shook his head. "I got a haircut for a reason. Spiking it up with gel is horseshit."

"Fine," Mitch agreed. "We're paying you guys to have fun, right?"

"Yeah," Tony nodded, his tone flat. "Fun. This is it."

Mitch ignored the comment and addressed the photographer. "Alright. No instruments. Let me just..."

She folded her arms and inspected the band. "Okay, Bucky, go and rinse out your hair quickly. Tony, put the glasses back on. Natasha, let's go ahead and take this jacket off."

"Better," Natasha smirked, pushing her hair from her face. "Wanda, I got you." Natasha began to fix the other woman's makeup, swiping the tiniest bit of lipstick from the woman's lip.

"You guys are excellent," Mitch praised. "Natural."

"It's because we are," Tony shrugged.

"Well, let's make it even more natural," Mitch instructed, stepping back to allow the photographer to start shooting again. "Just relax. Imagine the crowd. The energy. The heat."

"We don't usually do a lot of close-ups," Steve pointed out.

"Let's try this," Natasha asked for a chair for a nearby assistant. She didn't want to seem difficult, but their sophomore album cover needed perfection. "Remember that picnic picture we had?"

"I like this idea," Wanda smirked.

"You want us all on a chair?" Steve asked.

"Just me," Natasha said. She leaned back slightly in the sleek studio chair, gripping the microphone loosely in one hand. The chord snaked from her fingers, disappearing out of frame. Her other hand rested casually on Wanda’s shoulder.

Wanda sat cross-legged on the floor between Natasha’s legs, her bass leaning against her thigh as though it were an extension of her body. She tilted her head slightly, her red hair falling over one shoulder, eyes dark and piercing as she stared into the lens.

Around them, the men completed the picture with quiet power.

"Much better," Mitch grinned. "I like this vibe. This is the album cover. The chemistry you have together is perfect. Sexy."

"It's not sexy," Bucky snorted, adjusting his muscle shirt.

"Then how about passionate," Mitch offered.

"Sure, whatever," Bucky replied.

"Be nice," Natasha scolded.

"Okay, let's just finish this," Steve said.

"Perfect. Perfect," Mitch smiled, her eyes glued to the camera's monitor. "Alright, just a couple more shots, and we're done."

The photographer nodded. "We're wrapping up soon, guys."

"Finally," Wanda muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"Everyone say cheese," Mitch teased.

*********

The buzz around Velvet Rebllion's new album, Rebel’s Anthem had hit a fever pitch. The cover art was plastered across streaming platforms and social media. The usual raw, edgy aesthetic resonated instantly with their fans, and rumors of album features continued to swirl.

“Obvious,” the debut single, had officially claimed its spot on the charts, peaking at number six on Billboard'sHott 100. Playlists, reaction videos, and TikToks set to the rhythm were everywhere within the first twenty-four hours. Velvet Rebellion was once again the name on everyone’s lips—this time with a new name in the mix. Yours.

The streams for the song grew a whopping one hundred thousand in the first day. You tried to ignore the lighting of your phone screen as notifications continued to pour in. Suddenly, everyone wanted to know your name and what you were all about. It was an interesting feeling for people to discover you after so long of being lowkey. You were simply a musician's daughter and a football player's ex-wife. There was no way people were checking for you. But they were. This relationship with Natasha had gained the attention of new fans, and the music was adding fuel to the well-lit fire.

Even then, you still had a 9 to 5 where you welcomed the mundane. You were meeting with colleagues, exploring the PR plan of an actress/singer who'd licked a donut in a coffee shop just two days prior.

"We need to keep a positive image for the film's premiere," one exec said.

"That might be a little difficult," you admitted, flipping through the papers on your lap.

"You're telling me," he scoffed.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" the actress turned to you, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Of course," you replied, a smile on your lips. "Anything."

"Are you the best for the job?" She asked. "With my publicist having so much publicity herself, isn't it risky?"

"Oh, you're worried that my private life will somehow get in the way of your wrongdoings?" You tilted your head.

"I'm just saying," she shrugged. "It could happen."

"Well, if it does, you have my word. I will not be involved," you assured her, standing. "Because I wouldn't let myself."

"Good," the actress nodded, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"And, for the record, I've been doing this six years now, so if you have any more questions about my skill or knowledge," You began. "This charity event is good for you. Pet a dog. Shake some hands. Keep your mouth and tongue to yourself."

The meeting ended shortly after, and you couldn't wait to get home. You were about to pack up and call it a day when you received a video. It was from Natasha, and you clicked play immediately. She danced to your song in her kitchen in a tank top and boxer briefs. You watched as she held a whisk, twirling it around and singing into a spoon.

You laughed as you sat down at your desk to watch. You’d hope she wasn’t posting this on Instagram. The camera panned over to Wanda, who was chopping vegetables. Then it zoomed in on her face and her amusement as she continued cooking.

"What are you doing?" She laughed.

"Getting in the zone," Natasha replied, moving closer to her. She spun again, her hair whipping around her. "Can't cook without music."

"Uh huh," Wanda shook her head, a grin on her lips. "Hi, y/n, come get your girlfriend. She's driving me crazy."

Then, the video ended.

You sent Natasha a few laughing emojis back. Gosh, you loved that woman. That's when you opened up your own Instagram. For the past few months, you haven't posted anything about your relationship other than cheeky snippets on stories. It was about time you did something. Of course, the single release was a perfect excuse.

You scrolled through your photo album to find one Isabella had taken. It was of you cuddling Natasha on the couch a couple of nights ago during movie night. She looked completely relaxed and serene as you looked into her eyes adoringly.

You smiled, your finger hovering over the picture. It was a quiet, intimate moment, one of those rare slices of normalcy. The glow of the TV in the background, the way her head rested against yours—it wasn’t just a good photo; it was the photo.

You quickly typed out a caption:

"When your favorite song is also your favorite person. Congratulations on the single release, my love. ‘Obvious’ is out now, and I couldn’t be prouder of you. ❤️✨ #VelvetRebellion #RebelsAnthem"

Satisfied, you hit Post.

Within minutes, the comments started rolling in. Fans of the band—Natasha’s, yours, or both—flooded in with love.

"Omg, y’all are so cute!!! 😍"

"Wait, this is the first time you’ve posted her!!! I’m crying!!!"

"The queen deserves the love. Congrats to Natasha and the band!!! 🔥"

and then Natasha added her comment.

"You're the song and the lyrics 🖤"

And, of course, a flood of emojis followed.

Your cheeks were burning. She was so damn sweet.

Your phone vibrated again with a text from Natasha.

“You finally did it, huh? Are you posting about me now? Bold.”

You laughed, typing back:

“It’s about time. You’re worth the hype.”

Her response came almost instantly.

“I better be. Now everyone officially knows you’re mine.”

You rolled your eyes affectionately. Natasha and her little possessive streak—it always made your heart race.

A new notification popped up—this time a DM from Wanda.

"Thank you for distracting her. She’s been on a high all week because of the single, which drives me insane. You owe me coffee for keeping her in check at rehearsal."

You grinned, firing off a quick reply.

“Deal. But you know you love her too.”

But as you scrolled through the comments and watched the likes climb, the reality of the whirlwind ahead hit you. Press runs, small performances on late-night shows, endless interviews, and the tour planning that would come after—it was only the beginning. Life was about to get hectic, a blur of airports and green rooms, flashing cameras, and sleepless nights. A part of you felt excited, and you couldn't believe it.

---> next part

#natasha romanoff #black reader #natasha x reader #black widow x reader #black widow x female reader #hotelcaliforniaau

79 notes · View notes

cocogum · 5 days ago

Text

Guys be ready for tomorrow.

#THE GREAT WAVE CHAPTER 11 WILL BE OUT TMRW ‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️#HELL YEAH BABY #LET'S GO #WE'RE BACK #wakfu #ankama #krosmoz #wakfu the great wave #the great wave #wakfu the great wave manga #wakfu the great wave webtoon #the great wave webtoon #the great wave manga #wakfu webtoon #wakfu manga #wakfu the great wave volume 2 #the great wave volume 2

23 notes · View notes

evermoresqueiswriting · 10 months ago

Text

riptide

“I was scared of dentists and the dark I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations Oh, all my friends are turning green You're the magician's assistant in their dream”

summary: going on the camp's field trip to olympus because clarisse asked you to, meeting your father and clarisse's father and also, there are new updates from camp - luke gone, and percy's arrival

pairing: clarisse la rue x f!reader

word count: 6.7k (14 year old me would never believe me if i said i casually wrote a 6k chapter)

tags: mostly fluff, tiny splash and angst

series masterlist 3/?

The date ended really late – you fell asleep on the beach, and Clarisse didn’t have the heart to wake you up. She didn’t dare, you looked too peaceful to disturb. You loved taking naps and whenever you were around Clarisse, you felt safe enough to do so. By the time you woke up, it was already dark, and Clarisse had put your blouse back on you because it started to get chilly. When you realised what time it was, you hurried Clarisse and grabbed all your bags before leaving the beach.

The ride back home was quite long, and once you got into camp, it was really quiet. You and Clarisse tried to be quiet, and walked slowly towards your cabins, but then you heard footsteps. Both of you whipped around. Chiron, hands on his hip and Mr D, standing next to him.

“Hi,” you waved.

Clarisse swiftly grabbed your hand to put it down.

“You missed the curfew,” Mr D said.

“What– What curfew? There was one?” you hesitated, looking at Clarisse.

“Yes,” Mr D continued, “it was written, black on white, that you should be home before 9pm. And it’s, would you look at that,” he showed you his watch-less wrist, “it’s past 11!”

“We– I didn’t know,” you explained, “I- I mean– I can’t read and neither can she.”

Chiron shook his head, and Clarisse stepped in front of you, shielding you from their disappointed faces.

“We’re sorry, we didn’t see the time.”

Your hand was grabbing tightly onto Clarisse’s arm.

“Go back to your cabins and rest,” Chiron said.

“Yeah, cause you’ll need it for the cleaning duties you’ll get for the whole week or month, I still haven’t decided yet haha,” Mr D finished and walked away.

You were once again alone. You sighed.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled, not daring to look at her.

“What for?”

“I should’ve read the whole letter, I should've known and now because of me you’ll have cleaning duties for maybe a whole month!”

“I don’t mind, I had a great time today,” you raised your head up at this, “I’ll do another month again if it means we get to do that again.”

“Really?” you smiled.

“Really, now go to sleep.”

It ended up being a whole month of cleaning duties, but neither of you cared because you got to be together.

Your summer was split between three people, Clarisse, Will and Lee.

Fighting and combat with Clarisse. Clarisse was ruthless, not letting you rest for a bit, always pushing you to your limits. She had one thing in mind and that was for you to be the best version of yourself. You were progressing fast which she was extremely proud of. Just like Luke said, you were a natural fighter, and everyone noticed that during Capture the Flag. You went from hiding behind Clarisse the whole time from leading the fight.

Archery lessons from Lee. Lee was also very insistent as a teacher. Never letting you rest.

“Hitting a still target is easy, a child could do it,” Lee told you in his first lesson. “But no monster is going to stay still for you to hit it at your pace. So, we’ll practise on moving targets, fast and unpredictable ones.”

And he was right, it was much more difficult. There was no time for you to prepare, and see where the wind went. But after some practice, it was easier. He was a good teacher, after all. You were tired and sore at the end of every day, which seemed a bit excessive for a fun, safe, summer camp for half bloods. They looked like they were preparing you for war at this pace. And when you had some free time, you spent it with Cornelia painting and playing old board games they had in the cabins. It was a great way to relax.

Alongside sharpening your skills, you also spent an absurd amount of time at the infirmary with Will. Michael was the one teaching you everything, with a tiny Will following you there too. He was absorbing information at an incredible pace.

“Isn’t he a bit young to be learning all of this?” you asked Michael.

“Yeah, but he’s good at it, so who cares? Surely not Mr D.”

Will was a really nice kid, and obviously a natural healer. With the two of you at the infirmary, Michael was able to leave for longer periods of time. Will and you often held karaoke afternoons while cleaning the infirmary. And this time, it was your turn to choose the song. So, You and Will were dueting ‘august’ by Taylor Swift when someone came in.

“But do you remember? Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car" And then canceled my plans just in case you'd call? Back when I was livin' for the hope of it all, for the hope of it all "Meet me behind the mall" Remember–” you sang with Will.

“You’re having fun here,” Clarisse leaned on the doorframe.

You screamed, and turned around.

“Clarisse! Hi,” Will waved.

She gave you a questioning look. They had never met.

“This is Will Solace, my brother,” you smiled.

“Yeah, y/n talks about you all the time!” Will smile proudly, before you shoved him aside.

“Betrayal, I said all of these things in confidence, but whatever,” you dragged him outside. “Go grab some more supplies, we’re missing ambrosia.”

“But it’s ful–.”

You slammed the door.

“He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” you laughed, turning back to Clarisse.

“Sure,” she smirked.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“I forgot to give you something.”

“A gift?” you beamed.

She took out a small tissue bag from her pocket and handed it to you. You opened it, and let the object slip into your palm. A ring.

“Are you proposing?” you joked.

She rolled her eyes, and smiled.

“I watched you pick this size when choosing yours, so you shouldn’t lose this one.”

“Thank you, it’s so pretty I love it!” you put it on your left index.

Clarisse had the one you gave her on her necklace.

“Great, don’t lose it.”

“I won’t!”

And just like that – in the blink of an eye – summer was over, and it was time for you to leave camp and go back home. You knew it was time to leave when Mr D started yelling that those who weren’t staying for the year to leave immediately because he had enough of seeing you bunch. When you walked away from your cabin, you noticed Clarisse was already waiting for you at the entrance of camp.

“I guess this is goodbye,” she smiled.

“Until October, for the field trip,” you corrected her. “I talked to Mr D and he said it was ok for me to come. So really it’s only two months away! And I’ll send letters, I’m sure Hermes Express have those next day delivery types of… offers?”

“Sure.”

You fiddled with your fingers.

“I’m going to miss you,” you admitted. “And I’ll miss Capture the Flag and being on your team, and I’ll miss sparing with you, and I’ll miss… seeing you everyday.”

Her eyes softened.

“Only two months, like you said.”

You nodded. Then, hesitantly, you opened your arms.

“What?” Clarisse frowned.

“We should hug goodbye.”

She had her arms crossed, but then she uncrossed them and you went to wrap your arms around her torso. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around your shoulders. When her arms loosened, you let go.

“I’ll see you soon Clarisse,” you squeezed her arm, before walking away.

“See you soon sunshine,” Clarisse watched you walk away, “I’ll miss you too,” but you were already too far away to hear it.

Once you were back home, the first thing you did was to go find your mom’s old walkerman. You had to go search the old boxes your mom had put away in the attic – it was difficult but worth it.

“Why do you need this?” your mother asked once you came out of the attic with her walkerman.

“It’s for— my friend?”

“Clarisse?”

“Yes. Clarisse.”

When you told your mother about your summer at camp, it had included a lot of Clarisse related stories.

“And I told her I’d send letters so we could keep in touch, but now I realise I can’t write for the life of me, and even if I did write something, she’s spent too much time trying to decipher what I wrote, and it's just not– good. So I thought I’d send her this,” you waved the walkerman, “and I’d buy empty cassettes to record things, and send pictures along with it.”

“Oh, that’s a very nice thing to do,” she nodded.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you– to ask you really. Hm, there is this field trip at camp… in october. It’d be during the halloween vacations, so I won’t miss school. Can I go, please?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Well that was easy.

So every week, you’d record what you did and update Clarisse about your life, you’d take pictures and buy her favourite snacks — you tried out a lot during your date — and ship it to camp half-blood. Clarisse would also send you pictures. The dinner, pictures of Will and behind one of his pictures he’d written ‘i miss u <3’ on the back, people training, their win at Capture the Flag, and you’d keep everything in a box dedicated to Clarisse.

Two months. Two months at camp went by fast, too fast even. But two months at school, minus your friends and the fun at camp, it was slow. You woke up every day at 6:45am, got ready and left for school, came back around 5:50pm and did your homework, ate, washed-up, and then scrolled on twitter, fighting with random accounts, and then went to sleep. Your routine was boring to no end, but you tried so you could have things to tell Clarisse. But life outside of camp was boring and your mother could see that.

“You know, if you wanted to stay at camp for the whole year, I wouldn’t stop you.”

Oh.

“But, what about you then? I don’t want you to live alone in this big ass mansion.”

“I’m an adult, I’ll be fine,” she reassured you.

“I won’t, knowing you’ll be alone.”

Your mom wasn’t on good terms with her parents after they learned that she’d be raising a kid alone, without marriage or even a boyfriend. After you were born, they did visit and spent time with you, but never with your mom, their daughter. So she couldn’t even call them to come live with her. You weren’t going to abandon her when she only has you.

“I–,” she put her chopsticks down, “I met someone at work.”

“What! What does that mean?”

“It means, I’ve been seeing someone.”

“Oh my– you’re trying to get rid of me to have—” you stared at her, mouth wide open from shock, “sex,” you mouthed.

“Oh grow up y/n, I’m an adult, where do you think you came from.”

“Uh– rude.”

“I’m just saying, this is your last year in high school, if next year you want to stay at camp, you can.”

“And you’d be fine with it?”

She nodded.

“What if I want to stay here, at home?”

“Then you’d stay here, as long as you want, this is your home as well.”

“I’ll– I’ll think about it.”

And then it was finally time to leave for camp again. Your mom drove you to the airport and you left with your suitcase in hand. It was the longest flight ever, and the cab seemed to be driving even slower than a snail. An old lady on foot was faster than this, but then you were finally there.

“Are you sure this is where you want to get out?” the cab driver asked, seeing the empty road.

“Yes,” you gave him the money, “keep the change, bye.”

When you arrived at camp, Chiron was waiting for you at the entrance already, and you greeted him happily.

“How was the trip to camp?”

“Great. Long and tiring for sure, but I’m so excited too.”

“Good, we’re going to leave soon, you can go put your things in your cabin first.”

The first one to spot you was Cornelia, and she came running to hug you. And then Will came in very quickly to give you a hug as well.

“I missed you guys so much,” you smiled.

“I wish you were staying here all the time,” Will said. “I’m all alone at the infirmary.”

“You’re leaving him alone?” you gasped at Michael.

“He kicked me out! Said you had a whole system going on there and I wasn’t following it correctly.”

“He also wasn’t doing karaoke afternoons with me,” Will told you.

“How dare he. That’s ‘cause he has no taste.”

“I can hear you,” Michael stood beside you.

“Do you mind? I’m having a private conversation.”

“Yeah do you mind, we’re having a private conversation,” Will repeated.

It felt great to be at camp – it felt safe, familiar and comforting. You put your suitcase beside your bed, and grabbed some chocolate bars from your backpack and put them in your pocket. Will, who stayed by your side, pleaded with his eyes to get one too and you couldn’t resist.

“I’ll give you more later,” you promised him.

You left your cabin with your siblings as it was time to leave camp. Everyone was on their way to the entrance. You looked around, hoping to catch Clarisse, and there she was, way ahead of you. You turned around, facing your siblings and after a brief “see you up there”, you ran off.

Clarisse was talking to her brother, and she looked around for you. She was expecting you to be beside Chiron at the entrance, but you weren't. Maybe you were late? When suddenly, she felt someone jump on her back, and her immediate response was to grab their arm and throw them on the ground.

“Ugh! Motherfucker,” you moaned, laying on the ground, with Clarisse holding down on your arm on the ground.

“What the hell!” Clarisse immediately let go and helped you get up. “Why would you do that?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” you rubbed your arm. “Why would you do that?”

“You jumped on me! Are you ok?” Clarisse worried.

You stared at her, dumbstruck.

“No! I’m not!”

Just when she was about to talk, Chiron called for all the campers to gather around, and you left without giving her the chance to speak. Your whole back was aching, and you tried not to think about it too much, but that was impossible because of Clarisse’s strength. Clarisse tried to grab your arm to slow you down, but you shook her off. Then, Michael and Lee just had to get involved.

“Butt off Clarisse,” Michael squeezed himself between you two. “Didn’t you do enough by crushing y/n to dust? So much for being friends,” he snickered.

“Fuck off Michael unless you want to wake up in the morning missing your front row teeth,” Clarisse spat.

Michael did back away a little, bumping into you.

“How can you be friends with her,” he turned around to look at you.

Clarisse has been wondering the same thing for the past few days. The Apollo cabin and the Ares cabin weren’t known to be friendly with each other. They tolerated each other at best when they were on the same team for Capture the Flag, but that was it. And when you left, she started to wonder about your friendship. Maybe you’d forget about her once you’re back at home. And the first week, all she could think about was when – or if – you’d reach out.

But every Sunday, at 9:00am she’d receive a package with your recording and pictures and candy for your siblings and her. You had never given her any reason to doubt your relationship, but not everyone in your cabin, or at camp, were thinking that way. Michael had been one of those people, always wondering loud and clear about your friendship. So that was Clarisse’s final straw.

She grabbed Michael’s collar, ready to punch him, but Lee tried to calm the situation down.

“Clarisse, please don’t,” Lee grabbed Michael’s hands, “he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“He clearly does. He’s been talking about it nonstop for the past few weeks.”

You frowned. You looked at Michael, then Lee and finally at Clarisse. The pure rage in her eyes would make anyone run away, but you stepped up.

“Clarisse,” you put your hands on her arms, “it’s fine, let go please. Chiron is waiting for us.”

She locked her eyes with you, clearly still upset about the situation, and pushed Michael away, but Lee was behind to hold him back.

“Clarisse, what was that about?”

“It’s nothing,” she shrugged, “it’s fine. See you.”

And she walked away, leaving you confused. You turned around, giving a questioning look at your brothers, but Lee only mouthed a ‘I don’t know’ and Michael avoided your gaze. You were ready to argue with them, but Will came running, telling you they were ready to leave.

The trip to the Empire State Building was long, especially with Clarisse ignoring you. You tried talking to Michael, but he was also ignoring you, and suddenly, everyone at camp lost their ability to talk. Annoyed, you went to the back of the bus, where no one was. But then Will came.

“What’s wrong? You look like Clarisse all the time. Frowning and sulking.”

“I’m not!” you relaxed your face. “Also while we're talking about Clarisse, what’s that about how we’re not supposed to be friends?”

Will grimaced, and looked away for a second.

“People have been wondering about how you, sweet and fun Apollo daughter, could be friends with ruthless Clarisse La Rue, Ares daughter. Because the Apollo cabin does not get along with the Ares cabin, like at all.”

“And Clarisse was upset? Over people’s opinions about us?”

“Well…” Will stretched that vowel for far too long. “You know people, and how they love to gossip. And somehow it went from enemy cabins to how there are better friends to have… than Clarisse. And how she’s not… worth it,” he hesitated. “And she only brings you trouble… things like that.”

You were too stunned to give any type of answers.

“Clarisse doesn’t look like someone who cares about those kind of rumours and speculations, but insecurities are created by people’s opinion,” Will said, “that’s what Lee told me when people were talking about me and I started to feel bad.”

“What were people talking about?” you frowned.

“I’m not as good as you all with my archery skills.”

“That’s not–, I mean it doesn’t matter.”

“I know, Lee and Cornelia and Michael and everyone at our cabin was there to tell me that.”

“Okay, and they’re right.”

“I’m saying… maybe Clarisse doesn't have that sort of support system. And maybe she is starting to feel like other people are right.”

“Oh.”

You looked at where Clarisse was sitting, in the middle, sitting next to her sister. It was a four seat table, and her three siblings were all laughing and shouting, but Clarisse wasn’t. She was staring out the window, her arms crossed.

You saw her frown and turned her head in your direction, but when she saw you looking at her, she quickly turned her head to her siblings.

“You should talk to her, and clear things up. Because Clarisse is nice. I like her.”

“Since when? You never talk.”

“Clarisse is nice to me, she always has been since we’ve met that one time,” he admitted. “I think she deserves good friends. Like us.”

“I think so too,” you agreed.

When it was time to get off the bus, everyone rushed out, separating you from Clarisse even further. Well, the talk had to wait.

The trip to the 600th floor took too long. Every cabin went one by one since it couldn’t hold the whole camp at once. The Ares cabin went before the Apollo cabin, but Clarisse stood straight and looked ahead. She had her back turned to you, even once inside the elevator, but at the last minute she turned around and locked eyes with you.

“We’ll talk,” you mouthed clearly.

There was no escaping you. When it was your turn, you stepped in last so you could leave first. It took forever to reach floor 600. And just as you expected, there was no sign of Clarisse. She stayed close to her brothers.

Each cabin had to do a presentation in front of the gods, and it was the worst thing for them and for you all too. Every time they clapped at the end, you knew it wasn’t as a compliment but more as a cheers to being closer to the end.

After that, there was a big feast. The gods watching you eat and burn your food for them – it was weird and you couldn’t keep your eyes off your father. His tanned skin, golden hair, and bright smile.

“Blinding isn’t he,” Lee said.

“Yeah, I should’ve brought my sunglasses. Do you ever talk?”

“Not much. They don’t come just to hang around their kids.”

“He kinda looks like a classmate I’d have if people at my school weren’t all dressed like they just left prison. He looks young.”

“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Lee shrugged.

After dinner, campers just hang around talking, and some of the gods would come and talk to their children. You looked around and spotted the Hermes cabin staying together, far away from the main event, and then you tried to look for Clarisse, but she was nowhere. You turned around and bumped into your father. You quickly stepped away.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

“It’s alright. How have you been? Have you been settling well with everything?” he smiled.

“Um… Yes.”

What more could you say? You weren’t going to start saying the truth to this god that happened to be your father.

“How is your mother?”

“Great,” you nodded, smiling. “She’s been seeing someone you know, after,” you looked at your wrist and pretended there was a watch, “eighteen years of having no one.”

“y/n,” he sighed looking away, “that’s just how things work with us gods. She knew from the start who I was, I told her.”

“It’s fine. I was merely stating a fact.”

Please somebody end this conversation, you prayed.

“Well, well, well,” someone slapped your dad’s shoulder.

“Ares,” your dad greeted him. “This is y/n, my daughter.”

“Ah, the girl my daughter has been seeing.”

Apollo whipped his head around, beaming at you.

“You have a girlfriend?” he held you in his arms. “I’m so proud of you. Way to go, who and where is the lucky girl.”

You stared at him, and then at Ares, mouth wide open in shock.

“I– I don’t! It’s– It’s not!” you stuttered. “I don’t have a girlfriend. Clarisse is my friend, who is a girl indeed. So yeah girl,” you paused, “friend. I haven’t been seeing her, I’ve been seeing her as in, she lives at camp and so did I during the summer!”

“Oh,” he let go of you. “My bad. You could’ve been more clear,” he looked at Ares. “Well I have to go now,” he walked away. “See you soon, y/n.”

Ares didn’t follow your father. He stayed with you, staring at you. Clarisse looked at you the same way when you first arrived at camp.

“I feel like I know you from somewhere,” you admitted.

“Well, I am the war god. They had to have shown you my picture somewhere between those classes they have,” he nodded toward Chiron.

“No, it’s not that,” you frowned.

Meanwhile, Clarisse was talking to Mark when she spotted Apollo leaving in a hurry, and she looked at where he came from. And her eyes spotted you immediately, and then she saw her father standing tall, towering over you.

“Fuck,” she mumbled before leaving the conversation without any notice.

She rushed to where you stood. There was no way she was going to let you alone with her father.

“... on twitter!” you shouted, hiding a smile. “Clarisse, I was just telling your father about us knowing each other through twitter!”

“What?” she mumbled, pulling you closer to her.

“I’m always starting fights with him on twitter, because he’s always talking shit and nonsense. He doesn’t know me though.”

“Wait–,” Ares interrupted. “Are you that fan account of that blonde singer?”

“Yes!” you laughed.

He snickered, then stopped and turned to Clarisse.

“Clarisse.”

“Dad.”

Then he stared at you, before going back to Clarisse.

“You can leave now,” he gave you a brief look. “I want to talk to Clarisse. Alone.”

Clarisse, who the whole time didn’t let go of your hand, squeezed it. Hard. Before letting go. But you didn’t move, slightly worried.

“I–,” you started, but Clarisse turned to you, face blank.

“I’ll find you after this, go.”

You nodded without arguing and left. You quickly spotted your siblings and joined them, listening to what they were saying. You’d glance at Clarisse’s direction, and all you could see was Clarisse nodding, looking at her feet. Ares was in his human form, but even like that he looked impressive. He was tall and broad, he had these eyes you didn’t want to look straight into from fear. He gave Clarisse a final, firm, pat on the shoulder before leaving her there. She stood there for a full minute before straightening her back and searched for you in the ocean of people. But before she could find you, you were already on your way to her.

“Are you okay?” you immediately asked.

“I’m fine.”

“What did he say to you?”

“He…” she hesitated. “It doesn’t matter.”

You stood there, torn between insisting and letting it go. If you insisted when she wasn’t ready to talk, then you’d be a pushy friend who doesn’t respect any boundaries. But if you didn’t, then maybe it’d seem like you didn’t care.

“Okay,” you nodded slowly. “Well, if you don’t have anything more to say, I do.”

“y/n…” Clarisse sighed.

“No! You ignored me the whole day when I just came back for you. And then that thing that happened with Michael,” she rolled her eyes at the mention of his name, “what was that about?”

“It doesn’t—”

“Stop saying that! It does matter. It matters to me how you feel. About this and everything else.”

Clarisse stared at you. Her eyes pleading with you to let it go.

“I just…” you sighed, defeated. “I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. And I don’t—” you groaned in frustration. “Will told me,” you admitted, “about what people have been saying and what Michael has been saying,” you found it hard to find your words. “I– I want you to know that’s not what I think. And I—.”

You should’ve been rehearsing this. You took a deep breath.

“They’re not right about this. And I don’t want you to think that they are. Because you, Clarisse La Rue, are the best friend anyone could ask for. And because of you, I’m better than ever. I’ve been a better fighter because of you, I’ve been a better friend because of you. You taught me how to stand up for myself, and I’ve just been happier since I’ve met you. So I don’t want you to listen to what people have to say.”

Clarisse still hadn’t said anything, which was excruciating. Just as you were about to continue ranting about this, she pulled you in her arms. You wrapped your arms around her, and put your head on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and let go.

It didn’t last long enough, but you’ll take what she gave you.

“Are we ok?”

“We’re ok,” Clarisse nodded.

The rest of the evening was spent with you sitting on some big rocks that served as chairs, catching up. She’d tell about all the times she won at Capture the Flag, she’d tell you about the indigestion everyone had due to food poisoning that one day, she’d tell you about that time she had to go to the infirmary and only let Will heal her because there was no way she’d let Michael help her. She’d tell you about every little thing you’d miss during those months when you went home, and you listened to everything she had to say, with your head resting on her shoulder.

“Oh gods,” you straightened your back, pointing ahead of you. “Is that your dad with Aphrodite?”

“Fuck,” she cringed. “Are they making out?”

“I mean– he definitely is. It’s weird,” you looked away, then went back to staring at them.

“Stop staring at my dad sucking the goddess of love’s face.”

“Are you sure he’s your dad though? Cause Aphrodite looks exactly like you.”

Clarisse whipped her head around, eyes wide, staring at you.

“What?” she breathed.

“What, what?”

She paused, still staring at you.

“Nothing,” she smiled, and then looked back, “they’re gone.”

“Finally. It’s gross to make out in front of your children like that.”

All the campers spent the night in Olympus, all sleeping in the same area. The room looked exactly like inside a normal cabin at camp, with bunk beds and cupboards, and for once, friends from different cabins were allowed to sleep together. You dragged Clarisse with you, where the Apollo cabin stayed.

“We’re all used to staying together,” you explained, “but you can stay with me. Are you sleeping on the top bunk or bottom one?”

“Bottom one,” Clarisse sat on the bed.

“Ooh,” Cornelia sat next to Clarisse,” so does y/n.”

“It’s fine, it’s only for one night,” you waved it off.

“Did you see Clarisse’s dad making out in the open with their mother,” Cornelia pointed at the Aphrodite children.

“We did!” you squealed, squeezing yourself between the two of them.

“I think everyone did,” Clarisse added.

“Did you notice how Aphrodite looked exactly like Clarisse,” you looked at Cornelia.

Her eyes widened, and shook her head slightly. Clarisse was leaning against the bed frame, her legs crossed on the bed, smirking. You frowned.

“What?” you mouthed.

“We’ll come back”, Cornelia dragged you away.

“What?”

“Do you know what it means to perceive Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, passion and lust, as someone you know?” she asked.

“As someone I know? What does that mean?”

“Aphrodite doesn’t look like Clarisse,” she explained, “you perceive the goddess as such because you think Clarisse is those things.”

“Oh,” you paused. “Is that common knowledge or?”

You hoped not.

“Yeah it is, so you probably shouldn’t say those things in front of Clarisse if you’re not…”

“If I’m not what?”

“Nevermind.”

“I already told her, twice now with what happened a few minutes ago. Oh gods, couldn’t you have taught me this earlier!” you panicked. “What–What does that mean though? Do I– Am I—,” you gave a quick glance at Clarisse.

“I don’t know! I mean, you did ask her on a date like the first week you arrived at camp, what could that mean?”

“I don’t know? I think she’s pretty, and– and apparently I think she could look exactly like the goddess of love herself. It’s—,” you took a deep breath.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to know.”

“I think,” you hesitated. “I don’t know!” you whined. “Clarisse is nice to me, she’s fun to be around, she’s pushing me upwards and I think I might– maybe– perhaps have a tiny crush on her, yes,” you admitted.

“Aw,” she beamed, “I think you’d make such a cute couple.”

“Calm your tits down,” you playfully rolled your eyes, “I don’t know if this will ever go further than us being friends. Now look natural, and never tell anyone else this. Okay, let’s go back.”

Clarisse was talking to Will when you two came back, but they abruptly stopped. Will stood so Cornelia and you could sit.

“What was that about?” Cornelia asked them.

“It’s a secret,” Will smiled.

“We were talking about how sunshine over there thought I looked like a goddess,” Clarisse grinned.

Will tried to hide his laugh.

“No one told me!” you hid your face in your hand from embarrassment. “You could’ve stopped me the first time I said it,” you accused Clarisse, who was still laughing.

“The first?” Will interrupted.

“Both times in front of Clarisse,” Cornelia added. “It was hard to watch,” she teased you.

Time went by very fast when you’re surrounded by friends and family, because it was already time to go to sleep. The lights disappeared, and you climbed onto your bed, and whispered Clarisse a goodnight before closing your eyes.

The silence was deafening. You couldn’t fall asleep, you needed white noises, music, anything but this. You tossed around, left your right leg outside the blanket, but then it was too cold, so you put it back inside, and tossed around again.

“What the hell y/n,” Clarisse whispered loudly.

“Sorry, I can’t fall asleep.”

“Why?” she sighed.

“It’s too quiet, and I’m cold.”

Clarisse let out a bigger sigh, before getting up.

“Where’re you going?” you sat up.

“Get down here, and bring your blanket.”

You did as she told you. You put the blanket on your shoulders and climbed down.

“Get in the bed,” she pointed at hers.

You did as she told you. And then she climbed back inside her bed, next to you, with both blankets on you. The beds on Olympus were bigger than the ones at camp, so it was no problem to fit you two in one single bed.

“Better?”

“Yes,” you nodded.

Clarisse fell asleep very quickly, like always. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was gone. But it took more time with you, you were used to looking at your phone until your eyelids were too tired to stay open, but now you couldn’t. You had nothing, only Clarisse sleeping peacefully next to you.

She slept on her back, with her head tilted toward you. Unlike her, you slept on your side, so you turned your back to her, and closed your eyes. And just as you were about to fall asleep, you felt Clarisse arms wrapping around you to bring you closer to her. And then, in an instant, you were gone.

The happiness from staying at camp didn’t last long as it was already time to go home and say goodbye to everyone. Your holidays came to an end and so did your stay at camp, and just like last time, Clarisse was already waiting for you at the entrance.

“So,” you started, ‘I guess we’ll see each other next summer?”

“Yea,” she nodded. “Next summer.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” you promised, “and I’ll keep sending you updates, though I don’t know if I’ll continue to be as regular as before. I do have my high school diploma to get, and I’ll have less time but I’ll do my best!”

“It’s okay, good luck on your exams. I know you’ll do great.”

“Thanks,” you smiled, but still didn’t leave.

It was too soon, and it felt like you barely spent any time with Clarisse and your siblings.

“Did you say goodbye to Will and the others?” Clarisse asked.

“Yea, before I left the cabin I did. It sucks that I have to, but–,” you hesitated, “maybe I won’t have to next year.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know yet, but… it’s a possibility.”

“Oh,” she smiled, “okay.”

“Okay. Well… I have to go now.”

“Okay.”

You two stood there, without moving. But then you lunged forward and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll miss you,” you whispered.

And you let go, and left before she could give you her answer.

One recording per week became one every other week, and by December, it was only one per month. Clarisse didn’t send anything from December to February either, but then on a random day in March, you received a package from Hermes Express with Clarisse’s usual pictures from camp, without any notes explaining what happened those last few months. You didn’t mention it either, but you gave yourself a quick reminder to ask her when you’d be back at camp.

“It’s almost time, are you ready?” your mom asked.

“Yep, a minute!”

Your exams were done, you didn’t have the results yet but that didn’t matter – your mom promised she’d send them to you once she’d receive them so you could leave for camp peacefully. You packed lightly – a third of your belongings were already at camp – and went inside the cab your mom had called for you.

“Be careful okay,” she kissed your temple. “And write to me about your decision, okay?”

“I will, I promise,” you gave her a last quick hug and closed the cab door.

The journey to camp felt familiar now, you’d done it a few times already so it was a stress free trip. So you kept your suitcase close to you, you turned your phone off, and walked.

But something was off when you got closer to the entrance. It was loud. Louder than usual, and there were more people at the border everywhere as well, which were usually empty. You crossed the entrance, and most campers were wearing their gears, and weapons.

“What the hell,” you whispered.

You quickly noticed Clarisse, giving orders to campers, and walking around. When she turned around, she spotted you and ran to you, very quickly.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier when you were going to be here!” she shot.

“I wanted to surprise you! Why are you yelling at me!” you shouted back.

Clarisse stepped back and mouthed a quick apology.

“A lot of things happened while you were gone,” she explained.

“Like when you stopped sending me anything?”

She nodded reluctantly.

“A new camper came in, got claimed by Poseidon, and then got his quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen bolt, and…” she hesitated. “We know who stole it in the first place. Luke.”

“Luke?” your eyes widened. “As in Castellan, Hermes' head– former head counsellor?”

She nodded again.

“And now Thalia’s tree has been poisoned, meaning the camp’s borders are weakened and we have to keep them safe ourselves.”

“Okay,” you proceeded with this information as fast as you could. “Okay.”

“I was worried sick for the past few days! You didn’t send me anything like last time. I didn’t know when you were going to be here, or if you’d gotten attacked and died.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier!” you argued.

“I–,” she hesitated, “I didn’t want to burden you with your studies.”

“They’re not important, this is obviously my priority and much more important.”

“Okay,” she looked around. “Stay beside me, I want to keep an eye on you whenever a battle is going to break out.”

You frowned.

“That’s cute, but I’d be much more useful if I stayed with the rest of the Apollo cabin where we’re needed. I’m a great fighter, I know,” you said before she could interrupt, “thanks to you, but I’m much better at archery.”

She stared at you, then looked down.

“I can’t…” she whispered, “I can’t protect you if you’re this far away from me.”

“Clarisse,” you cupped her face. “I’ll be fine, I promise. You worry about staying alive, and I’ll do the same. It’s going to be fine. Remember, you taught me everything I know.”

She nodded reluctantly.

“Okay.”

“Where’s your spear by the way?” you asked when she walked you to your cabin.

She grimaced, and sighed.

“Gone.”

“Gone? Wha–.”

“Percy Jackson,” she spat. “The new kid, I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough.”

You threw your stuff inside your cabin, and changed your clothes before walking out with Clarisse still outside, waiting for you. Clarisse was about to talk, but was interrupted by screams from campers at the entrance.

You looked at each other and ran off to where the screams were, and saw it. Two immense bulls – colchis Bulls – coming straight towards campers.

“Go find Lee, I’ll handle this from here. He’ll know what to do,” Clarisse ordered before walking away.

“Clarisse!” you shouted before she was out of range. She turned her head. “Be careful.”

She nodded.

“Don’t die,” she added before leaving.

#clarisse la rue x reader #clarisse la rue fanfic #clarisse la rue x y/n #clarisse la rue pjo #clarisse la rue x you #clarisse la rue imagine #clarisse la rue

365 notes · View notes

izzysink · 2 days ago

Text

𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎! 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 𝟷𝟶𝟹𝟹 ✎ 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠: 𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 ✎ 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ✎ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝟷 ✎ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝟸 ✎ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝟹

𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑜 = @lanalosty0uu - you should totally check out their steve x reader time travel fic here on Tumblr!

part 2!! god speed people!! I've decided this is an Eddie x reader, but in the future I really wanna write for Gareth, he's so silly I love him 🤭 anyways not as long as the other part but also I don't do long chapters in general soo ;P the moodboard isn't moodboarding today!! >:(

So, to recap; you’d left your dorm room at Hawkins Community College at 10:30 am on the 10th of the 3rd 2025, and had taken your usual route through the old high school building, now the arts department for the HCC, and somehow ended up in the bustling corridors of Hawkins High. And at 11:00 on the 10th of the 3rd 1986, stood outside of the local convenience store, you realised how exactly fucked you really were.

Oh.

You slumped down onto the nearest park bench, tapping your foot idly as you thought, what was a girl to do? You had no money (your card hadn’t worked at the grocery store, a rookie move in hindsight. Every time-traveler worth their salt knew that a bank card from a bank whose owners aren’t even born yet wouldn’t work; obviously.) And no way to get back. Oh your professor was so going to fail you.

Your stomach panged, telling you it wanted more than the instant coffee you’d had that morning. Bringing your knees up to your chest you mumbled an oh my god before silent tears began to streak your face, mascara running down your cheeks.

↜✿↝

Eddie been having a woefully normal day, wake up when school starts, pull up half-way through registration, head to first period, head to second period, find a note in his locker from one of the jocks for an afterschool meeting, head to third period, meet in the drama room for a quick DnD session with Hellfire, say hi to the girl, wait. Who?

Admittedly, he had been caught off guard by the intruder of Hellfire’s precious space, but that annoyance had turned to quick curiosity when you stumbled around the room, going outside into the yard before immediately coming back in again, wide eyed and confused. You were cute, he noticed, and your clothes were weird for a college-age girl, but he did have a private appreciation for the low jeans you wore.

“You okay there, princess?” your head snapped up, eyes meeting with his for an electrifying moment before mumbling a response and going silent. He watched as you looked around the room quietly, confusion and distress clear on your face. The bell rang, and the freshman cleared out instantly, rushing out in a wave of hormones, taking you with them. Eddie decided to skip next period, it was English anyway, and he’s read those books three times already, the Great Gatsby can wait.

Eddie watched quietly with his arms crossed as you stood in the middle of the corridor, marvelling at the drab decorations on the walls. It was kinda sweet that the place he’s been stuck in for 3 years was so interesting for you. Not that he cared what you thought, you’re a stranger, obviously…

He introduced himself awkwardly, curse this cute woman, and you answered him absent-mindedly, cute and ignoring him, just his type. He tasted your name on his mouth, echoing in his mind, it fit you perfectly, the otherworldly vibe you gave off pulling him like a moth to a flame. Not that you seemed to notice though, as you turned on your heel and sped-walked towards the front entrance.

He was tempted to follow you, but thought better of it, don’t be a creep, munson, heading off to greet his favourite English teacher, she loved him, really.

↜✿↝

You stayed on the bench for a good while before deciding to try and find some answers, or at least somewhere to stay. You first found a public bathroom, using some paper towels to clean your face and around your eyes, goodbye rare beauty blush, you will be missed. You wandered around Hawkins, observing the similarities and differences of an 80s Hawkins and a twenty-first century Hawkins. Surprisingly, not much had changed, only a few shops were different, and the mall was walled off for some reason, but mostly things were the same. It was comforting, knowing where you were going and seeing a familiar place even if the faces were different.

You got a few weird looks for your outfit and your face of wonder at the little town, but you weren’t too bothered.

Turns out, you wandered around for hours, your conviction to find answers melting away as you floated around Hawkins. You spent so much time wandering, in fact, that you noticed a trickle of high school students hanging out after school. You were pretty far away from Hawkins High, so you didn’t see many of them, which was why it was so easy to spot the group of kids in black and white shirts again. You saw now that there was also a devil graphic on the front, and the words HELLFIRE CLUB written in bold across the top.

With them, was a guy around your age with the most gorgeous hair you’d ever seen. He wasn’t really your type though, sadly, he definitely gave off amazing boyfriend vibes™.

You carried on, not wanting to disturb or interrupt them, walking down one of the more suburban streets, picket fences and lush yards lining the road.

A van pulled up beside you, slowing to a snail's pace for the driver to lower the window. It was the boy from before, Eddie, if you remembered correctly, and now that you were more relaxed and calmed, you saw just how attractive the man was.

He had wonderful just-past-shoulder-length curly hair, and an innocent but mature face, a cheeky smile spread his pink lips, and looking further down you saw he was wearing one of the same Hellfire shirts as well as a leather jacket and a sleeveless denim jacket overtop. You guessed he would be wearing black jeans of some kind. The thing that caught your eye the most were the rings on his hands, the way the silver gleamed teasingly in the sunlight, the shining metal drawing your eyes like a bee to honey.

“-a ride?” you jerk your head up to meet his deep brown eyes, “sorry what?” He huffed a laugh, blowing air through his mouth, some of it pushing up the bangs that rested in his forehead adorably, “would you like a ride, princess?”

#stranger things #stranger things x fem!reader #stranger things x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #1980s #time travel #part 2 #izzysinkStrangerThings #80s #Gareth Emerson my love #you will always be in my heart #and potentially new posts we'll see #he's not in this one I'm sorry 😔

44 notes · View notes

estrellami-1 · 1 year ago

Text

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

Just then Eddie walks in, raising his brows at the veritable mountain of food Steve and Eleven are putting together. “What’s all this?”

Steve smiles warmly at him. “Hey, Eds,” he says, which is certainly an experience. He’s spoken roughly twice with the guy—in his memory—but Steve’s three chapters—nay, three books ahead. Eddie is Frodo, about to embark on his first journey, and Steve is Bilbo, or even Gandalf: someone who’s done this all before, whose eyes carry the weight of worlds.

Speaking of, Steve’s eyes dim slightly the longer Eddie takes to answer, so he waves his fingers at Steve, trying to ignore the swoop in his stomach when Steve’s smile brightens again. “So… what’s this?”

“Dinner,” Eleven answers. “We are making sandwiches.”

Eddie nods, because sure. Why not. “Okay.”

“How’s the song coming?” Steve asks, and the swoop returns, because not only is Steve asking, but he’s asking about Metallica, and Eddie’s gay, metal little heart can’t take it.

“Holy shit,” he breathes out, grinning. “It’s so good, oh my god. I mean, it’s gonna take a bit to learn, but it’s gonna be the most metal solo I’ve ever done.”

Steve’s smile dims again. Probably because he’s remembering what happened last time, i.e., Eddie’s death. Eddie pushes down the queasy feeling.

“Eddie,” Eleven says.

“Yeah?”

She turns to face him. Her eyes are more serious than any twelve-year-old’s eyes have any right to be. “You will be okay,” she says. Then, apropos of nothing, “And I can move things with my mind.”

Eddie blinks at that. Apparently his face is doing something, because Steve chimes in. “She can.”

“I can show you,” she volunteers.

“Anything but the utensils,” Steve says in a distracted voice, like this isn’t the first time he’s had this conversation. Eddie wants to laugh hysterically, or maybe cry. Smoking a joint seems like the best third option, except all his stuff is at home. Fuck.

Then she does, lifts a whole cutting board—complete with tomatoes— and moves it over to him. He resists the impulse to snatch a piece and eat it. He doesn’t even like tomatoes, what the fuck, brain.

Steve’s watching with an amused little smile, like he can somehow read Eddie’s mind. That legitimately wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen today, so Eddie does his best to stop thinking about it, because he doesn’t think he can deal with more than one real-life superpower right now.

“I need that back, El,” Steve murmurs, and she grins at him before zipping it back over, stopping it just before it hits his face. He nods, brows raised, impressed. “Nice control. Put it down and go wipe your nose, please.”

She does, Steve watching her as she goes, fond little grin on his face. “She’s a good kid.”

“She can move things with her mind.”

“Yeah. Honestly, that’s one of the easier things to get used to. Y’know one of the craziest things, to me?”

“Do I want to know?” Eddie asks hesitantly.

Steve just grins at him. “Jonathan Byers has this baseball bat that he sticks a bunch of nails in.”

Eddie blinks at him. “What the actual fuck.”

Steve nods. “I took it, sometime back during the first year. Actually,” he thinks about it, “what month are we in?”

“Um. October.”

Steve winces. “Great. October…”

“Um. Twenty-fourth.”

Steve hums and thinks. “In about… less than a week, actually, I think—I don’t really know, the concussion messed up my days—oh, hey!” He suddenly says excitedly, then raises his voice. “Rob!”

Robin pops her head in a moment later. “What’s up?”

He grins at her. “No concussions!”

She stares. Slowly, a grin spreads across her face. “Holy shit!” She says. “No concussions!”

“No memory loss!”

“No hearing loss!”

“No eyesight problems!”

She freezes. “Steve. You were having vision issues?”

“Um. Not anymore?”

She groans. “Since when?”

“Um…” he thinks, tilting his head toward the ceiling. “Billy, I think. At least that’s the first time I really noticed it.”

She sighs. “I’m going to murder you.”

“Are not.”

“In cold blood.”

“Are not.”

“Nancy’ll help.”

Steve considers this. “She might. She’d be good at it.”

They both pause for a moment, then Robin turns to leave. “I’m gonna go make sure Jon doesn’t give you a concussion this time.”

“Have him make the nail bat, too!” Steve calls as she leaves.

“What,” Eddie says desperately, “the fuck.”

Permanent Taglist: @justforthedead89 @ilovecupcakesandtea @madigoround @bookbinderbitch @suddenlyinlove @nburkhardt @artiststarme @paintsplatteredandimperfect @i-less-than-three-you @alyelf @quarble @messrs-weasley @littlewildflowerkitten @vankaar @starman-jpg @bornonthesavage @steddie-there @goodolefashionedloverboi @andienotannie @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @platinum-sunset @just-ladyme @steddiestains @swimmingbirdrunningrock @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @martinskis-lydias @notaqueenakhaleesi @sleepyboosstuff @bestwifehaver @m-owo-n @thatonebadideapanda @finalmoondragon @velocitytimes2 @callmeanythjing @ajeff855 @ilikeititspretty @knitsforthetrail @sillysparrow @that-one-corvid @ace-is-bored @local-writers-corner @harpymoth @weirdandabsurd42

Fic Taglist: @blondlanfear @do-you-want-something-more @str4wb3rry-guy @paperbackribs @ninjapirateunicorns @bisexualdisastersworld @hiscrimsonangel @lolawonsstuff @xo-r4e @thedragonsaunt @l0st-strawberry

#stranger things #if I should stay #pre steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #el hopper #Robin Buckley #platonic stobin #steve and el #el just wants to help #Eddie’s doing his best not to freak out every other second #he’s trying yall #starambles

576 notes · View notes

mrs-kodzuken · 4 months ago

Text

hard to desire ⨟ kenma k.

chapter two

babydoll ari abdul

❝Oh, Father, forgive me for all my sins

When I meet your eyes, the Devil, he wins

Blinded by your lies, but I play pretend❞

previous chapter next chapter

"We're going to miss you so much sweetheart," Your mom hugs you tightly, tearing up a bit.

"Call us if you need anything at all, sweet pea." Your dad says, giving you a sad smile over your mom's shoulder.

"I will, I promise. I love you guys so much." You tried keeping the tears at bay because you knew you wouldn't be able to stop. They had packed everything you'd need into your small car and then, of course, sent you with extra money for the things they couldn't fit.

You were going to live with Kuroo in an apartment so surely there should be basic things like a refrigerator or microwave?

"Be safe, sweetie." Your mom said as you were leaving out of the door. You could only nod and wave bye, you'd never left home on your own like this before, so it put you through quite a few emotions.

You hadn't mentioned the part about Kuroo's roommate, Kenma, yet to your parents. They trusted you under Kuroo's care as if you were still a child.

Starting the drive to the town you would be spending the next few years in made you a little nervous. You decided to hook up your playlist and play some of your favorite songs to help with the nerves.

You had also wondered if you would ever see that strange man again, maybe that would be your first ever attempt at romance. Never being in a romantic relationship before meant that you relied on fictional characters from books to fulfill that part of your brain.

You just hoped that Kuroo wouldn't snoop to your bookcase that would be put up in your room to hold all of your books like trophies.

In the time that you had been driving and spacing out to the music, you had magically appeared in the town you kind of remembered.

Quickly, you called Kuroo because he didn't even give you the address to the apartment you would be staying at yet.

"Hey, I'm in town now. Could you send me the address?" You asked into the phone call connected to your car's radio.

"Uh, yeah sure," Maybe a minute went by. "There you go. I'll go let Kenma know you're on the way here, little one. See you in a bit."

Whilst you were trying to figure out the weird directions to get to the damn apartment, Kuroo was trying to get Kenma to come out of his room.

"Kenma, she's on her way now. Make sure you're nice to her, just what I had spoken with you about a couple days ago." Kuroo reminded Kenma, leaning on his door frame.

Kenma had been still trying to sleep even though it was almost 11:40am. That's always a tell-tale sign that he was up late on one of his many consoles or editing his Youtube channel.

"Kenma." Kuroo called once again.

Something stirred within the pile of blankets on Kenma's king-sized bed. Then a grunt was heard and Kuroo decided that it was enough for him, he'd have to actually say it again when Kenma would be up later. Kuroo shut his door and sighed, hoping this would go great for everyone involved.

Soon after, you sent him a text message saying you believe you had gotten to the apartment.

Kuroo came jogging down the apartment stairs to meet you exiting your car.

"Hey, little one. Was the drive okay? You need some help getting all that up the stairs?" He asked, giving you a hug. He'd be mindful of your feelings later when you've settled in so you can spill about your sentiments of being here, like you used to.

"Hey, yeah the drive was fine. Nothing but a bit of music and singing can't help," You chuckled and broke the hug.

"And yeah, it would be great if you could help me." You eyed your car, the backseat seemed to have been spilling through the windows based on everything your parents had insisted on packing.

"They sure do love you; you know that?" He mentioned opening your trunk so he could start with whatever is back there first.

You swallowed your feelings, "Yeah, I know. Let's get this stuff hauled in there." You said, changing the subject so you didn't have to think about that right now.

"I've taken the liberty to give you a queen-sized bed. I assume that you would bring your own sheets because I know you like particular 'aesthetics'." He made finger quotes around the word but that didn't take away how thoughtful it was of him.

"You didn't have to; I could've bought my own and put it together. I'm a manly man, you know?" You joked, enjoying the nice moment between you two.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." He grunted, hauling a box over his shoulder up to the apartment. After a couple trips, he told you he'd get the rest and lock your car for you so you could get things organized in your new room without being overwhelmed.

Heeding his instructions, you got to work.

By the time you were done, your room kind of resembled the one at home but this one spoke to you in a way that one never did. It signaled a new era for you – a new you.

Your bookshelf stood tall and proud with plenty of colorful books on it. Your bed had a pink and white theme, a fluffy rug in the middle of your hard wooden floor, and a door mirror were your favorite touches so far.

The apartment itself wasn't so bad. You didn't really get to take a look at it due to unpacking but you definitely wanted to now. Exiting your room, you find the bathroom and you guess the bedrooms where Kuroo and Kenma sleep.

The kitchen wasn't spacious, but it wasn't crowded either. It doesn't take a genius to realize that Kuroo probably meticulously placed the barstools and counter items like the tea, coffee, and toaster machines in specific places.

He was such a geek sometimes.

You looked through the cabinets and tried to stick everything to memory of its place. You, however, brought some of your own favorite dishware that had cute pink ribbons imprinted on the glass. You definitely were going to make your presence known with that.

That happened a lot more throughout the apartment too. Your little decor items like a specific throw blanket and pillow on the couch just for you. Small decorations on shelves here and there. Your toothpaste and toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.

You were popping up everywhere in their lives. In his life. And for some reason, it got under his skin. Even covering his head with a pillow, Kenma could still hear you bustling about in the apartment, talking to yourself about where something should go.

You'd occasionally ask Kuroo, and he'd just say, "Whenever you want to put it is fine with me, little one." Not taking into account Kenma's thoughts and that kind of pissed him off.

Not that it was his fault anyways. It's not like he got out of bed to say hi and greet you. Or it's not like he's pretending to be asleep so he doesn't have to conversate with you.

Kenma doesn't know why exactly you're getting under his skin so much, but it bothers him. It bothers him so deeply.

"Want to come with me to help you set everything up for school? I can show you the main buildings and once you get your class schedule, I'll tour the buildings with you, so you won't be late on your first day?" Kuroo's offer lit your eyes up.

Afterall, you were here because you wanted your degree, so obviously you're excited about classes and school.

"Yes, yes, yes. That'd be amazing. Just let me grab a jacket and I will. I saw something about it possibly raining later." You called out to him, fast walking to your room to get a zip-up you had on earlier.

You heard Kuroo walk back into the hall, and you thought he was going to get on to you for taking forever as you looked at your outfit into the mirror of your door. But that wasn't the case.

A knock was sounded, but it wasn't on your door. It was his.

"Kenma, want to come with us? We're going to go view the fall semester classes." Kuroo said through the door to Kenma's room.

You even stopped breathing to hear him.

You'd see the picture frames on the walls and here and there on the shelves from their high school days but there wasn't a current one of Kenma out. And even in those pictures, he was always looking away or face not closely in the picture. That in itself had made you curious too.

“Too tired.” Was all that was spoken but it still had an effect on you. Even though it was muffled through walls too. It was slightly becoming a bit more than curiosity at this point. But then again, you kind of had gotten a bit sad that he wouldn’t be tagging along.

You’d be living with a man you don’t even know, and he was too tired to go look at fall semester classes? Interesting.

“Alright, well little one, let’s get this show on the road then.” Kuroo called for you and you opened your door.

“Okay!” You shoved that weird Kenma thought to the back of your brain and went ahead with Kuroo to enjoy how you guys would be spending the rest of your day.

. . .

Just like that, two entire weeks of school passed by. And yet, not even once within those fourteen days of school did Kenma take any invite from you.

You remembered how he turned you down multiple times. One day you had softly knocked on Kenma’s door, hoping for him to answer.

“Hey, want to come study with Kuroo and I? I thin-"

"Leave me alone." Kenma's annoyed, muffled voice cut you off and gave you the answer you needed. You purse your lips, hoping you haven't done anything to upset your roommate. Although that isn't even one of the possibilities for you haven't even been in the same room for longer than five minutes max.

Another encounter was when you had gotten home with Kuroo, and you guys decided to get takeout which was aka Mexican – your favorite. You had found Kenma sitting on the couch in the living room scrolling on his phone.

It was as if he could sense you looking at him, he quickly got up and headed straight for his room.

"Hey, wait. I wanted to know if you wanted to add to our order. We're getting Mexican food for dinner tonight." You spoke hopeful, keeping your voice light the entire time. You desperately wanted to connect with your roommate, even if it seemed that he hated you – your mere presence.

However, he had other thoughts as he passed you with a gruff scoff, "Mexican makes me sick."

Just a few words hurt your feelings more than you'd like to even admit. You weren't used to this type of rejection when you had been nothing but cordial.

One fateful day after class, you decided you really needed a study session with Kuroo to boost your spirits. You didn't want to feel so down with it only being the second –almost third– week of college.

"Of course, anything for you. I'm going to invite Kenma; he needs it too." Kuroo said, without thinking. You hadn't confided in Kuroo about how you think Kenma absolutely hates your guts. Every time you try, you just keep thinking maybe there is something you're missing that is making him behave this way towards you.

"Oh... yeah, that's a good idea." You tried to support it, but you were riddled with anxiousness.

Your nerves got even worse when Kuroo had stated that Kenma, begrudgingly, would meet up with you guys. Only to which you then mustered half a smile, knowing that the next few hours would be more stressful than the coursework itself.

You stood at the small cafe that was built into the university's library, you stared at the menu hoping that your memory would be able to recall what Kuroo had always ordered.

On the off chance that you and Tetsu come here to study or get a breather, you always forget what he orders. On the other hand, Kuroo has mentioned what Kenma gets every single time and now that is the only thing that has burned itself into your memory.

A fucking oat milk latte loaded with any sort of sweet syrup.

You'd been secretly watching Kenma when he drinks them, seeing which kind of syrup he favors more. You're not exceptionally sure why you've been doing this either. However, the vanilla and caramel he seemed to like the best, so you asked to add both of those syrups into his latte.

Then, you made sure to send Kuroo a quick text, asking what his order was again – hopefully it just gets blamed on your apparent forgetfulness.

'Iced coffee with a splash of sweet cream' He had texted back, which honestly seemed very basic.

With a drink carrier, you carefully made your way to the study table that soon had everyone's laptops, notebooks, and pens out.

"Thank you, little one." Kuroo said, hastily taking his bland iced coffee from the brown, recyclable drink carrier.

Kenma's sharp golden eyes peered upward at you, causing you to gulp. He took his coffee without so much as uttering a word as Kuroo got to work. You had pretended to type notes for your art class and secretly peered up to see the slightly upward turn of Kenma's lips.

You felt satisfactory with your decision.

After a few hours of studying, you couldn't help that your eyes kept drifting to Kenma. Kuroo had gone to the bathroom and your coursework was definitely not on your mind. You breathed in as you took in his entire form across the study table from you.

Kenma's medium length hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, his brown roots showing more so since they've grown out quite a bit from the starch contrast of the blond hair dye. A few strands of hair had framed his sharp angled face, he seemed extremely concentrated on whatever he was reading at the moment.

Your eyes moved downwards, taking in his frame and clothes. They were the most basic, as expected from someone who didn't really care what outfit he wore. A tee with graphics on it and black sweatpants.

Noticing more, his laptop had one of those light up keyboards that you kind of wanted to run your hands across for fun. If you focused on just him, you could slightly smell the scent of cinnamon apples coming off of it. It felt intoxicating to say the least, making you feel the slightest bit of light-headedness.

You snapped out of your thoughts when he suddenly shut his laptop hard.

"Done studying?" You asked curiously, trying to pretend that there isn't a weird flutter in your stomach nor that you basically were ogling him either.

"Why does it matter? It's not like you're doing any studying with the way you've staring holes into me." He sneered at you, and you couldn't help the faint dust of blush that coated your cheeks.

"I was spacing out, sorry." You muttered, only focusing your attention on the brightly lit laptop screen, not the way you feel embarrassed for the emotions that coursed through your veins when you thought of your roommate – who hated you, you had to remind yourself.

When in the hell was Kuroo coming back from the bathroom to save you from this?

synopsis: it's the summer before you go to university, and you decide to become roommates with your pen pal that you've known since you were in primary. big problem arises, he's got a roommate, and it just so happens that his roommate either has a sexual want for you or hates your guts – or probably both?

tag list: [let me know if you'd like to be in the tag list!]

@geektastic84 @lavanderdreamve @hhoneyhan @kirikeijii @marsoverthestars @nymphsdomain @justagirlnamedkai @kodzukein @74zix47 @kakuzone @jaeminaur @3lectraheart

a/n: i made the banner, and i got my idea for this multi-chapter fic from @deftrow !!

62 notes · View notes

notiddygothgf · 4 months ago

Text

11. Conflict of Interest

★ pairings: aki hayakawa x fem reader

★ ❝ You don't deserve this. ❞ ❝ You know I love you, troublemaker. ❞

★ c.w.: n/a. (more content warnings and tags)

★ a/n: Hi my darlingssss!!! SO as i said I've reached the end of prewritten chapters so updates will be coming a little slower. I'm full time at uni and I've been absolutely SWAMPED with exams this past week. Chem is the worst iykyk. Anyway!!! to make up for the delay (and future delays) i wanted to spoil yall with a lil long chapter. I HOPE YOU LOVE IT!!! i love YOU!! comment comment comment away i literally love reading them. give me smth to look forward too tee hee.

★ w.c: .9.5k

shameless ; chapter index

YOUR HEART DROPPED through your chest, the world around you slowing to a crawl as his words echoed in your mind. Tokyo. He’s coming here.

“What?” you breathed, barely managing the word, your throat tightening as reality hit you all at once.

“ Yeah ,” he continued, sounding almost excited, as if this was the best news in the world. “ My supervisor said they could really use the backup in Tokyo. I guess the team’s been stretched thin over there, so they’re sending me out .”

Your stomach lurched, twisting into a tight knot. Tokyo? Here? Now? It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on you.

“That’s… great,” you forced out, your voice shaky, trying desperately to mask the panic swelling inside. “Really.”

Aki’s eyes met yours from across the balcony, his gaze steady, calm. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but he watched you with a quiet curiosity, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside you. You could feel your face heating up under his gaze, the weight of everything pressing down on your shoulders. How am I going to hide this from him?

“How long will you be here?” you asked, feigning a casual tone, even though your hands were shaking, white-knuckled around the phone.

“ Not sure, ” he answered, still in that same oblivious tone. “I guess as long as you’re in Tokyo, I’ll be stationed there. My supervisor thinks it’ll be good for us to be close by for a while. ”

Your chest tightened further, breath hitching as you tried to process what he was saying. I’m screwed. This is it. I’m completely, utterly screwed.

“They’re booking me a suite. I asked to stay with you, and they said it was fine, ” He added.

“That’s... that’s amazing,” you said, forcing a hollow excitement into your voice. Your lips trembled into a smile that didn’t reach your eyes. “Wow, it’s going to be…” You swallowed. “Nice.”

The words were like acid on your tongue.

He chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that. We’ll finally be able to catch up on all the time we missed.”

“Yeah, finally,” you repeated quietly, feeling a wave of nausea roll through you. Your heart was pounding in your ears, so loud that you could barely hear his voice anymore. You were nodding along, saying whatever words you could muster, but your thoughts were spiraling. What the hell am I going to do?

“Well, I’ve got to finish up some paperwork before the move, but I’ll be there soon. Tonight, actually.”

You swallowed hard. That was no time at all. How am I supposed to prepare for this? Your brain was screaming, but outwardly, you nodded, forcing a tight smile he couldn’t see.

“That sounds... perfect,” you lied. “Really, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Alright, I’ll call you when I’ve got the final details. Love you.”

You opened your mouth, but the words stuck in your throat. For a split second, you hesitated, your eyes flickering to Aki, who had leaned back in the chair, watching you with a soft, curious gaze. The weight of your husband’s voice on the other end of the line crushed down on you.

“Love you too ,” you said, your voice barely more than a whisper before quickly hanging up.

The silence that followed was deafening. You stared at the phone in your hand, the cold, empty feeling creeping into your chest.

The cigarette, long forgotten, had burned down to a stub, the last ember smoldering weakly. You pressed it out in the ashtray, your fingers trembling, your breath coming in shallow, uneven bursts.

You gripped the edge of the balcony railing, trying to steady yourself, but the panic had already taken hold. Your heart raced, the world closing in around you as you fought to keep yourself from spiraling.

He’s coming. He’s really coming to Tokyo. What the hell am I going to do now?

Aki’s quiet presence was still there, grounding, but it didn’t stop the thoughts racing through your mind. You couldn’t let him see. Couldn’t let him know how badly this was shaking you. You were supposed to be fine. Everything was supposed to be fine.

But nothing was fine anymore.

You stared out over the city skyline, your chest rising and falling rapidly as you fought to regain control. But it was slipping. It was all slipping through your fingers, and for the first time in a long while, you felt powerless.

The panic was unbearable. Your chest felt like it was caving in, breath coming in short, sharp bursts as the reality of it settled over you. You had to get out—move, escape before the walls closed in completely. You pushed yourself off the balcony, your mind racing, limbs trembling.

Aki watched you stand abruptly, his brow furrowing as you moved quickly toward the door, your steps frantic, unsteady.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked, his voice gentle but confused, rising from the chair to follow you. He reached out, catching your arm just as your hand grasped the door handle. “You okay?”

You froze under his touch, your heart hammering in your chest as his warmth anchored you. The panic swelled even more, your thoughts a blur. You could feel your throat tightening, the words struggling to come out. He’s coming. It was like a mantra, replaying over and over in your mind, suffocating you.

“He’s coming,” you choked out, your voice small and broken. You turned to face Aki, your eyes wide, brimming with tears that threatened to spill over. “My husband. He’s coming to Tokyo.”

Aki’s grip on your arm tightened slightly, concern clouding his face as he stepped closer. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s over.” The words came out on a sob, the reality of it crashing down on you. “He’s coming here, and it’s all over. He’s gonna ruin everything.”

The tears fell freely now, your body trembling under the weight of it all. Aki’s expression shifted from concern to something deeper, something protective. He pulled you gently into his arms, holding you close, his warmth a stark contrast to the cold fear clawing at your insides.

“What do you mean ‘it’s over’? What’s going on? Talk to me.”

You tried to catch your breath, tried to form words, but the memories hit you hard and fast. Every bruise, every cruel word, every moment in that house—it was suffocating you now. You clung to Aki, your fingers digging into his shirt as if he were the only thing keeping you from falling apart completely.

“He’ll find out,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “He’s going to find out about us. About me.”

Aki’s hand gently stroked your back, his voice low and soothing. “Hey, calm down. Why are you so upset? What’s wrong?”

You shook your head, pulling back slightly to meet his eyes, tears blurring your vision. “You don’t understand. You don’t know him.”

Aki frowned, his thumb brushing away a tear that trailed down your cheek. “Then tell me. Help me understand.”

The words caught in your throat, but something about the way he looked at you—steady, unwavering—made you feel safe. You swallowed hard and the dam inside you broke.

“My husband... he’s not... he’s…” you began, your voice shaking, the words tumbling out faster now. “He’s hurt me. For years. He’s been hurting me.”

Aki’s expression darkened, his body tensing, but he stayed quiet, giving you space to speak. His arms were still wrapped around you, grounding you.

“When we first got married, it wasn’t like this. He wasn’t like this. It started small—just words. He’d get angry over the smallest things, but then it got worse. He’d talk down to me, degrade me, then he hit me. At first, it was my fault. I made myself believe that. I thought if I just tried harder, if I didn’t mess up, maybe he’d stop. But he never did. He kept hitting me, and I’m scared that– that he’ll hurt me.”

Your voice cracked, the memories overwhelming, but you kept going, needing to let it out. “And now he’s coming here. He’ll see how happy I am, and he’ll take it all away. He always finds a way to make me pay.”

Aki’s jaw clenched, his hands trembling slightly as he held you. His voice was steady, “I would never let him do that.”

You wanted to believe him, wanted so desperately to let go of the fear that had gripped you for so long. But your husband had always found you. Always pulled you back. You weren’t free of him—not yet.

“But we can’t… see each other anymore,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “Not while he’s here. He’ll know, Aki. He’ll figure it out, and I can’t let… I just can’t.”

Aki’s eyes flashed with something like heartbreak, his grip on you tightening as if refusing to let you go. “We can figure something out. See each other in secret, maybe.”

You shook your head, tears streaming down your face. “We can’t. He’ll watch me, and if he finds out about us, he’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt both of us.”

Aki’s hand came up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing away your tears as he leaned in, his forehead resting against yours. “I don’t care what he does to me. I don’t want him to take you away.”

But you could see the pain in his eyes, the uncertainty. You felt your own heart breaking, the weight of it all pressing down on you. You shook your head again, gently pulling away from his touch.

“I can’t take that risk.”

Aki’s breath hitched, his face falling. For a long, agonizing moment, he said nothing, just stared at you like he was trying to find the right words, trying to make you stay. But he knew. Deep down, he knew you were right.

“You want to stop seeing me, then?” he asked quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper. “We just stop? After everything? After the conversation we had less than 12 hours ago?”

You swallowed hard, the lump in your throat making it difficult to speak. “For now,” you managed, though the words felt like they were ripping you apart. “It’s the only way I can keep you safe. Depending on how long he stays, I’m sure we can find a way to sneak around, but for now…”

Aki looked away, blinking rapidly as if he was fighting back his own tears. He nodded slowly, his shoulders sagging as the reality of it sunk in.

“I understand,” he murmured, his voice tight with the pain of it. “I don’t like it, but I understand. I’ll stay away if it means you’re safe.”

It felt like your heart was shattering. You wanted to tell him you could find a way, that it didn’t have to be like this. But you knew better. You had to keep him safe. You had to protect him, even if it meant breaking both of your hearts in the process. Above all else, you didn’t want to give your husband a reason to put his hands on you again.

Damn him. He stole everything from you. Your freedom, your happiness, your youth, and now, this.

Aki opened his arms again, pulling you into a tight embrace, holding you like it was the last time. You buried your face in his chest, the sobs returning, harder now, your entire body trembling against him. His hands stroked your back, soothing, but it wasn’t enough to calm the storm raging inside you.

“But, just so you know,” He broke the silence, “You can still call me whenever you need me, okay? You have my number. Use it. I’ll be there faster than you can spell my name.”

Don’t tell me that, you thought. I’ll call you every single day that we’re apart.

You couldn’t breathe. Your chest was so tight, the weight of the decision crushing you. You had to protect yourself, had to let him go, but everything in you screamed that this was wrong. That you shouldn’t be doing this.

If this was the right thing—if this was truly to give Aki peace—then why did it feel so wrong? Why did it feel like your heart was being ripped out of your chest?

“I don’t want to say goodbye,” You sobbed, “You don’t deserve this.”

You clung to him, your sobs turning to gasps, your breath coming in ragged, desperate bursts. You couldn’t breathe. It hurt too much. But you didn’t let go. Neither of you did.

Because even though you both knew this was the end, neither of you was ready to say goodbye.

“You know I love you, troublemaker,” He cooed softly, kissing the top of your head.

This time, as the words left your lips, you felt yourself die a little, “I love you more.”

No stranger to the Tokyo train station, finding your husband’s train did not prove to be a difficult task. It rolled in at exactly 5:56 PM. Four minutes early. Your heart sank through your gut. Briefly, as the train doors slid open, you messed with your appearance �� like you had done the whole time Aki had driven you up there in the passenger seat mirror, like he would be able to see the love bites you knew weren’t there, see remnants of your night with Aki all over your skin and face.

Then, holding a brown suitcase you remembered from your honeymoon, your husband finally stepped off of the train. His brown hair looked like it was freshly done, neatly trimmed around his ears and face. His eyes went wide the moment he saw you.

Had his nose always looked so… big?

“Tanimoto!” You called him, waving your arms around.

You swallowed hard, forcing a smile as you waved a little more frantically than you intended. Tanimoto beamed, but something about it felt off to you. The lopsided grin, which had once sent flutters through your chest, now seemed… worn. The lines around his mouth stretched awkwardly, and the dull sheen in his eyes made your stomach turn.

As he approached, dragging the familiar brown suitcase along the platform, you felt a pang of regret—of guilt—and something else you couldn’t quite place. His footsteps were slightly heavier than you remembered, his posture just a touch more hunched. It was like seeing him with new eyes, like you'd forgotten these details about him and were seeing them for the first time.

Your mind flashed back to Aki’s car, to the stolen glances in the rearview mirror, to the easy, careless laughter.

"Hey!" Tanimoto’s voice snapped you back to the moment. His arms reached out, and before you could stop yourself, you were in his embrace. You stiffened as his lips pressed a quick kiss on the top of your head, his breath warm against your scalp. It was a gesture that should’ve made you feel safe, but it didn’t. Instead, it made your skin itch.

“You got here early,” you said, stepping back as casually as possible. The scent of his cologne—familiar yet distant—lingered in the air between you. His brown eyes searched your face, but you avoided meeting them for too long, afraid of what he might see.

“I did,” he chuckled, “but looks like you were ready for me, huh?”

You forced another smile. “Of course.”

He took your hand, his fingers wrapping around yours with a tenderness that once made your heart race. Now, it just felt like a weight. He said something. You weren’t really listening. Instead, you found yourself hyper-focused on little things: the way his coat hung awkwardly off his frame, how his nose suddenly seemed far too large for his face.

Had he… always been like this? Or had you just... forgotten?

He squeezed your hand, and your mind flashed back to the feel of Aki’s hands, rougher, warmer, and somehow more real.

Tanimoto tugged you closer, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. "It's good to be back," he murmured, his lips lingering for a moment longer than you expected.

“Yeah,” you said, barely above a whisper. “Let’s call the cab.”

It had been a week since you last saw Aki, but it felt like a lifetime. His absence gnawed at you, leaving you restless and hollow, like a piece of you had gone missing.

You hadn't expected to miss him like this—hadn’t expected the nights to feel so long or the mornings so cold. Your mind kept drifting back to him, replaying every moment of that night over and over until it was almost too much to bear.

Who knew you would be craving him again like some sort of addict after only a week apart? Briefly, you couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same way.

Now, sitting in a dimly lit restaurant, waiting for someone who wasn’t him, your fingers drummed anxiously on the table. The room was warm, cozy even, with soft candlelight flickering on polished wood and the low hum of conversations around you. The clinking of glasses and silverware provided a backdrop that should’ve been soothing, but instead, it only made your anxiety worse.

You checked your phone for the fifth time, willing time to move faster. He wouldn’t text. You told him not to. You knew that. But still.

"Sorry I’m late," A feminine voice said, surprisingly soft. Himeno adjusted her coat, smoothing it down, though her gaze barely met yours.

Across from you, she sat down with a sigh, finally breaking the tension that had been swirling in your chest. Her long, dark hair was a little longer than it had been the last time you saw her. Her eyes were tired but still held that edge – well, eye.

You offered a tight smile, feeling the awkwardness settle back between you like an old habit. "Thanks for coming out tonight, Himeno, I appreciate it."

"No, it’s fine," she replied with a sigh, finally lifting her gaze to meet yours. There was something different in it—less accusatory, more resigned. "I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about you."

"About?" you asked, though the answer was painfully obvious.

"And you-know-who," she said, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her nails tapped on the table as she spoke. "I shouldn’t have acted so mean. I was upset and catty, and I didn’t realize how badly I had taken the whole thing until I saw how upset he was about it."

Your heart skipped. "Upset?"

Himeno exhaled sharply, shaking her head as if still processing it all. "He asked me why you and I stopped talking. I told him I was upset that the two of you were sneaking around. He said I was acting like a spoiled child, that I had no right to be mad."

You couldn’t help it—a laugh escaped you, a short, bitter sound. "That sounds like him. I don’t think—"

The waiter arrived, momentarily cutting the conversation short. You ordered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and two glasses – with which he returned after only a moment. As soon as he left, the air grew thick again.

Himeno poured the wine with practiced ease, the rich red liquid swirling as it filled your glasses. "No, he’s right," she said, handing you a glass before picking up her own. "I have no right to be upset about who he’s sleeping with."

Your throat tightened, and your pulse quickened. You grasped the glass, but it felt like lead in your hand. "We didn’t…"

Himeno’s laugh was dry. She raised an eyebrow and gave you a look that made you squirm. "You don’t have to lie to me," she said, her voice lower, calmer than you expected. "I didn’t hear anything solid—just petty rumors—but I can see it. His whole demeanor is different now. He cares about you, married or not. Something happened between you two, didn’t it?"

You felt the weight of her words pressing down on you, and the guilt you’d been pushing down for days rose to the surface. You stared at the wine swirling in your glass, then finally let out a long, tired sigh. “You can’t tell anyone.”

You haven’t told your husband yet?” Himeno asked, taking a long sip of her wine. The question hung heavy in the air between you, the weight of everything unsaid pressing down.

You shook your head, the words spilling out before you could stop them. “He’s a tricky situation for me. He’s abusive, a real piece of shit, and I just… I was too scared to divorce him because I knew it would be bad.” You had sighed, rubbing your hands together under the table. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m scared of him.”

Himeno’s expression had softened. Her face, usually sharp and guarded, had seemed to lose some of its edge as she had looked at you, really looked at you. The tension between you had shifted, not completely gone but different, more subdued.

“And Aki had just…” you hesitated, feeling your chest tighten, “He’s been so kind to me from the start. He pursued me with a passion I hadn’t even known existed. He had made me feel things I hadn’t felt in years.” You had paused, trying to collect your thoughts, but it had all spilled out too fast. “I was vulnerable, and I wanted to do something for myself for once. But it wasn’t… a one-time thing.”

Himeno’s eye had widened slightly, her glass hovering mid-air – stuck somewhere between her hand and her mouth.

“It would have been easier to tell him if it had been just a stupid one-night stand,” You continued, your voice barely above a whisper. “But it hadn’t been. I kept hanging around him, and I felt like I couldn’t stay away. Before I knew it, I felt something change.”

You had stopped for a moment, needing a breath. “And, Himeno, I felt horrible for what I had done that night, you have to understand. It really wasn’t my intention, but… he was persistent . And I realized I wanted something more from him. So we kept seeing each other, in secret, and now—” Your voice cracked, and you quickly swallowed the lump in your throat. “Now, I don’t know why, but I feel like I would die without him. He’s the first good thing that has come into my life in years.”

Himeno blinked, her mouth slightly open in shock, her wine glass still in hand. The pink flush of alcohol—or maybe embarrassment—had crept across her cheeks.

“But,” you had added quickly, trying to regain some control of the conversation, “You’ll be happy to know we've never been official. I told him we couldn’t see each other until my husband left Tokyo. I don’t want to lose him and a friend. You were right, Himeno. I shouldn’t have dragged Aki into my crazy, fucked-up marriage. In fact, I wish I could pretend none of this ever happened.”

You trailed off, staring into the half-empty wine glass in front of you, feeling the exhaustion settle deep into your bones. It had felt like confessing everything should have made you lighter, but instead, it had just made you feel… heavy.

Himeno had still been staring at you, frozen, her wide eye fixed on your face. “Oh my god,” She whispered, her voice barely audible over the low murmur of the restaurant. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted in shock. “You’re in love with him.”

There had been a pause, and you fumbled for the right words, the right way to explain this away. “Yeah, I mean, I was—I am—but it’s over now! I told him we had to stop seeing each other. It’s better that he’s with someone like you who can actually be there for him. I’m going to go back to Kyoto, divorce my husband, and then—therapy, probably. And then I’ll think about—”

“He’s hot, sure, but I don’t want him anymore. Besides, it won’t make a difference,” Himeno cut you off, her voice flat. “You might think you’d be able to move on, but Aki won’t. I can’t just steal him back from you.”

“Why not?” you asked, a little too quickly. “That’s what I did.”

Himeno shook her head, a dry laugh escaping her. “He’s got a big heart. It’s different. I was only upset because I didn’t know your intentions with him, at first. I thought you were going to take advantage of him,” She said, her voice softening. “But you love him. And I think he loves you, too. He was never mine to begin with, and he sure as hell won’t be mine now that he’s gotten a taste of you. That’s something I had to come to terms with a while ago.” Her lips had curled into a small smile. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s your man. He’s not mine to keep – he’s been yours since the moment you got off that damn train. You won, fair and square.”

You shook your head, the weight of her words pressing on your chest. “It’s not a competition, Himeno.”

“It’s not, you’re right.” She shrugged, her voice casual, but her gaze was kind and imploring, almost a little bittersweet – as if she couldn’t help but feel the slightest pang of sadness that he hadn’t been with her instead. “That kid is fucking crazy about you. He’s become insufferable ever since you left him. You can’t just walk away from it like that.”

“It’s not like I wanted to.” The words had come out as a sigh, heavy and tired. “I wish there could be some sort of happy ending for us, I really do. But I know my husband. At least for now, I have to stay away from him. It would be good for both of us.”

“God, you really are a mess.” Himeno leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. “Hopeless idiots, the both of you. Sounds like a whole bunch of mukka-lukka about shit that doesn’t even really matter.” She rolled her eyes, but there had been something affectionate in her tone, like she had resigned herself to the chaos of it all.

“It matters—” you had started, but Himeno cut you off before you could finish.

“No, it doesn’t,” she had said firmly, leaning in slightly. “What matters is that you two have something special. You don’t want to walk away from it, do you?”

You hesitated, fingers curling around the stem of your wine glass. “No, not really, but—”

“There is no but ,” Himeno interrupted, her voice sharp but not unkind. “If you’re gonna steal my handsome partner away from me, you better ride that train to the last stop. You make each other happy. It’ll work itself out.”

You chewed on her words, the truth of them settling in your gut like a slow burn. “I guess you’re right. After everything’s said and done, though, I’m not really sure he’ll be there for me to come back to.”

“He will,” Himeno sighed, leaning back in her chair with an exasperated look. “That’s the issue. Stop being stupid and go get your man. I’m sick of watching him mope around like a sad little child.”

You huffed, conflicted. “I don’t know. Should I? It doesn’t feel right.”

Himeno raised an eyebrow. “You said you’re divorcing him anyway, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t—” You took a deep breath, the weight of it all pressing down on you. “I don’t want him to hurt me or Aki.”

“Then don’t let him find out,” Himeno snapped, her voice sharp like a whip. “Aki’s strong enough to protect the both of you, anyway.”

“What if it’s out of my control?” you asked, feeling the panic rise in your throat. “People talk.”

“It’s all just background noise,” Himeno sighed, leaning back in her chair, the dim light catching the faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “For the record, I never said anything to anyone. I know you’re thinking it.”

You bit back your instinctive retort, swallowing hard. “I don’t—” You paused, eyes narrowing, your tone softer now. “I don’t know why you didn’t.”

“Why would I want to shatter his image?” she replied, her voice calm, though there had been something sad lurking beneath her casual tone. “I care about him, you know. You’re an extension of him, now. You can’t keep living in fear of your husband. You’re not powerless. It’s the twentieth century.”

The weight of those words settled in your chest, heavier than you had expected. You didn’t know what to say, the relief tinged with the sharp edge of guilt. “He’d kill me if he found out through someone else.”

Himeno raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a knowing smile. “He doesn’t have to know. For now,” she said, her voice laced with mischief. A little firmer, she offered, “Just because your husband’s in Tokyo, doesn’t mean you can’t talk to the kid. You can behave, can’t you? Just for a while? Just long enough to see him?”

The thought of seeing Akitwisted something deep inside of you, and you weren’t able to help but pout, your voice low. “I do wanna see him, just… not to talk.”

Himeno’s laugh had been sudden and bright, cutting through the heaviness in the air – a sound you didn’t realize you had missed until now. “Naughty girl! God, I missed you,” she teased, slapping your arm lightly, her grin wide and mischievous. Then, her demeanor had shifted, softened. She had reached across the table, extending her hand toward you. “Start over? You and me? What do you say?”

For a moment, you just stared at her, mind spinning, trying to process what she was offering. The tension that had sat between the two of you for so long had felt like it was starting to unravel. You blinked, your lips parting in surprise.

“I could really use a girlfriend,” Himeno added, her smile tinged with something a little more vulnerable now. “It’s hard to talk to other women my age. Most of ‘em don’t live that long..”

Her words hit you harder than you’d expected, a strange warmth spreading through your chest. The walls you’d both built had started to crumble, and for the first time, you felt the potential for something more than this guarded, awkward rivalry. Something like friendship. Maybe even understanding.

A small smile tugged at your lips as you nodded. “Okay, yeah… let’s start over.”

Her hand was warm when you shook on it, and when your glasses clinked together in a quiet toast, it felt like a truce—fragile, but real.

For a beat, there had been peace.

But then, Himeno grinned, that playful spark dancing in her eyes. She took a slow sip of her wine, setting the glass down deliberately before leaning forward with that all-too-familiar wicked grin.

“So,” She began, her voice dripping with curiosity, “Tell me, as your friend and not as Aki’s partner. How’s the sex?”

You had choked, sputtering on your wine. “ Himeno. ”

“What? I wanna know!” Himeno leaned forward with a whine, her eye practically sparkling with curiosity. “Now that I’m not interested in experiencing it for myself, I need all the juicy details.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smirk that had played at your lips had betrayed you. Despite the absurdity of the conversation, it had felt like a release, an unburdening of something you’d kept bottled up for far too long. With a cheeky tilt of your head, you decided to indulge her for a while, “Absolutely divine .”

“Groundbreaking?” Himeno’s eyebrow arched, her grin widening as she leaned closer, elbows resting on the table.

“ Bed -breaking,” You shot back without hesitation, a soft laugh escaping your lips. It felt good—better than you’d expected—to finally share this with someone, to let the secret of your affair slip into the open, even if only between the two of you. You felt the weight lifting from your chest as the words spilled out. “He’s a fiend. Totally different from that buttoned-up, serious Captain you see at work. He’s so… passionate and considerate. Like, ridiculously attentive. And… insatiable.”

Himeno’s eyes flashed with interest, her lips curling into an amused smile. “But is he good , though?” Her voice lowered conspiratorially, as if you were two schoolgirls gossiping about a secret crush.

You couldn’t help the flush that crept up your neck. The memories had hit you hard—the way Aki had touched you, the way his breath had felt against your skin, his intensity, his need for you. You let out a deep, satisfied sigh, almost involuntarily.

" Yes ," you had whispered, your voice dipping low as the heat of the memory overtook you. " God,yes."

Your eyes practically shut for a moment as the flashbacks played out in your mind. The ghost of his touch lingered on your skin, sliding up your thighs, pressing a kiss to your heat – His hands, his lips, the way his eyes fluttered shut when he slid inside of you for the first time, like it took everything he had to hold on, like you were the only woman in the entire world.

God, you missed him.

You dropped your voice, as if sharing a precious secret. “Can’t get enough of it, really.”

Himeno’s grin spread wide across her face, and her laughter came easily, as if the revelation had been exactly what she’d expected. "So he’s got you dick-whipped , huh?" She hummed, the words rolling off her tongue with wicked delight.

"For lack of a better word… yes," You admitted, but you couldn’t stop the smile pulling at your lips. The embarrassment had risen in your chest, but so had the thrill of confessing it aloud for the first time.

Himeno’s playful teasing had felt like a release, like she was giving you permission to laugh at the absurdity of your situation.

Himeno, still grinning, raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Denji said he saw you limp into the kitchen the other day."

Your eyes widened, a mixture of horror and exasperation flooding your face. "Did he?" You groaned, pressing your fingers to your temples as if you could will away the embarrassment. "Aki made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone."

Himeno snickered, clearly relishing the story. "I’m not just anyone ." Her tone had been smug, and she had gestured with her hands, mimicking a measurement as if to add insult to injury, spreading her two pointer fingers further apart with each word. "And between me and you, girl – Congratulations ."

Your face burned, and you buried it in your hands, trying to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside you. "Oh my God ," you muttered through your fingers, voice muffled but laced with laughter. “Quiet down before someone overhears!"

Back at the hotel, you were just about ready to call it a night. Donning a waffle-print robe, you watched a pay-per-view on the television screen. Your husband was rummaging around the hotel room the two of you had been sharing for the past week.

He flopped down onto the bed next to you

Without warning, he turned off the TV and slid closer, straddling you. His lips pressed gently against your neck, his kisses tender but insistent.

“Baby, stop,” you laughed, trying to push him away with a half-hearted shove.

He didn’t relent, his lips trailing from your neck to your ear. You tried again, “Stop it, seriously.”

But he was persistent, his kisses becoming more insistent. You shifted under him, more firmly this time. “No, seriously—stop it. I’m not in the mood.”

He pulled back slightly, a sigh escaping his lips as he rolled off you, laying down beside you with a resigned thud. “You’re never in the mood. I thought after being apart, you’d want to make up for lost time.”

You were silent for a moment, trying to gather your thoughts. “I’m just tired,” you finally said, rubbing your eyes. “It’s been a long day. Himeno and I had a lot to drink. I’d really rather just go to sleep. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

He turned his head, looking at you with a mixture of frustration and hurt. “It was tomorrow yesterday, and the day before that, and every night for the past week,” he retorted.

His words stung, hitting closer to home than you wanted to admit. You knew he was right, but you didn’t want to confront it. “I said I was sorry,” he continued, his voice a mix of anger and desperation. “What, do you want me to beg?”

You scoffed, feeling the guilt mix with your exhaustion. “What? No, I just… I’m not mad at you. I’m just tired. Can’t we just let it be for tonight?”

He stared at you, his expression a mixture of hurt and resignation. “You’re punishing me for what happened before you left, aren’t you?”

You didn’t say anything, your silence a tacit admission. The room was heavy with unspoken words and unresolved issues.

He sighed deeply, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t know how to fix this if you keep shutting me out.”

You felt a pang of regret. “It’s not about shutting you out,” you murmured. “I just need some rest. Tomorrow, I promise. We can talk then.”

He didn’t respond, the silence between you thick with tension. You reached over, resting a hand on his arm, but the gesture felt too little, too late. Quickly, you withdrew your hand.

“I said I was sorry,” he said, his voice edged with frustration. “What, do you want me to beg?”

You scoffed, already pissed the hell off about the entire conversation so far. “What? No, I just… I’m not mad at you. I’m just tired. It had been a long day. Himeno and I had drunk more than we probably should have. I’d really rather just go to sleep. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

He rolled his eyes, his irritation palpable. “It was tomorrow yesterday, and the day before that, and every night for the past week.”

You tried to explain, though your voice lacked the conviction you wished it had. “I just haven’t been feeling good.”

Truthfully, you couldn’t imagine a worse idea. The thought of another man’s touch filled you with revulsion. You felt a peculiar sense of loyalty to Aki, as though the mere notion of being with anyone else was a betrayal of your own beliefs. It was as if Aki had imprinted himself on you in such a way that being with another man seemed not just unappealing, but downright wrong .

He had huffed, settling heavily into the bed. “Sure,” he sighed. “Well, then let’s sleep.”

He’s giving up that easily? You furrowed your brows. “What?”

“That’s what you wanted, right?” Ge said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Sorry for thinking my wife missed me. Goodnight.”

You had tossed the blankets aside, your anger bubbling over as you rolled out of the bed. “Oh, don’t fucking act like that.”

“You’re one to talk – you’ve been acting distant ever since you left for Tokyo. It’s like you’re not even happy to see me .”

Feeling trapped and overwhelmed, you had grabbed a robe and slipped on your outdoor slippers, reaching for the hotel room key. The cool metal felt oddly comforting against your palm.

“I’m not doing this,” you had said, your voice heavy with resignation. “Goodnight, Tanimoto.”

“Where are you going?” he had asked, a note of panic creeping into his voice.

“To the gas station, or somewhere. I don’t know,” you had replied, your hand already on the door. “I’m going crazy in here with you. I need a break. I’m going to get a snack.”

You walked out the door, clicking the door shut behind you. Then, you turned your back on him and walked – walked away until you reached the stairs, until you reached the first floor, until you reached the empty lobby, where you collapsed on one of the complimentary sofas. The air carried that distinct aroma that only hotels seemed to carry.

With a stressed sigh, you rubbed your hands over your face.

Pulling out your phone, you stared at the screen, the weight of Himeno’s words still heavy in your mind.

“Just because your husband’s in Tokyo, doesn’t mean you can’t talk to the kid. You can behave, can’t you? Just for a while? Just long enough to see him?”

“You can’t keep living in fear of your husband. You’re not powerless. It’s the twentieth century.”

And, in a moment of weakness, you dialed that damn number – the one you knew you shouldn’t have been calling. You dialed it and held your breath as the line rang once, twice–

“Hey,” Aki answered on the second ring. His voice was warm and familiar and immediately concerned – you missed him so badly. “You okay?”

You nearly broke down crying at the mere sound of him. It felt as if it had been so long since you had heard his voice, seen his face, felt his lips on yours. A week away, and it felt as if you had shot yourself through the heart.

“I wanna see you,” You gnawed on your lip, trying to keep your voice steady, “Can you come get me?”

“It’s 11 at night,” He chuckled softly, though his voice didn’t hold an ounce of malice. “I thought you said we couldn’t see each other?”

“I wanna go for a drive,” You answered. You could cry. You wanted him to come get you – to rescue you from this Hell you created for yourself, to hold you close and tell you everything was going to be alright, that he missed you as much as you missed him. “ Please?”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, as if he were taking a moment to deliberate, before he released a long, tired sigh, “You still at the Hilton?”

I love you.

“Yeah,” A smile graced your face at the thought of seeing him again.

It felt an awful lot like you had just returned from war to him.

In the background of the call, you heard him rustling around. Then there was the distinct, reassuring jingle of a keychain, “ Alright. Be there in ten.”

“I’ll be waiting in the lobby,” Your grin only widened – you felt a burst of excitement, as if you were a schoolgirl all over again.

Only he had the power to make you feel that way.

You hung up and leaned back into the chair, letting the couch cradle you.

The next ten minutes seemed to drag by. You tried to burn some time by walking around the lobby, then by flipping through the entire stack of magazines next to your couch – all while your eyes never strayed from the clock above the door.

You were restless. So much so, in fact, that the moment it hit 11:12, exactly ten minutes after you had hung up, you felt your heart begin to flutter with uncertainty. Would he come? Was he running late? Did he get into an accident?

Did he still love you?

Just as you had begun to worry, you heard it – that telltale honk of a car horn outside.

Immediately, you bolted for the door, your robe flaring around you and slippers slapping against the polished floor. Your heart pounded as you spotted his sedan parked against the side of the building, away from the windows. Without a second thought, you hurried towards the car, barely noticing the cool night air against your bare legs – holding your robe tight around your chest as if that would calm the unsteady beating of your heart.

You flung open the passenger door and slipped inside, the familiar scent of him enveloping you. Then, when you were settled in, he peered down at you with those pretty blue eyes of his – lovingly, adoringly, for the first time in a week (and then some, though it had felt like a decade).

All traces of the word ‘Behave’ disappeared from your mind the moment you laid eyes on him. He was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and an oversized blue sweater. His hair was down – a little frizzy, like he had just woken up.

“ Aki –” You sighed after all of one second, throwing your arms around him and pulling him in for a kiss that was both urgent and fervent.

You pressed yourself against him, your body seeking the familiar warmth of his presence. As your lips met his, the kiss started gently, a tender brush of connection that soon deepened with longing. His lips were soft and slightly cool, a contrast to the heat that surged between you. You parted them slightly, your tongue tentatively exploring the contours of his mouth, seeking the taste that had become so familiar and intoxicating.

Aki responded with a quiet moan, his hands sliding up to cradle your face. His fingers were warm and rough against your skin, a grounding presence that made your pulse quicken even more. He smelled like him , like home.

You felt his breath hitch as you pressed closer, desperately. His hands roamed to your shoulders, pulling you closer.

When you finally broke apart, your foreheads rested against each other, breaths mingling in the small space between you. Your eyes fluttered open to meet his, and the gaze you shared was filled with a mix of relief, desire, and a touch of vulnerability. You could see the same raw emotion reflected in his eyes.

He laughed a little breathlessly, then, cheeks tinted with pink, “Hey, troublemaker.”

You couldn’t help but giggle back – like you weren’t hunched over the console of his car, making out with him in the hotel parking lot while your husband went to bed, “I missed you.”

“I can see that,” He smiled timidly, gently, handsomely and – Ugh!!

“I can’t keep living like this,” You breathed out, cupping his face, feeling the contours of his jaw. It felt as if he would disappear again the moment you let him go. “Not seeing you. Not knowing when I’ll see you again. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Me, too. I’ve barely slept,” He replied, “I’ve been worried sick about you.”

“In secret, then,” You nodded, licking your lips, “We’ll see each other, still, just… in secret.”

“I don’t want to keep being your secret,” He answered with a sigh. His brows furrowed. “I wanna bewith you.”

“I’ll leave him–” You begged him. Anything – Anything to make him stay. You would do anything for him. “I’ll leave him, I swear. As soon as we’re done with this fucking– with this position in Tokyo, I’ll see an attorney. I’ll get the papers, and–”

“You don’t have to worry about all of that right now,” He smoothed his hand over your arm, over the fabric of your robe.

“But it’s not fair to you,” You raised your voice ever-so-slightly, desperately, “I can’t keep leading you on like this. You deserve my everything , not just… being on the side. I wanna be with you and only you, all of you. I wanna leave and start over with you, start a new life with you, and a new apartment, and–”

Aki’s actions spoke much louder than his words. Gently, he reached for your head, pulling it close enough to cradle it to his chest. You buried your nose in his neck.

“I feel so��trapped , Aki– it’s like I can’t even breathe when I’m not around you. I don’t know what it means, but it feels as if–” Before you knew it, your eyes were watering, and your voice trembled with that weakness you hated so much, “It feels as if I shot myself right through the heart.”

“Hey,” He spoke up, calm and collected, as he typically was. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Did he hurt you?”

“Not physically,” You cried. “I just– I can’t take it anymore– I need to leave.”

“Then let’s leave,” He commented. His hand twitched towards the gear shift. Still, he didn’t move the car just yet, letting you make the next move. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I wanna go home with you, Aki,” You wiped your tears away with the back of your hand. Sitting straight up in your seat, you looked up at him, “Please, I can’t– I don’t wanna go back in that room with him.”

“You know you can’t come home with me, baby,” He smiled softly – like the fucking angel he was. “I don’t want you to get in trouble. Not tonight.”

“I don’t even fucking care anymore,” You snapped, “I love you , Aki. I need you.”

And he leaned down, nose brushing against yours, touching the side of your face so gently that you thought he was a dream. “I need you, too,” He pressed a gentle kiss to your lips, “I love you, too,” Another, and then he sighed, “Don’t tempt me. I’m trying to keep you out of trouble.”

“Take me away from here,” You pleaded. You felt so weak . Your husband made you weak. You were weak for Aki, too.

Home wasn’t in Kyoto. Home was wherever his arms were.

“I will,” He answered. Sitting back, he finally shifted the car into gear – his blue eyes seemed to focus on the tear that made its way down your cheek. “Where to? Wanna go to the gas station and get a snack? A slushy?”

After a momentary pause, you nodded, wiping your tears away.

“It’s okay,” He cooed, softly, patiently. “He can’t hurt you. You’re safe. We’re gonna get you a nice snack and then you’re gonna feel better, and you’re gonna tell me what happened.”

You only nodded again. Then, you let him drive you off into the night, leaving your clueless husband in the dust – leaving that damned hotel behind. And, for the first time since you had left his apartment a week or so ago, you felt a little better.

Aki pulled the car into the gas station, the warm glow of the neon signs casting a soft light over the hood. You glanced at him as the car came to a stop, and it struck you, as it always did, just how effortlessly attractive he was. Off the clock, away from the neat suits and crisp shirts, Aki looked so different, yet somehow even better. His sweatshirt hung from him just right, showcasing the broad line of his shoulders and the lean strength in his arms. His sweatpants were comfortably worn, soft at the edges, and hung low on his hips. His hair, usually slicked back for work, now fell loosely around his face in a tousled mess that made him look younger, more relaxed.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, giving you a quick, easy smile before stepping out of the car. You watched him walk into the store, his movements casual, unhurried, like he wasn’t weighed down by anything—not by you, not by tonight, not by the storm brewing inside you.

You stared out the window, trying to steady your racing thoughts. The air between you and Aki always seemed charged, even when nothing was happening. You wanted to believe this was all harmless—a gas station run, some time away—but there was something more, and you both knew it.

A few minutes later, the door clicked open, and Aki slid back into the driver’s seat. He handed you a slushy and a small bag of donuts, the sugary scent filling the car. “I remember you telling me you liked these,” he said, his tone so casual, but the weight of the small gesture felt heavy.

Your heart did a small, involuntary flip. That he’d remembered something so small—so inconsequential—made your chest tighten. You smiled softly, the warmth of the moment settling over you. “Thank you,” you whispered, taking the bag from him.

You turned to him, taking a sip of your slushy before speaking. “I don’t think we can do that again.”

Aki glanced at you, sipping on his slushy. “Do what?” he mumbled through a full mouth.

“Break up,” you said, wiping the condensation off your cup. “I was messed up the whole week. Thought it’d be easier, I dunno.”

Aki paused, sipping thoughtfully. “Break up?” He raised an eyebrow, then took another bite. “Is that what it was?”

“Kinda,” you admitted with a small smile, picking at the edge of your donut. “At least, it sure felt like one.”

He nodded, taking a long sip from his slushy. “I agree.” A beat passed, and then, with a teasing grin, he asked, “So… are we un-broken up?”

You snorted, shaking your head. “You mean seeing each other again?”

Aki shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. “If you insist.”

“It was more like a break, really,” you shot back, laughing. “We knew we’d be together again someday. Does that count?”

Aki plucked a donut from the bag you had propped open in your lap. “Someday, huh?” he replied, pretending to be offended as he polished it off in two bites. “I think we both knew you wouldn’t be gone long.”

You rolled your eyes, grabbing another donut. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Then your voice softened, and you glanced at him seriously. “But really, Aki, I don’t wanna live without you. I need you.”

He turned toward you, the playful banter giving way to something more real. “Yeah,” he said quietly, his blue eyes softening. “I need you too.”

He started the car again, the low hum of the engine filling the silence as you both sat back. You sipped your slushy while Aki took small, deliberate pulls from his own, his eyes focused on the road ahead. You smacked on the donuts, savoring the sweetness as if it could distract you from the heaviness of everything else.

After a few quiet moments, you couldn’t hold it in anymore. “He kept talking tonight,” you began, your voice low, almost as if you were ashamed to bring it up. “Saying I don’t seem excited to see him. That I never… touch him anymore.” You swallowed hard, staring out the window as you spoke, afraid to meet Aki’s gaze. “It’s like he doesn’t get it. He really doesn’t know what he did wrong.”

Aki didn’t say anything right away. He just kept driving, his hands steady on the wheel, his slushy untouched in the cup holder now. But you knew he was listening, really listening. You had to admire his patience – lord knew that you would not be able to sit before him as composed as he was if it were him talking about his wife.

“I just need to take my mind off of everything for a while,” you admitted, your voice soft, almost pleading. You felt drained, like you were holding on to too much for too long.

The thought of Aki belonging to anyone else, selfishly enough, made your skin crawl.

Did you have a right?

“I can help,” Aki said, and the shift in his voice was unmistakable. The air between you seemed to change, thickening with something unspoken but undeniably real.

You glanced over at him, and the look on his face made your heart skip. His jaw was set, strong and sharp in the dim light from the dashboard, but there was something else in his eyes—something teasing, a little dangerous. His lips quirked up at the corners, a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and his gaze dropped to your mouth for just a second before flicking back to the road.

Your mouth ran dry. The heat between you was rising, the tension humming louder now. “With what?” you asked, the words catching in your throat as your pulse quickened.

He glanced at you again, slower this time, eyes lingering on you before returning to the road. “Taking your mind off of it,” he added, voice low, each word deliberate, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

Your breath caught in your chest, and the weight of the moment hung heavy between you, pressing down until it felt like the only thing in the world that mattered was whatever Aki had in mind next.

“How?” you asked, your voice soft but edged with curiosity, your heart racing in your chest.

Aki’s eyes darted toward you for just a second, a slow, knowing smile tugging at his lips. He nodded toward the back seat, where the fogged windows and dim light hinted at the kind of escape you both knew so well. The implication was clear, and your pulse quickened, excitement threading through your veins.

You knew you should refuse. You knew you should just say, not tonight , go back to your hotel room, and leave Aki with the weight of everything you'd already asked of him. It would have been the right thing to do, the smart thing. But that gnawing pull toward him, the heat between you, made it impossible to walk away.

You couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across your face, playful and just a little dangerous. “What happened to seeing each other in private?” you teased.

He raised a brow, smirk widening as he leaned closer. “You never said anything about fuckingeach other in private,” He countered, his tone low and teasing, the words hanging heavy in the space between you.

You exhaled a shocked little laugh, the tension between you both electric. “We’re not hooking up, Aki,” you sighed, biting your lip. Your heart raced as you leaned into him, the heat of his body pulling you in.

“What’s a better way to celebrate getting over a break-up –” He teased, “Than makeup sex?”

“Not happening. Don’t start,” you retorted before closing the gap, your lips pressing a tender kiss into his.

But, for the record, you wound up crawling back into bed with your husband an hour later like nothing had happened.

a/n: I WANTED TO MAKE THIS MORE OF A SLOW BURN. but i absolutely HATED making them so miserable. they cant live without eachother. also aki's sigh of "be there in 10?" UGHSFHFDHFGHFG!!! i was so geeked up writing this. the next chapter coming will be full of that sweet goodness you all know and love (and know imma give you every time). stay tuned! lmk what yall thought of that long ass chapter, and what you wanna see happen in future ones!!! Mama loves yall. Make sure you're taking your meds, drinking water, and doing your homework. Muah! x

credits: UNKOWN ATM. I found the cover pic on pinterest unfortch. If you know the artist, please let me know, so I can credit them properly for their work!!! This is NOT MY BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGGG. I obviously do not own csm or anything related to it. please do not reproduce, copy, or translate my works anywhere. dont fk w me im a bruja.

also: come find me on my wattpad if u wanna interact more!

taglist: @mitsuyeahhh , @sleepysnk , @enneadec , @noaabean , @em1e , @drakensdarling , @bertholdts--butt , @satanlovesusall666 , @mitsuwuyaa , @noctifule , @scaraphobia , @ask-the-insect-hashira , @lovingranchturkeyweasel , @bontensbabygirl , @slvdsjjk , @novacrystalli , @hanmastattoos , @kodzuksn , @hqtiny , @ohmaiscool15 , @redlittlequeen , @leivane , @goldeneagles-posts , @yeahblahlame , @no-oneelsebutnsu , @cookiesandcreammy , @cawwn , @the-haitani-baton , @littlelovebug98 , @armani78 , @mindurownbussines , @kokos-property , @violetmatcha , @hp-simp505 , @acethebrave , @mitsuyeahhh , @sleepysnk , @enneadec , @noaabean , @em1e , @drakensdarling , @bertholdts--butt , @satanlovesusall666 , @mitsuwuyaa , @noctifule , @scaraphobia , @ask-the-insect-hashira , @lovingranchturkeyweasel , @bontensbabygirl , @slvdsjjk , @novacrystalli , @hanmastattoos , @kodzuksn , @hqtiny , @ohmaiscool15 , @redlittlequeen , @leivane , @goldeneagles-posts , @yeahblahlame , @no-oneelsebutnsu , @cookiesandcreammy , @cawwn , @the-haitani-baton , @littlelovebug98 , @armani78 , @mindurownbussines , @kokos-property , @violetmatcha , @hp-simp505

wanna join the taglist? | shameless ; chapter index

#notiddygxthgf ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚#shameless!#aki hayakawa #aki x reader #aki hayakawa x reader #hayakawa aki x reader #csm x reader #chainsaw man x reader #aki smut #aki x you #aki hayakawa x you #hayakawa aki x you

62 notes · View notes