#there’s something about the expression on his face before we hug that is destroying me

[unhinged-nymph]

And here’s link saying he’d flirt with it for us 😭😭😭

[dxxdhood]

Okayyyyyy your sub!Wade Wilson fic literally destroyed me and I need like a million more consider yourself my new dealer

(If reqs are open can I get uhhhhh Wade Wilson where he's needy but has no idea what he wants so reader has to shut his brain off and figure it out for him pls and thanks)

hi anon, i love this idea so much omg! i may have played around with it a bit but i think i still kept the same core idea. i went with fem! reader on this, but if you want a similar request with gn! or male! reader, let me know! pls enjoy!!!

rough night

pairing: wade wilson x fem!reader

summary: wade needs your love and attention, and luckily, you're always there to help him out.

tags: smut (18+), sub!wade wilson, dom!reader, dirty talk, praise kink, light bondage, grinding, clothed sex, oral (f receiving), exhibitionism, car sex

wc: 2.0k

“Okay, babe, hear me out: the ending to the stage version of Little Shop is leagues better than whatever deus ex machina crap they had to throw into the last two minutes of the movie. Cowardly movie-goer audiences can not handle true stage-level tragedy–”

“Wade!” You shout, nearly swerving the car as you double check the directions. Past midnight on the freeway after a long day, you barely had the concentration to drive in silence– much less in a car with your partner in it. “Can you help me get us home first before we start arguing over musical movies again. Please?”

Wade hums, tapping his scarred hand against the console, “That’s a big ask, I’m not so sure I can, to tell you the truth. You wanna talk about musical movies? Can we talk about how big The Greatest Showman got when the score is nothing but pop songs? Look, I get the lead actor looks like my crazy-hot new best friend, but the 2010s had way better stuff coming out.”

Turning his head so you could see the shit-eating grin plastered on his face, he whistles a note before speaking. “You missed our exit, by the way.”

“What?” You double check the GPS to make sure he’s not lying. Sure enough, he’s right. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Oh, you know. Typical Deadpool, just pissing off everyone around him all the time for no reason,” he chimes in again, and something about his tone sets you off. You speed across the next available ramp, and after the few seconds it takes for you to end up on a deserted road, you stop the car.

Taking a deep inhale, you make sure to hit the inside light so he can see you properly, and you grab the arm still fidgeting next to you. “Wade, what’s up with you?”

His eyes go large, and his expression loses all the mischief immediately. Shaking his head a little, he purses his lips. “Nothing. Nothing’s up.”

“Let’s just get home,” he says after an empty moment, almost like he’s booting up again. “You can yell at me the entire way back, okay? I was being a pain in the ass. I’ll take it lying down, promise.”

Seeing him in the dim, yellow lighting, he’s trying to retreat into his hoodie. He’s pulling away from you even as he speaks, and it makes your stomach turn.

“Let’s–” you start, unbuckling your seatbelt before gripping the door handle.  “Let’s just take a second first.”

You catch a wash of confusion on his face, but you exit the car and walk over to his side before he voices his thoughts out loud. Opening his door, you quickly envelope him in a hug before he can try to pull away again.

You swear you heard a whimper, but it was so quiet, you nearly missed it. Almost instantly, Wade buries his head in your neck, and his arms wrap around your middle tight. 

The two of you stay there, alone, with the gentle sound of crickets chirping in the background for what feels like a small eternity. You know it must have only been a few minutes, because shortly, your thighs burn from the angle you’re bending at, so you gently pull away. You decide not to mention the wetness left on your shirt.

“What do you need?” You ask.

He shakes his head again, but faster this time. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t even know why I was trying to piss you off.”

“Today was fine, right? I thought so, but all of sudden everything felt like it was going to shit. In my head, I just started going around in circles, going over all the little ways I kept fucking up, and – I don’t know – it got to me.” Wade brings a palm to his forehead. “It’s just one of those hate-yourself days, I guess.” 

You nod, taking one of his hands in yours as you stand on the dying grass surrounding the road. Rubbing his palm with your thumb, trying to transfer some of your warmth to him, you’re suddenly met with an idea so good, you can keep inside the chuckle. 

“Sorry, sorry!” You choke. “Not laughing at you, I just– I just think it’s funny where my brain goes.”

“What do you mean?” He looks up at you with pupils so big, you just want to go back to squeezing him. 

“Well, we’re all alone out here.”

You can almost see the loading screen in Wade’s mind when he breaks out in a laugh. “No way, I finally found someone worse than me.”

“Would you want to?”

He’s nodding before he can even process, but after a second a frown sets in. “You know I’m always down to clown around, but I’d just be a burden right now. I’m all sad and icky and touchy-feely. I don’t even know what I–”

“You want me to handle it?” you interrupt. “I’ll just do stuff we’ve liked doing in the past. You don’t have to worry about a thing, I’ll make it all good for you.”

Wade turns his head away, and for a terrifying moment, you believe you’ve made him uncomfortable. But a part of him wins whatever fight is going on eternally, and when he faces you again, a blush coats his cheeks.“You’d do that?”

“You think I’m offering ‘cause I like hearing myself talk?”

“You have the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard,” he smiles, and not having learned anything, you bend down again to kiss him. He responds fast, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek as he pulls you in closer. No matter how much of you he gets, he always finds himself needing more.

You push his hood down and you carefully run your hands across his scalp, cradling his head, as you deepen the kiss. Licking inside his mouth, you feel more than hear a rumble build in his chest.

Breaking away, you pull your sweater off before laying it on the ground in front of the passenger seat. Stepping to the side, you give Wade a second to process before you order him.

“Kneel.”

He definitely mumbles a soft “holy shit” as he slips out of the car and drops to his knees. Briefly, you run your hands across his shoulders, kneading at the intersection between his shoulders and neck, feeling the tense muscle there. Typical Wade to cause problems instead of talking about his own. Just how long was he carrying around all of this tension? Maybe when you’re both home later, at what will probably be the crack of dawn, you can run him a warm bath or give him a better massage.

For right now, you slip past him and sit in the car seat above him. Angled so your legs dangle out the car door opening, you place a hand around the back of Wade’s neck and urge him closer.

“You ready?” You whisper. “You want to eat me out, Wade?”

He buries his head into your thigh at your words as he lets out a groan, “Yes, please, oh my god.”

Grabbing both of your legs, he lifts them onto his shoulder and he already starts to move his head closer in between them.

“Hold on,” you grab one of his hands, interlocking your fingers. “Here, help me move one of my legs off your shoulder and against your dick.”

To his credit, he does, even as he shivers at your words. As he scooches around, trying to get comfortable or maybe just hungry for more sensation already, you feel his cock half hard.

“You’ve been wanting this, huh? Wanting me to boss you around a little,” you whisper, inching your head closer to his so you can whisper in his ear. “Wanting to hear dirty things in my voice?”

“Yes!’ he shouts. “Yes, please! Can I eat you out, babe? I’ll be good!”

“”Course you will be,” you smile. “You’re always so good for me.”

With a little maneuvering around your legs, you manage to slip your shorts and underwear off, accidentally tossing them into the darkness.

Wade frowns, his brow creasing, “No, I haven’t been very good lately–”

On command, you grab his chin and tilt it so his gaze rests on yours. There’s no hiding from your words now. “Don’t say that. Stop talking.”

“You don’t feel good?” you smirk. “Then prove to me right now how good you can really be.”

He needs no further encouragement as he buries his face between your thighs, already licking across you, teasing you even now. His pace is quick, desperate, but he’s still careful to avoid where you need him most.

With one hand perched at the top of his head, you scratch the other down his neck as a warning, but all it does is draw a moan from him. You can feel the vibrations through you, and it causes you to grind across his mouth.

Panting heavily, you decide to even the score. You press your calf up against his hard cock, inching it backwards and forwards, bit by bit, and that’s all it takes for Wade to remember his own needs. Wanting  you already, he slowly grinds against your leg, and though it feels harsh through his pants, from past experience as well as the wet groans filling the air, you’re sure Wade enjoys it.

Suddenly, he decides to circle your clit in earnest, and it draws a loud moan from you. You begin to grind yourself against his tongue, still somehow working you with coordinated movements despite how out-of-control he humps your leg.

His whimpers slip out of him, as if he’s been completely fucked dumb just by getting off on your leg. The power is heady, and you move your hands to his, wrapping them around his wrists and bringing them in front of him to settle right in front of his stomach. Once you’re sure you’ve got a secure grasp, you bring one of your hands away to tilt his face up to yours so you can kiss him again.

You taste yourself warm on his lips, and the thought causes even more heat to pool at your core. All too soon, you pull away from him and shove his head back between your thighs. 

“Fuck, Wade, so good. You’re so good for me.”

He’s whimpering right into your core and involuntarily, the hand restraining his wrists clenches. The harshness only turns him on further, and he continues rubbing himself along your leg so quick, you’re sure it must be starting to sting.

“Yeah? You like fucking my leg, Wade? I love seeing you grind on me, sweetheart, you’re so pretty.”

His pace increases, and he starts letting out frequent moans in between the warm breaths he exhales onto you. Your thighs are shaking – his speed for you has never faltered – and you shove his face towards you with the palm against his head.

“I’m gonna come. You wanna be my good boy and come with me, huh?”

At that, he releases a loud groan into your pussy, and you feel yourself coming, dripping onto his already soaked face. At your wetness, his grinding only increases, and after only a few more seconds, Wade finishes, cum seeping from his pants onto your leg. 

The two of you stay silent with only your breaths slowly returning to normal to fill the air. Wade’s eyes are large, gazing at you like you’re all he could ever want, and it’s almost too overwhelming for you to return.

Shakily, he pushes off the ground and makes it to his feet before he stumbles to the side. On instinct, you jump from the seat outside to catch him, your arms wrapped around his waist. You’re still afraid that he’ll fall, but Wade lets out a light giggle.

“If you couldn’t drive us home before, I’ve got no clue how we’re making it back now.”

You lightly slap his arm, “You could be nicer to me after I made you come, bitch.”

He lets out a groan that would sound exaggerated if it came from anyone else, “Shit, call me that next time!”

“Next time I wreck you in the middle of nowhere?” you smirk.

“Just name a time and place.”

[elixrr]

“Wait, Y/N—” He stops you in your tracks. He needs a rundown. He needs a repeat on why you're leaving him. “Why— why are you—”

“Why?” You stop yourself from crying out loud, “Because you're killing yourself over me.”

He stops in his tracks. Him? Killing himself over you? What are you saying? He's fine, he's perfectly fine, as long as he's with you!

“Wh– What makes you say that? Please, love, don't go away. Don't leave, tell me what's wrong, I can make it right!”

“You were making your way back up in life before we started dating.” You begin. Your voice became soft and sorrowful, holding in layers of guilt for this poor, poor man before you. “You were making money for yourself, and you were finally helping yourself become financially stable.”

“So it's the money?” He lets out an exasperated laugh, as if he were relieved at the circumstance. He smiles with slight relief in his eyes, and he reassures you, “Don't worry! I'll find more jobs, then I'll earn enough to buy you more things. Hell, the money you gave me when... when you told me you were leaving, I– I can use it!”

His smile stays for a bit, but it fades when he watches your expression sadden.

“It wasn't about getting me gifts. You need the money for yourself, not me. I'm fine with everything I have. I gave you the money because you need it to take care of yourself again.”

You can't bear to look at his confused face. He's such a sweetheart, and it hurts like hell to leave him, but it's for the best if it means he only has to support himself, and not two people.

“But... If you just need me to be financially stable, that's fine. I can do that, then afterward, I can buy—”

“Honey, that's not it. You need the money for yourself and yourself only, don't count material things for me.”

“But— I just... I don't want you to leave. We can work this out. We can work it out together.”

You pause, hesitating. The door stands tall behind you. You don't want to leave him; he's your darling, but guilt overrides your heart, and you take your stance.

“I wanted to work it out with you, so I've tried. We've discussed this so many times, remember? But when you did become financially stable again, you wasted it all away for me on Valentine's Day. I loved that gift— I love you, I love you so much, but I can't keep watching you destroy yourself.”

He finally feels the tear rolling, and yours begin to pour.

“And since you only begin to listen when I'm on the verge of leaving, I feel like it would help you more than it would hurt if I left.”

“But I can't do this without you!”

He runs up to you, trying to hug you, but you're out the door, and he falls to the ground, sobbing on his knees and watching you leave. It's terrible, it's horrible, but he can't bring himself to stand up and chase you. To his surprise, you kneel by him and hold his cheek.

“I don't want you to do this alone. But you have to, if it means you'll be able to live again.”

And there's a pause between you two. It's raining, drizzling raindrops coat your hair and lather across your clothes, as it does with his. The air is thick; bridges are burning. This was not something he could ever recover from, but you have a whole future ahead of you, away from him. Was he holding you back the whole time? Did any of this interfere with your work? With your mental stability?

Please, take him back. Keep him with you.

“I left a great sum of money with you.” You pull yourself together and stand. Your sudden stability towers over his— considering as he lacks it. “If you section it correctly, you'll have enough to pay the bills for almost two years, and you'll have money left over for about three months to buy yourself luxurious food and some nice clothes. If you don't look for luxury, that will last you a while, more than enough to look for a whole new job.”

“I don't care.” He finally manages to cry out, and he holds your waist in a final, desperate attempt to keep you with him. “I don't care. I– I don't want money,

I just want you.”

But he can't keep you. You glance at your driver and signal for her to wait. You lift your ex-boyfriend back up and take him back into the house, seating him on the couch. You take one final look around the shabby living room, and you sigh.

“I'd tell you to come back when you can handle everything better, but by then, I'm sure you'll have met someone new.”

“But what if I don't?”

“Then feel free to come back when you're comfortable. I'm glad you're so kind and loving, but I simply just couldn't stand watching you waste your future away for me.”

You stand up and kiss him one last time. He, like usual, doesn't process it in time to kiss you back, and before he could reciprocate, you bow and wave a goodbye, and you're out the door.

You grab the doorknob and— before you close the door, you turn around and mutter the quietest, soon meaningless ‘I love you,’ and you gently close the door,

and that was the end of it all.

You said that he should build a new future for himself, but with his tearful eyes glaring hot, burning laser beams at the door, it's very safe to say that this future is starting off terribly far from a good one.

He needs a restart; he's realized it before, but he never wanted to start over like this—

He never wanted to see a future without you in it. But you're gone. All that's left are the remaining photos you haven't taken, as well as the money you've left for him.

He hears the car drive off into the distant future.

He hears the car skid into your new future.

He knows why you left him now, but he doesn't know why you needed to.

If only he could get you to repeat it one last time. But there are no repeats.

All you've really left him with is a restart.

– LYNEY, FREMINET, HEIZOU, GAMING, xiao, EARLY KUNI(KUZISHI)

[orpheusluvr]

Aggressive (Frederick Kreiburg x Female Reader)

NSFW WARNING

After constantly teasing him, Frederick has tolerated enough and decides to take matters into his own hands…in the brutalist way possible.

Idk how many of y’all simp for this man but I’m not lying when I’d say that I’d absolutely let him DESTROY me (and he would tbh)

Just imagining him and Orpheus makes me go hhhgrdghffggh

Your husband was a charming and well mannered man. Always making you feel special and loved. But there was one thing about him that distinguished the differences between you both.

Intimacy. The one word that Frederick despised.

You and him had sex only once ever since you married each other last year. He didn’t really like the experience at all, and said that it made him feel slightly uncomfortable and he wished to not do it again until he was ready. You respected his wish, however he felt guilty knowing that it wasn’t your fault at all, it was just how he felt about the whole thing.

The only form of “intimacy” that you received from him were hugs and kisses on the cheek. On rare occasions, you’d kiss on the lips and it would turn into make-out sessions but nothing more than that.

It was becoming more and more unbearable for you, but in the mean time you tried to find ways to cope.

Even Orpheus himself offered to give you a hand.

“I’m much better than him. I’ll give you a spectacular experience.” He said, with a slight grin.

You politely refused, turning away from him.

“Orpheus, I’m married to him. That would just be extremely messed up. As much as I crave the feeling, I must not let my self respect come undone.” You said.

Orpheus nodded.

“Very well. Though, I’m always here if you ever change your mind.” He said, before turning away and silently walking off.

For the past few days, you had been doing something risky to get Frederick’s attention in some way. And so far, he had managed to compose himself each time. Until now.

You were currently seated in the dining room, along with Orpheus and Melly Plinius. Frederick was sat next to you. You all ate dinner in silence.

A smile appeared on your face as you slowly moved your hand under the table, placing it over Frederick’s crotch.

“Ngh…!” Frederick groaned.

Your smile increased. It was working.

Orpheus looked at Frederick suspiciously.

“My apologies, the steak is quite warm.” Frederick said, clearing his throat. He then picked up his cutlery again and began cutting up the steak in a desperate manner to try and look normal.

You on the other hand, began stroking his crotch. He closed his eyes, his breath increasing. He tried clearing his thoughts, pretending your hand wasn’t in his sensitive spot at all.

“Mr Kreiburg, perhaps we should open a window?” Orpheus said.

Frederick shook his head.

“I’m…good.” He said, struggling to speak.

“You don’t seem like it.” Orpheus said. He then looked at you, his facial expression making it seem like he knew what was going on. He then returned to eating.

You decided to take an even larger risk.

You slid your hands into Frederick’s pants, but just as you were about to feel his cock, he immediately dropped his cutlery. It gave you a shock and you immediately moved back.

“Mr Kreiburg? Is everything alright?” Melly asked.

Frederick slowly turned towards you, anger and lust filling up his eyes as he stared at you. His cheeks were red.

“Pardon me, Mrs Plinius. There is something I must deal with.” He said, not breaking his eye contact with you.

He immediately grabbed your hand and got up, dragging you along with him.

As you were in the hallway, you tried to ask him what was going on.

“Fre-”

“I don’t want to hear another word from you.” He snapped.

After reaching your bedroom, he threw you onto the bed, removing his coat. You smiled to yourself, knowing that your plan had finally worked.

“What on earth are you smiling about?” He said, immediately pinning you to the bed. His face was extremely close to yours as a few strands of his light grey hair fell onto his face.

He was slightly annoyed that you didn’t respond to him.

“Well then. I guess I’ll just be hearing sounds from you tonight instead.” He said, moving forward and kissing you. His grip around your arms increased while you both moaned and grunted. He pulled away and began removing the belt to his pants, pulling them down. He revealed his cock that you hadn’t seen in so long, making you even more wet from below as you saw how hard he was, how the veins were running through it and how precum was already dripping from the tip.

He removed your pants and panties, and saw how wet you were from him. He gave a small laugh.

“Naughty girl.” He said, lifting both of your legs and placing them on his shoulders.

He immediately inserted into your entrance, thrusting into you without warning while tightly grabbing your legs.

“F-Frederick! Ngh…hah…” your moans filled the entire room.

“Slow…down…”

Frederick looked at you bitterly.

“I’m giving you what you want, and you’re telling me to slow down?” He said.

He increased his speed even more, hitting your sweet spot each time and sending you to the absolute climax.

“Frederick…I’m gonna c-”

“Don’t.” He said, coldly.

He slowly stopped thrusting and lowered his head towards your ear.

“I’m not letting you cum after how you’ve been treating me lately. Let’s see how long you can keep it in.” He whispered, his voice thick and deep with desire.

[oh-koenig-my-koenig]

building a pillowfort

(cw: age gap 25/41, hints of smut, nsfw, mdni)

Most days we stay in, after I get back from work. Cooking something together if König didn’t do that already before or ordering some take-out.

Like that one time when we converted half the living room into a giant pillow fort. Using the couch as the base, blankets shielding the fort off, all of the comfy pillows we could find lying on the ground, so we would be comfortable. We even ordered from my favourite sushi place, although sushi isn’t really his thing because he doesn’t really like fish and also because he’d need to eat so much of it for his calorie intake that it is expensive.

He almost tears down the painstakingly constructed pillowfort when he takes a seat inside and leans back, his head getting stuck on one of the blankets. We can prevent the worst and the fort is saved, but he sits back a little wearily and I can’t hold back the laughter.

His tall stature in the flimsy construction looks almost comical, the big man in something so childish like a pillowfort makes my heart dance with joy. And it feels like this little date thing, not just a evening like every other, even when we were just staying in.

We eat, sitting in our comfortable fort, and watch Scream, the original one from ’96. We both have seen it a bunch of times already. I mean, it’s a classic, right? I still flinch every time there is a loud noise or a jumpscare. And König laughs every time, his hearty chuckles making me look at him, because I can’t get enough of how his face lights up when he’s smiling bright, even at my expense.

"Aww, poor thing.", he coos with pretend pity.

"Shut up.", I tell him, equally pretending to be pouty, nudging him with my elbow.

His huge arms are closing around me as he pulls me into him, my cheek landing on his huge pec. I just love when he does that. The simple one-sided hug sitting next to each other, our size difference meaning that my face would get pressed into his chest, his calming scent engulfing me. When I’m snuggled against him like that, everything seems a little more like it’s going to be okay.

"Come here, I'll protect you from Ghostface.", he says, his voice beaming with protectiveness while I see the spark of mischief in his eyes as he is grinning down at me.

"You're so stupid.", I mutter, nuzzling into his shirt. He just laughs again, cuddling me closer.

The movie is quickly forgotten about because of course our hands start to wander. And it doesn’t take more than a few strokes over his bulge, that looks really delicious in his black sweatpants by the way, until his hand catches my wrist and turns the teasing touches around on me.

I shake with laughter as the whole pillowfort crashes down around us with the first few pushes of his dick into me, the blankets covering us – mostly hanging off of his head and shoulders. The fort is now completely destroyed, a grumpy expression on his face while he gets rid the blankets, cursing and grumbling.

“Wir kinan nur froh sei, dass i koa Maurer wordn bin.“ (We can count ourselves lucky that I didn’t become a mason.)

He mutters something to himself in his funny language while he makes sure that everything is out of the way and me comfortable and warm underneath himself, not willing to leave my warm wet pussy to do any of that. Kissing my face all over, starting to fuck me again with deep hard strokes, until the grin on my lips turns into an O, soft moans escaping my throat.

~ More in the Masterlist ~

[pillow-anime-talk]

where you go, i go.

request: i saw write for kagaya and as a simp for him, thank you! if i may, request a scenario where before the confrontation with muzan, kagaya had begged for reader to not be there with him but reader refuses. she takes a hold of his hand, bring his knuckles to her lips, pressing a gentle kiss on his hand. gently but firmly stating that he’s her companion in life. the love of her life. she will not leave him alone. she will stay right by his side no matter what may come to pass. [i had gotten the idea from the quote “we have lived together for many years. where you go, i go” of ida straus to her husband isidor straus. i think that this would suit the relationship] 

# tags: scenario; current marriage relationship; soft romance; drama; mostly angst; mention of death and crying; kagaya and reader have children; sfw?

includes: female reader ft. kagaya ubuyashiki {kny}

author’s note: it was a beautiful request and i’m sorry you waited so long for it! love u, anonnie ♥

These were hard months for people, for whole Demon Slayer Corps, and most of all for you and your loved one, who buried many of his combatants, many of his ‘children’. Both you and your husband knew that it was a matter of several hours before Muzan would reach your current place of residence and start wreaking havoc and murder innocent people, destroy crops and houses, and kill animals grazing in meadows or resting in stables and cowsheds. The Demon King wanted to catch both your partner and Tanjirou’s little demon sister, and you had to be prepared for that; both mentally and physically.

Your husband begged you to take your children and hide in a safe place for you (preferably underground with a supply of food and water), to run as far away as possible from the King walking towards you and forget about what has been going on for the last few months (e.g. to find someone better, someone with whom your future will be bright and peaceful). But you were stubborn, Kagaya knew it very well.

“...I’m begging you, Y/N. Just go away and live safely without me.” The blind man turned his head in your direction and you just frowned. The chirping of the last birds reached your ears, and you muttered something unintelligible under your breath.

“... Why would I leave a person who is my whole world?” You asked rhetorically and the man only sighed in response. You were really stubborn and stuck to your point. “We have lived together for many years, Kagaya. Where you go, I go. Do you remember? We promised that to each other on our wedding day.” You smiled softly, and the twenty-three-year-old seemed to sense your changing facial expressions. His heart, though it shouldn’t have, was beating faster.

“Yes, I know, my dear. But I don’t want anything bad to happen to you and kids, you need to understand that, Y/N.” He said, listening to the wind and the sound of flowing water from the tiny stream in front of your property. The rustle of leaves and bushes was also pleasant to the ear.

You moved closer to your husband and then took both of his hands in a strong grip. Kagaya obviously appreciated the gesture, and the moment you lifted his hands to your own warm lips and placed a tender kiss on both of his hands, he understood that you would not leave him, even if you go to certain deaths. It wasn’t your style, it wasn’t in your genes.

“So let’s get through this together.” He said in a low voice so as not to wake your sleeping children at home. You nodded your head, thanking him for his understanding.

“...Let us also die together.” You replied with a confident face and then hugged the man, inhaling his characteristic, pleasant smell reminiscent of old pine and fresh peonies. “Where you are, there I am.” You said, closing your eyes, dreaming of life and a world where there are no demons, death and war. About such a life where there are only you two, your offspring, laughter and love. 

It was a beautiful vision.

[messysketchyobeyme]

Can Demons Purr?

Satan/Gender-Neutral Reader

This fic is set in Nightbringer!

Summary:

“Can we do that?”

“Huh?”

Satan shook his head, seemingly too entranced by the kitty to formulate complete thoughts. “I mean, can demons purr?” He gazed at you, tilting his head slightly to the side. “I’ve only had a body for a year at this point, and I’m still learning about what it’s capable of.”

"...Let’s see for ourselves, shall we?”

Word Count: 2,200

---

Yet another fight had broken out between the brothers, and Lucifer had called you over to stop Beelzebub from destroying the kitchen…again. You had half the mind to tease Lucifer over the phone for relying so much on you when just a couple of months ago he all but said that he’d rather drop dead than have an attendant to babysit him and his brothers. However, Lucifer’s quiet, exhausted voice made you bite your tongue and head right over. 

Although you were still miffed at being downgraded from family to class mediator in the blink of an eye, you began your trek to the House of Lamentation without one of your usual complaints. It was one of the few moments you could hang out with the brothers, even though most of that time was spent ensuring they didn’t get themselves into trouble.

…Now that you thought about it, maybe things weren’t so different, after all. 

As you walked up the path toward the brothers’ home, you spotted Satan standing in the garden. 

Wait.

You did a double take to confirm that, yep, Satan was there with his back facing toward you, his fists clenching and unclenching rapidly. His entire body was tense with his shoulders hunched over. 

Huh. You had assumed that Satan was involved in the fight but apparently not. A small sliver of guilt washed over you, but you quickly dismissed it.

Glancing over at the House of Lamentation, you didn’t see a hole being struck through the wall or anything else out of the ordinary. You probably had a few minutes to see what was up with Satan before having to head inside and placate the rest of the brothers. 

You cautiously stepped toward Satan. The grass crunched softly underneath your shoes. “Hey, Satan. What’s up?”

Satan’s breath hitched as he whipped his head around to face your direction. He visibly relaxed when he saw you making your way over. “I thought you were one of my brothers.” He turned back around to where he was facing before. 

Should you have been offended by that? Either way, you noted that he didn’t answer your greeting or your question. “What are you looking at?” you asked. 

You followed his line of sight to see a beautiful calico cat playfully swatting the plants that lined the base of the tree she was under. Splotches of black decorated the orange bits of her fur, which practically glowed under the moonlight. No wonder Satan was so enthralled. 

“That cat over there.” Satan pointed, confirming what you had thought. “I’ve been trying to pet her all day, but she keeps running away from me. I hate it.” Satan kicked the dirt, uprooting some of the grass with it. 

“Well, cats can be skittish creatures at times. If you’re not careful, you may end up scaring her.”

“I’m not scary!” Satan snapped. 

You took a sharp breath and tensed up. Even the cat seemed to momentarily raise her head at his outburst. Satan’s furrowed eyebrows relaxed into a face that you couldn’t quite name. That happened a lot with Satan, you noticed. Whenever his enraged expression would melt away, it would always be replaced by something you didn’t have the emotional intelligence to understand. Was it regret, sorrow, or something else entirely?

“I never said you were,” you said softly. In any other circumstance, you would have given Satan a hug by now, but this wasn’t your Satan. This one was still hesitant about receiving physical affection and would often rebuke any attempts.

 He looked away. “Asmo tried to teach me how to be more approachable to cats the other day, but I think he was just using it as an excuse to dress me up.” 

“Was he now?” you said in amusement. You could tell that Asmodeus was trying his best to befriend Satan, even though his actions tended to be a little off the mark. “I can teach you, instead. I’m pretty sure I have more experience in dealing with cats.”

It was subtle, but Satan’s eyes lit up. “Would you?”

You nodded, smiling at him. “Yes, of course.” His wide-eyed expression was so cute that you had to physically stop yourself from pinching his cheek. “As I said before, cats tend to be kind of timid, so it’s important that you let them come to you rather than the other way around.” 

Ah, if only you had some cat food on hand to draw her over here. You could try to get something from the fridge, but Beelzebub’s rampage probably meant that the kitchen was off-limits for now. You’d have to do without. 

“Here, why don’t we sit down?” You almost grab his shoulders, intent on gently guiding him down, before stopping in your tracks. 

Although you and Satan definitely had a more amicable relationship compared to when you first met, you still weren’t entirely sure if he was comfortable with you touching him just yet. Instead, you sat down and patted the grassy area next to you. Satan followed suit, sitting crossed-legged. His knee was barely touching yours. 

“Like this?” he asked quietly.

You clapped your hands together. “Exactly like this. And now, we wait.”

“For how long?”

You shrugged. “For however long it takes for her to come over here.” The cat was now batting a couple of stray sticks that must have fallen off of the tree. “She seems to be naturally curious, so it shouldn’t take long.”

“Oh, okay,” Satan said. After a few seconds of him twiddling his thumbs, he asked, “Do cats have soft fur?”

“Most do,” you answered, “Though, it depends on how well groomed it is.”

“Her fur looks soft.”

“It does.”

Satan tapped his legs. “I hope I’ll get to feel it soon.” 

You hoped so, too. 

The cat was now chewing on the stick, her tail swishing behind her. She was much closer to the two of you than before, but she was still a long way away.

Satan hummed. He plucked at the grass surrounding his shoes. “I like it when she meows. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s cute.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, I hope you’ll be able to hear it soon.”

Your heart quivered. That was a sweet sentiment. You became lost in thought as the crows chirped overhead. You missed Satan dearly, as you did with the rest of the brothers from the present, but this wasn’t so bad. You enjoyed seeing a different side to the brothers that you never thought you’d ever get to know. 

You flinched when Satan slammed his hand on your knee. “She’s coming,” he whispered urgently. 

Sure enough, the cat was casually strolling over in your direction. Her tail was curved upward into the shape of a question mark, and her green eyes darted around curiously. She came to you first, butting her head against your leg. You held your hand in front of her nose to give her some time to sniff you. When she did, you began to scratch behind her ears, quietly cooing at the way her ears twitched. 

Satan was staring intently at the cat, who was leaning into your hand to get more pets. She was a greedy little thing, wasn’t she? You grinned. “What are you waiting for?” you whispered.

Satan absentmindedly squeezed your knee. You didn’t think he realized he was doing it. “I’m afraid I’ll scare her again,” he said. His voice was strained. 

“May I?” you asked. Satan hesitantly nodded. 

You gently lifted up his hand and guided him toward the cat. Satan bristled at your touch but soon relaxed when you, with your hand on top of his, showed him how to pet the cat along its back. She chirped happily, and you removed your hand, allowing Satan to stroke her fur on his own. 

A tiny smile appeared on his face. It was so subtle that you probably wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t looking directly at him. “It is soft,” Satan muttered in astonishment. 

The cat flopped down on her back, revealing the white fur along her stomach. Satan drew his hand back, now unsure what to do now that his only petting spot was covered. He looked at you for guidance, and you jerked your head forward to silently say, “Go on.”

Satan wavered for a few seconds before copying what you had done before. He scratched the cat behind her ears, causing her to flick her head back. Satan’s face brightened up, and his eyes danced in excitement. His giddiness was palpable as you found yourself smiling, as well.

The cat closed her eyes and let out a tiny mewl. A low vibrating-like sound emanated from her as she cuddled up to Satan’s hand. 

His mouth fell open. “What is that?” he asked incredulously.

Satan had to be careful about getting that innocent look in his eyes, or else you’d fall in love with him all over again.

“She’s purring,” you said, “It means she’s happy. She likes you.” You reached over and gave the cat a few good strokes along the top of her head.

His voice was breathy and quiet. “I like her, too,” he said, “Can other animals purr?”

You scratched your cheek. “Uh, I’m not actually sure. I think some wild cats can purr, too.”

“Can we do that?”

“Huh?”

Satan shook his head, seemingly too entranced by the kitty to formulate complete thoughts. “I mean, can demons purr?” He gazed at you, tilting his head slightly to the side. “I’ve only had a body for a year at this point, and I’m still learning about what it’s capable of.”

You racked your brain to try to think of any moment when you had heard any of the demon brothers purr. Aside from any cat-spell-related mishaps, you didn’t recall a particular moment. If you had to pick, you guessed your Satan was the one who’d come closest to ‘purring.’ He’d often hum in contentment whenever you massaged his head or gave him a back scratch. But, did that count?

You were about to shake your head when you bit your lip and paused. What if demons could purr, and you’ve just never heard it before? Although that would be a low blow to your ego, you didn’t want to give Satan the wrong information. If he found out later on that demons could actually purr, that would put your integrity–and very identity–on the line. 

As you were deliberating this little dilemma of yours, the cat sat up. Satam froze as she shook her body and sauntered off. Her tail waved in the air as she disappeared into the distance, off to go play with who knows what.

Satan winced and started anxiously massaging his hand. “Did I do something wrong?” He sounded uncharacteristically meek, which put you on edge. 

“No, no, you didn’t,” you said, “She probably just had her fill of pets for now. We’ll probably see her again later today.”

“Oh. I hope we see her soon, then.”

You hummed, thinking that you were safe. “I do, too.”

Satan turned to face you. “As for my question?” His eyes were soft, yet curious. 

Dang it. 

Small beads of sweat prickled your back. “Yes, well, um, let’s see for ourselves, shall we?” You reached out toward him, your hand hovering just before his face. 

Satan tensed, tightening his jaw. His pupils fluttered around, as though desperately searching for a hint of mockery in your expression. When he found none, his cheeks slowly reddened as if he just now understood what you were asking. The blush that threatened to engulf the entirety of his face complimented the color of his eye. It was cute. He was cute. 

He looked down, squeezing his eyes shut in what you hoped wasn’t shame. Then, gradually, he nodded, finally granting you the permission you were waiting for. 

You tenderly grasped the underside of his jaw and gently scratched the area leading to his ear. You had expected him to stiffen up immediately, but you found him unwinding himself under your touch. 

Satan was trying to fight the feeling, judging by the way his eyebrows had stitched together, but, soon enough, he gave up. Satan leaned into the palm of your hand, and a soft sigh accidentally escaped his lips. A wobbly, lopsided grin stretched onto his face when you started caressing him behind the ear. 

However, he didn’t purr. You withdrew your hand. “I guess that settles it, demons can’t–”

Satan gripped your wrist so tightly that you jumped. “Please,” he muttered, a hint of desperation on the edge of his voice, “Don’t stop.” Satan’s hand was trembling as he placed your hand back to where it was before. With a vague sense of curiosity, you noted that his eyes were wet.

…Well, he had asked so nicely. How could you possibly have refused? You were certain that Lucifer could handle things on his own. Besides, as a certified demon attendant, it was your responsibility to ensure the happiness of all of the brothers. You went right back to petting the side of Satan’s face, delighting in the way he melted under your fingertips. 

[peachhcs]

samy was definitely excited and happy for will for the win but sad because her umich boys lost but she can’t wait to watch bc in the championship

one down, one to go

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will blurb)

samy's two favorite teams are playing against one another with her favorite boys has her feeling a bit unsure because she knows one will lose and one will come out victorious.

1.2k words

guys i know bc just lost the championship, but let's not talk about that rn! instead, here's a blurb requested by multiple people about the semi finals win! i didn't get a chance to write this when they actually won a few days ago, so let's just use this to cheer us up about bc's loss :(

au masterlist

samy didn’t know how to feel seeing her michigan boys crumple to the ice while her boyfriend celebrated in victory with his teammates. the final buzzer left umich with nothing on the scoreboard and boston with an overwhelming four points. the girl’s gaze flicked between ethan and mark in an emotional hug and the freshman trio screaming up at the boston fans who celebrated their victory with them. 

she saw will skate her way, so she hopped towards the glass separating her from the ice. the boy’s large smile was quite infectious as he pulled his helmet up revealing extremely sweaty hair. the girl returned his smile—seeing him so, so happy filled the same emotions into her own system despite feeling bad for her michigan brothers. 

“we won!!” will yelled. 

“i'm so proud of you. congratulations!” samy yelled back. a giggle escaped her lips when the boy tossed over a puck—something he always did for her whenever they won a game. 

“meet me outside of the locker room in like thirty minutes?” the boy wondered and she quickly nodded. will blew her a kiss before skating back to his boys so they could head into the locker room. 

the smile never left samy’s lips watching her friends happily make their way down the tunnel, yet it faded when she finally caught gazes with ethan and mark. the two older boys managed weak smiles in her direction as they passed by her section. 

it was so hard having her two favorite teams play one another in the semi finals because she knew one of them would move on and the other would have to go home. it was even worse when a lot of the michigan boys were leaving for their nhl contracts and wouldn’t be ever playing at michigan ever again. 

samy followed will’s parents into the main lobby where nearly every family waited for their kid to emerge, some ecstatic while others stood near the back with solemn expressions. the youngest hughes went to her phone, texting her parents and brothers updates about the game. 

“jeez, i feel like i don’t know if i should be sad or happy,” hannah found the brunette in the crowd. the two girls shared gentle smiles as the both had similar mixed feelings about the end of the semi finals. 

“i know. duker’s last game, right?” samy wondered and hannah nodded. 

“it’s so, so sad, but i’m also really happy for will and them.” 

“tell me about it. second year in a row michigan got out in the semi finals,” samy thought back to last year’s game and how incredibly emotional everything was because luke got on a plane to new jersey immediately after without much warning. 

“yeah, that was luke’s last game last year. god, i remember that,” hannah frowned a bit. 

some of the michigan guys emerged from the locker room. the expressions on each of their faces were so heartbreaking and ones samy knew all too well. her and her team were destroyed after losing the ncaa finals back in december. 

ethan and mark came out after one another. the brunette watched as they hugged their parents close by before finding her gaze again. all three of their faces held soft expressions as samy went to them. ethan collected her first in a tight hug. 

“thanks for coming, squirt.” 

“i’m sorry you lost. it was a hard game. you guys played well,” samy looked between him and mark. the two older guys nodded. 

“get ‘em next year, right?” mark laughed sadly as he collected luke’s baby sister into a hug too. 

“right. one more year, yeah?” she knew mark and ethan were staying on one more year to finish out college, but that seemed so much closer now that the season was over. 

what would she do without them for her last two years of college? 

in the mist of their hugging, the bc boys came out of the locker room in hollers. their parents greeted them in the same manner. samy glanced at the two older boys—the look in her eyes asking if it was okay if she went over. 

“go, he’s probably looking for you,” ethan snickered, earning a playful eye roll from the girl. 

“you sure?” she wanted to make sure they’d be okay. 

“positive. we’ll be fine. go celebrate with your boyfriend,” mark grinned. 

she finally took their word for it and broke away from them. it didn’t help that she wasn’t that tall to see through the large crowds. a lot of parents pushed themselves closer together as their kids came out leaving the paths to get through narrower and narrower. 

“samy!” will’s voice echoed through the commotion of everyone else. 

she finally saw his tall figure that was no longer in his uniform but a loosely put on suit. as soon as the crowd broke, she jumped into his arms. he swung her around, loud laughter falling from their lips in joy. 

“i'm so proud of you, will. you guys played so well,” the girl gushed. 

“couldn’t have done it without you. you’re my good luck charm,” the blonde littered a hundred kisses onto her cheek as he couldn’t contain his excitement nor the adrenaline rushing through him. 

he’d be riding this high the entire night. 

samy blushed deeply at his words and in response, will pushed his lips onto hers. he didn’t care that there were families all around them and everyone was watching. he didn’t care about the looks from others around them. all the hockey player cared about was winning the semi finals with his girl at his side. 

will pushed his tongue into her mouth, lips molding into samy’s like they were made for each other. his grip was nearly bruising, but the adrenaline in both of their systems was enough to make it invisible. 

loud whistles finally pulled them apart where ryan and gabe watched their friends a few feet away. even mark and ethan who caught a glimpse of the action let out their own hoots for the couple. a deep blush spread across samy and will’s cheeks. 

“i would tease you guys, but since we just won, i’ll let it go for now,” ryan grinned.

“congratulations, guys. you guys played so well,” samy pulled the two boys into a hug. 

“thanks for skipping class to be here,” gabe smiled. 

“of course, i wouldn’t ever miss this,” she rubbed each of their arms before letting them be whisked away by their parents again. 

will’s arm snaked back around her waist, putting her attention back on him, “thanks again for being here. i’m sorry about michigan.” 

samy’s eyes drifted towards ethan, mark, moldy, seamus, nazar, and moldy all lost in the crowds with their parents. it brought back memories of last year again with luke losing his last ever game with his college team. athough, this year, those sad memories were slowly being replaced with happy ones as their kiss from a few minutes ago replayed over in the brunette's head.

getting to share the celebration felt like such a privilege.

“they’ll be okay. i can’t wait to watch you play in the finals,” samy grinned back up at her boyfriend whose eyes never left hers. his lips curled upwards, another smile dancing across his features. 

the hockey player planted a tender kiss to her lips, more loving and slower as he finally slowed down to take everything in. the adrenaline in will’s veins fizzled as samy's lips intertwined with his. her fingers slotted themselves against cheek making the boy grow dizzy with lust.

"i love you, sweet girl," will mumbled into the kiss.

he felt the smile on samy's lips grow larger hearing his words, "i love you more, will. thanks for letting me share this moment with you."

the young couple shared warm smiles with one another, finally pulling apart for now knowing they'd have a lot more time back at the hotel.

[anaargent]

can we get a pt2 for marry my husband where diego and reader become besties (not lovers) and they take more fun revenge until five and lila decide to beg them for mercy and to forgive them.

I disappeared guys, but I didn't die

MARRY MY HUSBAND P2

Cinco Hargreeves X Leitor

Pt 1: https://www.tumblr.com/anaargent/761465037466501120/you-know-season-4-yeah-it-was-bad-and-it-made-me?source=share

If looks could kill, you'd probably be buried under the looks Five gave you every time you interacted with Diego across the table.

After a few weeks of this cat and mouse dynamic with Five and Lila, you had had enough, your witty jokes and arrogant demeanor had run out.

"Where's my desk?" Five suddenly walked into your room. "What did you do?" He leaned against your desk.

"Uh, that old thing? The termites were destroying it, but now you can share it with Lila, you guys have a good relationship, right?" You smile and rest in your chair with your feet on the desk, watching Five huff and quickly leave the room.

"Where are my folders?" Five appears in front of you as you have a nice cup of coffee with Diego. "What? Uh, that paperwork? Diego offered to keep it since he's the leader now, so much paper is bad for your eyesight due to your age, right? I was helping you, honey." You smile sweetly.

"Anything to help you, little brother." Diego smiles and squeezes Five's shoulder before leaving.

.

What was left were lost glances in the hallway at work and an unsettling feeling. It was fun to watch Five lose more and more of the control he thought he had over everything, to see him fall from his pedestal and feel like a normal human.

Until you saw how this was affecting you more than you would ever admit, and seeing Diego trying to deal with the delicate situation of his little family broke your heart.

One day you found him sleeping leaning against the table, dry tears on his face and a photo of Lila with the children in one of his hands. You threw your coat over the unconscious man, and lightly stroked his messy hair while a sad smile adorned your lips.

- you big stubborn guy - you sigh.

That was the break. ...

"You did a good job there," Diego says as you stretch after a long day of work, the cool night wind welcoming you. "Is that a compliment coming from the great and wise Diego?" You laugh as Diego denies it.

"Just an observation," he continues walking in comfortable silence for a while on the streetlight-lit streets. "I thought about what you said... you're right."

"That's vague, I'm always right, what exactly?" You turn around as you see the man's expression become more serious. "I'm going to talk to Lila... I think we deserve a chance... for the kids... for me, for her" he says slowly "try to make things right"

You take his hand and squeeze it lightly, smiling proudly. You knew this decision wasn't easy for him, letting go of everything and trying to start over "I'm rooting for you"

"You should try too" he looks at you briefly "but not because you think you need to... you're already a Hargreeves Y/n, you don't need Five for that. You're already family, one of the best of us, don't do this because you're afraid of having no one. We'll always be here for you, you're my sister"

You sniff softly, you didn't want to show something as foolish as your crying. But Diego pulled you into a bear hug, one of those he gave Gracie when she lost a tooth. For a moment all the hard exterior was gone for something soft and cozy, and you sighed in relief at this validation.

You had a family, no matter what happened.

When you pulled away from Diego, you saw Five. At the bottom of the stairs in front of you, impassively watching the whole scene

You look for Diego, searching for reassurance. With a nod, you began to walk down the long steps of the staircase. Still feeling a little unsure and hesitant, your steps didn’t falter.

Five was still there, waiting for you. You were now in front of him, one step making you taller, so he had to look up slightly.

“I…” he spoke in a broken voice, coughing slightly in a clear sign of nervousness and tightening his tie “I messed up… damn, I really messed up and I’m so sorry y/n. I didn’t think anything could go right for me and so I found a way to push you away, I was a coward and acted like an idiot.

You remained silent, watching impassively as he searched your face for some sign.

“I guess I was alone for so long that I didn’t know how to let you get close… you’ve been with me this whole time, and we’re so much alike that I didn’t know how to let you see me… all the parts, even the ones that embarrass and scare me, I probably don’t know yet. And you are always confident and perfect in everything, that I couldn't dare to let you see..me" Five took a step back, a rare sign of uncertainty, he was scared. This was something you didn’t see every day.

Before he could move any further away, you grabbed his hand, Five froze in place, waiting for your reaction. "I don't know either, but... we can try to find out. Slowly" you look away from Five.

"so..." he clears his throat "would you like to get some coffee?"

"Hm..." you stare at him for a moment, seeing the anticipation and fear in his eyes that you've always seen arrogance and confidence "sounds good"

Five smiles, his lips stretching and his eyes crinkling. You'd only seen that smile when he finally figured out the formula to get back to his family. His eyes glinted childishly and then he gently pulled you down, a glimmer of confidence returning

"So it's a date?"

"Don't make me change my mind"

[fallenhunnyapple]

Hell is Forever and Heaven is a Lie

Here's Part 1 of the Sinner!Adam AU RP ⚠️Disclaimer⚠️ We started this RP in February very soon after we got into Adamsapple so our grasp of the characters then and our HCs and stuff were not what they are now, so there's gonna be some inconsistencies and maybe behaviors that we no longer attribute to them. So just something to keep in mind if things Change over the course of the posts. Lucifer and Charlie are written by Me Adam (and briefly later Niffty and Husk) are written by @fallenguitarhero

~~~~~~~~~~rp start~~~~~~~~~~~

When Charlie called him over in a panic, Lucifer was instantly there by her side. Adam. Having Adam in Hell as a sinner was, well. It was a whole disaster. It made sense? He was far from Noble and his soul was still human, though he lacked the element of free will. But it certainly didn't sit well with him. Especially since he was near his daughter. His precious little girl who he had dared to hurt before. He still wished he had taken him out back then, but now it seemed that it wouldn't have mattered since he was right there in Hell again.

Charlie, his kind caring and sweet daughter, had convinced him to help in such a drastic way. Anything to help her, and this was part of Anything. He knew she always had Hell's best interest at heart, whether they deserved it or not. But it was true that if he could have Adam under control, that would endanger her Much less than if he was allowed to exist within the Hotel without him.

With a sigh and a glance back at the one is question, Lucifer faced his daughter with a gentle smile. "Okay. I'll do it."

There was obvious relief on Charlie's expression as she hugged him. "Thanks Dad! I guess now I'll just. Have to tell him. Yeah, that'll be easy... Haha..."

Her tone was obviously nervous but she pulled away from the hug and took a few steps towards Adam before clearing her throat. "Heeeey, so. Adam. You can Stay here, we're all about second chances! But, uh. All of Hell will probably be after you and well.... We don't want that to fuck us over. Sooo there is Ooone little itty bitty condition. And! It's for your safety too! You'll be killed if you're not under some sort of... Protection. And my dad, Lucifer, has agreed toooo... Make a deal with you to keep the rest of Hell from trying to kill you and destroy the Hotel! Yaaaaaay."

---- Adam was not happy.

He'd had time to calm down from his initial panic and rage. The situation still fucking sucked but now he was actually taking stock of his surroundings and thinking through his options.

He fucking hated being ignored by Lucifer and his little bitch of a daughter but at the very least it gave him the space he needed to think things through. Adam wandered through the rebuilt lobby and poked at the decorations- ugh, why was hell so red? What a lame color. Adam liked blue better.

So. Clearly, something had been done to his wings so that he couldn't just fly up and open the portal between heaven and hell. Adam also felt disoriented and off balance, as though his center of gravity had changed.

Speaking of change...

Adam caught a glimpse of his reflection in a decorative mirror and went very still. His hand rose to touch one of his new horns and he winced when his claws scraped the surface and agitated the swiftly growing headache that was pounding behind his eyes. He'd assumed that the familiar weight was because of his helmet but these- Adam tugged hard, wanting to tear it out at the root, but all that happened was his headache getting worse. Yeah. That was real.

"What the fuck." Adam swiftly crossed the rest of the room and grabbed the mirror. His eyes darted rapidly back and forth as he took in the changes to his head and face; the new horns and the stupid ears and-

Adam yelped and spun around with a hand clutching his chest.

"Fuck! You scared the crap outta me, don't do that." Adam completely disregarded that Charlie had in no way snuck up on him. He still listened to her, his eyebrows climbing with each word.new

"Let me stop you right there," Adam cut her off mid 'yaaay' with a dismissive flick of his hand. "I don't need protection and I definitely don't need it from him. Are you forgetting who I am? I'm the Adam, bitch! I kill more sinners in one day than fentanyl does in a year!" Adam's voice pitched high and mocking; "Youw pwecious daddy ovew dewe," His voice dropped to its usual rough tone, "can eat a whole bag of dicks."

----

Charlie hadn't really registered what Adam was up to but she didn't expect to startle him. But of course he didn't seem to care. She knew this wouldn't be easy but she still deflated a bit. Yeah, Adam was an asshole, she knew that. And she didn't think he would be willing or accepting of the things she had to say. She took in a deep breath through her nose and tried again.

"Look, I know this isn't... ideal. For any of us. But you're here now! In Hell! And uh. I don't think yooou really get your position here. I-I know you're 'the Adam' but that paints a target on your back, you know?" Truthfully, she didn't know if Adam still retained his strength as an angel which would, admittedly make him at least partially able to handle himself, but in Hell? There would be no shortage of people aiming for him and if they worked together it would absolutely raze this place to the ground after they had just rebuilt it.

"Don't talk about my dad that way." A demonic edge laced her tone. She had low patience for Adam, but she was trying. But no one disrespected her dad.

Lucifer stepped in, placing a hand gently in front of her. "Let me handle this Char-char." He didn't like seeing Charlie agitated and he knew her kind and patient speech wasn't going to get through to a piece of shit like Adam.

"Listen here, fuckhead. I know you think you're still the same you were before you got fucking Skewered a million times. But uh, how do I put this nicely. You're fucking nothing now, Bitch. You're in my world now and none of your Angelic bullshit even works here. Go ahead and fucking try it."

"Dad!" She didn't want to encourage a fight. Maybe... Maybe this tactic would work? But she was still so worried, her stomach tied in knots. She knew her dad could handle Adam, but she didn't like to see this kind of confrontation all the same.

---

She really didn't know when to quit, huh? And here he thought that radio prick liked the sound of his own voice, sheesh!

When he'd first seen her all those months ago in the embassy, Adam had been glad that she looked nothing like Lilith. All he saw when he looked at her was Lucifer and it had made her so much easier to hate. Fun to mess with, too. She fell for all the tricks that the old cuckmaster had always been a little too wily for.

But now? He wished she was enough like her old man to know when to call it quits. This stubborness was all Lilith, definitely. Lucifer had at least known he'd lost all those years ago when he got banished.

Well, he had known. Charlie changed that, didn't she? Adam didn't know how that made him feel.

Adam rolled his eyes and scoffed. As Charlie tried to explain his 'position' (on top like always, duh!) he mocked her with nonsensical high-pitched 'blahblahblahs', his hand making yapping motions the whole time. When she finally finished, he stuck out his tongue with a 'bleh.'

Oh, wait. Things were getting fun now. Adam's eyes narrowed and his smug smirk widened into a full grin.

"Or what?" It took only the barest flicker of movement for his eyes to snap to Lucifer. "Aww, here comes daddy to the rescue-"

Adam's shocked face was priceless. It took him a bit to recapture his bravado and puff back up. His useless wings fluffed up to make him look bigger than he already was compared to the devil.

He immediately turned away, his side facing the pair so he could still watch them, and struck a pose by pointing at a piece of particularly ugly decoration.

Nothing happened.

"Uhhhh!" Adam shook his hand as if it was a broken tool. "One second, gimme one second, this has never happened before-" He peered at his finger the way an idiot like him might peer down the barrel of a gun that wasn't firing. "What the fuck did you do to me!?"

Because it had to be their fault.

----

Charlie's eyes had narrowed at the mocking but she didn't expect him to have any respect for her anyway. Still, it was frustrating to be mocked like that. It pissed her off when demons dismissed her and it did now too. But it seemed something her dad said had definitely caused Adam to drop his bravado.

She had her hand clasped on her dad's shoulder, apprehensive. She didn't doubt when Lucifer said Adam didn't have his angelic powers anymore, but that didn't mean she didn't tense up when he tried. It was a relief that nothing happened and she let out a nervous breath.

Lucifer on the other hand just stood, both hands resting on his cane with a smug and even amused expression. "Having... Trouble there?" His tone was as mocking as his expression. He wanted Adam to feel Small. Height didn't mean Shit, especially when the power gap between them had only Widened. He took a couple steps forward, and chuckled. "Oh, we didn't do anything. Guess actions have Consequences, huh? Never had to experience those, did you?"

----

Adam slowly looked back to Lucifer and Charlie. There was something different in his expression, a look in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Even when he had fought Lucifer, he'd been defiant until the end- until he'd been stabbed in the back by that little gremlin.

Adam had never really been afraid before. Startled, yes. A little rattled? Of course. But there had never been a time in his life that he'd been truly frightened. Now, though, Lucifer's smile felt more like the bared fangs of a predator then the smug grin that Adam usually wanted to punch off his face.

Adam drew in a breath and got his shit together. This didn't really mean anything. He was still Adam. Heaven wouldn't abandon him like this.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection from the corner of his eye.

"FUCK!" Adam snatched something small and kitschy and threw it at the mirror. The shattered glass distorted his reflection and made him feel even worse. He hunched his back and mantled his wings around himself, full on ready to throw something somewhere between a temper tantrum and a nervous break down.

"This can't be happening. I'm the first fucking man! I've-" His voice cracked and he grabbed at his horns to confirm to himself they were still there, "I've never done anything to deserve this! I'm not some sinner piece of crap- I belong in heaven, not here. Not with you freaks!"

----

Lucifer took a step back to avoid any glass shards from the broken mirror and sighed. He knew immediately that at the very least Vaggie would come to check. Maybe that obnoxious radio asshole too. No, that wouldn't do.

"Hey, Charlie. I'm gonna take him elsewhere until the deal is done. Come up with some cover story for what happened to the Mirror and we'll be back when I got it." His tone was stern and serious and

Charlie nodded slowly. "Right...." She had been startled by it but she heard footsteps from upstairs now and it sunk in that this was actually a Bad situation to have the others see. "Right! Okay! I got it! Uhm, I can. I can figure it out... Just, be careful Dad."

"Don't worry, I can handle this." He gave Charlie a gentle smile before walking up to Adam and grabbing him by the collar. No time to be a bitch with an existential crisis.

It was not a moment too soon when Vaggie appeared at the veranda of the second floor and looked over to railing to Charlie and the glass scattered on the floor.

"Charlie! Are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh, uh. Just got a little too... Excited and ended up knocking some things over that cracked the mirror. Haha, clumsy me-!"

~~

Now they were Literally in Lucifer's house. It hadn't been properly lived in for a while, but it was clean enough to handle this mess. He unceremoniously tossed Adam at the couch in the living room and sat in the nearby matching armchair.

"Done having your fit?"

----

Adam was too consumed by his angst to notice that Lucifer was approaching. It was only when he was scruffed that he properly tuned back into the situation at hand.

"Huh?" Adam blinked dumbly. He had just enough time to register what was happening before he was thrown into a couch. Instead of trying to dodge, Adam chose to just use the remaining momentum to climb onto the couch and flop face first onto it.

"Yes." Adam answered snippily after a few seconds. "I'm now having a heart attack instead."

----

Well at least he wasn't having a tantrum. Did the sudden change of scenery knock him out of it? Hopefully. He didn't like dealing with this manchild at the best of times. Though it was gratifying knowing how pathetic and weak he was now. And Adam had seen it for himself too. "Oh, good. Let me know when you're done with that and we can..." he sighed. "Have a real conversation."

He said that but he was restless and he still didn't like Adam so instead of being an adult and having any kind of patience, he picked up a rubber duck from the nearby pile and tossed it at Adam.

----

Adam grunted. He didn't want to talk to Lucifer either. In fact, maybe if he ignored him long enough Lucifer would go away.

The duck squeaked as it bounced off of Adam and into the back of couch and then fell back on Adam's back between his wings. Why have you betrayed it like this, father?

Adam grunted.

"Bruh," Adam lifted his head and squinted at Lucifer. He looked terrible. His face was mostly unchanged from when he'd been an angel, but for the rectangular pupils and sheep-like ears. But the bags under his eyes and unkempt appearance had been joined by bloodshot eyes and red lines on his face from the couch. "Did you just throw a rubber duck at me? Have some respect for the dying, asshole."

----

Adam, the guy who's pride almost rivaled his own at times, was feeling sorry for himself as he lay on his couch. Lucifer couldn't help but find the humor in this and let out a single chuckle. He almost felt bad for the duck though. At least Adam didn't try to break it or something.

"You're already dead twice over asshole, you're not dying again. At least not so easily. You see sinners are resilient. And that's what you are now. Get it?"

----

"Mm." Adam propped himself up on his elbows. Maybe someone would have expected him to throw another fit or attack Lucifer... but he'd figured out that this wasn't the sort of situation he could brute force his way out of.

"Is it because I died in hell?" Adam looked at Lucifer with an uncharacteristically serious expression. Then, he said something that he hadn't even realized had been bothering him; "None of my girls came back. Just me."

He rolled the rubber duck off his back and into his hand with his wing. Instead of crushing it or throwing it, he just held it.

"Angels don't become sinners but," It sounded like he was pulling teeth just to admit he wasn't perfect. "I have a human soul."

So it wasn't his fault. It was the fucking... radiation or something that hell had.

"Okay. Got it. I'm a sinner for now or whatever." Adam looked at the duck instead of Lucifer. "This blows, man."

---- This was probably the calmest Lucifer had ever seen Adam. All his bravado was gone and he seemed... Small. Like Lucifer had wanted. Good. He didn't have sympathy for him, he didn't care about his problems. He crossed his legs and leaned to one side of the arm chair, propping his chin up with a hand.

"Look, I'm gonna be real with you. This is a first. Angels dying is new to us, and, well, a human soul getting a second afterlife is also new. You've done enough shit this time to get stuck down here with the rest of us and pretty sure you're not going anywhere now. So you might as well get used to it."

And he was absolutely Watching Adam's hands like a hawk. He was being gentle with the duck and that kept him from getting more on his bad side at least.

---- All Adam heard was Lucifer admitting that this had never happened before. He latched onto that one crumb of hope like it was the only thing he had because, well, it was.

"You're right!" Adam shot up with all the energy he lacked just moments before. "This is some kind of freak accident! And that means nobody knows I'm down here, they all think I'm dead!"

Adam looked to Lucifer with manic eyes.

"I have to report to the embassy. If I tell someone I'm alive then I can go back to where I belong." Trying to appeal to Lucifer, he kept ranting; "That's the best option for all of us, right? You don't want me here anymore then I do."

----

Lucifer rolled his eyes. Of course Adam was all gungho about this now. Of course, he wouldn't let that happen. Did Heaven even have a new Ambassador for Hell now that Adam was dead? Had they even bothered to figure that out? He had no faith in Heaven so he doubted it.

"You're not an Angel anymore, Adam."

The words were cold, spoken coldly. And the accompanying gaze held none of the usual jovial playfulness. He had One goal right now and if Adam thought he had any other choice, it would make it even more difficult.

----

Maybe it was the directness of the words or the cold manner in which they were spoken that did it but either way, Adam listened. His wings slumped.

The reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. He didn't want to accept it but he wasn't so stupid he'd keep beating his head against a brick wall. Above all else, Adam was motivated by his own self-interest and his survival came first and foremost in this situation.

But first, a little bit of self-pity was called for.

"I'm fucked." Adam dropped his head into his hands. "I'm soooo fucked."

----

It seemed the seriousness of the situation was finally sinking in. Good. Lucifer stood up from his chair and strode up to Adam. His expression was still serious, but not quite as harsh as before.

"Yeah, you are. Heaven ain't taking you back and Hell, well, most of Hell would love to string you up and watch you struggle through whatever depraved shit they could come up with."

And now the more familiar playfulness was returning. "That's why you should've listened more closely to Charlie. She had a solution for you. One that would, more or less, keep Hell from ripping you to pieces over and over for Eternity."

----

Adam could have argued with that first point but he knew Lucifer was right about the rest. He would never get out of hell if he was pounced on by the first sicko with an agenda the second he left this mansion.

He… honestly wasn't too familiar with what that depraved shit could be. The most 'depraved' thing he had seen in his long life had been some of the Angel Dust porn one of his exorcists had found and brought to heaven. He'd wanted to let her keep it but Sera had gotten all tense about contraband and made him confiscate it. He'd given her the real sick shit to destroy and hid the rest under his mattress. The exorcist had been stoked when he told her.

She'd died while the shield was up. Adam wished he killed that radio prick when he had the chance.

"Yeah, I heard her." Adam sank back against the couch. "A deal with you…" His melancholy expression twisted into sardonic anger. "Because that ended real well for Eve, right? Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

----

Lucifer stepped around to the back of the couch and leaned over it, chin in hand again. "Tell me, what other choice do you think you have?" Adam could protest and be pissed about his non-option, but that didn't change the fact that it was a non-option.

Charlie wanted to protect Adam, give him a chance. Lucifer loved his baby girl but she sure had some weird morals and ideas. And he had already vowed to do anything that helped her with them. His own feelings were always going to be secondary to this. And that was the only reason he had to corner Adam and force him to make the deal. Letting him out without it and at the risk of getting his ass got by any sinner or demon out there wasn't an option for him either.

----

Adam did not like Lucifer being behind him. He twisted awkwardly and painfully to make sure that he wasn't too vulnerable in front of the devil. He was a little jumpy about having his back turned to people now and especially to the most hated being in creation.

"I could die." It's obvious from his facial expression that Adam doesn't consider that an option. He chews on that for a bit. Death or Lucifer, huh? At least until he can find a way back to heaven…

"So if I make a deal with you, you'll protect me from the demons." Adam leaned back. "What do you get out of it?"

----

Lucifer hummed, knowing that Adam wasn't actually considering that. Not Adam, he was going to inflict his existence on people for as long as he possibly could. That was one thing he was sure about. But when the question came back to him he waved his hand a bit dismissively.

"Well, mostly I'm doing this for Charlie. But in terms of, I guess, formalities, it'd be… 'I lend you my protection so no one will harm you so long as you're in hell or else they'll have to deal with Me, and you know how powerful I am, and in exchange you behave for the people at the Hotel and I get your soul.' Something like that."

----

Adam blanched.

"My soul!?" Of course Heaven's poster boy wasn't taking that well. He looked like he was on the edge of deciding to try his chances in a mad dash for the embassy. He was so distressed that he only barely picked up on the implicit threat of Lucifer's power. "You want me to sell my soul to you!? You're the fucking devil!"

----

"Yeah, no shit I'm the fucking Devil. That's exactly why I'm your best bet is this shithole. No one is gonna fuck with me. Or whoever is under my care." He was getting exasperated, and his patience was already Paper thin.

"You don't know shit about this place. All your angelic powers are gone cuz you're not a fucking Angel anymore. You don't even know what you can do as a sinner yet. And that means you're more vulnerable than you've ever been in your entire existence. Your soul? It ain't going back up, that's for sure. You're already here. Hell is forever, I think Charlie told me you said. So either you spend that forever with the best fucking security anyone in this place could possibly get, or you spend forever getting passed around and fucked and killed by randos."

----

Yikes. Someone was grouchy. Adam personally thought Lucifer didn't have the right to act all pissy about this. Adam was the one who got stabbed to death by a psycho! And now he was stripped of his halo and forced to rely on his oldest enemy for survival.

And maybe Adam would have still decided to try to fight if he hadn't already learned his powers were gone. If he hadn't already spent a half hour hopping around like an idiot trying to take flight with clipped wings.

That was another thing. Adam didn't know if Lucifer already knew this but… Well, it was a helluva lot harder to escape angry sinners without his wings. It wasn't like he'd been doing much cardio in heaven.

He was fucked over either way. But at least Lucifer was offering him some say in how he was getting fucked over. A chance to set terms or whatever. And quite frankly Adam didn't relish the idea of being literally fucked by randos. They'd do worse to him, he was sure, not only in the name of revenge but also whatever sick shit these freaks got off on.

"Fine." He bit out through grit teeth. "I'll do it. I'll make a fucking deal with you and play nice for your kid and all her little friends." He leaned closer to Lucifer. "Happy? You've finally dragged all three of us down here with you."

----

"Oh, yes. Very." Lucifer grinned. Fucking FINALLY. While his mind was now very quickly wandering onto Other ways to complete the set, he knew he needed to get the contract done Before all that. Man it'd been a while since he'd drawn up any sort of contract. He'd been more than out of the game for what felt like eons.

But he snapped his fingers and a golden scroll manifested, a bright red pen with it, filled with a red ink that matched the rest of the writing on the scroll. "You can read it, but I don't think you have the patience~ But I am a man of my word. No secret clauses or anything like that. Just what we've already verbally agreed on, but on paper."

----

Adam gave Lucifer a deadpan look.

"Yeah, I'm sure there's nothing weird hidden in the fucking fine print. Do you even know the shit they say about you up there, man?" Still, that didn't go entirely against what he knew of Lucifer. In all of their dealings during his tenure as ambassador to hell, Lucifer had been for the most part honest and straightforward. Adam had always assumed it was because Lucifer didn't like the sinners anymore then he did.

He squinted at the scroll. It wasn't that long and yet he couldn't make himself focus on it for more than a quick skim through. He tried. But after everything he'd been through in such a short amount of time, his hands were shaking with nervous energy and the words just wouldn't stick in his head. It was too short for Lucifer to have hidden anything, right?

… Right.

Adam took the pen and tried to will his hand to stop shaking. He felt sick. No matter what anyone might say about his character, Adam had always been loyal to heaven and to the angels. This was a betrayal that left even someone as self-centered as him grappling with the unfamiliar feeling of guilt.

He'd hated Vaggie so much for betraying them - for betraying him - and yet he was now doing something far worse. A deal with the most hated being in creation.

"… I'm gonna sign it." Adam closed his eyes and tried to focus on breathing. "I just need a second."

----

"I'm sure I can guess." Lucifer didn't like Heaven and had no doubt they spoke hatefully of him if ever he did come up. Probably mostly lies, honestly. He stood up and walked back around the couch to stand in front of Adam, waiting. Oh, he was sure it wouldn't be easy.

"Yeah, sure, take your time. I got all day." Well, since things were winding down a bit, maybe he could try being at least a little bit of a host. "Hungry? Thirsty? I can get you something."

----

Adam's feathers ruffled up. He cracked open one eye and gave Lucifer a dirty look.

"If I even think about food I'm gonna blow chunks all over your ugly carpeting." Adam half-threatened, half-warned. "Check back in after I've finished committing the ultimate sin, 'kay?"

----

Lucifer held his hands up is a dismissive manner. "Okay, okay fine. No food, got it." He walked back to the chair he sat in earlier and sank down, eyes still trained on Adam.

Until he felt his phone go off and saw a text from Charlie. Aw, his wonderful daughter was checking in on him! His demeanor drastically and obviously changed to being much more chipper and happy as he texted back. Just a little update that they'd come to an agreement and now he was just waiting for him to sign the contract! They wouldn't immediately head back to the hotel though. He wanted Charlie to have enough time to prep things after all! At least that was the reason he was giving her.

----

It was a relief when Lucifer finally found something else to stare at. Adam watched him long enough to see his sudden change in demeanor- the ex-angel looked away with a scowl. Was he texting a girlfriend or something? Adam wouldn't be surprised if someone like Lucifer had already moved on from Lilith.

Driven by his own petty need to at least make this less of a pleasant memory for future Lucifer, Adam took his chance to sign the contract while the devil was distracted. He made sure that his handwriting was sloppy and ugly too. He even considered dropping the pen in the couch cushions before deciding to drop it on the floor by his feet instead.

"Done." Adam watched the contract instead of the devil. He sort of expected it to burst into flames so he made sure to lean back as far as he could without hurting his wings. "What now?"

---End Part 1---

[iridescent-petrichor]

silence feels better with you, chapter six

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Reader

Warnings: None

Words: 1.3K

A/N: haha... hey... back from the dead lol, i got hit with a massive writer's block and then a multiple month long project but i finally finished this series!!!

Previous Chapter

The next morning came sooner than you’d like – warm rays of sun streaming through the sheer curtains in the guest room at John B’s house slowly stirring you from your restless slumber. You blinked a few times, bleary-eyed as you came to.

It took a few moments to register the weight of JJ’s arms around your waist, holding you to him in his sleep like a vice as if you’d disappear if he let go for a second.

Your slight movement was enough to rouse JJ from a deep sleep, his grasp around your waist tightening as he opened his eyes, taking a moment to wake up, his gaze falling to you.

“You’re still here.” He mumbled, his voice a little hoarse.

“Of course I am.” You glanced up at him, heart aching at the sight before you. It was all too familiar, staring up at him half asleep, cuddled up to you as if you’d never split apart.

As if he never left you.

JJ didn’t look away from you. He couldn’t. His eyes raked over your features, trying to memorize the sight in front of him.

“Does your head hurt?” You asked quietly, trying not to be too loud in case of his inevitable hangover.

He shook his head, though you saw him wince slightly at the movement. “It’s not so bad. I just- I need to talk to you. I really need to-”

You forced yourself to nod, your mouth going dry watching him adjust slightly beside you, preparing to talk.

“You didn’t say you loved me.” JJ started, glancing down at his lap. He pulled his lighter from his pocket, flicking it open and closed so he had something to do besides agonize over this conversation.

“What?”

“Last night.” His voice was gruff, forcing the words out. “You didn’t say you still loved me after I-”

“You were drunk, JJ.” Part of you was surprised he even remembered the conversation from the night before, but the look in his eyes showed how much this had weighed on his mind. You could see the bitter smile grace his face, shaking his head slightly.

“I’m not drunk right now.”

He has yet to look up from his lighter, continuing to fiddle with it.

“JJ-”

“Did I ruin everything?” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fist around the lighter. “I mean- I know I did, but- is there no going back this time? Is this, like, permanent?”

You couldn’t find the words to respond, staring up at him softly. The way his voice broke was like a stab in the gut.

At your silence, JJ cursed under his breath, leaning his head back against the headboard.

“You didn’t ruin everything.” You managed, seeing how broken he seemed.

His head snapped up, looking at you intently, his expression unreadable.

With a shaky breath, you continued. “I really care about you, JJ. I don’t think anything could make me stop caring about you.”

His gaze didn’t falter for a second, hanging onto your words like a lifeline.

“We keep ending up here.” Tucking your knees up to your chest and hugging yourself, you tried to keep yourself together under JJ’s stare. “One of us always needs the other and we always come crawling back without a second thought no matter how long we’ve been broken up.”

“And then we split up again,” JJ said under his breath.

“And then we split up again.” You nodded grimly.

Silence filled the room, suffocating the two of you.

All you could think about was the night before, how JJ confessed to you how much he needed you, how he had clearly been spiraling, the way he clung to you-

“I wish I could just go back and do it over,” JJ whispered.

He’d looked away from you again, focused once again on his lighter.

“What would you do differently?” Your voice was as quiet as his, as if speaking too loud would destroy the moment between you two.

There was a beat of silence as JJ leaned back, staring up at the ceiling in thought.

“I would’ve listened more, I think.” He finally said with a shaky sigh.

He fell silent again, and you didn’t dare speak up, watching his brows furrow, thinking.

“I don’t know.” He continued. “I’ve thought about it for months and I feel like it always ends the same.”

“With you leaving?” The way his shoulders slumped made you regret your words in an instant.

JJ’s expression was distant, staring blankly forward – the way it always looked when he got a little too in his own head.

“You said you didn’t think you were meant for happiness.” Despite how quiet your voice was, JJ’s attention snapped back to you, his brows furrowing.

“When?”

“Last night. Right before you passed out.”

He shifted in the bed, sighing heavily. “Oh.”

“Do you actually think that?”

The defeated expression on JJ’s face told you all you needed to know.

“JJ.” You sat up slightly, shifting closer to him. Putting a hand on his knee, all you wanted was for him to just look at you.

“I didn’t wanna drag you down.” He choked out the words, forcing his focus onto his lighter to avoid the sadness in your eyes. The pity. That’s what always killed him.

Even still, he could feel his argument waning, wanting so badly to believe you really wanted to keep him around.

“You don’t get to make that choice for me, JJ. You can’t just leave because you think it’s what’s best for me.” You tried to stay firm, but JJ could hear the waver in your voice.

“I know.” He whispered.

You shook your head, shifting to face him fully. “JJ, I’m serious.”

“I know.” He repeated, still not looking at you.

“I wasn’t better off without you.”

“I figured you would get there.” The weakness in his voice, the way he couldn’t look at you, felt almost like a guilty child caught red-handed.

“I didn’t. I wouldn’t. JJ-” He tensed when you moved closer to him again.

When he finally looked at you, you stopped trying to move closer, staring up at him.

“JJ, I love you.” The slight smile you’d tried to manage fell when you saw how JJ deflated.

“I know you did-”

“No. JJ. I love you.” You stared up at him, pleading. He stayed silent, not letting the words sink in. Not daring to let his hopes rise.

“I know-”

“You’re not listening.” You knew JJ better than anyone. The way he was spiraling, you knew he wasn’t letting your words break through. The way his brows furrowed, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I’m trying.” He muttered.

“I love you.” You repeated once more. “I love you.”

His eyes were a little brighter when he looked down at you, trying not to let the warmth in his chest get to him. “Didn’t you move on?”

A laugh escaped you, appalled at the idea. “Jesus, JJ, is there any world where I could move on from you?”

He finally let himself smile, shoving his lighter into his pocket in favor of resting his hand on your knee. “I dunno. Maybe.”

Your lips curled up into a grin, leaning up closer to his face. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Uh huh?” Without letting you respond, he pulled you closer, closing the gap between your lips. One hand fell to your waist, his grip tightening imperceptibly, his other hand moving to cup your cheek, keeping you as close as possible. The world could be burning to the ground and JJ wouldn’t notice a thing.

He sighed into the kiss, feeling like he’d taken the first breath of fresh air in months.

“Hey-” You pulled back slightly, almost laughing at the way he whined, frowning at the loss of contact. “You’re not gonna leave again, right?”

“Not a chance in hell.” He grinned, pulling you close to kiss you again.

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

Chapter 4 of No Fun in Fungus! The next chapter will be last!

@daboyau

@theawesomeninja-xd

@nights-flying-fox

@phoebepheebsphibs

Donnie can’t help but feel angry at this point.

At who, he isn’t entirely certain.

Himself? The mushrooms?

There’s just anger.

Weight is suddenly in his hand.

It’s his tech bō.

He slams it into the side of the fake Leo’s head as hard as he can.

The hallucination’s head and neck cracks sideways audibly.

It’s gaze moves back to Donnie.

“You hate me this much? Why? What….did I ever do to you? Why do you want me to be gone from your life so badly?”

Donnie’s hands steady as he hits again.

“Shut up! I don’t care if some dumb dumb mushrooms keep saying my brothers think I hate them!”

Another whack.

“They know I love them! I know I love them! Just because I made mistakes and can’t express my feelings like other people doesn’t make me a monster!”

An even harder hit.

“I would build, destroy, do anything for them! You can’t take that away from me!”

The bō suddenly gets grabbed as the image turns into Shredder.

“You think you can do anything? A pathetic little mistake, a blight on my bloodline talking so boldly. You believe you can hide your weaknesses with machinery, you forget how easily I destroyed it! How easily I can destroy you!”

Donnie is well aware what happened to his tech on multiple occasions.

Because of his failures, two people he cared a lot about were gone within the same day.

However, it was that same tech he created that gave them time to escape.

It was his invention that helped bring Leo back from somewhere that seemed impossible.

Maybe nothing he made was perfect or would always been 100% successful.

He’d make them over and over again to help his family.

Reminding himself of them also brings back the memory of Raph.

There’s a chance that the other component he had been missing was besides knowing this wasn’t real.

Raph didn’t only allow them to calm him down, he also chose to face his fear completely while thinking it was real.

He ha/ to do the same to have a chance of making sure everyone else was okay.

Donnie let’s go of the stuck tech bō and lunges at Shredder, hoping that the hallucination would just vanish.

It still surprises him that it works.

What surprises him even more is when he realizes that he’s actually going towards Raph and Leo.

The three all let out yelps as they crash into each other.

“Okay, ow.” Donnie complains, draped over Raph’s chest and part of Leo.

“That’s my line.” Leo grumbles, but not making any attempt to move.

Raph grabs and pulls the both of them into a tight hug.

“Raph’s never been so happy to get crashed into. You okay? Leo and I saw some….intense stuff.”

“Luckily I am the pinnacle of mysterious bad boy personas, I have my emotions completely under control.” Donnie says despite clinging to them just as much.

Raph can’t help but smile a little more at his reaction, despite the situation they’re in.

It’s nice to know he’s still considered a safe space after everything that’s happened.

“Don’t worry, Raph’s got ya.”

“….Thank you. There is something I want to say-“

“Hold on! I need to give you this before I forget.” Leo holds up the inhaler.

“You….still have that thing? You know I can just make one with ninpo now.”

“Maybe, but if you’re stressed and can’t breathe how are you going to focus enough to make one?…..Are you crying?”

Donnie hides his face in Leo’s shoulder.

“No. The spore cloud made my eyes burn.”

Leo pats his head.

“Sure it did.”

“I’d give you yours, but they’re in my battle shells.”

“They’re? As in more than one?”

“Obviously I have to have one in each or else it nullifies the purpose of it being handy in an emergency.”

Leo sniffles.

“The dust got in my eyes too.”

Tears fall onto them from above, making the two look up.

“There’s nothing in my eyes, I just love you guys so much.” Raph admits.

“We love you too, big guy. Let’s go get Mikey so he doesn’t get mad we’re group hugging without him.” Leo pats Raph’s face.

Raph nods.

“Let’s go make sure he’s okay.”

He lets go of Donnie and Leo before they all stand up.

Leo wobbles slightly.

Donnie nonchalantly leans closer to him, offering his shoulder.

Leo silently accepts the invitation to help him stay upright.

The three of them make their way further in.

When the spores made everything hard to see, Mikey scrambled to grab onto anyone he could.

When he felt nothing, it scared him pretty badly.

There wasn’t much to go on to find out which way they went so he went a random direction and just called out for all of them.

He felt so relieved when he heard all their voices together after some time of walking.

“Hey! You guys! I’m here! Is everyone okay?”

The relief vanishes very quickly as Mikey realizes the voices were angry ones, his brothers were arguing.

“You’re just selfish, Leo! Even after almost getting us all killed you still can’t stop and think for even a second about how we might feel!” Donnie shouts.

“Since when do you care about how people feel!? You keep building robots just so someone will want to hang out with you! I bet S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. died just so he wouldn’t have to be around you anymore!”

Mikey gasps loudly.

That was an incredibly low blow considering S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. was like their nephew and, by extension, Donnie’s son.

“Leo! How could you say that?”

Donnie slaps Leo across the face, hard enough that Mikey could tell it stung.

Leo recovers from the slap and tackles Donnie, rolling around in a fight with him on the floor.

“What are you doing!? Raph! Help me stop them!” Mikey pleads, looking up at him.

Raph crosses his arms and has a look that makes Mikey freeze.

This was completely different from how he looks when he’s disappointed.

Raph always has that shine in his eyes even at the worst moments. While the saying is that people keep their hearts on their sleeves, Raph keeps it in his eyes.

That was missing at the moment.

“How many times am I going to have to keep cleaning up everyone’s messes? All I ever do is take care of you three and you’ve never appreciated it. Especially not you.”

“O-Of course I appreciate it! I appreciate you! I love you and Leo and Donnie and dad-“

“No, you don’t. Maybe you love Leo and dad and Donnie, but not me. I worked so hard to keep you safe and for what!? All it did was push you away from me! I’m the bad guy because I didn’t let you do dumb and dangerous things! You never care how hard it is for me to have to be responsible! I have fun too! I’m not just a buzzkill like you guys keep saying!”

Mikey feels tears pricking at his eyes at the tone and volume that Raph has been using.

None of his lectures ever sound like this.

“I-I’m….I’m sorry….”

“You know what? I should be glad you don’t want to hang out with me anymore. You’re annoying.”

Mikey’s heart break into little pieces.

Leo and Donnie stand up.

“Finally, something we can agree on. I’m sick and tired of you coming into my lab! I hate having to pretend like your dumb ideas matter.” Donnie crosses his arms.

“N-No….D-Donnie….h-he likes my ideas! Th-This isn’t him….it can’t be….” Mikey whimpers.

“You guys are being too hard on him.” Leo interjects.

Mikey looks up at him hopefully.

“Why even bother saying what’s wrong with him? He can’t change, he won’t change. Dr. Toxic Positivity only cares if someone’s upset so he can make them feel bad about it.”

“T-Toxic….? No! Please! I just want to help! I can do better! I-I can make this better!”

“You can’t cook breakfast, you can’t draw, you can’t skateboard, you can’t do anything that would make you useful enough for us to put up with you.”

“My arms will heal! They’ll-!” Mikey looks down in horror as he sees the golden cracks on his arms.

“No no no! This isn’t happening!”

The other three turn their backs to him.

“This family is a joke. Good luck surviving without me around.” Raph starts walking off.

“No! Wait! Don’t go!”

“Try not to fall into a sewer hole chasing after a pigeon with pizza.” Donnie hisses, going another direction.

“Please! Stay!”

“You can’t keep yourself together, let alone the family. Being in the prison dimension is better than being here.” Leo comments, walking away from the rest as well.

Tears stream down Mikey’s face as he feels something else welling up.

No.

He was not just going to let them go.

If his arms have to suffer again, so be it.

The feeling flows through him, through his arms and throughout the rest of his body.

There’s a weightlessness that comes to him he isn’t fully aware of.

He’s floating.

Ninpo chains appear around him before shooting out in the directions his brothers went.

When he feels one chain gain purchase on something, he pulls it back.

There’s the sound of quite yelling that gets louder as the chain goes back to him.

It becomes loudest when Leo comes into his vision.

“Wha-, Mikey!? You can fly!?”

“Where are they?”

“You mean Raph and Donnie? They’re fine, they were right next to me, but what’s happening with you!?”

Mikey just sends out more chains.

The yelling starts up again and only ends when Raph and Donnie are brought over as well.

“Mikey!?” They question at the same time.

“How are you doing this!?” Raph pulls at the chain around him.

Mikey wraps more chains around his arms, glowing yellow pooling in his eyes and down his face in tears.

“Stop it! You’re not leaving! I don’t care if you want out of this family! W-We’re going to work out our problems and nobody is going anywhere!”

“Mikey, none of us want to leave the family! It’s the hallucinations!” Donnie insists.

“H-How do I know that!? Leo and Raph fought so much just because they couldn’t understand each other! L-Leo was just going to let himself die! None of you can promise me that you won’t leave!”

“Mikey-“

“No! W-We’re all going to apologize! I-I’m sorry for being so annoying…..I-I’m sorry I can’t use my arms a lot yet. I’m sorry you think I hate you Raphie!” He shuts his eyes, making more tears spill out.

Raph’s jaw drops.

Mikey only calls him Raphie nowadays when he wants something especially badly and his puppy dog eyes weren’t working.

When they were younger, that’s all he called him.

“No! You don’t need to apologize, Mikey! I know you don’t hate me, you don’t even hate Draxum!”

Mikey opens his eyes again, sniffling as they stop glowing.

“I was so scared when you put Leo in your escape pod. W-We had no idea what they were doing with you, i-if you’d come back. I never worried about us not surviving before Shredder! Then the Krang happened and…..I realized more we could all just die! E-Especially you.”

“What….what do you mean….?”

“Leo put himself in the prison dimension, but you made him leave you behind in your escape pod! When Shredder attacked Donnie, you put yourself between them and he was stepping on you! H-How many times are we going to have to see you like that!? It hurts! It’s scary!”

Raph desperately struggles against the chains, he wants to hug his poor baby brother so badly.

“I’m sorry! I….I always thought you guys being scared was better than you being hurt or worse. You’re not a burden or a responsibility, you’re my family. I always want to protect you, and….I can’t do that if I’m gone. I get it. I promise I do.”

Mikey hiccups and removes some chains from him, pulling him closer to hug him tightly.

Raph hugs him back just as tight, maybe even tighter.

Leo and Donnie sigh in relief slightly at Mikey calming down.

“If you’re feeling better, you can set us down now Miguel.” Leo smiles.

Mikey stares hard at him and Donnie from behind Raph’s shoulder.

“We’re not done.”

[pumpkinspiie]

love sacrifices pt.2

(warnings. angst. you have been warned.)

third person.

He stood, lifting Maria with him, his muscles flexing as he picked her up into his arms. “Good~” He smirked, turning and walking towards a door at the back of the building.

maria.

“So, mister…what do you do for a living?” I asked, as we walked to his car.

“I’m a businessman.” He purred, kissing my neck before opening the door for me. As he slipped behind the wheel, I felt his arm wrap around my waist, pulling me flush against him, my head on his shoulders. His other arm wrapped around the wheel, his hand on my thigh, the touch making me squirm.

“That’s interesting…” I spoke putting my hand on top of his.

My hand brushed his, causing him to shiver slightly. He turned the key, looking to me as he turned the corner. “My love…~” He purred, looking at you with a lustful longing, my heart fluttering at the name. His voice turned my blood to honey, and my legs to jelly.

the next morning.

I felt the sun rays beating my face. Squinting, I turned my head to see the guy from last night. He looked so handsome while he was sleeping, and he knew how to work the bed.

The covers wrapped around his muscular body. He was snoring quietly, one arm still wrapped around me, his head on my shoulder, my body pressed against him.

I frowned softly remembering that I had a husband, was he looking for me? Did he even notice I was gone?

“Good morning, Maria…” The deep voice whispered into my ear, the sleepy words making my heart skip a beat. The man’s warm breath brushed my ear as he spoke, his body shifting to a more comfortable position, the covers sliding down the sides of his body as he looked at me. One arm tightened around me, pulling me closer, the other moving to stroke my hair.

I blushed looking down. “Good morning…”

“You look beautiful this morning, love. Come here~” He spoke softly, his low, smooth, charming voice making my heart flutter.

His free arm wrapped around my shoulder, bringing me closer, his body warm and inviting, a feeling I’d grown to adore.

His eyes were the colour of honey, the gold reflecting in the sunlight as he leaned in, his deep voice filling me with want. “You smell so nice..”

He breathed, placing a light kiss on my forehead, making my heart flutter. “I’m surprised no one else came up to you at the event~” He chuckled, kissing me on the lips, his touch electrifying.

“Thanks..” I spoke smiling at him.

“You’re welcome, Maria… You can call me anything you like~ I’m all yours after last night..” He smirked, looking down at me hungrily, his eyes full of lust as he looked me up and down.

I looked away blushing. I have to tell him about ghost..

“….I have to tell you something..”

“What is it, sweetheart?” He asked softly, his arm tightening around me. “Is it something bad?”His eyes darkened, a slight frown on his handsome face.

“I’m married.”

His expression darkened further, his fingers twitching and gripping my waist tighter. “You’re what?” He hissed, his tone full of anger and disbelief, his eyes narrow.

“It’s a fake marriage, a marriage of convince of you will…” I explained.

He looked away instantly, turning his head and looking at you. “I don’t care what it is… you should’ve told me.” He spat out, his expression blank with anger. “If, by chance, I was actually interested with you, you should know this would destroy me.” He hissed, squeezing my waist before pulling me close in a tight hug, burying his face in my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me.” I spoke softly.

His grip softened around me, as did his expression. He turned his head again and looked at me, his tone shifting completely; he was back to being the charming, confident man I’d come to know after our night before. His voice was filled back with the honeyed smoothness I liked, although his face was still a little sad.

“It’s okay, love. That marriage means nothing to you?” He asked gently.

“No, No it doesn’t.”

His face brightened instantly, his expression turning into one of relief. “Thank God…” He breathed, hugging me tightly again.

“If that’s the truth, then how about you call me by my real name?” He smirked, pulling your body flush against his, his voice full of lust and longing.

“What is it?” I spoke softly.

“Call me Isaac.” His voice dropped to a whisper, his fingers stroking my hair.

simon riley x reader

[capricorn-writer-kawaii]

My Flame Hero

Chapter 1

Pairing: Enji Todoroki x Reader

Genre: Enji Todoroki X Reader, ⚠️smut⚠️, fluff, angst, age difference, divorced Endeavor, ⚠️anime spoilers⚠️

Words: 3k

Summary: Your relationship with your boss, the flame hero, started on a wild night in the hot springs. Time continues passing and you two seem closer than ever.

A/N: Hello again! As you know, I love this idea of how Enji Todoroki's life has changed after all his character development. This time, I was thinking about how society and his kids would react when knowing he's starting a new relationship. Once again, I must thank @merrymonkey for creating the art. ❤️

🔥Clic here to read the first part of the story🔥

Chapter 1

Sitting next to All Might, Endeavor crossed his giant arms and frowned at the screen in front of him. It was playing scenes of both his and the blonde's most epic battles. Everyone in the audience praised and people from the media kept taking pictures.

"Come on, Todoroki, change that face!" said All Might laughing and hugging him.

“Get off! I hate this, it makes me feel old. Why the hell did they have to do a whole anniversary celebration?"

"Stop whining! When you accepted the position, this was included. Hey, look! A picture of the day you opened your agency. And there I am!"

Enji frowned even more when he saw himself young, with much more energy and without that scar on his face that he hated so much. Now that he was getting closer to his 50s, he looked so different. He was about to go down that spiral of thoughts concerning his age when he felt how an elbow hit him in the ribs. Turning around, he discovered that it was his youngest son.

“Dad, try to smile. You look more terrifying than usual."

Forced to soften his expression, Enji kept looking at the tribute they had made for him and All Might. It was supposed to be something small, his agency had only received an invitation for the inauguration of a new school dedicated to the two legendary heroes. He tried not to attend and for his son to go in his place, but your insistence and Shoto's forced him to show up.

Upon arrival, Enji cursed when he noticed some politicians and reporters there. He was already close to dealing with all of them during the Hero Billboard Chart JP of that year, but now, he would have to do it before. He missed when he didn't have to worry about those events and it was All Might who had to give the speeches.

"I shouldn't be here looking at pictures of me, I should be working." He commented to his son in a low voice.

“Relax, you left your trusted heroes in charge of the agency for today. Midoriya and Bakugo are there too, nothing will happen if you're away for a while."

“Last time I wasn't in the office, you and your friends destroyed two buildings for not being careful, Shoto. I ended up paying for those damn reconstructions out of my own pocket.”

"It wasn't my fault, Bakugo got out of hand because of Midoriya's comment and then we couldn't calm him down." Shoto clarified, very embarrassed by that accident. "Besides, that won't happen today, you left your girlfriend in charge of those two, right?"

Endeavor sighed remembering how permissive you were with those boys, and if it was Hawks, the matter was worse. However, the number 1 hero couldn't continue the conversation, since at that moment they had shown the photograph of the day he fought against the Nomu. It was epic and memorable, there was no one who did not know that photograph. Yet, that day the hero could not do more than look at his face covered in blood from the tremendous wound he had received. Stealthily, he brought his hand to his face and as soon as he felt that area where his skin felt different, he immediately removed his hand.

Back at the agency, Enji and Shoto entered together and as usual, wherever they passed, people greeted them by bowing their heads showing respect. Apparently, it was a normal day, many of the heroes were in the office that day and not on patrol. Among them, Shoto noticed his friends, who were miraculously talking like civilized people while having some tea.

While Bakugo and Deku greeted your boyfriend, you and Hawks were also getting closer.

“Congratulations, big boss! Looking good, huh, old man?”

Hawks touched a nerve in his head calling him that, causing Endeavor to glare at him and Midoriya to swallow hard at the same time that Bakugo laughed, nothing made him more amused than seeing the flame hero upset.

"Don't tell me you were watching the broadcast, you must have been working," Enji scolded.

“The guys took care of everything quickly and we had the rest of the afternoon free.” You clarified with a discreet smile, although Shoto and Hawks knew about you, the others had no idea.

That easily you managed to lower the bad mood of the hero, who nodded silently.

"Okay, since we're finishing early today, how about we all go for a beer?" Hawks proposed.

“And since it's early we can go to karaoke! What do you say, Kacchan, do you want to go?" Deku asked so excited that his eyes were shining, of course, he only made Bakugo look at him with contempt and growl. “Todoroki, do you want to come with us? Let's call the others, I'm sure they'll want to go!”

"Wait a moment! What do you mean to go for a beer?" Endeavor asked, getting upset again. “Hawks, what the hell's on your mind? They are children!"

“They aren't children, they're already adults. In just a couple of months, these guys will graduate from the U.A. In fact, why don't you join us, Endeavor? If there's anyone here who can teach them to drink, it's you."

You couldn't help but laugh at Hawks' inappropriate comment. On numerous occasions the three of you had gone drinking, Best Jeanist had also accompanied you, as well as Mirko, who drank more than all the pro heroes put together. Nevertheless, Endeavor had never gone out with the young boys to drink.

"Nobody has to teach me how to drink, nobody has to teach me anything!" Bakugo exclaimed.

"Come on, Endeavor, you don't have anything to do either, we already checked your schedule." Hawks insisted.

"What's happening Dad? Do you have so little resistance to alcohol that you prefer not to go?”

“Careful, Shoto! You shouldn't even be drinking if you're preparing to be…”

“Here we go again…” You whispered in Hawks's ear and even yawned, you already knew Enji was coming up with a speech for his son. A speech that only Deku listened carefully.

Enji spoke until you discreetly placed your hand on his shoulder. Anyone would think that you did it to get closer to the boys, but your boyfriend knew that you did it so that he would leave Shoto alone.

“What do they say if you call your friends and we meet at the entrance?” You asked winking at the three boys, whose cheeks turned red, for none of them could deny that you were gorgeous.

Everyone at the agency said it, Enji Todoroki's right hand was spectacular, and just as you had caught the attention of your boss with your personality and with your sexy costume, you had also done it with practically all the men who worked there. However, seeing the idiotic smile of the four of them, Endeavor raised his flames higher and brought them back to the ground.

“If you're done, get out of here. And you, Miss Plans," he said directing his turquoise eyes at you. “May I have a word with you in my office?”

Following your boss, you disappeared with him while Hawks was in charge of taking the boys out, he was sure that Endeavor wouldn't let you leave just like that, Shoto himself knew it.

Once in the privacy of Enji's office, as soon as he closed the door, you walked over to his desk and sat there, laughing at the frown of your man.

"Why are you so grumpy today?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He responded by opening a couple of buttons on his shirt to make himself more comfortable.

"Honey" you called crossing your legs, and when he looked up and fixed his gaze on you, he finally flashed his first honest smile of the day, a little lustful, but honest. "You really don't want to go?"

The handsome hero had cornered you by bringing both hands to his desk, barely encircling your hip, and not letting you move. Then, fixing you with that look that had made countless villains tremble, he shook his head.

"Why would I want to go drinking with some kids if I can do it with you?"

Biting your lips, you began to feel Enji's hands opening your legs a little more and his lips getting closer and closer to your neck until, without warning, he bit you and then began to lick and suck, first slowly, but then with more intensity. You wanted to keep talking to him, but it was practically impossible when he was distracting you like that, and when you could perceive his manly scent so close, you had always loved how he smelled, it was one of the first things that made you lose your head for him.

The burning heat that emanated from your boyfriend every time you were together abruptly subsided, just as his kissing stopped. It was enough for you to hear how his breathing changed to know that he had gotten upset, but you didn't understand what had made him so angry until they knocked on the door a second time.

"WHAT?!" The redhead roared with a tone of voice that made the entire office rumble.

"Enji!" Very embarrassed for not knowing who was outside, you patted him on the chest before getting off the desk and adjusting your clothes a bit. "Stop responding like that."

"The door is locked, that means I don't want anyone to come in!" He also fixed his clothes and walked to the chair, he had to sit down or his erection would give away what you were about to do.

"Hey, boss, it's me!"

“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Endeavor cursed, slamming his fist into the desk.

Aware that Enji couldn't open, you did it yourself. Hawks entered the office with his eyes closed, which caused you to laugh but the flame hero wanted to burn him right there.

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be on your way to who knows where?"

“The guys are asking about your girlfriend. How do you want me to explain to them that she's not there because you're fucking her brain out?" The next thing Hawks felt didn't even come from Enji, but from you when you hit him hard on the head, causing the redhead to grin from ear to ear.

"Why didn't you just say we had a meeting?"

“Midoriya has the innocence of a baby, but your son and Bakugo don't. They were with us all day, they know there was nothing to talk about.”

"Hawks is right." You said with a sigh, after all, you had waited all day to be alone with Enji. "I'll go with them for a while and see you at home later."

"What?!" With Endeavor's exasperated question came a shout from Hawks covering his eyes again and yelling at the two of them to make him see such things. "You’re not leaving! You're with me!"

"I won't be long, I promise you." You said completely ignoring all the drama that Hawks was making for having to witness his boss's huge boner.

Finally, you managed to convince Enji that it would be best not to arouse suspicion, and although you knew that he had been furious, resentful, and wallowing in jealousy, you went out with them.

Late at night, Enji was in your new apartment. Although you told him that it was not necessary, there was no way he would change his mind, he wanted to buy a place for you two. As expected, the hero spared no expense, as he wanted a place that was comfortable and private enough that no one would disturb you. Thus, while he waited for you to arrive, he read the reports of the last jobs he had done. He had a hard time focusing, at first, he thought he was tired and that's why he couldn't read well. He even cursed the one who had written those reports in such small letter size. In fact, he was doing just that when you greeted him from the door of his office.

"Are you fighting alone, handsome?" You asked hiding a mocking smile; however, your face changed when you noticed how your boyfriend was dressed. It drove you crazy to see him in those traditional and comfortable clothes he used at home.

“Tomorrow that secretary will listen to me. I already told her to stop printing like this! You can't read anything.” Exasperated, he handed you the papers.

"I think the problem's not your secretary, it's that you need glasses, dear."

“I don't need glasses! My eyesight has always been the best of all!”

"Enji, if you keep freaking out and throwing flames around you, one day you won't be able to see properly."

"I can see well! I don't need glasses." The flame hero looked at you seriously and crossed his arms. “Did you see the hour, kid? It was supposed to be fast. I dined alone.” You didn't even try to hide your smile, no one would believe you if you said how spoiled Enji Todoroki was and how much he hated being away from you.

Fortunately, it wasn't hard for you to apologize, because as soon as you proposed to take a bath together, you won him back.

One of your favorite parts of the new apartment was the outdoor jacuzzi. Being in such a remote area, you could enjoy the tranquility of the night and take a bath while you admired the city lights.

Sitting on Enji's lap, you massaged his wide and sturdy shoulders. You could tell he was tense, which wasn't easy to identify considering every muscle in his body was rock solid; however, his body language told you that something was up with him.

"You didn't like the tribute they gave you, right?" Your question caused Enji to open his eyes again, he had been enjoying your hands, but the memory of the afternoon clouded his gaze. "I know you don't like those kinds of activities, but I didn't expect this to bother you so much."

“It wasn't the activity. I just felt like it had been a long time since I started on this. I've worked so hard, kid, I don't realize how quickly the years have gone by.

"Nostalgic, huh?"

With his typical smile that made every part of your body vibrate, Enji nodded.

“I think I'm spending too much time with Toshinori. Anyway… now that I remember, Hawks interrupted us earlier.”

And just like that, your boyfriend was back, that scorching look giving him away that he had thought about you all day and that now having you close, he didn't care about anything other than causing you pleasure.

"Kid..." he called, attacking your neck again but this time he didn't show the slightest delicacy, he bit you so hard that you couldn't silence a moan. “What did I tell you about your smiles? You keep showing them to everyone like it's nothing, like they're not mine."

It was inevitable for Endeavor to heat the atmosphere when he got aroused, you'd already gotten used to ending up drenched in sweat every time you made love to your boyfriend. So once the water got hotter, you knew he was ready to make you scream.

Sex with Enji was still as hot and passionate as the first time in the hot springs, just as aggressive. It seemed that you were his prey and that he was ready to jump on you at any moment. The flames that emanated from his body and his penetrating gaze warned you to be prepared, but above all, the enormous erection that you found in your boyfriend every day did so. There were nights when you didn't sleep at all because Endeavor simply couldn't stop fucking, you and everything seemed to indicate that that would be one, because although you didn't know, he wanted to show you and himself that the others were wrong, he hadn't aged yet.

Unlike all those nights in which you allowed him to tempt you until you begged him to enter your body, this time you could only dig your nails into his manly back. Enji waited for absolutely nothing to penetrate you; after all, he knew that once by his side, you were always ready to receive him.

The redhead moaned in pleasure feeling how tight you were. Sometimes he was so cruel that to provoke you, he would just put in the tip of his cock and not move for a few seconds. He tempted you by letting you feel his body throbbing inside you, he made you want to lose control of his hips, but he didn't, he just looked at you with an evil smile.

“I hate you so much…”

Your comment made him laugh exactly the same way he did when he cornered a villain. Of course, hearing his laughter at that moment could only turn you on more, but when you tried to move, he didn't let you, he held your legs very tightly, a little more and his hands would be marked on your thighs by days. However, you were just as stubborn as he was, and you kept trying to move. That little fight to see which one had more power made the moment even more erotic. Endeavor was dying to fuck, but he was so proud and he liked to dominate you so much that he would put you in your place first.

"Who do you think you're dealing with, kid?" He asked you, frowning and sounding somewhat offended, even annoyed.

"Let go of me" You commanded, but instead, you only managed to get him to hold you tighter and to show you that he was doing what he wanted. Endeavor moved a little, just a little, but it was enough for you to bite your lips so as not to scream at how good it felt.

Delighted that you were the one he shared his nights with, Endeavor looked at you with a mixture of charm and anger. You continued refusing to obey him and, as cunning as ever, you activated your quirk, one that put him at a disadvantage. As long as you were in physical contact with your opponent, you could mind control him to do whatever you wanted. Just as you could increase the capacity of any quirk with a single command, you could disarm him.

"You're not gonna make it." He warned you when he heard your voice in his mind.

However, Endeavor had chosen you as his sidekick with good reason, and even someone like him with the strong willpower he had, fell when he faced you. Your order was not for him to release you, but to move his hips. If Enji wanted to break free of your spell, he had to let go of your legs, and get away from you, and it was something you knew he wouldn't do for the world. Furious, but even more excited than before seeing how strong you were, he kissed you passionately. Without knowing if he did it to distract you or not, you just received him with the same ardor.

The kiss ended, but you didn't deactivate your quirk, if Endeavor didn't let you use your legs, you could still use other parts of your body. That was how you managed to break his will. Enji growled from the fury he felt seeing that he was not capable of ignoring your orders, and you chuckled feeling how he kept fighting. The more he fought, the more passionately you now devoured his neck. Normally you marked it where the costume hid, but that night you didn't care, Enji had played too much with you. The hero realized what you were doing, where you were leaving obvious marks, but far from being annoyed, he got even more aroused thinking about how cheeky, stubborn, and possessive you could be.

Thus, after a while Enji's huge hands left your legs, but only for one of them to hold you by your hair, he could feel your neck with his fingers.

“You have no idea what you got yourself into.” He said holding you tight.

“Why don't you teach me, number one? What's wrong, a few orders were enough to break you down?"

The heat that came out of Enji's body upon hearing that would have driven anyone else away, but you were used to it, you could take it now. Your boyfriend had been upset, you knew he couldn't stand being provoked, he was too proud to ignore something like that. You had gotten yourself into trouble, but one you could never regret.

Endeavor didn't stop all night, he didn't care that you trembled from so much pleasure, or that you asked him for some time, he kept fucking you until your voice didn't come out. That night you didn't see the slightest trace of tenderness in his movements. Countless times you thought that your body would give no more, but Enji knew your limits and calculated to just reach them but not pass them, not because he had compassion, but because he was not going to let you save yourself so easily.

After having been in the jacuzzi for a long time, he took you to bed. You bit the pillows, you soaked the sheets and Enji didn't stop, he kept going in and out of your body as if it was the first time he was tasting you. Endeavor was the only one capable of reaching parts of your body that only he knew about, points that caused you so much pleasure that he even managed to bring you to tears.

He had you on your back holding on to your hips for so long that now it wasn't just your legs, your hips would also have his huge hands marked for who knows how long. You felt how the sweat that fell from his chest drenched your back, and it seemed so provocative to you that you had orgasms just for feeling that, for hearing his growls in your ears, and for feeling his burning breath on the back of your neck.

And not to mention your poor knees, because Enji indulged himself in that position, in which he only let you use the muscles of your legs because he held you behind the wrists. The hero was willing to remove any trace of sanity or purity that remained in you. That was how Enji came over and over again that night. He did it whenever he wanted, on your face, on your breasts, on your mouth, on your back, legs, inside you, You couldn't be more full of him, literally.

You don't remember when you fell asleep, exhausted from so much physical activity. The next morning when you opened your eyes, you wanted to die right there, everything hurt, you could swear that even your hair hurt. There was no way you were working that day, luckily it was Saturday.

Enji didn't wake up early either, that day the handsome hero slept by your side until almost noon, something that rarely happened; however, his body also needed rest, never like yours, of course. The night had been so wild that as soon as you opened your eyes, you saw how hurt his back and shoulders were. You tried to get up, but you couldn't and your moaning automatically woke up your boyfriend.

"Hi, kid." He greeted with a hoarse voice, but with a sweet smile, while, stretching out his arm, he brought you closer to his huge body.

"I can't move" you muttered.

"Perfect, that's what I wanted to hear."

"You, idiot" You responded trying to push him, but you couldn't even move an arm. Laughing heartily, Endeavor took your hand and kissed it before placing it on top of his pecs. "I'm serious. I think you broke me.”

"I can fix you back, baby, that's not a problem." Before you could answer anything, the redhead kissed your forehead and then stared at your face. “How can you be this stunning?”

"Oh please! I'm a mess.”

"You're MY mess, my beautiful and sweet mess."

You smiled back, barely able to caress his cheek. A short time later, he got up, and if you had been able, you would have stopped him, but you couldn't, everything hurt.

"I'll be right back, I'll go get something to eat."

"Enji" you called as he was almost out the door and as soon as he turned around, you spoke again. "I love you."

From where you were you could see how the hero's cheeks blushed a little.

"I love you too, kid." He said before disappearing with a smile.

After a while, you had breakfast in the comfort of your bed next to Enji. Despite what anyone would think, your boyfriend knew how to cook and when he had time, he would prepare delicious meals for you. The truth was that the number 1 hero treated you like a queen, he pampered you a lot, more than you could believe yourself. He always made sure you had your favorite foods at home; in fact, he had started doing the groceries himself, something that still surprised you, but later you discovered that it was because he wanted to make sure that you had everything you liked so that you felt comfortable and began to see that apartment as your home. Enji had tried hard to make it that way, he even hired a decorator and as a surprise to you, he wanted the apartment to have your essence. Curiously, you didn't have such different likes. Maybe Endeavor was a bit more traditional, but he liked the touch you gave not only to the apartment but to his life as well.

Enji also wanted you to have your clothes there, and even though you told him it wasn't necessary, he kept bringing you different designer pieces very often. You loved everything, but you had to confess that you loved even more his clothes. You kept wearing his t-shirts when we allowed you, for most of the time you were naked on the bed.

While you ate, Enji smirked. Every so often he looked at you out of the corner of his eye, he loved seeing you wearing his clothes, and that morning was no exception. However, even with his huge t-shirt, he could see all the marks he had left on you from the night before. That was how he carefully caressed the part of your thigh where the mark of his hand had been printed.

"I think I went too far, love, sorry."

"Why? You know I love it when you do it." You responded by winking at him.

Having regained a bit of energy after eating something, you reached over to kiss his cheek, but when you did, your eye was caught by a silver hair among the ones that covered his beard. You also noticed that there were also a few among his red hair.

"What's wrong, what do I have?" Enji asked when he noticed that you were staring at him. You delicately took one of those hairs, it had just fallen off and you were able to show it to him. However, what you considered to be incredibly attractive, Enji did not.

"Shit," he hissed.

You spent so much time making love to Endeavor that you knew his body perfectly well, so you were surprised not to notice that even on his chest there were a few silver hairs. Or surely you had noticed it but you hadn't thought too much about it, you already liked your boyfriend too much, you found everything about him attractive. The mood swing lasted all day, Enji was serious and grumpy, but at least that didn't stop the hero from coddling you for leaving you so exhausted.

🔥To be continued...🔥

[obetrolncocktails]

Deception | Josh Kiszka X Reader | Part 4

Warnings: angst, stalking, embarrassment, miscommunication, depression, JOSH SOBBING IN HIS MOM'S ARMS, some suspicious shit, broken off engagement, foreshadowing.

Word Count: 6,243

A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while, but it's here! Prepare for your hearts to be broken and broken some more. Josh is pitiful in this chapter, and I just wanna hug him and tell him it's gonna be okay. Also, there's an OC in this fic (Hailey), who has no relation to anyone in real life, I just needed a mechanism for something....I won't give too much of it away.

Summary: They say it's not the bomb that has the lasting effect, it's the fallout. You'd shattered each other into millions of pieces, so where do you go from here? What's left to save in the wake of explosion?

“He’ll come to his senses, I know it,” Hailey, Sam’s girlfriend assured you, forking through her salad. Her demeanor was nonchalant, but her words filled you with relief, even if it was through false hope. 

“I hope so. He has every right to be hurt for what I did,” you began, leaning against the park bench, squinting your eyes as you looked into the trees above. “I lied. I didn’t tell him that I knew who he was before–before everything.” You pulled your hands up in the air in front of you, frustrated with the truth of the situation. You had spent the last half-hour explaining the very thing that had torpedoed your relationship with Josh. 

“So, you didn’t lie,” she said, chewing a large bite with her hand covering her mouth. “You just withheld information.” She shrugged, batting away a fly. You couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it would be to be able to dismiss the severity of the situation like she did. Then again, she wasn’t the perpetrator. You were. 

“Everything was just so great,” you reasoned, sighing deeply. “We were in love, we had sex for the first time.” You covered your face from the dismay and groaned into your palms. “I love him so much, and I’ve fucked it all up.”

“Just by keeping some things to yourself?” She asked, her eyebrows raised. You watched her crack open a bottle of juice. “I don’t think Josh could possibly hate you for that. Hurt? I get it, but not hate.” She shook her head for emphasis as she tilted her head back for a sip. “How did he even find out? Did you tell him in that letter? Cuz, wow. Bad timing on your part,” she said, offering a cringing expression, gritting her teeth together. 

“No, I was waiting to tell him after his birthday. I wanted him to have a great time at the party.” You realized that the beds of your nails had begun to bleed from picking at them. You rolled your hands into fists and continued. “This is so embarrassing, and unbelievable,” You began. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, turning toward you, obviously more enthused and interested than before. You didn’t make eye contact with her as you stared forward, watching as a squirrel turned to look at you before skittering away with a captured acorn. Here’s where you’d have to admit that you’d had-have a stalker. 

“Someone knew about all of it. Knew about my account. Knew that I was a fan of the boys before I ever met them,” you started, your voice thin from painful guilt and from the feeling of being violated. “Even knew that I…” you trailed off, ashamed of yourself. “That I wrote smut about them.” She nodded silently for a long moment. “That I had a following on social media–a fan account.”

“Wow,” she said finally. “That is a lot. How did anyone find out?” She asked, putting her curly hair into a loose bun. 

“I don’t know. I privated the account when I met Josh. I should have just fucking deleted it,” you admitted exasperatedly. 

“But you didn’t,” She continued. You shook your head no. 

“Nope,” you answered, staring ahead. “They stole my password, changed the authentication phone number–everything. They stalked me for an entire month and a half, threatened me, followed me, took pictures of me, and destroyed my life. I have no idea who they are, or what they want. I haven’t gotten another text, so maybe they’re happy now. They got what they wanted.”

You had left your entire lunch unattended at your side, and, glancing down, you noticed an orderly line of black ants assembling up and into the salad container. Good for them, you thought. Absolutely nothing in your body had a desire to eat, anyway. “Have you heard from Josh?” She asked after a deep sigh. “He’s been off the radar since the party.”

“No, and I don’t expect to hear from him any time soon,” you said with a shrug, a gesture that felt as if you’d been holding the weight of the world on your shoulders. “I understand.”

“You don’t feel the need to defend yourself?” She asked, her expression changing to that of confusion. 

“It’s not worth it to argue my position and lose him forever,” you decided. “I thought about writing him a letter and leaving it in his mailbox,” you shrugged again. “But I don’t know if he’d read it.”

“I think he would,” Hailey argued. “Josh loves you, Y/n. It would surprise me if he just thought that you were some traitor or something this entire time. You can’t fake love.”

You took a deep breath. “I guess we’ll see what happens. Maybe he’ll just ignore me for the rest of my life, and I’ll just move to a remote island that’s far off the grid.” Hailey snorted. 

“I don’t think you’d survive very long,” She grinned before standing up and grabbing her trash. “You didn’t even finish your lunch,” she said, turning to watch the insects feast on your salad. “Ready to grab Jita? I can’t imagine they’re still doing her hair,” she said, rolling her arm in front of her to glance at her apple watch. You nodded, taking the first step forward, tossing your uneaten meal in the nearest trash can. 

***

“I don’t know what to tell you, Jake. Do the rehearsal without me,” Josh said exasperatedly, rifling through his closet to fill a duffel bag. “I don’t really give a shit.”

“Hey man, you don’t get to speak to me like that. You signed on to be part of this band. It is your responsibility to be there. It’s on the damn contract!” Jake raised his voice slightly, but what was more intimidating was the rasp that had grown with his rising temper. “You don’t get to run away.”

“Watch me,” He seethed matter-of-factly, elbowing past his brother. Jake stood there for a long moment debating his next move.

“Can you at least tell me where you’re going? So I know you’re safe…” Jake began, stepping out of his brother’s bedroom and into the living room where Josh stood, zipping up the large bag. 

With a deep sigh he finally answered. “I’m going home. Okay?” He said, looking up at Jake. Though Josh seemed to be acting out of intense anger, Jake could see within his brother’s gaze that it was a safety mechanism. It was easier for him to be angry than it was to process how deeply hurt he was. He’d remain closed off for now, and everyone would have to be okay with that. The best path forward would be to give him the space he needed. 

“Okay,” Jake agreed calmly, nodding his head once as he placed his arms across his chest. “Please travel safely,” he insisted. 

“By the time I get back, have Y/n moved out,” Josh ordered, disregarding his brother’s concern. His eyes were blank and absent of feeling as he uttered your name. 

“Come on, Josh,” Jake attempted. “You’re not even going to speak to her?”

“She knows exactly what she did to me,” he said, hiking the bag on his shoulder. “She can go live with one of her fucked up friends.”

“Who?” Jake asked, confused. 

“I don’t know, maybe one of the thousand that write fucked up stories about us.” Josh’s eyes were wide and wild, and it almost scared Jake. 

“You’re hurt–”

“I’m not hurt,” Josh stopped his brother. “I’m fine. Really. I feel stupid. This whole thing. It’s all a fucking joke.” 

“She loves you, Josh. You can’t just throw your entire relationship away–tell me how that makes any sense.”

“I know you think you’re being helpful, Jake, but I don’t want to hear it. I have a flight to catch. I’ll text you when I land.” With that, he was up and walking out of the door. Jake followed his brother out of the house. “And I meant what I said about her moving out,” he finished, before closing and locking the door behind him. 

“Okay,” Jake swallowed, regretting that he had to be the one to relay such painful information back to you. “You sure you don’t need a ride to the airport?” Jake offered. “I could spare the half-hour.” Josh shook his head. 

“No. I love you, but I’m fine. I want to be alone.” With that, Jake left his brother to back out of his own driveway toward the airport, following him until he had to make the turn toward his own house. 

***

Danny’s house was beautiful, but it didn’t feel like home. You no longer had your own apartment, your parents lived hundreds of miles away, and couch-surfing with friends would only be a viable option for a few more days. You knew that while you were at his house, you wouldn’t be a bother to Danny. You had missed several days of work already, and had stayed to yourself in his spare bedroom until the growling in your stomach became so severe, you were forced to pull yourself from your depression hole of a bed. 

 You heard your phone ping from beside you, and you reached for it. It was Hailey. 

“Hey babe, what are you doing today?”

 You had half a mind to respond,“Oh, you know, loving life,” but you refrained, instead typing “I have nothing planned. I’ve been laying in bed all morning. Please save me from my own depression pit.”

With the motivation of possibly getting out of the house, you stumbled to the bathroom and looked at yourself in the mirror, and instantly regretted it. You were surprised that it didn’t crack just by the sight of you. Your hair had never looked worse, and your eyes were extremely puffy. Your cheeks had begun to break out from the stress of the last week. Sighing deeply, you forced yourself to take a shower, cranking on the faucet of the and waiting for the water to heat up. 

You weren’t sure how long you spent in the shower, but it was long enough for the searingly-hot water supply to turn ice cold, forcibly removing you from underneath it. 

“Y/n!” Danny called from downstairs. “I’m making some lunch, want something?” 

You cracked open the bathroom door and shouted back down to him. 

“Sure, anything you make is great!” 

“Cool, cool!” He responded casually. 

You stepped out of the bathroom, taking care to not slip as you dripped water onto the hardwood floor. You cursed yourself for not being patient and drying off adequately. 

“I figured we could go shopping, or do something to get your mind off things,” Hailey had texted back. 

You began to compose a message back to her. “Yeah, I think some shopping and walking around would help. Maybe we could talk about some things. Not sure who I can really turn to right now, you know? I don’t want to involve the boys, specifically Danny, more than he’s already involved. Josh is already pissed at him.”

“Just us! Don’t worry. We’ll make it a you and me day,” She texted, finishing with a heart emoji. 

“Meet at Danny’s in half an hour?” You asked, and she instantly answered back. 

“Sounds great!”

You tossed your phone onto the bed and heard it thump into the covers. You hadn’t spent much time with Hailey alone since she and Sam had started dating. Usually she would hang out with her local friends, and occasionally you and Jita would tag along with Hailey and you’d do something together. The lunch you had shared in the park the other day had felt kind of strange, but at the same time it was relieving to vent to someone who wasn’t directly in communication to Josh. Hailey was very responsive with everything you had to say, and for the most part, she didn’t seem to be judgmental, which surprised you. Something about her always made you feel a bit uneasy about getting too close. Now that you had chosen to lean on her for support, maybe she’d be just what you needed.

After getting dressed and brushing your resisting tresses into a ponytail, you grabbed your phone again, absently scrolling through tiktok, your heart thudding in your chest when a fan-made tiktok of Josh appeared on your FYP. You sighed deeply, and threw your phone back down on the bed, but decided after a long moment to pick it back up. You hadn’t tried to reach out to Josh in the last few days. His broken expression at the party had terrified you, broken your heart, and left you paralyzed to even know how to begin to explain the whole truth to him. Opening a new message to him, which you hoped would be delivered– God willing he hadn’t blocked your number. You took the gamble anyway and began a message. 

“I know you don’t want to talk, or really have anything to do with me, but I need you to know that I do love you, Josh. I love you with everything I have. Every bone in my body, every breath I take–is for you. You found out something I had kept from you for a while, but I intended to tell you. I wanted to tell you, until someone stole that from me. I’ve been stalked by someone for more than a month, and they threatened me over and over again. They had photos of me–” You deleted the last phrase for fear of going on too long. 

“Please don’t end things like this–this silence is not like you. Even if you’re angry, and hurt, which I know you are. Please talk to me. Please. I have made mistakes, but the one mistake I didn’t make was falling in love with you.”  You hit send. You felt as if someone had dropped the weight of the world back on your shoulders, and there was nothing you could do about it. So, for now you’d pretend to be okay. You walked downstairs and began to prepare for the day, shoving down the despair for a little while longer. 

***

Delivered. 

Josh had turned off read receipts to all of his usual contacts. He didn’t want to talk or entertain them. He simply wanted to disappear. As soon as his flight landed, he pulled his duffle bag off of the plane and retrieved a rental car, putting it into drive and almost immediately getting back on the road. Within an hour, he had pulled into the familiar town, passing the buildings and businesses that he had frequented his entire childhood and adolescence. He wanted to bring you here. He wanted to bring you back to his hometown, and show you everything that had made him into the person he had become. Now, all of those wants were thrown into the air with so much confusion, hurt and anger, that he had no idea what to do with it all. He finished the rest of the drive by forcing himself to tune out the sentimental thoughts that pried at him, the beautiful Michigan scenery rushing by without another thought. Occasionally through the drive, he swiped away the tears that betrayed his shredding composure. He knew this route by memory, having memorized every turn, every redlight and passing sign. And there it was.

As he approached the house, it took everything in him to not fall apart in the front yard. Stepping out of his car, he reached in and grabbed his bag and trudged up the stairs to the entrance of his childhood home, ringing the doorbell, which felt incredibly strange in the moment. Within seconds, Karen opened the door, her eyes wide as she discovered her son on the front steps, his eyes welling with tears. 

“Josh? Honey…”

“Mama–” Was all he could say before letting go. His mother was the one person in the entire world that he couldn’t, and wouldn’t lie to. No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn’t hide how utterly destroyed he was. 

“Oh, baby,” she comforted, pulling her arms around her son as he sobbed over her shoulder, his embrace so desperate and tight–as if he clung to her as hard as he could, he’d wake from whatever terrible dream he was having. His sobs ran loud and free for the first time since his birthday party, and Karen stood there with him in the heavy silence, holding him, her hands rubbing long lines up and down his back in a soothing pattern. 

“It’s okay, baby. You’re home,” She murmured softly, kissing his head over and over, rocking him back and forth in the afternoon sun. They stood there for a long time, Josh’s sobs slowing over time into choked sniffles. When they finally parted, Josh’s face had grown intensely swollen, his eyes exceptionally puffy, and his face reddened with exertion. 

“Come inside,” Karen said after another moment. 

“What’s going on?” Kelly asked, spinning around in the recliner in the living room. “Josh?” He asked, standing up and walking into the kitchen. 

“Hey Dad,” Josh offered with a tearful smile, wrapping his arms around his father, who returned the hug firmly, patting his son’s back. 

“I’m sorry about your girl–about everything, you know,” he said, attempting conversation, as much as Josh would allow. Josh offered a simple nod in response. 

“Did you come by yourself?” He asked, his eyes glancing at the front door. 

“I wanted to come alone,” Josh said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. “I really just needed to be away from everything. Out of Nashville.” Josh wiped the wetness of his tears from his face on his pants and continued. “I just–” He shrugged, unable to explain further. 

“Don’t worry, baby,” Karen comforted him. “You know you’re always welcome to come home. We miss you when you’re gone, you know.” She took Josh’s hand, rubbing her thumb over the tops of his knuckles. 

“I made soup for dinner,” She mentioned, turning over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “It’s in the crockpot. Let me make you a bowl,” She insisted. 

“I’m fine, Mom,” Josh assured her.

“No. You’re going to eat. You don’t eat when you’re upset. I’m your mom, and I know you well. Eat this bowl, and I won’t bother you again tonight about it. Can you do that for me?” She asked, eyeing him sternly. Even in his fragile state, she still parented him like she always had, and in a way, though Josh would never admit it, it made him feel the tiniest bit better. 

“Yes, Mama.” 

“Can you put ice in glasses?” She asked as she ladled portions into bowls. He did as he was told, bringing out the glasses and filling them with ice.

“We’ll just eat in the living room,” she explained. “No need to set the table.” 

Being home quieted the hurt for a little while. His mom and dad loved him more than anything in the world, aside from his brothers and sister, and they did a good job showing it. 

“Your sister was here earlier. She’s visiting for a few days before heading back out to LA,” Kelly explained, spooning food into his mouth. “She’s doing the whole fashion thing,” he continued. It had been a long time since Josh had seen Ronnie, and though he was in pathetic shape tonight, he’d most definitely want to see her before he left for Nashville. 

The rest of the night was quiet, and Josh spent the evening curled into his mother, watching a movie as she mindlessly combed her fingers through his hair. After a while, he fell asleep, calmed into slumber by her nurturing spirit. 

“Josh, honey,” she said after a while, stretching through a yawn. “I’m going to head to bed,” she mentioned, rubbing his back to rouse him from sleep. 

“Hm?” he asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Oh,” he responded, looking around into the dimly-lit living room, deciding that he, too, was far too tired to stay awake any longer. 

“Me too, mama,” he agreed softly, standing up and stretching his limbs with a low groan. 

“Dad put sheets on your bed,” she told him, standing up and reaching for the remote to turn off the TV. “I’ll see you in the morning, sweetie. Thanks for coming home,” she smiled softly, stepping over to give her son a long, firm hug. “I love you so much,” she spoke. “And I’m sorry you’re hurting, honey.”

Josh squeezed his mother tightly, laying his head on her shoulder as she spoke. “I missed you, Mama,” he admitted, feeling emotion cause his throat to ache from the possibility of crying again. He cleared his throat and began once more. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, baby. Get some sleep,” she said, planting a soft kiss on his cheek before stepping down the hall to her bedroom. 

In his childhood bed, Josh fell asleep almost instantly, suspended within the most restful sleep he’d had since the birthday party. Between the crickets chirping and the whir of his ceiling fan, he let his thoughts wander into a mindless drone of noise.

***

“Knock knock.” Josh’s eyes cracked open, squinting from the light cutting through the curtains into the bedroom. 

“Mom said you still weren’t up.” Josh felt the mattress sink towards his feet and turned to see his sister sitting cross legged at the end of the bed. 

Josh groaned, gazing at Ronnie, waiting for his eyes to adjust to a new day. “No peace,” he said softly and grumbly. “I get no peace anywhere.”

Ronnie moved to plop on top of Josh, chuckling when he groaned even more. “Get up!” She pushed, jostling him by the shoulder. “Mom told me what happened, and it’s my job to get you out of the house.”

“Let me mope in peace,” he grunted, reaching for the closest pillow, pulling it over his face. 

“Nope,” she insisted, stepping off of the bed to pull her brother by the arm. “Come on,” she grunted from the resistance that Josh’s weight posed. 

“Fine, fine! Ow!” He complained, stumbling out of his sheets. “Are you happy now?” He asked, scratching his head sleepily. 

“Very. Wake up and get ready,” Ronnie told Josh. “We’re going on a hike. You can’t say no.”

“No.” He said, leaning toward his sister, speaking just beyond the curve of her ear. 

“Ugh, you’ve got morning breath,” she said, scrunching up her face. To Josh’s amusement, he made a point to huff a deep puff of air into her face, chuckling when she swiped at the air with disgust. 

“You’re going, even if I have to drag you,” she said, stepping into the kitchen where Karen stood, cooking breakfast. 

“Going where?” she asked, turning over her shoulder as she worked on a batch of scrambled eggs. 

“I’m making him go hiking with me,” Ronnie announced matter-of-factly, a casual smile spread across her face as she shrugged. She walked over to the barstools at the island, and Josh followed, plopping down beside her. “Do I have permission to drag him out of the house?” She asked, echoing her warning to Josh. 

“Only if he doesn’t come back whining to me about it,” Karen said, grinning. “Josh, you should go. It will be good for you to get out of the house,” she said. “How do you want your eggs?” She asked, turning back to the pan. 

“Fried over medium. I’ll just make a sandwich if you’ll make the eggs,” he said, getting up to place two pieces of bread in the toaster. “Where are we even going?” He asked, turning to his sister. “There aren't really any places to hike,” he argued.

“Okay, we will be walking, but still,” Ronnie said, reaching for her plate as Karen handed it over the counter. 

Josh stepped behind his mother, reaching into the fridge for a bottle of orange juice. “Okay,” he agreed, taking a swig out of the container. 

“Joshua!” Karen scolded, turning and attempting to swat him with the now-cold spatula. Josh dodged his mother with a grin and a chuckle, plopping down in his seat beside his sister. 

***

“It’s been forever since I’ve been down here,” Josh admitted, looking out beyond the trail, watching birds stir from the comfort of their languid, sleepy pond, batting their wings and taking the air, flying high up into the sky, disappearing behind the alpine trees. “Probably since high school,” he said after a moment. 

“It’s been a long time for me too,” Ronnie admitted. The trail was only a mile from their house. Growing up, the kids had taken turns throughout the years of finding refuge in nature, taking the time to think and work through anything that may have been troubling them. Now, when Josh wouldn’t have thought twice to come back to this place, Ronnie had quite literally dragged him back to his roots, reminding him of the quaint protection that this area had served all those years ago. 

They were quiet as they walked together side by side, Josh kicking a worse-for-wear pinecone down the paved walkway. The asphalt was littered with a thin layer of pine straw, disguising the man-made trail underneath it. “So,” Ronnie began. 

He looked at her without a word, waiting for what she was going to say next. “You’re really not yourself right now,” she finally said, sighing. “Tell me what happened. Please.”

“There’s nothing really to tell,” Josh shrugged. Ronnie rejected his poor explanation instantly. 

“That’s not true in the slightest. You come home barely once a year these days,” she explained, stopping on the trail to turn to him with her hands on her hips. “If you’re here, I know it has to be bad,” she continued. “So tell me what happened.” 

It took much coaxing, but after a while, Josh began to open up, beginning somewhere in the beginning of the relationship. “Everything about her just makes sense–or made sense. She was so special. She understood me. She’s patient, funny, beautiful–” Josh continued, struggling to keep his tenses consistent, caught within the uncertainty of the current standing of his relationship. Ronnie nodded, arriving at the first bench, and sat down. Josh joined her and continued. “Since the beginning, we couldn’t get enough of each other, and it wasn’t like infatuation or anything like that,” he said, pulling off his Kavu hat to tangle his fingers into his unkempt curls. “She just knew me. She got me. I’d never ever had that before,” he said, his eyes cast down as he picked at the seam of his shorts. “Not in the way that left me thinking about her every single night. She’s my best friend.” Ronnie could hear the hurt in Josh’s voice, how the last words had crackled as they came out. 

“And what happened for that to change?” She pushed. 

“I don’t know how to explain–it’s so weird, I can’t–”

“Tell me one thing at a time,” she said softly, crossing her legs under her as she adjusted in her seat. “Take your time.”

“At my party, she handed me a card,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing as he remembered. “And she was smiling and so happy–I thought it was a birthday card.” his hands lifted in front of him, before dropping to his lap defeatedly. 

“Inside, there was a letter that said that Y/n knew who I was before we even knew each other. She wrote–she was–” he got hung up on his words. “She wrote stories about me. About the band.” Ronnie nodded slowly, understanding. “She had a whole dedicated blog about me– about the band, I mean.” Ronnie watched as Josh fidgeted with his clothing. “She lied. She led me on to believe she had no idea who I was when we met. The entire time we were together, she was a fan, not a stranger. I feel so–dirty? I don’t know.” 

“So she told you in the letter?” Ronnie asked, picking apart the situation one piece at a time, trying her best to understand. 

“No, it wasn’t her handwriting. It looked familiar, but it wasn’t hers. There were printed out pictures of her writing–screenshots of her blog, I guess.”

Ronnie let silence wash over the conversation for a long moment. “Josh,” she said, mostly as a statement. 

“Yes?” He asked. She looked out at the scenery in front of them. “Do you love her?” She asked, turning to look him in the eyes. 

“What?” He asked, though he heard exactly what she said. 

“Do you still love Y/n? Because so far, you’ve spent way more time telling me about the amazing things than you really have about the bad parts,” she said, tucking stray hairs behind her ears. 

He stopped for a moment and sighed. “Of course I love her, Ron,” he said. “Hell, I was going to propose to her at the party,” he continued. “But she ruined it.” She let the sting of his words calm before continuing.

“What’s the most hurtful thing about this whole– you know?” Ronnie asked. 

“I just feel lied to, and led on,” he admitted, rubbing his chin in an attempt to pacify and comfort the vulnerable feelings. “I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

“She didn’t really lie to you, exactly.” She said, squinting from the intense sunlight, turning to look at Josh. “Yes, she should have told you, but I can imagine that wouldn’t have been an exactly easy conversation to have,” she admitted. “And even so, it’s so embarrassing. Do you really think Y/n had this drawn-out plot to find you and make you fall in love with her? You’re many things Josh, but you’re not an idiot,” She said, punching him gently in the shoulder. He offered a half-smile. 

“I don’t know what I expected,” he answered. 

“Maybe she didn’t expect to ever meet you in real life. And–maybe she fell in love with you honestly. It didn’t matter that you are famous, or that it was you that she fell in love with.” She shrugged. “Have you ever considered that might be the case?” She asked. 

Josh shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“How did you guys meet?” She asked out of curiosity. 

“At the grocery store. On the pasta aisle,” he grinned, embarrassed. 

“Who spoke first?” She asked, as if scoping out Josh’s concerns, walking them back to the very beginning of the relationship. 

“I did,” He admitted. “She chose Rao’s sauce,” he grinned, nodding. “Girl has good taste.”

Ronnie chuckled through her nose. “You’re a loser.”

“How did she react when she met you?” She asked, moving further down her list of questions.

“She couldn’t speak straight, but she smiled so wide. She was funny–clever. Something about her just screamed to me that she was a good person, an interesting person,” He went on. “We clicked instantly. So much so that I didn’t bother getting her number. I knew I’d see her again.”

“And?”

“And I did. At the bar a few weeks later,” He went on. 

“Did she know that you were there?” She asked. 

“No, I don’t think so. She was with friends,” Josh continued. “From that night on, I just knew that it was her. I would have never told her, but I just knew it.”

“So do you really think she was pretending the entire time?” She asked finally. 

Josh was silent, trying his best to find words to say.

“Josh,” She began again. “What is the one thing that the world needs more of? You always say it.”

“Love,” he said, eyeing his sister with a suspicious rise in his brow.

“Did you even let her explain everything? Give her time to tell you all of it?” Josh shook his head, looking off in the distance. “Nope.”

“Why not?” She asked. 

“Because in the moment, I felt so violated that I couldn’t even look at her. I mean, I had the ring in my pocket, Ron.” 

“If you had the ring and were ready to propose, that tells me you were prepared to spend your life with her,” she replied. “You’re not a casual person, Josh. You never have been. Are you really willing to throw away what could be the love of your life over something she obviously feels awful about?” 

There was another long silence, save for the wind brushing through the trees. 

“And it doesn't make sense how you even found out about it,” she continued. “Who told you? Who wrote that card?” 

“I don’t know,” he explained. “Honestly, I didn’t even think about it,” he explained. “I knew Y/n didn’t know that it had been switched, but at that moment, I didn’t care. I just wanted to leave.”

“I’m going to be very honest with you. I don’t think it’s very fair to Y/n to believe everything you were shown at first glance, and then not even know where the information was coming from, even if it was true.” She delivered her opinion honestly, but still remained careful. 

“Danny knew about it. He knew everything.”

“Josh, it’s Danny we’re talking about. Do you really think he would betray you by siding with a crazy stalker fan?” Josh stared straight ahead, picking nervously at his cuticles. His gaze fell, staring down at the ground for a long time.  “You’re no longer the kid from Frankenmuth who sings in choir and gets the lead in musicals. You’re not a nobody.”

“Wow, thanks,” he said with a sarcastic chuckle. 

“You’re famous, Josh,” She continued. “And you’re becoming well-known in circles you probably never expected or dreamed of.” Josh nodded. “I don’t think it’s fair to place that expectation on your partner–to be a perfect stranger who’s never heard of you, even if that is how you think you’d want to meet them. If it ends up happening that way, cool, but don’t determine the end of your story together based on how it started.”

“I just didn’t want to be known for my music when it came to stuff like that,” Josh explained, visibly disappointed. 

“And why’s that?” She asked, crossing her legs as she adjusted in her seat. “Don’t you think that your music is an extension of who you are as a person?” 

“Yes, but that’s not what I mean,” He said. “I just want her to love me for being me, and I felt like she did, but now, I feel like I’m questioning everything.”

“You know what you need to do. You’re upset, and rightfully so, but I don’t think you’re upset that Y/n was a fan of yours. I don’t think that at all. You’re upset because she didn’t feel like she could tell you the truth. You’re hurt that you had to find out the way you did. You wish you’d heard her tell you first, and not in front of your closest family and friends. That was wrong.” Ronnie’s words were hitting home for Josh, and it was exactly what he needed to hear. 

“You can be hurt by someone and still love them. You can be hurt by someone and still want to be with them and work through things. I can’t tell you what to do,” She said, standing up from the bench. “But I can tell you that the brother I know would have told me the exact same thing. You would have told me to trust my gut, and lead with love, even if you end up getting hurt in the end. So,” She said, stepping forward and placing her hands on his shoulders. “You need to go home and talk to her–and you need to decide now if you love each other enough to move past this.” 

“Who taught you to be so wise?” He asked, his lip curling with enthusiasm. 

“Mom and Dad,” she answered with a grin. “But I’ll throw your name in there if it makes you feel better,” She finished. 

“I love you,” he said, pulling her in for a long, well-needed hug. 

“I love you too, turd,” she answered playfully, squeezing her brother tight. “I know you’ll make the right decision.”

“I hope I will,” he said, already lost in thought. 

“I know you will,” she repeated. “You’re Josh. You’re always the heart of everything.” Josh couldn’t exactly understand why it had made him so emotional, but Ronnie’s words had simultaneously shattered the rest of him, and repaired the broken pieces all at once. You’re always the heart of everything. He’d continue to be that person, even if it meant that he would hurt in the end. 

“I’m going back to Nashville,” He announced, clearing his throat, working through the emotion.  “I need to fix this.” He swallowed, straightening his posture as he stood up. 

With a keen eye for departing flights, Josh had cancelled and rebooked the soonest one he could find, opting for a less than ideal airline and paying an exorbitant amount of fees, but he didn’t care. He’d determined that through all of the hurt, he still couldn’t tell himself that he didn’t care about you, and no amount of convincing himself would stop him from loving you–being in love with you.

Touching down in Nashville that next morning, he booked it to his house as quickly as he could. 

He was coming home to you–if you were still home, for that matter. 

End of Part 4.

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[auroraescritora]

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME - PERCY/NICO AU HIGH SCHOOL - CHAPTER XIX

Hello, how's it going? Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll. In fact, I didn't even know that so many people read the story in English; 49 votes, only two or three negative. So I'm glad to know I'm not writing for the walls. I've been thinking, it seems that polls are a good way of communicating. I'll use them from time to time to check if the plot is still going well. The chapters are short, but we'll get there slowly. I hope you enjoy it.

CHAPTER I / CHAPTER II / CHAPTER III / CHAPTER IV / CHAPTER V / CHAPTER VI / CHAPTER VII / CHAPTER VIII / CHAPTER IX / CHAPTER X / CHAPTER XI / CHAPTER XII / CHAPTER XIII / CHAPTER XIV / CHAPTER XV / CHAPTER XVI / CHAPTER XVII / CHAPTER XVIII

"Thank you. "Nico finally said when the Jackson family hugged him together, Sally almost crying while Grover and Tyson had a serious, neutral expression on their faces, reminding him of when Percy was trying to control himself so that he wouldn't destroy everything he saw along the way.

He liked that too, knowing he could count on the whole family. And since he was being honest, why not  carry on?

"You know? I haven't seen Hades in years. Is really necessary to work so hard because of him? I was thinking of something more effective.”

"Whatever you need, dear." This time, it was Sally who said it, already composing herself; the mother giving space to the businesswoman.

"I was thinking about emancipation." When no one said anything, Nico decided to close his eyes and keep on talking. "Hades has control of my mother's possessions and, as an only child, I won't have access to them until I'm twenty-one. If I speed up things, I can try to recover what is mine before Hades destroys everything.”

"I don't understand, Hades can't touch that money without the court's permission." Tyson said, confused.

"That's the problem. My mother had stocks and other assets that Hades has access to. Most of what he has comes from my mother.”

"Are you telling us that it was your mother who was rich and not Hades?"

Now it was Percy who seemed unhappy.

"Hades used to be a bank manager. Mama fell in love with him and I was born. In fact, Bianca is my half-sister, like you already know. My grandfather is a big farmer, you know? Mama used to help him before Hades showed up.”

"Wow. No, I did not know that." Grover muttered. "And your father is a son of a bitch.”

"He is. I didn't feel safe telling anyone this, but now that he can't hurt me, it's time to get back everything he took from me.”

"We're going to help. Tyson is going to start the preparations.”

"Can we take him by surprise? Try to get my mother's inheritance back and do the emancipation together? I don't want to give him time to fight back.”

"Of course. It's a great idea," Tyson said with a strange glint in his eyes. "He won't even notice when we catch him. I promise." 

"Okay. I trust you. If emancipation doesn't work, can you be my guardians? I never want to go back to that house again." 

"You have our word." Sally touched his shoulder, smiling at him with tears in her eyes. "We will destroy this man, even if it’s by force." 

"You don't have to promise me. I just... I don't want to be under his control anymore. I don't know what might happen."

"Is Bianca okay living with him?" 

"He's never treated Bianca the way he treats me." 

"Oh, honey." Sally said and hugged him tightly, with Percy still holding him by the waist. 

He refused to cry, refused to give Hades this pleasure, refused to continue under that man's control. While he was in Verona with his grandparents, cousins, and uncles, Hades hadn't had the courage to approach him. But now that no other adult was responsible for him, Hades thought he could boss him around. Well, Nico would prove it to that man and give him back a taste of what Hades had done to him.

"I'm fine. Is all in the past. I just want what's mine."

"We know," Percy finally said, coming out of his stupor. "I'll take care of you."

Nico knew that, Percy was saying those words so often that he was starting to believe it. Maybe they really did have a chance to get married in the future and build a family of their own, away from all this confusion and pain. Maybe if he behaved and did everything the right way, he would free himself from this nightmare, from these people who seemed determined to torture him.

***

After that, things seemed to calm down, but in a delicate way.

He said he should have kept quiet from the beginning, didn't he? Nico didn't understand exactly what was happening, but he did suspected something was going on.

Nico felt like Percy was distancing himself from him, as though he was loosening the leash of his collar to see how far Nico would go without supervision. Or maybe, that was just how he felt. Maybe Percy was giving him some space, some time for Nico to understand what was happening and take the next step with precaution. 

Where Percy used to be by his side at every moment of the day, now someone else would replace him without Nico even realizing it. It was strange, the few times he found himself alone and was able to think, the effect of what Percy wanted became the opposite. This time alone made him think about life and the possibilities that the future held for him. It scared him, the uncertainty, seeing that he would have to take the reins of his own life if he wanted to live comfortably, when, in reality, all he wanted was for someone to come and tell him what was the right path to take. 

That afternoon would be no different, making him lose himself in the succession of days, pleasant days with people who cared about him, but without the pleasure that Nico had become accustomed to receiving. Would a few days be enough for Percy to convince himself? Was he behaving as expected of him?

Nico was so tired of all that. He just got out of bed and walked around the house. He found Sally in the kitchen and declined the invitation to cook with her. He found Tyson in the study who offered to update him on the Hades case, and once again declined, passing Grover who was in the living room, going straight to the outside area of ​​the house, the only place Percy could be.

There Nico found him, watching Percy swimming at fast speed in the pool, up and down, incessant and frantic, Nico having the impression that Percy was trying to punish himself and for something he should never be blamed for. When Nico finally got close enough to get a better look at Percy's profile, he remained silent, wondering if it was a good idea to break Percy's self-imposed routine. What if this was their future and Nico was just delaying and fighting against what was hopeless? Finding himself at a dead end, Nico sat down in one of the lounge chairs and carried on watching Percy swim furiously, looking like he was trying to take out all his frustration in the water.

It wouldn't be long now. 

If Nico was still following their script, in a few minutes Percy would get out of the pool and go after him. Percy would hug him and smile at him, being all affectionate and they would spend the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening doing anything other than what they wanted to be doing. He was so tired of all this that Nico wasn't even surprised when Percy came out of the pool like someone was chasing after him, almost  walking straight past him. 

Nico felt like laughing, this was so ridiculous; Percy was ridiculous and he was ridiculous too. What were they waiting for? The trauma and the sadness to disappear so they could move on with their lives? That maybe with time and patience Nico would be a normal and mentally balanced person? The funniest thing was seeing Percy backing up and stopping next to his chair, smiling sheepishly at him. And what did Nico did? He smiled back, it was the only rational thing to do in a situation that made no sense at all.

"Hey, handsome. What are you doing here all alone?" Percy asked and crouched down, getting to his height and staring at him closely.

"I missed you." 

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to know where you were." 

"I'm here, like always." 

Nico wanted to say it was a lie. Percy might be there, but he wasn't by his side anymore.

"What's happening to us?" He asked, feeling more tired with each passing moment.

"Nothing's happening." Percy said and smiled at him, gently touching his face. And that was the problem, nothing was happening and he needed something to happen immediately, or he would go completely crazy.

Nico almost let himself be carried away by the platonic caress, almost let Percy's calm smile fool him.

"Did I... did I do something wrong?"

"That would never be possible." 

"You don't like me anymore?"

"Nico." Percy said in the calmest voice he had ever heard. "I think we should slow down.”

“More than this?”

“I…” Then the calm mask on Percy’s face broke. "I abused you. I never asked why you wouldn’t talk to your father. I never questioned why you cried and shook when you thought no one was watching. I need space. I thought it would be good for you too.”

“I don’t need space. I need you.”

Nico didn’t hesitate, he threw himself into Percy’s lap and hugged him tightly, feeling a lump form in his throat.

“Nico. I… I feel guilty. I’m just another one who wants to abuse you.” The important thing was that Percy hugged him back, tightly, holding him by the back of his neck and whispered in his ear. "I want to see you at my feet and I want to see you obeying everything I tell you to do. I want you to look only at me and think only about me. Do you think this is any different from what Hades was doing to you?”

“I don’t care.” There, he said it. “I want to do all of this for you.”

“Nico, please.”

“I’m tired. Why can’t I have what I want? Why is it so wrong to be under someone else’s control?”

He heard Percy groan and before he could react, Percy pulled him by the hair and made him face Percy, his green eyes blazing, as if Percy was about to devour him right there.

“You’re going to kill me. You know that? I’m trying to take care of you. I’m doing what’s best for you.”

“I don’t want the best, I just want to not feel so miserable all the time.”

Percy stared at him for a long moment, looking like he was going to break down at any moment, but finally his wish was granted; Percy pressed his lips against his and stayed like that for a few moments, allowing him to feel the warmth and touch that he had missed so much. And suddenly, it was enough for Nico. It wasn't the sex he missed, it was the warmth of Percy's body on his, the affection, the caring touch, the release of tension, the connection he hadn't found anywhere else.

Unfortunately, the moment was broken some time later. Percy's hands were still on his skin and he was still sitting on Percy's lap, they were still staring at each other as if the other would disappear if they looked away.

"I never wanted you to feel this way," Percy finally said, swallowing hard. "I feel like a monster. I'll-- I'll get over this, I just need some time." 

"Do we need to stay apart? I don't want to learn about law from Tyson or about sports from Grover, I don't even want to learn new recipes from Sally. I promise I won't bother you." 

"How can you say this to me?" That was all Percy said before he buried his face in his neck and Nico felt tears hit his skin, Percy's arms tightening around his waist.

"Oh." Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to corner Percy after all. 

Nico was convinced of that when he heard the first sob. Why did everything he did go wrong? With a tight chest, Nico pulled Percy up and lay down with him on the lounger. He would obey Percy's wishes and give him the space he needed.

Suggestions or comments? Thank you for reading!