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astars-things · 3 months ago

Note

"My baby, you did so well." For Quinn please 🙏

This is for 18+ readers only, if you are underage, I can't stop you from reading, just proceed with caution

mention of- toys, sub!reader dom!Quinn hughes

this is only my second time writing smut if you have any feedback that would be great x

smut content below

Quinn had this rule when he was away on roadie, "no touching yourself", he went as far as hiding your toys in a locked box in your shared closet, hiding one of the keys in an old pair of shoes and the other he took away with him, he trusted you not to use your fingers, the only times you were allowed to was when he was on call giving you permission

While cleaning out the closet, sorting through old clothes to decide what to keep and what to donate, your hand accidentally bumped into one of Quinn’s shoes. As it tipped over, a small, silver key tumbled to the floor, catching the light as it landed beside you.

You knew you shouldn’t. You knew exactly what that key unlocked. But the ache between your legs was impossible to ignore.

Without hesitation, you grabbed your vanity chair, setting it firmly on the floor before stepping up onto it. Your fingers reached for the familiar box tucked high on the shelf — your secret stash of toys and pleasures you hadn’t touched in far too long.

You quickly grabbed one, placing it on charge because you knew it needed it after not being used for a little bit, when you placed it on charge, you made your way into the kitchen,n washing the dishes, you had sent a timer so you didn't accidently set the apartment on fire, soon the timer rang out threw your ears

Giggly like a little kid, you ran into your shared bedroom. You were lying on your back, opening up a locked folder where you and Quinn could share audios and videos to help pass the time of roadies, little did you know Quinn got a notification when you opened this shared folder,

Soon, finding the one you wanted, it was an audio of Quinn dirty talking to you, helping you cum, you turned on your vibrator playing the buzzing toy on your clit, your phone placed next to your ear to simulate quinn being there with you, but you needed this after him sending you photos of him being sweaty and his abs on full display,

moans were heard through the apartment as you kept your buzzing friend on your clit moving it around in circles, soon the sensation got to much and you turned it off, you gave yourself time to come back to earth, you went to the bathroom to clean yourself up and washing off your toy and placing it back into your nightstanding setting yourself a mental reminder to put it back,

time skip

It had been two days since you used your toy, it was weighing on you to tell Quinn, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? "hey honey i missed you" Quinn said as he wrapped his ams around you when he walked into the apartment "I missed you too bub" you replied giving him a long kiss "Needy aren't you" He whispered in your ear you gave him a shy smile "you can have me after my shower okay?" Quinn said before giving you a forehead kiss, making his way into your shared room, He didn't know why but he got a strong gut feeling to check your nightstand so he did

Quinn’s curiosity got the better of him as he walked over to the nightstand, fingers curling around the handle before slowly pulling the drawer open. His eyes landed on it almost immediately, your favorite toy, tucked neatly under some random receipts and hair ties, but not quite hidden enough. His brows lifted slightly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

You’d used it recently. He could tell. By the time he reappeared in the doorway, you were scrolling mindlessly on your phone, completely unaware of what he’d just discovered. “So…” his voice was low, playful, but with an edge to it. “Anything you wanna tell me, sweetheart?” You glanced up at him, confusion flickering across your face. “What do you mean?” He held up the toy between his fingers, the sight of it making your stomach flip.

You were both looking at each other intensely, you knew you were in deep trouble, "Go lay on the bed, if I see one piece of clothing on you, you're going to be in even deeper trouble," he grumbled. You quickly followed behind Quinn, you watched as he went into the bathroom to take a shower, before dealing with you,

You quickly lay there naked, your mind wandered to how stupid you could be for not putting it back, to use it in the first place, all the thoughts left your mind as you heard the bathroom door open, Quinn standing there with one look in his eyes, to punish you

"you ready?" Quinn asked as he sat in front of you on the bed, you could only nod, "Words y/n I need words," He said, grabbing a condom and sliding it down his length "Yes", you quickly rushed out "Good girl", He said before he moved toward you, broad chest pressing against yours as his mouth latched onto your already hard nipple. His tongue flicked, lips sucking greedily, his other hand finding your neglected breast. His fingers rolled your nipple between his thumb and pointer finger, tugging just enough to make you arch off the bed.

“Quinn, please” you whimpered, the need bubbling over too fast.

“Please what, baby? Please make you come on my cock after you couldn’t wait for me?” he teased, but you could feel the heat in his words. He loved that you needed him that badly, so badly you couldn’t resist touching yourself when he was gone. He didn’t make you answer. Instead, he slid his cock through your soaked folds, coating himself in your slick before sinking into you with one deep, slow thrust.

The stretch was perfect , the kind that made your toes curl and a broken moan slip past your lips.

“So fucking tight. Were you thinking about me when you fucked yourself with that toy?” His voice was a low growl in your ear. “Yes,” you gasped. “Yeah? Did it feel as good as this?” He thrust hard, pulling out almost entirely before slamming back in.“No no, only you ”, you babbled, already falling apart under his pace.

Quinn didn’t hold back. His hands gripped your hips, keeping you still as he pounded into you, his cock dragging against that perfect spot with every thrust. His lips were everywhere, your neck, your collarbone, the swell of your breast, leaving marks to remind you whose you were.

Just when you were right on the edge, he reached over to the nightstand, grabbing the vibrator you’d been caught with.“If you love this so much, let’s use it together.”

You barely had time to process his words before the toy was buzzing against your clit, the sensation making you cry out. The combined stimulation — his cock, the vibrator, the weight of him pressing you into the mattress — it was overwhelming. “Quinn, I can’t, it’s too much”

“You can.” His hand wrapped around your throat, gentle but firm. “You can, baby. You’re gonna give me everything. Every fucking drop.” The first orgasm hit fast and hard, your body seizing around him, clenching his cock so tightly he nearly lost it. But he didn’t stop. The vibrator stayed against your clit as he kept thrusting, dragging you into a second orgasm before you could even catch your breath.

“That’s my girl. So pretty when you come.” By the time your third orgasm hit, tears were slipping down your cheeks, the pleasure so intense it was almost too much. But Quinn wasn’t done. “One more, baby. Just one more.” His voice was softer now, coaxing, gentle even as he drove into you with deep, steady thrusts. The fourth orgasm ripped through you, leaving you boneless, trembling under him. Your body shook, thighs twitching, tears slipping down your temples as you whimpered his name.

That was enough. Quinn’s thrusts grew sloppy, his fingers digging into your hips as he spilled into the condom with a deep, guttural groan. He barely took a second to catch his breath before he was easing out of you, quickly discarding the condom and gathering you into his arms.“My baby,” he murmured, his lips pressing soft kisses along your hairline. “You did so well. So fucking good for me.”

His fingers traced soothing circles along your back, his touch gentle now, all of that dominance melted into soft, loving care.“Are you okay?” he whispered. You nodded sleepily against his chest, your body still trembling slightly. “I got you,” he promised, reaching for a warm washcloth to gently clean you up. Every touch was tender, every word soft, as if you were the most precious thing in the world — because to Quinn, you were. He tucked you under the covers, curling his body around yours, his hand resting over your heart.

“I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” you whispered back, safe and warm and so completely his.

#send in requests #thanks anon!#quinn hughes #quinn hughes x reader #quinn hughes smut #quinn hughes x you #vancouver canucks #quinn hughes fic #quinn hughes imagine #nhl x reader #nhl smut

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cottonlemonade · 5 months ago

Text

Brushing Your Stress Away

word count: 1321 || avg. reading time: 6 mins.

pairing: University AU!Tsukishima x chubby!Reader

genre: spice with fluff

warnings: mdni

request: Hello!! can me and my dear Tsukki get an 11 and 23 for lunch before i procrastinate? || fluffy-spicy, dealing with exam stress + studying together with boyfriend Tsukishima

Tsukishima didn’t even flinch when the pen zoomed past his head, bounced off the wall, and landed perfectly in his hamper. Without looking up from his notes, he asked, “Tough chapter?”

You groaned and let yourself fall on your back, arms and legs outspread like a starfish, “I wanted to study art because I love painting, not because I love remembering dates! This is impossible!”

You dramatically flung an arm over your eyes to drive your point home that you were done with studying.

“Come on, only 32 more minutes on the timer.”, your boyfriend said, turning a page and pushing your art history book closer to you.

“No.”, you pouted, wiggling a foot in defiance, “Don’t wanna.”

“So, you plan on working in a museum as… what? A barista?”

Letting your arm fall off your face, you turned your head to look at him, “You could come visit me during your breaks.”

“Not likely. Coffee is disgusting.”

“Not the point, Kei.”

“Resign to your fate or study for another 31 minutes. Either way, stop whining. Some of us want to focus.”

You sat back up, squinting indignantly at your boyfriend, who skillfully ignored you as his eyes skimmed the pages.

Letting out a small huff of boredom, you looked around his bedroom. When he invited you to come spend the break with him in Miyagi you were excited, even more so when on the drive here he casually mentioned that you’d be alone because his older brother was staying at uni with his friends and his mother was away on some conference. But four days of your precious week had already passed without so much as a roaming hand.

On a whim, you reached for your pencil case to take out a cheap replica of an old artist’s brush - a small gift from the souvenir shop Kei had gotten you the last time you visited a museum together. Turning it in your fingers to have something to do, you stared at the page of your book, admiring the pictures at least.

Kei meanwhile, chewed the inside of his cheek, throwing a quick glance over his glasses at you. He knew he wasn’t doing a particularly great job as a boyfriend right now.

To not make it too obvious what he was looking forward to the most during this week together - uninterrupted alone time with no nosy roommate to worry about or forgetting his key and having to spend the rest of his night on a bench in front of his building - he had put together quite the itinerary under the guise of how much you’ve nagged him to show you his hometown (you asked once). Somehow, being in his childhood home after the months away at university made him almost shy. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he felt guilty for bringing you here without telling his mother. However, if his shower thoughts were any indication, he wanted nothing more than to make use of the empty house with you - not seeming too eager, of course. He flipped a page without having read the previous one. Unless he finally acted on his impulses, you would return to academic life without even a good solid make-out session at this point.

A soft caressing sensation on his arm made him snap out of his thoughts. He found you running your brush along a faint vein on his wrist.

“What are you doing?”, he asked unnecessarily but didn’t pull away.

“Nothing.”

The smooth bristles followed his long fingers now one by one.

Without any conviction, he said instinctively, “Stop that.”, whilst really hoping you wouldn’t.

Luckily, you never listened to him, so instead you brought the brush up to his neck and tickled the sensitive spot under his ear. He shuddered and you laughed.

“You think this is funny?”, he asked.

“Hilarious, actually.”, you said.

He got to his knees and all too easily made you tumble backward, making sure to catch your head in his hand before towering over you. With a superior sneer, he took the brush from you.

“Let’s see how ticklish you are.”

Trapped between his long legs, you giggled and squirmed when he ran the brush under your chin, and you ducked your head between your shoulders to defend yourself. So he brought it to your ear.

“Stop!”

Your hand shot up to cover one side, but he just took this to mean he could attack the other. He sat back on his heels and in an attempt to hide the outline in his sweats, pursed his lips in fake pondering.

“Hmm… looks like you leave me no choice.”, he shrugged with a heavy sigh and unceremoniously lifted the hem of your shirt, making extra sure his palm, rough from the years of playing volleyball, dragged gently over your pillowy tummy as he did. You became very still, waiting for his next move. He felt you pressing your thighs together between his legs and scoffed while painting invisible lines on your skin as if he were sketching the outline of your bra.

“This is very much in the way.”, he said more to himself than to you and pulled a cup down from your breast. He leaned forward now, his free hand holding him up next to your head and with precise little teasing strokes he flicked the brush over your perked nipple. You made a small noise, one he loved to hear so much, so he did it again, and again.

“Pretty sure the other one is just as sensitive.”, he murmured and without warning, he pulled down the second cup, tucking it safely under your breast, then got the brush into position. You bucked your hips under him when he twirled the bristles this time.

“You’re right, this is fun.”, he noted and kissed you, not letting up on the teasing with the brush. You ground against him, making him gasp into the kiss.

“Will you finally focus on your studies if I give you what you want?” He had trouble catching his breath, was met with a very enthusiastic nod, and kissed you again.

Kei moved back, slowly dragging your sweats down with him, and had to suppress a dreamy groan. You were nothing short of perfection. With the pudgy tummy, the generous love handles, and full thighs you had always reminded him of beauty depicted in Renaissance paintings.

He shifted to lay on his stomach, propped up on his forearms, spinning the brush in his long fingers. A little spring of pride bloomed in him when he noticed a wet patch on your panties already.

The more he dragged the brush over the soaked fabric the more he noticed a definite gleam on the bristles. With the very tip of it, he focused on the pronounced little nub of your clit and was rewarded with a high moan. He was curious if he’d be able to make you cum just with a simple little painter’s brush when the door to his room slid open.

“WOAH!”

Akiteru spun around to look away.

“Sorry! I just heard a noise and - don’t mind me.”

“Why aren’t you in Tokyo?!”, Kei yelled in frustration, scrambling to his feet. A low rustling behind him told him you followed his example.

“Needed some fresh air?” His brother shrugged awkwardly, still with his back to him. “I’ll uhm… I’ll head to the convenience store. Should take me maybe 20 minutes. Do with that information what you will.”

He grabbed around behind him to find the handle before pulling the door closed again, then called from the hallway, “I’ll bring you some snacks!”

Kei exhaled, rubbing his eyes under his glasses, “I’m sorry… y/n, I- mfpg”, he was interrupted by you turning his head and yanking him down to you by the collar of his shirt to kiss him.

“You heard him, 20 minutes. Let’s go.”

a/n: reader was on mission! Thank you to the anon who requested this prompt! I hope you enjoyed it 🌟

#tsukishima x chubby reader #tsukki x chubby reader #haikyuu x chubby reader #chubby reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x curvy reader #tsukishima smut #tsukishima x reader #haikyuu tsukishima #tsukishima kei #tsukki smut #tsukkishima x reader #tsukki x reader #hq tsukki #haikyuu tsukki #tsukkishima kei #hq smut #haikyuu smut

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admirationandromantics · 6 months ago

Text

Going overboard, 10: Repentance

Yeah, you're right, I saved the best gif of him for this chapter. Just to remind everyone, this is not the last chapter!! I'll be posting the epilogue tomorrow, so stay tuned!!! And just a warning that it will be worth it (I mean, you've waited since chapter 5 or something for some more sexy times, right?) Anyways, hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and let me know if you want something else as well. My requests are open! <3

“I mean, I saw that thing from a distance” I start, walking behind Mike. “But it was so incredibly disgusting. The teeth, the skin, everything.”

“Like, I know I’m supposed to love every living thing on this earth, but can that thing be an exception?” Sam asks, and I giggle.

“Oh yeah, you should’ve seen everyone I saw. They were all different from each other, I mean, they all tried to kill me, but they looked like different people. You know that mining accident I told you about?”

We both nod in unison.

“The miners that survived resorted to cannibalism, and when they got treated at the Sanatorium, they attacked staff and killed people. I saw a video, medical journals and other stuff. It’s insane.”

“So there’s more of them?” Sam asks, stopping in her tracks.

“The one that took Josh, it was bigger than the one we just saw” I comment, getting a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“So we are up against several of those things?”

“Seems like it” Mike answers, lifting his shoulders and starts walking again.

“Fucking hell”

I start thinking about the one that took Josh. Something seemed so familiar about it.

“Don’t know how we didn’t run into any of them last year.” Mike says.

“Probably purely coincidences that we haven’t, like Chris says, butterfly effects and stuff” Sam wonders, keeping her sight on the path so she doesn’t stumble. The cave inn, how long ago was that?

“Wait, so how old is that thing?” I ask, thinking I’m messing with the wrong numbers.

“80 years at least” Mike says.

“Shit”

“I know”

“Spunky for an old timer”

We arrive at a big cave lake, and I look down, checking out the water.

“I think we’re close” Sam says.

“How can you tell?”

“I just feel terrible all of a sudden”

“I get that”

I touch it with my fingers, surprised by the cold. There’s something odd about it.

“I don’t want to go in there” Sam exclaims.

“Seems like there’s no other way through” I comment, looking around.

“What about there?”

I look over, seeing a path go beside the water. I stand up, walking there with the others. The path is surrounded by water, so there’s no other way for us to continue. I look over the lake, seeing a door on the other side. I think we have to go in it.

“Oh my god, is that what I think it is?” I hear Sam, turning around I see a large dig up hole. Awfully similar to a grave. Shit.

“That looks like a grave…” Mike whispers, a bit stunned. Sam walks closer, picking up something laying in the dirt.

“Fuck, this is Beths!”

“What?” I walk to her, seeing the watch in her hands, with Beth’s name engraved on the back of it. “This is her watch!”

“What?” Mike repeats, sounding unconvinced. He looks at it, eyes wide in realisation.

“There was a cross here” I whimper, breath caught in my throat, pointing to a cross lying upside down.

“So this must’ve been where she was buried” Mike says.

“But who dug her up?” I ask, chills crawling down my spine.

“Let’s keep moving” he says, hand on my shoulder.

“The faster we get away from this mountain, the better” Sam adds, quickly walking in front of us. We get to the lake again, and I take the first step down.

“God, I did NOT want to get an UTI from this trip” Sam comments.

“Or hepatitis” Mike adds.

“I can promise you, in these types of waters, that’s the least of your worries” I say, water reaching to my torso.

“Jeez, thank you for calming me”

“Just being honest, I thought you loved that about me?” I tease, trying to ignore the coldness.

“It’s okay Sam” Mike urges, holding out his hand for her.

“You sure?”

“We’re not dead yet” I whisper.

“Famous last words” she says before getting in. “Gosh it’s freezing”

“Just keep moving” Mike says. “Nobody likes cold buns… Although both of yours are great”

“Gee thanks Mike, you’re really lightening the mood” I say sarcastically.

“Always a pleasure”

We make our way to the side, hoping the water is low enough so we don't have to swim. Sam suddenly trips, water almost reaching her shoulders.

“Shit, I thought you said you reached the deepest parts?”

“When did I say that?”

“Umm, I don’t know”

She drags herself up, giving me a hand so I get out easier.

“What is that?” I point, noticing some papers laying on the ground.

“Oh shit” Mike exclaims. “That looks like Hannah’s writing. Sam looks over the pages, reading out loudly the writing for us.

“I’m sorry Beth, I have no choice. It’s the only way I can survive anymore. If someone finds this, I’m sorry. I had to, I had no choice”

“What does that mean?” Mike asks, breathing heavily and quickly.

“No, no, no, no, no” I exclaim, the pieces coming together. I look at Sam, she gets it as well.

“What, what is it?” Mike asks, scared but confused.

“I think… Hannah dug up Beth”

“No, no, no, no” I keep chanting to myself, feeling sick to my stomach.

“It was Hannah!”

Mike shakes his head in disbelief, but I know he just doesn’t want to believe it.

“No, that’s - that’s ridiculous”

“It has to be, it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Think about it” I continue. “Beth died from the fall, so Hannah buried her… She couldn’t move, god knows how long she’d been down here, and she was probably starving”

“I get it, I get it, please don’t say it out loud” Mike scolds, and I shut up.

There’s still no direct way to the other side, so we have to go into the water again. This time, we’re all silent. We make our way there, Mike going first, followed by Sam and I beside each other.

“It’s getting deeper” Mike states.

“Roger that”

“Oh, no it’s getting better”

“Don’t jinx it”

We get to the other side, easier to get out of the water than before. I look around, feeling eyes on me, but can’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Sam goes straight for the door, pulling the handle hard. The door flies open, water pouring out, making all of us fall to the ground. A head rolls out, landing right beside me, and I shriek from the sight, pushing myself away.

“Fuck fuck fuck!”

Everyone stands up, keeping a distance from it.

“It’s the old man” I whisper, throat closing.

“Shit, let’s just go, now!” Sam firmly states, taking my arm and dragging me with her. We go inside, and I hold my hand in front of my mouth when I see the man’s body hanging from hooks in the ceiling. We need to go now, I want to get out of here.

Mike is standing directly under him, a few drops of blood dripping down on him. He looks up, shining the flashlight.

“Ugh, I’m gonna be sick” he cries, backing away and turning around. I hear small whimpers come from Sam as she clutches her stomach. My body starts shaking, a combination of coldness, wetness and panic. I don’t want to end up like that, none of us do…

“Wait” Sam stops us. “Do you hear that?” We stay silent, trying to hear whatever she’s alluding to. I try, but the explosion I caused with Chris must’ve damaged something. Mike moves to a wall, telling us to look. I walk over, seeing Josh walking around in circles, clutching his head and talking to himself.

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I don’t take orders from you!”

“Josh!” I yell, running to the door, trying to pry it open. Mike shoves in front of me, opening the door with ease and letting me run over.

“You can’t tell me what to do”

“Josh” I say, my voice barely over a whisper. I try to take his hand, but he seems completely oblivious to my touch.

“No, no, I told you, you can’t tell me what to do anymore”

Mike and Sam approach, saying his name and trying to get his attention.

“No, okay fine. I trust you. I trust you” he continues, his eyes seeming like they’re in a completely different place.

“What’s the matter with him?” Mike asks.

“He’s tripping or something. Having an episode” I answer, scared and confused.

“Hit him” Mike says, and I look at him with a ‘wtf’-expression. He pushes past me, lifting his hand and slapping him straight across the face.

“Mike” I yell, moving my hand to soothe his chin. “Josh!” he screams in his face.

“M-Mike?” Josh whispers, some of him coming back to the present. He looks down on me, his eyes calming down and breathing steadying.

“Hi Josh, it’s us, you’re okay”

“Please, d-don’t hit me again”

“No, no, I would never” I tell him, shooting a glare at Mike.

“Hey, it worked” he tells me, and I don’t know how to respond. It did work, I would never have done it myself. “He was in deep, full mental jacket”

“We didn’t think we’d get you back” Sam adds.

“Josh, Hannah was down here for… weeks? A month? She dug Beth up…”

“Sam” I warn. This is not what he needs right now.

“Let’s just get the fuck out of here” Mike says, already starting to make his way out.

“Okay, Josh? Do you have the key for the cable car?” I ask, trying to be as calm as possible.

“Uhh, yeah, yeah, here” he hands it to me. Hands touching. I hold onto him a little longer. His hands are cold and dry, streaks of red covering them. I kiss him on the cheek, thanking him. He looks taken aback, and I don’t know if I went too far too fast, but there’s nothing changing it now.

“See that over there?” Sam points. “That means a direct way out, come on”

I look up, a long rock wall. I could probably make it, Sam definitely would.

“There’s no way Josh is making it up there” Mike says, an arm around him.

“Okay, we split” Sam says.

“What?” I ask, not wanting to be separated.

“Two up, and two out from down here” Sam says, and Mike nods.

“Okay, I’ll take Jos-” I start, but Sam interrupts me.

“I need you. The wall, we’re the fastest, and the best climbers. Josh is safe with Mike”

“But-”

“No buts” Mike says. “We do it like that, we’ll be quick, I promise”. I sigh in reply, moving forward, putting one of my hands behind Josh’s neck and kissing him. I don’t care that the others are watching, I just need him to know how I’ve felt and how I feel. He kisses me back, hands moving to my waist.

“I’ve missed you” I whisper, low enough so only he hears it. “When we’re off this mountain, we’ll talk, okay?” I ask, still in a low voice. He nods in reply, a little smile creeping to his lips.

“We’ll go tell the others that we’re okay” Sam says.

“Yeah, good” Mike replies.

“Bring Josh back the way we came and we’ll meet at the lodge” I say firmly.

“Be careful”

“You too” we both say in unison. Mike gives us both a push before continuing back to where we came from. Josh’s eyes remain on me, and I feel like I left a piece of me.

We climb up the wall, getting up to the second half. I look up, seeing ice and snow.

“How do we do that?” I ask, getting shivers already.

“By having a good grip” she replies, starting to climb.

“Well, fuck it” I whisper as I do the same. I grab hold of a branch, managing to lift myself up the entire way. We both get up, being met with the snowstorm.

The path is still visible, and we waste no time walking. We both jog, not too slow, and not too quick.

“God, it’s cold” Sam complains, and I look over. She’s still wearing the training gear, legs and arms very exposed.

“Hey, take this” I say, giving her my bloodied scarf. I’m only wearing a sweater, a singlet underneath. There would be no point giving her that.

“Thanks”

The path leads to an icy pond, not completely frozen, just the edges. There’s no way around it.

“Why does it have to be today?” she asks, not expecting an answer.

“Come on” I tell her, getting into the icy water. I bite my teeth together, never before have I been so cold. I can’t talk, I can barely move. She gets in, and makes exactly the same expression. We have to be quick, both probably suffering from hypothermia already. We walk over, the water getting deeper with each step, but finally, we’re on the other side. I help her up, limbs frozen and red.

Suddenly, we both hear a horrific scream. The wendigo. It must be close. Fuck. We both start running for our lives, jumping over trees and taking sharp swings. Finally the lodge comes to our vision, and we run for the door. I try to open it, but it’s locked. I start banging, praying that the others will hear me.

“Let us in!”

“Get it open, get it open!” Sam urges, twitching and shivering behind me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck”

A hand goes on my shoulder, and we turn around to find Mike and Josh standing there, panting and shivering as well. They’re both scratched up and dirty, more than when we left them.

“Shit, guys” I pant, almost not being able to breathe.

“You look terrible” Sam says, looking them both up and down.

“We’re gonna look worse if we stay out here”

I give Sam a determined look, and pick up a rock from the ground.

“Yeah, good idea” she compliments, arms around herself for a little warmth. I throw the rock through the window, sneaking my hand in and unlocking it from inside. We all run in, closing the door behind us. Sam turns on the light.

“Not good” Mike says as he turns it off again.

“What should we do?” I ask, nervous and cold.

“We should check the basement, might be someone left there” Mike replies, walking to the stairs. I take Josh’s hand in mine, and he takes the whole of me into a big hug. I finally feel tears coming, coating his shoulder.

“I love you” I whisper between sobs, holding him even harder.

“I love you too” he whispers lovingly, his voice finally sounding sure and true. I pull away, and he dries my tears before I can. I smile, thinking wow, we might actually survive. I hold his hand in mine, leading him down the stairs to the others. When we’re halfway there, we’re met with screams, and Emily, Ashley and Chris running up past us.

“Run!” Mike yells as he comes towards us. Josh starts moving up the stairs, but I see Sam just standing still, unable to move. I run down, grabbing her arm firmly and dragging her with me.

“Get it together!” I state as we run up the stairs, immediately coming to a halt.

The wendigo, the big one who took Josh, is standing on the ornament hanging from the ceiling. Thankfully, I’m right next to Josh, and I look at him in the side vision, telling him not to move. All of us are standing completely still, the wendigo not being able to locate any of us, yet. I hear the others come up from the cellar, running up the stairs and catching the big one’s attention. They all look at each other, before going off, two of them hitting and biting. I hear someone run out the lodge, and I carefully look back, seeing Emily and Ashley taking small steps backwards. I signal to Josh, carefully grabbing the back of his overalls and taking a step back. It works well, the monsters being too occupied to notice any of us. We’re right by the door when I see the big one rip the other’s head off. Mike has been slowly moving, but suddenly, the wendigo sets his mind on him.

“Hey!” Sam yells, and I struggle to hold my mouth shut. No, no, no. Not Sam, please. I hear the monster yell again, turning away from us. I take my chance, grabbing Josh’s hand and running out. Outside, I find Emily and Chris, both standing beside each other, not making a sound. We make our way over to them, looking inside for the others. Ashley comes running out, getting among us. I see Mike in the opening, waiting for something. Suddenly, he runs toward us, Sam in his heels, who switches the light on, causing the whole lodge to explode in flames. Sam shouts as she’s thrown forward by the explosion, Mike falling, and everyone else being blasted into the snow. I feel hands move around me as I hit the ground.

A few seconds go by, the sound of burning wood and the smell of rotten flesh fills the area. A light is seen, and we all look up as a helicopter lands.

89 notes · View notes

ashlayan · 11 months ago

Text

Unknown motives

Tw: SFW, written with a fem reader in mind, attempt at comedy, fluff with a dash of something else, slight use of profanity, reader is short for plot reasons.

Pairing: Anton Ivanov x reader

#Free Palestine🇵🇸

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

"Sorry," the large man says as he approaches you "I got held up by this strange guy asking if I wanted to play cards or something on my way here... Hm? You haven't started interviewing our president yet, have you? Don't forget to lower the mic stand a bit."

You blink up at him in surprise, and suppress an eye roll. You can't help it, everything about him was giving... the same vibe you see in the old capital era movies, the frat boy types. Still, you respond cordially enough "Huh? Oh you mean the reporter lady from earlier? No she left already, I'm the new part timer." You say confidently, deciding you'll end this conversation quickly if you looked sufficiently assertive. The work site was plenty noisy too, surely he'll get annoyed from talking out here soon enough.

The man's hand was on its way to the back of his head, his eyes trained away from you before he halts and looks back "A new part timer? Who the hell hired you?"

"I hired myself." You say simply.

"Ha, you hired yourself? Really now? And who made you think you were qualified enough to work here?"

You don't bother giving your real reasons "The field of construction calls for me." Is what you say instead.

"Calls for you, huh?" To your surprise , the man takes your words seriously, and you notice a name tag that introduces him as Senior Staff and On Site Project Manager Anton Ivanov. Wow, what a mouthful, no wonder he seems to know who exactly does and doesn't work here.

"You look like a runt... Can you handle the job? Do you even know how to tell apart a Gauging trowel from a Margin trowel?"

You blink owlishly back at him, startled out of your thoughts "A what now?"

"Exactly my point! How about I test you, then? First, go get me a torque wrench."

"Ahaha" you laugh awkwardly "Uh yup! I totally know what that is!" Why is there no connection in this place? I need to Google this! You panic internally.

"Oh really? Well then go get one. It's right by the tool box in the west warehouse." He points at said building "I'll be waiting here."

You quickly turn away before he sees your expression descend into panic "Mhm, be right back boss man!"

"Hah, what's with that look?... Wait... Hey! Come back here!"

You ignore him and use your small frame to your advantage and easily weave through construction workers left and right, most of them admittedly much bigger than you. Still, you disappear into the crowd and easily loose anyone trying to stop you. Once you make it to the warehouse, you go ask someone on duty about the tool, and find a bear gentleman squinting at a clipboard.

"Excuse me sir." You interrupt politely "The project manager sent me to grab a tool for him, can you tell me where-" you pause. What did he call it again? You stare at the fellow in front of you as he stares back. Once it became apparent you weren't going to finish the sentence any time soon, he points at a collection of crates in one section of the warehouse

"I'm busy so help yourself kid." He says, then leaves before you can correct him about you not being a kid.

Welp.

You go look though the crates, hoping any of them would be marked or named, and while some of them are, most of those are in Russian.

You don't speak Russian.

You sigh, and decide nothing will get done if you keep standing here, so you grab a random heavy tool, and lug it back to Anton, who surprisingly did wait for you where he said he would.

"I'm back! Did you miss me?" You pant from the exertion, trying to hide the toll this is taking on you with jest "Is- is this it?"

Anton looks dumbfounded for a moment before speaking "...That's a welder's mask, kid. The kind bear Thirens use."

You look down "So that's what the glass part is for... Hey I'm not a kid! You're just way too tall!"

Anton smirks, amused with your response "You're not a kid, huh? Then how old are you, shorty?"

You look away. "Hmph. You should never ask a lady about her age! It's improper!" You dodge the question. You may be an adult, but there's a non zero chance that once you show him your ID he thinks you're presenting him with a fake one and kick you out immediately. You'd rather not give him the chance. "So how do I go about properly signing up to join Belobog Heavy Industries anyway?"

Anton chuckles, seemingly getting a kick out of this "Ha! It's funny that a shorty like you can call herself a lady. You're barely at half my height. Anyways, if you wanna work here, I'll have to assess your experience and qualifications first."

You are certainly not looking forward to that.

"... Isn't there someone else that can do that...? Maybe someone I don't have to crane my neck all the way up just to look at their face?" You sweat drop.

Anton laughs, thoroughly enjoying this situation "Nope, not a chance. You're stuck with me, shorty. Now, quit complaining and tell me what you can do with those tiny arms of yours."

You crouch down and grab a random rock, then stack a few more on top of it. Once done you stand back up and point at your creation. "Construction...?"

Anton raises an eyebrow, looking the most baffled you've seen him all day, and that's saying something. He stares at your attempt before he lets out a disbelieving laugh "Construction? You call that... whatever it is, construction? I'm not sure if I should be impressed, concerned, or just downright baffled."

You don't hesitate "Which one's more likely to get me hired?"

"Anton crosses his arms, looking you up and down as he seriously consideres your question. His earnestness is starting to get to you.

"Hm, I suppose I'd be impressed, because it takes a lot of audacity to call that thing construction. So I'm going to give you a chance."

He grins slightly.

"Spend the day around the site today but don't go past any yellow lines without permission. If you still want to join us afterwards, come find me and my bro at the end of the day at my office. We'll discuss your new position in the company then, shorty."

You can't help it, caught off guard by his genuine offer, you let out a huge, surprised smile, no sarcasm or barbs in sight "Wait really?!"

You can vaguely tell Anton is taken aback by your response, but he quickly covers it up with a smirk "Of course. It'd be fun to have someone so short around here to tease, it's not like I can mess with the president after all." He says jokingly.

At your resulting glare, he chuckles and ruffles your hair with his large hand.

For a second, you feel dumbfounded at the overly familiar act, but you quickly regain your composure and push his hand away "Sorry head pats are reserved for friendship level 8 or higher."

"Oh? 8 or higher, huh? That's a pretty high number. I guess I'll have to work my way up to earn the privelage then.

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

As the work day comes to a close, you make your way to Anton's office, directed by the scowling red head girl that often came to check on you throughout the day. She awkwardly waves off your genuine thanks.

I guess everyone here looks scary but is actually nice? You wonder.

"Hey there, shorty." Anton perks up from his slumped position as he sees you come in. You notice his desk and seat appear comically small when compared to his size, it doesn't help that the office room is rather cramped. "Did you have a fun day of "construction" today?"

You sigh "I tried to help, but everyone kept telling me I'd just get in the way." You say as you unceremoniously drop in a guest chair by his wooden desk "Please hurry up and give me an official position at the company."

Anton's smirk softens as he sees your dejected expression.

"Heh, I can see you really want to fit in here, huh? My bro and I really appreciate that kind of spirit. Alright, I'll do you a favor and give you an official position."

He seems to think for a moment before speaking "How about you become the company's official short stack? We do lack a mascot."

Your eye twitches involuntarily "My dude you are giving my fist an erection. Are you trying to get socked in the face?"

Anton doubles over his desk laughing, a full body laugh with his shoulders shaking and his mouth gasping for air. Well it was a very good line wasn't it? You inwardly give yourself a pat on the back for causing that reaction. Finally when the bursts of laughter subside and he can actually breathe again, the taller male leans down and gets close to your face with his signature smirk on.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try. Besides, you're too short to land a proper punch, anyway."

Anton's smirk fades into a more serious expression this time as he considers your question. He taps his chin in thought.

You deadpan. Bro cannot be acting all nonchalant after he almost went into cardiac arrest from your joke "Back on topic," you say impatiently "any real positions I can fill up?"

He looks you up and down for what feels like the millionth time this day, before speaking "If I'm being honest, the only jobs you could fit would probably be serving food at the cafeteria or maybe assisting in office work, hardly something that would feel like construction work."

"Hmm, let's see..."

You try not to pout "But just today I saw a girl shorter and definitely younger then me, she was working hands on and-"

"The president," Anton interrupts "has many years of experience, she also may not look it to your untrained eyes but she has a lot of practical muscles that make up for her size disadvantage."

You blanch That was the President?! I'd been calling her girlie-pop all day! I think I even called her pookie once?!

Suddenly, all the strange looks the staff were throwing you throughout the day made a lot more sense.

"That said..." Anton brings you back out of your thoughts "How about we start you off as an assistant? I'll have you work under me, and I'll show you the ropes around here, it would also count as a training period. If you prove yourself competent, I'll consider promoting you to an official position."

Your eyes gain a shine to them at the offer he went of his way to give, and you feel a bit remorseful at all the attitude you've been giving him "Wait, wouldn't that be troublesome for you?"

Anton shrugs lightly, that smirk returning to his face.

"Troublesome? Nah, I'd get a kick out of having a pipsqueak like you following me around. And who knows, maybe you can learn a thing or two from a professional like me." He says, pointing proudly at his chest.

You deadpan yet again. "I take back the good thoughts I started having of you, what was I thinking?" You tell him as you shake your head in mock despair.

Anton laughs at your blunt response, clearly enjoying the banter. "Ha! There's Shorty's short temper kicking in again. Come on, don't be so uptight . I'm just messin' with ya."

He grins widely, clearly finding this whole situation amusing. He then playfully ruffles your hair with his hand.

You push his hand away again "My head isn't for patting unless you're level 8 friendship I said!"

Anton laughs good naturedly, and obediently removes his hand.

"Ha! Still going on about that friendship level thing? Fine, I'll keep my hands to myself for now. But just know, I have plenty of other ways to bother you, Shorty."

"I've known you for only one day and yet I don't doubt that one bit."

Anton crosses his arms and leans against the nearby wall, looking down at you.

Still, you can't resist messing with him right back, so you get up and walk away "Nevermind I'll go see if the convenience store down the street is still hiring-"

"Oh, you have no idea. Stick around, shorty, and you'll see what I mean. You haven't experienced true torment yet." His voice has a teasing quality to it and you can tell he puts extra care in making that obvious to compensate for his naturally intimidating size and face.

Anton quickly scrambles off the wall and grabs your arm, halting your retreat "Oh no you don't. You're not getting out of this that easily." He smirks, as if he wasn't floundering less then a second ago. His grip on your arm is gentle yet unrelenting "You're stuck with me, Shorty. You already accepted the job as my assistant, remember? You can't back out now."

You sigh dramatically, and hear as Anton laughs at your theatrics. You then remember the two of you haven't properly introduced yourselves to each other yet "I guess I have to be a woman of my word." You say in mock reluctance as he lets go of your arm "It's a little late, but my name is Y/n by the way, L/n Y/n. What's yours?"

His smirk slowly fades into a genuine smile "Oh, we never did properly introduce ourselves, huh? Hah, guess we were so busy bickering we forgot about the formalities." He extends his hand for a handshake "Name's Anton Ivanov. Remember that, ok Shorty?"

You grasp his hand, his grip strong and sturdy "Like I said, my name's Y/n. Since we're on the more serious topics, is there a contract I need to sign or am I in a trial period for now?"

Anton shakes your hand gently before responding, seemingly very aware of how much bigger his hand is as it is engulfs yours. If you didn't know better you'd think he's nervous to accidentally hurt you. "Yeah trial period's a fitting name, and no contract signings just yet. We'll see how you do working under me before we worry about paperwork. So, Shorty, are you ready to get started as my assistant?"

"How early does the work day start here?" You ask, forcefully dragging your eyes away after they started staring at his chest a bit too long. You can't help it tho! It's more comfortable for your neck to stare at that region!

Anton scratches his chin thoughtfully, considering your question and blissfully unaware of your internal turmoil.

"Hmm, work usually starts around 6 in the morning. We like to get an early start here at Belobog. Why do you ask?"

You gulp "Wow, bright and early with the sunrise huh?"

Anton valiantly tries to suppress a chuckle at your reaction. He fails, but you suppose it's the effort that counts.

"Yep, bright and early. We don't like to waste time around here. And hey, don't worry about adjusting to the early hours, you'll get used to it soon enough, shorty."

"I sure hope so." You sweat drop, then your eyes drift to the arm sized device strapped to his arm. "Is that the main tool you use?" You motion with your chin towards the machine he still has strapped to his arm despite the work day being already over.

Anton follows your gaze, and he brightens considerably at your question. "This is my bro, it's a pile driver." He says seriously, and it doesn't take long to realize he's not joking.

He grins, looking down at his arm-mounted weapon affectionately "My bro and I go way back, and it got my back in both work and combat." He says proudly.

"I guess you could say it is, in a way, like family. It's been with me through a lot."

He pats the pile driver, a fond look in his eyes.

Your eyes soften "Well, can't wait to see you and your bro in action once I officially start!" You exclaim, mentally cataloguing the pile driver as Anton's Emotional Support Companion in you head.

"So, I hear Belobog Industries has dorms for all staff members, are newbies like me included or do I need to find my own lodgings around here?" You change the subject, because while you didn't mind hearing more about Anton and getting to know him better, you did still have an objectif in coming here "I wanna know if I'll need to make moving arrangement soon."

Anton's grin widens at your enthusiasm and what he reads as genuine interest in the company.

"Ha! That eager to get in on the action, huh?" he guesses "You're going to fit right in here."

He pats your head lightly, and you're starting to understand it's meant to be a playful gesture rather than a condescending or even teasing one.

"And don't worry about lodging. We provide dorms for all staff members, including newbies like you. You don't need to worry about finding a place to stay."

"Well that's convenient," you say as you bat his arm away, almost by reflex now "I guess I better go get my stuff sorted by tomorrow then." You say as you shift to get going, before a loud bang outside Anton's office door startles you both, and a tall woman comes barreling in.

"Anton!" She all but shouts "I got it! I cracked the code uncle Khors left behind!"

Next to you, Anton is initially startled by the sudden entrance, but he soon regains his composure. He throws a look at you, as if making sure you're not scared off by the taller woman's antics, then turns back to her, his face a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

"Grace? You cracked the code? That's great, but we need to tell the president before you -"

But this Grace person is no longer listening, as her attention is now in on you "Huh, I didn't know it was bring your kid to work day? Wait who's kid is this?"

You deadpan "For the last time. I'm an adult."

At your claim, she looks you up and down and it's quite obvious she doesn't believe you. "A highschooler maybe." She murmurs under her breath.

Anton quickly interjects before she can say more, and you can hear the hint of annoyance in his voice as he speaks "Grace, Y/n's not a high schooler..."

You finally sigh and take out your ID card, at least Anton seemed to believe you so you didn't think he'd take it for a fake ID.

"Oh you poor thing!" The woman says after thoroughly comparing your face to the image on the card "who malnourished you?"

"I'm not malnourished." You say with a tired sigh, but it's not like you can explain your situation, so you don't think you come off as very believable.

Anton gives Grace a sarcastic look as she tries to save her mistake. He rolls his eyes, but a small smile still forms on his face.

"Well!" Grace says "Whatever you two are discussing can wait, let's get her to the cafeteria before it closes, someone is in desperate need of a big meal-" At Anton's warning look, Grace amends "Uhh that person being Anton! A bear sized fellow like him definitely needs to eat lots!"

"Nice save there, Grace. Real subtle."

I don't know what these two's relationship is, but they seem close. You wonder internally.

And as Anton glances at you, it seems he misreads your pondering expression as one of doubt about yourself because he says: "Don't you worry, Shorty. You're fine. I've met actual malnourished people, and trust me, you're in the clear."

...why is he such a green flag?! You have to admit to yourself it'd be quite the shame if he is dating Grace.

"But it's true that we're all hungry" Anton continues while nodding "Grace is right, and let me tell you, the cafeteria food here is really good. I wouldn't want you to miss out on it, shorty."

You nod back, liking the idea "Alrighty then, please lead the way." You go for a polite voice but at Grace's giggle you wonder if you over did it.

Anton grins and gestures for both of you to follow him.

"Aight, I'll show you the way to the cafeteria."

He starts walking and motions for you and Grace to fall in step beside him.

Grace starts telling you both all about the mysterious code the former president of Belobog Industries had left behind, and while fairly sure the information should remain confidential, it wasn't like you could stop the woman on her tirade, you notice Anton doesn't even try.

Then again, they probably think I haven't a single clue of what she's talking about.

As the three of you near what you assume is the cafeteria, Grace stops dead in her tracks. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry, I know I was the one that suggested coming here but I just got an alert and I need to go back and check on my children!" Grace exclaims showing a notification with a warning symbol for an icon. By children, you figure she's talking about machines or software code.

Anton hardly looks surprised. He shakes his head "Hah, typical Grace. Don't worry about it, we can grab food ourselves. You go take care of your babies."

Anton pats her on the shoulder reassuringly "Just make sure to eat something later, okay?"

Grace nods, and you expect her to hurry off towards her workstation but instead she moves to your side and whispers in your ear "My intuition tells me you're a good person, so good luck, I'm rooting for you!" And as you blink in surprise, the woman is already rushing off. You realize that at some point you'd made the judgement she was wholly focused on her mechanic creations and had little attention to her surroundings, but that had to be untrue. She read the situation in seconds and seems to be setting you two up on a date of sorts.

Anton on the other hand watched the entire exchange with one eyebrow raised.

As Grace runs off towards her creations, he turns back to you with a slightly quizzical look.

"What'd she whisper to you?"

You give him a sly smile "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Anton gives you a playful glare in return and crosses his arms "Oh, now you're just teasing me. Come on, spill the beans Shorty. Let me in on the secret."

You skip ahead and push the cafeteria double doors open "Oh wow this place smells great, it's suddenly making me feel so hungry! We better get some food quick!"

Behind you, you hear the taller male let out a hearty chuckle at your unsubtle change of topic "A convenient case of selective hearing, huh? Okay, I'll let it slide for now."

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

After filling your trays with food the two of you choose somewhere to sit, and with the cafeteria mostly empty it was like you had the whole place to yourselves.

Time to satisfy our empty stomachs.

Or so you thought.

You barely get to sit down before Anton gets a call, and he immediately gets up to take it. You wonder for a few seconds if it would be rude or not to start eating without him, however the call doesn't take that long.

"Sorry about that." Anton says, but when you look up to face him it's like looking at a different person. His attention is still on his phone and the set of his shoulders is stiff, but most of all, his smile is nowhere to be found "Something came up, you can start without me and uh- I'll be right back."

He's gone before you can get a word in edgewise.

Well, now you've been subjected to the inconvenience of eating alone in a cafeteria. At least it's mostly empty. You take exactly two bites of your delicious burger (it seems he was right about the food in this place) before you're interrupted, by Grace again this time.

"Hey! You're Anton's girlfriend!"

You almost choke-

"Where did he go- I think I messed up and I need his help before Sweet Pea finds out!"

Wow... Where do I even start with this one...

You decide to go with the basics "I'm not his girlfriend. I don't know someone called him away I think. Why are you afraid of a vegetable finding out about your mistake...?"

"So he's not here? Oh no." The woman turns on her heel and leaves.

You don't hesitate and follow after her, you'd rather not have to sit alone in a cafeteria, you just hope no one will put away your food while you're gone.

The real problem tho, is how much taller and faster she was. By the time you make it to the double doors you have no clue which direction she went in.

I think she went this way last time?

You pick a direction and at some point the smoke alarms start beeping in the halls, and you hear footsteps somewhere in the building rushing to and fro. Sure enough, you find yourself in a technician's lab at the end of the route. The only problem is, Grace is not here.

You walk in.

It doesn't take long to figure out what was causing a commotion, as the smoke alarm was beeping on and off above a smoking machine component. You step closer and take a look.

Hmm I'm not familiar with this model, but...

Your head turns towards the computer setup on the desk, warning and error messages flashing on the monitor. You sit down and crack your knuckles.

Let's give this a go.

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

Anton comes back to the cafeteria, finding you right where he left you.

"Heyo Shorty, sorry that took a while, wha- you're not eating yet?"

"Ah- I nibbled at the burger a bit, but I didn't wanna start without you so..." You lie smoothly.

"What the- I told you you could start," Anton says plopping into his seat "now I feel bad for making you wait so long." He says with a- is that a kicked puppy face? You didn't even know it was possible on him.

You instantly start feeling bad "Oh no worries, I didn't even feel the time pass!" I was fairly occupied anyways "Oh! I heard a lot of noise out there, what was going on?" You smoothly switch subjects, grabbing a hold of your burger and taking a bite.

"Hn? Oh yeah, the smoke alarm was ringing in multiple branches but there wasn't a fire in any of them, the system was pranking us I guess." He stabs his steak and starts cutting it "I tried to go back right after but Grace came to find me cuz something was acting up, so I go on a detour to her lab, we got there and whatever she needed a hand with just righted itself so I hurried back." He takes a bite of meet and waits till he's swallowed it to continue "You sure I didn't take too long?"

You smile "Really it's fine, it wasn't that long at all."

For the first seven to ten minutes of you two sitting together again, you both give your undivided attention to your food filled trays. Finally, after devouring an entire burger you break the silence "I'm gonna be honest with you, Anton, I had you all wrong when I first saw you this morning." You say between mouthfuls of fries, keeping one hand in front of your mouth whenever there's food in it and you need to talk.

Anton grins at your admission, taking a sip of his drink before replying "Hah, yeah, I can tell. You were giving me the eye roll of all eye rolls this morning. I take it you've changed your opinion of me now then?"

"Well, you have a very imposing build and with your resting scowl face I thought you'd be... Well nevermind, turns out you're someone who helps those in need... you also got a nice laugh." You end softly.

You hear a utensil drop, and you look up to see Anton's fork fell onto his steak, but more interesting was the deer caught in headlights look he was giving you.

Just as fast as it comes however he pushes it away, regaining his composure in record speed "Ha! I can see why you thought that. I do have a bit of a mean mug when I'm not smiling, though I've been told my laugh sounds like a bear's roar, so the nice laugh bit is definitely a first!" He grins at you, and you wonder if the lighting is playing tricks on you because you think there's some light redness at the top of his cheekbones. He then continues "But you're right, I do try to be helpful and kind, especially to those in need. And I'd like to think my sense of humor isn't half bad either."

You're not sure how to respond to that, the man has been nothing but forthcoming and honest with you all day while you've been... not.

Instead, you glance at the wall clock and say "I think I need to head out soon." As you clean off the last of your fries. "I came here for a job interview but I somehow ended up meeting you and uh- I really enjoyed it! I just wouldn't wanna walk back home too late in the dark y'know?"

"Anton looks at the time on his phone and nods in understanding."

"Yeah, it is getting late. It's not safe to walk around at night, especially for short stuff like you. I don't want you getting lost between the cracks in the sidewalk or something." He gives you a playful smirk.

You go to reply, deadpan tone and expression at the ready when he interrupts you.

"But... if you want, I could always give you a ride home. I have a company car parked nearby."

You hesitate " ...you already payed for the meal, which I'll totally pay you back for by the way! So I don't want to trouble you more..."

Anton shakes his head and waves off your concerns "Nah, don't worry about it. It's just a meal, it's no trouble at all. And don't worry about paying me back either, consider it a welcome to the company gift." He grins, then leans in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially "Besides, you wouldn't be troubling me. It's my pleasure to help you out, Shorty."

You sweat drop "What's the point of me giving you my name if you'll just keep calling me that?"

Anton chuckles at your reaction, clearly enjoying teasing you "Oh, lighten up a bit. I like giving nicknames to people. It's a nice way to bond, y'know? Besides, it's kind of fitting, don't you think? Given your, uh, petite stature."

You glance at his emptied out tray, the mountains of food he'd heaped onto it already gone "Well, the bonding experience can wait till tomorrow, if you're done, shall we get going?"

Anton leans back in his chair, patting his stomach with a satisfied smile "Yeah, I'm all done. Let's hit the road." He stands up and stretches, then motions for you to follow him "Come on, Shorty. Let's get you home safe and sound."

You follow after him "Tell me honestly, Anton." You say as he grabs his tray to place it on the racks nearby, when you go to grab yours he beats you to it and smoothly takes that one as well, stacking it on his.

"I could've carried that!" You whine.

Anton's infuriatingly attractive grin makes another appearance "Oh, I know you could've carried it. But I'm just being a gentleman, shorty. Can't have you doing all the hard work before you even start tomorrow, you'll get even tinier!" He ends, his tone is teasing as usual but his eyes softened up considerably, and the look he's giving you has your insides turning to mush.

You flush. "Uh- as I was saying, are you maybe a bear in disguise? Because you just cleaned off a mountain of food alone."

Anton laughs at your flushed expression and your playful accusation, the way he's keeping his composure somehow just feels unfair, though you guess for someone working in construction keeping his cool would be a must.

"Ha! Bear in disguise, huh?" He replies "Nah, I'm just a guy with an appetite. You know, working here, I need the extra energy." Then his grin turns cocky "Plus, it takes a lot of food to fuel all this muscle." He gives a playful flex, showing off his bicep with a smirk.

You give a playful eye roll "Oh wow, and you're so humble too!" You say flatly "What a catch wow!"

Anton lets out a hearty laugh at your sarcastic remark and gives you a playful salute "Oh, you know it. I'm the total package. Good looks, charm, wit, and the appetite to match." He grins, clearly enjoying the banter, which you've come to enjoy as well.

"But I'll have you know, there are quite a few women here who think so too."

You deadpan "Good for you. Give me there number, I'll help set you up."

Anton chuckles, then scratches his chin in mock thoughtfulness, then his expression turns into a grin and he gives you a playful nudge.

"But why would I need their number when I've got yours, Shorty?"

You blink "Huh? But I never gave my number...?"

"Yeah, not yet you didn't, but I have good intuition. Call it a sixth sense." He taps his temple with a wink. And it's telling me a certain cute Shorty is interested."

You flush harder "Well your sixth sense must be malfunctioning this time." You say walking ahead, trying to keep him from seeing your beat red face. Unfortunately, with how much taller he is, he catches up by the next second.

When he's by your side, he wastes no time laughing at your flushed face "Hah, you're forgetting who you're dealing with, Shorty. These long legs of mine give me an unfair advantage."

You don't reply.

"And are you sure my sixth sense is malfunctioning this time? Cuz you're lookin' real flustered."

"You're imagining things, maybe it's time to visit the eye doctor?" You huff.

"Oh? Is that so? Hm, maybe my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be. Let me have a closer look, just in case."

He places one hand on your shoulder to halt your walk and leans in closer, making a show of examining your face.

Your eyes go wider then your older sister's saucers "Hmm strange, I'm getting a clear view of your rosy cheeks right now, and my sixth sense is telling me it's not from the cold."

You consider how to get the upper hand in this situation, but with your muddled mind it gets a bit tricky. You end up going with the first thing that comes to mind "You're right, it's from the heat, it's really getting hot in hear for some reason-" You start, before realizing belatedly how suggestive that sounded "Uh- wait no-" You flush further.

Anton grins at your unintentional innuendo, and raises an eyebrow, playing along "Oh really? Getting hot in here, hm?" He looks around, feigning innocence "Huh, seems like a comfortable temperature to me. Maybe it's just you, Shorty."

You cover your tomato colored face with your arms "Oh enough already, you win so just stop!"

Anton laughs and puts his hands up in mock surrender "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Can't have the cute shorty overheating on me now, can I?" in a quieter, more gentle tone, he adds, "But seriously, your blush is adorable."

You groan "Anton!"

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

Anton pulls up outside your house in the company car and turns to you with a smile "Here we are, shorty. Home sweet home."

You nod "Thank you, and sorry for the trouble."

Anton shakes his head and waves off your apologies "No trouble at all, I enjoyed the company. Besides, I couldn't just let you walk home alone in the dark." He grins, then adds in a playful tone, "Especially not when you're such a cute Shorty."

You deadpan "Don't make me take it back." You consider something then say "Give me your phone for a sec."

Anton raises an eyebrow, but obediently hands you his phone "Sure, but why do you need it? You gonna put your number in without me asking?"

"Nice try. I'll give you my Inter Knot contact for work stuff. You're not high level enough to get my number yet."

"High enough level, huh? Am I just a lowly level one in your eyes right now?"

Not looking up from your typing you reply "You made it all the way up to level three on day one, Congrats! But your nickname for me is shorty, I don't know how to feel about that yet."

Anton laughs, seemingly amused by your rating system for him "Only level three? Damn, I was hoping for a higher rank. But you're right, the nickname 'Shorty' might be deducting some points."

He grins, then adds with a wink, "Maybe if I find a better nickname, I'll rank up higher in your eyes... or maybe I'll just keep calling you 'Shorty' just to annoy you."

You deadpan "Well that would be very in character for you wouldn't it?" You say handing him back the phone.

Anton takes it back with a smirk, clearly unrepentant for his nickname choice "Hah, you know me so well already, Shorty. I gotta admit, your deadpan face is just too fun to tease." He leans in closer, unable to resist poking at you further "Besides, the way you turn all tomato-red whenever you're flustered is just priceless."

You push his face back with your hand "Goodnight Anton, see you tomorrow." You say as you unlock the cat door and head out.

"Haha, goodnight, Shorty. Get some rest. Sweet dreams."

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

And as you lock the car door and leave, Anton checks his phone, leaving the Inter Knot app to check the CCTV footage he has access to. The one that clearly shows you entering and leaving Grace's lab. He barely mumbles out "Till tomorrow then... Y/n. Hopefully I'll figure out what you're really up to soon."

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

Hmm did I manage to make the reader subtly mysterious? 🤔 Tell me guys if y'all want a part two. LavenderLily you can tell me directly 👀

And as always, Free Palestine ❤️ 🇵🇸

#Anton #Anton Ivanov #zzzero #zzz #Zenless Zone Zero #Fanfic #fanfiction #x reader #x you #Anton x reader #Anton Ivanov x reader #Anton Ivanov x you #zzz fanfic #zzz fanfiction #zzz x reader #zzz x you #zenless zone zero x reader #zenless zone zero x you

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sexyandcringe · 1 year ago

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Hopeless romantic

Part 1 ◇ Part 2

Warnings: none except mentions of readers past traumas, mention of sexual objectification.

Content: osamu x reader, Angst (to fluff in the next chapters), hurt no comfort.

A/n: it's my first long-fic, please be nice :)

You're not used to being loved.

Your parents were always strict, hardly ever showing their affection, you didn't even have any close friends until you started working, where you found your best friend who showed you the blessings of a platonic love; but time passes and things happen, you had to move out of the town, leave your one true friend behind.

You are not used to love but especially romantic love, because all men did was see you as the object of their sexual desires, or maybe a good time-pass until a better one came along. Never as a person with feelings, never as a woman who loved them more than they loved her.

Sometimes you were too much, sometimes you weren't enough.

Too affectionate, too clingy, too dramatic, too loud. Not pretty enough, not smart enough, not horny enough. You tried and tried to be more, to be less, to be loved, but despite your efforts, love remained elusive, even with women.

So, after years of hoping and yearning, you resigned yourself to a loveless existence.

It is not to say that you never felt happy; even if you didn’t have love, you had fun and drama, you had friends to drink with (accompanied by the ting of pain the day after), you had a lot of books to read (leaving a bitter taste in your mouth whenever you finished one), you had dates and clothes and all the good and beautiful things in life and you've learned to appreciate these fragments of happiness.

But sometimes you get lonely.

You are used to it at this point, the crushing weight in your chest at 11 PM is your daily ritual before you finally give in to sleep.

So when you see Osamu Miya’s warm smile as he greets you in his restaurant, you battle to stop your stupid crazed heart, which is currently trying to jump out of your mouth.

You are just a client, his smile doesn’t mean anything, he is only doing his job, and you have seen him give the same smile to the old ladies who only order a coffee and linger to chatter for more than two hours, too. He’s a professional, after all. You are a regular and all he wants is your money, the bastard.

(you completely ignore the fact that he remembers details about you that no one bothers to remember; like the colour of your jewellery, the names of the dogs in your shelter or how your eyeliner is a little glittered today.)

Still, you are glad you got to know him. If anything, at least he is a good friend to you, always listening to what you have to say and filling your stomach with delicious food.

“ ‘Evening, Y/N. The usual?” He asks. You nod as you sit on the corner of the counter, the same seat you sat on the first day you came in.

(Osamu puts a “Reserved” sign on it every day until your arrival, not letting anyone else sit on it because it’s yours. But you don’t need to know that.)

You chatter with Tsumoto, the part-timer student who works in his shop, about his new crush, giving him advice you wouldn’t listen to nor follow from somebody else, and just as you are about to tell him that he should just write love letters to his crush, the doorbell rings; a pretty girl with dark long hair and the body of a goddess walks in, looking around for something, or better, for someone.

“‘Samuuu!” she calls him just as he comes out of the kitchen, and his face lights up, his arms envelop her figure and her lips meet his cheeks in an affectionate gesture.

… what?

“Emi! How are you, doll?” his voice holds tenderness as he guides the girl to one of the seats available, “Have a seat, I'll fix something up for you.”

She is a beautiful girl indeed, her hair flutters in the air like sea waves and her deep green eyes would make any man weak in his knees. She graces him with a smile, her flawless teeth gleaming.“A coffee is enough ‘Samu, I’m going to meet a friend soon.”

“Roger that!” he nods, signaling to Tsumoto for the order, before returning his attention to her.

He looks happy, you don’t think he has ever looked at you with this much fondness, and you’ve never witnessed any girl embrace him, let alone kiss his cheek. Hell, you didn’t even know if he had any female friends who were not his friends’s girlfriends.

(You feel your vision blur and something clenches in your chest. You swallow it down.)

You have no idea what they are talking about, you are not listening, all you can think about is how much you feel so so stupid. You didn’t hope for anything, you tried not to hope for anything at all, but feelings are hard to get rid of, especially if you see the one causing these feelings every week.

You look at them talking like best friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time and the feeling of inadequacy gnaws at you. You wonder if you ever even stood a chance to begin with. You yearned to be someone close to Osamu, someone who could give him hugs and kisses easily, someone who knew everything about him; you yearned to be part of his inner circle, but now you feel utterly stupid and delusional. Of course, he would never see you in that light, his affection is reserved only for a pretty girl like her. Of course he wouldn’t even think about getting physical with you. What were you even thinking?

Of course, you can’t be part of his world.

Reblogs are really appreciated! - Part 2

#Osamu x reader #Osamu miya x reader #Haikyuu x reader #Haikyuu #Osamu miya #Haikyuu comfort #Haikyuu fluff #Haikyuu angst #Osamu angst #Osamu miya angst #Osamu miya comfort #Osamu miya fluff

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imagine-it-was-us · 1 month ago

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love me not pt.3 || Carlos Sainz

Inspiration: Ravyn Lenae x Rex Orange County "Love me not"

Author's note: And here it ends. Wel, I loved writing this one! I will sound like an absolute idiot, but it makes me crave the chaotic relationship I never had, if it means you're getting your happy ending. Please, share your thoughts, the feedback is everything 🥺

Pairing: Carlos Sainz Jr. x female reader

Warnings: toxic relationship, mentions of pregnancy, time jumps.

Summary: They started as a spark – fast, reckless, impossible to ignore. One night turned into something more. But when love feels like a push and pull, when you only know how to leave before you're left… how do you stay?

Word count: 3.5k+

part1 part2

The best thing that could’ve happened to their relationship was the winter break.

Even with Carlos in the midst of switching teams – juggling meetings and a never-ending string of training sessions and briefings – there was still room for her. And he took his time with it, without hesitation, like he’d already learned the hard way what happens when you don’t make time for the things that matter.

They say that in the beginning, love is all pink glasses and soft focus, where even the flaws look charming and the fights feel like flirtation. Maybe that was true for them, too. Or maybe, after all the turbulence, the thing they needed most was stillness. A kind of gentle recalibration. Whatever it was, the chaos slowed. And in its place came something that looked a lot like peace.

There were quiet mornings that turned into rituals – her brushing her teeth in nothing but one of his hoodies, sleeves too long and neckline stretched from wear. He’d already be in the kitchen, brewing coffee the way she liked it: milk, just a splash, and a swirl of honey. No need to ask, he just knew.

Sometimes they moved around the flat without speaking, music humming low in the background, caught in their own thoughts but still orbiting each other. He’d pass her a mug without a word, and she’d curl her hand around it like it was his hand she was holding. Other days, they cooked dinner together, him stirring pasta, her dancing barefoot around the kitchen to some old R&B track, occasionally dropping a kiss to his shoulder just because she could. It wasn’t loud love. It wasn’t performative. But it allowed them to be their true authentic selves without any reservations.

One time, Carlos came home late (again). The weeks leading up to the Bahrain testing had been relentless, every day packed with meetings, sim sessions, and adjusting to the new rhythm with Williams. He was used to returning to a quiet, dim apartment after long days like this. But not anymore. Now, home smelled like grilled vegetables and sounded like whatever low-stakes show she had playing on the TV. Warmth clung to the air like something he could wrap himself in.

She was curled up on the couch, wearing her pajamas, legs tucked beneath her and a blanket thrown haphazardly across her lap.

“There are freshly made burgers in the oven,” she called out without even looking away from the screen. “I tried to set the oven timer so they’d still be warm.”

That one simple sentence nearly knocked the air out of him. It wasn’t just thoughtfulness. It was the casual way she did things like that. As if it was second nature to care for him. As if she belonged here, with him. A grin stretched across his face before he even realized it.

When he finally dropped down beside her, letting his body sink into the cushions and his exhaustion fade just a little, the words slipped out before he could stop them.

“God, I love you.”

The silence that followed hit him like a slap. He froze, realizing what he’d said. Too fast? Too soon? A couple of months had passed since Monte Carlo, since they’d finally put a name on what they were. Things had been good, but he hadn’t planned to say it. Not yet. Maybe not like this.

For a split second, fear bubbled up in his chest. Then she turned to him, smiling lazy and eyes full of that impossible softness that always seemed to undo him.

“I don’t know if you’re being religious or calling me God,” she said, head tilting just a little, “but either way, I love you more.”

His heart stuttered, just once. Relief flooding in, knocking the wind out of him all over again. There were still ghosts haunting the edges of what they were building, but right now, the feelings were growing fonder. And for the first time in a long time, Carlos believed it would last.

But sometimes, she’d linger in the bathroom longer than she meant to, just to shake off the overthinking about some words he said. Sometimes, he’d watch her while she slept and wonder how someone could look so calm next to him when he was still learning how not to self-destruct. There were those moments. Fleeting, barely-there pauses in their routine. Glances that didn’t land. Words half-said, then swallowed. Not arguments, just tension, subtle but present, like a crack forming in a foundation no one wanted to acknowledge.

They laughed a lot. They kissed even more. But every now and then, one of them would say something too sharply. He’d shut down without meaning to. She’d withdraw with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

As the time passed and their relationship grew and deepened, disagreements were no longer a question of if, but when. It was natural – a sign that they were both real, both human, both still learning how to love and be loved the right way. What mattered wasn’t the presence of conflict, but how they navigated it. How they circled back to each other after the storm. But the truth was, no matter how far they’d come, every fight still stung just as badly as the first. Maybe even more. Because now, there was more to lose. Now, the silences hit harder. The words, when they came, cut deeper.

And the worst part? Carlos still hadn’t learned how to stay. He didn’t know how to sit with discomfort, to hold space for pain without retreating from it. In the heat of the moment, his instinct never wavered: he walked away. Not because he didn’t care – but because he cared so much he didn’t know what to do with all the emotions.

She’d wait, every time. But even the strongest hearts can only take so much waiting.

As summer edged closer, the calendar finally loosened its chokehold – at least on paper. The races came a little slower now, the travel days stretched out with just enough space to pretend things were easier. But breathing room didn’t mean peace.

Not for them.

The cracks they’d carefully papered over all winter were starting to split wider under the weight of everything unsaid. Carlos was still carrying the bruises from his rough start with Williams, frustrated, tense, never really able to leave the pressure at the track. And her moods, usually so even, had been swinging unpredictably for weeks now, leaving both of them confused and defensive.

It didn’t take much to spark a fire anymore. The argument that night started, ironically, with nothing more than a photo.She was scrolling through her phone, mindless, half-watching the muted TV, when the image popped up: Carlos, earlier at an event, arm slung around a girl whose smile was a little too wide, whose body leaned a little too close.

It shouldn’t have mattered. It wasn’t anything new. Fans adored him, he adored them back in that polite, easy way that made him Carlos. But tonight, it hit differently. Maybe because she already felt like she was losing pieces of him, one laugh and one late night at a time. Or maybe because for weeks she hadn't been able to look in the mirror without seeing someone unrecognizable and because hormones made everything a little more raw, a little more breakable.

When she heard his footsteps approaching from their bedroom, she didn’t even think before she spoke.

“Did you have fun today?”, voice light but slicing. Carlos immediately caught the off tone.

“What’s that supposed to mean?’ he sat next to her on the sofa, visible confusion on his face.

“Nothing,” she shrugged, tossing the phone to him. “Just… nice to see you enjoying yourself, that’s all.”

It didn’t take him more than a glance to see what had set her off.

“It was a fan. Jesus, you’re making something out of nothing again.”

Again. The word landed like a slap.

“Maybe if you still looked at me the way you looked at her, I wouldn’t have to,” she said, voice dripping with envy, her eyes never meeting his gaze.

Carlos’s mouth twisted. Frustration boiled up the way it always did when he didn’t have the words to fix it.

“This is what you do,” he bit out. “Pick a fight because you’re in a bad mood. Blame me for it.”

“Yeah, because I’m the problem. And God forbid I dare to voice my feelings out,” she threw back, folding her arms tight across her chest like armor.

Carlos’s jaw tensed; his fingers curled into fists at his sides. He took a deep breath and stood up, realizing that whatever he said now would only make her spiral further.

“You know what?” he said, voice sharp. “I’m not doing this tonight. I’m going to Charles’.”

He turned around, already heading to grab his keys. Maybe if she wasn’t so tired, so worn down, she would’ve let him go. But not tonight.

“Sure,” she snapped, her voice cracking despite her best efforts, “go ahead. Leave. Like you always do. Leave us.”

The word hung there, thick and heavy, an earthquake in a single syllable.

Carlos froze. And she kept going.

“It’s the only way you know how to deal with situations like this, isn’t it? Always leaving. Always making me deal with my feelings alone, wondering if this is the time you're done with me for good.”

Her voice shook, but she pushed through it. “I can’t do this. This–”

“What do you mean, ‘us’?” he interrupted, voice low and shaky, like he wasn’t sure he heard her right.

Her throat burned. She didn’t want to say it like this. She didn’t want this to be the moment. But she couldn’t un-say it now.

“I’m pregnant, Carlos,” she whispered, voice breaking. “And I can’t– I can’t do this with someone who’s always halfway out the door. I can’t raise a kid wondering if you’re going to leave the second it gets hard.”

Carlos didn’t move for a second. Then, slowly, he came back, sinking down onto the edge of the bed like his legs didn’t know how to hold him up anymore.

His hands ran down his face, breathing shaky, but not because he was doubting it, not because he didn’t want it.

Family. With her. Not something he ever thought he’d deserve. But now that it was real, sitting between them like a live wire… There wasn’t a single part of him that regretted it.

“How long have you known?” he asked, voice hoarse, almost afraid to break whatever fragile thread was holding them together.

She twisted the hem of her sweatshirt around her fingers, not meeting his eyes.

“A month,” she said quietly. ”I’m... eleven weeks now.”

Something clicked sharply into place in Carlos’s mind. The flashes he hadn’t pieced together before.

The night she refused to come to the drivers’ dinner, claiming she was sick. How he got frustrated with her, accused her of blowing him off. Left her to deal with it alone. The way her moods had swung wildly some days, and instead of asking, he’d pulled back, snapping instead of supporting. The fights. The cracks. All the moments he could have held her closer, but didn’t. His chest tightened with regret so fierce it nearly knocked him over.

Meanwhile, she kept talking, voice trembling slightly like she couldn’t stop herself even if she tried.

“It’s been rough. The first trimester has been…” she shook her head, searching for the right word. “Hard. And with all the tension between us, I–” she swallowed, the confession threatening to strangle her, “I thought about leaving. About raising it alone.”

Carlos looked at her then, staring deep into her soul. The anger from earlier, the fear clouding everything between them – it was all gone. He only saw her – raw and scared and still so fiercely strong. Carrying not just his child, but the weight of every unspoken thing between them.

He slid across the couch until he was close enough to touch her, but didn’t, not yet. Not until she wanted him to.

“I don’t want you to do this alone,” he said quietly, fiercely. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to.”

Her eyes finally met his, guarded, shining with unshed tears.

“I mean it,” Carlos whispered, like a vow. “We can do this. We’re going to be better for them.”

She hesitated for a heartbeat. Two. Then, like a dam breaking, she leaned into him. He caught her instantly, pulling her into his arms, cradling the back of her head, anchoring her against him like he was afraid she might disappear if he let go.

She knew things weren’t magically fixed, that the doubt would still curl around the edges of her mind, whispering that maybe he was staying because of the baby, not because of her.

But here he was. Still here. Holding her like he meant it. And for now, that was enough.

Silent tears spilled down her cheeks, soaking into his shirt where her face was pressed against him. Carlos felt the dampness, the shudder of her breath against his chest, and somehow he knew – he just knew – what was running through her head.

His hand found the back of her neck, thumb brushing soothingly over her skin, grounding her.

“Cariño,” he murmured against her hair, voice low and steady. “When things get hard... when your mind starts telling you all the wrong things... don’t shut me out, okay? Don’t let me walk out on you. I know that I’m not the easiest person to be with, but you are the only one who can hold me down. So please, talk to me.”

He pulled her tighter against him, feeling the damp warmth of her tears soak through his shirt. His own chest ached with the weight of it – the mistakes he’d made, the fear she still carried, the trust she was still fighting to give him.

“I chose you before,” he whispered, like it was the easiest truth in the world. “And I’m choosing you now. Every day. No matter what.”

Her fingers clutched his hoodie, the smallest broken sound escaping her, but this time it wasn’t fear – it was something closer to hope, fragile and real.

They still had a lot to learn. A lot to fix. But they would.

Together.

“No, you’re not carrying that,” Carlos commented, rising halfway from the floor where he was crouched in front of an almost-finished crib. His eyes narrowed at the box in her hands like it personally offended him.

She raised a brow and shushed him with a dramatic flick of her wrist.

“Relax, Carlitos. It’s just a changing pad. It barely weighs a thing.”

With a roll of her eyes and a small grunt, she set the cardboard box down on top of the assembled changing table. The nursery had taken shape quickly in the past few weeks – muted tones, soft lighting, tiny clothes already folded into drawers that smelled faintly of lavender detergent and baby powder. Books lined the small shelf. Plush toys peeked out of the corner.

Carlos took a step back to look around, wiping his palms on his sweatpants.

“We actually pulled it off,” he muttered, more to himself than her. “This is starting to look like... a real home.”

And for once, it really did.

Things were looking up.

The past six months hadn’t been easy, but they’d been transformative. After the storm came something close to peace.. Therapy became a grounding point, not just for the baby’s sake, but for theirs. A shared promise: to give their child the kind of love they hadn’t always known growing up. To unlearn the damage, brick by brick. It was their way to show up for each other in a way that no one else did. Carlos had surprised them both with how open he became. Somewhere along the way, the sessions stopped feeling like obligation and started feeling like oxygen. His dread, the constant, clawing fear of not being enough, slowly faded into something quieter. Manageable.

She stayed at work as long as her body allowed it, balancing spreadsheets and mood swings like a pro, until her doctor insisted she step back and take her pregnancy leave. The downtime hadn’t come easily to her, but it gave her space to breathe. Nest. Heal. She was fighting demons of her own, not only fearing the mistake her impulsiveness can cause to their relationship, but also how it could damage their child in the long run.

But healing didn’t come neatly packaged with a bow. Therapy didn’t wave a magic wand over their problems – it just handed them the tools. And some days, they still fumbled. They still argued, got stubborn, said the wrong thing at the wrong time. But now, there was something different at the heart of it all – intention. Instead of walking away, they leaned in. Instead of shutting down, they reached out. It wasn’t perfect, but it was honest. They weren’t just learning how to love each other better – they were learning how to stay, even when it got hard.

And the baby? Oh, the baby was already the most loved fetus on the grid. When they’d shared the news – “Sainz Jr. Jr. arriving 2026” scrawled across a grainy ultrasound on Instagram – the internet had exploded. Aunties and uncles lined up in their DMs, a different driver claiming dibs on godparent status every week. The group chats were chaotic. Pure, hilarious chaos.

And now, the calm. The nursery light dimmed to a warm gold as the sun dipped lower. She was curled on the sofa, a hand on her stomach, the other balancing a cup of chamomile tea he’d just handed her.

He joined her a moment later, sitting down slowly, one hand resting lightly on her belly as if it grounded him there. They didn’t need many words. But tonight, something buzzed in the air, sweet and slow.

They talked about the future. About tiny shoes and first birthdays and whether the baby would inherit Carlos’ curls or her sarcasm. The laughter died down to a quiet hum as he shifted beside her, suddenly more serious, more certain. And then he reached into his pocket.

“Okay,” he said, clearing his throat. “So, I’ve been thinking about how to do this. I had about fifty different ideas. I threw out forty-nine of them last night. And I’m probably still going to mess it up–”

Carlos took a steady breath as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box with hands that had never felt so unsure. She watched him, confused at first, then still – eyes fixed on his face as he began to speak.

“I’ll never forget the first time I saw you,” he said quietly, voice steadier than he expected. “You pulled me in like you had a gravity of your own. And in that moment, I just knew I needed you.”

She sat up slowly, one hand braced against her belly, the other covering her mouth as emotion washed over her.

“We started with a spark... and then we were on fire. It was too much, too fast, and I kept telling myself we needed to slow down. Be cool. And I guess... we got our slowdown. We both slipped into our old, toxic ways. But somehow, I think we had to fall apart to learn how to come back together. Even when I was with someone else, before we figured this out... I knew. You were it for me. My endgame. There’s never been anyone else.”

She blinked, tears pooling in her lashes.

“Our love started like one of those old children’s games – pulling petals, wondering ‘she loves me... she loves me not.’ But once you really had me, truly had me, I never doubted your love or wanted to be anywhere else. I still don’t.”

He paused, eyes locked with hers as he dropped down to one knee, gently taking her free hand in his.

“I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. And the fact that I’m standing here, still getting to love you, is nothing short of a miracle. But know this – I would’ve never let you go without a fight. Never.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“I know I’ll mess up again. We both will. But if we keep showing up, keep fighting for this... there’s no doubt in my heart. No place I’d rather be than right here. With you. Always.”

She blinked. Once. Twice. Then her lips parted, and her face crumpled into something between awe and disbelief. But instead of answering him, she winced. A soft gasp escaped.

Carlos immediately froze.

“What? What is it?” he asked, already shifting closer, hand still wrapped around the little velvet box.

She blinked again, wider this time, and let out a shaky laugh.

“I think my waters just broke.”

Carlos stared at her.

“You’re joking,” he said.

She wasn’t.

And suddenly, the calm was gone. The rush of it all descended – nerves, adrenaline, panic wrapped in joy. But somehow, amid all the flurry of half-packed hospital bags and reaching for his phone with trembling hands, Carlos was still grinning.

Because this? This was everything.

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charliehoennam · 1 year ago

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sweet stranger

A/N: request made here by @annekelovesreading

Summary: the war veteran Alfie seeks comfort in a stranger in hopes of returning to his old self

Pairing: Alfie Solomons x F!Reader

Warnings: 18+, smut, reader is a sex worker.

SHARING IS CARING, SO PLEASE REBLOG

part two

"Thanks for the ride, James. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

You climb out of the Bentley and adjust your coat, smoothing out the wrinkles of your dress before strutting towards the hotel, your heels clacking against the pavement and then marble floors of the lobby.

You sense the judgemental eyes already on you, but you've learned how to ignore them. If their judgement paid your rent and bills, then you'd finally be able to retire. But until then, you did what needed to be done.

The service you provide is simple and clear. You meet the client, humor them a bit and fuck them before leaving at first light.

You are lucky enough to work for a powerful and strict madame that actually recognizes the importance of her employees' well-being and ran a high-end business.

Her rules were clear. No marking, no hitting and contraceptive must be used.

Just because her empire dominates the professional area of sexual pleasure does not mean she runs a funhouse. Many would mistake Madame's care for benevolence when it is really just a matter of logistics.

Black eyes don't allow her employees to escort her wealthy clients to prestigious social events. And the only reason her business dominates is because she assures clean employees to her clients. An employee with the clap gets the boot and replacing them is expensive.

After giving your name at the front desk, you take the keys you're headed with a smile and head to room 403.

The name is not unfamiliar. You've heard plenty of Alfie Solomons and part of you is afraid of what he'll be like, judging by what you've heard.

The ring of the lift snaps you our of your thoughts. You flash a smile at the liftman and thank him before stepping into the hallway.

Alfie Solomons is not your first client - nor will he be your last - but knowing he is the first gangster you're about to meet and sleep with has butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

You mentally repeat Madame's rules to yourself to try and ease your nerves. But then again, do rules hold any standing to criminals?

Taking a couple of deep breaths, you manage to relax as best as you possibly can in the situation and simply remind yourself that he is no different than any other client.

You lift your hand to knock on the door. There's movement behind it and the metal of the lock on the side rattles as it slides to open.

Your lips pull into a welcoming smile at the broad, tall man that opens the door. Taking in his features, you quickly notice his wet hair.

The smell of soap emanates from his large frame along with a faint scent of rum and an irresistible natural musk that almost lured you to touch him.

It's obvious that he took the time to wash himself and, to be honest, you're quite thankful for that.

"You must be Mr. Solomons."

"Punctual little thing, ain't you? Come on in, love. Don't mind me."

His tone is rather calm even with his heavy Cockney drawl. His fingers, however, seem to confess his nerves with the way they flick back and forth.

"Punctuality is a necessary characteristic in my line of work, Mr. Solomons."

"Right, right" he nods as you walk past him. He still can't seem to look you in the eye, but you've yet to discover why.

Most of the nervous clients that you've had were first-timers, young men eager to lose their virginity especially before being sent to war.

Alfie is very attractive and pleasing to the eye with his large strong build, but he is no young boy. You find it hard to believe that this would be his first time being as wealthy, cunning and wealthy as you heard he is.

"May I take your coat, love?"

"Yes, please."

You turn to back to him to allow his assistance, taking in the sight of the hotel room. You've been in this hotel before, but despite that, the lavish decoration of the suite never fails to impress.

Alfie can't help but feel intimidated by the simple scent of your perfume as he stands behind you, taking your coat to hang it for you. He doesn't want you to pick up on the fact that he feels so out of his element.

Before the war, Alfie had his fair share of women. He used to be so different. So young and naive and confident - which is the only characteristic he can successfully feign more than well in the wicked world he treads in.

But now, he's in foreign territory. So much has changed for him.

Getting his affairs back in strict order took so much work, sweat and blood from him that he hadn't prioritized his romantic desires.

If age hadn't been enough, the night tremors made it impossible to sleep beside anyone. Red blotches were beginning to spread throughout his body due to the psoriasis. His sciatica only worsened with age and the harsh conditioning the war had forced onto it. And now the fucking cancer, which only added to his list of secret insecurities.

The confident young man he used to be was gone. Alfie was still human, however. And like many other humans, he yearned for companionship. The problem is that a man like Alfie can't confide in just anyone. He can't expose it without the risk of his enemies seeing it as an opportunity to use it against him.

Good thing about Madame's business is that her turf is neutral and independent ground. For now, at least.

Alfie knows he has to overcome this hurdle if he plans to get married one day and start a family and he just thought this would be the best way.

He's got a beautiful woman in his hotel room; he knows what you came here to do. He's just not sure what to do at this point other than to confess it to you. He doesn't want to say it, but deep down inside, he feels a bit humilited.

It shows in the way he avoids your eyes, the way his head hangs low.

"There's no shame in that, Mr. Solomons. I'm happy to help however I can. We don't have to rush into anything just yet... Do you drink?"

"Not often. Clouds the mind."

"Precisely. What do you drink?" You smile warmly at him.

"Wine is my favorite."

"Let's get you a glass then, Mr. Solomons."

Just as you expect, the wine is successful in loosening him up a bit.

You're careful enough to avoid asking any questions that concerns his business, so you focus on asking him to share things he enjoys like music and books.

After a couple hours and a couple glasses, he's warming up to you as you listen attentively to his childhood stories. Despite the wine, he is cautious enough to leave out certain details that are too personal for you to know that could bring him or his family harm if they ended up in the wrong hands.

You can't take it personal, and can only imagine that trust does not come easy in his line of work which only confirms that pressing him on such information wouldn't be very smart.

No matter how easy the conversation is flowing or how comfortable he may seem to be, you can't forget who he is beyond these four walls.

As he finishes his glass of wine, he sets it down on the table in front of you while raising a hand to his shoulder to rub at the aching knot in his muscle.

"Would you like me to take care of that for you, Mr. Solomons?"

"With what, love? Oh, this?" He asks glancing at his shoulder. "Oh, no. You don't have to do that."

It almost like he's forgotten the reason you're both there.

"Really, I don't mind at all. It's the least I can do for you, sir."

With a sweet smile, you stand as you finish off your glass and set it beside his on the table before walking over to his chair to offer him your hand.

"I promise I won't do anything you don't want me to."

His blue eyes narrow their gaze at you for a moment as if he's trying to read you. You can see him physically tense before accepting your hand.

The talkative Alfie is suddenly replaced by a quiet and insecure version as he watches you, from where he's sat in the bed, take your heels off - your almost bare feet still covered in your black stockings - before climbing onto the bed.

You stand on your knees , which are spread to accommodate him between them, and sit back on your feet after taking the small bottle of rose scented intimate oil from your purse.

"It's like riding a bike. Your body knows that to do, but it needs time, patience and practice, so you have to go slow."

Your breathe on his neck has chills racing up his arms as you reach to his front to unbutton his vest and slide it off his wide shoulders. You do the same with his shirt, but pause before sliding it off as his hand instinctively hold your wrist.

"May I? I'd love to see you, but if you don't want to, I can just slide it down a bit."

He ponders for a moment but replies with a silent nod as he releases your wrist.

You slide it off and much to your impression, he seems even wider and stronger than you'd imagined.

A couple scars and red blotches already here and there on his skin, but they don't stop you from marveling at the rippling muscles.

"My goodness... Mr. Solomons, with all the utmost respect, but you are quite the work of art."

He can't help but smile at your compliment, although he thinks that you're just saying what you think he wants to hear, so it's hard for him to believe.

You let your palms gently wander over his large back and arms, with a gentle squeeze to his biceps.

"Carved from stone, are you?" You joke, bringing a chuckle out of him.

"No, love. Just flesh."

"Fortunately."

Using the pipette, you pinch a couple drops of the oil onto his shoulders before closing the vial to set it aside and letting your fingers get to work.

Alfie groans softly and his eyes instantly close as you start massaging to undo the knot that's been bothering him for weeks now.

"How is that, sir? More pressure?"

"No, love. That's just fine...just perfect," he sighs relieved. "Fucking 'ell, love. That feels fucking great. You've no idea how long that's been bothering me."

"I can imagine. You've got knots like this all round. It can't be easy to live with them.

Slowly but surely, Alfie starts to relax. It's impossible not to. It's been a while since he's been touched by anyone, much less massaged by them.

The tension is his body begins to ease as your fingers work away not only the knots caused by the stress of his days, but the anxiety of being intimate again. It doesn't seem so foreign suddenly.

Building up the courage to place a gentle kiss onto the back of his shoulder, you lower your head and press your lips to his skin.

"Is this alright?" You whisper.

"More than alright."

"I can go lower if you'd like me to."

He nods, so you glides your fingers down the middle of his back, pressing against ether side of his spine.

"Fuck, love... That is heavenly."

You smile at the praises and take it a sign to continue the gentle teasing, moving your kisses up to the crook of his neck.

You take your time to ease him into his arousal. The lower you go down his back, the more convinced he becomes.

"Would you like me to touch you?"

You ask nuzzling your nose against his ear and he nods.

You reach a hand to his front and rub your palm against his clothed crotch. Although you can't see his cock, you can tell the man's been blessed with girth as it twitches against your touch.

Alfie gives in to the instant pleasure and moans, letting all his worries melt away. He can't remember the last time he's been able to feel so at ease.

As you whisper encouraging praises into his ear from behind, Alfie allows you to unbutton his trousers and slither your hand under the fabric to stroke his cock with a firm grip.

The room seems to spin around him. His head feels heavy from the pleasure as it leans back against your shoulder.

"That's it, sir. Just let me take care of you" you smirk kissing a sensitive spot on his neck that he didn't even know could make him tremble.

He isn't sure how much longer he can last. It's been a while after all.

"L-love, you feel so good."

You chuckle, letting his thick cock spring free from its confines.

"You're fucking beautiful, sir."

"Oh, you think so, yeah?"

You nod as your hand strokes his dick, coating it with his own pre-cum and the essential oil you'd brought.

"Lemme get more comfortable, love. Wanna see more of ya," alfie says holding your wrist to stop your movement for a moment.

He stands to kick off his trousers, standing in all his naked glory before sitting further up the bed with his back against the upholstered headboard.

"C'mere, love. Lemme see you hm?"

His invitation is made with calloused hands guiding you to straddle his lap. You make quick work of unbuttoning the dress and sliding the straps off your shoulders to reveal your chest with a sultry smile.

"May I?"

You can't help but smile at how he's a gentleman in such a moment. Most clients wouldn't even bother to remember asking, but Alfie makes you forget that he is just another client.

His large hands reach to knead your breasts, giving them such attentive appreciation as he licks his pink lips, eager to get them on you.

"It's alright, love" you whisper, seeming to read his mind.

The way his beard scratches your sensitive skin has your back arching into his warmth. His gentle and considerate admiration lures you into a trance; into a heated dream where you are able to finally feel like a woman loved.

You welcome him with fingers lacing into his messy brown locks still damp from his bath earlier. Your hips move mindless as you grind your clothed sex against his exposed cock, reminding him how good he feels and how you want him to feel the same.

Shifting onto your knees between his legs on the bed, you pepper tender kisses down his chest and stomach as your breasts dangle down and rub against his cock.

The anticipation has Alfie balling his fists into the white sheets.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world, love. Fucking 'ell," he mumbles as your hands run up and down his thigh, giving gentle squeezes to tease him on.

"It's gonna be a long night."

#alfie solomons #alfie solomons x reader #alfie solomons x you #alfie solomons x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fic #alfie solomons fic #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons fanfic #tom hardy

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unspeakable-imagination · 10 months ago

Text

Cigar smoke and Sleepless nights |Part four

Switched gifs cause this one is wider and prettier

Logan Howlett/Wolverine x reader

Reposts and likes are appreciated

Cw: Cigars and smoke, drinking, reader has ptsd. Logan has ptsd, canon-typical violence, references to abuse

Part one two three

For once, you were up 'late,' and by late, it meant daytime. You couldn't sleep, to anxious since your zippo ran out of lighter fluid and you couldn't by more. You sat in the window sill, staring at the fresh snow that blanketed the grass and trees.

Dispite the fox, you felt cold. Maybe it was the lack of your nic fix, maybe it was the absence of talking to any real people. The sun had long risen, and people had been awake for an hour, maybe two. Realistically, you could go out there- talk to someone. Go buy lighter fluid. You had the money from Charles. It was to cold to go outside, you decided. Slipping from the sill, you glanced at yourself in the mirror. Just the same old you.

A lump rose up your throat the closer you got to the door, and it felt like it was burning. To anxious to try to leave your room. What if- What if, so many what's began to fly through your head, but then, they all went silent.

'[Name], it's okay.' A voice. It wasn't Charles? You heard a knock and then opened the door. A lean redhead with bright eyes was looking right at you. "[Name]," she said. "I'm Jean. Charles told me to check on you, and it seemed like perfect timing. He could hear your thoughts from down stairs." You were still confused. It was ger voice you heard in tour head.

"Are you like Charles?" It was the first words that slipped passed your lips. She shook her head,

"No, but I am similar. He can hear just about every one constantly. I'm not like that." She placed her hand on your shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I will be, I think I just need some tea to ground me." You wished it was bourbon, or whiskey, or maybe any other liquor. Jean snorted and backed away, having heard what you thought. Of course you were unaware. For a moment, you worried she was laughing at you, but she was able to quell thag worry in just a moment.

"I'd best be on my way. Be safe, [Name]. You'll be okay. Just keep that head up." You nodded and watched as she walked away before you stepped out your own door. Stepping down the stairs, minding the flood of people of all mutant sorts, trying your hardest to ignore the beating of your heart from your chest.

You made it to the kitchen, and with no students there, you were finally able to breath, really breath. Grabbing a mug off the rack, you quickly filled it to the brim with water and put it in the microwave to heat. Whole that happened you shoveled through the cabinets till tou found a perfect tea packet. Chamomile and sweet berry.

After tossing the packet on the counter, you spent your time looking for the honey. That was fairly easy. It was in a large squeeze bottle, shaped like a bear. When the microwave beeped, you were quick to pull the steaming ceramic mug out, taking as little time possible do tou wouldn't burn your hand.

Putting the packet in and rigually tying the string to the handle, you squeezed the honey on top thag way it would dissolve and mix with the pinkish tea flowing from the bag.

Sitting there, you patiently waited. And by patiently, you were actually darting around the kitchen, desperate to find something to do. You looked in the sink, in the fridge, freezer, cabinets and pantry, in the fridge again. Anything to keep your mind off of the driping anxiety.

Like a timer went off, you squeezed the rest of the bag around you fingers getting any of the concentrated tea out of the cup and threw the garbage in the trash. Using your finger to briefly stir it, then licked it off you finger.

You took a deep gulp, one that took almost a third of the glass, trying to use it to calm your nerves. What you didn't realize was that the reason you were growing calmer was the scent of tabacco flowing from behind you. It was hard to smell metal with all of the worry, confusing it for the smell of your own blood. That was until someone cleared their throat.

"That's my coffee mug," Logan said behind you. Jumping from you skin, you nearly spilled the tea over your sweatshirt. "Oh my gods," you sighed. "You scared the fuck out of me. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was your mug, I'll wash it right now." You didn't even give him a moment to speak. You grabbed another mug from the rack and poured your tea into it,

"Oh," he said, to slow to stop you. His brows knitted together as he watched you quickly wash then scrub his mug, rather diligently. You flipped it upside down into the drying rack. "Hey," he said. He wasn't loud enough to break through your trance as he watcher you dip around, grabbing the coffee pot.

"Seriously I am-"

"Hey," he shouted. You stilled, the coffee pot dropping from your hand, the hot drink spilling over the linoleum tiles.

"Oh my god," you said, beginning to panic. Logan was quicker than you this time putting some hand on your shoulder and the other on your wrist, stopping you from nearling pulling you your hair.

"Jean," he yelled for the redhead, his jaw twisting over his shoulder. "Jean!" Then, you relaxed, your vision going spotty.

When you woke up, your steaming cup of tea was on your bedside table. Charles sat next to you, his hands folded neatly on his lap. His expression was cross, funn of concern and worry.

"I always try nor to pry into my students head without permission, however you had such a poor reaction to an accident I had to try to help," he said gently. A sour taste filled your mouth, as if bile was rise up your throat.

"What did you see?" He looked at you and you couldn't already tell it was everything. You sat up, glancing to the mug and taking a sip.

"I can take all thoes memories away, [Name]. Usually, I wouldn't offer it, but I feel like it could help you. Wothout living in fear." You raised your hand.

"No, I can't. They make me who I am. They're so important- they show me what not to do." Charles only nodded.

"I know. Don't be afraid to seek help."

#hugh jackman x reader #logan xmen #wolverine fic #james logan howlett x reader #logan howlett xmen #logan howlett fanfiction #logan howlett fluff #logan howlett oneshot #logan howlett x reader #logan howlett imagine #logan howlett #logan howlett x you #wolverine x you #wolverine imagine #wolverine x reader #wolverine

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vibratingskull · 4 months ago

Text

⋆⁺₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊ Thurfian's side of the story ₊⋆ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Thurfian x F!reader x Thrawn

Your first husband is devoured by anguish and has something important to tell you, will you tear up with him or laugh at his face?

Tags: Angst/hurt/comfort, argument, divorce, suicide threat, pregnancy, polygamy, Thurfian's pov, Thrawn is only mentioned (sorry)

Thurfian is alone at his desk of the syndicure. He is supposed to be working, but he doesn’t. His mind is just so full of you at any moment of the day and night.

And he knows you will keep haunting him until he lays on his death bed.

Hs sighs deeply, hand folded before his mouth, his screen dark, when he hears the shush of his office’s door opening.

"Thurfian? I brought you some caff, just how you like it!"

You appear at the door with a full tray, your stomach swollen and round with his baby.

What a divine apparition...

You are glowing.

So young, so beautiful, so joyous, so radiant...

And him so old, so grumpy and dull... His old heart cries in his chest

"Thank you pet..." He smiles saddly

You grin, approaching with the tray. You take a muffin in your mouth and order him to make you place on his lap. You sit comfortably and he indulges in your warmth and scent.

His arms slowly embrace your delicate body to hug you one last time.

"Thurfian, I cannot eat my muffin all squeezed like that, you silly” You giggle.

But he doesn’t release you. He wants his fill of you, one last time

Just one last time...

He deeply inhale your human musk, memories flooding back to his well ordered brain.

At first, he gravitated around you for your sweet, sweet pussy.

That single night changed him as a man and as a Chiss.

But very, very soon, he was not trying to get close only for the formidable sex, but also because he realized you were truly intelligent, with opinions and deeply rooted values.

Because he not only wanted to get to bed with you every night but also wanted to wake up next to you every day

He calls you 'pet' to not let anyone see the power you have over him.

Because truly he is the one with a collar and a leash in this relationship.

He calls you 'pet' to not call you 'love of my life'

He wanted to get close...

For you

Simply

He felt safe for a time when the golden ring he chose was shining at your finger.

But it was short lived

You asked for Thrawn of all people to enter the holy bedroom

He felt threatened, and immediately he felt the first cracks

So he pushed him around, berating him, degrading him and his love before you each night!

You both took it as a Dom game

He was fighting for his very life...

The first time was purely for the sex and he felt relieved to see Thrawn exit the suite for the rest of the night. He had you all for himself, to hug desperately while you smiled blissfully, ignorant of his turmoil

But then you proposed to Thrawn to stay the night, to sleep with you both in Thurfian's very bed

Why... Would you want that?

You have Thurfian's love and them both for lust...

Are you not satisfied with his love and affection?

But when you turned to him for his consent your human eyes were glowing with such hope, Thurfian felt his heart stop

True Chiss are polygamous but humans, culturally, are not. And he hoped he would have you whole to himself, as you had him whole to yourself

He got rid of his entire harem for you...

But there you are... With such hope in your eyes

He agreed to make you happy

For it felt more important than his own

He held you close, your head on his chest, but Thrawn was pressing himself tight against your back, his large arms circling your waist

What he saw in your eyes wasnt lust

But love

Love for Thrawn

And when he looked at him, he saw the same shimmer in the younger Chiss officer’s eyes

He heard the timer of life starting at this very second

Soon, in one way or another, he will be out of the picture...

You started to follow Thrawn on the Springhawk ‘To give him space and allow him to fully focus on the Syndicure’

‘To not get distracted by his silly pet’

But all he could think about was you in Thrawn's arms, living love, together

And he wanted to scream, to burn down the entire estate and disappear into Csilla's deadly nature

But seeing you run towards him to throw yourself in his arms when you came back from space was worth the agonizing hours of solitude and doubt.

When he felt you strangling him in your hug and Thrawn’s slightly displeased gaze on his otherwise perfectly neutral face...

It was worth it

In these moments he returned to his true place: the number one in your heart

Your husband

Your only husband

This victory was also short lived.

He kept his impassible mask firmly in place when you both came to him. You did not need to say a word, your smile spoke for you.

Again he wanted to scream

Again he buried it down for your sake, for your happiness

This was like torture

He silently signed the papers and he became "first" husband

Oh, you kissed him so much that day but nor out of love.

Out of gratitude

Oh you hugged him so tight, but it was to better run into Thrawn's embrace

Thrawn... Doesn’t look at him as a rival, because in Thrawn's eyes he simply isn’t

Thrawn is unmatched

No one can pretend to be his rival

Thrawn only has to wait for time to take Thurfians out of the picture, he needs not fight nor worry, time is on his side.

He only has to be patient

And Thufian knows Thrawn is a very patient man

Thurfian bullys him harder in the bedroom, and gets more extreme In the hope of finally seeing the armour crack

To see his resolution shaken

But Thrawn only looks at him with that same infuriating patient look

'You are no threat to me, old man’ his red eyes tell him every day ‘For I have won the race of Time.’

‘In due time, I will be the only one remaining at her side’

‘You can hold on to your power all you want. Time already ate you.’"

Thurfian entered survival mode.

He needed to find something,

ANYTHING to make you stay in his arms...

A baby?

You always told him you wanted your own family, as he did, but he always was so busy, always on diplomatic conference or trips, only entering the marital bed at 2am to wake back up at 5am.

Always busy, always away, always head buried in his files and laws...

No wonder Thrawn entered the picture so easily...

What a fool he was!

He started giving you more sweet attention, taking you more during the day, and using any excuses to revoke Thrawn's legitimate right to cum inside you. Thrawn obeys as a good submissive but the flash of raw... Hate he sees in his rival's eyes each time he refuses him the right to cum inside your warm pussy, just... frightens him

He is flirting dangerously with the red line and Thrawn knows it too

Thurfian gives you as much as he can, which is objectively a lot, but would it be sufficient?

As always, he hides his fears behind the mask of the smug dominant pretending that he does not care, that he is an undisputed ruler in this bedroom, but he never felt his power so shaky

And one day

It happens

A baby

A pregnancy

A child

Of him

An heir

What a bliss

You hugged each other so tight, but the very same night you hugged Thrawn instead of him

How can you be so cruel ...?

Why can't you see?

The contless stabs into his heart?

He did not even dare to take your hand in his. He rolled to the other side in silence to not look at you both loving each other so casually

And there he is

With you on his lap, innocently devouring your muffin with your signature lack of elegance he

learned to adore

"Thurfian... Why are you crying?"

Thurfian opens his eyes wide as he feels your soft palm against his cheek.

A single, silent, traitorous tear rolling down his blue skin

"Are you worried for the baby?"

Oh if only he was so selfless, Ch'acah...

He worries for himself

He lets out a gasp, ready to face the storm. He takes your soft hand off his cheek to kiss your palm reverently.

Desperatly

"Thurfian it's alright... The medic said they are in good health and grow rapidly as they should..."

Is this baby even his ?

He held on to that crazy Hope, but Thrawn could have gone behind his back. Why would he not? Thurfian would in his situation...

"(Y/n)..." He softly spoke, earning your attention

Thurfian never use your name

Never

"We need to talk."

"Okay?" You ask, a bit worried suddenly

You gulp a bit, looking at him with apprehension in your gorgeous human eyes

"I think..."

He feels his heart slowing down, like he was dying

You tilt your heart with a silent question

"It is Time... That we should..." His words die in his mouth "... Divorce."

He only hears a gasp

He looks up at you, to discover you with a shocked and deeply pained expression

But mostly disbelief

"But... But... Why?" You manage to ask between rising sobs

"Do not make me say it..." He pleads

Are you really forcing him to say it out loud?

To admit that he failed

That Thrawn won everything he ever craved?

Are you really so cold-blooded?

You truly are a Mitth...

Suddenly your face hardens in anger and Thurfian receives the most prodigious slap he ever received across the face

"HOW DARE YOU?!" You scream at him, beyond yourself while he gathers his senses "HOW DARE

YOU PLAY WITH ME LIKE THAT ?!"

You jump on your feet like his body suddenly burned your delicate skin.

But truly your enraged gaze is burning his very soul

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU!? HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME FALL HEAD OVER HEELS FOR YOU AND THROW ME OUT LIKE THAT?!"

You grab a pillow from the sofa and throw it at his head, he evades easily and stands on his feet to move as you take a heavy book in your hand to throw at him.

"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!! YOU SKIN EATER! WHILE I AM PREGNANT WITH YOUR BABY!!!"

You throw the book that hit the wall behind him with a heavy THUD

"HEART STABBER! CRUEL MAN! I SHOULD HAVE NEVER MARRIED YOU!!!"

You already search for a new weapon

"Please... Do not say that... I am simply-" he dodges his favorite porcelain cup that explodes

against the wall, "I am simply setting you free as you wanted"

"Setting me free? SETTING ME FREE??!"

"Yes, I-" he takes an agile step to the side as you have found the cutlery of his office and starts throwing forks at him

And then

You take out a knife

You aim the blade at him with undisputable rage on your face

"(Y/n), let’s not make hasty decisions we might regret..." He tries to appease you

He isn’t ready to die despite his age, but if it has to be today, if it has to be by your hand ... Then so be it!

"OH! I AM THE ONE MAKING HASTY DECISIONS NOW? I AM?!"

“(Y/n)...”

You snear, big tears rolling down your face

And then

You do Something that takes him by surprise and socks him to his core

You aim the blade to your throat

"(Y/n) stop that immediately" he orders

"Why?" You ask "Why would i not?"

"(Y/n), I am not joking, stop that immediately." He hardens his voice

He is losing control over the situation, that was NOT his plan!

"Good... I am not joking either." You laugh between your sobs

But this laugh is loaded with deep, real pain

"I beg you (Y/n), do not do that. Think about Thrawn... Think about the baby..."

He slowly advances towards you but you immediately press the sharp blade against your delicate neck

He stops immediately

"Please, Cha'cah. Think about the life you will have to left behind..."

"A life without you...? I don’t want it!" You cry "It is not worth it..."

"Be reasonnable... Think of all the pain your death will provoke."

"AND MY PAIN OF BEING ABANDONED BY THE LOVE OF MY LIFE WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH IT?!"

Are you... Talking about him?

"Darling, sweetheart, Cha-"

"DO NOT CHA'CAH ME LIKE THAT!" You scream.

Thurfian's heart is in a frenzy, you lost all control, your hand are dangerously trembling way to close to your neck to his liking

"DO NOT CALL ME LOVE WHEN YOU DONT MEAN IT!"

"But I do mean it... Each time I called you love, even today..."

He takes a sneaky step forward and you dont notice

"YOU DONT LOVE ME ANYMORE!"

"I do."

Another step

"THEN WHY DIVORCING ME?"

"For your own benefits."

"LIAR. I GOT PREGNANT AND YOU GOT TIRED OF ME!"

"No, Cha'cah, no. You have never been more beautiful in my eyes since you are pregnant."

Another step. He is almost there... So so close. He feels his hands trembling

"I don’t... I don’t want a life without you..." You let out with a voice so broken he barely heard you.

"I do not want a life without you either, but I must do what is right..."

You close your eyes, lost in your terrible pain, lowering the blade in your despair

That's his his chance

And he takes it!

He lunges forward and violently slaps the blade out of your hands. Without giving you time to do anything, he imprisons you in his arms and holds you captive in a tight embrace. You scream and squirm and try to fight him off, but as a Chiss he has way more strength and he pacifies you in his embrace

He holds you close and tight until you stop trying to get away

He slowly craddles you, your face against his heart

You cry hard and for a long moment, he doesn’t release you for a second

"Shhhhhhhhhh... Everything is all right, Cha'cah, I am here."

He kisses the top of your head tenderly, a hand caressing your hair lovingly

"Dont leave me..." You cry

"I wont"

"I cannot survive without you.." you sob

"You won’t have to." He promises

"I love you too much... I cant live without you..."

"I am so sorry, Ch'acah, so sorry. I did not mean to scare you like that."

His heart slowly calms down from that scare.

He tenderly kisses your forehead.

You eagerly respond by nudging yourself against him, like he would change his mind and abandon you for ever.

He feels the fabric of his robe getting wet with your tears but he does not care, he gently guides you to the sofa of the office ad sits down with you, pressing you tight against him.

“Why... Why even ask me such a thing?” You cry heavily.

He internally sighs...

“Because I was... afraid” He reluctantly admits.

You tilt your head up to look at him, eyes red with tears.

He gulps but continues.

“I thought your love for me died... That you preferred Thrawn over me.”

“Wh... I love Thrawn dearly, but I love you too! You are both my husbands, I want you both in my life, it would not be complete without you both in it!”

He hums pensively, resting his head on top of yours, his long strand caressing your cheek.

“... You were so focused on him, I thought you grew tired of me.” He explains, “I felt neglected.”

“Thurfian...” You gasp, “Oh Thurfian... I am so sorry! I love you so, so much, I don’t want to lose you... I never meant to... I did not mean to...”

At a loss for word, you circle his chest with your arms to hug him back tight.

“I would die if you ever left me...” You whisper, “I am so sorry, I never realised...”

“I should have talk to you instead of getting to the conclusion that you wanted to divorce me...”

“I don’t want to divorce you, you are my Cha’cah, the father of my baby, my husband.” You squeeze him hard.

“We have lot of things to discuss together. But first, I want to go on a vacation, only us, you and me, far away of everything. Of the Syndicure and the Cedf.”

“All right...”

“I want to meet us again, like at the beginning of our marriage...”

You nod, still pressed tight against him like he would jump on his feet and run away from you.

“I would follow you anywhere Thurfian...” You promise.

“I love you Ch’acah.” He confesses

“I love you more.”

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @thrawnspetgoose @thrawnalani @twilekchiss @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @obbicrystaleo @elise2174 @davesrightshoe @holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni @princesslunamoon19 @janjtje @helrose8 @debonaire_princess @courier-jackalope

#thrawn ascendancy #thrawn #thrawn x reader #thurfian #mitth'urf'ianico #thurfian x reader #fanfic #vibratingskull

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silent-raven13 · 3 months ago

Text

Yeah, that's what I thought!

(Warning strong language.)

The Spider Gang never saw Miles upset or ever get mad. Annoyed, sure. Possibly bothered, yeah. Sure they see him looking frustrated, but he never lashed out. He always kept his cool, never let his temper take over an argument. Unlike most Spider-heroes, he prefer to take a moment to walk away then come back to resolve any problems. Nobody had ever seen him shouted out at anyone before.

Not until today...

The Spider Gang were busy talking outside a bodega, enjoying their own deli sandwich. Miles had to explained Brooklyn famous Chopped Cheese since Pavitr and Hobie never heard of that in their own world. Gwen's world is slowly having the famous deli sandwich trending on her world's social media. She always prefer a simple cheddar cheese, turkey ham with lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo and mustard all on a sandwich bread.

Pavitr really wanted to try the trending sandwich, it sounded so good to him. Miles did pointed out it's a new upscale version of a Philly cheese steak sandwich, it's pretty good, but he prefer his own sandwich.

Miles likes a black forest ham, turkey ham, with provolone cheese all with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, banana peppers, a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper with mayo, and tangy dijon mustard. Bread being a nice sandwich roll toasted. He likes a cold ice tea or Sprite, and a bag of Hot Cheetos or Lay's BBQ chips.

Pavitr got himself a bag of baked chips and fruit punch juice with his chopped cheese sandwich. Gwen order herself her usual sandwich and got herself some Doritos and Dr. Pepper canned soda.

Hobie got Miles eyeing at his choice of chips or snack for his sandwich. Honey-brown eyes watches the punker picked some spicy flavor Corn Nuts, Hobie caught Miles eyeing him. "What is it, Brooklyn?" Hobie smirks with amusement.

"Dude, you are an old man. Eatin' corn nuts? That's crazy." Miles snort chuckle by the choice of snacks his friend picked.

"I like the crunch, Peter Pan." Hobie chuckles, "Old man? Oi, We the same age."

"Heh, your spirit must be old, man. My dad eats Corn nuts." He said.

"Lowkey, that is an old timer snack, Hobs." Gwen chuckles, "I always seen grown men eating that stuff. It's not even that good."

"I never heard of these before." Pavitr took the bag to look at the snack. "It's corn kettle?"

"Kinda. It's super crunchy." Miles said as he waited for his order.

Hobie chuckles, "Whatever you say, Brooklyn. I enjoy these."

"Let me guess, you like sardines with crackers and hot sauce, too." The Black latino eighteen year old snorted.

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it. Besides, it's makes a great protein snack." The punker hums.

"Corn nuts isn't-" Hobie placed his index finger on Miles' lips. "Shh, I'm only teasing." He winks at him.

Miles' big eyes gleam for the moment, until he heard some muttering and whispering from a group of young men near them. They were a mixed of from teenagers to possibly early twenty year old black and Latino men. His Honey-brown eyes glanced over already annoyed by their harsh loud ass whispers.

"Ew, man. Fuckin' fags, dude." One said with disgust.

"Man, they are the fucking worst."

"Nah, look at the tall one dressed wearing makeup. Shit ain't right, bro." The other friend said.

Miles pouted then Hobie who already heard them, "Don't pay attention to them, mate. They're ignorant and scared to say anything." He shrugs, not being bothered by a couple of blokes being homophobic.

The punker dealt with so much in his own world, he learned to pick his own battles. Sometimes the ignorant stay like that until a life lesson arrives at their doorway. If he was younger, he would've gladly smashed their faces against the ground they walk on.

Gwen looked a bit nervous for Hobie, she's aware how he gets then said, "It's not worth it. They are just spattin' nonsense."

"Shit is annoying tho." Miles mutters, he hates how those jerks ruined a perfectly good mood.

"It's alright, Sunflower. You gotta learn to pick your own battles." Hobie slouches on him, "You can help the ignorant and the stupid. They are probably dealing with their own sexuality."

"The loudest are always the gayest!" Pavitr said to his friends with a chuckle.

Miles knows his friends are probably more mature than him, because the old New Yorker in him- the one he grow up with dad! He ain't gonna let it slide. This is the Jeff and Uncle Aaron old school side that Miles grew up from. They never liked to be disrespected and always make sure anyone around them knows it. It's a bit dangerous, because anyone can catch the wrong person at the wrong time.

Since he's Spider-man, does that really matter?

"Ugh, look at them being gay, bro. Nah, that's wrong." The three young men mumbling together, then being loud to say it.

The cook in the deli had to say, "Keep it down. We don't need none of that."

The young men suck their teeth with a harsh, "Tsk." They started talking and talking while getting their chips and cold drinks. "Come on, man. Let's get outta here before I pop off." One young man with short braids mutters having a large jacket as he got his bag of chips. They roughly shoves Gwen, and Hobie while Pavitr quickly got out of the way.

"Excuse you!" Gwen said.

Miles saw the disrespect as one of them snaps at her, "Shut up, bitch! Whatchu gon do?" They went to the cashier to pay for their shit.

That's not right. They need to learn to act like a fucking human being.

"Man, you gotta get these fags outta here, compadre!" One of the young teens shouted out loud, "Gonna make this place fucking gay- shit ain't right, especially da tall one shouldn't be here. Fuck that gay shit, I'ma pop his ass if he come close." The other two men laughs as they walked out.

"What fucking assholes!" Gwen scowls with bitter hatred for homophobes.

"Yeah, what jerks! I swear, they wanted to fight for just being here. So stupid!" Pavitr agrees already annoyed.

"Come on, mates. It wasn't nuthin' big. They just want to put on a show, heh." Hobie hums.

"Hobie, they were being fucking rude!" Gwen said out loud in protest.

"It's all fine." Hobie merely chuckles as he pay for his sandwich, he wasn't bothered by petty comments. He heard worst, been through worse than those little ignorant boys. "Hehehe, funny, eh Sunflower?" He didn't hear his friend, "Uh, Sunflower?"

The three saw Miles fuming red, the next thing they know Miles went out the deli. "Miles! Wait, Miles."

Miles went outside following the three men, "Hey! HEY!" The three young men turns around being slightly surprised one of the people they were making up of caught up with them. "What da fuck chu said about me and my friends?" Miles' voice became loud, stern, and harsh like a grown man.

That's because his Uncle Aaron tells him how to handle petty shit. "Watchu gonna do? Back off, man." The tall dark skinned young man with a brown jacket scowls at him.

"OH now, you bein' scared because I got in front of yer face. Man, speak the fuck up and say it to my face." Mile got in their face, "Because all I was hearing is a bunch of down low thugs contemplating on sucking my dick, bitch!" Miles shouted at them having people around them glancing at the group. Some gave disgusting homophobic looks, some rolled their eyes. Its a bit of humiliation is good for them.

"Man, you gay as fuck. Watchu talking' about? You wanna start sumthin' faggot?" The other young man shouted at him.

"Nah, fuck ya'll! Ya'll were disrespecting me and my crew for your own dumb shit. You were loud and proud callin' me a faggot, but quickly ran like the dumb DLs ya'll are. Now, say it with yo fucking chest." Miles got close to them getting the main leader in his face. "Come on! I ain't scared of three little boys."

"Yo, back up! I'll bust ya ass if you don't back da fuck up!" The one young man in the brown jacket faced Miles.

"Do it! I ain't scared! Come on, do it!" Miles roughly shoves him back, the nineteen year old teenager stumble back, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The other two scowls as they caught their friend, "Man, let's beat his ass. He's not shutting up."

"When I beat ya'll asses, you gonna apologize." Miles fuming as he crack his knuckles. "Watch as dis faggot beat you up for disrespecting my friends!"

"Oh yeah!" Miles let them have the first swing, when he dodges them he had the chance to beat them up. Funny thing, he went easy on them seeing they never seriously fought with someone like him. He had them to his knees then yank their ears with a simple huff.

"Ahh! Ahh! What da fuck you think you're doin'!" They were shouting in pain with their body hurting from the hard punches the short Black latino gave him.

"You're going to apologize to my friends, pendejos. Don't give no lip, too!" Miles' eyes on the wannabe thugs before noticing his friends were standing behind him.

He looks surprised almost embarrassed to have them to see him so angry. "Um, hey guys..."

Gwen chewing on her deli sandwich, "Wow, that was crazy, Mi! I never knew you can get that mad."

"Yeah, dude. You were mad-mad." Pavitr sips his cold Ice Tea.

Hobie stood silent while Miles made the three young men apologize them for their behavior. "We're sorry for calling ya'll names." They mumble. Miles stood with his arms crossed, "AND?" His left foot tapping giving a full Rio moment.

The three saw Miss Morales in Miles by the way his stood, and his angry expression on his face. "We won't ever don't that again. We'll be good."

"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Miles huffs with his arms crossed.

Hobie chuckles while Gwen grinning widely and Pavitr smiles widely at the three. "And you won't ever, I mean ever disrespect me and my friends like that. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." The three saw the glares Miles giving them.

Hobie chuckles, "Awe, Sunflower. You didn't have to do all that." His dark eyes glaring daggers at the three, his hand on a nineteen year old with the mustard jacket.

"Hey- OWOWOWOW!" The three kept their mouth shut when the mood went from friendly to dark real quick. Hobie got into their faces having an eerie smile with his eyes filled with a sinister ambition, "Now, my Sunflower is a bit kinder, more lenient, ol' chaps. I don't want him to ever go that angry again, he's far better and doesn't deserve to do dirty work." His hands gripping tighter on the shoulder almost tempted to break it, "So how about you play nice and listen or you will have to deal with me, hmm?"

The three started to sweat feeling their hands trembling, this was the first time they felt fear. They knew this tall punker wasn't playing around. "Whatever, man. Leave us alone." One of them weeps.

Hobie lets them go seeing them running off like the cowards they are. His eyes turns to see Miles pouting, all his anger washed away. "Huh, what is it, luv?"

"No fair," Miles pouting cutely, "I wanted them to react like that but you had to come a be all cool!"

Hahaha, I told you, Brooklyn. You don't need to do all that. Besides, I appreciate the solidarity. Means a lot that you cared about us and have our backs." Hobie playfully pinch Miles' left cheek seeing him being so adorable.

"I sort of felt embarrassed you guys have to see me all mad. I'm still learning to keep my cool." Miles admits.

"Huh, since when you ever get mad like that?" Pavitr asked out loud.

Gwen trying to remember if there was a time Miles was ever mad. He always kept his cool. She knows Hobie was giddy with joy. The punker's heart was pounding hard against his chest, he felt like cupid shot an arrow through his heart. He didn't think he could fall for Miles even more.

"Anyway, let's go to the park and eat." The blond teenager finally said, "Its a nice day to chill and eat."

"Sure!" Everyone said. Pavitr handed Miles his sandwich, chips and drink. The four walks together still enjoying their hang out. Miles and Hobie secretly held hands as they walk together.

#punkflower #hobie brown #miles morales #fanfic #flowerpunk #hobie x miles #miles x hobie

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befuddled-calico-whump · 6 months ago

Note

how are lex and sarah spending the holidays?

if you listen really closely you can hear me praying for his first ever safe and enjoyable time

woe, fluff be up on ye

Wildefire Masterlist

•°•°•

"Lighten up. Just a little?"

"I don't see what the point is."

"Come on, it's... I mean, we don't even have to call it Christmas. What did you celebrate growing up?"

Lex couldn't remember any holiday celebrations. Even as a child, his mother didn't care for Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, nothing. She'd take him along to the old cathedral on New Year's day, thanking her saints for another year survived, offering prayers for luck in the next. Even then, he doubted she believed in what she was saying. Just another tradition handed down from her family. Not one he'd bothered to keep after going to Chopper's.

He must've been staring blankly for a good minute, because Sarah let out a sigh. "You don't have to participate, I just... Figured I'd offer. We didn't really do a Christmas last year, since we were trying to find a safe spot. She'd never admit it, but Akeela was pretty bummed out. Holiday break used to be the only time we got to really hang out and have fun as a team. Even Overk--" She winced. "It's a tradition. For us. And now you're one of us, so..."

Lex shrugged. Maybe it made no sense to waste time on, and maybe it was dumb to take a break instead of focusing on the grueling task of uprooting corp, but... Maybe it wasn't a crime to do something that wasn't life or death.

"What do you want me to do?"

•°•°•

Alexei wasn't so far removed from society to be ignorant to the tradition of ugly sweaters, but it seemed Hugo had gone out of his way to track down the most horrendous ones in the city. He was clearly trying to suppress a giggle as he passed Lex's over, a terrible lime green thing with some cartoon character embroidered across the front in a glittery fuzz.

Akeela snorted when she saw him in it.

"Green is not your color."

"Yeah? Well orange isn't yours. You look like a muppet."

She pulled an offended face, but he could hear her laughing when she turned her back. She settled between Hugo and Rosie on the couch, stealing a handful of popcorn from the latter, a festive children's movie that looked a hundred years old playing on the beat-up television across from them.

Lex begrudgingly took a seat nearby as Sarah came in, a platter of cookies in hand.

"Looks like dinner's just gonna be spaghetti and meatballs, but hey, I'm not complaining," she said, sliding the platter in front of the group. Her so-called ugly sweater looked good on her, in a way. The cotton-candy pink fit her complexion, making her dark hair stand out, her brown eyes warmer. Hugo was definitely picking favorites here, he thought, even as his eyes kept going back to her.

"Are you gonna sit down at all?" he asked when she caught him staring.

"Well, we still got some cookies in the oven, and dinner isn't made yet, so---"

"Did you want help?" Usually everyone was busy with their own task, or out of the house, or in their own rooms. Yet somehow the kitchen was always clean and food was always ready. He knew that was all Sarah's doing, but only now, with everyone relaxing over a movie but her, did it feel wrong.

She let out a small laugh at his question. "I got it covered, unless you wanna play dishwasher."

"I can do that." Probably. He hadn't done that sort of work with cybernetics yet, but it couldn't be that different from cleaning a weapon or a wound. A little delicate, a little deliberate.

She seemed surprised at his offer. "Oh, well... Yeah, that'd be great."

Lex followed her into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves. A pot of water was boiling on the stove, the oven timer beeping as soon as they stepped inside.

"That would be the cookies. Here, I'll---"

He was opening the oven before she could finish, grabbing the hot tray with a metal hand and setting it on the stovetop. Sarah let out a playful huff.

"Show-off."

"One objective complete. Those dishes don't stand a chance."

"Yeah? Step up to the plate and we'll see," she shot back, extending an arm towards the dish pile with a small flourish. Lex stepped past her, a smile tugging at his mouth, and began to fill the sink.

Alright, delicate. Most of their dishes were plastic or metal, but the occasional glass could prove tricky. He didn't want to shatter anything in the sink. Sarah moved behind him, adding noodles to the boiling water and starting a pan of sauce as he set to work.

Big items first. Eliminate clutter, create space for organization. Metal pots are a safe bet for starting; less probability of causing damage as hands are better calibrated to the task.

"You never told me you had a thing for dishes."

Sarah's voice startled him halfway through the task. "Huh?"

"You seem very focused."

"It's something to do."

She smiled. "Well, if you wanna put it on hold for a bit, dinner's done." Three plates were already full and ready, waiting on the counter.

"I'll help you bring it out."

Her smile seemed to grow.

The two of them delivered the spaghetti to the living room, passing a plate to each of the kids before going back for their own.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't so bad. Everyone sitting at home, cheesy feel-good movie, warm food, warm house, it was kind of nice. Even the dumb sweater wasn't so bad when everyone else was part of the joke. Lex spooned sauce over his pasta, moving to rejoin the others.

"Hey."

He paused, glancing back at Sarah. "Yeah?"

She cleared her throat, setting her own plate down. "Well... I'm supposed to wait to give you this until tomorrow. Traditionally speaking and all. But I know you don't like eyes on you, and fuck tradition anyway, so..."

Instinct kept his eyes on her hands as she moved, but there was no tension in his chest, no coiled action waiting to spring as she pulled something out of a kitchen drawer and passed it to him.

It was a book. Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman.

"Poetry," was all he could say for a moment. It looked old. Its weight was insistent in his hands, sheaves of paper reminding him that he was a thing of fire, destruction. But maybe if he held it carefully enough...

"I just..." Sarah fiddled with her glasses. "I mean, sometimes I'd hear you rhyming to yourself, so... I guess I figured you might like that."

Poetry. Something it seemed he never had time for. Not since the Tower, when made up lines were the only thing tethering his sanity on some days. Back in Neath, he had a few full books--+and a few empty ones too, for crafting his own words. Not often, but they'd been there. Under Fox, there'd been nothing. Sure, he probably could've found something to write with if he'd really wanted, but what would end up on the page, after everything? Were there any words left when he'd been made nothing but a weapon?

But now...

"Thank you," he managed to say, unable to take his eyes off the book, voice thick. "I don't... I didn't get anything for you."

"It's not a trade-off, Lex." Carefully, her hands wrapped around his. He couldn't feel it, that was impossible, but despite all logic, he felt warmer.

"I'm just glad you like it." Her smile turned a shade wryer as she picked up both of their plates. "Now let's get back out there before they start wondering what we're up to."

Not a trade-off. It took him a second to follow her, to make himself move. Fortunately, the others were focused on the movie when he stepped back into the living room, Rosie caught between Hugo and Akeela and and a character comparison.

"That's you."

"I am not the fucking dentist elf."

"You look just like him though."

He took a seat beside Sarah, book still clutched in one hand.

"So maybe there's no big point or mission to it," Sarah murmured. "But do you think it's worth it?"

Her leg was warm against his, the book's hard cover flat on his thigh. The teasing on the other couch had devolved into laughter over something stupid.

"Yeah. I think it's worth it."

•°•°•

tag list:

@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing , @bloodinkandashes , @fleur-alise ,

@whumpy-daydreams , @whumpwillow , @honeycollectswhump , @snakebites-and-ink

#fluff is so much harder to write than angst I'll be real #Wildefire #anon #fluff #comfort #“Alexei will get a cute lil Christmas” -> “Alexei is doing the dishes” its a labor of love ok #cinderglass

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