#this took me way longer than it needed to

[greengoblinswifey]

girl we need more fics about inho pls your writing is soooo good 😮‍💨

You Belong With Me— The Front Man/Hwang In Ho x Fem!Reader

summary— The Front Man grows protective of you and removes you from the game, keeping you safe in his private quarters. A deep emotional connection forms between you and your bond deepens in more ways than one.

warnings— age gap(reader is 20, he’s in his 40s), fingering, oral(m!receiving), praise kink, hair pulling, unprotected sex, creampie.

a/n— thank you, hope you like this <3

In the dead of night, you woke to the rough grip of two guards hauling you from your bunk. You tried to scream, but a hand clamped over your mouth, silencing you. They pulled you down the cold hallways, the walls echoing with the sounds of their pants and your cries. You had no idea what was happening until they stopped before a door you hadn’t seen before. The guards pushed it open, and standing on the other side was Hwang In-ho, the Front Man, the one they had told you they were taking you to. He looked down at you in his mask, unreadable expression, his voice cold and commanding as he spoke.

“You voted out,” he said, his voice steady, “but the majority has decided to stay. You won’t be going back. You’re staying with me now.”

Confusion flooded your senses. You’d voted out to escape the nightmare, but now you were here, in front of him. The air shifted as he noticed your fear, before he spoke again, “You’re safe now. No one will hurt you.”

The guards released their hold on you, but you didn’t move. Fear kept you rooted to the spot. “I don’t understand,” you whispered, the words trembling on your lips. “Why me?”

In-ho’s gaze lingered on you for a moment longer, then his tone shifted, becoming softer but more firm. “Because I won’t let anything happen to you.” He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “You’re too precious to be out there with them.”

You stayed quiet, still unsure of what was happening, but something about his words made your heart race—not from fear, but from the strange pull he had on you. He was being protective, almost possessive, and it made no sense. But you were too tired to fight it, too drained from everything you had already been through.

For the following days, you remained with him. In-ho wouldn’t let you return to the game. You slept in his room, far removed from the others, under his watchful eye. Every time you tried to ask why, he would simply tell you, “You’re safe here. No one will harm you.”

He never let you out of his sight for too long. During the days, he would be nearby, always watching, ensuring you were comfortable. His protectiveness only deepened as you became more and more accustomed to your new life under his care. You didn’t argue, after all, there was something oddly comforting about his presence, even if it unsettled you at the same time.

One evening, as you rested on the bed, In-ho approached you. His mask was off, and his sharp features were illuminated by the dim light. He crouched beside you, his dark eyes scanning your face making your breath hitch.

“You’ did well,” he said, his voice low and almost soothing. His fingers reached up, gently brushing a few curls from your face, tucking them behind your ear. The simple gesture was so intimate. He was so close now, his warmth radiating off him as he spoke again, his voice barely a whisper. “I’ve kept you here because you belong with me, away from them.”

His fingers lingered on your hair, his touch soft but firm. You didn’t pull away. Somehow, his proximity, the way he seemed so protective of you, had a strange pull. “No one will ever touch you again,” he added, possessively. His eyes never left yours, and there was a coldness in his tone that let you know he meant every word.

A part of you wanted to resist, to ask more questions, to demand to be let go. But the way he spoke to you, the way he cared for you, made it hard to find the strength to push him away. He hadn’t hurt you, not like the others. Instead, he had kept you safe.

“I don’t want you to go back,” he said softly, brushing his thumb across your cheek, “You’re my sweet little angel. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

You looked up at him, not sure how to respond. But with him, the world felt a little less dangerous. The game, the chaos, seemed far away, as if they didn’t matter here, in his presence.

“You’re not going back,” he repeated, his voice firm, yet his gaze softened. “Not while I’m here. You belong with me.”

And in that moment, you understood that there was no escaping this, no going back. You were his now, and he wasn’t going to let you go. You stayed by his side, no longer a part of the game, but under his protection, whether you wanted it or not.

He leaned down, his presence overwhelming as his lips brushed against yours. It was soft at first, a gentle, almost hesitant kiss, like he was testing your response. You felt his body against you, his hands slowly moving to your back, pulling you closer. The touch felt unfamiliar yet comforting, and after everything that had happened, you melted into it, craving the sensation of being cared for, of being wanted.

His lips trailed down to your neck, and you gasped, the contact sending a shiver down your spine. He paused for a moment, his breath hot against your skin, before finding that sensitive spot just below your ear. A small hum of satisfaction left his lips as he nipped softly at your skin. His hand, still firmly on your back, slid lower, his fingers brushing against your waist before moving gently, teasingly lower and into your panties.

“You’re so perfect,” he murmured. “So wet already, just for me.”

You felt his fingers rub gentle circles on your swollen clit, his touch light but electric, making your breath hitch. He paused, as if waiting for your response, his eyes searching yours for permission. “Just let me make you feel good,” he whispered, his voice tender yet firm. “It’s just us here. You can trust me.”

You felt a thick finger slip inside your pussy, the action making you press your lips together so you wouldn’t make a sound. He chuckled then moved back to your neck, licking and nipping as his fingers explored your pussy.

“Your pussy gets wet for strangers, doesn’t it?” he teased.

You whined and hid your face in his neck but he used his free hand to tilt your head to look up at him.

“I’m only teasing angel, and you’re my kind of woman either way,” he murmured.

His finger began thrusting and curling, finding the spongy spot inside you that had you writhing underneath him. He used a thumb to rub circles on your clit, the pleasure unlike any other you had felt. You grabbed his hand, as he increased the pace, feeling something build inside you. Were you really about to cum for him? He slipped another finger inside, curling and thrusting as the sound of your wet pussy filled your ears.

“Cum for me sweetheart, be my good girl,” he said.

You weren’t sure what you wanted anymore, but there was something in his gaze, something comforting in the way he pleasured you, that made it easy to let go and cum for him. The world outside seemed to disappear, leaving just the two of you in that moment, where you could be pleasure and safe all at once.

“F-feels so good,” you finally whispered, your orgasm taking ahold of you.

“I know baby, I know,” he retorted, “I can make you feel even better.”

In that moment you didn’t know what he meant. What you did know was that you wanted to make him feel good too. Return the favor in the only way you could.

You could feel his gaze burning into you as you gently unbuttoned the top he had given you to put on that day, your heart racing. You paused for a moment, looking up at him, feeling a slight hesitation. His voice was calm. “Are you sure?” he asked, his eyes soft but intense.

You nodded, keeping your eyes locked with his, your breath catching in your throat. “Yes,” you whispered, your voice steady despite the nerves fluttering in your chest.

Slowly, you let your movements flow as you continued to undress, your fingers trembling slightly, but you felt a rush of anticipation. “You look beautiful,” he murmured, his voice almost a growl as he took in every detail of your naked body.

You moved closer to him, your eyes never leaving his as you slowly began to unbutton his shirt. The action felt intimate, yet there was something thrilling about it. His breath hitched slightly as your hands moved lower, and you felt the heat of his body against yours as you slowly began to undress him.

“You're incredible,” he said softly, his voice filled with admiration. As you knelt before him, your gaze remained locked with his, and you felt a surge of confidence. His hand gently cupped your face, his thumb brushing across your cheek. “You're so beautiful,” he repeated, his voice filled with awe.

He took off his boxers, his hard cock springing free in front of your face. He was so big and thick, the biggest you’d ever seen. With shaky hands you took ahold of him, slowly stroking as his eyes fluttered shut. You spat on the tip, using your thumb to spread your saliva along with the pre cum that had oozed out.

“That’s it, you’re a fucking natural,” he praised.

With your eyes on his, you slowly wrapped your plump lips around him, taking him into your mouth. You slid your tongue along his girth, suctioning your lips to give him the utmost pleasure. He hit the back of your throat and you let him settle there for a second before sliding your lips back up to the tip.

“Fuck, that’s it, just like that,” he moaned.

You licked the tip, savoring the taste of the salty pre cum before slowly taking him half way. “All the way down,” he growled. You went lower, taking his cock into the back of your throat as his fingers tangled in your curls. You began bobbing your head, breathing through your nose as your eyes teared up. He stared down at you, his lips apart as his breathing grew heavier. You were a sight for sore eyes, curls framing your face, tears brimming your eyes, pre cum and spit dripping down your chin and your mouth full.

“You look so beautiful like this, such a good cocksucker,” he murmured.

At his praises you began bobbing your head faster, sliding your tongue all over his shaft. Each time you went down, the tip slammed against your tonsil and he let out breathy moans that made your pussy throb.

“Fuck angel, I’m gonna cum in that pretty mouth,” he groaned.

Your hands went to his heavy balls, massaging them then moving down to take each into your mouth before moving back up to his cock and sliding your lips across the shaft.

“Here it comes, take all my cum in your mouth like a good girl sweetheart,” he said.

You suckled on the tip, stroking the base as you felt the unmistakable feeling of his hot cum shooting in your mouth. You stroked him through it then took him down your throat, swallowing his cum.

“Good girl, such a good girl,” he cooed.

He pulled you up, his hands immediately all over your naked body as he kissed you. He flipped you over so that he was on top of you, his dark eyes piercing yours. He leaned down once more, his lips pressed against yours then his tongue slipped inside your mouth. As his tongue sucked on yours, you felt his hard cock press against your pussy.

“Reach down and put my cock inside you,” he panted.

You did as you were told, your bottom lip going between your teeth at the pure intimacy of the moment. You took ahold of his shaft, dragging it up and down your folds as you moaned before pressing it inside your hole. Just the tip of his cock inside made you feel full and you gripped his bicep to ground yourself.

He leaned down, his breath hot against your ear as his cock deepened. “Tell me how good it feels,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire. You could feel your orgasm building inside you, and though every inch of your body was alive with pleasure, you focused on him.

“It feels so good,” you whispered, your voice trembling slightly. He moaned softly, his hands gripping your waist tighter, guiding you with each thrust.

His lips trailed over your skin, kissing your neck, his teeth grazing gently as he picked up the pace. “You’re perfect,”’he murmured between kisses, his hands never leaving your body, his touch firm but gentle. “So responsive. I can't get enough of you.”

He kissed you deeply, his lips taking control, his tongue gently exploring as he moved above you. Each thrust brushed against your g spot and sent a shiver down your spine, you responded instinctively, your hands gripping his back as your body arched toward him. The rhythm of his movements was steady but increasingly intense, and every thrust felt more intimate than the last.

“Cum for me,” he urged, his voice husky. “I need you to cum on my cock.”

Your nails dug into his strong arms and he held you close, your pussy soaking his cock as your release washed over you. He kissed your forehead, guiding you through your high as you let out soft whimpers.

As he hovered above you, he whispered softly, “Get on your hands and knees.” His hands brushed your back as you obeyed, fingers lingering as he praised you for how perfect you were, how much he appreciated every moment with you.

“You’re amazing,” he murmured, his tone dripping with admiration as he watched his cock disappear inside you. “I’ve never felt a pussy like this.”

His hands moved to your hair, fingers tangling in the coils as he pulled you closer, not in a harsh way, but with a sense of possession, as if he were claiming you. Each time his cock disappeared inside your pussy, you couldn't help but moan softly at how deep he was at this angle, the sensation of his cock sending waves of pleasure through you.

“You feel so good,” he whispered, his breath warm against your ear. His hands roamed, squeezing your ass, the praise never stopping, and it only made you ache for more. “I can't get enough of you.”

The combination of his words and the feeling of him so close to you made your body tremble, your moan louder this time, unable to contain the pleasure that built up within you. “You feel incredible,” he murmured again, his touch firm, guiding your ass back to meet his thrusts. He watched as your ass bounced against him, you were so sexy. A masterpiece.

You could hear him breathe deeply as he continued, his admiration never wavering. “You’re everything I’ve wanted,” he whispered.

He rolled his hips to meet your ass then leaned in closer, his breath brushing against your ear. “Cum with me,” he whispered.

You closed your eyes, allowing yourself to be enveloped in the moment and you couldn’t hold back anymore. You creamed all over his cock, feeling a wave of warmth and satisfaction wash over you. Right after, you felt his cum fill your pussy.

“You’re incredible,” he whispered, his voice full of adoration as he collapsed on the bed and pulled you close. “You’re perfect,” he said, his hands brushing your curls back from your face, caressing you softly. His touch was possessive, yet kind, as if he wanted to protect you from everything.

“You belong with me,” he whispered.

[leighsartworks216]

Recharge

Sylus x gn!Reader

Had this thought suddenly while playing Ace Attorney and have been sitting mid-trial while for the like 10 minutes it took me to write it down

Warnings: fluff, established relationship, kissing, cuddling, banter, pet names

Word Count: 650

Main Masterlist

First Love and Deepspace Masterlist

Second Love and Deepspace Masterlist

AO3

Tag List Form

A warm hand slides under your chin from behind, tilting your head to rest against the back of the couch. Vibrant red eyes and a smug grin greet you, framed by a halo of white hair that hangs down loosely. "I'm home, sweetheart," Sylus greets, honey sweet.

You smile up at him, reaching out to brush his bangs away and stroke his cheek. "Welcome home, honey. I missed you."

He sighs, as though relieved to hear you say those words. Leaning down, his lips brush yours. "I missed you, too..."

He kisses you slow and deep. His hand under your chin slides to your neck, thumb soothing over your pulse. You wrap your hand around the back of his neck to tangle with the short strands of his hair, to keep him there, exactly where you need him. His tongue slips out to meet yours, gently coaxing your mouth open for him so that he may indulge in you entirely. His other hand holds your cheek, long fingers curling under your jaw.

Your book is long forgotten. No subject, no matter how interesting, could be more enticing than this. You close it without saving your page. It slips your mind completely. It is soon abandoned on the cushion beside you as you reach out now to comb his bangs back and clutch lightly at his full head of hair. He groans appreciatively into your mouth.

This is bliss. There could be nothing sweeter or more joyous than this. His hands caressing you delicately. His hot breaths mingling with yours. His presence, back home again, with you.

When he pulls away, he doesn't pull away completely. He breaks apart for a breath, kisses you again, and again, each one becoming shorter and shallower until he can find the strength to stop. With a final nibble to your lower lip, he stands up just a bit straighter, allowing you the honor of seeing his entire face once more. His lips are kiss-swollen and beautifully pink, especially as he smiles.

"Are you going to be awake much longer?" he asks.

You hum, considering. It's already quite late for you, since you elected to stay awake until he returned from settling his business ventures and aligning all his dominoes for the next scheme he has planned, but he just got back, and you're loath to be without him so soon. He could stay with you while you fall asleep, but you want to be awake with him, consciously spending your precious time with the man you love.

"I think so."

He quirks his eyebrow, silently questioning you for ruining your sleep schedule further, but he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he presses a lingering kiss to your forehead before letting you go. You watch as he rounds the couch, chuckle as he takes your legs and turns them to be stretched out along the couch (book tossed carelessly onto the coffee table), and lays himself down on top of you. His full weight pressing down on you as he slots a leg between yours, wraps his arms under your body, and presses his face into your neck. You hug him back without question, playing with his hair just the way he likes and rubbing his back.

"I need to recharge," he murmurs against your skin. Already, you feel the tension melting away, just from being able to cling to you without restraint.

You kiss his head, hug him tighter, and settle in for the long haul. You're going to end up falling asleep here, without question, because you know he's not going to let you up anytime soon. "Take as long as you need, you silly crow."

He chuckles lowly. You feel it rumble in his chest, vibrate against yours and resonate in your heart. "I will. As much as you'll give me and more."

"Greedy."

"When it comes to you, my beloved, always."

---

Tag List:

@the-golden-jhope @huen1ngk41 @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow @cheesemachine44 @nyx2021 @angel-jupiter @thelittlebutton @pikachuzhc @pomegranatepip @cordidy @an-ever-angry-bi @thejysemongko

[alchemistc]

43. undone if it speaks to you <3

Getting back to these because I have a lot of fleeting half ideas I need to get rid of to focus on the Cap Buck series. This once again got longer than I meant it to so happy new year.

It takes Eddie about half an hour to realize Buck and Tommy are actually having a drawn out argument, right here in public, instead of just bickering the way he's so used to.

It's...strange.

The thing is he's always seen Tommy with a lid on it - he projects a certain image in a public, and a slightly less restrained image in private, and Eddie is absolutely certain the Tommy he knew six months ago would have rather eaten a live scorpion than air his shit out in such a public setting.

He supposes six months into their second at bat and Tommy's a little less concerned about laying a bunt.

It's subtle, is the thing. Eddie has had screaming matches with Buck in very public places before, he knows the usual script. Emotional land mine after emotional land mine exposed to whoever's in hearing distance, no holds barred, knock down, drag out shit. It's probably why it takes him so long to notice, because this is some fucking terrible amalgamation of Buck and Tommy at their worst and he is not a fan.

Hen goes to get another round with a raised brow in Eddie's direction that means she's definitely noticed too and will be taking her damn time getting back.

Chim's too busy staring all moony-eyed at a ready-to-pop Maddie absolutely killing her karaoke song to care when Tommy grimaces and rolls his jaw while Buck whispers something Eddie doesn't quite catch.

Eddie takes a drink. Then another.

He's down to the ice in his rocks glass.

"You aren't seriously trying to argue that projected stats have more weight than a full career, are you?" Tommy asks, and Eddie sort of wants to hit them both, because what? What? This whole thing started when a song reminded Buck that Tommy had once implied he didn't have enough gay experience to really love Tommy. Or. That was the gist, according to Buck. Famously not a reliable narrator in high emotion moments, but Tommy's never outright denied it, to Eddie's knowledge.

"I'm just saying, Gretzky's goal record is gone, so how can you say people with a decade of play left in them can't be in the conversation to surpass him? Statistically -."

Tommy's eyes glint. He looks mad.

When he stands from his seat, Buck throws both arms in the air. "Yeah, walk away," he spits, and Tommy, two steps towards the restroom already, spins on his heel with clenched fists.

Eddie has a sudden, clarifying memory of Buck reading off the statistics for couples who make it past the first six months. First year. First two, and five. Statistics for couples who took a break. Statistics for gay men, specifically, when he realized his sample size was skewed too straight.

Jesus Christ, he'd rattled those off to Tommy, too.

"I'm not subjecting Eddie to the shit I have to say to you right now, Evan," Tommy says, jaw clenched, hands digging into his pockets. He rocks back on his heels, tension fucking rolling off of him.

Buck stands too. Makes a sweeping gesture that seems to piss Tommy off more, and then they're both disappearing into the crowd.

Hen sets a new drink down in front of Eddie twenty seconds later.

"Thank you for leaving me to witness that by myself," Eddie manages, with a wry twist to his smile, and Hen grins back.

"Their foreplay sure has kicked it up a notch," she says, and Maddie crinkles her nose as she drops back into the booth beside Chim.

"If Jee hadn't been there they'd have screwed in my bathroom last week, I just know it."

Eddie shakes his head between them. "They - you guys know they were fighting, right?"

Maddie raises a brow at him like he's cute. Like a cute confused little puppy. Oh he hates that.

"Tommy deciding one of them dying was the only way they'd be free of each other has opened up a whole new world of ways for Buck to get his rocks off," Hen intones, like it's obvious. "This is just their flirty bickering turned up to eleven."

Eddie takes about twelve minutes to digest that - just long enough for Hen and Chim to get a duet in, long enough for him to drain another drink, long enough for Maddie to decide the baby's officially tapped out for the night, long enough for Chim to grab their jackets and toss a few bills on the table before he's herding his wife out the door.

Tommy rounds the corner and settles back into his seat looking decidedly more relaxed. There's at least one less button hooked on the flannel he's been wearing all night. It takes Eddie a second to register that his face is a little dewy, like he'd recently splashed water on it.

Hen makes a face a second before Eddie gets it.

"Oh come on, man."

Tommy's lips twist into a grin, and he yelps when Hen kicks out at him under the table. "Low hanging fruit, Kinard."

"I mean, one of us did," Tommy manages with a shrug, and only winces at the second kick.

Buck slides in next to him with a fresh beer for each of them and slaps a hand high on Tommy's thigh. Possessive. Still clearly a little riled.

"Yep, I'm out," Hen murmurs, and Eddie scrambles after her.

[beef-brisket]

Lucifer was silent for a moment: Alastor... yes, I know him. Why? How do you know that name?

Adam: He was here-.

Lucifer: What?! Here?!

Adam wanted to chuckle at how his babies responded to their dad's anger, as they started growling.

Adam: It's okay, Lu. I swear! He just... gave me this.

Lucifer grabbed the vile out of Adam's hands. It smelled like Alastor. How didn't he realize he was here? Lucifer's losing his touch.

Lucifer: ...Monster blood? Why would he...?

Adam: He said it would speed up my changes. I... I was going to take it, but I thought I should ask you first.

Lucifer studied it for a moment before turning to Adam: Take it? Why would you want to do that?

Adam: ...I just... I could help protect our babies. Amd give you more- and maybe your father-.

Lucifer: Fuck. Him. Don't change yourself on his account, love.

Adam looked down at his babies, now sleeping soundly.

Adam: I mainly want to do it for them. Alastor said his change took a long time. I just... if it's safe, I want to. I want to be a part of everything. Be more. You know?

Lucifer sighed, nuzzling into Adam's neck: You're perfect, Adam. But, this is your decision. If you want to speed up your changes, then I'll support you and be there every step of the way. If you don't, that's more than fine.

Adam: ...He said I can live longer.

Lucifer: ...He's not wrong.

Adam: I can give you a bigger litter- and sooner.

Lucifer licked his neck: It's all up to you, Adam. I'll be here for whatever you choose. Sleep on it, yeah?

Adam smiled and nodded. He'd need to wake up to feed his babies soon enough, anyway.

Monster under the bed au where Lucifer is a monster and "terrorizing" Adam?

And by terrorizing, I mean fucking. Grossly. Disgustingly.

Complete monster porn.

Oh no, are my kinks coming out again? Oh well 😉

🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

Don't tease me with a hot au lol

Oh, what if Adam bought a new house and that's when it starts?

[4linos]

when the walls crumble

lee felix x gn!reader

synopsis/request: felix’s stubbornness leads to a fallout with the person who cares about him most. in the aftermath of their argument, he must confront the consequences of his actions and decide what truly matters.

wc: 1341

For weeks, Felix has been pushing himself harder than usual. He has been working 24/7 with the group, practicing, recording, attending meetings, and putting in long hours of physical activity despite his back pain. The strain was becoming clear to you, despite Felix's attempts to hide it.

His usual happy personality became more subdued, his smile less frequent, and he began holding himself in an uncomfortable way, wincing while standing up or sitting down. You, as someone who loves him, observed the little details: the way he'd touch his lower back after long practices, or how he'd neglect breaks, pushing through the discomfort because he didn't want to slow anyone down. But what hurt you the most was the way he ignored any concerns you had.

He was always the one who looked out for everyone else, so seeing him suffer and refusing to listen to his own body seemed like a betrayal of his own well-being. You worried that if he kept going this way, it might lead to something far worse. But Felix, ever determined, refused to admit it. He had this hidden pride, a desire to prove his own worth even if it meant concealing his sorrow. The night of the argument was just like any other in recent weeks. Felix had gotten home from a late practice, dragging his tired body into the living room, exhausted but unwilling to stop. You had dinner ready, but Felix looked distant and deep in his thoughts. You tried to engage him by asking how his day went, but he just gave tired comments. You tried to ignore it, but something inside you snapped. The worry that had been building up inside of you for so long could no longer be suppressed. "Felix, we need to talk," you said, your voice faltering slightly. Felix looked up, slightly confused but not yet really understanding the gravity of the situation. "About what?" he asked, seemingly distracted rather than concerned.

You took a deep breath and, for the first time, let your concerns out. "I'm really worried about you," you added, speaking faster than you planned. "Your back has been bothering you lately but you keep pushing yourself like it's nothing. It isn't nothing, Felix. You're hurting yourself, and I can't keep watching you do it." Felix quickly reacted. His natural instinct was to shut down and conceal his sensitivity. "I'm okay alright? There is no need to worry. You're overreacting," he said, his voice defensive.

But it wasn’t enough. The words you had been holding in for days burst out. “No, it’s not nothing! Felix, you're in pain, and you keep pretending like it doesn’t matter. You think it’s not a big deal because you’re trying to push yourself to the limit what for? So you can impress someone? Or are you doing this for your fans?”

You shook your head, stepping closer, trying to make him understand. “You’re not invincible, Felix. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. I’m scared you're going to hurt yourself in ways that can’t be undone. I can’t just sit here and let you destroy yourself because you won’t listen to me."

But Felix wasn’t hearing it. Instead, frustration poured out of him. “I know my body better than anyone else, okay? Stop treating me like I’m fragile. I can handle this! You don’t get it. I can’t slow down, I can’t—” He broke off, his voice rising. “I don’t want to slow down! This is my dream, my life! I can’t just sit back and stop because you’re worried about me.”

The words hit you like a slap. His persistence, his desire to keep pushing himself, felt like a personal rejection of your concern for him. He was dismissing whatever you said, as if your concern was just an irritation to him. The pain welled up inside you, and before you could stop yourself, the words poured out. "Do you know what, Felix? Fine. Maybe I'm the one who doesn't get it. Maybe I'm too worried. Maybe you're right. You don't need anyone to watch out for you. Maybe you truly do know best, even if it is hurting you!" You took a sharp breath, the anger now fully bleeding into your words.

Felix froze, his body tense as he absorbed the sting of your words. For a long moment, the room was filled with silence, thick and suffocating. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. And with that, you took a step back, your voice quieter but bitter. "So, who am I to say anything? I'm just too worried, right? Someone who has no idea what is best for you. Fine. Do what you want. It's not like it matters anyway."

You stormed out of the room before Felix was able to react, leaving him taken aback and speechless.

The next morning, Felix woke up to the weight of the argument hanging over him. He tried to shake it off, tried to focus on work and rehearsals, but everything felt like a blur. His body ached more than usual, and his mind kept replaying your words. He knew he had hurt you. Deeply. But he didn’t know how to fix it.

At work, he tried to focus on the task at hand, but your face kept flashing through his head, your words becoming louder with each passing instant. You were only trying to help, to make him see that he was worn out, but he had pushed you away. He had been so headstrong, so determined to prove something, that he had neglected to care for the one thing that truly mattered: his relationship with you.

He saw you as he was leaving for a meeting and walking past your desk. You were staring at your screen, eyes red-rimmed and visibly upset, when it hit him like a ton of bricks. You were still hurting, and it was his fault.

Felix approached you gently, his chest tense with regret. "Hey," he whispered quietly, just above a whisper. You didn't look up at first, too proud or hurt to recognize him, but Felix stretched out and gently touched your arm. You looked up, and for just a moment, the vulnerability in your eyes cut through him. "I'm really sorry," he murmured, his voice shaking. "I shouldn't have said those words. "I was just... I was being an idiot. I know you were just trying to help, and I should have listened. I shouldn't have shut you out."

You took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself. "Felix… I just want you to be okay. I don't want to keep watching you hurt yourself when I know you're struggling. I care about you, and I can't just sit there and pretend it's not happening." Felix's stare softened, and he took a step closer, putting his hand on yours. "I care about you, too. I was stupid to push you away. I will take better care of myself, I promise. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please never believe that I don't appreciate you looking out for me."

You sighed, the weight on your chest starting to ease. “I’m just scared, Felix. I’m scared that one day, I’ll watch you do something irreversible, and I won’t be able to stop it.” Felix’s grip tightened, a vow in his voice. “You’ll never have to. I’ll listen from now on. I’ll let you help me. I just… I just need you with me.”

The air between you both seemed to calm. You let out a shaky breath and squeezed his hand back. “We’ll get through this together. But you have to promise me you’ll take care of yourself too.”

Felix nodded, his eyes locked onto yours with sincerity. “I promise.”

You leaned in and wrapped your arms around him in a tight embrace. Felix hugged you just as tightly, his heart lightening with relief. Despite the hurt and the argument, you both had a quiet understanding that would help you navigate the future together.

//

masterlist

[utilitycaster]

thank you so much for your analysis on BH, Ive been thinking for ages that they seemed like the wrong fit for this particular campaign and it's nice to see that I'm not alone. It kinda baffled me that even knowing the crux of the campaign was going to be about the fate of the gods, Matt didn't like... just tell the cast that their characters opinion on divinity would be important?

I really feel like this plot needed more religious characters, even if they weren't outright clerics or paladins. The only one filling that role is Sam and while I love him and FCG his approach to religion seems kinda... cynical? shallow? Possibly just more focused on the goofs of it all. Which is a fine choice in a vacuum but god, what I wouldn't do for this party to have a Caduceus or even a Vax figure so it didn't feel like a bunch of agnostics were deciding the fate of religion.

So here's my opinion, and I've said this before: I agree that making characters who had a coherent, developed opinion on divinity before the campaign that was discussed as part of the character build is important...but I actually don't think it matters if there's no clerics or paladins or even religious characters. I also said this before: my ultimate problem, in the end, is not just the indecision but the fact that they're not even exploring indecision; they just are drifting through a narrative from which they feel disconnected. I as a person viewing the show think killing the gods is a dumb idea, but a campaign in which the characters confidently embraced an anti-god position and took actions in the service of that goal would be infinitely more enjoyable. I do not need characters to live out my personal values, because I do that in my real life, in the same way that I can enjoy characters who are vastly different than I in personality.

I think Keyleth is a fantastic example of both indecision as an actual conscious character trait (during Campaign 1) and a character who is not religious or even particularly respects the gods but who seems to have actually thought through the implications and made an assessment. Keyleth's analysis paralysis and fear of making a harmful decision or being hurt is the point of the character, and Marisha explores it directly during Campaign 1; it is ultimately what is holding Keyleth back from becoming the leader she needs to be, and working through it is the arc of her character. Avoidance or indecision is a fantastic character flaw to explore (Bellara in Veilguard is a recent example that's been on my mind) but it is a character flaw to be explored, and for the character to do something interesting with, and Bells Hells just...as I've said, drift. They keep going through open doors because they are there and never say "do I even want to go through this door? Why or why not?" and the entire purpose of a character in fiction, in my opinion, is to ask that question.

I actually pretty strongly disagree about FCG. I think they took a bit longer than I'd like to click but I actually found FCG's exploration of religion to be one of the deeper ones in the series. I think the party often disparaged it, and the fandom certainly did ("Fearne should make that stupid robot eat his own coin" will remain burned in my brain forever; I cannot take someone who said that as anything but a shriveled husk of a person unless they admit it was horribly mean-spirited and they regret it) but FCG is the rare member of Bells Hells who actually explored the concept of having autonomy and agency - that was his entire arc, actually - and to have this be told through embracing the god of chance and freedom, whom he learned about by chance, was a highlight of the campaign. I would strongly advise you reconsider seeing this as nothing but a bit; just because Sam tends to make a lot of dumb jokes doesn't mean he's not often telling a pretty profound story underneath, and this is a lesson it took me until this campaign to learn, to be honest. But I will say I don't think FCG being here now would fix things any more than Braius does, in part because the rest of the party looked down on faith but also didn't really condemn it. They just made vaguely unkind comments and continued doing fuck all. As my ask earlier today said, they didn't actually challenge each other; they just sort of passive-aggressively bitch. The point that many people made very early on, that Bells Hells has a veneer of cooperation and civility but lack the actual true bonds that only arise through working through conflict, remains true.

Getting back to it, I think the fact that NPCs who are not affiliated with the Prime deities nor Betrayer Gods and even struggle against them (Percy, Keyleth; the entire Kryn Dynasty; a massive number of entirely secular governments including the Clovis Concord, the remnants of the Cerberus Assembly, as far as I know the Marquesian governments, the Silken Squall) are unambiguously against Ludinus and the release of Predathos means that it's not the lack of clerics or paladins or everyday religious people. I don't care if agnostics decide the fate of the world, but DAMN those agnostics better have a fucking vision for what the world should be. I could talk at length about why I think killing the gods is a deranged and unrealistic solution to the problems the characters claim to think it will fix, but ultimately I don't even feel like the characters care about those problems. The titans are still going to be fucking dead, conquest and colonialism already exist within Exandria without the aid of any gods. Hell, Ashton's whole situation could be replicated precisely again in a world with no gods; and as the Ruidusborn were created by Predathos as keys to release it, I don't think there's a reason to have any more but I don't think that's really what Imogen was going for. It's the same kind of thing we call rapture culture among terminally online types: the idea that with one big act of violence you will usher in a new, better age. The idea that violent change is inherently for the better is infantile and utterly self-centered, as is the idea that putting off a choice until it becomes inevitable is anything other than selfish and stupid. I would rather the choice of the fate of the gods come from atheists who weren't infantile and self-centered and selfish and stupid than clerics and paladins who were. That's it.

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Seventeen: IMA SMITE HIM

Prev/Next

A/N: My apologies, I need to write a short chapter every once and a while.

Warnings: Mentions of death, but this is EPIC so like... anyways, attempts of self-harm (unsuccessful for the most part. I would never have my baby hurt herself)

Word Count: 600

Wind rushed past you as you fell. Odysseus was still clutching your hand like a lifeline, but his eyes were squeezed shut. 

You and your captain’s survival would depend on you.

Ignoring the shouts of your crewmates that you could hear all the way from the ship, you glanced down. You were about fifty seconds away from smashing onto the rocky ground of the Underworld. 

You latched your other hand on Odysseus’s forearm, dragging him closer to you as you tumbled through the cold air until he was right on top of you, and you had both of his hands in yours. 

You had a theory, and if you were right, you and Odysseus would escape this with little more than a few bruises.

And if you were wrong… 

The impact with the ground knocked all of the breath out of you. But at least you had breath.

You shouldn’t be alive. 

Odysseus’s eyes snapped open, widening when he realized he was on top of you. He scrambled off, concern burning in his gaze as he studied you.

You winced as you struggled to sit up. Odysseus cleared his throat.

“No offense,” he said. “But shouldn’t you be dead right now?”

You took a moment to find an answer, sighing when you realized he would believe nothing but the truth. 

You felt your spine mending, the bruises fading. That definitely was not normal. 

Drawing in a shaky breath, you unsheathed your sword. You didn’t look anywhere but the blade as you cut across the skin of your forearm. Odysseus watched you in shocked silence.

Your blood- it was golden ichor- the blood of gods.

You suddenly felt dizzy, sword clattering to the ground beside you. You had suspected, of course, but seeing it in real life, it seemed impossible. 

“Ody.” Your soft voice barely stirred the air.

You finally lifted your gaze, eyes meeting your captain’s as the wound closed up on its own.

“You’re a goddess,” he said.

Your mouth felt dry- you weren’t sure if you could speak. So you only nodded.

Odysseus ran a hand through his hair. “Doesn’t that mean you could smite me at any moment?”

You barked a laugh. It was dry, humorless; nothing like your old giggling. “Yes, Ody,” you agreed. “I suppose I could.”

Your captain closed his eyes as if to control the rhythm of his breathing. “But… how?” He asked. 

It sounded like he was questioning the universe, but you answered anyway. “I don’t know.”

“You’ve been with us the whole time. Gods above, you’ve been with me my entire life! Eurylochus told me about Hermes training you. Perhaps he could have something to do with it… no. Athena has mentored me for much longer, and I’m not on Olympus right now. Didn’t you have normal blood during the Trojan War? I thought it was red-”

You cut off his ramble with a finger to his lips. “Shush, Ody. I- this has to be a mistake. I can’t be a goddess just like that. Ya know what? I’ll ask Hermes the next time I see him, alright?” You sighed. “Just… drop it for now.”

You held Odysseus with your piercing gaze until he finally nodded. 

You rose to your feet, not a hint of pain in your stance, nothing marking the fact that you had just fallen off of a cliff.

Odysseus beside you, you started toward the ship. 

“If I really am a goddess, I’m definitely coming back down here to smite that prophet the next chance I get.”

Taglist: @barrythestrawberry041 @thereigningking @m-carriaga2021 @jackintheboxs-world @fallenh34art @itzkingbo @sabrina-senpai @smartiepants217 @doodle-with-rhy

[choerrysjubiles]

Teen Hearts Beating Faster, Faster

pairing: virgin!wonbin x fem!reader

warning: jealous!bin :], jealous!bin confessing his feelings :D, smut, protected sex, premature ejaculation, aftercare, brief mention of food (not sexual)

wc: 3.7k

a/n: love u wonnie also the ryan in the fic is ryan ross hehehe I've been obsessively rewatching live in denver and I gotta write abt my bbygirl

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Wonbin had a decent amount of patience.

He had the patience for when professors scolded him for the work they misgraded. Even after tests were graded wrong, he sat back and waited for them to realize the mistake. Sighing in relief as they changed his grade, knowing he was the correct one.

He had patience for long hours at their dance studio. When choreographers continuously scolded them and yelled even as their bodies grew tired and were close to dropping. When he would force his lips shut as he heard the same droning words being shouted at him and his teammates.

Even among his friends, Wonbin was patient. Waiting for them to cool down, realizing they were both loud and wrong in the argument. Realizing the solution, he let it slide, as they looked at him in remorse. Not wanting to make another show of something, Wonbin let it slide as they continued doing whatever started the argument.

Something he didn't have patience for was that stupid guy, Ryan.

Ryan, some lame guitarist from a band y/n's become obsessed with. It seemed that was all she could talk about. The second he heard that name, Wonbin scowled.

Ryan's playing here, Ryan's sent me some demos, Ryan's sent me tickets to see them here or there. Ryan this, Ryan that.

Wonbin didn't even hate the guy. He was a decent musician; he played guitar well, even better than what Wonbin could play. But something boiled in him when you mentioned his name.

He couldn't even be jealous, Ryan had a girlfriend and he knew you would never do that. You were friends with his girlfriend, knowing each other even before Ryan dated her. But the idea of someone occupying y/n's thoughts more than her own friend, Wonbin, upset him beyond relief.

Was it because he's older? In a band? Was is the sweaty guy pheromones getting to y/n? Was that why she's so obsessed with Ryan?

But Wonbin bit his tongue and stayed quiet. He always did, never wanting to upset you even when you laughed and assured him you had no obsession or feelings or Ryan.

And even now, watching them play their set in some vacant building, Wonbin felt his jealousy grow. The way your eyes lit up when Ryan sang adlibs. The way you clapped and cheered when they finished a song. When you sang along to the same adlibs and backing vocals as Ryan. That especially made him upset.

Wonbin stayed still, armed crosses with a slight frown as he tried to enjoy their concert. Only some time left, then he'll be out of the temple of Ryan.

When their set was done, Wonbin and you walked out. Walking around to see if there was any restaurant or diner to grab something to eat before going home. When you finally made your way to Wonbin's car to drive home, you could sense something was up.

There was tension in the air, something being unsaid but desperately needed to be discussed. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, his arms flexed more, his face was unusually tight.

"You seem upset." Your voice was soft, not wanting to upset Wonbin.

"I'm not upset, why would I be upset?" He said, a little too fast to be convincible.

"You've been like this a couple of times. I just, I just wanna know whats going on? If you're okay?"

Your eyes were soft while your brows felt furrowed, something was really bothering him and knowing Wonbin, he'd rather bite his tongue than bring anything up.

Wonbin took a deep breath in, collecting his thoughts. The air was tense, it was hard to breathe, the pressure building every second longer he took to speak.

"I'm jealous of Ryan." It felt like Wonbin's head was gonna implode.

"Of Ryan?" You repeated.

"Yes of Ryan." He says, a little harsher than he wanted. "He's cool, he's all you ever talk about-"

"All I ever talk about? Wonbin, what do you mean?"

He turns slightly, cheeks flushed as he looks at you.

"It's almost like every time we meet up there's something new about Ryan. I know he's your friend but so am I."

You carefully nodded your head.

"I'm just." He sighs, "I feel myself becoming obsessed with you, or something."

Oh?

You sat in silence, mouth agape.

"And always hearing about that Ryan guy just pisses me off. I know he's older and more experience and cooler than me, but-"

"He's not." You laughed.

Wonbin stared at you. His eyes were wide, hair disheveled as he tried calming himself down to listen to you.

"I'm sorry I upset you." You made sure to keep eye contact. "Genuinely. But he's not that cool. He's kind of a dick to his fans, he often isolates himself when he's overwhelmed. He doesn't have a great temper."

"He does?" Wonbin leans a little closer to You, amused smile on his face.

"He's a cool guy to hang around because I like his band and I can get cheap tickets from him. But there's nothing more than that."

You grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry I put you through hell. I wouldn't have done all that if I'd have known how you felt. I'm sorry."

"Can I kiss you?" He blurts out.

You blinked for a moment, you went lightheaded for a second before leaning in to give Wonbin a chaste peck on his lips. His face flushed even harder than earlier, he was sure you could feel the warmth radiating from him. Detaching from each other, Wonbin let out a whine.

Hearing him, you moved to the side of his face and pressed a kiss the corner of his mouth.

"I've never kissed someone before." He confessed.

"Really?" You asked, your voice was more curious than it could be teasing or taunting.

"Can we kiss more?" His eyes were shiny, scared you'd say no to him.

"Can we go somewhere more comfortable?" You asked.

"Y-yes, of course."

Wonbin turned the car on with fumbling hands, reversing and making their way to your apartment. The drive and walk up was agonizing. Every light turned red, every crosswalk had people walking, even the parking garage at her complex was filled.

Walking and standing in the elevator was torturous. Wonbin kept his hands on you, be it your arm or hand, to ensure this was real and not some dream.

Walking into your home, you latched onto each other. Your hands went straight to his neck, holding his still as your deepened their kiss. His hands nervously held onto your back before dropping to your waist.

You backed him to the couch, dropping down as he carefully hovered over you. His eyes nervously looked around your body.

"Do you wanna touch me?" You asked Wonbin.

"Yes." He barely spoke above a whisper, round eyes staring at you.

"Where?" You pressed.

He looked over you, every spot his eyes landed lasted around a second before he found another spot he wanted to touch.

Grabbing his hand, "I would like it if you touched here."

You guided his hand to your breast. Wonbin's breath hitched as he laid his hand onto you, scooting a hair closer.

"Don't be shy, come here." You egged him on.

He followed orders, moving closer. His hand stayed on your breast as he moved his other hand to your shoulder.

"Can I- uhm."

"You can do whatever, Bin."

He looked at her, seeing the assurance in your eyes, before moving his hands to massage your breasts. Thumbs swiping and moving into the fabrics of your shirt and bra.

"Do you wanna take it off?" You asked. "I know wanna take your shirt off."

"Can I?" He asked.

"Of course."

He grabbed at the bottom hem of his shirt, sliding it off of his body before moving to your shirt. His eyes widened with every inch of skin exposing. You leaned back into the couch as he pulled your shirt off, letting him eye you as you sunk down.

"Do you wanna move this somewhere else? Before we get into more?"

"Can we? I mean, yes. I-I would like that." His nervousness was cute.

You grabbed his hand, leading Wonbin to your bedroom. The lights were dim, your nightstand's lamp lighting the room in soft yellow lighting. Wonbin looked around, shocked at how similar yet different your room looked. Walking him towards your bed, Wonbin moved his hand to your shoulder, thumb playing with your bra strap.

"Can you take it off?" She asked him.

"How?"

"Here." You grabbed his hand.

Moving his hand to wrap around your backside. Holding onto his pointer finger and thumb, you helps him pinch the clasps. Your bra fell down, one strap falling down your shoulder to expose your breast as Wonbin stared down at the newly exposed skin.

You threw your bra to the side as he stared at your breasts. His hands shook as you grabbed them, pulling them upwards to cover your soft, warm skin. He carefully squeezed them, not wanting to hurt you. Thumbs rolling along your nipples, his eyes shot up at you when you let out a low sigh.

"Did that feel good?" He asked, leaning closer to you.

"Very." you closed your eyes.

He continued kneading your breasts, seeing what made you moan and sigh and what led to no reaction. Continuing to roll his thumbs along your nipples, growing the confidence to flick them and drink up the sighs you let out.

"Can we kiss again?" You asked. "You have really soft lips."

"Y-yeah."

He leaned over, lips softly merging before you kissed him again. His hands wrapped around your waist as you kissed, your tongue licking his bottom lip. Opening his mouth, he tasted your tongue as it swiped along his.

Wonbin let out a low moan. The feeling of your skin, your tongue, your lips, it's all so much. He slid his hands down to your ass, feeling himself fall against your bed as you climbed on top of him.

Your core sat right on top of his bulge, hips unintentionally grinding against him as he let out a strained groan.

"I'm sorry." You said, cheeks flushed.

"It's okay."

He breathed, thinking of what to do.

"Can you, mm, teach me something?" He asked shyly.

"What?"

"I wanna eat you out. I've just, never, uhm."

You felt your core grow wetter. His flushed cheeks, eyes looking anywhere but you. You wanted to savor this moment, this vulnerability from him.

"Where do you want me?" You asked, voice full of desire.

"Huh?" He said, unsure of what you mean.

"Should I sit on your face? Or do you want me laying down? Should we, like, 69?"

Wonbin flushed at your words.

"Uhm. Maybe you, uh, laying down."

You nodded, removing your pants before moving to lay down. Your knees were decently far apart, wanting Wonbin to move them to see your panties as he would lean into your pussy.

He looked around nervously, "Can you, you know, tell me how to, um."

"Do you want to lay on the bed or kneel on the floor?"

"Maybe the floor." He dropped onto the floor, settling along the edge.

You scooted to the edge of the bed, knees spread to each side of Wonbin's wide shoulders. His wide, shiny eyes stared at the wet spot on your underwear, his hands resting on your knees.

You leaned back, hands grabbing his leading them to your waistband. He caught on to pull them down, dragging them off down your legs before tossing them to the side. He leaned in to your pussy, seeing how wet it was.

He gently brought his hand to your core, cupping your vulva and feeling how much slick was dripping out of you. Gasping, you felt how warm his hand was against you.

"I thought you were eating me out." You whined.

Wonbin chuckled before leaning in, stretching your thighs to allow his head in. He let your thighs rest on his shoulders, something he's sure he's seen in a porno or two.

He gave a small lick, hearing your breathing hitch. His tongue was sharp and pointed, like he catching as much of your precum as he could gather. Taking another lick, he tasted the depth of your cum. The slight saltiness and overwhelming sweet taste.

He couldn't quite tell what you tasted like, having nothing similar to your cum, ever. His cum was far saltier, musky, even. But this was different. Were all girls like this or just you?

You were enjoying this feeling, his hot tongue licking at every inch of your pussy as you laid there panting. You felt your hand inch towards him, grabbing onto his head to steady yourself.

He continued licking at you, getting drunk on the taste of your honey. Flattening his tongue as he lapped at you, unknowingly teasing your clit with a lack of stimulation.

"Binnie, please." You whined.

He lifted his head, slick dripping down his mouth, "What's wrong?"

"Lick my clit more. I'm going insane, Bin." Your head popped up to look at him.

You felt a wave of slick pour out of you when you looked down at him. Eyes blown out, mouth glistening with your cum, his hot breaths teasing your pussy.

"Up here?" A string of your arousal clung to his lips as his eyes shot to your clit before bringing his hand up to flick at it.

"Yes!" You gasped, thighs clenching together as you fell back onto the mattress.

Wonbin smiled as he went back in to eat you. Tongue stiffening to prod at your clit before slurping up the wetness dripping out of you. Every move he did he saw you twitch and squirm.

"Wait, fuck, yes! Right there, right there."

His confidence kept growing seeing you fall apart from him. Your back continuing to arch off of the bed, Wonbin continued licking at you, nose bumping into your clit as he felt you stiffen. A long drawn out moan escaping your lips as your pussy dripped your cum onto his tongue.

Pulling away, Wonbin looks up at you. Ragged breaths as you're still gripping the bedsheets. Your legs, still folded, are shaking as he rubs your thighs in an attempt to comfort and relax you.

"I thought you said you were a virgin."

"I am." He says shyly.

"You're either a liar or are too good at following directions." You laughed.

You laid there until your breath steadied. Wonbin crawled up the bed, sitting beside you. You were overwhelmed with how hard that orgasm felt, no man's been that good at eating pussy. Wonbin watched your breathing, how much air was sucked into your ribcage, the sheen of sweat along your breasts, how hard your nipples became as the air cooled.

Leaning up on your elbow, "Do you want me to help you with that?"

Y/n stared at his tight bulge.

"Can we have sex?" His eyes were wide, scared you'd say no.

"Yeah, of course we can."

His shoulders relaxed. Taking his pants and boxers off, Wonbin felt a little exposed. He's never been naked in front of anyone, looking over you're not even paying attention to his body. You're looking at his face, his cheeks? Somewhere, studying his reactions, maybe.

You lean over to your nightstand, opening the drawer to take out a loose condom, tossing it to Wonbin you ask if he knows how to put one on.

"No."

"Come here." You wave his over.

Wonbin crawls towards you, his hard dick standing tall as you begin to unwrap the foil.

"This might feel a little weird." You warn.

You roll the condom down his length, the cold lube made Wonbin hiss. Fully covered, you grab onto the tip and pull it upwards, suctioning it onto him.

"What position would you like?"

"Can you ride me?"

You blinked, surprised at his request.

"Sure, get comfortable." You motion to your bed.

"I'm sorry, I should be-"

"No way, this is your first time, I gotta treat my baby right."

Wonbin felt his heart skip when you called him her baby. He moved to lay down, you pushed some pillows together to give him better cushioning as well as a better new.

You straddled his lap before teasing his tip along your folds, Wonbin's hands grabbed at your hips, rubbing and squeezing the flesh as you got into position.

Slowly dropping down onto him, Wonbin began squeezing you, a soft moan escaping him as his eyes were glued to your pussy. He was amazed at how you felt: soft, tight walls clinging around him as you sank lower and lower. He didn't know how deep your womb could get but he was an almost perfect fit.

Your walls clung around him as you sunk lower. Dropping into his lap, you saw Wonbin wide-eyed and panting.

"Are you okay?" You leaned in, worried about him.

"You're so fucking tight."

You smiled, leaning in to kiss his forehead. He craned his head to kiss your lips, sitting up more to continue kissing you.

"Can I move?" You asked, mouth moving to his cheek and jawbone.

"Yeah." He was breathless.

You left a wet kiss onto his jugular as you lifted yourself and pushed back down.

"Shit." He moaned, grabbing your hair to kiss you. His wet tongue began licking the inside of your mouth.

Bouncing more, his grip tightened as he let out a slew of moans. You felt different, there was something insatiable about being on top of Wonbin. Not just that you two were friends, but he was falling apart so soon.

"Wait, fuck, slow down." He begged.

As you were going to plant yourself down, Wonbin's face tightened. He let out a strangled moan, teeth biting his lip to stop himself. Looking at your face, his eyes became teary as his breathing became ragged.

"Fuck."

"I'm so sorry." You said.

"You're," He breathed, "you're fine, it's me who-"

You pulled off of him, gaining a strained groan from Wonbin.

He looked over to this side, "This is embarrassing."

"It happens to everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Mostly guys, but you can't help that."

Wonbin took the condom off, tying it and tossing it in your trash bin.

"Can i still make you cum?" He looked at you shyly.

"Do you wanna?"

"Yeah."

"Sure, you can finger me. How do you want me?"

Wonbin sat up on his knees, wondering where they could move.

"Can I finger you, like, doggy style?" He asked shyly.

Oh?

"Yeah." Your cheeks felt warm hearing such a lewd answer.

You tucked some pillows under you as you bent onto them, ass on display for Wonbin. You felt a shiver run down your body as his hands rubbed your hip, something exciting about not knowing his next move. His hand swiped down to your ass.

He was fascinated with your body, seeing what parts were plump and fleshy and which ones weren't. His hands stroked along your ass, thumb prodding at your core to feel how wet you were. Wonbin noticed the arousal dripping down your thigh as he carefully pushed his pointer finger in.

"Mmm." You moaned.

Wonbin continued thrusting his finger in and out, feeling around your walls as he moved. Your legs began shaking a little, the sense deprivation was really getting to you.

As Wonbin inserted another finger, his free hand snuck by your hip to rub your clit, feeling the erect nub as he stimulated you.

"Wonbin, ahh." You moaned. "Mmm, can you go harder?"

"Harder?"

"Please."

He began pumping his fingers in and out, carefully tapping your clit as he fingered you.

"Fuck you're making my dick hard again."

"Put it in." You moaned.

Wonbin tore his hands away, quickly getting into your drawer to grab another condom. He tried remembering what you showed him as he tore the foil and rolled it on. He remembered how your hands looked at he pulled the tip lightly, suctioning it on.

Standing on his knees, he aligned himself with your core, take a breath as he was still sensitive from earlier.

Pushing in, he felt his hips begin bucking in and out.

Aligned at her core, Wonbin inserted himself. Still so sensitive from his orgasm earlier.

"Fuck, you're even tighter."

"Rub my clit, Binnie."

He followed orders and messily rubbed your clit, heryourwalls beginning to clench even tighter around him. His hips thrusting harshly into you, so much he almost slipped out.

"Yes, yes, fuck! Wonbin!"

His hips continued thrusting as he felt you tighten around him with a loud moan. The sensation was too much as he felt himself cum in the condom. His large hands wrapped around your hips tightly as emptied himself.

He could barely pull himself out, the feeling so painful and pleasureful. Carefully, after some breaths, Wonbin pulled out, pulling the condom off before dumping it into your trash can, again.

He felt his body collapse next to you as you were adjusting to lay on your back.

"So." You were still panting. "Was that a good first time?" You had a wide smile, looking over at Wonbin.

"Yeah, it was memorable, at the least."

You laughed, turning on your side to look at him.

"Did you want me to help clean you up?" She asked, grabbing his hand.

"Not now, I wanna relax for a moment."

"Yeah." You said, grabbing at one of your blankets to cover him.

"Thank you," He said, "your apartment is really cold."

"This is not the pillow talk I was expecting, Bin."

He laughed, scooting closer to keep warm. Laying together, they mostly held each other while only talking sparingly.

"Here." You said, leaning over to your nightstand.

You opened your drawer to take out a baby wipe.

"Baby wipes?"

"For clean up." You defended yourself.

"You clean up with baby wipes?"

"You're expected me to hand you some rough wash cloth as a cum rag? No, they're great for cleaning up after sex."

You helped him clean himself, wiping some dried cum off of his face, grabbing another for his dick.

"Too cold!" He yelped.

"You're being a baby." You laughed.

[red-doll-face]

Imagine reader playing with Arthur's hair while he grumbles and pretends he's not totally into it >>>>>>>>😭🙏 But when you actually stop he's like 😳😞

that sounds so cute, i would love to run my fingers through his hair!!! 💖💖💖🥹🥹🥹 i wanted to do something short but writing for arthur always seems to run away from me, idkkk whyyyy i can never do anything bite sized with this man i stg. 😔😳😭😭😭 idk i guess small just doesnt cut it when it comes to this man 😏 i sort of took this as a request so i hope im not doing too much LMAO beware: sweetie weenie boy arthur...veryyyy fluffffy

Arthur doesn't like his hair as long as you like it but he can put it aside for you.

(high honor) Arthur Morgan x fem. reader

You had always thought Arthur’s hair looked nice, just a little bit longer than he preferred. Ok, maybe a lot longer than he preferred it but you couldn't help but like the way the strands fell in his pretty blue eyes, watching his big hands and fingers push it back over his head. His little frustrated huff when it inevitably slips back to feathering over the sides of his face was all too cute. You liked the way the sun caught the more blond strands; turned them a bright gold. You know the big scary outlaw, Arthur Morgan would never use the word beautiful to describe himself but you could use that word for him every day of every week.

And he doesn't always intend to grow it as long as he does, he runs out of time to get anything done about it, much preferring to return to your little corner of camp to rest with you sooner than stop in town. He’d rather come back to you, to get to lay his eyes on you than to spend another moment away from the sweet kiss you give him when he rejoins you.

 Of course, he was as strong as a draft horse. Arthur could handle just about anything thrown at him. But Dutch had a way of running him ragged. When it wasn’t Dutch, it was the other camp members and when it wasn’t them, it was himself. The pressure to be everywhere, to do everything; it crushed his shoulders down. You did what you could to help. It's why you so thoroughly enjoyed these quiet moments, just you and him in the cool evenings. 

“...Look at all this. Honey, I need a goddamned haircut,” he’d say, standing in front of the little mirror where he shaved his scruff after it grew too bushy. You sit on his bed, pouting at him. He stands with his hands gripping the edge of the barrel, turning to the left and the right. The way his hair bounced around made you giggle. 

“But-” 

“Yeah, you like it, I remember,” He sighs.

“I do, Arthur. I just think you look very handsome with your hair like that,” You look at his hair and then your eyes wander to his strong forearms gripping the lip of the barrel. You had found Arthur to be eye-catching the day that you met him. And his personality only bolstered how much you liked him. He could play at gruff simpleton brute but he had more sense and wit than most of the other men combined. He was more soft than he wanted to admit too, but he showed those pieces of himself to you. His vulnerabilities he liked to keep to himself; now he shares with you. 

“Right. You keep on tellin’ your beautiful lies; I might just start believin’ you,” He chuckles at the word ‘handsome’. You make a face at his self deprecating attitude. How he makes jokes of himself to keep his insecurities from seeming like they're bigger than they are. But the corners of his mouth always tug downwards when he’s looking in the mirror, even when he only intended to look at his hair or at his beard. 

“Arthur, I’m not lying. Come here?” You’re more siren-like than you realize; your beckon makes him turn, huffing a little. As if he knows he’s in some degree of trouble. The little disappointed frown you have is something he can’t help but look away from. Arthur leans away from the barrel and steps closer to you. He reaches for his hat that sits on the table at his bedside but you stop him, a gentle hand over the top of his. 

Your hand tugs him closer and he allows you to guide him. You squeeze his palm, those hard working hands, rough from all that he does with them.

He lets himself relax, which he rarely does, he’s always doing something or on his way there. But you love to hold him in your arms. To make him stay still with you for awhile.

He sits and the sweet kiss he gives you makes you light up. But you motion to have him lay over you while you play with his hair, even if you can tell he wants to keep giving you kisses. His head is in your lap while he uses your plush thighs as pillows. He’s a bit stiff, as if unwillingly and begrudgingly doing as you say. His brow still crinkles a bit, some of the lines on his face from pulling grimaces are creased. You lift the strands upwards to marvel at how long they are. 

“Too damn long,” 

“No, never,” you coo at him through his faux displeasure.

“Never? You’re kiddin’ me, sweetheart. Only you could want a man with hair down to his ass,” you laugh, rolling your eyes. You miss how he softens even more at your laugh, he liked that you found his jokes funny or at the very least, silly enough to warrant such a reaction.

“Ok, ok, you can get it cut, but maybe not so short on the sides? I like when it’s long here,” You look down at his eyes, petting the loose locks he usually wants to cut a bit shorter to keep hair off of his neck. 

“I’ll think on it; it’s still on my head, ain’t it?”

You giggle humming contentedly as you continue rubbing his hair in your fingers. He relaxes more even as he continues to murmur about how much he can’t wait to watch it all get chopped off at the barber in town. You shake your head, feeling him go soft from his usual intensity. 

Your nails lightly scratch against his scalp, your fingers pet his hair this way and that. Then you transition to what you know he likes, a repetitive soothing motion through the locks of his hair. The way the small furrow just over his nose bridge flattens out makes you smile. You can see his hands stop fussing, his lungs fill with a deep breath and puff it out slowly. He props one leg over his bed and the other hangs down to the floor. And he might grumble but those turn into simple rumbles of soft pleasure. You watch the tension leak from him, his usual stiffness weakening.

You’re pretty sure you can lull him to sleep like this, the rhythmic stroking over his hair and scalp like a lullaby. You comb his hair backwards, his thick hair is tangled in some places and you help work through it gently. When you feel you’ve perhaps messed with his hair enough, you remove your hands. One of his eyes slips open from where he had both closed in a sleepy gesture; revealing that gem toned hue. He looks grumpier than when you started, perhaps a little disgruntled. 

“What?” you ask, knowing he misses the sensation of your fingers fiddling around in his hair. “Thought you didn’t like me ruffling your feathers,” you tousle it a little. The teasing in your voice is prominent when you smile down at his small scowl, no real bite behind his bark. 

He seems to flush a little bit, you can appreciate the way his blushes crawl up his face, he can never hide how you make him feel. His artificial glare melts away. 

“It should be you, I guess- ya know, rufflin’ my feathers,” his sentimental tone brings him out of his element, showing his nerves around you. Not so steadfast now. You smile warmly and shyly as well, touched by his genuine feelings, the ones he told you just as bashfully that he harbored for you.

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH HE CAN DO NO WRONG 😍💓🫂😭😳🥰 thank you for reading !!

[rainix13]

Eyes Don't Lie

masterlist

Natasha Romanoff x ExShieldAgent!Reader

description: Natasha gets sent on a mission to stop R one way or another but things go another way

Words: ~3k

Genre: fluff, angst (?)

Warnings: mention of suicide and death, violence (more or less), bad english (I wrote this at 3am)

Happy New Year

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𓅨⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡⋆｡°✩✮ ⋆ ˚｡𓅨⋆｡°✩

Agent Romanoff stands in Director Fury's office, in front of them a big package.

Inside were two dead Shield Agents and a note.

Shield never should've started making deals with criminals. Their blood is on your hands Director. - ℛ

"Looks like her handwriting."

"Find her. I don't care if she's alive when you come back but wherever she goes she leaves dead people and that needs to stop."

"Are we sure it's her? Clint and I were the only ones to ever call her Raven. It's not exactly logical why she should use this as inital for a message" The assassin asked reluctantly.

"Is your personal connection gonna be a problem, Agent Romanoff?" The Director asks sternly but she shakes her head. "Of course not, Director"

✮ ⋆ ˚｡⋆｡°✩

You just arrived at the gala in Rome and got yourself a drink, looking around to spot your target.

It doesn't take long for you to find him. Red velvet suit, girls and women around him as if he'd give out smoothies for free.

You go to the bar and order yourself a drink when your eyes catch something else. Better someone. "Your drink" the bartender pulls your gaze away when he hands you your espresso martini. Slowly you look back to where your view was fixated on seconds before. But of course she was nowhere to be seen.

When you can't spot her anywhere else you shake your head smiling to yourself "Always a dance with you"

With that you put your glass down and make your way to the ladies room. But before you get there a hand grabs your arm, holding you back.

"I knew I wasn't hallucinating, when I saw you there, red" You turn around with a mischievous smile. The navy blue dress hugged her figure perfectly but was just loose enough that you knew she hid at least a few knives under it. Her red hair was longer than last time you've seen her and complimented her green piercing eyes. When your eyes meet, for a short moment everything stops. "You need to come with me" Natasha says in a firm tone. It sounded a bit pressured. Unnatural. But you know better than to trust on anything you hear from her. Not when her eyes say so much more. Ever had. That never ending green, that once hold so much affection for you.

You were good friends for quite a while. She saved your ass a few times and the other way around. When Clint was away she'd seek shelter in your room. Your friendship always held a flirtatious undertone but nothing either of you ever acted on.

But when Clint died everything fell apart. She fell apart. And you saved her. Held her when she cried, stopped her when she buried herself and her emotions in missions, calmed her down when she woke up from another nightmare.

It took months until Natasha slowly became herself again but you were there, waiting patiently until she took another step to build herself up again.

In that time both your teasing flirts turned into soft affection but still neither acted on it.

And then you left, leaving a trace of dead people behind you. Initially you planned to fake your own death. You'd have at least a few months to reorganize yourself and your situation until Shield would be on your heels again. But when you had the chance you couldn't do it. Hating Shield all you wanted, you couldn't let Natasha believe that another person close to her died in action. So she was the reason you made your life a lot harder. The day you left the Shield base for a last time you wrote a note, dropping it off at her room at the compound.

It's not your fault. Stay strong and kind

- your Raven

It was a nickname you earned in one of your first missions with the redhead. She had false intel and on a weapons dealer and got herself into a rather difficult situationship but wasn't able to communicate with Shield. Your mission was to hunt her down and get her out of there before they found out who she really was. And somehow you managed to do just that. You had barley any hints but found her in time and got her out. When you were on your way back in the Quinjet the Black Widow smirked at you "Good job, Raven"

You smiled at the compliment coming from THE Black Widow "Ravens?"

In response she shrugged "Yeah. Exceptionally great hunters."

"You know that that's not actually possible" you sigh, turning away but she hardened her grip around your arm. "It wasn't a request" she says lowley but now an evenly dangerous smirk plasters your face. "I'd be careful on how I act if I were you, Red. We wouldn't want to start a massacre" You subtly gesture around you, her eyes following yours. Across the room were several people staring directly at her. "Four dancing, two at the bar and another two talking to other guests. Every one of them at least as armed as you are, my beautiful assassin."

Natasha shakes her head faintly blushing at the given nickname. "You and I both know that they wouldn't be a match for the two of us. You don't have to work for them. Come back with me. Please." She whispers, almost pleading you'd take that chance. How much truth behind that pleading tone was, isn't something you're willing to bet on.

A sad smile returns to your face "I- They don't force me to do anything. They more or less work for me They're here to protect me. You make a wrong move and I couldn't even stop them from killing you on the spot."

She closes her eyes in disbelief "You were right. It's always a dance with you"

With that she pulls you on the dance floor, finding the rhythm to the slow waltz. "Why? Why are you doing this?" Her one hand on your hip, the other holding your own. "'Cause Shield changed. I was never content with making deals with criminals just because they could contain worse criminals. Just because they're less bad I won't accept that we let them do horrible things. They're destroying lives and families too. And some of those bastards even became Shield Agents. They run their cartels and mobs while getting paid by Shield." You didn't plan on sharing that much on the spot but Natasha was always special to you. Your weakness, the one thing that could make you a liability when you're not working with her. With every word you spoke the frown on the older woman's face gets deeper. "That's not true. I know that there are two or three affiliates who aren't completely legal and innocent but Shield would never-" You interrupt her, your gaze hardening. "Yes they would. You don't even need to believe me I can show you the files. I found them by accident, copied them and ran" "They're fake" Natasha spits, a mix of anger and confusion lacing her tone but you just pull her from the dance floor towards the ladies room.

"See for yourself" You say handing her your phone before you push her into a stall, blocking it from the outside. "Y/N, let me out! Now." In that moment another woman enters just in time to hear her say "I swear I'm gonna kill you here and now if you don't let me out right now"

The woman who entered locks eyes with you "Any problems? If she makes trouble-" You shake your head. "I can handle her. Make sure Antonio doesn't leave, we need him. I just need to get this here over with first" The woman in front of you nod, giving the new orders out to everyone else before she leaves. "You know you can't handle me. Not in a fight anyway" The mix of angry playfulness and stating mere facts undeniable. "Did you read the files?" You ask, hoping she wouldn't notice the slight tremble in your own voice. With some hesitation the redhead answers "Yeah. I- The last file..." she trails off not wanting to say it out loud. The last file was the one that made something inside you snap when you read it first. It was about the agent who was Clint's partner on the mission he died in. Throughout that mission their target came in contact with the drug cartel this 'agent' was running. He sabotaged Clint's intercom so he wouldn't take down his cartel. His plan was that Clint noticed the broken intercom and just wouldn't go. But Clint noticed it too late and by then he was so deep in, he didn't manage to get out. That agent was responsible for Clint's death. "An accident. That's how Fury described it in the final report." You say bitterly and open the door. The redhead steps out, tears threatening to fall from her eyes but you avoid her gaze as you continue. "That's why I'm here today. It took me the last seven months to bring down other, smaller organizations to finally get some intel on him."

"You could have told me" Natasha argues quietly but you shake once again your head.

She takes your hand again, leading you back to the dance floor. You return to the position you were in previously, her free hand on your waist, yours on her shoulder.

For a few minutes you just dance until you break the comfortable silence.

"Shield is your life. I didn't want to take that from you"

"But it was because of Clint. You know that. You pieced back together what was left of me after...after he died. You should've told me."

You sigh and can't resist to lay your head on her shoulder, breathing in her comforting scent. "You don't understand. I...I never meant for you to find out. I wanted to avenge him and i don't know. Probably chase down the loose ends that were left after that."

"If I shouldn't notice, leaving a trail of bodies isn't exactly elegant. You probably just should've - I don't know - fake your death or something. Then we wouldn't have been on you from the first second on" her soft teasing smirk playing around her lips when you look up but you don't send one back. Instead you laugh humorless and finally meet her eyes. "You think I'm that stupid? To not consider that option? I should be insulted. I had a whole plan. A fake scenario mission. Timed perfectly, so you'd be away on a mission and couldn't jump in to save me. I even went on that mission. Told the other agent to stay back in the jet. It was perfect"

"What went wrong?" she pushes, noticing the sudden change in your demeanor.

You close your eyes and bury your face deeper in her shoulder, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Human error" you whisper so she can barely hear it but she did. "I stood there. On a cliff. I had a hologram mission running - stole a few training bots and programmed them to act like the enemies. The last bot should've run to me near the cliff. We both know these bots aren't a real match but I would've faked an intense fight, some struggle and then he would've pushed me off the cliff. But last second I just shot him. I thought about jumping. Correcting the mistake I just did by a tragic unforseen suicide. Of course my plan wasn't fool proof. The possibility to die from the fall or jump was about twenty percent. But that wasn't the problem." You pause, remembering the situation. You stood there, already balancing on the edge. Just one step.

"What was the problem?" Natasha brings you back to the present. You let yourself sink against her even more, inhaling her vanilla scent while you mentally prepare to escape the upcoming awkwardness.

"Y/N?" she pulls you out of your thoughts "It was you" you reply carefully "I'm aware that - for you - what we had probably wasn't as intense and personal as your relationship to Clint was but  I still couldn't bear the thought of loading another death on you. So I shot at the bot. And didn't jump. You didn't do anything wrong and you didn't deserve to have to work through that kind of grief again. So instead I just ran. Because of you"

When she doesn't reply immediately you pull away and turn to go but before you get far, she once again gets a hold of you and pulls you back. And for the first time this evening you can see it. The internal battle she fights. How her cold professionalism flickers and reveals something else. Something warmer.

"What did we mean to you?" she asks.

A painful smile crosses your face when you find your voice again "You don't wanna know that. Especially not since you're here to either bring me back to Fury or kill me."

"What if I weren't here for that?" her green eyes pleading for an answer.

Just when you open your mouth to answer one of your people comes up again "You can speak, Chase. She's... she's alright" You reassure him. "Our target is going to leave soon." You nod and turn to Natasha. "Twenty minutes. Give me twenty minutes and I'll do anything you want. I'll let you kill me. I'll let you drag me back to prison. I promise."

With that you slip into the crowd, looking for Antonio.

When you find him you walk up to him, greeting him in your best french accent "Antonio, my hero"

The blonde turned to you, a huge confident smile on his lips. "And who are you, mi amore?"

From then it was almost too easy. You asked all the love drunken questions getting all the self-centered, personal answers you wanted. Internally you rolled your eyes every time he began a new sentence but the more you knew about him and his life, the more you could piece into what you knew about his father.

"And who do you owe such beauty and greatness to? You must have great genetics?" You hope to direct the conversation to his father and of course it works. "Most of this is coming from my own hard work, mir amore. But of course you're right, a great painting needs a good canvas." You internally cringe at the reference. Now you'd never be able to look at a canvas the same. "That canvas was provided by my dear father, Jovanno Conti. We can visit him if you spend the weekend with me at mia casa. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to meet such a pretty little woman like you." He lays his arm around your waist and it takes all your self control not to push him away but you stay still. "Oh, where is your casa, Antonio?" For some reason especially self-centered rich men absolutely love hearing their own name at the end of every sentence. "In Bologna, you ever been there?" You shake your head. That was everything you needed. But until you could finally excuse yourself to 'use the bathroom' you had to endure his talking five long more minutes.

When you could finally go you immediately find Natasha again and go to her. "I got everything, we're ready to go." Chase, who stands right behind the redhead nod and gives the others a sign.

Without another word you lead Natasha to the car that waited for you.

Inside you sigh "I won't fight you. If you kill me let me write down the intel I got so you can avenge Clint. If you want to put me behind bars let me blow that bastard up first."

"Why? So your people kill me?" Natasha asks for what feels like the thousandth time this evening. A small smile escapes you as the two cars behind you blow up. All eight people gone. "You out of all people should know that the maximum of 'team' I work with is two"

Natasha's face still holds confusion so you continue. "I don't have people. They were what was left from the smaller organizations I took down. They convinced me to let them work for me. All of them already planned my death, I was just a little faster with planning theirs. It's just you and me. And that legally paid, innocent chauffeur in front"

"Then why won't you fight me? I mean i-if you're right - think that you're right" Natasha corrects herself "then why would you give that up?"

"You really don't understand it, do you, Natasha? I give up for the same reason I ran instead of faking my death. I give up because it's you." A single tear escapes your eyes "It's always you." Your voice cracks.

The final facade of professionalism the redhead held up slipped away, leaving you confronted with the raw and deep affection in her eyes.

"Then let me leave Shield behind and go with you. Please Y/N." You took a shaky breath before blinking some tears away.

"I'm not worth everything else you have left in your life. It'd be wasted" you say bitterly, with a self-disgusted fake smile on your lips.

"No, it's not" Nat argues in a for her unusually soft tone but you shake your head "Yes, it is"

This time she contradicts with more pressure. Her determination clear, though her voice still soft and caring.

"Not if it's you" after a short pause she adds "not for me"

And before she can stop herself she closes the last bit of distance between you. Your lips melt against hers and you just let it happen. Your never stopping  salty tears mixing with the sweetness of her lips. You never wanted this moment to be over. After waiting so long to do this she finally did it and you are falling apart for her. But for now you don't even bother, your lips fit so perfectly, her strong arms pulling you on her lap. You only broke away because both of you desperately needed some air.

She holds you close enough you can breathe in her scent and yet her hold on you isn't tight. Her hands only loosely grabbing on to you, as if she put too much pressure on, you might break under them. As if your physical appearance was as fragile as you look right now. So vulnerable and tired. So lost.

Your teary eyes make your vision blurry but Natasha's hands move up to your cheeks, wiping them gently away.

"I missed you so much, my little raven" The older woman whispered, her own voice thick with emotions. "I missed you too."

Both your eyes glowing, promising things neither of you could ever put into words.

[darkfalcone]

Let Me In

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: Dark Natasha, Drabble, Mentions Death for a quick second, Controlling!Natasha, Daddy Kink for one second, illusions to past abuse

Summary: you try and stick up for yourself. Unfortunately for you it doesn’t go well.

“Natty, please,” you whined, banging on the door as hard as you could. It had only been twenty minutes since the fight that caused Natasha to throw you out of your shared house. You didn’t have any warm clothes on, so you knew if you were going to be outside longer, you could get sick. “Please, I'm sorry. I need you more than anything; I promise I won’t be ungrateful anymore.”

You knew she could hear you, considering that she was sitting in the living room. You began to cry, unsure of why she was doing this. All you had told her was that you could order your own food at the restaurant, and with Natasha being Natasha, she took offence to it.

You watched as people walked down the street, unaware of what was going on between your girlfriend and you. You wondered if they did know though, and that they just chose to stand by and say nothing. Including your neighbors. Had Natasha threatened them? Or did they just not care about you enough to help? Especially on nights like this one, where you can be heard crying out for Natasha to let you in. You had always wondered that.

“Please, you can order my food, I promise. Please just... just let me in.” You cried out as you continued to bang on the door. You didn’t want to give in to what she wanted for you, but you knew that was the only way you were going to be let in. Hopefully. “Please, I’m going to die out here if you don’t let me.“

Natasha cut you off by opening the door, rolling her eyes as she let you inside.

“Will you ever be ungrateful again? Will you let Daddy order your food?” she asked, wrapping a blanket around you.

“Y-Yes, Daddy.” You whimpered.

You knew that Natasha was going to always win, no matter how hard you tried.

[caplanbuckybarnes]

Warm Snow (Jon Snow)

Summary: Jon has always cared for you and isnt afraid to admit it any longer.

WC: 518

Warnings: fluff, confessions

A/N: I've been desperate to expand my fandoms lately and as we arrive into 2025, i plan on doing just that! I'm willing to write for a few more GOT/HOTD characters as well. There are a few ships i want to write for soon so let me know your opinion? Just dont know who for as of yet! Please let me know!

Read on Ao3!

--

The cold wind nipped at your cheeks as you trudged through the snow-laden grounds of Castle Black. You tugged the furs closer to your frame, ignoring the frost that seemed to settle in your very bones. Winter had come, but so had something else—a strange warmth that burned beneath your layers whenever Jon Snow was near.

“Y/N,” Jon called, his deep voice cutting through the evening quiet.

You turned to find him standing a few feet away, Ghost at his side. The direwolf’s red eyes glowed like embers, but the sight of Jon smiling—however faintly—was enough to melt the cold away for just a moment.

“I thought you’d still be on watch,” you said, your voice catching in the frigid air.

Jon took a step closer, his expression thoughtful. “I’ve been meaning to speak with you. I just didn’t know when the time would be right.”

The way his gaze flitted downward, how his fingers fidgeted with the hilt of Longclaw, sent your heart fluttering. “What about?”

He hesitated, glancing around before lowering his voice. “I—” He broke off, shaking his head. “You’ve been a loyal friend. More than I deserved.”

You furrowed your brow. “You always speak like you owe everyone something, Jon. You don’t. Least of all, to me.”

“But I do,” he said firmly, stepping even closer. He towered over you now, the smell of pine and leather unmistakable. “You’ve been here, always… even when I felt I couldn’t bear this life anymore.”

Your cheeks burned, but you weren’t sure if it was from the cold or his sudden candor. “And you’d do the same for me.”

“I would.” Jon nodded slowly, then met your eyes with an intensity that made you feel as if the whole world had fallen away. “And that’s why I need you to know. You’re the reason I get through each day. You’re more than a friend to me.”

The weight of his words settled between you like freshly fallen snow—light, but impossible to ignore. You let the silence stretch, unsure if you were dreaming or if Jon Snow, the brooding Commander, had just confessed something that sounded suspiciously like love.

“Jon,” you said softly, your breath puffing in the space between you. “You don’t have to—”

“I do,” he cut you off, his tone earnest. “Because if I didn’t say it now, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.” He reached out, his gloved hand brushing against yours. The touch was enough to send shivers racing through your skin.

You looked up at him, the unyielding man of the Night’s Watch who now stood before you, vulnerable and waiting. Slowly, you slid your hand into his.

“I’ve cared for you, too,” you admitted, your voice almost lost to the wind. “I just… never thought you’d feel the same.”

Jon exhaled sharply, relief washing over his face. He squeezed your hand gently and leaned in just enough that you could feel his breath.

“We have little to give in this world,” he murmured. “But if I can, I’d give you all of me.”

--

kind reminder that reblogs & comments mean the absolute world to me.

[little-jana]

"Breaking Walls"

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x f!reader

Genre: kinda angsty

Warnings: neither happy nor sad ending, Hotch being emotionally damaged by his past, mentions of Haley

Words:

Summary: Aaron is slowly breaking down his walls, but is not completely ready for a new relationship.

I hadn’t expected him to look at me like that. Not at first. When I was hired at the BAU, I assumed things would be professional. It had to be. It was what I told myself every day, especially when I’d catch Aaron Hotchner’s eyes lingering on me for a moment too long. He would look away quickly, but the spark of something deeper was always there, just under the surface, something I couldn’t ignore.

And it wasn’t like I didn’t see it in him too. I did. I could tell from the first time I met him that he was a man who hid behind a wall of restraint. He wore his caution like a second skin, and for good reason. Everyone knew about his history with Haley, and how that marriage fell apart. The pain that lingered in his eyes when someone mentioned her name. He’d been hurt badly, and I was just a new agent in the team. He probably wouldn’t even look at me the way I wanted him to. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

For weeks now, we’d shared glances, exchanged a few casual words. I’d caught the subtle way his gaze would flicker toward me when I was working late, or when I cracked a joke to lighten the mood in the bullpen. But I could tell, by the way he would stiffen ever so slightly, that he was trying his hardest not to feel anything.

I couldn’t help it, though. There was something about him. He was strong, steady, and even with the heavy weight of his past, there was a quiet kindness that drew me in. He was one of the few men I’d met who didn’t want anything from me, who didn’t expect anything. There was a gentle warmth to his presence, an unspoken understanding that made me feel safe. And as much as I tried to ignore the pull between us, I found myself teasing him more and more.

It wasn’t intentional. Not at first. But I could see it in his eyes. That flicker of desire mixed with hesitation every time I gave him a playful smile or a lingering touch. His defenses were starting to crack, just like mine were, even if neither of us wanted to admit it.

But Aaron was cautious—too cautious—and I knew that his fear of opening up again went far deeper than just a simple hesitation. His heart had been broken. And for all his strength, he was scared. He had to be.

It all came to a head one evening, after a particularly tough case. We had been working non-stop for days, and when the team finally wrapped up the case, Hotch called us all into the conference room for a debrief.

I walked into the room with the rest of the team, but I immediately noticed Aaron’s posture—stiff, his jaw clenched. He was still the same Aaron, but there was something else there too. He was hiding it behind his usual stoic expression, but I could see it.

It was the same intensity that I’d seen in him before, the attraction and caution mixed together. The way his eyes followed me as I made my way to my seat, and the way his breath hitched when I caught him glancing at me again.

I decided, in that moment, that I wasn’t going to play it cool anymore.

Later that night, after everyone else had left the office, I stayed behind to finish some paperwork. I heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching and looked up to see Aaron standing at the entrance of the bullpen. His eyes softened when they met mine, but his body remained tense.

“You’re still here?” His voice was low, almost like he was surprised to find me still working.

“Yeah,” I replied, leaning back in my chair. “Just finishing up.”

His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary. “Need any help?”

I stood, walking toward him. “Actually, yes.”

Aaron took a step back, looking a little too wary. “What do you need?”

I could feel the electricity in the air between us, thick with the unspoken words and the pull we’d been avoiding for so long. His hesitance was palpable, and I knew it was about Haley. I could feel his struggle, and it made my heart ache for him. But I wasn’t going to let him walk away from this, from us.

“Can I ask you something?” I said, my voice steady.

“Of course,” he replied, though I could tell by the tightness in his shoulders that he wasn’t entirely comfortable.

I took a deep breath. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

He stiffened slightly, his eyes flickering with confusion and something else I couldn’t quite place. “What do you mean?”

I stepped closer, not giving him a chance to pull away. “You’re always looking at me, but you never say anything. You’re… hesitant. I know there’s something there, Aaron. And I don’t want to keep pretending there isn’t.”

For a moment, he didn’t respond. He just stared at me, his lips pressing into a tight line as if he were weighing his options. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders sagging with the weight of whatever he was carrying. “I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you,” he said quietly, his voice rough.

I felt a knot form in my stomach, my heart aching for him. “You’re not going to hurt me, Aaron. I’m not asking for something you’re not ready to give, but I can’t pretend this isn’t real anymore. Not when I feel it every time we’re in the same room.”

He didn’t answer at first. His gaze flickered down to his shoes and then back to me, as if he was trying to figure out if he could trust me. And I knew he wasn’t just talking about this—he was talking about everything. His past, his fears, his heart.

Finally, he spoke again, his voice softer. “I don’t know how to do this again,” he admitted, his eyes searching mine. “Not after everything.”

I reached out, gently placing my hand on his arm. The warmth of his skin beneath my fingers sent a jolt of electricity through me. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for. I’m not asking you to open up all at once. I just want you to let me in.”

There was a long silence between us, heavy and filled with the weight of unspoken emotions. Finally, he reached up, cupping my cheek in his hand. His touch was tender, almost like he was afraid of hurting me.

“I’m not ready,” he whispered, his breath warm against my face.

I nodded, understanding. “That’s okay.”

But as I took a step back, a small part of me felt something shift between us, a crack in the wall he’d built around himself. He was still afraid, but for the first time, I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Maybe one day,” I added, giving him a soft smile.

Aaron took a deep breath and, for the first time in weeks, he didn’t look away when he met my gaze. The wall between us wasn’t completely gone, but in that moment, I could see that he was starting to let me in.

And that was enough for me.

[agroteraa]

The Best Friend in the Whole Wide Universe

Tenth Doctor x gn!Reader

My fic masterlist

Summary: Donna Noble helps you and the Doctor sort out your feelings, but only if you help her avoid becoming a bride once again.

Tags: fluff, mutual pining.

Word Count: 4,2K

"Doctor, where are you now?" a voice came from the phone, "I need you here and now!"

"Donna? He-e-ey! Hi, how are you? You won't believe where I've been..." the Doctor began joyfully, but a voice from the phone irritably interrupted him, "RIGHT. NOW!"

You were sitting on the couch in the console room of the TARDIS and looked up from your book in surprise, "Donna? Is this that Donna?"

"Oh yes," the Doctor goggled his eyes, "And apparently we're flying to her right now! I know that tone."

You were excited. You knew that the Doctor had traveled with her before, and for quite a long time. Longer than you? Probably, you didn't know for sure. But you knew exactly what you were starting to worry. They were friends, he said, but were they? Maybe they were more than that? Maybe there was still something? You would never have started thinking that way right away if you weren't having feelings for the Doctor yourself.

A few months ago, you were finally able to understand this and admit it to yourself. But did he understand something? Of course not. And you weren't going to confess to him, you didn't want to spoil this wonderful, fantastic, brilliant friendship between you. Because he was wonderful, fantastic and brilliant. You've had so many incredible adventures, and you hoped there was much more to come. You didn't want to, couldn't spoil and complicate it all with most likely non-reciprocal feelings.

And yet you began to think more and more about the warm looks he gave you, how he constantly hugged you and hold your hand gently but firmly. He used to do this during your runnings, but recently he had been doing it just like that if he led you through or helped you step up somewhere. Sometimes holding you by the waist. God. You would never let go of his hand if it was possible. His hand was warm, with the tips of his long fingers being slightly cold.

But you tried to stop yourself from thinking with that he was just a tactile alien, just a person who was used to communicating with so many people quite that way. Especially with his companions. It was stupid to think that he was less nice to them than he was to you.

So, the chance to ruin everything was much, much greater than taking the risk and confessing your feelings to him.

Ten minutes later, the Doctor was knocking on Donna's door. Opening the door, she happily opened her mouth, squeaking and throwing herself into the arms of the alien.

"Doctor!!!"

"Donna!!!"

He hugged her and spun her around in his arms. Releasing her back to the ground, he took a step back to you, proudly declaring, "Y/N, this is Donna Noble, my best friend in the whole wide universe! Donna Noble, this is Y/N… My, well... Y/N L/N."

The doctor looked puzzled, quickly looking from you to Donna, as if he didn't know what else he could say about you. Whereas he called Donna his best friend. In the whole universe. Oh. It hurt you. Maybe you need to go through even more time travels and trials, but you thought, you wanted to believe that there was something special between you, that it was you who could be his best friend. But it turns out that he didn't even call you just a friend. He probably didn't want to offend with such a comparison after all.

Donna grinned at him.

"Hi, Y/N L/N!" she said, playfully pronouncing your name and looking you over. But she quickly returned to the Doctor, ceasing to smile, "So, now let's get back to business."

"Get back to what? You haven't even told me what happened to you!" The Doctor complained.

"You tell me! Why is it that so long after our adventures, some alien knocked on my door this morning and told me that my hour had finally come and tomorrow I would be honored and taken to the wedding? What sort of wedding?? I've had enough of running around with you from other aliens in a wedding dress, you know!"

The Doctor frowned, "What alien? Describe them."

"It’s a turquoise semi-lizard. Just like on the planet..."

"Lacertius-3!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"Yes, that's right. Where you and I were captured by some local king or something..."

"Of course! And where I told him that you would become his bride, so that..."

"YOU SAID WHAT?!"

"... so that he would let us go! How do you think we got out of there?"

"Doctor..." you interjected, gently tugging at his coat sleeve, but he didn't pay attention to it given he was busy defending himself from Donna's attacks, "Doctor!"

"Hmm?" he turned to you.

"Do these lacertises have a crest on their heads?" you asked.

"Lacertonians, not Lacertises. But yes, they do. Oh, well done, Y/N, you're learning fast from me the cognition of the universe," The Doctor chuckled approvingly, but then frowned, "But how did you know?"

You silently pointed your finger to the side, where two such lizard people were standing, who began to move towards you, "It seems we should probably-"

"RUN!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing both of you by the arms.

"No, but tell me, WHY did you promise that to that lizard king?!" Donna asked indignantly, out of breath from running.

"To save us, I told you! Well, and I didn't "promise", I just said it! And if you didn't know, and you didn't, these creatures have a habit of choosing a new partner once every hundred years..."

You barely dodged the blue beam of the blaster, and the Doctor had to jump over the guardrail.

"...but who knew that those hundred years were already coming to an end!"

"Well, YOU should have known, Mr. Smartass!" snapped Donna, sweeping a cyclist riding towards her off the road. The blasters fired a few more times after you, but you managed to turn the corner after the others in time.

You were breathing heavily, hiding in a small corner.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked anxiously, lightly touching your cheek, "These were most likely stun blasters, not attack blasters, but nevertheless! Did it hurt you?"

"No, Doctor, it's fine!" you assured him, running your hand over his forearm and looking into his eyes. There was a slight pause.

"I'm fine too, if anyone cares! No, just won-der-ful! Except for the fact that they want to make me the wife of some lizard! Doctor, do something about it!" demanded Donna.

You spent the rest of the day running around London, hiding from the Lacertonians as they surrounded the TARDIS and Donna's house. You sneaked your way back to the nearby cafe, from where you started to spy of the window at the TARDIS and all the lizards surrounding it and try to come up with a plan of action. The Doctor was visibly relaxed, as the whole situation did not seem too serious to him against the background of saving planets and galaxies and even "just" someone's lives. Of course, he would help, but the whole adventure was perceived by him as more of a side quest, during which he allowed himself jokes about Donna's new lizard husband and simply demonstrated a good mood from meeting an old friend.

Right now, he was sitting with you across from Donna, with his arm thrown over the couch, and eating ice cream from your bowl.

"Doctor, enough!" you jokingly protested, "You've already eaten your own, go get another portion for yourself!"

He grinned broadly, scooping up another spoonful of sherbet, "You know it tastes better this way. Besides, I don't have any Earth money!"

You moaned, pushing his spoon away from your bowl with your spoon. He deftly fended off your attack, took your spoon aside and scooped up some more ice cream, "Don't even try. I don't like weapon, but I'm definitely better at fencing than you are!"

Before you could say something indignantly, he put that spoon in his mouth, smiling innocently, lights danced in his eyes.

Donna, who was sitting opposite with a stony face, asked, "Am I bothering you two? I can invite you both to witness my apparently future wedding."

"Sorry. So, what is our plan?" the Doctor asked a little more seriously, although the smile was still playing on his lips. Before Donna could say anything, he continued, "I've already thought of everything! That!"

"A spoon...?" said Miss Noble, still puzzled.

"Yes... Melchior! In this cafe the kitchen utensils are made of nickel silver! This alloy should reflect the rays of the P-type in its composition! Let's take some trays..."

"And lure these lizards out step by step, reflecting their paralyzing rays back into themselves!" said Donna.

"Exactly, brilliant!"

It turned out to be quite long and tedious, but Donna coped with the task best of all, in the end even stunning one of the Lacertonians with this very tray shouting "I'm not going to marry your boss!"

Laughing, the Doctor ran into the TARDIS and hugged Donna, saying, "Isn't the legendary Donna Noble the best? Oh, how I missed this!" and went to set up the spaceship for the course to the planet of the turquoise lizardmen.

"I'm warning you, it's going to take quite a long time to fly there, so you go do something… Oh no," the Doctor groaned, "They damaged the defensive system while they were trying to get in here! We need to fix it before our stop at Lacertius-3! So definitely go and get busy with something, yeah?"

That was what you did, taking a walk around the TARDIS with Donna.

"I missed it. Everything is so familiar and at the same time... unusual..." she mused, running her hand along the walls of the spaceship, "When you stop traveling with the Doctor, it starts to feel like you don't belong here anymore, even though there is such a bittersweet feeling of nostalgia, as if you have returned to your hometown or school..."

You smiled slightly, "I think he's very happy to see you and even... ready to travel with you again if you wanted to?"

"What?" asked Donna, "Oh no, my time here is over, it's your turn to enjoy it. And you seem to be doing it well," she grinned, "The Doctor's favorite companion."

"What?" it was your turn to wonder, "Didn't you hear that he called you..." your voice trembled slightly, "The best friend in the whole universe?"

She laughed, "Yes, which makes me very flattered. And the Doctor is my best friend too, even if he is far away from me now. And?"

"And... and I'm his... Y/N? Y/N L/N, to be precise, as he said."

"Yes? Would you also like to be his best-best friend? I'm sure he greatly appreciates you as a friend too, of course! It's the Doctor! I can't imagine that this man would fall in love with someone without seeing them as a close friend!"

"He would WHAT?"

"What?" Donna was no less shocked than you were, "Aren't you...? Aren't you... a thing, the two of you?"

Looking at your speechless face, Donna had an insight, "Oh, did I make a mistake? I'm sorry, Y/N, it just seemed so natural.… I wanted to ask later, but it's good that it happened between us now. I thought you liked him, I'm sorry. Are you sure it’s not the case?"

"I..." you could barely mumble it softly, feeling your cheeks fill with heat, "Like him..."

"Oh...OH," and now Donna had a final insight, "This man. This SPACEMAN. Sure. I should have known. I'll go and tell him everything..."

"What? No, no, no, what are you going to tell him??" You barely managed to stop Donna in her determined stride back to the console room of the TARDIS, where the Doctor was still fiddling with the protective field settings.

"That he's the biggest idiot in the universe. In case he didn't know about it yet, but apparently he didn't."

"What do you mean?"

Now she stopped herself, "I didn't know it makes the two of you here… Are you serious right now?"

"Don't tell me he likes me too. I mean, likes me so much so that..."

"What do you think, Y/N? From the minute he introduced you, I felt there was some other energy here. And I sense it, believe me! You've been acting like a couple the whole day. The way he held your hand, asking if everything was okay.… Oh, and the cafe? Do I really need to say that I felt like a third wheel on your date? If this isn't flirting, then what is?"

You were embarrassed, "We were just chatting and sitting there… As usual."

"And how often does he usually throw his arm around you and hugs you?"

"He what? We were just sitting next to each other! His hand was on the couch..."

"... lying almost on your shoulder. Oh, please, Y/N." Donna twisted her smile.

You were visibly confused, "I can understand all this... probably… But nothing else is happening, right?"

"And it won't happen as long as the two of you..." she began, but was pushed back against the wall of the TARDIS with you. You heard the Doctor's voice, "We're here!"

"Please don't say anything to him now! Donna, I'm serious! I'll handle this on my own, okay?" you pleaded. You still couldn't believe what she'd said, and you definitely wanted to think about it some more.

But there was really no time to continue the conversation – you were immediately captured by a series of adventures on the planet Lacertius-3: you soon met a girl of another race, the adventurer Piich, who told you that you could try to appease the lizard king with an ancient treasure, showed you the way through the red lush jungles to the temple, where you had your daily portion of running through the traps (although the most dangerous thing was enraged Donna). The ancient treasure, of course, turned out to be a product of technology from a completely different forgotten alien race (but, of course, the Doctor knew about it).

Then Piich helped you get into the king's castle, where you were hiding from the guards, running away from the guards, and eventually tried to appease the king with the treasure, who immediately forgot about it after seeing an alien girl who helped you on your travels. But did she help?

To your great luck, Piich forgot about her initial plan and about her upcoming reward, which she wanted to get by giving Donna to the lizard king, because, to even greater luck, the lizard king forgot about Donna when he saw Piich, and decided to make Piich his new wife. Unlike the human red-haired woman, this alien girl was not at all opposed to marrying the king of an entire planet, albeit modest in its size.

Everyone was left satisfied and having their feet sore. And personally, you also got the vague feeling that the Doctor was acting a little strange and distant, communicating more with Donna the rest of the day than with you.

You were invited to a feast, but you all refused it. The Doctor, because he didn't like feasts, Donna, because she found out that the king has a crown prince and wouldn’t he just dare to lay his lizard eyes on her. And you, who didn't have an appetite and mood at all because of the whole thing with the Doctor and that interrupted conversation with Donna. You decided to finish it while the Doctor was chatting lively with Piich and congratulating the future newlyweds.

"See?" You said softly to Donna, pointing to the Doctor and how he nicely communicated with Piich and hugged her tightly, "I'm far from being the only one in the universe with whom the Doctor behaves like this. Plus, I know how many companions he had. I won’t believe he was any less sweet to them than he was to me."

"You've got to believe it. Moreover, there will be another proof soon. A-a-and… now!" Donna elbowed you lightly. At that moment, the Doctor, continuing his conversation with Peach and the lizard king, began to look around the room and finally saw you and smiled so broadly. You couldn't help but smile back, and he slightly but merrily jumped up a little on the spot and continued his conversation with two aliens.

"How did you know he was going to turn around??"

"See? Secrets of the Time Lords," Donna smirked, "Seriously, Y/N, it doesn't take a minute for the Doctor to look at you, no matter where you are! Don't you notice that? If that's the case, you can thank me and take it as a sign to act at last."

You stood there, amazed once again, and your slightly numb brain could only come up with, "Yes, but... Rose?..."

Donna paused, and then continued, "What do you mean? She was... a long time ago. And as I see it, he's finally happy now again, really happy. He allowed himself to be like that. With you. Do you understand, Y/N, how he looks at you? It's not just a gaze of a friend. He laughs, smiles like a child, a happy child. And all other things he does with you. Because of you. No, just... don't argue. I’ve traveled with him and have known him for a long time to say that he has never looked at others or me like that. And he won't ever. I'm just his best friend in the whole wide universe, after all."

She smiled.

"Now go and do something about it, you two."

You were finally back on the spaceship. Before launching the TARDIS, the Doctor was leaning against the frame of the open door, dreamily but slightly sadly admiring the view of the blooming red jungle with silver flowers. You knew what he was thinking, because he often told you about his home planet.

"Just like on Gallifrey..." he said with a mixture of nostalgia and longing in his voice and added softly, "I wish I could take you there."

Your eyes met, and there was silence. Your heart skipped a beat, making you remember the conversation you had with Donna before.

"Doctor, I..."

"Well! Let's go home, then!" he interrupted you, abruptly turning deep into the TARDIS, he went to the console, intending to take off. You followed him, not knowing what exactly you wanted to say to him, but you didn't want to left the dialogue like that. But the Doctor didn't seem to be paying attention to you, fiddling with the buttons on the console with slightly trembling hands, carefully avoiding your gaze.

"Hey, Doc, wait!" said Donna, "I want to walk around here a little more. It's not that I'm visiting another planets so much these days, you know," she winked and headed outside the TARDIS.

"Wait, wait, wait, Donna, I'm going with you!" the Doctor protested and was about to left with her. Well. He didn't even want to continue the dialogue and listen to what you were going to tell him.

But still-Miss Noble turned him and said through clenched teeth, "No, Spaceman, you stay here, I want to go for a walk ALONE. Do you understand me?" she scowled at him and before the Doctor could object, she slammed the TARDIS door shut, leaving the two of you alone.

The silence returned to you again, and the Doctor came back to the TARDIS console. Usually you did not understand most of his manipulations with technology, but even you already began to feel that his actions were meaningless at that moment.

"Doctor..." you started.

"So, now we'll set up a return route and I should probably do a condition check of the ship, in case something is damaged again..." he muttered.

"Doctor!"

He turned around, there was an almost unreadable mix of emotions in his eyes, so many of them were at one point in time.

You came a little closer, "Doctor, I... want to talk to you, if I may."

"Yes, Y/N?" his eyebrows started to rise up slightly pleadingly.

"You said that Donna is your best friend in the whole universe."

"That's right!" The Doctor smiled broadly, feeling slightly relieved, thinking that this was the point of the conversation, "She's brilliant, isn't she? Now you've seen it for yourself!"

"And then who am I?"

He stopped smiling for a moment, swallowed, and then a nervous wry smile began to appear on his face along with a red color on his cheeks.

"Y-you... well, you're also my… best friend, of course!"

"Isn't the point of a best friend that there can only be one?"

"Yes!" the Doctor readily agreed.

"Then how is this possible?" you wondered.

"Well, Donna is my best platonic friend," the Doctor replied, not realizing what trap he had just walked himself into.

"What kind of friend am I, then?" you asked.

"And you... are… not platonic..." he said slowly and softly, turning even redder.

You'd just noticed that with every question and answer you took a step towards each other, and now you were inches apart. Your own cheeks started to burn from that realization.

He was so close now, you looked at his beautiful face and once again wanted to count all the freckles on it. Your gaze moved from his thin nose to his thin but sensual lips, and then to expressive eyes of the color of a melted chocolate.

"Can you explain to me it better..?" You almost whispered, raising your eyes to him.

The Doctor brought his face close to yours with his mouth slightly open and his eyelids half-closed, lightly hugged your shoulders. You began to hear his breath and the beating of his two hearts, which became louder and louder. It was all happening like in a slow motion.

And then he kissed you.

It was a very gentle and careful kiss, you could feel the tingle from his warm, slightly electrified lips, which sent goosebumps through your whole body. He pulled back a bit to see your reaction, his eyes expressing a mixture of tenderness and incredible seriousness, bordering on the almost immobility of his gaze.

Your hands moved to his waist during the kiss, and they stayed there.

"Yes." was all you said, reaching out to him and kissing him back more firmly. With a loud exhale and a light moan, he deepened the kiss, which made you want to moan yourself, increasing the degree of emotion every turning second.

It was as if his lips were made for yours, as if they were pieces of a puzzle that had once been there. Like himself as a whole, it was one big piece of the puzzle that had finally come together, completely and irrevocably.

After a lips-to-lips kiss that seemed to last forever, he ran his tongue over your lower lip, asking for permission to go inside. Did he need that permission? Of course not, but you were glad that he asked it non-verbally anyway.

You opened your mouth slightly and the Doctor, sighing noisily, slipped his tongue deep into you. It felt like some sort of a human and alien heaven already, but now it had become absolutely impossibly good. Your tongues danced with each other as your legs felt weak, your whole body seemed to melt in the Doctor's arms. Your Doctor’s arms.

Your arms, which had been hugging his neck for a long time, moved to his hair, burrowing into it. Oh, how you'd wanted to touch them for a long time. Not to ruffle them jokingly like you'd done a couple of times before, but... like this. As if you had every right to do that. Now you probably really had it now, and that made your legs even wobblier.

You pulled his hair lightly, which made the Doctor moan slightly, and you felt his arms tighten around you. It seems that both of you were ready to split into atoms from all the feelings that overwhelmed you.

It was a wonderful feeling of the nucleating supernova of your love.

"Doctor, I..." it was all you could say after that, to which he just happily exhaled, smiling broadly, looking into your eyes and gently holding your shoulders, being not able to say anything himself.

You were amazed not only by what happened, but also by how quickly it all happened. Then it began to dawn on you. You smiled a little.

"Let me guess... Did Donna talk to you too?"

While the Doctor was taking a deep breath to give some long, babbling answer, at that moment the door of the TARDIS slightly opened, from where Miss Noble herself stepped inside.

"Of course. Because how else could you two figure it out?" she replied nonchalantly, "Now I have every right to invite you two to my future wedding. NOT with an alien husband, I emphasize, otherwise I'll put you at different tables, and you'll just sit here and only be giving Y/N all the hopeless looks again, Doctor. Waiting and dying for my wedding dance all day long, so that after it you can get to and finally invite Y/N to dance or something like that!"

You laughed happily with the Doctor, still holding together and looking into each other's eyes, realizing that this just sounded like the first plan for your future together, one of the many, very many plans in this whole wide universe.

[anichibicore]

Starsong

Summary:

"Hey, Shads?" Shadow couldn't help the sigh that easily slipped out of him. "Yes?" "Do the stars look different here than they do on the ARK?" In which a race turns into some much needed comfort, which then turns into stargazing, and so on.

Read on AO3

note: i'm not copying the word vomit of a note i put on this on ao3 but just know this got very far away from me about halfway through. i don't usually post my writing here, but i'm way too proud of this one to not share everywhere. so. here. also i was not aware just copy-pasting the whole thing from ao3 kept the formatting which thank god for that. i didn't wanna go through doing it again

Shadow stood off to the side, resting against the large tree near the party table, just close enough for Rouge to not assume he was plotting to sneak off. He promised he would stay, after all. Despite the day he's had, he didn't want to go back on it. His back still ached, the feeling of the wings he no longer had lingering like a phantom limb. He's sure he looked like a complete mess, but if he did, everyone was kind enough not to point it out.

Sonic popped into his vision then, an obnoxiously cheeky grin on his face as he leaned next to him. Shadow did his best to not look too annoyed at the proximity. Sonic laughed a bit and inched away a tad, and it was all he needed to know he didn't do a great job at that. "Glad to see you made it, Shads."

Shadow hummed his response. "Rouge told me to come, so I did."

"Well, either way, it's cool you showed." Another grunt in response. Sonic shifted from one foot to the other. "Did you, uh... want cake or anything?"

"Not hungry." He answered curtly.

Sonic nudged him lightly with his elbow, huffing a laugh. "Are you still mad I beat you earlier?"

"No." Shadow had almost forgotten about that, in fact. Too much had happened today. He was sure he was forgetting more. All he could think of was Maria and the professor. A nagging part of him wanted to be back in that white space. To be locked back in that one moment of time forever. He knew it was a selfish wish. That didn't change how much he still wanted it.

"Hey, are you good? You seem grumpier than usual."

"None of your business." Shadow snapped a bit more forcefully than intended.

"Alright, alright, I won't push it." Sonic laughed, putting his hands up in surrender. "Y'know, everyone else here has a present for me, so perhaps~...?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." He spared a glance to Sonic smirking at him and sighed. "...You get a race. Wherever you want."

"Oh, you know me too well." As Shadow started walking away, Sonic zipped in front of him and bowed slightly, holding out a hand. "May I have this race, then?"

Despite himself, Shadow smiled. "I suppose so."

"Race from here to Seaside Hill?" Sonic asked as he jabbed a thumb behind himself.

"I said wherever you want."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get our race on! Hey, Tails! We need a referee!"

Within just a few minutes, Tails had a flag ready as Sonic and Shadow took their positions. Sonic grinned at him as Tails ran over the rules, and Shadow rolled his eyes and focused as the fox began the countdown. The second the signal was given, he took off, the sounds of the party vanishing within seconds and replaced with the wind blowing past him. A glance next to him showed Sonic easily staying neck and neck with him, the only thing that wasn't a blur as he ran. Sonic caught his gaze and laughed before speeding up ever so slightly. The sun was half below the horizon by then and they were still a fair distance from their goal. It soon left and the stars started to dot the sky in it's place.

Shadow caught a glimpse of a familiar flower and started to slow, taking in the sight of the hill he'd been standing atop just last night. The ARK was bright in the sky, almost like a second moon, like a beacon for his eyes to fixate on. The tree at the top he'd destroyed was exactly as it had been when he left, the trunk snapped almost completely, hanging on by a few pieces of bark, crushing the flowers it had fallen on. Shadow climbed up the hill slowly, careful to not disturb the flowers that hadn't been crushed or ruined from his outburst. He sat down once he reached the top, his eyes locked on the ARK. For just that moment, it was just him, the breeze, and his thoughts.

His emotions were still muddled, even though their little race had, admittedly, helped ease his aching. Somehow, getting competitive with Sonic like this had that effect on him. Shadow couldn't properly name most of his feelings no matter how hard he tried. A part of him felt oddly at peace — relaxed, even. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Another yearned for that timeless void again, for his father and sister. The feeling tore into him, made him want to run right back to a place he could no longer reach. The last one burned strongly, fiercely, and viciously, no matter how hard he tried to snuff it out. It was the only one he could clearly name, the kind of rage only a monster would feel. Those parts of him were at war in his head and it was starting to get too overwhelming for him to stand. It practically sapped whatever energy he had.

"..adow? Shads? I wasn't going that fast, was I? Shadow?" Sonic's voice grew louder in the distance. He likely only then realized he'd lost Shadow entirely. The wind rushed past him as Sonic zipped up to him, stopping just off to the side of his vision. He bent at the waist into his line of sight, concern plain as day on his face. "Hey, you sure you're cool? You look... real tired, Shads." Shadow didn't have the energy to answer. He simply pulled his knees up to his chest and shrugged his shoulders, staring past Sonic and up to the sky. Sonic backed up and followed his gaze, making a small sound when he saw the space colony so clearly present in the night sky. "Ah. One of those days, huh?" He offered Shadow what he assumed was meant to be a comforting smile, but it simply came off as forced to him. Shadow tore his gaze away from there and it landed on a flower right next to his feet, swaying gently in the breeze.

The grass rustled as Sonic sat next to him, one of his quills bumping his own when Sonic turned just enough. No matter how hard he tried, Shadow just couldn't shake that day's events from his head. Facing Black Doom again after he'd destroyed him so long ago, the powers he forced on him, trying to make him what he wasn't... His back still had those phantom pains from the wings sprouting from them, tearing through his flesh to reach the surface.

Almost like he read his mind, Sonic spoke again. "Geez, Shads. The fur on your back's all messed up. It's not like you to leave it all screwed up like this. What the heck happened?"

"It's none of your business, Sonic." He couldn't will any venom into his voice. He was too physically and mentally drained for it.

"You sound about as tired as you look. If you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine, but I just wanna know. Did something happen back in there? Just a yes or no is cool."

His back felt raw. Shadow was almost certain he would have scars from his wings — wings that weren't his, wings that were forced on him by a monster. The unparalleled power of the Black Arms blood coarsing through his veins, the way it burned like a fire under his skin, yet made him feel so complete... It scared him. Scared and disgusted him, a reminder of how much of him was wrong. And... seeing Maria and the professor again... seeing his family again, hearing them tell him they love him, that they're proud of him, and him knowing he was fated to let them both down... He wanted to be back with them. To feel whole again. Leaving them behind when he had a chance to save them hurt far more than any physical pain he'd endured in there. The hole that had been left behind by their passings felt so much bigger than it had before. The next breath he took trembled as it reached his lungs. The sting in his eyes told him he wouldn't be able to hide it any longer. "Yes."

Sonic quietly scooched closer and tossed an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him just a bit. "It's okay, Shads. I've gotcha." Shadow bit his lip hard, but it still did nothing to stop the broken sob that managed to force its way out of him. He buried his face in his knees as much as he could. He wasn't sure if the tears he was crying were the result of grief, frustration, relief, or a mix of the three, but it didn't really matter now. They were there either way, letting them out was the only way they'd stop.

It didn't take long for the tears to stop, and he brushed off the arm around him as soon as they did. A part of him was annoyed that the attempt at comfort actually worked. "I'm going to let that slide just this once."

"Take it that means you feel better now?"

"I... suppose so."

Sonic shot him a smug grin as he asked in an equally smug tone, "And did I help with that?"

Shadow couldn't exactly deny it, but his pride refused to let him admit it straight to his face. "Shut up, idiot."

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"You say a word about any of this and I will ensure you don't live to see another birthday."

Sonic put his hands up in defense, but it was clear he didn't take his threat seriously. "Relax, Shads. I won't tell a soul." He reassured with a laugh.

Shadow huffed and went back to observing the ARK. It still felt a little strange, looking up at his home from the place he used to marvel at with Maria. The hole in his heart ached more than usual when he recalled all those times the two would sit in the observatory and simply stare. He even remembered a few times the professor had come in, waking the two up when he found them passed out on the floor, surrounded in every pillow and blanket they could find in the colony. Eventually he'd start coming to join them when he had a break from his work. Those ones with the professor were memories he only recently got back, and part of him wasn't sure if they were always there, or if they were new ones formed after his encounter with his family in the white space. He liked to think it was the latter, that it was the professor's way of giving him more fond memories to look back on once they were long gone. His mouth moved without him thinking too hard about it. "I saw Maria and the professor again."

"Back in that weird time pocket thing?"

"Yes. It was... nice." He only then realized there was a smile tugging on his face, but he didn't bother trying to hide it. Yet it wobbled when he carried on. "I... didn't want to leave. I would've stayed there forever if I could."

"Shads..."

"I know it would've been selfish, but... I just wanted a little more time with them."

"Hey, even if it was only for a little, you got to see 'em again. Plus, you've got 'em up here," Sonic tapped his own head, "so, even if they're gone, you can still see 'em whenever you want in there. Right?"

"Your way of thinking is as simple as always, I see." Shadow remarked. Sonic gave him an indignant "hey!" in response, and Shadow laughed before letting his eyes drift to the stars. "But, I suppose you aren't entirely wrong."

"Hey, I'll take it. Glad to hear your day wasn't completely awful, too." After a minute, Sonic cleared his throat, getting his attention again. He looked oddly hesitant when bringing up his next topic. "But, I'm guessing that's not all that happened in there. Judging from... well..." Green eyes flicked from his face to his back for just a moment, almost too quick for him to catch. "So, uh... Mind if I ask?"

His mood quickly soured again. He knew the topic wouldn't slip by so easily. Sonic was way too nosy when it came to him. "What makes you think I'll answer?"

When Sonic defended himself again, it was a little more panicked than his joking version of the motion earlier. "Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask! Sides, you're kinda worrying me here, Shads. And you know I'm not a worrying kinda guy"

"Yes, I'm aware. You're awful at hiding it." Shadow sighed loudly. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "I ran into Black Doom in there as well."

Sonic's eyes narrowed, his mouth twisting to a frown as he huffed and crossed his arms. "Take it that went about as well as his last attempt at father-son bonding time did." Shadow leveled a glare at him for the phrasing, and Sonic chuckled nervously. "Sorry. Continue."

The spots from which those wings had torn their way out from his flesh itched like salt was tossed into them. None of the other powers that were awakened by Doom's influence were anywhere near as agonizing. They still all made him feel sick, the reminders of just what kind of blood he had in his veins, the alien feeling of completeness that terrified and disgusted him. It made him want to tear into his veins and let it all pour out, as if letting himself bleed dry would remove the cursed part of his blood, let him claim some semblance of normalcy in his existence. But the worst thing was the anger. He knew Black Doom was coaxing it out of him, bringing out the raw anger that he'd only truly known those first few days after being freed from stasis. That didn't mean it hadn't worked. He could feel it bubbling up again just thinking about how easily he'd been controlled like that. How Black Doom might've gotten what he wanted if Maria hadn't been there to snap him out of it.

"Shadow?"

He'd torn a clump of grass out of the dirt without realizing, crushing one of the few flowers that had survived the blast that felled the tree behind them in the palm of his hand. Its petals were wrinkled and damaged, and he gingerly placed it in roughly the same spot he'd callously pulled it from as if it would undo the damage. Just thinking about the situation seemed to rile him up all over again. He had the feeling that fact wouldn't change any time soon. It wasn't something he could easily put into words, not with how tired he still felt. Sonic didn't need to know the extent of it, anyways. So, he opted with, "It doesn't matter now. He's gone for good. We should never have to worry about him again."

Sonic thankfully seemed to pick up the hint, letting the topic drop without comment. "I'll take your word for it. But, if he somehow comes crawling back to Earth again, I'll help you kick his butt. That alien creep won't see us coming. Right, Shads?" Sonic tapped his arm with his fist, wearing a confident smile when Shadow looked.

Shadow eyed his fist. "I can take care of him myself, you know."

"Yeah, but it'd be better with a partner, right? Besides, I can't just let you have all the fun."

He couldn't help the small huff of a laugh that rose up as he tapped his own fist to Sonic's still hovering next to him. "Fine, you win."

"Cool. Anything else you wanna get off your chest while we're here?"

"Not particularly."

"Want me to play a song, then? I could pro'bly go yoink my guitar from the house in, like, two minutes tops."

"I'd like some peace and quiet for a minute, Sonic."

"Uh... Sure."

Shadow laid down in the grass, letting his eyes slip shut for just a few moments. Sonic must've copied the motion, the grass to his right rustling with the other's movements. He didn't realize just how tired he really was. Not until Sonic's voice roused him from sleep clawing at his conscious. "Hey, Shads?"

Shadow couldn't help the sigh that easily slipped out of him. "Yes?"

"Do the stars look different here than they do on the ARK?"

Shadow looked to the other, seeing him stare straight up at the sky. He did the same, the moon starting to inch its way into their vision, signifying the passing time. The stars weren't as prominent in the sky as they were when looking at them from space. It felt like there was less of them, actually. It made sense. They used to view them while dwelling among them, so they had stars to see for hundreds of thousands of miles and nothing in the way. "A little. They're not as bright here. And there's less."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." The conversation lulled to a comfortable silence for a while before Sonic piped up again. "Y'know, Tails used to be obsessed with space."

Now that was news to him. "Really?"

"Yup. Well, 'used to' implies he's not anymore. I found this old, banged up telescope way back when we were kids. Thing didn't even work since the lens was cracked. Kid took it and fixed it up and would stay up late just staring up at the stars with it. Heck, he's the one that chose where our house would be since the Mystic Ruins escapes most of the light pollution of the city."

"And he's still like that?"

"Not quite as much, but yeah. You'd think it'd lose its luster for him since we've been up there, like, what? Ten times by now? But he's still as passionate as ever. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up one day and saw he managed to scrape together a fully functional rocket with a bunch of scrap metal and literal junk."

Shadow could picture it already. Sonic stepping out to see Tails had a whole ship, launchpad and everything, built overnight in the front yard. "I don't think I'd be surprised either, frankly."

Sonic laughed. "I used to get him a bunch of books about space for his birthday. Kid probably has enough to fill a whole shelf by now. He'd blast through them all faster than it'd take me to run across the the continent and then ramble about all the stuff in them for hours. I admit a lot of it kinda flew right over my head, but one thing always stuck with me, and I haven't really thought about it till now." Sonic's tone shifted and it got Shadow's attention. It wasn't quite serious, but it wasn't his usual laid-back tone, either. Ruminating was the word he decided to settle on, as strange as it sounded for applying to the blue blur. His expression matched the tone when Shadow looked, and he was stretching out one palm to the sky. "Most of the stars up there aren't really around anymore. But, they're still just as bright as when they were when they existed, and we still look up at them and admire their light. Talking to you made me think about it a little more just now."

"How, exactly?"

Sonic's hand dropped back to join the other on his stomach as he met the other's gaze with a confused expression, like he expected Shadow to just understand and was surprised he didn't. "Well, think about it." He turned back to the stars. "Even when we're gone, there'll still be people that remember us and look up to us. It's even possible people will remember us millions of years after that. We'll keep shining on in their memories. We're a lot like those stars, in a way."

Shadow allowed his gaze to wander back to the sky, landing on the ARK as it did. The stars around it seemed brighter in that moment, two particularly vivid ones right next to each other that he couldn't tear his eyes from. All at once, he understood. "You're right."

"I am? I-I mean, course I am!"

"It's weird hearing myself say that, too." Shadow laughed. "When did you become such a deep thinker?"

Sonic huffed in mock offense. "I've always been a deep thinker, for your information!"

"Sure, sure."

Silence came again for just a brief moment. "Hey, Shadow?"

"Yes?"

"I think I retract cashing in that birthday race now. I think we've both had enough excitement for one day, anyhow."

"Unfortunately, I'm not accepting refunds." Sonic shot up with a cry of "what?!" as Shadow laughed and stood up. "I'm kidding. Consider it refunded."

"I can never tell when you're joking, man." Sonic replied as he followed suit, standing and stretching his back. "I know we did a lotta stargazing already, but me and the gang were doing a little camp-out by the house tonight if you want in. Y'know, just chill out under the stars and stuff."

"And you're inviting me because...?"

"Shads, you cried on me and let me gush about my little bro's space obsession for, like, half an hour. I get the feeling you don't wanna pull out the loner act tonight."

Shadow felt himself grimace at how easily Sonic had nailed that on the head. The offer was tempting, but... the part of himself still raging inside, calling him a monster, reminding him of his blood, forced itself into the forefront of his thoughts. "I'm not sure they'd want me there."

"Oh, c'mon, Shads! They like you! They were worried about you as much as I was. The only reason none of them tried to talk to you was 'cause they weren't sure if you even wanted to talk."

"I don't want to intrude." The words left him easily, even though he himself didn't really mean them.

Sonic wagged a finger at him with a stern frown, almost like he was scolding a child. "Nuh-uh-uh, I'm not letting you play that card. As the birthday guy, I declare that you aren't intruding unless I say you are. And you aren't, since I'm inviting you. If you really don't wanna join, you can just tell me, bud. I ain't gonna be mad."

Shadow desperately, almost instinctively, wanted to come up with another excuse to uninvite himself. But Maria's voice, an echo of "you deserve to be happy," rang in his head, cutting through his self-deprecating thoughts, and he gave up trying to argue. "Alright. I can go."

Sonic looked surprised, and Shadow suspected the other was expecting a "no" to the offer. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

The blue blur stared him down for a moment before a smile popped back on his face. "Glad to hear it. You wanna walk, or are you up for a run?"

Shadow started making his way back down the hill to the beaten path, looking to Sonic over his shoulder. "I thought you wanted to save the race for another time?"

Sonic followed him, stretching one arm across his chest as he walked. "I did." He hopped a few steps in front of him and spun around, walking backwards with his hands behind his head. "I just don't wanna ditch ya. The place isn't that far from here. It's, like, a ten minute walk. Or a one minute run, if you prefer."

Shadow couldn't help the grin on his face, keeping his tone light as he said, "You're being rather polite today, aren't you? Are you sure I'm the one that needs help and not you?"

Sonic stuck his tongue out at him. "Sorry for caring." There was no real annoyance in his voice, and he sprung back pretty quick. "Seriously, though. You set the pace. You know I can keep up."

Shadow's grin shifted to a small smile, one he didn't bother to fight. "Alright. Lead the way."

Sonic's smile somehow got wider as he spun on his heel and continued his stride. "Come along then, we're losing starlight out here!"

Shadow followed along with a chuckle from the back of his throat. He still didn't quite feel like himself, but he felt better. It'd be a lie to say Sonic didn't help with that. "Sonic?"

The blue blur stopped mid stride and looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

Shadow thought for a moment, considering his options, before closing the short distance and pulling the other into a tight, awkward hug, feeling him tense up. "Thank you."

Sonic, to his credit, only hesitated for two seconds instead of twelve like Shadow thought he would before he returned the hug, seemingly making a point to avoid his back out of consideration. "First you cry on me, now you're a hugger? Who are you and what have you done with Shadow?" He teased, and Shadow couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously, though. Anytime, Shads. Anytime."

Shadow pulled himself away, and Sonic gave him a pat on the shoulder before letting go. An idea came to him then and he quickly readied himself to take off. Sonic tilted his head to the side as he stared at him, as if the extra forty-five degrees would help him figure out what was happening. A sly grin came to him as he plainly stated, "Race you there."

He didn't wait for Sonic to answer before skating away, hearing his confused and frantic yelling getting quieter by the second before the other caught up. "That's gotta be cheating, right? This shouldn't count as my birthday race! You better not count this!" He wildly gestured as he yelled.

Shadow grinned at him as he looked from the corner of his eye. "If you beat me, I might consider it."

"Wha-Shads, you-I-!" Sonic sputtered like an old car engine, stopping and starting his protests again and again before shaking his head and speeding up. "Fine! You're on! I hope you like the taste of dust, 'cause you're about to eat mine!"

Sonic easily pulled ahead, and Shadow sped up to match. They went back and forth like this for a while, and ended up doing loops around the area a few times until they ultimately sped up the steep hill next to the workshop. Sonic ended up tripping on one of the steps and losing, and Shadow ultimately decided this didn't count as Sonic's one free race as he helped him up. He couldn't read the others' faces as well as he could Sonic's, but they seemed glad to see him, and he felt a little relieved by that.

The five of them ended up staying up late into the night, Sonic zipping in and out of the house to grab more and more things, including seemingly every guitar he owned for an impromptu lesson. Knuckles almost snapped the neck of one trying to copy Sonic's hand placement and immediately tapped out after, the rest of the group following suit when they were done, and it ended up turning into Sonic playing whatever came to mind and the rest of them singing along around the campfire. Amy had brought her fortune cards and read their fortunes, teasing Knuckles mercilessly when his apparently claimed he had a crush that he neither confirmed or denied, but the fact his muzzle turned almost as red as the rest of him told them everything. Tails pulled out blankets and sleeping bags, tossing one over his brother's head and laughing when the hedgehog started chasing him with it primed and ready to snatch him up.

They ended up using the bags to make a giant mat on the ground, and Shadow marveled at how bright the sky was here, the stars varied in brightness and the band of their galaxy stretching across the night sky. However, his eyes still found their way to the ARK, easily finding those two brilliant stars near it. He tuned out the group's chatter, feeling sleep begin to lap at his consciousness in waves, eventually dragging him to one of the most peaceful sleeps he'd had in years.

That night, Shadow dreamed of looking up at the night sky in the flower field with his family.

[utilitycaster]

I am curious if you think the campaign wrap up will perhaps address some of the campaign shortcomings or challenges the cast faced in trying to land this campaign narratively, especially in comparison to previous campaigns? Not that they would disparage the whole campaign - but like a little “yeah this didn’t work as well as we wanted at times?” 

It’s odd because I find myself weirdly optimistic about CR as a whole despite this campaign’s possible lackluster ending, so I guess I’m hoping the campaign wrap up acknowledges that this campaign didn’t always play to their strengths in hopes that their next long form venture does more, idk.

I don't know if it will but. that's precisely the tenor any question I send will have: I don't think the fundamental concept is the issue - hell, I don't even think killing the gods is actually a problem if you appropriately set up a scenario where killing the gods has a motivation other than "mortals were mean to me in their name" [thing that happens irl all the time in a world with zero proof of divinity, in my religiously observant ideologically agnostic and skeptical opinion] or "I have issues with my parents I never worked towards so I've projected this onto The Ultimate Parents instead of like. being fucking normal." But it needed a lot more scaffolding at the VERY least in the prep for this campaign, and actually, to be blunt, if you want to make this a balanced issue you needed to seed this concept through prior campaigns in a meaningful way. There's a reason pretty much everyone who defends this campaign as Extremely Good, Actually is either doing some form of wildly revisionist history of the fandom and the past campaigns that's demonstrably false if you were like. there; or else they started with C3 and decided they were an expert despite being of below-average literacy and deeply below average personality and have to resort to such miserable efforts as "arguing that canon isn't real" and "posting an out of context Le Guin quote over and over in the hopes we won't notice they're actually 511 mice in a trenchcoat who can't actually read". So yeah I hope Matt is like this was an ambitious project and I'd have done many things differently.

I do wonder what's next for CR, because as I mentioned, it feels like the cast is stronger in shorter form; that even the other longform shows are moving to shorter form right now; and that WBN and C3 kind of show the limits/failings of longform. I hope they do another longform campaign at some point in the future, but it might make sense to take an extended break and play in the space for a while. They only took about 4 months between campaigns for the past two and maybe it would be good to take longer and focus on Daggerheart, Candela, and EXU for much of the year and if they do longform wait 8-10 months, especially with the comparatively extensive touring schedule this year.

I also hasten to add, and I mentioned this briefly in talking about CRPGs, but I think there's a Third Campaign Dip that's not inevitable (NADDPod didn't really have it; TAZ switches systems enough that it's not an issue) but definitely hit here, that doesn't apply to a fourth one. Like, for CRPGs (girl who's played Veilguard twice and gotten through the first day of Disco Elysium voice) it feels like the first run is following what seems most fun to you and then the second is playing around with other choices that maybe aren't as appealing just to see what happens, and then for the third and future runs you kind of know the full lay of the land and what you'll like while still allowing for a range of choices. For class-based TTRPGs, the first is the self-insert/thing that's fairly comfortable and easy/character you've dreamed of; the second is what you do now that you know how this works; and then the third can be...an overextension, shall we say. I think after that you figure out, again, the bounds of your comfort zone, how much you can stretch it, and what you don't like, you're in a much more consistent footing.