#this came to me in a vision (i haven’t slept more than an hour in days and it’s starting to effect me)

[m1ckeyb3rry]

i’m so excited for your request event eek!! :DDD if you ever get the time, maybe micheal kaiser, but like post marriage? :O

── AIRPORT VISIT

Synopsis: You pick up your husband from the airport, finally reuniting with him after his long trip abroad.

Event Masterlist

Pairing: Kaiser x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 1.5k

Content Warnings: married couple, lots of banter, talks about insurance??, kaiser hates blue lock but he has to secure the bag i fear 😔, probably ooc because this is an established relationship so he’s kind of sweet…consider it off screen development LMAO

A/N: hello my dear i’m so sorry this took me a sec to respond to!! kaiser is such a funky guy hehe i tried my best writing him in this type of scenario…i hope you like it 💖

Additional: part of my 500 follower event! see the event description and rules to make a request of your own. now closed!

The airport was colder than you had expected, and you wrapped the sweater you had stolen from Michael’s closet tighter around your shoulders, hiding the lower half of your face in it as you stared at the customs area. Your eyelids were heavy and threatened to droop shut entirely, but you had promised that you would come pick him up, and you didn’t want his first sight of you after almost a month to be you dozing off on your feet.

Shuffling over to a bench and suppressing a yawn when you realized it might still be a bit of time before he came out, you tucked your legs up next to you and leaned your head against the cool white wall beside you. Given the late hour, the airport was all but deserted, or at least as close to deserted as a place so constantly active could be. The steady drone of the air conditioning — which you wished they would turn down! — was mind-numbing, and despite yourself, you thought that it wouldn’t be so bad if you just closed your eyes for a moment. You wouldn’t sleep, you would only rest them so that you appeared cheery and bright when Michael finally arrived…

The next thing you knew, there was a hand on your shoulder, shaking you gently awake. You shot to your feet, panic shooting through you at the thought that you were being attacked or something, but when you realized your ‘assailant’ was none other than your dear husband, who you had spent hours waiting for, you relaxed.

“You should’ve just stayed home,” he said, clicking his tongue at you, reaching out to ruffle your hair. His bags sat by his feet, and yawning, you picked one up. “Hey, is that my sweater?”

“Mhm,” you said as you traipsed towards where you had parked your car. “I like this one. I can’t believe I haven’t taken it before.”

He made a face at you. “Stop stealing my clothes.”

“There’s nothing stopping you from taking my things, if you’re bristling at the unfairness,” you said, unlocking the car and opening the trunk, helping him heft his things into the back to hasten the process.

“No thanks. Your clothes are ugly; that’s why you always have to take mine, right?” he said, pressing the button so that the trunk would shut. You yawned again, blinking your eyes open and shut a few times to clear your vision, shaking your head as you did so.

“You’re the one who buys half of them, so what does that say about your taste?” you said. “Yours are just more comfortable.”

“I can start buying you men’s clothes instead, since you insist on wearing them all of the time,” he said, snatching the keys from out of your pocket and sliding into the driver’s side before you could protest.

“Well, but it’s not the same,” you said. “Also, what are you doing? The whole point of me coming to pick you up was so that you didn’t have to drive and all. Aren’t you tired?”

“I just slept for an entire plane ride,” he said. “I’m as energetic as Ness when he gets his hands on espresso. You, on the other hand, will probably crash this car if you’re allowed to drive it, and then we’d have to deal with insurance, so I’d really prefer it if you just get in the passenger seat and leave this to me, because our agent is a bitch.”

“She’s not that bad,” you said. 

“Every day that I don’t have to call her is a good day,” he said. “Now, are you coming, or should I just leave you here?”

You scoffed even as you ducked into the passenger seat and put on your seatbelt. “You should’ve left me behind. I could’ve caught a ride with Ness. I’m sure he’d be less mean about it.”

“Ha, ha,” Michael said. “That was so funny. Did you recently update my will to make yourself my sole benefactor? Because if so, you’re in luck. I just died. Died of laughter. I’m dead now, which means you’re a rich woman, Mrs. Kaiser.”

“Shut up, you overdramatic oaf,” you said.

“You’re so rude to the man who just made you wealthy,” he said, taking your hand and holding it to his lips as he pulled out of the airport parking lot. “I’m worth more than Ness. Don’t even joke about going with him again. He won’t give you anything when he dies. You’ll be left broke and unhappy.”

“Right, because your net worth is why I agreed to marry you,” you said. “No other reason.”

“That combined with my good looks and my amazing talent, I’m sure,” he said.

“Your humility was only a bonus,” you said. He dropped your hand and shot you a mock glare.

“Just remember who’s in control of this car! What if I crash it? Then you’ll regret everything!” he said.

“You’ll regret it more,” you said. “I’ll make you call the insurance agent.”

“What if I’m on my deathbed?” he said. “What if I’m bleeding out at the scene of the crash? What would you do then, huh?”

“I’d use your phone to call an ambulance, and I’d use mine to call the agent so that you could talk to her while we waited for help to come,” you said.

“Wow,” he muttered. “Cold. We haven’t seen each other in a month and this is how you’re treating me.”

“I did miss you,” you said, resting your temple against the cool glass of the window. “I wish you didn’t have to go all of the way to Japan every year to help out with that program.”

He sighed. “Believe me, if they paid even a dollar less, I wouldn’t. I hate those stupid Blue Lock bastards, and every time I have to interact with them, I lose ten years off of my lifespan. ”

“Oh, no,” you said. “Remind me when you’re about to run out completely. I’ll update your will, just in case.”

“Hilarious,” he deadpanned.

“Really, though, is there anyone you don’t complain about talking to?” you said. “At this rate, you’re not going to have very many years left at all. Will you leave me a widow so soon?”

He gave you a charming grin. “I like talking to you. That’s why I married you.

“Did those Blue Lock boys teach you about this kind of thing alongside soccer?” you said. “I don’t remember you being quite so smooth when you left. Was it Yoichi Isagi? You mentioned him a lot in your texts.”

“Y/N,” Michael said gravely. “I would strip naked, swim in a vat of acid, and then sleep with Don Lorenzo on a bed of nails before I would ever take advice from Isagi.”

“Poor Lorenzo,” you said, laughing at the mental image of what he was describing. “Why’d you throw him under the bus like that?”

“We took the same plane back from Japan,” he explained. “He had a layover here, so you could say he’s just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Jeez,” you said. “Alright, I get it. You just thought about me so frequently and fondly that you came up with these lines all on your own.”

“Exactly,” he said smugly. “I don’t need stupid Isagi to tell me how to impress you. Only I know how to do that, anyways, so why would I ask someone else for help?”

“Sorry for the suggestion,” you said as he pulled into the garage of our home. “And thank you for driving. If only your flight had been a little bit earlier! I really would have driven you back.”

“Next time,” he said, patting your head as he helped you out of the car. “Or I can call a taxi and you can just stay home from now on, so that neither of us are inconvenienced.”

“I wanted to do something nice for you,” you said with a pout, helping him bring his things inside. He smiled slightly, kissing your forehead with the utmost of delicacy.

“Just you being here is nice enough for me,” he said. “Don’t put yourself through so much trouble, okay? The knowledge that you’re waiting at home for me makes me happier than anything else ever could.”

“Okay,” you said reluctantly. “If you say so.”

“I do,” he said. “Let’s get you to bed now, alright?”

“You, too,” you said.

“I will, but on one condition,” he said.

“What?” you said.

“You take my sweater off,” he said. “It’s mine, seriously!”

“Looks like you’re sleeping on the sofa tonight, then,” you said.

“Y/N,” he whined, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing tightly, resting his chin on your shoulder. “You have me now. Aren’t I much warmer and better than a sweater?”

“Hm,” you said. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You guess so?” he said. “Fine. I guess I’ll just see myself back to Japan, then.”

“Don’t do that,” you said. “It’s too cold without you here, and lonely, too. I’ll even take the sweater off if you’ll stay.”

“You’re so unfair,” he said. “How am I supposed to say no to you? You can keep the stupid sweater.”

“And you?” you said. He pinched your cheek affectionately.

“I suppose you can keep me, too.”

[torreshalstead]

On a crowded street in 1944 - Chapter 7

Summary - The four walls of Upton’s General Store were all Hailey knew although she longed to see what else life had to offer. When a handsome soldier walks through the door, she thinks he might just be the answer to the life she wants to have. But it was 1944 and the country was at war. Would fate smile on her or would her heart be another casualty of the war?

Chapters - 7/15

Notes - Fun fact about the inspiration for this story, it actually came from a misheard lyric and this chapter is where that comes into effect. Happy Reading ❤️ AO3 Link

My Beautiful Hailey,

I cannot thank you enough for sending me your picture, it has been close to my heart from the moment it arrived, that is when I am not staring at it. It might sound creepy and I apologise but getting to see your beautiful face again is what is getting me through these long days. We haven’t been blessed with good weather, let us just say that.

Even if I could send you a picture I’m not sure you’d like to see it right now, I am usually covered in mud so please remember me as I was in Chicago. That is how I will look when I come back to you.

I hope you know that when I return, I intend to ask you to be my wife. I do not have much to give but I have my love for you and I hope that will be enough.

I miss you more with each day that passes.

Your love,

Jay

Hailey cried more over this letter than she had at any of its predecessors. He wanted to marry her. She had let herself dream it, hope it, even prayed for it. But he had told her that he wanted her to be his wife. When she closed her eyes that night, her dreams were filled with visions of her in white, arm in arm with Jay - she slept better that night than she had done for weeks.

——————————————————————————

‘Hailey!’ Her father barked loudly the following afternoon when he strolled into the shop. It had been a quiet day which Hailey was thankful for. Her mind was too preoccupied with the contents of Jay’s last letter to deal with too many customer queries today.

‘Yes father,’ she said calmly, knowing that if he was already hooting and hollering, it was best not to get him anymore riled up.

‘Make sure you close up on time today, we’re going out for dinner,’ he said as if he normally made such outlandish suggestions. Hailey couldn’t even recall the last time they had gone out for dinner. It wasn’t something the Upton’s did. Her father always called it a waste of money and a waste of her mothers talent. Which was kind but Hailey knew the former was far more important than the latter. And as much as she tried, Eugenia Upton’s talents in the kitchen still left something to be desired.

‘Out for dinner?’ She questioned, eyes wide.

‘Are you deaf, that’s what I said. We are leaving here as soon as you’ve closed up,’ he said and then with another look up and down at her current attire he added, ‘well once you’ve changed. There’s a stain on your skirt. And do your hair that prissy way you did it the other day. But quickly.’ And with that, he turned heel and stomped up the stairs leaving her alone to ponder what had just happened.

It was unlike her father to ever pay attention to what she was wearing, let alone what she was doing with her hair. He only cared that the store opened and closed on time and a profit was made. Something was off but Hailey had no idea what.

Maybe it was for her birthday, she had turned 18 a couple of weeks ago, but surely if he had wanted to do something for that, it would have been on the day of. He knew when her birthday was, he had wished her a lovely day before he had hurried out the door. It wasn’t the biggest of birthday celebrations but her family had never been one for big celebrations, no fuss was her fathers motto. Unless it was a fuss that was going to get the store and by extension him, good publicity. But surely going out for dinner wasn’t going to do that.

She sighed as she glanced at the clock, still an hour until closing time. An hour to spend considering various scenarios that would make Mr Upton spend his hard earned money on a meal out when they had groceries upstairs. As much as the opportunity to eat at a restaurant would be nice, lovely even, she had plans for the evening. Well her plan was to read Jay’s letter a few more times until she had it completely memorised and then read it again for good measure. She guessed she could always read it when she came home. Hailey was certain they wouldn’t be out late, not when there were new customers to be served the following morning.

Her father didn’t say where they were going but she hoped it was the Italian restaurant at the end of the street. She had often looked in the windows on her walks and seen the neat white table cloths, the lit candles and the plates of pasta and tomato sauce. It always looked the most lovely of places but with her fathers hatred of restaurants, she had never thought she’d get the chance to eat there. And heaven knows she didn’t earn enough to be able to take herself out to a place like that. And it wasn’t done, women didn’t dine alone in public, even the elderly spinsters ate in their own houses unless accompanied by friends or relatives.

But by the sound of what her father was saying, that she should do her hair and wear a dress without stains, not that she had many, maybe her luck was about to be changing.

——————————————————————————

‘Hailey, are you ready yet?’ Her mother asked softly as she knocked and pushed open the door to Hailey’s room. Thankfully, the letter she had been rereading had already been safely tucked under her pillow ready for one more read through before bed. Maybe it was too much, maybe Jay would think she was crazy for reading his words over and over again. But by the tones of his letters, the careful words he put on a page and the wonderful things he said, Hailey didn’t think so.

‘I am,’ Hailey said with a smile, flattening down the front of her pastel yellow dress. It was a little tighter around the chest than it had been since the last time she had worn it but it was stain free as requested. She could have worn the blue dress from her first date with Jay, that was also stain free and wasn’t quite so taunt across her chest but she was sentimental. That dress was special and she wanted to save it, she’d wear it again when Jay came home and she could run into his arms.

‘You look lovely dear,’ her mother said but there was something in her tone that Hailey couldn’t quite place. She was looking at her with tears in her eyes. Hailey knew her mother was more emotional than most but this seemed like something else.

‘Mother-’ she started but before she could ask if she was okay her father stamped down the hall and barked that it was time to leave. Her mother took a deep breath and the moment was over.

Hailey bowed her head a little and obediently followed her mother and father down the stairs and out onto the street.

She still didn’t know where they were going or the purpose of today’s excursion but as they approached Guillio’s and her father stopped to open the door, her stomach rumbled excitedly. She could practically hear the spaghetti calling her name.

‘Table for Upton,’ her father said to the greeter standing just inside the door.

‘Welcome Sir,’ he responded, checking the book in front of him before nodding to a waiter behind him. ‘The rest of your party has already arrived, we shall show you to your table.’

The rest of your party - Hailey was even more confused than she had been when the dinner was initially mentioned. The Upton’s didn’t have any friends, no one they would want to go out for dinner with. She wanted to ask her father what was going on but she could see that his skin had prickled when they got told they were as good as late. Being late was not something he abided by.

She followed closely behind her mother as they were led to a large table towards the back of the room. The table was already occupied by three individuals, without introductions she assumed it was two parents and a son, who looked to be a few years older than her. He was rather plain looking, brown mousy hair and just as dull eyes. Nothing like the emerald orbs that filled her dreams. He was smiling politely at her so she worried she had judged him too quickly. His father, if that was who the older gentleman was, was far smarter dressed than her own father. His brown suit freshly pressed, beard neatly trimmed and Hailey was sure if she took a look at his nails they would be free of grime. Such hands had never seen a day's manual labour in their life.

The woman at the table was just as mousey looking as her assumed son, although she was wearing a frock that Hailey guessed cost more than all of her own clothes combined. Her expression was unsure, not unlike her own mothers. It would appear that the husbands had not had the forefront to provide either wife with any additional information prior to their meeting.

‘Ivan, good to see you,’ the man said, standing up with a hand outstretched which her father accepted and shook before gesturing towards Hailey and her mother.

‘May I introduce my wife Eugenia and my daughter Hailey,’ the brown suited man nodded at them in return. ‘This is Mr Farrell.’ That was clearly all the information they were getting and neither Hailey or her mother were offered an outstretched hand or the opportunity to speak.

‘Pleasure,’ he said, although his eyes were darker now with not a hint of the pleasure he mentioned. ‘My own wife Angelica and son, Oscar Farrell the third.’

Hailey thought it peculiar that he full-named his son but didn’t so much as look at his wife, purely gesturing behind him absentmindedly. It was as if Ivan hadn’t introduced his own family, he wouldn’t have felt the need to do so.

‘Apologies for our tardiness, Hailey here was taking far too long to do her hair,’ her father said and Hailey didn’t fail to notice she had been blamed for the lateness even though the Upton’s had left their residency with plenty of time to get to the establishment. The Farrell’s were simply early.

‘Well, she has such lovely hair,’ Hailey’s mother said quickly in her defence but Hailey wished she hadn’t when she saw the look her father shot her.

‘Yes,’ Mr Farrell said, looking over at Hailey who felt like she shouldn’t have worn such a tight dress with the way his eyes were roaming over here. She pulled her shawl a little closer over here like a safety blanket. ‘Lovely hair,’ he sneered.

With the pleasantries, if you could call them that, over, Hailey’s father took a seat next to Mr Farrell, who by his introduction of his son Hailey assumed was also called Oscar. Her mother sat next to her which was opposite Mrs Farrell which left Hailey at the end of the table next to Oscar.

From what Hailey could hear of her father’s conversation, it appeared to be that he knew Mr Farrell from a business arrangement. She let her mind wander, the inner working of their shop and the attached businesses and suppliers were of little interest to her. The day she no longer had to work in the shop would be a great day indeed.

She felt a nudge to her shoulder and turned to her mother who in turn gestured to the younger Oscar, it would appear her daydream had led to her ignoring something he had said.

‘Sorry Oscar,’ she said with a forced smile. ‘What were you saying?’

‘I was just asking what you like to do in your spare time Miss Upton,’ he asked, straightening his tie with unease.

They were going by titles, that was proper she supposed.

‘I like to read Mr Farrell,’ she said but she could tell immediately that wasn’t the answer he was looking for.

‘Read? But you’ve finished your studies no?’ He asked, as if a woman had no business reading for pleasure. Something her father also agreed with.

‘I have,’ she said, forcing a smile back on her face. ‘I read for pleasure,’ she said but with another small kick under the table from her mother she added, ‘I also like to help Mother with the housework, cooking, cleaning, mending clothes and the like.’

That was a lie, although she did all of those things, she didn’t like them. She tolerated it because she loved her mother and things needed to be done. But she got her joy from reading, although her joy at the moment wasn’t in reading printed novels but in the handwritten letters from her love.

‘Lovely,’ he said and Hailey nodded kindly. He then began telling her all about the fishing he liked to undertake in his own spare time, which he assured her there was little of with all the hard work that went into running Farrell Industries.

The rest of the evening continued in much the same manner, with the men talking and the women listening. Hailey was used to evenings where she didn’t converse, rather was talked at. It was the same in her own home, unless it was just her and her mother, her father steered the conversation topic and only left enough space for his wife to say yes dear or no dear at the correct moments.

At least the food was good, Hailey thought to herself. There had been no beef for the meatballs, the pressure of the war had caused a lack of meat for most restaurants but her spaghetti and tomato sauce had been one of the best things she had ever eaten. Her father had grumbled when he had ordered the steak - a funny thing to order at an Italian restaurant Hailey thought, but the waiter had apologised profusely and offered a complimentary bottle of wine for the kitchen’s lack of the option and that seemed to appease him.

There was a big to do about who was paying the bill which her father won and handed over a stack of notes to cover the cost of the dinner. Hailey had never seen Ivan Upton hand over money for anything before without trying to get the price down. But she imagined whatever the reason for this dinner was, trying to get them to lower the cost wouldn’t give the best impression to their table mates. She hoped whatever the reason was, the evening had been a success. She was tired and didn’t want to be kept awake by her fathers yelling, or worrying about her mother.

——————————————————————————

Hailey shrugged off her dress and tugged on her nightclothes, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around herself before heading towards the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before bed. There was light coming from underneath her parents door which was perfectly normal for this time of night so Hailey paid no heed until she heard her mothers voice filter out into the hallway.

‘So was tonight what you hoped it would be Ivan?’ Hailey could hear the cautious notion in her voice in case the answer to the question was not positive and her father flew into one of his fits.

‘Quite so,’ her father said and Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. ‘It is all agreed and he will do just fine.’

‘Who will do fine?’

‘The boy.’ Hailey’s interest was piqued, he was talking about Oscar Junior, or Oscar the third, whatever his suffix had been. Hailey had assumed the evening was in regard to business dealings with the older Mr Farrell, not his son.

‘Do fine for what?’ Hailey’s mother asked.

‘As a husband. For Hailey.’

[infinitethree]

As soon as Aster shuts the door to his office, he says, “Talk quietly enough and other people won’t hear.”

That seems to finally snap Daz from his trance and get him to shove his arm away. “What the fuck is wrong with you–” “You literally came here specifically to torment me. Me playing into your goddamned act about wanting to be friends should be exactly what you want,” Aster hisses at him.

There’s a scoff, and Daz stalks away from him…and takes Aster’s chair.

“You are such a petty asshole,” Aster mutters, but isn't willing to fight him on that.

He knows for a fact he’ll have way more important battles to fight. He has to pick and choose what to direct his energy towards.

Daz glares at him and kicks his feet up as Aster flops into one of the chairs across the desk.

The bastard snaps, “You literally used one of my weaknesses against me–” “I didn’t actually realize you’re fucking touch starved until you reacted like– like that! Sure, in the future, you’re clingy as fuck–” “With you? I’d rather die.” 

Ignoring the scoff, Aster continues, “Clingy enough that you pass out from getting your hair messed with. I thought it was– I dunno, just a thing about it being someone you care about? But, no! You’re just–”

A vision of the past comes to him. He knows that’s what it is because he doesn’t see any of the usual hallmarks of the future.

…That, and Daz is in that old shoebox of a room he used to live in before he had his house made with Raine.

Oh, fuck, that place is infinitely more fucked up in hindsight actually! Given that hellish, claustrophobic nightmare of a closet in Pogtopia and how there’s only a short window high up with blackout blinds over it in this room…

A odd certainty comes over Aster. Daz was using it as a way to punish himself for his perceived failures and sins.

Past-Daz is drenched in sweat, evidently having woken up from a nightmare. A keening sob escapes him as he curls into himself.

The outside sight is bad enough, but on the inside–

I miss him I miss him he was my brother my friend my mentor, he kept the nightmares at bay with just a hand in my hair. Why why why why WHY?! I haven’t slept in so fucking long, nightmares come back every time. But I can’t even tell anyone.

Anyone but…

The thought trails off, and Daz looks at his clock. It’s the early hours of the morning– earlier than most people would be up.

I can’t tell him either, not really. But I can at least go piss him off– make sure he doesn’t get attached.

Attachments to me are deadly. I need his hatred.

Aster is left with another odd certainty that the person Daz went to go bother was him.

…How many times did he seek Aster out in a fucked up attempt to have some sort of semi-genuine connection? To have someone he could lash out against without it ruining everything he’d built up for so long?

Especially in the months before Khons and Aleph came into the mix…

Daz had nobody who knew the real him.

Nobody but Aster.

Back in the present, Daz glowers at him. Aster can’t even remember his original train of thought; another reminder of exactly how broken this person is makes it hard to fight with as much vehemence.

He sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. “...Look. Now that you know it won’t– literally fucking kill the people you care about? You can be clingy with them. You know that Raine or Lee would be happy to– fuck, I don’t know, sit and watch a movie with you. Shit, Raine would probably help with your nightmares–”

The next vision he sees is the future.

They’re in an unfamiliar room– maybe a hotel? And…cuddling. It doesn’t look like they did anything gross, thank fuck.

Blehg, maybe that’s the wrong expletive for that.

Future-Daz is snuggled up to Future-Aster. The latter is smiling fondly at the former, whose nose is pressed into the crook of his neck.

“You slept better if I just…”

Future-Aster starts messing with Future-Daz’s hair, and he goes boneless.

There’s a soft, amused huff of air from Future-Aster. Future-Daz mumbles, sounding a little dazed, “Feel good…”

“Yeah? You want me to keep doing it?” Future-Aster sounds hopeful– excited, even, at the thought of doing this.

It must be fairly early on, then. He definitely doesn’t see anything that looks like a claim, and if future-him is unsure if this’ll be allowed…that’s the only way that makes sense. Despite that, Future-Aster must already be in pretty deep, based on how he’s smiling so tenderly despite Future-Daz not being able to see it.

Is it method acting, or is it sincere? Aster isn’t sure.

There's a little nod. “Mhm-hmm. Feels like…safety n’ love…” 

That smile grows as Future-Aster presses a kiss to Future-Daz’s hair. “You know I love you. And I’d murder anything that breathed at you funny. I’ll do my best to guard your nightmares, too.”

Aster is yanked to a different time, a different place.

It must be the past, because it's in that blackstone-lined base that Daz once called home.

Daz is sobbing, curled into himself and clutching the lime green hoodie he’s wearing despite seemingly being asleep. Dream seems distressed at the sight, reaching out and–

And getting yanked down so Daz can latch onto him in what seems like a death grip. A small, pained, desperate whimper escapes Daz of, “Don’t leave me.”

Dream seems to abandon any idea of getting up. He gets comfortable, wrapping one arm around Daz and gently, fondly, carding the other through his hair.

It's almost identical to how Future-Aster held him.

“I can't leave,” Dream murmurs.

Daz almost immediately relaxes…but keeps his death grip on his mentor's shirt.

And, finally, Aster understands the depths of the betrayal Daz experienced.

Dream wasn't just his mentor. As Daz said– he was family. This was the person who saved him from what seemed like hellish nightmares and actual danger many times over.

When he’s back in the present, he feels a lump in his throat.

He asks, quietly, “Aren’t you tired of nightmares?” “They’re not as bad if I’m exhausted. All I have to do is overwork myself,” Daz answers, as if that’s an actual solution instead of another way to torment himself.

Aster sighs deeply. “I want to keep hating you, but it’s so fucking hard when I see– so much of why you’re like this. You…”

He doesn’t even know how to finish that. Daz snaps, “I’m what, asshole?”

“You’re not happy. You’re running on fear and spite and have been…god, maybe for forever. Don’t you want something good? Don’t you want to feel at peace instead of hating yourself?”

Daz, instead of being angry about that…laughs. It’s a soft, bitter sound, almost like he resents the idea that that’s even possible.

“Even if I got better, I have a person in my head that would hate me enough for both of us,” Daz scoffs.

Right. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about Innit.

He leans forward and stares Daz down. Daz doesn’t even flinch, merely kicking his chin up as a show of pride.

“Maybe Innit is capable of getting better, too.”

He’s yanked into that white void again, and Innit is suddenly in his face. “Get better? And, what– accept that I’ll always be trapped in here, forced to watch that bastard life a live and be happy–”

Aster, as he’s done on many occasions, makes a snap decision.

He pulls Innit into a hug, carding his hand through its hair.

“I’m going to tell you a secret. The wedding I saw– you were there. In the flesh, happy, and nobody batted an eye.”

A keening sob comes from Innit, even as it shoves its weight against him like its a starving man set before a feast.

He sways a little, keeping his voice gentle like he would with Lee when he’s upset. “So I know it’s possible. I know you could live a life without him. But…not when you’re a threat to everything we care about. Not when we’re worried you’ll try and hurt everyone else.”

“I can’t, I can’t,” Innit wails, shuddering violently. “I can’t let it go, I’ll have nothing left! All I’ve wanted is to die, because– because I have nothing, nothing, and you took my only chance away from me, so you can’t just–”

Aster runs his blunt nails over Innit’s scalp and is startled when it suddenly becomes dead weight. He’s worried for only a second before he realizes that it’s purring, tail swishing like a happy cat.

“You can have something good, though. You can be happy, Innit.”

It mumbles, “I’m a monster. I don’t deserve to be happy.” “...You really are part of Daz, huh? But– no. You’re not a monster. You fucked up and took your fear out on someone completely innocent, yeah, but– but I know Daz, Dream, Theo, myself, and the rest of the Council wouldn’t let you free without you having proven you’re good. Good enough to even come peacefully to the wedding…and, uh– and hand Daz off to me.”

There’s a quiet snort. “That bastard takes the bride’s role?” “Uh, well, Day hands me off to him too, so…”

Innit is quiet, seeming deep in thought as it luxuriates in getting this affection.

…If Daz is touch starved, Innit must be a thousand times worse.

Its pupils, which had dilated, slowly return back to normal. Quietly, it says, “...Not even the Scribe or my friends have offered to free me like that…”

Pupils thinning, it suddenly amends, “Not that I’m not– very grateful to them, of course! I didn’t– I was in hell before. But they can’t give me full freedom. I think my friends want to, but…”

Aster glances around and notices that the creatures are nowhere in sight this time.

“What…are they, anyway?”

It blinks at him. “Observers. Break, Asher, and, uhm– they never told me their name, so I’ve been thinking of them as Mithra.”

The name sounds vaguely familiar, but Aster’s more pressing realization is that he had insulted three different Observers.

…Fuuuuuuck.

Head cocking to the side and studying him in the way that Daz often does, Innit suddenly seems a little amused. “They weren’t happy you called them things, by the way. You might wanna grovel.”

He grimaces, but is distracted from his distress by Innit shoving its head upwards. “Hey, if you’re gonna be nice– keep petting. You’re warmer than the mannequins.”

Aster complies but asks, “Mannequins?” “Yeah, sometimes weird mannequins show up and give me headpats. It’s nice, but they’re not really…warm. Or talkative. Or– capable of much vis-a-vis dexterity. They don’t really have fingers, either.”

Weird.

Innit rambles, “I still– I don’t really like you, you’re annoying and full of yourself and so much like Dream it hurts, but…”

It looks away, an odd expression on its face. Its claws dig into his hoodie, and it mumbles, “But– but if you…if you can save me? If you can free me? I’ll– I’ll do anything.”

There’s such raw misery and desperation in those words that it makes Aster shudder. When Innit meets his eyes again…

It looks less like a person and more like a scared, wounded animal. Something longing so desperately for a scrap of kindness but terrified it’ll only be hurt again– scared that it will lose what little it has.

Quietly, tears welling up in its eyes, Innit tells him, “I’ll devote myself to you like a dog. You think I have any pride left after being trapped for so long? I don’t. Not– not for this. So please…please, let me out. I want to feel the sun; I want to pick out my own music; I want to decide where to look. I want to be a person. Or– not even a person! Being a pet is fine, too. If it’s you on the other end, I don’t even care if you leash me with loyalty. Not– not the same one, obviously, but– but a stable one. I– I know you. I know you wouldn’t abuse it. So…so, it’s okay. It’s better than nothing. It’s better than this.”

That’s– such a horrifying idea on so many levels that Aster can barely breathe.

Why had he been so quick to dismiss Innit? Why had he not questioned what led it to act the way it had– or how its punishment would have made its hatred and resentment fester?

He swallows and pulls it into a fierce hug. “I don’t know that I can stomach that.” “Fuck your discomfort. I’m an eternal prisoner in the head of my jailer, who is also the person who betrayed me. Tell them, please. Tell them I don’t care, not if it lets me out. I’ll even play nice with that bastard if we see each other. Just– just as long as I’m free.”

Voice cracking and tears spilling over, it begs, “Don’t abandon me, too. I can’t take another betrayal. It– it might kill me in all the ways that matter.”

And then he’s back in the office, head swimming as Daz snarls words he can’t hear.

Still dazed, and vaguely aware tears are burning in his eyes, he confesses, “I talked to Innit. I– I saw its life before, too. Daz…” “This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know about it! It tried to kill Lee, you stupid bastard!”

He laughs softly and without humor. “Obviously I’m not happy about that. But I know it’s set free eventually. Shit– do you know what it told me?” “Whatever it needed to to get your sympathy, obviously!”

“It told me that as long as the one on the other end  is me, it’ll let itself be enchanted with loyalty. That it’ll take living as a– as a dog. Daz– Innit may have fucked up, yeah, but…shit, what am I supposed to do with that? We can come up with contingency plans and shit, but I can’t just– do nothing.”

Daz opens his mouth, clearly ready to argue, but Aster leans across the desk and grabs his forearms. Staring him down, he says, “It has three friends who are Observers. Observers, uh, look like animals apparently? Weird animals, though. Not shape, the shapes weren’t that strange. But they were all this– silver and lavender color–”

The bastard suddenly looks alarmed. “Did it swirl and shimmer together? Otherworldly, sorta dream-like?”

He nods.

Daz turns ashen and leans back in his seat. Quietly, a sense of dread in his words, Daz tells him, “Aster…we haven’t been talking to something called the Scribe. We’ve been making deals with Time.”

[legendsofmyriad]

Legends of Myriad: Arc One - Chapter 25: The Determined Soldier

Chapter 24 | Chapter 26

Arc One Masterlist

-- -- -- -- --

For a night that had been marked by the fiercest glass storm Eternity had had in some years, the morning came on nimble feet, white sun smothering the city and insects chirruping in the flower boxes. Patches of puddles and damp dust were the only remnants left as the warmth slowly erased any evidence of the elemental chaos. 

“Bet the cleanup crews will have a mighty job on their hands,” Cas commented, sipping the last of her tea and rinsing the mug in the sink. “Don’t think there’s been a storm that powerful in a fair while.” 

“Must’ve missed it,” Rhena shrugged. She shovelled another spoonful of cereal into her mouth and blinked at Cas’s lifted eyebrow. “What?”

“How you didn’t hear two hundred tons of glass smashing down on the barrier in the space of a few hours and a thunderstorm to boot, I will never know.”

“Slept through worse.” 

At the faint pad of bare feet joining them, Cas retrieved a set of cutlery from the drawer. “Good morning, Alek. Did you sleep well?” 

“Once the storm died down,” he responded. “Are they usually like that?” 

“We haven’t had one that bad in years and hopefully won’t again for some time,” Cas said. “Oh, here.” She handed him an empty bowl and encouraged him to take a seat at the table, trays arranged neatly in the centre and overflowing with pastries and bread rolls of varying varieties. “Grab whatever you want.”

“Your phone thing rung a few times,” Rhena told him, motioning to the countertop where Alek’s tablet lay beside the chopping boards. As though it heard her, it vibrated and trilled against the scratched worktop. “And there it goes again.” 

“Sorry,” Alek said as he scooped it up off the side. “I’ll take this in the other room.” 

Juggling a bowl of seeded slices and pastry rolls in one hand and his tablet in the other, he hurried into the sitting room, nudging the door closed with his hip and answering the call with a jabbed swipe. 

“Where have you been?” Professor Spark demanded. The signal peaked and dropped and his usually level voice crackled within the struggling transmission until it established a clear connection. 

“Sleeping,” the student replied, sinking into the heap of cushions on the armchair. “Not all of us have the luxury of a three hundred year nap.”

“This is not time for jokes. There has been a breakthrough with our research which may bring us closer to waking The Core.” 

Alek carefully balanced the tablet on his legs and savoured the aroma of the buttery pastry as he tugged at the gooey, cheese-covered morsel and popped it into his mouth. An assortment of garlic and spices accompanied the bite, mingling on his tastebuds in a delectable waltz. 

“Alek?” 

“I’m still here.” He set the distracting bowl aside and wiped his fingers clean of the flaky specks. “What do you need me to do, professor?” 

“I require a vial of untainted temporal essence from metal bugs known as laycrawlers. They sleep beneath the sands of Eternity, but I can provide you the locations of a few hives close by.”

“Is it easy to get, or does it need something specific?” 

“Use a tearing spell to extract the essence, but please be precise. A complex enchantment holds those frightful creatures in a deep slumber. If they wake, the stars above only know what havoc they could unleash.”

“Frightful creatures?” Alek blurted. “I thought you said they were bugs.”

“Oh, they are, but they… well, let us just say they more than make up for their size.”

A restless prickle crept up Alek’s spine and his tongue went dry. Flickers of his ordeal with the last cave creature flashed within his vision, but he blinked it away. The professor wouldn’t assign him the task unless it was crucial to the preservation of Myriad. 

“As long as you withdraw the temporal essence slowly, you should be perfectly fine,” Bartholomew promised. “Watch for any spikes in the resting spell and take your time. No other critters dwell near laycrawler hives, so you should not be disturbed.” 

Alek cleared the sticky knot from his throat. “Slow and steady,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. 

“Precisely. Contact me as soon as you have it.” 

“Received and understood.” After reaffirming the dangers of the plan and exchanging a brief farewell, Alek snatched the tablet and his breakfast and traipsed back to the kitchen. Two sets of eyes found him, silent questions weighing on his shoulders. 

“Is everything all right?” Cas asked, soap suds covering her hands as she scoured at a piled array of oily pots. 

“Professor Spark needs me to find something for him in the caves below Eternity,” Alek said. “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

With the slightest whiff of an intrepid adventure teasing her nostrils, Rhena’s focus grew sharper, homing in on the charming scent. She spun in her seat and rubbed her greasy fingers on her torn jeans. “I can help. Whatever it is, it’ll be quicker in the car.”

“You have done more than enough,” Alek assured her. 

“I wouldn’t keep her away,” Cas chuckled, removing some of the bare bowls from the table and submerging them in the soapy dishwater. “She’ll only follow you out there.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love my plucky spirit,” Rhena said. 

Cas pretended to ruminate, exaggerating her expressions with a curled lip and a scrunched brow until a bright grin pushed at her cheeks. “Just promise to be careful. Both of you. Last thing we need is you both getting hurt.”

* * *

A citrus scented tendril escaped from the simmering tea pot on the stovetop. Cas ran a cloth over the smudges where the steam had painted the windowpanes white and patted on the glass. From the flower boxes outside, a cluster of feathered scavengers scattered into the sky with a flutter and a screech. 

“The florist on the corner said that soil should stop the birds from stealing the seeds,” Cas huffed, “but they’re still trying to get at them.” She wandered back over to the table as Rhena finished laying out the map of Azuris and the surrounding lands, pen poised to plan their route. 

“Professor Spark advised I head for Ridgebolt Hollow,” Alek said, re-reading the list of instructions. 

“That would be here,” the racer murmured as she circled the cavern. “There’s a blister lake right by it, so we won’t be able to take the car too close, but there are some spots where it should be safe.” Muttering to herself, she meticulously charted looping tracks and noted risky zones. The outline of roads became a chaotic canvas of symbols and scrawled warnings, forming a trail that extended all the way to the capital. 

Cas scratched at a patch of dry skin on her arm and cradled her elbow. “Would it not make more sense to go around that pass?” she suggested, nail tapping the canyon in question. “Azuris authorities have reported multiple bandit strikes hijacking vehicles and taking hostages.” 

“Ah. That’s true.” A series of contemplative hums warbled behind Rhena’s pursed lips and she scribbled out a length of road. “We also have scorch spots near there, so we may have to bypass that completely and head to the steeper dunes. It’ll take longer to reach the hollow, but we should still get there and back before nightfall.”

“I’d avoid the north-east trail too. They’re swarming with Sand Tails this time of year.”

With a thoughtful mutter, Rhena marked off the right sector of the map and tapped the capped end of the pen to her chin. The perils that lingered beyond the city barrier eliminated multiple convenient options, narrowing them down until only one route out of the capital remained. “Okay, we’ll head out the western gate and take the road down here…” She traced a fluid line along curved courses, and wound it slowly towards Ridgebolt. “If we get into any trouble at the pass, we can travel north for a bit, so we have a backup track for this stretch. That should lead us straight to the caves in the east. There is every possibility we could encounter a few bumps during the dune tract, but if we’re quick, we should avoid the worst of it.”

“That will also save you some time if you have to go round the valley,” Cas pointed out. 

They discussed other potential routes and Alek understood only odd pieces of the conversation, but he opted to hold his curiosity and let them plan without interruption. His hosts would safeguard him from the most treacherous parts of Eternity; that much he was certain of.

“I’ll make a list of supplies,” Cas said, tearing a loose piece of paper from her notepad and selecting a pen from the pile. 

“I have my magic too,” Alek offered. “It should provide some form of defence.”

“Even against dust worms?” Rhena asked.

“What’s a dust worm?” 

Rhena’s eyes transformed into a foreboding storm, and every shred of cheerfulness in her disappeared. “Dust worms are terrifying beasts that linger beneath the sand. Monstrous creatures, bigger than cities, spines down their backs that spit out toxins and so many layers of teeth you can’t see them all unless you’re inside its mouth. They’re so quick that by the time you’ve thought to run, it’s already got you.” Just as the horrifying image began to unfold, a prod to her arm cut it short, and she rubbed at the poked spot with a grumble. 

“Quit scaring him,” Cas reprimanded. “He has had enough frights.”

“The worms don’t actually exist,” Rhena assured Alek, the mischievous glint returning. “They’re only tales to stop folk from venturing out without proper knowledge of how to cross the terrain.” 

“A cautionary tale some of us take far too much pleasure in telling,” Cas remarked, her glance at her partner laced with a subtle scolding. 

“Can you imagine if they were real, though? Admit it, a beast of the scale would be pretty cool.”

“Yeah, in the seconds before it started destroying cities and killing people.” Cas snatched her jacket from the hook and her keys from the bowl. “If you’ve finished terrifying the poor lad, I’ll get the supplies. Shouldn’t be too long. Don’t you go telling him more horror stories.” 

“I won’t,” Rhena promised, holding her hands up in an apologetic surrender. 

Cas directed a pleading look at her before she departed, and as the side door closed with a soft click, the whirring hum of the ventilation filled the otherwise quiet kitchen. 

“Since the gateways opened, she has refused to talk about stuff like that,” Rhena explained. Alek’s eyes bore into her, full of concern, but she ignored the restrained questions and busied herself with clearing away the map. “People began talking about creatures coming through and terrifying things, and I’ve tried telling her it’s not going to happen again but… this is how it all started last time.”

“Last time?” Alek asked. 

“Azuris came under attack from a creature out in the sands about eight years back. Not a dust worm, but it was big enough to break our shields. We managed to subdue it and get it far from the city, but our former leader was so shaken he introduced laws that allowed the guards to bring down anything that moved in the dunes. Only he made a mistake. He ended up killing a family who were travelling home, ordering his soldiers to shoot into the dust cloud, thinking it was another monster. None of them survived.”

Alek’s breath escaped his lips in a solemn exhale. He stood frozen, captivated and waiting for Rhena to proceed with her unfortunate recollection. 

“Their loved ones were devastated, speaking out about how they’d called in their position and confirmed their licence to the gate towers, so there was no reason to fire at them,” she continued. “It was a horrid mess, nobody got any straightforward answers, and our leader coldly declared that some will die for a greater cause. Later on, we found out that he had been illegally hunting and killed the first creature’s entire clutch. It followed him back here and attacked. He tried to cover it up by claiming all sorts of superstitious nonsense was involved. For some, it was enough of an explanation and they believed him, taking matters to rather nasty extremes.”

“Was that what caused the rebellion?” 

Halting in clearing up the table, Rhena pressed her palms into the scraped wood and nodded, jaw tensing and throat bobbing with a hard swallow. “Those that rejected his lies got angry, and that anger spread, didn’t contain itself to Azuris. By the end, it generated such chaos. Eternity has always prided itself on its hospitality and its kindness, and all it took to break that was a single person.” 

Alek slumped against the countertop, the heaviness of her story weighing down on his soul. That hopelessness was a familiar friend, and he knew the consequences of a corrupt authority better than most his age. One word, a tiny thought, and…

He coughed and straightened up, uncrossing his arms. That time was over, for both Solgarde and Eternity, and hope would prosper anew. “When dark clouds descend, breathe in your strength to blow them away,” Alek said, repeating the words of a Sunbreak captain he had once had the privilege to meet during class. “When darkness falls, we must be a beacon. The sun will always rise again.”

He turned his gaze towards his host, his youthful eyes brimming with faith.

Rhena sensed the warmth of hope radiating from him, as if he carried an unshakable belief that dark times do not remain forever. That good would undoubtedly prevail. “The sun will always rise,” she affirmed, with a smile that mirrored his own calming optimism. “I’m sorry if I scared you with the dust worm stuff.”

“It’s all right,” Alek assured her. “You were only teasing.”

“Could your magic take down a monster?” she asked. 

“Depends on the monster. Not all of them are massive, snarling beasts. Some look like you and me.”

“From what you’ve told me, we both know enough about those kinds of monsters,” Rhena sighed, returning the cap to the pen and planting it on top of the compact map. She headed for the door and motioned for him to join her outside on the sheltered driveway. “Didn’t think you were in for a comfy afternoon, did you? Get moving. You can help me with the car.”

* * *

With each passing hour, a delicate crispness permeated the city with the promise of a cool evening and a temperate night. Having endured multiple nights of unbearable heat, Alek eagerly awaited a more comfortable and refreshing sleep. Just one slumber without being jarred awake by the stifling hot weather or the haunting images of the cave creature that hounded his dreams. 

As he walked, the paper bag in his arms rustled and bumped. With a steady grip, the contents settled. He and Rhena had almost completed the car repairs before they had encountered a fault, and unable to locate the missing item in the storeroom, they ventured into town to pick it up. Not that he minded. His keen host entertained him with a plethora of amusing fables and responded to all his budding questions while they wandered. 

“There used to be a guy who ran that bakery,” she told him with a whimsical grin as they passed the storefront in question. “My mum took me in there every weekend, and he always gave me an extra cookie and a pork roll for my dad. Fed a lot of us during weather spikes too when power went out and people lost all the food in their refrigeration units.” 

“I don’t think I’ve been there yet,” Alek said, gazing up at the sapphire and gold logo on the flag. 

“Then once this business of yours is done, I’ll take you there. You have got to try the rolled peach pastries. Oh, and the cones. They’re delicious. It’s like wafer with pieces in it, coated in melted chocolate.” 

The sugary treats sounded so tempting he was, for a brief second, willing to abandon their task just to glimpse the baked goods. While Solgarde’s feasts and banquets were renowned for their culinary accomplishments, the sweet delicacies of Eternity surpassed anything he had ever tasted. He wanted to absorb everything and bring back a treasure trove of delectable delights to his friends as they exchanged tales of their daring exploits.  

The thought of Esther and Oscar spiked in his chest. Although he found much to enjoy in the home of glass, his own home sung to him across the miles, waiting for him to return. One day soon, he told the lamenting melody. I promise. 

They navigated the sharp corners and long, dusty stretches of road, and made it to the outskirts. Exiting the last shop on their list, Alek stared at the wreckage of the vector arena on the other side of the street. Some of the shops had suffered minor damage, but remained in good enough condition to continue serving their customers. 

“Rhena,” he said, motioning with his elbow to the tumbled stadium as the racer stuffed a tightly wound coil into the paper bag under her arm, “do you mind if I look inside? I’ll only be a few minutes.” 

“Sure. I’ll join you.”

Alek hesitated, not wanting to make her uneasy or provoke any painful memories given her previous experience. But she smiled as though the question didn’t need to be asked, assuring him with a sunshine glow that she was okay. 

The entrance was littered with debris, but the tunnel stood firm, supporting the archway above. Wilting flowers sunk into the chalky passage and created a decaying path into the arena. More browning petals and snapped stems accompanied the burned out candles and stone offerings. Police tape fluttered, severed and useless against the flood of worshippers who had since abandoned the site, their prayers unanswered and their patience spent. 

Tablet in hand, Alek glided it along the pulsating column of light that cut through the centre of the track. The fluctuations had decreased, and the charts displayed a consistent trajectory. Although the readings forecast no more gateway-induced quakes for Eternity, The Core remained dormant, and without a guardian, catastrophe still loomed.

“Everything looking good?” Rhena asked, craning to get a peek at his tablet.

“Seems to be,” Alek answered. He collated the data and sent it to the lab, anxiously hoping that Bartholomew would be able to confirm the status of the gateway soon. 

Startled by his guide’s unexpected closeness, he registered her sincere smile and the flicker of doubt in her eyes. “We can leave now. I understand being here is uncomfortable for you.”

“It’s not that,” she said, bristled hints of concern crawling up her throat. “Whenever I’m close to that light, I can hear… something. Sometimes it sounds like words, and other times it’s different.”

“I can’t hear anything,” Alek replied. He strained his ears, hoping to catch whatever Rhena was listening to, but all he discovered was a mechanical churn and an intermittent magic-infused hiss. “Might be the mechanisms or the wind. It is fairly breezy round here.”

Rhena knew he was only trying to calm her mind, to find a logical explanation, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of someone else’s presence, whispering to her through the gateway. Muttering, like a distant conversation in which she could pick up voices but nothing discernible.  

“Come on,” Alek said kindly, hoisting the paper bags once more. “Let’s get these parts back. The car won’t fix itself.”

“Too right,” Rhena chuckled. She allowed him to lead her out, but not before she stole a brief look at the pervading ray of light on the odd chance she would detect what it was so eager to tell her. 

-- -- -- -- --

If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider reblogging. Reblogging helps to get work out there and seen.

[spirantization]

Thank you everyone for seeing my vision. This idea has been giving me joy over the past few days so I have no choice but to realize the gremlins in my head. In the year 2023 I have outlined and started writing Doctor Who fic; not on my bingo card.

My preferred method of writing is to not tell anyone anything and then show up suddenly and vomit some words onto fandom's doorstep before disappearing into the ether once more. But just this once I will share. A tiny bit.

—

Contrary to his own expectations, and the betting pool the Doctor suspected everyone in the household was in on, it took him longer than a week to crack.

It took eight days, to be precise.

“This one is Rose,” Donna said, rounding the top of the stairs and pointing to the left. “Mum stays in that one when she’s over, and Shaun and I have the room with the ensuite at the end of the hall.” She pointed to the opposite end of the hallway. “There’s you. Grandad stayed in that one until the stairs got to be too much for him. We’ve been keeping it as a guest bed, but it’s got a lovely window looking out over the garden. You’ll like it.”

The Doctor shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “I don’t, strictly speaking, need a room,” he said. “I’ve got the TARDIS, you know? I can stay in there. Got a room and everything.” Theoretically. Somewhere. He’d had a room at one point, he was fairly certain — oh yes, it got purged that one time the TARDIS needed a bit of extra thrust to make it back to the universe, and he’d never gotten around to getting her to build another one. It just hadn’t felt necessary, not when he could get all his sleep in on the jump seat or that nice armchair in the library.; he slept so much less than all his friends, anyway. But Donna didn’t need to know all of that.

Donna looked at him as though she did, in fact, know all of that. “I’m not even going to bothering answering that one, mate,” she told him. “You’re staying here, you’re sleeping inside. I’m not having you outside like a dog in a shed.”

“Thanks, Donna.” It came out a bit more acerbic than he’d intended. He jerked his head to the side and focused on the closest thing at eye level — the name plaque on Rose’s door. It was a novelty thing, probably picked up from a vendor on a boardwalk somewhere. Her name was written in cursive over an orange sunset. He pulled a hand from his pocket and traced the edge of the plaque, his fingertips brushing against the unevenly applied varnish.

“Hey.” Donna captured his hand and tugged it closer to her. He looked down then, at his hand in hers. “It’s been the craziest past couple of days — or day. I don’t even know how long it’s been, we’ve just kept going. I need to lie down and not move for twelve hours, and I think you do too. So let’s not — argue. Not tonight.”

The Doctor raised his eyes to hers. Of course she was tired. He shouldn’t be making trouble for her, not when they’d run the entire breadth of the universe and back. And wasn’t this the whole point? To spend time, to stay in place, to rest? He let out a breath that seemed to go on for a while. “You’re right,” he told her, because Donna always appreciated being told she was right. “I could do with a kip, even. Bi-generation really took something out of me.”

She groaned and dropped his hand.

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “Eh? Eh? Don’t tell me I haven’t still got it.”

“If I’m too tired to argue, then I’m definitely too tired for puns.”

“But puns are fine when it’s Isaac Newton and the TARDIS is on fire and hurtling us all over time and space?”

Donna turned on her heel and marched down the hall. “Go to bed!” she called back at him.

On the one hand, I think Fourteen should attend the companion support group so that everyone can share their grievances. He treated a lot of them quite poorly and they deserve the opportunity to express their feelings, and the Doctor needs to make amends as part of his own journey of healing.

On the other hand, I think Fourteen should be so pathetic that no one wants to yell at him. He shows up with his giant sad eyes like "I'm taking some time off travelling the universe because I realized I was using it as an unhealthy coping mechanism for millennia of trauma. I'm sorry dragging you all down with me. I'm seeing a grief counsellor about the death of several friends and the destruction of my homeworld. Yeah, I live in my friend's backyard now. Donna made me a chore chart and I get a sticker every time I wash the dishes. We're going shopping after this because she says I'm not allowed to wear the same clothes every day. I have to wait a whole week between episodes of the Great British Bake Off." and everyone's like oh what the fuck. I can't say anything now, he's got the constitution of tissue paper.

[scumbagg]

NSFT/18+

Space Ghost Coast to Coast

A/N: I purely wrote this as Bell instead of Y/N since I can’t bring myself to write Y/N fics 😂 

I recently finished MW2 and needed some Ghost food to heal my broken heart after the traumatic betrayal I witnessed. Also maybe a bit of DadPrice! giving a lecture. Here goes nothing..

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x Fem Bell

Word count: 3252

Warnings: smut, injury (gunshot), blood, swearing.

“Eyes up, scouts patrolling up ahead.”

Price’s voice in your earpiece came through at the exact moment the two men appeared in your line of vision 40 metres in front of you.

“Dropped him.”

Aiming your sniper, the guard trailing slightly behind fell to the ground before you’d even had time to place your finger on the trigger. Taking aim at the other man’s head, your rifle made almost no sound as you took him out a second later.

“Nice shot. Move up.”

“Thanks.” You whispered back. You turned back for a moment to the place you knew Price was laying hidden almost 90 metres behind you.

“Move, Bell. We won’t have much time before more patrols come along and find those bodies.” Soap’s whispered voice now, also in your earpiece - but you knew he was somewhere to the right of you hidden in the long grass. You crawled quietly through the grass. You heard the brush whispering slightly either side of you as the bodies of Soap and Ghost moved up to flank with you.

“Hold up, two more tangoes patrolling the fence line.” Price murmured a moment later. “Take ‘em out, or let ‘em move on. Your call Bell”

“No stragglers.” You whispered back. You heard the pops from Ghost’s and Soap’s suppressed guns as they took out the two guards ahead.

“Good call.” Price confirmed. “Can’t see anymore inbound. You’re in the clear. House up ahead is empty. We’ll regroup inside.”

“Roger.”

Standing up, you scanned the area out of precaution for more enemies. Satisfied, you nodded to the other two men to move up. The three of you passed the fence line and had almost made it to the back door of the house when it happened.

You heard it before you felt it. The sound of a pistol being fired in your direction had you spinning to face the direction it came from, when suddenly you felt white hot pain erupt in your left shoulder. Dropping to the ground, the sound was over almost as quickly as it started, but your eyesight went black as you squeezed your eyes shut in pain and gripped your shoulder as blood poured through your fingers.

“Bell!” The scream came from within your earpiece at the same time Ghost shouted your name, making your ear throb in pain. You hardly noticed with the burning coming from your shoulder, but you still flinched.

“What the fuck was that?!” You gritted through your teeth.

“One of the guards back there wasn’t as dead as we thought. He fucking is now. Don’t worry darlin’, you’re gonna be alright.” Ghost pried your hand away from your shoulder and replace them with his own. “Soap, get me the medi-kit from your pack, quick!”

“Darlin’?!” Soap laughed as he handed Ghost the pack. Frowning, he looked down at the two of you.

“He’s taking the piss.. it’s an inside joke.. had to be there.” You said through gritted teeth, glaring into Ghost’s glasses. Ghost said nothing as he worked on stopping the bleeding, but the minimal supplies in the kit weren’t doing much.

“Fuck!” Ghost said in a panicked voice. You were starting to feel drowsy, and the sight of all the blood was making you queasy. You could feel your head starting to spin, threatening to send you into unconsciousness.

“Ghost, she’s gonna be fine. Look, the bullet went straight through.” Soap said calmly, pointing at the bullet lodged in the brick in the wall just behind where you’d been standing. “It’s a clean wound, it’ll just need stitches.”

“Fine. We’ve gotta get her back ASAP. I’ll take her, you and Price grab the intel.”

“No, I’ll take her.” Price came into view, rifle slung over his back. “You’re the one that’s better with technology, you’ll get the intel quicker from the computer. Someone’s bound to have heard those gunshots, we’re sure to have company soon. C’mon Bell.” Price hoisted you up under your uninjured arm, replacing Ghost’s hands with one of his. Stumbling, you gripped Price’s arm for support. Looking over at Ghost, you noticed his eyes tighten behind his sunglasses, but he nodded in assent.

“Let’s get moving,” Price commanded, nodding at the other two. “Soap, Ghost, I’ll send for another chopper to pick you up. See you boys at home.”

*****

  Fourteen stitches and a bandaged shoulder later, the infirmary staff finally let you leave. Pushing open the exit door to the outside, you found Price leaning against a jeep waiting for you.

“What are you still doing here?” You asked suspiciously.

“Thought I’d give you a ride home. It’s a bit of a far walk and I assumed you’d be too hopped up on pain killers to drive yourself.” He replied, opening the passenger door courteously.

“Oh… thanks.” You said, taken aback by the display of kindness. It’s not that Captain Price was unkind; he’d just never shown any outward kindness outside of the field. You were surprised that he’d thought to even come back for you.

The two of you drove in silence for a few moments, before the question you were burning to ask broke its way out of your control.

“Did the other two make it back okay?” You tried to sound casual, but your insides were turning with worry.

“Yeah, they got back about an hour ago, no issues.” Price answered, concentrating on the road.

“And the intel?”

‘Acquired.” Price gruffed.

“Hmm, very good.” You stared straight ahead, watching the sun settle in the west. This was the first time in a non-formal environment you’d ever spent a moment alone with the Captain, and you weren’t sure how to make small talk with him. You sat in silence as Price drove you through the city. You wondered how he knew where you lived when it occurred to you that being a member of his team, he’d know where everyone lived. Not that you spent much time in your own house these nights. You thought back to a few nights ago...

The sound of Price clearing his throat awkwardly pulled you out of your reverie. Looking over at him, you watched as he shifted in his seat and waited for him to speak.

“What is it?”

Price sighed. “Look, I really don’t want to have this conversation. But I’ve told him the same thing I’m telling you now. This is one of the best task forces I’ve ever worked with, and I don’t want anything fucking that up. Understood?”

You felt your calm composure slip through the cracks as your eyes widened in panic. You glanced over to see him still staring straight ahead, his mouth set in a hard line.

“Wait, you know about-”

“Of course I fucking know.” Price snapped, watching you out of the corner of his eyes. Shit, so maybe he did know where you actually slept after all. “I know everything that goes on in my team. Look,” he said calmly. “I don’t give a fuck what you get up to in your spare time. It’s like I told him, I’m not going to report it. It’s not been an issue yet. Just don’t let it affect you on the job.”

“I haven’t! I’ve been so careful about trying to keep it professional while we’re on a mission!” Your heart raced at the fact you had been caught out.

“I know you have, Bell. But that man is head over heels for you, in case you hadn’t realised. I’m concerned he’ll let his feelings for you get in the way of the job. Look at today – he’s the best man on our team for tech, and he was willing to throw the whole job, just out of pure panic for you.” Price sighed again. “I’m not sending either of you away. I just needed to remind you of the main reason we are here. If you two can’t handle that, I’ll be forced to find someone to take your place on the team.”

“Does anyone else know?” You asked quietly.

“I don’t think so, but if Simon continues on the way he was today, I doubt it’ll be long until Soap catches on.” Price grimaced, then looked over at you. “Darlin’,” he grinned.

“Ughhh,” you groaned as Price pulled up outside what you now realised wasn’t your house. “I can’t believe he let that slip out.” You unbuckled your seatbelt, careful not to move too much that it pulled at your stitches. Opening your door, you looked back at Price. “Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it.”

Price smiled and nodded in response. “Don’t be too harsh on him about today,” he said, looking over your shoulder as you heard the front door open behind you. You closed the door and waved as the jeep drove away.

*****

  All your anxiety from the conversation with Price suddenly turned to irritation as you turned to face the man in the doorway. You stormed towards him, your uninjured shoulder hitting his lower abdomen as you barged your way past him into the hallway.

“Bell-” he began.

“Get out of my way, Simon. I need a fucking shower.” You snapped irritably.

“Here, let me help-”

“No.”

“Bell!” Simon pleaded.

“What the fuck was that today?!” You snarled. “You might as well just fucking announce to the whole place that we’re together!” You began climbing the stairs towards the bathroom, but stopped halfway there. Staying angry wasn’t one of your strong suits, and seeing him standing pleadingly in the hallway washed away your irritation. “Look,” you sighed heavily, coming back down the stairs so you were eye level with him. “I just had the lecture of a lifetime from Price. I can’t lose what we have here Simon, and he warned if we couldn’t keep it professional out there, then one of us would be replaced.” You stepped towards him, reaching for him in both apology and forgiveness. You placed a hand on his masked jaw, your thumb stroking along his hard cheekbone.

“I’m sorry for today,” he said apologetically, leaning his cheek into your hand. “Seeing you injured and in pain, all that blood… I panicked.”

“It’s okay,” you soothed. Smiling up at him, you smacked his arm playfully. “You’re silly, you know that right. Even I knew it wasn’t bad, and you’ve seen way more injuries than I have. I can’t imagine how you would’ve been if Soap hadn’t been there to pull your head in.”

Simon wrapped his arm around your head, resting his hand at the base of your skull and pulled you in for a hug. You lifted your other arm to place it around his waist and winced. It didn’t go unnoticed.

“How are you feeling anyway, darlin’?” He stepped back to survey you.

“Rubbish. These pain killers are doing their job, but I feel disgusting. I really do need a shower.” You looked over your shoulder towards the bathroom. “I uh... might need a hand actually,” you said awkwardly, wondering how you were going to manage without getting your stitches wet. Surprisingly, this was your first major injury, given your line of work.

“C’mon,” he said, pulling you towards the bathroom.

 Simon turned on the shower and helped you undress, helping remove your shoes, pants and underwear, aware of your fresh wound as he carefully pulled the shirt from your arms and over your head. His eyes filled with remorse as they fell on your injured shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, darlin’,” he whispered. “That guy that shot you… that’s the one I took down. I didn’t know he wasn’t dead.” He looked away sadly.

“Hey,” you grabbed his chin gently and turned his head so he was looking you squarely in the eyes. “It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself, no one else does. I’m fine.”

“But what if it had been worse? What if that bullet had landed here?” Simon touched your forehead. “Or here,” he said, touching the base of your throat. “What if-”

“Don’t think about it,” you said firmly, pulling his hand from your neck. “Simon, I said I’m fine.” Still holding his hand, you pulled it up to your lips. “There is one thing I am annoyed about, though,” you smirked as you kissed his fingers.

Simon looked at you quizzically. “Why am I the only one naked right now? Surely you’re not gonna shower in your clothes.” You stepped inside the shower, letting the water run over your head, careful to avoid letting it hit your left shoulder.

Simon’s eyes squinted, and you knew he was smirking behind his mask as he removed the rest of his gear and dumped it on the ground next to yours. As always, his mask was the very last thing he removed. No matter how comfortable Simon was with you, and no matter how many times you’d seen him without it, there were certain insecurities that were too deeply ingrained. The last piece of Ghost removed, and only Simon stood in front of you.

Simon stepped in the large shower with you. Grabbing a face washer and pouring body wash on it, he gently helped scrub off the dried blood that had made its way down your torso. He shampooed, conditioned and brushed your hair, knowing you couldn’t lift your arm to wash any dried blood that had knotted in there. Once you were clean, you grabbed the other face wash and carefully, with your good arm, moved it across his chest and abdomen. He watched as you gently made circles on his large shoulders and down his muscular arms.

You wrapped your good arm around the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “Don’t be too long,” you smiled as you stepped out of the shower and wrapped yourself in a towel.

Walking to the dresser, you pulled out some clothes and attempted to get dressed but you couldn’t pull the shirt over your head. You sighed, and sat on the bed resignedly, still in your towel. You heard the shower stop running, and Simon stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Here,” you beckoned, reaching for him. Simon came to stand in front of you, standing in between your legs. You leaned forward and kissed his stomach, feeling the warm skin beneath your lips raise with goose bumps. You tugged on his arm, pulling him down towards the ground. He knelt, still between your legs, and leaned forward to bury his face in your neck. Almost a whole foot of height difference between the two of you, yet you were the only person who could bring Simon Riley to his knees.

Your good arm snaked its way around his broad back, tracing his spine, down to his hips to the edge of the towel. You heard Simon’s breath quicken, still lightly kissing your neck, when your fingers made their way around to the front of his towel and tugged it loose, letting it fall to the floor.

You lightly brushed your fingers down his stomach and over his navel, until you reached the base of his shaft. You felt Simon’s breath hitch as you gripped it in both hands.

“Bell..” he groaned.

“Mmm?”

He brought his mouth round to yours, kissing you deeply. His mouth trailed back along your jaw to your ear. “Why am I the only one that’s naked?” You felt his smirk against your cheek as he repeated your line back to you.

“Maybe you should fix that,” you whispered back.

Simon wasted no time in removing your towel and throwing it across the other side of the room. You laid back on the bed as he trailed kisses down your chest, taking a nipple in his mouth and thumbing circles around the other. Your hands threaded themselves through his thick hair as you massaged his head. Simon’s hands followed his head as he made his way down your stomach and down your navel, his hands gliding over your hips and massaging up and down your thighs.

You threw your head back and moaned in pleasure as he buried his face between your legs, his mouth sucking and licking at your clit. You gasped as you felt one of Simon’s fingers enter you, then two, and he slowly picked up a rhythm as his mouth and fingers worked in synch. You could feel your walls begin to tighten as you got closer to your orgasm.

“Stop,” you gasped. Simon looked up quickly.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked worriedly.

“Not at all,” you tugged at his arm so he pulled himself so he was hovered above you. “I need you in me right now,” you purred as you pulled his head down, his lips crashing to meet yours.

You reached down and grabbed his length firmly, stroking it. Simon’s eyes glazed over with lust as he moved his head back to your neck. Guiding him, you positioned him at your entrance.

“You sure?” he asked huskily. You knew he was teasing. He knew exactly what you wanted.

“Yes,” you breathed.

You both groaned with pleasure as he entered you, filling and stretching you out. Simon set a slow pace at first, until he was sure you had adjusted to him, then quickened the pace. His hands moved to your waist as he slammed into you, holding you in place so you didn’t move around too much. He pulled your legs over his shoulders and you gripped his forearms, lost in pleasure.

Simon leaned forward and your legs dropped to his waist. He took one of your breasts in his mouth. You moaned in ecstasy as he hit the sweet spot inside of you.

“Simon.. I think I’m gonna-” you gasped.

Still inside of you, Simon pulled you on top of him as he rolled onto his back. “Not yet, you’re not.”

“Owwwww!” You winced as the action pulled tightly at your left shoulder.

“Fuck! Sorry! You okay?” He asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” you moaned as you picked up the pace again. You brought your legs either side of his waist and pulled his hands to your breasts as you lowered yourself onto him, taking him completely. Now in control, you could feel every movement and every angle as you took him deep inside you.

Simon gripped your breasts firmly as he felt your walls begin to tighten. “C’mon, darlin’,” he groaned. “I’m not far off, myself.”

“I’m gonna come,” you whined. You rocked your hips back and forth and threw your head back as your walls clenched around him. You rode your orgasm out, and heard Simon groan as his own orgasm erupted into you. You fell on top of him, exhausted and satisfied.

Simon gently rolled you off him and onto the bed as he got up to get some water. Your eyes followed him, appreciating his finely sculpted body as he walked to the sink in the ensuite, grabbing a glass off the nightstand and filling it with water. He met your eyes as he walked back to the bed.

“What?” He asked bashfully as he handed you the water, aware of his nakedness.

“You’re beautiful,” you smiled drowsily, taking the glass.

Simon chuckled. “Are you sure you’re okay? They must be some strong drugs they gave you.”

“Hmmm... never better” you sighed as you handed the water back to him. Despite what you said, sleep was already pulling you under.

Simon leaned in and kissed your forehead.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

[junisfics]

The Worthy — Eren Jaeger (6)

Chapter Six: The Aftermath

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x Reader

Word Count: 4k

Series Summary: Reader is reaching a point in her relationship where sex is coming up in conversation. but she’s an inexperienced virgin. And who’s better to show her the ropes than her best friend Eren?

Chapter Summary: After previous events, Eren and Reader practice communication once more by setting some boundaries.

Content: Unestablished Relationship, Domestic Fluff

Content Warnings: Mentions of Smut, Sexual Fantasies

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“Hello, to whom am I speaking?” Your mom had said through the phone. On the other end of the line was Eren, who was now calling her due to your sleeping figure on his living room couch.

“Hi ma’am, this is Eren… Jaeger.” Eren’s cautious of his volume, not wanting to wake you.

It’s been a few hours since you fell asleep on top of him, your arms still wrapped around his neck and legs still straddled his waist. He had carefully moved you off of him, gently setting your head atop the pillow and grabbing a throw blanket to lay over your bare legs. He couldn’t stay with you while you slept, he was already pushing his boundaries.

“Eren? Oh, honey, I haven’t seen you in forever! How are you?” Your mom beams. 

The last time Eren and your mom had spoken was at a dinner party at your house, Armin’s family had attended as well. She had asked Eren about college. But other than that, due to the distancing between you and Eren, they haven’t spoken at all. 

“I’m doing well, thank you. How are you?” Eren rises in his seat to look over the back of the couch to check your status. He sits at his kitchen table, the same one from the first night you were with him, with his laptop open to a school document and the pale glow of the computer illuminating his face.

“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking,” Eren can almost hear her smile, “I’m assuming you’re calling on behalf of my child? She told me she’d be back around three and well… it’s a bit later than three. And we aren’t really the ones to have a casual phone conversation together.” She laughs

“Yeah. We went to lunch after her exam then came back to my place. She ended up falling asleep on the couch.” Eren smiles, glancing back over to you once more.

“Oh of course. You know how those exams are, I bet she’s exhausted.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll have her call you when she wakes up if that’s alright,” Eren suggests.

“That would be wonderful, thank you. Come visit sometime soon, Eren, don’t be a stranger,” She says genuinely.

Every once and a while she’ll ask about Eren or Armin and how they’re doing or what they’re up to. And you’ll have to tell her the same thing every time, ‘they’re good, Mom. No, I don’t know what they’re doing’ because you didn’t have the heart to tell her that you’re not as close to them as you used to be.

“Of course. It was nice speaking with you.” Eren can feel his face grow hot at your mother’s request.

“You too, honey. Bye-bye.”

Moments after the call had ended, you had shot up; fully awake and temporarily disoriented. You had an old blanket strewn over your body, one you recognize making with Eren at a school fundraiser event in fourth grade, and your hair was astray around your head. When you shift your legs around, you panic at the sensation of the blanket over your bare thighs, realizing that you don’t have pants on.

“Jesus, you have a nightmare or something?” You hear Eren chuckle from your right.

You jerk your head towards his voice to see him sitting at the table with his computer screen blocking off the bottom half of his face from your vision.

It was the blue hour, the sun had just set and now a milky cool-blue has flooded itself across the once sunset-pink sky. You can just see the little indirect glow of the setting sun in the West. The house smelled like a blend between a comforting tomato smell and something floury, it made your mouth water. 

Eren had the oven light on over whatever was cooking on the stovetop, and the only other light in the house was the one above the breakfast bar counter that was just behind the couch. He had his hair pulled back behind his head and black-rimmed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose, he also had changed sweatpants.

And then you realize why you’re here, that embarrassment that you were worried about earlier begins to flood through you.

“Didn’t know you wore glasses,” You look to him but shy away quickly, your skin growing hot at the recollection of earlier, “What time is it?”

Eren closes his laptop slowly, then glances to the oven clock, “6:19”

“Six?!” Your eyes grow wide, “Oh my god, my mom’s going to kill me.” You hold the blanket close to your body as you reach over the side of the couch to grab your leggings that were discarded on the floor.

“I called her just before you woke up, ‘told her you’d call her once you did,” Eren says.

You slip your feet through your leggings quickly, then pull the waistband up your legs. You remain seated on the couch as you lift your hips to pull them up. Once you’re completely clothed you toss the blanket aside and stand up, legs a little wobbly, but you stand. You blink a few times in an attempt to collect yourself.

“I fell asleep?” You’re speaking out loud, not really looking for an answer. You cautiously look around for your phone.

“Guess you were all fucked out, huh?” Eren snickers, getting up from his chair to stir the wooden spoon that rests in the saucepan on the stove.

You cringe, picking up your phone from the coffee table beside the armrest, “Don’t say that.”

Eren faces away from you as you make your way around the couch, one hand stirring while the other fiddles with the flame settings of the other pot on the stove. You stop to set your phone on the breakfast counter, watching him intently as he continues tending to whatever he’s made.

“I need to go,” You say, waiting for him to turn around and say something before you move for your shoes.

“Stay for dinner, ‘made enough for you. We need to talk, anyways.” He doesn’t look to you as he speaks, convinced you’ll stay due to his stated reasons.

And you do, you mumble a little, ‘okay’ before sliding yourself into one of the bar chairs and resting your arms on the countertop. His kindness makes your chest tight with admiration and you’re still taking in the fact that you had fallen asleep at Eren’s house after he fingered your lights out; someone who, up until just over a week ago, you hadn’t spoken to for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Call your mom.” He reminds you.

You don’t verbally acknowledge him, but he knows you’ve listened by the series of monotonous beeps and the dull ringing that follows his request. 

You didn’t know how your mom had reacted to his call, so you had no idea how she would react to yours.

“Goodmorning, sweet girl!” She laughs through the line. Eren must have told her you had fallen asleep.

“Hi, mom. I’m just at Eren’s. ‘Think I’m going to stay for dinner if that’s okay?” You mumble, shying away from speaking too loud. You knew Eren could hear you, but something on talking about him with your mom made you sheepish.

You can hear her chuckle once more through the phone before responding, “Yes, that’s alright. Tell Eren I said ‘hi’ once more… and text me when you’re on your way home, please.”

“Yep, I will. Love you, bye.” You hang up after she says ‘I love you’ back, then press your lips into a line as you set your phone back down, “She says ‘hi’, again.” You speak lowly.

Eren laughs softly as he turns off the heat to the larger pot then grabs the black handles on the side and makes his way over to the sink that’s to your left and set in the corner of the ‘L’ shaped counter. You notice the sink already has a strainer that sits in the bottom and realize he’s made some sort of noodles and sauce. His reading glasses fog up slightly as he pours the contents of the pot into the strainer, and he has to turn his head away from the steam. You smile softly as he scrunches his nose from the heat.

“Can you turn off the heat on the other one over there?” He asks, nodding his head back towards the stove.

Although he’s focused on the things in front of him, you give him a nod and slip out of the barstool. You watch the muscles in his back strain against the fabric of his sweatshirt as you round the corner of the counter and walk straight forward to the stove. In the tiny saucepan was just simple marinara sauce, and you’d never thought that such a basic food would pull such a strong sense of hunger from inside you.

“Didn’t pick you as a cook.” You turn down the heat, teasing him slightly at his simple choice of a meal.

“I’m actually majoring in Italian cuisine.” He falsely claims, playing into your fun. Once all the water is strained out from the noodles, he pours them all back into the dark grey pot, they meet the bottom with an audible plopping sound.

You shift aside to the counter, turning and leaning back against it with your arms crossed over your chest to watch him as he brings the pot back over and sets it atop the stove again. 

“Bowls are just above you,” He says, reaching to his right to grab a dish that has a stick of butter on it. He pulls open the drawer beside him for a knife then uses it to take a good chunk out of the butter and drops it into the noodles.

“Want some noodles with your butter?” You pull open the cabinets above you and take ahold of two ceramic bowls that were glazed over with white and burnt-orange decals.

“Shut it,” He takes the pasta spoon from earlier and uses it to stir in the melting butter.

The bowls clink together as you set them onto the granite countertop and Eren’s eyes flit to the side to watch you place them down. He pulls another flush of heat across your body and you have to look away from him once more. 

But wasn’t just his eyes that had you feeling warm. Seeing him so calm and peaceful, relaxed within the normalcy of his own home, made your heart ache so tenderly. His sleeves pushed up his forearms to expose his calloused and scarred hands acting so sedentary and so gentle; it was such a contrast to how he was normally seen. He was sharing a part of himself that was so foreign to others.

It almost felt wrong. You felt too close to him far too quickly.

“Hope you’re okay with the sex talk while eating this time,” He says, grabbing one of the bowls from in front of you and filling it with spaghetti noodles. 

“Do I even have a choice?” You say with a smug look on your face as you finally look at him.

He holds the now noodle-filled bowl out in front of you, just above the other saucepan, “No. Here.” He shakes the bowl slightly.

You take it from his hand with a tiny smile on your face and turn to grab the wooden spoon in the saucepan, scooping out a decent amount of the red sauce and dropping it atop the noodles. Eren mirrors your actions once you step aside. And once he’s finished, he grabs a pair of forks from the drawers and guides you towards the kitchen table.

You sit quietly, focused on stirring the marinara with the noodles until it’s evenly dispersed, giving him the time to speak first. He sits in the chair that he had pushed out of a week ago to kiss you, just to your right and on your perpendicular. He sets his laptop on the chair to his left.

“I usually have a few rules,” He begins, stirring within his own bowl, “When I… get with girls.”

You stifle a laugh at his awkwardness. Eren was very much aware of his sexual status as well as the copious amounts of people that want to sleep with him, but he was always surprisingly humble about it. He didn’t make a big deal of it; like it was a school extracurricular or something.

“But obviously ours are going to be a little different because of… circumstances.” He smiles, twisting around his fork, “The first one should be a given, but sometimes it’s not for some girls… I don’t know. But my first rule: always ask for consent… both ways.”

You nod as you take your first bite of food, both out of acknowledgment and appreciation. It sounds ridiculous, but the pure act of asking for permission was quite foreign these days; and even though it’s the bare minimum, it’s so deeply admired.

“Second one: no cuddling, which we’ve already partially broken and is also the reason why I got you off me,” He continues, “But, it can’t happen anymore.”

That rule almost hurts. It’s understandable, but it hurts. Eren’s going to be taking your first everything, maybe everything, and you aren’t even allowed to lay with him. After something like he did today, you find yourself wanting to be close to him… which is probably why it’s best not to.

So, you nod as you chew.

“Third: communication.” He chuckles, “You’re going to need to tell me everything you’re feeling… good or bad, inside and outside of sexual situations. This kind of goes with consent but it’s a little different.”

His statements are just now beginning to catch up with you in the time period aspect. He’s speaking as if this is going to happen again, speaking as it will happen again. He’s speaking on behalf of incidents in the past but also covering the possibilities in the future. 

God, you were hoping he couldn’t see the way your fork begins to shake in your hand.

“And then the other ones that might not apply to this but I’ll mention them, just in case..”

Just in case.

“This isn’t exclusive, no sleeping over, and always use protection.”

Just in case.

You have to break eye contact and you almost choke on your noodles. He mentions protection because ‘just in case’.

“But we’ll burn that bridge if we get to it.” He speaks so nonchalantly that, that itself, has you taken aback.

You give him another nod, it was absentminded but it was genuine. You catch yourself wondering if you would ever get the point where the ‘just in case’ would be found useful. The thought itself has your chest tightening and your face growing hot. Being the only one Eren’s with, sleeping over at his house… in his bed… with him, feeling him inside you; it feels so wrong but so right.

And remembering that this isn’t a relationship, not a real one at least, makes you somewhat sad. You knew that that’s a horrible thing to think. You were in another relationship-not-a-relationship ordeal, you had no right thinking about what it would be like to get with Eren… but not even just get with him but be with him.

Could you really blame yourself? Eren’s so incredibly understanding, stupidly attractive, and has brought you more pleasure in the past week than you have ever experienced in your entire life. Of course, you’d harbor some feelings for him over time, how couldn’t you?

But you guess that’s the entire point of his rules. They’re to make sure nothing like that happens. And the fact that you’ve already found yourself conflicted about your feelings for him shows that rules should have come up in conversation a bit sooner.

“I’ll keep helping you as long as you need it,” He says, and the sweet smile he gives you makes your heart flutter.

The both of you finish eating in rather comfortable silence. The much-needed boundaries had been set and are now out of the way, the awkward tension dissipating. But, every once and a while you’ll remember that a few hours ago, Eren was between your thighs, and it will have your entire body running hot once more. But other than that, you were relaxed in each other’s company. 

While you helped him with cleaning the dirtied dishes, your thoughts float back into that headspace that so craves his time and validation. You were at peace with him in this strangely domestic moment, and he with you. And you can’t help but wonder, ‘what if it could always be like this?’

“Stop thinking about it.” He says, nudging the dripping wet bowl he just cleaned against your forearm.

You and he both had your sleeves rolled up to your elbows. His hands were wrist-deep in soapy, hot water, while yours were holding a large, thin, white towel with green embroidery on it. It read ‘Monday’ on it, with fancy lettering and an arrangement of flowers surrounding the word. It was a Saturday.

His comment has you laughing uncomfortably. Was he really that well at reading people, or were you just an easy person to read?

You look down to the plate and take it from his hands, “I wasn’t thinking about… earlier —” You stutter.

“Sure you weren’t,” He says, “Don’t worry, I was too.”

My god, will he ever make a comment that doesn't send electricity coursing through your entire body?

You let out an audible choke, “D — don't say things like that.”

You stare down at your hands as you wipe at the ceramic bowl. You were surely overdrying it, the fabric now running over the surface smoothly. Your fingertips begin to prune from the warm water.

“Why not?” Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see him glance down at you. He’s got a stupid, boyish smirk on his face that tells you that he knows exactly what he’s doing. 

“I — I just —” You start, setting the bowl aside and resting your forearms on the edge of the sink.

“You can admit it was good, you know.” He laughs, “I mean, you seemed to be liking it.”

Probably because you did like it, of course you did, But you weren't the only one. Eren couldn’t get the image of you out of his head: your pretty face all scrunched in pleasure, legs trembling around his head, sucking in his fingers real nice… you were burned into his eyelids. He was going to have masturbation material for weeks. 

“Of course I did — Jesus — but we don't need to talk about it after.” You mumble, tucking your hair behind your ear before grabbing the second bowl from him.

“Oh but, we do,” He teases, nudging his elbow against your bicep, “C’mon, what was your favorite part?”

You blink a few times, opening and closing your mouth like a fish as you flit your vision between him and your hands, “Eren —”

“Was it… when I... fucked you with my tongue? That pulled a nice reaction from you. ‘Could tell you were listening to my ‘non-verbal communication’ lesson.” He continues.

You shy away from him, tilting your head towards but pulling away from him as you squeeze your eyes shut. His resurrection of the incident alone has your stomach turning.

“What about when I filled you with my fingers, hm?” He laughs cruelly at your reaction, bringing his head down and level with yours, leading with his nose to speak besides your ear.

The still slick bowl slips out of your fingers and clatters down into the sink, your hands falling forward to brace yourself against the counter, “No.”

“No?” His questioning is exaggerated.

You breathe in through your nose slowly, shutting your eyes and trying to regulate your body. You bite at the inside of your cheek and turn your face away to prevent him from seeing the embarrassed distortion of your face.

“When you kissed my calf… I — I liked that… the best.” You whisper. Your expression slips and your lips turn into a little smile of recollection.

“Interesting,” He brings himself back upright, almost standing proud, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

You scoff, shaking your head as you reach for the dropped bowl, “Like how you did with my comment about teasing, hm?” Your comment is quick, and you keep your head down as you speak.

“Absolutely,” He passes you the saucepan just as you finish drying the bowl, “Only the best for you.”

You laugh breathily at that, your cheeks growing even warmer than before. You could almost feel your heart flutter and flap around in your chest. Although he said it teasingly, you could hear the sincerity lurking low in his voice. 

Hearing his audible confirmation that this is about you, and not him taking advantage of your vulnerability, was massively comforting. He was doing this for you; he was up in the middle of the night for you, made two servings of spaghetti for you. He was helping you for you and not for his own personal gain.

Were you ever going to be able to do something for him?

“Eren, you don’t have to be doing this if you don’t want to.” You mumble, setting the final pan aside to rest with the other clean dishes on the countertop. You wipe at your hands with the slightly damp rag.

You can hear him inhale as he wipes his hands on his sweatpants, he shakes them out a few times before turning and leaning back against the counter beside the sink. You can feel his eyes on you as you stare at the drain in the sink.

“Who said I didn’t want to?” He asks.

You swallow, pressing your lips into a line before looking at him, “Why would you?”

Eren smiles, bringing his eyes down to the floor in front of him with his tongue in his cheek and his arms crossed over his chest. Even though he wasn’t looking at you, all of his attention was directed towards you.

“You were my first friend,” His voice is quiet, “Can’t just leave you to die.”

You laugh, bringing yourself upright and tucking your hair behind your ears as you gain the courage to bring your head up and smile at him.

You wish you didn’t.

Because he’s got that look again, that stance, that glint in his eyes that makes you absolutely melt and turns your brain stupid. He was drinking you in and undressing you with his eyes again, and although you haven’t experienced it, you could swear he was wanting to bend you over this counter and take you right then.

And he was. God, if Eren had met you any other way; if you weren’t his childhood best friend, if you weren’t in such a vulnerable position; if he’d met you in class or something or at a party and your entire friendship wasn’t on the line, he would have you every fucking day of the week.

He hates admitting it, but he can’t lie to himself.

He’s already found himself lingering his glances over the curves in your face and body, savoring the way your lips quirk into a smile, drinking in your figure, and getting drunk on it. Your physicality was already turning him soft, and if he wasn’t careful, so would your brain.

“Thank you. Not for the�� the sexual part of it… but for everything else too.” You try not to shy away again, “I mean, I guess the… the sexual part is —”

“Is nice too?” He adds.

“ — Is nice too.” You nod with a laugh.

Eren brings a hand to give the top of your head a pat, “It only gets better from here.”

[msmarvelwrites]

Faking It

Summary: “There’s no need for that here. No faking it, sunshine.”

Pairing: Natasha x Virgin!reader

Warnings: Explicit sexual content, explicit language, please 18+ only, f x f, oral (f receiving- they’re gay, dude), oral/rimming (f receiving), anal, reader always fakes it until Natasha.

Word Count: 1.3K

Authors Note: A request for the lovely @sazc94 🖤 And a huge thank you to the wonderful and uber-talented @the-iceni-bitch for her beta ✨

It was a normal weekday morning. You had gotten up early to run labs with Bruce, squeezed in a quick training session with Steve and now you sat exhausted at the kitchen island while your friends dipped in and out for their breakfast.

“I’m not sure what happened. She just snuck out in the morning and I haven’t heard from her since.” Steve was mumbling to Sam about this date gone awry and you couldn’t help but listen in. Mentally giving your own advice where it wasn’t needed.

“Y/n says you probably failed to make her finish.” Wanda pointed out before it was too late to realize she had read your mind.

You gaped, dumbfounded, wishing the world would just open up and swallow you whole. Glaring at Wanda, you silently apologized to Steve, trying your best to make it sound sincere… But, you weren't exactly speaking out of experience here. Not that you and Steve ever - but men like Steve.

“What does that even mean, ‘make her finish.’?” Steve grumbled, pouring his morning coffee and storming off with Sam and Wanda. Though, not before Natasha twirled into the kitchen, catching Steve’s remarks and giggling to herself.

“The sheer fact he doesn't know means she didn't.” Natasha sighed, a crooked smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“It’s really too bad, I liked her.” You added, causing Nat to crack up, the sound of her laughter and the fact you had caused it making you blush.

“I guess she was really good at faking it too.” you added, and Nat quieted down- a seriousness taking over her delicate features.

She looked you over, bringing a coffee mug to her lips before she spoke, “When was the last time you truly came? No theatrics.” She asked, the question slapping you across the face and leaving a blush behind in its wake.

“I-I don’t really… Sorry I just-”

“Have you never slept with a woman?”

You worried on your lip, half embarrassed and half stunned at the way Natasha’s eyes were boring into yours. Her tongue gently flicking out to wet her lips, gaze trailing down your body as if she was sizing you up. Checking her opponent for weaknesses. Of course, you had many. The most obvious currently, your inability to respond to her question.

“No.” You finally squeezed out, unaware you had been holding your breath until now.

“Well, there’s your problem, sunshine.” she hummed, suddenly so much closer that you remembered her being. Her breath, hot against your neck.

“You think you can help me?” the words left your lips before you had a chance to stop them. A false confidence coating each syllable. You had no idea what you were doing, terrified of the situation you were about to drag yourself into.

“Oh, sunshine,” She whispered against your ear. “I’ll take such good care of you.” The promise rippled through you, sending a shiver to travel down your spine and pool in your core.

Before you knew it your back was pressed against her bedroom door, having never stopped for a breath as you both ran to the living quarters. Your mind was foggy, thoughts convoluted and nonsensical as she bit down on your lip. Her tongue darting out and sending chills through your entire body. It was so different, softer than you had ever known it to be. There was no rush, no demand. Somehow it made it so much sexier.

Natasha pushed you inside her room, her shirt discarded the moment the door closed. She stood, wrapped in a lace bralette as she pointed to the couch behind you.

“Take your pants off.” It wasn't a question but you still nodded your head, immediately fumbling with your zipper. Finally you flicked them across the floor, terrified and eager as you watched her eyes trail up your exposed legs.

The ethereal redhead glided across the room, resting both her hands on your shoulders as she pushed you down onto the couch. In the same motion, Nat dropped to her knees.

You gasped, heart beating so wildly out of your chest, you wondered if she could hear it. If she did, she made no indication of slowing down as she hooked her hands under your knees, pulling you and your wet core towards her.

Natasha looked up at you from under her lashes, her eyes sparking with more mischief than usual. You tried to steady your breathing, afraid if you kept up the way you were, you might pass out.

“Are you nervous?” You mused, her lips connecting with the soft skin between your thighs.

Yes. Maybe. “No.” You forced out, cursing yourself for lying. She saw right through it. She always could.

“Shhh,” She hummed, her fingers playing with the hem of your shirt as she lifted it over your head. You complied, lost in her touch. “There’s no need for that here. No faking it, sunshine.”

Her words went straight to your core, squirming against the couch in a desperate attempt to feel some sort of relief. Nat noticed, a soft chuckle slipping from her pink lips. “There’s no rush. I have nowhere to be. This meal,” She gestured, index finger pulling the gusset of your panties to the side, exposing your glistening folds “I’m savouring every last drop.”

Your panties were discarded somewhere across the room, leaving you bared for Nat’s hungry eyes. You were paralyzed with fear and excitement. Heart hammering in your chest, nerves shot.

Carefully, and with a curious touch, she spread her fingers through your sloppy folds, gently spreading you open. You convulsed, the simple touch enough to have your touch starved body melting away.

“Oh, sunshine,” She chuckled, repeating the same motion with her fingers, “We haven't even started yet.”

“Fuck.” It was all you could muster, eyes trained on her lips as she disappeared between your thighs.

The moment Natasha's hot tongue connected with your throbbing clit, you knew she had ruined all men for you. All people for that matter.

“Look at you, котенок. Is this all for me?” She hummed between lapping at your cunt. Her index finger travelled through your puffy lips, pushing deep inside of you and forcing a groan to fall from your lips.

“Natasha, please.” You begged, though you weren’t sure what for. It wasn't possible that you were already so close to your-

Her mouth connected with your clit again, fingers withdrawing from your core only for a moment as he folded you in half, body splayed out and vulnerable to her. You gripped inside of your knees, holding on for dear life. Your vision, already going blurry as she hit that sweet spot relentlessly, almost as if she could feel what you did.

“You’re gonna’ love this sunshine. Hold on for me.” She mumbled, tongue dragging away from your core and swirling around your tight ring of muscles. You gasped, body rigid and cunt throbbing as she lapped at your ass, loosening you with her touch. Her fingers playing with your aching bud, edging you closer and closer.

“That’s it, sunshine. Let go, you're almost...” she teased just as her index finger pushed into your ass, the blissful burn tipping you over the edge. “There.” Just like that, you melted away. The coil in your belly exploding, body convulsing as she fucked into your ass, mouth drinking up every drop of your orgasm.

You stayed like that, halfway between alive and too blissed out to make sense of how many times Natasha had pulled an orgasm from your core. Minutes, maybe hours passed until you were both a sweaty mess of come and ecstasy on the kitchen floor.

Natasha was the first to make a sound, a tired chuckled fumbling from her swollen lips, “Damn, sunshine.”

“That was so-”

“Real.” She breathed, your gaze meeting her as she smiled warmly.

“Yeah,” You beamed, eyes tired as you nuzzled against her side, “That was real.”

And just like that, you knew you would never have to go through life faking it ever again.

[delimeful]

mere monstrosity (1)

warnings: spiders, misunderstandings, captivity

-

Logan woke up to the familiar soft chime of his alarm, and rolled out of bed bleary-eyed but ready to get the day started. He kept quiet as he crept out of the room.

He didn’t bother grabbing his glasses, knowing that they’d only be of use after his shower. His feet knew the way from his bedroom to the bathroom by heart, and he preferred to shower in the dark to avoid the likelihood of getting one of his light-sensitivity migraines, so he didn’t reach for the lightswitch either.

Instead, he pushed quietly past the half-open door and fumbled for the shower knob, cranking it up to exactly the point before it turned scalding.

The water flickered on a moment later, and amidst the clamor of droplets against ceramic, he heard an indistinct, high-pitched noise, like a chirp or squeak.

“A mouse?” he muttered to himself, squinting at the dark, blurry interior of the shower.

He couldn’t hear anything else over the spray, so he quickly turned the shower off and stepped back to flick the lightswitch on, potential headaches be damned.

He pulled the shower curtain fully to the side, and blinked at the sight of a blurry black splotch in the corner of his bathtub. Leaning in a little further, he could briefly make out individual legs, long and numerous, before they were pulled closer and blended in with the rest of the shape.

“You are… a considerably large spider,” he informed it, grateful that it was him and not Patton who had found it. The resulting terrified shriek would have woken him and Janus, and probably most of the neighbors for that matter. “Are you a tarantula? Are tarantulas even native to this area?”

The spider, rather predictably, didn’t respond, and Logan recalled that he’d just doused the poor thing with jets of cold water. It was probably curling all its limbs in a mock death-curl, trying to process the unexpected threat to its breathing and body temperature.

He reached over to the counter and carefully removed the collection of multicolored toothbrushes from the plastic cup next to their sink, tapping it against the side of the counter to clear out any remaining dust.

“Try to stay still, alright?” he coaxed in a low voice, crouching and leaning over the tub to get a better angle. “I don’t want to catch any of your limbs, just keep them all tucked in close like that and I’ll get you out of there.”

To his surprise, the spider really didn’t make any sudden moves, remaining frozen as he settled the cup over it. The only reason he was sure it was still alive was the tiny motion of its front legs, two little investigative nudges against the edge of the cup.

“Excellent job,” he praised, his curiosity only growing. Most of the spiders he had cupped would immediately run at the glass with arms lifted in threat, or run in frantic circles along the edges seeking an escape. Of course, none of them had been this large. Most wild tarantulas were hunters, though, not spinners. Aggression would serve them well, so why was this one so docile? Was it an escaped pet? Had the cold water been that shocking?

He quickly retrieved a folder from the living room, returning to find that the plastic cup had shifted a couple of inches. It was large enough to push it, then.

“Just a little bit more,” he continued to soothe, carefully sliding the folder under the cup bit by bit, allowing the spider time to shift its legs onto the folder so the tips wouldn’t be pinched. He then carefully lifted the whole ensemble up, keeping a cautious hand on top of the cup. “There we go.”

The kitchen was dimly lit, the small light under the microwave still on so that anyone getting water in the middle of the night wouldn’t trip or run into anything in the dark. Logan glanced at the front door for a long moment, and then gave in to the urge to investigate his catch a bit closer. It would be irresponsible to just release a domesticated tarantula into the wild, after all.

He set the cup and folder down carefully on the counter, and then placed a heavy ceramic plate on top of the cup, reasoning that it was better to make sure the spider wouldn’t push the cup-- and itself-- right off the counter.

“One moment.” That done, he went into his room to retrieve his glasses, leaving the light off so as to not wake up Janus, who had only gotten in from his night shift a few hours ago. His roommate normally slept heavily once he managed to get to sleep, so Logan didn’t have to worry about waking him by climbing out of their shared bed, but better not to risk turning the lights on in the first place.

The world came into a much clearer focus once he’d pushed his glasses into their proper place atop his nose, and with his vision improved, he had no problems finding the hall closet and rummaging through it for one of Janus’s old terrariums.

He set the glass case down on the kitchen counter without any furnishings inside-- he was only planning to get a good look at the specimen, after all-- and flicked on the kitchen light before carefully moving the trapped spider into the terrarium and then lifting the cup away.

The spider frantically scuttled back, smacking thorax-first into the glass wall of the terrarium, and Logan frowned contemplatively at the sight of it.

It was certainly a tarantula, one that he’d probably be able to find online fairly easily with the distinctive white stripes along it’s eight fuzzy legs. Concerningly enough, there was an odd swelling protrusion on the anterior part of the body. It was a similar dark shade to the rest of the body, but almost larger than the thorax, and it blocked off any sight of the pedipalps, fangs, or eyes.

The texture didn’t seem to match the carapace… Perhaps it was a piece of garbage or organic waste that had gotten stuck on the creature? If it hindered movement, that could explain why it had been so still earlier.

It wasn’t still now, exhibiting an odd vibrating throughout its body that Logan had never witnessed from a spider before. He would certainly be doing some research into arthropods after this.

Well, at the very least, he could see if that protruding material would come loose.

Logan carefully pulled on one of Janus’s thick leather gloves, one of the more worn sets in case the spider had urticating hairs, and then reached down. The spider seemed to spot his shadow, going by the way it stiffened, and he reminded himself that though he didn’t know the species and many tarantulas were venomous, it was incredibly unlikely their venom would be able to do more than hurt him.

Confidence restored, he continued reaching down until his fingers met the odd lump, at which point a low, guttural hiss sounded, and the spider threw its front legs up and lunged, slapping its limbs down against the floor of the terrarium in threat.

Logan remained undeterred by the small tantrum, instead focusing on the fact that the obstruction was loose, almost like shed skin on a snake. Studying the spider carefully, he pinched it gently between two fingers, trying to discern what in the world it could possibly be.

The next three movements happened in rapid succession.

First, Logan tugged lightly at the material caught between his fingers. Second, the spider recoiled sharply, pulling away from his grip with surprising strength. And third, the covering came loose, the spider pulling free from it and leaving a limp swathe of fabric hanging from Logan’s fingers.

Below him, now uncovered, there was pale skin, a mop of bedraggled hair, and a tiny, terrified human face.

Logan froze, staring down at it-- them with wide eyes.

The being he’d mistaken for a spider was actually a drider, a creature of myth that was apparently all too real. Logan couldn’t help how stunned he felt. Even apart from the shock of the discovery, there was the shock of their size. Driders were said to have a human-sized spider half, not the other way around!

Below, the drider was still frozen in place, staring right back up at him. He could see the way their little chest was heaving with quick, panicked breaths, could feel the way the tiny makeshift poncho in his hand was sodden and cold, and he felt guilt strike him like a ruler across knuckles.

“I-- Hold on a moment, please,” he managed, his mind racing as he stepped back, turning and hurrying out of the room.

Once again, the hall closet held exactly what he needed, and he mentally rescinded all his past complaints about the amount of extra snake care items Janus had stashed away in their storage closet like a dragon’s hoard.

The heat lamp was compact enough to fit easily in the terrarium, where the spider-person had scuttled back to press themself into the furthest corner, limbs pulled in tightly in what had to be a fear response.

Logan set the lamp carefully inside and plugged it in, sighing in relief when the bulb lit up and began to glow orange. “This lamp is designed for reptiles, not arthropods, so it may be too hot for extended use. However, it will work temporarily as a heat source to get rid of excess moisture, so I encourage you to use it.”

The drider was glaring up at him with the tiniest scowl he’d ever seen, front legs still lifted up defensively, but didn’t say a word.

“Do you speak?” Logan asked, and received only silence in return. “I suppose I should have guessed as much, seeing as you haven’t responded to any of my previous statements. Do you understand me? Do we speak the same language?”

The drider glared harder.

“I find it hard to believe that you have animal-level intelligence,” Logan continued, now mostly to himself. He lifted a hand, displaying the poncho he still held. “Although some birds can ‘sew’, construction of clothing to cover one’s form is a complex and distinctly human sentiment.”

Still, nothing. Their gaze was caught by the poncho for a moment before they looked away entirely, looking for all the world to be sulking.

Logan sighed, and then slowly moved to place the poncho next to the heat lamp, laying it out flat for easier drying. “I’m going to attend to my morning routine. It should only take me a few moments, but please feel free to call or make noise if you need my attention between now and then.”

The drider’s expression had eased into confusion at the sight of their garment laid out before them, but their legs remained warily upright as Logan left the room.

As promised, he only made a brief stop to make sure both of his roommates were still soundly asleep before climbing into the shower and preparing himself for the day, roughly fifteen minutes behind schedule.

It wasn’t too disruptive-- it had eaten into the time he normally allotted for sitting at the table and eating breakfast, so that would have to be skipped today, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

Honestly, he’d likely spend the rest of the day thinking about the surprise addition to his morning. There were so many questions he’d love to ask, but seeing as the creature had attempted to hide their existence even at risk of being perceived as a normal spider (and therefore possibly squashed), he expected he wouldn’t be receiving any answers.

Talkative or not, the drider clearly had sapient levels of intelligence, and Logan was loath to start off humanity’s relationship with a vulnerable and secretive species by keeping them trapped in a snake terrarium against their will.

Even if he was willing to weigh scientific advancement over his morals, his roommates would never allow it. Patton would naturally be terrified and possibly sympathetic when witnessing their clear terror, and he’d had enough extensive debates on ethics with Janus to know that his opinion on keeping them captive would be much the same.

So, when he returned to the kitchen and saw them toppling over and scurrying back from the heat lamp that they’d clearly been attempting to use as a makeshift ladder to freedom, Logan didn’t bother commenting, simply moving forward and looking them over.

“You seem to have mostly dried,” he stated instead, able to appreciate the subtle design work of the poncho better now that it wasn’t being used as camouflage. The drider gripped it like they thought he might take it away.

They would react fairly badly to him reaching out with his hand, and reasonably so. Logan hadn’t exactly done much except douse, capture, and then gently interrogate them. Not exactly trustworthy behavior.

He studied the terrarium for a moment before grabbing a washcloth and draping it over the side, providing an easy textured surface for the spider to climb up. There. “You are free to go.”

The surprised expression that flashed across their face was almost comical.

“I’m not sure what your purpose in the bathroom was, but I’d ask you to be more careful in the future. One of my roommates…,” Logan sighed through his nose, exasperated even imagining it. “Well, suffice to say you should avoid him at all costs.”

The tiny drider continued to stare at him, gaze occasionally flickering over to the towel with clear suspicion. It was saddening to be so distrusted, but perhaps this show of goodwill would help prove that he didn’t intend any harm? He hoped he hadn’t frightened them from the residence entirely-- he shuddered at the many, many potential dangers the creature would find outside.

“My roommates will wake later in the day, so if you intend to avoid their notice, I’d suggest leaving the enclosure as soon as I have departed for work,” he gave a little farewell wave, not reacting to the slight flinch it elicited from the little guy. “It-- well, you probably don’t share the sentiment, but still-- it was nice to meet you. Goodbye.”

Forcing himself not to turn back and get one last look, Logan hurried out the door.

[mousepsychologist]

With Aaron

Summary: Reader avoids Hotch after getting cleared for sex following a kidnapping incident because she is self-conscious about the scars left behind.

Pairing: soft!hotch X Female Reader

Content/warnings: 18+ (Minors DNI): Language, brief mentions of torture (similar to an episode of CM), brief mentions of knives and blood (as a means or result of aforementioned torture), mentions and descriptions of scars, insecurities, sexual content, oral sex: female receiving, fingering, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, praise, use of pet names and some fluff.

If I am missing anything please let me know!

Word count: 3,956

A/N: Submission for the @hotchafterhours Smutty One Shot Challenge. Also, this is the first fanfic I have ever written, so if it is super rough to read...my sincerest of apologies, and feel free to pretend this does not exist😅😂

Sex…

Sex with Aaron…

That is all you ever think about. You are absolutely consumed with the idea of being with Aaron.

You love sex with Aaron. You’ve been having sex with Aaron almost everyday for two years now and holy shit...it is the best sex you’ve ever had. It is so good that even when you shouldn’t be thinking about it...you definitely are.

When you innocently watch him twirl a pen between his thumb, pointer and middle fingers while thinking, all you can think about is how those long, thick fingers feel inside of you. Or, when you watch him sip his coffee, all you can think about is how those soft lips feel sucking and nipping at your bare skin.

However, anything he does, innocent or not, it always gets you going. So, you can’t fully blame him. But, you know Aaron, and some days you are sure he intentionally tries to get you squirming...even at work.

Everyone knows he is Mr. Professional and you think just the same but you also know that you are his achilles heel. So, if and when he wants to play games, well...you can be his checkmate.

You will rock a deep v-neck blouse that gives him the perfect view of your cleavage or a tight pencil dress that accentuates your ass because you know it will cause his face to falter or his breathing patterns to become erratic.

The two of you are the King and Queen of the sexual chess board. He knows how to move in ways that make you scream out in pleasure while you know how to sacrifice your pawns so he can seize control of the bedroom.

And as much as you love thinking about sex with Aaron or actually having sex with Aaron, you are able to sometimes keep your sexual thoughts at bay.

However, when you aren’t thinking about sex with Aaron, you are thinking about cuddling with Aaron, watching TV with Aaron, going on dates with Aaron, cooking with Aaron, laughing until you’re crying with Aaron and everything else in-between. Anything and everything that the two of you could possibly do together is always what you’re thinking about.

Your relationship with Aaron has never been just about sex. However, sex with Aaron has always been a sacred thing between the two of you. He treats your body like a temple. Not just any temple though...rather a temple he seems to have built himself.

He knows your body better than you do and how to make you feel like putty.

He knows how to interpret your moans as well as assess your temperament and determine whether you want to have playful or rough sex or, just softer, lazier sex.

And up until now, sex with Aaron has never been something you were nervous or self-conscious about.

---

Everything changed following your kidnapping two months ago where an unsub managed to hold you hostage for a week.

It was the worst week of your life. It was a long week that consisted of beatings, cigarette burns and knives being dragged up and down your body.

***Two Months Ago***

When the team came bursting into the basement you were being held in, you looked like a bruised, bloodied, mangled mess. You are hunched over and tied to a chair with your clothes barely hanging on by a thread. Your body is littered with both long and short knife marks, small and large bruises, and multiple cigarette burns.

As your team stormed the area, you were so disoriented that you didn’t even comprehend what was happening around you.

A large, calloused hand gently touches your shoulder. You flinch and the hand immediately retracts itself.

“Y/N...” he pauses. “Y/N… it’s me. It's Aaron.” His voice is so quiet, calm, and soothing.

You immediately relax. You have never been more relieved in your life. You blink a few times and your vision unblurs to see an unfamiliar Aaron.

He is so panicked and scared. You are sure you’ve never seen him this scared. He is also tired. So so tired. You are positive he hasn’t slept since you’ve gone missing.

He slowly places his hand back on your shoulder once he realizes that you know it's him. You're slightly shaking and exceptionally weak.

“Sweetheart, I need to carry you to the ambulance. Is that okay?”

You nod and go to straighten up but immediately wince and whimper in pain.

“Y/N, no, don’t move. I’ve got you”.

To pick you up he gently places an arm under your knees and another behind your back. It hurts but you find solace in his touch and the faint smell of his cologne. You bury your face deep into his chest and feel your tears surface as you start to sniffle.

Aaron immediately notices and places a gentle kiss to the top of your head.

“Y/N, it's okay. I’ve got you.”

You press yourself further into him and grasp firmly at his shirt. Your tears start to come faster. “Please don’t leave me Aar. Please don’t go anywhere. I’m scared and I don’t want to be alone again.”

“Oh Love...it’s okay. You’re not alone. I am not going anywhere. I am right here. You have me. Always. I want you to forget everything and everyone else but me.”

You feel his grip on you tighten as you go unconscious.

That's the last thing you remember until you wake up in the hospital two days later.

---

***Present Day***

It has been 53 days since you have had sex with Aaron. But today is the day you are supposed to receive medical clearance from your doctor.

Up until this morning, all you wanted was to have sex with Aaron. Because of your doctor’s orders, Aaron wouldn’t give in to sex until you were cleared. You were totally okay with following the doctor’s orders but Aaron and you had decided that it was just best to not do anything remotely sexual until you were cleared.

So...for the last 53 days, the most the two of you have done is kissed and cuddled. No question about it, the two of you love to kiss and cuddle but...you also love to do SO...MUCH...MORE.

You understood where Aaron is coming from. He just wants you safe and healthy.

You, on the other hand, want so badly to be fucked by your boyfriend.

So, it’s safe to say that you are so excited to get cleared. You know Aaron is excited too... though he won’t admit it.

You have tried multiple times to get him off but it's never worked. You want to do it for him, but you selfishly need to have his large, veiny, cock deep in your throat. You want to taste him, to make him feel how he always makes you feel. You also miss the way his hips buck towards you causing you to choke on his pulsating dick.

But he never budged. And since he never did, this also meant that the two of you haven't seen each other naked in the last 53 days.

You miss his cock just as much as you miss his mouth sucking on your clit or having his hands pinch your nipples, but by waiting, you know that the first time back to having sex with Aaron will be worth the wait. As Aaron said it quite clearly one day, “Pretty girl, I’m going to make you cum so much that you won’t even be able to think straight. I may have to make you cum for every day you haven’t been able to.” He said this with a smirk and a wink, but you’re pretty sure he is not kidding.

...And damn it, you are so ready for it.

---

You wake up the morning of your appointment, and head to the bathroom to shower and get ready. This is what you’ve been waiting for. You are so excited to finally have sex with Aaron tonight. You take a little longer in the shower to prepare yourself. Using extra exfoliator, moisturizer and your more expensive shampoo and conditioner.

It isn’t until you step out of the shower and catch a glimpse of your naked body that your anxiety flares with a vengeance. Sure, a lot of the cuts and burns have healed and the bruises are long gone but there are still some scars that are still blatantly noticeable. They look so ugly, red and puffy.

The panic sets in at the thought of Aaron seeing you tonight. You feel the pressure of how tonight is supposed to go. You know Aaron loves you no matter what but that doesn’t silence the voices telling you otherwise.

A knock at the door pulls you from your self-deprecating thoughts. “Honey, are you almost ready?”

“Umm, ya. Just a sec.”

You quickly put your clothes on but your eyes never leave the mirror that is reflecting your damaged body. You exit your bathroom and head to the kitchen where Aaron is pouring two cups of coffee.

“Morning gorgeous.” You cringe at the name which you are sure he notices but he doesn’t acknowledge it and continues on. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you to your appointment?”

“No, it's okay. It shouldn’t take too long anyways.”

“Alright, my love. I will see you at work then.”

He walks up to you and kisses you gently. His hands lay on your hips and slowly take the ends of your sweater in them. You begin to feel his hands touch the skin just above your waistline and immediately grab both of them and pull away. He gives you a questioning look but before he can say anything you beat him to it.

“Babe, I really have to go. I don’t want to be late.” You place your hand on his cheek and give him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you and I’ll see you later.”

You turn and walk out missing the clearly puzzled look on Aaron’s face.

---

You arrive at work a few hours later cleared to have sex again. And though you want to be excited, you aren't. You are so in your head that you don’t know what to do.

You know you can’t avoid Aaron so you walk into his office to tell him the “good” news.

Aaron hears you walk in and close the door. He quickly walks to you and kisses you before asking about the appointment. You inform him that you’re cleared and you panic more as you see the excitement spread across his face.

He cups one hand on your cheek while the other lays on your hip. He slowly starts to kiss you again. You love the taste of him. You can taste the coffee from this morning as his tongue makes its way into my mouth. Your hands go to his neck and begin tugging at his hair.

Aaron loves when you tug at his hair so you are not surprised when it elicits a few moans from him. And anytime a moan leaves those beautiful lips of his, it always runs straight to your core. You can feel your panties dampen as he sucks on your bottom lip and squeezes your hips.

You are so lost in this kiss and it’s the first time all day that you aren’t drowning in your thoughts.

You are in the moment and it's amazing.

The hand cupping your cheek moves to mimic his other hand squeezing your hip. You don’t even feel his thumbs rubbing the skin above your waistline and dipping under the top portion of your thong. You are so focused on rubbing your hands along his ribcage and chest. You love feeling his chest and tummy.

Aaron starts kissing down your jawline causing you to tilt your head back in pleasure. You can feel his soft lips dance their way down your neck. It's the stark contrast of his rough, calloused fingertips sliding up both sides of your ribcage that snaps you back to reality.

You quickly step away and readjust your blouse.

“Woah Y/N.” He gently grabs your wrists. “What is going on? What's wrong?” He asks with pleading puppy dog eyes.

“Nothing is wrong Aar. It’s just that we're at work with people around.”

“Okay, but that hasn’t stopped us in the past.” A slight smirk appears on his face.

“I know, but I would rather wait until we are home. Why don’t you come over to my place after work?” Hopefully being in the comfort of your own apartment will calm your nerves.

“I’d love to. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” He moves both hands to your cheeks and places a delicate kiss on your forehead.

“Sounds good. I just have a few more reports to finish before I head out.” You say as you head towards his office door.

“Alright, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to it!”

You can see the excitement on his face and hear the sweetness in his voice as you exit his office. The nerves fluttering in your stomach almost make you nauseous but you have to ignore your thoughts so you can focus on the remainder of the work day.

---

You are home for 30 minutes when Aaron finally enters your apartment. You're sitting on the bed, leaning up against the headboard with your knees tucked to your chest when you see Aaron’s broad shoulders lean against your door frame. You know you can’t keep up the facade any longer.

“Alright, Y/N. What's wrong? Something is clearly off with you. You’ve been distant all day today. If I did something wrong, please just tell me so I can fix it.”

The sincerity in his voice is almost too hard to handle. You can feel your eyes start to fill with tears but you don’t cry. You tilt your head down and stare at your fidgeting hands.

“It’s so bad, Aar.” As soon as those words left your mouth you knew that was the worst possible way to phrase the sentence.

Aaron immediately walks to the bed and sits cross-legged in front of you. The panic is evident in his eyes.

He grabs your wrists to move your arms up and begins touching along your stomach. His eyes are moving all over your body like a ball in a pinball machine.

He’s searching for an injury.

“What hurts Y/N? Let me see, please! I want to help fix it.” He’s so scared. You immediately feel guilty about how fast your words send him into panic mode but it's this caring nature that reassures you that Aaron loves you no matter what.

It's what finally gives you the strength to tell him how you feel.

“Nothing hurts, babe. I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to phrase it that way.” His face slowly begins to soften.

“Then what is it? I know something is wrong.”

“My scars, Aar. They are so bad. They are way redder and puffier than I thought they’d be at this point.” Your eyes are focused on your bedspread. Quite obviously avoiding the gorgeous ones you can feel piercing into you. “My entire torso is hideous...I just don’t want you to see it.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” His hands come up to cup both of your cheeks.

You cut him off before he can continue. You need to tell him the whole truth.

“I know it’s dumb but I have this fucking voice in my head telling me that you are going to be bothered by them and less attracted to me. Which I wouldn’t blame you because I am already thinking the same thing about myself.”

“Please, Y/N. Please don’t ever think that I would ever find you unattractive for any reason. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I love everything there is about you and nothing could ever change that.” He says this reassuringly while placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

You can feel your anxiety slowly dissipate. “I know you do. I have just been so nervous thinking about you seeing them for the first time tonight. Plus, we’ve been talking about having sex so much once I got cleared and I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“Y/N.” He says with such conviction that you force yourself to look into his eyes. “I need you to know that we do not need to have sex tonight, tomorrow night or anytime soon.” His hands are now gently rubbing up and down your arms from your shoulders to elbows. “We will go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with. And that will always be the case.” He pauses and lightly squeezes your arms. “Whether following an injury or not, okay.”

“I know, Aar. And you don’t know how appreciative I am of that and how happy I am to have someone as caring and supportive as you in my life.” You gently grab his face and place a tender kiss on his lips.

The love you feel for Aaron is all consuming. He has managed in a matter of minutes to dilute your anxiety to almost nothing. Now, all you feel is this intense rush of passion for the love of your life.

The kiss starts to develop into something much more needy. You both are fighting for dominance but you quickly relent and let his tongue invade your mouth. His large hands make their way to your hair where they lightly tug and pull.

Your hands are now on his shoulders pulling him on top of you while simultaneously working to unbutton his dress shirt.

You feel him hesitate and look down at you. “Y/N, are you sure?”. His eyes have never looked so intently at you.

“Yes, I am sure.”

That’s enough for him to abruptly continue kissing you. Your eyes are now closed as you lose yourself once again in an unforgettable kiss with Aaron Hotchner.

You are obsessed with how he tastes and you continue to feel yourself relax as you breathe in his pine scented cologne. The smell has and always will make you feel at home.

Aaron slowly removes your top and stops all of his movements which leads you to opening your own eyes.

You see him staring at your stomach which brings all of your insecurities to the forefront.

You feel yourself moving to cover your stomach when Aaron catches them and pushes each to the side.

“You are so beautiful Y/N. I can’t believe I get to have someone as beautiful, kind, intelligent, and courageous as you in my life. So please don’t ever try to hide yourself from me.”

The genuineness exuding from him is enough to melt all your anxieties. You know that you want him no matter what.

“Thank you, Aar. I love you so much and I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like you.”

“I love you too, sweet girl.”

His soft lips return to you. He slowly makes his way nipping and sucking at the skin from your neck to your breast. He begins to suck on your nipple while massaging the other with his large hand. His teeth graze over your nipple causing a ripple effect down your spine.

You love feeling his warm breath and wet tongue move across your already hard bud. Aaron tends to your other breast with his mouth before moving down your torso.

He begins to gently kiss each of your scars. You feel your stomach nervously tighten.

Aaron, as always, senses how your body briefly tenses.

“It’s okay, Love. I am right here with you. I want you to forget everything and everyone else but me.”

You feel your body relax. “I am okay, I promise. Please Aaron.” You beg with a quiet whimper. “I need you.”

His lips continue moving down to where you need him most as he removes your pants and thong. No matter your insecurities, you always seem to be needy for all things Aaron. So it's no surprise that you are already wet from only being kissed by him.

Aaron’s tongue moves further down so he can tease your clit. The action causes you to squirm beneath him. As much as you love his mouth on you and feeling him lick and suck on your clit, you need more.

“Aar, please…” you moan and arch your back off the bed.

“What do you want Y/N? Tell me and I will make it happen.” He responds while inserting two fingers into you.

He is curling his finger inside of you while continuing to suck on your clit. Your breathing has increased significantly along with your moans.

“Aaron…please. Please I need you inside of me.”

In an instant he grabs your legs and pulls you towards him. Once your legs are wrapped tightly around his waist, he pulls his already hard cock out of his boxers and begins to line it up with your core. He teases your entrance with his tip before he finally thrusts into you.

He fills you so well as he thrusts in and out. You can feel yourself climb towards your release with every thrust.

“Fuck, Y/N. You feel so good.” His pace quickens and becomes a little harder but he holds you like you are the most precious thing to walk the earth.

“I’m so close, Aar.”

“I know, baby. Let go, I’ve got you.”

That’s all you need to fall apart. Your body tenses before spasming uncontrollably. Your back is arched as Aaron continues to thrust into you to help ride out your high. It doesn’t take much longer for him to find his release as well.

You both try to ride out your highs as long as possible. The two of you are breathing heavily and a slight layer of sweat is now covering your bodies.

You gently begin dragging your nails up and down Aaron’s back as he is still laying on top of you. While still trying to come back to earth, he pulls out of you and rolls over to your side.

You miss the feeling of having him inside of you when he rolls over but the emptiness is quickly replaced as his arm is draped across your waist and is used to pull you to him. You are now laying more on him than the bed with your head nestled on his chest.

Aaron presses gentle kisses to the top of your head. “You okay, Y/N?”

“I’m perfect.” You are so at peace laying on his chest listening to his steady heartbeat.

Aaron is rolling the ends of your hair between his fingers as you continue to cuddle into him. “Okay, good. Are you sure that wasn’t too much this time?”

“It was perfect. I promise I would tell you if I wasn’t okay.”

“Alright, I just want you to be happy and comfortable no matter what.”

“I know, Love and I love you so much for that. You always make me feel amazing, especially when it comes to sex.” You giggle as you sit up to place a gentle kiss on his nose.

“Well, I am glad you enjoy it because I owe you 52 more when you're ready.” A devilish smirk is now plastered on his face.

“52 what?” Your puzzled look causes him to laugh.

“Orgasms, pretty girl.”

“52 orgasms!” Your eyes damn near pop out of your skull.

“Oh yes, 52...and not one less.”

And in this moment, well...all you can think about is 52 perfect orgasms with Aaron.

[harrysgoldenline]

When In Italy - Part 2

Word Count: 2K

Warnings: um not sure, I think there are bad words so sorry? also again not proofread bc I am lazy. 

Note: PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINKING ABOUT ME DOING PERSONALIZED IMAGINES/BLURBS! PLEASE TALK TO ME ABOUT THEM!

Part 1

There will be a part 3!!! All comments/feedback is encouraged :)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You didn’t dare to turn your back, hands shaking as you felt his presence behind you, his footsteps approaching closer as you desperately tried to make it into the guest room as quickly as possible. 

“I’m sorry.” you barely get out, trying to keep your voice strong, “I-I’ll pack and clean up the glass and I’ll get out of your way.”

“Can you look at me so we can talk about this?”

“No” You say with an exhale, shaking your head as your knuckles turned white with your tight grip you had on a pair of sweats you were throwing into your bed, “no, I can’t.”

You just hear him sigh, knowing him well enough to picture how he ran his hair through his hair and pinched the bridge of his nose, something he always did when he was frustrated. You wondered if she knew that too, wondered how he could just be with someone so quickly after everything you’ve been through together. 

“You’re staying. This is your home as much as it’s mine.” He said, getting closer to you and pulling the suitcase back, “we can just… I don’t know, we’ll figure something out, you stay and we can maybe just stay in the main-”

“Are you serious?” You snap, interrupting him with angry eyes, gripping a shirt between your hands tighter as your hands shake, “you want me to stay in this house that we bought together, while you are down the hall sharing a bed with another woman? How could you even… are you insane?”

“You’re right.” He sighed, running his hands along his face, “You’re right, I’m sorry… I just, I don’t know.”

Your eyes were glued to the bed, trying to not look at him as you felt your bottom lip start to shake, seeing him in his peripheral vision and you wished nothing more than to just disappear, or wake up from this nightmare.

“Please…” he whispered, “y/n… I-I, can we please talk?”

“About what, Harry?” 

“I don't know… us? I haven’t seen you since…”

“Us?” You scoffed, bottom lip beginning to wobble again before you bit down hard on it, “haven’t seen me since we broke up. We were together for years and now you’re already with someone else? I just… I think I’m gonna go find a hotel.”

Harry quickly chases after you, coming up behind you and reaching up, arm brushing against your shoulder as he reaches in front of you and closes the door, leaving you trapped between it and his body, eyes falling to the floor, refusing to turn around and face him. 

“Please, just let me go, Harry.” 

He stood silently behind you, hand still against the door and when you looked up you instantly noticed he was still wearing the ring you got for him on your two year anniversary. You could remember the way he looked at you, a wide smile as he instantly slid it on his finger and you could feel it as he held your cheek, pressing a hard kiss on your lips. 

You wondered how much she knew about you, if the ring was from you, if she knew the house belonged to both of you. You didn’t want to hate her, you didn’t even know her but you couldn’t help but feel angry at her, angry at her for having him. 

Harry's hand fell from the door, his fingers brushing yours as he pulled the handle of the suitcase from your hands as you still stood frozen and he put it on the bed, unzipping and pulling a few things out before you could hear the soft creak of the bed falling under his weight and you two sat in silence for a few moments as you still stood frozen at the door, wishing you could just disappear. 

“I’ll get out of your way, y/n, but please don’t feel like you have to leave.” He softly spoke, “…know how much ya love it here, so please don’t feel like you have to leave because of me. The drivers on the way back and I’m already getting a room at a hotel. You stay, okay?”

You slowly nodded, looking down at your hands, picking at you nails before slowly turning around, meeting his eyes instantly as he was already looking at you and offered you a soft smile.You let out a shaky sigh, making your way to the balcony and quickly walking past him, figuring he would just walk straight out of the room now that you weren’t standing in the way. 

Yet, he sat still. Sitting on the bed as you stood against the railing on the balcony, closing your eyes and feeling your muscles relax as the cool, soft breeze hits your skin, the smell of the ocean making you sigh, wondering if you’ll wake up on the beach where you were sat a few hours prior, but you were met with the bittersweetness of the beautiful view in front of you, with the burning presence of your ex-boyfriend still behind you. 

You shivered in the presence of another, stronger breeze, your hair still slightly wet from the bath not helping keep your body any warmer. Pushing through, you stood your ground, still not hearing the sound of footsteps or the door opening you didn’t dare to risk looking over your shoulder to even see if he had left, you knew he was there.

What you didn’t know though, was he was approaching, stealthily walking up behind you and placing a warm, knit blanket over your shoulders causing you to jump, the sudden contact of the seafoam material coming around your shoulders and large hands giving them a squeeze before leaving your skin. 

“The car is here.” He spoke softly, coming up and standing next to you against the railing as he knew you weren’t going to turn and look at him, “I would love to see you tomorrow if that’s somethin’ you’re comfortable with, I’d love to catch up.” 

“I don’t know, Harry.” You retorted, voice soft as you hugged the blanket closer to your body, hoping he will sense your thanks without having to say it, “Maybe, I’m just not sure if it’s a good idea for me to actually catch up with you for the first time with her, I’m sorry I just don’t know if I’m read-“ 

“It would just be us two, I just want to talk.” He spoke, seeing him turn his head and look at you in your peripheral vision, “We haven’t spoken in so long, used to talk everyday. I’d like to know how you’re doing, what you’ve been up to if that’s okay.”

“Okay.” 

“Breakfast tomorrow? I can have someone come pick you up at 10? Know you don’t like waking up early.” 

You let out a soft laugh and you slowly looked over at him, your smile growing slightly when you saw him let out a soft laugh too and you felt like you were transported back in time, a better time. Your eyes met, staring into each other's eyes probably a few moments too long before you turned the other way, looking back towards the view and nodded.

“Okay.”

Harry nodded, leaning against the railing before pushing himself back and shoving his hands deep in his pockets. He stepped closer to you for a moment and you saw him stutter step back just as quick and his hand came up to scratch the back of his neck. 

“Okay, um, well I’m gonna head out.” He spoke, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And just like that, he was gone all over again and you could hear the muffled sound of him explaining what was happening and you were thankful you couldn’t hear whatever kind of response she gave him. Shivering again, you walked back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, looking at your phone on the nightstand and wondering if you should call (y/bff/n) and ask her if you should go to breakfast, ask her if you should stay in Italy or just go home. 

But you decided against it and just stared up at the ceiling, wondering how in the hell you got in this situation. Wondered how long he knew the woman that he was with, wondered what the status of their relationship was.

You tossed and turned in bed for what felt like hours and you couldn’t help but to pull that seafoam blanket closer to you as you cuddle it into your chest, hating yourself for wishing it smelt like him and you even thought about walking into the master bathroom, seeing if Harry still had that extra bottle of cologne stored in the cabinet but you didn’t let yourself give in.

Instead, you swung your legs over the side of the bed and went to go get yourself a glass of water, hoping it would clear your head long enough for you to fall asleep. Your feet padding softly against the floor was the only sound, thankful that they weren’t staying there but you couldn’t help the nausea that hit you when you thought about them staying at a romantic resort. 

You downed the glass as soon as you filled it up, standing by the fridge as you downed its contents before filling it up again, breathing slightly heavy as you focused on the water filling it back up and when you turned around you were met with a familiar photo, fingers running softly over the photo of Harry and his mom on the private beach, a bright smile covering their faces.

You then looked over at the hallway, seeing all that Harry had cleaned up the glass and frame you had knocked over.

 *** 

You hardly slept that night, tossing and turning all night, waking up every few hours and honestly a lot of just laying there, thinking over every single possibility. 

Now, you were trying on about your eighth outfit, trying different combinations and looks, not sure what to end up wearing. You’d hate to show up looking too nice for breakfast, but you also didn’t want to look too casual, or of course looking like a complete mess. 

What the hell are you supposed to wear to meet an ex boyfriend? 

You finally found the perfect outfit, something that made you feel cute but was still casual, making you also feel comfortable that it wasn’t going to look like you were trying too hard. That was the last thing you wanted. 

The knock on the door caused you to jump, glancing over at the clock and seeing that the driver was right on time and you quickly rushed over to the mirror, looking over your appearance quickly before grabbing your purse and rushing to the door with shaking hands. 

Swinging the door open your breath catches in your throat, body freezing and your eyes flash wildly to take in your surroundings, seeing Harry stand before you instead of the driver like you had expected. 

“Hey,” He said, giving you a quick smile, “I, uh, actually decided to pick up the car this morning so I thought I could come pick you up… if that's okay?” 

“Yeah” You squeak out and hesitantly nod, “yeah- um of course, that’s fine! Let me just, um, lock up.” 

He nodded and stepped back, giving you enough room to step outside and turn around to lock the door. You hopped down the steps, shoving the keys into your bed and headed to the car, eyes widening slightly as you saw Harry open up the passenger door for you, giving a soft thank you before sliding into the car, looking up at him through the window as he shut it and jogged over to the other side of the car and slide in next to you.

“You wanna go to Ristorante Principessa?” He asked with a wide smile, bringing up the breakfast place you two would go to almost everyday.

“I would love to.”

[hxt1b]

Why Can’t We? - Extended

Masterlist 

Jaehyun x Reader 

WC: 4.2k 

Genre: Angst (YouTuber Reader x Idol Jaehyun)

Warning: Smut and Swearing 

Original Post: Why Can’t We?

A/N: Hey thank you so much for the love on the original little blurb I wrote. I decided to write an extended version of it for you guys. I hope you like it! If you haven’t read the original I’ve linked it. This is sort of a part two but you could read this without reading the blurb as well hence why I don’t think it fits to call it a part two. Again the grammar may be iffy, I tried my best but things probably still slipped through, regardless I hope you guys like this. Let me know your thoughts. And if anyone wants to send me any requests you can go do that here. I appreciate them and will get to them as soon as I can!

You were slumped over your desk, staring at the work you had in front of you. Your business partner/ best friend was expecting this to be done by the end of the night. The video needed to be out by eight pm. It was already seven, you couldn’t focus though and you knew that if you called her and just explained to her that you fucked up. That you did the one thing you shouldn’t have. That you slept with Jaehyun. She’d help you. But you couldn’t process the fact yourself, you couldn’t process the emotions that were still running through you. You couldn’t believe that you ran. Yet you knew there was no other option. You knew how you felt about him, and Jaehyun never made any move to hide his feelings. Not from you. 

But it wouldn’t work and you knew that, you were so wrapped up in your YouTube channel and all the other opportunities that were coming your way, and he was… well he was Jung Jaehyun. You couldn’t see yourself by his side. Not with how much you’d have to hide it, not with all his fans. They’d find out, your whole life was on the internet, his was too. It wouldn’t work, it would only lead to more heartbreak. Heartbreak at a greater scale one that you could not take. 

You held yourself back as much as you could but last night you couldn’t. Not with the way he looked at you, his eyes showing every emotion he had inside him, not with the way  his mouth felt against yours, the way his hands moved against your skin. You could still feel his breath on your skin. 

A shiver ran down your spine and you were brought back to the computer in front of you. A video of you and your best friend staring back at you. You’d only edited the first four minutes, there was two hours' worth of footage waiting for you. 

Sighing you grabbed your phone, biting your lip you kept yourself from looking at the missed calls you had from him and messages he had sent you. You ignored the burning in you to open them, to reply, to call him back. Instead, you called your friend. 

Her happy voice coming through after the first ring. 

“Hey, dude what’s up?”  

“So listen, I uh I’m gonna need another hour to edit that video it’ll be a little late is that okay?” You said, your voice slightly shaking. 

“Yeah yeah, that's fine.” Her voice fell to a concerned tone, “Is everything okay?” 

“Sorry, yeah I just haven’t been having the best day ya know.” You ran your finger along the side of your desk as you spoke to her. Your mind wandering back to Jaehyun. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She asked. 

“No there’s nothing to talk about just one of those slow and tiring days.” You lied. She hummed on the other side of the line dropping the topic. 

“Take your time with the video’s its fine if it goes up late we can put it up tomorrow too. Just send out a tweet.” You nodded even though she couldn’t see you. 

“Okay, I’ll do that. Thank you.” 

Hanging up you opened your Twitter app. Quickly typing out the tweet. You scrolled through your feed as your tweet blew up, you weren’t huge on YouTube but you had a decent amount of subscribers that your posting schedule mattered. 

Minutes ticked by as you liked and replied to some tweets that came your way. But scrolling came to be a mistake. A thread about Jaehyun appeared on your feed and you couldn’t help but open it, your heart aching as the thread appreciated Jaehyun dimples. You loved his dimples as much as anyone else. The difference was that you had a front seat to him. You’d poked your finger into those dimples so many times over the span of time that you and Jaehyun had known each other. 

Quickly closing the app you came face to face again with all the notifications regarding him. Blinking as your eyes stung you bit your lip again. There was only one option in your head again, you couldn’t handle the ache that your heart felt right now imagine if it was on a grander scale. You had to stop this now. 

Opening his contact information on your phone you blocked his number, and on Instagram and every other platform he could contact you. Your vision blurred and your headached as you put your phone back down on your desk. 

You couldn’t edit the video today anyway. Getting up from your desk chair you made your way to your bed and buried yourself under your blankets as a few tears slipped down your cheek. 

Two weeks passed and Jaehyun was a mess, his head was somewhere else constantly, he couldn’t focus on his work. He couldn’t think straight. He just moved from day to day as he became more and more numb. He’d called you, texted you but you hadn’t returned anything. Short of going to your apartment, he’d done everything he could, and that was something he wasn’t going to do. Not after you blocked him. 

He dropped his head into the palms of his hands, the bitter pain of the action hitting him again. You’d actually blocked him. The tears gathered in the corners of his eyes again but he blinked them away. But it all hurt, everything hurt. His head hurt from the anger he felt towards you, yet his heart ached for you. The fight in him tired him out daily. The other boys were noticing, Johnny had tried to talk to him about it but Jaehyun didn’t know what to say. 

She fucked me and left, oh and while she left she ripped my heart out and stomped on it because there is no way she doesn’t know that I love her. 

Jaehyun knew you were cautious, he could sense your fear. But when you slept together that day he’d hoped you’d forget it, that you’d understand that it could work. That with you he’d make it work. He’d hoped that you’d see it. But clearly, you hadn’t. 

You hadn’t even given it a chance. 

You saw him everywhere all of sudden. You blocked him but you still saw him everywhere. It had been a month since you’d last seen him and noting was easier. You’d lied to yourself then and you would lie to yourself now. Because this was for the best.  

You sighed again as another clip of Jaehyun popped up in your Instagram feed. They’d just had another comeback and it was shaping into your biggest nightmare very fast. Scrolling again you came across a clip from a recent interview. He was smiling and laughing with Jungwoo. His dimples showing up as he threw his head back and laughed at something Jungwoo had said to him. Another sigh slipped out your lips as you scrolled again. 

“Oh, my fuck. I swear Y/N if you fucking sigh again I’ll knock you out into next week.” Your best friend was staring at you from where she stood setting up the camera for today's shoot. 

“What is even wrong with you. For the past month, you’ve been sad and angry and you constantly don’t want to talk about it and I respected that but today I’ve had enough.” Her hands had moved to her hips as she glared down at you. 

Looking away from her you ran your tongue over your drying lips. 

“Talk to me Y/N.” She demanded and before you knew it everything spilled out. From the day you met Jaehyun nine months ago, to all the flirting. You told her about all the dates you’d gone on, you even told her how you insisted on calling them friend dates. Watched movies in his room, kicking Jungwoo out so that it would be just the two of you. Making cakes in his kitchen and doing the most cliche things while making them. You told her all of it, how you slept with him and blocked him because you were scared. Obviously, she knew of Jaehyun she’d even met him on many occasions but she didn’t know the details, because for some reason your brain had told you that if your best friend knew them. That if you spoke of the events that the feelings would become real, that it would all become real. 

“You're scared?” She questioned her face contorting into an expression bordering on disgust. “Scared. You?” She was sitting beside you a scowl embedded into her face. 

“Dude, we don’t scare. We meet shit head-on. Our channel is thriving because we didn’t give in to the fear that we would fail. We got where we are with that practice. We don’t fear shit. Especially not the complicated shit because we always make it work we always try.”  

She didn’t even blink as she spoke, you knew she was right, but it was easier said than done wasn’t it? But she was right you didn’t fear failure with your work and it paid off and you loved it. 

“But it’s so much more complicated now. I don’t think I can fix this.” 

“You have to try. Because I can’t stand this behaviour anymore. Fix it, babe, at least try and if it doesn’t work I’ll be here and we’ll move past it.” You nodded as she spoke. Glad that she was your best friend. 

“So I should go talk to him? Apologize? Tell him what was going on in my head?” 

“Yeah, dude just talk to him.” She looked at you expectantly as she got up and went back to fixing the camera angle. 

“Okay can you set up the mic’s now, you can talk to him after we film. Now help me.” 

Three hours later you were dragging your feet towards his dorm. You’d planned out what to say and how to say it, after you filmed, in your mirror. Your best friend giving you the thumbs up when you left. 

Looking up as you neared the dorm, the air left your lungs. There he was walking towards you, smiling down at a beautiful girl. He looked happy. You watched them as they walked slowly talking about god knows what, your hands fisted at your side as she laughed at something he said. Your insides turned and you felt like you were gonna puke. But you had no right. You were the one who left, you uncurled your hand as your eyes began to sting. 

What did you think was going to happen? That you’d leave him and he’d sit around waiting for you. That when you walked into his dorm today he’d take you back with open arms like you hadn’t left his bed and then blocked him on everything. You shook your head blinking back the tears.  

You bit your lip and looked away from them. There was no way back into his life and it was clear and it was your fault., but you had to look at him again. Just one last time. Just to see that smile, those dimples one last time in person even if you weren’t the one he was smiling at. 

Turning your head back to him your entire body froze. He was already looking at you. Stopped a few feet back from the entrance of the dorm. The girl digging around her bag for something. Your heart thumped in your chest, your blood flowing fast, the rush of it the only sound in your ears. 

Your eyes stung again, you couldn’t cry. Not here. Turning away from him you walked away quickly. You needed to get away fast, he shouldn’t have seen you. You felt selfish that you’d stood there that long, that you’d tried to steal that last glance. You should have walked away sooner. The tears slipped down your cheeks, leaving cold wet trails in their wake. 

A hand grabbed your wrist, whipping you around. You didn’t look at him, you couldn’t. His hand tightened around your wrist. 

“So you’re gonna run away again?” You didn’t say anything back. What would you even say because the truth was yes. Yes, you were. He scoffed and dropped your hand, taking a step away from you. 

“You're with a girl, you’re happy I don’t want to intrude.” You still weren’t looking at him, keeping your eyes trained on the ground to your left. 

“Look at me.” He said his voice even. You refused. 

“Look at me!” His tone was harsher, slowly you turned your head to him your eyes taking in his face, from far he had looked like the perfect Jaehyun you always saw, but up close you could see the slight darkness under his eyes, the paleness of his skin, the sadness in his eyes as yours finally locked onto them. “Do I look happy to you? That girl is my cousin.” You stayed silent not knowing what to say. 

He let out a humourless laugh, “You don’t have anything to say. Why am I shocked?” He ran his hand through his hair and took a step towards you. 

“Fine then let me talk. Let me tell you about how you fucked me up, how for the past month I’ve been trying to figure out what I did wrong to have you block me, to have you kick me out of your life so easily. What did I do that was so wrong.” His voice broke on the last word as tears began to trail down his face. You were frozen in your spot, your hands shaking at your side. 

Everything that you’d wanted to say, everything you’d thought to say out your head. You watched as he broke down in front of you, your heartbreaking with each tear that ran down his cheek. Slowly you raised your hand taking a step closer to him, you hesitated only for a second before pulling him to you. 

“Nothing. You did nothing wrong. I'm the one that fucked up. I'm the one that ran away, and I’m the one that is so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything Jaehyun.” His arms wrapped around your body pulling you into him, his hands fisting at the back fabric of your coat. 

“I was scared, scared about everything. Scared that it would all only hurt us more in the end. I was trying to make it easier.” This time your voice cracked as you began to cry. His arms tightened around you. 

“I'm so sorry, I’m so stupid. I ran away and I’m so sorry.” It was hard for you to talk through your tears. You tried to calm down by taking in breaths of air. You needed to stop crying. “Please forgive me.” 

You looked up at him, his eyes were red from his tears that had stopped. His eyes softened as they took in your face. He didn’t say anything to you just moved his face to yours, softly pressing his lips against yours. 

“Let me make it up to you.” You said pulling away from his lips. 

You pulled him into your apartment, taking your coat off and throwing it onto your couch. Prompting him to do the same. You grabbed his hand once his coat was off and pulled him into your bedroom. Your mouth returning to his as soon as you closed the door. The kiss was slow and soft, both of you taking each other in. Pulling away from him you looked at his face, his brown eyes dark you were sure you reflected the same desire back to him that you saw. Pressing your lips back to his you let your hands trail down his chest as his stayed planted on your waist. Weaving your hand under his shirt you raked your cold fingers ups his abs earning a shiver from him. You smiled pulling away from him and pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside. 

Your breath hitched as you took in the sight of his bare torso, pressing yourself back to him you pressed an open-mouthed kiss to his jaw, softly sinking your teeth into the same spot before sucking the skin into your mouth. Jaehyun moaned, his hands moving up the back of your t-shirt pulling you against him. You could feel his member hard and pressed against you in-between the both of you. 

Licking the spot to soothe the sting you pressed a kiss to the slowly darkening mark, before moving further down. You kissed down his chest, softly pressing your lips against his hot skin. You marvelled in the way his breathing became shallow as you moved onto your knees. Hooking your fingers into the buttons of his jeans you undid them pulled them down along with his boxers. You pushed him back towards your bed letting him step out the articles of clothing and sit down as you slowly wrapped your hand around his throbbing cock. He was already so hard. You looked up at him as you slowly moved your hand down before licking the tip, wiping away the moisture that had gathered there. 

He groaned at your action, his eyes locked with yours as you made your way down his dick kissing down the underside towards his balls before sticking your tongue out and licking back up to his tip. His cock twitched in your hand as you wrapped your lips around his head. One of his hands twisted into the back of your hair softly grabbing your locks. 

Jaehyun’s head fell back as you moved him further into your mouth, you went slow letting yourself feel each vein with your tongue as you fit him into your mouth. Soft moans spilled from him, flowing towards you as you begin to move him in and out of your mouth, using your hand to massage the rest of him that you couldn’t fit into your mouth. 

A soft growl fell from his lips as he pulled you off him. 

“You can finish that some other time.” He said, yanking you up into his lap you straddled him, as he kissed you roughly his tongue entering your mouth and quickly meeting yours. You moaned into him as his hands moved under your shirt one hand unclasping your bra. 

“Fuck.” he cursed pulling away from you before pulling your shirt off and throwing it across the room. He tangled his hand in the hair at the back of your head again pulling you towards him to press his mouth to yours as you let your bra fall off and tossed it onto the ground. The thumb of his other hand drawing circles at your hip. 

He stood up taking you with him, not breaking the kiss as he did. You groaned as his dick pressed against your clothed core, causing heat to rush through you. He tossed you onto the bed before quickly following you. 

“I’m so fucked.” He said before pressing his lips into your neck, sucking the skin as you had done before on him. You moaned letting your hand fly to the back of his head as he moved down towards your chest, leaving open-mouthed kissed until he got your breast.

He lifted his head from you and stared at you, his eyes almost black with lust. Your breathing was laboured as he smirked at you before returning his mouth to your nipple. He harshly sucked it into his mouth pulling it up between his teeth. You let out a breathy moan, his name flowing out of your mouth, as your chest arched off the bed following his mouth. He laughed before letting your nipple pop out of his mouth and pushed up you back into the mattress before kissing over to your other breast copying his action before moving his kisses down your stomach. 

You writhed under him as his mouth got closer to where you wanted him. Hooking his fingers into your legging he pulled them down leaving you in only your panties. He looked up at you before looking back down at your covered core. Your cheeks reddened as he smiled. 

“Your so wet baby, you soaked through your panties.” His voice was thick with lust, his face showing on full display his desire for you. 

“For you,” you panted back, as he pressed a finger to you over your panties. 

“For me.” He whispered to himself before pulling your underwear down. He hovered his face over your clit, you could feel his breath teasing you. Bucking your hips towards him wanting him to do something already. You snaked your hand down to his hair. 

“Please.” You whined pushing yourself up towards him again. He chuckled, taking your hand from his hair. He held it at your stomach pushing you down back to the bed before he ran his tongue up your slit. Your eyes closed shut as your loud moans filled the room. He repeated the action before taking your clit into his mouth sucking on the swollen nub.  

“Jaehyun.” You whined moving your other hand to his hair only for him to grab it and hold it down next to your other one. You whined trying to move your hips but being unable to as he held you down. You couldn’t take it anymore. You needed him now. 

“Baby please, you can finish that some other time.” You said stealing his words from earlier. “I need you.” He pulled back from you, his mouth covered in you. He let go of your hands letting you loop them around his neck as you pulled him back up to you. Immediately pressing your lips against his in a heated kiss, you tasted yourself on his tongue. 

A deep moan fell from your lips as he slipped his cock between your folds slowly moving so that the tip was hitting your clit. His hand wrapped around your head weaving into the hair at the top as the other one knotted into the sheets next to your head. 

He pressed his forehead against yours closing his eyes as he continued to repeat his action savouring the breathy moans that fell from your open mouth. 

“Please.” You whined when you had as much as you could take, “I need you. Please.”  You begged.  

His breathing mirrored your own, harsh shared breaths as he lined himself up at your entrance, slowly pushing himself in. Your eyes fell shut at the stretch, you clenched around him as he took his time sliding into you taking in the feeling of your tight walls around him. 

“Fuck,” He muttered against your mouth followed by a soft moan as he bottomed out. You both breathed heavily as he stayed still, agonizing seconds passed before he pulled back again before spanning his hips back to you. Your head twisted to the side as he picked up his pace. He bit into the soft skin of your jaw as he moved in and out of you. 

The sound of his skin slapping against yours filled the room along with your moans, overwhelming your mind as he fucked you into a daze. You drowned in your head with every snap of his hips, you could feel him hitting your g-spot with each thrust pushing you closer you climax. 

Sweat dotted his forehead as his thrusts sped up, throwing you off the edge into the depths. Your back arched off the bed, your chest pressing against his as he took your lips up with his swiping his tongue against yours mirroring the action of his hips as he thrust into you harsher chasing after his release. You moaned his name but it sounded far off to your ears as you shook underneath him. Your walls clenching around his cock, finally his dick twitched and he came spilling himself into you. A loud moan leaving him followed by heavy breathing as he looked down at you. He let his head fall into the crook of your neck as you both came down from your highs. 

“I’m so fucked,” He whispered to you. “Don’t run away from me again Y/N. I won’t be able to take it again.” He said and pressed a kiss to your shoulder. 

“I’m not going anywhere Jaehyun.” You said stroking his back with your hand. 

“Good because, Y/N, I really like you.” You turned your head to him, his eyes meeting yours as you did. You could see the emotion in his eyes, you could see the truth behind his words, the real words he’d wanted to say. 

“I really like you too, Jaehyun.” You said, also keeping the grander emotion with you. For now. You had plenty of time to say it to him. To hear it from him, because you weren’t going anywhere, but the three words rattled around your brain, your heart your entire being as you looked at him before pressing your lips against his. 

I love you. 

[krispytidalwavesheep]

Hopes and Dreams III

.I am not entirely sure about this chapter, if I’m completely honest, so I’ll probably rewrite it at a later time. If you want to get added to the taglist just let me know! Thanks for your continuos support with this fic, it honestly gives me so much life right now! *** Chapter 3

“There seem to still be a few things you haven’t seen.” Lady Dimitrescu stated after you reached the sitting room.

“It’s not everyday that you see girls turn into a swarm of bugs. I’ve seen a lot, but I never said I have seen everything.”

“Which brings me to the question that I want answered. What are you? My first guess would be that you are a vampire, like me and my daughters, but I have a feeling that that isn’t true. Sit down please, so that I can take a look at your wound.” Her tone brooked no argument, so you did as you were told and rolled up the leg of your pants. You winced when you saw the true extend of the damage. Even with enhanced healing it would take a few hours to properly heal.

“My biological father was a scientist, who researched a lot of occult and supernatural topics. He was also a massive asshole who thought it okay to experiment on his own baby daughter, so there’s that. I don’t know how, but someone he got his hands on the DNA of some creature no one really has a name for, but I have a guess. The only thing he really knew, was that they are like Vampires, but much more powerful.

He injected me with the DNA when I was four, but nothing happened, so I was deemed a failure. He did all kinds of tests on me, to see if the DNA would activate, but it didn’t. At least not until he tried to kill me. I was no stranger to torture after he failed, but that night I knew he came to finish it. I was 10, and I was scared and angry, so much so, that something in me broke. There wasn’t much left of him after I was finished. 

I’ll spare you most of the details of what happened after, since it is not relevant for what you want to know, and I hate the feeling of being exposed when I don’t know if I can trust the person in front of me. I ran away and my benefactor found me and took me in. I don’t know how, but somehow, he knew what I had become, and he took it upon himself to make sure that I got the best training I could get. I can somewhat use my enhanced abilities, but I am not completely awakened. I’ll get to that part shortly. 

After 6 years I was deemed ready to repay the favor and got sent on a hunt for rare artifacts, as I mentioned earlier. I was free to research my condition whenever the opportunity arose, and I did. I traveled the whole world, met all kinds of creatures and people, yet no one could help me with my predicament. That was until 8 months ago, when I found the first real clue. But that clue came with a price and I have been cursed. 

I still don’t have a name for the creature that I have become, but I found an old text that explained a lot to me. My kind won’t fully awaken until they bond themselves to another being, that has roughly the same power that we have. That’s where the curse made things more complicated: If I try to bond with anyone that isn’t my destined mate, I will die. Slowly and painfully. 

And if that isn’t enough, the curse took the ability to sense my mate away from me, at least in the traditional sense. Usually, we will know our mate by smell alone, for their blood will sing to us like nothing else ever could. We would feel a strong pull towards them, and they to us, for our blood will be just as exquisite to them, as theirs is to us. The curse took that ability away from me, and now I am destined to walk the earth, waiting for my mate to find me. 

Another side effect is what I call ‘boiling blood’. When I feel threatened enough it will activate and temporarily awaken me. I can’t control it though, and that is the problem. It only happened once so far, and that was when someone I care a great deal for, got hurt. But I have it under control for the most part. I just don’t like it when people I care about get hurt, I lost myself even before the curse happened. And I do understand if you deem me to dangerous and kick me out of the castle. You wouldn’t be the first one.” You ended lamely and sighed. It always took a lot out of you when you talked about the past. 

“You mentioned that you have a theory about what exactly you are?” Alcina asked and gently patted your dressed wound. You suppressed the gentle shiver that wanted to roll down your body and said, “I think I am a Vampire, but one of the first generation.”

***

“And what makes you think that?” Alcina asked carefully. You pondered that for a moment, her eyes never leaving you. She could see that it took a toll on you to tell her all that, and she could understand that. Admitting what had happened couldn’t be easy, especially when there was the possibility that you would be thrown out or worse. Alcina didn’t plan on doing either of those things though, and she would tell you soon enough. An idea was forming in her head.

“I read a lot about vampires and had my fair share of encounters, none of them as nice as the one with you, so I figured it must be something like that. Whenever a Vampire turns someone, a miniscule part of their DNA gets implanted in the one they’ve turned. That is why your Maker will always be stronger than you. But since I got way more DNA with fathers’ experiments, it could mean that I am the first person who got turned into a Vampire of the first generation. And if not first, then second, which would still be infinitely more powerful than a Vampire of third or fourth generation. Although I can’t be sure, since I destroyed everything that could give me a clue, when I killed my father.” You said silently, looking at the floor. Alcina couldn’t help but feel pity for you. A bad hand was dealt to you, and you just tried to live your life. She also admired how strong and confident you were, even after all that had happened.

“I have an offer for you.” Alcina said and put two fingers under your chin to make you look at her, ignoring your blush.

“Stay here. You have nowhere else to go, right? You fascinate me and I want to know more about your abilities if you are willing to show me. And I could use a hand to help me in the castle’s upkeep. But make no mistake, my dear. As soon as you show me that you become a threat, I will dispose of you. What do you say?” Alcina asked, but she knew your answer already. She could see it in the softening of your eyes and the spark of hope that flickered in your eyes. You gently nodded and gave her the most brilliant smile she had ever seen. Both of you briefly wondered where that feeling of trust came from, you more than Alcina, but for the moment it was enough.

***

A weird sense of coming home fell over you, when you looked into her eyes, that had gentled with your consent. She could probably kill you with a snap of her fingers, but somehow you got the feeling that she wouldn’t. Most people feared you when you told them what you were, not all of them humans either. But she gave you the feeling of safety, no matter what your nature was, and you wondered. Could she be the one that was fated to be with you? Or was that just wishful thinking, because she showed you kindness where everybody else would only show you fear and hatred? You were immensely attracted to her, that’s for sure, but could she be the one? 

“I want to see the full extend of your abilities as fast as possible if you don’t mind. If it is alright with you, I would arrange a little sparring session between you and my daughters.” Lady Dimitrescu said and took a seat on the chaise lounge in front of you. 

“I wouldn’t mind. It has been far too long since someone has offered me a challenge, so I will gladly accept, my Lady. My wound should be fully healed by tomorrow, so we can start first thing if you’d like,” you offered, eager to show her what you were capable of. Maybe she will keep you around for longer if you show her that you would be a valuable asset to her castle.

“I would like that very much, my dear. But now is time for you to eat and rest, as it is rather late. The day has been rather long and eventful, not just for you.”

“Of course, my Lady,” you smile and as if on cue, the door to the sitting room opened and one of the daughters entered the room with two plates. You hadn’t even realized how hungry you were until the smell of the food hit your nostrils. The two of you ate in companionable silence, and soon enough it was time to leave her presence for the night. 

The guest room she showed you was like nothing you have ever slept in before. You were used to all sorts of places to sleep, but never have you seen a bed so big and comfortable looking.

“Good Night, my dear. I hope you sleep well,” Lady Dimitrescu said and left you to your own devices before you could answer her. You dressed down to your tank top and shorts and fell into a peaceful slumber as soon as your head hit the pillow.

***

When you next opened your eyes, you were surrounded by the familiar darkness of your dreamscape, yet something felt different. You could sense a presence at the edge pf your consciousness and soon enough, a gentle voice spoke to you “So you finally found her.”

“Huh?” you asked into the darkness, chills running down your spine. The voice giggled and a shadow crept into the edge of your vision, which soon turned into a girl, that oddly enough, had somewhat of a resemblance to you.

“Who are you?”

“You’ll have to find that our for yourself. But what matters is, that you have finally found her. My Alcina,” the girl said and looked close to tears, although she was still smiling.

“Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think that Lady Dimitrescu belongs to anyone.” You said, defensive of the Lady. That made the girl laugh again, and you couldn’t get over the fact that she looked so much like yourself.

“You are right. But she was mine, as I was hers, a long time ago. Listen, the castle’s magic is strong, but not strong enough to give me enough time to explain everything. Just trust me, okay? Stay by her side, no matter what. Protect her. But most important: Take care of yourself. She lost us too many times already, but maybe you are the one that will break this hellish circle.” 

“I-I don’t understand!” you said desperately, trying to reach for the girl, but she was already fading.

“We will speak to each other again when the time is right. Until then, remember my words. Please protect her. Do what we couldn’t do and survive.” Were her parting words before you awoke, drenched in cold sweat. What the fuck was that?

But no matter how hard you tried to grasp at your dream and its implications, you felt your consciousness fading and fell back into a deep slumber.

***** Taglist: @imdreamingblo @x-x-trixxster-k-m-w-x-x

[andreafmn]

Collision - Chapter 2

Word Count: 1,477

Characters: Female Reader Uley Character, Sam Uley, Allison Uley, Charlie Swan, Bella Swan, Seth Clearwater, Billy Black, Jacob Black, Emily Young, Paul Lahote, Harry and Sue Clearwater, Leah Clearwater

Story Description: (Y/N) Uley is back home after being away for four years. Her life at it’s first standstill and she is taking this time to find out who she is without school. But she never thought that coming back to the reservation would turn her whole life around. In the midst of secrets and mystery, a man crashes into (Y/N)’s and her life will never be the same.

*DISCLAIMER* I do not own in any way Twilight, all credits of the pre-established characters, script, and storyline belong to Stephanie Meyer and Summit Entertainment. The only thing I own is Uley Reader insert, any upcoming characters, and her storyline, as well as her effects in the others’ story line.

Chapter: 2/?

A/N: There’s no Cullen’s in the first chapter, we’ll see them soon though. Also, Esme is in the story but her and Carlisle are not together romantically. If you enjoy my writing I’ll also be posting them in AO3 and Wattpad along with other stories (I also hope to start taking requests if ya’ll want) Hope you enjoy and all constructive criticism is encouraged.

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Chapter 2

The next day she awoke at half past ten. She looked at her bedside clock flustered, knowing she had wasted almost all morning. She could smell breakfast already prepared and her mother downstairs doing some light cleaning.

She hurried into the bathroom and took a small time to finish her morning routine, flying down the stairs. Allison laughed as she noticed her daughter stumbling with hurry down the stairs, clearly heading to the door.

“Eat some breakfast before you go, darling!” Allison shouted as she swept the floor of the dining room.

“I’ll just get some on the way,” (Y/N) said as she put her jacket on, seeing in the distance dark clouds adorning the sky.

“I made you a sandwich so you can take it with you and a travel mug filled with coffee.”

“Thanks, mom. You’re the best,” (Y/N) kissed her mother’s cheek and grabbed the food from her hands.

“And be careful on the streets, the tires haven’t been changed on the truck and the roads are supposed to be very slippery today.” Allison called out to the girl who was almost completely out of the door.

(Y/N) barely heard her mother’s warning as she jogged up to the truck parked on the driveway. There was a sandwich hanging from her mouth as she backed up and sped to the main road. It was quite a long ride to Port Angeles, and she wanted to be back before dark. She spent the ninety-minute drive listening to background music and noticing how the sky changed from blue to dark grey to a lighter grey as she passed and left Forks. She rarely visited the neighboring town, listening to the stories by the elders gave her enough reason not to. Unlike most of her friends and even her own brother, she believed the string of words that they sewed. There were so many things that were unexplained in the universe that it would be ignorant of her to not believe that the supernatural could exist. Although, the past four years she had started to disregard the tales as made up stories, not being able to prove that they were veracious.

Once she arrived, she parked in front of an antique store and started perusing through the various stores in the strip mall. Before she knew it, five hours had passed. Her feet were sore from walking back and forth, her arms were read from all the bags she had carried, and her head was hurting from a lack of food. It was already five in the afternoon and (Y/N) was ready to go home. She got back into the truck and started her drive back home. An hour into the drive the sky darkened more than it should’ve, and heavy rain cascaded from the clouds. Her vision was impaired from the thick droplets and her heart was beating hard, scared of what could jump out in the darkness.

(Y/N)’s worries were confirmed when a deer jumped onto the street and had her swerve the truck. The car spun for some seconds and slid off the road, crashing into a tree. The girl’s head flew forward on impact and connected with the steering wheel in front of her. Her vision blurred and her headache grew exponentially. She could hear her name being called from far away but couldn’t distinguish whose it was. As it came closer, she could finally make out the frame of the sheriff, Charlie Swan. He was speaking to her, but no words registered in her head.

Charlie moved closer to the truck and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. The sheriff reached into the open window and carefully tried to retrieve the wounded girl. She wasn’t in the right mind and in this rain an ambulance would take too long to get here. He laid (Y/N)’s head on his shoulder as she mumbled incoherent words, then reaching his arms under hers to pull her softly. He was careful not to scrape her body too much against the broken window, laying down his jacket first to cover most of it. Charlie tried his best to see amid the harsh rain, praying to whatever being was controlling the weather to stop. The blood that was gushing from (Y/N)’s forehead had washed off as soon as her head had exited the car but it didn’t stop flowing. After what felt like hours, the sheriff had the teenage girl in his arms and carried her to his cruiser. Turning his emergency lights on he sped as carefully as possible to the hospital.

He felt the ride eternal as he heard the hurt girl in the back of the car moaning in pain and noticing the shirt he’d wrapped around her forehead was soaking up too much blood. As he neared the bright lights of the hospital, he slowed the speed down as to not slam on his brakes and cause more damage to (Y/N). He carefully grabbed her limp body and entered the hospital. It seemed like the emergency room had a slow night, but he only brought trouble. 

“I need some help here!” Charlie called out, worry laced in his voice. 

“Sheriff Swan, what happened?” A nurse asked as she accompanied the team wheeling a gurney for the unconscious being in the officer’s arms. 

“This is (Y/N) Uley. She hit her head in a car accident, I assume her car swerved as she avoided an animal in the street. She’s been unconscious since I got her in my car. When I found her she was barely coherent.” 

“Okay, why don’t you wait for us in the waiting room. We’ll let you know as soon as we have some news.” The nurse smiled. 

All Charlie could do was nod and sit down for a second, later pulling out his phone to dial Allison Uley’s number. 

“Sheriff, to what do I owe this pleasure,” Allison chimed. 

“It’s not good news, Allison. (Y/N) has been in a car accident.” Charlie could feel the panicked energy coming from the other side of the phone. Close to this time last year he had gotten news that his own daughter was hurt through a phone call. “Now, Allison, I know you want to speed off to the hospital but I would advise you not to. The roads are really bad over here and we can’t have you both admitted.” 

“But I can’t leave her alone,” she sobbed. “I need to be there for my baby.” 

“I know, but she won’t be alone. I’m gonna stay here until she’s good to go and I’ll take her back to your house. Now don’t you worry, you know she’s a strong one.” 

“I know,” Allison sighed an air of defeat. “Alright, just please keep me updated on everything. Doesn’t matter how late.” 

“Will do. I’ll have my buddy pick up the truck and leave it at Billy’s.” 

“Thank you, Charlie, so much.” 

“No problem, Allison. Try to get some shuteye, it looks to be a long night.”

And a long night it was.  

Thankfully, (Y/N)’s injuries were minor and she would be able to leave as soon as she woke up. Charlie spent all night in the hospital, calling a friend to drive (Y/N)’s truck so that Jacob could see if it was worthy of repair and leaving a message for his daughter that he would not be coming home that night. The nurses were nice enough to bring the officer a blanket and some coffee as it seemed he wasn’t going to leave and come back the next morning, keeping his promise to Allison that he’d stay beside her daughter. 

Once a room was given to (Y/N), Charlie managed to catch up on a little bit of sleep on the armchair next to her bed. The girl slept even through the morning light that slipped through the window that woke the sheriff up. He updated Allison on the persistent status of her daughter. Once again, the nurses showing kindness by bringing him a cup of coffee as he waited for (Y/N)’s eyes to open.

(Y/N) was engulfed in darkness during what felt like a second. She tried fluttering her eyes open but was met with a painfully bright light and a pulsating headache that rang through her body. Her eyes closed once again to try to minimize the discomfort, to much avail. She barely remembered what event befell her to end up in this situation, but she could hear she was not alone.

“Are the lights bothering you, (Y/N)?” Sheriff Swan spoke, noticing the girl had awoken. She promptly nodded and he stood up to turn off the lights as the room door opened. “All right, they’re off now. Hello, doctor.”

She tried opening her eyes again and was met with the most radiant eye color she had ever seen.

Golden.

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[thetravelerwrites]

Alexei (Part 2) Lemon

Rating: Mature Relationships: Female Human/Male Satyr Additional Tags: Exophilia, Monster Boyfriend, Satyr, Arranged Marriage, Fake Marriage, Strangers to Lovers, Reader Insert, Illness Words: 6143

A commission for @thebimess​​! A sudden illness changes the nature of the reader's and Alexei's relationship. Please reblog and leave feedback!

The Traveler's Masterlist

You left the next morning before Alexei woke, as usual, but the walk to the bathhouse, which was only across the street, was more difficult than it had been before. Within an hour, you felt exhausted and weak, as if there were steel bands constricting your chest, preventing you from taking a full breath. There was a sharp pain in your side every time you breathed in.

“You don’t sound well,” Your work neighbor, Ellie, said. “There’s a nasty whistle when you take a breath. Are you alright, lovie?”

“Yes, I’m alright,” You lied. “Don’t worry about me, I can carry on.”

“If you say so.”

At some point during the day, you were called out of the laundry room.

“Am I in trouble?” You asked the matron.

“No, dearie,” The matron said, looking concerned. “We went and called on your husband to take you home. You’ve looked like you’re going to fall into the tubs all day.”

“I can work, Madam, I’m fine,” You protested.

“Nonsense,” She said. “Let your husband take you home. The last thing I need is a corpse on my working floor, you got me, missy?”

“Yes, Madam,” You said.

Alexei stood up from where he was sitting in the front room. As soon as he saw you, his face pinched in concern.

“You’re terribly pale,” Alexei said, coming close. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing,” You gasped. “I just have a little cold or something, it’s nothing to worry about.” It was unfortunate that at that moment, your feet decided to trip over themselves and you stumbled into him.

“Oy, oy,” He said, helping you right yourself. He put a hand to your head. “My word, you are boiling, pet! Let’s get you back home and lay you down. Madam, thank you for sending for me. Will you need compensation for the time she’s not working?”

“We’ll figure that out later. Get that child in a bed.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Alexei managed to drag you back to your room and helped you out of your short cloak and shoes. He steered you toward your bedroll and lay you down in it. As soon as your body hit the blankets, it gave out and you lost consciousness.

When you woke, it was dark. You had a wet rag on your forehead, your body feeling as though you’d been trampled by horses. Though you were bundled up, you felt like you were going to freeze. Breathing was like being stabbed with knives. As you inhaled and exhaled, there was a gravelly rasp that you could feel in your lungs. You made a sound of discomfort, and suddenly Alexei’s face came into your field of vision.

“You’re awake,” He said, taking the rag from your head. “Can you sit up? You need to drink.”

“Help me,” You croaked. He wedged his arm under your shoulders and lifted you. Your body screamed in agony and you gave a pained cry. “I can’t breathe,” You told him. “I feel like I’m drowning.”

“I know,” He said, his face scrunching in sympathy. “The physician has been ‘round to see you. You have pneumonia, he says.”

“Pneumonia?” You repeated.

“Yes,” He said, tipping a cup of water for you to drink. “He doesn’t think you’re infectious, since no one you’ve been around has developed symptoms. He left me some medicine to give you, powdered willow bark and peppermint.”

“That must have been expensive,” You wheezed. “How much did it cost you?”

“Let me worry about the expense,” He said, urging you to drink more. “Just concentrate on getting better.”

“But my job…” You protested. “I’ll be sacked...”

“Stop fussing,” He admonished. “I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of everything. Just rest.”

“I’m cold,” You said piteously, beginning to cry.

“I know,” He said again, stroking a strand of your hair from your forehead. “It’s the fever. I can’t make you warmer or you could die.”

“It hurts,” You said. “Let me die.”

“Don’t say that. You’ll be alright,” He soothed, laying you carefully back on the bedroll. “Let me get your medicine.”

Every day, Alexei woke you four times a day for your breathing treatment, which consisted of steeping the peppermint leaves in boiling water and having you inhale the vapor, and to take some fluids, usually water, tea, or broth. He stuck to this schedule without fail, and while it irritated you, you knew somewhere in your subconscious that he was saving your life. The peppermint vapor helped ease your breathing some and the willow bark prevented the fever from becoming dangerous, but it still felt as though you were dying.

Five days in, he woke you for your treatments.

“No, I can’t,” You cried weakly.

“Yes, you can,” He said patiently. “But I want to show you something first. Let’s sit you up, pet.” He lifted you up gingerly and sat behind you so that you were resting with your back to his front and your head on his shoulder. “Can you open your eyes?”

Your eyes felt glued together, but you managed to pry them open. “What do you want to show me?”

“Look,” He said, pointing at the wall where the fireplace was. “Can you see?”

It took a moment for your eyes to focus, but when it did, you saw flowers. Hundreds, thousands of tiny flowers painted on the wall. It was a field, a meadow, and a sweet little cottage sat in the middle next to a small pond. Every color you could think of waved in the painted breeze. It was dusk, and the sky was pink-gold with fluffy clouds of silver floating along it. Little ducks, chickens, and baby goats gathered around the steps to the cottage, and there, a woman who looked much like you stood scattering seeds from a basket on her arm. She wore a crown of flowers on her head.

“Oh,” You breathed, a tear rolling down your cheek as your body trembled weakly against his. “It’s beautiful.”

He rubbed his hands up and down your arms. “I’m glad you like it. I worked on it while you were sleeping. I was going to just paint a small piece of wood with flowers and fruit for you to carry in your pocket, but… it didn’t feel good enough.”

“I would have loved that, too,” You said. “Won’t you get in trouble with the landlord for this?”

“I asked permission,” He said softly into your hair.

You began to sob. “It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I just wish I weren’t dying so I could enjoy it properly.”

“You’re not going to die, love,” He said, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and rocking you gently side-to-side. “I won’t let you. You have a fiance to piss off; you can’t die before then. I’m looking forward to the day when I can watch you tell him to stick that contract where the sun don’t shine.”

You laughed through your tears. “Why couldn’t I haven’t been promised to you instead?”

He laughed, too. “You’re too independent and headstrong for me, love. I like women who can’t fend for themselves. They don’t realize what I twat I am.”

You chuckled. You spent a few minutes in silence, staring at the lovely gift Alexei had made for you. And then it was time for tea and treatments before he let you rest again, all the while he stroked your hair and hummed a soft tune under his breath.

It took eight days for the fever to break. Thankfully, you were unconscious for most of it, since consciousness was nothing short of torture. You couldn’t eat and could barely swallow. Every breath was like your lungs were catching fire over and over again.

Once the fever broke and you were able to stand up, Alexei paid a substantial amount to rent you a private bathing room with soaps, shampoos, fruit, cheese, and wine. Every luxury had been seen to and Alexei had spared no expense. When you offered to pay him back, he simply ruffled your hair and told you not to worry about it, saying that you’d earned a nice day for yourself.

He asked your coworker, Ellie, to help you wash up and to watch over you, since you were still weak and had a terrible cough. It was nice to have another friend sitting with you to talk; you hadn’t really had a girl-friend before.

Thanks to Alexei, you didn’t end up dying, but recovery was painfully slow. By the time the six months of the marriage was up, you’d only just started to feel like your old self again, but you still tired easily and couldn’t push yourself for too long.

The two of you packed your room to travel back to Red Landing, selling the furniture you’d purchased when first arriving in Dunmountain.

“Are you ready to go back?” Alexei asked as he helped you up into the driver’s box.

“Not really,” You said. “I’m not looking forward to facing my parents. Or Gregory. Just because I know he’ll be utterly obnoxious about it.”

“Well, don’t worry about a thing, pet,” He said. “If the bastard tries to make off with you like a prowler in the night, I’ll be there to stop him.”

You smiled at him. “Thank you. I’m glad to have you as a friend, Alexei. I’m sorry if I ever insinuated that you weren’t.”

“Water under the bridge, my pet,” He said, patting your hand before trotting around the mule and hopping up to sit next to you. “Shall we?”

“Eh?” You said with a noncommittal shrug. Laughing, he took that as a yes and snapped the mule to movement.

The trip back was comfortable, despite your nerves, and took far less time than the trip to Dunmountain had, since you were walking for half of that one. The two of you either slept in the vardo or rented a room at an inn. After six months of sharing a space, sleeping in the same room was second nature by now, so there was no reason to rent two rooms.

When you reached the boundaries of Red Landing, you wrapped your arms around yourself and took a large breath.

“You’ll be alright, pet,” Alexei said. “If things get too badly out of hand, I have no qualms about loading us back up and doing a legger.”

You smiled. “That’s good to know, I’ll keep it in mind.” You pointed at the crossroads. “Take a left at this fork.”

He nudged the mule left, and it took you out of the marketplace and down the residential track.

“Here. We’re here.”

He stopped the wagon in front of a modestly built wooden house with shuttered windows open in the breeze; your mother had always said that glass was an unnecessary luxury and not worth the cost. There was a simple garden and an apple tree planted next to the walkway up to the front door surrounded by a low stone wall and a wooden gate, which was open.

“That’s odd,” You said as Alexei helped you down. “The gate is never left open.”

“Could they be expecting someone?” He asked.

“I don’t know,” You replied. “All of the windows are open, too. That’s unusual.”

“It’s a nice day,” Alexei said. “They could just be enjoying the fresh air.”

You shook your head. “No, this isn’t like them.”

“Do you think something could be wrong?” He asked, taking you by the forearm and stopping you cautiously.

Before you could respond, your mother appeared at one of the windows, crying out.

“Oh!” She said, her hands to her mouth. “You came back! John, she’s back!”

She disappeared from the window and a few seconds later, the door flew open. She launched herself out of it and into your arms, brushing past Alexei to do so.

“Oh, I’m so happy to see you!” She cried into your shoulder. “I didn’t know if you’d ever return.”

Your father, a gruff looking man with a short beard, came out too. He was less talkative than your mother, but he gathered you up in his arms and held you tight for a moment, releasing you with nary a word, though a small tear fell down his cheek and disappeared into his whiskers.

“Hi, Papa,” You said. “Hi, Mama.”

“Oh, darling, we were hoping you’d come back! We left the windows open, so we could hear you coming. They’ve been open every day since you disappeared.”

You sighed, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry I vanished on you without saying anything. But you understand why I had to do that, don’t you?”

You mother regarded you warily. “Darling… you know how important the investment is for us. We had so many plans.”

“Mother,” You said sternly. “I’m not marrying that man.”

“Be reasonable,” She pleaded. “We can do so much once our business gets off the ground. For you, as well.”

“I don’t think there’s anything unreasonable about wanting to be treated like a human being and not a possession to be sold,” You said, your voice raised. “What happened to you two? What happened to working for what you want? What happened to never trusting a gift? Do I mean so little to you that you’d make a deal with the devil so that you don’t have to work anymore?”

“I can’t believe how ungrateful you are!” Your mother replied, scowling. “Do you know how long we had to wait for this? Do you know what we sacrificed for you?”

“I never asked you to sacrifice anything for me!”

Your mother slapped you. “Don’t raise your voice to your mother!”

Suddenly you were yanked back. Alexei had pulled you behind him and stood between you and your parents.

“I understand family matters can get heated,” He said evenly. “But I must insist that you not strike my wife. She’s still recovering from being quite ill.”

“Wife?” Your father repeated, the first thing he’s said since you returned. “What’s this about a wife? Who are you?”

You heard that but not that I was ill? You thought bitterly.

“My name is Alexei,” He said, his voice deep and imposing. “I’m your daughter’s husband.”

There was an awkward silence as your parents took that information in.

“Why don’t you come in and we can… discuss this,” Your father said, motioning for your mother to follow him inside.

Before you could follow after them, Alexei stopped you. He touched your chin and tilted your head, examining the cheek where your mother had struck you.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” You replied. “Let’s get this over with. It’s going to be painful, either way.”

He grimaced and opened his mouth to say something, but thought the better of it and shut it again, stepping aside to let you pass.

Inside, your mother was setting out tea. Your father sat in his usual chair with his arms folded, looking at Alexei unfavorably. You frowned at him. It’s a little late to be playing the concerned father, isn’t it, Papa?

Your mother sat down next to your father across the table from you. You took the marriage license from your bag as she set out the teacups and unfolded it showing them.

“You can inspect it and send a letter to the magistrate, if you wish.”

Your mother cleared her throat, not looking at the document. “So… how did the two of you… meet?”

You tried to answer, but you felt your mouth dry up.

“She took shelter from the rain in my carriage one night, actually,” Alexei said, laughing a little. “I didn’t even notice her until the next day halfway through my journey. But when I did, it was love at first sight. I did everything I could from that moment on to woo her.”

“How soon after you met did you marry?”

“Three days.”

Both your mother and father’s eyes shot to you suspiciously. You felt the weight of their scrutiny, but didn’t flinch.

“What is it about our daughter you fell in love with?”

You were slightly concerned that Alexei wouldn’t be able to come up with anything, but to your surprise, he answered without hesitation.

“She’s a self-starter, fiercely independent, and has an amazing work ethic, which I imagine is thanks to you.” He gestured at your parents. “She’s headstrong and funny and makes faces when I tease her and is genuinely fun to be around. Not a dull day since I met her.” He turned to look at you fondly. “She’s spent all of our marriage taking very good care of me. Better care than anyone ever has. She’s the only family I’ve ever had, and that means more to me than I can ever express. I count myself blessed to have met her, and doubly blessed to be her husband.”

You couldn’t help but smile softly. He sounded so sincere.

“What about you, dear?” Your mother asked, still looking unmoved. “What is it about Alexei you fell in love with?”

You sat and thought. “I’ll admit, when first the idea of marrying Alexei was presented, I didn’t want to do it.” You didn’t mention that it was you who brought it up. “But Alexei has never been anything but kind to me. He’s silly and talented and he laughs a lot and is never bothered by anything. Not until…”

You stared at your hands, trying to recall the time you’d been ill. “I got sick. Very sick. I almost died, I think. He took care of me. It took a long time for me to get better, and he was there the entire time. He painted an entire wall with flowers and ducks and pretty things for me to look at, just because I’d said I wanted a little painting to brighten up our room. He spend a lot of money for several months on medicine to help me get better. He never got mad at me, never impatient, never frustrated. He didn’t give up on me even when I wanted to die so that the pain would stop. He’s my husband, but he’s also my best friend, and I’m lucky to have him as both.”

That was a hell of a revelation to come to sitting right in front of your parents being interrogated about your fake marriage. Without looking at each other, Alexei flipped his hand and reached for yours, and you took it. He squeezed your fingers firmly. Don’t worry, He seemed to say. Just say the word and we can run.

“So, are you a man of means, Alexei?” You mother asked. “Can you take care of our daughter financially?”

“She’s more than capable of doing that herself, you know,” He said levelly. “But yes. I’m a fairly well known painter and I have a decent nest egg set aside to build a home. If the underlying question is, ‘am I going to give you money in exchange for your daughter as if she were goods to be bartered for,’ the answer is no.”

Your father got red in the face and your mother sputtered. You didn’t even try to hide your smug smile.

“Darling,” Your mother said, turning to you and pleading. “It’s not too late to fix this. You can still annul the marriage and marry Gregory. He’ll straighten up after he’s married, most men do!”

You sighed and rubbed your temples in frustration. “Look,” You said, pulling out your coin purse. “This is all the money I took, plus a little more. Since money seems to be the only thing you care about, take this. I don’t owe you anything anymore.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to us,” Your mother said angrily, shoving the license back across the table. “After everything we’ve done for you.”

“What? What have you done for me, Mother? You did what you were supposed to do when people have children? Had a child and then raised that child? You don’t get a reward for doing what you’re supposed to do; you taught me that, for God’s sake!”

Your father slammed his hand down on the table and you jumped, letting out a startled squeak. He stood up, his eyes dark.

“Perhaps…” He said slowly. “It’s best if you leave.”

You felt stung. “Happily,” You said, snatching the license from the table and stuffing it in your bag. “I have a feeling that I won’t be back this time.”

“Are we off, then, my pet?” Alexei asked casually, standing and reaching to take your bag.

“Yes,” You said through your teeth. “For good.”

“As you wish, pet,” He replied, taking your hand and wrapping it around his arm. “There’s a lovely tavern a little east of here we might stay. It’s less…” He turned back and looked your parents up and down pointedly. “Money-hungry.”

You asked Alexei if you could ride in the vardo and he was agreeable. As soon as Alexei snapped the reins and the mule lurched forward, you began to sob. You knew he could hear you, because the window near the driver’s box was open. He whistled loudly as the cart rolled, perhaps to disguise or drown out your weeping so you felt less awkward about crying noisily on a crowded street. You appreciated it.

The vardo stopped, you assumed in front of the tavern Alexei spoke of, though he didn’t hop down right away, simply sat in the driver’s box and continued to whistle as you cried. After a time, you pulled yourself together and forced yourself to stuff down the rest of your tears.

“Alexei, I’m alright now,” You said faintly.

He stopped whistling. “I’ll give you some coin. Would you mind getting us a room while I see to the mule and wagon?”

“Sure,” You said tonelessly. You climbed out of the vardo as he came around and held out your hand. Before he handed you the money, he took your chin and tilted your head up, looking at you in concern.

“Are you sure you’re alright, pet?”

You nodded but you didn’t meet his eye.

“I’ll see you inside. Wait for me downstairs and I’ll buy us dinner, alright?”

You nodded again and walked off wordlessly.

Inside, you paid for the room and bought two mugs of ale. Alexei came in after a few minutes and bent down.

“Anything you want specifically?”

“Doesn’t matter,” You replied flatly.

He walked off, and after several minutes he came back, picked up his mug and took your hand, pulling you to your feet.

“Come on, pet,” He said. “I’m having it sent up to our room. You look like you need rest. It’s been a long… trying day, and you’re still not well yet.”

You didn’t argue and allowed yourself to be led upstairs. Once inside, he put your mugs on the provided table while you sat down on the very small bed. You pulled the license back out and stared at it.

“I suppose we should find a magistrate in the morning,” You said. “Six months is up. You held up your end of the bargain. We can have this annulled as early as tomorrow afternoon and be on your way.”

He sat next to you. “Is this a conversation we should have now?”

“There’s no reason not to. I have to think about where I’m going to go.”

“Go?” He echoed.

“I’m not going home, clearly,” You said. “I have an aunt up north, but I don’t know if she’d be any more interested in taking me in than my parents were at listening to me.”

“You could always stay with me,” He said. “Annulling the marriage doesn’t mean we stop being friends.”

“It’s improper for a man and a woman to live together if they’re not married.”

“Who cares what’s improper? We’re adults, we can do what we like.”

“It’s alright, Alexei, I’ll figure something out. I’m resourceful, you know that.”

“I do know that,” He said, reaching over and taking the license, inspecting it. “What if…” He said slowly. “What if we didn’t annul the marriage? What if we stayed married?”

“What are you talking about?” You asked looking up at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was saved from answering by a knock at the door.

“That’s our dinner, I expect.” He stood up and opened the door, taking a tray from whoever delivered it and closing the door again, putting the tray down on the table.

“Alexei,” You said, standing up. “What do you mean, stay married?”

“Well…” He said, not looking at you and bending over the table, busying himself with placing the food out. “It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. And we’re good friends, we take care of each other. I can’t think of a single good reason not to stay together.”

“Well, I mean…” You started. “It’s not like we love each other, right?”

He didn’t answer, just continued fussing with the food. You stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him upright.

“Right?” You asked again.

He met your gaze, his face a little sad and anxious, and took a big breath.

“When we first got married,” He began slowly. “It was a laugh, something funny and silly to occupy my time. Teasing you was amusing, and I got someone to cook and clean for me as a bonus. I figured that at the end of the six months, I’d just walk away with the money having done my part and never have to see you again. I’d be one step closer to my goal of building a house for myself. I didn’t expect to end up as friends.” He dropped his eyes and took one of your hands in his. “I grew up alone. I expected to live my life alone, and I was happy with that. But when you got sick…”

“Alexei, it’s okay,” You said softly, squeezing his hand.

He shook his head, grimacing as if in pain. “When you got sick, I know I kept telling you to keep your chin up and that you’d be fine, but deep down I was panicking. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it and I was terrified…” His voice shook. “…that I was going to lose the only family I’d ever had. I didn’t sleep at night and watched you all the time to make sure you were still breathing. Whenever I’d try to rouse you to drink and you wouldn’t wake, my heart would stop. I was willing to spend every penny I’d ever earned to fix it. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, and I wanted more than anything for you to live. I wanted you to stay with me. I still do.” He looked up at you again, and there were unshed tears in his eyes. “So stay with me.”

Stunned and moved to silence, you nodded slowly.

He swallowed hard, leaned in, and kissed you. He seemed jumpy, as if he worried you might slap him and he’d need to hop back quickly, but you didn’t slap him. You stepped closer and put your arms around his shoulders, pulling him to you. He sighed in relief and deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling your body flush with his. He was only slightly shorter than you, so you had to tilt your head down a little to kiss him, but it was nice. It was comfortable.

Ignoring the food now, he took you to the bed, shedding his vest, tunic, and undershirt. He’d worn his best clothes to meet your family, but now they were left in a pile with your dress on the floor. He unstrung your bodice and you slid it off, pulling your chemise off after it. God, why did being a woman come with so many damn layers?

Finally, you were both undressed and crawled into the bed together, your limbs tangling together. He laid you down on the threadbare blanket and kissed you deeply, touching your body and spreading your legs with his knees. After a moment, though, he stopped and popped up in his hands, peering down at you.

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked, looking concerned. “I may have been a little overeager when you didn’t push me away, but are you well enough to… do this… with me? Are you feeling tired or sick?”

You giggled softly, stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. “I feel incredible,” You said. “Better than I have in a long time. It’s alright, Alexei. I want this. We never had a wedding night, after all.”

He laughed. “I think you’d have thrown a pan at my head if I tried.”

“You’re right,” You replied, pulling him down for another kiss.

He took his time exploring your body, touching and kissing and sucking. He nipped at your skin as he made his way down your belly, tickling your sides to make you giggle and squirm.

“I wish I’d known how soft your body was,” He murmured. “And how warm. I’d have confessed my feelings sooner if I could’ve just curled up next to you at night.”

“Flatterer,” You said, smirking down at him.

“Honest,” He said, kissing your hipbones. “To think, so many cold nights with this beautiful body lying mere feet away. It’s enough to chill a man’s heart.”

“Or something else,” You snickered.

“Speaking of which,” He replied, spreading your legs and kissing lower. His lips touched your… lips… and you inhaled at the new sensation. It wasn’t a bad feeling, just strange since you’d never felt it before. You looked down at him as he teased you, and he looked back up at you. You bit your lip and watched him as he finally pressed his tongue to your pearl, and he watched your flushed, thrilled reaction with fascinated intensity.

Shivers rippled through your body and you let your head fall back onto the pillow as he went to work pleasuring you, gripping your inner thighs tightly to keep your legs wide open. His beard tickled the sensitive skin as he pressed his face firmly into the hollow, pushing his tongue deeply inside you and wiggling it up and down. You moaned and tilted your hips so that he could get even deeper.

“Alexei, please,” You rasped, pulling his hair.

He raised back up, wiping his beard and reaching between his own legs to gently stroke himself. He kissed his way back up your body and braced on one hand as he pressed his cock to your entrance, pushing inside you. Your body opened to his eagerly, taking him in to the hilt. He moved slowly at first as he kissed you over and over, making a loose fist in your hair, but when you wrapped your legs around his and thrust your hips up to meet him, he began to speed up.

His lips never left your skin and neither did his hands. It was as if he couldn’t touch you enough, couldn’t get enough of how your skin tasted, and gripped you as if you’d evaporate if he let go. There was a strange, anxious tension in his body that you could feel in his muscles as he slammed into you over and over.

You were getting closer to the peak of your pleasure, you could tell he was, too, because he buried his head in the crook of your neck and clung to you as if he were drowning. His movements were precise and rigorous. His grunting grew louder and faster, joining with your moans and gasps. You gripped his back and dug your nails into his skin, whimpering “yes! yes!” over and over.

He suddenly popped up on his hands, thrusting frenetically before giving a shout and going completely rigid, his forehead pressed against yours. You cried out right afterward, grinding your clit against his body and riding out your orgasm as he released inside you.

The two of you were locked in place, gasping for air. He finally collapsed sideways, sliding wetly out of you, and drew in deep breaths. When the two of you had cooled down and caught your breath, he pulled you into his body, your back to his front, and locked his arms around you.

“Pet?” He said softly.

“Hmm?”

“In case I hadn’t made it clear, I do love you,” He said.

You laughed. “You couldn’t have done much more to make it plain short of shouting it out the window.”

“Do you want me to? Because I will!” He made to release you and reach up to open the window, and you grabbed him back, giggling.

“You silly thing!” You told him, rolling over to look at his face. “In case you were wondering, I love you, too.”

“Oh, that’s good,” He said with a smile, stroking your hair. “Was a little worried.”

“Well, don’t be.” You went in for a soft kiss, and then another, and another. “I’ll stay. Wherever you go, I’ll be with you. Because I want to be.”

He cuddled you in and the two of you slept.

A short few hours travel brought you to a meadow with a small pond. The field was full of flowers of all sizes and colors.

“I know this place!” You said as Alexei helped you down off of the driver’s box. “This is from the painting!”

“Very perceptive, my love,” He said, grinning. “I’ve owned this little stretch of land for a while. I think I finally have enough money to build our home. We might be sleeping in the vardo for awhile until it’s finished, though.”

“I don’t mind,” You said, turning and wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “I love it here. I wouldn’t even care if we slept in a tent as long as we could live here.”

He chuckled and kissed your temple. “I think we can do better than that, Pet,” He said. “Welcome home.”

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