#this sat in my drafts for the last few days until i finally finished it during class

[starry-bi-sky]

fast food is the best course of action after causing a scene. ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀɴʏᴀʟ ᴀʟ ɢʜᴜʟ ᴀᴜ

(First Post Here and Second Post Here

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Danny finds Sam easily.

She's right where she said she was over the phone: standing outside on a balcony, in Gotham, at Father's many charity functions. 

("Would you still be willing to fly over to Gotham, Danny?" She asks, her voice ringing clear through the speakers. Danny is already climbing out his window before she even finishes her sentence. He was just about to settle down for the night, his ghosts would know better by now than to disturb him at this time. The Box Ghost not included.)

("Of course." He says, sounding more confident than he feels. Sam was one of his best— closest friends, he would do anything she or Tucker asked. Even if it means stepping foot into his Father's city. He drops down silently, and walks through the house's ghost shield. "Would you like me to bring you anything?")

(Sam sighs through the phone, relief leaking through. "One of the veggie burgers from Nasty Burgers would be great, with their new ecto-fries. Extra salt. I'm sick of all this rich people food.")

(A small smile pulls across Danny's face, tilting at the corner as his living form falls away to his ghost self. "Alright," he says, and kicks himself off the ground, "I'll be there in a few minutes.")

("Thanks, Danny.")

He had the bag of food with him, stored in a container he had to run back to the house to get that would prevent the food from cooling during his flight over. Clutching it in hand, he floats down behind Sam and sheds his invisibility.

Being visible and being invisible always felt different, but in a way Danny can never describe, no matter how many times he tries to think about it. It's like a gut-feeling, a sixth sense, he always knows when he's visible and when he is not.

His ghost form burns away like steel wool being lit, and Danny drops the last foot to the ground silently. In his other hand lies his thermos, but filled with plain ectoplasm — lazarus water. "I have your food." 

(He brought the thermos for himself — his side was still healing from his last fight with Technus. The ghost impaled him with a broken pipe, and Danny returned the favor by wedging his sword into his chest. Technus had been quite offended by him ruining his favorite coat.)

Sam jumps a foot into the air, and her hand slams across her mouth to muffle the shriek she lets out as she whirls around. "Danny!" She hisses, her voice rising in pitch, and her eyes narrow at him into a glare. "Freaking-- Tucker's right, we seriously need to put a bell on you."

"You have been saying that for years," Danny grins, sharp-toothed and jack-knifed, and passes the container over to her. "And yet I've yet to see any kind of bell." He was going to start getting disappointed at this rate.

As Sam takes the container, Danny hops up onto the railing and looks around. He hadn't seen any of Father's other children lurking around the building before he revealed himself, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. He wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that their stealth skills were poor.

He wasn't that arrogant.

...Anymore.

"Oh you will." Sam threatens, unzipping the container and grabbing the takeout bag. "I'll get you a collar and everything, we can start calling you Catwoman." When she pulls out her fries, Danny snaps forward and steals one from the box, ignoring her indignant yell as he pops it into his mouth.

"I spent my own money on these fries, Sam." He sniffs, leaning away from her with a stifled huff of laughter as she swats at him. "So they are technically my fries. And also, Catwoman would be a poor thief if she wore a bell."

Sam grumbles at him, and takes a bite out of a handful of fries. "I'll venmo you money." She says past a mouthful of food, Danny would have been disgusted in the past, when he was still new. But he's gotten used to this... normality. So he makes no reaction to it. "How does three hundred bucks sound?"

Danny immediately frowns.

"Did you have a fight with your parents?" He asks, eyes glancing to the doors. Doors that are covered heavily by curtains and blurred heavily, decadent music passing through in muffled sounds. He shifts himself away from the light. "You only spend that much money when they've pissed you off."

Sam's chewing stops, and her annoyed expression falters into one Danny knows well -- hurt, furrowed brows, a small frown, disappointment -- and she turns her head away from him. She swallows. "Yeah." she says, quiet.

Oh.

Danny knows that tone too.

Guilt settles like a rock in his chest. He leans forward, "Was it about me again?" He wasn't blind to the disdain Sam's parents had for him, far from it. This wasn't the first time Sam had gotten into a fight with them over her friendship with him and Tucker. But especially him. He unsettled people, even after years of observing his age-mates and trying to mimic their behavior, and anyone who knew him in middle school knew it was an act.  

Sam's silence gives him all the confirmation he needs, and the guilt heavies itself with the weight of the sky. Danny's never much cared about others' opinions of him -- he is (was?) an Al Ghul, they never heed to mind what the weight of a simpleton's thoughts.

But.. he cares a little a lot when it hurts his friends like this. He presses his lips together into a thin line, and forces the words out through his teeth. It sounds robotic. Al Ghul's do not apologize. "I... am sorry." But this one does. It doesn’t come easy. 

Sam sighs through her nose, and turns to roll her eyes at him. "Don't apologize on their behalf when you won't even apologize for your own; their assholes." She says, and goes reaching for more fries.

It's a sign, a signal. A silent word for the conversation to move on, to change. A distraction. Danny grasps it with both hands, and makes an offended noise in the back of his throat. And like he has learned, puts a hand to his chest like a scandalized American southern lady. "I apologize! I apologize plenty."

She snorts. "Only when you think it matters." And pokes him in the ribs sharply with her fry. He withholds a wince and snatches it out of her hands. "You're about as unapologetic as they come, Danny J. Fenton. I've seen you look more sincere when you're trying to drive your sword between Vlad's ribs."

"Stabbing Masters is a very important task for me, Sam." Danny says in only partially faux-seriousness. Masters has yet to realize that Danny had no interest in becoming his son, but he had to (reluctantly) admire his persistence. "Of course I will apply myself to it as best as I can."

He grins triumphantly when Sam laughs, and she reaches over to shove him square in the chest. He barks out a laugh of his own as he grips onto the balcony railing and catches himself at an angle.

"Quit with your method actor talk," Sam retorts, grinning sharply while Danny twists himself back up elegantly. "I know you can talk like a normal person, I've literally seen you do it."

Danny sniffs, and snatches more fries from the carton as revenge. "I'm not entirely sure what you mean, Miss Sam." He says, grin-twisting when Sam rolls her eyes. "My speech has always been this way. This 'normal' you speak of, I do not know it."

She waves her hand dismissively at him. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But if you keep talking like that, I'm pushing you off the balcony."

"Such violence, Sam."

He gets a laugh again, full of disbelief without any of the annoyance. "I'm gonna be the one that stabs you, oh my god. Pot meet kettle." She looks at him again, smiling.

Danny smiles back, and with a flick of his wrist pulls out a kunai from his sleeve. It was one of the few weapons Mother was able to pass on to him whenever she made her scarce visits. He cherishes it well, along with anything else she was capable of giving him. 

He holds the handle out to her, and watches her face shift from disbelief to shock, then back to disbelief. "Then you're gonna need a weapon to do that." 

"Of course you have a pointy object on you." She mutters, and takes the kunai and puts it in her purse. Danny makes a pleased hum, it resonates low in his core, and drops his hand. "When do you not have a pointy object on you?"

As if to make her point, Danny's hands twist near his side, and he holds his palms up to her, revealing the shobo he had also hidden on him. He gives her a shit-eating grin. "Never." He lowers his hand, and pockets the small weapon once again. 

Sam huffs, "Of course," she repeats, "thanks. I was gonna bring a knife but..."

Danny finishes the sentence for her, kicking his feet idly and knowingly. "The security at the door?" He'd seen them on his flight over the building. It wouldn't do much in the face of the Rogues, but at least they were good at keeping appearances and keeping out the smaller threats.

He rolls his eyes and turns his head away, looking up to the ugly, smog-covered skies. There was no bat signal in the air, and while that was a good thing, Danny almost wished there was. He wanted to see it. "I saw, and I would’ve called Father foolish if he hadn’t hired help. He attracts trouble almost as badly as I do."

"Maybe it's hereditary," Sam jokes, laughing under her breath. With her fries finished, she started on her veggie burger. "At least your dad isn't a vigilante like you are."

Danny smiles wryly. It felt nice to be able to talk more freely about this. That he didn't have to hide the fact that his father was Bruce Wayne, now that Sam knew it from her own accord. Maybe he could have conversations like these more often. Even if it was limited to Bruce Wayne only.

(Even if it felt a little terrifying to know that his father was so close by, close enough that Danny could reach out and touch him. To speak to him. But how would he explain that? And with an audience?)

(He’s wanted to see him since he was a kid, and he still does. It clings onto him like a cough that doesn’t go away after the cold already has, and while it has faded over the years, it clings. His mother’s words still ring in his ears however; it’s not safe. It’s not safe.)

(And isn’t that why he faked his death in the first place? So that his little brother would be safe? Why he gave up the heirship, his home, his Mother, Damian, and his chance to meet his Father? Going to see Father, even now, would be throwing that all away. He has to stay away.)

(Why is Damian with Father if staying with Father was unsafe?) 

He just needed to tell Tucker. Danny wouldn’t keep him out of the loop, he was just as much as his friend as Sam was. His eyes draw towards the door, where the golden glow of lights was still pouring through, where music was playing loudly. "Yeah, fortunately." 

They fall into a comfortable silence after that, and Danny finally cracks open his thermos. The pipe Technus impaled him with was covered in a goo that Danny didn’t recognize, but whatever it was, his injury was taking its time healing. The ectoplasm was speeding it up. 

He isn’t sure what the difference between the ectoplasm that Drs. Fenton collected and Grandfather’s Lazarus pools is, but there’s a difference. He swirls the thermos slowly, watching as the ectoplasm inside twists into a small whirlpool sluggishly. 

When left alone, it thickens into a consistency similar to egg whites, or perhaps a thick smoothie, but reverts back into a water-like substance when moved and swirled. It was strange; unexplainable. He can understand, to an extent, why the Drs. Fenton are so obsessed with studying it and the dimension it comes from. 

Sam watches him idly as he brings the thermos to his lips and drinks from it. The effect is instantaneous, a sense of relief washing over Danny as if someone had put a soothing balm onto an injury. It buzzes down to his fingertips, and when he lowers the thermos, he licks his lips and watches the tips of his fingers burn green like frostbite. 

“Your hair turned white again.” Sam comments, her hand reaching out and touching the hair on the nape of his neck. While it’s not the first time Sam’s touched his hair, it still makes him tense up with her hand so close to his throat. Instinct. dan

He ignores the urge to bat her hand away, humming thoughtfully. “I’ve noticed it does that.” He says, pulling down his bangs to see if they’ve also turned white. No, still black. He lets go. “Let me guess; my eyes are green too?” He lifts the thermos again and peers into the chrome casing. 

Sam nods, “Yep, but it’s only the, uh.” She makes a circle around her eyes with her finger. “The iris part. Everything else is fine.” 

Danny can see that. The faint reflection on the chrome casts back an intense green. He takes another sip. It chills the back of his teeth, and he can feel his canines warp and sharpen. He runs his tongue over them, and swallows. 

Sam is still watching him, her fingers drumming against the balcony railing. “What’s it taste like?” 

“Carbonated.” He says dryly, before taking a large swig. He couldn’t name a specific flavor if he tried, it changed every time he took a sip. The only thing that stayed consistent was that it tasted carbonated. And slightly sweet. When he pulls the thermos away, Danny twists his body towards her and offers it out, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Want to try?” 

Her reaction is immediate. Sam’s nose scrunches up and her mouth twists into a smile, and she makes a huffing-laugh sound. “No, thank you.” She pushes it away lightly with her fingers, “I don’t know how to explain to my parents why my hair is white.” 

Right. Danny pulls the thermos away and puts it down beside him, straining his eyes to see if the rest of his hair has changed colors. Even just his first sip would take half an hour to fade back to its normal black, and he was a halfa. He had no idea how long it’d take to fade on Sam, who was human. 

There’s movement from the corner of his eye, and Danny snaps his head towards the source. There’s a figure, small, a boy, trying to hide behind one of the curtains at the door. His form just barely peeking out from the angle Danny was sitting at. He wouldn’t have seen him if the boy hadn’t moved. 

His fingers curl tightly into the railing, and he breathes in sharp. Sam’s smile crumbles away and she turns to see what he’s looking at. “I should go.” He says, and reaches for his thermos. “There’s someone spying on us. Don’t say anything, just look at me.” 

Sam’s expression warps, twists. Her eyes widen, her jaw starts to drop before fixing itself into place, and her shoulders curl up and tense. She forces it all to smooth over, and she leans casually against the railing. There’s a tick in her jaw. “I see.” Her voice comes through teeth. “Do you think they saw you?”

“I am not sure.” Danny says. He keeps an eye on the figure as he twists himself over and grabs the Nasty Burger bag and the container. He tries not to look like he’s rushing. He is. How long has that boy been there? How much did he see? Did he hear anything? 

“Father, fortunately, has privacy films on the glass. Nobody should have seen me unless they’re specifically trying to peep through the door.” He says. The boy seems to realize that Danny was starting to leave. And, his heart beginning to sink, instead of leaving, moves to grab the door handle instead.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

Danny’s breath catches in his throat, he’s hoping that isn’t who he think it is. But how else would he have not noticed an eavesdropper on their conversation unless it was someone who was capable of bypassing those skills? He told himself that he wouldn’t fool himself into thinking that his siblings’ had poor stealth. He got distracted. 

Five years, five years. He refuses to let that go down the drain. He zips up the container and throws his legs over the other side of the railing, his back facing the door. He hears the doorknob click, and without a word to Sam, slips off down the side and down to the ground below.

Just in time. The once muffled music now sounds blaring as the door presumably is thrown open and the pull of invisibility washes over him like a second skin. He doesn't stay to see who it is.

[reyalvr]

SHE’S MINE | 02

-SO I HOPE AND PRAY YOU MAKE IT WORTH IT.

synopsis ┊ thrust into the spotlight, ken sato had easily become the next big thing tokyo had seen in decades. alongside his fame came the inevitable string of rumors, of which sprung forth scandals and discrediting information against his image. of course the obvious and most rational solution would be to address them like every other celebrity, but this was ken sato; nothing would ever be rational with him, which is how you wound up with a ring on your finger and the sato name in your papers. 

genre ┊ fake dating, fake marriage, idiots-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, slight angst, chaotic fluff, mild smut

pairing ┊ ken sato x fem-PA!reader, ken sato x fake-wife!reader

warnings ┊ mild cursing, eventual smut, mentions of alcohol, all events in ultraman: rising take place a year after kenji moves back to japan

word count ┊ 3.2k

author’s note ┊ YAPPEE! part two officially out- so sorry for the wait EUEUEU… hehe hope the things that happen in this chapter make up for it being a few days late :p also, i will not be accepting anymore tag list requests! this is due to the amount of users that i can tag per post T^T … nonetheless, i hope you guys enjoy the chap! happy reading :D 

p.s. i will be blocking the people who message me (rudely) to “hurry up” with the next chapters. i understand most, if not, all of you are excited to read the next chapters, but please do understand that i have my own schedule too :,)

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YOU HELD YOUR HEAD IN YOUR HANDS, GROANING INTO YOUR PALMS. In front of you sat the thorn at your side, Ken Sato. He had just finished reading- or rather, skimming through the files you had stayed up compiling. You peeked at him through your fingers before standing up to erase yet another column of pros and cons from the board. 

Taking a swig from the energy drink he had brought you, you shake your head as you try to figure out what to do next. Truth be told, you were just eager to leave. You had two weeks left until you could finally let these burdensome tasks go, all you wanted was for Ken to go along with your last few instructions so as to make your exit easier. 

“I don’t get what’s so hard about this, Ken.” You say, turning back around to face him. “You pick a girl, you ‘date’ her for a bit, and then you ‘split up’ amicably. Simple as that.” 

He tilted his head at you, a sarcastic smile on his lips. “Oh sure, yeah. Let me just go out with a random girl and act like I’m head over heels in love with her.”

“Yes, exactly that.” You reply with the same tone, going back to your seat. “Now you’re getting it!”

He rolls his eyes, placing the stapled papers back on your desk. “I get it, I fucked up. But I still don’t get why you’re so…” He pauses, pressing his lips into a thin line and gesturing with his hands. “Persistent in actually trying to get me to date someone for the sake of my screw up.”

“And I don’t get why I have to keep reminding you of why I need to do this.” You lean back into your chair while pinching the bridge of your nose. “You were the one who-”

“-’Told the entire world you were in love’, yes I know! You’ve only said that like, what, a hundred times over?” He cuts you off, crossing his arms. “I know what I did. But I also know that I have a choice in this matter, don’t I?”

You go to reply but stop when you register his words. You knew that, obviously, which is why you had multiple plans. You were giving him the chance to choose, were you not? The various notes and drafted project plans were proof of that. They were all laid out right in front of him, what more could he possibly want? You look at him briefly, your eyes scanning his expression before darting back to the things scattered atop your desk. 

“I’m giving you choices.” You say flatly, slowly looking back up at him. 

“No, you’re giving me options and expecting me to choose.” He counters, his hand gesturing towards the papers. “I’m talking about my choice. My plan, suggestion, whatever you want to call it.”

“So what is your plan? Because as far as I’m concerned, you don’t seem to actually have one.” You reply, brows slightly furrowing at his stubbornness. 

“And that’s the point. I don’t need a plan,” He pauses, pointing his finger directly onto one of the outlines and it towards you. “I just need to ride it out.”

You let out a scoff, stunned at how Ken was still treating this so lightly. The corners of your lips tug up a bit, and you end up letting out a soft laugh in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Am I, though?” He leans back, maintaining eye contact with you. “It’s the choice that takes the least effort. And besides, I thought you liked it when I kept things private.”

“Oh, don’t circle this back to me.” You say, pointing a finger at him. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to address your little mishaps?” 

“Yes, I do. Which is why I’m trying to help you.” He says a-matter-of-factly, his eyebrows raising as if to emphasize how much he understands what your job entails. 

“No, you don’t.” You argue back, mimicking his crossed arms.

“Were you always this stubborn?” Ken says, catching you off guard. 

You feel your features scrunch up in confusion and annoyance, narrowed eyes slanting even more as this back-and-forth of yours keeps going. “You’re one to talk.” 

At that he smirks slightly, rolling his eyes as he pokes a tongue into his cheek. The audacity of this man to act annoyed. You think, all the while you continue to glare at him. You close your eyes for the umpteenth time that morning, taking in a deep breath as your nails dig into your palms. Despite wanting to calm yourself down, his words rang in your head like an unwanted mantra.

His choice.

Would it be so bad to give Ken free reign on this? Granted, he was the one who caused it. Why be the one to clean up his mess- again, for that matter? You pinch the bridge of your nose, shaking your head once more. You could never understand how his mind worked, and you figured you probably never would. You tapped against the desk with your pen, bouncing your leg as you pondered on what to do. 

Your plan? Everything sets sail smoothly, with only the liability being either party slips up. Which, in your defense, you could cover up in the blink of an eye. His plan? No plotline with room for spontaneous detail sharing whenever he pleased. More work for you, more freedom for him. You stopped tapping then, clicking your pen into place. In your moment of contemplation, you had realized then this entire thing was useless. His plan, your plan, all the plans. None of them mattered, not if the end result was going to be the same. 

Goddamnit, you hated Ken Sato. 

You flip one of the stapled pieces of paper over, drawing over the blank side. “The start of your first full season with the Giants is in less than fourteen days. By then we would need to have already released another press release- ideally before your conference.” 

Ken jumps slightly, caught off guard by your sudden return to work mode. He watches as you line up different keywords with boxy arrows, all of which lead up to the ‘end’ of his lie. “What exactly am I looking at?”

You flash him a smile, albeit a fake one, and slide the paper to him. “Your plan.” Leaning back in your chair, you make a show of stretching your arms. “You’re right, we should go with your plan.” 

He laughs then, noting the lingering hints of sarcasm in your tone. “[Y/N], what are you doing?”

“Giving you your choice.” You reply with a small shrug. 

“Yeah, I can see that.” He says, his smile slightly faltering. “But… why?”

“It’s your life, isn’t it?” You tilt your head to the side, your lips pressed into a thin line. 

Now it’s his turn to be confused and annoyed. The way he understood this, you were letting him win. You were waving a white flag, surrendering to his incessant pleading. He scrunched his brows, still trying to process your words. You continued to sit there, waiting eerily patiently for him to respond. 

“And you’re serious about this?” He questions once more, hesitant to believe that you of all people would back down so quickly. 

“Mhm,” You hum, fiddling with your thumbs. “I’m just your assistant. Well, for two more weeks, that is.” 

He felt like he was being played. He blinked at you, mouth slightly agape. The you that was sitting in front of him now was different from the you thirty-six hours ago. Yesterday, you were desperate for him to follow your plans. He recalled your words, ‘If you're actually as sorry as you say you are, you’ll do as I say.’ But now that you’re telling him to do exactly what he wants, he’s nervous. 

Nervous that he finally caused you to hate him for good. 

“If you’re done sitting there like I said something stupid, you can go. Coach wants to see the team, it’d be in your best favor not to be on his bad side two weeks before playoffs.” You say, not even looking at him directly. 

He clears his throat, licking his lips. “Right, well, okay.” He stands up, sliding himself into his jacket before walking towards the door. “See you, then.”

You only hum in response, still not looking at him as you continue fixing all of the papers on your desk. Just before he’s fully out of your office though, you call out to him. 

“Yeah?” He answers immediately, peeking his head through the door. 

“Have fun riding it out.” You say, flashing him a smile. A real one, this time.

A WEEK HAD GONE BY JUST LIKE THAT. Surprisingly, Ken had been able to keep things under control. Even his comments to street paparazzis were concise, almost as if you were the one who coached him his lines. While you had expected him to do nothing, just as he suggested, you hadn’t expected him to last this long without an intervention from you. 

You sat by your window as your body sunk into your armchair, your eyes threatening to close. The early blue hues of the morning had started to break through the night sky, the clouds slowly parting to clear the sky. You typed vigorously against the keys of your laptop, eyes following the blinking cursor to prevent yourself from falling asleep right then and there. 

You had been up for hours constructing your updated résumé, keeping all your needed information concise and in one page. Despite having a well-rounded history in regards to jobs, the lingering fear of keeping yourself afloat was an inevitable burden you were scared of accidentally fulfilling. You had family, yes, but relying on them did something to your pride. Most especially since you had been low-contact ever since you abruptly moved to the city. 

Seeking help from friends was another option that was off the table. In all your years of working in the entertainment industry, the amount of people you had let into your life dwindled as you realized people’s true intentions. You had merely three people left in your life, and that was by far more than enough to keep you sane throughout the rest of your life.

You sighed heavily, rubbing your eyes with the back of your hand. Truth be told, despite the factor of having to deal with Ken, this job has been the best in terms of your benefits. He was much like you- little circle, low-contact. Even his own team was a limited number, leaving you to deal with other jobs and tasks that would otherwise be done by different people. Yes, the workload was tiring, but the pay was enough to keep you alive ten times over. You could only say a silent prayer to whoever was listening to bless you once more once you let go of this for good. 

You sat back, finally satisfied with the way your page was laid out. You faced towards your window, closing your eyes as your breathing steadied. The birds were starting to chirp, the sun casting a foggy glow through the clouds. In this moment of solitude, you allowed yourself to relax; it was more than deserved. Not like anything could happen in your sleep, right?

WRONG, SO VERY WRONG. You groaned as you were awakened by the continuous buzzing of your phone. At first you had thought it was an alarm you had accidentally forgotten to shut off, but when it continued on, you eventually had to force yourself to wake up.

The sun was high up now, bright rays peeking through your blinds. You squinted, uncurling yourself from your chair as you got up and stretched. You yawned, scratching your head as you finally unlocked your phone. You were greeted with an endless stream of notifications, your mail app and other social media platforms pinging by the second. There was also the factor of the loud noise outside, though you made it out to be some kind of commotion or parade. 

Your screen then flashed the caller ID of an unknown number, followed by another sea of notifications. You blink yourself awake, now slightly worried at just how much texts and emails you had been receiving. Did Ken do something? Did someone die? Did Ken die?

Before you could even open any of the messages, you hear the familiar ringtone of one of your closest friends. You slide to answer, pressing your phone up to your ear. “Ami? What’s up, what’s wrong?”

She laughed, and you could practically see her shaking her head at you. “I’m guessing you just woke up? Check literally any news outlet right now, you’re gonna wanna see this.”

What the hell was going on? You mumbled something in reply, putting her on speaker as you did what she asked. 

You wished you hadn’t. In bold, bright red letters, the article’s headline read:

Extra Innings in the Press Box: Ken Sato’s Hidden Romance with Assistant Revealed! 

What you saw next nearly had you chucking your phone into the nearest wall. Attached right under the headline was you and Ken. You and Ken. You let out a curse, and you could hear the sighs coming from Ami on the other line. The picture was clearly shot from a hidden vantage point, the branches from the trees blocking the camera proof of it. Despite the distance, though, yours and Ken’s faces were clearly visible. 

“What the fuck!” You yell, now fully awake eyes wide in confusion. “When was this released? H-How did-”

“Two hours ago. Apparently some passerby sold the picture to the press, and said passerby just happened to be paparazzi.” Ami cuts you off, her tone serious yet concerned. “Trust me, if I had known something like this was going to be released, I would’ve done something about it.”

You left your phone on the kitchen counter as you paced back and forth, your hand glued to your forehead as you tried to wrap your mind around what was happening. Obviously it wasn’t true, you of all people knew that. But nobody else did, and that was the problem. 

“Ami what the hell is happening?” You manage to breathe out, still pacing. “This is all so-”

“Much? Yeah, I know.” She cuts you off again, and you can hear the bustling sounds from her office. “My own publisher is on my neck for this, God only knows what you’re going through. Are you okay? If you need help this could technically be classified as invasion of-”

“I do need help because this whole thing isn’t-” You start, but are ultimately cut off again when you hear the sounds grow louder outside. 

“[Y/N]? ‘You there?” Ami’s muffled voice calls out as you walk towards your window, peeking down to where the commotion was coming from. 

“Oh shit.” You gasp out, eyes widening even more as you realize the noises were coming from the sea of reporters and photographers waiting outside your townhouse. 

You swallowed hard, stepping back from the window with a hand to your mouth. This cannot be happening, this had to be some sick nightmare. Stumbling towards your phone, you mumbled some reply about needing to go before abruptly hanging up the call. Rude, perhaps, but Ami would understand. 

In the span of two hours of that damn article being released, eager and greedy gossip outlets had found your address and swarmed your only safe space. You held your phone close to your chest, running up to your room as you tried to catch your breath. You closed your eyes once more, breathing in and out heavily. The more you tried to convince yourself that this wasn’t happening, the more you slowly realized that it actually was. 

You opened your phone once more, muting all your socials and other messaging apps. You needed to think, and you needed to act fast. By memory, your fingers automatically scroll for Ken’s legal team. Having gotten him out of falsified defamations multiple times, acting during these types of situations was almost a second habit. But this didn’t involve just him, it involved you. You were a part of this mess, you couldn’t be the one to solve it.

A mantra of curses conjured up in your head, and you delete the previous number you had dialed in. Think, damnit. Think, think, think. You thought to yourself, nervously chewing on your bottom lip as you prayed for a solution to be presented to you. An alternative popped up into your brain then. Albeit that alternative was stupid, but it was something. 

You dialed his number, anxiously waiting as it rang. 

KEN WAS ON HIS BREAK, SITTING ON THE BENCH AS HE WIPED THE SWEAT OFF HIS FOREHEAD. Playoffs were about to start, and Shimura was working them to the bone to make sure everyone had their head in the game. He let out a deep breath through his nose, arms resting on his knees as tried to calm down after a few laps around the stadium. The rest of his teammates seemed to be reacting obnoxiously over something, though he didn’t have the energy to feign enthusiasm. 

One of his teammates teasingly nudged him then, giving him a playful grin. “Your secret’s out, huh? All this time you were with her.”

Ken laughed it off, still oblivious to the fact that nearly all of Japan now knew the face of his supposed girlfriend. He noted the specification in his tone, as if he were referring to a mutual friend of theirs. Which, again, was impossible- nobody but you knew the secret he was hiding. He gave them a nod before returning back to his own space. 

He felt his watch buzz against his wrist, and he was all but surprised to see you calling him on your day off. He sat up straight then, grabbing his phone to answer the call. He had to admit, he answered a little too excitedly. Or nervously. He couldn’t differentiate the two, not when it involved you. Ever since the start of this stunt, something in him shifts whenever you or anything related to you gets mentioned. He brushed it off as some sort of familiarity attachment, the weight of your sudden resignation still heavy on his shoulders.

Was he sad to let you go? Maybe, he wasn’t entirely sure. Aside from the fact that he had Mina, you did your job well. You knew the ins and outs of everything he liked and disliked, you kept him organized and on track. Sure, losing you would be another hurdle he would have to get over, but that doesn’t mean he would be… impotent without you. He clears his throat before he finally brings the phone up to his ear.

“Hey-” He starts, but stops when he notices the frantic panic in your voice. “Woah, hey slow down. What happened?”

“You happened.” You reply then, albeit through a shaky breath. 

“What?” He questions, brows furrowing in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s exactly as I said. You happened,” You paused, taking in a deep breath. “And now I need your help. Please.”

reyalvr © 2024 … do not repost, alter, or steal my work.

tags┊@mochminnie, @rreasonablydumbb, @sincerest-one, @fruticake, @lunaryasha, @lovingyeet, @sugacor3, @arrozyfrijoles23, @fennecspage, @mmeerraa, @azryaa, @akiradailylifes, @montybooks, @mmv-ymvm, @hore4ken, @greeniegreengreen, @meikoo, @random-3455, @todaywasafairytale07, @mythicalmoa, @imafangirlofeverything, @astylos, @vynwan-cbq, @rosegiyanabing, @icedberrytea, @ken-zah, @letharue, @chi222, @flooftoof, @c4ttheart, @ymrai, @stxrrielle, @alpha-mommy69, @ewitscat, @lightsinmycity, @furblrwurblr, @ayamago, @sugururawr, @secretlyapartofthisfandom @shellspider, @oh-kurva, @noraimp

[rashomonss]

I couldn't stop thinking about this after reading your "Readjusting" hc

Imagine that the reason MC started acting like a "proper" attendant was because Barbatos couldn't stand how improper and casual Mc was with the brothers. He decides to take her under his wing but he isn't gentle about it, not even when it becomes clear that MC is human, on the contraire, he becomes harsher with his methods until even the brothers notice. Meanwhile MC could be in the state of mind to believe that they deserve to be treated in such ways because they feel guilty over letting everyone assume they were a demon

Also think about how this treatment would affect MC relationship with Barbatos. Imagine MC slipping up in front of him and immediately tensing and starting to apologize. How scared MC would be of even the thought of doing something NB!Barbatos though them was wrong and undignified of her to do/say as the brothers attendant.

And how heartbroken OM!Barbatos would be at seeing MC be so terrified of him.

so I’m currently deep diving thru my drafts and inbox and this was from forever ago so I’m so sorry I’m only getting it done now (,,Ծ‸Ծ,, )

anyway oh. my. god.

i absolutely love this idea! the angst potential this ask has is literally to die for. i’ll be incorporating a few of my readjusting ideas as well and yeah i know nightbringer didn’t go in this direction but im going in it anyway, so i hope yall enjoy! (๑>؂•̀๑)

you’re nothing more and nothing less

You admired yourself in the mirror then stared at the reflection looking back at you. 

Sighing you gave yourself a small smile, then remembered his words before giving yourself one last look in the mirror. 

“You really do look decent when you know how to clean up.” 

An attendant is supposed to look sharp, and presentable no matter the circumstance. They are a direct representation of who they’re serving. How was a noble demon supposed to take the seven rulers of hell seriously if their attendant didn’t even know how to properly dress or present themselves? 

Your tie had to be perfectly crisp and presentable, same with the cuffs of your uniform; not a wrinkle should be present. Next, your preferred uniform bottom was ironed with no wrinkle in sight, and your shoes shined to the point you could see your reflection. Each plead and fold was sharp, crisp, and perfect.

Your hair looked presentable and you carried out your normal face routine making sure you looked awake and ready for the day. Finally, you organized your belongings and sat them by your table in a neat fashion ready to be grabbed once you headed off to RAD. 

You then made your way to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for everyone as well as coffee and tea for those who usually required it. 

As you were finishing up most of the food Beel walked into the kitchen heading straight for the fridge. “Morning MC,” he said catching his breath. 

“Good Morning Beel, how was your run? Also, your snack is on the counter so please refrain from eating anything in the fridge,” you replied, as you continued cooking. 

“Oh thank you.” he smiled while closing the fridge. As he sat at the counter watching you cook he couldn’t help but become confused at the sight. “Wasn’t it Levi’s turn to make breakfast this morning?” 

“It was but he stayed up late last night, and I had a feeling he would oversleep so I took the liberty of making it myself. Not to worry though because I have nothing against cooking for all of you” 

Beel frowned in response “Yeah but this is the third day in a row you’ve prepared breakfast and dinner” 

“Is it now? Well I have no problems with it unless the rest of you do, I am your attendant after all.”

Beel stopped eating and frowned again, “MC you’re an exchange student from the human realm. You’re back home; there’s no reason for you to still act as our attendant.”

You didn’t respond, instead you finished up the food and began to plate each brothers breakfast. Beel tried to speak again but you cut him off.

“Apologies but could you do me a favor and wake up your brothers for breakfast? I wouldn’t want them to be late for classes.”

Beel gave you a sympathetic look and nodded just before leaving the kitchen.

You did stop to think about his words though. After all everything that happened in the past didn’t need to be continued in the present, you could go back to living how you normally did before.

The only problem was that you didn’t know how to go back to that carefree lifestyle. After being on edge constantly while being stuck in the past you found yourself adapting to that lifestyle. So breaking it all of a sudden was much harder than everyone understood.

Humans are adaptable creatures, they adapt and survive to whatever environment they are thrown into, no matter the circumstances; at least that’s how he explained it.

He drilled it into your head that if you wanted to survive against the best of the best you needed to be superior in every way. It didn’t matter to him if you were a demon or human, neither was an acceptable excuse for not being absolutely perfect.

This mindset had been engraved into your soul during the small time period you were there, so for everyone to just tell you to forget about it was something you couldn’t do even if you tried. They all needed to accept that this was how you were now; and maybe with due time you’ll revert back to your old self.

Numerous voices could be heard in the dining room causing you to snap out of your thoughts. You sighed and then took a deep breath before walking into the room with everyone’s plates.

“Good morning everyone, how’s are all of you?” You asked placing plates in front of each brother at the table.

“Mornin’ MC, I’m fine how are ya?” Mammon said yawning.

“I’m good thank you for asking, but I would be even better if you fixed your tie and shirt” you smiled, placing his food in front of him.

“Dah you sound like Lucifer…” he groaned. It did work however because he buttoned up his shirt and tightened his tie before eating, to which you smiled at him in response.

“That goes for all of you as well, fix your uniforms please.” you said, placing the last plate in Lucifer’s spot. Each groaned and fixed themselves as well before they began to eat.

A laugh was then heard from the doorway which made you look up in response. The oldest then greeted you with a kiss to the cheek before sitting down.

“I see your keeping them on a tighter leash than I am.” Lucifer said looked up at you.

“Well of course. How is anyone supposed to take the seven of you seriously when you don’t even wear the uniform properly.” The room fell silent and Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “Thank you MC, but you realize that you don’t have to worry about our images anymore. You know your home correct..? You don’t have to continue being our attendant.”

You sighed then spoke after a few minutes. “Thank you for your concern I appreciate it, but if you’ll excuse me I have to get the dishes clean”

“Wait you’re not having breakfast with us dear?” Asmo asked worried.

“You haven’t eaten with us at all since you came back. Come on MC, please?” Satan then said.

“I appreciate the concern but I already ate. Thank you for the offer though, I do appreciate it. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“As their attendant you should not be eating with them unless permitted on a special occasion. It’s basic etiquette as a servant to eat in the kitchen. So you will eat when I eat. Understand?”

That phrase popped in you head again and you sighed heading towards the kitchen.

. . .

The walk to RAD was normal, for you at least, the brothers were a different story entirely.

They tried engaging with you or even walking next to you but you stayed silent and walked behind them.

Normally you’d walk at the same pace and would engage in any kind of small talk but ever since you returned walks to a from RAD had been awkward for the brothers.

Barbatos never walked next to Diavolo, and he taught you to do the same with the brothers.

“You aren’t from the same status, so you should take your place behind them as a result.”

That phrase played in your head as Mammon talked to you about his latest new scheme. You realized that he was walking at the same pace you were so you slowed down ever so slight and engaged in a bit of small talk with him.

The second born frowned as he saw you retreating again, so with a sigh he finished talking and walked a bit faster to catch up with the eldest.

You could see them shorting you glances and whispering to each other but neither said a word to you.

You understood they probably weren’t a fan of this behavior either, but it’s not as if you could break it anytime soon, after all what would he think if you were acting casual with everyone again?

. . .

“Good morning MC” Barbatos spoke, smiling as he slightly waved at you.

Upon seeing him your posture straightened up and you immediately greeted him back with a wave and a nod, in the same fashion he greeted you with. You held eye contact for a brief moment then looked over towards Lucifer.

“I believe we should head out now. There’s paperwork to be done. It was lovely running into you but we’ll be on our way now” you said to the butler.

Before he even had a chance to respond you grabbed Lucifer and dragged him through the hall leaving a confused Barbatos alone in the hallway.

Lucifer tried to question you about your behavior towards the butler but you always avoided talking about it.

Diavolo tried his hand as well and you had given him the same excuse you gave Lucifer. Sighing, the two decided to talk to you over tea instead, hoping that it might calm the mood.

So you followed Lucifer into the council room where Diavolo sat, waiting with a smile. The minute you saw him you smiled back, but soon tensed when Barbatos appeared behind him.

“Sit down MC” Diavolo gestured as soon as you reached the table.

You bowed slightly and did as you were told, making sure to keep yourself in line while Barbatos was present.

Barbatos from the past despised when you were casual with Lord Diavolo and shut down your relationship with him the second he took you as an apprentice.

As Diavolo began to speak you listened attentively and sat up straight making sure to hold eye contact just as Barbatos had instructed you to do before

“MC…” he started. “I understand that it's taken you awhile to try and readjust to everything again, and while we don’t want to pester your progress we do want to talk to you about a few things.”

Were you in trouble? Your heart sank to your stomach as you gripped your uniform bottoms under the table.

“What can I help you with then?” You asked.

“Well for starters you needn’t be so tense, we’re close after all! It’s okay to let loose around us” Diavolo smiled as he gestured towards Lucifer who nodded in response.

“I thank you for your concern, and I will try to relax as you asked” you then nodded.

Your formal response tugged at a frown on Diavolo’s face. “Thank you, now then let’s enjoy some tea.” he said, trying to quickly change the subject.

You froze on the spot as Barbatos brought out the cart of tea and a few snacks. Immediately you jumped up and helped him set the table, much to everyone’s surprise.

“MC, you can leave it to me.” Barbatos said after a moment.

“I understand” you nodded yet still continued picking up the tray of snacks and placing plates in front of Lucifer and Diavolo.

After you finished you stepped behind Barbatos, almost as if you were his shadow. With a sigh he turned to you and tried to ask you to sit back down but you refused.

So instead he tried to guide you to your seat and you stepped away from him in response, the further you took a step back the closer he took a step forward. It wasn’t until you hit the snack cart had you realized how close the two of you were.

However that was short lived as the dish holding the sugar fell off the cart and shattered on the floor the moment you hit it.

Your eyes went wide in horror and you fell to the floor to clean it up in an instant, muttering to yourself silently.

“MC, are you-“

“I’m so sorry, Lord Diavolo, I'll clean this up right away. Please forgive me” you said swiftly picking up the shattered glass and trying your best to clean everything.

“It’s okay, don’t worry it was an accident” Diavolo said as he got up to make sure you were okay.

You shook your head as you went back to cleaning. You were positive Barbatos was going to kill you, he made sure to let you know if you ever messed up in Lord Diavolo’s presence.

So when his figure loomed over you your body tensed with fear as you looked up at him. However his expression didn’t match what you assumed it would’ve been.

He looked concerned and bent down to inspect your hands, hoping there wasn’t any blood due to the shards of glass from the dish.

You immediately retracted your hand when you noticed a cut and Barbatos stiffened.

“I’ll clean this up right away, excuse me” you said as you jumped to your feet and ran out of the council room, leaving three very confused and concerned demons behind.

As the door flew open when you left Solomon walked in with a bewildered look as you rushed out. “What happened? Is everything okay?” He asked as his eyes followed your figure rushing down the hall.

“It’s MC,” Lucifer sighed.

“What about them?” Solomon questioned.

“Long story short they were helping Barbatos and dropped the sugar then bolted out of the room in a panic when Barbatos grabbed their hand to see if they were okay.” Diavolo said with a sigh.

“Ah, that explains things then.” Solomon nodded. “And Barbatos I would refrain from touching or even being near MC for the time being”

“And why is that?” Barbatos questioned with a frown.

“Because MC is probably still on edge after serving alongside you in the past. Let’s just say your methods weren’t exactly…ideal, for a human.” He sighed.

His heart broke upon hearing those words. Barbatos frowned upon learning he was the reason for their rigid behavior and unwillingness to open up to him or Lord Diavolo again.

“I understand,” he sighed.

“If we just talk to MC I’m sure they’ll understand-“ Diavolo started.

“You can, but they haven’t changed their behavior with the brothers so I doubt they change it now. I’ll talk to them when I see them again” Solomon sighed.

Lucifer made a sour expression upon hearing Solomon’s words, mainly because he knew they were true. After all he had spoken to MC countless times yet nothing has changed.

Solomon handed a few papers to Diavolo who read over them in surprise. “Cocytus Hall? That place hasn’t been used in ages, and you wish to move in there?”

“Yes, well Mc and I.” He nodded. “All the paperwork should be there if you’ll allow it”

Lucifer shot the sorcerer a glare and shook his head. “Is that really necessary? That’s quite the opposite of having MC adapt back to the present”

“On the contrary I didn’t suggest this. They did, and if it's what they want I don’t mind indulging my sweet apprentice” He smiled.

The three frowned at Solomon’s words. No matter how annoyed he made them, they all agreed that he was the only one you talked to like normal.

It wasn’t fair that he was the only one that got that attention from you. After a few more minutes of going back and forth Diavolo finally approved the idea, much to Lucifer’s protests.

It was just a thought but Diavolo hoped that if he did this you would eventually come back to them, and not the you that was terrified and uptight, he missed the carefree human who could brighten up the room.

With a sigh the room fell silent as Solomon left, all three demons were running out of ideas and the longer you avoided them the more painful it had become.

How long were they supposed to stay like this? They all wondered with tense sighs.

[enwoso]

Speaking of forhead kisses... maybe something for lia wälti? Maybe her and r are not yet dating or havn't been dating for long and lia accidently finds out that she is readers phone background

SURPRISE — lia wälti

another day, another lil blurb. found this right deep in the drafts half written. i need to stop starting to write something and then not finishing it until weeks months later.

masterlist

you and lia were the new couple on the block, you’d only just started dating a few months ago. so everything was still pretty new, finding out new habits the other had. to say the least there had been a lot of firsts that had happened in your relationship on the last coming weeks.

you were sat together on the team coach on the way to an away fixture. you and lia talking amongst yourselves as you leant your head on her shoulder. you hands interlocked as a series played through a headphone you both had in each ear.

“oh! i forgot i was meant to show you this, this morning” you burst up scrambling around in your seat for you phone remembering that you had seen a certain fan edit on instagram that you had saved and wanted to show your girlfriend.

lia slightly taken back by your sudden movements but let you carry on as she sat watching you with a timid smile on her face, making sure to press pause on the series knowing you would just whine and ask her to rewind it so you could watch the minutes you’d missed.

finally found you phone, you asked lia to hold it while you got yourself back into a comfy position in the seat. but as lia was holding it the screen flashes on, lia glancing at it but her eyes catch something else.

your lock screen. it was of the two of you the night she had asked you to be her girlfriend. a photo so simple as her kissing your cheek. something lia hadn’t seen yet, because you hadn’t told her in fear she may think you were moving too fast.

lia felt her heart get bigger as the love for you seemed to grow more and more each day. a loving smile appearing on the swiss’ face as you asked your girlfriend for your phone back although lia too wrapped in her own thoughts never heard you.

“lia? baby? can i have my-“ you paused turning your head back to lia, pausing for a second realising what the brunette was looking at.

“i- um.. you weren’t supposed-“ you rattled off quickly, taking your phone out of your girlfriends hands. your eyes going straight to look at your lap, not knowing what to say, or even how she would react. would she find it cringe?

“no, babe. it’s cute i love it” lia gushed as you slowly lifted your eyes back up to meet your girlfriend. your mood perking back up which had fell flat momentarily.

you blushed as you felt the heat on your cheeks heating up, but lia’s smile just got bigger as she leaned forward to pepper kisses all across your face as light giggled left your lips.

“and i love you”

[mydearestbeloved]

Chapter 14 [Draft]

Sung Jinwoo/Trial Player!Reader

CW:

Inspired by @circeyoru ‘s “Future Power Couple”

[Masterlist🦋✨️]

The soft rustle of leaves accompanied the gentle trickle of water from your watering can as Cha Hae-In’s words hung in the air.

“(Name), do you know Hunter Sung Jinwoo?”

You paused mid-motion, the steady flow of water halting as you processed the question. The vibrant blooms around you swayed in the breeze, oblivious to the tension blooming between you and your visitor. You finally set the watering can down, resting your hands on the pot rim for a moment before turning to face her. “What makes you ask that?” you asked carefully.

Hae-In, seated on the nearby wooden bench surrounded by vibrant flowers, hesitated before continuing. “Hunter Sung did something while taking down the dungeon's boss. Whatever he did, a foreign magic spread out and healed the B-team's wounds. It wasn’t his magic, though—it was something different.” Her tone was calm, but her sharp gaze betrayed her curiosity.

You took a moment, carefully brushing invisible dirt from your gloves to avoid meeting her eyes. Ah, Jinwoo, you thought, a flicker of irritation crossing your face. Could you be a bit more discreet for once? You sighed internally, recalling how lost in the heat of battle Jinwoo could become. It was one thing to act like this in a solo fight, but with so many witnesses?

“The foreign energy wasn’t unpleasant,” Hae-In continued. “In fact, it felt… familiar. I couldn’t figure out why until I came here.” She paused, her fingers lightly brushing the edge of the bench. “Your aura, though subtler, feels similar to that warmth from the dungeon. And your lack of scent—there’s something about it that’s always made you stand out to me.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but your face remained calm. Hae-In was sharp—too sharp for her own good. You turned back to your tools, neatly organizing them as you spoke. “Yes, Hunter Sung is... an acquaintance of mine,” you admitted evenly, keeping your tone steady.

Hae-In tilted her head. “Then, did you know it was him I was talking about a few days ago?”

“No.” Technically true—she’d never mentioned his name outright. You met her gaze briefly, “You didn’t tell me.”

A comfortable silence fell between you as you finished tidying up and sat beside her.

“(Name), There’s always been something about you that I couldn’t figure out. From the moment we met, your lack of scent... I thought maybe you didn’t know why, either. But after all these years, I’m sure you know more than you let on.” she said softly. “But it’s never bothered me. From the moment we met, you’ve been honest with me in your own way.”

The sincerity in her voice was disarming. You felt her hands suddenly cover yours, and despite the gardening gloves, her warmth reached you. “I’ve always admired you for that.”

“You’ve always respected my boundaries. And I want you to know I respect yours too. I won’t ask questions you’re not ready to answer. But…” She trailed off briefly, her fingers tightening slightly around yours.

“I want you to know how much you mean to me. You were my first friend, my mentor, and…” She looks sheepish all of a sudden, cheeks flushed and all. “To me, you’re like an older sister. You’ve always been there for me, and I’ll always be here for you too.”

The warmth in her gaze was almost overwhelming. You felt an old, familiar urge to tease her, to squeeze her cheeks like you used to do, if not for her holding your hands at the moment. But before you could speak, the chime of the shop bell interrupted.

The sound drew both your attention to the entrance, where a familiar figure stood.

Sung Jinwoo.

He seemed momentarily stunned to see Hae-In before his gaze shifted to you, and last to your clasped hands. His usual stoic expression was unreadable, but there was something sharp in his eyes that made you pause.

You felt your hand grow warm under Hae-In’s grip.

You gave Hae-In’s a soft nudge, prompting her to let go. As she withdrew, you gave her a brief reassuring squeeze—a silent message that everything was fine. She smiled faintly, understanding you without words.

Jinwoo’s eyes briefly flickered at the gesture, but you ignored it as you rose to greet him. Plastering on your professional smile, you stepped forward.

“Welcome to Perennial Atelier!” you said with practiced cheer. “How may I help you today, Sir?”

“I need to speak with you,” Jinwoo said, direct as ever.

‘I’m working, you oblivious man,’ you thought, though you maintained your polite façade.

“(Name), I—”

Here we go, you thought, already bracing yourself.

“—want you to come with me to my rank reevaluation,” he finished.

You blinked, “...Yes?”

“Good. Tomorrow. 10 a.m. You know the place.”

“Yes?? Wait—” But he was already turning to leave.

His eyes briefly flickering to Hae-In before stepping out, the bell chimed as the door shut behind him. Slowly, you turned back to Hae-In, whose expression mirrored your confusion.

“What... just happened?” she asked, echoing your own thoughts.

---

Later, as you worked on a bouquet of yellow roses, Hae-In’s voice broke the silence. “For a moment, he looked…” she murmured, her fingers fidgeting with Trick, the butterfly perched on her shoulder. “…scary.”

You paused, glancing at her. “Scary?”

She hesitated, recalling the brief flash of Jinwoo’s narrowed eyes, “Ah, never mind!” she said quickly, waving her hands in dismissal. “I’m probably overthinking it.”

You, however, couldn’t let it go. As you continued to fuss over her for the rest of the day, Hae-In didn’t complain, leaning into your care with a small, content smile.

---

Why did Jinwoo want you here?

You deadpanned internally as you sat on a bench at a safe distance from the throngs of reporters swarming around the South Korean Hunter Association's evaluation building. It was absolute chaos outside, a sea of flashing cameras, persistent microphones, and shouted questions all directed toward the entrance where Lee Min-Sung was scheduled to appear. But, unbeknownst to them, today’s true headline wouldn’t be the latest appearance of a celebrity Hunter—no, they would soon be scrambling for something much bigger. Because little did they know, today marked the reveal of South Korea's newest S-Rank Hunter, one who would go on to dominate headlines and leave the entire world begging for any scrap of information about him.

You couldn’t help the dry chuckle that escaped your lips. Poor fools. If only they knew what was coming, they'd be thanking their lucky stars for catching a glimpse of Jinwoo now, before he became the recluse he'd be infamous for.

But seriously, why were you here?

It wasn’t like you needed to see it in person. You could have comfortably stayed back in your garden, observing everything unfold through your butterflies, which you’d sent fluttering discreetly around the building. That was your original plan, and it was a good one. So why did you let yourself be dragged here, standing on the periphery, surrounded by this chaotic energy?

Oh, right. Because Jinwoo had insisted. You scolded yourself silently. Why did I agree to that again?

---

The wait was tedious. You watched through slitted eyes as reporters jostled for better positions, their excitement mounting each time the doors to the Association headquarters creaked open. They were all here for Lee Min-Sung. Yet, as you watched the throngs of people fidget and chatter, you knew their focus would shift in an instant.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you spotted Jinwoo emerging from the building, behind him were none other than Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In. The moment Jinwoo’s presence became known, whispers rapidly spread through the crowd like wildfire, and within seconds, the focus shifted entirely from Lee Min-Sung to him. The air was thick with anticipation as people strained to get a better look.

There it is, you thought wryly. The announcement of South Korea’s tenth S-Rank Hunter was going to be all anyone would talk about for weeks. The reporters were already scrambling, furiously making calls to their editors.

Despite the buzz, you remained where you were, hidden behind your enchanted mask, which helped obscure your presence among the crowd. You didn't want to get involved, and you certainly didn’t want to be caught up in this mess. I'll just wait until he notices me, then slip away, you reasoned.

Except, Jinwoo did notice you. And not in the way you'd hoped.

Before you could react, he moved so quickly it was nearly impossible for even the trained eyes in the crowd to follow. In a blink, he was right next to you, standing there with that infuriatingly calm demeanor of his, as if he hadn't just drawn every single pair of eyes in the vicinity directly onto you.

The crowd gasped in unison, and you could feel the burning stares of the onlookers. Even Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In, who had been walking behind him, were left staring at the spot where Jinwoo had stood mere seconds ago. You could almost hear the gears in their heads turning, trying to figure out who you were.

Seriously, how tactless could this man get?

Gritting your teeth, you grabbed Jinwoo’s hand without a word. At first, his eyes widened in surprise—softening in a few miliseconds—before quickly turning into a wince when you tightened your grip, nearly crushing his bones.

“Jinwoo,” you said through a clenched, saccharine smile that could have fooled anyone else into thinking you were pleased, “get us out of here. Now.”

Jinwoo gulped, instantly understanding the gravity of your anger. Without another word, he activated his assassin speed, whisking you away from the prying eyes of the crowd. The sudden burst of wind he left behind sent hats flying and reporters stumbling backward, while Baek Yoon-Ho and Choi Jong-In stared on.

---

You only released your death grip on Jinwoo’s hand when you found yourself standing in his apartment. As soon as you were sure you were out of sight, you yanked your hand away, shooting him a glare that could have melted through steel.

“What the hell was that, Jinwoo?!” you snapped, voice barely contained to a whisper despite your fury. “Do you have any idea what you just did?!”

Jinwoo stood there, momentarily caught off guard by your outburst. “I… I just wanted to—”

“No,” you interrupted, crossing your arms tightly. “You don’t get to explain yourself right now. Do you have any idea how tactless that was? I told you I have my reasons for staying out of the public eye, and you—” You jabbed a finger in his direction, causing him to take an instinctive step back. “—you just dragged me into the spotlight like that!”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to the floor.

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this,” you shot back, your voice tinged with frustration. “What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?”

He tried to open his mouth to respond, but one look at your expression made him swallow whatever excuse he had. The hallway was heavy with tension, the silence thick enough to cut through.

Jinwoo wasn’t used to seeing you like this—your eyes cold and distant, disappointment clear in every word.

“Why did you even ask me to come in the first place?” you demanded, your voice softening, but not out of kindness—no, it was the calm before the storm. The kind that promised you weren’t done being angry.

“I… I just thought it would be nice to have you there,” he admitted, almost sheepishly. “I wanted… I don’t know, for you to see how far I’ve come.”

For a moment, you hesitated. Jinwoo’s sincerity tugged at something inside you, but your anger was still far from spent. You sighed heavily, your shoulders slumping.

“You know what?” you said, shaking your head. “I need space, Jinwoo. I can’t deal with this right now.”

Jinwoo’s eyes widened, and the look of hurt on his face made your chest tighten painfully. But you couldn’t let yourself soften. Not now. You had to stick to your resolve.

“I’ll check on you in a few days,” you said curtly, your tone leaving no room for argument. “But until then, don’t even think about disturbing me.”

Before he could say another word, you let yourself dissolve into a flurry of butterflies, vanishing from his apartment in an instant. The last thing you saw was the crestfallen expression on Jinwoo’s face.

---

Jinwoo stood there for a long time after you’d gone, his apartment feeling emptier than ever with Jinah still in school. He rubbed the hand you’d nearly crushed earlier, wincing slightly.

“Well… there goes my dinner plan,” he muttered to himself, staring at the spot where you’d disappeared. He couldn’t help but replay your words in his mind, feeling the sharp sting of your disappointment.

I really messed that one up, he thought with a sigh. And with you in no mood to talk to him, he’d have to figure out a way to make it up to you—assuming you’d let him get close again anytime soon.

Maybe a bouquet of spider lilies...

End Note:

Unfinished Draft of [15/11/2024] -

[lilyswritings]

late.

synopsis: your boyfriend’s superhero antics give you a fright, and it’s up to him to reassure you of his well-being when he returns home from the fight. 

author’s note: i’ll admit, this has been sitting in my drafts for the longest time... likely since no way home came out! but i’ve been trying to get back into the swing of writing, and i figured it was a good idea to start with finishing up some works in progress before diving into anything new. so here’s some peter angst and fluff, just like the good ol’ days. enjoy!! 

wordcount: 1,613 

18. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?” 25. “What the hell were you thinking?!” 48. “Why are you crying?”

Peter Parker x Reader

      The window to the bedroom slides open, a figure in blue and red quietly stepping through the frame and carefully sliding the window shut behind him, all the while listening intently for any signs of life in the apartment beyond. Satisfied that he hasn’t woken his aunt, Peter turns around only to be startled by a figure sat in the darkness of the room, criss-cross on his bed. 

      “Shit.” He curses, huffing out a laugh when he realizes it’s only you. “It’s late,” Peter starts, tugging his mask off and tossing it onto his desk as he turns towards his closet to grab a t-shirt and sweatpants. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” 

      He doesn’t notice how silent you are until you don’t respond, when he turns around mid-unzipping his outfit to find you staring at him — like you’ve seen a ghost. Later, he’ll blame the shadows in the darkened room as why he didn’t immediately notice the shine of dried tears on your cheeks, or the way you’d bitten your nails down to the skin like you always did when you were panicking. 

      For now, though, he’s too focused on getting out of his suit and into comfortable clothes, the events of the evening still making his brain run haywire as he runs everything that he did that went wrong through his mind, planning for next time. 

      “Look, I’m sorry for returning so late,” He begins, tugging the suit off. “I lost track of time, I meant to text you but I think my phone got smashed in the fight and I’m probably going to have to at least replace the screen if not the whole thing.” He rambles, until finally, he’s changed entirely into casual clothes, and he lets out a sigh. When he turns around, finally, your expression has morphed from one of shock into anger, and he frowns at the sudden shift in emotion. 

      “What?” He asks, immediately wracking his brain for what he could have done to piss you off in the last few minutes. In response, you push yourself up and off the bed, coming to stand face-to-face with him as you take in his injuries, brow furrowed and arms crossed.

      “What was that?” You ask, gesturing vaguely to the window in reference to his escapades of the night.

      “Oh, it was just that Rhino guy again, turns out he escaped from prison and was trying the same ol’ shtick of—”

      “Rhino?” You cut him off, hands moving to your hips, and Peter winces, realizing his error. 

      “Yeah, uh, I know I said I wouldn’t take him on again by myself, but he was actively driving away with some radioactive materials and the police weren’t even close to him at that point so if I hadn’t stepped in chances are he would have gotten away and—”

      “So you went alone? What the hell were you thinking?” You demand, not letting him finish, watching his eyebrows tug together as he becomes defensive. 

      “Hey, come on, I can handle myself. I’m Spider-Man.” Peter retorts with a cocky smile, although still evidently confused, and you shove at his chest. “What the hell—” He begins to argue, smile dropping.

      “It’s not funny. You could have been killed!” You hiss, barely containing an angry shouting match as you try to keep your voice down to not wake Aunt May up. 

      “Are you— Why are you crying?” Peter asks, finally, and you freeze, only now noticing the feeling of tears running down your cheeks. He steps forwards delicately, hands up, and you step back, watching his expression morph into one of hurt.

      “What’s going on with you?” He asks, obviously confused, and you fling a hand out towards your open laptop as your other hand comes up to hastily scrub at your cheeks, as if to erase the tears altogether. 

     Peter, still looking at you with concern in his eyes, hesitantly sits down on the bed and turns the laptop on. The blue glow of the screen lights up his face as he reads the open article, mouth opening slightly as he pieces together your reaction. 

      The headline ‘Spider-Man: Gone For Good?’ stares back at him, along with an attached video of himself in his costume being smashed into the side of a building and remaining there, unmoving, until the video cuts out. ‘Spider-Man severely injured... Worried crowd of onlookers... Has the city’s hero been defeated?... No sign of hero since the incident...’ Peter’s eyes skim the article, before he turns to face you with a softened expression, noticing that you haven’t stopped crying, though you’re frustratedly scrubbing at your face in hopes of wiping away the evidence.

      He stands up from the bed and approaches you, and this time, you let him place his hands on your shoulders as you wipe at your face. “I’m so sorry,” He starts, voice quiet, moving to tilt your chin up with his hand. “That must have been really scary for you.”

      You swallow thickly, taking in a shaky breath as you lock eyes with him. “It said you were dead.” You whisper, voice breaking slightly on the last word. “The video—” You stop yourself, tears beginning to well up anew in your eyes, and Peter winces.

      “I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was a news station, I was just— I needed to rest for a minute, that was it. I had no idea...” He curses himself internally — he should have been on the lookout for cameras, what if he’d taken his mask off? He never wanted you to see him in a fight, let alone see him get hurt that badly. 

      You nod, hand coming up to rest on his cheek, eyes skimming over the bruise on his cheekbone that seems to be disappearing with each passing second. Yay healing powers, you think sarcastically. “Okay. I’m sorry for snapping at you.” You take in another breath, this time less shaky. “I was just so scared.” You admit, and there you go again, fresh tears falling as you curse and look down at the floor.

      Peter takes that as his cue to envelop you in a hug, tucking your head into the crook of his neck and tugging you closer, arms locked around you protectively. “I’m here. I’m okay.” He utters the affirmations into your neck, pressing a feather-light kiss there as if to prove it. 

      “It’ll take more than that to get rid of me.” He huffs into your hair. Though his words are obviously meant to lighten the mood, the cocky attitude reminds you one again of your initial frustration, and you impulsively pull away and launch your first forward to punch Peter in the shoulder. 

      Of course it only ends up startling him, and the impact feels like you just punched a wall — curse you, superhero muscles — and you pull your hand back with a muttered curse. His dark eyebrows tug together as he holds a hand over the spot you hit. 

      “What was that?” He asks, eyes darting from your fist to your face, tone concerned although you detect a hint of amusement in his soft brown eyes at the instant repercussions for your outburst. 

      “It’s not funny. You fucking scared me.” You grumble, cradling your now-throbbing fist against your chest, and he huffs out a short laugh. “Don’t laugh at me.” You scold, though your anger is dissolving by the second just due to his reassuring presence. 

     “I already said I’m sorry—” You frown at his casual attitude. “—don’t punch me again—” He interjects hurriedly. “—but I am sorry. Really sorry. I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.” 

    “You’d better.” You frown, still trying to eradicate the image of his prone form lying among the rubble, no sign of movement or life. “Or at least fucking text me, or, or call me, or— send a Spider-signal or something! Next time your phone breaks, I want you to use a payphone.” You decide, nodding, and he laughs under his breath. 

      “Okay,” He concedes, stepping closer to you and kissing you on the forehead. “I’ll build a little pocket into the suit to hold some quarters.”

      You roll your eyes at the sass, but your smile betrays you as you lean into his touch, his arms coming up to encircle you. “Don’t be a smartass.” You mutter into his shoulder, and he laughs. 

      “Can we go to bed now?” He asks, pressing a kiss to your temple, and you nod. “I’m wiped, and I think you might be too.” You nod again, sighing and going to pull away from him, but he holds you tighter and your brow furrows in confusion. 

       “I thought you wanted to go to bed—” Your words are cut off by a squeal of surprise and he holds you fast to his chest and shoots a web at the wall above his bed, tugging the both of you onto the bed in one swooping motion. 

      You land sideways, eyes wide, and erupt into a stifled laugh at his antics. “You’re insane, it would have taken us all of ten seconds to walk over and get in bed!” You scold, and he finally lets you go and shrugs, pulling the blanket up and over the both of you.

      “And this way, it took us one second.” He smirks, and you smack him on the chest. 

      “Okay, Spider-Man.” You retort, voice mocking, but he smiles and presses a kiss to your forehead, wrapping his arms around you once more. The room goes quiet, your breaths slowing and deepening as you lie in Peter’s arms, and just as you are about to fall into a deep sleep, you smile as you hear him utter three lovely little words.

      “I love you.”

[zorosimpclub]

late night at the office – Zoro NSFW

characters: zoro roronoa x fem!reader (he's your boss)

boss employee relationship, praising, degrading, light choking | smut | 18+ only – MDNI

word count: 5.5k

She glanced at the clock, it was 8PM and most if not all of her co-workers had gone home. She was assigned to this project by her boss, Zoro – the man was ruthless. He made her repeat her work if there was one small error. Sometimes even when there were 0 errors. That's how ruthless this man was. Today was no different, the client deadline was a few days away but he made her scrap her whole progress and start again.

Zoro sat in his office watching cameras his employees like a hawk, checking on each and every coworker he had. Until he looked at her, seeing her upset. His eyes narrowed and opened up his emails to write her one.

I need to see you in my office.

Minutes turned into hours until she received his email. She held her breath when she saw a small pop up flash on the corner of her laptop screen.

This can't be good, she thought. Sighing, she got up and made her way to his office, stopping right outside. She hesitated a little before finally mustering the courage to knock on it.

Zoro leaned back in his chair, checking through emails as he heard her footsteps outside his office.

“Come in.”

He looked up from his laptop, and fixed his gaze on her. He gestured to a small seat in front of his desk and waited for her to take a seat. She gulped slightly and sat down in the chair, she had no idea what to expect. Zoro was usually really hard to read and today was no different.

Zoro had folded his hands on his desk, looking at her with his sharp eyes. He didn’t waste any time – he didn’t believe in sugarcoating things and was a man of practicality.

”I see you work so hard yet you can’t seem to meet my expectations. I don’t know it your not trying hard enough or you’re just not good at your job."

She felt her lip quiver, he was harsh…there was no surprise there. She bit her bottom lip to fight herself from crying and waited for him to continue talking, knowing that he didn’t just call her into his office to just tell her that.

“I want this project done by the end of the week, I don’t want to hear any excuses. If you can’t get it done by the end of the week…you’re fired, is that understood?”

He wasn't really going to fire her, at most, he was planning to transfer her to another department. He didn't know why he was being such a dick to her...well, he did. Lately his bright eyed employee has been pissing him off. She keeps occupying his damn mind... that infectious smile of hers, her beautiful, innocent eyes...all of it. He didn't know how to feel and it was easier to get rid of her than just dealing with.

"I understand." She spoke up meekly, holding onto her composure so that she didn't burst out crying.

Zoro could see her eyes, they were filling with tears. For a brief moment, he almost felt bad for her. Almost. He let out a sigh and spoke softer whilst remaining stern.

“Good. You can leave but I want the first version of the draft first thing in the morning."

She gasped a little and looked at the clock in his office, "But Mr Zoro, it's 9PM now..."

She already knew what he'd say, it didn't matter because he was definitely going to ask her to pull an all nighter if necessary. It's not like he cared since he usually left the office quite late and in fact, this wasn't the first time she was working late. She wasn’t entirely sure that he had a life outside the office. He was the hardest worker she had ever met, always the last to leave but somehow the first to arrive.

Zoro's eyes locked onto hers.

“Do I need to repeat myself? I don’t care if you have to pull an all nighter here or at your house, as long as you submit the first draft tomorrow morning. That’s all I care about right now.”

At least she had the option to take her work home and work from there if needed. She stood up and excused herself, "Understood."

In the end she decided to finish as much as she could before leaving, she did work better here after all. She began typing away before she heard her co-worker Sanji settled down next to her briefly.

"Y/N my love, you're still here? I'm about to leave now, did you want me to give you a ride?" Sanji asked.

Zoro let out a soft groan as her placed his head against his palms, thoughts racing in his mind. He couldn’t take it. After she left his office, his heart pounded a little. He wanted to tell her that he wasn’t going to fire her and that he was harsh on her. He got up and walked out only to see Sanji next to her.

Zoro smirked a little sadistically, he knew what was going on with them. He wanted to hear Sanji ask her out and he wanted her to reject him. Again and again. He went to the water cooler to hear their conversation more clearly.

"Ah thanks Sanji but I don't think I'm leaving any time soon, I have this due tomorrow and it's much more peaceful here than home so I figured I'd stay until I get this done." She smiled softly at Sanji before typing away at her laptop.

Sanji huffed and leaned closer to her before whispering a joke in her ear, to which she giggled.

Zoro rolled his eyes as he heard Sanji’s whisper, hearing her giggle. His jaw clenched a little, he didn’t like her so close to another man, especially Sanji. It felt like he was so close to seeing her date this man, she’s too beautiful to be with someone like Sanji.

He drank some water, hearing Sanji make another remark, hearing her giggle again. He was getting jealous by the second.

He walked towards her desk and raised his brow at Sanji – he had always hated this man. Something about the way he spoke to her made him despise him.

"Why are you still here? Aren't you from the sales department?"

Sanji let out a chuckle, seeing Zoro walk towards his desk. A smug face on Sanji, as he spoke.

“Ah, yeah I’m in the sales department. I was just here for a client, I just happened to see her beautiful face and decided to visit.”

Zoro rolled his eyes again, he knew he was trying to make a move on her. Anyone with eyes could see how desperate he was towards her.

Zoro was furious but kept his calm, tone stern. "Yeah? Well she has something due in the morning so why don't you just leave instead of slowing her down?”

Sanji gave him a playful grin, his eyebrows raised.

“Wow! Mr. Zoro you are pretty protective of her, you should be careful otherwise someone might think you have a thing for your pretty little employee.”

Zoro's face got red as his fists clenched, he didn't like when people saw through him. He couldn't even respond to Sanji’s claims.

"Shut up." Zoro stormed off to his office, feeling a little embarrassed. Did that moron just practically confess for him?

Y/N blinked once. Twice. Thrice. What just happened? It all happened so fast. Why did Zoro get flustered like that?

She shook her head and sighed, "Anyway Sanji, I'm going to get back to work, please feel free to leave. Thanks for offering me to take home but I think I'll just get the late night bus back."

Zoro had his fists clenched, he wasn’t expecting Sanji to be so loud and put those words in her head. It made his blood boil in his veins as he slammed the door to his office with one hand. He sat at his desk, pushing his fingers through his hair. Why was his heart beating so fast? Why did he care so much about another man calling a woman beautiful? He didn’t know. He shook his head, this was getting ridiculous.

Time went on as he heard Sanji leave, the office became silent. It was all him and her.

Zoro couldn’t stand it, he watched from his desk. Seeing her stretch and hearing her tired yawns. Something in him got him to stand up and walk over to her desk. He towered over her.

“Its late, you should go home. You look tired.”

"But I haven't finished yet. I work better here." She shot him a soft smile and continued typing, feeling awkward that he was just standing there. She sensed some tension – what type of tension, she wasn’t sure quite yet.

With him, it was a mixed bag. He has been really kind to her but in a professional, stern way. But he’s also straight up been a dick to her, she wasn’t sure what to think.

He let out a sigh, his attention locked onto her soft smile, he couldn’t look away…it’s like he was mesmerised.

“I know I gave you that deadline earlier but I’ll give you more time. Just leave and get some rest, you need it.”

She perked up a little, "Thanks but I think I can finish up in a couple of hours..." It was obvious that he felt bad, he always does and she was grateful that he showed care for her. But she really wanted to prove to him and herself that she wasn't just going take the easy route.

He stayed silent, watching her type away on her keyboard. He felt like time was going incredibly slow, watching her fingers type. His eyes roamed from her hands to her face, back to her hands then back to her face. His face only got redder at the sight, damned feelings he thought.

–

He left the office and grabbed both of them some takeout before returning – he convinced himself that he would do this for any employee and that it was just him fulfilling his duty as a boss. He pushed open his office door with his shoulder and placed the takeout on his desk.

He should email her to come have dinner since it seems that she hadn't already had it.

After hesitating for the tenth time, Zoro opened his email and wrote to her.

I need to see you in my office.

He wasn't going to tell her that he got takeout, she probably wouldn't come if he did.

She sighed and got up as soon as she saw the email pop up in the corner of her screen. Walking over to his office, she rubbed her temples to prepare herself for whatever the man was about to throw at her.

Zoro watched her walk over to his office, the sight of her just walking over was enough to make him lose his mind.

The moment she walked in he gestured for her to sit down, he put the takeout in front of her. She had no idea the amount of willpower he was exerting to not just kiss her.

She raised a brow not knowing what he asked her here for, there's no way he called her in here because he got her food...right? Maybe he was going to eat in front of her knowing that she hadn’t had any dinner yet but he can’t be that cruel…right?

"You called sir?"

Zoro stayed silent, his heart pounded in his chest. What if she thinks it's inappropriate he bought her food? He felt like the air in the office got thicker as he looked at her. He spoke up with a firm tone, trying to get away from his thoughts.

"Eat."

She looked taken aback and looked at him as if he said the most incredulous thing ever, he was joking right? She didn't know what to say but on cue, her stomach grumbled. She had completely forgotten to eat dinner…

He watched her stomach grumbled, making him feel a little amused. His lips twitched, his eyes darted to the takeout and back to her, wanting her to eat. She hesitated for a bit and leaned in to grab part of her portion. He leaned back in his chair, not taking his eyes off her as she began eating.

His lips twitched into a little smile watching her eat, she looked so cute eating. Hell, she looked cute doing anything he thought. Zoro reached for his food and started to eat, his gaze never leaving her form. She ate nervously in silence, the food was good but she didn't know how to take this. Maybe he just felt bad for barking at her earlier.

His gaze was fixated on her eyes, occasionally his stare would wander to her lips as she chewed. Her nervous look only made her all the more gorgeous to his eyes.

He knew she wasn't aware of how attracted he was to her, to be fair, he didn’t know how attracted he was to her until it was just them alone. It was getting harder for him to hide it, every time he looked at her he wanted nothing more than to hold her close to him.

Everything was fine until she bit into the hotdog, causing the sauce to squirt on her cleavage. She panicked and wiped it off with her finger before licking it clean.

Zoro almost bit the side of his mouth as he saw her. She was eating the hotdog so innocently. He nearly lost it when the sauce made contact with her cleavage.

The sight of her innocently licking the sauce up with her tongue was enough for him to want to pin her to the wall and kiss her. But he snapped back to reality, he quickly cleared his mind and coughed a little.

"Thank you for the food." She squeaked, breaking the awkward silence that had built up.

Zoro let out a small chuckle. He looked at what she was wearing and had an inappropriate thought that he immediately pushed away.

“You’re welcome, you still have sauce on you,” He pointed to a spot of sauce on her cleavage that she had missed.

Y/N squealed a little and got flustered as she looked down to the sauce. Zoro got up and walked around his desk, sitting on it. He was directly in front of her now. She felt incredibly self conscious with the sauce still on her cleavage but for some reason she froze. She couldn’t move or say anything.

Zoro could feel himself getting more and more attracted to her. He watched as she seemed to freeze, it made him want to do something about it. He leaned forward, his face getting closer to hers.

“M-Mr Zoro?”

Zoro smirked a little at her squeaky voice. She looked so adorable right now, it made him want to close the gap between them.

“You’re so adorable...” He whispered leaning forward even more, his face inches away from hers.

She was shocked, this is so unexpected. Was she so tired that she was hallucinating?

“Y/N…" He called name her softly. He took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving hers. He couldn't help but think about how badly he wanted to kiss her right now.

She closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath on her lips. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t think of him late at night, as harsh as the man was on her, he was often the object of her fantasies. In fact, she’d moaned his name as she pleasured herself countless times.

Zoro couldn't take it anymore, his eyes burning with desire. He couldn't resist any more, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. It was more of a teasing kiss than anything else, but it she felt intense sparks.

The soft moan from her only fueled Zoro's passion. He deepened the kiss, his hands gently holding her face. He could feel her trembling against him, and it only made him want more.

He broke the kiss and dipped his head to her chest only to lick the sauce off without breaking eye contact. She gasped at the sight and tightened her grip on her chair. She wanted to touch him but she was too afraid to, she didn’t know how to approach the situation. Zoro pulled back slightly, his eyes twinkling with lust as he looked at her. He could feel the tension in the air, the desire radiating off of them both.

He couldn't help but chuckle softly, "You taste even better than I imagined.”

“Y-you’ve imagined tasting me?” She blushed deeply and locked her gaze onto his eyes.

“Well, you are pretty irresistible."

Zoro teased, his gaze never leaving hers. He wanted her, there was no denying it. He reached out and gently traced his fingers along her cheekbone, his touch sending shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes and leaned it to his touch, which left behind burning heat. Her body ached for him, it wasn’t a want anymore… it was a need.

Zoro could feel the heat radiating off of her, his desire for her only growing stronger. He leaned in closer, his lips mere inches from hers.

"I want you," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "Let me show you how good I can make you feel…”

She looked up at him with those big doe eyes that he loved so much and nodded slowly.

Zoro's heart raced with anticipation as he leaned down to claim her lips once more, his hands running through her hair as he deepened the kiss. He knew he shouldn't go this far with her, but he couldn't help himself. He’d worry about the mess tomorrow. She fluttered her eyes shut and kissed back passionately, letting her hand roam his body shyly.

The kiss was intoxicating, and Zoro found himself lost in the heat of the moment. He groaned softly against her lips, his body responding to her touch. He broke the kiss for a moment, their breaths heavy and ragged.

"You're so fucking beautiful.”

She watched as he loosened his tie and smirked at her. She bit her bottom lip and squeezed her thighs together in response to how attractive he looked.

“Mr Zoro…”

Zoro reached out and undid the first button of her shirt, his eyes burning with desire.

"Don’t you think you need to be punished? For flirting with other men, hm?” he questioned, his voice husky with need.

He took of his tie and tied it around her eyes, blindfolding her. She gasped and stayed still, part of her feeling like it was on fire.He trailed his hands over her skin, unbuttoning more of her shirt as he went.

"I can’t believe I get to do this to you.”

She didn’t stop him, after all she did want him in every way. He took this as a sign to continue unbuttoning her shirt. His heart pounded in his chest as he exposed more of her skin to the cool air. His hands were shaking slightly, not from fear or hesitation, but from the overwhelming desire coursing through him.

"You’ve been driving me crazy.”

She gulped visibly and leaned her head back, exposing her naked neck and clavicle. Zoro's fingers brushed against her soft skin, tracing delicate patterns on her skin as he leaned in closer. His lips grazed her neck, his breath warm against her skin.

"You're making this very hard for me," he murmured against her skin.

He leaned down and took one of her nipples in his mouth, flicking his tongue sensually around it. A moan escaped from under her blindfold as she arched her back, offering more of herself to him. Her other nipple hardened at the sensation, begging for the same attention. He chuckled darkly and grazed his teeth against her as he gave her other nipple a pinch.

Her body trembled with anticipation and need. "Zoro," she panted, her voice filled with desire and longing. "Please...”

“Patience sweetheart. I did say that you were going to be punished didn’t I?” He sucked, bit and licked her nipples before lifting her skirt and moved her panties to the side. His rough hands slid over her mound, teasing her sensitive folds with his fingers.

"Look at you, dripping for me to touch you." he growled against her skin. "I'm going to fuck you until you scream, is that okay sweetheart?”

She grinded her hips on his fingers and nodded, begging to feel them inside of her. Unable to resist any longer, Zoro thrust his fingers inside of her, groaning at the feeling of her slick walls squeezing around him.

"You're so tight," he moaned, his pace becoming rougher.

She moaned and bucked her hips faster. It felt so good, she couldn’t even think straight. That however changed as soon as he slipped his fingers out of her, she moaned in protest and she heard something ruffling near her. She felt herself be lifted from the seat by her waist and laid down on the table.

“I think I have some space for dessert.”

Before she could ask what he meant, she felt something wet trail along her pussy. In an instant, she gripped his hair and ground herself against his tongue. Zoro moaned around her clit as he alternated between licking and sucking, loving the way she was writhing against his mouth. He moved to the side, sliding his tongue inside of her as he thrust two fingers inside of her.

“Mr Zoro!" she cried out, her body shaking with pleasure. Her hips bucked against his hands as she came undone, her moans echoing in the empty room.

As she finally came down from her orgasm, Zoro pulled his fingers out of her and stood up. He gave her a wicked grin.

"Now it's my turn." He pushed his pants and boxers down, freeing his already hard cock.

He took off her blindfold and yanked her to his chest.

“Now look at me when I fuck you," he growled, his voice dangerously low. He pushed her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes as he thrust into her, claiming her body completely. Her body was slick with their combined fluids as he slowly started to pick up speed, slamming into her with a primal groan.

He gripped her hair, pulling her head back as he took what he wanted from her. He peppered kisses and bites on her neck as he pounded mercilessly into her tight hole.

“Do you know how many times I’ve dreamt of fucking you like this?”

She gasped, her body arching into his as he hit her sweet spot. "Mr Zoro…" she moaned, her voice filled with desire and lust.

"T-Too much." she panted, her body trembling under his relentless thrusting.

“Good. Your punishment is cumming over and over again until you can’t think straight, are we clear, princess?”

“Yes," she whimpered, her body throbbing with need. "Please.”

He thrust into her so deep, she swore she could feel him hitting her cervix. She could feel every inch of him pulsating inside of her, claiming her like he would never get to touch her again. His fingers found her clit, rubbing it roughly and sending waves of pleasure through her.

He withdrew from her slowly, only to push back in hard, his muscles rippling as he hit the spot that made her scream out his name. His hips snapped with each hard thrust, driving him deep inside of her.

She held her breath as his balls slapped against her ass in all the right places. She could feel herself getting closer but the pleasure was overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to think straight. Her body tensed, her walls clenching around him in anticipation.

Her cries of pleasure and pain mingled together, echoing through the room. Her climax hit her hard, her body shuddering underneath him. Zoro’s own climax was imminent, his cock throbbing inside her.

“Look at you, you’re such a little slut aren’t you? Pretending to be innocent with those big pretty eyes but here you are, taking dick from your boss like a cumslut.” He chuckled dryly and pushed her against the door, her chest rubbing against the door every time he thrusted into her.

Zoro lightly gripped her neck and fucked her senseless, he wanted to have her like this every day. Everyday whilst everyone outside had no clue what was going on inside. Her eyes widened, both from the pleasure and surprise of his grip on her neck.

She couldn't help but moan loudly, her body arching off the door in response to his rougher actions. "Y-yes, Mr Zoro!”

"That's it, moan my name princess." He groaned out, thrusting harder into her. His grip on her neck tightened slightly, not enough to hurt her but enough to leave a mark if anyone were to find them like this.

She moaned his name, her body trembling from the intense pleasure and the sensation of being taken by him. "Ahh...”

Her eyes rolled back in her head, lost in the pleasure he was giving her. "Mr Zoro!" She cried out, her body shuddering under his rough treatment. She couldn't believe how much she craved this dominance from him. Zoro leaned in, his free hand running up her leg and over her thigh, his fingers finding her clit again.

He circled her clit slowly, teasing her further as he continued to fuck her against the door. "You're mine to claim whenever I want, understand?”

Her body convulsed around his fingers and his cock, her voice barely more than a whimper now. "Y-yes, Mr Zoro!" She panted, her eyes locked onto his. There was no denying the truth in her words—she belonged to him completely.

Feeling her submission, Zoro groaned deeply, his hips snapping faster as he took her roughly against the door.

"And you'll always remember this, won't you?" He asked, his voice thick with lust and possession.

"Y-yes, Mr Zoro," she panted, her voice barely audible over their heavy breaths. "I'll always remember this."

Hearing her confirm his words, Zoro felt a rush of power course through him. He gripped her tighter, biting his bottom lip as he drove deeper into her, claiming her in every sense of the word.

Her cries of pleasure mixed with his name filled the room, echoing off the walls. Her body arched off the door, meeting his brutal thrusts with unyielding desire. This was their dance—one of dominance and submission, pain and pleasure—and she was his perfect partner.

“I’m going to fill you up with my cum, got it?”

"Please, yes!" she whimpered, feeling his thick cock throbbing against her sensitive walls. The thought of him filling her up with his seed sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.

"That's my obedient princess." He groaned out, his voice low and rough with lust as his hips pistoned into her. His pace grew more rapid, his cock sliding in and out of her with brutal speed as he prepared to unleash his seed inside her.

“Fuck! Take my load!”

“Mmph!" She gasped, feeling him pulsing inside of her. His cum filled her up, claiming her in the most intimate way possible. She cried out his name as the intensity of the sensations washed over her.

She screamed, her body shuddering under the pleasure. Every muscle in her body was taut with anticipation as he continued to empty himself into her. His hips bucked wildly against hers, driving him deeper still as he claimed her completely.

"Look at me when you take my cum."

He snarled, yanking her head back by the hair, forcing her to meet his gaze as he exploded inside her. His words snapped her back to reality, and she finally registered the loud grunts of his orgasm echoing around them as his cum shot into her, filling her up and making her sob out his name again.

He pulled out of her and carried her to his chair before sitting down with her in his lap. Panting heavily, she felt him shift her so that she was now sitting in his lap, her legs dangling slightly. Her body trembled from the aftermath of their intense lovemaking, her heart still racing from the sheer intensity of it all.

“So…” she started.

He looked down at her, his eyes dark and smoldering with lust. "So," he drawled, running a rough thumb over her swollen lips, "you just fucked your boss huh?" His voice was rough with satisfaction and pride.

She blushed and hid her face with her hands.

Chuckling softly, Zoro wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer.

“It's alright, I won't fire you.” he teased, his other hand traced gentle patterns on her stomach, trying to soothe her blush. “In fact…from now on, this is your duty.”

He growled low in his throat, nibbling on her earlobe as he started to grind his hard cock against her still-sensitive core.

"Every day during work, you come to my office and let me have my way with you, understood?”

“Y-yes, Mr Zoro," she whispered, shivering in pleasure at the thought of the things he would do to her.

“Good girl." He murmured approvingly before leaning down to capture her lips in a slow, deep kiss that left her reeling. As he held her close, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that from now on, this beautiful woman was his to claim whenever he wanted.

“Oh and your work is actually good, I was just being harsh on you because I wanted to not like you." He admitted sheepishly “I was never planning to fire you, sorry for being rude to you.”

She blushed and cuddled against him, her heart fluttering with happiness. "Thank you, Mr Zoro." She looked up at him, her eyes shining with adoration and desire. "I'm glad I didn't disappoint you.”

“Zoro.”

“Hm?” She looked at him, a little puzzled as to why he was saying his own name.

“Just Zoro.” He smiled at her and captured her lips into a sweet kiss.

"Yes, Zoro," she breathed, returning his kiss eagerly. A warm shiver ran down her spine as he continued to touch her in ways that made her body tremble with anticipation. She was his now, completely and utterly.

"That's a good girl." He whispered against her lips before pulling back to look into her eyes.

"Now, let me drive you home." His tone was both commanding, leaving no room for hesitation or refusal. He wasn’t going to let her get the bus alone, definitely not at this hour. She nodded.

–

Once they reached her home, he parked the car carefully. His hand gently guided her out of the vehicle, their connection undeniable. As they stood on her porch, he leaned down and captured her lips once more, his tongue teasing and tasting her mouth.

He pulled away and stroked her hair lightly, “In all seriousness, this wasn’t driven by lust. Well, part of it was… but I do like you. A lot.”

His words sent a shiver down her spine, making her heart race even faster. She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with desire and a hint of admiration.

"I... I like you too, Zoro…do you want to come inside?" she whispered softly, biting her lower lip nervously. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he took her hand,

"Alright then, let's continue this inside." His voice was sweet but seductive, his grip firm yet gentle.

-–

As always, feel free to request a fic! :) Here's my third Zoro fic (I cannot stop writing about this man helP RJSGIOEJ) anyway, please lmk if you enjoyed this one! seeing comments on my last few fics made my day (maybe that's why i'm churning out these fics so fast??? LMAO) <3

[tkaulitzlvr]

I NEED A PT2 TO THE 'DID U MEAN IT' ANGST PLEAAAAAAAAAASE IM BEGGING

DID YOU MEAN IT (2)- T. KAULITZ

synopsis: you see tom for the first time after calling off your casual hookups - unsure of what to make of tom’s confession after he says something that makes them so much more. it seems that he has had a change of heart, determined to put things straight, no matter how hard you resist.

content: angst & smut

a/n: lowk forgot i even wrote did you mean it LOL, i meant to write a part two a few days after but that never happened😭i’d recommend u read part one before this to remind urself of what happened cause this has sat in my drafts for weeks and i have finally found the motivation to finish it🔥

“truth or dare guys come on!”

a noticeably tipsy voice shouts over the loud music, everybody placing their drinks down and walking over to the large circle that begins to form in the centre of the living room. i contemplate joining, swirling the drink in my hand aimlessly, praying that no one will notice me. normally i would rush towards games like this, enjoying the thrill that came along with them. but that excitement is replaced with dread, because he is here.

my friends hadn’t told me that tom would be at this party - knowing that i would never have agreed to come if i had found out. but it was far too late to leave now, my breath catching in my throat when i had spotted him from the other side of the room, my heart aching as the wound of whatever we had is still fresh. and he spotted me too - his eyes locking onto mine, no longer paying attention to the small blonde clinging onto his frame. though a couple weeks had passed since i had walked out, i know that i’m not ready to speak to him yet, so for the rest of the party i ignore him, despite the obvious glances that he sends my way.

and i was able to do so easily - until now. a game like truth or dare means that i have to face him directly, something which i have strictly avoided. my eyes are glued to his frame - adorned in baggy attire as usual - as he joins the circle himself, no longer accompanied by the girl he was with when i arrived. and just when i think i have managed to get away with missing out on the game, i am dragged over to the circle by one of my friends, unable to resist her strangely strong grip. as i near the circle, tom’s eyes dart to mine, somehow spotting me out of his peripheral vision. if my luck wasn’t bad enough, my friend sits just a few seats beside him, tom now not even a metre away from me, this the closest we have been since we last fucked. i ignore his eyes clearly burning into mine, focusing on the glass bottle that is placed in the centre, watching as it begins to spin around.

“the first person it lands on has to choose truth or dare, the second chooses what they have to do.”

the bottle begins to slow after a few seconds, everybody’s eyes fixed on it - everybody’s except tom’s, who still refuses to tear his gaze away from my body. i groan internally when the glass bottle finally stops, landing directly on me. it spins again, landing on some random guy who i hadn’t seen before.

“truth or dare?”

“dare.” i state confidently, deciding that if i am sitting here, i might as well do something fun, rather than answer a shitty question that would probably be along the lines of ‘what’s your body count?’ or ‘where’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?’

“i dare you…” the guy pauses, visibly contemplating over what to instruct me to do, adjusting himself in his seat before continuing. “to sit on the hottest guy in the room’s lap for five minutes.”

seriously? i scoff quietly at his dare, wondering how he failed to come up with something at least a little more interesting. though when i lock eyes with the brunette that had been eyeing me up the entire night, it suddenly doesn’t seem that bad. he is cute, soft brunette curls adorning his structured face, deep green eyes and plump lips, i had spotted him almost as soon as i had entered the party. and he had seen me too, sending me quick glances and smiling at me. the opportunity seems perfect as i grasp it with open arms, standing up and adjusting my dress that was probably too short.

though as i begin to walk over, my steps are quickly restrained as a hand wraps itself firmly around my wrist, pulling me backward to sit on their lap. i turn around, a familiar pair of brown eyes looking back at me, his expression harsh, jaw clenched and gaze darkened. he doesn’t seem at all fazed, his hand remaining firmly on my wrist as he adjusts himself, ignoring the quiet gasps that sound from the people around us. all i can do is stare, somehow unable to scold him like sober me would. i don’t even contemplate getting up just yet, far too shocked to do anything but stare into his eyes, ones that i hadn’t seen since i had caused tears to spill from them the last time we had been this close.

“start the timer.” tom mumbles just loud enough for the rest of the circle to hear, his voice low as he refuses to look away from me. he adjusts my position on his lap, his hands moving to rest on my waist securely.

“what the fuck are you doing-”

“who is that guy?” he completely ignores my question, tightening his hold on me and pulling me even closer, diverting his gaze to the brunette who i had intended to walk over to, though like everyone else he is submerged in conversation with his friends.

“i don’t know.” i groan, feeling his arms tighten around my waist once again, pulling me in so my back is flat against his chest. i hear him tut behind me, his low breaths seeming to get closer and closer to my ear. “maybe i would if you hadn’t fucking pulled me over here-”

“i wouldn’t even let you find out his fucking name.” he quickly cuts me off, voice laced with an anger i hadn’t ever heard before, far beyond the heat of the moment frustration he had displayed a few weeks ago. this time jealousy edges it, the idea of me wanting to entertain another man leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. his lips are now centimetres away from my ear, close enough to be able to just ghost over it, but he stops himself. “you won’t speak to anyone else. because we’re talking about what happened, mhm? that guy isn’t going anywhere fucking near you.”

i scoff at his statement, his bold attitude somewhat amusing. he hadn’t been this possessive ever - when we were fuck buddies we would have sex, then he left. he would take me out for food sometimes, though it always ended in the same way - wrapped up in some random hotel room sheets with his dick inside me, leaving almost just as fast as i had entered. this is new. he had always gotten tense at any mention of me with another guy, yet he never had the guts to call me out. maybe he was jealous, but the most likely explanation is that he simply didn’t care. so why now?

i open my mouth to speak, though i am quickly cut off by the sound of a dull alarm ringing from the other side of the room. the guy that had given me the dare pulls his phone out of his pocket, ending the timer and uttering a quick ‘times up guys’. tom however doesn’t budge, keeping his hands firmly on my waist, despite it being literally impossible for him to have not heard the alarm.

i quickly detach his hands from my hips, standing up and exiting the circle before he can attempt to stop me, wanting nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible. though not because he frustrates me, not because i am seconds away from punching that jealous look off of his face, but because the butterflies that erupt in my stomach from his touch shouldn’t be there - not after i had ended things. my mind had told me that i would be fine without him, and until now i had believed myself. but fuck, i would be stupid to ignore the feeling that his presence ignites, his touch almost enough to make me run back into his arms. though i know that would be irrational, the alcohol in my system not helping my ability to make the right decision, forcing the morally correct part of me to get the fuck away from him before i make a mistake.

the music gets quieter and quieter as i carry on walking down the hallway, pressing my ear against one of the doors on the left, sighing in relief when i hear silence. my hands reach for the handle, pulling it open, silently thanking god that it is not only a bathroom, but an empty bathroom, something that is a luxury at parties of this size. i close the door behind me, turning to face the large mirror above the counter, adjusting my makeup and pulling my dress down - knowing that tom is the reason why it has rolled up so much. the mere thought of him leaves an uneasy feeling in my stomach, his actions totally unexpected and more than anything - annoying.

sure, i had been confident in my decision to cut things off before, but seeing his face and being so close to him proves too much to handle, the unexpected realisation that i am not where near over him beginning to set in. i groan loudly, resting my elbows on the marble counter and placing my head in my hands, quickly realising that i should never have come here in the first place.

the door handle begins to turn, though i don’t even have the energy to see who it is, mumbling a small ‘someone is in here’, hoping that they will move on. though the door fully opens, creaking quietly as i hear footsteps behind me.

“are you fucking deaf? i said-”

my mouth falls open when i turn around, my eyes meeting the brown ones that are the last things i want to see. his dreads hang loosely along his shoulders, tied in their usual ponytail. his expression is stern as he closes the door behind him, twisting the small lock beneath the handle.

“what the fuck do you want, tom?” i sigh, rubbing my temples as the alcohol in my system creates a small headache that begins to throb painfully. he steps a little closer as i move backward, my back hitting the cold counter behind me.

“to talk.” his voice is calm, still laced with anger as he places his hands in his pockets, his gaze never tearing away from mine.

“we have nothing to talk about.”

“don’t play that bullshit with me. we have fucking plenty to talk about.” he cuts me off firmly, tone lacking the composure it had just seconds ago, becoming more frustrated by my somewhat nonchalant attitude. in my head i am screaming, pleading, my mind thinking the exact opposite of what my voice utters, knowing that if i give in, i won’t be able to stop myself. the room turns silent, the uneasy kind that leaves a sinking feeling in your stomach, one that tempts me to leave the room and sprint home.

“i miss you.” he eventually speaks into the silence, tearing it apart with one of the most heavy sentences possible, leaving my voice caught in my throat, unable to do anything besides stare into his eyes.

“the sex you mean? me and the hookups are two different things.” my voice is harsh, probably harsher than i had intended as he scoffs at my statement, shaking his head and clearing his throat. he takes another step towards me, now within arms reach.

“why did you end it?” he completely changes the subject, tone matching the harshness of my own as his eyes narrow, feet shuffling closer to mine as his hands move to rest at either side of the counter, trapping my body between his own and the counter.

“because you said you loved me then changed your mind within ten fucking minutes. don’t act stupid tom.” i shake my head at his stupidity, wondering how he could ask such a question, the answer totally obvious. he still doesn’t budge, arms trapping me against the counter. “why do you care anyway?”

“you wanted to end it, not me. that’s why i care.” as much as it irritates me, he is right. i was the one to call off our regular hookups against his pleas not to. “and that guy is lucky he can walk out of this party alive. he’s been eye-fucking you all night.”

“so what? i’m not your’s tom. i never was. all we did was hookup, i can do what i want.” his jaw clenches at my response as he turns away from me, hands remaining fixed on the counter whilst his head is turned towards the door. he exhales loudly, his grip on the counter seeming to tighten as he grits his teeth, swallowing before looking at the ground.

“what so that’s it then? you don’t even care?” his voice raises now, not far off yelling as he finally backs away, eyes darkened as they scan my own, his expression hurt.

yes i care. of course i fucking care. my heart begs me to scream the words out, to bring him close to me and kiss him like we aren’t complicated. like we have the most simple relationship ever, even though it is everything but. we never dated, nothing beyond a regular hookup, and my heart shouldn’t ache the way it does over somebody who was never mine. somewhere within me, my rational side manages to take control, prompting me to speak after a few painful seconds of silence.

“care about what? look, i don’t understand what you want me to say. we had sex sometimes, now we don’t, that’s all there is to it. bye tom.” each word stabs me in my own heart as i speak them, knowing deep down that i don’t mean any of it, that i will regret pushing him away one day. when my hand reaches for the door, not able to spend another second this close to him, i know that i want nothing more than to show him how i really feel. though the second my palm twists the door handle, it is forcefully pulled backward, my entire body pushed harshly against the counter.

i am unable to object or even question what is happening as tom presses his lips onto mine firmly, silencing any attempts to fight back before i can even utter them. his hands attach themselves to my waist, pushing me further against the counter as his body presses against my own. my eyes close, lips moving to kiss him back without any real thought.

“don’t say shit like that.” he mumbles angrily against my lips, groaning quietly into the kiss as he deepens it, his tongue sliding into my mouth. his lips are soft, just as i had remembered them, always contrasting with the harshness of his metal lip piercing, something which i had grown to love over the course of our hookups - not that i would ever tell him that. never breaking his lips from my own, his hands reach under my thighs, lifting me up and onto the counter in one swift motion. he uses one hand to move my legs apart, standing in between the gap as his mouth works against mine. it is this change in position that soon makes me realise where he is going with this, and no matter how much i want to, i can’t give myself up.

“we can’t.” i mutter against his lips, my words getting through with little success as he mumbles a quiet ‘hm’ against me before kissing me with just as much hunger as before. i place my hands against his chest, pushing him back, though he only takes this as a sign to attach his lips to my neck, planting sloppy kisses all over the skin as his hands run up and down my waist.

“tom we can’t do this.” my voice is much louder this time, firmer than before as he pulls his head from my neck, not moving far as his face is inches from my own.

“why not?” he is breathless, chest rising up and down as his hands still rest on my waist, body resting in between my legs. when i don’t respond, he sighs lowly, moving his head back into the crook of my neck, resuming his lips’ movements on the skin.

“tell me to stop.” his grip on my waist becomes tighter as he presses our bodies flush against each other. the kisses on my skin become much harsher, bordering messy as they aim to caress every inch of my neck. and when i struggle to form words, i realise that tom knows exactly what he is doing, his kisses pausing momentarily to speak. “say you don’t want this. say it and i’ll stop.”

“i-i….” i pause, thinking things through for a second. i choose my words carefully, deciding what to say, wondering if i even mean what is about to leave my mouth. because we both know the real answer, the one that my heart pleads for me to say, even when my words come out as a choked whisper, saying the complete opposite. “i don’t want you. stop…”

“you’re such a bad liar.” he breathes out against my skin, moving to rest his forehead against my own, his eyes flicking between my own gaze and lips, swollen and slightly parted. he doesn’t waste much time though, capturing them in to a harsh kiss, even more desperate than the ones before. his hands move under the small dress that hugs my figure, the pads of his fingertips now dancing along the bare skin of my waist, his touch creating goosebumps along it as i moan lowly into his mouth.

slowly his hands begin to trail down, my mind paying little attention to these small movements, until his finger teases the waistband of my lace panties. my breath gets caught in my throat, lips momentarily stuttering against his own when he wraps his fingers around the lace, tugging it down at a slow pace. his lips still work against mine, only much slower now, pulling away once my panties pool at my feet.

“you have no idea how much i’ve needed you.” he shakes his head whilst his fingers scramble to undo the button of his jeans, pulling them down and stepping out of them. he reaches for his t-shirt, not getting far as i stop his movement, my hands taking the fabric and pulling it over his head, revealing that toned upper half that i had been close to so many times. but no matter how many times i had seen it, i would never get used to it. the muscle that lines his frame, broad shoulders and slightly built arms, trailing down to his somehow perfectly crafted six pack, god he looks good.

and he knows it too, a soft smirk tugging at his lips when he registers that i am staring. “it’s all yours. it always has been, but you had to be fucking stubborn about it.”

he reconnects his lips to mine, spreading my legs apart even further as one finger slips downward, teasing my entrance as i moan into his mouth. i gasp against it when he slowly inserts one finger, knowing just when to curl it to elicit those sounds out of me that he longs to hear. and he knows that whatever he is doing is working, my lips stuttering against his as my head falls backward, legs subconsciously spreading wider. just as i feel myself getting close, he pulls his finger out, placing it in his mouth as his tongue swirls around it, releasing with a small pop. all i can do is watch, my eyes glued to his fingers, staring as they move toward his boxers, hurriedly pulling them down as his dick springs free. his size had always been something that excites me, though now, after being without it for two weeks, my thighs clench together at the sight, needing nothing more than to feel it inside me.

he takes his shaft in his hand, pumping it slightly whilst the other reaches behind my back, undoing the zipper of my dress and pulling it downward. he uses his other hand to pull it completely off of my body, stopping in front of me for a few seconds to take in the view in front of him. his tongue comes out of his lips to gently poke at the metal piercing that adorns it, eyes widening slightly once they make contact with my breasts.

“you’re so beautiful, want you all to myself.” he mumbles quietly, spreading my legs apart and lining his tip up with my entrance. “you ready?”

he waits for my consent, smiling weakly when i nod my head. that is all he needs to begin sliding into me, his head falling backward at the feeling. my walls attempt to stretch out to accustom to his size as i hiss in pain, hands clutching onto the countertop. though i never tell him to stop, deciding that any pain is better than ruining this moment, waiting patiently for it to subside. he finally bottoms out inside me, and i swear i feel his tip prodding at my cervix, the sensation causing my mouth to fall open, tom’s already placing messy kisses on my my chest.

he slides out slowly, almost pulling out completely until only his tip is inside, before thrusting all the way in without warning, my entire body jolting forward at the feeling. he repeats his motions, my body practically on the verge of giving out, hands flying to his chest in search for any form of support. my teeth sink into my bottom lip, hissing quietly as dull flashes of pain wash over me, eventually becoming less and less frequent, instead replaced by pure pleasure.

tom finds a steady pace, his head still buried into my chest as his lips work against it, leaving purplish marks in place of their kiss. my ability to speak is long gone, desperate mewls of his name spilling from my lips as he grabs my hips, using them to speed up his thrusts even more. he moves his head closer to mine, somehow managing to kiss my lips at a slow pace, tongue exploring my own whilst his cock thrusts in and out of me far more relentlessly than ever before.

“doing so good for me, missed this pussy so much…” his praise is cut off by short and almost inaudible groans every few seconds, his nails digging into my waist whenever i clench around him. he pulls his head away from mine, and through half lidded eyes i see his own gaze flash to the large mirror behind us, his pace faltering momentarily as his expression changes, eyes darkening. and before i can question why, he quickly pulls out of me as i whine at the loss of contact, not having long to complain as he takes my body, bending it over the counter as i now look at myself in the mirror, mouth falling open as he thrusts into me once again.

the new angle is almost too much, my body now fully bent over the counter as i almost lose my balance, eyes squeezing shut and eyebrows furrowing. i can feel every inch of him inside of me, every vein seeming to leave its mark inside my walls as i clench around him. my head falls downward, close to being flush against the counter, though tom reaches around to grab my face, forcing me to be level with the mirror once again.

“no no no.” he mutters breathlessly, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he pauses, holding my face harshly in his hands, his grip likely to leave a mark. “watch yourself. look at those pretty faces you make as i fuck you.”

my eyes almost roll backwards when his tip prods directly against my g-spot, fighting the already strong urge to close, determined to comply with tom’s request as he continues to hold my face, his eyes locked on mine through the mirror. his muscles tense with each harsh movement, face twisting lightly after each thrust, the noises he lets out becoming more and more unrestrained as he gets closer and closer to his release.

“i’m so close.” he groans, finally letting go of my head, trailing his hand downward to rub fast circles on my clit, pushing me closer to my climax as the knot in my lower stomach begins to tighten. my legs buckle at his movements, quickly becoming overstimulated as i try to keep myself upright, pressing my body firmer into the counter. tom’s dick begins to twitch inside of me, signalling that he really is close, the soft groan that leaves his lips quickly followed by a much louder one as ropes of his thick cum begin to shoot into me. his head falls backward, low curses pouring from his lips as his cum continues to spill into me, his fast and deep thrusts fucking it upwards, followed by my own release. my hands clutch onto the counter desperately, using whatever little strength i have left to hold myself up, eyes locked on tom’s face as he cums, milking his cock slowly until he can no longer keep going.

he slides out of me, a mix of our juices seeping out of my hole, soon collected by the tissue that tom grabs from the side. sweat lines his body, showing just how tired out he is, if the loud and heavy breaths that leave his parted lips don’t show it enough. he lazily lifts me onto the counter, standing between my legs and pecking my lips softly, doing so repeatedly until our breathing has returned to its normal pace. he slides my panties on for me, grabbing his own boxers and quickly slipping them on, leaving the rest of our clothes on the floor. his forehead rests against mine, hands reaching to move any loose hairs out of my face.

“i meant it.” he states quietly into the silence, his lips ghosting against mine as i look back at him in confusion.

“you meant what?” i ask, my arms wrapping loosely around his neck. he smiles weakly, his thumb coming upward to stroke my cheek gently as i lean into his touch.

“when i said i loved you. i meant it.” no matter how daunting his confession is, he never looks away, his brown eyes searching my own as he blinks slowly. “i know i was a dick when i said it the first time. i didn’t want to scare you away, because i know it was just sex. and don’t get me wrong the sex is great, but it’s been more to me for a while. it did slip out, but i meant it, and i still mean it.”

my eyes widen, unsure of what to say, slightly hesitant to believe him instantly and instead wondering if this is just another ploy to fuck with my head, like he had done the last time. after a few seconds, i attach my lips to his, the kiss much softer than before, lacking the lustful intent behind it that had brought us to this position. he smiles into it, his hands resting on my lower back as his thumbs creates soft circles over the skin.

“i love you too.” his eyes light up at my response, arms wrapping tightly around my waist as he pulls me into a hug, lips pressing short kisses to my shoulder. he pulls away after a few seconds, smiling and reaching down to hand me my dress, quickly slipping on his own clothes and helping me down from the counter. he glances at the mirror, noticing that it is steamed up, his eyes lighting up as a childish idea flashes across his mind.

‘we just fucked :)’ i giggle quietly as he guides me out of the bathroom, glancing quickly at the mirror and reading the messy writing spread across it, hitting his arm playfully. he flashes me a quick smile, placing a hand on my lower back as we rejoin the party, my eyes immediately locking with the boy from earlier. tom quickly spots where i am looking, his eyes darkening as he refuses to look away. instead of walking toward him and starting a fight like i had expected, he places a hand firmly on my ass, kissing my lips roughly, his eyes still locked on the guy as he scoffs, shaking his head and walking elsewhere.

“i told you that he wouldn’t go anywhere near you. you can’t tell me i don’t stick to my word baby.” he smirks in my direction, taking my hand in his and leading me through the crowd, glancing behind him every so often to make sure that i am okay.

thank god for truth or dare.

requests are open! keep sending them in!!

[fairielux]

snippet, this time from Oscar's pov.

i feel like i have to mention, i am writing neurodivergent landoscar because i'm a neurodivergent person and it's nice to see representation in fanfics as well as books. Oscar is autistic in this fic and Lando has adhd

find the previous two here and here

i hope you enjoy!! as always feedback is appreciated. i can't tell you when this project is going to be finished because it just keeps growing. tysm for @mintraindrop for betaing my messy drafts and encouraging my brainworms!! and @svncourt too for the encouragement and feedback! you guys are amazing

"He is on his way back to the car, half given up on thinking about the perfect Christmas gift for Lando. He may be better off straight up asking him if he wants anything specific. That's when he sees it. In the display window of a bookshop he is passing, is a recipe book - Make Chocolate Like a Pro - with a very familiar name on it. Franco Colapinto. Huh, wasn't he a classmate of Oscar's? Oscar is pretty sure he was. If his memory is correct, he might just have found the solution to his dilemma. He makes a mental note of contacting Franco once he is home from shopping, and he goes to purchase the book for good measure. In case Franco doesn't get back to him, he will have a backup plan. He finally makes it to the car with a pleased smile on his face.

He drives to one of the grocery stores on the outskirts of the city. It's still decently big, but way less crowded than any one located in the city centre. He will gladly travel the extra distance if it means he can do his shopping in relative peace, far away from the loud crowds.

The first Christmas after Lando and he moved to Monaco was a nightmare. They were new in the restaurant business, with their popularity still skyrocketing, while also trying to find their place in the big glamorous city that is Monte Carlo. Between his first holiday season in his own restaurant, celebrity bookings for almost every dinner service and having to do their own holiday prep, too, it quickly became too much for Oscar. The last straw was his grocery run for Christmas - it was all too loud, too bright and too much for Oscar. He ended up calling Lando in the middle of dinner service. Of course, his husband was with him in less than 10 minutes. How Lando got away from work and found him in the busy store so fast, he didn't know, didn't ask, just clung to Lando like his life depended on it. Lando took him home, got him cozy and sat with him until his meltdown was finally over.

The next day his husband came up with an idea - they'd go to a more remote store for groceries around the holidays. Less people, less noise but it still has everything they could need. He didn't let Oscar go on his own and Oscar was immensely thankful for that. Lando's idea ended up working really well, they ended up implementing it for any future grocery runs around major holidays. Lando also got him a few pairs of compact earplugs in different colours and noise reduction qualities. He said he wanted Oscar to have a quick and easy solution available for him in case he gets overstimulated while out in the city. Oscar shed a few tears and kissed his husband silly under the Christmas lights.

As usual, the store was quiet, with only a few employees working away on the aisles. Oscar made quick work collecting everything from his seemingly never ending shopping list. He was pretty sure he had half the baking section in his shopping cart - occupational hazard, he told the cashier when she asked if he was baking for an army.

He had planned to make six different desserts this year, excluding his usual batch of gingerbread. Lando's mum sent him her family recipe book with a bunch of recipes from Lando's Belgian grandma in it and he was planning on trying a few of them out. He already had the Mattentaart uit Geraardsbergen recipe he found in the book and also tried the Speculaas recipe Cisca gave him. Sometimes it was a blessing to have a fully equipped professional kitchen at his disposal and a very oblivious husband who rarely questioned anything pastry related Oscar did. He gladly ate anything Oscar gave him though.

He gets the shopping done sooner than planned, he has plenty of time to make the gingerbread dough and maybe the Speculaas as well before Lando gets home. He puts the groceries away and compiles the ingredients he will need for the two doughs. The spices are very similar in both recipes, so the kitchen island stays relatively empty. He also goes on a hunt for his cookie cutters. They come in all shapes and sizes, taking up multiple boxes - a very versatile collection he's compiled over the years. He gets distracted halfway, realising that their pantry is in need of reorganising. It takes another hour and a half for him to finally get to mixing the doughs, but the pantry is clean and organised now. He hums away as he is kneading the dough, already thinking about the fun shapes and patterns he will decorate the gingerbreads with. "

[romanoffshouse]

A Day In The Snow

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You spend the first snowfall of the season with Wanda Maximoff.

Word count: 680

A/N: I know I'm very late in posting this. I wrote this fic weeks ago and totally forgot that I have it in my drafts. I hope you like it!

Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Today was your day off so you and Wanda could spend the whole day together. When you woke up, you looked out the window and saw the first snowfall of the season. You loved snow and were so happy that it was finally snowing. You looked back at Wanda, who had her arms wrapped around you and her head on your chest. After Wanda woke up as well, the two of you cuddled in bed for a while until you decided to get up.

You walked to the window and started smiling when you saw how heavily it was already snowing. You turned around and looked at Wanda who was still in bed.

“Wanda, look outside it’s snowing!” You yelled out of excitement and made Wanda chuckle.

Wanda stood up and walked over to you. She reached for your hand and you both watched the snow fall from the window.

“We should go outside after breakfast.” Wanda suggested and you nodded with a smile.

Then the two of you went downstairs to the kitchen to have breakfast. For breakfast, Wanda made pancakes with fruit and maple syrup. After breakfast you put on your warm shoes, a jacket, a scarf and a hat and went outside.

When you opened the door, you ran outside because you hadn’t seen so much snow in a long time. You walked around and then stuck your tongue out to catch a snowflake.

“Look! I caught a snowflake in my mouth!” you said, and Wanda smiled at you.

“Let’s build a snowman!” Wanda suggested and you nodded.

Wanda and you started to form snowballs. Wanda formed the stomach, and you formed the head. After you both finished, Wanda helped you carry the snowball you made over the one she made, to make it to a snowman. Then you took some stones that you found on the ground and used them as eyes and buttons. Wanda went inside and took a carrot for the nose. Then you both took a step back and glanced at the snowman.

“He’s so cute! Just look at the snowman!” Wanda said, looking over at you with a smile.

“Something’s missing.” You said, looking around thoughtfully.

“Really? I think he’s perfect.” Wanda said.

When you finally knew what was missing you reached for the hat that Wanda was wearing.

“Hey, what are you doing!?” Wanda asked in a confused tone.

But you continued doing what you wanted to do and placed the hat on the snowman’s head.

“Now he’s perfect. He just needed a hat.” You said to her and smiled.

After that Wanda grabbed for her hat. “Why did you do that? You ruined a perfectly good snowman!”

 

After a few minutes, you started to form a snowball.

“Snowball fight!!!” you shouted as you threw the first snowball at Wanda.

“Hey, watch my head! You almost got me in the face!” She shouted but then also started to form a snowball and threw it at you. A snowball fight had started, and you and Wanda were having a lot of fun in the snow, but after a while Wanda noticed that you were getting cold. She dropped the last snowball to the ground and looked at you.

“We should go back inside.” Wanda suggested.

“I don’t want you to catch a cold.” She continued to say and walked closer to you.

“Okay” you nodded.

“You’re probably right.” You spoke and Wanda came closer to you and took your hand in hers.

Once you were inside, you both sat down on the couch and Wanda went into the kitchen to make you both a cup of hot chocolate. After a few minutes she came back and sat down next to you.

“I love hot coco.” You said and Wanda smiled at you. Wanda rested her head on your shoulder and turned the TV on. After a while you cuddled up on the couch, while watching a Christmas movie. You had such a great day together and can’t wait to do that again.

[harknessxo]

I’m Your Papi

Paring: Rhea Ripley x Andrade

Summary: Rhea has a new papi.

Warnings; smut, cheating, unprotected sex.

Word Count: 1.6k

A/n: This was supposed to be a very short draft but I got carried away…

Rhea stood next to Dom who was talking to Andrade. She had been eye fucking him ever since he stepped in the room. She was so focused on stripping the man naked in her mind that she didn’t realize Dom had asked her a question.

“The Judgment Day is a very exclusive club and not everyone gets an opportunity to get in. Right, Mami?”

“Hm? Oh- yes. I heard you have a match later on today, right?”

“That is right.” Andrade said with his thick accent.

“We’ll be watching then.” She shook his hand with a flirtatious smile on her face before he left. Her eyes followed his figure until he was out of sight. She turned to look at Dom who was giving her a weird look.

“Are you okay, Mami?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay. If you say so.” Dom replied, still unsure. Right in that second, Damian and Finn came in talking about DIY winning their qualifying match for WrestleMania.

“We need to keep an eye on em, big man.” Finn said.

“I completely agree. This ain’t going to be an easy match,” Damian placed his arms around Finn, “We need to stay focused.” Finn nodded in agreement then turned to look at Rhea and Dom.

“Now that we’re done talking about DIY, what are we going to do about Ricochet?” Finn asked.

“I was thinking my Latino heat could take care of that,” Rhea placed her hand on Dom's shoulder, “Right, Dom Dom?” She smiled at him.

“O-of course, Mami.”

“Alright, then it’s settled. Why don’t you go get ready while I talk to Pearce, hm?”

“Yeah, I’ll go do that.” Dom walked away while Rhea made her way to Pearce’s office.

Rhea was on her way back to the judgment day’s clubhouse when she, once again, came across Andrade who was stretching.

“Getting ready for your match?” Andrade quickly turned at the sound of her voice.

“I am. You’ll be watching, right?” He smirked.

“Of course I will. I would wish you good luck but I don’t think you’ll need it.”

“Thank you either way. I’ll see you after my match, hermosa.” He winked at her before heading to gorilla. She bit her lip before continuing her way back to the clubhouse. When she got back she informed Dom his match was right after Andrade’s. They all sat down to watch his match. Andrade was going against Apollo Crews.

The match didn’t last long. Andrade had Apollo exactly where he wanted him in less than two minutes. He did his finisher and-

“1…2…3! Here’s your winner, Andrade!” The ref rose his arm in the air before he slid out of the ring and walked backstage. When he got there, Rhea was already there waiting for him.

“I didn’t doubt for a second that you would win.” She said once he stood in front of her.

“Really? You seem to have a lot of faith in me then.” Rhea only smiled in reply. He suddenly leaned down towards her ear.

“Why don’t you meet me in my locker room, Mami? While your Latino heat does his thing against Ricochet?” She hesitated for a split second before responding.

“I will be there.” She assured.

“See you then.” Right as he walked away, Dom was making his way to Rhea.

“Hey, Mami. What was that about?”

“Oh, nothing. Just small talk- but anyway. Are you ready for your match?”

“Mhm.” He hummed. Right then, his music hit.

“That’s your queue. Don’t disappoint me.”

“You aren’t going out with me?” Dom asked with sadness in his voice.

“No. I have something to take care of, okay? I promise I’ll be right here when you win.” She kissed his cheek before walking off.

-A few minutes later-

Rhea stood in front of Andrade’s locker room door. She looked around before knocking. A couple seconds later Andrade opened the door. A towel wrapped around his waist, his wet hair laying on his shoulders, and water droplets all over his chest. She just stared until he finally pulled her out of her trance.

“Are you just gonna stand there or are you going to come in?” Rhea came back to her senses and stepped inside, locking the door behind her.

“Do we need to do small talk or can we get straight to the point?”

“Let’s get right to business.” Rhea quickly took off her shirt and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She pressed her lips against his. It was messy. Both of them fought for dominance until he took a hold of her jaw and pulled away.

“Uh uh. Conmigo, yo soy tu papi, entendido? I’m in charge whether you like it or not. It’s up to you.” Rhea was taken aback by his statement but also turned on. Her stubborn self wanted to get up and leave but another part of her wanted to stay and get dominated for once.

“Whatever you want…papi.” She said once she finally made up her mind. He chuckled before taking a seat on his couch with Rhea straddling his lap. They continued making out, their tongues in each other’s throats. Rhea’s hands were gripping his hair while his laid on her waist.

He soon started leaving a trail of kisses from her jaw to her neck and finally, her collarbone. His hands moved up her back and took a hold of the clip of her bra.

“Can I take this off, hermosa?” She nodded. He took his time unclipping her bra and taking it off her shoulders. He took one of her breasts in his mouth and sucked.

“Hmm…don’t leave a mark-”

“Por qué? You don’t want your ‘Latino heat’ to find out?” He mocked. Rhea only pouted and shook her head.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that, okay? I’ll make sure he never finds out how submissive you are for papi.” She whined at his statement and hid her face in his neck.

“Please…”

“Please what, muñeca? What do you want?” He ran his fingers through her jet black hair.

“I want you. I want you to fuck me. Please?”

“Since you asked so nicely,” he hooked his finger around her waistband, “Why don’t we take these off?” Rhea lifted her hips and he helped her take off her pants along with her panties. He unwrapped the towel from his waist, freeing his hardened member. With his hands on her hips, he aligned himself with her entrance and slowly lowered her body down on his cock.

“F-fuck…” Rhea wrapped her arms around Andrade’s neck. She started to bounce up and down his cock, shuddering every time she bottomed out. Her quiet moans soon got louder and Andrade was enjoying every second of it. He looked down to where their bodies were connecting and noticed how a belly bulge formed each time his cock went in.

“God, baby, look at you,” he pressed his hand against the bulge, “You feel that? You feel how deep papi’s in your guts? I’m going to fill you up nice and full.” He flipped them over so that Rhea was now laying on her back with her legs over Andrade’s shoulders. He started pounding into her pussy full force, letting all his pent up energy out. Rhea became sensitive and tried to push Andrade away but he took her wrist and pinned them above her head.

“Papi-”

“Shhh, let me have you. Just a little longer.” He assured.

“I c-can’t-”

“Yes, you can, mami. You’re going to feel good, I promise.” He slowed down his thrusts a bit after he noticed how sensitive she was. He brought his free hand down towards her pussy. He gently started rubbing her clit, watching her mouth fall open with desperate moans.

“Papi, I’m c-close…”

“Yeah? Are you going cum for me?”

“Yes-”

“That’s right. Come all over my cock.” He sped up once again, making it his mission to make her scream his name. He let go of her hands and let her cling to him as she went over the edge and rode her orgasm. Her whines alone made him reach his climax. He released his load inside of her before laying back down on the couch with her body on top of his, not pulling out just yet.

“Are you okay?” he brushed her hair away from her face, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay, just a bit sensitive.”

“You want me to pull out?” She shook her head ‘no’. He chuckled a bit before hugging her body closer to his and kissing her forehead. Right then they heard the crowd in the arena cheering and Rhea remembered what she told Dom.

“Shit- I have to go!” She scrambled to get up, putting her bra and shirt on.

“Why?” Andrade asked as he sat up.

“I promised Dom I would be waiting for him at gorilla after his match.” He scoffed and shook his head. Rhea found her pant but she couldn’t find her underwear.

“Goddamnit- where are my panties?” She asked, a bit irritated.

“You mean these?” He raised them up for her to see. Shea reached up to grab them but he quickly snatched them away.

“Andrade, I need those.”

“No you don’t.”

“Give them to me!”

“Maybe you’ll get ‘em back the next time I see you.”

“How do you know there will be a next time?”

“I know you’ll come back to papi.” He winked and she blushed in response. She took a deep breath before putting her pants on and walking out but not before giving him one last look.

Taglist: @riptideripley @mexxs-blog

[drewharrisonwriter]

One Day at a Time - Ch. 4: Normal

Pairings: Dave York x Female Reader

Series Summary: A man washed ashore, with no memory, and no name, finds a home and a life in the middle of nowhere.

Author's Notes: This story has been sitting in my drafts for over a year, waiting for the perfect moment to see the light of day. It wasn't until recently that I found the inspiration to finally finish the last two chapters, thanks to the incredible Keri @absurdthirst. Her story, "Washed Up," struck a chord with me—it had such a similar plot and concept to what I had in mind, and it reignited my passion to bring this piece to life. Keri's writing has been a constant source of solace and inspiration, and I'm endlessly grateful for her creativity and the way she crafts stories that speak to the soul. If you haven’t checked out her work, you absolutely should!

Warnings: Please be aware that this story contains elements of violence, explicit sexual content, and pregnancy. Additionally, there are medical inaccuracies throughout—because I don’t work in the medical field, so please take it all with a grain of salt. Enjoy the ride, and thank you for reading! 😊

Read this on AO3 | Check out my Masterlist

The weeks had passed in a blur of routine and quiet moments shared between you and Dave. His migraines, though still present, had become more manageable with the medication the doctors had prescribed. Life on the farm had settled into a peaceful rhythm, and with each passing day, the bond between you deepened, the connection growing stronger with every shared experience.

One evening, as you sat across from each other at the kitchen table, the soft glow of the lamp casting a warm light over the room, you decided it was time to share some exciting news.

“I got an email today,” you began, your voice casual as you took a sip of your wine.

“Oh?” Dave looked up from his plate, curiosity piqued. “What’s it about?”

You couldn’t hide the smile that spread across your face. “I’ve been invited to speak at a convention in DC. It’s a big deal—a lot of people from the industry will be there.”

His eyes lit up with genuine excitement. “That’s amazing! When is it?”

“In a couple of weeks,” you replied, leaning back in your chair. “I was thinking… maybe we could make a trip out of it? You know, see the sights, visit the museums, take a little break from the farm.”

Dave nodded, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I like that idea. I’ve never been to DC, have I?”

You tilted your head, wondering aloud. “My guess is as good as yours,”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Beats me. But hey, if I haven’t, I guess it’s about time I checked it out.”

The two of you spent the rest of the evening making plans, mapping out the places you wanted to visit and the things you wanted to do. There was an air of excitement, a sense that this trip would be a new adventure—a chance to explore not just a new city, but perhaps something deeper between you.

–

The day of the trip finally arrived, and the two of you packed your bags and set off for D.C. The drive was long, but the hours flew by in a blur of easy conversation and laughter, the kind that had become second nature between you. 

The miles rolled by as you chatted about everything and nothing, which is pretty funny for the both of you considering he does not have memories of his past, yet he talks like he does. 

When you finally pulled into the city and checked into your hotel, the sun was beginning to set. The room was cozy, with a queen bed taking center stage, its crisp white sheets inviting after the long drive. As soon as the door clicked shut behind you, the air seemed to change—charged with the same electricity that had been simmering between you for weeks.

You both looked at the bed, then at each other. Dave smirked. “So… you think this one will hold up better than my bed back at home?” Referring to that moment a few weeks ago where you both were going at it so rough, that the bed literally collapsed. 

You laughed, shaking your head. “Let’s hope so. The last thing I want is for you to end up in the hospital again.” Referring this time to the first time you and Dave slept together. 

Dave raised an eyebrow, crossing the room toward you. “Are you saying I should be worried?”

“Maybe,” you teased, taking a step back as he closed the distance. “But if you’re up for the risk…”

“Always,” he replied with a grin, his hands finding your waist as he pulled you closer. “Besides, I love it when you get jealous when the nurses flirt with me…”

You scoffed at that, rolling your eyes playfully but kissed him anyway. 

“Hey…” He gasped, pulling away from the kiss “I’m yours…” He reassures you.

“Pretty sure?” you echoed, arching an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, very sure,” he conceded, his lips brushing against yours. “Let me show you…” He smirked. 

Your heart raced as he leaned in, his breath warm against your skin.

“Only yours…,” he murmured before capturing your lips in a kiss, slow and teasing at first, his hands sliding up your back. The kiss deepened quickly, fueled by what felt like weeks of pent-up desire when it was only the hours-long drive that kept you both from being this close. Your fingers found the hem of his shirt, tugging it up over his head in one swift motion.

Dave grinned, his eyes dark with anticipation. “In a hurry, are we?”

“Just making up for lost time,” you quipped, your hands roaming over his chest as he pulled you closer, his lips finding the sensitive spot just below your ear.

“I like the way you think,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. His hands moved to your hips, sliding under your shirt, his fingers brushing against your skin. “You’re not the only one who’s been waiting hours for this.”

With a quick tug, he pulled your shirt over your head, his gaze raking over you with a mix of hunger and admiration. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, his hands trailing down your sides.

You felt a blush creep up your neck, but you met his eyes with a teasing smile. “Flattery will get you everywhere, you know.”

“Good,” he replied, his voice full of intent. “Because I plan on going everywhere.”

He guided you back onto the bed, his movements slow and deliberate as he settled over you. You wrapped your legs around him, pulling him closer, your hands tangling in his hair. The intensity of the moment made the world outside fade away, leaving just the two of you, wrapped up in each other.

“John…” you breathed his given name as his lips trailed down your neck, his hands skillfully unhooking your bra and discarding it without breaking the kiss, arching into his touch as his hands explored every inch of you.

His mouth found your nipple, teasing it with his tongue before he moved to the other, eliciting a soft moan from you. “You like that?” he asked, his voice full of warmth.

“I think you know the answer to that,” you managed to reply, your breath hitching as his hand slipped between your legs, his fingers brushing against the damp fabric of your underwear.

“Let’s find out for sure,” he whispered, sliding your panties down and tossing them aside. His fingers found your core, his touch gentle but purposeful, sending shivers down your spine.

“God, you’re so wet,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire as he teased your entrance, his eyes locked on yours. “You’ve been wanting this as much as I have.” He murmurs as he inserts two of his fingers inside you.

Dave’s fingers curled upwards and moved slowly, deliberately, finding that spot inside you that always made you gasp. As he curled his fingers just right, his thumb began to rub circles on your clit, adding a new layer of sensation that made you cry out, your body arching off the bed.

"Right there?" he whispered, his voice rough with need, his breath hot against your ear.

Your response was a breathless moan, your hands gripping his shoulders tightly. "Yes… please… don’t stop…”

He added a third finger, stretching you further, and you gasped, your back lifting as the pressure inside you built higher and higher. "God, yeah…just like that…”

His fingers moved faster, his thumb pressing harder against your clit. “Come on,” he coaxed, his voice low and encouraging. “I want to feel you come for me. Give it to me… let me feel you.”

Your body tensed, every muscle tightening as the pleasure spiraled out of control. “I’m… I’m so close…” you whimpered, your hips rocking against his hand, desperate for release.

“Come for me, darlin’,” he murmured, his fingers thrusting deeper, curling just right. “I want to feel you…”

And then you did, your climax crashing over you like a wave, your body convulsing around his fingers. You cried out his name, your hands fisting in the sheets, your muscles clamping down hard on his hand as he continued to work you through it, drawing out every last bit of pleasure.

“That’s it,” he whispered, his tone both commanding and full of adoration. 

When the last tremors subsided, he slowly withdrew his fingers, watching your face closely. His thumb rubbed one last circle over your clit, making you shiver and gasp again. “God, you’re amazing,” he said softly, bringing his fingers to his lips and tasting you. “So damn sweet.”

You smiled, still breathless, but with a teasing glint in your eye. “I think you’ve had enough fun for now…”

He chuckled, lowering his head to capture your lips in a heated kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. “Not even close,” he murmured against your mouth, positioning himself at your entrance. “I’m just getting started.”

He pushed in slowly, filling you inch by inch, his eyes never leaving yours. You gasped as he stretched you, the feeling almost overwhelming after the intensity of your release. “God, fuck…” you breathed, your hands gripping his arms.

He groaned, his forehead resting against yours as he began to move, his thrusts deep and slow, your hand moving up to cup his head, threading your fingers through his hair. “You feel so good… so perfect,” he whispered, each word a ragged breath.

You moaned, your hips meeting his, and he picked up the pace, his rhythm steady and deliberate. "You like that?" he asked, his voice a low growl.

“Yes,” you gasped. “More… please, don’t stop…”

He grinned, gripping your hips tighter, lifting your bottom half off the bed slightly, changing the angle. The new position allowed him to drive deeper, each thrust hitting that spot that made your vision blur with pleasure. “How’s that, darlin’?” he asked, his voice rough with desire.

“Oh, God… yes!” you cried, your nails digging into his back as he set a relentless pace, the sound of your bodies moving together filling the room. “Just like that… don’t stop…”

He felt you tightening around him, your body trembling with the approach of another climax. His grip on your hips tightened, his fingers digging into your flesh so hard you knew it would leave bruises, but the slight pain only added to the pleasure. “Come for me again,” he demanded, his thrusts becoming harder, faster. “I want to feel you come all over me… then milk me dry…”

Your breath hitched, and with a few more thrusts, you were falling again, your body shaking as another orgasm tore through you. You cried out his given name, your muscles clenching around him, squeezing him so tightly he almost lost control.

He groaned, feeling you convulse around him, and he pushed deeper, harder, lifting your hips higher to angle even further into you. “Fuck, you’re so tight,” he gasped, his voice hoarse. “I can’t… I’m so close…”

You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper. “Come for me,” you whispered, your voice shaking. “Fill me up… I want to feel all of you…”

That was all it took. With a low, guttural moan, he drove into you one last time, his body stiffening as he came, emptying himself deep inside you. His hips jerked with every pulse, his fingers still gripping your hips like a lifeline.

He stayed buried inside you, panting, his head resting on your shoulder. “Fuck…” he breathed. “That was… incredible…”

You nodded, your body still tingling from the aftershocks. “I couldn’t agree more…”

He chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to your temple. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

You smiled, running your fingers through his hair. “You’re not so bad yourself…”

He pulled back slightly to look at you, his expression softening. “I mean it,” he said, his voice serious. “I don’t ever want to be without you.”

You pulled him down for another kiss, feeling his heart hammering against your chest. You didn’t say anything knowing that he’s not yours to keep, instead, you kissed him again. 

He grinned, his hands caressing your sides as he held you close. “I’m yours,” he murmured, and you felt his body relax into yours, a contented sigh escaping his lips.

–

Over the next few days, you and Dave played tourists, taking in the sights and sounds of the nation’s capital. You visited the National Mall, wandering through the museums that lined its expanse. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History captivated both of you, with its towering dinosaur skeletons and dazzling gemstone exhibits. Dave seemed particularly fascinated by the Air and Space Museum, spending hours admiring the aircraft and spacecraft on display.

“Can you imagine being up there?” Dave mused as you stood beneath the massive Space Shuttle, his eyes wide with wonder.

You smiled, slipping your hand into his. “I think you’d make a great astronaut. You’ve got the calm under pressure thing down.”

He laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “Maybe in another life.”

Each day brought new experiences, and with them, a growing sense of ease and contentment. The city was vibrant, and full of energy, and you found yourself enjoying every moment with Dave by your side. Whether you were strolling through the U.S. Botanic Garden, admiring the lush greenery, or standing in awe of the Lincoln Memorial at dusk, there was a sense of connection that made the trip feel special.

Next Chapter 👉🏻

[glitterandmoondustofficial]

And Onto Further Stillness

Chapter 30

Notes:

Characters: Gale, Yrelia Rating: Mature Warnings: Sex, some language Notes: I can't believe I managed to finish this on Jan 1 when the equivalent date is in this chapter. This has been in and out of drafts for a while. I really just wanted to show some scenes from in between times during the actual game. Hopefully y'all enjoy!

Gale hummed as he stood at the stove, making coffee for his sleepy fiancée. She had started sleeping in as of late, especially on his days off. She would mumble to him that she wanted a few more minutes of cuddling, grabbing his arms around her and fitting against his body perfectly. Gale couldn’t be happier. Yrelia? Sleeping in? And cuddling until he decided to slip out of bed? It was unheard of seven months ago!

Hells, it’s been over a year since they had met and he wouldn’t have dreamed of Yrelia settling down for a night and not waking up at the crack of dawn to hunt or fish or get everyone ready to move on, but she was! She really had become comfortable enough in his tower to relax and allow him to take care of her.

He heard a yawn and bare feet walk into the kitchen. His smile grew as those footsteps approached him. Yrelia wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed the back of his neck. She squeezed him and let out a sigh.

“Good morning, my sun,” he greeted. “I do hope you were able to sleep well last night.”

She hummed. “I did. Our bed was so comfortable and you were so warm that I couldn’t possibly tear myself away until you promised me coffee.”

“I’m thrilled that you feel that way. It’s finally time you allow yourself to sleep in a bit.” She hummed again and then pressed her lips to the back of his neck. “Today is a special day.”

“Is it?”

“It is Hammer 1, you know, my love. Wintershield is today.”

“Ah,” she said and pulled away, “that is why you are home. I thought you had decided to stay home because of the weather outside.”

“My lady, I am offended.” He grinned when she giggled. He turned and embraced her. “Today is a day of reflection and resting. Everyone is home with their families, enjoying comforts and,” he grinned, “kisses?”

She laughed and kissed him. “Well, I definitely like that last part.” She kissed him again.

Gale pulled her in and deepened the kiss. A little morning heavy kiss was the easiest way to wake up his darling beloved, and he knew she agreed when she giggled and wrapped her arms around him. Just a nice morning between the two of them, soon to be husband and wife. He couldn’t possibly love her more, but every day he did. He loved her so intensely and so ardently, he hardly knew he had it in him. Yrelia had changed him with her love for the better, and because of her, his own love had reached a new level. Such devotion and dedication. Such warmth and care.

To think that two years ago he was at his lowest and a year ago he was finally giving in to his self sacrificial thoughts. He had fully believed that it was impossible to find someone who would love him so earnestly, so purely. Someone who genuinely…wanted to spend time with him.

Gale sat in front of the cooking pot with a book. He silently read while checking the food every so often. He may not have the spells that he used to, and he was hardly what some might call an “adventurer,” but if there was one thing he could do, it was scrounge up enough ingredients to make a meal. Still, he wished they had protein. Garlic, onion, and potato soup was all well and good, but what he would do to have even a few slices of bacon.

His fellow adventurers seemed to make no move to help either him or, at least, find some sort of animal to add to the meal. Astarion obviously had no interest in normal food, vampires weren’t exactly known for their taste of potato soup. Gale wondered if that made it obvious to the others. No one seemed to have mentioned it, so they were either ignorant or simply didn’t care. Either way, it wasn’t exactly Gale’s problem.

Yrelia was…wait, where was she?

He scanned the camp, looking to see if she was anywhere. She wasn’t. Had she run off? That would have been foolish. Outside of that prism that Shadowheart held, there was no hope for them. Yrelia would no doubt be turned into an Illithid if she had decided to leave the group. A pity, she did seem rather kind, and Gale would be lying if he said if he didn’t find her attractive. Scrappiness and all.

He jumped when something was plopped down beside him.

“Figured this might help with dinner.”

Gale blinked at Yrelia’s voice. So she hadn’t run off. She had been…Gale’s eyebrows shot up when he stared at a dead fawn. It wasn’t terribly young, it didn’t have spots and wasn’t that small. He’d say about six months old, if he put any thought into it. He wasn’t going to do so, as he was just presented with fresh meat.

And the body of the fawn was pristine. It was as if it had just laid down and died peacefully. No sign of struggle or injuries. Perhaps it did.

“Wonderful,” he said. “Where did you find this?” He looked up at Yrelia.

“Oh, well, I saw a few deer out in…” she made a gesture, “...in that direction. I always felt guilty choosing fawns but we don’t exactly have room to carry around an adult amount of meat.” She shrugged off her bow. “Hopefully this will suffice for a day or two. If not I can always try some rabbits.”

She hunted this? With such perfection that it didn’t look like it sustained any injuries?

“Thank you,” he felt himself saying, trying not to show his shock to her. “This is exactly what we needed. Now I just need to find a way to take apart the fawn and-”

She let out a little laugh that was…cute. “Gale, I’m not going to make you dress it. I’ll do that.”

“You…have the knowledge to do so?”

She laughed again and Gale swallowed. “I do. I was a hunter before all of this. It’s something I’m actually good at. I’ll make sure to save the bones for us to have a heartier soup next time.” She smiled in Scratch’s direction. “And of course, one for him.” She sighed.

“I appreciate this,” he said, starting to relax. “This is exactly what I needed.”

She grinned and Gale’s heart thumped. He felt the ice around his heart crack with the thump and he felt a semblance of warmth from the lowest ember. He chastised himself. The first sign of kindness and his heart gets excited. What was it thinking? Well, it wasn’t, because it was his heart, not his mind telling him that getting excited over a smile was something to laugh at. He really had been in isolation for far too long.

“I should be thanking you,” she said and his eyebrows twitched. “You just started cooking for everyone. That was kind of you. Usually I’m the one who cooks at…home, so I wasn’t expecting someone else to volunteer to do it.” She smiled again. “Let me start on parting out the meat and bones, it shouldn’t take too long.” 

“Ah, thank you,” he thanked her again. He swallowed as she picked up the fawn and started to walk away. “And if you don’t mind…” she looked at him curiously. His loneliness creeped forward, forcing him the words out of him. He caught them at the last moment and instead of saying “please, come sit and have a real conversation with me. I want to get to know you,” he said, “perhaps we can share recipes?” Gods, how mortifying. It really was astounding how stupid he could sound sometimes.

Her brows rose before she settled into a smile. Gale’s heart thumped again. “Alright. Company sounds nice, and I’d like to get to know you better.” She turned and started to walk away before he could comment any further.

“Hmmm,” Yrelia hummed and pulled away, “you’re thinking pretty loudly, Gale. What’s on your mind?”

He stared down at her and kissed her nose. “I was thinking about when our friendship started to blossom.” She smiled. “I had no idea of what we would become. To think I would fall in love after…” Yrelia reached up and brushed his hair from his forehead. He closed his eyes at her touch. “You’ve made me indescribably happy.”

She smiled. ““Indescribably?” My, that’s quite the change for you.” He chuckled and kissed her. “But I understand,” she started again. “I never thought that anyone would ever come to cherish me the way you do.” She kissed him. “I’m still getting used to it, if I’m honest.”

“Not to worry, darling.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. “We have the rest of our lives ahead of us. That’s plenty of time for you to become accustomed to my overflowing love and devotion.”

She giggled. They kissed. “I love you,” she murmured to his lips. “So much.”

“I assure you that the feeling is mutual.” He gently pressed his lips to hers, closing the centimeter gap between them. “Now,” he chuckled when she leaned into him dramatically and kissed his lips, “I believe I promised you coffee.” He laughed as she kissed him again. “And I don’t want to ruin our holiday morning without coffee.”

“Oh, alright,” she giggled and pulled away. 

She stretched, her back making, what Gale could only surmise due to the satisfied expression on Yrelia’s face, a most pleasing crack. She walked towards their stools at the counter, the ones that had really made Gale realize that she was in his tower permanently. To think he’d be picking out furniture so casually with someone he loved. He would have never guessed a few years ago. Not when…

Gale turned and removed the coffee carafe with boiling water off of the stove and started to dutifully make the perfect blend just for his beloved partner. 

“So,” Yrelia started and he could hear her grin in her voice. “I have a question.”

“I will answer whatever question that you have for me, my love.”

She let out a soft giggle. “Good, because I have a fun one.” He raised his brow. “When did you realize you had feelings for me?”

He hummed. “Such a question,” he teased and she giggled, “why do you wish to know?”

“You did say this holiday is a day for “rest” and “reflection.””

He grinned. “Ah, that is true.”

Gale was sitting outside his tent, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. He sounded out words, as if he was back at Blackstaff Academy and he was some ten year old apprentice, ignorant to the way of the Weave.

He sighed and looked around the camp. Wyll was cooking and Karlach was talking to him with a grin, Lae’zel was sharpening her sword (again), and Astarion was sewing some fabric.

He sighed, looking away, just in case anyone caught him looking around. He did it casually enough, as he didn’t want anyone to know that he wasn’t interested in anyone else but her. Gale dared to steal a glance in her direction. Yrelia was letting her hair down in front of her tent while Shadowheart spoke to her. They spoke softly enough that he couldn’t hear. Her hair fell from the braid, rolling off her shoulders like deep, dark water. He sighed, trying to fight his too indulgent thoughts of how the tresses would feel in his fingers. 

Ugh. What was he doing? Now? And in his condition? Mystra had cast him aside over a year ago, the last thing he needed was to…feel attraction for someone new. Not in their current position or condition. Especially in his position and condition. He hadn’t told her about the orb, only that he needed artefacts that were thick with the Weave. He was uncertain whether he should tell her or not. She was so kind, so sweet, but part of him was certain that she would cast him out, just as Mystra had. Someone’s kindness could only go so far, and he had been hiding something incredibly important from her. 

He could never expect mercy and sweetness from her if the topic was the orb. Not from anyone, really, but especially from her. Someone so…

He scoffed and turned his focus on the opulent book in his hand. His old spellbook, the one he couldn’t read anymore. He tried. He tried so damn hard, but the runes were foreign, the words were complex. It was as if he hadn’t written them with his own hand. He turned his gaze to the small, black book to his side. “Book” was probably an overstatement. It was just a small thing, a pathetic thing that had been made for taking simple notes. Definitely not something a respected archmage would use for his spells. It was something some teenagers would buy and then never use because they simply bought it with a promise to actually use it this time. 

The damn thing clung to his blood like nothing else. And rain. Especially mud. The amount of times they’ve been stuck in combat in the rain was far too many than what was acceptable.

He saw the shadow of someone approaching and looked up from his book. He blinked when he saw her sit down next to him wordlessly, with a bottle of wine and two tin cups in hand. He swallowed, closing his former life, his former glory.

“How can I help you, Lia?” He preferred calling her by her nickname. It felt familiar, close, as if they were home, having a glass of wine in his tower. Getting tipsy and sitting close, the flush on her nose and cheeks, the smile of her lips so inviting.

Stop. Stop! Don’t think like that. Don’t think about her like that. The orb was unstable. If he felt any sort of rush of feelings, of excitement, it could cause irreparable damage. He was physically attracted to her. Who wouldn’t be?! Her long eyelashes, her freckled nose, her skilled hands. He’d be more surprised if someone wasn’t attracted to her! 

“Well, I figured it was about time I provided the wine,” she said. “It only seemed fair.” She offered him a cup.

He took it, his fingers brushing against hers. He swallowed at the touch. She seemed to not notice, or maybe she didn’t care. It was just a simple touch, nothing more.

“I appreciate it,” he said and watched her pour wine –which probably wasn’t any better than anything they’ve shared before– into his cup. He sipped the barely palatable wine and then sighed. “I must admit,” he started, letting his boldness take over, “I’ve come to enjoy our time together.”

A stunning smile grew on her lips as a warm giggle came from her throat. Gale felt his heart drop to his stomach and then quickly up into his throat. He listened to her giggle and watched her warm expression. This whole time, behind her sad eyes, her courageous demeanor, and her kind attitude, she had the sweetest smile. She had the warmest laugh. 

Oh, dear gods, Gale absolutely had feelings for her. Actual, real, romantic feelings for Yrelia Rosewood. 

He tightened his grip on his cup and swallowed. Damn it. How could this have happened? How could he have allowed his heart to take control and not his mind? He really did not need to be doing so…again.

“The feeling is mutual,” she said and sipped from her wine cup. “It’s nice to have a friend in all of this.” She looked up at the starry sky. 

Gale let out a soft breath. “Friend.” Something he had very little of. Actually, it was something he really had none of. Aside from Tara. “Yes,” he said quietly. “I feel the same about you. You are…” the only friend I have right now, “…a wonderful friend.” 

She turned her gaze back to him and that sweet smile was on her face again. It made his heart jump in a way he didn’t recognize. It was…gentle. Like a caress of his heart, something so soft and gentle, but with purpose. He was hopeless. How could he feel this way, after everything? He didn’t deserve to feel this way. She was far, far too sweet for him and his mistakes.

And he knew that if and when he told her of those mistakes, she would surely want nothing to do with him and his wine.

He sighed, he would stay in her presence just a little longer. He wanted to be the reason for her smile for just a little longer.

“I don’t recognize that one,” she brought him out of his thoughts. She gestured to his old spellbook with a curious smile.

He clenched his teeth before relaxing. “Oh? This old thing? Just simple notes. I had picked out the book when I was young and had just entered Blackstaff Academy. I…”

Gale watched Yrelia sip her coffee. He pressed his fingers into his own mug. She looked so different from that time. It wasn’t just her longer hair, her healthy weight, or her bright, firm skin. It was more than that. She looked like home. When he looked at her, all he saw was comfort and love. Their time defeating the Absolute, what he saw in her was adventure, vigilance, determination.

It was fast and passionate and desperate. Her fingers tugging on his hair, her skin marred with marks from his teeth, fingers gripping her thighs as he buried himself between them. He tasted the way she said she loved him on her lips, begging him for release. Their relationship was new and fresh. It had been so long since he had tasted someone’s skin, and he would do whatever she had wanted so that he could continue to do so.

Now…

Now it was folding laundry while in the middle of a debate about whether it was appropriate to tell another professor that their findings were “unsound” and that they perhaps need to “actually put forth the appropriate amount of brainpower to not succumb to frivolous thinking and biased opinions”.

It was holding her hair back after she had contracted some random stomach bug. It was grocery shopping in the too early morning so that she could have the first pick of everything. It was convincing her that, “yes, darling, we do need that expensive bottle of wine to celebrate the fact we survived the impossible.” Starting to wash the dishes before she can, so that she could have a break from her post traumatic cleaning episode. Making the bed so she had clean sheets to fall asleep on. Distracting her with a glass of wine and a plate of cheese so that he could jog upstairs and fold the laundry without her realizing. 

And it was the warmth in his chest when she looked so touched as he presented her with a bouquet of sunflowers. Her hair curling around his fingers as he applied her deep conditioner in her hair so she could come to bed quickly. Lazily kissing her as they woke up in the morning. No urgency, no desperation, just a soft “good morning, I love you, what would you like to do today?”

“You’re really thinking hard this morning, beloved,” Yrelia remarked as she smiled up from her coffee mug. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“You are,” he answered, “we are.”

Her smile grew. “Having regrets about our domestic life?”

“Of course not,” he answered even though he knew she was teasing him. 

“Do you miss it?”

“What would I miss?”

“How we used to be, while we were adventurers.” She smiled and set aside her mug. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. “The passion? The fire? How we acted like it would be our last day?”

“Not at all,” he said with a grin and she grinned back. “My love, I would do absolutely anything just to clean the dishes with you.”

“Wow! Admitting you want to clean with me? What a large step in our relationship! Your mother would be so proud!”

He grinned and took her face in his hands. He kissed her nose. She laughed as he started to kiss her all over her face, his name coming from her lips as she tried to calm down his kisses.

Gale stared at the bed that he and Yrelia were sharing. Their packs and belongings were missing. Their bed was made perfectly, the bedding tightly clinging to the bed as if professionally done. Not a single strand of hair was on the nightstand. Everything was gone and perfectly tidy as if neither of them had ever touched the area.

Yrelia had definitely been here. 

He looked around and saw no sign of any of their packs and belongings. He shifted in his robes, desperately wanting to change out of them and into his comfortable loungewear. The door to the room opened and he heard footsteps quickly approaching. He felt his arm being pulled and had no choice but to follow. 

“Come with me,” Yrelia ordered, not looking back at him as she stomped forward. 

“L-Lia,” he called her name as he looked at the determined look in her eyes. “Where are you taking us? Where are our belongings?” Had she cracked under pressure? Was she so terrified that she threw out their packs? “Are you alright? I know that there’s unbelievable pressure on you right now, but you can tell me anything. I will listen to your every word!”

As he was questioning her and her motives, he barely noticed that she was leading him to the other half of the tavern. She marched up the stairs, pulling him along, ignoring each of his questions, and then standing in front of a door. She reached into her pocket and he heard the jingling of a key. 

“My love, what on Toril are we doing? And-whoa!”

Yrelia had practically yanked him into the room she had just unlocked, proceeded to kick the door closed, and then locked it again. She threw the key onto the table in the room and approached him with purpose. 

“Yrelia, I’m not sure I appreciate thmmmphhh.”

She had pulled him in by the collar of his robes and cut him off with a kiss. A very messy, wet, heavy kiss. She had pulled him against her, her hands in his hair, letting his half updo down. “Stop talking and kiss me,” she demanded and then kissed him before he could respond. 

He wasn’t used to such urgency from her, nor was he used to the manhandling. He was far more acquainted with her gentle, sweet side. Even her timid side that had formed over the years of not a single touch on her skin. But he understood exactly what was happening now. This could be their last night amongst the living, their last night together before the inevitable. He’d be damned if he didn’t make messy, needy, desperate love to her. 

She started to undress him. The laces of the robes were untied, unlaced, and hung loosely at his side. They broke the kiss long enough so that he could lift her shirt off of her and toss it aside, leaving her chest bare and so intensely tempting. 

They threw off the outer layer of his robes haphazardly and she quickly started to pull off the under layers while he buried his face in her neck, sucking, biting, kissing her skin with such desperation that he didn’t realize he had it in him. She threw off his shirt and unlaced his breeches. He kicked off his shoes and peeled off her pants. 

He stepped back to the large, inviting bed, pulling her along with him. She turned them and laid on the bed, staring up at him with an aroused flush, messy hair, and swollen lips. He stared at her for a brief moment, taking in her naked body. Her glazed over eyes that held him within them. Gods, she was absolutely gorgeous, and she was his. His love, his paramour, his beacon of light through all of this darkness.

She held out her hand, asking him to join her. He placed his hand in hers, not breaking eye contact, allowing her to pull him onto the bed. He crawled over her, holding her gaze, breathing in her breath. “I love you,” he murmured. “Gods, I love you.”

She let out a breathy laugh. She reached up and traced his lips with her fingers. A wild look shone in her eyes and a small smirk grew on her lips. “Show me.”

Gale breathed deeply, nuzzling the top of Yrelia’s head, calming down from their high. He pressed his fingers into her hip, and with the other hand he pulled the blanket further over her. She hummed tiredly, her skin marred and slick with sweat. She was outlining his scar from the orb with her index finger. It made him feel like he would be alright.

“My love,” he called lightly.

“Hm?”

“That was…exhilarating. Unexpected, but exhilarating.”

She laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” She pulled away from him and sat up. She kissed his lips softly. She sighed, still smiling. “I suppose we should have done this sooner.”

“A private room? That does seem obvious in retrospect.” He reached to her face and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “But, better late than never, I always say.”  

She grinned at him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

Yrelia reached to him and brushed his hair away from his face. The smile on her face was soft, warm, so absolutely gentle that Gale was asking himself how she could ever stare at him this way. “A bit different from our last “last night alive” isn’t it?”

He chuckled. “A smidge.” He loved the look in her eyes. The one that said that she loved him. “I know we’ll survive this violent round.”

She grinned. “Do you?”

“I’m sure of it. I’ve seen what you can do, Lia. You’ve done the impossible. I wouldn’t want to be the one betting against you.”

She giggled. “I like your confidence.”

“Well, you know me, I’m oozing with confidence.” She snorted at him. “Overconfidence according to many. Delusional to most.”

“Oh, don’t listen to them. I think you’re great.” He smiled. “Still, I’m glad that you’re optimistic. It makes me less…anxious.”

“Seems like I’m doing something right, then.”

She blinked. She leaned in and rubbed her nose against his. She pressed her lips against his upper lip. “You’ve done a lot of things right, Gale of Waterdeep.” She kissed him fully. 

Gale let out a content sigh. 

Huh. 

“Content.”

Yes. That’s right. He was content. He was happy. He was in love, he was happy, and he wanted to live. This was entirely new territory, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He was so deeply in love and he was truly happy for the first time in what seemed like ages. 

And it was all because of her. 

Yrelia pulled away and smiled at him. “You’re in a good mood,” she said. “I guess the sex was that good,” she teased. 

He laughed. “It always is, but, yes, I am…happy.” Her smile softened. “I am content with my life, with who I am. It’s a new feeling, but a welcome one.”

“I’m glad.” She kissed his forehead. “And that means I don’t have to threaten you tonight.”

“Threaten me?” He questioned. “Was our night together going to take an unexpected turn, my love?”

She chuckled. She pressed her fingers to his chest, on his bruising from the orb. He let out a sigh, understanding her meaning. “Shall I give you my lecture anyway?”

“Oh, I think I have it figured out.” She grinned and kissed him. “I have no plans to use the orb, love.”

“Good, because I love you.” She kissed him. “And I would be quite angry with you.” She kissed him again. “And I would never forgive you.” She kissed him again. “And I would miss you desperately.” She kissed him again. “And I would cry a lot.”

“Well, we certainly can’t have that.” He accepted another kiss. He smiled when she rested her forehead on his. 

“You also owe me dinner.”

“I believe I owe you multiple dinners.” She grinned and laid on top of him. “I swear to you, I have no plans to use the orb. I will not abandon you.” 

She blinked and her brows twitched in surprise. She melted into such a touched and loving expression. “You really know exactly what to say, don’t you?”

“It’s one of my finest qualities, if I do say so myself.”

Gale slowly rubbed her back as she laid on top of him. She traced his face with a content shine in her eyes. He sighed wistfully. This could be their future. This could be their normal. Long nights, tangled up in each other's arms, sweet nothings kissed onto skin. He had decided not long after he spoke with Mystra, but now he knew for certain: he was going to ask Yrelia to marry him. He would ask her to come home with him, he couldn’t bear to part from her. 

He took her chin in his fingers, practically desperate to taste her. “My love,” he murmured and she smiled, “may I?”

“May you, what?”

“Kiss you.”

She blinked before settling into an adoring smile. “Of course you may.” He pulled her in and kissed her. “You know, my beloved, you don’t need to ask to kiss me. You can just do it. I promise I won’t protest.” They kissed again. 

“Sometimes the mood calls for decorum, my lady.” He kissed her. “But I will take your advice to heart, as it bleeds for you.”

Yrelia brushed his messy hair away from his face and then kissed his nose. “Well, I would hope so. I do expect frequent kisses from my boyfriend,” she said with a soft giggle. 

Gale’s nose scrunched in disgust. “Lia, please don’t say that.”

Her brows shot up in surprise and her eyes widened with an anxious glimmer. “Oh. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t…” she frowned. “I thought…But are we not…?” 

Gale’s brows knitted together in confusion before realizing that he spoke without thinking and that what he said sounded really, really bad. “Oh, no, my love. That’s not…darling, of course we are.” He groaned, “Lia, my meaning, before I idiotically put my foot in my mouth, was that we are in our thirties. I think we’re a little mature for those titles.”

She let out a relieved sigh. “I see,” she mumbled. “But what am I supposed to call you then?”

“Partner is perfectly fine.”

She relaxed, the anxiety in her eyes fading away. “Booo. I don’t like it.” She leaned in and kissed him with a small smile. 

“Dearest, what is wrong with that? It’s perfectly acceptable for an adult relationship.” He accepted another kiss.

“It’s too impersonal. Nothing cute or romantic about it.”

“Plenty of couples call each other their partner, my love.” He kissed her nose. She hummed. “I’m sure we could find something to compromise on.” He kissed her lips. “Lover? Beau? Companion? Significant other?” 

With every word her smile grew. “You really don’t like being called my boyfriend.” He groaned at her. “I suppose you wouldn’t like me saying that we’re dating either.”

“Courting.”

She snorted. “Oh, I love you so much, you silly man,” she said fondly and then kissed him. “How about this?” She kissed him again. “We can figure out what to call each other after this is all over.” She kissed him for a third time. “Over dinner, or, maybe, after dinner.”

“Hm, I do like the sound of that.” He grinned when she kissed him. His heart felt light for the first time in years. Truly light. He was in love and he was happy. When this was all over he would propose, and he was sure things would only blossom from there.

Gale smiled as he lounged on the couch with Yrelia in his arms. She laid atop him comfortably as he read a book. She was nuzzling his jaw as his left arm rested on her side, his hand on her hip as it held the book. 

This was their norm. Quiet mornings as they laid together. Gale would read a book or grade essays while Yrelia was curled into him. She liked being quiet, she always had. He knew it was from her past, no doubt being told to keep silent too many times, but he knew that she just wanted to enjoy comfortable silence with him. 

It was nice. 

He used to prefer to keep to himself, not wanting anyone to disturb him while he was reading or researching. Now that he had her, he couldn’t possibly imagine not reading around her or grading papers or…anything really. 

He couldn’t imagine his life without her. Well, he tried not to. He knew exactly where he would be without her. He would be a cloud of Netherese dust without her. Who knows what would have happened if he had detonated the orb in that Mind Flayer colony. When he thought back on it, he knew it wouldn’t have been anything good. 

He closed his book, his heart filling with a sadness he had tried to avoid these days. He wrapped his arms around Yrelia, holding her against him tightly, resting his cheek on her head. 

“Everything alright, my love?”

Gale opened his eyes and found them blurry. “I was thinking about the orb.” She didn’t respond. “And how I was tasked to die.”

“And thank the gods you didn’t listen to that order.”

“I don’t think the gods were involved in that decision,” he chuckled. “You, however…”

“Best thing I’ve ever done was convince you that your life is worth living.” She kissed his jaw. “And convince you that I love you.”

“Yes, admittedly, that was a rather large part of the reason I listened to you.” She chuckled at him in response. 

Gale stood in Moonrise Towers, after the battle with Ketheric. Everyone was talking. They were cleaning armor, eating food, wrapping wounds, and trying to find somewhere to rest their eyes. Everyone’s spirits were up, aside from Shadowheart and her crisis of faith. 

Gale was…numb. Even the illusive crown was but a distant thought. He was alive when he shouldn’t be. He was tasked to die by his goddess and he defied her. He had wanted to sacrifice himself, to die to save everyone, earning respect and forgiveness, but he didn’t. He didn’t because…

“Gale,” Yrelia called softly. He turned his gaze to her. She stood in her casual wear; her armor off, her hair down, and body cleaned from the grime and blood. She wore a concerned expression on her face. A slight frown, worried eyes. She stepped towards him, setting aside the bottle of wine in her hands, leaving it behind without a second thought as she approached him. “Are you alright?”

“Yrelia, I…don’t rightly know.” Her frown grew and she reached towards his face. He took a step back even though he really didn’t want to. He longed for her gentle touch. “My lady, you’ve bathed and I am covered in gods know what. I’d hate to dirty you after what you just went through.”

“Dirty? Gale, beloved, I don’t care about that,” she said and stepped up to him, her concerned gaze growing, but also that determination that he loved so much. 

He hesitated when he tried to take another step back. His heart begging him to just allow himself to feel his beloved’s touch. “Yre-” he stopped short when she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. He stiffened in her arms before relaxing and wrapping his arms around her. “Lia,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t be here.”

She took a deep breath. “No, you should be,” she said firmly. “You should be here. You deserve to be here.” She pulled away and took his face in her hands. “I’m so happy you’re here.” She pulled him in close and kissed him softly.

He swallowed, his throat tight. He begged himself not to cry, as her chapped lips brushed against his. He pulled her in, burying his nose in her hair. He held onto her tightly, the world around them fading away. He didn’t care about whoever watched them and he didn’t care about Mystra’s upcoming disapproval. All he cared about was that he was alive and he was with Yrelia. He hadn’t wanted to die, he wanted to continue his journey with her. 

“Thank you,” he murmured to her. 

“You don’t need to thank me,” she whispered and rubbed his back. “I love you. I want you here.” She pulled away and smiled up at him. She reached up and brushed a tear off of his cheek. “Pretty selfish of me, isn’t it? Potentially condemning the world because I love you.”

He let out a wet laugh. “Perhaps, but I was just as selfish. More than you, if we’re being honest.” She grinned at him. He kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” They kissed. “Why don’t you clean up and we can find somewhere to lay down? I’m sure it will help. One can’t feel terribly great with unknown gunk in their hair.”

“Is it that terrible?”

“A bit.” They chuckled quietly at each other and kissed again.

After Gale bathed and left his robes to soak, he approached Yrelia. Camp was secluded away from the celebrations. The heroes of the day were far too tired for drinks and merriment. Their group had formed some odd connection beyond the tadpoles. Were they friends? The months spent together had definitely created a bond between them. He knew that everyone cared for Yrelia in some way, and he knew he would do what it took to protect their scrappy team.

There was a respect that was between them all, and when Gale wasn’t feeling gods awful, he appreciated it.

Yrelia was stretching, doing her nightly routine before bed. She sighed and rubbed her hip where it had been crushed. Bedrest had been ordered by Shadowheart after that whole ordeal, and they had made camp for days without progress. He remembered how guilty she had felt, despite most of them assuring her that she needn’t be. 

“Good, you’re here,” she turned and looked at him. “And, even better, you’re clean.” She reached out for him. She grabbed his elbows and squeezed, before sliding her hands down to his hands and holding them. “To be honest, beloved, I’m too tired for most things tonight. As are you, I assume.” 

“Yes,” he breathed. “I’m exhausted in a way I don’t think I ever have been before.”

“Then let’s sleep.” She started to pull him into her tent. He ignored the looks that his companions were giving him. Some eyebrow waggling, some teasing sneers, but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to lay in her arms.

And she welcomed him into her arms. She pulled him in and rested her cheek on his head. She ran her fingers through his hair with one hand that was wrapped around his head, while she rubbed his side with the other hand. She pressed gentle kisses into his hair, and she softly whispered that she loved him. 

He buried his face in her neck, breathing on her skin. His heart was begging him to talk to her, to thank her, to express how much he loved her, but his mind was slow and sticky. He felt as if heavy weights were attached to him and pulling him under the sea. He desperately needed sleep, but he wanted to lay in her arms in the quiet of night. In her tent, with no light shining in. Where their music was their heartbeats, and their warmth was each other. 

“Beloved,” she whispered, “go to sleep.”

“I’ll be alright,” he said and kissed her neck. He rubbed his arm with her thumb.“I need to feel your embrace longer.”

She huffed a laugh. “There are more days to come. More days where I will happily hold onto you,” she said softly. “For now, rest. I will be here when you wake, I promise.” She squeezed him gently. “I am happy you’re here, my love. Thank you…for choosing me.”

Gale hummed as he stood, staring out of the window into the street. The snow was piling up quickly, no doubt it would be past his shins if he walked out into it. He considered not leaving the tower for a few days. He could just spend his holiday in his warm home with his beautiful fiancée.

He could hear her in the sitting room folding blankets. He sipped his cider as he heard her sing to herself. Some song that he didn’t recognize, but it was comforting all of the same. He had heard Cyr sing it to little Lia, which meant Yrelia had sung it to him. So it was a lullaby that she hadn’t lost the words to.

They had plenty of blankets, many of which Yrelia had collected. It was intriguing to watch her spend money, now that she had it. When they first started to collect money during their adventure she had kept it close to her, only spending it on products they needed. Food, bandages, pain potions. Then it grew to armor and weapon upgrades, elemental arrows, enchanted daggers. 

Now she had an incredible amount of gold. Their companions gave up most of their portions to her. Shadowheart kept most of hers at Yrelia’s insistence, but everyone else had no qualms giving up their portions. She was careful with it, but Gale assured her that he didn’t believe she would run out of her money.

He smiled. 

She would say it was their gold, not hers. That they were partners, a couple, soon to be married, and part of marriage was sharing income. He had told her it was still her gold and that he had no intention to take any of it from her. It had become his mission to convince her to spend money on herself, with a side mission of assuring her she should not feel guilty about doing so.

She had started slowly. Some hair pins here, a new pair of shoes there. Then it grew to perfume, wine that was actually worth the money, little trinkets that she never could have afforded when she was on her farm. The first time she had bought a pair of earrings for herself was worth celebrating. 

“What are you smiling about?” He heard her from behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her hand into his chest. 

“I am simply reminiscing, my love.”

“Oh?” She hummed. “And what about? Our adventure?”

“Yes. I was thinking…” he trailed off and she hummed again. “How we’ve changed.”

“Ahh.” She pulled away from him. He set aside his cider and turned to her. “I suppose we have changed since then, haven’t we?” She smiled. “Especially since we first met.”

“Yes, I was insufferable then,” he grumbled.

“Nooo, I thought you were cute!” She laughed. “I had a big crush on you,” she teased and kissed his lips.

He sighed with a smile. “I admit, I started to develop feelings for you quickly.” He sighed again. “But I couldn’t act on my feelings, no matter how desperately I wanted to.” 

“Alright, Gale, you are more than capable of doing this,” he muttered to himself as he stared at Yrelia from across camp. He simply wanted to speak with her. Maybe even to just…flirt with her. More. They had done quite a bit of flirting lately. It felt…good, despite the fact he couldn’t actually do anything. He was losing sleep over his feelings for her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He had thought that he would never find someone to love more than he had loved Mystra, but even a simple crush on Yrelia Rosewood was more intense than he had ever felt.

He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, he wanted to take her dancing, he wanted to invite her to his tower, make her dinner, and just kiss her until they were both seeing stars. He hadn’t realized until it was far too late that he was in very, very deep.

Yrelia was combing her hair with a calm look in her eyes. She blinked when she looked over to him and then smiled at him. Ugh, that went straight to his heart. He would do anything for that smile. His heart raced for her as she combed her damp hair. She had just come back from the nearby river…which he presumed that she had bathed in that river. He swallowed, trying not to think of that particular scene. Definitely do not think about that. Do not think about that.

He turned around, to stop looking at her, begging himself to not act like a damn teenager. He gripped at his chest, desperately trying not to look at her or think about her naked body with water dripping down it slowly. He groaned pathetically at himself, praying to whoever listened (because it definitely wasn’t Mystra) to just calm down the orb as it thrummed. He heard quick footsteps and then felt hands on his back, rubbing gently.

“Gale,” Yrelia called his name, pressing her hands into his back. “Do you need an artefact?” She asked with a bit of urgency, and he realized he was hunched over. He gritted his teeth and grunted at her. “It’s alright, I have you,” she said, trying to soothe him. She produced a ring with an onyx stone. He didn’t recognize it, but he also didn’t particularly care at that moment, as she placed it in his shaking hand. “Use it,” she whispered. “You’re more important than some silly ring.” 

He let out a breath at her words and then absorbed the Weave from the ring. He breathed deeply as Yrelia gently rubbed his back. Gods, this was humiliating. He made the damn orb go off because he couldn’t control his thoughts of her. He slowly cracked open his eyes and stared at her. Her brows were knit in concern and there was a slight frown on her face.

She stared at him with her blue eyes, and he could see his pathetic reflection in them. His every hope that he had seen in her started to fade away. How could he ever possibly think that they could be anything when the gods damned orb was in his chest? Her sweet smile, that he had begun to believe was for him, had given him too much hope for the future.

“Better?” 

He let out a heavy breath. “Yes,” he cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she said with a smile. She adjusted their positions so they were sitting more comfortably. When did they come to be on the ground? “I care about you,” she said and his heart thumped. “I would hate to lose you.”

Gods, they were so close. He could just lean in and brush his lips against her own. He was certain she would taste as sweet as she was. What he would give to taste her. 

But he couldn’t.

He didn’t deserve to. He didn’t deserve her. 

“Thank you,” he said again and she blinked. “I’m alright now.”

She blinked again before quickly retracting her hands from him. “Oh, sorry,” she apologized with a slight flush. She anxiously wrung her hands together and avoided his gaze. 

Ugh. Damn it. 

“I should be the one apologizing,” he breathed out and reached for a nearby waterskin. He drank it before letting out a breath. He cleared his throat as he set it aside. “We have precious few artefacts. To be the one destroying them when we so desperately need them-”

“You don’t need to apologize for that,” she said. He frowned. “Besides, we all have our quirks. Two special diets, two exploding chests, a woman who’s a worshiper of Shar, an alien; we need to stick together and take care of each other, if we plan to make it out of here. I’ll provide you with as many artefacts as you need to keep you going on.”

“Thank you,” he said once again, genuinely meaning the two words. He glanced at her hands. She was still wringing them anxiously. He reached out and took one of her hands in his. “I’m quite fortunate to have someone like you during this time.” She smiled at him and her gaze— oh my gods, her gaze— was so warm. 

This was what he wanted that night. To just sit with her, to just be alone in their own world while they sat in the dirt together. She squeezed his hand and he felt his heart speed up. 

Wait. 

His brows knitted together and a frown form on his face. Had he…and had she…? He had been keeping it a secret. Poorly, but he had. So had he told her?

“I know that look,” Yrelia teased him. “What are you thinking?”

“I wasn’t aware Astarion had finally told you about his vampirism.”

A very awkward and somewhat uncomfortable expression grew on her face. Oh, he did not like that look in her eyes. “It wasn’t so much that he “told” me. Well, not at first…” she touched her neck with her free hand. 

Gale stared at her before he felt…anger. Some form of protective behavior that he hadn’t realized he was capable of. “He bit you?!” He let go of her hand and took her jaw into his hands, inspecting her skin for puncture wounds.

Her eyes widened and a flush spread on her face. “Um, yes, he did. It’s…kind of…” she sighed. “I woke up with him hovering over me and…” she sighed. She placed her hands over his and Gale processed what he had done. He started to pull his hands away from her face, but she put pressure down on them. “I’m alright,” she said softly. 

His gaze lifted from the very bruised part of her neck to her face. He took in a deep breath and let himself calm down. They stared at each other and Gale realized that they were close, that he was cradling her face, and that he really wanted to kiss her. He briefly glanced at her lips before remembering…he couldn’t remember how to kiss. Thirty five and unable to kiss.

How mortifying. 

He sighed and pulled his hands away from her face. He sat back and away from her lips. “I’ve decided on a new lesson that I will be more than happy to teach.”

She blinked and looked away from his lips. She cleared her throat. “Oh?”

“A spell.” She smiled curiously, a soft look in her eyes. “Sunlight.” He grinned as she laughed. 

Gale threw another log onto the fire as the winds started to pick up outside. Snow quickly blew by, it was sudden and fast. How was he supposed to plan for anything if the weather can change this quickly?!

“Beloved,” Yrelia called from bed. Her face was flushed from drinking more cider than usual. “You have that crease in your brow.”

“This weather is awful,” he complained. “I’m thinking of writing a strongly worded letter to the wizard in charge of weather predictions and informing them of how entirely unfit they are for the job. You know, we wizards are supposed to take our jobs seriously, Lia.” Yrelia slid out of bed and started walking towards him. “We are lectured and trained from a young age, through long lessons on pronunciation, proper somatic handwork, and even how to use a staff offensively.”

Yrelia hummed as she pulled him into bed. “Mouth work, handwork, and staff work? That is some proper training!” She pulled him on top of her. “I think I’d like to know more about this training of yours.” She grinned up at him. He blinked and her grin grew. “You walked right into it.”

He sighed. “I realize.”

“And you should kiss me.”

“I should.” He kissed her. “I love you.”

Her smile softened and she reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you, too.” They kissed. “Now, my fiancé , I believe I made a request, and you wouldn’t deny me what I want on a holiday.”

He chuckled. He nuzzled her nose. “Never.”

“Tell me, my fiancé,” Yrelia hummed on their first night on their way home to Waterdeep. Gale was sitting on the bed while she let her hair down. She smiled and walked over to him. His heart leaped as she said the words. 

“Yes, my love?” He took her hand and kissed it. 

She smiled. She stepped up to him and took his face in her hands. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her chest, looking up at her face, ready for anything she had to say. Her smile grew. “Did you propose so I wouldn’t call you my boyfriend anymore?” 

He blinked before blushing. “It is unkind to tease me like this, Lia.”

She snorted. “Oh, but you are so fun to tease.” She giggled and kissed his forehead. “And now I have the rest of our lives to tease you. Seems like a good life to me.” She kissed his forehead again. Gale grinned and tears formed in his eyes, so unbelievably happy to be with her. She nuzzled his hair. “I love you, Gale. I can’t wait to start our life together.”

“I feel the same, Lia.” He accepted her kiss. “If we had champagne, I’d open a bottle.”

“We’ll find some when we’re in Waterdeep.” She started to push him back onto the bed. “Until then, I think there’s a few other ways to celebrate.”

He laughed and grabbed her hips as she straddled him. “I believe you’re onto something, my love.”

“Beloved,” Yrelia mumbled as Gale curled into her. He hummed and palmed her bare stomach. “Get some sleep.”

He hummed again. “Just a moment longer,” he murmured. “I need to feel you for a moment longer.”

She huffed a laugh. “I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

[earl-grey-teacake]

How’d you get into writing? I have a few general ideas but have no idea how they would come to fruition 😭!

I got into writing fanfic because I really wanted to see certain things written out and to read them. I just felt this overwhelming need to write just so I could read it. It is very much "if you want to eat something, you have to make it yourself."

I know you are just asking how I got into it but I thought I would include my process in case you found it helpful. For background, I've been writing fanfic for 7 years. For a very long time, I was not good at writing. I learned English very close to the end of my critical period for language learning and struggled for over a decade before I got my footing. Through my own experiences and what I learned from school, I figured out how I prefer to go about write.

I am going to use First Fight from the Baby!Loscar AU as an example since it took me the longest to write. I came up with the idea in April but did not manage to finish it until August but I felt I improved my writing process a lot more.

The idea- which is the stage I think you are at. You have an idea and maybe a scene figured out but you haven't worked it out how this scene connects and how everything forms a whole story.

My idea was just " Logan and Oscar having their first big fight and not handling it well."

2. Write the most imperfect draft you can- I don't say rough draft because it makes people think that the next draft has to be a final draft. I genuinely mean imperfect. Grammar and punctuation? Does not matter. Formatting? Doesn't exist. Logic and cohesive timeline? Irrelevant. What you want is for all your thoughts and ideas to be on a page and it can be in any way you want. It can be bullet points, written scenes, summaries. Doesn't matter.

My imperfect draft was just this section of dialogue and it sat on my computer for months

“We are not friends! Go away!” Oscar had yelled.

“I don’t like you! I hate you!” Logan had yelled back.

“I hate you too!” Those were the last words spoken between them.

3. Know what you want to get across- This is your Northern star, it will guide you when you are lost. Dialogue, timelines, plot- all of those things are subject to change. What isn't going to change is the message you wanted to get across. What is your theme, your core?

For First Fight, it was "these kids do not handle being separated very well. They love each other, they had a misunderstanding, and now they refuse to apologize to each other. As a result they are suffering."

4. You write the roughest draft known to man- I mean very, very rough. Expand a a bit on your imperfect draft, write a couple more scenes you would like to see. They don't need to go together yet, they just need to be on paper. Write out every scene you would like to see play out.

This was Oscar and Logan refusing to play together, Oscar playing alone with Charles, and the ending where they reconcile.

5. Polish up those sections- I know people say to polish at the end and I also do that but making the scenes you wrote look nice will help you feel confident in your work. Include the descriptions, the formatting, the add that bit of sparkle to the dialogue. Figure out the writing style you want to write in and edit all the sections to fit that.

6. Lock in- This is the not so fun part. Pick a free day, get a drink. Now is the time to write everything in between. The boring dialogue, the paragraphs that transition the reader from one scene to another, the scenes that are just lead up to the bigger, funner, more impressive scenes. They don't need to be perfect that just need to be on the page. By the end of it, you will have a some what cohesive plot. Will it be perfect? No. Will you enjoy reading it? Not really. Does it make you want to give up and write something else? Yes, but do not do that.

7. Read it and mull it over for a day- Do not touch the rough draft. Just read it and think about it. Do you like how the plot is? Do you want it funnier? sadder? Do you like how the characters are speaking? Does it feel natural to you? Is it giving what you want it to give? Is it following your Northern star?

8. Change everything you don't like- Delete everything you don't love. If it bothered you enough to stick with you for a day, you can toss it out. You feel like you need permission to delete it? Here's your permission, delete it. I have deleted half of a fic before. Nothing is sacred because none of it is perfect. Toss it out. Replace it something newer. Do you feel better when you replace it? Yes, then that's great. You don't feel better? Put something else in.

9. Do you love to read it?- It is not would other people love to read it. Is it not "is it perfect?" It is do you love to read it, if you were to come across this fic in the middle of the day on AO3. Would you be excited to see it? If the answer is no, repeat step 8 and 9. Do it until the answer is yes or until you cannot change anything else in it.

10. Polish it- Now that you love your work, it is the time to make it easier to read. Separate out your paragraphs, throw it into a grammar checker, format (bold, italicize, etc.). This is where you make it look pretty.

11. Post it- Congratulations! You posted your work on AO3! You did it! Pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to some boba. The work is your baby. You worked hard on it and you should be proud.

FAQ

I wrote all of this and I love it but what if other people don't love it?

They will. None of us writing know for sure if people will love or hate our work before we post it. So until someone outright sends a 500 word count rant about how much they despise it, assume everyone will love it.

What if it isn't perfect?

Many things in this world aren't perfect and we love them. A plushie that was sewn wrong or is missing an ear is still picked up and loved. A puppy missing a leg or an eye is still a beloved part of the family. Writing isn't about being perfect, it is about being human. It is your words, your emotions, and your imagination all on a page and like all humans, you writing will improve as we all do. I don't consider any of my writing perfect and yet, I continue to write because I want to get better and because I love it.

What do you use to write?

You don't need any tools to write but some make it easier for you than others. I recently spent money on Bsun Tuzi switches for my keyboard and it had helped me write a lot quicker but a mechanical keyboard is an investment and a pricey one.

I use Apple Pages to write since I like how clean their format it. I also organize my work on Notion or Obsidian,

I started off writing on Google docs and Word so you don't need the fancy stuff.

I don't know how to write dialogue.

Since I mainly do F1 and Indycar RPF, my biggest recommendations is to listen to Grill the Grid and podcasts. I don't usually be press interviews since I find the drivers to be more stifled and are likely saying what their team wants to say. They tend to be a bit more human on Grill the Grid and podcasts.

I just listen and see what each of them like to talk about, how they talk, etc.

I hope this helps. If you want me to elaborate on something, let me know. Feel free to ask me more questions.

[beels-burger-babe]

For Forever With You pt. 2

***This. Took. So. Much. Longer. Than. I. Wanted. It. Too. BUT IT'S DONE! Thank you all so much for being patient while I finished school and took a break, but I am BACK and I am so so glad to be. I hope you all enjoy this lovely little fic! -B***

Summary: A mortal human and an immortal wizard dating is great until something bigger than the world shakes them. War starts in the human world, and the supernatural worlds around them and Solomon can only watch as everything he has carefully nurtured for the past few years begins to crumble.

Part 1

Late 1930s

It turned out that life with you was riveting.

Solomon could hardly remember the last time he had felt so young and free.

With you, he took time to stop and smell the roses. With you, a decade that would usually be an insignificant droplet in his life has become a vibrant waterfall. With you, he is aware of every second, of every step, of every breath that he takes and just how valuable and rare they are to be shared with you.

He treasured you in a way that he hadn't treasured anything since he last sat on a throne in the days of old.

But just as his crown was eventually taken from him, so were the days of peace, joy, and love that he shared with you.

Lightning cracked outside your apartment windows as rain rattled the glass panes. He stood there, gaping at you as you walked around your apartment, packing your things.

"No," he whispered. "MC, please, you can't do this."

You glanced back at him in sympathy as you shook your head. "I'm sorry, Solomon. But you've heard the news; war is on our door step. I can't just sit back and watch, not when I have skills that help."

He gritted his teeth as he clenched onto the enlistment papers you had handed him to read — the very papers with your name written all over them. "If war is really coming, then we can go somewhere away from the war. Away from all of this."

You frowned as you blinked at your partner. "Wait, what?"

Solomon shoved a hand into his suit pocket, quickly magicking a wad of cash into existence before pulling it out in front of you. Your eyes bulged at the sight. "We run. We leave this damned country together. Somewhere the war will never find us. Somewhere safe."

You sighed as you put your hand over his and gently pushed the money back towards him. "I can't. These are my people. My friends. My co-workers. I can't just abandon everything when there's something I can do about it." Keeping your hands on his, Solomon's breath caught in his throat as you pulled him closer to you. "I'm sorry. I understand that you're concerned. But think of it this way, I'm drafted as a telegrapher. I won't even be on the front lines-"

"The front lines don't matter when there are bombs involved," He couldn't help but hiss back, his hands twisting around the money to grip tightly onto yours. "Hospitals were targeted last time. Camps obliterated. What if you're there when- Please, love. I ... I don't want to lose you."

He couldn't lose you. Not yet. Not this soon. He thought he still had decades left with you, not hours.

Your expression softened as you leaned forward and gently pecked Solomon's lips. He savored the sensation of your soft touch like as though it was his final breath of air before death. He clung to every second of your attention and affection that you gifted him with grasping, never-satisfied, hands.

He leaned into your delicate touch, as you cupped his cheek and pulled away. "Solomon, I will do everything in my power to come back to you. Just ... Promise that you'll be here for me when I return."

He closed his eyes, putting of his weight against you as he pulled his lips into a thin line. He wanted to make that promise, but there was more than one reason why he was asking you to run away with him.

You weren't the only one being called to fight — only his was with greater powers that he had been hiding from you.

"I'll do my best," he whispered instead. His heart clenched as he squeezed tightly onto you. "And ... When all this is all done, when we find each other again ..." his heart ached as he met your confused stare, "We never leave each other again. We ... We become forever."

He watched as your breathing halted and realization slowly lit behind your eyes. "A-Are ... Solomon, are you saying that you want to-"

He gathered your lips with his, suffocating the words before they dared enter the world. "Don't say it. Not yet. When all this is over."

You shakily nodded, new tears lining your eyes as you stared at him. "O-Okay. When this is over."

It turns out that was all easier said than done.

The war wasn't quick — Solomon didn't know why he expected it to be. It dragged on for a torturous amount of time filled with seemingly endless evolutions of ways to tear each other apart. Not a day went by that he didn't think of you and yet ...

He hadn't dared to send you a letter, or contact you in anyway.

Solomon didn't doubt that you had attempted to reach him, but he wasn't anywhere close to his normal address. He was traveling across realms, taking part in the supernatural side of the war. He was constantly surrounded by beings who had the ability to snuff out mortal lives with the snap of his fingers — he couldn't let them know about you.

So he went silent. He never spoke of you to anyone. He kept an eye on you and where he knew you were drafted from a distance and ensured that you were safe.

He hated it. God, he hadn't known that being apart from someone could hurt so badly. But he knew it was for the best.

Years passed. Victory was finally earned. The violence and blood shed began to settle, and the world became still once more.

So now he stood outside of the apartment that he hoped you still called home, a bouquet of blue hyacinths in hand and fear stewing in his gut.

With a deep breath, he raised a hand, and knocked on the door.

"Just a moment!"

Several locks clicked and suddenly you were there, looking just as captivating as the day you left.

Your eyes widened as they met his, your butter-soft, kissable lips parting shock. "Solomon," God, he missed the sound of his name dripping from your tongue.

"Hello," he whispered in adoration.

Hearing his voice seemingly shook you out of whatever stupor you had been in, as the beautifully stunned expression on your face melted into fierce furociousness and you began to slam the door.

The wizard quickly stepped forward and caught it. "MC, please! Just a moment!"

"No!" You shouted from behind the door. "You do not get to skip back into my life after abandoning me during a literal war!"

Solomon winced as the heavy oak door rammed against the side of his foot. "My love-"

"You don't get to call me that," you snapped, the door ripping back open. He nearly choked on his own spit at the heat behind the glare you were pointing at him. "I wrote to you daily. I called. And not once did I receive word back. I tried to visit you in the middle of all this mess, you know," you stepped out from your doorway and was now standing nose-to-nose with Solomon. "You weren't home. I asked about you, and even our closest neighbors somehow didn't know who you were. I thought you were dead, Solomon!" His chest ached at the utter grief in your voice as you screamed at him. Your lip quivered as a broken gasp bubbled up them. "Where were you? I- I needed you, and you left me after everything! After you- You had hinted that-"

He moved closer to you, regret pooling in his stomach regardless of how he knew his actions were for the best. Although you may not have wanted to be anywhere near him at this exact moment, he couldn't stand there and watch you fall apart. Without another word, he gathered you tightly into his arms, pulling you as impossibly close as he could and curling himself around you.

For the first time since he first saw your name on your enlistment papers, he could breathe.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as you sobbed into his chest, your balled fists punching against him. "I'm so sorry for leaving you alone. I ... I thought I was protecting you."

Your movements stilled at his explanation. "What do you mean? Are you a spy?"

There was no stopping the snort that ripped out of him. "Oh definitely not. Just ..." he let out a shaky breath and smiled at you. "Let's take this inside. I think it's finally time that I explained a few things."

You stared at him, and for a moment he feared this was the end, that he was about to lose the only mortal that he had truly cared about for centuries. But then you sighed, and you dropped your beautiful eyes to the ground as you stepped back and pushed open the door. "Fine," you breathed and simultaneously breathed hope back into his soul. "Fine. Come in, just ... Talk."

He nearly fell to the ground in relief, but quickly walked in, whispering thank yous under his breath as he did.

After an awkward silence as you made tea (complete with a splash of rum) and some cold sweets you tossed onto a plate, you met him back in the living room and sat sternly across from him. "You have one and only one chance," your words blew over him like the tundra's wind. "Speak."

He swallowed thickly, wiping his unusually calmy palms on his pant legs before taking a deep breath. "This ... This is going to sound insane. You might not believe me, but please, trust that I am telling the truth," your eyes narrowed suspiciously on him as you took a sip of your tea. He nodded in acknowledgment of your attention. "I'm a wizard, an immortal one at that. I was called by the powers of Heaven and Hell to fight the supernatural elements of the war and, as I do every time I leave a location, I wiped the memories of our peers before departing." You looked at him, face remaining neutral, before you slowly set down your drink. "Get out," you hissed, the venomous anger that lay barely restrained under your skin, finally beginning to break loose.

Solomon's heart plummeted. "Love, please. I promise, I'm telling the truth!" You laugh, your expression morphing into one of pure disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! Wizards? Supernatural? Do you even hear yourself?" You choked on your words as you shook your head at him. "If you wanted to lie, you could've done so without mocking my intelligence. Get out."

"I can prove it!" He shouted desperately, rising to his feet. "I can show you!" Without waiting for a response, he began moving his hands in familiar semantics, whispering incantations under his breath as glyphs float in the air for a moment before suddenly a large tome apparated into existence and dropped into his hands. He rushed towards you, flipping open the book and showing you the contents. "This is my spell book. Every spell I've ever created and/or mastered is in here. Look for yourself."

Your eyes widened, jaw dropping a little as you took in the display and the book now being thrust into your hands. You shakily flipped through the fragile pages and sure enough there was page after page of strange symbols and words written in a language you didn't understand. There was a tingling presence to the book that ran through your fingertips up your arms and caused you to shiver.

Solomon slowly comes to stand beside you, watching you take in the precious artifact in your hands. "I wasn't lying," he whispered softly. "I didn't want to go. They didn't give me a choice. Then it was too dangerous for me to stay in contact. I didn't want to risk you getting pulled into an ever greater war than you were already fighting."

At that moment, he wished he could read your mind. Your lips pursed as you continued flipping through the pages. His stomach twisted in knots the longer you perused. There was always the chance that you still wouldn't believe him and would brush him off. There was always the possibility you would believe him, but would be disgusted and would turn him away regardless.

It had all happened before. He didn't want it to happen again. Not with you. But he had no say in the matter.

The snap of the books pages slapping shut pulls his attention back to you as you look up at him. You silently hand it back to him and then you stare. Your eyes dig deep into his soul, they crawl under clothes and beneath his skin, they bury themselves into every mark on his flesh, until they close and you let out a tired sigh, falling against your chair. "That's- It's a lot to take in Solomon," you breathe.

He nods, shifting on his feet and trying to get some grasp on your body language, but the mask you've built for yourself is carefully locked in place and no longer budges for him. "I know," he whispers. "I know it is. But that's the truth, dearest. That's why I left. It's why no one remembers me, but you. Please believe me." You sigh, and run a hand through your hair. "I do, I just-" you cut yourself off, troubled eyes looking into the distance but not truly seeing anything. "This brings out so many more questions. How many other lies did you tell me? If you really are this immortal powerful being, what are you doing here? Why-" Your voice cracks and you finally look at him again — tears, that he has always hated but is now the cause of, lining your eyes. "Why did you chose to haunt me?" He can't handle it. He moves closer, getting down on his knees before you as he takes your hands into his own. "I don't haunt you. I don't have that ability," he lightly jokes before getting serious once more and coming just a little bit closer until your legs brush against each other. "I love you. It's true that I have told you lies before to protect my identity and keep you safe, but that has always been true. I stayed here because I love you. You enchant me, MC. In ways that, even with hundreds of lifetime's of knowledge, I cannot begin to understand," your breath hitches as he runs his thumbs across your knuckles. He leans in and ever so delicately presses a kiss to them.

"Please," he begs with the voice of a broken man whose only thing he had to lose was sitting before him. "I don't want to lose you. Not when we still have time. Let me prove myself to you again. No more lies. Just you. Just me." You hands slip out of his, and a single finger comes under his chin, tilting it up until he was looking at you. For the first time that evening there was something different glimmering in your eyes — a willingness and acceptance. "Alright," you say. "You get one more chance," your other hand swoops around to caress his hair, brushing it up and back away from his face lovingly. "Show me your strange funky world, magic man. All of it this time. Show me the real, Solomon." His body slumps in relief, silver eyes overflowing with the love for you that he has been floating in without you being there to share it with. "I will," he nearly whines. "I will. I promise." And he did. It wasn't easy, but he spent the next year showing you all that he had always fought so hard to keep secret. He introduced you to magic, to other strange and greedy witches. He showed you his demon pact symbols that are burned into his skin, and brought back delicacies from the other realms and taught you about their existance. Slowly, you were introduced to a whole other layer of the man you were already enamoured with. A man who wasn't sketchy or mysterious as people so often thought him to be — but who was curious, childlike in his wonder, and hungry for the knowledge of everything around him.

This Solomon was lighter, even happier than the one you loved before.

And after a year of magic and witches and spells and demons and angels, you approched Solomon as he worked on a potion in your kitchen and pulled out a ring.

You asked to marry this strange wonderful man, and Solomon felt the worlds around him still. You asked to stay by his side, not just for this life time, but to aid you in doing so forever, and Solomon felt the air escape his lungs.

You asked to swear yourself to him and him to you in a pact that no magic could ever comprehend, and Solomon's heart nearly exploded alongside the potion on the stove.

With shaking hands, and trillion reassurances, he said yes. And with a single potion, a piece of paper, and beautifully personal ceremony the two of you were bound together, until the ends of time. It took another month after your marriage and consumption of your immortality potion for him to realize that this was real.

He would never be alone again. ***Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I've been trying to write this for so so so long and I'm so happy I finally got it done! Thank you all so much for your patience and hanging around while I worked on these two! I love them so much. I hope you guys do too! Thanks! -B***

Taglist:

@thegrimgrinningghost @henry-and-the-seven-lords @satans-beloved-riv @cosmixbun @sufzku @obey-mes-treasure @kissed-by-a-dementor @yukihaie @justtiarra @mammoneybb @poly-bi-mf @burrixino @pumpkins-mainside-blog @acousticpen @sucker-for-angst-and-fluff @itskrispy @10paradox10 @vallison-rea @ivoryclive @newfangled-artistry @pumpkinpatchkid @chirikoheina @sailboat21 @theother4 @todoroses @circus-of-freaks @mcx7demonbros @bloopthebat @simpinginthecorner

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Loving Her Was Red

Summary: Now that war has begun there are some major changes for Dick and Lois, and as D-Day approaches can they endure. Warnings: unrequited love, D-Day, themes of war, injury.

I’m finally posting the last few parts of this series as they have been sat completed in my drafts for months so I thought I’d get them out here. I’m not sure if many people are still following this story but i put lots of work into finishing this series at the start of the year so here it is.

D-Day

June 3rd 1944, Milton Hall, Peterborough

“Well Lois, here’s to you. You saved our asses out there,” Ray clinked his glass of whiskey with Lois first, then with Raoul, who sat smoking his cigar in silence.

“I was just doing my job, Ray,” Lois reassured them, relaxing back in the armchair by the fire. She had quickly become firm friends with Ray, he reminded her of a lot of men from Easy Company, whereas Raoul, who Ray often called Raffy, was softer spoken.

“Well then I sure am glad you’re good at your job,” Ray laughed, swigging back his whiskey, before pouring himself another one.

Raoul mumbled something and excused himself, leaving Ray and Lois in silence.

“So have you got yourself a broad back home?” Lois asked, watching as Ray’s eyes creased as he smiled.

“Yeah, I’ve got a beautiful girl, Barbara. She’s a real beauty. Here?” Ray dug into his jacket pocket and revealed a picture of Barbara. Lois smiled, taking the photo and studying the smiling woman looking back at her. Barbara was a beautiful girl, her brown curls seemed to bounce despite the still photo.

“She sure is a looker, Ray,” Lois passed the picture back and Ray grinned.

“So, have you got a guy in Europe coming home to you?”

Lois laughed, “not quite.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture of Dick. The edges were crumpled slightly and she lovingly rubbed her thumb over the picture before passing it to Ray.

“A paratrooper, huh?” Ray laughed, “and a Lieutenant at that. Good job, Drake.”

Lois groaned, reaching back and snatching the photo from Ray’s grip, “Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not,” Ray continued to laugh. “I don’t know if you're just fun and adventurous and he looks like he’d be really uptight.”

“He’s not uptight. Dick is…”

“Ah he has a name. Good to know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lois glared at the Lieutenant but he just grinned in amusement.

“Well, one day when you invite me to your wedding I’ll know the groom's name,” Ray raised his eyebrows cheekily, taking another sip from his whiskey. Thinking back, Ray reminded her a lot of Lewis Nixon. Lewis had consumed her thoughts more and more since their parting and the blush that consumed his face when she’d kiss his cheek when they parted. When these thoughts did consume her mind the images of Dick wandered into her mind, brushing Lewis away and becoming her all consuming thought. She’d tried not to think of Dick too often, worried that one he’d distract her and two that if she thought of him too often it would erase the perfect illusion of their beautiful time together in Aldbourne where there was no war and only love.

“Earth to Lois, hey where’d you go?” Ray asked, waving his hand in front of Lois’ face until she snapped out of her dream. Lois swatted his hand away, causing Ray to snort. “All right there, Captain. Take it easy.”

Lois just glared at Ray and he soon fell silent, choosing to look fallornely into the bottom of his empty glass. Lois didn’t know whether to make further conversation with him but after a while he too retired to bed and Lois was left by the dying fire alone.

“Well Dick, our time has nearly come. I’ll see you in Normandy,” she whispered into the embers before surrendering to her exhaustion and returning to her room.

June 5th 1944 in the sky above Normandy with the 101st Airborne

Dick stood in the doorway, watching the world flash by below him in dark shades of green and black. Flak fire blew up around them, hitting several of the C47 and sending them into an explosive nose dive towards the ground. Dick winced as one plane hit in a great burst of fire. He knew they weren’t going to get through the war unscathed but to have already lost so many. The green light flashed beside him and he felt his legs buckle as he threw himself into the night, feeling the static line tug free and ricocheting him into the breeze. Bullets flew past his head and he prayed that somehow he made it to the ground alive. The rippling fire of machine guns and Ack-Acks accompanied his dissent to earth.

The ground connecting with his feet brought him back out of the daze he’d slipped into as he fell and he jumped in response, quickly cutting his parachute free and cursing at the loss of his leg bag and his M1. He was suddenly glad that he’d put his picture of Lois into the inside pocket of his jacket and not with his bible in his leg bag. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if he’d lost her.

All he had left was his knife and someone he’d not fancy his chances against a German soldier with just a knife. Another paratrooper fell beside him, fumbling and tugged at his parachute.

“Flash?” Dick whispered and shook his head at the private’s profanity. “I don’t think that’s the correct reply, Trooper.” Dick approached the young boy, helping him out of his chute. “I say Flash, you say Thunder.”

“Yes, Sir. Thunder, Sir.” The young boy replied, pulling off his helmet and his may west as Dick opened the boy's musette bag.

“Coach?” The boy looked at Dick, “It’s Hall, Sir. I was on the basketball team.”

Dick nodded, “leg-bag?”

“Prop blast got it, Sir, and my radio and batteries with it,” Hall complained, shoving his helmet back on his head. After establishing that their leg bags were out of reach, Dick tapped Hall on the shoulder, “Follow me.”

June 5th 1944 in the sky above Normandy with the SOE’s

Lois cursed as she hit the ground with a thud, wrestling against the straps of her parachute to pull herself free. She could hear the gunfire to her right in the distance and was thankful that she’d landed away from the main parachute drop zone.

She pulled off her may west and shoved it with her parachute, covering it in the long grass. She was glad her radio had survived the fall and pulled the bag across her body. Keeping her head low, she shuffled towards the direction of an old frame house that was pinned as the rendezvous point. Ray jumped before her and Raoul jumped after, but the amount of men currently being scattered over Normandy, they could have landed anywhere.

Lois knew she was about a mile from the house, glancing at the map once more before shoving it back in her pocket with her compass. It was the compass Dick had given her before she’d left for London.

“It will always guide you back to him.” He’d promised her as they parted ways.

Taking a deep breath, Lois put her best foot forward, keeping her head low as she dashed through the open field, glad that the summer had been warm and the grass and bushes had grown tall providing excellent cover.

The farm house lay in a shadowy, wooded area on the outskirts of a small village. Lois knew it was risky being so close to civilians who could report her but it was the set rendezvous point and if she had any hope of meeting up with Ray and Raoul then that was her only option.

Creepy through the open door, Lois' eyes were plunged into darkness. She scrambled around for her touch, suddenly acutely aware of how bright the gunfire had made it outside, lighting up the sky in an amber burst of ammunition.

A shuffling noise from the back of the kitchen caused Lois to freeze. Was it Ray or Raoul? Shining her torch cautiously around the room she came face to face with a very startled paratrooper who in response threw a plate across the room at her.

“Fuck!” Lois cursed as it clattered loudly to the floor, ceramic shards cascading across the room. “What the fuck was that, Yank?” She hissed, “Did you really think you could smite a Kraut with a plate.”

An amused laugh followed and Lois shone the light back up to reveal the face of none other than Lewis Nixon.

“Only you could be that stupid,” Lois cursed, moving towards him and throwing her arms around him in a quick hug. “But I truly am relieved it was you.”

Lewis chuckled, “It’s good to see you too, Lois. Who would have thought it? You and I stuck in Normandy together, huh?”

Lois nodded, her eyes scanning out the smudge kitchen window to ensure their prescenes hadn’t been noticed. “Where did you land?”

“Just behind the house. I could hear someone coming so I came straight in here. Thought I stood a better chance in here than in the open.”

Lois nodded, turning back to Lewis, her eyebrow raised, “Aren’t you supposed to be taking the guns that are firing on the American beaches?”

Lewis nodded, adjusting his M1 on his shoulder, “I am but we missed the DZ and have been dropped all over the goddamn peninsula.”

Lois nodded, pulling out her map, “Well, I think we’re about here,” she thrust her finger out to the map, pointing at their precise location. “And over here is where you want to be.” She pointed at Sainte Marie Du Mont.

Lewis nodded and although he should be on his way he seemed reluctant to leave. “Do you want me to stay? You know, until the others arrive?”

Lois snorted, “You know I can take care of myself, Lewis, and anyway you have some work to do and you don’t have long to do it.” She pointed to her watch and Lewis sighed.

“You’re right.” He trudged towards the door, shoulders slumped and for a moment Lois wanted to tell him to stop, to wait for a while, after all she could be sending him to his death. But if he waited with her then they could end up dead.

“Lewis,” he stopped in his tracks and turned, a hopeful smile on his lips. She hurried towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and placing a kiss to his cheek. “Be safe alright. Look after yourself and Dick if you find him. He needs you more than he’d let on. You need each other.”

Lewis kissed her forehead, nodding slowly, “I will.” Watching him go, Lois felt the pang of sadness in her heart that she’d felt that day when he’d walked down the front garden when they’d said goodbye. It was strange really, after all Lewis Nixon was not the sort of man she would have ever considered being friends with, and yet in some strange way she wouldn’t be without him. Knowing that he had Dick’s back and Dick had his, filled her with some sense of relief. At least they had each other.

Dear Lois,

I know I won’t be able to send you this letter for a while, but I cannot help but think of you on the night it all began.

Lewis tells me he ran into you after the drop. I’m glad you landed safely. The whole of the 506 missed the drop zone and we were scattered but we have managed to regroup now. We have survived D-Day and may we live through D-Day plus one.

I fear that the days to come will be the hardest, but knowing that you are here, somewhere nearby brings me comfort and I pray that you are safe wherever you may be. I hope the compass is serving you well. I pray that we will both find our way back to each other.

May my words bring you some comfort, whenever you get to read them.

I love you

Dick

Dick sealed the letter, scribbling Lois name on the front before shoving it down into his pocket. They had made it, they had both made it to Normandy safely, that was the first step in a long line of steps that they had to walk to get back to each other, but at least they were one down.

Lewis stuck his head around the door frame, knocking lightly, “You alright?” He flopped down beside him on a rickety chair, taking his hit flask from his jacket pocket and taking a quick swig.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You?” Dick barely looked up at his friend, too preoccupied with Lois’ picture in his hand.

Lewis shrugged, “Can’t complain. What are you

doing?”

Dick oblivious to his friend's question until the picture was taken from his hand, “She sure is a looker, Dick. You did well.”

Dick snatched the picture from his friend's clutches, “She’s not an object, Lew. She’s a very talented woman.” Dick wasn’t sure why he felt the need to defend Lois so much, she was a beautiful woman after all but there was so much more to her than that.

Lewis, seemingly taken aback by Dick’s outburst, sat back down and lit a cigarette, “I never said she wasn’t Dick.” Lewis knew she was a talented woman. He’d seen her file, he’d read about her ventures in occupied France, about her education. He knew far more about her than what she probably told Dick. It saddened him really, that Dick wouldn’t be able to truly know her until after the war, and that was if they both made it that long. It bought Lewis some satisfaction to know more about her than his friend. Someone it made her not being his a little easier. Not that he’d ever tell her how he felt, why would he? Dick was his best friend and he wasn’t about to ruin the best thing he had going. No he would sit, silently and reserved, nursing his unrequited love from afar and ignoring the burning feeling in his chest.

“I sure am glad to see you, Red,” Ray threw his arms around Lois, squeezing her tightly, “And you too, Raffy.” He tried to hug the French man but earned himself a rough push which sent him falling back into the worn armchair.

“It’s good to see you too, Yorkie,” Lois laughed as Ray scrunched his nose at his nickname. While Lois had earned her undercover name for her fiery personality, Ray came from New York, he was a true New Yorker and it had stuck.

“When you too have finished your reunion. We have some Nazis to fight,” Raoul interrupted with a harsh glare.

Lois nodded quickly, gathering up her radio, “Of course. Let’s go.”

As the trio headed out under the cover of darkness into enemy territory, Lois couldn’t help the feeling of dread building in her stomach. They had been trained to the highest level of how to fight and evade the enemy and if in doubt to end their lives to avoid capture and allowing information into the wrong hands. It always baffled her that they wanted to create such a nightly-knit team between the agents and yet they were so dispensable. Lois only hoped things wouldn’t come to that, but nothing in life is certain.

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(I’ve tagged people who were previously interested in this series - if you’d like to be added or removed from the taglist please let me know)