#two conversations with them and then decided this was ‘better’

[timmydraker]

Every now and again, Tim breaks things.

Not as in he accidentally snaps a pencil or messes up when fixing a grapple, though that does happen, when Tim breaks things on purpose it’s… a lot.

It started when he was a kid the first time his parents canceled his birthday after an opportunity came up in Dubai and they wanted to stay longer. Tim was seven and at that point his birthday was the only day in the whole year that he could be sure they would be home.

At first he stood in his room two days before his birthday with silent tears as he processed what he had just heard told via a short phone call.

Then he just… lashed out.

Tim banged on his door and screamed like a banshee before ripping hooks of his shelf and throwing them at the walls and leaving dents. He yanked on his closet door till it creaked and broke one hinge and then took a pencil and stabbed it into his pillow.

He cried himself to sleep and upon waking up to his nanny arriving in the afternoon he panicked and quickly cleaned up the mess he had made.

Tim was ahed of himself for getting so emotional and making a mess, feeling like the child he was but more importantly he felt so very out of control.

He ignored the part of him that felt better after causing a little chaos and putting his anger outwards. A relief and high of a sort when he gave into an anger he hadn’t really felt before.

So, after that he decided that if he was really, really, really upset and he couldn’t get his blood to stop pumping so quickly, couldn’t get rid of that overpowering urge to hit and thrash and throw, he could do so as long as no one saw.

It happens again when Jason dies and Thai tiem he throws his camera out the window, which then makes him sob as he still had photos of his beloved Robin inside and also panic because how the hell was he supposed to fix a window without his parents noticing?

He does it a few times when he’s training to be Robin, to the point he tries to use a punching bag but when he found that the lack of damage being done left him feeling worse, he may or may not have grabbed a Batternag and stabbed instead.

Tim did not do it when his mum died, nor when his father was almost taken off life support, because they wouldn’t like it and it was about them.

The bats don’t k ow about it, but his team does.

Greta had heard him have a rather rough conversation with Batman and when she went to check on him after he hung up, she saw as he opened his Bo staff and started whacking against the Titan Tower console, hitting over and over in dead quiet before activating the blade on the end and slicing through the biggest scream, causing half of it to fall off the wall.

She had gone to the others and Tim had been given no choice but to open up to his team.

It took him a while to admit that it helped a hell of a lot more to talk to them than to smash up multi-million dollar equipment.

Jason and Damian are the first of the bats to see it, though by then Cass was well aware of his habit as Tim could never lie to his sister.

He hadn’t had a moment like that for months, nearly a whole year, but then one night when Jason and Damian had needed to come by his Nest to get some backup toxin cure when Ivy was announced as escaped: he got a call that pissed him off.

One of the board members he had very clearly told Bruce he wasn’t willing to work with as the prudish man annoyed him, had been transferred to DI from WE because for some reason Bruce seemed to think Tim needed to work less and needed more help. Why that was in the form of a useless former CFO was beyond Tim, but it wasn’t abnormal for Bruce to make company decisions like he was operating with the Justice League and everyone had basic respect for each other-

During the call, Jason and Damian had been watching and observed as Tim grew more and more tensed as he spoke with Lucious, who was doing his best to calm the situation as he had witnessed the aftermath of one of Tim’s outburst within a week of knowing the young man.

Damian watched as Tim tells Lucious to call him back in a few hours so he can be more rational before handing up and very slowly placed his phone down on the desk.

Being an assassin, Damian is an expert of body language and had been working with Cass to become a master, but to see such anger on Tim was odd. Tim was a snappy and shouting kind of angry, but this quiet and shaking rage was something different.

“Drake-“

Tim holds a hand up and when Damian actually goes quiet, Jason knows something is up and moves to stand beside the youngest of them just one case.

“If you would please give me a moment.”

The two watch as Tim moves into another room, one that they knew to be a work room that Tim used when he built or repaired things.

He shuts the door and for a moment there’s nothing before the sounds of clanging, bashing and thudding starts to rattle the walls. They hear it all but see nothing, only having the sounds of Tim shouting out obscenities and metal hitting metal to go off.

Though it’s muffled they can hear some of what he’s saying like, ‘stupid fucking Bruce with his stupid fucking meddling’ and in a mocking voice: ‘“I act dumb so people don’t know I’m Batman”- ARE YOU SURE ITS AN ACT?!’.

Glass shattered as Tim said something about buying Bruce’s company just to fire him.

By the time it settles down they can hear his breathing through the walls.

A deep inhale sounds before something, maybe a desk, is righted upwards and Tim walks back out looking only mildly disheveled. “Sorry, needed a moment. What was it you needed?”

Damian, who was caught between defending his father and trying to get a peak into the thrashed room, wanted to insult Tim for his poor emotional regulation but got the feeling it wasn’t the time.

Jason seemed to agree and answered for them both, saying, “Just some toxin cures… Ivy for out.”

Tim inhaled deeply again, looking behind him and giving a blank look, “You’ll have to ask someone else.”

Damian raised an eyebrow, “why?”

Tim gestured to the room he had just exited, “I was reorganising.” A pause. “They were in there.”

Jason gave him a teasing smirk, “you broke them didn’t you?”

With a shrug, Tim adjusted his gloves and walked over to his desk, “It was that of Bruce’s face.”

[baisemains]

Elements of Desire

Chapter 7: Revelations

single mom!sevika x fem!reader

word count: 7.8k

contains: bit of angst, fluff, alcohol, smoking, language, mention of past relationship trauma and cheating, tension..., also idk anything about poker but i tried my best 🙏

description: the truth about your past is finally revealed and you and sevika begin to move forward.

ao3 link | spotify playlist

previous // sevika masterlist

Sevika’s hand drops from her face, revealing eyes that now roam over your figure with a wary gaze.

“Everything ok?”

She looks at you expectantly and while you thought you were prepared for this conversation, there’s no way to predict how it will actually go.

You take a deep breath and decide to rip the band-aid off.

“I need to…tell you something. About what Vi said at dinner that day.”

Sevika’s expression immediately shifts to one of scrutiny as she raises an eyebrow at your bluntness.

“Okay.”

The two of you are only a few feet apart, but it suddenly feels like there are miles of space separating you as Sevika waits for you to continue, arms crossed over her chest. Her curt answer does nothing to quell your nerves but you push on, determined to see this through.

“Part of what she said was true. I was engaged, and it did end very messily, but because my fianceé cheated on me, not the other way around. I’m sure that’s what she told people to keep her reputation intact, but that’s not what happened.”

You watch the woman as you speak, her eyes slightly narrowing while she absorbs the information. Her stoic façade remains intact though, making it impossible to know how she’s taking it. As you’re talking, she continues to stare at you, your stomach twisting in knots as her gaze bores into you, searching for some sign of deception. The truth begins tumbling out and you couldn’t stop yourself even if you wanted to.

“One day a couple weeks before the wedding, I got an email from the planner pretty late, and I thought it was kind of weird, so I opened it.”

“It was,” you clear your throat to keep it from cracking, “a really long letter telling me that her and Gert were in love, and how she had been telling her for months that she was going to break off the engagement with me but she was waiting for the right time. The planner finally had enough and told me everything.”

Scoffing at how brazen the woman was, you continue.

“I emailed her back immediately saying she was lying and just trying to break up a happy home, and then she sent me screenshots and screen recordings of their conversations.”

At this point, your eyes are starting to water and Sevika looks concerned but doesn’t interrupt.

“Like that wasn’t bad enough, she sent me…pictures, of them together, over a year’s worth.”

The anger in your voice is apparent, your volume increasing as emotion starts to get the better of you. You don’t even notice how tight your fists have clenched until you try to take a breath to steady yourself. Sevika does notice though, her eyes drifting down to your shaking hands, before returning to your face.

“Turns out, she was having an affair with that bitch the entire time. They were already sleeping together before we even got engaged, but Gert had the balls to tell me they were old friends and hire her for our wedding.”

You’re suddenly overly aware of Sevika’s eyes on you, knowing that she’s analyzing every word and movement. She’s yet to say anything, the silence feeling like even longer than it actually is. You press on, knowing it’s too late to turn back now.

“I was a mess after that, I couldn’t even think straight, I locked myself in the guest bedroom and didn’t come out for hours. My friends kept calling, asking me if everything was okay, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them.”

Wiping a tear away, you look down at your feet, willing yourself not to cry.

“I confronted her with the evidence, and she didn’t even deny it. She told me it was a mistake and that she regretted it, but that was obviously a lie.”

Pulling out your phone, your hands are trembling as you unlock it and log into the email account you haven’t accessed in years.

“I kept all of the emails to this day, I’m not even sure why. No one besides me has ever seen them but I feel like this is important enough to show you.”

Handing the phone to Sevika, she grabs it gingerly as she begins to scroll, absorbing every word on the screen. As she reads over the long-winded exchanges, her face betrays nothing, hard lines and slight wrinkles unmoving. Her eyes burn into the screen, taking in the words as your entire body tenses up. You’ve never felt this vulnerable around anyone, and the thought of her not believing you causes your chest to ache. Luckily, the photos were in a separate thread but this one had all the initial exchanges, including the texts.

Finally, Sevika raises her gaze to you, the eye contact making your heart pound furiously in your chest. She sets your phone on the desk next to her slowly, the metallic sound reverberating through the silent room. Anxiety gets the better of you and you continue spilling all of your thoughts.

“I wanted to explain why I left to her daughter at least, but Gert obviously wouldn’t let me, and what hurt me the most was to have to leave a girl I basically helped raise. She was a little older than Isha when I came into the picture, and we were glued at the hip from the first time we met. Walking away from her was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Her eyes flick between yours, the exact grey of a cloud on the precipice of a storm. You feel as if she’s reading your very soul, everything she needs to know displayed in your desperate face. Taking a deep breath, you look directly at Sevika and let a final sentence fall from your lips.

“I hope you understand that even though my past is complicated, I’m not someone that you or your girls have to keep your distance from.”

Letting out a long sigh, Sevika’s gaze remains firmly planted on you. She knows the look of a heartbroken person well, and she can see the emotion clearly in your eyes. Coupled with the date stamps on those emails, she knows you’re telling the truth. She begins walking over and your anxiety builds until you feel something press into your palm. Looking down, you see that she’s given your phone back but your stomach squirms when she makes no move to distance herself.

You don’t know how to describe the look in Sevika’s eyes but whatever it is causes your stomach to flutter and your spine to tingle. Her hand remains on yours as she speaks, the touch electrifying, causing currents of energy to run through your body.

“You didn’t deserve any of that. If your ex couldn’t see what she had right in front of her, then that’s her loss.”

You open your mouth to speak but words fail you, a shaky breath leaving your chest as you take in what she said. You’ve heard similar statements before, from friends and family, but it felt different coming from Sevika. Everything did.

She continues staring at you intensely, and for a moment, you’re stunned by her focus. She notices your expression and her lips quirk slightly, the most she’s smiled this entire time, causing your heartbeat to quicken.

A heavy thud in the hallway causes both of your heads to snap in the direction of the noise, Sevika taking a step back from you and the bubble of tension now broken.

Powder and Vi walk into view shortly after, sporting matching blushes and nervous smiles.

“Hey guys…”, they say simultaneously.

Sevika shifts to look at the two girls and arches an eyebrow at them, knowing her daughters well.

“How much of that did you two hear?”

Both of them remain silent, shuffling awkwardly and refusing to look at Sevika, or you. The woman next to you sighs and shakes her head, crossing her arms across her chest as she waits for an answer, the two girls giving up once Sevika clears her throat. Powder speaks up first, shifting her weight and turning to look at the ground.

“A lot…”

Sevika is scowling now, irritated that they were both eavesdropping on her conversation and ruined the moment you two were having. Anger laced in her voice, she starts scolding them.

“What have I told you about listening in on my private conversations? We’ve talked about boundaries plenty of times before!”

Vi is now looking up at Sevika nervously and responds with a pleading tone.

“I promise it wasn’t on purpose! We were coming back and heard you guys talking and I was gonna walk in like normal but then Powder put her hand over my mouth and pulled me toward the wall cause she wanted to hear what you guys were saying, and then—”

“That’s not true! I grabbed you because I wanted them to keep talking, and good thing I did because I was right, Teach isn’t a cheater!”

Powder rolls her eyes at her sister while you’re standing there dumbfounded and Sevika is fuming. She looks like she’s about to explode, clearly not in the mood for excuses when your voice cuts through the tension, saving the two girls from receiving her wrath.

“It’s alright!” You rush out, holding your hands out as a sign of peace. Sevika’s gaze flicks over to you briefly, a look of confusion flashing on her face, before staring at her daughters again, clearly upset.

“I was hoping to also tell you girls eventually,” with a lot less details, you think, “but you know now, so…it is what it is, I guess.”

A nervous smile spreads across your face as you look between the three of them, hoping this would calm things down between Sevika and the girls.

Sevika’s eyes sharpen at your words but she takes a deep breath, reigning in her temper. It looks like she’s going to say something but decides to remain silent instead, her attention now focused solely on you. Powder and Vi look properly reprimanded, not wanting to cause any more trouble. They exchange a look between each other before Vi speaks up again, her guilt getting the best of her.

“So…Gert was the one that cheated on you.”

Your mouth twists at that, thinking of how to respond. You had planned a very watered down version of the story in case you ever told the girls, exactly because of this. Vi being friends with Gert’s daughter complicated things tenfold, and even though you hated the woman, you would never speak about her to Vi the way you did to Sevika. With the cat now out of the bag, you have no other option but to tell the truth.

“Yeah. I didn’t talk to her friends or family after everything happened, so she must’ve told them a version that didn’t paint her as the bad guy.”

Vi’s head drops to look at her shoes, a shaky exhale leaving her body. She takes a moment to collect herself before looking back up at you, eyes faintly glistening with unshed tears.

“I’m…so sorry. Powder was telling me since the beginning that I had it wrong but I didn’t wanna believe that. I accused you of something you didn’t do and almost ruined your relationship with Sev, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

At the mention of the word relationship, you look around embarrassingly, fidgeting with your clothes while Sevika begins to cough, turning away as she gets it under control. You walk up to Vi and awkwardly place your hand on her shoulder, forcing a smile as you pat it.

“I get it, you were just protecting your family, I would’ve done the exact same thing if I were in your shoes. No hard feelings, I promise.”

The girl nods and shoots you an appreciative half smile before you step away and slide your hands into your back pockets. Powder speaks up a moment later, feeling out the now calm vibe of the room.

“So…does this mean you’re allowed to start coming over for dinner again?”

Glancing at Sevika in your peripheral, your mouth opens before your brain can catch up, heat creeping towards your face.

“I mean, um, that would be more your mom’s decision, so—“

“That’s fine with me.”

Three pairs of eyes dart over to the woman next to you, one with surprise that she answered so quickly, and two with a knowing look at why she did. Sevika’s gaze bounces between all of you, clearing her throat before trying to explain.

“The girls really missed you and they’ve been saving movies to watch in case you came over, so, it only makes sense.”

A bashful smile now adorns your face as you slowly nod, a warmth spreading throughout your chest. You had missed Sevika, of course, but you longed for the days when you felt like another member of her tight knit family. Looking at the woman with a sparkle in your eye, you respond happily.

“Great, that sounds…great.”

Now that the conversation has died down, a bit of an awkward air settles among the room as all of you think about how to segway to another topic. Sevika breaks the silence first, deciding she needs to have a moment to herself after such a heavy conversation.

“So, we should probably head home, Isha’s definitely tried giving Caitlyn another makeover by now and it’s only a matter of time before she wears her down.”

You chuckle at that, imagining the scenario and remembering when Isha did something similar to you.

“Yeah, of course. See you guys tomorrow then?”

Sevika weakly nods as Powder walks over and hugs you tightly, glad that everyone now knows what she felt all along.

“Come over soon, okay?”

Pulling back from the hug, you look at Powder and smile.

“You got it, kid.”

The teenager squeals as she moves towards the door where Sevika and Vi are now standing. You look at both of them before landing on Sevika who has a ghost of a smile on her face as she tells you “Have a good night, miss.”

Smiling, you return the gesture before she walks out, Powder and Vi following, the older of the two smiling at you and sheepishly waving before disappearing.

Now alone, you let out a deep sigh, your body suddenly feeling tired. The conversation went better than you expected, minus the girls overhearing, but all of the anxiety surrounding the situation left you exhausted. You slowly gather your things, thinking about where things are headed from here. Sevika was okay with you coming around them again, and as much as you wished you could be satisfied with that, you wanted…more.

Groaning, you start rubbing your temples, feeling a headache come on. Telling yourself you only wanted to be friends worked when you were unsure if she would believe you about the Gert situation, but now that she had, it was only going to get harder and harder to fool yourself. You decide to head home and see if your roommates are there for you to bounce your thoughts off of, needing to know if you are as crazy as you feel.

Your drive home is short and blissfully quiet, with your thoughts beginning to run amok. You think about what Sevika told you, about your ex not deserving you, and your mind desperately tries to not get ahead of itself. You can’t go a second without thinking about the soft expression on her face, your feelings threatening to overwhelm you.

Unfortunately, the house seems to be empty when you arrive. Tossing your keys into the bowl, you kick off your shoes and walk into the living room, collapsing face first into a couch cushion. You roll onto your back, clutching a pillow as you replay the entire afternoon in your head. Would something have happened if the girls hadn’t walked in? Sevika was never one to do something accidental, she was a very deliberate woman, and the way she was touching your hand…

Your thoughts are interrupted by soft footsteps approaching the living room. You sit up slightly to see your roommate walking in with headphones on and looking down at her phone. After yelling her name a couple of times, that fails to get her attention so you decide to throw a pillow at her.

“Holy shit!”

She screams as she yanks her headphones off and clutches her chest, breathing heavily.

“I didn’t see you under all that, what the fuck!”

You’re laughing now, hands up to show her you meant no harm.

“I’m sorry! I was calling you but I guess you couldn’t hear me.”

She playfully rolls her eyes as she plops down next to you, leaning her head back on the couch and clutching her forehead.

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“My bad.”

Leaning your head on her shoulder, you squeeze her thigh apologetically. After a minute, you sit back up and turn your body towards her.

“So…I did what you said and showed Sevika the texts.”

Her eyes widen as she puts her phone down, giving you her undivided attention.

“Oh shit, how did that go?”

“Really well, actually. She didn’t say anything when I was explaining, even when I showed her the emails, but at the end, she told me that I didn’t deserve what happened and that if Gert couldn’t see what she had, then it was her loss.”

Your friend gasps as she clutches your hand.

“Wait, that’s really good!”

You look down at your lap bashfully, absorbing her excitement.

“And then she kind of held my hand when she gave my phone back.”

That gets a very excited scream from your friend.

“Girl, this is great news, she wants you!”

Scratching at your neck, you continue explaining what happened after that.

“The only thing is, her daughters overheard our conversation.”

That instantly calms her down and she’s now looking at you with a confused expression.

“What?! How?”

“They had left to go look at something and when they got back, Powder kept Vi in the hallway so we could keep talking, then something must’ve fallen cause there was a loud noise and they walked in all embarrassed.”

At this point your friend’s eyes are wide with surprise, not expecting your conversation to end like that. She sits in silence for a second, mulling over everything you said before raising a questioning brow at you.

“So, they know everything?”

“Most of it,” You shrug, now biting your lip.

“More than I would’ve liked them to find out, for sure.”

“Well, maybe it's a good thing, right? They’re old enough to understand things like that.”

Your friend tries her best to reassure you and you’re grateful for it, knowing how you can sometimes spiral.

“Yeah, I guess.”

The two of you continue talking for well over an hour, your friend eventually grabbing two glasses of wine to relax among all the news. You vent about how nervous you were showing Sevika the emails and both of you rehash old relationship worries. By the end of the conversation, you feel a bit more confident about the situation.

“So you’re definitely in the clear to get in with her now.”

Blowing out a puff of air, a smile cracks through your attempt at nonchalance and you attempt to hide it by covering your face.

“Ugh, it’s been so long since I’ve had a crush, I feel like a teenager again.”

“Isn’t it kind of fun though? Especially with someone that looks like her.”

You push her shoulder at that, both of you laughing.

“I tried for a while to tell myself friendship was enough, but…I like her.”

“Aww, of course you do!”

She wraps you in her arms, rubbing your back.

“I’m so happy for you, I know this weighed on you a lot. You deserve to be happy and I’m glad it’s finally starting to happen.”

Tucking your face into her shoulder, your eyes begin to get misty. As much as you’ve tried telling yourself that over the last few years, it feels like it’s starting to become reality.

“I really hope so.”

At her house, Sevika is having a similar conversation on the phone with Vander. Standing in the garage, she’s smoking a cigaratte and blowing the smoke towards the cracked garage door as her best friend is giving her his thoughts on the situation.

“It sounds bad to say, but I’m glad Vi was wrong. I really like that girl for you, Sev, I got a good feeling about her.”

Chuckling, she shakes her head as she brushes her hair out of her face. She didn’t tell Vander any details out of respect for you, only that the situation’s been cleared up and you’re back in her good graces.

“God, I thought I was out of the game for good. I’m too grown for shit like this.”

Vander belly laughs at that.

“These things happen when you least expect it, Sev. Take it in stride.”

Putting out her cigarette, she mumbles an agreement and ends the call a few minutes later, deciding she wants some reading time before bed, thoughts of you plaguing her mind the entire way.

That week ends up being extremely busy for you and Sevika, so much so that you haven’t been able to have dinner at her house. That changes Friday afternoon when you get a voice note from her asking if you’d like to come over later for dinner. It takes everything in you not to answer too eagerly, replying with a calm That sounds good :).

Now with that to look forward to, the rest of the day breezes by and eventually it’s time for Powder to get picked up after working on her project. Right on cue, Sevika walks in, and you have to fight to keep your eyes in your head.

Her trusty leather jacket makes a reappearance, over a fitted white henley you’ve never seen, buttons undone just enough to tease a perfectly sculpted clavicle. Paired with a loose fit pair of jeans and black combat boots, she looks the very picture of heartthrob.

Powder drops something on the floor and it’s then that you realize you’ve been staring unabashedly. Clearing your throat, Sevika walks over to you unexpectedly, carrying something in her hand. When you see that it’s a helmet, you swear you almost faint. Of course she has a goddamn motorcycle.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Sevika is wearing a mostly neutral expression, only a hint of a smile playing at her lips, and you’re trying your hardest to match it.

“I know I invited you for dinner tonight, and that’s still on, but me, Vander and Silco were gonna have our poker night afterwards. If you’re interested.”

The moment hangs in the air as she waits for your answer. You’ve never mentioned being into cards or anything like that, but she hopes you’ll accept the offer anyway.

“I’d love to.”

A smile lights up your face, your hands clasped in front of you as you continue. So much for keeping it cool.

“I’m not very good at poker, but that sounds like fun.”

Sevika lets out an internal sigh of relief, even though you hadn’t yet turned down an activity she mentioned, she was still nervous, especially because other people were involved.

“Great. We’re gonna head to the house from here, but you come over whenever you’re ready. And you don’t have to bring anything this time, really.”

You cluck your tongue, looking at her with a mischievous expression.

“I’ll see about that.”

Sevika bites her lip, looking away from you but the action captures all of your attention. When she turns back to you, your staring contest with her mouth ends and you suddenly become interested in something on the wall.

Powder walks over at that very moment, a knowing glint in her eye that you and Sevika both pretend not to notice.

“I’m ready, mom.”

Nodding at her daughter, Sevika moves to step towards you before correcting herself and pretending she was just shuffling her feet.

“Right. So, we will see you in a bit?”

“Yup! I’ll walk with you guys, I’m ready to head out too.”

Truthfully, you could’ve stayed a few more minutes to organize your desk before Monday but the chance to see Sevika drive off on her motorcycle was too enticing to pass up.

You walk towards the door with your bags, shutting off all of the lights and holding it open for Powder and Sevika to walk out, locking it behind you. When the three of you reach the exit to the parking lot, Sevika pushes it open and stands off to the side.

“After you.”

Powder can only shake her head, heading out first before you brush past Sevika, eyes almost fluttering shut at her aroma. Once in the lot, you see that she parked directly next to you and walk up to her bike, admiring the way it shines.

“It’s beautiful.”

You look back at Sevika, who looks very proud.

“Thank you. Finished fixing her up a month ago, but it’s been raining too much to ride until this week.”

She walks over to the back of the motorcycle and pops the seat, grabbing another helmet and placing it on Powder’s head. As she does, her jacket lifts and a sliver of her toned lower stomach is exposed where her shirt folded under itself.

After situating her own helmet, Sevika turns to you to say goodbye when she sees the dazed look on your face. Still staring, you’re playing with the car keys in your hand, the most distracted you’ve ever been.

“You okay?”

That instantly snaps you out of your daze, flames licking at your face.

“Yeah! Just thinking about something I have to do before going over.”

You smile at the woman, hopefully distracting her from the fact that you were just openly ogling her. Again. Behind her, you see Powder covering her mouth, most likely hiding a laugh, and groan to yourself.

“Okay then, drive safe.”

She swings her leg over the seat, Powder getting on behind her as Sevika turns the bike on and revs the engine. Nodding at you once, she pulls the visor of her helmet down and drives off, leaving you behind to collect yourself.

“Shit.”

When you arrive at her house a short while later, you make quick work of getting to the porch, eager to get out of the cold. Ringing the doorbell once, only a few seconds pass before the door opens and Vi is standing before you.

“Oh, hi Vi.”

You smile at the girl before she ushers you inside, offering to take your coat. After handing it to her, she sees the bottle in your hand and asks if you want her to grab it from you.

Laughing lightly, you tell her, “No, that’s okay, I don’t want your mom to think I’m giving you something to drink.”

You quickly add on, “We’ll wait until after she goes to bed,” with a wink.

Vi actually chuckles, and you feel proud. You definitely have to build a rapport with her the way you have with her sisters, but you decide to start right away. She leads you into the kitchen where the table is fully set, and a memory of the last time you were here hits you like a train. Clearing your head, you look around for Sevika before seeing her walking in your direction.

Before she can reach you, you extend your hands, presenting her favorite whiskey.

“You didn’t.”

A smile disguising itself as shyness spreads across your face as you reply.

“Of course I did, I never agreed to come empty handed.”

Shaking her head as she takes it from you, Vander and Silco walk over, shaking your hand as you greet each other.

“Good to see you again— Oh!”

Vander reaches for the bottle that Sevika is cradling, grabbing it and inspecting the label.

“Sev, you didn’t say she had such good taste.”

He smirks at her and you pretend not to notice the way she looks down, avoiding your eyes.

“Easy, babe.”

Silco rubs Vander’s shoulder as he directs him towards the table where the girls are starting to sit down. When they notice you, they greet you with hugs, Isha pulling you to sit next to her. Even Caitlyn openly waves to you, no longer worried about Vi’s glare.

Everyone takes their places and starts serving themselves, conversation flowing easily. You spend the first few minutes a bit anxious that something similar to last time will happen, but eventually, that feeling is replaced by a relaxed one.

When dinner ends, the girls head to Powder’s room and you head to the couch, chatting with Vander and Silco as Sevika cleans up the kitchen. A few minutes later, she walks over holding the bottle you brought and a deck of cards.

“Who’s ready to lose?”

Smirking at her two best friends, her eyes land on you and her gaze softens just enough to be noticeable. You stand and lightly stretch your limbs, trying to expel a bit of nervous energy that returned with Sevika’s presence.

“Take it easy on me, okay, public school teachers don’t make much, I promise.”

Vander cackles like that’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard and the two of you follow Sevika and Silco to the garage where the table’s already set up. Taking your seats, the two husbands sit across from each other, already sizing each other up and trying to psych each other out.

Hearing music suddenly playing, you turn around to see Sevika fiddling with a stereo system, holding a CD case. When she’s done, she strolls over and takes her seat across from you, reaching behind herself to set the case back on the shelf.

“Hope you like Coldplay.”

“You a big fan?”

Two groans come from the men on either side of you, confusing you.

“Please don’t get her started. She’s dragged us with her to see them live six different times. I like them, don’t get me wrong, but six is excessive, they only have so many songs!”

Silco’s explanation makes you giggle while it gets an eye roll from Sevika. Looking towards her, your curiosity begins to grow.

“You like them that much?”

The woman splays her hands across her thighs and shrugs.

“Their music’s gotten me through a lot. I haven’t been able to see them the last few times they were here, but I still listen to them all the time.”

Bobbing your head, you think it’s endearing how much she likes them and decide to indulge her.

“That’s really nice, actually. I’ve never been able to see them live, but I’ve heard great things.”

Her gaze flicks up to you, a hopeful look in it.

“You’re a fan?”

Shaking your head side to side, you tell her, “Not as much as you, but I listen to them often enough.”

A shy smile creeps up her face and she looks down at her hands as she begins shuffling the cards.

“That’s cool.”

Vander and Silco are watching the entire interaction with rapt attention, they knew Sevika had a thing for you, but this was more than they expected. Standing up, Vander grabs the whiskey from behind you and raises it to get everyone’s attention.

“Drink, anyone?”

Sevika and Silco both nod and Vander shifts his gaze to you. Deciding it’s a special occasion, you agree and he heads to the bar next to the fridge to retrieve some glasses. When he returns, he sets one down in front of each of you, pouring a generous amount in the others until he reaches you. He gets to less than half of what’s in the other glasses before Sevika cuts him off.

“Not too much, Van, you trying to kill her?”

Looking at your drink, it’s definitely more than you would’ve poured but you know you can handle yourself.

“Sorry! I forget not everyone drinks like a mechanic.”

Smiling apologetically, Vander caps the bottle and puts it away, sitting back down and looking at Sevika.

“Alright, let’s get started then.”

Sevika looks up at you through her bangs as she deals the cards.

“How much you know about poker?”

Glancing around, you clench your hands, trying to not seem nervous.

“Mm, not much, to be honest. There’s 5 cards per player, right? And the goal is to have the best hand possible.”

The three other people at the table internally chuckle at your naivety. They're going to eat you alive.

Sevika agrees to let you have a couple practice rounds so you can get a feel for the game, and only when you insist on playing for real does she stop holding back.

“If you say so.”

She smirks as she deals again, she almost felt bad for how this was going to go, but this was your choice and she was going to give you what you asked for. You end up with a straight, and though it was better than everyone was expecting, it wasn’t good enough to win. Huffing, you sit up in your chair as you take a swig of your whiskey, the burn in your throat only spurring you on.

“I think I got the hang of it now.”

Laughing under her breath, Sevika thinks the determination on your face is adorable, and the alcohol in her system isn’t helping. Going again, you end up with the same hand as before, more and more chips slowly disappearing from your stack.

The drinks are serving their purpose now, jokes and laughs coming out much easier than before. You find out that Vander and Silco have been together almost ten years, their anniversary coming this summer. They tell you the story of how they met at work, and you coo as they relay the details of how it was mainly Sevika’s doing. She makes a couple comments towards you that could be taken as flirtatious, but you pass them off as effects of the alcohol.

When your foot bumps hers, you shoot her a quick apology, and she accepts it with a small smile. When it happens again a couple of minutes later, you apologize again but she only nods, pinning you to your seat with her gaze. You try to focus on the story Silco is telling, something about a vacation, but your breath catches in your throat when you feel two legs slide on either side of yours, trapping your calf between them.

Quickly glancing at Sevika, she’s no longer looking at you but at Silco, fully engaged in his story. You move to pull away from her, sure it was an accident, when her grip tightens and she hooks one foot behind yours, leaving no room for doubt. She’s definitely flirting with you.

Alarm bells start going off in your head, you never considered what you would actually do in the event that Sevika returned the sentiment. The two men are seemingly unaware of what’s going on under the table and you’d like to keep it that way. You turn your leg to the right, pressing it into Sevika to test out her reaction. You’re rewarded with a sharp inhale that you only notice because your eyes are locked onto her full lips.

The moment unravels when you hear Vander call your name, forcing your gaze to the expectant look on his face.

“Sorry, what was that last part?”

“I was asking if you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle before.”

Sevika suddenly notices the lack of music playing and gets up to change CDs, taking the warmth against your lower half with her.

“Oh, yeah, um, no, no I haven’t.”

Giving him a tight smile, Sevika returns with a cigar between her lips, offering the box around the table while Vander keeps talking.

“Ah, it’s amazing. The three of us used to do an annual bike ride through the country, just us and the open road for weeks. Nothing like it.”

After everyone but you takes one, she walks over to the garage door to crack it open, making sure to turn up the space heater before sitting back down. Sevika clips her cigar and lights it, blowing a perfect ring on the first try. The alcohol is definitely affecting you now because as you watch the smoke leave her mouth, you wish you were in its place.

You decide you need to sober up a bit before your inside thoughts make their way out of your mouth. Standing up with the slightest wobble, the entire table stops what they’re doing and looks at you with varying degrees of amusement.

“I need to use the ladies’ room, be right back.”

Walking into the house and heading straight for the bathroom, you shut the door and lock it before turning to the sink and pulling the handle for cold water. Cupping your hands under the faucet, you rub the cool liquid over your face and take a deep breath. You look at yourself in the mirror, seeing the slight glossiness in your eyes and giggle to yourself. Was this really happening?

After a few minutes of breathing exercises, and actually peeing, you feel a bit more yourself, opening the door before immediately running into something.

“Oh shit, sorry, I was just about to knock.”

You step back in a daze before your eyes focus to see a sheepish Sevika standing in the doorway.

“You’ve been gone for a bit so I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay.”

Her hands are stuffed into her pockets and she’s looking at you with worry etched into the slight crease between her brows. You start to feel unsteady again, but it has nothing to do with the alcohol.

“I’m okay, just needed to wake up a little. That whiskey is stronger than it looks.”

A chuckle escapes her parted lips and the piercing underneath them suddenly looks enticing. Stepping forward to place a foot between hers, mirroring her move from earlier, you lean in the slightest bit before watching her eyes drop to your mouth as she replies.

“Yeah, it’s kicked my ass more than once…”

“Mm, I thought you could handle your liquor.”

Both of you continue to lessen the gap, pulled together as if by magnets.

“I can, but sometimes I like to test my limits.”

“Is that so?”

Your chests are almost touching, heavy breaths mixing into the space between you. Right when you’re about to close the distance, a door down the hall creaks open and you hear giggling, footsteps coming closer until they stop right outside the bathroom.

“Oh shit.”

Standing straight up, Sevika is glaring at Vi and Caitlyn as you lean your forehead against the doorframe, sure this is some sort of punishment from a past life.

“Where do you girls think you’re going?”

It’s then that you turn to see the keys dangling from Vi’s hand.

“Uh, we were just gonna go to the store for some snacks. For the movie we’re all watching?”

Both pairs of eyes flicker between you and Sevika, cogs turning as they realize they just walked in on something.

“But we can head back to the room, no worries, we can watch the movie without them.”

They turn back the way they came, mumbling apologies as Sevika hangs her head and groans.

“I just want five minutes without interruptions, that’s it.”

You giggle at her confession, though you wished for the same. Taking it as a sign to head back to the garage, you squeeze past Sevika, fingers brushing hers and you could almost swear you feel them twitch.

Walking back to the table, you feel Sevika’s eyes on your back the entire way and only because you reach Vander and Silco’s line of sight do you not turn around and pull her towards you. She slowly takes her seat in front of you, making a show of it because she knows you’re watching.

“Last round before we call it a night?”

Vander looks around the table to sense the vibe. He and Silco have been waiting for an opening to leave without interrupting whatever was going on with you and Sevika for over half an hour. You smile and nod, thinking it’s probably late for them to still be awake. Sensing that it’s finally time to execute your plan, you calmly call out, “Winner take all?”

You’re met with three confused glances. The girl who’s been losing all night wants to bet everything she has left? It isn’t a lot, they’ll admit but never one to pass up an opportunity to make some money, they all agree.

Sevika deals, a curious gleam in her eye as she watches you. Not seeing any tells, she focuses on her hand and looks around the table, confident with what she has.

“Fuck.”

A groan leaves Vander as he pushes his cards into the middle of the table.

“Fold.”

Crossing his arms and finishing his drink, he sets it onto the table with some force, more annoyed that he lost to his husband than anything. Silco grins, even if he doesn’t win the hand, beating Vander is enough for him. He lays his cards on the table with a flourish, calling out “Full house, baby.”

A huff escapes Sevika as she looks down at her hand.

“Damn. I only have a…” setting down her hand slowly to build suspense, “straight flush.”

Once you suck your teeth and sigh, Sevika grins and starts collecting the chips on the table, pulling the piles towards herself before asking what you have.

“Ugh, I don’t remember what it’s called.”

Setting down the cards one by one, each reveal causes everyone’s jaws to drop a little more as realization settles in.

“A royal flush?”

A wicked smile spreads onto your face as you sit back, absorbing the big reveal. Exhaling dramatically, you lean forward after a moment and start grabbing your winnings, the only noise in the room being the clack of plastic chips and the muted soundtrack of Coldplay.

“I can’t believe you just hustled me.”

Sevika is looking at you with a shocked, yet proud, look on her face and all you do is shrug.

“I can’t believe you just let it happen.”

A low chuckle leaves Vander as he scans his best friend’s face, thinking She may have finally met her match.

As you all stand from the table, he pulls out his wallet, grabbing your winnings and handing them to you before you raise a hand up, declining.

“No need. Seeing the look on all of your faces was payment enough.”

He claps a hand on your shoulder, peering past you before speaking.

“I really do like this one.”

He finishes his sentence with a pointed look towards the woman, emphasizing his comment from their earlier conversation.

“We’re gonna head out, don’t worry about locking up Sev, I still have my key. You two have a good night, now.”

Shaking his head and laughing to himself, Vander walks inside, closely followed by Silco, the two of them discussing their admiration for your style of play. Once you and Sevika are alone, you swing back to face her, much more confident than you were upon arriving earlier.

“Next time, we’re playing for real money. Now that you know how good I am and all that.”

Grinning at the woman in front of you, the look on her face can only be described as awe.

“I don’t enjoy being tricked, you know that?”

Glancing around the room, you purposely avoid eye contact for a few seconds before looking at Sevika.

“I get that, but I think you like a challenge.”

A sharp exhale is the only response you get before you reach out, hand grazing hers with a purpose. You were just full of surprises today.

The door to the house suddenly opens, revealing a tired Isha who's rubbing her eyes and carrying her stuffed monkey towards you both. Trying to blink away the sleep, she looks toward an exasperated Sevika, no clue what she’s just done. When she signs Can I sleep with you? I had a bad dream, the woman can only sigh. Isha’s nightmares could get pretty intense so she instantly feels bad and scoops the girl into her arms.

Are the others asleep?

After nodding, the girl tucks her face into Sevika’s neck, already starting to doze off.

“That’s definitely my cue to leave.”

You step towards the two and gently lay a hand on Isha’s back, feeling the warmth exuding from her small frame. Looking at Sevika, you give her a small smile before telling her you’ll see her later and moving in the direction of the door. She vigorously shakes her head before stepping into your path.

“Let me walk you out, at least.”

Agreeing to that, you make your way inside to the front, slipping your shoes on, then your coat, before facing Sevika. She’s sporting the slightest pout and you almost reach over Isha to kiss it away.

“See you next week, yeah?”

Nodding with a tired sigh, she looks at you before moving to embrace you as best she can. You take what you can get, wrapping one arm around her neck and the other around Isha, reaching for the woman's shoulder. After reluctantly letting go, you open the door, Sevika holding it as you walk out and angling her body to shield Isha from the cold.

“Text me when you get home, please,” she calls out as you head down the driveway.

Turning around, you give her a thumbs up, too wired to give her a verbal response. Once you’re in the car, Sevika closes the door but continues to watch from the window while you warm up your car, taking off a couple minutes later with a frazzled wave.

The drive home is silent. You couldn’t even bring yourself to play any music, the replay of the night making plenty of noise in your head. Only realizing how late it is when you arrive and see the lack of any lights inside, you tiptoe through the quiet house, reaching your room and closing the door as gently as possible.

Leaning against the door, you let out the breath you’ve been holding since leaving Sevika’s house. We almost kissed. Twice. You cover your face with your hands as you let out a muffled shriek, giddy and excited for what’s to come for the first time in a very long while.

taglist: @daughterofthemoons-stuff @vii-v @runawaybaby3 @ferxanda @sevikas-whore @vikashoneybee @sleepingwasp @savedforlaterr @lia-winther @bebadoobie @nymanas @dyketoast

[4ngelrealm]

Karma

nico hischier x reader

𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗔, n. hischier: for the last night of your show in new jersey you decide to change the lyrics of your closing song karma and dedicate them to your boyfriend. ( popstar!reader; fluff; established relationship )

The energy from the crowd was buzzing through you as you soaked in the applause, the claps and cheers seeming to go on forever. The whole feeling was surreal; a stadium full of people singing along to your music, cheering for you. You were truly living your dream and when you started the tour, you believed nothing could make it better. You were proven wrong now, staring out into the crowd.

The lights were bright, making it hard to see too far into the crowd, but you knew your boyfriend was out there and it made your heart race. You and Nico were a relatively new thing, especially to the public―ten months total, three months public―but you felt connected to him in a way you'd never felt with anyone else.

You bit your lip to hide a smile, excited for what you had planned. You hadn't told anyone it was happening, keeping the idea a surprise for Nico (and the dancers on stage with you). You raised the mic to your lips, slightly out of breath from the previous song, but glowing with energy nonetheless.

"Jersey!" You said excitedly. "You guys have given me absolutely everything that you have tonight, so I feel guilty asking... but could you spare just one more song's worth of your time!"

You giggled as the music kicked in, you and your dancers falling into a familiar rhythm. As the shows progressed, you'd gotten much more in tune with each other and you yourself had gotten much more comfortable with the choreography, allowing you to truly let loose, have fun, and be yourself on stage.

The song flew by in a blur of bright stage lights, colorful sparkling jackets, and the screams of an adoring crowd. As you neared the end of the bridge you giggled with giddy excitement, changing the second to last line of the bridge.

What used to be "Karma is the guy on the screen..." became "Karma is the captain of the team... coming straight home to me." Your smile was wide as you continued the song, so much so that you could hear the smile in your voice as you sang. As the crowd cheers grew abundantly louder, you realized that the lyric change had been received and you could only imagine the look on Nico's face.

As the song came to a close and you finished the show with thanks, and bows, all you could think about was heading backstage to see Nico. Your pace quickened after you walked off stage, ignoring the ache in your feet. The adrenaline clung to you, making you practically shake as people rushed around you in post-show craze.

You returned your mic and ear pieces to the sound guys first, holding light conversation with the people around you, but your eyes flit over the people backstage looking for one person.

When you finally spotted him, your legs acted first. You ran over to him in a blur of messy hair and sparkles, wrapping your arms around his neck with a wide smile.

"Hey, sweetheart." He greeted, his smile just as wide as yours.

He returned your hug with fervor, wrapping his arms around your waist, lifting your feet slightly off the floor. You tucked your head into the crook of his neck, breathing him in as you slowed your breathing and let the excitement of the night wear off. Nico pressed a light kiss to the crown of your head, his lips lingering.

"Show was great." He murmured, lowering his lips to your ear. "Especially that last song. Was that for me?"

His voice was teasing, soft―as if it was an inside joke between the two of you.

"Who else?" You tease back, picking your head up from his shoulder.

Your smile softened as your eyes met Nico's, his adoration hard to miss and you knew you looked at him exactly the same way. He grinned, stepping back just an inch―enough to see you, but not too much where he'd have to let you go.

"And the red jacket..." He observed, his thumbs rubbing your waist. "You're going to kill me."

You hummed, stepping back into his space even closer than before. You tilted your chin up, nose brushing his chin. Your eyelashes fluttered as you stared up at him, biting your lip softly. You moved a hand to weave into Nico's hair, pulling him close until your lips brushed.

"Someday." You shrugged, your lips brushing his.

Nico closes the gap between the two of you, his hands a steady presence at your waist. The kiss is sweet, tasting vaguely of your lipstick and whatever drink he'd had during the concert, but also something so familiar. So him. Your chest presses close to Nico's, completely consumed by him; his taste, his touch, his smell.

Your panting breath lingers between the two of you, neither of you parting for long.

"I love you." He whispers against your lips. Each word brushes against your lips and Nico moves back in, pressing the words into your mouth.

[tragedy-machine]

for @carebeardean for our dbda anniversary gift exchange! hope you like it <3

and a corresponding little 1.5k ficlet below

(mature rating warning)

“Do you reckon I’d look good in a skirt?”

Edwin pauses his reading, or more accurately freezes, too overwhelmed by dozens of images of Charles in different types of that garment flashing through his mind, effectively blocking the text in front of his eyes.

“Pardon?”

“It’s just–” Charles wrings his hands but takes a brave step towards Edwin where he sits on the couch anyway. “There was a couple in the park today. I don’t think you saw them, but they were tucked away between the trees, talking, and the– and the bloke’s hand was just casually resting on the bird’s upper thigh under her mini skirt and–”

“In public?” Edwin lets out an affronted scoff. “How utterly indecent this generation is.”

“Love, it’s not like we’re that much better,” Charles says and comes up the rest of the way to stand in front of Edwin.

“We do not–” shutting his mouth, Edwin thinks about it more and is forced to change his approach. “We are not visible to most of the population, making our chances of scandalizing someone that much smaller than the couple you mentioned.”

“Right." Charles chuckles, but his face is closed off and he’s not really looking at Edwin, eyes firmly planted on their carpet, posture not as relaxed as it was before. With a little sigh through his nose, he makes to move away, apparently deciding to swallow his disappointment at the fact that the conversation is already over. Edwin lurches to stop Charles and it just so happens that Charles’ legs are at his eye-level, so it’s only natural that Edwin’s hands grab him by the back of his thighs to keep him in place.

The feel of his boyfriend's legs, as well as the sight of Edwin's hands leaving dents in where they’re anchored are arresting enough that Edwin would be happy to just stay dreamily gazing upon it forever, if not for the little squeak ringing above him.

Lured in, Edwin follows the noise to Charles’ mouth, where the boy's lower lips is trapped between his teeth. Focusing on his goal of reassuring Charles, Edwin decides not to look at it too much lest he loses his train of thoughts completely. Their eyes meet and Charles stares at him with two pools of molten heat and suddenly Edwin doesn’t think that that’s much better for the state of his brain. But he pauses his newly-blooming images of kissing up the length of Charles' body with a thought of later.

“I am positive that you would look ravishing in any skirt of your choosing.”

Just as Edwin's hoped for, Charles’ breath hitches. Without even really thinking about it, Edwin’s grip on Charles’ legs tightens, as if wanting to capture the intoxicating feeling that sound gives him.

He’s familiar with this particular area of Charles, having left marks on those thighs many times before, but he still finds himself reverently kneading the muscles and marveling at the part where their give softens.

“Am I to presume,” Edwin thinks back to what prompted Charles to even ask his question in the first place. “That you would prefer skirts of the… shorter variety?”

“Yeah,” Thick like honey, Charles’ agreement rumbles out of him in a low voice. So beautifully strong and boyish just like the rest of him. Imagining all of it nicely wrapped in a flimsy little girly garment sends a thrill down Edwin’s spine. “Ones that’d come up to– um, right about where your hands are.”

“My. That is awfully short indeed.” Not being able to resist the temptation, Edwin moves his hands just a little bit higher and watches a shiver run through Charles’ body. "It would barely cover you up. Would you be wearing anything underneath?”

There’s an infinitesimal jolt to Charles’ hips. Edwin wouldn’t even notice it if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s tantalizingly close to that particular body part. Charles must see something in Edwin’s face that gives away that he’s noticed the movement, because he lets out a half-bitten whine, his eyes fluttering but refusing to close and break their eye contact.

“I don’t– I don’t know. Maybe.”

Edwin can tell that he has the boy close to squirming so he lightens his caresses to a hopefully maddening tease. A suggestion of a touch. What's the fun in giving in right away?

“I would have to wait and see for myself?” Edwin suggests.

“Probably not really wait, but yeah. I’d want you to–” Charles’ hands land on Edwin’s shoulders for support, the twitching of his hips evidently harder to control now that he starts pressing into Edwin’s hands. “To touch me.”

Somewhere on the couch lies Edwin’s book, completely forgotten, but he doesn’t even care about trying not to damage it as he pulls Charles forward so that he’s forced to plant his knees on both sides of Edwin. Now, Charles is essentially straddling him, but not quite, still not sitting down on Edwin’s lap, because that’d make it impossible for Edwin to keep up the steady movement of his hands up and down Charles' thighs after all. Plus, it’s not like Edwin minds the distance between them, having Charles hovering above him is a beautiful view.

“I suppose it is a unique advantage to have you clothed and yet… so accessible to touch as well.” Abandoning all decorum, Edwin starts stroking his hands up and down Charles’ trousers-clad legs. If he could see Charles, if he was bare, Edwin’s sure he’d be able to observe goosebumps rising on Charles’ skin.

“Yeah and if–” Charles kneads his hands where they’re clutching onto Edwin’s shoulders, seemingly steeling himself for what he’s about to say next. “If I did this–” he carefully drops himself on Edwin’s lap, clearly making a deliberate show out of it. Presses every possible inch of his body right into Edwin and slides down, causing sparks to shoot up Edwin’s core. Once Charles is fully seated on Edwin, he gives a tentative roll of his hips that snaps Edwin’s attention down, right where Charles wants it. “You could fuck me with the skirt still on.”

Although he was the one who started it, Edwin can’t take the teasing anymore, so he dives forward to catch Charles’ lips and devour him with a kiss.

It’s a perfect expression of just how much both of them like the idea of Charles in a skirt. Charles spells his love and trust with his tongue, not giving Edwin a chance to do anything but hold on and let himself be pressed into the backrest of the couch. Electricity zaps through the air, both of them forgetting about technique and finesse and both of them adoring it. Because why focus on anything else than Charles moaning right into Edwin’s mouth and tugging at his blazer like he wants to rip it off?

The sharp cut of Charles’ jawline, his big and capable hands, the way the short hair at the back of his neck feels under Edwin’s fingers - it all represents everything that the world tried to convince Edwin he shouldn’t want. But it all makes the picture of the gorgeous boy writhing in his lap while sucking on Edwin’s bottom lip and Edwin would rather die again than ever be denied this.

He loves the way Charles is always gentle with him, but manhandles him when they both get too riled up. Loves his long and lithe limbs wrapped around him, reminding him of how tall Charles is. Loves the fresh yet slightly musky scent of Charles that Edwin swears still lingers on the boy’s skin.

But there’s also no other word than ‘love’ to describe the feeling when Charles lets Edwin hoist him up on their desk or how bright Charles smiles when Edwin buys him flowers or how soft and breathy his whines turn when Edwin does something particularly right during kissing.

“I thought you wouldn’t be into skirts and you know, girly things?” It’s not really a question, but Charles’ tone ends it as such.

“I am not,” Edwin says and caresses the side of Charles’ darling face, so open and vulnerable under Edwin’s palm. “It is the thought of you in something like that which I find myself so enamored by. Everything about you could never be anything less than lovely and completely devastating to my heart.”

It gets him a frantic kiss that Edwin plans to lose himself in, before Charles leans away again.

“You don’t think it’d be weird? That it’d look– off on me?”

Edwin almost laughs at the notion.

“What a preposterous thought. Of course you will look endlessly beautiful in a skirt, my beloved.” A low groan rips itself from Charles’ throat and his shining eyes have never looked this pleading, this desperate. Edwin suspects he knows what they’re asking for. “My pretty girl.”

[xetlynn]

Scars and Faint Memories

Vanessa Palmer x Fem! Reader

chapter four<- -> chapter five -> chapter six

warnings: mentions of blood, wounds, drinking and driving. Lottie’s crash out.

1996

You sit with Coach, Misty and Travis inside the cabin as the song “This is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan plays via your walkman in a metal bucket. Mari counts from the start. “One, two, one-two-three-four.” 

And on cue the girls, plus Javi break out into their choreographed dance that they’ve created from being here so long and having nothing better to do. They were grateful for your walkman and extra batteries you brought. As were you since this is one of your enjoyments in life. 

“And running man, running man!” Mari, Akilah, Lottie and Van say so the girls do the next steps in the dance. You cheer for them beside Coach, the two of you grinning at them. You weren’t much of a dancer. As much as you love music you didn’t particularly relish in dancing. You did however appreciate watching the others have fun. 

Jackie, Shauna, Natalie and Laura Lee lead into the next move: the Bart Simpson. “And Javi- Javi, you’re late!” Mari calls out the boy to which you laugh. He hurries to get on beat, Taissa jumping in to assist and the group re-synchronizes. Misty applauds the girls. You peer over to see Travis even grinning at the girls. 

But good things weren’t meant to last, especially out here. The tape begins to struggle and the song slows down, distorting eerily before stopping completely. The girls stand helplessly and you go over to it, along with Van who picks it up. Giving it a few smacks filled with hope but to no avail. You frown. 

“Has hitting something ever fixed it?” The redhead murmurs, mainly to herself. “Maybe try blowing on it.” Mari suggests and you take the small thing from Van and deeply frown. This was your sense of comfort. Something you’ve held onto ever since you got it.  You had no more batteries. You put the last ones in it last week. 

A sustained scraping noise emits from upstairs in the attic and Jackie is the first to speak. “Um. The fuck is that?” 

“You hear it, too?” Lottie asks and you give her a strange expression. “It’s probably just a branch.” Taissa replies, not believing there could be something up there. “Inside? On the floor?” Mari crosses her arms, then a small realization hits her. “What if it’s him?” She motions, bringing up the dead guy. Both you and Taissa snort. 

“You know what it probably was? The dead guys missing fingers… trying to find their way home.” Natalie deadpans and you bump her with your hip, the two of you finding it amusing. This prompts squeals from the girls though and a glare from Taissa. “You really have to encourage them?” 

“You gotta admit, it didn’t sound like it was on the roof.” Akilah says with a shaken expression. “Fine, so it was a rat. Or, a raccoon. Or, I dunno.” Jackie pouts. “Shh! Listen!” Lottie quiets everyone. Everyone pauses, but there’s only silence. “Well I don’t hear it now.” Mari huffs. 

“See?” Taissa rolls her eyes and before it can grow into a debate Coach Scott finally adds into the conversation. “You know what I think? I think the ghost decided it’s time to get some sleep. Maybe we should do the same.” 

This doesn’t lead to an argument, the girls all getting their sleeping equipment out and you cling onto your walkman sadly. Setting up your blankets with your empty hand. “I’m sorry, [Name].” Natalie whispers and you just shrug your shoulders. “It’s fine, I got a bit out of it.” You sigh, gently placing it inside your backpack. 

The two of you set up beside one another like you have been since the beginning. 

Van observes you from afar, the candle light hitting you perfectly. She can’t get over how ethereal you are. How the curvature of your face always captures light and shadows perfectly. It never fails to amaze her. Taissa comes up from behind the redhead, following her eyes and seeing you. She scoffs out a chuckle. Earning Vanessa’s attention and she furrows her brows up at the girl. 

“What?” She whispers and Taissa gives her a “are you serious?” look. “Right.” Van sighs, sitting down on her blankets. “You two seriously aren’t talking still?” Tai joins her on the ground. You glance over to them as you lay in your spot, holding onto Natalie’s hand. Playing with her fingers like you’ve done since the two of you started having sleepovers years ago. 

You wonder what the two are talking about, completely oblivious to the fact that it’s about you. Your jealousy seeps in at the sight of them sitting so close to one another. You wanted to be in Taissa’s place, but the fear of the unknown always crept up whenever you tried to speak to Van. 

The fear of what others would think about you. The fear of the secret you’ve held in for years coming out to people. The fear of rejectment, not only from Van but from others. You’ve spent so much time keeping to yourself, only holding onto your friendship with Natalie that opening yourself up to someone else was scary. 

Walls were built sturdy and you couldn’t let some girl knock them down. 

“No, she avoids me like I’m some kind of plague. I don’t know what I did.” Van runs a hand through her hair, racking her brain for ideas of what she could’ve done to you. “She will stand beside me when we’re with the others but if she finds herself alone with me it’s like I have some sort of repellent on me.” Van vents, staring off at the ground. 

Not seeing the eyes that stay on her from afar. Burning a hole into her head. 

“Try to like… corner her or something.” Taissa mutters, not knowing how to help in this situation to which Van laughs. “Yeah, cause that will really make her want me.” Van shakes her head at the suggestion to which Taissa snickers as well. “I don’t mean like weirdly corner her. Catch her at a good time where the two of you are alone.” 

“That’s the thing, I have done that. Around the time we found this place. We got interrupted and nothing’s been better since.” Van explains and Taissa contorts her face, feeling bad. “Damn… what did you do?” 

Van’s face falls and she snaps her head in the direction of her friend. “Has anyone ever told you how helpful and comforting you are?” Van says with a wooden expression. Taissa presses her lips together at her own amusement. “I don’t think I have.” She admits. “Yeah, no duh.” Van breathes out sharply. 

Adjusting herself so she can lay down dramatically. Taissa sits there, raising a brow down at her. 

In the morning everyone is on the move. Everyone has synched up on their periods so it was cruel living. Pushing yourselves to do the chores that needed to be done with a grudge to the world. 

You were in extreme pain, feeling it in your lower back and legs. Still you pushed yourself to go find wood for a fire alongside Taissa. “Shit.” You stumble, dropping the wood you’ve collected and placing your hands on your hips as pain shoots through you. “You okay?” Taissa comes to your side, picking up what you’ve dropped. 

“Yeah, this just fucking sucks.” You whine, squeezing your eyes shut for a moment before sucking a breath and helping regrab the large wood that needs to be chopped up. “I’m sorry, I remember how bad your cramps were in middle school.” She sympathizes with you. 

“Yeah, and I didn’t bring my pain meds on this stupid trip cause I didn’t know we’d be fucking stuck out here.” You groaned, mainly complaining to yourself but still Taissa listened to you nonetheless. It was rare you vented to anyone and for some reason when you do people treat it as a privilege. “God damn.” You huff, kicking the dirt after standing up straight, moving the wood in your arms so you can grab the others from Tai. 

“I think I have some ibuprofen. If it gets too bad. Same with Misty” She offers and you shake your head. “We should save it for emergencies or the others, God knows how long we’ll fucking be here.” You say in a sad but irritated tone. You knew you could be real with Taissa. With the others you wanted to give them a sense of hope. Sometimes it’s too much though. 

“Oh, no more, don't worry, we’ll be saved in no time. We’re just in the middle of nowhere. It takes time. Coming from you?” She raises a brow trying to bring some sort of humor out which you snort. “We’re older, we gotta comfort them somehow.” You roll your eyes. 

“I mean they’re not that much younger than us. We shouldn’t give them false hope.” She tilts her head and you scrunch your nose at her words. “Probably but also having no hope doesn’t get you anywhere. You’ll get all “pity us, pity me, what’s the point of this if we are never saved.” You mock with a higher pitched voice and this time Taissa lets out a laugh. “Do you believe we’ll be saved? Truly?” The girl goes serious and you stop in your tracks. 

Rubbing your lips together as you think. “I guess, I think we will eventually. Who knows, we could be who saves us.” You shrug your shoulders as if it were a simple answer. Taissa takes in what you say. 

“What about you, Miss Turner?” You nudge her and she laughs in annoyance at your choice of nickname for her. “I want to say yes, that we will be. As the days go on I feel myself getting more restless. More drained emotionally. I want to go home. I want to fucking eat fries or some unhealthy shit.” She rants to which you smile at. 

“I miss my bed for sure.” She glances down to the wood. “I miss not having to chop fucking wood too.” And you chuckle, silently agreeing with her. 

You miss your siblings the most, yeah your bed and maybe even your mom. But your siblings. They’re all you can think about during this time. It keeps you up at night what they’re doing, how they’re processing you not being there. How your mom told them about your plane missing. Or if she told them something else. What kind of lie did she tell them? 

You shake your head, not needing to think about that right now. You feel your heart thudding in your chest and you take a deep breath in. “So… did you have a thing with anyone back home?” Taissa randomly asks and you give her a look. “I’m trying to make conversation here.” She defends herself and you just laugh. 

“No, I didn’t. Never really have had anyone… that way.” You mumble out, pursing your lips out at the thought of a relationship with a man. “You?” You switch it to her and she shakes her head. 

“Nah, not a lot of gay girls around.” She sighs and your eyes widen. Slowly looking at her, her eyes already on you with a smug expression. “You- you’re… gay?” You stammer. 

“Is there something wrong with that?” She inquires and you press your lips together, shaking your head furiously. “Not at all, I just… I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting you to come out to me, I guess.” You breathe out nervously. 

Unbeknownst to you it was a test, not to see if you were homophobic. But maybe if she comes out to you, you’d do the same. Possibly leading to a conversation about crushes… Attempting to be a wingman for Van. 

“Sorry, I mean. I trust you. I had a feeling you weren’t homophobic.” She jokes half-heartedly and you smile. 

“Glad I give off those vibes.” You pretend to sigh in relief, walking ahead of her to get back to the cabin. Disappointing her with your lack of… coming out as well. She thought she set it up so… amazingly!

You toss the wood down beside the stump you guys have been using to chop the wood. Your next activity was cleaning up the cabin a little more so it felt more… home-y? It’s something you briefly mentioned to a few of the girls. Sort of agreeing that you can do it as a chore. As you enter the cabin you see Natalie nudging a sleeping Jackie with her foot. 

“Jackie. Up and at 'em, or something.” She mutters to which Jackie burrows deeper under the blankets with a whine. “It’s so cold. And I have cramps.” She complains to which you snicker. “No shit. We literally all have cramps.” Natalie rolls her eyes, peering over at you with raised eyebrows and you put your hands up in defense. 

Jackie pushes off her blankets, up to her feet begrudgingly. Natalie is already leaving the building to go off doing something else. Jackie looks at you who shrugs simply. 

“I feel your pain. We let you sleep in a little later though.” You give her an empathetic smile to which she tries to do back but frowns instead. You did argue a little bit with the others to just let Jackie sleep longer. Having most of the chores taken care of but of course they’re going to deem it unfair if someone gets special treatment. 

You glance around the kitchen area, humming lowly as you try to think of where to start. Getting rid of the old nasty shit could be best. You open all of the cabinets, observing what you’re working with.The dude that lived here was not very organized… You begin to wonder if the man was always alone out here. 

If he had a wife or a friend. And if not… Why would he want to be isolated? Why would he choose to be alone with his own thoughts? His own being? The thought of being truly alone with no one… ever… is a scary, scary thought. Which is funny because you hated socializing. You hated it with a passion. 

Or you just hated the idea of being judged and picked apart if someone got to know you. 

Nah… it was definitely socialization… 

You head to the pantry that also leads to the attic with a ladder. You look at what you’re dealing with in there as well. All the cans and jars. Either empty or filled with maggots and other bugs you couldn’t name even if you tried. 

And from outside the door of the cabin, there stands a certain redhead. Knocking up the courage to talk to you. Her chance to do so. She sighs at herself, walking over to Taissa. 

“I can’t do it.” She throws her arms in the air and the curly-haired girl makes a confused look. “She’s there, alone in the cabin and I can’t do it. I feel like a little bitch.” She exclaims and Taissa puts the axe down, wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

“I mean you are kind of being one.” Taissa says with no remorse. “Just act like you’re looking for something. I don’t know. If you really want to talk to her you’ll make something up.” She grabs the axe, looking at Van patiently to see what the girl’s going to do. Either bother her some more or go to you. 

“You’re so much help.” 

“So, I’ve been told.” Taissa rolls her eyes with a smirk, commenting back to last night’s conversation. “I tried helping you earlier, came out to her and everything. She did not have much to say.” She lets out a low whistle, looking down at the wood she still has to chop. 

“Why would you coming out to her help me?” Van asks with knitted bros. “I don’t know! Possibly lead to like… a conversation about girls we’ve been interested in! Ya know…” She looks back at how that was probably a stupid decision but at the same time doesn’t regret it very much. 

Van just sits there with a blankless look on her face not even knowing how to respond. “I’m gonna go talk to her…” 

She walks away and Taissa just goes back to doing her chore. Trying to hurry up so she isn’t swinging a heavy axe multiple times. Arms growing sore. 

2021

You felt yourself going crazy, quitting your job not even 72 hours ago. You lay on your couch with an almost empty wine bottle. Hair looks a mess, wearing a tank top with grossly stained sweatpants. Music playing in the background on your record player, specifically Fleetwood Mac. The only thing keeping you somewhat sane. 

You move your foot with the beat of the music, humming along with the lyrics. 

The past couple of days all you’ve been thinking about is the plane crash that happened years ago. You think about everything that went down. Everything you had to endure and experience out there alongside the few you’ve recently had the joy of reconnecting with. 

The anger that seeped through you all over again. As if you were back to where you were when you got rescued. Anger that’s even fresher than that. Losing the love of your life. Betrayed by a person you thought was a close friend.

And of course the most recent events of someone you didn’t care for but survived with, dead. Hung himself. Or to Natalie, your closest friend of them all, convinced that he was murdered. A fucking psychotic woman working with her to figure out if that’s truly the case. You have Shauna down the road who honestly only talks to you when it’s most convenient. Seeing Taissa after 8 years. After what she did. Attempting to give you some meekly apology.

Your younger siblings are out of state, miles away after your mother passed. Using their inheritance to do better for themselves. Sending cards or calling you every now and then, begging you to visit them.

The worst of it though. Is the fact that all of them have lives, living them without you. And you’re stuck in place. Living off money you made in your twenties and your mother’s inheritance. Not saying that they live better, or worse. Just that they’re living and you have no purpose in them anymore. That’s at least what you’ve convinced yourself.

You stand up suddenly from your spot, anxiety hitting you. The feeling of dread overwhelming you. “Shit.” You mumble, grasping at your chest. “Stop, stop, stop.” You plead with nobody, pacing around your living room. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” You try to convince yourself, your hands shaking as you take in deep breaths. The feeling of panic wasn’t stopping any time soon though. You grab onto your hair, “Stop it! I’m fucking fine!” You shout into the air, yanking at your hair before hitting yourself in the head a few times. “Fucking please!” You cry out. 

Stumbling around as you’re begging to whoever is out there to stop this feeling. Taking the bottle of wine and smashing it to the ground. “God, what the fuck!” You sob with no tears coming out. 

You couldn’t stop it, after how many years of having these panic attacks you couldn’t stop it without someone else being beside you. A soothing voice or someone cracking a joke. Forcing you to listen to the music or the noises around you. You felt dizzy as you reached down for your phone. Unfortunately slipping on your rug and onto a rather large piece of glass. 

“Fuck!!” You howl in pain, you grip onto the couch, looking down at your calf that has a large chunk of broken glass sticking out. Gushing blood through your grey sweatpants. That sure stopped the panic attack… 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” You angrily express, glaring at the wound. You stand up with a wince. Forgetting about your phone and heading to the front door with a limp. You were huffing out of breath, stopping yourself before you did anything. You bend over, attempting to take the glass out yourself but you see the blood stain grow bigger on your pants. Along with the pain growing excruciating. “Yup. Hospital… hospital.” You grimace, snatching your keys off the hook. 

You shut the door behind you, practically jumping on one leg to your car, leaning against it as you swing the door open and plop down. Slowly remembering that you’re wine drunk. 

Should you be driving? No probably not but it’s your left leg and you’re not calling the ambulance to get a huge ass bill that you definitely could afford nor are you calling for help. 

You speed on your way to the hospital. Feeling yourself incredibly lightheaded but keeping your eyes open and focused on the road. You’ve been drinking and feeling the blood drain from your body was no help either. 

You pull into the parking lot of the hospital, climbing out and almost falling to the ground as you do so. Slamming the door behind you, you limp to the front doors of the emergency room. “Fucking hell…” You murmur, shoving your keys in your pocket. “Hello?!” You slur out, slumping against the front desk. 

A lady appears and gives you a weird look. “Hi, what can I do for you?” She asks and you laugh. “Um… my leg, I broke some glass, it’s in my leg.” You answer horribly and then point behind you to the blood that has trailed behind you. Her eyes widen and you grin sweetly with half-lidded eyes.

“You think I could see a doctor?” Is the last thing you manage to get out before passing out cold against the desk then your body slipping down to the ground. 

1996

You’re putting jars on one shelf as you put the rest of the cans that weren’t used for the shooting range outside and not in the pantry. Then you can use the jars to collect the berries and nuts, Keeping a neater storage. 

You heard footsteps creaking behind you but you don’t think much of it, continuing your thing. “Need any help?” A voice cuts through your silence and you peep over to see Van standing there. You feel yourself tense up as you shake your head. “No, thank you though.” 

“Can I just… stand here then? Like an idiot of course.” She adds in the last part and you press your lips together as you try to hold in a laugh. “If you have nothing better to do, I guess I can’t stop you.” You shrug your shoulders and she smiles. This is the most you’ve said to her in a while. 

And that’s saying a lot since you’ve only just said 17 words to her. Van patiently stands there, ever so often looking behind her to see if someone was going to head inside. 

“You going to talk at all?” You speak up first, surprisingly. “Being quiet is kind of a part of the whole idiot thing I was going for but you know… I can try talking.” She sarcastically answers and you let out a “pfft.” Looking over at her with a stupid lopsided grin on your face. “So talk, idiot.” You joke and she lands a hand on her heart. 

“Man, harsh.” 

You couldn’t stop smiling at her, trying to get back to your organizing but now all you could feel is her presence. “I really didn’t do anything… right? Like the reason we barely talk isn’t because of me?” She suddenly asks and you drop your hands to your sides with a small sigh. 

You knew you couldn’t keep this going, you couldn’t just continue to ignore her. As much as you wanted to push her away. “Van, I promise you, you did absolutely nothing.” You turn to face her to show you’re sincere. 

“I’m sorry I’ve been acting like this.” You say cautiously, not knowing what your next words are going to be. “I d- I don’t really know what to tell you it was… Other than the fact that you were getting too close to me.” You shyly admit. 

“So… I mean I did do something?” She says in a more inquisitive tone. “No, no, Van.” You laugh, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I got scared once I realized how close you were getting to me. Along with the fact that y’know you caught me fucking looking at a redhead on a porno magazine.” You blurt out, sort of without thinking but for some reason it didn’t hit you. 

Van stands there for a moment. “You’re gay?” She whispers and you let out a loud laugh. “That’s what you take out of that?” You hold your stomach as you can’t stop the giggles. It was probably the anxiety but it was also incredibly amusing. You couldn't believe you were coming out to someone. 

It was humorous because you knew Taissa was trying to get it out of you earlier too. “Well, are you?” She asks and you raise a brow. “Am I?” You tease and she looks expectant, like she needed to hear you say it. “I am.” You breathe out. “You?” You point to her and she purses out her lips. 

“Me? Nah, nah, definitely not.” She sarcastically says and you gently push her. “Okay, sure.” You move past her so you can grab some sort of container for the cans. “So… redheads are something you’re interested in, in a person?” She comes up behind you as you look for a container and you freeze. 

“They’re okay, I guess.” You try not to smile. “Just okay?” She was growing bold in this moment, taking her chance. “I think redheads deserve more love. I’ll admit that.” You pull a large plastic bucket from the bottom cabinet, turning around to face Van. “That we can agree on. The lack of love we receive…” She dramatically sighs and you scoff. 

“You finished your chore already?” You change the subject. “Yeah, just waiting for the laundry to dry now.” She tells you, right behind you as you take the bucket to the pantry. Placing the cans in it. 

“That’s cool, I wish I got laundry, I think I got a few splinters.” You pout out your lips and she makes a face. “I can check for you.” She offers and you place the bucket down. Shoving your hands in her direction. “Mm, you have two. I can get them later if you want?” She glances up at you and you nod. “Sounds like a plan.” You go back to what you’re doing. Van even helps you organize the area. 

Cleaning the cobwebs, and even cleaning out the dirty fridge that’s definitely not usable but it will possibly help get rid of smells. “I’m going to take a second outside, I’ll be back.” You tell the redhead who gives you a thumbs up in return, lifting up a heavy bunch of trash that will be burned by the fire tonight after dinner. 

Taissa comes up to you with a curious expression, nosey about what Van and you talked about. “Hey, [Name]! Wait for me!” She calls and you pause in your steps to look back at her. “Oh, what’s up, Tai?” You wait for her. 

“What’s that?” She asks, motioning to the bucket. “Trash from the fridge and pantry.” You answer, showing it off. “It’s gonna get burned tonight but I don’t want it near here for right now.”

Huffing as you carry it away from the site. “Makes sense, it’s fucking gross.” She gags at it, peering away from it to look ahead. “Yeah, I’m sick of the random scents when we’re going to bed.” You laugh, hefting up the bucket from slipping in your hands. 

“I think this is a good spot.” You call, heading over to a tree and placing it down. 

You wipe sweat from your face with your shirt before standing up straight. “I wish we had ac out here.” You complain, fanning yourself dramatically and Taissa hums in agreement. It’s getting colder out so in the same breath you were fine but the feeling of a fan or ac unit just hits differently. 

As you were going to continue your complaint, walking back to the cabin the two of you pass by the structure that holds the deer carcass. Shauna kneeled down by the blood. Startled by the both of you she hides something behind her back. “Sorry, we were just-” Taissa starts but Shauna shakes her head. “It’s fine.” Bolting out of there before anything else can be said. 

Taissa and you share a look with one another, confused. “That was weird, right?” She inquires with you and you nod your head. “Isn’t she the only one without a period?” You raise a brow and Taissa gasps. “Is she?” 

“I thought so but I don’t know.” You lift your shoulders. Glancing back to where Shauna just was. “Let’s go.” Taissa grabs your wrist and forces you to be a spy with her. 

“Thanks for jinxing me.” Shauna yells to Jackie who glances up. “Welcome to Club Flo. Call me when you’re ready to shake Misty down for Motrin.” 

Jackie holds your walkman, attempting to get it to work again. Something she asked last night before going to bed. She looks hopeful as she fights with the batteries but again nothing comes out. “Ugh. Fucking cocksucker.” You smirk. 

“[Name]! You still cleaning with me!?” Van calls from the cabin, steering your attention away from the captain of your soccer team. “Yeah, yeah!” You excuse yourself from Taissa’s side. She hesitantly lets you go without a smart comment. Giving Van a wink whose face grows warm at the gesture. Once you’re inside the redhead flicks up her middle finger. Tai laughed to herself, moving onto her chore.

 

2021

You wake up groggily with an IV in your arm and a large bandage on your leg. “The fuck?” You murmur, dazed as you blink yourself awake. A body comes to your side, grabbing onto your arm. Startling you, you look up. A glimpse of red hair. “Van?” You breathe out but as you come to, your vision fixes itself. Showing not red hair, but an orange sweater. 

“[Name]? You’re awake, are you okay?” It’s Taissa, you furrow your eyebrows angrily. 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” You attempt to sit yourself up but you’re still heavily drugged up, grabbing at your IV but Taissa stops you. “Hey, hey, I got the call you were here. I’m still on your fucking emergency contact list. Not that I wanted to be here the day before Halloween or at all.” She explains to you and your chest heaves up and down. 

“What? I changed my- how the fuck?” You question frantically, not understanding what’s happening. You sit there quietly, glaring down at the cast on your leg. Thinking about your emergency contact. You never changed your contact after 8 years of not talking to Taissa. You close your eyes, not irritated with yourself. 

“They told me you had glass so deep in your leg is scratched against your fucking bone. You’re lucky it didn’t hit an important nerve.” She tells you and you side eye her with a childish pout on your lips. “They also said you were drunk, almost hitting the legal limit. How the fuck did you drive here?” Taissa scolds you and you scoff out a laugh. 

“Barely felt a buzz.” You roll your eyes. “You say that and next thing you know you’re throwing up for four fucking hours begging for Vanessa. You’ve done it for years.” She snaps, shutting you up. 

“Look, I need to go home with my family. You have someone I can call?” She asks, folding her arms patiently. You sit there quietly. “I’m fine.” mumble. “Great, so no one. You have no one who can drive you home?” 

Silence. 

“[Name], I can’t just leave you alone, you’re obviously going through some sort of mental crisis or some shit. Who can I call?” She questions and your jaw drops in offense. “I am not going through a mental crisis!” You defend yourself and she deadpans.

“Right, so if I go to your house right now, I won’t find dozens of your favorite wine with Fleetwood Mac or The Smashing Pumpkins playing? I know you better than that.” She spits to which you just “tch” in response. 

“Have you been taking your meds?” She sighs. “No, the pharmacy hasn’t refilled them.” You answer. 

“You’re going through a manic episode. Jesus.” She pinches the bridge of her nose and you grow quiet again. She’s right… you should’ve caught it too. It started with that idiotic hook up. Quitting your job? Oh what the fuck have you been doing? Your heart rate picks up, something Taissa catches. 

“It’s fine, I’ll just have to speak with your doctor. I’ll ask my wife if you can sleep on our couch for a bit.” She tells you and you want to argue with her. Scream at her, that’s not happening. Instead you just lay there, disappointed with yourself. Just like your father you have bipolar disorder. You were diagnosed with it after being rescued from the plane crash. 

It felt like your world was ending when you got that diagnosis. Fearful of ending up like your father. 

Taissa goes to the hall to call her wife. You stare at your bandage cover, all that for some stitches. Dramatic, much? 

Taissa drives you to your house in her large SUV. The two of you exchange glances every now and then with only the faint sound of the music from the radio playing. She pulls into her driveway and you raise a brow seeing your car already there.

“How did Juno get here?” You unbuckle and she stops you.

“I’ll go in for you. And Simone drove it when she heard what happened. Said it was such a piece of junk too.” She jokes and you huff. “You said that, Simone is too nice. And I’m going in whether I have to jump or you help me.” You open the door and she presses her lips together. Rushing out to get to the passenger side and help you down. 

You use her as a crutch, leaning your weight on her. “This take you back to when you broke Allie’s leg?” You smirk and she lets out a large breath in response. “[Name], shut up.” She grunts, helping you to your front door as you’re laughing. “Man, that girl was annoying, still is honestly.” You push through the front door, noticing the hot mess you left behind. 

“Jesus, it’s like a crime scene in here.” Taissa motions to the trail of blood that leads to the broken glass and the small pool of blood your leg left behind. “Fleetwood still going strong.” You hop over to your record player, lifting up the tonearm, stopping the repeated music. Taissa makes a face, knowing that she was right about your mental crisis. 

Well by the looks of your house she was extremely correct. She observes your house as you hop into your bedroom, leaning on your walls and random furniture you have as you pack a bag. 

Taissa looks at the wall above your tv that holds numerous pictures. Pictures of Van Palmer, herself, Natalie and Shauna. Pictures of your siblings and family when you were younger. Nothing has changed in the 8 years that the two of you stopped talking. Except for the layout of your living room or kitchen. Everything is the same though. 

You never got anything new, never threw out clearly broken chairs or the clock on the wall that’s been unticking since 2008. Her gaze softens at these details of your home. You’ve never moved on. 

“Let’s go, Nosey Turner.” You lean against your doorway with a backpack. “I’m not being- Oh hey, there’s your phone.” Taissa carefully goes to the couch, picking it up. “You were being nosey, but it’s okay.” You limp to the front door and she follows behind you. Reaching her arms out just in case you trip. 

Later that night you lay on Taissa and Simone’s couch feeling incredibly out of place. Simone welcomed you with open arms, definitely undeserving of this treatment. Simone remembered you well, she didn’t know what happened between you and her wife. Something you promised Taissa before entering her home that she wouldn’t know. She’d be kept in the dark of her wife’s mistreatment towards you. 

“Do you need anything else?” Simone asks, making sure your leg is elevated and you have water on the coffee table in front of you, the remote to the tv in your lap. “I’m fine, Simone. Thank you, I appreciate you just for opening your home up to me.” You smile softly to which she does the same. Patting your shoulder. 

“Of course, you’re welcome anytime. You were like family years ago and you still are.” She assures you. Taissa comes up behind her wife. “Sammy’s waiting for us.” She whispers and Simone nods her head. “If you need help, call us. We’ll come running.” She says and you give her a thumbs up. Both of them walk upstairs. 

You threw your head back as you stared up at her tall ceiling. Disbelieving that you’re inside Taissa Turner’s out after what happened years ago. Not even that but seeing her not that long ago and telling her you don’t forgive her, she’s still willing to open her home up to you. You hated it. 

“God damn.” You whisper, squeezing your eyes shut and opening them as if you’d wake up from a dream. 

The next day Simone got you your meds from the pharmacy and you wonder if this is the power of being a politician's wife or what. 

Taissa rushes outside of the house and you lift yourself up. Wondering what’s happening. Simone slowly behind her. “What’re you? Did you see someone out there?!” Simone calls after. “Keep the dog inside.” Taissa tells. 

The two have been outside for a bit and you impatiently get up, limping toward the door. “The fuck happened?” You shout, opening the door and the two women look at you.

“Go lay back down!” Taissa orders and you shake your head. “What- oh what the hell?!” You back up from the front door and see it with the word “SPILL” dripping in red paint. You give her a look, and her own are worry-ful but she seems to know where it could’ve come from. 

Nothing comes from that conversation though as you guys go back into the house. You are lectured about getting up by Simone as Taissa is back in her work office. 

Simone and Taissa take Sammy trick or treating after Taissa was stuck in her office before that.  

Leaving you to be obviously stuck on the couch, watching old Halloween movies, giving you nostalgia of when you were younger. 

When the three came home Sammy was bragging about his candy haul. You poke your head up from the couch. “What’d you get?” You ask and he jumps from the sound of your voice. He knew you were there, his mothers told him but it still scared him nonetheless. To which the three of you adults laughed. 

“Sorry, guess you forgot I’m still here.” You chuckle. He shyly nods his head. “What happened?” He suddenly asks and you’re a little shocked by it. 

Simone goes to stop it but Taissa and you stop her. “Fell onto some glass, nothing special.” You wiggle your toes. He seems disappointed by your lack of story but then you change the subject. “So, what you got in there?” You repeat your first question.  “A lot, I can show you.” He goes around the couch and dumps his candy on the coffee table. You re-adjust yourself so you can look. He puts a sucker already in his mouth. 

“Remember what we said, Samwich.” Taissa reminds him as she goes to the kitchen to sort through her mail. “Five pieces. Can I have six?” He doesn’t look back to them as he’s partly showing off his candy to you while also picking out the pieces he wants. 

“Counting what’s in your mouth?” Simone quizzes and he pops the lollipop out of his mouth. “I don’t know how that got there!” He feigns surprise and you smile at him. “And remember, no candy for the dog.” Simone points. Leaving the two of you alone to talk about the candy he got. 

You also eavesdrop to the ladies' conversation in the kitchen. “Speaking of truth, maybe it’s getting time for you to spill about your opponent’s junkie daughter.” You hear Simone say to her wife, you knit your eyebrows together. “Whatever happened to not going low?” Taissa questions. 

“Turns out, when the nut-jobs come to my house, I’m less magnanimous.” She replies. ”The contractor’s sending someone to paint over it tomorrow.” Taissa tells her, but it still doesn’t help Simone’s nerves and even you can feel that. Taissa comes over to her son. “Arms up.” She directs and he reluctantly pauses on his candy sorting to let his mom take off his sandwich costume. 

You turn your movie back on, hanging out with Sammy still who has just finished sorting his candy into different piles, he offers you the ones he doesn’t want and you take it very appreciative. 

Simone and Taissa step in your view of the TV though, Taissa setting down a brush and paint can on the coffee table and Sammy looks up. “What’s that?” He asks. “Maybe you should tell us, Sammy. We found it in your room.” Tai answers and he just shakes his head no. 

“What do you mean, no? You painted a word on the front door. You want to tell us why?” Taissa folds her arms, frustrated with her son as you awkwardly sit there with a sour candy in your mouth. Sammy shakes his head yet again. “Sweetheart, we promise not to be angry, but you need to tell us the truth.” Simone speaks up this time. 

Sammy looks nervous, he avoids eye contact with them.

“I didn’t paint the word.” Sammy tells them. “Sammy, please-” 

“The bad one did it. The lady in the tree.” Sammy tells them with some sort of fear. You furrow your eyebrows. “And did the lady in the tree also leave this paint under your bed? Sammy, you know there isn’t any lady. Please don’t lie to us.” Taissa sternly talks to her son who suddenly explodes, sweeping his candy off of the table. 

“I’m not lying! You’re lying!” He shouts as he runs to his room. 

You tense up, eyes wide as you glance up to his parents who share their own worried look. 

1996

You sit on the porch of the cabin with Van beside you, you’re leaning on her tiredly. All of a sudden Mari is shrieking, rushing out of the building. “Get it off me! Somebody get it off!” She shouts, reaching behind her. Shauna rushes to her as well as Akilah. “Get what off? I don’t see anything.” Akilah says. 

“I don’t know! I was standing under the trapdoor and something crawled down my shirt! Please…” She esaperates, and Shauna inspects her. “There’s nothing on you.” She tells her. 

“Must’ve been the ghost.” Taissa walks up and you smirk. “Don’t say that.” Mari huffs. “You guys… you guys! I just had a brainstorm!” Jackie announces, earning everyone’s attention. “We should do a seance.” 

“That’s a terrible idea. We’re also not in middle school.” Taissa rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but remember how fun this shit used to be? Maybe if we could laugh about this, it would help.” Jackie defends her idea and you knit your eyebrows together as you observe everyone else’s reaction. 

“The occult is no laughing matter.” Laura Lee gravely speaks. “It’s not the occult. It’s a game. Shauna, tell them. It’ll be fun.” Jackie turns to her best friend who’s not on the spot. “I mean… it’s not like we have anything better to do. Besides, maybe the dead guy can give us some life advice.” Shauna shrugs her shoulders, attempting to support Jackie. “It’s settled, then. Tonight, the attic. We make contact.” 

You stand up and look to Van who doesn’t look too displeased with the idea. You don’t really care either way. You don’t have your walkman anymore so like Shauna said no one has anything better to do. Leaning back on the redhead, you place your head on her shoulder. Letting out a yawn. 

“You’re tired?” She quietly asks and you nod. “My period and all the moving around I did I guess wore me out.” You close your eyes, not seeing Taissa who’s making a face at the girl you’re leaning on. Van subtly flicks her off. 

2021

Taissa sits at the kitchen table and you awkwardly watch your movie, trying to pretend like you’re not there as Simone comes back downstairs. “He’s asleep, finally.” She informs her wife. 

Joining her at the table. “I’m worried about him.” Taissa exclaims. “Glad you’re catching up.” Simone scoffs out but it doesn’t seem to be cruelly intent. “I know I’ve been distracted.” Taissa frowns. You glance back at them from the couch. Being incredibly nosey but they don’t seem to care that you’re listening. 

“You’ve been worse than distracted. You’re losing weight, you’re exhausted. You want to know what’s wrong with Sammy? I think a big part of it is that he’s missing the mom he knew. You’ll never get the time back, you know. None of us will.” Simone gives Taissa a speech that seems to have been needed as Tai sits straighter at her words. “All this, just to lose a bid for state senate,” Taissa weakly jokes. 

Simone sits there, not giving a pep talk and you wince at the scene. “You think I should drop out.” 

“I would never ask you to do that. I just don’t want you to have regrets. You have a long career ahead of you. Maybe this just… isn’t the year.” Simone carefully admits how she feels. Taissa takes it in with a grain of salt. 

You anxiously sit there, wondering what her answer will be as if you’ll be affected much. 

You watch as Taissa takes Simone’s hand. “I’ll make an announcement.” Taissa says. 

Your eyes widen but even you can see that glimpse in her eyes where she’s already regretting it. You squint and you worry. This isn’t going to go well. 

1996

You end up falling asleep on the girl’s shoulder without even meaning to. Your head about to fall forward but somehow Van catches it, putting her arm around your torso to keep you still. Jackie and Shauna are already off to set up the seance. 

And when Natalie and Travis get back, Natalie immediately notices your figures with a soft smirk upon her lips. The girls crowd the two, telling them about Jackie’s idea. The two find it idiotic but go along with it nonetheless. Van wakes you up, figuring you’d want to talk to your best friend. 

With a jump your eyes shoot up. “Sorry!” You gasp. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Tiredly rubbing your eyes as you stretch your arms and automatically Van is missing your warmth.

“It’s fine, Nat’s back.” She points and you thank her before getting up. Hearing all the cracks in your legs from being in the same position for a while. 

“Debrief time?” You grab your best friend’s wrist who only nods, holding a smug look on her face as you drag her off somewhere. “Debrief. A-way!” She laughs and you hit her. 

“I came out to Van!” You spit out and Natalie’s eyes widen. “No fucking way!” She nudges you to which you nod your head. “Yeah way, I don’t even know why!” You groan as you throw your head back. “You’re into her! Just admit it already!” Natalie dramatically motions. 

“Ugh, I can’t hide it, I am. I most definitely am. I’m trying to fight it. I’m trying to put out every excuse there is but I can’t this time!” You cover your face as you feel it warm up. She grins at you, wanting to squeal for you but not wanting to be loud where the girls would hear her. “Finally!” She excitedly says. 

You’ve had attractions but never crushes. Never ones that you’d admit on. “But I can see the eyes you’re giving Travis… so…” You change the subject and her face drops. “What?” 

“Oh don’t even! I might hate the guy- kind of despise him. But I know you.” You cross your arms as she rolls her eyes. “The two of you were laughing before you left. Laughing. I couldn’t even smile in that guy's direction, that's how I know you got it bad.” You tell her earnestly, half-joking. You really didn’t like Travis but that’s for your personal reasons. If Natalie liked him, you would have to get over it. 

“He’s not as bad as he comes off.” She murmurs and you scrunch your nose with a certain smile. “No denying it…” 

“Shut up.” She avoids your eye contact and you clap your hands. “You’re so readable.” You make kissy faces. 

“You’re so fucking annoying.” She shoves you away from her. 

“O, keeper of this wild and hidden place! We anoint ourselves with blood and earth…” Jackie passes the bowl to Travis who makes a disgusted expression. You sit between Natalie and Van. “It’s just dirt and deer blood, classic witch recipe, relax.” She giggles as Travis dabs at it, passing the bowl to Natalie. 

You notice their reactions to their fingers touching and you try not to laugh. “O spirit! We offer our sister as your instrument. Come to us, and speak your peace.” Jackie continues. The bowl given to you. 

You grimace down at the blood, making the cross on your forehead, handing the bowl to Van who matches your facial expression. It’s silent as the bowl is fully paced. 

“It is I, Jacques.” Shauna suddenly speaks as if channeling the ghost. 

This earns laughter from everyone. “Ahem.” She speaks in a lower octave. “Ahem. Jacques. Ask your questions. The pendulum will answer.” 

Van is the first to lean forward with a serious look. “Dear dead hunter guy… Did OJ do it?” She asks, the girls giggle and you nudge her knee with the back of your hand. 

“C’mon you guys, real questions.” Jackie pleads. “The veil is thin between our two planes. Ask what is in your heart.” Shauna re-commences. “I’ll go. Is principal Berzonsky screwing Ms. DeWine?” Mari sits straight.

Arm out, Shauna starts the knife-pendulum swinging and you all watch as the arcs widen, eventually becoming a circle. “It is certain.” 

And now this grows a pique of interest. “If we hadn’t crashed, would we have won nationals?” Akilah speaks up. 

The pendulum swings once again, moving back and forth instead of a circle this time. Boos fill the attic, Lottie even laughs at this. Your eyes flicker to Jackie who beams. Proud of her contribution to the group. 

Making them have a good time. 

The conversation switches as someone brings up a classmate's boobs. “They’re obviously fake, you really need a ghost to tell you that?” Natalie laughs out as Javi wedges himself between her and Travis, waving to you, you do the same with a gentle smile. 

“You think? But who would’ve paid for them? Her parents?” Mari tilts her head curiously. You overhear Travis whispering to his brother. “I told you to stay downstairs.” “Whatever, it’s boring.” Javi responds. 

“I think they got divorced recently. Maybe it was guilt money.” You speak up, not wanting to intervene between brothers. 

“Well that’s just creepy.” Mari says. “You mom and I are splitting up, but don’t worry- your tits are gonna look amazing!” Van grabs onto her own chest and everyone bursts into laughter but the only person she really cared about making laugh was you. Your hand is on your stomach from how hilarious and idiotic this conversation is. 

“Okay guys, focus, next question.” Jackie spots Misty from across the room who’s ecstatic and eager to be chosen to ask a question. “Misty?” 

The curly blonde straightens her posture, avoiding eye contact as she begins. “Dear spirit, I need to know the truth. Does the person I like like me back?” She breathes out and Shauna loops the pendulum, a circle; a yes. 

Misty blushes, grinning ear to ear as the girls all give her an “ooo-ooo.” 

“Who’s next?” 

Javi waves his hand and Jackie gives him the go ahead. “Are we gonna die out here?” 

And just like that, all the fun exits out the room. It was real. Serious, too serious for anyone to want to know. You look at Shauna who hesitates. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Travis hits him and he turns to you, almost for comfort. You give him an empathetic look but you truly didn’t know what to do for him. 

The pendulum moves into an infinity shape. Unsettling to everyone. 

“Eight? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s not an eight, it’s infinity?” 

“Oh, okay Aristotle.” 

As tension grows with the arguing you sit there. Body tensed but still aware. Observing Lottie who is slowly turning her head, staring at the window behind her. Then all of a sudden screaming, full of terror. You, Van and Akilah rush to her side, springing into action. Lottie grabs onto your arms as you try to soothe her. 

The window blows open and the candles are extinguished by the wind. Stopping the girl’s scream but confusion engulfs the room. The three girls cling to you as you stand there. “Hey hey, it’s okay.” You say, letting go of the girls to close and latch the window. 

“Who has the matches?” Jackie asks as you’re trying to calm the girls around you. A flame flicks up by Shauna’s hand as she re-lights the candles on the ground. “There’s something wrong with her.” Van points, her hold on you once again. You bend down, Lottie back to gripping onto your arms. The three of you are attempting to keep her still. 

All eyes on Lottie who slowly opens her mouth. “Oh, I don’t think-” Akilah’s dread washing over everyone else. “It- it… it wants-” Lottie begins to jerk around, letting out a guttural and unintelligible noise that freaks everyone out. 

She pauses, her chest heaving up and down. Her eyes roll back as she twitches with a violent tremor ripping through her. You feel her nails digging into your skin, rubbing against your almost fully healed burn. 

“Should we, uh… Misty?!” Van shouts, the blonde gets up seemingly with delight. She approaches but Lottie goes back to speaking random words. 

“It! Wants!”

“Lottie, I swear to God, if you’re fucking with us…” Mari comments. “Is she, like…” Akilah can’t get the word out, backing away with Misty. Van standing over you with her hold still on you since you can’t move anyways with Lottie’s grip. 

“Lot, what’s going on? What is it?” You mutter out, trying to look her in the eyes. Her thrashing doesn’t help though. “Hungry. Hungry…” She then looks up to you.

“It’s in her already.” Her eyes flicker to Shauna. You follow it and Shauna’s face drops, not understanding what Lottie is talking about at first. 

But you see her small recognition. 

“Alright, Lottie, let’s cut it out now.” You warn her, trying to take your arms back now but she doesn’t let go. Only gripping tighter. Giving you a manic smile.

“You understand. You’ll feel it. I know you will.” She whispers to you, and only you. Your eyebrows knit together. “What?” 

She lets you go, standing up. “Ce n’est pas un jeu.” 

Van helps you stand away from the girl. “Au début, il a pris soin de moi. Je l’ai nourri.” 

“Is that French?” Van looks around. “Il m’a apporté ses cadeaux. Les cadeaux des bois…” 

“Since when does Lottie know French?” Natalie urgently asks. “Mais il avait toujours faim…” Lottie continues in a low voice. “Jackie, aren’t you guys in the same class?” 

“Mes offres étaient trop maigres.” 

“Yeah, but she sucks at French!” Jackie exclaims. “Il voulait du sang.” 

“Well what’s she saying?” Mari inquired, panicked. “I dunno, I suck at French too!” Jackie shrugs her shoulders with wide eyes. “Il veut toujours du sang.” 

“Well damn it, Jackie, try not to!” Van spits out, the two of you holding onto one another. You rub the marks that were made by Lottie, wincing at the pain in your burn mark. “Il veut du sang!” 

“He, no, it- wanted… something.” Jackie attempts to translate. “Il voulait plus de sang.” 

“It… blood? I think she’s saying blood.” Jackie thinks. “Not the word I want to be hearing right now.” Mari frowns deeply. Lottie gets up walking quickly to the window and starts jabbing at the glass. Pointing at something. “Le sang coule ici.” 

“Shit… more blood stuff?” 

“Ici. Ici.” Lottie repeats, pointing with more urgency. “Here? I don’t…” 

“There’s blood where, Lottie?” Van speaks up. “Would you stop encouraging her!?” Taissa shouts only to be ignored. “Here, or out there?” 

“Il faut.” 

“It’s fake?” Jackie asks. “You must spill blood or… or else.” It seemed to be an effort to speak English as if Lottie doesn’t do it on a regular basis. Lottie falls silent, breathing heavily but still pointing at the window.

“Or else what, Lottie?!” Jackie yells but suddenly Lottie smashes her head against the glass. Everyone screams but you rush to her aid. Ripping off your shirt to place over her wound on her head. 

“Help me!” You yell at the girls, Lottie unleashes a long wail. Natalie and Van restraining her as you keep the shirt up to her forehead. Laura Lee appeared from downstairs, beelining for Lottie with her bible in hand. 

“The power of Christ compels you!” She orders. Lottie’s eyes still rolled back, wailing still. “Be gone, Satan! I said the power of Christ compels you!” She shouts, more determined than before. Stern and certain in what she believes in. Lottie continues to wail. Trying to move her head away from your hold. 

“Lottie! Stop!” Laura Lee then chucks her bible right at Lottie’s stomach. Lottie’s eyes focus, confusedly looking up to the blonde. “Ow! What the hell, Laura Lee?” She glares upward. Trying to push you away but you don’t let go of her head. 

Forcing her to look at you instead.The girls stare at each other, hearts pounding but you’re immediately aiding the wound. “Seriously? What the motherfuck just happened?” Mari motions to the room. 

“I need my kit.” You order, Van nods her head, rushing downstairs. “Lottie, I don’t even want to know why you did what you did. But Jesus christ.” You clean up her face a bit harshly. The girl is dazed, not understanding what happened either. What she does notice though are the claw-like marks on your arms. 

Prominently over your burn mark. “Did I do that?” She softly asks, touching them. You glance down and huff. “Yeah, but it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” 

Everyone has gone to their spots for bed, almost instantaneously Lottie is the first one knocked out. Snoring even. 

You set your stuff beside Van, taking in a deep breath. The stinging in your arms not going away, neither is the anxiety you feel from Lottie’s words earlier. You knew Shauna was feeling the same way. 

“At least someone’s getting some rest.” Van comments. “Raise your hand if you’ll never sleep again.” Mari speaks, being the first to do so and it leads to others. Except Taissa who won’t admit she’s afraid.

“Do we think it’s still up there?” Akilah shakily asks, a few eyes seem to look to you for comfort. 

“Guys, I think we need to take a deep breath. Lottie hasn’t been acting well for the past few weeks we’ve been here.” You point out to them, still standing with your hands on your hips. “I promise nothing is up there to get us.” You place a hand on your heart the girls would like to believe it but there’s still discomfort covering the room. 

“I’ll prove it.” Taissa scoffs, gathering her bedding. Heading for the trapdoor. “You’re going to sleep up there??” Akilah furrows. 

“That’s right. Anyone with me?” She shoots a look your way and even to Van. Van shakes her head, still incredibly frightened. But you sigh, gathering up your things as well. Van gasps. Reaching out to stop you. “Are you serious?”

“Van, it’s okay. You don’t have to come but I’m not leaving her alone up there.” You tell her. “Great.” Taissa smiles, heading up the stairs. 

You follow behind quickly in case you change your mind. 

“You didn’t have to come with me, I know you’d rather be with Van.” Taissa quietly says and you snort. “That could be true but I have more nights to do that it seems.” You set your stuff down next to hers and she smirks at you for not denying your feelings. 

Moments later, Shauna is at the top of the stairs. “What’re you doing?” Taissa asks. “Keeping you two company. If that’s okay.” Shauna glances between the both of you. You both nod and she tosses her bedding on the floor. You are in the middle between both of them. 

As you all settle into your spots. Lying there almost awkwardly until Taissa speaks up. “How far along are you?” 

“You are pregnant right?” She asks the question that even you didn’t think would be answered. 

Your heart thumps at the confrontation. Your head turns to look at Shauna who’s frozen in place. “You guys won’t tell anyone, will you?” 

“No. I won’t. But if we’re stuck here long enough, I have a feeling it’ll come out one way or another.” Taissa whispers and you nod your head with a sad expression.

“We’ll stick by you though, if you need anything.” You assure the girl before she rolls onto her back. Staring up at the ceiling. 

2021

You lean on Taissa as you try to keep weight off your leg, the both of you standing in front of a motel door. Taissa knocks one time and the door swings open.

“Since my press conference my phone hasn’t stopped ringing with folks trying to interview me. So tell me: why am I here?” Taissa questions as she helps you inside. Natalie looks confused at the two of you together but decides to ignore it for now. 

Holding up a photo collage of the Symbol. Both of your faces drop. Afraid. 

“What is that?” Taissa asks. “It’s the floor of the barn where they found Travis. The police ruled it a suicide. But there were candles on the floor underneath him. Tai, [Name]. Arranged like this. Someone burned them and then took them away.” She explains to the both of you. And you squint your eyes at it. 

“But who would do that? Why?” Taissa blurts and just then Natalie’s phone buzzes along with Taissas. But yours doesn’t. “Gather 50k cash and await further instructions. Do not discuss this with your teammates- I WILL KNOW.” Natalie reads the message and you give a disgusted look. “What the fuck is happening??” 

“I’m calling Shauna.” Taissa steps further into the motel room as Natalie turns to you. “The fuck happened to you?” 

“I was drunk, slipped on my rug and caught it on glass… that I also broke.” You quickly sum it up. She presses her lips together at you. “Taissa?” She then points back to the woman and you put a finger up. “I’ll explain later.” 

Taissa finally gets Shauna on the phone. “I’m with Natalie and [Name]. You need to get over here. Travis is dead, and-” A beat takes. 

“She says she already knows.” Taissa looks at you two. “What? How?” Natalie quizzes. 

“Misty called her.” Taissa rolls her eyes. “That conniving, poodle-haired little freak. Give me that.” Natalie angrily takes the phone from Taissa’s hand. 

“Shauna, we need you here. Now.”

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[loversrocktvgirl2]

my mini multiverse of madness…

Pancakes (Bucky x Reader)

word count: 0.7k

masterlist

You lived in the Avengers Tower. You were on pretty good terms with everyone there—Steve was sweet, Sam made you laugh, Tony made you snicker, Natasha made you feel both safe yet threatened, Clint made you feel comfortable, Thor entertained you, and Bruce made you relax. There was only one person in the tower you had issues with. 

Bucky. 

It wasn’t even like there was anything wrong with him, he just never talked to you or interacted with you at all unless it was to get on your nerves. It drove you crazy.

You went into the kitchen to cook some pancakes. You’d had a craving for them for some reason, and had decided to make them. When you went to gather your ingredients, however, you found many of them on the top shelves of whatever cabinet they were in. Unfortunately, you couldn’t reach the top shelves. 

Steve and Sam, while both being tall, liked to have things at a level they didn’t have to bend down to pick up, but they never put anything so high that you couldn’t reach it. Well, that was probably because Steve and Sam were decent, thoughtful people. So that just left Thor and Bucky. But Thor rarely used the kitchen—it perplexed him and he preferred not to use it, especially after that one time he nearly burnt the ceiling. 

So you sighed, frustrated, got out the step stool, and carried it to all of the cabinets, getting the ingredients from high up one by one. When Bucky walked into the kitchen, he smirked. “Need any help?”

You rolled your eyes and turned to look at him. “No. Did you seriously put all of these up here?”

“It’s just autopilot!” Bucky argued with a relaxed shrug. 

“Yeah, yeah,” you grabbed the container of salt and carried it down, stepping down from the two-step tall step stool. 

“Damn, you’re short,” Bucky chuckled. 

You glared daggers at him. “I’m not that shortYou just put things so damn high up that nobody under six feet could reach it.” 

“You ever notice how you only talk to me when I’ve done something that bothers you?” Bucky questioned. 

You stilled for a half-second. “…it’s not like you talk to me otherwise, either.”

“I’m just making an observation.”

“Just… make it someplace else. I’m hungry, I’m gonna make my pancakes.”

You thought about what Bucky had said, though. About you never talking to him unless he’d pissed you off. And you decided to give him a shot. 

So forty five minutes later, you walked into the living room and found him. “Hey, do you uhm… do you wanna have pancakes with me?”

Bucky looked up, surprised, but nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

He followed you to the kitchen table and filled his plate up with pancakes. The conversation was a little uncomfortable at first, but you soon found a bit of common ground over different kinds of breakfast foods and chess. You were horrible at chess. He wasn’t all that much better. But you had found the game in the living room cabinet and pulled it out, playing it at the kitchen table with your sticky, syrup glazed plates. Since neither of you were particularly good at the game, that made it all the more fun. And you were beginning to realize that maybe Bucky wasn’t so bad.

Over the next few days, you found yourself talking to Bucky more often. You didn’t resent the sight of him every time you walked into a room. And the salt? It went back to the lower shelves in the cabinet. He was trying to do something nice for you. It made you smile. You never told him, but he knew. 

One morning, when you woke up, you walked over to your mirror, as you did most mornings. A sticky note was on the surface. You pulled it off and read it. 

Wanna go out somewhere maybe a little fancier than pancakes?

— Bucky 

P.S. Yes, I am asking you out. 

The note made you grin. So you walked over to your nightstand, pulled out a sticky note of your own, and wrote: “yes.”

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[meltinglikeasugarcube]

Gp reader and taylor are in a relationship. Taylor decides to surprise reader by wearing the lover bodysuit for sex.

WARNING: THIS IS FILTHY!!!

Title: DO YOU FEEL BETTER NOW?

Word Count: 2553

Pairing: Taylor Swift x G!P Reader

Rating: Explicit

The door shuts behind you with a thud that echoes too loudly in the silence. You peel off your coat and kick your shoes into the corner, your body moving like it’s done this a thousand times. The muscles between your shoulders throb from standing too long under artificial lights, smiling through conversations you barely registered.

Personal shopping was supposed to be a stepping stone. Something temporary. You never imagined it would become the entirety of your days. Now it’s all tight smiles and people too rich to speak in complete sentences, all of them clutching desires they don’t understand and expecting you to make sense of them. It’s not fashion. It’s customer service with better lighting. And today had been a particularly difficult day.

Taylor called earlier. Her voice helped, soft and certain, familiar in a way that made your throat tighten. You tried to sound okay. She didn’t buy it. Of course she didn’t. You know she heard it in your voice, the cracks you couldn’t disguise.

You end up on your living room floor, staring up at nothing. The version of you that used to thrive under pressure, who could improvise a runway fix with a single safety pin and a borrowed belt, feels distant. You don’t hate who you’ve become. But you don’t recognize her, either.

You don’t hear the door open at first. The sound is too soft, swallowed by the noise in your head. But then it clicks shut, and your body jolts upright.

You weren’t expecting anyone.

Your heart kicks like a warning. You scramble to your feet, still groggy from lying on the floor too long, the fabric of your clothes wrinkled and sticking in places they shouldn’t. You turn the corner, every nerve braced.

Taylor is standing in your doorway.

No warning. No text. Just her, glowing like something conjured from a memory that never quite left you alone.

Your mouth falls open. You blink, but she doesn’t disappear. She smiles; real, quiet, impossibly present.

Your breath leaves you in a stutter.

“Oh my God.”

She takes a single step forward, and your body moves without thinking. You close the space between you in seconds, but when you’re inches from her, you stop, suddenly unsure if touching her will break whatever spell this is.

“You’re really here,” you whisper, voice barely holding together.

“I’m here,” she answers softly, her hands sliding up your arms. “Couldn’t stand it anymore.”

You shake your head, eyes stinging.

“You didn’t have to—”

“I did,” her tone cuts through whatever protest you thought you had. “I had to.”

She leans in and kisses you and it’s not tentative, not soft. A firm press, lips parted just enough, mouth warm and familiar. Your hands find her waist, and she sinks into your touch, her body flush against yours for the first time in far too long.

You don’t realize your hands are shaking until she pulls back and takes one in hers, lacing her fingers through yours, grounding you.

“I missed you,” you murmur, voice rough with restraint.

She nods. Her thumb brushes the inside of your wrist.

“I know, my baby, I know,” she tilts her head softly. “Me too. You have no idea how much.”

Your body wants to drag her to the floor and stay there for hours. But she has other plans; you can see it in her eyes, the flicker of something controlled, simmering just beneath the surface.

She leans in again, presses a kiss to your jaw, then your neck. Her voice drops.

“How long do we have?” you ask. She only has a small bag in her hand so you know she won’t be staying long.

“About two hours,” she mumbles sadly then sighs.

“You flew in just for—”

“For you,” she strokes your cheek with the back of her fingers. “God, you’re trembling.”

You feel yourself blush. She steps back, just enough to scan your face, her gaze slipping down your body and then back up. A look passes through her—something like decision. The mood shifts. She straightens.

“I have something I want you to see,” she says, voice suddenly low, more commanding. You raise your eyebrows. She presses a kiss to your temple. “Go to your bedroom, please.”

“Uh, why?” you ask, half-laughing, dazed.

She tilts her head, eyes heavy-lidded and unreadable.

“You’ll see.”

You look at her for another beat, trying to read her, but her expression is cool, composed. You nod, swallowing the lump in your throat, and back toward the bedroom, feeling the anticipation thick and electric, humming just beneath your skin.

You sit at the edge of the bed, hands between your knees, your pulse spiking in strange rhythms. You’re expecting food. Maybe a gift. Something small. Something comforting.

You’re wrong.

When she enters the room, she’s stripped down to one of her tour costumes—the pink and blue one that you love so much. Her legs look impossibly long, her skin glowing in the dim light.

You swallow hard.

She moves slowly, eyes never leaving yours, then kneels between your legs, her hands spreading your knees apart with gentle pressure. Her palms rest on your thighs. Her gaze drops to the bulge already forming beneath your jeans.

“I wear this one all the time ‘cause of you, you know?” she says, voice almost teasing, her hands moving to unbutton your fly.

You don’t respond. You can’t. The moment she drags the zipper down, your cock is nearly fully hard. She slides your jeans and briefs down enough to free you.

“Look at you,” she whispers. “Kept thinking of you on the flight here. Kept thinking of having you inside me.”

Her fingers wrap around your shaft and squeeze gently, base to tip. You suck in a breath as she strokes once, twice, then leans in and presses her tongue to the head, lapping at the precum like it’s nothing. Her eyes stay on yours as her lips part and she takes you into her mouth, wet heat wrapping around you inch by inch.

“Fuck,” you gasp, your hand finding her hair. “Taylor…”

She hums around your length, and the vibration makes your knees twitch. Her tongue swirls, tracing the underside, then she sinks lower, her lips sliding down until you feel the back of her throat constrict around you. Your hips jerk, and she lets it happen. She pulls back, her mouth wet, her lips shiny with spit.

“You don’t have to hold back,” she murmurs. “I can take it.”

You groan, breath stuttering as she dives down again. You thrust up, slowly at first, then harder. She relaxes her throat, takes you deep, her hands gripping your thighs for balance. You can feel the mess on her chin, your cock thick and slick from her mouth.

Just before you come, she pulls back again, breathing hard, saliva connecting her bottom lip to your shaft.

“No,” she says, voice ragged. “Not yet. I need it inside me.”

“Tay—”

She stands and peels off the bodysuit in one motion. Nothing underneath. Her breasts bounce free, nipples pink and stiff, her stomach taut, her thighs gorgeous. You don’t even have time to react before she climbs into your lap.

“I’m sorry if I’m like a dog in heat,” she murmurs, pressing her slick cunt against your cock, grinding slow. “I’m losing my mind. I’ve been thinking about this for so long.”

A half-laugh escapes you, breathless.

“I don’t see any cons about that.”

Then she lowers herself, slowly, letting your length press between her folds. She rubs against you in long, teasing drags, her slickness coating every inch. The head of your cock catches at her entrance over and over, but she doesn’t let you in yet. Her breasts sway with each movement, her mouth falling open, eyes glazed.

On the fifth stroke (or maybe the sixth, you lose count) she lines you up, takes a breath, and sinks down.

You both moan. Her heat engulfs you inch by inch. She moves slowly, until she’s seated fully in your lap. You feel everything, the squeeze, the twitch, the pulse. You grip her waist hard enough to leave marks.

“So tight,” you groan into her neck.

She whimpers, her hands braced on your shoulders as she begins to move. Her hips roll in circles, building rhythm from nothing, finding the pace that makes you grunt low and helpless beneath her. She throws her head back, her back arching in a fluid curve, riding you in deep, gliding thrusts.

“You feel… so… fucking… good,” she pants, each word syncing with a slow grind down. You dig your fingers into her waist, guiding her faster.

“I’m not going to last,” you warn, unable to stop yourself.

“Don’t pull out,” she whispers near your ear, her breath hot.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I need to feel you dripping out of me,” she gasps. “I need to feel you all day, knowing you want me…”

“I want you so badly,” you shiver, trembling beneath her. “I wish I could stay inside you forever.”

“Yeah?” she mumbles, her pace quickening.

“This right here,” you manage, voice guttural, “is what I was made for, I’m sure.”

Taylor lets out a breathless giggle and you thrust up hard. Her hands brace against your chest as your rhythm turns frantic. The room is filled with wet sounds, skin against skin, and the rising whine of her voice.

She tightens around you, back arching again as she comes with a sharp cry, her pussy clenching in pulses. You’re seconds behind. You slam into her one last time and come hard, deep inside her, holding her still while you empty yourself with ragged moans. She stays with you through it, her body shaking, head buried in your neck.

After, you lie back, still joined, your hands smoothing over the sweat on her spine.

She lifts her head, cheeks flushed, eyes soft.

“Are you feeling better now?” she whispers.

You laugh loudly and roll your eyes.

“Am I feeling better now?” You say it in the same tone she used. “I’m killing myself when you leave.”

[peachhcs]

can you do one where samy and will go to a party in Michigan and Samy gets super drunk and when they get back to her apartment it is just her and will and he is helping samy and she is throwing up and he is helping her and then the next morning she is hungover

i think this ask is from like last summer or close to it (eek so sorry). i've been looking through my asks and landed on this one as i try to answer old ones

i always feel like whenever will and samy go out, he never gets super drunk so he's still sober enough to get them home and take care of samy (also so she never has to worry and can just have fun) -- takes place sometime...this past school year when will comes to visit

au masterlist

the senior hockey house was lively. considering how popular the boys were on and off the ice, their house was always packed anytime they threw a party. it was mostly the girls who tried getting in to talk up one of the players which was always a gamble if they were successful or not because most of the hockey boys were there to have fun.

samy weaved her way through the crowd in search of her boyfriend. she kept getting stopped by someone who wanted to talk to her, so her efforts to find him turned into a 30 minute adventure. there was always a familiar face around the corner like a classmate, a hockey boy, or her soccer teammates that wantd to talk and considering samy got super chatty whenever she was drunk, she always stopped to have a conversation.

will decided to just go to her since he didn't know nearly enough people to get stopped every 5 minutes. he finally found her in the living room talking with tj and tyler. the blonde smiled and silently touched her arm so he didn't startle or interrupt the conversation. the brunette caught his gaze and interrupted herself anyway to greet him.

"ooh, hi baby. i promise i was coming to find you. i got stopped sooo many times," the girl chuckled. the boy's smile grew.

"i figured. that's why i just came to you instead," he kissed her temple. tyler and tj smiled at the affection. at this point, everyone was so used to samy and will that hardly anyone really teased them anymore (besides their closest friends). they were really just "mom and dad" status now.

"i was just telling ty and tj about your season and how you scored like soo many goals in your rookie season," will quickly blushed at the praise.

he never had to worry about leaving samy be at parties because well 1. he trusted her and 2. she just talked about him to everyone she interacted with anyway. he was the same way too, any party he was at in san jose he just talked about his girlfriend the whole time. mack definitely got sick of hearing him yap on about her.

"oh really?" the hockey player chuckled.

"i mean, duh. i gotta brag about you. he's so humble," the brunette smacked his chest and will's smile had never been bigger.

"i honestly can't believe you're a pro now. makes me miss our dev program days," tyler chuckled.

"don't remind me. it goes fast, man. i honestly can't believe it either. i feel like i'm dreaming sometimes still," will admitted.

"i mean you deserve it. you were a fucking beast out there. still are," hearing those words from former teammates made the rookie flush. sometimes when he doubted himself he just remembered how proud his former teammates were of him and why he did this—for them.

"geez, thanks ty. i appreciate that. you are too," the boys continued their small talk while samy finished what was left in her cup. she was buzzing, probably on her 4th drink of the night..she lost count an hour or two ago.

whatever ethan and mark always bought was way better than the cheap alcohol her and hannah got for their wine nights. it got samy drunk pretty fast and she was already tipsy when they got there because her and hannah pregamed with samy's soccer teammates. there were great perks to being friends with the senior hockey players because she always got her friends an in.

tyler and tj let the couple have a moment together since will came over to originally find samy. the girl grinned up at him and will couldn't help but smile back. "hi, pretty."

"hiii, how are you?" she grabbed onto him and he caught her before she stumbled over.

"how are you? drunk?" will could smell the smirnoff on her breath mixed with some type of berry.

"likee yeah. i'm good though. i'm sorry i didn't make it to you sooner. soo many people just wanted to stop and chat. you know me and talking," the brunette giggled.

"i know, you love talking. you think it's maybe time to go?" the shark's rookie wondered just because it was almost 1 in the morning and he knew samy well enough that he knew when she needed to go to bed and stop drinking before she started throwing up.

"okayyy, we can go. i better say bye to hannah and make sure she has a way to get home. and mark and eth so they know i'm leaving," samy determined and will nodded.

"okay, let's find them," with will being taller, he could see through the crowds of people better than samy.

he took her hand to lead her through the house in hopes of finding one of the three people she listed. however, samy was talking to every single person she walked by, sometimes trying to stop completely, but will kept pulling her along.

they found hannah first. she was talking with a few of her gymnast friends, immediately grinning when she saw will and samy.

"hey guys!" the brunette exclaimed.

"hannah!! hey!!" samy jumped into her roommates arms.

"hi pop. what's up?" hannah laughed when she caught the girl.

"will says we're leavinggg. are you getting home okay?"

"yeah, i'll be good. i might go back with georgia and farah," hannah pointed to the two girls beside her.

"you might or you will?" will always needed to confirm the getting home plans.

"she will. we'll get her home okay, don't worry," farah smiled kindly. mark's girlfriend was basically the mom of the group, so she aways made sure the girls made it back home safely. will trusted her and nodded.

"text us," he reminded hannah who nodded.

"will do. take care of her," she giggled down at her roommate again and passed her back to the boy.

mark and ethan weren't far. they were in the kitchen with mostly their teammates now since people were starting to leave. mark spotted the couple first knowing the look meant they were leaving.

"ooh, whats this?" samy spotted a cup of something and picked it up faster than will could stop her. she took a few sips of it before immediately coughing and making a face of disgust.

"hey, don't drink that. i think you've had enough," will took it from her and handed it over to mark who stepped in.

"you guys leaving?" the older boy wondered.

"yeah, i'm gonna take her home. great party, thanks for having us," will nodded.

"you're good to walk her?" mark confirmed and the blonde nodded.

"i'm sure. i'm not even that drunk."

"okay, let one of us know if there's any problems. get back safe," the boys fist bumped.

will took samy by the arm to lead her to the front door. the girl was giggly as they walked, claiming he was tickling her. "baby, that tickles!" she giggled.

"i'm not tickling you, i promise," will hummed.

he would let her go, but he also learned that samy was a runner when she was drunk. if he let go, she'd 100% take off down the street and he did't want her doing that, especially at 1 in the morning.

"do you hate me?" sometimes samy's topic changes gave him whip lash.

"no, why would i hate you?"

"i dunno. you just suddenly decide to hate me?"

"i would never do that, i promise. i love you," the blonde smiled and kissed her cheek again. samy blushed.

"i love you. i love, love, love you."

these were basically their walks home on nights out. samy yapped on about anything that came to her mind and will just listened. he held her arm or her hand to make sure she didn't run off. when will wasn't around to do this, it was usually hannah, mark, ethan, or moldy walking the girl home.

"i'm so drunk right now," samy stated blankly.

"you did drink a lot tonight. you'll probably have a killer hangover tomorrow," will chuckled.

"ugh, don'ttt say that. i can't even think about that right now," the soccer player shook her head.

after another 10 minutes, they were back in samy's apartment. samy kicked her shoes off, feeling a bit more sober after the walk, but the slowing down was making all of the alcohol catch up with her. she was running to the bathroom before will could even process her leaving until he heard the sounds of her yacking in the toilet.

he quickly went to her. she was bent over the toilet, so will pulled her hair back before she threw up in her hair. he tried pretending she wasn't throwing up because his stomach was not that strong to begin with,

"get it all out, baby," he comforted, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

samy threw up 3 more times. whatever was in that random cup she picked up must've been strong in addition to the four or some drinks she had. will flushed the toilet and helped the girl to her feet.

"what do you need? water? food?"

"probably water," the hughes sister mumbled.

will went to the kitchen while samy splashed her face with water from the sink to refresh herself. the throw up definitely sobered her up a bit more, so she was becoming more aware of herself and her surroundings. her boyfriend returned a moment later with a fresh cup of cold water. he leaned against the doorframe to watch her drink it.

"sorry..i definitely went too hard," the brunette flushed.

"don't apologize. you had fun," will quickly shook his head.

he took the cup back from her when it was empty. his next job was helping the girl brush her teeth. he followed her routine—securing her hair back with a headband, wetting the toothbrush before putting the toothpaste on, finding her makeup remover. will had this down to a science.

samy loved turning her brain off whnever her boyfriend was around to take care of her, but as he brushed her teeth for her, she couldn't help but admire him. he was just soo pretty in her eyes, so handsome, so good looking. his little curls were peeking out from under his hat that samy thought about twirling around her finger later.

"okay, spit," he said. she leaned over the sink to spit the toothpaste out and rinse her mouth clean. the next task was her makeup, but that was easy when all the boy had to do was wipe her face off with the wipes.

he was gentle with it. he carefully wiped at her face to get the mascara, foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and eyeliner off. "would younger you think you'd be in this spot right now?" samy asked, kind of thinking out loud as the alcohol wore off.

"what do you mean?"

"like..what would 11 year old us think of us right now?" the brunette giggled thinking of her younger self who absolutely despised the boy in front of her with all of her being.

"i would think younger will would scream cooties and make some snarky remark," the blonde smiled too.

"who would've thought.."

"wouldn't want it any other way though," the hockey player grinned. he threw the wipe out once he was finished and let samy look at herself to make sure he got it all.

"you're perfect at this," she grinned.

they made their way to her room. samy was sober enough to find herself clothes to change into so will dug through his bag for a pair of sweatpants and a different t-shirt. the couple changed and will went to find tylenol and another glass of water for his girlfriend in the morning.

samy climbed right into her bed, glad to be in bed after the long night. will returned with the pills and the same glass he gave her earlier.

"for tomorrow morning," he motioned to the nightstand. samy smiled.

"you're so nice to me."

"i try," will laughed. he climbed into the bed a second later, reaching for the light on his way down to the pillow.

samy scooted close to him knowing how warm he got and how cold she was at the moment despite the blankets on top of them. the boy wrapped his arms around her and samy found his little curls like she knew she would. playing wih his hair was one of her most favorite things to do.

"i love you," she whispered.

"i love you more. sleep well," will hummed.

"thanks for always taking care of me. it means a lot," will's taken care of her for as long as she could remember after nights out and it definitely wasn't going to change anytime soon.

the couple was fast asleep within minutes of one another. will's steady heartbeat put the girl to sleep and her fingers threading through hs hair was what had the hockey player slipping into a deep sleep.

[cumikering]

Alex Keller x tatted reader

3.6k | smut, deepthroat Alex discovers your piercings

Slow Saturdays were rare for Alex, especially ones when he had the energy to be out and about. That sunny evening, he’d decided on a cup of coffee, one from the charming cafe with the second-hand bookstore attached to it near his place.

Despite the café being almost empty, the barista apologised in advance for the delay of his drink as they were backed up by a massive takeaway order. As he waited, Alex headed to the atrium where the books were. If he was lucky, he’d find a read to accompany his coffee.

In the history section, there you were in a flowing summer dress, brows furrowed in concentration. His steps faltered as he neared, and pretty eyes looked up to him from the book you held.

“Scuse me,” he muttered.

You gave him a polite smile and turned to the shelf to allow him space.

He squeezed behind you, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover that your dress was backless, showing off the sword tattoo down your spine.

A fan of body art, like he was.

How bad was it that he turned to catch another glimpse? Instead, he was gifted with another sight. The bodice of your dress hugged your figure, emphasising the way your hips jutted out as you leaned against the shelf.

He wanted to know your name. It was a sudden thought, and ill-mannered, but it was only natural to want to put a name to such an attractive woman, no?

Was he allowed start a conversation? The focus on your face certainly wasn’t encouraging, and he wasn’t that kind of person, but he could say something. Maybe something about the title you were holding – that was a safe conversation starter, right?

He bargained with himself for a few seconds before bottling up his wish. He minded his own business by browsing the section as he’d intended.

“Hey,” you called, making him turn to you.

Fuck, she knows, she knows.

You smiled kindly at him. “Sorry to bother, but do you mind if I ask for recs?”

He cleared his throat, closing the book in hand. “Sure, I’d be happy to help if I can.”

“I’m looking for a gift for a friend. She just got into history, and I figured you’d know better than me.” You laughed, nodding at the hardcover he was skimming through. “Could you recommend something?”

“Of course.” He smiled, noting how pleasant your laughter was. “So something a little light…” He leaned in to scan the spines of the books. “Is there anything specific she’s interested in?”

“Nope, she said to surprise her with anything from this shop. It’s her favourite.”

He laughed. “It is my favourite too. They make good coffee.”

“So I heard.”

After scanning the rest of the section, he picked out two titles. “I’ve read these, and I can recommend them. This is more economic history-“ he lifted the one in his right hand then his left- “and this is more environmental.”

You pointed at the second one. “That sounds good. I think she’d like it.”

“This one it is.” He handed you the book, putting the other back.

“Thanks so much for your help. I would have been stuck here for a while otherwise.”

He turned to you, the way you smiled up at him took the words out of his mouth. With the proximity, it wasn’t weird he noticed how good you smelt, right?

“Americano for Alex,” the female barista called.

You glanced at her at the counter. “Is that you? Sorry for taking up your time. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Don’t worry about it, was just killing time.” He paused before blurting, “Can I buy you a coffee?”

You tilted your head, your smile turned teasing. “What if I feel like tea?”

“Anything you want.”

“Pick something for me.”

While you paid for your book, he placed your order before leading you to his favourite table in the corner of the shop.

You nodded at his forearm as he stirred his iced coffee. “I like your sleeves.”

“Thank you. These are really old, from all over the place.” He chuckled scanning his inked arms, thinking of the random shops he’d visited out of the boredom from being deployed in a quiet area too long.

“You’ve got more?”

“On my back, yeah.” I don’t mind showing you. “Yours is very nice too.”

You smiled. “What about piercings, are you-“

The waitress placed your matcha latte on the table. You lit up, thanking her before turning to the forest green drink.

“It’s so pretty! Thanks again, Alex,” you said before having a try. “Oh, that’s really good. It’s bright, but earthy, a little bitter. Reminds me a bit of chocolate actually.”

“I like their matcha too, but felt more like coffee today.”

You took another sip with great delight before scrunching your face. “Just had a brain freeze,” you said with a small laugh. “It’s really good, but really cold too.”

“Happens to me too.” He smiled, admiring you. He shouldn’t want to look at you so much, but you were beautiful with your expressive eyes and teasing smiles that he couldn’t help it. “You were asking about piercings?“

His gaze lowered to his glass as he took a sip. Instead, he choked on his coffee. He barely managed to mask it as a cough as he almost had a heart attack.

Under your dress, your nipples had hardened. He shouldn’t have been surprised you were braless in the attire, but it wasn’t that – the barbells on either side of your nubs were visible against the fabric.

Alex was going to pass out. If he wasn’t sitting, he’d have collapsed.

He certainly didn’t have to ask about your stance on piercings.

His blue eyes darted away, unsure where to avert his gaze. His throat felt dry as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Sorry, I’m alright now.” You smiled, seemingly none the wiser about what he’d just experienced. “Oh, I wanted to ask, how did you get into history?”

“Right-“ he swallowed, blinking away the daze. “It was my bunkmate, he was a history buff.”

“Bunkmate?”

“Yeah, in bootcamp, army. Didn’t have much to do and read his books. Been hooked ever since.”

“You’re still in the army?”

“Moved to another unit, but yeah, still in the military. What about you, what do you read?”

Listening to you made him smile, but his loose white shirt only grew heavier, like it was sticking to his skin. The room seemed to have turned blistering hot.

Your puckered lips were dangerous as you sipped your drink. It was an innocent act, but it brought his mind into dark pits.

It was embarrassing – it wasn’t like he had never seen a woman before, so why was he acting this way? But the discomfort in his jeans only increased. Would he get the chance to readjust inconspicuously under this tiny table? Okay, maybe if he just moved his foot-

“Ow,” you winced when he stepped on your toes.

“Fuck- I’m so sorry.”

You stooped down to inspect your foot, but it only revealed your cleavage. It took another second before he remembered to cross his legs, an attempt to hide the state of him. He couldn’t risk you thinking he was some weirdo.

“Are you okay?” He glanced at your feet, clad in strappy sandals. “I’m really sorry.”

You straightened up, telling him you were fine with a reassuring smile. As the talk continued, Alex managed to diffuse his situation. You were funny, inquisitive as you discussed his interests, like you genuinely cared what he was into. It didn’t feel like a one-sided conversation and he didn’t want it to end.

His glass had long gone empty, but he didn’t realise how long you’d been there until you sipped the last of your latte.

He should offer you another one. Did it make him a degenerate, how much he liked the effect it had on you? But you liked it so much - how could he not want to see such a pretty smile on your face?

“Can I get you something else?”

“Thanks so much, but I don’t want to be too full for dinner.”

“We can get something to eat if you want. I drove, so we can go anywhere.”

Was he being too obvious? He certainly didn’t want to be pushy, but he wasn’t the only one feeling it, was he? At least, he was allowed to try his luck, right?

You agreed on a nearby restaurant, something a walking distance. When you stepped out onto the pavement, he turned to you.

“I don’t mean to be too forward, but may I ask for your num-“

“How come you haven’t kissed me yet?” you dared with a smile.

He laughed, looking away. You didn’t have to call him out like that. He could only wish the embarrassment didn’t manifest into a blush.

“Didn’t want to be rude,” he muttered, a hand on your waist as he stepped in.

You fisted his shirt, pulling him close, lips crashing against his.

In the hour he’d had the pleasure to sit in front of you, he’d imagined what you’d taste like: how soft and sweet you’d be. As he’d discovered, you were all that and more. But oh, how did you know he’d wanted to? Was he that easy to read?

You pulled away, a little breathless wearing an amused smile. What were you doing, fucking him with your eyes like that? Were you trying to kill him?

Your eyes flicked to his lips, hand sliding down his chest. “Would it be okay if we postpone dinner?”

The drive to yours wasn’t long, but the way your hand massaged his thigh made it feel much longer.

You led him by the hand to yours, your smile – a mix of assertiveness and youthful bounce – made his heart race. He didn’t know what it was about you, if it was your bold eyes or your energy, but it stirred something in him from the very start. You knew what you wanted, and it would be his pleasure to give whatever it was to you.

He couldn’t keep his hands off you anymore. As soon as you shut the door, he pushed you against it, lips meeting yours. He gripped your waist, massaging it as he committed your shape into memory. You pulled him in by his belt loop, your other hand tracing the bulge forming in his jeans before resting your hand on the base of his neck.

The friction against his cock was delicious, and you must have thought so too with the way you rolled your hips against him. He traced up your side, ghosting over the side of your breast. The image of your nubs sent a tingle down his spine.

You arching your back towards him was his green light. His thumb swiped over your nipple, already hard again. He palmed you, kneading your breast as his lips trailed down the side of your neck. You let out a breathless moan when he playfully bit down on your shoulder as he pinched a nipple.

He took his time planting kisses across your collarbones, admiring your skin, basking in your scent before licking the cuff of your ear, making you shiver. You slipped off the straps of your dress, revealing your perfect tits, nipples taut and ready for him.

He kissed down your sternum and around your areola before licking a wide strip over it. Your head tilted back when his hand massaged your other breast. He continued to suck and nip, his hot tongue flicking your bar, earning him a hiss of pleasure from you. Moving back up, he kissed the other side of your neck, but it only made you whine, grabbing his ass to pull him closer.

“Impatient, are we?” he teased against the crook of your neck.

Grasping his hair, you led him back to your lips. “Want you, Alex,” you panted between kisses.

How could he say no to you?

He sank to his knees, undoing the clasps of your strappy sandals. He gathered your dress in a hand, revealing your panties where a dark patch had formed. The sight made his cock twitch in interest. Did he do this to you? How long had you wanted this?

You held your dress up around your waist, allowing him to palm and caress your thighs. With a thumb, he swiped along your leaking slit and you let out a satisfied breath. He looked up to you biting your lip, your eyes half lidded and full of want. He planted a small kiss over your clothed clit before sliding your soaked underwear down.

The top of your clit piercing winked in the light. If he wasn’t on his knees yet, he sure would have been. You could get any hotter?

“Fuck, look at that,” he said under his breath before kissing your mound. “You keep surprising me.”

He parted your lips, revealing the entire piercing, dripping with your juices. He pursed his lips around it, sucking gently. You let out a pleased sigh, tilting your head back against the wall. His tongue flicked the vertical bar, swirling around it as his fingers ghosted over your drenched opening, coating himself in your wetness. Your hips bucked towards him. You were ready, needy.

He guided your leg over his shoulder, tongue unrelenting as he pushed two fingers in. You gasped, clenching around him, soaking him further. He palmed your ass, squeezing as he pulled you into him, wanting more of you.

The wet noises and you muffled moans only urged him. His cock strained painfully against his jeans - left alone too long now - begged for a touch, but he was too busy drinking you. His hands were full, just like yours were as you pulled at his dirty blond hair, grinding onto his face.

You could only hold off your moans for so long. Another slipped past your sweet lips as your legs shook more, your pussy pulsing around him. His cock pulsed in interest, imagining it was elsewhere-

“Couch,” you said between heavy breaths.

He toed his boots off before you led him to the couch. You laid down, skin radiant and hair ruffled with your dress pooling around your waist, your perfect tits bare and pussy dripping wet for him. That look in your eyes, it was like you’d never wanted anything as much.

He settled between your legs to go back to his treat, lapping at your hole. Your hand found his hair again as he rubbed circles over your clit. When his eyes flicked up to you, you’d propped yourself up, biting down on your lip.

He slid his long fingers back in, curling upwards as he hit that spot again that made your thighs quiver. You shuddered, throwing your head back in pleasure, stifling yet another moan. The heat was pooling deep in you.

“Let me hear you, sweetheart.” He stroked your thigh with a free hand.

“I’m close,” you said breathlessly.

His gaze stayed on you and you clenched down on him.

“Give it to me, need to taste you.”

He went back to your clit, flicking and sucking, the squelching almost inaudible under the moans filling the room. Your slick only seeped out around his fingers as he picked up his pace. You were making a mess on him, one he was more than willing to clean up.

You lifted your head, watching him devour you like you were his favourite meal. He could feel it. The band was about to snap.

“Alex- right there, right there- yeah.“ You pulled his hair making him hum against you. “Keep going. Fuck, you’re going to make me c-”

Your walls spasmed around his thick fingers as you moaned, thighs shaking on his shoulders.

There was a satisfaction in watching you unravel. A woman so gorgeous giving him the honour to bring you to such a state?

His fingers slowed, letting you come down from your high. You covered your face with a hand, but it couldn’t hide the giddy smile you wore.

He climbed over you with a small laugh, rubbing your hip and thigh. “That good?” he asked, kissing you all over your cheek and temple.

You nodded, uncovering your eyes, but the bashful smile remained. His mouth and chin trickled with your juices, but you didn’t seem to care as you pulled him for a kiss. Did you like your taste on him?

Your hands slipped under his shirt, palming his muscled back before trailing down to his flexed biceps as he held himself over you. He hoped you didn’t mind the scars his tattoos couldn’t bury. Your fingertips ghosted over his abdomen, making his breath hitch, but when you pinched a nipple, he was helpless against the moan that escaped him. You smiled, like you got him where you wanted.

You undid his belt, caressing his hardened length through his underwear making him shudder. You freed his leaking cock, jerking it lightly before spreading his slick over his head with your thumb. The whine that left him allowed you to slip you tongue past his lips. Breathless, he rutted into your touch, eager for more.

You broke the kiss and pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the side.

“Sit back,” you instructed.

And who was he to not listen. “Yes, maam.”

His face was burning, down to his ruddy chest like he’d had a drink too many. Alex Keller was an aching, blushing mess for you. But if the drink was you, he’d have another one in heartbeat.

You sank onto your knees between his legs, pulling his jeans down his thighs. With half-lidded eyes, he watched you: so eager for him, just like he was for you. But you already knew that from the way his cock trickled in anticipation.

The sight of you wrapping your pretty fingers around him made his head spin, and the way you stared back at him from under those lashes as you stroked him made his stomach flip. He let out a low groan when his tip slid past your lips. You flicked the underside playfully, swirling your tongue around it before sinking down on him, his length disappearing into your hot, wet throat.

He hissed, grabbing your hand on his thigh. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

You bobbed on his aching cock, cheeks hollowing as you sucked his shaft. His breath deepened. With the amount of desire pressing against his ribs, he felt too close to the end. It had been hours of him leaking and throbbing over his thoughts of you.

You pulled out with a pop, a string of saliva connecting those luscious lips to him. You planted kisses from his balls up to his red tip, your hands feeling up his hips and abs. The tingles running down his spine made him buck up against your lips.

Oh, to have him slip in and out of those perfect, glossy lips. The thought made his throat dry.

You smiled teasingly. “Impatient, are we?”

“Touche.”

He was at your mercy, but he wasn’t going to give in and beg, no matter how much he ached and twitched and flushed.

“Want you to fuck my mouth with this gorgeous cock,” you said, licking up his length.

Holy fuck. He couldn’t believe it.

He fisted your hair, heart racing as he guided you down his cock, your hands spread on his thighs. “Give me a tap and I’ll stop.”

Your throat opening up against his tip was his cue to start. He thrusted up into you, groaning as you maintained eye contact with him. You were the death of him.

To describe the sounds you both made as pornographic was an understatement. It was wet and messy as your spit dripped down his length and balls as he rutted into your mouth relentlessly. You were perfectly tight around him when your throat pulsed, pretty on your knees as he fucked that gorgeous face. The sight brought his orgasm right before him.

“Fuck, fuck,” he hissed, eyes shut in swelling pleasure. “I’m not going to last if you keep doing that.”

It only spurred you on: sinking deeper and deeper, nose pressing against the neat curls at his base before coming back up. Despite his hands in your hair, not once did he apply pressure on you, giving you free reign over him, letting you set your own pace.

You gripped his ass, pulling him to you and he thrusted again.

“You’re going to make me come, sweetheart,” he panted.

Your hum was his approval. When his hips stuttered as did his moans, you swallowed him all the way as he came down your throat. He tipped his head back as he grunted, pleasure washing over him.

When his cock stopped pulsing, you licked him clean and gave his tip a small kiss before coming up next to him.

With a grin, he pulled you to his chest. “Holy shit-“ he said against your temple before planting a kiss on your lips.

You laid on his chest in silence, a small smile on your face as you listened to his heartbeat even out. In the comfortable silence, he held you close as he rubbed your arm. Over his heart, he clasped his hand over yours- his stomach rumbled.

You laughed, pulling away to look at him. “Is it time for dinner?”

He drank in the kind sparkle in your eyes. “I might be greedy, but I’m more interested in dessert.”

More Alex: Masterlist Your date was interrupted Comforting his plus-sized partner Rescuing a mermaid

@tiredmetalenthusiast @indigosunsetao3 @astraluminaaa

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Sparks Fly

Pairing: Eventual Bartender!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader, Tony Stark x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~3.3k

Warnings: breakup angst, high tension

Summary: You and Tony reach an impasse in your relationship when you go looking for that passion that might be hidden deep down. His relationship makes you see that what you’re missing might not be with Tony but a certain someone else instead.

One in a Million Series

Square Filled: fighting together (2024) for @buckybarnesbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3

x

Confusion follows you as you walk into your apartment, confusion hangs over you as you wash off the gym stink, and confusion pats your back when you get dressed. Things with Tony haven’t been as passionate as you’d like, so there is a lot of tension building between you two. You don’t think he notices it, and if he does, he makes no move to talk about it. It’s been a good few months with Tony, but you don’t see it going anywhere.

Tony is supposed to help you get over Bucky, and you’re failing at everything. It’s like no matter what you do, you can’t seem to get him to be more interested in you. There’s no passion and you really wish there was more of it. Sure, Tony makes you feel good, but you want sparks to fly.

The boys and Natasha are in the kitchen when you finally walk in, and Bucky immediately notices the confusion etched onto your features. Knowing you’re with Tony has given him a lot to think about. Stuff about where he sees himself a year down the line or even five. He keeps picturing you by his side despite knowing you’re taken.

He really needs to get over this silly crush he has before he gets heartbroken. What if Tony is your one? What if you see being with him for the rest of your life? Bucky doesn’t know if he can spend the rest of his wishing he had made a move.

“You alright?” Bucky asks.

“Yeah, something weird happened to me while I was at the gym earlier.”

“Why don’t we order take out and watch a movie in my apartment. It’s much better than going out,” Natasha says to Steve before turning to you. “What happened?”

“I saw Pepper there. After walking about five miles, I walked into the sauna where she was. They have a section if people want to get naked, and she was in there.”

“Were you naked?” Sam asks.

Bucky smacks him on the side of the head for asking, and Sam laughs in amusement. Bucky doesn’t need to picture you naked in a sauna with other women. He doesn’t need to picture you naked, period. It’ll make getting over you harder.

“No. I couldn’t help but see how good she looked. I mean why would Tony give her up? She’s gorgeous.” Bucky opens his mouth to respond but decides against it. Again, he can’t get involved like that. Sam sees the torture on his face and smirks. “It got me thinking about them and how good they must have been, I must have panicked because I invited her to dinner with me and Tony tonight.”

“You did what?” Natasha asks.

“I know, I know,” you groan. “I just feel like she’s always there behind me. I was over at Tony’s house the other day, and we were… making out a bit. I saw a picture of Pepper on his bookshelf behind him and thought, she is always going to be right there no matter what.”

Bucky closes his eyes and grips his coffee mug tighter. Sam nudges Steve and barely gestures to Bucky so he doesn’t alert you that they’re having this silent conversation. Steve sees the pain expression and smirks, finally getting on the same page as Sam.

“So, you were making out, huh? Is he a good kisser?”

Bucky growls lowly knowing what his friends are doing.

“Did he use a lot of tongue?” Sam chuckles.

“I’m gonna kill you,” Bucky mutters while taking a sip of coffee.

“I’m not gonna answer that,” you chuckle nervously. “The point is, she’s this overwhelming presence. I feel like we can work through it if we sat down and had a conversation about it.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Natasha says. “If you like Tony that much, then you need to make it clear to Pepper that you’re not going anywhere and she needs to back off.” She pauses. “You do like him, right?”

You barely look at Bucky who refuses to look at you. He can’t even look at you. Natasha is usually right about these things, but she’s not right about this. Bucky doesn’t like you.

“Yeah, of course, I do. It’s gonna be fine. I’m gonna go get ready.”

The date isn’t for another five hours, but you figure you can stall time by doing your makeup and hair carefully. Tony picked you up thirty minutes early so Pepper isn’t there when you get there. He wasn’t too thrilled to know his ex-wife was going to be joining you two, but this has to happen if you want to move on.

“I appreciate what you’re doing for me here,” you say

“Hey, it’s no problem as long as they keep the alcohol coming.”

“Come on, is Pepper really that bad?”

“There’s a reason why she’s my ex-wife.”

He says that in a way that makes you not want to ask questions. This is why you need this dinner to happen. They need to work out some unresolved issues so that you and Tony can move on together.

“Hey, sorry I’m late!” Pepper walks to the table looking gorgeous as ever. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and she’s wearing a beautiful white dress that stops at her knees. She looks so elegant. “Traffic was a bitch.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. We were early,” you chuckle.

Pepper and Tony make eye contact and it’s like the tension rises a good few inches.

“Hello.”

“Hi,” she says curtly. She grabs a menu and looks over the appetizers at this authentic Mexican restaurant. “Oh, how are the quesadillas?” She says the word ‘quesadillas’ with a lisp so that every ‘s’ is pronounced as ‘th’. Tony immediately rolls his eyes, which she notices. “There goes the eye roll.”

“I didn’t actually roll my eyes.”

“I don’t miss that.”

“No, I actually needed to quickly look at the ceiling.”

You’re scared if you don’t say something now, then they’ll start chewing each other’s heads off.

“Pepper?” She tears her glare from Tony to look at you, and her eyes soften. “I love that dress. It looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” she smiles. “Or should I say, gracias.”

Again, she pronounces the ‘s’ as a ‘th’.

“That’s an interesting way to pronounce that word.”

“Wait till you hear why she does,” Tony mutters.

“I spent a month in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with the locals. They taught me authentic Spanish.”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool,” you nod, a bit uneasy. You grab some of the tortilla chips they set out and munch on one. “Man, these are delicious.”

The waitress comes over and takes your orders before walking off with the menus. The song ‘Cielito Lindo’ starts playing over the speakers softly, and Pepper has a much different reaction than Tony.

“I love this song,” she grins.

“I hate this song,” Tony grumbles. You and Tony look at each other, and he sighs knowing he’ll have to explain why he hates it. “We were on vacation in Mexico on this eight-hour road trip. Pepper wouldn’t stop humming this goddamn song the entire time.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have been eight hours if someone hadn’t gotten lost. At some point, we were following donkeys.”

The waitress comes back with the food, and you try to be excited about it in hopes it’ll stop this conversation.

“Look, food! I love food!”

“They were not donkeys!” Tony raises his voice slightly.

Pepper starts cutting into her food. “It wasn’t a road.”

That riles Tony up in a way you hadn’t seen before. He stands and leans over the table to assert his dominance over Pepper.

“For the millionth time, just because a map doesn’t show it’s a road, doesn’t mean it’s not a road!”

“Inside voices, please,” you say, but they ignore you.

“You know what’s not a road?” She stands and gets in his face. “When there are guys in tanks telling you to turn around!”

“Oh, come on!” Tony raises his voice some more. There are people looking, and you shrink in your seat in embarrassment. “Those were two kids in a jeep!”

“Our car gets stuck in the mud, but you can’t move it because God forbid, you break a nail.”

“Here we go,” Tony mutters. “I got one manicure! One time! I’m not doing this with you!”

“I’m not doing this with you!” she yells back. At this point, they’re screaming at each other. “I don’t have to take this. I’m leaving.”

“Oh, don’t you want to wait for your quesadilla?”

Tony mocks the way she says it, and she growls in anger. They both stare at each other while you’re watching with wide eyes. You can cut the sexual tension with a knife. Suddenly, you don’t want to be here. Pepper leaves with the excuse that Morgan needs her, but the date is ruined for you and Tony. He tries to fix it with small talk but the heat is still in the air.

Natasha and Steve came to a compromise and got takeout at your apartment. She slept over, which is a good thing because you really need your best friend right now.

“You should have been there, Nat. There was serious heat between them. It was so awkward for me. After she left, it was like Tony and I couldn’t look at each other. They had… have passion. I want that with someone, and I don’t think that it’s with him. I guess I got kind of jealous. He doesn’t… God, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but he doesn’t kiss me often. It’s like he wants a relationship without being physical.”

“Have you had sex with him?”

“Yeah. Only two or three times.”

“You’ve been dating him for over four months.” You shrug. “Girl, you need to get out of that relationship.”

“I can’t.” You drop your voice to a whisper. “I have to make it work for him. You don’t understand. Maybe I should take a page out of Pepper’s book. Maybe then he’ll have some of that passion with me.”

“Does she still have feelings for him?”

“Maybe. I have to talk to her to find out.”

“No, that’s a bad idea. Just give it some time and let it mull over.”

“If she does and I do nothing about it, all I’m doing is setting myself up for heartbreak. I gotta go.”

“Call me if you need me. I’ll kick her ass if I need to.”

You laugh. “I know. I’ll call you later.” You walk to the door and look at her with a smirk. “Oh, and tell Steve to go easy on your neck. It looks like he was chomping on you.”

“Shit. Steve! I told you not to leave any marks,” she yells and goes after him.

You don’t know much about Pepper but you do know the gym she works out at. You go there in hopes you might find her lingering. After last night, she might be here working out the tension. Luck is on your side because you find her using one of the weight machines that you pull down.

“Hey, fancy meeting you here,” you chuckle. She smiles when she sees you and gestures for you to sit at the machine next to hers. There’s no easy way to say this so you’re just going to come out and say it. “So, you and Tony, huh?”

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” she sighs and continues to pump her arms, “if we made you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that we can’t be in the same room as each other without ripping each other’s faces off.”

“For sure,” you nod slowly. “As long as it’s only faces and not like… clothes.”

Pepper gasps and looks at you, pausing her workout. “You don’t think…”

“No, no,” you say quickly.

“Good because there is no chance in hell. He is all yours.” You’re about to get up when she continues talking. “I mean, you know what it’s like with Tony, right?”

You pause, uncertain how to answer that. Yes, you’ve had sex with him, but what if your experience with him is different than hers? What if it was raw and passionate with her but tame and mild with you?

“It’s like a rollercoaster,” she continues. “It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean during a storm, and the spray of water hits your face like a mist.” She sighs passionately. “You’re naked and you’re on fire. You know?”

Okay, that’s not how it’s like at all. Still, you’re not going to tell her that. “Yeah. I do. I’m like, ‘Tony, put away the passion.’”

“Exactly,” she grunts as she starts her workout again.

Yeah, you really need to get out of this relationship. Maybe if you can get Tony to be more passionate, you might have a reason to stay. Tony is doing some work but he doesn’t turn you away when you show up to his house uninvited. You want to talk to him, you want to bring this up, but you’re not sure how to. He flips through papers while you’re staring at his side profile.

“Hey, Tony?” you ask before you can talk yourself out of it. He hums in acknowledgment. “Do I ever drive you crazy?”

“No, of course not.”

“Come on, there must be something that I do that gets under your skin.”

Tony lowers his papers and looks at you. “No, I can’t think of anything.” You sigh and look away from him in annoyance. Mostly at yourself for not giving into the passion he must have locked inside of him. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. I just want that… that fire.” You sit up and quickly kiss him. “Just… you know what I’m talking about.”

This time, your kiss catches him off guard and he rears back like he’s in pain.

“Ow, I think you bit my lip. What are you doing?”

“Come on, Tony, don’t you want to tap into that raw, sexual passion I know you have?”

You push at him until he is forced to lean back, and you straddle his waist. The papers on his lap flutter to the floor, and he looks upset that all the papers are now out of order.

“I don’t have--”

“Yes, you do. I’ve seen it. Come on, Tony. Just give in.” You sound like a fucking predator, but what else are you going to do? How else will you get what you want? You bunch the front of his shirt in your fists and kiss him again, but he doesn’t kiss you back. “Stop, what are you doing?”

“Tony…”

“No, stop.” He pushes you away and looks at you like you have three heads. “What are you doing?”

This is pointless. He’s not going to give you what you want. Before you make an even bigger fool of yourself, you slide off his lap with a sigh.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… something is missing. I didn’t know something was missing until I saw you and Pepper at dinner last night. You two wanted to strangle each other, and I want that! I want what you and Pepper have.”

“You want me to treat you like I treat my ex-wife?” He pauses. “Who I hate?”

“No,” you sigh and stand up. This isn’t coming out like you’d hope it would. “You two have this spark, this passion. I want that. You can’t deny that you have it. I saw it last night.”

“Passion is overrated, Y/N.”

This relationship has reached its end. You’re not going to get what you want with him.

“I want to go home. I walked here, so can you take me home, please?”

“Y/N…”

“Please?”

Tony sighs but nods. The car ride is silent because you have nothing left to say. You’re going to leave this car knowing you and Tony are over. He pulls up to your building but neither of you get out.

“I really like you, Y/N, and I like what we have. I thought you did, too.”

“I do. I did. I just…”

“Look, I’ve already done the crazy, explosive passion thing with Pepper. It was like constantly living on the edge of the cliff. I’m not looking for that anymore.”

You nod and pick at a piece of lint on your dress. “I understand, but I am. I want that passion even if it’s harder and hurts more.”

“So, this is it, huh?”

“Yeah. Goodbye, Tony.”

He leans in and kisses your cheek, and you leave before he can see you crying. You take your time going back to the apartment, just drained from the day’s events. You open the front door and almost trip on Bucky’s motorcycle helmet.

“Goddamn it, Bucky,” you growl and kick it off to the side. His bedroom door opens and you turn to give him a piece of your mind when you freeze. Sharon walks out of his room wearing nothing but one of Bucky’s shirts. “Sharon…”

“Do I know you?”

“No. Sorry. I’m Y/N, Bucky’s roommate. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh, Y/N. I have heard about you. He talks about you a lot. Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.”

She leaves just as Bucky walks out of his room. Out of all the ways he pictured this happening, he never thought he’d see you so heartbroken. It makes him feel like an asshole considering he didn’t do anything wrong. He needed to get over you because you’re with Tony, so he called the one person that might have said yes to coming over.

“I didn’t know you’d be back tonight.”

“Sharon?” you ask. “Did I hear the stories right? She broke your heart, Bucky. You had a terrible relationship!”

Bucky is about to answer when Sharon comes back.

“Excuse me, Sharon, I’m just going to talk to Y/N for a second. I’ll only be a minute.” She nods and waves to you as he closes the bedroom door. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem? You’re making terrible life choices, Bucky!”

You walk away from him, but he follows you because he is not done with this conversation.

“Oh, you think you know everything, don’t you? I’m actually so sick of you,” he growls.

“I don’t know everything. I’m just disappointed in you!”

“Maybe I should be more like you, Y/N, and run into the kitchen and make pastries with sprinkles on them.”

“I don’t always do that,” you glare.

“Then maybe I’ll put on a dumb pajama outfit and tell others how to live their life!”

“It’s not a pajamas outfit!” you yell. “It’s just called pajamas!”

“That’s what I said!” he yells back.

Anger bubbles under your skin as tension grows thick between you. “Why don’t you go back inside your room and put on that dumb Henley and keep not living up to your potential!”

Bucky steps closer to you. “You’re a crazy person, Y/N!”

“No, I’m just saying things you don’t want to hear!”

“You know what I’d like to hear from you?”

“What?” you shout.

“Silence!” he yells.

“I’m not gonna be silent!” you scream at him. “I’m trying to help you, Bucky!”

Bucky grabs your shoulders. “For once in your life, just shut the fuck up! Please! I don’t want your help!”

His cheeks are pink from anger but his eyes are full of fire. The blue in his eyes is swirling with anger.

“Stop making that face. I hate your face,” you growl, briefly glancing down at his lips.

“What are you talking about? I only have one face! If you don’t like looking at my face, Y/N, then look at my ass because I’m done with this conversation. Goodnight!”

Bucky turns and walks away from you.

“Don’t walk away from me!”

“If you don’t shut up, I’m gonna kill you,” he growls.

He slams the door when he enters his room, and you storm over to your room. The last thing he hears is your door slamming, and he sighs knowing he might have fucked up his relationship with you.

x

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[electricbluebutterflies]

kisses on the cheek + abbot/mohan

PG-ish and also on ao3.

Samira has never been a particularly talented liar.

In fairness, she’s never needed to be. She lives a quiet life, and she’s learned how to be tactful while still telling her patients what they need to know – a skill that’s gotten her a reputation, yes, but also the most consistently glowing patient feedback the ER has ever seen – and she doesn’t really…

Fine. So she’d never seen herself as a workplace-romance kind of person. Nobody ever does until it happens to them, right?

Point is, Samira is convinced that a casual entanglement with someone on a different shift who has no formal power over her is ethically fine, and Samira is also convinced that no one else she works with has any idea it’s happening. Samira is correct about one of those things, not both of them.

To her credit, she’s done alright keeping it hidden. She’s been seeing Jack for a few months now, and other than the fact that she stopped picking up random night shifts, she’s pretty sure nothing has changed at work. They’ve always had a comfortable dynamic, she’s convinced herself – she wouldn’t have gone for it and asked him out if she didn’t like the man, and-

Shift change, start of day. She needs to get through today and then she’s supposedly off three in a row – she knows better than to think that’ll actually happen, as far as everyone else here knows she has no personal life, so she’ll get two out of three scheduled days off and that’s still something – and so help her she is going to get through the next twelve hours without crying and-

“See you tonight?”

Correction – Samira is doing what she thinks is a great job keeping her relationship hidden. Her sorta-boyfriend – they have not had the define-the-relationship conversation yet – is barely even trying.

Samira is, and she has been told this by too many people so she knows it’s true, not naturally a confrontational person. Samira is not the kind of person to, say, pick a fight with her partner over something she knows was done with good intentions. This is a line for her, yes, but it’s not a line she’s bothered to bring up before, and-

“Careful. Someone might-“

“They know. They’ve all known for weeks.”

“I thought we were-“

“You really didn’t-“

“No?”

“I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. You’ve been here long enough, you know the vultures, and-“

“How badly is it going over?”

“Wait, no one’s said anything to you?”

Samira takes a deep breath, steadying herself against the lockers. “No. No one has said anything to me.”

“The vultures must like you. Last night alone I got three different threats of what exactly will happen to me if I even accidentally break your heart and I know for fact all three will follow through and-“

“You’re not planning to break my heart, are you?”

“Wouldn’t dare.”

“Good. I like you.”

If everyone knows, Samira decides – or if enough people know that everyone might as well, which is probably closer to accurate – then she has nothing worth hiding anymore. This is enough to justify her leaning in and kissing her partner’s cheek, nothing that counts as PDA but-

“Surprised how fast you changed your mind on that.”

“Did I mention how any times I’ve gone through the employee handbook to make sure-“

Jack returns the gesture, feathering a few kisses across her face, and there’s just something so playful about their dynamic sometimes and-

“I like you too. Whatever that’s worth.”

She’s pretty sure she’s going to melt into the floor, and this is not ideal timing, and-

“I think I’m okay with other people knowing abut us. I realize I don’t have a choice here, but… don’t tell anyone what I’m like in bed and I’ll get over anything else.”

“Understood. Any other…”

“No? I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t trust you.”

He takes a heartbeat of a mouth kiss, and when he pulls back he’s got that amused look in his eyes that first got her curious about him, and-

“Go get ‘em.”

“See you when I get off, then. I assume I’m coming over…”

“Yeah. If you still want to.”

“I may end up asleep on your couch, but-“

“Worse ways to spend an evening.”

Not many she can think of offhand – as far as she can tell, that couch was a curse of a wedding present, and Jack’s been widowed for a decade – but…

“See you then.”

[atamascolily]

I decided to make a new post rather than derail the conversation on this excellent reblog chain about dramatic irony with niche fandom analysis, but one thing I think a lot about is why SHAFT titled the Rebellion sequel movie "Walpurgis no Kaiten" in the first place. They could have called it something generic like "Rising" or "Revolution," but instead they specifically emphasized they were bringing back the big bad, and they didn't have to do that. They could have made an ambiguous trailer that didn't touch on any of that and surprised us all in theaters, but they wanted us specifically to know that Walpurgisnacht was going to be there when they released the freaking title. And yeah, that was to drum up hype and it worked, and it was a great marketing move for that reason alone, but I don't think they would have done it if it also didn't work on a story level.

The same is true for the duplicate Homura reveal in the first key visual. They really didn't have to give us that, but they did. They deliberately showed us the two of them side by side because they wanted us to know and wonder why. And from that moment on, every time we see Homura, we ask, "Is this the real one or the duplicate?" because we know to ask, and we've been doing this for years before the movie's even been released. Hitchcock would be so proud!

The big plot twist of Walpurgis no Kaiten ISN'T that Walpurgisnacht is back or that there are two Homuras--two bombshells that you'd think could fill a movie in and of themselves-- because they already shouted it to the world. Walpurgis no Kaiten is going to be how and why these circumstances came about and how these two seemingly disparate facts are related, and for maximum suspense, the audience needs to know ahead of time that they're coming. This is not to say there won't be other surprises along the way, but the great thing about dramatic irony is that the story is still suspenseful and exciting precisely because you know what's coming, and it makes the movie effectively "spoiler proof" in this respect.

I would also add that dramatic irony is especially effective in tragedies, such as Oedipus Rex or Hamlet, where we know from the beginning that the main character is heading for a fall. Heck, Romeo and Juliet even opens with a prologue telling us it's all going to end in tears! This combined with the question "is it possible to overcome fate or is everything inevitable?" which is at the core of Homura's conflict with Walpurgisnacht, suggests that Walpurgis no Kaiten is going to lean very hard into the tragic elements. This doesn't necessarily mean a tragic ending--"hope" is also a key theme of the franchise--but Homura will probably have to hit rock bottom first as everything she's worked so hard to build crumbles around her.

For better or worse, Madoka Magica as a franchise is so notorious for plot twists that I think it's fitting that the creators have embraced dramatic irony for this sequel. The original anime had a lot of misleading marketing that it was going to be a conventional magical girl anime, only to pull the rug away, first subtly with framing and foreshadowing, and then dramatically by the end of the third episode. Rebellion starts in media res, forcing the audience to figure out what is going on alongside Homura before blindsiding them at the end. So how can you possibly top that in a follow-up?

Instead of trying to hide or disguise what they're doing with Walpurgis no Kaiten, the answer seems to be "tell the audience what's happening in advance and let them writhe in suspense". It's such a power move and I love it.

[siren-of-fire]

[This might be alot Pili pov centric view of things so just a heads up]

It has been interesting to see how the Pili 2 and Ace merge has been working so far. They are definitely trying to coexist and trying to get on a same page in a way (not sure how to put the situation happening in better words).

Like with Pangi today. Ace knew he holded power in the situation and could use Pangi's memory loss to his advantage but the Pili 2 side decided to not mess with him since he was already suffering from corruption (something we have seen Pili 2 do even before Ace had showed up). Pili 2 gave him a tour of the place, didn't push any information on him and simply showed him around. All this while the Ace side was holding back from just straight up gaslighting him.

Pili 2 could have taken revenge for those two kills Pangi did on him before but he knew Pangi was in a vulnerable state, same situation Pili 2 had been in before. I guess some would say Pedro thing was still lying but was it really bad of Pili to hold that information? It to me felt like a perfect tool for a starting conversation between the two which later led them to the lab and then to Pili giving Pangi a tour. He has memory loss maybe seeing familiar places would trigger something (this was a method both Pangi and Bad also tried when Pili 2 first arrived).

And then the Ros and yellow thing. Pili 2 never had any ill intentions towards Ros and yellow. He was truthful to them and helped them is any way he could. He knew Ros and Sneeg didn't trust him as much but overtime from simple things like collecting flowers for the garden Ros was building to checking up on her and helping her building Sneeg's house and Royal Ball 2. They were becoming friends and Ros was moving away from Green and Pangi and opening up to Pili 2. Pili 2 was finally becoming a part of yellow but then he is killed.

And now he is back but their is also a different side with him of Ace. Ace doesn't have any attachments to yellow and doens't care about anyone. He has zero reason to be loyal to Foolish and yellow unlike Pili 2.

What Ros did today was a interesting thing to see. She was mean to Pili 2 and Ace and they both took it in two slightly different ways reaching the same conclusion in the end.

From Pili 2 side saying over and over how he should be understanding because Ros is going through her own things to Ace side telling how nobody in Yellow does care about him and wouldn't be mean to him if they actually did. Ace's side was much more leaning towards standing up for himself and finally stopping the bullying he is faced constantly. (Something along the lines of how it has become such a normal thing to be mean towards him constantly over and over).

We have seen how Pili 2 was very understanding of Ros when she in the past was against him joining yellow. And after everything when they had become friends (quite literally Ros was the one who gave up her time for Pili to attend the Ball) when Pili talked about being friends Ros replied with "Are we?" which definitely pushed that little inkling of not feeling like a yellow member even further for Pili 2. After everything they both been through and turns out now their relationship is back to square one. Ros definitely hurt the Pili 2 side today (which he said himself- he did feel hurt) first by taking Pangi's side in the morning to later being mean over something as simple as clothing choices and not calling him a friend. He has been nothing but nice to her since he joined yellow.

Another thing to note is Foolish who is the one person who does care about Pili 2 is gone and Ros is now the regent Queen for the week and ultimately still a heart of yellow and maybe Foolish in the past took the stand of it being a different Pili from Mocha but now he does have those memories so would that argument still stand? Both in Foolish's, Ros's and Sneeg's eyes?

Why would the Ace's side just sit their and take the bullying, maybe Pili 2 had grown used to it being that way but Ace isn't. He is different and ultimately from the cinematic we do know he is here here to "Fix the Mess" Mocha and Pili 2 made.

And then the refrence to Cirice by Ghost lines- "You are absolutely lost without me" by Ace to Pili 2 and Mocha. Ace is different and much more in control of the situation unlike Mocha and Pili 2. He is ultimately here for a reason.

So that little feeling of "I don't feel part yellow anymore" and "Zam feels much more part of yellow then me" definitely grew alot today and made that notion worse. In the end the conclusion was that Pili wants to leave Yellow now.

[yuribalisms]

So I answer this phone call, and the lady is like “I’m getting the documentation to approve this” and I’m like oh thank GOD but then she says “I have to order you specific ear plugs that the company approves of :)” and I’m like “wait ear plugs as in to cancel all noise” and she’s like “yes :)” and I’m like “no this was about ear buds or headphones, things being completely silent is just as bad if not worse for my sensory issues” and she gets real quiet and is like “I’m a going to have to talk to your doctor about this then for some more clarification” and I’m like HFDJSIDKJDKDJDK that is what the letter SAIDD it specified ear buds so I can play things that I know help regulate my sensory issues and it also said in the letter to contact my therapist if anyone had more questions why are we even having this conversation are you fucking stupid it’s already been a MONTH since I turned all this in and now I have to wait even fucking longer because no one can read and wants to be as difficult as possible

[utilitycaster]

I think Orym's position here is such a great one to depict, because the reality of any form of political organizing you will find someone who will not budge. This is fundamentally neutral, though someone like this can certainly have a position you find repugnant. It doesn't matter. This is the reality of dealing with that person. If someone will under no circumstances change their position - especially if it's informed by personal experience - that doesn't mean they are a good or bad person or their position is justified or not, but it does mean that to get them on your side, either you will have to find a way to appeal to them, not the other way around, or you will have to move forward without their support.

When encountering someone like this, you can bang your head against the brick wall and tell them about the superiority of your position for as long as you want, but unless you dip into threats and coercion or worse, you really cannot make them do anything they don't want to, no matter how eloquently you speak. There's considerable power in being that person.

(For what it's worth, I think he's perhaps the truest foil to Ludinus in this respect; I believe Ludinus's beliefs to be just as deeply ingrained and immutable. The key difference is that Orym is not in any way responsible for the death of Ludinus's family, or like, Molaesmyr, so when they move into the moral part of the argument instead of simply the blunt reality of unmoving objects, he does have a significant advantage.)

[icewindandboringhorror]

One of the interesting bits of trying to resume working on the game after so long is looking back at my ancient Draft Placeholder versions of an image from 4 yrs ago trying to remember what the hell I meant back then, to hopefully interpret it into some more final (ish..) form of the same thing .. making slow progress lol