#you didn't specify a pairing so i went with the one that seemed right

[dailymanners]

I feel as though in the past few years it's becoming more common for me to be interrupted while I'm speaking, and I can't help but wonder if more people are losing a sense of conversational rhythm due to communicating more and more digitally and less and less in person.

When you communicate digitally you don't have to worry about finding the natural rhythm of the conversation, you're not taking away someone else's ability to finish their thought or make their point if you send a message to them while they're still typing. I'm not here to scare monger about the kids and their phones, but it's important that you don't let your skill of finding a conversational rhythm, if you have that skill, atrophy, lest you speak over someone and take away their ability to complete their thought and make their point.

But I also realize that it's really important to specify what I mean by interrupting someone.

When someone says that interrupting is really normal and not considered rude in their community or culture, what they're actually talking about is what's known in linguistics as "cooperative overlap", that or simultaneous talking. Here's an example of cooperative overlap and/or simultaneous talking that you might see in a culture where this is normal and acceptable:

Person A: So guess where I went today? I went to the -

Person B: Oh let me take a wild guess! You went to the shoe store again didn't you?

Person A: That's right, and I got a -

Person C: Oh come on, don't tell you got another pair!

Person A: You know it baby!

Now let's compare that to a different style of interruption, what I like to call "steamrolling"

Person A: So guess where I went today? I went to the -

Person B: UGH did you guys catch the game last night?

Person C: Yeah the refs sucked!

Now, what differences can you see between the first example, aka "cooperative overlapping" vs the second "steamrolling" example?

For one, in the first example Person A is still allowed to make their point, tell their story, and finish their thought. They're not being silenced or completely derailed, and most importantly their conversation partners still seem interested and engaged in what they have to say. In the second example, Person A is being completely derailed and stripped of their chance to finish their thought and make their point, which is unfair to Person A, which is what makes "steamrolling" disrespectful even in many cultures and communities where "cooperative overlapping" would be acceptable.

Now, conversational overlap isn't for everyone, and that's okay, but it makes it awkward and tricky when someone from a community or culture that uses conversational overlap talks to someone who is from a culture that doesn't. For example:

Person A: So the other day I went to -

Person B: Oh my god did you go to that one store?

Person A: Um, no, I went to the movies, and I saw -

Person B: OH did you see that new creepy movie about the aliens?

Person A: No, can I please just finish my story?

Person B: Oh, uh, sorry

Neither person will probably feel great after this conversation. And I'm not here to condemn either conversational styles. I understand why some people see cooperative overlap as a more engaging and exciting conversational style, but I also understand why some people find it frustrating. My mother's family has a cultural background big on conversational overlap, but my father's side of the family ehhh not so much, so I personally grew up seeing these two conversational styles clash a lot.

If you're person A in the above conversation who doesn't like conversational overlap, that's totally fine, I'm personally not a big fan of it either only because I have a terrible memory, so when someone disrupts my flow I usually end up completely forgetting what I want to say. Just try to recognize the difference between cooperative overlap vs steamrolling. If someone is just trying to cooperatively overlap with you, patiently and politely tell them something along the lines of "sorry I have a terrible memory so if I don't finish I'll forget what I'm trying to say". But it's generally a good idea to be more patient and understanding with conversational overlap than steamrolling.

If you're someone who cooperatively overlaps and you encounter someone who isn't a fan of it, try not to take it personally, maybe like me they have a horrible memory and will forget what they're trying to say if they get side tracked.

But what I meant earlier about conversational rhythm is that too often a lot of interrupting comes from not realizing the other person wasn't finished speaking.

For example, personal A wants to say "so the other day I went hiking, and I saw a fox" some people might not recognize when person A is actually finished speaking, typically they assume as soon as they've heard a complete clause that means the thought is finished, so the conversation goes like

Person A: So the other day I went hiking -

Person B: OH I went hiking a few weeks ago with my girlfriend but it was so slippery out!

Person C: Oh how is your girlfriend doing by the way?

Person B: She's doing great! How's your partner doing?

Do you see how this style of interruption, unlike cooperative overlap, also derails Person A and deprives Person A of a chance to finish what they want to say? It's not quite steamrolling, and often just comes from a lack of rhythm or understanding. As a general rule, if you want to avoid interrupting someone, pause for a few seconds after you think they're finished in case they aren't actually finished. This way you avoid accidentally depriving someone of the chance to finish what they want to say and completing their thought.

We should never be too eager to assume someone has finished making their point because you never know what someone might actually be trying to say, and if you cut someone off before they make their point you can miss important context. For example:

Person A: I don't think I see stray cats here -

Person B: AHA BULL FUCKING SHIT! I totally saw a stray cat the other day!

Person A: I was going to say as much as in other places if you had let me finish?

Or:

Person A: I hate when it's hot out. When I was a kid it was usually around 25 or 30 degrees Celsius in the summers -

Person B: OH come one don't be such a wimpy little baby! 25-30 degrees isn't even that warm! I've totally seen WAY hotter summers than that!

Person A: Uh, that's what I was going to say if you'd let me finish, the summers were pretty mild when I was a kid, but they're a lot hotter now . .

Do you see how in both conversations Person B was too eager to assume Person A had finished making their point and ended up missing important context? If person B had only paused and waited for Person A to finish making their point, they wouldn't have ended up making an ass of themselves to put it frankly. This style of interruption can make you come across as eager to dominate and "one up" other people, which frankly a lot of people find obnoxious and exhausting. This is different than cooperative overlapping because it comes from a place of wanting to correct or one-up your conversation partner, rather than play and/or build into what they're saying, which is why I'd argue it's closer to steamrolling.

Good conversational rhythm ideally means everyone is allowed to finish their thought and make their point, whether or not that includes overlapping or even simultaneous talking. If you're not sure someone has finished their thought, pause a few seconds to make sure they've had the chance to complete their thought, less you miss important context. OR, if you do interject, it should be about building/playing into what they're saying rather than derailing/steamrolling them.

What's important to keep in mind is that it's often a matter of power and respect when someone is or isn't allowed to finish their thought and make their point. If someone is unable to finish their thought or make their point before getting steamrolled, they're going to feel like their input to the conversation isn't valued or important, and that's never a good feeling.

[wildesqdreams]

cedar

pairing - percy jackson x fem!reader.

summary - saying goodbye is hard, especially, when you still can't accept the fact that it has ended. she thought it was the right thing, but she still forgets he isn't hers. was it really for the best?

warnings - angst, readers cabin not specified, annoying gurls trying to steal our man.

navigation | masterlist | request | taglist

a/n: my first percy jackson fic, yey!!! i hope u guys enjoy, please, let me know if you would like a part2, have a nice day :)

y/n zoned out, annabeth long forgotten, when she saw some new girls approach percy, who was currently teaching a camper from hermes cabin how to hold a sword correctly.

the girl felt her chest tighten at the sight.

one girl flipping her hair, another giggling, both making percy awkwardly blush. she knew that he wouldn't just ignore them or send them away, it's percy jackson, he tried to help everyone, so when one girl motioned to a sword, y/n realized that she was asking for lessons, too, and percy of course nodded.

but then again, she couldn't feel this type of way.

her mind went to the conversation that they both had 7 months ago. she forgot that he isn't hers anymore. she forgot that she called it off and percy, well, he didn't say anything, just agreed.

"i need some space," y/n whispered, as she tried not to look at the boy in front of her.

these past months have been hard. lonely nights, canceled dates, and red eyes. not only was being a demigod hard, but two teenagers with this destiny being in love was even harder.

the relationship had to be put aside because of the quests, monsters, and just duties as a half blood and a child. not to mention that percy jackson, being poseidons' son, had to fulfill everyone's expectations and desires, that way leaving the person he loves, y/n y/l/n, behind.

he tried to reach for her hand, but she just stepped back, "okay, we can just get away. i mean, go somewhere for the summer, not to camp, but-

she shook her head, knowing that it wasn't possible, the camp half blood was the safest place for them, but the boy still tried, "let's go to greece! the sun, the ocean, you always wanted to, it could be-"

"no," she stopped him, "percy, we just need a break from us... this," she swallowed, "this isn't working right now."

and just like that, percy jackson felt his heart break into a million peaces.

the hero could save everyone, figure things out, help others, but he couldn't fix the distance and the hurt that had grown between them.

y/n hadn't realized that she hadn't stopped looking until percy turned his head and their eyes locked.

it may seem cliché, but time stopped.

those eyes used to make her feel loved. seen. they made her feel like the only girl in the world. he made her feel everything.

she felt her face go hot, feeling her breathing go heavier. percy didn't look away, his own face relaxing, as he saw the beautiful girl. he gave her a small smile, but she just looked away.

"he misses you," annabeth said, besides the girl.

"hm."

"y/n, you should tal-"

the girl stood up, "i'm gonna go check if the new campers need some help with the strawberries."

and just like that, she walked away before annabeth could say anything. her heart felt heavy, it hurt to be near him, it hurt to look him in the eye. she couldn't.

but percy couldn't forget her. them. he wouldn't. his green eyes watched her, the girl still on his mind.

[petsdenonne]

Accidental Part: 2

(Part 1: Here)

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Warnings: SMUT 18+, Oral, angst, kidnapping.

Word count: 1,000

Summary: After accidentally sending something you weren't supposed to to Jason, it seems it goes on a little further.

✨MASTERLISTS✨

—————————————————————————

It had been weeks since your one-night stand.

Well.

Weeks since your “one night stand” in a library. Since then you had a one-night stand with him in your car, his room at the manor, at his apartment, and a few in your place after he’d finished patrol.

Which is what was happening now.

You were lying on your back in your bed, his hands on the back of your thighs as he pushed your knees up into your chest, his mouth down on you as his tongue spread your folds and he sucked on your clit. 

Weak, needy whimpers left your lips as your fingernails once again dug into his scalp, which earnt a low chuckle with a moan at the end of it “God, doll, I’m going to lose hair if you keep tugging so hard” 

“Sorry” You let out a faint chuckle and loosened the grip your fingers had a little, but still kept a firm grip, just not enough to cause premature baldness. 

With a soft smile he carried on working, moaning under his breath at your taste, the hand on the back of your right knee trailed down the back of your thigh. His fingernails scratched at your skin as it went before he left a firm slap on your behind which earned a playful yelp from you. 

His hand then moved to cup his swelling cock through his trousers, a cocky smirk on his face as he worked to free it “Ready, Babygirl?”

—------

“Do you have to go? You could stay the night?” You lay in your bed, duvet draped over your naked body whilst Jason was putting his cargo pants and tact straps back on, double checking that the safety was on his pistols before placing them back in their holsters where they had been knocked from in his haste to strip. “It’s not like this is exactly a one-night stand situation anymore, it kinda specifies in the name that it’s only supposed to be for one night” you added, resulting in a heavy sigh from him.

“This is not a relationship either” 

“What-” 

“I don't want a relationship, Doll, commitment? Having to check in on each other constantly? Not being able to do stuff on our own anymore because society expects us to either do everything together or that we are arseholes if we don't? No, this is just a friends-with-benefits situation and that's all it will ever be” He said sternly and almost word vomited at you, his words hitting you right in the gut which caused you to pull the duvet up tighter around you, making you feel almost ashamed that you were still naked beneath it. 

The soft, sweet Jason you had discovered over the past weeks of closeness that you shared suddenly disappeared and all you had access to was the gruff, rude, and stubborn exterior that everyone had access to, you had lost what was inside and that hurt more than his words, it felt like he no longer trusted you anymore. 

“Good night, okay? Try to sleep. I’ll be going away with Roy for the next week or so, got a contract about a cartel that I need to do, so I won’t be around” He said quietly, pausing for a few moments like he was considering kissing you before putting his helmet back on, but chose not to. Slipping out of your bedroom into the darkness of the hallway without another word, once you heard the living room window that you always left unlocked for him slide shut you couldn't stop the tears from escaping. 

—---------

Lies. All of it had been lies. He wanted all of what he said he didn't, he wanted it with you. He wanted to wear stupid, cheesy matching pyjamas with you. He wanted to go to a store and window shop all of the furniture and decor that you two would pick for your place together, fuck, he wanted a place with you. With ceiling-high bookcases and lamps that were always used instead of the big main ceiling light. He wanted to come home from patrol and see you relaxing on the sofa with a book, he just wanted you, and he wished from the bottom of his heart that he had told you, he wished he wasn’t so scared and trapped in his trauma that he could have admitted it to you instead of lying straight to your face when he had last seen you. The hurt in your eyes as they lost their glow had been stuck in his mind his entire trip. 

And they were stuck in his mind, eating away at him now that you were gone.

Gone. 

Someone had kidnapped you whilst you were walking home from work, according to the CCTV Babs had found they had grabbed you and pulled you into an alleyway and you weren't seen coming out, however, when Tim and Dick turned up you were nowhere to be seen. The only trace anyone had seen of you since was your smashed-up phone that was found 12 streets away from the alley. 

You had gone, and he wasn't there to protect you.

“Come on! There has to be something!” Jason shouted down his comms line to Barbara as he weaved in and out of traffic manically on his bike, his knuckles going white under his gloves from the force of his grip on the handlebars “You have access to every public camera in Gotham, and some private ones, yet you’re telling me you haven't found even a trace of her!?” 

“Jason!” Dick shouted back, scolding his younger brother “We are all trying our hardest to find her, and we will” 

“Sorry, shit, sorry…I just…we need to find her, I need to find her” 

“Hey, It’s okay, I know you’re stressed. You can make it up to me by buying me a pizza” She laughed down the line.

And he would.

He’d buy all the pizza she wanted if she found you.

Tag list:

@igotanidea

[blackmoonowl]

32 with the doctor

"𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞?"

ꨄ Pairing: 11th doctor x reader

ꨄ Summary: Kind of a short one, pure unfiltered crack. Didn't specify what Doctor so I went with 11 purely due to this scene. Established relationship in this one.

ꨄ Word Count: 438

Amy and Rory's wedding was going incredibly well.

Music blared from the speakers as guests gathered by the tables to chat, or enjoyed themselves on the dance floor. You were content sitting on one of the chairs, watching the crowd, specifically the Doctor, who was going completely loose a few feet away from you. You were struggling to contain your laughter, taking a sip from your drink. You nearly choked on said drink when the Doctor called out your name.

"Don't just sit there, sitting is for boring people!" The doctor came to a halt right in front of you, a grin still on his face as he dramatically bowed, offering you his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He quipped. You barely got any time to even react before you were pulled to your feet, much to Amy and Rory's amusement.

"Doctor, come on-" you began, but you were cut off when the Doctor dramatically spun you around and dipped you. You let out a laugh as you were pulled back to your feet, coming face to face with your dishevelled partner, his hair a wild mess.

"Having fun yet? I sure am!" The Doctors voice became barely audible above the cheering of the other guests. Most people had moved aside at this point, giving you two the space they figured you needed.

"I'm getting a headache, that's what," you quipped back, giving him a playful huff. "Got everything out of your system?"

"Not in the slightest!" The Doctor pulled you close, allowing you to brush his hair out of his face, causing him to smile wider. Before you could do much else he was clumsily trying to waltz with you, almost skipping as he went. At this point you were laughing so hard you were struggling to keep up. You ended up tugging on his sleeve to get him to slow down, causing him to lean over you with a grin, cupping your slightly tear stained face as you recovered.

"You are so beautiful, you know that?" he mumbled, placing his sweaty forehead against yours, causing you to pull a face, which he didn't seem to care about. "So beautiful, and all mine."

That last phrase was met with a kiss against your lips. You heard some of the child guests let out an 'ew' in the background, causing a smile to form on your face.

"Easy there, Casanova," you quipped, gently nudging his head away from yours. "We're in public. "

The Doctor grinned, looking back at the TARDIS, to the crowd, then at Amy and Rory before looking back at you.

"Not for long."

𓅓 Masterpost

𓅓 Consider supporting me! (Ko-fi)

[aviiarie]

Good evening, avie. Consider this my first request on this account.

Lyney's daughter realises, much to her horror, that her normally jovial father's version of the 'Shovel Talk' is to glare down her date with his 'Thousand Yard Stare'.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ SHOVEL TALK. platonic lyney & fem!reader !

synopsis. lyney meets his daughter's date for the first time. contents. PLATONIC. reader's partner is gn; they/them is used for them. fem!reader. fluff. 0.9k words. notes. alright! i don't usually write fem!reader, so this was an interesting change of pace. you didn't specify gender for the partner so i went with gn ^^

When she first told Lyney about them, she was nervous. She knew he was as understanding as a father could be, but in between assuring her he would support her through anything, he was very outspoken in telling her that he wouldn’t allow any partner to hurt her. He wanted to make sure they were the ‘right’ kind of person—he couldn’t have his precious daughter getting mixed up with the wrong sorts and wounding up in trouble, could he?

Lyney’s suggestion (and solution to his apprehension) was for their planned date to be held at his and Lynette’s magic show the next weekend, followed by a nice dinner together. That way, they would have an enjoyable time, and he would have the opportunity to figure out just who this mystery partner was.

She agreed, and the date was set.

The couple met outside the show, and immediately security ushered them into the private booth reserved for the just the two. From there, they could see the whole show; dazzling lights landing on Lyney and Lynette as they performed. It was as breathtaking as the first time she saw them perform when she was young; their presence lit up the entire theatre, turning a simple stage into a show of wonder.

Beside her, her partner was enraptured as well; they had hardly taken their eyes off the stage since the magicians had stepped on.

Once the show concluded and the excitement began to simmer down, the two were whisked backstage to Lyney and Lynette’s dressing room to meet with them. With a beat of hesitation, she knocked on the door.

“Mon chou, how are you?” Lyney beamed as soon as he saw her. He pulled her into a quick hug—warm, and tight, as they always were. “How was the show? Come, come in!”

“I’m alright. The show was great.” She said with an uncertain smile. The dressing room was as cosy as she remembered it, with a squashy couch and a table of drinks and snacks. Lynette was sitting at one of the vanities, carefully cleaning away her stage makeup.

“Good to hear.” Lyney said warmly, sitting back down at the other vanity. He spun the chair to face them, watching as the pair took their place on the couch. He hadn’t acknowledged her partner at all, barely even glancing over at them. It seemed he was more than content waiting for either her or them to be the one to make the first move to introducing them.

She cast a quick look over to her partner, and they offered her a comforting smile.

“Um… I would like to introduce you to someone,” She took a deep breath, bracing herself. “Dad, meet [s/o].”

Silence fell. Her eyes darted between her partner and her father. Lynette looked over at them curiously. Lyney was quiet, narrowing his eyes. The bright expression had slipped away sometime after closing the dressing room door, leaving his face blank.

“…Hm.”

Her partner cleared their throat awkwardly. “Uh… nice to meet you. I’m [s/o]”

They held out their hand for a handshake, and Lyney stared at it, still not saying a word.

“It is nice to meet you,” Lynette said, taking pity on them and shaking their hand. “I am [Name]’s aunt, Lynette. Please excuse my brother.”

“Um… no problem.” They smiled sheepishly, and the stifling silence settled again.

“So!” [Name] interrupted loudly. “…How has your performances been today?”

“Oh, the usual.” Lynette said, sighing as she spun back around in her chair and continued cleaning away her makeup.

“I… I thought it was great.” Her partner said with a sheepish smile. “It was just as amazing as people say it is. You know, I’ve been waiting to see you perform for ages, so I was pretty excited when [Name] told me our date was going to be here.”

“So that’s why you’re dating her?” Lyney suddenly said. His eyes narrowed on them. “To take advantage of her connections?”

“No!” They quickly said. “I��”

“Do you care about her at all, or just who her family is?” Lyney pressed, leaning forward in his chair. “What exactly are your intentions?”

“I’m—” They faltered, shifting uncomfortably under his intense gaze. “Well, I…”

They cast a look over at [Name]. She was smiling back at them, all warmth under her own nerves.

“I care about her.” They said resolutely. “She makes me happy. And I want to make her happy, for as long as she will let me.”

Lyney stared at them for a beat, each second punctuated by a tick of the clock. Eventually, he leaned back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest. “…Hm.”

The tension dissipated, both halves of the couple breathing out in relief. Lynette cleared her throat, standing from her chair. “You two had dinner afterwards, correct? Would you like me to walk you out?”

“Sure,” [Name] smiled, standing as well. She gave her father a brief hug, whispering a quiet goodbye. Lynette held the door open for her to walk through, and she murmured a quiet thanks.

“That was terrifying.” Their partner said as soon as the door shut behind them.

“Tell me about it…” She sighed, walking in step beside them.

“Do you think your dad liked me?”

Lynette chuckled behind the couple. “Don’t worry. We liked you plenty.”

© aviiarie 2024. do not copy, repost, translate or use my work to train ai.

[vodika-vibes]

Congrats on your milestone!

Can I get a garnet with Echo and Spring?

Butterfly Kisses

Summary: You love Echo, enough to fight your family over him. That's okay, though, because Echo loves it.

Pairing: TBB Echo x Reader

Word Count: 645

Prompt: Garnet - Protective Love

Warnings: Echo is making implications

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Thank you! I hope you like this one! And I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you don't mind that I went with TBB version of Echo rather then TCW version of Echo, you didn't specify.

You genuinely hadn’t meant for the day to go so badly. All you wanted to do was spend the day with Echo now that the last of winter has faded away and spring has finally arrived.

You didn’t know that your parents were visiting your brother. 

And you didn’t know that they were going to go on a picnic at the same hiking trail that you like to walk with Echo.

If you had, you would have changed your plans for the day.

“It’s okay, love. Let it go.” Echo whispers in your ear as your mothers, scathing comment, about Echo and about his appearance thrum through your head with the same concussive force as a cannon. 

You grind your teeth, “She shouldn’t talk about you like that.”

“It’s alright, love.” He gently pulls you away from your family, “She’s not saying anything that I haven’t thought about myself.”

That was definitely not the right thing to say, because now you want to fist fight your mom and Echo’s lack of self-esteem. So you take a deep breath and wrap your hand around his, “We should probably leave before you have to bail me out of jail.” You finally admit.

He laughs quietly, and tugs you further away from your family, and you’re grateful to see that your father finally seems to realize that your mother is making a scene and hurriedly pulls her in the other direction.

And then you’re not thinking about your family, as Echo directs you to a field full of yellow and pink flowers and tugs you between the branches of the willow tree situated on the lake, and you’re pressed against the rough bark of the tree with him leaning over you.

His fingers lightly trail against your cheek and down the side of your neck, and his smile is soft and adoring, “I love you.” Echo breathes out, “You're so ridiculous, sometimes, and you’re so quick to jump to my defense, and I love you.”

You grin at him, “You deserve to have someone willing to fight for you.”

“Well, I definitely have that in you.” He leans in and brushes his lips against yours, it’s a teasing kiss, not even a real, proper, kiss. The brush of his lips designed to tease you, more than anything else.

You try to kiss him properly, but he moves so he’s just out of your reach, “Echo-” You pout up at him, “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

His gorgeous eyes sparkle with mischief, “Oh, I think I’d much rather tease you.”

“But why?” You ask, your pout becoming more pronounced.

“Because you’re so cute when you’re all pouty and whiny for me.” He ghosts his lips across yours again, and then trails his lips, just barely touching you, across your cheeks, and then down your neck and up the other side.

“I’m not whiny,” You say, sounding slightly breathless as you lean into him.

“No?” His lips find purchase under your ear and he lightly nips the sensitive skin there, pulling a, frankly, embarrassing noise from your lips. “That’s not what it sounded like this morning.” He nips the sensitive spot again, “Or last night. Or yesterday morning.”

Your face heats, “Echo,” Okay, that was definitely a whine.

A smug grin crosses his face, as he pulls back and presses his forehead against yours, “I love how protective you are of me.” His lips hover just over yours, “I love watching you get so protective over me. It makes me want to do so many things to you.”

Your face heats a little more, but you slide your arms around his neck, “Like what?”

A small grin plays on his lips, “How about I show you instead?” He offers as he lowers his head just enough that his lips are barely touching yours, “How quiet can you be, ad’ika?”

[whynotjohnlock]

Hello! If it’s no trouble to ask could you write a platonic fic or headcanons for good omens?

Like where it’s Aziraphale x Crowley x teen!reader

Maybe something like how would it be to have them as parental figures/parents?

Anyways I hope you have a good rest of your evening!!

(and if you don’t mind could you add something in there about how they’d react if the reader ever came out to them? If not I totally understand!!)

A/N: I love the idea of Aziraphale and Crowley as parents! You didn't really specify what the reader was coming out as, so I made them non-binary, as that's what is most relatable to me!

In the beginning of the story the child is a girl, and they eventually figure out that they aren't a girl at all and tells our favorite angel and demon couple.

P.S (O/N) means old name and (Y/N) means Your current name

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

Crowely had never been more angry in his entire life as when he first met (Y/N). Rage burned in his demonic blood and his mellow yellow eyes flickerd into a poisonous red. The only thing stopping him from calling thunder from the sky and creating mass destruction was those little innocent eyes he had met on that sorrowful day.

-Flashback-

Aziraphale had just started to reorganize the book shop, as he did every decade when the papers and memoirs and novels got mixed up beyond the ability to find them. Crowley knew Aziraphale. Without words, without any indication, he knew that the angel would get tired and would want some pastries to snack on before noon. They had been friends for eons together and words were not necessary to convey thought between the pair. Crowley went out to get some pastries because he liked to see the angel's face become soft and happy. The demon loved the way his angel's eyes seemed to cut through any darkness or pain he held.

Just the thought of Aziraphale seemed to brighten his day and a small unnoticeable smile formed on Crowley's face. Mentally he had scolded himself for being a lovesick aardvark and finally got the strength to leave the couch and swagger walk™ out of his flat's door.

A happy juant to his other beloved parked right next to the bookshop and a nice drive latter he arrived to a newly opened bakery.

The bakery itself was rather dull, and he hadn't even cared enough to remember it's name. The whole experience was rather annoying as the shopkeeper kept talking to him when he wanted to order. He stood there for what felt like ages- which considering his age was 6000+ was quite the achievement- bored and annoyed. Couldn't the shopkeeper see he was completely uninterested in conversation? While the shopkeeper was busy ranting on about the economy, the window clicked open on noticed by everyone but him.

From his periphery and under his designer black shades, a small girl that caught his attention as he watched them sneak in through the window soundlessly.

The child silently went up to one of the display racks with croissants and started stuffing them into a little brown worn out backpack to eat later. Whoever this child was, it was clear to Crowley that they would have to be very brave or very desperate or possibly both the rob a bakery in broad daylight.

Still, the shopkeepers were not the wiser as the little gremlin continued to steal their day supply bread and it appeared they would be able to escape unnoticed.

Then the floor creaked, and all eyes turn to the little girl furious and angry. "Thief! Thief! Somebody get her!" The man running the register shouted. In surprise the girl dropped her bag of food and make a run for it.

Crowley always had a soft spot for kids and it was no surprise really to anyone who had actually known him like Aziraphale, that he miracled a chair in the way of the shopkeeper so he 'accidentally' tripped and little girl could getaway.

Falling down in pain the angry man shouts "Ugh, I hate that girl! it's the third time this week! If she does that again I'll call the police to take her away!"

All respect gone for the man working the desk, Crowley decides to order three sandwiches instead of the usual two. Once the food is in his hands, he sets off to find the crafty little thief.

It only really takes 5 minutes for Crowley to find thief girl walking streets alone. "Hey kiddo, you lost?"

The girl looks up at him and surprise and then fear like a broken animal, and from her lips tumble a simple "No mister."

His heart aches, and to appear less threatening he gets down on one knee. "Hey it's all right kiddo I'm not going to hurt you. I even brought you some food."

Crowley gives the tiny human one of the sandwiches to prove he's not a threat. The girl blinks at him and then blinks again and then devours the sandwich like it's the first food she's had in weeks.

Actually, looking at her now it might be. This is the first time Crowley's been able to really observe her and from what he can see it's almost certain she's in a rough situation- which reminds him he hasn't even asked her name yet. "What's your name kiddo?"

The girl blinks once more. "(O/N)"

He hesitates. He doesn't want hell to find out he helped a small defenseless child and certainly doesn't want hastor to use the girl to get him. He looks down at the poor innocent girl who has already finished the sandwich and is eating crumbs off the floor. "I'll walk you home, just show me where you live."

(O/N) nods simply, before taking his hand and walking Eastward for a couple of blocks. She stops at the intersection between two houses. 'Maybe she needs to go in the back door?' Crowley thinks to himself. Alas, despite working for hell, his gut wasn't quite prepared for the twisting sensation when he sees (O/N) gesture to a pile of cardboard boxes.

"This is my super cool box fort!" She says truly proud of her creation and happy, as if this was an okay way of living. "Let me give you the tour!" All Crowley can do is nod dumbly as she excitedly explains her home.

"This is where I sleep! Oh, and this is where I look at the stars through my telescope." Her 'telescope' is a clear glass bottle attached to a thrown out tripod stand. "And this is where-"

Crowley is heartbroken and can't take anymore. He cuts the girl off in a gentle sad tone, "where are your parents kiddo?"

"My parents? Umm, mummy and daddy dropped me off and said they'd be back in an soon."

"When was that kiddo?" Crowley's voice breaks into fragments.

"Um, when they were painting that house red I think. Don't worry though! I'm sure they'll be back soon Mister, just like they promised!"

Crowley knew this side of town well because it was on the way to Aziraphale's house, and recalled they had painted that particular house red a year ago.

A year ago.

What in God's name had this child been through? From the size of a little girl she couldn't have been more than five or six years old.

The little girls face made him hurt so so much because she truly believed that her parents would come back to her even after a year of not being there for her. 365 days of fighting for herself alone just for the basic necessities to grow up; and some how she still had hope they were good people. It hurt that much more in that she reminded him of himself as an angel, naive and hopeful of God and the great plan she had for the universe. Her face held the same smile that Aziraphale had when he believed that Angels were good people. And by Satan and God did it hurt.

His pain fueled his rage and bitterness. Anger at the people who it forsaken the child. Bitterness for the world. Hatred for God and her holier than thou standard. His jaw clenched and fingers turned white from clenching so hard into his fist. Why had she forsaken him? Was he not good enough? Was it because he asked too many questions? God's prophet, Jesus had said time and time again that questioning was part of faith, so that really didn't make sense. The more he thought, the more none of the answers made any sense at all.

The only thing that seemed to make sense was the fact and desire and need to take (O/N) home and keep her safe. He decided he would do what no one else had done for him; he would be there, and he would protect her. He would take her home and answer all the questions she had without ever getting annoyed or angry.

No one deserves to be in trouble just for asking questions. 'It won't happen, not on my watch' he vowed.

He did not swear to God. He did not swear to Satan. Crowley sweard to the only thing that mattered to him, Aziraphale, that he would find a way to convince this little girl to go to his angel's bookshop with him and protect them from all harm.

And he did.

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

*Flash forward*

His little girl grew up so fast. She wasn't little anymore. Heck, (Y/N) even a girl anymore.

It god was amazing when they came out. He was so fucking proud that his little thief was brave enough to question there own identity and gender through an incredible mental journey to find the words to represent who they where and had always been. He definitely was not crying when (Y/N) came out, even though Aziraphale had hallucinated and kept insisting that that's what happened.

They had grown into a fiercely independent young adult who had just finished education was pursuing the career of their dreams.

"Are you alright, dear?" An angel snapped him out of his thoughts, and he could have sworn his demonic heart stopped for a second.

"I'm alright, angel. I was just thinking about our little thief."

Aziraphale becomes a mother hen™ "Crowley! How meany times have I told you that they are so much more than a scoundrel who steals money in the night!"

"Angel, (Y/N) likes the nickname, and told me they like it several times!"

"Our starlight deserves a better name!"

Aziraphale had grown to love his starlight as much as he loved his wiley old serpent, with all of himself, truly, madly, and deeply. He read to (Y/N) every night, creating worlds and universes of words for his starlight to laugh and enjoy.

He took them to all his favorite restaurants, for sushi for brioche for crepes and even oysters to taste and try. Only the best for his starlight!

Both angel and demon become extremely serious and angry with one another for a few heartbeats.

Then, they burst out laughing together, unable to continue this silly argument any longer. Crowley falls over on the couch tackling his angel down with him.

They just lie there together completely unable to do anything but keep laughing together in pure unchecked joy.

Aziraphale and Crowley eventually get there giggles out, and hold one another in silence.

Aziraphale whispers softly into Crowley's ear: "I love you, my dear."

Crowley gives a half smirk half smile, "i fORgIvE yOu!"

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Well, I suppose it's well deserved, but I want you to know that I really do love you more than books and oysters and crepes. I love you more than I can say with words."

"I know, angel. And I really do forgive you for whatever that word mess was. Can we go back to cuddleing?"

"Of course dear."

Crowley and Aziraphale had never felt more at peace with the world than they did with you since you entered their life. They where truly free from hell and heaven to be with one another happy.

They were truely free to be as they always wanted to be;

An Ineffable family.

[impale-me-radio-daddy]

Nothing Above the Knee

Inspired by @eggcats post on Vox's hoof worship, here is my radiostatic hoof fic. OG post can be found here.

⪫ Pairing: Alastor/Vox (Radiostatic)

⪫ Wordcount: 4k

⪫ Summary: Alastor wants something from Vox. All Vox asks in return is a few hours with Alastor's hooves.

⪫ Content notes: Explicit sexual content, hoof stuff, contractual obligation, interdigital scent gland play, hoof licking, hoof fucking, electrostimulation, Vox is very much on top here, did I mention this is about hooves?

“You’re slapping the contract down on the table?” Vox narrowed his eyes. “What are you, twelve?”

“You’re the one stipulating such a juvenile… thing,” said Alastor.

“It’s called a kink, Al,” said Vox, shaking his head.

“I suppose you always were a twisted one,” rejoined Alastor, a spark of something returning to his eye. “I’ve specified my own terms. I trust you remember how to read old fashioned paper contracts?”

“Not like I haven’t been an overlord for the better part of a decade now,” grumbled Vox, to Alastor’s terse smile. He picked up the sheaf of paper, reading through it. He knew Alastor well enough to pay attention to the fine print. He didn’t expect any cheap shots in the clauses, no I own Vox’s soul forever with no conditions, Al was too classy for that kind of bullshit, but that didn’t stop Vox looking for them, out of force of habit.

The meat of the contract was as Vox had initially proposed; Vox would get to look, touch and manipulate Alastor’s hooves as he saw fit, between the proposed times, a binding nondisclosure clause preventing either of them broadcasting the event during or after the fact, with an exception for recordings for personal use. In return, Vox would owe a favor of Alastor’s choosing; nothing suicidal, nothing that would cost above a certain price, a list of caveats that went on for a page and a half. Vox stopped when he got to the clauses Alastor had added, reading them through a second time. “Nothing above the knee, huh?”

Alastor lowered his eyelashes. “Since you only seemed interested in my… hooves… I thought it was a fair addition.”

Vox grinned to himself, sensing the discomfort that radiated from Alastor as he ran through the wording. “No-one gets to touch you above the knee, your pants stay on throughout the act… you realize that this applies to you, too, right?”

Alastor sniffed. “If you’re implying that your inept pawings might cause me to become so overcome with lust that I divest myself of all dignity and jump into your arms, Vox, then you’re a bigger narcissist than I feared.”

The truth lay low and unpleasant between them, unacknowledged by either party. Alastor needed the other end of the contract, needed the unspecified favor from Vox, or he wouldn't be here.

And much as Vox would have enjoyed Alastor's complete subjugation, he suspected that the man would rather die than endure it. Which led them to this interesting compromise. It was something he had wanted for a long time; even when they had been friends, he had fantasized about that part of Alastor's body. And, as Velvette liked to say, you were only unalived once.

“I'm surprised you didn't put in a clause stopping me inflicting pain,” said Vox.

Alastor shrugged. “I've never seen you torture someone when you didn't have to. You're not much of a sadist, old chum.”

“I could prove you wrong,” said Vox, an eyebrow raised.

“But you won't,” said Alastor, comfortably. “Are you going to sign it?”

Vox produced a pen with a flourish, blue electricity sparking around it. “One more stipulation. You have to be paying attention. The whole time. No tuning out.” He added the line to the bottom of the document.

“As you insist,” said Alastor, his voice level.

Vox grinned and signed his name, sliding the contract and pen across to Alastor, who signed in turn. Their human names. Not in blood. This wasn't a contract for their souls, after all. Just a favor for a favor.

And nothing above the knee.

There was something about kneeling between Alastor's legs that made Vox feel a little light-headed, even if it was simply to remove his shoes. The signal that Alastor gave off at close range was so strong that it was nearly tangible to Vox, his antennae giving a soft quiver as he bowed his head, taking Alastor's right hoof in his hands, the sole of his boot against Vox’s palm.

Alastor didn't seem immune to the tension either, his red eyes lighting with something like interest as he looked down from his seat on the edge of the bed, his ankle flexing to allow Vox to pull off his boot. He wore black cotton socks with nearly no elastic to them, a sight that made Vox start, his gaze running up Alastor's leg to the knee.

Vox ran his hand up Alastor's shin, the bump under the fabric of his trousers confirming his suspicions. “You're wearing fucking sock garters?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Oh, you freaky fucker.” Vox swallowed an error message. “You have no idea how fucking hot that is.”

The sock was shaped to accommodate a hoof rather than a human foot, the toe wide for the spread of the standing toes, a woven circle at the back to protect the dewclaws and allow for the ankle.

Vox cuffed the leg of Alastor's trouser, rolling it up to the knee, staring all the while at the gracile limb beneath.

Taupe skin faded into dark fur, the slenderness of it making Vox's breath catch in his throat. He could wrap his fingers around the limb at any point. Cradling Alastor's calf in his palm and along his forearm, he lifted the hoof to his lips and breathed in.

Holy fuck, the smell. Even through the cotton, Vox could smell Alastor's musk, deep and earthy and pungent. Vox pressed in with his screen, until Alastor's hoof pressed squarely between his eyes, a groan escaping his lips as he felt his cock twitch to half mast just from the sensation.

Alastor himself was meticulously clean, Vox knew, but part of the curse of a deer body was the scent glands, constantly excreting musk that would help an earthly deer find its way but held little use for a demonic one. It was why Alastor rarely removed his shoes. It was also why, when Vox opened his eyes to look back at Alastor, he found the smile strained, eyes wide, a flush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. Fuck, that was almost better than the smell.

“I love the smell of you, Al,” Vox purred, reaching for the clasps on Alastor’s sock garter. “You’re fucking musky, ripe, you stink like a damn animal. I am so fucking hard right now.”

“I can see that,” said Alastor, his smile fixed. “I don’t need you to tell me.”

“Oh, but the contract says I can talk as much as I fucking want. So I’m gonna talk.” Slowly, as if unwrapping a gift, Vox pulled the sock from Alastor’s hoof, eyes widening as he took in the sight.

Alastor’s standing nails were perfectly formed, the same crimson as his fingernails and lustrous, a beautiful end to the long, elegant limb.

“Holy shit, you are fucking beautiful,” breathed Vox, running his hands over the hoof, fingers over the smooth keratin, round and into the fleshy pads behind the standing nails. He felt Alastor shiver at the touch, and made a mental note to probe there some more later. “You have no idea how fucking perfect you are.”

He stripped Alastor’s other hoof in a similar manner and pressed his lips to each of them, learning the shape of them with his hands as he praised them.

“Are you quite done?”

“Oh, you’re bored?” asked Vox, taking a slender hoof in his hands and feeling the arch, the space between the crimson dewclaws and the pads beneath the standing toes. “Let’s see if I can fix that for you, Al.” With a grin, he pushed the knuckle of his thumb between the tendons in the arch, pushing hard into the flesh as he stroked up and down.

A strangled hiss from Alastor was his reward, another shiver through the Radio Demon’s body. “What’s that, Al?” Vox teased. “Speechless for once?”

“No, I-” Alastor started, but Vox picked the moment to push his knuckle into the pad of Alastor’s standing toe, and Alastor gave a little gasp instead, a noise that went right to Vox’s already hard cock.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying this, Al,” said Vox, continuing the massage with a smirk.

“Fuck you,” Alastor snarled, his grin dangerous and sharp.

“Not on the menu tonight,” said Vox, his answering grin triumphant, his fingers kneading the pads of Alastor’s standing toes. “Nothing above the knee, remember? So, instead-” Vox ran fingertips over the red of Alastor’s nails, tracing the gap between the two. “Instead you get this.”

Vox pushed a finger between the two crimson nails, spreading the hoof apart, and grinning as he felt the fur around Alastor’s scent gland, oily and slick with his musk. The noise that Alastor made was everything; as if Alastor had just tuned to the wrong station, his voice thick with distortion. “What are you doing to me?”

Looking up, Vox noticed two things. First, Alastor was angry, antlers branching, eyes black with glowing red dials. Second, Alastor was hard.

“Holy shit. Fuck. Christ.” Vox stared. Al’s cock was pitching an impressive tent in his pants; any larger and he would be threatening to tear the seams. Vox had expected Alastor to endure the attention, maybe enjoy the hoof rub in a sensual sort of way, maybe be embarrassed. Not for it to do something for him. From Alastor’s expression, he hadn’t been expecting this either. Vox realized he was salivating, and swallowed.

Vox pushed his fingertip further into the gap between Alastor’s toes, feeling the weeping slit of his scent gland, the stink from the hoof intensifying as Vox smeared the musk back and forth.

“You frivolous piece of technological frippery- ngh!” Alastor’s grin was unhinged now, gums bared as well as teeth.

“I’m just doing what you agreed I could,” said Vox, drinking in the scene before him, glad he wasn’t the one coming apart at the seams this time. He kept his fingers moving, back and forth, looking at the spread of Alastor’s beautiful toes. “Speaking of which, uh…” Vox trailed off. His cock could fit between them, at a stretch. “You didn’t stipulate that I couldn’t use your hooves to jack off.”

Alastor was silent, but the widening of his eyes told Vox that he hadn’t considered the possibility. His poker face wasn’t that good, smile or no.

“If you object, I won’t,” said Vox, quietly. “I’m an asshole, not a monster.”

Alastor gave an annoyed little huff, staring at the two fingers that Vox had wedged between his toes. “I signed the contract. I don’t need your pity.”

Vox smiled when he heard it. “Atta boy,” he growled, spreading Alastor’s toes further apart as he freed his cock from his pants. His first glimpse of the slit of Al’s scent gland, the whitish discharge beading on it like dew, set an ache to the base of his cock, and he swore under his breath. “Oh, that’s fucking pretty, Al. Jesus, look at you.”

Vox lifted the hoof to his face, fingers still forcing the standing nails apart, and opened his mouth, curling his tongue into the gap. Oh, Alastor tasted fucking filthy, organic and overwhelmingly male. If Vox’s head had been biological, the combination of smell and taste would have made him gag, but as it was, he simply pushed away the mounting pile of error messages, keeping his senses as highly tuned as he could without shutting down entirely, feeling the emotion in his gut flicker from disgust to arousal and back again like a fucking metronome. The stink was soaking into his casing; he was going to smell like hoof for weeks. Tongue laving wet between Alastor’s toes, Vox groaned, teasing the slit of the scent gland as he made the crevice nice and slick for his cock.

From a secondary camera, Vox watched Alastor’s face, the quivering at the corners of his smile, the bobbing of his larynx. The tent in his pants, where an honest-to-god wet spot was forming, dark against the red. Alastor reached for his own crotch, looking to find friction, only to have his wrists snapped back into place by the chains of their contract. Vox groaned into the crevice of Alastor’s hoof as he watched Al snarl at the chains, hand going to his own cock and giving it a slow pump as he drew his head back.

“I’d love to help with that,” leered Vox, Alastor’s ankle still in his hand. “But no-one touches you above the knee, Al, not even you. You put it in the contract yourself.”

Alastor stared down at him, dial-eyed. “Fuck you, you tacky rectangle fuck.”

“Is this your idea of dirty talk?” Vox matched Alastor’s grin as he lowered Alastor’s hoof to his dick, a shock through his system as he made contact, pushing his dribbling glans against the pads on the undersides of Al’s standing toes, rubbing small circles into the yielding flesh there. Alastor made a soft, animal noise in his throat, and Vox guided himself to the gap between the toes, rubbing his glans there. “Haah- I think you need practice.”

“Why?” Alastor’s gaze on him was intense, even as his breath huffed between his teeth. “It seems to be working, after all.”

Vox glitched, freezing for a second before shaking it off. How the fuck did Alastor always seem to know just how to get under his skin? Vox watched Alastor’s face as he smeared his glans between Alastor’s spread toes, the pearly white of Alastor’s musk mixing with the neon blue of his precum, back and forth until the space was slick with it and Vox could push the shaft of his cock between Alastor’s toes without much friction. The contract compelled Alastor to watch, so he did, his hips rolling futile as he sought friction the air above him could not give him.

“You’re looking pretty out of it there, Al,” teased Vox. “Sure you don’t want any help?”

“What-” said Alastor, chest heaving, monocle askew. “-can you do to help, Vox?”

“Roll over,” said Vox, sitting back a little. “You can hump the mattress.”

Alastor gave a radio hiss. “Fuck you.”

“Would love to, believe me,” Vox shot back.

“The contract says I have to watch you.”

“Is that all?” Vox snapped his fingers, feeding his visual inputs through to the screen on the wall on the other side of the bed, his view of Alastor’s hoof, the lustrous crimson of his standing nails spread apart with Vox’s shaft between them, Vox’s electric blue claws wrapped around Alastor’s slender arch. “There- that should count.”

Alastor glanced at the screen, then back at Vox. “Are you going soft?” Alastor hissed. “Why give mercy? You want to humiliate me.”

“Says who? Says you?” Vox pulled a face, stroking his hand up the delicate bones of Alastor’s ankle. “I’m not here to play carnival freak show dominant, Al- god knows I get enough of that at home. I just wanna worship your hooves.”

“And stick your garish dick between my toes.”

“Yeah. And stick my garish dick between your toes, so sue me.” Vox shrugged. Just hearing Alastor say dick was a pleasant little throb. “I think you’re enjoying this, Al. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Another heave of Alastor’s chest. “You’re wrong, Vox. You’re wrong and you’re tacky.”

“Then why are you still hard, Al?” Vox raised an eyebrow. Alastor didn’t have an answer for him, so he continued, pushing the head of his cock back between Alastor’s standing toes and into Alastor’s intercapital notch, as far as it would go, wedging the two halves of the hoof apart. Vox slid himself back and forth, and Alastor shivered, blood running from his lip where he had bitten it, his grin fixed as he refused to make a noise, refused to groan, or whimper or gasp.

“You wanna know what I think?”

Alastor stared at him. “No.”

“I think,” Vox continued, unperturbed. “That you’re just too fucking proud to admit you like this. You like me, on the floor in front of you, you like my touch, and you like me fucking your hoof like the sloppy little pussy that it is.” With each like, Vox gave a thrust of his hips, Alastor’s hoof slick and tight around him, his thumb curling round the standing toes to the flesh underneath, pressing through the fascia and against the cruciate ligament. Alastor cried out; ears back, eyes wide, still deliciously hard in his pants, as Vox continued. “I think you’re too fucking proud to take me up on my offer and roll over and hump the mattress like the rabid animal that you are. Because you’re afraid that you’ll like it when you cum from me fucking your hooves.”

Alastor snarled at him, arms lashing out and catching on the chains of the deal. “You’re pap,” he growled. “Slop. Mass-marketed, overhyped, underproduced, noisy garbage. Your viewers are idiots and so are you.”

Usually this would get right under Vox’s skin, but usually he wasn’t using Alastor’s hoof to jerk off, so the insults lacked their usual barb. It was easy to see who was in charge, which one of them was an animal snapping at the bars of their cage. Vox grinned, radiating smugness. “Are you gonna roll over and hump the mattress for me or not, Al?”

“Go fuck yourself,” growled Alastor, which meant yes. Vox pulled himself out of Alastor’s hoof, and got to his feet as he watched the Radio Demon roll over for him.

With Alastor face down, Vox ran his fingers over each of Alastor’s hooves in turn; one slick and covered in the blue smears of his precum, the other untouched, the scent gland still beading white with musk. Alastor’s narrow ass, fully clothed, flexed back and forth as Alastor found friction in the bedding below him, grinding himself into the bedding with a strangled groan that seemed to thrum through Vox’s loins.

Vox felt an irrational surge of jealousy for the mattress, and dismissed it.

“It’s a shame an old fucker like you gets pretty hooves like this,” said Vox, running a talon over the edge of one crimson nail, dipping his fingers between the toes of the unfucked hoof and smearing the musk over it, watching Alastor watch him do it on the big screen in front of them. “Anyone else, and they would be out on display, for the world to see, all shiny and crimson and shit.”

“Really? I thought you’d appreciate exclusivity.” Alastor’s tone was sarcastic, but his words made Vox’s cock ache. The thought that he was deflowering Alastor’s hooves. Despoiling them. A part of Al that pretty much no-one else would even see.

“Oh, I do, Al.” Vox’s voice was a groan as he stacked Alastor’s hooves one atop the other, lined up so that he could slide himself between both sets of toes, and pushed himself in.

“Fuck,” hissed Alastor, his voice lower in his register now, his eyes losing focus. Vox wondered what his O-face looked like, wondered if he stopped smiling when he came. Al’s hips were still twitching, still grinding himself sordidly into the bedding, and Vox matched his jackrabbit place, grinning as the motion brought a whine to Alastor’s throat.

“Look at you, Al, you wanton little minx,” purred Vox, listening to the obscene squelch his cock now made sliding in and out. “You’re gonna cum with my cock in your hooves, arentcha?”

“N-no-” Alastor groaned, gritting his teeth, a quiver through his body as he willed himself to stop humping the mattress. A good attempt, but futile.

Alastor’s assessment when writing the contract hadn’t been wrong, per se; Vox didn’t much enjoy torture. But, long experience as an overlord had shown him a thing or two, and his powers. Well, his powers were quite useful for this sort of thing.

The electricity that ran through power sockets and the electricity that ran through nerve endings were pretty similar, after all, and Vox could feel all of Alastor’s nerve endings, firing through the strands that wrapped the bones of each hoof, up into the braid of nerves that ruled his body. What sensation went where wasn’t an exact science, but Vox was practiced. A zap to the prostate was always surefire, but hooves had a lot of nerve endings too, enough to get someone off.

Carefully, Vox brought electricity to the surface of his cock as he pushed it once more between the pads of the prone Alastor’s feet, enough to tickle the nerve endings. The reaction was instant; not an orgasm, but a quiver through Alastor’s body, a strangled capacitive whine in his throat. Alastor’s fingers clenched, rending the bedsheets with his claws.

“Good?” asked Vox, gentle because gentle pissed Alastor off more than rough did. “We can stop anytime, y’know. Nullify the contract. Just say the word.”

“Cheap tricks-” gasped Alastor, trying to turn in on himself and finding he could not, too stubborn to do anything save submit as the electricity from Vox’s cock made him quiver again, whine again. His breathing was shallow, his eyes wide as Vox fucked his hooves, squeezing his delicate ankles as the sound of electricity arcing through air and into skin sounded at the apex of each squelching thrust. “-fuck.”

“Good boy,” Vox ground out, his voice breathy as he applied a little more voltage. “Give in. Lemme make you cum.”

“Damnable -ngh- picturebox,” whimpered Alastor, a sweet sound on his lips as he came, quivering, into the bedsheets.

“A picturebox who makes you cum,” growled Vox, wishing to hell that he could touch more of Al than just his calves and shins as he fucked the still-slick still-sensitive space between Al’s standing toes. “How does it feel, Al? Getting fucked senseless by a clout-chasing, mediocre video podcast? Fucked by mass-marketed, overhyped- ngh- noisy garbage?” Vox could feel himself getting close, his audio lagging and glitching, the movement of his hips becoming irregular, a pressure in his shaft, his balls hitting the underside of Alastor’s neatly manicured crimson nails at each stroke.

Alastor gave a noise that wasn’t even a word, half animal, half distorted signal, and Vox came, hard, one arc hitting the side of the bed, the second hitting the backs of Alastor’s legs as he pulled out, vivid blue stripes over dark flesh and fur. A third and fourth spurt drizzled over his own hand and Alastor’s sublingual pads. Vox stood there for a moment, cock in hand, staring at his handiwork as he blinked away the error messages displayed on his screen. The great Radio Demon, covered in his cum. His cock, smeared with Alastor’s musk. Fuck.

Alastor sighed into the bedsheets, a slightly sulky edge to his tone. “You’ll clean that up, I hope.”

Vox felt a swell of something other than triumph in his chest; something warm. “Yeah, I’ll wipe you down, Al.”

There was something nice about both being in a post orgasmic haze, Vox thought, as he knelt again at Alastor’s feet, a warm cloth and basin in hand. Alastor, now back in the position he had started in, had little inclination to do anything other than regard Vox with languid red eyes as he wiped the evidence of their encounter from Alastor’s ruby red hooves, the bones delicate in his hands.

Vox planted a soft kiss on the front of Alastor’s hoof, below the dewclaws. “We should do this again sometime.”

Alastor lifted his leg from Vox’s hands, and in a fluid, measured movement, pressed his hoof to Vox’s forehead, grinding it back and forth with a twist from his hip, leaving a damp, scent-laden mark on Vox’s screen. “Absolutely not.”

“Say next week? I have the quarterly review Tuesday, so I’ve gotta keep the board happy, but Wednesday I don’t have anything I couldn’t blow off.”

Alastor gave Vox a level smile, pushing his face with his hoof. “If there is one quality of yours I have never had reason to doubt, Vox, it is your capacity for blowing things.”

Vox grinned. “That sounds like Wednesday night to me.”

[cowgurrrl]

Too Close

Pairing: rockstar!joel x actress!reader

Author’s note: this isn’t exactly where I wanted it to be but I still like it (ps fic named after this song)

Summary: “Why, get you gone! Who is’t that hinders you?” “A foolish heart, that I leave here behind.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream Act III, Scene II, Lines 318-319 [2.5k]

Warnings: arguing, language, tumultuous co-parent relationships, the l word, allusions to substance abuse, vague depictions of a panic attack, brief description of disassociation, poor sleeping habits, fictional situations of survivor’s guilt/traumatic events, this one’s a doozy y’all

Joel ushers you into his bedroom and quickly closes the door behind him like you two are sneaking around and don't want to get caught. You bite your thumbnail as you think, replaying the brief moment you saw Angela over and over again. He stands there, hands on his hips, and takes a deep breath. You don't know where to start. Two hours ago? Last week? Twenty years ago? Time seems to collapse between the two of you.

"If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. Not Sarah." He says as if getting pissed at Sarah was even on your radar. 

"I'm not gonna get mad at her. She's a kid," you scoff. The fact that he even had to specify that makes your skin crawl. At what point during your relationship have you made it seem like you would ever be angry with her? "How long have you known?" You ask the million-dollar question, and he sighs, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sarah reached out to her a couple of months ago, and she responded. I didn't think she'd actually show up."

"How long is a couple of months?" 

"She emailed her before we left for New York." He says, and you have to sit down on the ottoman at the front of his bed to catch your breath. You bury your head in your hands and fight the tears stinging behind your eyes. Your knee bounces with unspent anger and anxiety, and your heart hammers in your chest. 

"So, the entire time I was telling you everything about my past and showing you where I lived and trusting you for the first time, you were in contact with your ex-wife?" You ask, but he doesn't say anything. You look up to stare at him, and he shakes his head.

"I didn't think she'd actually come into town." 

"That doesn't matter, Joel! You should've told me!"

"I didn't know if we were even anythin' before we went to New York, so it didn't feel important." He says like it's your fault, and you raise your eyebrows at him. You walk over to him, fire in your veins and venom choking you as all your frustration spills from you.

"Oh, is that why you fucked me? Because you didn't know and wanted to try something? Wanted to see if I was worth keeping around?" You ask. "Because you seemed to have a pretty good idea of what we were when you stuck your tongue down my throat, so please tell me what revelation you had that made you think you didn't have to tell me you were talking to the woman who left you with a baby."

"I didn't want to ruin our time together."

"Well, it's pretty fucking ruined now, isn't it?" 

"You don't get it!" He raises his voice, and you throw up your hands in defeat as he turns his back to you. You groan and rub your face, looking up at the ceiling in hopes that some sentient being will smite you right then and there.

"Then, explain it to me, Joel." You say, and he shakes his head as he faces you. You think of the young Joel you saw in the picture you saw two weeks ago. The Joel who was a single dad working construction to afford formula for his daughter. The Joel who was in his early twenties and divorced and scorned. The Joel who wrote one of your favorite songs and released it alone, not knowing what his future would hold. That Joel is hard to find when you look at him now.

"She's sober. She has a steady job in Texas. She's finally gettin' back on her feet. I've been tryin' for eighteen years to get her to even pick up the fuckin' phone, and now here she is, and she's better. This could be a chance." 

"A chance for what?"

"For us to be a family or, at least, for Sarah to have a relationship with her." He says, and you nod, biting the inside of your cheek. You’re not family. You’re an outsider, someone to hang around until Mom gets to come back and take what’s hers. You’re not permanent in the grand scheme of his family.

"Do you still love her?" 

"What?"

"Do you still love her?" You repeat slowly. He gives you a look before running his thumb over an invisible ring on his left finger. It might've been a nervous habit, but you saw it. You saw the way he flinched when he felt skin instead of metal.

"I…" he starts. "I will always have love for her. I-"

"Oh, my God." You can't even stand to hear the rest of his sentence. You push your hair out of your face and start pacing.

"She's Sarah's mom!" He yells.

"And she left! She left and didn't give a shit about either of you, Joel! And now that you're famous and have money, she suddenly checks her inbox?!"

"You don't know what you're talkin' about." 

"Apparently, I don't know a lot," you say. He softens momentarily as the words hang in the air, and you shrug. You furiously wipe at your eyes as unauthorized tears roll down your cheeks. "I trusted you. I let you into my life. I told my fucking parents about you. Do you know how hard that was for me? Do you know how many years I spent protecting myself from this exact situation? But I trusted you not to do that. I," your voice catches in your throat, and Joel rushes over to put his hands on your arms. You know he's trying to rub his hands up and down your skin to soothe you, but you push him away, stumbling back from his touch. "I don't know where to go from here. I don’t know if there’s even anywhere for us to go after this.”

"We can work through this. We just needa talk bout it and figure somethings out, but we can move forward."

"No, we can't." You cry, and he gives you a confused look.

"Honey, look at me. Yes, we can."

"The contract is ending early. Apparently, your team is fucking ecstatic with how things are going and decided you don't need me anymore. That's what Melanie came to tell me before I fired her," you laugh, wiping your nose on your sleeve and letting out a sharp exhale. "I should've fired her a long time ago, but I did it today because she said I shouldn't be with you. It was my last straw, and I thought that not having any auditions or work lined up would be okay because this morning, I believed in us so hard that I was willing to endure that. I let myself make the stupid choice to be happy for once because I-" You cut yourself off. You can't even bear to think the words, let alone say them out loud. Joel stares at you with big watery eyes, but you can't find it in yourself to feel sorry enough for him to comfort him.

"I have to go. I can't be here right now."

"Please, just wait," he begs, and you shake your head, pulling your jacket closer to your body. He might've tried to say more, but you don't wait to hear it. You fly down the stairs, hiding your tears from the girls, and leave the house. You don't slam the door or throw one last comment Joel's way. You're sane enough to know not to put children in the crossfire of anything, let alone relationship problems.

Once you're at the curb outside of Joel's house, you let out a loud sob. Your hands shake as you pull your phone out of your pocket and hit the first number on speed dial. Ryan picks up on the third ring. The second he says your name, more tears fall down your face, and you feel like you can't breathe.

"What's going on?" He asks urgently, and you hiccup.

"Can you come get me, please? I don't... I can't go home. I don't want, fuck," you press your palm to your scorching forehead and try to force yourself to think. "I really need you."

"Stay where you are. I'm getting in the car now. Where are you?"

Ryan and Carolina hold your hands, rub your back, and offer you tissues as you tell them everything. The contract, the fake dates, the phone calls from Texas, New York, the girls, Melanie, Angela. Everything. They don't yell at you for lying about your relationship or blame you for what went down with Melanie. They just offer soft assurances that you're okay, and they love you. You cry through most of it, and they take turns holding you while you three sit at the dining room table.

You don't remember the last time you've cried this hard about anything. It feels like there's a gashing hole in your soul, and you're desperately trying to keep everything together so you don't lose it. And you want to blame it all on Joel because that would be easy—convenient. But you think that maybe this hole in you has always been there, and you've slowly been losing pieces of yourself without even realizing it. 

You think Melanie took a lot of it, pawning your shiniest pieces for brand new Range Rovers and Birkin’s. You think you left a bit here and there every time a director pushed you too hard, and you sat in your trailer for hours, staring at the wall and wondering how you could feel so disconnected from your own body. And you think that more was taken in every unwanted picture taken of you, in every headline talking about your appearance or lack of a partner, in every interview question that had nothing to do with your work as a trained actor. You want to go around Los Angeles with invoices, demanding that people give you back to yourself because how dare they take those pieces. You want to gather them in a box and try to fit them together again like a puzzle with bent and missing connections. You want your fucking life back, but it’s not yours anymore. It’s theirs. Maybe it always was.

"I'm so stupid," you whisper as you stare at your hands. Carolina wraps her arms around your shoulders and presses her cheek to yours, the smell of her floral perfume and Elizabeth's baby lotion surrounding you.

"You're not stupid. Not by a long shot, okay?" 

"God, why does this hurt so much? I feel like I'm dying."

"Because you love him," she says, like she didn't just destroy your world. You clench your jaw and try to stop yourself from crying more, but her soothing presence around you is enough for you to break. "You love him, and he loves you, and it's not enough to change anything."

"That's dismal." You try to laugh as you wipe at your eyes, and she nods. Ryan reaches across the table for your hand and holds it like it's fragile china.

"It's awful, and I wish I could take this pain from you. But, I swear to you, one day, you won't hurt like this. One day, you're gonna sing and dance again. You're gonna smile and laugh and make jokes again. You're gonna make beautiful art and fall in love with the way leaves fall, and you're gonna be okay." 

"How do you know?" You ask.

"Because I know you." 

Because I know you. Those four words scare you and make you grapple with the terrifying reality that they've seen the rotted parts inside you and still chose to love you. They remind you of how much you love them. They remind you of how much you love Joel, and it doesn't even matter because it will always end this way. It will always end this way, but it matters that the love was there. You wonder if it always will be. You wonder if one day you'll hear his song on the radio and be able to sing along. You wonder if he'll be able to see your movies. You wonder if supporting each other from afar is enough and decide that it has to be. There is no other choice. It will always end this way.

Carolina and Ryan let you sleep in the guest bedroom down the hall from them. The one that's always ready for you when you need it. The one with a pile of borrowed clothes with your name on it and the one with the soft sheets and extra quilts. You lay in the dark, your head throbbing with the weight of your tears, and you should be sleeping, but you're not. You're running through every single moment with Joel like you can will things to change. He fucked up. You both did. There are a million things you would change or take back, but Jesus Christ, were you happy. 

You shake the tears out of your eyes and reach for your phone, ready to mindlessly scroll through social media until you feel the tiniest bit better. However, your email inbox flashes with an unopened message before you can get to Instagram. You furrow your brows and open the app to see an email from Melanie. You open it out of habit and almost immediately sit up in bed.

From: Melanie Lundquist

Subject Line: Opportunity

Pike's assistant reached out since I'm your last manager on record. The role's written specifically for you, so it's yours, without a doubt. Don't say I never did anything for you.

-Mel

Attachment: THE_BEGINNING_OF_THE_END_R.PIKE

Richard Pike wrote you a role. An Oscar-winning producer wrote you a role. You immediately open the document and begin reading. You really should be asleep, especially after the day you've had with reshoots, but you can't stop devouring the words. It's about a young woman dealing with the survivor's guilt of living through a terrorist attack, mental health, and substance abuse issues. She's angry, sad, and hard to love at times, but she's also so fucking funny and caring. She's dynamic and heartbreaking and raw. She's everything you've ever wanted in a role. 

You stay up reading and crying over her story, feeling her pain so deep in your heart that it hurts. When you get to the end of the script, the sun is slowly rising, and you're almost certain that you'll die of dehydration, but you don't care. You find Pike's assistant's email address and tell her you need this role. Surprisingly, she writes back not even ten minutes later despite it being almost six in the morning.

Happy to hear it. Mr. Pike will produce the movie, but Mrs. Liliah Hanover will be directing and working with you directly. I will pass the message along to her team. Shooting begins at the beginning of next month in Ireland. The expected film time is six-twelve months, and housing will be provided upon arrival. Are you still interested?

For some reason, you type back a single, enthusiastic "yes!" before locking your phone and falling asleep for fifteen hours.

[flying-nightwing]

Tango à Deux

Hi 👉👈 I hope you enjoy this one <3 I had fun writing it :)

Also, Nightshade!batsis is always somewhere between 25-30 years old (unless specified otherwise).

Requested: Yes

Pairing: Slade Wilson x batsis!reader (Nightshadeverse)

Word count: 4561

Warnings: 16+ content, swear words (a lot of 'em), heated making out

Summary: Hey, thoughts on a Batsis! (Or Supersis!) reader caught making out with Deathstroke of all people?

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

“I think he saw me” 

“You think he did?”

“Yep, saw me. Made eye contact and lifted his glass”

“Well that’s just superb”

“I mean, we knew he would spot us eventually but I didn’t think it would be this quick”

“Dick, it was announced everywhere we'd be here, and we're currently very visible on the balcony like this. So yeah. Slade would have found us instantly. And he knows we’re observing him now, so we can’t lose sight of him for a fraction of a second”

“What is he even doing here?”

“I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he's on a contract”

“Wow, really helpful, thanks”

“Hey, you asked–”

“Don't even start with that”

Your eyes went back and forth between Tim and Dick as they spiraled down, sipping your champagne. You refrained from pointing out to Tim that Slade had moved across the room to sit at the bar while he argued with Dick. 

Tim rolled his eyes and Dick shook his head. 

“Anyway. Moving on. Since he already knows we’re here, should we move to confront now?”

You sighed loudly, reminding your brothers you were still, in fact, right beside them. “It's funny how two of the most brilliant strategists I know turn into headless chickens as soon as Slade Wilson makes an appearance. What's so special about him that it makes you lose your mind like this anyway?”

They both looked at you like you had grown another head. Of course you knew who Slade Wilson was, and most importantly, what he was capable of. You had never gone toe to toe with the man yourself, but you knew he was a formidable foe whose prowess could easily rival your family's, and you knew that he could probably break your spine in half without really trying. Still, from up on the balcony, he didn't seem so threatening. 

“You're joking right?” Dick asked, disbelief written all over his face.

You shrugged. “Doesn't seem like much to me”

“That's because you never fought him” Tim shook his head. “We'll come up with a plan, okay? We'll ambush him and drive him away–”

You rolled your eyes and let out an even louder sigh than before, effectively interrupting Tim. “There's really no need to cause a scene, boys” 

“And what is your amazing plan then?” He raised an eyebrow. “Because he will make a scene if it’s not air tight”

“He’s right,” Dick nodded. “Going in like this is reckless and dangerous”

“Not if I go alone, it won’t be” You replied. “Trust me, okay?”

“Tiny wing,” He warned. “I know Slade, he’s not going to make this easy, not for one of us”

“Well, you know what they say” You knocked back your remaining champagne and shoved your glass into Dick's hands, then pivoted on the ball of your feet and made your way to the grand stairway. You paused after a few steps away, sending them a smug smirk over your shoulder. “Never send a man to do a woman's job”

You left them behind, stunned and confused by your choice of words. Then, just as you were about to be out of earshot, you heard Dick yell after you in half panic, half realization. “Wait, what do you mean by a woman’s job?”

You snickered under your breath at the sheer alarm in his voice, then sobered up your expression and masked all traces of anything but a polite façade. You easily slipped back into your Wayne heir role, greeting people as you passed them and smiling politely as was expected of you. 

You finally made your way to the bar, spotting the silver hair and broad shoulders of your target. You made a show of sliding in the free seat next to him and flagged a waiter. His head turned slightly to the side, his one good eyes burning into you as you ordered your drink. He knew you knew he was watching you, but you kept your eyes forward, feigning to ignore him completely. Only once you received your drink did he speak.

“They resorted to sending the B team?” He asked, then gave a little unimpressed scoff. “Whatever you are up to, little bird, it won’t work”

You smiled for a second, electing to let his comment about being the B team slide as not to play his game. Still not looking at him, you folded the napkin in from of you into a neat triangle “You know, it is very rude not to ask the host of this soirée to a dance”

From the corner of your eye, you saw him pause to register your words. He took his sweet time to answer. “You're not hosting this”

You shrugged. “I financed it. Same difference”

“Daddy's money” He corrected. “Daddy's money financed it”

You finally turned your head in his direction and raised a challenging eyebrow. “Under my request”

He held eye contact for a good half of a minute, then scoffed and took a sip of his drink. He placed the glass back on the coaster and shook his head. “I would have believed your dancing card would be full by now” He said after a moment. “So many… tasteful men must have already asked you to accompany them”

“Ah yes, I suppose enough did to keep me busy all evening” Amusement danced in your eyes. “But perhaps I find them too tasteful for my liking, I wouldn't want busy to become boring”

He gave you a long look, as if appraising you for the first time. He adjusted his position in his seat. “You know, you’re coming off as pretty annoying. Coming right up to me and making demands like that”

The corners of your lips curved up in a subtle grin. “I prefer the term relentless”

“Oh, and she’s got vocabulary too” His tone turned condescending. Yet, he kept engaging with you instead of just leaving, as he should have done in the first place. “Where’d you learn that, prep school for rich brats?”

“Yeah, you should go someday, maybe they could do something with you too” You took another sip as his good eye narrowed, a careful annoyance brewing behind his brooding stare. “Y’know, find yourself better insults than ‘rich brat’. Frankly, it’s been overdone”

Oh yeah, if he didn’t want to throttle you to the sun before, he definitely did now. 

“You’ve got a pretty mouth on you, kid” He took a deep breath and finished the rest of his drink. “But somebody’s gonna shut it for you permanently if you don’t learn to be more careful who you use it against”

“Many have tried, just as many have failed” You sighed. “If only there was something you could do about it. Something I made very obvious in the very first words I spoke to you”

His jaw clenched and you didn’t even try to conceal the glee it brought to you to rile him up this way. Yeah, he could kill you before anyone could stop him, but even he wasn’t as stupid to openly kill the princess of Gotham, especially not in front of your two brothers who anxiously watched his every move. Dealing with the whole batch of bats sounded like a headache and an effective way to never be left alone for the rest of his life. So he bit his cheek and decided to indulge in this game of yours a little bit longer.

“You’re not gonna leave until you get a fucking dance, are you?”

You laughed in a short, melodic tone that took him by surprise. “No, I don’t think I am”

He grumbled and got out of his seat, offering you his arm. Gotcha. “Be careful what you wish for, Miss Wayne”

With satisfaction written all over your face, you slid out of your seat and linked your arm with his. As he led you to the dancefloor, the pair of you attracted stares from all over the room. Slade was a handsome man, and the suit that previously allowed him to blend in with the crowd now made him stand out as a wealthy and classy older bachelor. If only they could see him in his other suit, you thought. Then perhaps they would stare for a completely different reason. 

The live band took notice of your arrival in the middle of the dancefloor and began to play a rather high tempo valse carrying a melody in minor notes that made you feel like you were in one of those dramatic movies. With a stiff hand on your waist and the other in a cold grasp around yours, you began to spin around with the other couples that had joined in, gliding around them like they weren't even there. From truly up close like you were right now, Slade was much more impressive. His strong frame only added to his already intimidating height; you could almost see the seams of his jacket straining around his shoulders. You had never really paid attention to how attractive he was before tonight, but having him right here in front of you, you couldn't help but gratuitously check him out. 

“Something interesting about my neck, miss Wayne?” He didn't even look at you when he spoke, choosing instead to do a visual swipe of the room. 

“Hm, simply admiring the view, that's all” You replied easily before a wicked grin took over your expression. “Why, are you afraid I might bite it off?”

He finally gave you a deadpan look. “You're not ready for this fight, kid”

“Easy tiger, I was joking” You rolled your eyes. “... Unless that's something you're into”

You could feel his muscles go rigid for a second by the way his hands tightened around yours like a reflex, before he masked his reaction. When he met your eyes again, the annoyance was back ten folds. 

“Resorting to flirting to extract knowledge from your target?” He asked, unimpressed, then scoffed. “How juvenile and predictable”

You tilted your head to the side. “And what would I want to know?”

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it almost instantly. You smirked. 

“I know you're here for a target” You filled his silence. He kept his expression neutral. “I could ask who they are, but I hardly care, to be honest. Most of these are rich assholes, and they suck”

“Yet you are one one them” He tsked.

“Astute observation” You made a mocking face, then faked a gasp. “Am I your target?”

He spun you in a circle, making your dress flow beautifully around you, and brought you flush against his chest. He leaned forward until his mouth hovered above your ear. “You'd already be dead if I was here for you”

He then took a step back to regain a respectful distance and kept going. You let yourself be guided for a few seconds afterwards, lightheaded from the quick sequence of action that had just happened. Somehow, the way he said those words activated the primal part of your brain, and for some reason, you found it incredibly hot. Ignoring the fact that you were now threading in dangerous territory, you forced yourself out of your daze and focused on the task at hand. 

“My my, Mr. Wilson, you do know how to talk to a lady” You teased, but there was a breathlessness in your voice that undoubtedly didn't go unnoticed by him. For the first time of the night, smugness and satisfaction shone quietly in his good eye. “Be still my heart”

“So you weren't just being poetic when you said tasteful men bored you” He remarked. “I wasn't quite expecting that of the famous princess of Gotham, although I should have. You're most acquainted with violence, after all”

“If only you knew half of it…” You trailed off as the song came to an end. 

Yet, he didn't release you nor did he walk away. The next song began and you easily fell into the rhythm as if you had practiced the steps together a thousand times. 

“Color me intrigued”

“Now, now, Mr. Wilson” You clicked your tongue at him. “This hardly seems fair, that I'm the only one to reveal information like this, don't you think?”

His chuckle was devoid of actual humour as he realized where you had been leading him all along. You had carefully roped him in his own curiosity and he had willingly jumped into the net. “Devious little minx”

You grinned. “I propose a simple exchange. A secret for a name”

You didn't have to specify which name, it was already a given. How much money was worth his target anyway? Nothing that was significant in the grand scheme of things; nothing he would notice in his already overflowing bank account. However, it seemed the little bat he had yet to meet before tonight was an interesting character, to say the least. He first thought you to be this annoyingly chirpy bird like Grayson, always righteous and perfectly golden… Until you weren't. He didn't have you quite figured out yet, but you were the kind of trouble that if left unchecked, could become a real problem. 

He wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to see it all unfold.

“A secret for a name” He repeated with a hum, then gave you a stern look. “You better make it good, because that's half a mil you now owe me”

“I'll personally hand deliver you a check for that amount if you deem I wasted your time” 

“I'll hold you to that, Miss Wayne” He said before directing his attention to the balcony, where your brothers still watched you. Once they made eye contact, Slade mouthed the name Andreas Barletti, and your brothers were off in a second. “Hope they’ve got him out by the time we’re done here, or I’m going after him anyway”

“I’m certain we won’t get to that point, Mr. Wilson” You replied. “My brothers are quite efficient when a life is at stakes, I’m sure you know it as well as I do”

“Unfortunately I do” He said as he pulled you into another spin, slipping calculatedly between two elderly couples. You barely grazed them as you passed them, gracefully gliding across the floor. “Now you better make good on your promise”

“Of course” You smiled. “I’ll even be so nice as to let you choose which kind of secret you want to know. Would you be interested in some prime blackmail material on any of these gentlemen in the room tonight? Perhaps dirty laundry on their wives? Buried fiscal scandals that could crumble an empire or two? Or maybe I could be extra nice for your willing cooperation and offer to reveal a secret somewhat of a… personal nature?”

“Personal?” He raised an eyebrow. “This doesn’t seem very smart from a strategic standpoint. But if you’re offering…” He paused as he dipped you low and brought you back flush to him. “Then I’d rather learn something I could use against you one day”

“A man of vision, I like it” Your lips curved upward as you did your best to ignore how your heartbeat accelerated at his actions for the second time in as many songs. You were sure he could feel it beating against his chest from how tightly he held you up against him. Oh yeah, he could definitely crush your spine one handed like this, and you were certain he wasn’t even near applying a percentage of strength in the double digits. The fact that your brain didn’t bother to sound any alarm to get the hell out of there was concerning, to say the least. “Alright then. Look around, tell me what you see”

He gave you a skeptical eye, but nonetheless directed his gaze around the crowd of people dancing the dancefloor. After a moment, it returned to you. “Lots of people looking, but most of them not because they enjoy watching ballroom dance”

“And?”

He kept his eye on you. “Women irked because you’re stealing all the attention, I’m gonna guess it’s a common occurrence by how so many of them are rolling their eyes to the back of their skull” He smirked. “Men watching with envy, impatient for us to finish to be the next in line. Did you tell any of them you wouldn’t dance at all tonight, by any chance?”

“I did” You admitted shamelessly. You had no plan of dancing with anyone who came up to you and asked for a dance, throwing any subtlety whatsoever out of the window that they were trying to match you with them. With every year that went by, Gotham’s high society put more and more pressure on you to marry, seeing you as nothing more really than the highest prize to be won for all the bachelors in town. You leaned closer to Slade’s ear. “And I love that it pisses them off. All of them. Because it reminds them that they’ll never be on my level, that they’ll never be able to have me, knowing damn well they can’t even do a thing about it lest they make an enemy out of me. Which they definitely cannot afford”

The song finished as you slowly pulled back to a blank face and a dark eye analysing your words. You smiled and patted his arm as you let his grip fall. 

“Do what you may with this information, Mr. Wilson” You said as you took one, then two steps back. “It’s yours now. And please, let me know if I gotta take my checkbook out”

You turned your back to him, and before you could count to three, you felt his hand fall on your lower back and drag you along with him. His whole body was strained as he marched through the crowd with purpose towards the back of the room, his jaw clenched the whole way. You didn’t dream to resist, unsure you even successfully could, had you wanted to. He pushed the door open and all but shoved you through it, making sure it shut behind you. 

“Now Miss Wayne, did you think you could say something like that and just walk away?” He stalked towards you like a wolf, slowly cornering you against the nearest wall.

“I certainly tried” You felt your eyes light up in anticipation. Did you plan on having him drag you to a fire exit with the promise of a good time? No. You didn’t even plan for him to be into it at all, to be honest. But were you mad about it? Absolutely not. The fact alone that you managed to get him to this point���big strong scary and most importantly unapproachable Deathstroke–was impressive enough on its own, you wouldn’t end it now. Besides, he was hot and you also were into it. “Does that mean a no on the check–”

The full force of his body crashing against you sent your mind into overdrive, as did the feeling of his rough lips against yours. It sent electric shocks down your spine, either from the fact that you were hiding and making out like desperate teenagers, or from the power trip that came from having the Slade Wilson desperate to get a taste. At this point, you didn’t even care to differentiate the two feelings. All you could focus on was his hands holding onto your hips and probably leaving bruises for days to come, as well as his powerful thigh keeping you in place at his mercy. The vintage blend of whiskey he was sipping earlier was still on his breath and his tongue, invading your senses on yet another front. Slade Wilson was a good kisser, you decided. 

“Fuck” You pulled back to catch your breath as his mouth targeted your neck. You threaded your fingers into his hair and pulled, extracting a low growl from him that made your core tighten. “Keep it up and I might not even make it out of that dress”

“Oh I’m sure we’ll find a way” His voice was rough and breathless. Your eyes almost rolled back into your head at the simple sound of it. “Unless you purposely want me to ruin it, since you apparently enjoy to make everyone jealous”

“Only if I get to ruin your suit right back” 

“Deal” He gave you a predatory smirk, then his lips were on yours again. 

He was halfway done with the back zipper of your dress when the door was violently shoved open. You only reacted when your name was rather loudly shouted, making your eyes fly open and freeze in place. 

“We saw you being dragged away, are you oka–OH MY GOD” 

You were suddenly mortified as you watched Dick dramatically turn around and shield his eyes. Tim beside him was just gaping at this sight, horror etching onto his every feature. You redirected your gaze straight ahead over Slade’s shoulder, unable to look at either of them. Any other guest at the party finding you like this, you wouldn’t have minded. But there was something extremely weird about your brothers witnessing you sucking face with one of their greatest enemies, especially for Dick. 

Slade slowly straightened up, not a trace of embarrassment on his face. In a smooth move, he zipped back up your dress, somehow adding to the awkwardness of the room. The little smug grin on his lips told you he did it on purpose.

“Bleach” Tim finally said as he willed his eyes to finally shut. “I need bleach for my eyes”

“Grayson. Drake.” Slade greeted casually as he took a step back from you and glanced briefly at them. Then, his eye was back on you. “Miss Wayne, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Let’s do this again soon, yeah?”

You only gave him a tight smile, watching him button back his jacket and retreat in the main room. The atmosphere he left behind was tense and neither of you could look at each other. 

You fixed your hair and the neckline of your dress, then took a deep breath. “I’m gonna kill the both of you”

“Kill us?” Dick shrieked. “Why on earth would you even make ou– EURGH I can’t even say it!”

“You literally barged in without even knocking!” You yelled back. “I’m not the one at fault here”

“We saw you getting dragged away to a fire exit by fucking Deathstroke!” Tim said as he pressed his palms to his eyes. “We thought you were in danger!”

“WHEN did I give any signal I was in danger? I swear to god–” 

“You wanted us to take a chance when–”

“GUYS!” You cut him off. “You didn’t stop and think for a second that I wouldn’t have let myself be dragged away just like that if I truly needed help? I’m not a fucking damsel in distress”

“But whyyyyyy” Dick whined. “Why did it have to be him?”

You gave him a blank stare. “He was the one we needed to stop”

“Yeah but he gave you the name!” He argued back. “He gave it to you way before… Wait did you– did you trade the name of his target for se–”

“NO” You yelled before he could finish the word. “No I did not, jesus fucking christ”

“So whatever happened here was unrelated to your task?” Tim drew his eyebrows together in contempt. “That’s so much worse what the fuck, why would you even do that?”

“Cause he’s hot” 

That was enough to make your brothers yell unintelligibly again. You had to admit, you could have said something different if you hadn’t let impulse answer the question for you. But they were the one who possibly ruined your chance to hook up with Slade, so they kinda deserved it. You only scoffed at their reaction.

“Oh come, stop being dramatic for a second, especially you, Dick” You snipped. “You know damn well what I’m talking about, and you’re only reacting this way because you were too much of a coward to make out with him first”

He gasped. Loudly. 

Even Tim’s jaw hung a bit open. You only raised a challenging eyebrow at your older brother, doubling down on your accusation. Dick’s lack of defense only served to prove your point.

“Snake much?” It was all he could say.

“Hiss hiss bitch, you snooze you lose”

Then another offended gasps. Tim looked between you two like a fascinating tennis match. 

“You know what” Dick spoke up again after he collected himself. “Enjoy the lecture from Bruce. You can try and justify your crimes to him”

Your back went rigid and your eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare”

The half a second long smirk he gave you back was pure evil, until he covered it with his usual angel, innocent expression. “I will have to give him a report. I’m just sayin’ I’ll tell the truth of what I saw with my own eyes”

“Oh that’s real low” You grumbled as you glared daggers at him. The second Bruce knew of it, you knew you’d be in the cave for hours listening to him berate you for not only going in a room alone with a known enemy, but also making out with said enemy. You had violated so many protocols by your little stint alone, and you wouldn’t have really minded that lecture if it had been just that. But it would be uncomfortable for both you and Bruce to levels that had never been reached before. 

“Not so smug anymore now, are you?”

“I will choke you in your sleep”

“And I wish I had tripped and taken a plunge down the grand staircase” Tim interjected. “So I wouldn’t have had to witness the last five minutes of whatever the fuck happened here. Now I don’t think I can ever erase from my memory the things I’ve seen or the things I’ve heard. Thanks a lot for the nightmares. I’ll send you my therapy bill”

You huffed and crossed your arms against your chest. “Well, let that be a lesson for the both of you. If I’m dragged somewhere and I don’t give any indication that I am nervous about it, don’t follow me”

“Yeah, I’m never making that mistake again” He grimaced. “I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. Last time I walked in on Jay and Roy, they thought I wasn’t there but I was”

“Oh Tim” You frowned with pity. “You oughta be careful. Especially with them, they always have the weirdest role plays”

“God I know” He cried. “It’s the kind of horror that sticks with you”

“Yeah, no, I concur” Dick finally sighed. “I also made that mistake. Once, then I said never again”

You paused, your frown deepening. “Have we all… Walked in on them?”

Dick nodded slowly. “They’ll say they don’t do it on purpose, but I know Harper too much to believe that”

Silence fell over once again.

“So…” You began after a few minutes. “You’re not gonna tell Bruce, right?”

Dick stared at you, calm and relaxed. Somehow, it did not make you feel like it was a good thing for you, and his next words only confirmed what you already knew. 

“Oh yeah, I definitely will”

You swore loud enough for the bartender to flinch.

[anundyingfidelity]

ADAM'S AWESOME MIX — Adam Warlock

Summary: Adam is the new addition to the Guardians. Despite your disliking for him after what he caused, Rocket helps both to get along together.

Pairing: Adam x ex avenger!human!reader (no gender specified).

Warnings: little angst, some fluff. GotG vol. 3 spoilers. Language. Enemies to friends to lovers trope.

Word count: 1.8k.

Notes: this is longer than I expected whoops. Thank you to the anon who sent this idea, hope you like this! I picked some songs to write this fic that I truly recommend bc I love them a lot 🤲😞

☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !

GEN MASTERLIST!

"Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl. 'Cause it hurts like hell". i. Underground by David Bowie.

You were not the one to deny a second chance to anyone who needed it. However, this time things seemed different.

Adam was in Knowhere with the crew, so that meant he had to get along with everyone, including yourself. Not being fond of the idea, you tried to avoid the golden boy as much as it was possible for you.

Grateful you were he saved Peter, that was certain. But your heart wasn't sure of giving your trust to the sovereign. Not after what Rocket went through a couple of weeks ago.

"Mind giving him a chance?" the Raccoon once said, while cleaning his guns after a mission.

You were left alone in the Bowie, so Rocket thought it was a good chance to talk to you about him. As the captain, he knew you were hesitant about Adam's staying in Knowhere and near the team. Immediately, your eyes felt watery at the words of your friend.

"He almost got you killed," you said, with fists tight. "Why are you so fond of him after what happened?"

Rocket sighed.

"Listen, I'm sure he never asked to be built the way he is. I know that more than anyone in this place. He deserves a second chance to know who the hell he is and do the right thing, and that's what we're doing, like it or not."

The Raccoon finished the cleaning of his guns and walked outside the ship, without letting you give an answer, not that you had one anyway. You just followed him and Adam was already waiting for Rocket, with his new suit, looking all-mighty, and as you always tried to avoid him, it seemed it was hopeless.

"Adam, thanks for waiting! Why don't you go with Y/n for a walk? I'm sure you'll learn a lot of things about Knowhere and human culture," Rocket announced with a joyful voice as if the previous conversation never happened between you two inside the ship.

Adam seemed caught off guard as much as you did but he said nothing as the Raccoon looked at him directly. Adam nodded energetically. His face gave away all his thoughts and his feet would not move from its place.

"Great enthusiasm! Y/n, go ahead! And that's captain's orders," Rocket said, walking away from you and the golden boy, who remained in the same place with what seemed a scared face.

Carefully, you came closer to Adam and an uncomfortable smile formed on your lips.

"I guess I can teach you some things about Knowhere and humans..."

Adam gave a gentle smile. "I'd love that."

"But before we start, I want to say I don't like you around, so I would truly appreciate you don't screw up this time. You're lucky Rocket is here, either I wouldn't be this kind."

Sadness took over the golden boy, his heart aching for some reason he didn't quite understand yet. He didn't mean to do what he did, he was just following orders and a foreign purpose, but you wouldn't take that as an excuse, would you?

"I promise I won't, thank you for everything."

You nodded at his words and immediately regretted saying this, but you had to set up boundaries before things got worse.

"The answer is in clear view, it's amazing what you'll find face to face". ii. Face to Face by Daft Punk.

And things did get worse.

But not in the way you thought they would be.

You were starting to like Adam. He showed you the way he saw life and reality through his eyes and short understanding. You also noticed the way he cared about Blurp, the small creature he adopted, and that was something that hit you. As weeks passed by, you would report to Rocket how the process of Adam's learning and adaptation to Knowhere and society in the galaxy was going.

Much to say, Rocket was starting to feel proud of how you were handling the difficult situation he put you through. The change in Adam was noticeable as time went by. You taught him about manners, human culture, books, music, and anything he found interesting and would ask a lot about every time he had the chance.

One night, you sat together on the rooftop of the old buildings where your quarters were located, Blurp sleeping by his side peacefully. Drax and Nebula were teaching some personal defense to the rescued kids in the city, and let's say observing them was one of Adam's favorite hobbies. Still, you wondered why he found small things and interactions so fascinating.

"Drax is very fatherly," Adam said and his eyes crinkled at how big his smile was.

"He is," you agreed. The golden boy noticed the sudden change on your face as if you longed for something.

"Did you have a father back on Earth?"

You avoided his gaze at his sudden question. Adam sensed a weird feeling coming from you.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he apologized softly and you thought that was nice coming from him.

"It's okay," you whispered and after a moment of silence, you decided to speak. "I just- I lost everything. That's why I came here. A lot of my friends are gone, and I don't recall my family at all, I just knew them as my family."

Adam nodded and he hesitated to take your hand, lying on the ground. You were sitting so close, but instead of trying to get any contact from you, he followed your conversation.

"I heard from Rocket the name of your old team. He said you were a lot of help when Thanos appeared."

"Well, yeah, we did a lot of things," you chuckled to ease the situation. A small part of you wanted to ask about his people, but you decided to let him talk freely. "There was a lot of shit happening on Earth. But tell me more about you, could you? I've been saying a lot these past days, is your turn."

"I don't know if there's a lot to say about me, though," he joked. You smiled.

"Well, we have all night."

"All I know is that to me you look like you're lots of fun, open up your loving arms, watch out, here I come." iii. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) by Dead Or Alive

After a few weeks, you accepted finally you liked Adam. Maybe a little more than that. Strange sensations you stopped feeling years ago appeared once again every time you were together. Denial was the first step, but you couldn't get through it, and the cliche butterflies fluttered in your stomach when he started to come to your quarters for his weekly lessons about culture and behavior.

When you became his teacher it was unknown to you, but you liked it and Adam loved learning new things as much as he loved spending time with you. He loved your company as much as he loved music, so since Peter sent a few things a couple of days ago from Earth, you decided to share a special gift with Adam after he stopped his prattling about the last book he read.

"So, maybe you know Peter sent us some stuff from Earth, so I wanted to give you something that I think you will love a lot," you announced taking a small box out of the cabinet.

Adam received it in his hands carefully and opened the box to find a small strange device. "What is this?"

"That's an mp3 player, and you can listen to music with it. Anywhere you go."

His eyes went wide open and a smile formed on his lips, resting his arms on the desk with the player and the small headphones in his hand. You turned it on and helped him to put on the headphones. Peter had created some playlists, so you picked the first one on the list and a song began to play.

Adam marveled at it.

"This is amazing!" he laughed. He picked one of the headphones and gave it to you, so you could hear the music as well. You Spin Me Round by Dead Or Alive was playing.

"I haven't heard this song in such a long time," you beamed, remembering your life on Earth. The weird urgency of dancing was growing on your body.

Adam got lost in the mp3 in his hands. He thought he discovered another dimension, something that would make him feel different, more like you. And it was heartwarming. He loved how you made him feel, how you two grew up to understand each other, the way you would listen to him whenever he had to talk about the tiniest thing he learned on the day... You certainly got him wrapped around your finger and you never noticed.

When the song finished, he stopped the playlist, taking off the headphone from his ear and you did the same.

"Thanks," he never stopped smiling. "This means a lot to me."

"Take care of it, we won't have a new one in some time," you joked.

Adam chuckled, placing the player on its box.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already did."

"Yeah, I mean- we didn't have a good start-"

"That's in the past, okay? Let's just move on and I'm so sorry for being an asshole," you took his hand with yours, he seemed shocked by your small action as you locked your eyes with his. "This is more important."

Adam nodded with a smile, "I agree with that."

There it was again, that same feeling in your stomach, screaming and aching for you to make a movement. His loving golden eyes never looked away from you, and you came closer carefully until your lips brushed his cheek softly. Adam's gold skin heated up, he realized he liked the contact of your hand on his skin and your lips on his cheek.

"Can I kiss you?" you asked, afraid he might decline.

He read about kisses in books before, and he wondered how they felt. So without a word, he nodded and you leaned until you kissed him. And he kissed back, as shy as he could be. Adam hesitated for a moment, but he slowly melted into your confident and experienced touch, grinning into the kiss.

Once you separated, Adam held your hand strongly without letting you go.

"Wow," he breathed. "Can I kiss you back?"

"Kiss me as many times as you want," you giggled softly and pecked his lips. "We should make a playlist, especially for you, I will help you with that. Peter said he put hundreds of songs in this thing."

This was his turn to peck your lips gently with a smile on his face.

"Feeling excited already!"

[unactivewaspsfics]

Hi, I saw that you were open for OW requests and was wondering if it was okay to request Hanzo with an introverted s/o? They like to relax at home more instead of going to parties and having a quiet life. Only going out sometimes for dinner or a movie/museum. How would their relationship start and how would he show affection? Thank you in advance! <3

Insecure Connection

A/N: RAHHHH TY FOR MY FIRST REQUEST <33 I tried my best and I do really hope you enjoy it anon! I haven't written for Hanzo or Requests so if I messed up don't feel scared to tell me where I messed up at! I put so much love into this omg </3 ALSO, if there isn't a said gender in a request I will try to not give any specified gender :) Ily and enjoy reading :D.

Pairing: Hanzo Shimada X Introverted S/O

Word Count: 1,195 words

How You Met / How Your Relationship Started:

Okay, so I feel like Hanzo would 100% of met you at an Aquarium, more specifically in the jellyfish exhibit. Hardly anyone is in there because of the dark but he admires the shapes, sizes, and the jellyfish themselves as they glow.

You saw he was, basically, the only other person there so you decided to join next to him and view The Box Jellyfish they had in a giant tank in the center of the exhibit. The two of you stood next to each other for, at least, 4 minutes. Each of you giving the other brief glances.

Hanzo took a deep breath, sensing how awkward this moment was, and decided to ask you, “So, which Jellyfish is your favorite?”. You smiled, replying with your favorite jellyfish, which the exhibit didn't have. You explained for a moment how you came all this way for a Jellyfish that wasn't even there. Hanzo nodded his head in agreement, replying with "I am so sorry... There must have been another reason you came here?".

You nodded, giving a small laugh before saying how when you were stressed, going to places like this would help calm you down. It was a kind of haven, no one really to bother you and it wasn't so overwhelming your social battery would go down quickly.

Hanzo agreed. "Social spaces also make me... anxious in a sense. I can't always be in them for too long. I am glad you understand what I go through." This interaction was the start of your friendship.

The two of you would spend the rest of the aquarium visit together, commenting briefly on the ocean life and similar experiences you may have. You never realized how much you could connect with someone out of online experiences like the way the two of you connected at this moment!

By the end of the visit, the two of you decided to exchange numbers. The moment you got home you started to message Hanzo. He replied almost immediately. The more the two of you messaged, and sent memes (although he wasn't 100% how to send them or what they were at first), you guys hit it off! The cycle repeated for weeks on end until the messages started implying more hangouts.

You and Hanzo went to many little 'mini-dates' over the year after the aquarium. You visited bookstores, history and art museums, went to hidden lakes to swim, and even went on a week-trip to a cabin in the woods. That trip is where everything started to change between you two, more than it ever has.

During the first half of the week, it was filled with swimming, smores, movie nights, coffee morning, Hanzo teaching you how to shoot a bow while you taught him how to see constellations in the stars. It was like a dream to you and Hanzo.

It was one certain night though, the two of you sat outside next to the fire, the radio playing quiet music as nature also sang her song. Hanzo sitting right next to you on the only wooden bench at the cabin as the fire started to burn out.

"I just would like to tell you," he began, closing his eyes with a deep breath, and leaning back into the seat. "You have been one if not, the only person who understands me to an extent. I don't want us to ever... ever fade apart." You smiled, agreeing with him, noticing how nervous he seemed. You questioned Hanzo about it and he didn't reply, only opening his eyes and looking off into what was left of the fire.

"I have to say this but I would like it if we are able- if you want to officially be my partner... romantically, I mean." He said, clearing his throat through his pauses as he turned to you. Your confused look turned into a smile. You mentioned to him how you felt the same way, the same connection of an introvert finding their duo; their other half in a sense. Hanzo smiled. He smiled more than you could possibly handle.

You moved your hand to his cheek, cupping it as he did the same to you. He laughed under his breath, blowing you a small kiss with a wink. This caused you to move your hand and start laughing; both of you started to laugh harder. It was so sudden and out of character for him, you weren't expecting it! (He wasn't expecting himself to do that either.

"I am- so sorry dear," he said between laughter, calming his composure quickly. You told him it was 'okay, love', that night being the start of your relationship... officially, I mean.

How Hanzo shows his affection:

I believe he shows his affection for you mainly through small gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.

Regarding small gifts I mean stuff most people wouldn't really notice or care for, but you do. Before the two of you started to stay over at each other's places he would bring you your favorite flower every time you two saw each other after agreeing to start dating. Whether that be just meeting up for coffee, a mini-date, or even just hanging out at each other's homes.

You also started to notice that he would leave little notes behind with you whenever he stayed over at your house. The notes would have little cute poetry written on them, each one writing out a thing he loved about you. It was actually pretty cute, you kept every note he left.

The next affectionate thing he would do is acts of service. If it was to help you with shopping or cleaning your home he would be over to help when we could. He loved spending time with you, and even more if he could help you with something that you have pushed back for a while.

He also never minded buying you stuff you saw from stores online. You couldn't make comments about a jacket looking good without him buying it with quick shipping! Because of this, you started to have to remind him just because you say you might want something, it doesn't mean you want it. But you understood where Hanzo came from, he just wanted to make you happy and If that meant buying you stuff then that is what he has to do!

Finally, physical touch. He may not seem like it, but he is the kind of person to cuddle up on the couch or give you kisses on your shoulders or forehead. Even if you may not be a fan of it, he would respect it and hold back.

But come on, no way you could keep declining that face! When you allowed him to cuddle or hug you, kiss you, or even hold your hand, he cherished every moment of it. He would tighten his hold on you as you lay next to him on the bed, pushing his face into your shoulder and kissing it quietly with a hidden smile on his face. If you held hands he would squeeze your hand so firmly, rubbing his thumb on yours while he leaned more onto your body.

[ryxiez]

༺ Sunset City ༻

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦���≫ ──── ≪

Genera ➛ fluffy fluff + established relationship

Pairing ➛ Taehyun x gn!reader, (idol or not isn’t specified)

Word Count ➛ 1k

Warnings ➛ nicknames (baby, babe), mention of eating and feeling full, feeling really tired

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

Today was arguably the best day you've ever had, in at least a while.

Taehyun and you went out to the downtown city really early in the morning. There was nothing you hated more than people rushing around in traffic.

This outgoing just happened to be your your second date, your first one being a romantic dinner. Don't get it wrong, that dinner was amazing too, but it was classic. He set it up all by himself at his own home a little more than a two weeks ago and it went perfectly.

Today, however, was something different compared to the norm.

You two spent the day traveling around to different food venders in the city trying various kinds of snacks, meals, and drinks from various different countries and cultures.

Taehyun insisted he pay for everything, but you managed to convince him to at least let you pay for dessert. You couldn't let him spend his whole salary on you in one day.

Now the sun was setting behind the horizon, a nice pinkish color decorated the fluffy white clouds. Your hand held Taehyun's as you finally made your way to your apartment, both of your stomachs full.

Your own fingers playing with the few rings that decorated his own, one of them you bought for him yesterday. It was simple sterling silver, but on the inside was your names engraved together. You would be lying if you said you didn't see the tears in his eyes.

He looked up at the sky for a moment to breathe in the fresh air and admire the beautiful sight in front of him, other than you of course. But in contrast to his, your own eyes started to feel heavy and you could barely hold them open.

You yawned while you slowly blinked a few times, trying to keep yourself from crashing down. The drowsiness seemed to hit you like a bus as your steps became slightly staggered and slow.

Of course Taehyun took notice of the sudden pace change, "y/n? What's wrong?" He asked, taking his worried eyes off the sky and focused them on you once again.

It took you a moment to process what he actually said you were too busy focusing on your tired feet as well, "Hmm?... Oh it's nothing. But how many more minutes do you think we have?"

Taehyun stoped walking all together. You were confused at first until he started to tease you,

"Awww, is my baby getting tired?" He cooed in a sarcastic voice.

You broke your hand away from his, but you were too lazy to fight his words with your own. "Yeah, I guess I am... Plus these shoes are lacking any support, it's starting to hurt a lot."

After your tiny tangent, you crossed your arms for a little warmth, the evening breeze also suddenly getting to you.

Taehyun however, stood there with his big eyes wide eyes. He didn't think you were actually tired, he was just messing around still feeling like he could stay up for the rest of the night. He expected you to feel the same because of the amount of coffee and caffeinated tea the both of you tried throughout the day, but that wasn't actually the case.

He took a step closer to you, "I'm sorry baby, I was only teasing. I didn't actually think you were actually tried. We just drank so much caffeine I thought we would both be up all night." He apologized as he started to take his jacket off.

"It's fine babe, I know when your only joking... Wait what are you doing?"

"Giving you my jacket, duh. You look cold too. Are you not?" He said with a small smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. He knew he was right.

Throwing the jacket over your shoulders, he helped your arms into the big sleeves. Finishing the romantic gesture with a soft kiss to your forehead.

You held the jacket collar close to your face, taking in his sent that lingered on the clothing. You also liked how it was still warm from his own body heat.

"Come on, hop on." He said with a smile while he turned around and bent his knees a little.

"W- what are you doing?" You asked him, eyes looking at the pedestrians around to see if anyone noticed Terry making a fool of himself. However, none of them seem to pay attention either of you. Massive relief on your end.

"Hurry up and get on my back, I don't have all day darling." Taehyun teased yet again with a wink.

"Oh- okay, I'm hurrying. Jeez." You shoot back gently, placing your hands

Placing your hands on his shoulders, you hoisted herself up With the last of your strength for the day. He of course picked you up with ease, his arms circling under your legs, and started walking back home right away.

He doesn't basically live at the gym everyday for that strength to NOT be put to use.

You sighed contentedly with your arms lazily draped over his broad shoulders and your face buried into the crook of his neck.

"Better?" He asked quietly.

Your nose tickling his neck perfectly made him fell all soft inside. Just knowing that you felt comfortable and trusted him enough meant everything.

"Much better. Thank you Hyunnie ." You mumbled, nuzzling even further into his skin. (If that was even possible at this point)

He smiled at the adorable nickname, "Anything for you my love."

Your heart never felt more at peace as your body gave way to the demanding sleep. Finally laying your eyes to rest.

"I love you." He whispered under his breath, not caring if you actually heard him or not.

Deep down inside he just needed to get those three words off his chest and say them out loud. He couldn't be happier as his eyes caught sight of the pink sky's once again. Taehyun wished he could stay in this moment forever.

[roses-dreams-andthorns]

Love Me!

Yandere Riddle x Male reader part 2

TW: Yandere behavior, stalking, obsession, mentions of blood.

You Chose... Meet with Riddle.

As the bell rang to indicate the ending of your final class, you contemplated about Riddle's letter, do you meet him? Or do you reject to meet him...

you decide to meet him, Riddle does not often ask you to meet him unless it is something important, so this must be no exception, no? You are well aware Riddle could be this slightly creepy anonymous letter sender, considering the notes you had taken earlier, the hand writing being similar, the photo of you left in Riddle's letter, the fact that they have access to your locker, the fact the gifts always fit your interests, the insanely accurate descriptions of you... but that doesn't make him any less of a friend to you, besides, you do not completely know for sure, it could just be a coincidence... but then again, only close friends know your locker code.

You exit the campus building, contemplating your choice, was this a good idea? What will Riddle even say to you? What did he mean by "I think I'm ready for this."? But you press on, throwing away the strange thoughts that enter your mind. Your stomach twists, like your body is trying to tell you; "Don't go there! Don't meet with him! Something. Is. Wrong." But you ignore the feeling. It's just Riddle, there is nothing really that dangerous about him, like he would hurt you anyways.

Walking through the streets, all alone, though for some reason, you feel the presence of another nearby. You stop quickly, to turn around, you were expecting it to be Ace, or Deuce, or even Grim, but there was no one there. No one. Not a soul.

It feels empty. Very empty. Like everyone had disappeared without a trace. But that couldn't be possible, there were plenty of people present in your class, and many had club meetings or activities to attend, or homework to do, or some went out shopping. Even so, you expected there to at least be some people walking down this road with you, to return to their dorms, but no. There was nobody at all. This only made the gut feeling stronger, it was screaming at you now, voices in your head, saying; "DON'T. GO. DO NOT MEET RIDDLE. SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG. YOU WILL REGRET IT." But you continued to shake off the feeling. It's probably just your brain being overdramatic.

You entered the Mirror room, and immediately went straight for the Heartslabyul Mirror, the gut feeling grew even stronger, as you felt a pair of eyes glaring your way. "DON'T GO!" the voices screamed, over and over again, it began to give you a headache, so you stopped for a moment and sat on a nearby bench in the mirror room, beside the Heartslabyul mirror, reached into your bag, and took out some headache pills, and a bottle of water, and quickly took two pills, and sat down for a while. The headache left, but the voices sure didn't. At this point, it was beginning to kill you. You stood up and wasted no time. You went right through the Heartslabyul mirror. When your first foot touched the ground, the voices grew louder. "GO BACK! PLEASE GO BACK!" It was getting annoying. You wished you could shut off your brain just for this one moment, stop it from thinking... stop the voices from talking. You opened your eyes, not even realizing you had zoned out, you looked forward, and viewed the Heartslabyul dorm. But something was, in fact, wrong. It was all quiet. No constant bickering between students, no sounds of Ace or Deuce yelling at each other, none of Riddle yelling "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" Every minute.

The sky was completely cloudy, making everything seem dark, petals seemed to be falling off some of the roses, some seemed wilted, others remained white, unpainted. You walked up the entrance. Riddle didn't specify where in the rose maze he wanted to meet you, nor did he specify a time. What did he expect you to do? Just instantly know the exact coordinates he wished to meet you at as soon as you arrived? You wished you had brought some kind of energy drink of coffee with you, because you will need to do a lot of walking. Or so you thought.

The silence was disturbed, as you heard a rustling through a rose bush, from what you had heard, it came from the left-most side. turning to your left, you see a trail of red painted petals leading to the left entrance of the rose maze. You kneel down to pick up one of the petals, the paint was still wet, and off color from the roses on the bushes when compared, and the scent was suspicious... The petals were blood red compared to the cherry red on the roses on the bushes, and the scent was metallic... The paint began to drip down your finger, and that gave it all away. There's no doubt that the paint is blood. All of a sudden, you hear a loud crash, like the sound of a mirror breaking.

What do you do now?

> Run. It's not safe here.

> Find Riddle, he'll know what to do... probably.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Hopefully this works this time and Tumblr won't be a bully and let me post it, I did it on my laptop earlier so that might have something to do with it... hopefully it works now that I'm on my phone.

Poll for these two options will be posted soon!

[bbangsuns]

i need somebody | e.l

requested? yes, by anon

pairing: ethan landry x reader (race/ethnicity not specified)

warnings: ghostface doesn't exist, ethan calls reader pretty girl but that's the only allusions to gender, slight angst, mentions of weed, ethan and reader being a little mean to each other (just to protect themselves from heartbreak again), alcohol consumption, sad reader, sad ethan, idiots who are still in love

a/n: this might be the longest thing i’ve written? i had to break up the text kinda weird since some of it was too long so im sorry about that. also i listened to i need somebody by day6 while writing this

word count: 3.655

when your relationship with ethan started 3 years ago, it was truly one of the best days of your life. he was the sweetest, most attentive person you'd ever met, always making sure you were satisfied and happy with him. it was constantly you two against the world, always having each others' backs and being at each other's side the moment either of you called. unfortunately for you, nothing good ever lasts in this world, not even the relationship you thought unbreakable.

for the last few months, it seems as though ethan wants nothing to do with you, constantly making excuses as to why he can’t be with you or why he has to leave early. every time he runs out on you, you feel your heart breaking more and more, not sure how much longer you’d be able to tolerate his sketchy and distant behavior. as it turns out, you wouldn’t have to deal with it much longer, because a party that weekend is what would ultimately be the last straw.

the day had honestly started out normally, chad texting you earlier in the day asking if you wanted to go to a frat party that was being thrown for halloween. he was shocked at how quickly you agreed, but he was excited to see you nonetheless. the idea of free alcohol and loud music attracted you, deciding you’d use it as a distraction from ethan and your relationship which was slowly but surely falling apart. looking at the time, you saw you had about 7 hours before the party actually started so you decided on taking a nap for a while to pass the time, already having an idea of what you wanted to dress up as.

you woke up a couple hours later, realizing you’d slept longer than you had originally intended. you got out of bed and went to the bathroom, deciding a quick shower would be in your best interest. what was supposed to take 10 minutes ended up taking about 40 minutes, having gotten lost in your thoughts about ethan and where you guys would end up. you got out of the shower and got dressed in the clothes you had picked out for the costume and dried your hair, getting started on the makeup right after. you desperately hoped this party would really serve as the perfect distraction.

— 2 hours later — you completed the finishing touches of your costume, looking at yourself in the mirror. you smiled at yourself, satisfied with the way everything turned out. you looked at the time, cursing when you realized you were an hour late. you rushed out of your apartment, quickly locking the door behind you and making your way down the stairs. luckily the place where the party was being hosted was only about a 10 minute walk from your place, so you weren’t worried about having to take the subway so late at night. arriving to the party, you make a beeline for the alcohol, grabbing a red solo cup and filling it with whatever concoction they created. taking a large drink, you cringed at the taste of cheap liquor but you paid it no mind, quickly finishing the drink and filling up the cup again. as you went to refill your cup, you heard someone call you over so you quickly poured the mixture in your cup and headed over.

"hey smiley! we're over here!" you heard chad yell over the music, waving his hands wildly with ethan at his side looking embarrassed and, maybe even nervous or pissed off? you couldn't tell, and honestly you didn't want to know what he was thinking. nonetheless you walked over to where they were, rolling your eyes at the nickname chad gave you but a smile was on your lips no matter how badly you wanted it to go away.

"there they are! i thought you bailed on me last minute!" chad was now talking in your ear directly so you could hear him clearly. you leaned into his ear also, your voice raised slightly.

"there's NO WAY i would've passed up on free booze and weed, man!" you told him, smacking him on the chest with a laugh, taking a sip of the drink in your cup. chad simply laughed at you, nodding his head knowing you were right. before he could say anything else, tara walked in and caught his attention, causing the boy to quickly excuse himself before going after her. you shook your head and turned your attention to your boyfriend, catching him already staring at you. you felt your face get warm as his eyes trailed down your body, taking you in. you gave him a lopsided smile, hesitating a little before you ultimately decided to move closer to him. the tension in his body seemed to melt away almost immediately, his arms wrapping around your waist and yours around his neck, careful not to spill the contents in your cup.

"hey there, pretty girl" ethan whispered in your ear, placing a kiss on your neck, goosebumps rising on your skin at the feeling. you leaned your head on his shoulder, taking a moment to just breathe him in, happy that things seemed okay.

"hi pretty boy" you chimed back, a laugh escaping your mouth as you saw the visible red tinge on his cheeks even in the shitty lighting. he just shook his head and kissed your cheek, taking another moment to look at your costume.

"you look like, really good babe" he commented, feeling your confidence shoot up a bit. right as you went to say something back about how good he looked in his knight costume, you felt a tap on your shoulder. you turned around, confused as to who the hell was interrupting your rare moments of peace with ethan. you were faced with some blond boy who was obviously wasted, but he still had a smirk on his face that made your skin crawl.

"hey baby, ditch this loser and come dance with me. i'll make it worth your while" he spoke in a disgustingly flirty tone that made you want to vomit. you tried your best to keep the grimace off your face and forced a tight-lipped smile to your face, shaking your head and giving him an answer that would hopefully satisfy him and make him leave.

"i'll come dance with you later i promise" you replied tensely, hoping he'd get the hint and leave you alone. in his drunken stupor, he didn't seem to sense the frustration lacing your voice and nodded, the smirk on his face ever present. he walked away, rambling about how he's gonna get lucky that night. turning back around, you didn't expect to see the look of anger that ethan was currently wearing and it scared you if you were being honest.

"eth, what's wrong? why are you looking at me like that?" you asked, your stomach sinking when he all but shoved your hands off of him. “You’re seriously gonna ask me that right now?” he scoffed at you, shaking his head and shoving past you. It took a moment for you to follow behind him, standing there in disbelief at how quickly his mood turned sour. When you reached him, you grabbed his arm and forced him outside, not wanting to argue in front of a bunch of strangers. He tugged his arm out of your grip, acting as though your touch was burning him.

“What the fuck is going on, ethan? Why are you treating me like that?” you exclaimed, trying not to raise your voice too much in order to avoid onlookers. Ethan just looked away, his jaw clenched so hard you were afraid his teeth would crack. you pushed that thought to the back of your mind, though, because you needed answers, so you walked right in front of him, crossing your arms over your chest.

“well? are you gonna tell me what i did to deserve this type of treatment?” although you tried to sound to sound strong, the desperation was evident in your voice, wanting to know how you could fix things.

he stayed silent for a moment before speaking up, his voice distant and cold, “i’m not in the mood, so maybe you should just go hang out with one of the many guys you’ve allowed to flirt with you.” for the second time that night you were left speechless, not understanding why he’d say something so absurd.

“baby, what the hell are you talking about? you’re the only one i want to spend my time with!” you were moments away from crying out of frustration, wishing he’d just be straightforward about what’s bothering him.

“are you sure about that? because you seem pretty fucking happy when someone offers up their number or offers to take you out." he practically scolded you; all you could do was stare at him, bewildered at the fact he thinks you could somehow be happy with anyone that isn't him.

"ethan, i have no idea what the hell you're talking about. why would i be happy with some freak?" you retorted, waving your hands around. he simply let out a humorless laugh, crossing his arms across his chest. then he spoke the words you never in a million years thought he'd tell you.

"you know what, y/n? i don't care anymore. we're done." as soon as those words left his mouth, he shoved past you roughly, leaving the party without telling anyone. you on the other hand, you were frozen in place with tears clouding your vision, not wanting to believe he had ended things so easily, as if ripping your heart out of your chest and stomping on it was no big deal. you were so deep in your head that you didn't even know anika and mindy were next to you, jumping when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"hey bub, what happened?" anika asked you, concern lacing her voice as she took in your shaking figure and bloodshot eyes. you shook your head, not wanting to say the words, knowing your heart would break all over again at the realization of what had transpired minutes prior, but they eventually came out.

"he broke up with me" your voice was wobbly, the pain evident to the two girls in front of you; anika was shocked, she never thought ethan would be the type to leave you heartbroken in the middle of a party. mindy, however, was pissed at the tall boy; what the hell was his problem? why would he break up with someone as caring, sweet, and kind as you? whatever his excuses are, she was already planning on giving him a piece of her mind and hopefully beat some sense into him.

"oh honey, i'm so sorry. do you want to go home? we can get the rest of the group together to watch a movie or something if you'd like to?" anika murmured, rubbing a hand up and down your back in an attempt to soothe you. all you could do was let out a shaky breath and nod your head, not trusting your voice quite yet. mindy squeezed your hand, mumbling to anika about going to collect everyone else, letting her girlfriend console you since she was better at it. she guided you back inside to the front door, telling mindy that they were going to wait on the sidewalk instead to get away from everyone else.

about ten minutes later she walked out with everyone tailing behind her, chad immediately heading towards you to wrap you in his arms, placing a kiss to your forehead. tears immediately sprang to your eyes but you forced them back, not wanting to cry on the side of the street; instead, you wrapped your own arms around his waist, feeling grateful that you had chad and everyone else as your best friends. after a minute of just standing there with him, you forced yourself to stand tall and put up a facade, no matter how much it hurt. you unwrapped yourself from chad but still stuck close to him and anika, needing their presence to feel grounded as you spoke to the group.

"thank you, and i'm sorry for ruining the fun. if you want, you guys can go back inside and enjoy the party while i head home" you insisted, feeling the guilt creep in at the fact that they were going to miss out on a party just because you were upset. what you didn't expect, though, was mindy to scoff in disbelief and look at you as if you were crazy.

"there's no way we're going to leave you alone right now! you're clearly hurting and are in desperate need of some group lovin', so be quiet and accept that you're not going to win this argument" she rambled with a small smile on her face, her hands moving wildly at her sides as your friends nodded. you couldn't help but let out a laugh at seeing her behavior, her smile growing at the fact that she was able to cheer you up, even by a bit.

acknowledging defeat, you decided to just go with it, "okay fine! i won't argue with you, especially because it'd be pointless knowing how relentless you can be." this caused tara and chad to let out a cheer, glad that you were deciding to not shut them out. you smiled and shook your head, forever thankful that you wouldn't be going through this alone.

--1 month later--

despite having an amazing support system, the last month had consisted of some of your lowest moments. every morning when you woke up, you'd expect to find ethan laying next to you, his curly hair sticking out in every direction, but the hole in your heart only grew as you felt cold bed sheets each time. you hadn't spoken to him since that night, but the pain and sadness was slowly turning to anger; anger because of how he acted childishly and only considered how he felt, not taking into consideration how his actions would affect you.

unbeknownst to you though, was that ethan was equally as miserable and angry as you were, but the anger was directed at himself once he realized just how badly he had fucked up, which chad never failed to remind him of.

"what the hell were you thinking man? how could you just break her heart like that? and with some bullshit excuse too." he told the taller boy one day, still upset at the fact that his roommate and friend had been so cruel to the one person that didn't deserve it. at his question, ethan just let out a deep sigh, rubbing his hands over his face in frustration.

"fuck, i don't know. i was just feeling insecure at the fact that they'd always be smiling whenever someone was flirting with them and i got into my own head, deciding that distancing myself and basically breaking their heart was the right way to go about it" he lamented, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood but he paid it no mind, too occupied in trying find a way to make it up to you, if you still wanted anything to do with him that is. seeing the doleful expression on his friend's face, chad felt a tug at his heart as he recalled that exact same look on your own face just a few hours earlier while he was hanging out with you.

"look man, i promised them i wouldn't say anything but it doesn't matter; they're really fuckin' pissed at you for what you did to them, but they're also just as miserable as you are even though they try to hide it. i know that if you got off your ass, went over there, and gave them a real explanation and showed you're willing to fight to get them back, they'd forgive you. they're still stupidly in love with you after all" at his words, ethan's heart sped up, a wave of anxiety fluttering in his stomach--you were still in love with him? but would you actually take him back? at this point, ethan didn't care, he just wanted to make things right with you. jumping up, he ran to his room and threw on a hoodie and some shoes, rushing out of the dorm before chad could say anything else.

taking the subway to get to your apartment across town, ethan was painfully aware of his clammy palms, rubbing them on his pants with a grimace. time seemed to speed by because before he knew it, he was already standing in front of your door, having been on auto-pilot throughout the short trip. right as he was going to knock on your door you opened it, clad in one of his shirts and shorts; the sight had him reeling, realizing that chad may have been right. unfortunately, he didn't have a chance to speak before you went to slam the door in his face, leaving him speechless with a pain in his chest, but he didn't come all this way just to give up. he knocked on your door this time, speaking through it in hopes that you would open up again.

"baby please, i just want to talk and apologize for what i did. you deserve a real explanation, not some bullshit" he begged, ready to fall to his knees if that's what it took. luckily for him, you had opened the door once again, a small smile ready to grace his features but upon seeing the blank expression on your face, it fell just as quickly as it came.

glaring at him, you pulled the door open all the way and stepped to the side, your voice as cold as his was that halloween night,

"hurry up. you have 10 minutes to explain yourself and then you leave." it was more of a command than anything else, and your icy tone terrified ethan because he had never heard you speak that way, but instead of commenting on it he just rushed inside before you decided to change your mind. he sat on your couch, his whole body tense but happy nonetheless at the fact that you were willing to hear him out, albeit begrudgingly. ethan rubbed his sweaty hands up and down his thighs once more before he took a deep breath and began his explanation.

"that night…that night is one of the biggest mistakes i have ever made in my life. i had one too many drinks that chad made me drink, and it brought all my insecurities to the surface. seeing you smile at that guy that night after he so obviously flirted with you just made me feel so angry, and i know it seems like a terrible excuse and you're probably right, but the drinks mixed with the thoughts already in my mind, i took it out on you and hurt you on purpose and it wasn't fair to you at all. i knew i fucked up the moment i walked out of the house, but i figured you'd want nothing to do with me afterwards so i never made the effort to reach out. this last month, though, has been one of the worst months of my life. i've missed you so much and i realized that i can't do this without you by my side."

by the end of his rambling, ethan was completely out of breath and his eyes were burning from the tears that had begun gathering in his eyes but he didn't care, he needed you to know what had been on his chest for months. you simply stared at him, your eyes glossy with unshed tears of your own and you sniffled, feeling the resentment towards him slowly melt away. you kept your guard up though, not wanting to put your heart out there just yet, scared that it would be broken all over again. noticing your hesitation, ethan stood up and walked in front of you, slowly grabbing your hands and intertwining your fingers. you looked up at him, removing your hands from his and throwing your arms around his neck, tugging him as close as possible to your body. he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and placed his own arms around your waist, hugging you tightly. the tears finally fell from your eyes and this time you didn't try to stop them, not caring if his sweater got dirty, not that he minded either.

“i wish you would’ve told me how you were feeling instead of icing me out, eth. i could’ve helped you or done something to make you feel better, you know.” you muttered into his neck, not wanting to move from your spot in his arms, and he just nodded his head softly, his hair tickling your ears.

"i'm so sorry, sweetheart. i love you more than anything and i'm going to do anything i can to prove it, i'm never letting you go again" he mumbled into your neck, unsure if you heard him or understood him for that matter. he knew you heard him when you tightened your grip, placing a small kiss to his neck before pulling back and placing your lips on his, relishing the feeling of them on you for the first time in weeks. ethan moved his lips against your own slowly, moving one hand up to cup your jaw, keeping your face as close as he could. you pulled away after a minute, giving him the first genuine smile you've had in a while. ethan felt his heart speeding up at the sight of your pretty little smile being directed towards him for the first time in nearly two months.

"i love you too, e. also just know i am gonna hold you to that promise" you teased lightly, already feeling your heart being mended at having your boy in your arms once again; you'd have to thank chad for smacking some sense into the both of you.

[love-beyond-space-war]

north/reader req, where reader has a bad habit of being a little reckless on the field (she's always fiiine tho so its fiiiine) but north is understandably concerned

He's just so caring to Theta he'd be similar to reader now that I think about it... idk I just really love North in RvB 🤭 Been awhile since I've seen the Freelancer Saga so I apologize if North's character feels wrong. I honestly did not mean to make this so sad but that's how the plot was going I guess. I keep having sad streaks for these stories and I'm not sure why?

Recovery

North Dakota x Female! Reader

Synopsis: North really wishes you'd look after yourself more often, luckily he's here to make sure you're alright.

Content Warnings: Romantic/Platonic pairing, Female Reader/Male Character, Mentions of injuries, Bittersweet story, How North feels about you is dubious due to not being specified, Kiss on the forehead.

North is used to looking out for others. He's one of the kindest agents out there and always feels like he's looking out for the others. To him, they're like family.

North is concerned when anyone gets injured in the field. After all it's a dangerous world out there, especially if you're meant to be a super soldier who's expendable. Yet North found himself concerned for a certain agent more than the rest and it wasn't his sister, South.

It was you. Compared to everyone else you tended to be reckless. Not like the others who are overconfident and rush into battle rather than being logical though. It just appears you don't plan well? North isn't quite sure.

You seem to act on the fly which can either aid you or... more often than not... lead to mistakes. He sees it all the time when you train and cringes when you're put up against someone like Wyoming, Tex, or Maine. But hey, that's just training, right?

Even just training was often rigorous in Project Freelancer. You always tell your peers you want to do better, to be stronger. North believes you're quite strong already.

A big worry of his is you during proper missions. North has always felt like he should look after you just like the rest. He couldn't tell if he saw you as another sister or something more. All that really mattered to him was overseeing your safety.

He just can't help but worry about you.

Whenever you do get yourself hurt he always tends to blame himself. Theta, his new AI companion, doesn't understand why he does. Despite this North notices the curious AI try to comfort him.

North always asked you to be careful. Especially when the mission for The Sarcophagus was revealed. You said you would and that he didn't need to look out for you.

Yet here you were... in medical bay... recovering from your injuries.

North told himself he could've watched you better. He could've went out of his way to defend you or prevent you from making a risky move. He keeps telling himself he could've done something.

All he could do now was wait for you to wake up, holding your hand to both comfort you and ground himself to reality.

Everyone grew concerned at his behavior. He often passed up training to watch over you. He almost never left the chair that was next to you, fearful that if he leaves you may never recover.

North finds himself talking to your sleepy form at times to comfort himself. If not people often see him talking to Theta even if he shouldn't. Guilt drove North to anxiety induced panics.

North remembers that you'd always tell him you're fine. Minor injuries due to training always made him worried but you'd reassure him. When you were shot...

You told him you'd be fine when you were shot before passing out. It scared him and he was incredibly thankful you got help in time. Despite knowing you'll be fine he didn't leave your side.

When you eventually woke up he had to hold himself back from hugging you.

"North?" You croaked. How long had he been waiting? It had to be at least a night or that and an afternoon. He didn't even sleep because he was thinking of you- "North, y-you're staring,"

"You scared me..." North admits, pulling your hand closer, he had his helmet off. "You always scare me when you make unnecessary sacrifices like that."

"We got what we needed, didn't we?" You answer simply, grinning to to ease the mood. North only frowns.

"Sure but I could care less about that. What if I lost you?" North continues. "I could've protected you with my shield if I pulled you closer, I could-"

"North." You squeeze his hand. "I'm fine. It's okay!"

"It's not okay!" North argues. "We need to work on your recklessness... you have three gun wounds!"

North sighs, massaging the top of your hand as he looks at you with worry. He cares for you more than anything else. If he lost you... he'd never be the same.

"... I'll try for you." You say softly, soon noticing North lean closer.

"I promise I'll do better to watch you as long as you try harder too." North promises, trying to soothe his beating heart. "I'm never allowing this to happen again."

"You're treating me like I'm some little girl." You frown.

"Sometimes you act like one." North snickers and you weakly bat his shoulder with your free hand.

"Hey!"

"Am I wrong?"

You both laugh softly and sigh. North softly leans over and kisses your forehead in an affectionate manner. You freeze, flushing softly before glaring at him in a playful way.

"North...."

"Couldn't help it, sorry, I'm just glad you're okay."

"... I'm glad you care about me." You whisper back. "Speaking of caring... you look tired?"

"I need to rest..." North yawns. "Was thinking of you."

"Please take care of yourself, North...."

"Only if you do the same to yourself." North scolds.

"Okay, fine, I will." You huff, wincing in pain for a moment. "Now rest. For me."

"Alright, I will." North smiles, squeezing your hand before letting go. "See you soon when you're better."

"See you soon." You reply softly, watching North leave the room to get some much needed rest.

Maybe you really should look after yourself more.