#she keeps going without any regret nor second thoughts

[zhoufeis]

lighter and princess rewatch ━ challenge vs. @baifengxis ˋ°•*⁀➷ episode 03. aired nov. 03, 2022.

#lighter and princess #点燃我，温暖你 #yunxun #zhu yun #li xun #lp challenge #cdramaedit #cdramasource #chewieblog #userbbelcher #userthing #asiancentral #asiandramasource #asiandramaedit #*mine #he's drawn to this person who naturally has what a person like him had to learn in order to survive #and that's a nonexistent fear to keep going until the very end #like he is so amazed how she just doesn't cave in #she keeps going without any regret nor second thoughts #and yet she so easily says thank you or admits mistakes #and he's absolutely obsessed with that #cause she's so much like him - intense. passionate. relentless. #and at the same time it comes so easy to her to be friendly and self-reflective anyway #and he just has a big admiration for her as a person #despite claiming in these episodes he doesn't like her #he's obsessed with who she is as a person

[ozzgin]

[Baki Masterlist]

Yandere! Pickle x Reader

"Was that Hanayama on the phone?" you inquire slightly distracted. "What did he want?"

"I'll explain more on the way, (Y/N). I know it's a bit sudden, but we should hurry."

Baki grabs your wrist with gentle confidence and begins to sprint lightly, allowing you to match his pace.

"What the hell? Did something happen?" you increase your speed without complaints, though you'd like to know why you just started running like a madman.

"Remember that caveman we saw on TV?"

"Pickle? Yeah, how is that-" your mouth hangs open for a few more seconds as you process the information, and as everything finally clicks into place you furrow your brows at the young boy. He quickly turns his head to glance at you and flashes an apologetic smile.

"I just wanted to see him with my own eyes. Aren't you curious, too?"

You press your lips together and just look ahead. When Baki is like this, there's no point in arguing. The two of you have developed this dynamic of a little brother looking for trouble and the older sibling going along with it, too softened by their affection to say no.

You assume you've reached your destination when a large group of men are standing close together, observing something in frightened silence. You push past them and notice Hanayama, standing casually in front of the large man that's been making the headlines for the past days. Your eyes trace the heavy dents and cracks left in the asphalt, somewhat regretful for missing the event that caused them.

Pickle turns around, following Hanayama's gaze. Among the terrified expressions there's a small boy grinning with excitement. Next to him is an even smaller human who immediately reminds Pickle of the woman that had approached him upon his arrival. His eyes widen as he takes in the soft features and smooth frame. The tiny human returns the stare, although with detached indifference. Pickle can feel his heart throbbing loudly in his chest. He doesn't sense any fear and that entrances him greatly.

"Hey, come on, don't be like that." Baki snaps him back to reality. "I've been looking forward to seeing you, you know? I wanted to meet you so badly! When I heard you escaped, I asked Hanayama to keep an eye out for me."

Pickle extends his fist, seemingly unimpressed by the monologue, and Baki doesn't hesitate to return the gesture. Within seconds Baki finds himself flipped upside down, but he quickly readjusts himself and lands safely, struck with amazement.

"Isn't that aikido?!" you gasp in disbelief, sharing Baki's reaction. Pickle immediately picks up on the fact that you've observed him and a satisfied smile appears on his face. Were you impressed by his newly acquired skills? Whatever bizarre techniques these humans were throwing at him weren't hard to decipher nor reproduce.

Pickle's musings are interrupted by a strong kick to the face. Baki barely manages to contain himself. He's panting and sweating with feverish anticipation.

Before Pickle can react, the tiny human swings her arm and whacks the boy behind his head.

"Oi! What's the matter with you? This is the kind of face you make when seeing your girlfriend, not some random museum exhibit. Tone it down or I'll let Kozue know what kind of pervert she's dating!"

"It's not like that!" Baki rubs his freshly earned wound in embarrassment. "And you didn't have to hit me that hard. You're going to scare Pickle off."

The large prehistoric man watches the exchange. He doesn't understand what they're saying, but the body language indicates that they're close. Are they mates? He becomes slightly irritated at the thought. He wants to know the pretty looking human better, but it now seems there's an obstacle in the way. He'll take care of it.

***

Pickle starts walking away, guiding his new friends down the busy streets of Tokyo until they reach the underground arena. Despite Tokugawa's anger upon finding the escape artist, you whistle in admiration. You wish you had this kind of spatial orientation.

"So, what is it you want to do now that you've brought us here?" Baki is the first one to break the silence.

"Baki, isn't it obvious what you're gonna do here? You know what's done here, don't you? He's picking a fight with you!" Tokugawa exclaims, the scolding attitude from a moment ago long forgotten.

The light above you is abruptly dimmed and you look up to see that Pickle is somehow standing inches away, towering over with a wide grin. How did it bypass your attention? Tokugawa lets out a yell of surprise; Hanayama and Baki immediately switch to a defensive stance. They didn't expect this.

"W-what is he doing?" the old man mumbles in fear.

Pickle places a heavy hand on your head and ruffles your hair lightly. You stare in confusion, unsure how to react. He bends over for a brief moment and inhales in rapid intervals, as if inspecting your scent. Once satisfied, he growls at you - perhaps in an attempt to communicate - and turns back to Baki.

"Is it possible he likes (Y/N)?" Hanayama hums, weighing his thoughts.

"In that case, maybe he sees Baki as his rival?" Tokugawa points out.

"Hmmm. Then it should make this fight even more entertaining." Hanayama continues.

"I'm in the room, you know? You're talking as if I'm some meat on display." you groan in annoyance.

"Sorry, sorry, (Y/N). We'll clear things up with Pickle after this, alright? Until then let me have my fun, please~" he pouts and looks at you with pleading eyes.

The large man grinds his teeth in anger as he's witnessing this clear display of disrespect. He's just announced his intentions to claim you, and this human half his size is mocking him in plain sight. He'll make sure he never gets up again. With a thrust, he lands his foot on Baki's chest and sends him flying into the public seating. The poor young boy gasps for air and passes out almost instantly.

Pickle begins to approach him in heavy, menacing steps. Hanayama raises his arms in his signature stance, pondering whether or not to interfere in someone else's fight. You don't share his battle etiquette and plant yourself in the path of the Jurassic man.

"That's enough. You've won." you claim in a low, assertive demand.

Pickle puckers his lips in surprise and curiosity. His eyebrows are raised and he stops to consider. Are you trying to protect your mate? Do you not understand how these things work? He's stronger and therefore entitled to his prize. Why wouldn't you want a partner that's more capable of protecting you, anyways? It makes no sense.

He gently presses your shoulder in an attempt to move you out of the way, but it doesn't seem to do much. He increases the force to the point he can feel your arm muscles contracting and flexing, though you still don't budge. His mouth opens slightly and he lets out an inquiring growl.

Looking into your eyes, he catches a glimpse of the same determination he saw in the man he fought recently. A smile widens on his face, revealing his polished fangs. To think that such a small body is holding so much tenacity. He's very proud of himself for finding a fitting partner.

You haven't attacked him so far, so he guesses you've reached a similar conclusion. You're probably asking him to let the feeble human live with his loss. He can, of course, show this courtesy for your sake. He lifts you by the waist and holds you above his head. He can finally take his time admiring your features. He wants to etch them into his memory, down to the finest detail.

"Well...that stopped him at least." Tokugawa comments with his arms folded, standing awkwardly before the bizarre scene.

"I doubt he'll harm (Y/N), so let's get Baki out of here." Hanayama climbs up the stairs towards the unconscious boy. "Can we leave you alone with Pickle for now, (Y/N)? I'm sorry for putting you into this situation."

"I should manage", you sigh in defeat. Once again you're left to deal with the mess. You pat Pickle's head in an attempt to secure your safety even further. The large man is elated and lets out some high pitched sounds that reverberate across the arena. He even dares to wonder if his awakening was something meant in order to meet you. That's how he feels right now, at least. A fateful encounter with his lifelong companion, regardless of where this strange new life might take him.

"Ooh, Professor Payne won't be happy about this..." Tokugawa laments, following Hanayama.

***

"I'm glad you're finally done with your Jurassic adventure", you tell Baki as both of you stroll through the city.

"I'm a bit salty I didn't win, though." He slouches dramatically and you laugh at his theatrics.

"You're never satisfied with anything. You should be grateful you didn't end up like Retsu, Katsumi or Jack." you place your index in front of his face, pretending to lecture him.

"By the way, did you see the latest news? They want to put Pickle back to sleep. What will you do?"

"Me? What business do I have with it? I had him attached to my hip this whole time, I can finally catch my breath."

"It was your one and only chance to have a boyfriend!" Baki teases you with a wink. "Poor Pickle is probably going mad looking for you now. Don't you want to at least say goodbye?"

"If I go say goodbye I won't leave again, so no thank you."

You slow down as you reach the intersection. This is where you usually part ways, so your conversation has come to an end.

"Well, it was nice hanging out with you. I'll see you around." the boy waves as he continues to the left. You check the time on your phone and stretch with a yawn. You can't wait to have a proper sleep.

You arrive at your apartment and fumble with your pockets to find the keys. When you glance at the lock, you notice a massive shadow looming over the entire wall. You step back instinctively and realize that whatever is creating the shadow currently stands behind you. Two arms sprawl out and twist around your body. You're overwhelmed by a now familiar smell.

Pickle rests his head on yours and closes his eyes. Oh, the absolute terror he went through when he realized you were no longer with him! The helplessness of not being to communicate this disaster to the confused humans in white coats, staring at him without the slightest idea. How did not a single one of them comprehend that his partner vanished? He'd trashed the place over in a blind rage and turned the city upside down in his desperate search. He never felt so vulnerable and naked and weak. Thankfully, he knows your scent so well that the smallest hint of it can get him running.  

But alas, you're here now in his arms and he vows to never lose you again. He doesn't know where he is or what this reality means, but he has one certainty he can cling onto. That you're all his, until time freezes over again.

#yandere baki #baki #baki the grappler #pickle #pickle x reader #baki x reader #pickle baki

[brummiereader]

MASTERLIST PART ONE

Unchained Melody (Part Two)

Summary: Thrown back into the life you abandoned, you are left to find your own way in your former home as Tommy's refusal to say what needs to be said leaves a heavy tension between you both. With your husband's avoidance and unwillingness to talk, you quickly learn for yourself the many things that have changed in Arrow House, and of the Governess you believe has taken your place. Do your worries hold any weight? Or are they simply the fears of a woman trying to recover who she once was?

Warnings: Language, angst, postpartum depression, mutual pining

Word Count: 4359

"Your wife?..."The Governess laughed, a scoff catching in her throat as her eyes darted to Tommy and away from the disgusted look she was giving you when her smirk suddenly dropped at the unamused glare your husband was sending her. It took mere minutes for the news of your shock return to make its way around the vast estate of Arrow House, each and every worker peering into the foyer of your former stately home to get a glimpse of the woman that had returned from the dead. You could feel every stare, hear every whisper. And as your eyes cast down to your muddy shoes and those of the pristinely dressed woman in front of you, shame engulfed you and your legs slowly buckled. The only thing keeping you up, being that of your husband's tightening grip, warning you not to create any further commotion.

"Tommy?" the woman looked to him, her brow furrowed, the tone in her voice abruptly changing from one of disbelief to irritation. "Mr Shelby" she corrected herself when Tommy cocked a brow in response to her lapse in formalities, formalities that had already been blurred in your long absence. For just as shame and regret engulfed you whilst you stood there leaning into your husband's hold, Tommy found himself scrambling for some form of professionalism with the Governess he had hired, as his own guilt quickly weighed heavy on his already burdened shoulders.

"Mr Shel.." she voiced again as Tommy walked you forward, a grunt shuddering past her lips as your husband's shoulder crashed into hers in passing, unwilling to answer questions from anyone, questions he himself did not yet have the answers for.

" Move" he commanded, pushing you forward to follow behind Frances and your sleeping son cradled warmly in her arms as she made her way up the long staircase, every step followed by the piercing stare of the Governess as she slowly turned around and watched you from below in the foyer.

" Get back to work!" She barked at the employees of Arrow House, glaring at each and every one of them as she stormed through the entrance heading for the library, the loud echoing of her heels resonating through the walls of the grand home coming to an abrupt stop when she slammed the door of the study firmly behind her.

" Quiet now William" Frances gently hushed your son's movements from the sudden noise briefly awakening him from his deep slumber, your husband's insistent grip tightening once again as his irritation with everyone's reaction continued to be taken out on your already sore arm.

" No. You stay with me" Tommy said when you went to follow William and Frances into the nursery, a surge of panic quickly engulfing you seconds later when he pulled your trembling body to the bedroom you once shared and William left your line of sight.

Letting go, Tommy stretched the strain from his fingers as he watched you kneed circles into your bruised flesh. Had he hurt you? He silently asked himself as he clenched and loosened his fist from the throbbing pain shooting through his bones. Why didn't you say anything? He thought to himself as he watched you with a furrowed brow, troubled as to why you didn't tell him to stop, why the woman stood before him hated herself so much that she had surrendered to the acceptance of pain without once flinching, nor uttering a word. Did you think you deserved it?

"Everything...everything is as you left it" Tommy sighed as his fingers came up to pinch his brow and the frustration growing within him for how he had behaved, everything but how he imagined he would've reacted in the lonely nights he had spent without you. What the fuck was wrong with him? He cursed himself once again. Never once had he laid a finger on you, never once had he wished you harm, and yet in the space of a few minutes he had done just that.

Willfully pushing down his anger through gritted teeth, Tommy watched you as you looked around the room, your fingers gliding over the satin bedsheets, your hands gingerly reaching out for your once cherished possessions carefully arranged like a shrine in your wake. He wanted to shout, he wanted to show you the depths of the darkness your absence had plunged him into. But instead, for the briefest of moments, Tommy found himself gazing at you, lost in your movements as the fading sun over the grounds of Arrow house cast a dusky orange glow around your body through the netted curtains.

As the memory of your last night shared together came hurtling back to him, tormenting him with time lost and moments stained, Tommy quickly span around, swallowing his mounting emotions and forcing them back from whence they came." Frances..." He said clearing his throat as he stood firmly with his back to you, adamant on you not seeing any more of the pain he had kept locked away for almost two years. "... Frances will run you a bath and burn those rags in the fire" he said sniffing back his tears, reaching for the door handle as his spite quickly returned.

" Tommy I..." Your voice drifted to him, cutting yourself off as you watched his firm grip on the brass knob tighten, feeling as if you were overstepping a line into his broken heart.

" Just tell me one thing Y/N. Was it because of me? Was I the reason you left?" He asked, his voice quiet, uncertainty and worry laced in every word, his restless thoughts as to what had you leave still fogged in a cloud of confusion and self-blame.

" Tommy no, of course not..." You assured as you hurried to him, abruptly recalling as you came face to face with the solemn heaviness weighing down his tired features and the loose tears pooled under his lashes. Had he really thought that? All this time? You asked yourself as you stood there in horror that he would believe such a thing, that you had let him believe such a thing. " Tommy wait, please!" You pleaded as he swiftly opened the door and slammed it behind him, leaving you in your own pool of tears as you sank down onto the bed.

Steadying himself with clenched fists around the landing banister, Tommy chocked out a cry as a sudden release of weight lifted off his shoulders. " Fuck..." he breathed heavily, resting his forearms over the wooden staircase as his fingers laced through the top of his hair, his body draining of the blame he had condemned himself with as your sobs echoed through the halls of Arrow house.

Thundering down the stairs and away from the sound of your cries luring him back, Tommy headed for his office, stubbornly enclosing himself away from the desperation of wanting to hold you and the will to let the fortress he had built around his heart come tumbling down. Stiff upper lip, keep calm and carry on. The British way. And what Tommy would soon learn, the wrong way.

" Thank you, Frances" you said handing her the last of your clothes as you dipped your foot into the heated bath whilst she lovingly folded them one by one into a neat pile, ignoring Tommy's orders to have them thrown on the fire he had already lit in the master bedroom.

" Everything is here for you Mam, fresh towe.." Frances said when your frustrated sobs caught her attention.

" Fuck sake" you began to cry as you tried to pull the comb through your knotted hair, surrendering to ever recovering your luscious locks as you then began to frantically scrub the dirt from your skin until your flesh turned bloody.

" Mrs Shelby! You'll scrub the skin of your bones" Frances hurried to you, gently taking the sponge from your trembling hands as you reached for her arm, clutching it in desperation.

" He's disgusted by me, with what I did, how I look.I...I cant...I can't get the knots out" your panicked voice tried to make sense of your hectic thoughts as you looked down at your marked skin.

" Would you like me to stay, Mam? And help?" She said taking your shaky hands within hers as her gentle smile looked down at you. Nodding, you let go of her arm as she pulled a wooden stool to the side of the bath and began to brush through your hair, gently loosening your matted locks. " Always did have such a beautiful crown of hair" she said combing through each section as you bit your trembling bottom lip.

" You don't have to be nice to me, Frances" you said as your hands flew to your face, hiding the barrage of emotions that was seconds away from flooding down your cheeks.

" And why ever not?" She said with a furrowed brow as she came to a stop.

" It's ok, I deserve it. You can say it. Everyone is thinking it" you cried, pushing your tears away as your chest filled with a shattering pain, and you began to sob into your hands.

" Mrs Shelby..." she sighed, her own eyes filling with tears for the sweet woman that had always treated her and everyone else who worked in the manor with the upmost respect and care. "Every worker here on the grounds of Arrow House has nothing but fond things to say about you. And not one judges you for the torment we all saw you battle through"

" You're very kind Frances, but...but I'm afraid my husband doesn't share those sentiments. He hates me " you cried looking down at your ring finger, the indent from where your wedding band once sat still visible to this day, a reminder of the abandonment you had committed and the marriage you had left behind.

" He blamed himself Mam, as men often do when their heart is breaking" she said as she returned to combing your hair and you listened intently to one of the few people close enough to have seen your husband's turmoil after the regretful night you had left. " Do you know why William calls you Mummy, Mrs Shelby?" Frances said, changing the subject to one that might uplift your spirits rather than dampen them anymore than they already were.

"No. Please, please tell me" you replied clutching to the side of the bath, clutching onto every word Frances said as the shock and confusion from hearing your son utter the one word you never thought would grace your ears earlier that day.

"Every night before putting little William to bed, Mr Shelby would sit with him and show him your picture. Not one night did he forget. He'd insist the poor mite stayed awake until his eyes were heavy as he hurried home from the city to tell him all about his Mummy. So that when he did fall asleep, his dreams would be of you" she said moving to the last knot in your hair as your heart tugged in your chest and the tender gesture Tommy fulfilled every night in your absence ." Does that not sound like a man who still loves his wife?" She asked as you turned to face her, nodding your head as tears wetted your cheeks. " Many things have changed since you left Mam. But there were many Mr Shelby could not part with. So they stayed. You stayed"

Sat alone on the edge of the bed dressed in your former clothes, your hair perfectly coiffed, your nails immaculately manicured, you waited in silence, not knowing what was expected of you now you had been thrown back into the life you once left, thrown into trying to find the woman you once was within the space of a few hours.

Tommy hadn't returned to you since slamming the door to your shared bedroom earlier that day, slamming out what needed to be discussed and the built up emotions that needed to be released. And with William being taken care of by the watchful eyes of a plethora of nannies, all under the command of who you could only assume was the Governess you had met hours earlier, you were left restless, awaiting the next moment you would be confronted by your husband again. Deciding not to prolong the inevitable, you gingerly opened the door to the bedroom and made your way down the long staircase, briefly coming to a halt at the sound of William's joyous giggles as he played in the nursery mere meters away. Tommy was keeping him from you. You were certain of it. And could you blame him? What right did you have to insert yourself back into his world when you had already given up the most cherished gift your life could have blessed you with. Motherhood. You thought to yourself as you came to the bottom of the stairs to see Tommy standing in the archway of the front door talking to the stable hand.

"Mrs Shelby" the older man beamed upon seeing you standing before him, the most sincere of smiles gracing his face as Tommy turned to look your way.

And there it was. Capturing him once again in the briefest of moments as time warped and he watched you step towards him, rid of the ragged clothes and muddied skin that hid your radiating beauty he could only gaze at through your cherished photos and portraits. Were you still his? He sheepishly thought to himself as he quickly glanced up from the floor to see you desperately holding out on his every move, his every word. As the question of your remaining love weighed heavy on his thoughts, melancholy feelings returned and Tommy did what he does best. He left. Snatching away his hunger to wrap his arms around you, he fled for a second time, leaving you with words unspoken and a heart heavy with shame.

" Not the welcome you were expecting, Mrs Shelby? Do I even call you that?" a voice approached you as an overpowering powdery smell of roses and soap filled your senses. " Left not only a troubled man but a difficult child in your wake" she said as you turned to face the Governess staring down at you. Judging you, once again." Over indulged and unable to soothe himself back to sleep. He should have left the breast after a month" she remarked flatly, as the only thing you thought you had done right by your child was cruelly snatched away from you within seconds. " The lower class, and poverty-stricken nurse their children. What a burden you must have put on Mr Shelby with the restless night's your refusal to do as any woman of your previous statue would do" she said belittling you once again as you turned to leave, feeling your frame shrink with each step at the insignificance this woman had made you feel without no mercy or regard to your feelings." What kind of mother, what kind of wife would do what you did?" She said as you came to a sudden halt. Brushing your tears from your cheeks, a sense of composure overcame you in response to the woman who was but a mere stranger to you, with judgmental words not even your husband had uttered to you. You were still Tommy's wife. William, still your son. And as you turned to face the bitterness and disregard she had for you and everything you once were, you corrected her not on her assumptions of you or the words you felt you were due, but on one thing.

" Mrs Shelby. You refer to me as Mrs Shelby"

As night fell, and a blanket of stars covered the skies of Arrow House, you lay in bed tossing and turning to the sound of William loudly wailing in the room adjacent to yours, as Tommy, you could only assume, was sleeping elsewhere, avoiding you once again. Why wasn't anyone going to him? You thought to yourself as you threw the covers off you and made your way to his door. Were they expecting you to go? Now you was back? You nervously pondered as you hovered by the door slowly opening it to see your son stood in his cot, his checks reddened from his restless cries.

" Mummy..." he wept loudly upon seeing you, his arms reaching out for you as you stood back and watched, your hands sweaty your face heated in panic.

" Shh William, it's ok" you said gingerly approaching him as he furiously strained his arms above his head for you to pick him up. " William, I...I don't think I'm allowed" you said nervously looking back to the door, every part of you wanting to sweep up your child and cradle him tightly in your arms. " I'm here William" you said giving in to every motherly instinct you possessed as you went to lift him out of his bed when the door creaked opened.

" Oh, Mrs Shelby! You gave me a fright" Frances said as her hand flew to her chest.

" Im sorry. He was crying. No...nobody came. I...I was only...please don't tell my husband" you panicked as you took a step back, scared your actions would see you cast from Arrow house. Never to see your child again.

" Enough of that. Take him, he's your child" she reassured you, gently guiding you forward. Lifting William from within his cot, you wrapped your hands around his small frame as his arms hung over your shoulders, and he gently sobbed into your chest. Overwhelmed with love, tears streaked your cheeks as you cradled the side of his head in your palm and placed a longing kiss to the crown of his head, breathing in the sweet smell of his hair as a surge of peace overcame you. " There we go" Frances smiled, watching Williams eyes get droopy with sleep as you rocked him back and forth in your arms, the sudden quietness quickly alerting Tommy who was sat on the steps outside the house, smoking himself through a packet of cigarettes like he did every night as he waited for the tormenting sound of his child's cries to settle.

"Why didn't anyone go to him?" you asked as William's body went heavy with sleep and his hiccuping sobs slowly started to fade into gentle breaths.

" The Governess has insisted on him self soothing. But William is a sensitive soul, and I've learnt over the years that one method doesn't work for all" she said stepping closer as she brushed the hair from his face. " You'll find any one of the staff up here on any given night, trying to get him back to sleep. Even our cook, Mr Giles on occasion, if the Governess is not standing guard" she said as Tommy approached the nursery, looking through the crack of the door to see you standing with his son in your arms, fast asleep.

" Frances..." you said turning to face her. "...Will he ever forgive me?" You asked as you rested your cheek on William's head, holding him as close as you could to your broken heart, hoping the severed bond would mend, and you could regain the years you had lost.

" I think he already does. That's the beautiful thing about children. They have only love in their hearts" she replied giving your arm a gentle squeeze.

" And Tommy?" You asked, yearning for your husband's forgiveness as you sought reassurance from Frances for a second time.

" When the storm has passed and the clouds have parted, he will be wanting the warmth of the sun back in his life. That i don't doubt" she replied as Tommy turned to leave for the four walls of his office and the bottle of whisky calling his name, ready to drown himself in the hurt he couldn't yet part with. "Hold your son Mrs Shelby. Don't ever let him go" she said, her parting words leaving a profound sentiment within you as you slowly walked to the rocking chair, turning it away from where you once sat and to the soft silver glow of the moon casting dreamy shadows onto the nursery floor.

"Oh I do like to be beside the seaside. Oh I do like to be beside the sea" you sang caressing William's face, looking down at his lips puckered together as his head weighed heavy on your chest and the gentle sound of his breathing played a calming melody to your ears " Forgive me William. I wasn't myself" you said as a tear streaked down your cheek and you brought his hand clutched tightly around your thumb to your lips, placing a tender kiss to his fingers" Sleep my sweet boy, sleep"

Standing by the fireplace in one of the many guest rooms of Arrow House, Tommy flicked the ash from his cigarette into the flames, welcoming the radiating burn from the orange glow under his calloused skin. He too had become accustomed to pain in your wake. Inviting it in like an old friend to feel something, anything that would make him feel alive again and not the emptiness that had encompassed him.

" Do you think she knows?" A voice alerted him as the door opened and Tommy lifted his head.

" What do you want?" Tommy huffed, turning his eyes back to the roaring fire and away from the Governess who was now slowly approaching him undoing the buttons of her ivory blouse.

" Do you think she knows about, us?" She asked again, running her hands up the front of his shirt as she leaned in to place her ruby lips to his when Tommy raised his cigarette, taking a long drag before blowing the fumes in her face. With Tommy's blatant annoyance with her unwelcome presence going amiss, she continued her endeavor, sweeping her hands over his torso and down to his belt. " You seem stressed" she said biting her bottom lip, unbuckling the clasp and sliding her hand into his briefs as a scoff left Tommy's lips and he shook his head in disbelief at the sheer brazenness of her actions. " Come on Tommy, let me make you feel good" she said as she stroked his softened cock up and down in her hand, her brow scrunching together in annoyance when her efforts were left in vain, leaving an unenthusiastic, unaroused Tommy smirking down at her. " Fine, have it your way" she smiled kneeling before him as she pulled his briefs down when Tommy's patience grew thin, and he suddenly grabbed her by the chin.

" My wife, the mother of my child, sleeps in the next room" he said clenching his jaw, his anger rapidly rising in response to her blatant disrespect for your presence and the day's events.

" Your wife" she scoffed, grabbing hold of his wrist as his grip tightened. " Is that what you call the woman who couldn't even look after the son she clearly never wanted?"

" Don't you dare fucking speak of her like that again, do you hear me?!" Tommy snapped, pushing her face away, causing her to stumble backwards onto the hardwood floors.

" Just like that then. She comes back and it's all over? " she said standing up, trying to compose herself from the embarrassment of Tommy's rejection.

" Just like that" Tommy replied, throwing his hand out and the burnt cigarette into the fire as he stormed past her heading for the door when she grabbed his arm.

" It was me who kept you company all the nights she abandoned you because she couldn't, cope. Me alone" she seethed, mocking you of the torment you had endured.

" What?..." Tommy laughed shaking his head as he looked down at her in disgust. " You thought you could replace my wife, eh?" Tommy said as he closed the gap between them, now inches from her face. " Sweetheart, you were just a fuck" he whispered in her ear as the Governess face twisted in fury, and she pushed past him storming to the door. " Don't think I don't know what your poisonous mind wants. You've long outstayed your welcome. Pack your things and be gone by the morning" Tommy said lighting another cigarette as the Governess span back around to confront him once again. He needed to be rid of her and quick, before you, his wife found out about his lapse in judgment with the most unsavory of women.

" You seem to have forgotten Tommy" she said as her lips curled into a triumphant smile. " I signed a contract written by you that's deadline doesn't end for another six months. And If the terms of that clause are not met. Well..." she said smirking as she crossed her arms, ready to deliver what she felt would have Tommy suddenly change his mind. " I'll go to the police, and spill all your little secrets"

" I own the fucking police love" Tommy laughed taking a drag of his cigarette, her threats but a mere annoying natter in his ear than anything worthy of his attention.

" Oh yes, you're very protected aren't you Tommy? Your dealings go as far up as Winston Churchill himself. What would the papers make of that? A man of government working with a razor gang?" she said with a giggle as Tommy's head snapped to her. "You really should have kept your correspondences out of sight while you had me bent over your desk, fucking your grief away" she spat opening the door as Tommy followed suit, furious his dealings and the business associates he wished to keep in tact, and away from prying eyes were now in jeopardy of falling apart over a few quick shags.

" Mrs Shelby, good evening" the Governess smirked, doing the buttons of her blouse up as you shut the nursery door behind you and she sauntered past.

"Y/N..." Tommy said as he came to an abrupt stop whilst you stood there in silence, yours eyes darting from his unbuckled belt to the sheepish look in his eyes not even he, the master of deception could mask.

Frances was right. Many things had changed in Arrow House. Many things.

PART THREE

Tag List: @garrison-girl-08 @call-sign-shark @red-riding-wood @look-at-the-soul @lau219 @peakyswritings @babaohhhriley @naevisct @galactict3a @satanhauntedmytorment @iwantmyredvelvetcupcake @kmc1989 @latorsgatorz @garfieldsladybird @mysticalbouquetwolf-posts @henrywintersdearestgirl @goblinjnr (unable to tag) @abaker74 @fuseburner @hummusxx @xvintageghostx (unable to tag) @sagecodm @isabbellagonzalezz88 (unable to tag) @girlwith-thepearlearring @minaxcarter (unable to tag) @cleverzonkwombatsludge @saltburnwhore @outlanderuniverse @anastacia-lynn @sofiblossom @akemiixx01 @thelastemzy @xxbeckybeexx-blog @cyphah @ireallydontcareanymorebrooo

#unchained melody #tommy shelby #thomas shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x reader insert #tommy shelby x you #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby x fem!reader #cillian murphy #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby fanfiction #tommy shelby series #tommy shelby smut #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders series #tommy shelby angst

[the-doomed-witch]

BAD IDEA, RIGHT?

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Yeah, she’s your ex. But can’t two people reconnect? // based on bad idea, right? by Olivia Rodrigo

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: 18+ ONLY; MINORS + MEN DNI. exes with benefits?, very little to no plot, dom!reader sub!nat, oral (r giving), fingering (r giving), use of names (whore, angel), ig that’s all lmao

Author’s Note: well i wasn’t going to write this but i did it in like 30 minutes with no proof reading so if this is horrible kindly pardon 🙏

(gif credits to creator)

MASTERLIST // NAVIGATION // READ ON AO3 // REQUESTS CLOSED

— ✦ —

You stare blankly at the notification as soon as your phone lights up. Why are you smiling at it? You don’t even want Wanda to know about the reason. “Uh, Wanda, could you excuse me for a minute? I need to get this one.” You feel rude interrupting her, but maybe it’ll put you in the best place.

Leaving your friend perplexed at the table, you get up and walk to a corner of the café. Soon as privacy is ensured, you dial her number, “What’s up?”

“Fuck. Your voice, Y/N.”

“God, Natasha. Why are you like this?”

“Are we still meeting tonight?”

“You think I’ll not turn up? After the night on Tuesday, seriously?”

“That was so hot, I’ll have to admit.”

“Shut up. I’ll see you later, bye.” You hang up the call and immediately scurry back towards Wanda, face adorned by a radiance of excitement.

“Now, what’s that smile about?” She rests her chin on her right palm, “Something I should be knowing about? Or rather, someone?”

“Oh it’s nothing. I just, um, got some shit sorted out.”

“I think you’re hiding this person from me. Tell me about them.” She gives you a typical wink to accompany her curiosity. You couldn’t dare tell her about Natasha, Wanda would most certainly throw you into the lake without a second thought.

It felt bad, it really did, but Natasha was just so good. Who was to know about it anyway? There were no feelings left anymore, both of you knew that this arrangement was only meant for casual sex.

Your break up wasn’t amicable, and Wanda had to give whatnot to try to at least avoid violence of any kind. It was more tedious for her than the job usually would have been, because she decided not to exercise her powers. Of course, brainwashing and manipulating two people into breaking up nicely was obviously the easiest option, but not the most righteous one.

“Y/N I swear if it’s-”

“Stop! We just want to keep it a secret. Jeez, let me have some privacy!” you blurt out, face flustered at the thought of being caught. You lowkey regret it, knowing well that your words hurt Wanda.

“Fine. Do whatever the hell you want.”

— ✦ —

You ring the doorbell, waiting outside Natasha’s apartment. She doesn’t take more than a second to swing the door open and pull you inside. As soon as you’re inside, she pins your back against the door.

“You’re right on time, baby.” She says before clashing her lips against yours in the dense heat between you two. Suddenly, your entire body is on fire, and her hands are trying to tame it.

You’re quick to throw her t-shirt off to the floor, making yourself room to bite on her skin without a care.

Neither Nat, nor do you realise when the two of you are naked. Maybe it happened on the way to the bedroom, maybe inside it - you couldn’t care less. All your mind can think of is fucking the woman to soreness.

“Gonna be a whore for me tonight again, aren’t you?” You slowly trace your fingers down to her pelvic arch, practically combusting her insides.

“Yes. Yes I am. Fuck-”

“Mind your language. Or you know what punishment you get for that.”

She groans, writhing beneath you. Her body was worth worshipping, you could never admire Nat enough. The scars across her abs were even sexier. You start by gently tugging on her nipples, in awe of her perfect arch - the way her chest rose and fell, the sound of her hissing at your pinching.

“Y/N, please. Please, please, please.”

“Please, what? Use your words angel.”

Her thighs get into a tightening clasp against each other. There is no way she can hold herself back for another minute. “Please Y/N, touch me. Fuck, ruin me. I need you.”

“You are irresistible.”

Satisfied with her pleas, you decide to go down on her. Each of your hands spread her thighs apart, giving yourself complete access to taste her. Your tongue moves along her folds, often teasing her lightly.

Nat’s hands entwine themselves in your hair, pulling you as deep inside her as she could. A tiny breathy whisper against her cunt jerks her entire body, “So wet, so perfectly wet, baby.”

She moans your name over and over till it echoes inside your head. “Oh my God Y/N. There, ah- right there-” Her grip on your head intensifies. The pain is of no significance to you when you can wholly gorge yourself on her pussy.

It doesn’t take her long to get close to her climax. “Ca- can I come?” she asks you between heavy breaths and difficulty. You immediately pull yourself back, ceasing all your tongue movements. Her undeniably agonised scream makes you smirk. “You think you could get off so easily, angel?”

“B- but I-”

“B- but I-” you mockingly repeat her thwarted stammering. You softly push a tress of her fierce red hair from her neck and bend down to nibble on it. Her chest heaves against your own torso, so you place a hand on her to calm her down. Her heartbeat is almost in your hands, as you feel it against your palm.

Nat’s hips slowly buckle and she begins to rub her intimacy against your thigh between her legs to relieve the burning sensation inside of her.

“You’re so pretty when you’re needy. I love it.” You plant another kiss below her ear before stopping her hips in place. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, you penetrate her hole with your fingers. “Fuck. I love it when you’re so tight for me.”

Your fingers pump in and out of her quickly, as you feel her clench and get closer to an orgasm again.

You don’t let Natasha get a chance to ask for permission, her words are drunk down by you in another kiss.

A little more stimulation on her clitoris does it. She gushes white onto your palm, rolling her eyes with pleasure. You let her have some time to bring herself back to reality.

Her sweat is still fresh and her breath is still heavy when she says, “Tell me more of it Y/N.”

“More of what, angel?”

“What else that I do that you love.”

You meet her eyes for the first time in the past few hours. They’re greener, more vibrant than you’d last truly seen them. “I love it when you come, I love it when you lose your breath because of it. I love it when you beg for me. I love it when you repeat my name again and again and again. I love it when-”

“Fucking goodness.” she says before pulling you down for another kiss. A sigh is elicited from her when she tastes herself on your tongue, as your hand reaches down to grab her ass tightly.

“Let me return the favour, would you now?”

“You don’t really have to…”

She doesn’t listen.

— ✦ —

“Y/N, you fucking never listen!” Wanda screams at you when you reach back to your apartment the next morning. You give her a confused and perplexed expression, unsure of what she meant.

“Don’t give me that look, I know you slept with someone and it’s Natasha!”

“Dude, it’s like 8 in the morning, and I literally never even said whose bed I was in. Could you calm down?”

“It was her, wasn’t it?”

“What if I tell you it’s not her? Would you leave me the fuck alone? I want to sleep right now.”

Wanda gives up and sighs. It was never in her power to make you understand anyways. Was it really difficult for her to comprehend that two people can just reconnect?

Your phone lights up with another text message.

Are we seeing each other tonight?

You reply: Sounds like a bad idea, I’m in. You should probably not. But whatever, fuck it, it’s fine.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x y/n #natasha romanoff smut #black widow #black widow x reader #black widow x you #black widow x y/n #natasha x reader #natasha x you #natasha x y/n #natasha smut

[narryffdreaming]

A TOAST TO THE FUTURE — TWO

Summary: Aurora and Harry used to be friends, but life happened and they grew apart. Now, 6 years later, they meet again.

Rating: +18

WARNINGS: The story contains explicit language and mentions a past abusive relationship (mostly the consequences of psychological/emotional abuse). Some chapters also contain explicit sexual content.

PART TWO: 14,9k words Please read: Part two explores a lot of Aurora's irrational thoughts and it shows how much she struggles to be herself after being married to someone who was emotionally abusive to her. From my perspective, it's a really important chapter to develop the relationship between Aurora and Harry, but I want people to be mindful of its content in case they don't feel comfortable reading about this, or in case it hits too close to them. Feel free to reach out if you want to skip something and you'd like me to fill you in. <3

PART ONE

Despite the line, getting through security would've taken Aurora hardly three minutes. That is, of course, if she hadn't had to wait for Harry for another ten. 

He doesn't look the least apologetic for the held back, though. Nor bothered in the slightest by the extra time he seemingly needed. Smiling at her and holding their shared tray as he tilts his chin to an empty table and leads the way towards it. 

Aurora follows him quietly, checking her watch just to make sure they won't run out of time. And she does it unconsciously, regretting every time she catches herself looking at her wrist. Because she knows they're early. She swears she knows. And she wishes she could relax and just enjoy things without that awful feeling rushing through her body. That feeling that turns into a voice and yells at her that she's constantly behind. 

Behind what, one could ask, and Aurora wouldn't be able to answer.

She's just… Behind. 

Behind, and watching her life go by.

All the damn time.

Harry stops by the table, and Aurora mimics him. She drops her bag and falls on one knee, pulling up the hem of her dress and uncovering her foot. The Nike sneakers she's wearing used to be white once, but now they are just old and dirty, and she loves them even more like this. She nibbles the flesh inside of her bottom lip while tying the shoelaces up, then changes to her other knee, and repeats the process. 

Once she's done, she stands up and pats her legs, getting rid of any airport floor dirt from her clothes. 

"You're fast," Harry says, putting his foot down from the edge of the table. 

Aurora pulls the fabric of her dress up her chest and furrows her brows. "I am?"

"Hm, yeah." He frowns with amusement and chuckles. "You sure are."

"Huh." She wiggles her eyebrows up and down, then quirks the corner of her mouth up. 

Maybe, she should point out that perhaps she isn't fast, but he is too slow. Or that, unlike him, she'd organized everything beforehand so she wouldn't waste any second longer than she absolutely needed to. But what good would that do? Besides, those thoughts don't even feel like hers. They don't sound like hers. 

So she says nothing, instead, and steps closer to where he stands. 

Harry gives the tray they're sharing a gentle push to her side, and puts his other foot up. 

Aurora promptly slides the tray closer to her and places it in front of her belly, next to her bag. 

Great. 

Saying nothing was a bad idea, because silence is awkward now. 

She licks her lips and keeps her attention on their belongings, not knowing exactly what to say. 

Time goes by, though, and the longer she waits, the more awkward it gets. 

So she decides to just say whatever, just to get them talking again. 

"Perks of being a mom, I guess." She blurts out, then grabs their passports and shrugs. "Being fast, I mean." 

Harry leans on his bent knee and looks at her over his shoulder, blindly tying up his own shoes. 

"Yeah? Why's that? You get any super speed powers when you're pregnant or something?"

Aurora freezes for a second, passports still in hand. She turns her head to the side, and narrows her eyes at him.

Harry's soft lips are pursed, his green eyes are twinkling with playfulness, and his cheeks are tinted with a boyish flush under his facial hair. He's clearly having fun with his own silly comment, and it causes Aurora to break into a short laugh — not because it's funny, but because she simply can't help it. 

She shakes her head, and looks back at the tray. 

"I rush to get ready so I can pay attention to Noah, okay?" she explains, grabbing the boarding passes and checking the names on them. She puts hers inside of her passport, and the other inside of Harry's. "It's not a big deal."

She'd never thought about it, but it's the truth — she is usually busy keeping an eye on Noah, even from a distance. The little monster can't stay still for too long, and no matter how much she adores how energetic he is or that she tries her best to let him explore things by himself, the truth is that he's still only four, and she can't leave him wandering around unattended.

Which is why she fought so hard to sign him up for preschool — it gave her time to slow down and do other things, too.

Okay. See? That — that right there — is Aurora's truth. That's a thought that feels and sounds like hers. A thought that she came up with on her own, based on her own experiences and her own mistakes. A thought that reveals how she's learned that taking care of Noah is her responsibility, and that if she doesn't pay attention to her son, nobody does. 

No matter how much she dreamed it would be different.

No matter how much she believed it should be different. 

"Ohhh," Harry says. "Ok, then."

She sticks her passport and boarding pass into the front pocket of her bag, maybe a little bit more forcefully than she needs to.

"Exactly. So don't judge me."

"What?!" Harry laughs, putting his foot down from the table. "I wasn't—" 

"I can't leave my son unattended, can I?"

"I—I know, yeah." His face falls, and he nods. "I get it. That's… It makes sense. Yes." 

"Right. Great." 

A second goes by, and then another one, and another one.

Silence settles again, but this time Aurora isn't worried about it being awkward or not. 

There's just… So much going on. 

Her heart is thumping loudly inside her chest, and her ears are buzzing. 

She shouldn't have snapped at him. 

She shouldn't have snapped at him.

It wasn't about him. 

It wasn't his fault. 

She pinches the tip of her nose and breathes in. Slowly, and steadily. 

One more time. 

Slowly.

And steadily.

And then, she moves again.

She holds Harry's things in her hand and leans on the table, reaching for his bag. Before she touches it, she looks at him over her shoulder and asks, "Do you mind if I open your bag?"

Harry doesn't answer, though. He's tilting his chin down and shaking his leg, making sure his pants are properly covering his ankles. 

Aurora purses her lips and straightens her back, then slides his bag across the table and pulls it closer to her body. 

Now everything's in front of her, the tray caged in between both duffel bags. 

She bites her bottom lip, but it's hard to stop her mouth from turning into a smile. 

Maybe the speed in which she moves isn't an inconvenience, after all. In fact, maybe it even comes in handy, because apparently if she doesn't move for both of them, someone will sooner or later shove them away. 

"Harry," she insists.

"Hm?" He looks up. A frown crinkles his face — his eyebrows are pulled together, his forehead is puckered, and his lips are curled downwards. As soon as he meets her eyes, though, his shoulders drop, and he shakes his head. "Sorry."

He scratches his jaw, dragging his nails over his stubble. 

Aurora stretches her arm, and pats her hand on the edge of the table, where his feet were a minute ago. "It's fine. I was just asking if it's okay to put your passport inside your bag."

"Oh! Yeah yeah, sure. Go ahead. Thanks."

"'Kay," she says, already unzipping the front pocket and putting things away. 

Aurora rolls her shoulders at the same time Harry moves closer, and she unthinkingly snatches his belt from the tray and hands it to him. 

"Here."

"Oh," he murmurs, grabbing it from her fingers. "Thanks."

He steps away, but there's something in his voice that somehow catches her attention, and Aurora turns her head. 

She glances over her shoulder, and peeks at his face. 

Harry is looking down again, chin pressed against his chest while he takes the end of his belt and puts it into the first front loop of his beige pants. His movements are casual, but he's holding back a smile, and Aurora can tell his mind is working on something.

Something silly, to be more specific. 

She curls her mouth up, then raises her left eyebrow. "What?"

Harry tugs his belt, threading it through the second loop. 

"What?" he repeats, and his mouth finally turns into a grin. 

She turns her body towards him, then places one hand on her waist and the other spread open on the table, holding up her weight. "C'mon, out with it."

Harry laughs, slightly bending his knees and throwing his head back. "I didn't even say a word!"

"Well, you didn't have to!" She rolls her eyes and chuckles, backing away from the table to put both hands on her hips. "I can see you're thinking something."

He shakes his head, looking down and threading his belt through the next loop. 

"Harry…"

He peeks at her through the corner of his eyes, then focuses back on his belt. 

"You're aware you can leave me unattended, right?" he asks, keeping a bright smile on his face and the light tone on his voice.

"What?"

"I mean I don't mind." He shrugs, eyes still on his current task. "Gotta admit it's kinda cute to see you like this." 

"I don't—"

"My favorite part was probably when you cleaned up the table."

"I—" Aurora closes her mouth, and exhales through her nose. "You put your feet there, Harry."

"I did, yeah. And you cleaned it up."

"Well, someone has to clean up your mess, don't you think?"

Harry glances at her, and smirks as mischievous and suggestive as he can be. "Oh, I always clean up my mess, love, don't worry about it."

He winks, and Aurora gasps. 

"Oh my God!"

She turns to face the table, feelings her cheeks getting warm. 

Harry laughs, though, so she steps closer to his side and nudges him with her elbow. 

"Shut up."

"'Kay mum."

"Ughhh." She rolls her eyes, then shuts them tightly and takes a deep breath in. "You're so annoying." 

Harry's laughter only grows louder, and Aurora shakes her head, blinking her eyes open again. 

It only takes him a moment to calm down, but the smile is still obvious in his voice when he speaks again. 

"I know. I'm just teasing you, tho. I'll stop now. I promise."

Aurora snorts. "Yeah, right." 

She believes his words as much as she believes Noah when he promises he will eat his entire dinner if he gets to eat dessert first. 

The thought brings a smile to her face, and she bites her lip to hold it back. 

Peeking inside the tray one more time, she finds several rings, a bracelet, a watch, and three necklaces. Her mouth twitches, and her chest trembles with amusement — no wonder why Harry took so much longer than her to get through security.

She pulls the string of her necklace from the tray, takes each side to the back of her neck and quickly clasps it back to its everyday place. Next, she grabs her watch, and puts it on just as fast around her wrist. 

"Well,"  she starts, then looks at him. 

Harry is, once again, deeply focused on his task — his chin touches his chest, his eyebrows are pulled together, and he's biting his bottom lip. 

"All yours now," she adds. 

Harry peeps at her through the corner of his eyes, his hands still attached to his belt as he finally reaches the last loop. He darts his vision to the tray, then back at her, scanning her chest, her wrist, and her hands. "You sure? All of it?"

"Mhmm."

A group of people walks to their table, and Aurora takes a step aside to give them more room.

"Ok." He buckles his belt, then fixes his shirt. "We can go, then."

"Oh. I didn't mean to rush you."

He smiles, putting one hand inside the tray and carelessly collecting everything that's left inside. 

"You didn't." He closes his hand into a fist, then shoves everything inside of his pocket. "It's just getting crowded here. C'mon."

"Hey, was my joke inappropriate?"

Past security and turning right, the hallway is significantly less hectic than any other area Aurora has walked through in the last hour or so. 

It is probably one of the brightest, too. 

"Hm?" she asks, tilting her head to give Harry her full attention. "Sorry, what joke?"

"About… Y'know, cleaning up my mess."

"Ohhh." Aurora laughs, then waves him off. "Please, it's nothing any of you guys haven't joked about before." 

"I know, but… Things are different now, aren't they? Don't want to make you uncomfortable, or, well, don't want to be disrespectful to your hus—"

"You're fine," she says, cutting him off before she'll be forced to either correct him or say nothing, implicitly letting him believe there's still a husband in her life. "Don't worry about it. Let's stop here so you can put your rings back on, yeah?"

She points to one side of the hallway, and walks in front of him to guide the way. It only takes her a few steps, then she places her bag by her feet and turns around. 

When she looks at him, she finds him frowning. 

Frowning and frozen on the spot. 

"Harry, hey!" She raises one hand and wiggles her fingers. "C'mon. I'll help you."

Harry's face softens. He shakes his head, then walks towards her while putting his hand inside of his pocket. 

Leaning against the white wall, Aurora watches him come to a stop right in front of her, then drop all of his jewelry on top of her spread open palm.

"Thank you," he murmurs. 

She finds his sight again, and a smile blooms across her face. "Sure, no problem."

His lips curve into a smile, too, and he looks down. He shakes his head and pulls his hair back, then turns his attention back to the items on Aurora's palms. He seems meticulous about which ring goes where, fiddling with them and hunting for specific ones. Eventually, he grabs three at once, and puts them on his pinky, middle and index left fingers. 

Aurora raises her chin and rests the back of her head against the wall, comfortably watching his relaxed face as he towers over her. 

From what she remembers, jewelry was never Harry's thing. Long hair and skinny jeans? One hundred percent. But the necklaces, the rings, and the bracelets? Those were things she'd no idea he'd be into. Or maybe not to the point of making them part of his casual look to the airport.  

"So," she teases, easing her dry lips with her tongue then forcing her voice to sound exactly like she imagines a reporter would sound like, "Harry, would you say you enjoy wearing rings?" 

Harry darts his eyes to her, and the expression on his face never falters, holding a serious and unamused demeanor as he moves his lips to say, "Bloody hate them."

She presses her lips together, but then she snorts, taking her free hand to cover her mouth. 

Harry shakes his head and grins, changing hands and catching two more rings to put on his right fingers. 

"Why? What's wrong with my rings?" 

She sighs and shrugs, calming down from her brief moment of foolish, silly laughter. 

"Nothing. 'M just teasing you."

He places the last two, and pulls the two golden strings from her palm. 

"Hmm…" Harry nods. He fixes his eyes on the jewelry and frowns, eying the many tiny knots that had formed along the necklaces. "Great, then. Glad you're having fun at my expense."

Aurora drops her jaw.

"You were making fun of me two minutes ago!"

Harry chuckles, although he's distracted by his attempt to untangle his necklaces. "Guess I was, huh."

He shakes his head, and Aurora steps away from the wall, getting closer to him.

"Which wrist do you wear this one?" she asks, lifting her hand and his bracelet.

"Left—I mean, right," he answers, and although they don't look at each other's faces, they both smile at the same time. 

Harry remains focused on the knotted strings between his fingers, but stops moving when Aurora curls one hand around his right wrist and pulls it closer to her face. In one quick movement, she clasps the item around it, then taps his hand twice. 

"All done. Now gimme that." 

She snatches the necklaces from him, and observes carefully before undoing the mess. One of the golden strings is longer than hers, but they're both just as delicate, and instead of a disk, one holds a cross pendant, and the other a tiny, thin tag. She bites her lip and patiently fiddles with the pieces of jewelry, taking her time to unwrap the tiny knots.

Things are quiet. Time ticks without a hurry. And after a minute, or maybe two, or three, she grins proudly, and lifts her chin to look at him.

"Look!" she says, even though she doesn't have to — Harry's already looking at her, already watching her. "I've done it!"

He blinks a couple of times, then nods, slowly mimicking her smile and her excitement. "Y—You did, yeah! Thanks."

"You're welcome." She grabs the longest string, picking each side with one hand, and takes a step closer to him. "I find untangling necklaces weirdly therapeutic." 

Harry widens his eyes. "What are you doing?!" 

Aurora rolls her eyes, and chuckles. "Calm down. I'm not gonna kiss you, don't worry."

"Right. No, yeah, I know that." He chuckles, too. "Of course." 

She stops moving and tilts her head, then raises her hands. "I mean, can I?"

"Wha—" Harry takes a step back. "Kiss me?!"

"Harry!" Aurora shrieks, also taking a step back and away from him. "Oh my God, no!"

She looks at him for a moment, taking in his bulged eyes and raised eyebrows. He looks mortified, and there's so much going on at once that she can't help but burst into laughter — at the misunderstanding, at the look of his face, but also at the terror in his voice. 

She turns away from him, throwing her head back as laughter breaches from her chest. 

"This is… I can't…"

"Sorry," Harry says, "I just—"

Aurora shakes her head, feeling warmth radiating from her chest throughout her entire body. 

"Oh my… Oh my God." She places one hand on her stomach and brings the other to her face, fanning herself while taking a deep breath in through her nose. "You should've… You should've seen your face… Oh God… Harry… You panicked so hard, I just…"

She wipes a tear from under her eye, and takes another deep breath in, working to calm herself down.

"I never… I never thought the idea of kissing me could… Could be that terrifying for someone. Oh God."

Harry sighs. "Auri…"

She turns around, and looks at him with the biggest smile on her face, her body still shaking from laughing. 

Harry isn't happy, though. Or at least he doesn't seem to be. He's narrowing his eyes, and furrowing his brows. His lips are pressed into a hard line, and his forehead is puckered. 

And just like that, Aurora's laughter fades away. 

Shit. 

She's too familiar with that dynamic, so she clears her throat and shakes her head. 

"I'm sorry. I—I know it wasn't funny. I just… I think I haven't laughed this hard in a really long time, so I just… I got carried away, I guess. I'm sorry. But I shouldn't—Sorry." 

"Listen, I didn't—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." 

Actually, Aurora doesn't know. Of course she doesn't know. She has absolutely no idea what he was about to say, but she doesn't want to talk about it. She's been there before. And she's been there before so many times that her mind and body don't even know how to react any other way. How not to anticipate the humiliation and shame that is about to follow. How not to completely shut off. 

Thankfully, Harry seems to get it, because he nods, grabbing his necklaces from her hand and putting them back inside of his pocket. 

And this time, Aurora doesn't say anything about it, grabbing her bag from the floor and feeling ready to move on.

"Do you mind if we take a look around some of the shops?" Aurora asks, pointing around the World Duty Free and breaking the silence that settled between them for the past few minutes. 

Harry moves slowly next to her, keeping his hands inside of his pockets. "'Course not."

"Thanks." She makes sure to curve her mouth into a smile, then stops at the first shop to take a look at the makeup. 

Things are quiet, but Harry stands right behind her all the time, keeping her company while she brings a lipstick closer to her face to check the color shade, and then following her steps when she moves to a different shelf. 

"Hey," Aurora says, looking over her shoulder, "what's your cologne?"

"Hm..." He scratches his jaw and shrugs. "Depends on the day, I guess."

She nods, then turns to face some nail polish, aiming for the brightest options. 

It's been a while since she's done her nails. She used to love looking at her hands and seeing them colorful and filled with rings, it used to make her feel beautiful and delicate. Feminine. 

Zack used to love it as well, though, and to be honest at some point she stopped doing a lot of things Zack liked. Just because.

"Which one are you wearing today, then?"

"Why?" 

She shrugs. His voice is right behind her, but Aurora doesn't turn around to look at him. 

"'Cause you smell really nice." 

Maybe she could do her nails in Italy… Maybe one of the girls brought something with them. 

Or maybe she could get something herself…

The orange shades look nice…

She sighs, and steps away from the shelf. 

She can't. She shouldn't spend her money like that. She needs to be more careful now, especially since she spent a lot of unplanned money on that trip to Italy. 

She turns her head, wiggling her eyebrows at him. "So…?" 

Harry clears his throat. "Uh… Well… It's Guerlain."

Aurora twirls, holding her bag close to her body as her hair and dress follow her brisk movement.

"Cool! Let's find it, then." 

She walks away, and Harry's low chuckle echoes behind her. 

Although she can't see him, she feels his presence all the time, following her pace.

"What for?" he asks. 

"I don't know." She shrugs, looking from one side to the other. Scanning all the tiny duty-free shops. "I'm bored, I'm tired… Oh! There it is!" 

Her pace quickens, and so does Harry's.

Aurora only stops when she's in front of the Guerlain shelves, and then she turns around, staring at him with a smile on her face and pointing her arm to the many colognes displayed behind her. 

"Which one is yours?"

He clears his throat, and— 

Wait, is he blushing? 

Aurora purses her lips, holding herself back from laughing.

"It's L'Homme Idéal Extrême."

"Hmmm." She wiggles her eyebrows, and pulls one corner of her mouth up in a smirk. "Sounds sexy…" 

"Jesus Christ," Harry grunts, hiding his face behind both of his hands and shaking his head. 

Aurora laughs at his reaction, tapping his shoulder twice before turning on her feet and looking for his cologne. 

"What happened to you in the States, huh?" She leans down, squinting to read the names. "Never thought I would see Harry Styles getting all shy in front of me."

It takes him a moment to answer, but eventually he mumbles, "I've always been shy in front of you."

Aurora pauses for a moment, replaying his words in her mind. Images of them hanging out together pop up immediately — at the pub, at someone's apartment, after class, over the weekend. His cheeky glances, touchy hands and bold comments are always present, one way or another. He always craved attention, and people had no problem granting his wishes. 

It never bothered her, because he was young and had just joined university, but it certainly didn't paint him as a shy and reserved person. 

A snort leaves her mouth. "Yeah, right." 

She stands, and puts her hands on her waist. "What was the sexy name again?"

"L'Homme—" He sighs. "It's this one."

Aurora turns around, only to find Harry standing in the same place they were a minute ago. The shelf next to him is filled with bottles of the same cologne. Apparently, his cologne.

She gasps. 

"Harry!" She walks towards him, and Harry shakes his head in soft laughter, scratching the back of his neck. "I was standing right next to it and you didn't tell me!"

"It's just a very common cologne, Auri." He laughs, again. It sounds kind of shaky, though, and she frowns, stopping on her track. "I don't… Why are we looking for it?"

Uh… 

Well… To be honest… She doesn't have an answer for that. 

She doesn't know why they're looking for it. She is just joking. She just wanted to pass the time because she is exhausted, and because the longer she spends around people, the more afraid she is of falling apart at any moment. She thought maybe she could try it on, see if his cologne would smell as well on her skin as it smelled on his… Who knows… She was just… She wasn't thinking, okay? She was just being her stupid self.

Harry, on the other hand, isn't just messing around. Harry looks actually nervous. 

Her jokes are making him nervous. 

She is making him uncomfortable. 

In the middle of an airport, filled with people. 

Shit.

And she's done it twice now. 

First with the necklace… Now with the cologne… 

Fuck.

How many more times till he reaches his breaking point? 

How many more times till she finally pushes him through the edge? 

How many more times till she puts him in a position where he won't be able to stop himself from snapping at her?

Her hands shake, and her stomach quivers. 

"Yeah, no, I mean…" She shakes her head and smiles at him, closing her hands into fists and placing them behind her back. "You're right. Sorry. I—I'm really sorry. Hm… I think I… I should get a coffee."

Harry flinches his head back. "Wait  what?"

"Coffee. It'll keep me awake." She walks around him, and Harry follows her movements. 

"Auri, but what… Hey! What about my cologne?"

She waves it off. "Yeah, I know. I was just being annoying." 

She moves towards the exit of the duty-free, where all the departure gates are, and another yawn breaks through her lips. 

"Yep." She chuckles. "Definitely need some coffee."

"Auri," Harry calls, catching up with her. "Hey, stop. C'mon. Something just happened."

"What do you mean?" Aurora laughs. 

She flexes her fingers, curling and uncurling them. Her eyes wander around the airport, looking for a coffee shop. 

A coffee shop. 

A coffee shop. 

She needs a coffee shop. She needs to get herself together. She needs to busy herself with something before she does something silly and stupid again. 

"I… I don't know. Why did you change your mind?"

Harry walks next to her, and she offers him a smile. 

"About what?"

"What do you mean about what? About my cologne, Auri!"

Aurora flinches.

"Sorry. Yeah, no, right. The cologne. Yeah. I just… I made you uncomfortable and I was being childish. Sorry."

"I wasn't uncomfortable, Auri, I just—"

"I know."

"Auri, no, listen—" 

"Harry." She turns around and smiles, then places one hand on his elbow. "It's fine. You don't need to explain yourself. I just… I really, really need a coffee right now. I haven't slept all night, so… Yeah. I'd just like to get a coffee. If you don't mind."

She lets go of his elbow, and Harry sighs. 

"Ok, yeah. Let's get you some coffee, then."

They walk forward, side to side, and Harry speaks again. 

"Do you still drink caramel coffee?"

Aurora widens her eyes. 

"Wow… That's back from… Well, a long time ago."

It's small, and kind of timid, but Harry smiles, and then shrugs. "Used to get you one at least once a week, didn't I?"

"You did, yeah." She smiles back at him and nods, then faces forward again. There's a coffee shop only three stores ahead, and it seems to be already open. Thank God. "To be honest I can't remember the last time I had one. I drink plain black coffee now."

Harry nods, and they both walk in silence, side by side — always side by side.

It shouldn't be uncomfortable, but Aurora's chest is heavy, and her mind seems foggy. 

Truth be told, she thought she would have more time before she started disappointing her friends, before letting them know how much she's changed and how uninteresting she's become.

Meeting Harry at the airport got in between her plans, though. And she could feel herself breaking little by little each second. Having to face the memories of someone she used to be, someone she liked to be, but also someone she isn't anymore. And someone she can't be anymore. 

Looking at her feet, she bites the inside of her lip. She was acting like a child at the duty-free, wasn't she? Jumping around, excited about his cologne… 

God. She hasn't even left the country yet, and she's already ruining things. 

She needs to control herself. 

She isn't a teenager anymore. She can't embarrass him. She doesn't want to embarrass him. 

"Do you want something to eat?" Harry asks, and she stops walking.

They're in front of the coffee shop, but Aurora wouldn't have realized if it weren't for him.

She shakes her head. "No, I'll just get myself a coffee."

"Let me get it for you."

What?

She takes a step back. "Absolutely not."

Harry's smile falters, but he doesn't give up. "C'mon… Like the old times! Yeah?"

"No, Harry. I mean, thanks, but no. I can pay for mine."

"I know you can pay for yours, I don't—"

"Please." She shakes her head and looks down to the floor. "It's just a silly coffee. I can get it for me. Okay?"

Harry frowns. 

"Ok? Yeah." 

Aurora nods, looks at the shop, then back to the floor. "Are you getting anything?"

"No, I'll just wait here."

"Okay," she whispers, forcing a smile before turning around and walking away.

It's crazy to see how much Harry has changed.

That's all Aurora can think about while she stands in line and watches him type on his phone. 

He's still outside, waiting for her, and seems deeply engaged with his conversation, frowning while his fingers move rapidly. 

No more black skinny jeans, no more vintage t-shirts or Chelsea boots. No more curls that are longer than her own hair. No more thin shoulders nor skinny arms. 

His baggy pants — wide legged, high-waisted — are beige, his cute shoes are yellow, and she still can't get over the flamingo shirt he's wearing.

He looks older, too. Brooding features, chiseled cheekbones, growing stubble. His face is perfectly carved, his traces have hardened, and there is something very manly about the way he stands there, focusing on typing on his phone. 

It isn't just his physical appearance, though. He acts like a grown-up, too. There's something about the way he simply exists that screams how much he's changed. You would never tell the man standing outside is the same boy who used to make stupid bets with his roommates from uni. But it's clear that Harry isn't a boy anymore, and that he's turned into a man.

And Aurora wasn't prepared to deal with that. 

Aurora lowers her chin and rubs her eyes.

She is being ridiculous. 

Why would she need to be prepared for that? 

Of course Harry grew up! How old is he now, anyway? 29? 30? Of course he isn't the same anymore. 

She should focus on how nice it is to see him again, not about stupid things. 

Who would've thought she would actually meet him at the airport? Who would've thought they'd end up sharing the flight? Standing in line with him, hopefully getting some seats next to each other… She should appreciate having a friend by her side. That's all. 

Aurora can't remember why he stopped hanging out with the group, though, and now she can't stop thinking about it. She has absolutely no idea about anything that could be going on with his life. It was as if Harry had grown more and more distant with time, until he wasn't there at all.

She's still pretty sure the last time she saw him was at her and Zack's wedding. She remembers someone telling her he'd moved to the United States, but why wasn't she at his graduation? It didn't make sense. Especially considering how, around a year later, he was kind enough to send them a basket when Noah was born.

They weren't the closest friends, and they were in very different stages of their lives when they met, sure, but they were part of the same group, and she used to have a soft spot for him. Just like she used to have a soft spot for Niall. 

Usually, when they were all at the pub, everyone would leave and the three of them would stay behind, chatting and laughing until Aurora felt her lids closing by themselves and they would walk her home. They both used to make her laugh all the time, and she actually loved spending those moments with them. 

Until she met Zack, of course, and then she started spending her nights with him. 

Maybe that was it. Maybe it wasn't about him. Maybe she had grown more and more distant, until she wasn't around anymore. At all.

She knows it's something she's done with everyone else, at least. The girls would knock on her door from time to time, though, and she couldn't run from everyone whilst living in the same city, but Harry flying overseas was a different situation. So it makes sense they didn't keep up with their friendship. 

It makes sense, but it still bothers her. 

It bothers her because she forgot how easy, and fun, and electrifying it was to be around him. She forgot how affectionate, attentive, kind, and friendly he was. She forgot how spontaneous and cheerful she used to be with him. She forgot how much she enjoyed his carefree and easygoing way of looking at life. She forgot… 

Well, to be honest, it's like she just forgot about him. 

And how could she forget about him?

Harry used to be such a great friend. 

Just like Niall. 

But somehow different. 

Because there's something about the way Harry looks at her that she never found in Niall's eyes. It has something to do with Harry's curiosity, probably. How much he cares about details. How he likes to know more about people, about things, about everything. 

"Next?" the lady behind the counter shouts.

Aurora shakes her head, and darts her eyes away from Harry. 

She has no idea how much time she just spent staring at him. She didn't even notice she was doing it, to be honest. And she can only hope he didn't notice, as well.

The woman behind her taps her shoulder.

"That's you, miss," she says. 

Aurora widens her eyes and steps forward.  "Oh, yes, sorry… Hi!" 

Their flight is delayed. 

Aurora laughs, and rubs her fingers on her forehead. 

"And I was worried I'd be late," she murmurs.

They've been hanging out by their gate for at least half an hour now. Harry sits next to her, their bags placed together on his opposite side. He's leaning back comfortably, arms crossed on top of his abdomen and legs spread open in front of him. 

He nudges her arm with his elbow, then asks, "What was that?"

She shakes her head and waves him off with one hand, then double taps her phone with the other, lighting up the screen. 

It's 6:30. 

Noah should be waking up by now. Or at least Zack should be trying to wake him up. 

She unlocks her phone and opens up the app to text him. She takes a deep breath in, and her fingers hover the screen. She needs to be careful with her words, because she doesn't want him to think she doesn't trust him with Noah. That would be unfair with him. And it's not even about that. Of course it's not! She knows Noah's safe with his dad. She swears she never questioned him as a father. Whatever happened between them as a couple would never change the fact that Zack loves Noah to death. 

Aurora knows that. Really! The only reason why she wants to know how they're doing is because Noah has never woken up at his dad's new place, and because she knows what a long and emotional process it can be to wake him up. That's all. 

She bites her bottom lip, and types the same questions again and again, until she's happy with the way she's phrased them.

Hii! 

How are you guys doing?

How was Noah's first night over there? Did you guys have fun?

She sends the messages, and reads them over. And over, and over. 

That was good, wasn't it? She sounded friendly, right? She wasn't attacking him, right? He wouldn't be mad at her, right?

"I'll be right back," Harry says, getting up from his seat. He moves past her quickly, looking at his own hand and sliding his finger through the screen of his phone before taking it to his ear. "Hey… Yeah, I know… No, you listen to me…"

Harry doesn't sound happy — at all — and Aurora frowns. She watches him walk away, blending between people, then glances back to her phone.

No signs of Zack yet. Which is fine. Of course. It's not even been a minute. Actually, Aurora is usually so absorbed by Noah in the mornings that she doesn't check her phone until she drops him off at preschool. So it's fine. Really.

Hopefully he'll be able to make him have breakfast by 7:15, though. Otherwise they won't get there on time. Should she remind him of that? No, that's stupid. Zack is not stupid, and she always drives him insane for reminding him of the obvious little details. 

Maybe he won't even take him to preschool. Maybe he'll drive him over to his parents, instead. 

Or maybe she should just trust him. Maybe this would be the time he'd follow through with a promise he'd made.

Another yawn sneaks up on her. She slides down on her seat and rubs her eyes with the palms of her hands. 

Maybe she should accept Harry's offer and take a quick nap on his shoulder. She brushed the idea off minutes ago, but now she can't deny it sounds really tempting. 

God… How is she supposed to spend two days on a yacht? She's never been on one before. She also hasn't been around all her friends in a very long time… 

Is she going to be able to interact with them? Because if they're expecting her to act the same way she used to before getting married… Well, they'll be extremely disappointed.

The only thing about Aurora that'll resemble those old days are the clothes Maddie packed for her. 

Shit. Oh shit. Oh… Fuck! Her clothes. No, no, no. Shit! She is going to kill Madison. 

She can't wear all those clothes in front of Harry! There is no fucking way she'll walk in front of him in a bikini, or wearing those silk and backless dresses. There is absolutely no fucking way she's going to wear those tops that almost don't cover her breasts in front of him. 

Well, not just in front of him, of course…

She's thinking about Harry because he's the one with her right now, but she doesn't want to wear those clothes in front of anyone. Not just him. 

It isn't even about the people, really. It's about her body. A body that has changed a lot through the years. 

Oh, boy… She needs to sleep. She can't start spiraling about how unsexy she's been feeling for years. It's not the moment for that. It's not what the weekend is about. 

"Are you sleeping with your eyes open?" Harry's low and deep voice sounds right next to her ear, and Aurora jumps on her seat. 

Harry chuckles behind her, then makes his way around her seat. 

"Shit," she murmurs, taking her hand to her chest, but a shaky laugh still leaves her mouth. "You scared me."

He stops in front of her and furrows his brows, then tilts his head to the side and curves his mouth into a cheeky smile, narrowing his eyes to look at her. 

"What?" she asks. 

He doesn't move, though. 

And he also doesn't stop staring at her. 

Aurora shifts on her seat. 

But the staring still doesn't stop.

"Harry!" She chuckles, and looks away. 

And he still doesn't even flinch.

Oh, c'mon! That's ridiculous. 

It's like going back to university, honestly. He used to do the same when they were younger, usually at a pub or a club. He would stare at her like that until she stumbled over her own words, or until she forgot what she was about to do. He thought it was hilarious, but she never understood the point of it. 

"Knock it off, will ya?" She crosses her arms on top of her chest and rolls her eyes. "I was just thinking."

Harry (finally) laughs, face lighting up again — with dimples and wrinkles and almost fully-closed eyes.

He moves his arm, and puts a paper cup in front of her face. 

Aurora snaps her brows together.

"Sorry, love, I was just testing my skills," he says.

Aurora flinches her head back.

Why is he shoving that cup in her eyes? 

And also… "What skills?"

He shrugs. "Y'know, to rile you up just by looking at you." 

Harry presses his lips together, as if he can't wait to burst out laughing.

And Aurora knows that face, because Noah does the exact same thing. The cheeky little monster loves to surprise her, but he can never hold up a lie. He gives out the entire thing just by looking at her with the same excitement on his face. 

They honestly look the same. Except Noah is only four, and Harry a thirty-year-old man.

"Ha ha," she mocks him, looking away from his silly face. "You and my four-year-old son would be great friends."

"Aww!" Harry takes his seat next to her, chuckling and throwing an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer to his side. "I'm sure we would." 

She rolls her eyes. 

Harry squeezes her cheek against his chest, and she's so close to his body that she can smell the soap and cologne emanating from his skin. He smells good. Like a fresh shower. It's a nice combination, something both strong and smooth at the same time.

Shit.

She pulls away, and shakes her head. 

"It wasn't a compliment," she murmurs. 

Harry chuckles.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." He withdraws his arm from around her shoulders and takes it back to his side, then puts his hand back in front of her face. The one holding a paper cup. "Now, this is for you."

Aurora raises her eyebrows. 

"And what's this supposed to be, exactly?" 

"Just try it." 

She doesn't make any movement to acknowledge his request, but Harry also doesn't make any movement to hint he'll stop shoving the cup on her face. Eventually, she sighs, and her entire body falls. 

"Harry…" 

"Oh, c'mon! Just a sip. Amuse me, yeah?"

Aurora glances at his hand, then back at his face. She presses lips together, then finally uncrosses her arms and lifts one of them to reach the cup, curling her fingers around it. 

For the sake of not ruining her mood, she ignores the way he cheers, or how he grins proudly before leaning his back against the backrest of his seat. She simply clutches the cup between both hands, instead, and its warmth is a high contrast with her cold skin. She can't help but hum at the feeling, and then she shivers, even her chin trembling a little. 

A timid chuckle escapes from her mouth, and she closes her eyes. She brings the cup up to her face and puts her nose close to the lid, breathing the flavor in. 

And just like that, her chest tightens. 

The smell is unmistakable, a combination between coffee and caramel that she would recognize anywhere, anytime. 

She blinks her eyes open, and turns her head to look at him. 

Harry is watching her attentively, without any traces of amusement or playfulness surrounding him anymore.

Aurora blinks a couple of times, gathering enough strength to ask him, "Did you… Did you get me a caramel coffee?" 

He nods once, only one side of his mouth lifting up. "Yeah."

She looks back at the cup in her hands, and blinks again. 

"Why?"

"I don't know," he says, softly. "Intuition, maybe. I know you already had your black coffee, but I… I don't know. I felt like you needed it? I don't know. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it sounds stupid. Is that okay? Hope I didn't—"

She nods rapidly — unable to speak, but also desperate for him to stop explaining himself. 

And thankfully, he does. 

Aurora doesn't know what to say about it, though. She doesn't even know if there's anything she can say about it. 

His words don't sound stupid to her. That's for sure. The thing is that Harry doesn't understand the meaning his gesture actually holds, which scares her. He was able to pick up on something she needed when she wasn't brave enough to admit it to herself in the first place. And it was something so trivial… It was just coffee. Coffee.

"Noah does that sometimes, y'know," Aurora murmurs, looking at the mass of people in front of them. She hunches down a bit, not bothering by her awful posture as she comforts herself with the hot beverage in between her hands. Changing the subject is the only way she knows how to answer him right now, so she keeps going. "Sleeping with his eyes half open. It freaks me out."

Harry hums.

"There's a name for that, isn't it?" 

His voice is as soft and calm as before, and Aurora nods.

"Yeah, nocturnal something… I don't know. I always forget the stupid word." She rolls her eyes, and a humorless laugh leaves her mouth, making her body shake. "How do people even choose these names, huh? Why bother naming it if it's gonna be some ridiculous word no-one can even pronounce?"

"That's… Yeah, I don't know. You have a point, though."

"Sorry," she whispers, looking down at her lap. "Zack drives me insane using all those terms all the time. Makes me feel stupid."

Harry doesn't say anything, but for once the silence between them doesn't feel uncomfortable. 

She exhales the frustration out of her body, taking the cup to her mouth and sipping carefully in case it burns her tongue. 

The coffee touches her lips, and its sweetness automatically invades all of her senses. Her tongue tastes the caramel, and there's something bitter behind it, but it is mostly mellow and buttery. Just like she remembers it. 

And just like that, she's remembering all of it. 

She's flooded with memories from the comfort of home, and about the fun of living. Memories with simpleminded thoughts and unpretentious actions. 

She's back to a place where she isn't scared of speaking her mind all the time, where she isn't afraid of letting people down by her silly behavior, where she isn't terrified of her personality being the embarrassment of those around her. She's back to a place where she knows her friends and family like her for who she is, and where she's proud of her because of that. 

She's full of affectionate touches, sincere words, and genuine feelings.

There's confidence inside her, and an entire world she's willing to find out. 

And when she finally gulps down the simplest sip of caramel coffee, warmth takes over her throat. It reverberates through every inch of her body, and she shivers — her body filling with goosebumps as she closes her eyes to the paradoxical feeling. 

A moment passes, and the weight of a soft textured fabric lands on her back.

"Before you say anything," Harry's deep voice murmurs next to her, and she opens her eyes to look at him. "I'm not wearing it. And it's driving me insane seeing you so cold, so please just wear it."

Aurora glances at her shoulders, finding Harry's checked jacket covering her skin. It feels good, and it feels warm. And she actually doesn't mind it. At all. But there's something about the way Harry has just talked to her that flies directly into Aurora's heart. 

Maybe it's the softness of his voice. Or maybe how worried he sounded. Or maybe the fact that he seems to pay attention to her. Or maybe just because he acts as if he knows her so well. Even after so many years without talking to her. Or seeing her.

Or maybe it's just because she's already on edge because of the damn caramel coffee he bought especially for her.

She doesn't know exactly what it is, but something in his words triggers her into instantly tearing up. She can't help the overreaction, and before she can figure out a way to hide it, the evidence of her crying falls down her cheek, and she's taking a hand up to wipe it off her.

"Auri, hey…" 

Harry's hand lands on her back. The last push she needs to turn into an emotional wreck. A sob bursts out of her chest, and she covers her mouth. Oh my God. 

"Auri, love, I'm sorry… Did I… I can get the jacket back, I didn't—"

She shakes her head and puts the coffee between her thighs, then takes both hands up to her face. She uses her palms to wipe down the tears from her cheeks, and a long and shaky sigh leaves her mouth. 

Harry takes the cup from between her legs, putting it down on the floor before shifting closer to her. His knees bump into the side of her thigh, and the hand that isn't on her back brushes softly her jaw, getting rid of another tear.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she whispers. "You're fine. You didn't… You didn't do anything wrong."

The last thing she wants is for him to see her like that. They haven't seen each other for so long… She doesn't want to welcome him back to her life with tears and drama. She also doesn't want him to feel guilty about something that has nothing to do with him. 

"Ok…" He sounds wary, and while one hand rubs circles on her back, the other grabs her hand. "What's going on, tho? What can I do to help?" 

Once again, Aurora shakes her head. "I'm… I'm fine. I think I'm just… I'm  just exhausted from not sleeping last night."

It isn't a lie, but it also isn't the truth. She doesn't want to admit how lonely she constantly feels, because she wants to learn how to be alone. It doesn't make sense to ask for help when all she wants is to learn how to not need help.

"Why didn't you sleep?" 

"It's nothing. Really… Don't worry about me, I'm just being dramatic right now."

He strokes his thumb up and down on the back of her hand, and Aurora sighs, leaning into the warmth of his jacket. 

Warmth. Apparently that's all she craves now. 

"Of course I worry about you, Auri. And I'm here if you need anything, ok?" 

She nods, but his care for her brings another wave of tears, and she hides behind one hand while the other holds tightly onto him. 

"C'mere," he murmurs, dragging the hand on her back to her shoulder and pulling her to his chest. 

She can't believe the amount of times she's been hugged by him in merely a couple of hours, but she doesn't fight him. In fact, she does quite the opposite: she snuggles into him and cries quietly. And when Harry squeezes her shoulders, she squeezes his fingers in response. 

"Talk to me, love, please. What's going on?"

She sniffs. "Nothing…"

He rubs her arm, softly and tenderly, then carefully adds, "I don't wanna force you, but I can tell something's up and I'm worried about you."

Aurora shakes her head, feeling the desperation in her body slip out of her mouth as she cries to him. "Please don't... I don't want… I don't wanna worry you, ok? I really don't. I don't want to bother you. I'm just… Overreacting. I'll be fine. I'll be—"

"Auri, that's not—"

"Yes. Yes it is. It's just—"

"Stop doing that," he says, squeezing her shoulder. "You keep shutting me off every time I try to explain myself."

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I swear. I'm sorry—"

"Auri—

"—I'm so sorry—"

"—It's okay—"

"—I really am—"

"Auri, hey!" He pulls back, grabbing her shoulders with both hands and forcing her to look at him. His eyes are warm and caring as he stares inside hers, but there's a frown all over his face that screams something different. Annoyance, perhaps? Or maybe… Frustration? "Listen to me. It's fine, ok? There's no need for you to apologize. It's fine."

She squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head. "No…"

"Yes, it's fine, Auri."

"It's not—"

"Yes—" 

"No!" Aurora opens her eyes, but tears quickly blurry her sight. She blinks, and before she knows it, she's fully sobbing and crying again. "It's not fine! Ok?! I'm not… I'm not fine, Harry. I'm not! I'm falling apart and I just… It's like I can't stop… And I just… I hate it, ok? I really do… I keep letting everyone down. And I… Fuck… I have no idea how… How am I supposed to spend the entire weekend…. The entire weekend pretending my life isn't a mess right now? I just… I can't… I can't pretend… I'm not… I can't…"

There's only a beat of silence before Harry pulls her into his chest again, squeezing her shoulders while he takes a long, deep, and heavy breath in. Then exhales loudly through his nose. 

"I don't know what's going on with your life right now," he says softly, resting his chin on the top of her head and closing his eyes while she sobs into his chest. "And I know I haven't been around, but I'm here for you, ok?" 

And just like before, Aurora melts into him. She hugs his waist, and leans against his body despite the uncomfortable and public position they're in. Crying all the tears she's been holding in so far. Silently sharing with him all the hurt, the doubts, and the insecurities she's been feeling. All the blaming, the questioning, and the yelling she's been hiding. Letting him absorb the wreck she is turned into after six years of marriage. All the failures. All the mistakes. All the countless "should've done better", and also "should've tried harder".  She lets it all out. With no hold backs, nor regrets.

"And you don't have to pretend, Auri," he adds. "At least not to me. Not even a little bit. Never… Why would you even pretend, huh? I can't be there for you if you don't let me know your life's a mess, and I want to be there for you. You know I do, yeah?"

Aurora can't answer him, not when her body's turning everything inside her into tears and sobbing, but he doesn't seem to be waiting for any words. Nor reactions. He rubs her back gently, while still holding her tightly, and then just keeps talking. 

"Besides, I don't expect anything from you, so—I mean, wait… That's not—Shit. That didn't sound good."

And despite everything, despite all the pain and all the tears and all the fears, a soft and low chuckle escapes from Aurora's chest. 

"That came out wrong… It's not—It's not what I wanted to say. Because of course I expect things from you, like… You're brilliant. You're amazing. You can do amazing things if you want to, ok? I know you can. What I meant is that—That there's no pressure, y'know? That's all. And that no matter what you do or what you say, nothing will change... I mean, I haven't been around, but you don't have to pretend things are good if they aren't, y'know? I'll be your friend even if… I don't know… Even if everything's falling apart… Actually, I want to be there especially when everything's falling apart, ok? So yeah, I just—Jesus Christ." He sighs. "Fuck. Auri please tell me you know what I'm trying to say here because I'm just freaking myself out right now."

Aurora's chuckle turns into laughter, and she nods against his chest, taking one hand up to her face to wipe off the last few tears. 

"I do, yes." She clears her throat, trying to get rid of some of the scratchiness. "Relax. I got it from the beginning." 

Harry smiles and sighs again, squeezing her shoulders. "Could've said something, huh? Stop me there. Save me the embarrassment, maybe?"

"You said I kept cutting you off when you tried to explain yourself, so…" Aurora shrugs. 

"Ohh, I see. Okay." Harry laughs. "We should work on your timing, then. Smartass."

She smiles, and sniffs. "My timing's perfect. It was cute, and I was having fun."

"Of course you were."

Although she can't see him, the smile is obvious in his voice, and she sighs. A long and heavy sigh. One that's strong enough to relax her entire body, and that makes her close her eyes and drop her shoulders. 

"Thank you," she murmurs, still into his chest.

"Yeah," he murmurs back. "Anytime, love." 

There's a pause between them. And then Harry speaks again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, to be honest… At least not right now."

"Ok…" 

Another pause, and then… 

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She takes a deep, long breath in, then exhales while snuggling into his chest.

"Can we just… Stay like this for another minute? Just… Y'know… In silence?"

"Hm… So you want me to shut up, is that it?"

Aurora chuckles. 

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that, but…"

Harry chuckles, too. 

"'S fine. I don't mind. We can stay like this for as long as you want."

And so they do. 

They hug for a while. In silence. A tight embrace that's simple, but that's also intense enough to let her know that he's there for her. 

Aurora can't remember the last time she's been held like this, with honest tenderness and affection. The kind of hug that she doesn't question, and that comes naturally. That feels natural. 

"This was supposed to be a fun weekend," she murmurs, curling a little bit more into him and closing her eyes to avoid facing the world. "Can't believe I'm seeing you for the first time in years and already bringing all this drama to you."

Harry chuckles lightly. 

"Don't be silly, ok? We've been over this already… We're friends and this is what friends are for." He kisses the top of her head, and then rests his cheek against the same place. "Besides, we didn't leave London yet. We can still have plenty of fun."

Aurora sighs. "God. I really need to have some fun. I miss having fun."

"I'll make sure you get more than some."

He squeezes her shoulder, and Aurora smiles.

Still with her eyes closed, and pressing her ear against his chest, she listens to his heartbeat, and to the way he breathes. He isn't calm, but he is steady, and somehow comfortable. So she focuses on him, and only him. As if mimicking his rhythm, or syncing with his pace, could make everything in her life feel better. 

Harry sighs against her, and when the thumping inside him gets faster, she pulls one arm from around his waist to rest her hand on the left side of his chest. She spreads her fingers open where his heart is, and breathes in and out slowly, hoping to calm him down again. 

He takes one hand to her neck, sliding it to the back of her head and tangling his fingers with her hair. 

As he scratches her scalp, Aurora can feel every muscle of her body fully relaxing. It's soothing. And it's safe. There's no other place she would rather be right now, and she's convinced that, as long as she's holding him and he's holding her, she'll finally relax and rest like she hasn't been able to in so long. 

"Have you always been such a great hugger?" she asks, her voice as soft and as slow as her body feels.

Harry clears his throat, then murmurs, "I don't know." 

Aurora hums. 

Another moment passes, until she breaks the silence again.

"I'm sorry for being a shitty friend."

"You're not a shitty friend."

"But I am, tho. I have no idea what's going on with your life… It's been so long and I… I never reached out."

Harry sighs, and shifts on his seat. 

Aurora follows his movements, making sure the hug doesn't end even when he seems to be pulling away. 

He doesn't, though — pull away. He simply leans back on his seat, pulling her along with him. And because she's still comfortable against his chest, she doesn't see the way his face falls, how he presses his lips together in a hard line, or glares at random people passing by.

"It's fine," he eventually says. 

And she's so focused on her own past behavior, that she also doesn't notice the slight change in his voice.

"It's not, though."

"I never reached out either, did I? And I should have… I just… I should have." 

She fidgets with the fabric of his shirt, and although it takes her a moment to answer, the words fly easily out of her mouth. "I'm not sure if it would've made any difference, to be honest… I've pushed everyone away, would've done the same to you." 

"There's no fucking way I would've let you."

"It wouldn't be up to you, tho."

A ding-ding-dong blares from the speakers in the lounge area. 

"Attention passengers on Ryanair flight 1832 to Naples, we are now ready for boarding at gate 56. Passengers on Ryanair flight 1832 to Naples, we are now ready for boarding at gate 56. Boarding is for business class and passengers with…"

The attendant's voice fades as Aurora stops paying attention to it. She blinks her eyes open and, against her wishes, pulls away from Harry's arms.

"Finally," she breathes out.

When she looks at him, she finds nothing but honesty and affection inside his eyes, and it's enough to make her heart skip a beat. 

She curves her lips into a smile, then brings her hands up to wipe the dry tears from her cheeks. "Thank you."

Harry smiles, too. "You've said that already."

"I know." She nods, dropping her hands back to her lap. "I just… Thank you, really. For now and… And for the coffee. Even though I forgot to drink it."

He takes one hand to her face, and puts some of her hair behind her ear.

"We'll have time for another one," he says, then stares into her eyes again. "Yeah?"

"Yeah…" She gulps down, captivated by his gaze. "I think… I think it'd be nice if we could catch up, right? I mean, there's so much about you that I don't know…" 

Harry smiles, although it doesn't reach his eyes. 

"There isn't anything crazy to know about me."

Aurora furrows her brows. 

"Well I don't need crazy information, Harry," she scoffs, making sure the tone of her voice is carrying some playfulness while she rolls her eyes. "I just wanna know what's up with your life… Where do you live? Do you have any dogs, or cats? Where do you work? Do you have a girlfriend? Do you have any kids? Are you married? I don't know…"

Harry stares blankly at her for a moment, then looks away, reaching for their bags. 

"Those are too many questions, love."

Aurora shrugs. 

"Well, yeah…" She leans down and picks up her coffee. The cup feels cold, and although she's sad she didn't get to drink it, she wouldn't change anything about what happened in the last… Well, however long it's been since they got here. "I know. I'm curious. That's why I said it'd be nice to catch up."

She stands up and rearranges Harry's jacket, putting it on properly so it doesn't fall from her shoulders, then waits while he stands as well, picking their bags from the seat next to his.

"Ok, yeah. Sure. We can catch up." 

"Wow." She snorts and widens her eyes. "Calm down, now. Don't sound sooo excited, please."

Harry laughs. He puts his own bag on his shoulder, and she takes hers from his hand. 

"I'd love for us to catch up, Auri. I really would."

"Okay…" She narrows her eyes at him, putting her bag on her shoulder and walking towards the line. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Harry follows her, grabbing his boarding pass and passport from the front pocket of his bag. "Why would I hide something from you?"

"I don't know…" She throws the coffee cup away, then adds, "Maybe you're working with the FBI. Or, maybe you're married to someone who works for the FBI. Ohhhhh," — she widens her eyes, looking at him while he leads their way to the gate — "or maybe, you're married to someone who's being investigated by the FBI!"

Harry chuckles through his nose. He sneaks his hands inside Aurora's bag, pulling her boarding pass and passport from it.

"There's no FBI involved, I promise," he says, handing her the items. 

"Hmmm…" She grabs her things from his hand, and nibbles her bottom lip before asking, "But you're married to someone?" 

"Nop." 

"Okay… Dating to someone?"

He shakes his head, and Aurora nods.

"Are relationships a touchy subject, maybe?"

Harry smirks, and that's more than enough to give Aurora an answer, but she still waits for him to say something. 

Anything.

"I broke up with someone not too long ago." He shrugs. "So I'm not in the mood for relationships right now, to be honest. And that includes talking about it." 

The line moves quickly, and they take a step forward. 

"Oh, sure. Yeah. I get it. Of course." Aurora nods. "I'm sorry, tho. Y'know, that it didn't work out."

He shrugs, and they walk again.

"'S fine." 

The shift in his behavior is loud and clear, and it bothers her. The idea of someone breaking Harry's heart deep enough for the pain to overshadow his excitement and dull the brightness of his smile doesn't feel right. So it bothers her. It really does. Whoever it was, he surely deserved someone much better. He surely deserves someone better.

A flight attendant welcomes them with a grin and a cheerful good morning. Aurora smiles back, and hands him her passport and boarding pass, then waits for him to return them. He wishes her a safe flight, and repeats the same process with Harry. 

Aurora waits for him in silence, and once they're both ready to walk through the airgate, she picks the conversation back on. 

"I'm sure you'll find someone, y'know? It won't be that hard. You're still young, and dating was never a problem for you, so…"

There's a pause, and then Harry snorts. "Dating was never a problem for me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Y'know… That's what you, Niall and Jayden used to do all the time, wasn't it? Dating and… Flirting and hooking up with everyone?"

Harry stops walking and turns to stare at her in silence, with widened eyes and flared nostrils. 

Aurora stops, too, biting her lip to hold back her amusement while waiting for him to say something. 

He doesn't, but he eventually laughs, throwing his head back and making her fully smile at him. He shakes his head, and starts walking again.

"Jeez, Auri, I'm so offended right now."

"Oh c'mon…" She chuckles, following his steps. "I meant it as a compliment, okay? Like… Girls were always into you, that's all."

"Not all girls, though."

"Fine." She shrugs. "Ninety-five percent of them, then."

He snorts again. "Ok."

"How old were you when we met? Twenty? Twenty-one?"

"Nineteen."

"Oh shit, really?"

"Yeah, it was my second year. Why?"

"Nothing. I think… For a moment I just forgot you're so much younger than me, that's all."

"C'mon, not so much, I'm almost thirty now."

"Well, yes, but I'm thirty-five."

"See? Same age."

She chuckles. "We're not the same age."

"Ok, but almost."

"Not even close, Harry."

"Oh c'mon! Then what are you now? Ancient? Should I call you grandma?"

She chuckles. "Well… I do feel ancient, to be honest."

He rolls his eyes. "This is ridiculous. You're just as young as I am."

She shakes her head. 

"Yeah, I mean, I know that… But I don't know… I mean, talking to you right now I don't feel like you're younger, y'know? Let alone that much. But also—"

"It's not that much."

"No, I know. But if you think about it, I already got married and I have a four-year-old at home, so like, I really am too old and—What?" Harry is frowning at her, and she tilts her head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shrugs, then faces forward, away from her. "I'm trying to decide if I should kick your ass right now or just throw you into the ocean later."

She gasps, but then she chuckles. "What? Whyyy?"

Harry raises his eyebrows at her. "I'm only five years younger than you, Auri. Five. It's not even a big deal."

She sighs.

The line in front of them moves, and they move forward as well. 

"Sorry. You're right. Like I said, it doesn't feel like it right now, but I think… I don't know. When you were 19 and I was 24 it was different, yeah? I mean, we were in different stages of our lives. I was meeting Zack and you were—" 

"Yes, I know. I was there, remember?" 

She swallows down, and nods. 

"Sorry," she repeats, much softer this time. 

Aurora walks in silence, staring at the plane at the end of the hallway. 

She pretends to ignore the way Harry keeps glancing at her, or how he rubs the back of his neck, or how he rolls his shoulders. She knows she bothered him, and the idea of causing a scene when they're about to get into a plane feels terrifying. She should've kept her mouth shut, that way she wouldn't have them put them in that situation. Again.

It's like she's been riding on a rollercoaster she never knew she would get into in the first place. Going through multiple sudden changes of speed and directions. Slowly climbing a steep slope and painfully anticipating the fall before she actually drops directly into the ground. Holding herself during the unexpected tight turns and sharp curves, and gasping for air at every inverted loop. Experiencing the ups and downs of gravity as she's weightless and happy at the top of the hill, then all of a sudden her own personality is pushing her back down to reality. And by the end of it, the back of her throat hurts, her stomach feels funny, and there's just heaviness all over her body. 

"Hey," Harry calls. 

He shifts his bag from one shoulder to the other and puts his arm around her, pulling her closer even though they're still walking. He kisses the top of her head, and keeps his lips there as he speaks. "'M sorry. Shouldn't have cut you off like that."

Aurora shrugs. "It's fine." 

"It's not. We were just joking and I… I took it personally, 'm sorry."

He kisses her head, again, and her lashes flutter. 

She knows he's sorry, but she doesn't know what to say to him. She knows how easy it is for her to forgive when she shouldn't, and how many times in the last six years she believed in empty apologies. 

So although she knows, she isn't sure she can trust herself. 

She hasn't been trusting herself for a while now. 

A new flight attendant welcomes them into the plane, and they both pull away from each other.

Aurora walks in front of Harry, and she does her best to smile genuinely at the cheerful woman that's wishing them a good morning and a good flight. 

She holds the strap of her bag tightly on her shoulder, and walks through the narrow carpeted aisle, focusing on the numbers and letters above the seats as if she's looking for specific ones. She pauses here and there for other passengers that are getting settled, and it's only past the emergency door that Harry speaks again.

"Should we sit here?" he asks. He's pointing to the opposite side where she's facing, so she turns around, finding three empty seats.  

"Okay." 

She nods, and tilts her chin up to check the space to put her bag. Harry is quicker, though, because he is already closing his fingers around the strap on her shoulder and pushing it away from her arm.

"I'll put our bags together, yeah?" 

She doesn't want to fight him about it, so she simply thanks him with the best smile she can offer and allows him to easily grab her duffel bag. 

She slides through the two empty seats to reach the one by the window, not waiting any longer to secure the seat belt and make herself comfortable. Once she's settled, she clasps her hands together, and takes a deep breath in. Her chin trembles, and she looks down, biting the inside of her cheek. She doesn't want to cry again. She really doesn't want to cry again.

Also, she needs to sleep. She must get some sleep. There is absolutely no way she is going to handle spending the entire day awake, and if she doesn't sleep now, she'll only get an opportunity again at the yacht — meaning she won't get to spend any time with her friends. 

Harry sits next to her and puts his own belt on, then turns off his phone and shoves it into his pocket. Aurora doesn't look at him, but he turns sideways anyway, leaning his shoulder on the back of the seat and blocking them from any possible curious eyes. 

He grabs one of her hands from her lap and takes her fingers to his mouth, placing a long kiss to her knuckles before sighing. 

"Auri, love," his voice is soft, and a whisper for only them to hear, "I really am sorry." 

She nods, taking her free hand to wipe a tear before it could roll down her cheek.  

Shit.

"Please, don't cry."

"Mhm."

"Auri… Look at me, please."

She shakes her head, then. Because she knows that she'll fall apart all over again if she looks at him.

God, she's so tired.

"I didn't…" she murmurs, then takes a deep breath and tries again. "I didn't mean anything bad by the age thing… I promise."

"I know that, love. Of course I know," he says, pressing another kiss to her hand. "Fuck. I know. We were just joking. And I'm not mad about it, I promise. I mean, I was actually a stupid hormonal teenager back when we met, so yeah… You're right, things were different. But please, Auri, I hate that I made you cry just because I… Shit, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. It wasn't about you, I promise."

She stares at her knees and nods, because she knows he is. And she also knows she can trust him, which is probably why she — finally — honestly blurts out, "I keep messing everything up, y'know? All the time."

He brushes his thumb on the back of her hand, then murmurs back to her, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just… I keep letting everyone down, and I hate it, but it's like I can't stop it. And I mean, to be honest I don't… I don't even recognize myself anymore. I used to have so much fun, and I felt so different about life… And I treated people around me so differently… And now I'm just… I don't know… I don't know why I say things, or why I do things. I don't know what I want, or what to do with my life… And I feel so… Lonely… All the damn time. But I get why I'm lonely, y'know? I mean it's true that I don't know how to be anything else besides being Noah's mum. And I'm so insensitive to other people because of that, and I keep saying things I shouldn't and I just… I look back and I realize how I pushed everyone away… How I… I don't know, I'm so tired of this. I'm just so tired of myself."

There is a pause between them, mostly because Harry's waiting for the people in front of them to settle and stop prying at their conversation. 

It's good, though, because it gives her time to catch her breath again.

And then, Harry leans deeper into his seat, still holding tightly to her hand.

"Is that how he made you feel?"

Aurora furrows her brows. "What—Who?"

"Zack. Is that how Zack made you feel?"

"I… No! Why—I mean, I'm just… I'm talking about myself." 

"Auri, c'mon… I know you're talking about yourself, but I can read between the lines."

She closes her eyes and takes her hand up to her face, rubbing her forehead while she prepares herself to just keep blurting out what her mind is begging her to tell him.

"I think…" she says, dropping her hand back to her lap and blinking. "I think he really messed me up, y'know?"

Harry sighs. 

It takes him a moment to say something. A moment that feels really, really long to her. 

And then… 

"Fuck." He puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her to his chest, murmuring while resting his cheek on the back of her head, "I'm sorry."

She shrugs, snuggling into him and searching for his heartbeat, just like before.

"'S not your fault."

"But I should've been there for you."

"You wouldn't have known." 

"Still… This isn't how it was supposed to be." 

God, she's so tired… 

Her entire body is heavy, and she doesn't even know what's happening around them anymore. She can't even make sense of their conversation anymore. 

Harry feels too cozy, though, and she knows she's about to have the comfiest sleep of her life — she can feel it.  

"Harry?"

"Hm?"

"I got divorced six months ago."

Harry closes his eyes, then rearranges himself on his seat and pulls her closer to him.

"I know."

.

.

.

"You know? How?" 

"Niall."

"Oh. Okay?" 

"I texted him while you were getting your coffee."

She places her hands on his hips, holding her weight to pull away from him. 

Harry doesn't let her, though, squeezing her inside of his arms and locking her in. 

"Please stay," he murmurs. 

And Aurora doesn't fight him. She just relaxes again — she relaxes and listens to him. 

"You weren't wearing a ring… And I could tell something was up, so I… I asked him. That's all. Sorry if I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. I needed to know."

"Oh…" The concept of time is foggy inside her mind, but she's pretty sure a few seconds go by before she speaks again. "'S okay, I guess. I mean… Niall knows about the divorce, but he doesn't… He doesn't know the whole story. He doesn't know how bad it was."

"Does anyone know?"

"You?" She chuckles, but it's humorless, because she knows that not even Harry truly knows. "I just… I haven't been able to talk about it yet, or like… Process it, I think. I don't know. I keep justifying him a lot, which I'm learning it's something I shouldn't do."

He makes his cheek comfortable on top of her head, then takes one hand to play with her hair, scratching her scalp. "It can't be easy to go through something like this on your own, tho."

"I know…" She closes her eyes, appreciating his affectionate touch. "My mum's helping me a lot… She had to go back home now, but she spent over a month with me. Makes sure I don't skip therapy… Stuff like that."

"Hmm…" Harry says, and his voice echoes inside her body. "Always liked her. Smart one."

Aurora curls her mouth up. "Yeah…" 

Another moment goes by, and Aurora is filled with lightness as her body slowly drifts into sleep. 

"Thank you for telling me this, Auri."

"Mhmm… It's weird… To like, talk about it."

"I'll always listen. Whenever you want to talk about it, I'll listen."

"Thank you… 'M really tired, tho... And I think my brain is going to explode…"

Harry chuckles. "Get some sleep, yeah? I'll wake you up when we're about to land."

"'Mkay." She hugs his waist, and nuzzles against his chest. "Can't believe this all happened and we didn't even leave the country yet."

"Tell me about it."

"Mm… 'Kay… I'll sleep now… You're comfy… And I think… I feel drunk…"

Chuckling again, Harry presses a kiss on the top of her head, then slides down a bit on his seat, and she cuddles a little bit more into him.

"Ok love," he says. "You can relax now, I got you." 

And although Aurora doesn't answer, she knows he does. 

She doesn't need Harry to wake her up. 

Her brain drifts back to consciousness by itself, slowly making her aware of her surroundings way before the plane is even close to landing. 

She's warm, because of Harry's arms wrapped around her shoulders, but also because of his jacket covering her body. Her face is pressed against his shirt, and once again she's breathing from his skin. He still smells good — like a fresh shower — but now it's also mixed with a little bit of sweat, so it's somehow even better than before. 

It's hot. He's hot. Her insides feel hot.

She's also comfortable — so, so comfortable. It feels like she just took the best nap of her entire life. Like she's enveloped by a sense of calm and peace, a feeling that she doesn't want at all to end. Snuggled into his chest while his fingers keep playing with her hair, tracing random patterns on the back of her head. The movements are sweet, sweet enough to tempt her to go back to sleep. And she almost does. 

Except she can't. Not anymore. 

Because above all that, she can tell she's also kind of desperate. Clingy. Needy. Hugging his waist as if their flight landing in Italy depended on how tight her grip is. Both of her legs over his left thigh. His strong, firm thigh. She's holding onto him like a baby koala. A troubled one. A baby koala that's craving to be held by someone. Anyone. And as if she's terrified of the idea of being left behind while her mind shuts off from the real world. 

And maybe she is. Who knows.

She always liked to cuddle, and she hasn't properly cuddled in a really long time, so it's not a surprise. Still, it very quickly becomes embarrassing, and certainly not how Harry imagined things to go when, earlier in the airport, he offered his shoulder for her to take a quick nap. 

He offered his shoulder, not his entire body, for fucks sake!

So, against all wishes, Aurora stirs and groans — mostly because her mind is battling between sleeping for just two more minutes or acknowledging the reality of the world she's in — then pulls away from him. 

"Hmm…" She takes her hands up to her face, and rubs the last traces of sleepiness away from her puffy eyes, then sits back on her seat. "What time is it?" 

Next to her, Harry moves as well, withdrawing his arms from around her shoulders and placing his hands on his lap. 

"Must be around ten thirty now… Last time I checked was ten fifteen."

He sounds calm, so calm that she can't make any emotion out of his voice, so she turns her head to look at him.

Harry looks fully awake. Well rested. Peaceful. Soft. The only sign of him turning into her personal pillow are the wrinkles all over his shirt, but everything else looks… Perfect. Like heaven. He looks like heaven.   

"Hi…" He curls one side of his mouth up, and Aurora smiles, too.

"Hi…"

Only then it occurs to her that she's been staring at him, and she looks away, taking her hands to smooth out her hair then fix her dress.

"Did you sleep well?"

She nods, and takes his jacket off, instead using it like a blanket to cover her chest.

"Um, yeah… I did. Thanks. And thanks for… You know… Letting me crush on you? I mean, it probably wasn't comfortable for you, so… Yeah, thanks."

Harry scoffs, shuffling down on his seat and spreading his legs as wide open as he can. 

"Are you kidding me?" He takes both arms up and places his hands behind his head, resting on top of the palm of his hands. "You're a great cuddler. Went straight to my top five of all time."

The playfulness is clear in his words, which is why Aurora chuckles. Still, one question is loud and clear inside her mind: who are the other four great cuddlers? And most importantly, why isn't she his favorite one? 

The thoughts bring an uncomfortable feeling to her stomach, and she shifts on her seat. 

"That's kind of you to say, but you should see me during winter in the middle of the night… I'm like a baby koala and it's not a very pretty sight." 

"Huh." He smirks, and lifts his eyebrows. "Is that an offer?"

Aurora snorts and rolls her eyes, feeling her cheeks burn before she looks away. "Shut up."

Harry laughs, and just like that, everything between them goes back to normal. 

Getting into conversation with him is easy. Neither of them have seen their friends in a while, so they distract themselves by reminiscing old stories and laughing at silly things they used to do together. They also talk about Italy, about how neither of them have been to the country before, and how it's been a dream of both of them. They bond over small details, and find connections over silly things. And it's exactly what Aurora needs, as she finds out after minutes and minutes of light conversation and genuine giggles. 

It is only when they're about to land that her face falls again. 

Fully awake, the airplane movements become way more obvious than they did when taking off. And as soon as the belt sign goes on, and the pilot announces they're about to descend to Naples, Aurora's heartbeat speeds up.

She straightens up and leans her back fully against her seat, looking through the window at the bright sky. 

"Are you ok?" Harry asks. 

"Mhm…" She nods, and doesn't take her eyes off from the view. "Just… I don't like this part very much, that's all."

"Wanna hold my hand?" 

It is a nice offer, but one she doesn't think she should accept. So she doesn't. And as the plane gets closer and closer to land, every movement becomes even more clear. When it shakes, when it turns, when it's getting ready to touch the ground. 

She holds herself until the last minute. She holds herself tightly and firmly. Until it becomes too much, and one specific up and down of the airplane has her reaching for his hand.

It's like Harry is already waiting for her, to be honest, because she finds him quickly. Her sweaty and cold palm meets his warm one, and she turns her head to look at him. 

He's already watching her, and as soon as their eyes meet, his face lights up with a smile. 

Her belly quivers, and her chest tightens. 

"It'll be over in a minute," he says, squeezing her hand.

She nods, and swallows down, because it's the only thing she can do right now. She knows what he's talking about, and she knows it's true — they'll land, and everything will pass. 

Although something tells her that, whatever she's feeling right now, will not go away. It won't be over in a minute. It won't be over even when they're out and away from the plane. 

In fact, she's starting to believe that, as soon as Harry is next to her, looking at her like that, the fluttering in her stomach will never go away. 

if you've made it here, say caramel coffee :')

also, thank you for reading.

dani :)

PART THREE

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles writing #harry styles au

[bloatedandalone04]

Never Let Me Go

➪the one where you and leon reunite.

Part 1

Warnings: angst, fluff, re themed topics, mentions of death, descriptions of injuries, mentions of injuries, making out, sad boy leon

Word Count: 3k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine <3

The feeling of regret followed Leon for weeks. 

He regretted not doing more to get you back to him, whether that was to take the fall for you or to simply go in after you, it didn’t matter. He just couldn’t believe he was right there when you lost your grip and fell into the void of rock and rubble. 

Leon found himself thinking back to the length of your involvement with one another, from his first day with you to the final one. He wished he could go back years ago and ask you to be his way back then. Why he had waited five years to develop the partnership into something more, he had no idea. 

He hated the fact that you could’ve been his and you could’ve been together way sooner had he pushed aside his commitment issues faster and realised just how amazing you were. 

He didn’t even get the chance to tell you that he loves you and had for many years now. 

The trip back home was brutal. 

He didn’t say a word as he stared out the window, his heart feeling like it was about to burst at the fact that he was leaving you behind in the mess while he lived on. It would take weeks for the rescue crew to locate and retrieve your body, if they ever found it, and he almost wished they wouldn’t. He couldn’t bear the thought of burying you for the second time, nor could he stand the thought of not giving you a proper funeral.

He just wished it never happened. He wished he never went on this mission with you and he wished he was the one who got buried that day. He would give anything to go back to the day you were assigned the mission. He would flat out refuse it and take you away, somewhere safe and where he could protect you. Not that you needed it. You could take care of yourself just fine, but you were reckless. You didn’t care what happened to you, as long as you were able to save someone.

And if he couldn’t refuse it, he’d stop you from going after the kid. Whatever it took; tying you to a post, dragging both you and Talia away from the site, or even going in to save the kid himself. Anything to keep you alive and safe. 

What was the point? 

He can wish all he wants, you’re still gone and he’s still here. You’re just someone else he couldn’t save. 

Seeing how Leon lost his partner, in more ways than one, he hasn’t been assigned any new missions. He was both grateful and frustrated at that. On one hand, your absence would make him lose his mind and he wouldn’t be focused like he normally was, and on the other, he was used to distracting himself by throwing himself into his job. He needed a sense of familiarity as he tried to face this new world - the one without you there to keep him grounded. 

Hunnigan was becoming more and more worried about him. He wasn’t able to focus on anything, he was at home more than he was at work, and he hadn’t filed or done research on any of the cases she sent his way. It was concerning, to say the least.

She entered the briefing room to find him still there. The meeting was long over, something she was surprised he actually showed up for, yet he hadn’t moved since it was cleared. Instead of sitting where he usually did, he sat one seat over. It was where you usually sat, your place secured next to his in the back row. 

His legs were stretched out and resting on the back of the chair in front of him, his hands on his stomach as he played with a ring. He found it in your office when he went in to ask the staff to stop cleaning the space out. Well, he didn’t really ask. No, he told them to get the fuck out and to close the door behind them. 

He stayed there for a good portion of the morning, sitting at the desk he had watched you organise too many times to count. After memorising every square inch of the room, he was about to get up and leave when something caught his eye. 

On the top shelf of the desk, next to a framed picture of the two of you - one where you were both covered in dirt and grime and dust but still smiling because you were together - was a ring he had seen you wear many times. When he asked you about it, you told him it had no meaning to you, it was just pretty and something you found on sale. 

It was a silver band with a few lines carved into it, and you only took it off when you went on missions. 

Leon grabbed it without thinking twice and left your office, turning the light off and closing the door behind him.

He was twirling it around his fingers when Hunnigan walked up to him, a folder in her hand. “Kennedy,” she said in both a greeting and warning. She felt for the guy, but was also trying to do her job and he was making it more difficult than it needed to be. “The meeting is over. What are you still doing here?”

Leon didn’t look up at her as he pulled the ring off of his finger. It was far too small for him and only reached just past the tip of his finger. Maybe he could find a chain to attach it to. 

Ingrid was about to speak again when he finally answered her. “I’m reminiscing,” his tone was cold and sarcastic, so unlike how he usually sounds. 

She clears her throat before opening the folder and trying to ignore the fact that Leon had yet to look at her. “I have a new case for you,” she says, reading over the file before continuing, “It’s one that requires both you and your partner to attend.”

Leon looked up at her and the dark glint in his eyes had her shoulders tensing. After trying to get him to look at her all morning, she wished she would’ve known what she would be met with when he finally did. He stops twirling the ring around his finger and holds it in the palm of his hand. “My partner is dead,” he muttered, glaring at her as he leaned up in the chair. 

Ingrid knew he would never hurt her, so maybe that was why his harsh words didn’t make her back down. “Just come with me,” she says and turns around. “We’re going over it somewhere more private.”

Leon’s eyes narrowed at her retreating figure. He breathed heavily through his nose before pocketing the ring and standing up, ignoring the way his lower back ached from how long he was sitting for. 

He followed her down the hall and into the meeting room, letting out a huff of annoyance when the door closed behind him. “How is this more private?” He asked as they made eye contact.

Ingrid just shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “It’s not, really,” she answered. “I just wanted to formally introduce you to your partner.”

Leon refrained from rolling his eyes. “I already told you, my partner is dead-”

The side door opened and in walked someone he never thought he’d see again. 

The words die on his tongue as the person looks up and at the woman beside him. “Hey, I think I left some of the papers back at the-” 

Your eyes meet his and your grip on the folder falters. Almost instantly, Leon’s blue irises are covered by tears and you let go of the file completely. It falls to the floor, making Hunnigan bite back a cry of shock as she spent damn near all morning putting that together. She lets it slide as she quietly excuses herself and leaves the room.

Within seconds, Leon crosses the room and closes the distance between you. His arms wrap around your waist while yours grip his shoulders, your legs closing around his hips. You let out a happy sob when his arms tightened around you, his hands grasping at you with a desperation you had never seen or felt before. 

Even the feeling of your shirt getting caught in the stitches on your hip wasn’t enough to pull you away from him. Leon feared that if he were to let go for even a second, you’d be gone again and he’d be alone. If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that a life without you was one he could not live in. 

Your tears dampen his shirt, making the fabric appear even darker. His own fall from his eyes and gather in your hair, his nose inhaling the scent of the vanilla soap that quickly became your signature smell. 

He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not, but he knew he never wanted to wake up. It was such a difference to the countless nightmares he’s had since he lost you, each one being a replay of what actually happened to you. He would happily live in this dreamland with you forever. He never wanted to witness you dying ever again.

You died. 

How were you even here?

Leon pulled away, using nearly all of his self control to do so, and looked at each inch of your face. Your bottom lip had a cut going through it, your cheek was a horrid shade of green and purple, and your left eye was bloodshot. “How?” He asked desperately. “I don’t understand-how are you-”

You just shake your head, your hands stroking his hair a few times before you bring him into a tear-tasting kiss. Leon kisses you back with everything he has, his legs moving before his mind has a chance to catch up with them. 

He blindly reaches for the handle to the door and when he finds it, he stumbles into the break room with your hands tightly gripping his hair. His teeth clash with yours before they tug on your bottom lip, careful as to not rip the cut open. 

He sets you down on one of the tables and one of your hands leaves his hair, your palm flat against the surface behind you as your lips messily meet. Your legs tighten around his middle and tug him even closer as his hands caress the sides of your face, his lips still locked with yours. 

You pull away for air and have little time to react before Leon’s lips attack your neck. He kisses every inch of your skin as if it were the last time he would ever be able to. He was still in disbelief that it was really you in front of him. You, with your legs wrapped around him. You, with your hand tugging on his hair in the way you know he loves. You, with his saliva coating various areas of your neck as his lips made work of your skin.

Your shirt falls off your shoulder and it was then he saw the bandage that covered a large portion of your collarbone. 

It really was you. A broken and beaten version of you, but still you. 

He lifts one of his hands and lets his fingers gently brush over the white bandage, his eyes full of different emotions. Love. Anger. Guilt. Relief. “What happened?” He asked quietly, tracing the edges of the white fabric. 

You look down at him, confused as to why he stopped kissing your neck. Your eyes soften when you see the guilt swimming in his and you gently place your hands against the sides of his face, tilting his head up so you could talk to him face to face. “I’m okay,” you murmur, your lips brushing against his. “I promise. I’ll tell you everything, I just need you. I need to be close to you.”

Leon pulled back, his hand moving up to brush your messy hair away from your face. “I love you,” he says with no hesitation. He should’ve said the three words years ago, maybe then his heart would’ve been able to grieve differently after he thought you died. 

It didn’t matter. You were here, with him, and he was never letting you go.

Your lips quiver as you take in his words, your eyes flickering between his. You search for any indication that he was lying but find nothing but the truth. A grin breaks out on your lips as you gently tug on his hair. “I’ve been waiting for you to tell me that,” you whisper and watch as relief floods his eyes. “I love you, too.”

Leon laughs quietly before he presses two chaste kisses to your lips, his hands gripping the fabric of your shirt and tugging it upwards. 

-

“So, as I fell, the ground opened up and I landed on the floor of some underground lab. The rubble and debris piled in and covered the way back up, so I was left to find another way out,” you say, your fingers playing with the hair on the back of Leon’s neck. His arms were wrapped around your middle as he gently swayed the two of you on your office chair. 

The door was closed and the blinds were shut, the only light coming from the small lamp you had on your desk. It felt like you were in your own little world, like the other agents outside your office weren’t hurriedly gathering information for their next missions, like Hunnigan wasn’t a few doors down reorganising the file you dropped. 

With your legs draped over his thighs and your side pressed to his front, neither of you cared that you were still at work. Too much time had passed since you last saw each other and you weren’t about to waste anymore. “While I was looking around, I found file after file about the illegal testing they were doing in the village. It was everything we could’ve possibly needed to shut these guys down for good,” you continue, your eyes casted down as you replayed your experiences in your head. 

Leon looked up at you, his hand absentmindedly tracing shapes on the skin of your thighs that your skirt didn’t cover. His eyes trailed all over you, from the bandage peeking out from under your shirt, to the multiple marks he kissed into the skin of your neck, to your swollen lip. 

Scratching at his scalp before smoothing your hand back over it, you turn to face him. “I grabbed everything I could and tried to find a way out, but the next thing I knew…I was being cornered by the scientists who had survived the collapse. I bargained with them for a while before they let me go, but not without dislocating my shoulder and threatening my life a couple times,” Leon’s eyes darkened at that, his jaw clenching as he stopped swaying and tightened his hold on you. “I was kept down there for a few days before the rescue team finally found me, as well as all the evidence, and then the scientists were cuffed and taken out.”

Leon shifted slightly, his hand going back to running up and down your thigh. “They told me that they couldn’t find your body,” he mumbled, making your heart ache at the sadness that dripped from his voice. 

“I was put under witness protection for a week or so after I was brought back home,” you say just as quietly. 

His eyes met yours again. “You have no idea how many times I threatened to go back to that place and look for you myself. They were giving me nothing to go off of. They just said you were probably crushed by all the rubble and that it could take weeks to recover your remains-” he cut himself off as a dry sob nearly slipped past his lips.

Your eyes sting as you push his hair up and press a kiss to his forehead. “I’m so sorry,” you mumbled against his skin. “I wanted to come back to you every second of every day, but they wouldn’t let me. They said it was too soon, too dangerous and to wait a few more days. I just had to hold onto the thought of seeing you again. It’s what kept me going.”

Leon looked down at his hand as it neared the hem of your skirt. “I thought I lost you,”

“I’m right here,” you say and turn his head so he was looking back at you. “I’m here and I’m never leaving your side. Not until you tell me to.”

He shakes his head, his hand falling from your thigh as he fumbles around in the pocket of his jeans. You furrow your brows as he pulls out a small object. He held your ring in between his fingers and lifted it up so you could see it.

You let out a small laugh, your hand quickly wiping away your tears as you looked between the ring and him. “My ring,” you hum, returning your hand to his hair. “I was wondering where that went.”

Leon stayed still as he grabbed your hand and slid the ring on your finger. “Marry me,” he said quietly and you could’ve heard a pin drop as silence took over the space of your office. 

You shifted on his lap and moved his head so you could look him in the eyes. He was serious. “What?”

“Marry me,” he said again and held your hand in his. “I don’t want to go that long without you ever again. I can’t.”

You let out a laugh of disbelief before cradling his face in your free hand. “Yes,” you say, more tears gathering in your eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you say and wrap your arms around him, pressing your body impossibly closer to his. “I’ll marry you.”

-

I don't have a tag list but thank you for the support on part 1 @taken-by-the-wind <3

#leon s kennedy #leon re #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy imagines #leon s kennedy imagines #leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy angst #leon kennedy fluff #leon s kennedy imagine #leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy fluff #resident evil x reader #resident evil 2 remake #resident evil 4 #resident evil #resident evil 4 remake

[riniworld]

A BOND LAST FOREVER

yandere!knight oc x princess reader

warnings// mention of killing? i don't think there's anything more

reference// you,m'lady,your highness-majesty,y/n.

a/n// I'm kinda satisfied with that-

edit// okay i overthink, i didn't want to do it like that in first but then it's just hit me that if i made him just want power and starts to slowly falling for the reader it'd be better-now i guess I'm kind of regret it.

It is the third day of the death of the queen and your sister,no one knew the murderer and you didn't dare to say it was senor maybe out of fear from the look that was on his eyes that day or maybe because he's the only one who treated you right....and you still love him.

either way here he is free and became your personal knight,you can't even look at him without shivering you still see the blood on his hands, your relationship became tense or for you at least,he's acting all normal not like he killed the ruler of the kingdom herself!,he did apologize a few times to you but it wasn't a realistic apologising he don't feel guilty you can see it in his eyes.

despite all of this you have now a new anxiety,the court and privy council are discussing if you're suitable to be the next ruler, few of the servants knew about you being an Illegitimate daughter of the king and the old ones only and the council as well of course.

you never wanted the throne nor you dreamt about it,you know how hard it is to rule a whole kingdom and you don't know anything about ruling,but also The people need a ruler and the queen didn't have any relative the only one was her daughter and they two had gone..now you're the only one in the line.

the cup of tea in your hands has become cold a while ago,you're sitting in your garden lost in thought,snapping out of your thoughts when someone take the cup out of your hands,it's senor.

"what are you thinking about,m'lady?" he ask and put the cup on the table

you look at him for a minute before you replay "about everything happening now." you look at the ground not able to keep the eye contact.

he put his hand on your shoulder "don't worry too much,you're capable of it." he smile at you, a smile made your heart warm.

you exhale "i hope so." you say unsurely.

senor pause for a second before he kneel at your feet,cupping your hands in his "You were born to be a ruler,there's nothing to be anxious about you've got everything to rule a kingdom the right way....just like your father."

His words made you feel at ease knowing someone is there to support you in any time,for a second you forget what senor had did and he's the one who put you in this situation.

before you replay you two hear a footsteps coming your way and with last squeeze to your hands senor stand up to stand behind you,your relationship is still a secret after all.

a maid approach you and bows a little before speaking "your highness,the council has arrived and they're waiting for you in the guest room." right one of the benefits from the queen's death is that everyone stopped ignoring you.

you nod "I'll head to them right away,thank you for telling me."

the maid bow again before she head to her work.

you stand from your chair nearly knocking it off but luckily senor was there to catch it,as long as he's here everything going to be perfect, just keep relying on him.

you walk to the guest room million of thoughts running in your head,when you stand in front of the big door you take a deep breath and buff your chest high,making a steady face one of the things you learn from your father is that maintain a steady posture even if you're about to cry,when you try to open the door a hand stop you.

"let me,m'lady" senor opens the door for you.

all the members of the council stand up and bow,you also bow your head a bit, senor kept standing in the door and you sit down.

"good evening,your highness" one of them speak first.

"first we're really sorry for your lose,the queen was a good person to the entire kingdom be sure we all are sad to lose her and her daughter" a man seems to be old enough to have even meet your father in his young age speaks like he's really in the verge of tears.

"thank you for your kind words i appreciate it." you say politely.

senor's hand tighten around the hilt of his sword, there's no need for all the long talk is there? it's already difficult enough for him to see you give attention to another!

"yes, it is indeed a misery for the kingdom, but as you know your highness The people need someone to rule them and there is no one on the suggestion list but you...unfortunately." the last one speak in a stern tone..rude.

"yes, i understand." you try hard to not show the anxiety in your voice.

"After we discussed this several times...Due to the lack of suggestions to rule the kingdom, we unanimously decided to give you the rule as you're the only suitable person available" the one who greeted you say with a small smile and the others nod.

you stayed silent don't know what to say, is that really right? will you be capable on ruling the kingdom like the queen was? You clasp your hands together and squeeze them tight.

"don't worry,your highness we won't let you alone in this, someone will come and teach you everything you need to know about ruling a kingdom as he is an expert on the history of the kingdom and his father studied your father when he was going to become the next king so you'll be familiar with him beside he's near your age." The person who consoled you about the queen's death speak.He seemed to have noticed your anxiety.

You gathered your strength to speak, you can't seem weak now "it-s an honor for me to know that you see me as suitable for such a great position. I will do my best not to disappoint you and to rule this kingdom as my parents did before."

"we hope so too, as you know that too risky because no one ruled this kingdom except those of royal blood before, so we hope our decision not wrong" the rude one say.

another one clear his throat "if you'll excuse us now,your highness we have to go, it was an honor talking to you,we expect the tutor to arrive in the next week." when he finish everyone stand up,and you as well.

"I'll be waiting,thank you for your visit."

you shake hands with all three of them and asked some servants to escort them.

when they left,you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding "oh god that was exhausting"

"how about we go to your room to take a rest,m'lady?" senor suggest as he come to your side.

"yes,that would be good"

as soon as you enter the room you throw yourself in your bed and bury your face in your pillow,senor close the door behind him and sit on the edge of the bed.

he reaches his hand for yours,you flinch when he take it but let him anyway,he start kissing it all over,You move your head to the side fighting a giggle threatened to escape "what got into you?" you couldn't hold your smile back.

he say between the kisses "you gave-alot of attention to them-i want some too."

now you can't hold your giggles anymore "you big baby." you tease.

he moves all the way to your neck,it's ticklesh "come on now stop,i want to sleep."

senor lift his head up and look into your eyes before he sigh and sit straight "fine."

you give a final smile and close your eyes,it's not even a minute before you hear metal hit the ground when you open your eyes you see senor taking his armor off left with a plain white pajama,you sit straight nearly choking on the air.

"what are you doing?!" you whisper shouted afraid someone will come in any time.

senor look at you with innocent look and sit beside you covering you both in th blanket "isn't it obvious,m'lady? taking a nap with you." he say like it's the most normal thing in the world.

"what if-what if someone came in and saw you?!"

"no one will come in without your permission." before you can respond he covers your heads under the blanket and lie down before he pulls you in his chest. "now sleep well,m'lady." then he close his eyes pretending to sleep

you sigh not able to complain,finally you let yourself drift to dream land,not knowing that someone won't sleep staring at you.

after two days(Note: the coronation ceremony does not happen like this in reality it's just my au!!)

It's your coronation ceremony day, today you will officially become queen of the kingdom and rule it.

the maids are doing your makeup and your hair,you've never been the senter of attention,always sitting in the corner on the masquerades and balls,so you're extra anxious,especially must of the nobles will be here tonight.

the maids put the last touches,you asked them to leave you alone for a minute to prepare and they did.

when they left you hear a knock on the door and immediately knew it was senor so you give permission to enter as you need someone to calm you down.

senor enter and closed the door quickly,when he laid his eyes on you he become speechless.

oh god his heart beat quickly like it's gonna ripe through his chest...his face flush red and his breath quicken,he want to run away to not ruin you right here and there,he don't know why he's feeling like that,that's not his goal!.

when you feel like he's staring too much you panic,maybe out of nervousness "isthereanythingwrongwithmyfaceisitmyhairorismydresstoorevealing?!" you talked fast to the point you didn't understand yourself.

"no-no you're perfect-beyond perfect i don't know if I'm willing to let you set your foot out this door" senor said while he was still far away from you.

"i don't know how this supposed to make me feel" you sit down and put your head between your hands "ugh! I'm so nervous i don't know what to do!" you look at senor without lifting your head up "why are you even standing there? sit."

senor kept standing in his place "believe me it's better for the two of us,m'lady."

you look at him weirdly before you hear your name called from the other side of the door.

you walk down the aisle all the eyes on you,senor is holding you arm 'just for safety'.

you've meet people for the first time,some who was your sister friend some who knew the queen and even some who knew your father very well.

senor was glued to you side the entire time,and you swear you've seen the danger in his eyes again.

"tell me if someone made you uncomfortable so I'll have a word with them" "senor no-"

After the coronation, all the required ceremonies, and the oath of loyalty,now everyone just enjoy they're time,dancing,drinking and eating.

you were taking a drink to ease your mind when someone approaches you.

he take your hand and bow "may i,have the honor to dance with your majesty?"

he seems to be son of a duke you think you've seen him before,you were about to accept when someone snatched you hand from his....right,senor.

the man look offended "the audacity!,who do you think yourself?"

"your majesty i need to talk to you for a bit,may we go somewhere more...private?" senor whispered in your ear,but it was enough for the man to hear.

you look at senor before nodding,you excuse yourself and go with him.

giggles echo the garden as senor take you running to somewhere,you ran difficulty because of your dress and your shoes but you won't deny it was fun,the last time you ran like that was when you were a kid.

senor stopped at the end of the garden, close to the fence where no one would get there,he catch his breath and speak "have your nervousness ease a bit,m'lady?" he asked between his panting.

and you weren't any better as the garden was very large "was that your goal from all of this?"

senor shrug "part of"

"well,what is so important that you had to kidnap the queen herself from the ceremony?" you say jokingly

senor laugh but cut it shortly and look at you with serious expressions "y/n..you know that i love you" he say carefully

you look at him confused "i..do,what is your point?"

"and i'm very serious about you and I don't care if our state are completely different"

"why you say that all of a sudden?"

"well.." senor take a deep breath Before he kneels one one knee,your breath stops as you know where this is going to "I've thought about that for a long time.." He took a ring out of his pocket "will you marry me,y/n?...not as a knight but just as senor will y/n marry senor?"

for a minute you thought about it all and if it was a good choice but you couldn't contain yourself and it slipped "yes,yes i will"

senor put the ring on your finger immediately before he hold you and swing you around,he put you on the ground and hug you tightly.

"you don't know how happy i am now!" he almost shouted

you didn't say anything, just buried your face in his neck smiling like an idiot.

after some minute you lift your head up,"don't take me wrong but can we keep this a secret untill we're officially married? just because you know...the people and their gossip and i just became a queen so it's not really a smart move to reveal this all of a sudden"

"of course,anything will make you comfortable,m'lady."

you smile widely and kiss him on his cheek

Oh,you poor girl,you've fallen into his web and soon enough the throne will be his.

i hope you like it:)

have a good day/night♡

#yandere #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #yandere x y/n #yandere x you #yandere x reader #yandere oc x y/n #yandere oc x you

[giorno-plays-piano]

Thorns In His Mouth

Part VI

Pairing: fae!Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: obsession, dubious consent, minor character death, drugs (neither reader nor Steve are involved), slight eating disorder, mentions of tumor, high tech elves.

Words: 1.3k

Summary: Maybe it was a good idea to chat with a waitress a bit more once she brought you your order. Perhaps she could at least tell you with whom you should speak because you simply couldn’t force yourself to look at others, most of them already high, shouting something loudly or laughing or weeping. You could constantly hear the flapping of someone’s wings, weird whispers and noises, and the sound of boots and hooves that made your hair stand on end.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

________

You stared at the earrings, dumbfounded. Did he say "we"? Was Steve going to look for that elf together with you?

Apparently, you just voiced your thoughts absent-mindedly because Steve murmured something and took you by the arm, moving to the café you despised with all your being.

It was much quieter inside tonight, though. There were only a few fair folk, and they were all silently eating or drinking something: the noisy company doing drugs and who knows what else yesterday was nowhere to be seen. Thank God.

As you fell on your seat, Steve taking a place on the other side of a minuscule plastic table, a familiar fae with bright pink hair approached you two. She threw a quick glance at you, pursing her lips at the sight of Steve, but then vanished to the kitchen without a word, probably to bring you the same sweet cupcake she had given you yesterday.

Staring at the elf with furiously bleached hair, you stilled, not knowing how to start a conversation with him again. What could you even say? Why did he want to accompany you on your quest? He had nothing to gain from it. Even the earrings you had given him he returned back to you, and you've never had of any fae returning human gifts. Granted, you weren't a big specialist, but it seemed strange, nonetheless.

Why was he so invested in your search?

The question was probably written all over your face because Steve gave a shaky laugh and rubbed his eyes tiredly as if he had a hard time explaining his reasons.

"I'm a former High elf, too," he started, watching confusion forming on your face while he gave you an unhappy smile. "I held a very high position at my court. Probably among the highest, compared to the others' here. Thus, I'm a Watcher. I watch over the exiled fae and elves, help them when I can, control them so they won't do anything stupid, and end somewhere worse than here. I keep in contact with humans, those who know who we are, and see that everyone abides by the rules. I'm the most useful companion to you if you want to find someone."

His words took you aback. This malnourished, anxious elf with his badly bleached hair and unnaturally long limbs was the most powerful of the exiled fair folk? Truly? Could you take his word for it? Oh, he did mention fae couldn't lie, but it was hard to believe he was telling you the truth.

For a second, you felt a little disappointed. You imagined someone like Watcher to be alike a fairy prince from the fairytale, magnificent in his glory, tall and strong, impeccably built, with his hair shining stunningly in the moonlight as he sat a top of his giant war horse. You did not, by any means, expect to find a Watcher to be a man looking like a 90s model addicted to heroine.

"But why do you want to help?" You asked very carefully, masking you disappointment not to offend him. "I imagine I have nothing of value to give you in exchange."

Suddenly, he smiled, albeit sadly.

"You needn't give me anything. I already owe you for what you did for my kin."

Again, a mystery. You were getting tired of his inadequate responses.

Seeing you bewildered, Steve continued, "You wept when Julius died. You regretted him leaving. Nobody else would do it for him, but you did, and now he's where he should be, at peace. If not for you, his journey would be... an arduous one."

His words made you silent, and you immediately forgot all the questions you were going to ask him. He had said something similar yesterday, hadn't he? Something about it being good that you cried at the sight of Julius' body, although you couldn't even imagine what good did it do to the dead elf. Was Steve talking about a reincarnation or something? Or Julius' spirit returning back to his homeland? You had no idea, but at the memory of a dead elf lying breathless on the sofa your anxiety rose again, and you clutched the pearl earrings in your hand until it started to hurt.

"Why wasn't it enough that you cried for him?" You asked out of nowhere, still searching for some proof Steve was tricking you.

He sighed, "I didn't cry."

Didn't he? You couldn't remember, his face but a blur after you had run up the stairs and collapsed outside of an abandoned factory.

No, you couldn't remember him crying.

"He was one of us," Steve muttered, accepting a black CD pack from a waitress who appeared out of nowhere, leaving a plate with you cupcake quietly on the table before she left without a word. "And I will miss him, but neither my folk nor me weep like you do. Unless on a very special occasion, a death of our beloved or a child, perhaps. But you... you humans know a great deal about compassion and sorrow. Your tears weight more than mine."

His words struck you to your core, and for a few seconds, you just sat there in silence, staring at the distressed - or rather just ancient and rugged - black leather of his jacket. No one had ever said anything like that to you. On the contrary, your therapist mentioned many times it's not healthy to be overly sympathetic and sensitive, to the point when someone's troubles made you troubled. You had to learn to keep your head cool, he said, because no one would profit from your worry. If you wanted to help someone, you needed to stay sane and safe first.

And here he was, this strange, somewhat scary and somewhat beautiful elf, telling you Julius got to his safe place because you had cried for him.

"It's strange, how your world works," you murmured, directing your gaze to the very same leather jacket as if you were talking to it.

Steve gave a laugh, shifting in his uncomfortable plastic chair while a fairy waitress stared at him intently behind his back, her hand resting on a bar counter.

"No stranger than yours." He smiled and made a small gesture with his left hand you barely registered, and the waitress abruptly turned away from you two with a blank expression on her face. "Then it's settled. I'll bring you to one more of my folks today, and you'll tell him your story. He's not a drug addict, by the way."

It was a very nice addition, you shrugged and bit into your cupcake that tasted as heavenly as yesterday. Were you going to develop diabetes if you ate it every day? You hoped not, although it was a small price to pay for the life of your mother.

"Actually, I wanted to mention it the last time. Do you know anything about our kind? Anything at all?" The elf asked nonchalantly, tucking a strand of hair behind his perfectly human ear. Seeing you froze, he chuckled, "It's fine. I'm with you. But it'd be better if you knew at least the basics, so I recommend doing some reading and using my advice for now."

"Of- of course," you immediately answered back, stuffing the rest of the cupcake in your mouth and hurriedly wiping your lips. "I'd be very grateful for any advice!"

________

He liked what you said. His face lit up, the corners of his big mouth turning upward. Before you had a chance to say anything else, he's already at the door, leaving a five dollar bill on the counter and motioning you to follow him God knows where. It's still a bit scary, to go after a strange, twisted but still weirdly attractive creature who moved with such grace even with his oddly long limbs and whose hair looked a little otherworldly despite the cheap bleach he used. But you're alone in this unfamiliar world without him, and you didn't think twice before you jumped off your seat, handing the waitress one more five dollar bill and running after Steve.

Part VII

Tags: @heavenly1927 @yazzzmints @devils-blackrose @lost-and-founds @kennafild @toodlesxcuddles @shygardengalaxy @heimtathurs @moonlightazriel @tsujifreya @lilithmoon92 @greenowlfactif @minshookie29 @nina2697

#yandere #steve rogers x reader #dark steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #captain america #mcu #mcu fanfiction

[cowboydisaster]

The Fire In Your Eyes

part IX: horseshoe overlook v

pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!reader

word count: 6.1k

summary: Three days after watching Arthur fall, three days of grief, three days of regret, and it all comes crashing down on you in one bittersweet moment.

a/n: here we are fellas... a much awaited chapter, technically the second half of last chapter. Star waits three days at the bank of the river... and so I've made you wait three days too. I want to say a few things so if you're sticking around to read the notes buckle up. Firstly I could absolutely not have done this chapter without Margo (linked below). She literally held my hand through writing this lol, and offered me more support, kindness, and praise than I deserve. She gave me so many tips and ideas and suggestions for this and I'm just so proud of the way it turned out, thanks to her. This was a group effort for sure. Secondly, I'm still in shock from the level of support this series has been getting. Its just incredible to see how many people come back so consistently. Last but not least, I love you guys, really I do. And I can't wait to see what you guys have to say about this chapter.

beta read by @margowritesthings

warnings: nsfw, 18+, minors dni, violence

series extras

SERIES MASTERPOST

It's been three days, searching the banks, knowing that he won't be back, won't be coming home. You saw him hit the water, and he didn't come back up. A fall like that is barely survivable. You know he's gone and it isn't until you allow yourself to think it that you break. All that you should have told him, should have opened up about and you didn't. You didn't. And now Arthur will never know any of it.

Arthur is gone, and he left thinking that you didn’t want him. You hate yourself, for your inability to open up and you hate him for this whole job. You told him you didn’t feel right about it but no one listened. Now he's gone and you're so mad, so angry with the world and your heart and him. 

It's pouring, thundering and lightning in the dark night and you've started to accept that he isn't coming back. In your head you know it, it's all you've thought about. You know he's gone, he's never returning to you, but your anger keeps you from returning to camp because what is the gang to you without Arthur? Can you really go back there and live with his ghost?

The rain pounds down on the top of your tent, falling down and drenching the ground. Lightning lights up the night, showcasing to you the dark, empty lake. John had come by a day ago, and when you realized he was alone your heart shattered all over again. It's a strange thing, you realize, to love someone but never have the courage to admit it until it's too late. Thinking back, you know you loved Arthur, it's obvious, but you couldn't admit it at the time. It took losing him to realize how much you need him. You don't know who you are, here now, without him. You belong nowhere, you have nothing, you want nothing other than him. 

You think about going up north, up to West Elizabeth for a while, but you can't bring yourself to leave the shore just in case. You haven't eaten. You haven't slept. You've been sitting in this tent at night haunted by ghosts and regrets, and surveying the lake in the day, futile as it may be. You know you need to do something, to go somewhere other than this damn shore, but you're lost. Your head tells you to run, but your heart tells you to go back to those who care about you. 

Arthur cared about you. And it's sick, and it's twisted but you're so mad at him for your feelings, so mad that he cared about you so much because it made losing him that much harder. 

Lost in thought, you don't even hear the footsteps as they approach the tent, nor do you hear Balius's quiet nicker. The rain doesn't help, coming down along with thunder that shakes the ground. You don't even notice his presence until he speaks up. 

"Star?" 

Everything stops. Your eyes go wide, and immediately fill with tears at the familiar, gravelly voice that you haven't been able to get out of your head for three days. At first you're sure you're imagining it, losing your mind, until he speaks up again. 

"Star? Y'in there?" He asks again, and too shocked and confused to speak, you crawl out of the tent. Your eyes land on him as you stand in the rain and you freeze, mouth agape. He looks…  he looks fine. And you take a step back as the emotion of it all comes crashing down. At first you're shocked and confused, and then you're relieved… and then you're mad. Because you spent three days thinking he was dead, and he's standing in front of you washed up in a brand new outfit with a smile on his face. The rain soaks in your clothes, drenching you as you try to breathe. 

"Where have you been?!" You cry out, full of emotion and fear and rage. Arthur sees it all playing out on your face, and his eyebrows draw together. 

"What-" He begins but you interrupt him.

"Why are you walking up here  like everythings just fine? Where were you?!" You half cry- half hiss, thinking of all the time you'd spent scanning the water, waiting for his body to wash up. 

"Swam down the river and hid out for a couple days till the bounty hunters lost me." Arthur sighs like it's the most obvious thing in the world, "What's the matter wit you?" 

Arthur isn't used to having someone to return to. No one asks or complains if Arthur comes back late from a job, he's never had anyone care so much as to worry for him like this- he's just not used to it.

You huff, a humorless, sarcastic laugh. 

"So you were just hidin' out?" You ask as a loud boom of thunder shakes the ground. 

"Yeah." Arthur huffs, irritated with your attitude. Your tone is angry, condescending and sarcastic as you continue on. Tears fill your eyes, but he can't see them in the dark.

"Well, I'm glad you've been safe all this time." You reach into your tent grabbing his hat before throwing it towards him angrily. "Here's your damn hat. Found it washed up in the river after you fell. Y'know, it would have been nice if you let me know- If you let me know you were just camping, taking a few days off while I've been here!" You yell, fighting back sobs, watching as he grips his soaked hat, growing more confused. 

"Star- what is your problem?" 

"It doesn't even matter." You toss your hands in the air, chuckling humorlessly. Your hair is soaked through, and Arthur glances to the sky as it lights up with bright white lightning. 

"Clearly it does matter! Ain't my fault you can't express your damn feelings!" He yells, growing angry alongside you. 

"Oh, that is rich coming from you. Like you can?!" You immediately bite back, voice growing louder as you step closer to him. 

"Yeah! I can, with you! I told you about my past, about my son and my parents and Mary! And I know nothing- I know nothing about you- what you want, where you've been." Arthur yells louder than the thunder, pointing his finger in your face as he does so, "You won’t open up and it's killing you. God- what are you so afraid of?! What's holdin’ you back? It's eating at you and you won't just deal with it SO WHAT IN THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLE-" 

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" You yell, stepping forward with your shoulders squared, meeting him with just as much aggression. You're so angry with him, for the train and for coming back like nothing happened. Your anger gets the better of you as you lean forward, hands pressed against his chest and you shove him backwards with all the fire you can muster, growling as you do. He stumbles backwards, eyebrows drawn together as you ball your fists, ready to scream at him, to berate him for leaving you out here. But at the thought, something in your heart cracks, and the fire and the rage pales in comparison to the fear of losing him. 

A loud boom of lightning sounds out, and Arthur prepares for your inevitable verbal knives with his eyes cast on the ground, but you never throw them. 

When he looks back up, your shoulders are rising up and down heavily, and your finger points at him like you're about to chastise him, but you don't. He watches as your shoulders slump slightly, and he sees the way your hand, pointed at him, falters. Glancing up to your eyes, he sees that you're fighting back tears, and biting down on your lip to stop it from trembling. 

Exhausted, and terrified and hurting, you can't find it within you anymore to yell. In fact your voice is barely above a whisper as you meet his green eyes, 

"I spent days thinking you were dead… Do you have any idea what that was like?"  

Arthur sees the moment that you break. He watches as your face crumples, and he sees the pain that you've been going through. God, he didn't even think. He didn't even think. You crumple, erupting into quiet sobs as you hold your face in your hands. In two strides his arms are around you, and you sink into his touch, letting all of the pain and the grief be washed away by the rain.

"I'm so sorry, Star. Shit, I'm so sorry. I'm here. It's okay." He coos, protecting you from the rain with his warmth as you sob into his shirt, wrapping your arms around him to make sure he's really here. 

"John had to pry me away from that bridge…" You choke out, "I thought you were dead and I can't- I can't lose you, please, please don't leave me-" You whimper, feeling more vulnerable than you ever have in your life, but knowing that you trust Arthur with every fiber of your being to be the one to piece you back together. At your words, Arthur's heart shatters, falling to the ground in fragmented pieces along with your own that had fallen apart three days ago. Even with the rain, lightning and the pitch black, he cups your cheeks, pulling your teary eyed gaze up to him. 

"Look at me. You aren't alone- look at me, Star- I'm not going anywhere." 

And looking into his eyes, seeing him here, you know it's a promise he intends to keep. He's in front of you, he's safe, and having him here is too much and not enough all at once. He's scanning your eyes, searching for something to signal that you're going to be okay, and that's when it happens. With his hands resting on your face, and his eyes searching yours, you lean up on your toes, and you kiss him. You kiss him with everything you have in you, ignoring the storm and the pain in your heart. You thought you'd never have the chance to do this. And with him here in front of you, you need him to know that you want him too. You've repressed so much love and so much emotion, and now that he's here in front of you, you can't help but feel it all. 

He's shocked at first, eyes open and lips slack until he catches up and leans back into you with just as much emotion. His eyes slip shut, and you curl your hands into his shirt, opening your mouth for him to gain entrance. Your tears slip down your cheeks, mixing in with your lips. It's hungry and raw and filled with the emotion of you terrified of losing him, and needing him in every way possible now that he's here.

You pull away to catch your breath, tears slipping down your cheeks as you look up to him, making sure once again he's still here. He smiles down at you, wiping your cheek with his thumb, smearing the rain and the tears away. And then you're pulling him back down to you, kissing him again with the same hunger, and he kisses you back. His hands grip onto your waist and he pulls you against him as your lips slot against each other. It's him who breaks the kiss this time, and he looks down to your eyes, his green irises searching yours and seeing the intention in your gaze.

"You sure you want this?" He asks you, rain soaking his hair and causing a piece to hang down in front of his face. 

"Stop talking." You whisper, barely a breath as you run your fingers through his hair before leaning up to kiss him again. Your hands grip onto him, and you whimper into his mouth as his tongue mixes with yours. You need more, you need him. You need to know he's with you. 

Arthur seems to read your mind, hands grabbing the underside of your thighs as he pulls you up against him, carrying you. Your legs wrap around his hips, and you only break the kiss momentarily as he carries you into the tent. He lays you down on the soft blankets, taking a moment to admire you laid before him in the lantern light. Then he lines your body, leaning over you on his forearms as the storm rages on outside. His lips are on you again, in the crook of your neck, kissing the spot where your pulse beats erratically. Your legs are still wrapped around his waist, and as he kisses you, his left hand unbuttons your shirt. 

"You done this before?" Arthur asks, pressing messy kisses to your jawline. He remembers your conversation up in the Grizzlies, and he's almost certain this is new for you. You shake your head. 

"No." You admit. You're no saint, but you've never trusted anyone enough to go this far, not before Arthur at least. 

He exhales, nodding, but he seems hesitant, his hands slowing on your buttons. You grip either side of face, pulling his attention to you.

"I want it to be you. I need it to be you." You admit, whining as he groans, nodding. He leans back, sitting up in between your legs to shed his clothes. You help, pulling his shirt off of him quickly once the buttons are undone. He's left in just his jeans then, but you stop him from taking them off. You pull him down back over top of you, and he obliges, though a bit confused. 

"Kiss me." You plead, and he does. He kisses your lips over and over again, he kisses your neck and your jaw and your forehead while you get used to everything. He wants to do right by you, he wants to do this your way. 

You reach your hand down between your bodies as Arthur pops the last button to your shirt. You line your hand along the bulge in his jeans, and you press against it, eliciting a deep groan from Arthur. You smirk, popping the button of his jeans before slipping your hand inside. You wrap your hand around his shaft, feeling how much he wants you. 

It's overwhelming, all the feelings he gives you. In every way. He's perfect. Warm and loving, and his tan skin is kissed with freckles all over and he's so beautiful it makes your heart ache.

"I'm ready, but I don't know- How do we do this?" You whisper against Arthur's ear. You're letting him take control, and he nods, kissing your lips softly. 

"Let me take care of you, let me be strong for you." He whispers, pulling your shirt over your shoulders and kissing your collarbone until there is a mark.  Then he leans down, pulling your dark jeans down over your legs by the waistband, leaving you fully exposed. Once your denims hit the discarded pile of clothes, Arthur leans back, smiling down at you. You can't find it within you to be self conscious, not with the way he's looking at you. You lean up on your elbows, watching him drink you in as he leans up to grip onto your hand. 

"You're so beautiful…" He mumbles, eyes trailing up your figure lovingly. He squeezes your hand, and leans down to your right thigh where a messy scar lies, the gunshot wound from Blackwater. He kisses the scarred skin. 

"N' so strong." He whispers, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.  Leaning up to meet him, you crash your lips against his own, trying to shove his jeans down off his form. He chuckles, leaning back to shed the denim. Now both fully undressed, he stops, looking over you again. Your wet hair is sprawled out on the blankets, lips plump from where he's kissed them. He's sure you're the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes on.

"Arthur-" You whimper, pulling him back down to you by his hand. He takes his time warming you up. There's no rush, and you're so glad to just be together. 

He places kisses down your chest, in between the valley of your breasts, and you chuckle, fingers intertwining into his hair as you pull him back up to your lips. 

"Arthur?" You breathe out. 

"Hmm?" 

"Touch me." You plead, spreading your legs for Arthur. He smiles, running a finger down your thigh as he leans in to kiss your neck. You gasp, feeling his fingers brush against your core. He stops, groaning when he feels how wet you are, the sound cathartic. Then once you wrap your legs around his waist, he resumes his pace. His thumb gently rubs around the small bundle of nerves at your core, and you gasp, gripping onto his shoulders as he continues to kiss your neck. Then as his thumb continues, his middle finger stretches into your tight heat, and your nails dig even deeper into his shoulders. 

"Please, just-" You beg, but he stops you, pressing a kiss to your lips. 

"Sweetheart, I gotta take my time. I don't wanna hurt you." He says, and you nod, trusting him. He works his finger in you for a while, curling it up and coaxing little gasps from you. Then, he stretches a second finger into you, and you wince from the pull, but after a while of him working you, it starts to feel good. And shortly you're breathing quickly, ready. 

"Perfect." Arthur whispers, sliding his fingers out of you while he presses a kiss to your forehead. His arms flex on either side of your head as he holds himself up, and your legs wrap around his waist as he lines himself up. 

"You ready?" 

"Yes, yes-" You mumble. 

You feel the tip of his length against your entrance, and you spread your legs even further for him. And then he's sliding in, slowly. You gasp loudly, gripping onto him tightly as he thrusts in, slow as to not hurt you. 

"S'it hurt? You okay?" Arthur asks, stilling as you toss your head back and pant. 

"No- yes-?" You whimper, acclimating to the feeling. You nod, signaling him to continue as the thunder rumbles outside, not nearly as loud as your gasping breaths.

"Oh, Arthur-" You moan as he slides into the hilt, and bumps into your sweet spot. He slides back out partially, and then picks up a slow, steady rhythm. Your body arches beneath him, and you moan, pulling his face down to yours in search of his lips, tears coming in rivulets. He kisses you again, giving you butterflies as he thrusts in and out of you. You grant him access to your mouth then, and when he pulls away to breathe, still thrusting steadily, you whimper, tears running down your cheeks. 

"Star?" Arthur asks, worried. And he stills his movements. 

"No- don't stop." You beg, pulling his head down into your chest as he resumes his movements. 

"I'm so glad you're okay Arthur." You cry, shaking against him as you hold his head against you. 

His lips are on yours then, reminding you that he is here with you, safe, loving you. 

"I'm right here, darlin'." He reassures, and you nod against him, biting your lip. You can't help the moans that you start to let out, timed with every one of Arthur's thrusts. He runs his thumb over your hard nipple, teasing it and giving you goosebumps. You don't have to worry about the noise, as there is no one to hear you but the raging storm outside. The power of the black clouds, bright lightning and pounding of rain pale in comparison to the crashing together of you and Arthur. Your moans seem to encourage Arthur, and he begins to thrust even harder into you, kissing you in between his movements. You can't keep your hands off of him, running them from his face, pulling his lips to yours or digging them into his shoulders as you gasp and moan. 

He feels the same way, gripping your hips, kissing your breasts, and your lips and your neck it's almost too much. You feel yourself approaching an orgasm quickly, but you fight it, clamping down on yourself in an attempt to slow the process. You don't want this moment to end, you could stay here forever with him, and never have to worry about anything else. But your abdomen clenches and you feel your nerves begin to tingle. Arthur isn't oblivious to this, and he runs his thumb over your sensitive bud, leaning down to whisper in your ear.

"Star, let go." He whispers, lightly biting your earlobe. You shake your head, gripping his shoulders as tight as you can manage. .

"No." You argue, squinting your eyes shut and shaking your head, thighs clamping around him as you try to stop the inevitable. 

"Darlin, let go. I told you, I'm not goin' anywhere." He whispers again, and you release, automatically setting off the intense waves of pleasure that crash down over you. You set Arthur over the edge, constricting around him and your moans fill the tent as you arch your back, pulling his lips down to yours. You moan into his mouth, hips rocking against his own as you climax, feeling so close to him and so intimate and vulnerable. You never knew it could be such a beautiful thing. 

He begins to groan loudly in your ear, and you pull him down to you as you continue to rock and moan against him. Your grip on him tightens, and you're not sure whether or not he's planning on pulling out, but you don't want him to. You need him with you. Your legs wrap even tighter around him and he gets the message. A few stuttering breaths later and Arthur groans, grinding his hips against you as he finishes in you, lips pressing kisses to your own between heavy groans and breaths. 

His forehead falls against yours, resting there as he catches his breath. You do too, still clinging to him in every way possible. After a few moments, he presses a slow kiss to your forehead, and then slides out of you. You wince from the pull, but once he lies down on the blankets beside you, he pulls you into the crook of his arm and covers you with the blanket. You rest your head on his chest, soothed by his heart beat after the past three days. 

"You okay?" Arthur asks, running his hand up and down your back over the blanket. You nod, truthfully. 

"I think I'm better than I've been in a long time." You admit. Arthur leans up on his elbow, grabbing your canteen from his side of the tent. 

"Here." He offers you the water, and you take it willingly, sipping down some of the cool liquid before handing it back to him.

You cuddle down against his chest again, hand sprawled out on his stomach as he looks up at the ceiling, thinking. 

"We gotta talk about this. Please, don't close up again, not now." Arthur says, worried that come morning you'll close yourself off again. You nod. Truly, you have no intention of hiding anymore, not after tonight. But for now you don't want to talk, you just want to be with him.

"In the morning?" You ask, tucking yourself into his side, yawning. 

"Yeah, in the morning." He whispers, and you lean up, pressing one last, slow kiss to his lips. He chuckles as you toss your leg over his, formed tightly against him. 

"Arthur?" You ask, not meeting his eyes. 

"Hmm?" He asks, hand still running up and down your back while the other holds yours tightly. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." You say again, a tear falling down your cheek and getting lost against his chest hair. You draw stars on his bare skin, distracting yourself as he wraps the blanket tighter around you both, protecting you from the thunder outside. 

"I know, sweetheart. S'alright now, you just get some sleep."

Everything seems to make sense now, like it's finally fallen into place. You grip onto his hand, holding it as you start to drift off to sleep. You're his grief, his joy, everything he desires and loves. And you feel the same about him. You've denied yourself this for so long, that finally having it happened in one big collision. You wouldn't change it, lying here with him now. You know you have to talk about this, and you have to get Arthur back to camp, but it's all a problem for tomorrow. Right now it is about the two of you, just existing together for the first time.  

— — — — 

When you begin to wake up, it takes you a few moments to come to your surroundings. Your eyelashes flutter open, eyes squinting to block out the harsh sunlight that is filtering through the tent flap. There is a strong, steady warmth underneath you, and realizing your surroundings, you smile. Your head is laying on Arthur’s chest, legs still intertwined and hands still locked together under the blankets from the night before. Arthur's other hand runs soothingly up and down your bare back, and you prop your chin on his chest to look at him.

"How'd you sleep?" He asks, voice deep and groggy. 

"Real good." You hum, telling the truth. You've slept in the same bed as Arthur on a handful of occasions, but you've never been able to do so as openly as now. You've never woken up so content before, even with the residual ache in your hips. It's a good ache, a reminder of where Arthur had touched you, binded his body to yours in the most intimate of ways.

"I'm sorry that I just… jumped you last night." You whisper with a chuckle, fingers running down Arthur's chest, tracing through the sandy blonde hair there. 

"Do you regret it?" Arthur asks, looking down at you sprawled over his chest. Immediately, you shake your head.

"No. Not at all." You say truthfully. Even though the circumstances around your crashing together were less than ideal, you don't regret it even for a moment.

"Good." Arthur hums, smiling down at you. 

It grows quiet for a while, comfortably so. You listen to the birds and the river, but mostly Arthur's steady breathing, and you realize that you could lie here with him forever. You thought you'd lost him, and now that he's here, you can't bring yourself to let go for fear that he will disappear again. At the thought, you realize that you've not discussed what happens now, and a question forms on your lips. Your hand is still intertwined with Arthur's, and you play with his fingers as you speak up. 

"I reckon I already know the answer to this… but this was more than just sex right?" You ask, a little nervous. You're almost certain this is an emotional commitment, but your anxiety still prods at you. Arthur cracks a smile, bringing your wrist up to his lips before tenderly kissing the point where your pulse beats.

"Yes," He laces his fingers back with your own, "I'm all yours darlin', if you'll have me."

"Always." You whisper, ear pressed against his chest. The rhythmic pounding of his heart is a sound you can't get enough of as you slip your eyes closed, still reassuring yourself that he's here. 

"We gotta head back soon," You sigh, "I know John is worried sick. I'm sure everyone else is too." You whisper, feeling a pang of guilt in your chest for keeping John in the dark while you'd kept Arthur to yourself all night. 

"Just a few more minutes." Arthur counters, wrapping his arms around your waist. His thumb glides over your lower back, and you look up to see him lost in his head again. 

"Why did you stay out here? Why didn't you go back to camp with the others?" Arthur asks, propping his hand under his head to look at you. 

"How could I have left you? I didn't know if you were alive, I didn't think you were, god- that fall… but the thought of you hurt somewhere, or needing help, I couldn't just leave." You whisper, emotion bubbling up again at the thought of his fall. You don't bother to hide it anymore, even though your nature wants you to. 

"I can't stop seeing it, Arthur. I've never been that scared in my life." You admit. 

"It was a hell of a fall, I'll tell you that. Hurt like hell hittin' the water too. I didn't even know if I was alive, the water turned me around real bad and then I was on the shore of the Upper Montana River." He explains, eyes lost in the memory, "Hid out for a while and I heard the law whistles so I stole a horse n' ran to Strawberry. I was so worried about you… I didn't see you get away." 

"Cause I didn't." You whisper, "John had to pull me away from the bridge. Athena carried me here and I sat in the grass the rest of the night just… waiting for you," You take a deep breath, a loose tear slipping down your cheek, "and then your hat washed up, and I was sure you weren't coming back."

You can't shake it. Every time you bring up the bridge it all comes rushing back. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come back to you." Arthur hums, feeling terribly guilty as he sits up in the tent. You sit up next to him, pulling a blanket around your shoulders to cover your breasts. 

"Well, you're here now." You whisper, teary eyes looking into his. He shakes his head, and you see the regret in his eyes. 

"I shouldn't have called you a hypocrite. That was unfair of me." Arthur says, and your hand reaches up to his cheek, running through the thick stubble there. 

"No, you were right. That's somethin' I've thought about a lot the past few days, somethin' I plan on workin' on." You say, "And, Arthur, I shouldn't have gone through your journal."

Arthur huffs, humorously. 

"S'all you anyway." Arthur admits, and your eyebrows pull together, not understanding. 

"My journal. It's all you." He reiterates and you smirk. 

And then he's pulling you into his lap, unable to keep his hands off you now that he's able to touch you like this. 

"We have to go." You chuckle as Arthur runs his thumb over the purple splotches on your collarbone. His lips are on your jawline in a heartbeat, pressing slow, languid kisses to it. 

"They can wait." He whispers against your skin, thumbs gripping onto your bare hips as the blanket slips down from your shoulders. You lean into his kisses, loving the feeling of his lips on your skin, something you've denied yourself for so long. 

Your stomach grumbles lightly, and Arthur slowly leans back, raising an eyebrow at you. 

"You eaten anything?" He asks, and you sigh. 

"No." You admit, sighing as he slides you down off of his lap. 

"C'mon, let me make you breakfast." 

"Didn't think you were the type; cookin' a girl breakfast the morning after." You chuckle as Arthur starts plucking your wet clothes up off the floor, tossing them in a useless heap. 

"Yeah, well… only for you." Arthur huffs, grabbing your saddlebag from his side of the tent.

"You got any other clothes? These are drenched from the rain." Arthur asks, nodding to your outfit from last night. You nod, searching through the bag until you find a decent outfit. You grab a pair of black jeans and a white long sleeved shirt and you pair it with a tight black vest and a choker-style neckerchief, it's a damn cute outfit. 

“Alright, go on and get breakfast ready, I’m starvin.” You joke, pulling your shirt over your arms and buttoning it from the bottom up. Arthur laughs, eyes lingering on you for a moment before he groans, getting himself dressed for the day. 

He makes a little fire out front, and you smile, sitting at the entrance of the open tent as he prods and pokes at the smoldering logs with a stick. He puts on a little pot of coffee, and pulls a few cans from his satchel. 

“It ain’t much, but it’s what we got.” Arthur says, stabbing his knife into the top of one of the cans and cutting away the seal. He hands it out to you then, and you smile at the label. Strawberries, another delicious treat that Arthur had stashed away in his bag.

“It’s perfect.” You hum, slipping your fingers into the can and pulling out one of the berries. Today proves to be the calm after the storm, and despite the rain that soaks into the ground, covering the grass in a mist, the day is beautiful. The sun shines brightly down onto you and Arthur, sipping your coffees and making quiet, comfortable conversation. One by one, eating the berries, you begin to feel replenished. Not having eaten for the past three days, too devastated to even move, you devour your whole can of strawberries, and then you pick at Arthur’s. It breaks his heart a little, seeing how you’ve deprived yourself of basic needs in his absence, but he says nothing. You squint your eyes shut, relishing in the warm bitterness of your coffee until you’ve drunk it all down. 

“Thank you.” You say, placing the empty cup on the ground next to the empty cans, “For everything.”

“Course.” Arthur smiles, standing from the ground with a groan. He picks up the trash, and you raise an eyebrow at him as he tosses it into the woods. In just a matter of one night he’s managed to piece you back together, both physically and emotionally. It’s a debt you’ll owe him forever, though you know he’ll ask for nothing in return. 

“Star?” Arthur asks, looking at the tent as you stand from it, packing up, “This John’s tent?” He asks, looking over the familiar dark camping kit, one that he’s pitched his own next to on many occasions while out working.

Your eyes go wide and you snort, remembering that John had left you his camping kit back when you’d told him you planned on staying by the river. 

“Oh my god-” You say, horrified, “We’ll have to get him a new one.” 

Arthur chuckles, amused as he brings the tent down and starts packing it up with the blankets. 

“Nah, he won’t know.” Arthur brushes it off, snickering to himself. 

“Arthur-” You chastise, jaw open slightly as he rolls everything up and ties it onto the back of Balius. Arthur says nothing, a smirk on his lips as he walks to the front of his scarred shire, petting his head. 

“Missed ya, boy. I hope you took real good care of the lady while I was gone, I know you did.” Arthur whispers to his stallion, patting his neck a few times while pulling some mints from his saddle bag. He gives Balius one, and then looks back to you, blushing at the smile on your lips from his whispering. 

“Ready?” He asks, gripping the horn of his saddle. 

“As I’ll ever be.” You sigh, kicking dirt into the fire before mounting onto Athena, patting her in thanks for getting you across the river all those days ago.

You wonder what happens now. When you return to camp will Arthur showcase your newfound relationship?- If that's what you’re calling it, that is. You don’t know if things will slip back into their usual routine, or if this will change everything. You’re not ready for the gawking, hushed whispers of the girls, or the disapproving glare of Dutch. Though it's nonsensical, you feel that everyone will know what happened out here, and you feel terribly selfish for spending the night with Arthur when his own family didn’t even know he was alive. Still, you don’t regret it. 

Trotting across the river back towards Horseshoe Overlook, back towards home, you glance up ahead. Arthur is in front of you leading the way, and you release a breath, letting all of the worry and the guilt fall from your shoulders and be lost in the river. Because no matter what faces you back at camp, he's with you now, by your side with no intentions of leaving. You'll face it together.

taglist: @margofiore @mrsarthurmorgan7 @woman-with-no-name @tillith @luvliewriting @pine4pple-b0i @photo1030 @dudsparrow

series taglist: @catnotbread @chxosangxl @globetrotter28 @justalittlerayofpitchblack @fruittiest-of-loops @randomidk-123 @heyworld-whatsup @btsiguess-kpop @how-the-heck-would-i-know @rratman @eyelovie

#arthur morgan x female reader #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x you #arthur morgan fanfic #red dead redemption 2 #no im not hiding that in the tags pfffft #arthur morgan smut

[gay-dorito-dust]

Full fic idea credit to @goldensunfyre (might need to make this a two parter idk the ending was kinda shit and rushed.)

And thanks to @targtowers for this thought 💭

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Aegon was slinking through the halls of the Red Keep from sleeping in the chambers that use to be yours; Hoping that your scent still lingered on the pillows and sheets like they did the night before your family’s departure back to Dragonstone, when he heard that the King was dead. He had long since accepted from a young age of the harsh reality that Viserys never wanted anything to do with him nor his siblings; Refusing to view or accept them as the children of his loins. Due to Viserys’ attitude, Aegon didn’t feel it was his place to mourn, to cry over a man whom he shared blood and a last name with and nothing more. Instead he felt like he was hearing the passing of someone else’s father rather then his own; incapable of mustering any words of condolences for his sister as he wasn’t at all that close with the decrepit king.

Aegon felt nothing, no remorse, no sadness, no anything. He just felt numb, his foggy mind lost amidst the implications this had on him specifically. He remembered nights where he’d stay up, staring up at the starry skies that hung above his head like the crown he was promised to wear. He wondered that if instead he were born a girl much like Rhaenyra, and if his life would be remotely any different then it was now? Would he finally have Viserys’ eyes on him for once, shining brightly with pride whenever he entered the room instead of dimming with disgusts? Would he finally have the love and care that he had been deprived of all his life? Would he finally be the apple of his eye like Rhaenyra was and defend him and his illegitimate children from all discrepancies until his last breath? Turning a blind eye to his multiple shortcomings and protect him like a father should?

Whatever maybe the case, Aegon was born the first male during Viserys’ second marriage to Alicent. A fate he could not change no matter how much he would plead to the Gods, both old and new. The pressure that came with being the firstborn was never a task he was built for, Aegon never claimed to be strong enough to bear the accursed burden that befell all firstborns in Westeros. Nor did he claim to be strong enough to meet the expectations of his peers to become the perfect prince; For it seemed that no matter what he did it was met with either dismissal or disregard more so from his mother then anyone else. Aegon didn’t need to be told that he was unbefitting to become the future king, the troubled prince was more then aware that he was unfit to rule, unfit for duties he was unsuited.

If he could rid himself of the crown, the throne and strip away his titles, throwing them elsewhere without an ounce of regard for some other aristocratic nob who wants it, he would do so in a heartbeat. It was just unfortunate that he couldn’t. Aegon lost the right of growing up like a normal child; Forced to kill that version of himself with his own hand as his mind was plagued with thoughts that one day his step-sister would reclaim the Iron Throne that was promised on dragon back, taking his head with her as a consolation prize. He regretted it, regretted ever giving his mother the time of day to hear her indecent monologues about procuring the future, for not only him but his future kin also. The kin he firmly believed at one point that he was going to have with you, not Heleana.

Jaehearys and Jaeheara could’ve been yours and his children for when he has asked Alicent if there were ever any plans to have you marry him. She claimed it had been a thought in process that was immediately discarded with your younger brother, Lucaerys, took Aemond’s eye that night on Driftmark. Aegon didn’t know what hurt more, knowing he was originally meant to marry you or the fact that due to your rivalling families, it forced a wedge in your relationship; Causing an ever growing rift to grow between the two of you until it was apparent that neither of you couldn’t recognise the other anymore. Without wanting to be caught like a sitting duck, Aegon hastily rushed to his chambers; Changed out of his clothes to the assortment he wore whenever he payed the streets of silk a late night visit, to then take off into a secrete passage that lead him into town when he heard the sound of footsteps leading up to his chambers.

It didn’t take them long enough for Aegon’s liking to figure out that he had gone missing, seeing as he was still in the midst of locating a believable hiding spot. Then again he felt stupid for underestimating the very people who’s occupation were to oversee his comings and goings. While the Red Keep was filled to the brim with servants, gardeners, guards, knights and so forth; He was the future king of the Seven Realms so it made all the more sense for his recapture to become top priority over someone more replaceable. Aegon had to admit, they were quick to catch on that he had left but even quicker to discreetly dispatch the Kingsguard to go after him without raising suspicion within the public. Which only meant that it was a matter of time before he was brought back to the feet of his disappointed mother and grandfather kicking and screaming. Originally he was planning on hiding within The Great Sept but quickly disregarded it once he saw the cloaked hooded figure of his brother, Aemond and Ser Criston Cole.

Whom in Aegon’s honest opinion looked like a right nonce with that stupid hat on his head. The runaway Prince had to console his snickers behind his hand because the knight looked that stupid in his inconspicuous attire. If anonymity was what they were going for, they missed the mark by a mile but given his one reputation, Aegon couldn’t excuse himself from his own criticisms either. “Shit.” He hissed, pressing himself up against a nearby wall, when Aemond’s eye shifted in his direction. Despite being the eldest, Aemond somehow managed to put the fear of god in Aegon, sure he would take the piss now and then but it was comparatively light then to the teasing he dished out when they were younger. Another instance that the events on Driftmark truly changed the course of everything, if not then an indicator for even worse things to come. “You seen him my prince?” He heard Criston ask Aemond, clenching his eyes shut in hopes that his brother would give him mercy just this once.

“He went this way.” Aemond replied but instead of hearing footfalls coming towards him, they were heard going in the opposite direction of him. Aegon heaved a sigh of relief he didn’t know that he had been holding onto the entire time. Thanking the gods for once before peeling himself away from the wall and began making his way to his second option. The Dragon Pit. His backup plan was more hastily put together then his first, it wasn’t fool proof and it was bound to be intercepted should Aemond change his mind for leading the hunt elsewhere. Aegon surmised that if he could reach the pit before his captures caught up, he could take his dragon and fly to Dragonstone, to you; Proclaim Rhaenyra as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and hope for all responsibility to drop off his shoulders like deadweight so he could fixate on working your relationship to where it once was.

Aemond can have Heleana because all Aegon ever wanted was you; Growing up together since children, you were quite possibly the only person Aegon came to genuinely care for because you cared for him once upon a time ago. Your arms were the first thing he wanted to be within whenever Viserys or Alicent forgot that he too was a child; Holding him tightly as his tears soaked your shirt before helping nurse the blistering red hand marks upon his cheeks by means of a cold compress. Not only did Aegon remember you as kind but also as someone who was unafraid to go against the status quo, as you would often partake in sword training with your brothers, Jace and Luke, alongside Aemond and himself under the tutelage of Ser Criston Cole. The knight was against the idea of you joining at first but when you proven solidifying points as to why you should uptake a means of defence, he merely sighed before gesturing you to pick up a sword from the sword table.

The triumphant look upon your face was one that Aegon would never forget even as he was laying on his back, looking up at you as your sword poised at his throat. It was a look he’d rather have paint permanently upon your face, for the one he received the night he called yours and your family’s legitimacy into question before a thousand pair of eyes broke his heart. The betrayal written clearly within your eyes as you pressed your brothers beaten and bloodied faces into your side, away from sight. The lines in the sand of which you both stood for had been drawn and still to this day they were never crossed. Things only got worse when Vaemond outright called you, Jace and Luke bastards and your mother a whore before Daemon swiftly silenced him for good with Dark Sister. He and Aemond only made things even worse at the banquet for both families, soon after the fight erupted you had grown weary, tired and downright embarrassed that you slipped away to your chambers. Not uttering a single word about it to anyone.

Aegon wanted to right this wrong for awhile but never found the opportune moment. Which maybe due to his…habits and the fact that Alicent forbade him from doing so. “Where that bloody useless prince.” ‘For fucksakes.’ Aegon thought as he stood froze at how clear and crisp Arryk’s voice was. Which might as well insinuate that the whole Kingsgaurd was looking for him. Great. “Not here that’s for definite.” Erryk replied a little way aways. Aegon just had to peer his head round the alleyway, just as the twins were turning to face his direction. Neither him nor the twins moved for a split second as they stared one another down in awkward silence. It only grew more awkward when neither of them did anything until Aegon finally had enough and bolted down the street leading to the Dragon pit. “Oi get back here!” Arryk exclaimed, giving chase as Erryk followed suit although halfheartedly in comparison “He’s heading towards the Dragon Pit!” He shouted to his brother when noticing where the prince was leading them towards.

“He’s backed himself into a corner then the twat!” Arryk responded, confident in his ability in being the one to capture Aegon on Otto’s behalf; Meanwhile Erryk on the other hand made conscious efforts in slowing him and his brother down by tripping over his own feet and pulling his brother down in the process. “What the fuck are you doing Erryk, get off me?!” Arryk screamed, infuriated with his brothers constant fuck ups this morning. Aegon looked over his shoulder to see Erryk wave him away as he floundered with his brother on the cobblestone, mouthing the words ‘go’ as he struggles to restrain a red faced Arryk. The prince didn’t have to be told twice, he mustered up the last ounces of strength he had within; Running the final stretch of town and towards the entrance of the Dragon Pit before collapsing to his knees in exhaustion.

His lungs were begging for rest, his legs were throbbing and felt as though they’ve been set aflame, sweat laced his forehead and sticking strands of his unkept hair to it. Aegon smiled widely, resting his head against the cold stone flooring, sighing in relief. “I’m coming my beloved, just hold out a little longer.” He whispered to himself in an promise of sorts to himself; Removing the now filthied blue from his shoulders as it was beginning to weigh more then it should, allowing it to pool beside him in a heap. However nothing good ever lasted long enough to be savoured as a voice could be heard from behind Aegon. “Hate to cut your celebration short my prince but the running stops now.” Aegon didn’t move, he couldn’t, he had worn himself thin from all the running across town. “When will it get through any of your thick heads that I never wanted to be king.” He spat, unable to comprehend what part of his blatant rejection of the throne and all it entailed wasn’t clicking with any of them. Were they purely stupid or just didn’t care for how he thinks?

“That’s not your choice to make I’m afraid, so why don’t you be compliant to come back with me to Queen Alicent. She’s been worried sick about you.” Aegon couldn’t help but find humour within the irony of the knights words for he began to chuckle under his breath; Situating himself on the cushioning of his legs in an kneeling position, head flung back so he was staring up at the ceiling. “If she cared as much as you claimed then why didn’t she personally see to it then?” He asked as his throat tightened. Aegon was so close, so fucking close to leaving his accursed home for the one within your arms. Was he cursed to be apart from the one that he holds dear or had his luck with the gods ran dry? ‘Fuck.’ He thought bitterly to himself as frustrated tears began to well up in his eyes, much like they always did whenever he felt an abundance of an certain emotion that he couldn’t keep bottled up or express properly. He didn’t know when this habit came to be but deep down he knew it wasn’t one he was going to be shedding anytime soon.

“She has other more important matters to attend to then to personal see to your capture.” The knight replied, “now enough with the games and come-“ his words were interrupted as the guttural screech of Sunfyre could be heard growing ever closer as though affected by Aegon’s desire and frustration to be free. “Call off your pet.” The knight demanded of Aegon, yanking him by his hair. “I didn’t call him,” Aegon grunts, “he’s calling to me.” He smirks as he saw the life leave the knights face, “so I suggest that you let go of me before the Dragon Keepers are forced to scrap your charred corpse off of the premises.” The knight gulped, letting go of his short platinum locks. His eyes darted to whenever they could for the beast, unnerved by the sudden silence. So when nothing happened after sometime the knight snorted, then he chuckled before finally laughing until his stomach hurt. “Was that it?!” He cried, gripping Aegon’s hair once more, causing the prince to grunt, “was that your ultimate party trick? Hate to say it but I’m not impressed.”

Aegon saw from the corner of his eye Sunfyre’s shadow growing ever larger across the walls as he encroached up the slope. “Well if that didn’t please you I’m sure this one will,” he said, glancing at the knight before looking back to his dragon,“Dracarys.” The knight seemed confused for a moment as he turned to where Aegon was looking, his grip loosened enough for the prince to gain some distance just as the knight was bathed in dragonfire, screaming. Aegon wanted to savour this moment but Sunfyre had other motives as he grabbed Aegon’s exhausted form with his claws securely and wasted no time in flying out of the Dragon Pit and on course to Dragonstone.

#hotd fluff #hotd fic #hotd fanfic #hotd imagines #hotd imagine #house of the dragon x you #hotd x reader #hotd x you #house of the dragon fic #house of the dragon fanfic #house of the dragon x reader #house of the dragon imagine #house of the dragon imagines #aegon targaryen x you #aegon targaryen imagine #aegon targaryen x reader #Aegon targaryen fanfic #Aegon Targaryen fic #aegon x reader #Aegon x you #Aegon imagines #Aegon imagine #Aegon fic #Aegon fanfic #aegon ii x reader #aegon ii targaryen x reader #Aegon ii targaryen imagines #Aegon ii targaryen imagine #Aegon ii targaryen fanfic #Aegon ii targaryen fic

[sybillyne]

Dangerous games

it takes only one night to change everything.

Sundays are days meant for rest, created to remind all beings that even God needs moments of peace. No one is supposed to work on these days, that was His law. All a soul should do on this sacred day is to meditate and be grateful for existing.

Unfortunately, the Devildom is never up to date to Heaven's or Earth's silly bindings, so its inhabitants don't really give a shit.

Including Mammon, who was seen before the end of the week in one of the newest casinos in the city, far away from Lucifer's prying eyes. Why would the second brother leave without a single trace? Because of greed. Pure and sinful greed, disturbed by one's continuous interventions.

If only he had the power.. God's most beautiful angel - now demon, would have been on his knees in just a second. And then no one else would dare to take Goldie away from the almost blue-eyed demon, nor freeze her (figuratively or also literally). Yet this image remains just a wish, the white haired's card being still hidden in a dark corner of the fridge. Perhaps Beel would find it and mix it up with a frozen candy, but that's a story for another time.

With wide orbs wandering around the salon filled with sillhoutes dressed in fancy dresses or fine suits, it took him a couple of seconds to spot a uniform. Once found, the poor employee was grabbed by their shoulders, only to be greeted with a cheeky grin.

- Hey you... began the demon, making the pronoun longer, as if he had forgotten his victim's name. Yeah, you. Go get the great Mammon some chips, will ya? Oh, and - he added, eyes flickering through a displayed menu that was sitting a little bit higher than the bar - and a Martini. Just make sure they don't switch my gin with vodka. I like to keep things classy, if you know what I mean.

The dealer had no idea what he meant, yet what could they do? If it weren't for Mammon's title as the Avatar of Greed, they might have had a chance to ignore him. In the actual circumstances, the white haired male won.

- That's what I thought, you heard while coming back with what was requested of you to bring. You must be pretty lucky to have me as your client, though you could have been a little bit faster. I don't really like waiting.

- And I don't like entitled brats who don't know how to follow basic manners, you whispered, letting the box full of chips to fall at your feet.

Ignoring the flustered expression on the demon's face, you also took a sip from the Martini. Not too bad. Almost worth the money he spent on it, you would have said, but the sudden burst of strenght that came from Mammon stopped you. Uh oh.

- How dare you insult the great Mammon... you... you weakling. You'll pay for this! With that being said, the white haired male abandoned his humanly appearance, horns and wings shining hazardously. When I'm done with you, you will have only praise words for me. One of his hands found its way around your neck, gripping it in between tanned fingers, the pressure leaving you with only small whimpers. Any last words? Maybe you'd like to take everything back and fetch me another drink. While I'm still nice.

Still shaking, you gave him a nod. The pressure became lighter, as a mischevious smile spreading across your face.

- Harder, please.

A few moments later, your body was dropped on the ground by the red faced demon. In between curses and confused questions, he kept watching your victorious smirk, which seemed to embarass him even more. Your little diversion allowed another employee to come over and hopefully save the day, because between you and a security witch, the magical being was more capable of fixing the situation.

- Poor thing, she whispered while scooping you off the floor. Don't worry, I'll deal with this unruly guest. You go and have a nice non-alcoholic cocktail behind the bar and only then - come back to your usual table, ok?

- Yes, ma'am, you answered, leaving the scene without a single regret, even when you could hear Mammon bickering with the witch about what you did. If you were going to get fired, at least you'll have a better reason than missing a shift or serving the wrong beverage.

He came back two weeks later, eyes stuck to anything but your face.

- Whiskey on the rocks, please. For two.

But instead of taking both with him, one was left in front of you with a small piece of paper underneath.

Now let me tell you a secret, dear reader. You got your revenge, and Mammon might have developed a little thing for waking up next to you.

And for being choked.

#obey me #casino worker reader #Mammon #Mammon×Reader #Obey me Mammon

[platonicreaderinsertfanfic]

Stuck in Another Dimension (Part 1)

Word Count: 1,413 words Post Duel Monsters anime. This takes place a few years after the end of the show. Dub continuity plus a version of DSoD. Female reader. Summary: The reader and Kaiba have been accidentally tossed into another dimension. After a series of adventures, they’ve landed in the possession of this dimension’s version of a man Kaiba was hoping to never see again. *** This version of Gozaburo wore a snow white suit. He seemed more at ease than the ones you had met in the past, but even a child could read the predatory gleam in his eyes. “So you two are accidental travelers from another dimension, hmm? It sounds like you might be of some use to me, Seto.”

“I’ll never help you.”

“Do I allow you to talk to me this way back in your home dimension?”

“You don’t allow anything, old man. Where I come from, you’re gone.”

“Gone? I’m surprised you can function without a strong hand to guide you, Seto.”

It had been a very long day, and your frustration overcame Kaiba’s instructions to leave the talking to him, “Kaiba’s stronger than you ever were—he outmaneuvered you back when he was just a teenager! All you managed to do was mess up a good kid and then off yourself when he bested you and took over Kaiba Corp.” You avoided looking over at Kaiba as you took a deep breath, “So quit acting so superior and deal with him as your equal.”

“Seto, are you in the habit of permitting your woman to interrupt important negotiations?”

“No.”

You bristled at the phrase “your woman,” but already regretted your outburst enough to keep quiet and avoid a second one.

“Which is one of the reasons” Kaiba continued coldly, “I requested you leave her with the petty criminals in Satellite until the conclusion of our business.”

“And here I thought you were nobly trying to protect your lover.”

“I’ve never been a fool who wasted my time with romance. She’s my assistant.”

“Then you no longer have any use for her. My Seto will be able to provide you with any assistance you may require.”

“I told you, I won’t—”

“Roland?” Gozaburo interrupted, “Take the young woman out to the courtyard and have her shot.”

“What?!”

“Now now, Seto, giving yourself away when faced with an obvious ploy like this? You do have an emotional investment in the girl.” Gozaburo turned to you, “What are you to him? Be honest.”

“We’re friends.”

“Lovers always say they’re friends.”

You glared. “Yes, well, if you know Kaiba at all then I think you know we’re not. But thanks to you, what should have been a simple friendship took years to acknowledge.”

“Nevertheless, tell me about your relationship without trite words like ‘friends.’”

“I’m…He trusts me.”

“Go on.”

“Uh. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve worked well together. And we’ve…”

“Yes?”

“At this point Kaiba’s realized I may be the only person who will neither fall in love with him nor leave him behind. Frankly, it’s a quality I appreciate in him as well.”

“Anything else?”

You hated this, “He gives me freedom, and I give him…whatever the heck it is that makes people like being friends with me.” You shrugged.

“You’re friends?” Gozaburo asked.

You glared and nodded. 

“Now that is interesting; friendship is a relationship of equals—souls standing shoulder-to-shoulder and facing life together. It’s a powerful force.” Kaiba looked surprised to hear Gozaburo talking like this. “That being said, I don’t tolerate anyone acting above their station. And however Seto may view you, you’re not at my level, and I do not allow underlings emotional outbursts during business dealings.” 

“But—”

“Don’t worry. Pawns are useful, and I’m not in the habit of destroying what I can use.” Gozaburo looked past you. “Roland, fit them with a pair of collars.”

“Very good sir. And shall I have them sent Underground?”

You could hear a man walking up behind you as Gozaburo said, “ Not yet.” You flinched as the man pulled aside your hair and clamped a metal band around your neck. Raising your manacled hands, you tugged at the item experimentally. Immediately, a shock of pain coursed through you. A moment later, when the pain ended, you were panting on your knees, glad to have stopped screaming, disoriented, afraid.

Kaiba was still on his feet, barely. “Whatever you did, don’t do it again.”

“Right.” You mentally kicked yourself for tugging on the stupid thing, of course it would be designed to prevent removal. And although your memory of the moment was hazy, you were pretty sure your actions had triggered Kaiba’s collar as well.

“Is there anything I can invent you won’t steal and misuse?” asked Kaiba as you shakily stood.

“How perceptive, Seto. These shock collars are an invention of your counterpart.”

“So you’ve got access to a contactless neural interface. What do you need us for again?” You suspected you wouldn’t like the answer.

Gozaburo appeared to see you in a new light, “You could recognize the technology after only one use?”

You kept quiet.

“I asked you a question!”

“Yeah, of course. It’s the primitive version of the neural interface we use in our Adventure System.”

“Which is?”

You wanted to be out of the spotlight, “An escape game system which combines Solid Vision with a neural interface to create an immersive experience for the player. Obviously our technology is much more advanced than yours, but I remember the earlier prototype stages well enough to recognize the sensation.”

“I’ve always assumed Seto’s obsession with games developed as a coping mechanism to deal with his separation from Mokuba. But perhaps you’re simply fated to waste your potential on frivolity.”

“Mokuba?” You could hear the change in Kaiba’s voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be spending a great deal of time with your brother’s counterpart.” Gozaburo walked back to his desk and pushed a button on his intercom, “Seto, come to my study.”

You raised your manacled hands.

Gozaburo smiled, “Ask your question.”

“What exactly are you planning to do with us?”

“She’s rather direct, Seto. But then, you’ve never had much subtlety either.” Gozaburo turned back to you, “Seto will be sent underground, where he will work in a labor facility until I send for him.” 

“I’m not working for you,” Kaiba interjected.

“Oh, Seto, I think breaking your spirit will be much more fun this time around.” Gozaburo smiled and placed his hand over his wristwatch.

Your eyes widened in realization, and then you were yelling in pain, dropping to one knee, yanking desperately at your collar in a mindless effort to remove it. When it was over, you could see Kaiba in a similar pose. For a moment, it was all you could do to fight off a wave of dizziness, “What about me?”

“My Seto has his birthday in a few days. You will be my gift to him. A reward well earned.”

“Oh?” You weren’t in the right frame of mind to respond intelligently.

“He’s never had a slave of his own before. I wonder how he’ll put you to use?”

“Wait,” Your mind finally cleared, “you’re splitting us up?”

“Indeed, although with these collars your lives will continue to affect one another. I find it rather poetic.”

“I hate you.”

“No doubt you do. But if you want to say your goodbyes, you should reorder your priorities.”

Kaiba sneered, “If you think you can hold either of us for long, you’re delusional.”

“You have spirit, Seto. But how long can it last?”

“Kaiba…” You weren’t sure what to say. 

“Same rules as always?” he asked.

“Yeah. Of course. Do what needs to be done. But…if we could limit your rebellion to the bare minimum, that would be good.” You forced a small smile, “The pain settings on these collars are really high.”

“You can take it.”

“Yeah, but I’d prefer not to.”

“Hmh.”

“You're rather different than I expected,” observed Gozaburo.

“Shut up, old man.” Kaiba turned back to you, and his eyes softened a smidge, “I forgot; this is your greatest—”

“Don’t,” you tilted your head towards Gozaburo.

Large men grabbed Kaiba and pulled him to his feet. “If my duplicate gives you any trouble, don’t hesitate to make him suffer.”

“Sure.”

“You’ll pay for this, Gozaburo!” Kaiba shouted his last words before the men dragged him out of the room.

“Now,” Gozaburo loomed over you, “I believe we still have the small matter of your outburst to settle.”

“You’ve made your point abundantly clear, there’s no need to make it again.” You tried not to sound panicked.

“Without consistency, rules are useless.”

You tried to keep from crying out when the pain came, but couldn’t. You could hear Gozaburo chuckling over your anguish, and then your vision blurred, narrowed, and faded to darkness as you passed out. Part 2

#Yugioh #Seto Kaiba #Gozaburo Kaiba #Reader x Kaiba #platonic reader insert #Duel Monsters #Arc V #Part 1

[giulzart]

Thought I'd share some of the stuff I wrote about Violet, art stuff will come soon but I've been busy irl 😖

For context these were Violet's thought after chosing to ride the bus together with Soft Violence.

Also for bonus Violet has a secret crush for Orion AND still is in love with Seven, no matter either route she's on

I'll put it under the cut so I can spare those not interested!

Violet munches down on Devyn's words while she hangs back, outside the bus they are now going to share with Soft Violence because she chose to. The choice should've been a hard one but in the end it really wasn't. Not even in the slightest. At least not for Velvet Solstice's lead singer. Violet had already made up her mind the moment the words started to leave the mouth of Viktor White.

Soft Violence.

No doubt. No further questions needed. Violet honestly thought it wasn't even something they had to ask. In her head it was the only option. She didn't even turn it into a vote as she would usually. Especially since it's a decision that will affect all of them. That will affect Velvet Solstice and their future as a band in this competition.

In the end Violet is selfish and she knows. She could pretend that she's doing it because she feels guilty for skipping the fight at the party - she does feel guilty - or because she knows Rowan is still visibly worked up about the whole situation. Without counting out all the allegations that came after, that hang over their heads like a guillotine. She's fucking pissed that someone would even think they don't deserve their spot. Violet is a liar but not a cheater.

Aren't they one and the same? Aren't you?

She casts away the thought quickly. Violet is no martyr, nor she has any wishes to be one. If she thought logically, choosing Soft Violence - Seven - in the long run is actually the worst decision ever. Yes, it's been years but the implications, the not-said linger in the air like a ticking bomb just waiting for a spark to go off. A kamikaze move that could jeopardize both their bands - Seven and hers - into the competion. She doesn't want that, no matter how much she pretends otherwise.

But again, Violet is a selfish creature at its core, so she chose like any of those pesky things do. The opportunity too delicious, too inviting to pass up. Not when it's been three years and four - maybe five - months since she last saw Seven Lawless in person. Or so she thinks. She stopped keeping the exact count after the first year and a half.

Violet can't dismiss that Seven's presence still haunts her today. In the faces of strangers that don't quite look like him at all, but her mind recognizes something of his to latch onto. Never quite right but similar enough. A shadow of him forever lives in between the walls of her second-floor apartment. In the old sheets that she washed and changed a thousand time, but still manage to startle her awake at night every now and then. Minty scent brushing against the nape of her neck. Thoughts of him are scattered in between the pages of her notebook. Angry and jagged sentences and regret and hurt marking the white paper. In the hollow space behind her ribcage that she still deals with to this day. A piece of her gone forever that he took for himself when he left her and the band behind.

She shudders at the thought. Right now she would just like to spend a couple of hours cooped up inside her bathtub, smoking and trying to untangle the mass that are her feelings. Her skin itches and she represses the urge of scratching it. Instead she presses her nails in her biceps, the sensation of the pressure taking her attention away. She kicks a lone peeble by her feet and watches as it scurries on the concreate. Violet hopes that it'll take away all the nasty mudding her head. It doesn't. Of course it doesn't.

She looks up at her reflection in the bus' windows. The blue of her eyes clouded, nervous. She's scared. Vulnerable. She hates beign this way and she looks away. Teeth worring on her bottom lip.

She can hear voices coming from inside so she looks back again. Violet barely makes out Orion's silhouette while Rowan is trying to fist-bump his shoulder. Iris snikers and Devyn and August politely try to stiffle their laughters. She lets out a sigh of relief. The tension in her shoulder lessening as she lowers her arms by her side. She'll never admit it out loud but thank god Orion came when he did. He's been a constant for the band - for her - ever since. She's quite sure that her manager will never understand the extent of the gratefullness she feels towards him. Just as much the same she feels for her friends. Her true family.

She looks down at her feet, her new vinyl boots shining in her face. Her mouth twists as thoughts run around like a carousel in her mind. The beginning of a headache already building in the back of her head. The unpleasant pulsing behind her eyes a familiar sign.

You better not fuck this one up, Violet.

She takes one more breath, rolls her shoulder and straightnes her back. She's finally gaining back her control. Violet slips her practised mask back one as she starts to make her way into the bus. A stray thought crossing her mind when she catches the familiar sight of a red bandana further back.

This tour is such a bad idea.

#violet rose #infamous oc #infamous violet #infamous if #my english is not great so I might have eff up some words or tenses #idk hope you enjoyed it #now i'll skadaddle byeee

[mindmeafterdark]

Unfinished Business

-After I’d texted Camille, I shifted gears before I could get lost in the fantasy of how she may reply.  There was not time to fixate; I had unfinished business that had suddenly become pressing. 

Maxwell.

My urgency was driven by what seemed like divination. While I couldn’t guarantee my continued interest would be returned, I was banking on fate and needed to liberate myself from all other entanglements.  Though my arrangement with Maxwell was not a relationship in any traditional sense, I knew myself well enough to understand that my evening with Camille had rendered me unable to honor what I had agreed to with Maxwell. 

I neither could or would ignore the commitment I’d made to Maxwell; he deserved proper closure with me, no matter that we’d only shared a single session.

Not one to procrastinate, I dialed his number.  After only an introduction, his demeanor on the phone was already compliant.To his credit there had only been a slight dip in his tone to indicate disappointment but he quickly rebounded on two assurances.  We would meet later in the evening for a second, and final, time. In the intervening hours, I would make some calls on his behalf, so that he might continue with another Dom.  With things set in motion, the weightless way I felt after the evening with Camille began to resurface.

A few phone calls and a couple hours of light interrogations later, I’d found three prospective dominants who were willing to assume ownership of my sub and quickly took to understanding how his needs could be met.  Ultimately, the choice would be Maxwell's to make. 

When I stepped into the shower afterward, I indulged in thoughts of her. I hoped Camille wouldn’t keep me waiting too long on a reply. Perhaps I’d been too forward telling her to leave her panties at home, but I did not live life owing any debt to regret.   Besides, she owned a sex shop and we’d spent some quality time in that partitioned room. She could handle what I sent.  Whether she obeyed… only time would tell.  

My thoughts flashed to the nipple shields she’d sold me.  I already knew, they would only be used on her…or no one at all. Under the hot spray with my thoughts veering this direction, I was on a sheer cliff, teetering on a edge I didn’t have time for, so I stopped. My focus detoured to patience as I toweled off, dressed and finally got on my way. 

=============================================================

The night would be different than my first with Maxwell. He had earned some measure of reward for how he had taken to my change in circumstance, but we were not so established that I could give him everything that could have been.  That would be left to another.  

Maxwell was punctual and this time I opened the door when he knocked without a word. There would be no blindfold; he would see everything coming for him, eyes wide open. For his benefit, I intended the night to be shades and tastes of what could have been.

“Sir.” 

I didn’t acknowledge his address verbally, instead placing my hand on his crown and applying pressure, directing him.-

Knees. 

-No hesitation, he had taken to submission quickly. Maxwell was soon face to face with my hips. I stood there, silently, and observed.  After a few minutes, his lips parted and he started to pant lightly.  I gripped the back of his head by short hairs and yanked it backwards, angling him so that he could see my eyes when I spoke.-

What do you want, Maxwell?  

-He was immediately unsure, timid from his lower station.  He didn’t know what to do with the question I’d just asked. Relaxing my hold just slightly, I watched his eyes flash in front of him before staring back up at me.-

I asked you a question, boy.

-The term alone put him in his place. Not answering was unacceptable. I did not miss how hard he swallowed, nor the shake in his voice as he finally sucked it up.

“If it pleases you, Sir, I want to suck your cock.” His tone was already hoarse and desperate. 

That earned him a smirk, and nearly an arrogant laugh.  I let go of his hair and paced towards my instrumentation, leaving him where he was as I started measuring the floggers on display. His request had been presumptuous but what I had expected. I had placed him on his knees in front of me for a reason.  It was a lesson in the power of suggestion and admission. Selecting a black-and-gold, calfskin flogger from the wall,  I returned to stand in front of him, teasing what he wanted but wouldn’t have.-

I can’t see you properly. Fix that. Now. 

-He understood immediately. 

“Yes, Sir.” 

He shed his shirt first and I kicked it out of sight. He started to get to his feet but paused, seeking my approval which was served in the form of a nod. Shoes, socks, jeans and whatever was underneath them were dispensed with. Though they had faded, bruises and marks were remnants of the time we had previously spent together. I used the flogger to remind him of where I had already touched while calculating where fresh stripes would land.-

Did you do as I asked? 

-“Yes, Sir.” He was eager now, walking over to the table at the center of the room and bending over it before spreading his ass so I could see he was wearing the plug.  Striding over, making sure he could hear the clap of my boots with each step, I stepped between his thighs, pressing two fingers against the base of the plug to drive it momentarily deeper.  He groaned.-

Do you like that? Your ass filled and shamelessly on display? 

-”Yes. Yes, SIR.” He corrected himself before I could, but I seized the opportunity to deliver a heavy handed lash across his muscled cheeks.  I briefly considered a gag when he let out the moan, but broke with idea as quickly as it came. Walking to the side of the table I dropped my lips to his ear.-

Will you like it when your new sir has you prone? Do you want to show him how good you can be?

-”Yes, Sir. I want to show him. I want to show you.”

I admonished him with a tsk of my tongue.-

Did I ask about me? 

-”No, Sir.” A backhand lash with the flogger in a diagonal motion across his back, earned flinches of muscles and a pink bloom rising on his skin. Gripping the plug between my fingers, I pulled it free of his tight rim in a swift motion, setting it aside.-

If you want that back you will have to earn it, Maxwell. Understood?

-”I understand, Sir.” Seizing him by the back of the neck, I brought him to a standing position and walked him over to the wall I had already adjusted according to his measurements. The flogger was dropped on a hook before I retrieved a cock ring from my pocket. I took his semi in my hand, watching his face as I slid the ring over his head, down his shaft until it was flush against the top of his balls. His lip quivered and his lashes fluttered, then his dick thickened in my hand.-

Face the wall. 

-He did as he was told and I splayed his arms wide, fastening buckles at each wrist before continuing to the larger collar that went around his neck.-

You are not limited to formal responses from this point forward. You won’t hold back, Maxwell. 

- “No, Sir. I won’t hold back."  

I attached the nipple clamps I had added to the wall before he arrived; I knew they were tight enough when an elicit hiss escaped his lips, and then I tightened them a little more.  I smacked the thick muscle of his inner thigh, knuckles grazing against his balls in a tease.- 

Spread. 

-One word commands left my sub with discretion but not much. His feet moved out and the bar with weighted cuffs on either end were attached to his ankles. It was locked in place

The tip of his dick dripped onto the wall. Time for some…conversation. I pressed against him, my bare chest against his back, rewarding him with the feel of skin and further confinement by my body.-

Listen. 

You can speak. You can moan. You can cry. You can beg. What you will not do is come, not without my express permission.  

-I trailed breath across shoulders broader than my own to speak into his opposite ear.-

If I let you come at all. 

-An audible groan satisfied the sadist in me, and I stepped back.  With Maxwell affixed to the wall, he was at my mercy, right where he wanted to be. Retrieving the flogger, I eyed his athletic ass, proud to know he accepted himself for who he was and what he wanted, even if the world remained in the dark.  It was more than most in his position could admit, many favoring a denial that gnawed at a person from the inside out.-

You presumed you could just suck my cock.  

-A blur of rawhide served as prelude to delivery of the most forceful whip against his skin. He arched into the wall. His nipples stretched tight as his shoulder blades pinched together in a tense display of angled and arced muscle and protrusion of bone.

“Please, Sir.  I want to choke on you, swallow you… please.” 

The naivety of his begging was almost…endearing. I had given him permission but that would not earn him this.  My cock was spoken for, whether Camille claimed it or not.-

No. You will save your throat for your new sir. 

-More stripes across his ass, these ones angrier and closer to red. He was fighting against my denial, choking out words as he realized his helplessness. I got up close to his ear again.-

Doesn’t your new sir deserve that submission? 

“Yes, Sir. He does… but-”  I cut him off, pinching his lips tight between my fingers, shaking my head slowly back and forth.-

I said NO.  

-This time I fetched a studded glove. The studs were smooth and rounded, they wouldn't break skin, but they would leave pretty little diamond welts. I knew he could handle more and Maxwell was about to receive. With my bare, left hand I gripped his dick and squeezed it in my fist.- 

Tell me again what you want, Maxwell. 

-He turned his head in the collar to meet my stare without fear, attempting to bait me with an intentional run of his tongue between his lips. 

"Your cock. I want it, Sir. In my mouth or in my ass. Anywhere. Everywhere." 

This earned a succession of merciless smacks against his bared ass. I let go of his cock as he wailed.- 

Doesn't your new sir deserve a virgin ass to claim? Don't you want to be all his?

-Through gasps I got his compliance as I stepped back behind him, admiring the pattern left on his cheeks.- 

Tell me what you want now, Maxwell. -leaning in, I caught his earlobe between my teeth, tugging hard before releasing it to deliver instruction.-

Speak clearly. 

-"I want to be good for my new sir. I want to be all his to use. To please. To punish. I want to worship his cock when I've earned it. I want to be good." He trailed off on the repetition, sounding broken. I would not hand him off this way.-

Good. Whoever you choose will be pleased. They will be lucky. Do not forget that. 

-Reaching between Maxwell and the wall, I released the nipple clamps from it and freed him from the collar around his neck. I grabbed his hips and guided him back. His poor cock was swollen and pulsing wherever veins were present but his ass was better on display for the taking.-

Do you want to be full again, Maxwell? 

-He moaned before he answered and I ran the gloved hand between his cheeks, teasing circles around his tight hole, applying pressure but not breaching his entrance. 

"Please, Sir. Please…I need it….Please." 

The agony in his voice was something to chew on and savor and I did as I selected his reward: a four-bead, graduated, glass plug. I took my time, allowing the tension to rebuild as I coated the plug with an ample amount of lube. Walking back to where he was I pressed a hand into his lower back, forcing a deeper arch.-

Time to graduate, boy. 

-I wedged the glass between his cheeks and wasted no time easing in the tip. 

"Yesssss. More. Please." He stretched back, physically begging, and I pushed in further until the first bead disappeared inside him. There was less time allowed for rebound as his rim stretched further to accommodate the second. 

"Gooooooood. So good." He was breathless, his voice raspy. He was not trained properly for the fourth, but the third was a possibility.-

One more? 

-An unintelligible string of sounds passed his lips before he managed an actual answer. 

"One more. Make me ready. I want to be ready." The answer pleased me. This is where I wanted him, primed and ready for his new dominant.-

Very good, Maxwell. Breathe. -I circled the third bead, slowly working it inside, and he let go of a high pitched moan as I watched his toes curl against the floor and his arms tug against the restraints on the wall. After a few more breaths, I upped the pace to relentless as perspiration glistened on his skin and down the canal of his spine. 

He started to meet the thrusts of my hand as much as he could in the position he was in. His hips rocked back and up, and my own strokes with the plug became more forceful. He was crying for relief, begging for it and while I had made my decision, I didn't announce it immediately, instead opting to reach between is thighs to give his balls a squeeze…delaying his orgasm while making it decidedly more difficult. As he showed greater restraint in response to the torture of edging, I finally gave the permission he needed.-

Let it go. Show me what you've earned.

-I released his balls and gripped him by one shoulder. His body torqued then tensed.-

Come. -I growled out the order and it didn't take anything else. His body jerked and waved until he had emptied every drop he had to give.  His body sagged. His legs shook. He shuddered as I pulled each bead free from his ass.  Grabbing a towel I released him from the spreader bar, then the wrist restraints and then, without releasing any of the tension, snapped the clamps off his nipples, earning a final yelp. The cock ring stayed. I pressed the towel I to his hand.-

Clean up the floor, Maxwell and then come join me. 

-I waited as he patiently did as he was told before he stretched out on the table. He wore a sated smile while I attended to the wounds and marks, and spoke quiet words of approval. I shared with him what I knew of the other Doms I'd conversed with earlier. His thanks were numerous and he expressed he felt whole.

He had been rewarded, as had I. With compliance. With graciousness. With surrender. 

I no longer needed the control that drove me to the lifestyle, but this was somehow richer and more fulfilling than the prior experiences I'd shared with submissive because I didn't need it. 

I didn't need it because in place of the previous void in my chest, hope swelled. 

Maxwell and I shared a polite goodbye, with assurances he could reach out if ever he wanted advice or guidance. I knew if he ended up in the right hands, there would be no need. He was free now. 

As was I.

On the short walk to my car, I was at last able to check my phone. I grinned. 

Camille had replied.-

[geminiamethyst]

Limitless. Chapter 40: Empty Eyes

Chapter 1: click HERE

Chapter 39: click HERE

Chapter 41: click HERE

Warning: I've got tissues! Everyone take one because you might need it!

The room was far too quiet for Maki's liking. The only thing that she could hear was the muffled sobbing from the elders' bedroom and Kaito's steady breathing. Maki wanted to leave. She didn't want to be here in this room and be reminded of her overwhelming guilt. She wanted to get up and run. She wanted to run from this room. She wanted to run form this house. She just wanted to run. However, no matter how much she wanted to run away, she couldn't bring herself to. Maybe it was the guilt weighing her down and punishing her for this happening. Or maybe she needed to be with him. Maki didn't know why she was still sitting on her chair, but she started to doubt if she wanted to leave. Kaito continued to stare at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of her being there. He hadn't responded to his grandparents other then blinking automatically. Would he respond to Maki? It was a stupid hope, an impossible hope, but...

"I don't know how to start off this. But I need to let this out now, or else I'll regret it forever if I don't. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I hope that you can." Maki suddenly started talking, her voice struggling to stay strong. She didn't know if she was just wasting her breath, but she truly wanted to get this off her chest. Kaito didn't show any signs of hearing her. Maki's fists balled up, clenching tightly at her jeans. She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from crying again. "Before I met you, I gave up on trying to connect with people. I thought that I would be lonely forever. You were the first one to speak to me without being afraid of me. You listened to me when I didn't know that I needed someone to. You never saw me as a weapon. You saw me as a normal girl, something that no one made me feel like for I don't know how long. You made me happy." Maki had to take another deep breath as she felt her chest tighten suddenly. Her throat suddenly felt like it was dry. She fought hard to not give in to her emotions or need to cry. Maki watched Kaito to see if he could react to her. Nothing. Kaito only stared at the ceiling with his soulless eyes. His body hadn't moved, not even a twitch. He didn't say anything to help comfort her. Maki bit her lip nervously before glancing at the door. Seeing no one there nor hearing anyone coming to the room, she slowly got up and sat on the bed.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't save you. I'm sorry that I couldn't stop them in time." Maki continued, her hand subconsciously interlocking fingers with Kaito's free hand. "I understand if you can't forgive me for it. But I'm going to make you one promise that I'll never break." Maki's grip on Kaito's hand tightened as she felt tears starting to go down her face. She gently stroked Kaito's forehead as she leaned down to his head. A little closer now, she could just see the marks on his head from where he was shocked. Another painful reminder that she had failed to save him. Maki tried to ignore it as she did her best to focus on what she needed to say.

"I promise that I'll keep you and your family safe." Maki whispered into Kaito's ear. Even if she couldn't save Kaito, the least that she could do was keep him and his grandparents safe from any harm. She felt like that's what she could do to try to make up for the damage that had been done. Maki pulled back a little, looking into Kaito's empty eyes. Unable to stop herself, she gently placed her lips onto his, but only for two seconds. His lips felt cold and dry as she kissed him. Maki gently pulled back, looking into his eyes again. "I love you..." If this were some land of make believe, this would be the moment when Kaito woke up from this state, like how Snow White and Sleeping Beauty woke up from their sleep by their princes. Maki wished this was the case as she pulled her face away from Kaito.

Nothing...

Maki sighed quietly, tears flowing faster down her face. Her tears landed on Kaito's cheeks, as if he were crying too. She promptly wiped them away, trying to erase any evidence as to what she had done. Again, Kaito didn't say or move in reaction as to what she was doing. Maki slowly started to stand up, wanting to break away from this depressing and empty atmosphere. Maki stood up from the bed, her body still feeling heavy with the guilt she was feeling. However, when she tried to pull her hand away, she found that she couldn't. Not because she wanted to stay, but because she couldn't get her hand away from Kaito's. Did he subconsciously tighten on her hand slightly? Maki's puffy eyes watched intently as Kaito's fingers twitched a little. The movement was small, but Maki saw it as plain as day. The fingers twitched a little more as they slowly gripped tighter to Maki's hand. The grip was strong as their fingers interlocked perfectly. Maki wiped her eyes with her free arm, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

It wasn't a dream! This was real!

Maki watched Kaito's face as it twitched slightly. He let out a quiet groan as he blinked and squinted his eyes. After blinking a few times, his gaze finally settled on the girl standing by him.

"M-Maki Roll...?" He asked, his voice sounding dry and slow. Maki had to do a mental check to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating this moment. As he slowly sat up, Kaito looked around the room that he was in, his eyes lighting up with realisation. "Wait...isn't this-" Kaito didn't get a chance to finish as Maki leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him. He was stunned for a minute before his arms slowly wrapped around Maki. The tears that Maki shed returned as she felt Kaito hug her. She felt light, like all the guilt that she had was suddenly gone. Kaito rubbed her back. He was saying something, but Maki couldn't hear it. She was too far into this emotion to hear what was being said. She could feel Kaito's grip tighten as she felt her shoulder suddenly feeling damp. Was Kaito crying? Maki pulled back a little, seeing small tears going down Kaito's cheeks. She quickly tried to wipe them away, which prompted Kaito to try to wipe away her tears. Maki smiled wearily before she held it together for a few seconds.

"Mr and Mrs Momota!" She shouted, turning to the doorway. Kaito blinked at her a few times to process what she had said. Upon hearing two sets of footsteps and as Maki pulled away, he turned to look at the doorway. His grandparents were standing there, both looking emotionally drained.

"Gramps? Grandma?" Kaito asked, his tears starting to fall faster down his face. He sounded uncertain, as if he thought that he was still trapped in the state that he was in. His grandparents only answered by rushing over to him. Maki stood back as the elders engulfed Kaito in their arms, holding him tightly. She immediately ran out of the room, calling out to everyone else to tell them the good news. Kaito held his grandparents close to him just as tight as they held him. All the loneliness and emptiness that was in this room was suddenly gone. It was filled only with overwhelming sense of happiness and being complete. A family that was forced apart was now back together again.

"We thought we lost you, son." Kaito's grandfather barely let out as he and his wife started to cry. Kaito felt the salty tears from both of his grandparents hit his shoulders. The last time he remembers seeing them cry like this was when he lost his parents. It hurt worse than a knife to Kaito as they openly cried in front of him.

"You won't lose me that easily." He cried, unable to stop his own tears from flowing. He was told that a man shouldn't cry, but that was erased from his memory almost immediately. Kaito didn't care if he was crying right now. He was just happy to be home. He felt complete as he was held by the family that means so much to him. He felt warm and safe, more than he had ever done before.

After so long, he was finally home.

#limitless fic #super power au #drv3 #kaito momota #maki haruwaka #kaito’s grandparents

[fanstantic]

Day 2 of Whumptober

Overworked

Disclaimer : I’m not really a writer nor english so it can turn very bad.

Aziraphale was so tired he could cry. He did cry actually, multiple times. Always when he was sure nobody will see him. He cries and when he has the time and when he allows himself, he nearly regret his choices. Nearly because he knows that all that work is simply hardship to overcome to reach its goal. To make Heaven good again, a place of kindess, of good... of love. All he do right now is just the surface. He need to do more to fix Heaven. To make a place where everybody would be accepted, where Crowley could be truly himself. The simple thought of Crowley makes him feel a buch of emotion that he could not yet untangle. He feels hurt, he feels sad and yes, he feels angry. Why couldn't he understand ? Why did he not listen ? It was exactly why he doesn't allow himself to think of all that and why he keep burring himself with work. If not he would dream of this alternative reality where Crowley accepts his offer. He could almost see it. Them, together, angels ! With his imagination, Crowley would find new way to make everything better. He would know exactly what to do. He could see Crowley enter his office grumbling over stupid angel who don't rest. Then he would take him to the Ritz for dinner.

Someone knocked on his office door interrupting his reverie. For a moment, he could feel a glimpse of hope. Maybe his dream came true. Maybe Crowley was behind this door and maybe... All his hopes were crushed when Michael entered. She handed a tons of paperwork (litteral tone).

"Oh, hum... Thank you Michael. What is this for ?" She gave him a cold look. She was waiting for any errors to take his place. Despair fell upon him, he truly have no allies in Heaven.

"It's some document that need to be completed quickly. We need it for the preparation of the Second Coming" then she left without a second glance.

Aziraphale take a look at the pile of papper and sighed. It will take him a lot of time to process all that. He don't have time to make anything for the moment. As he go back to work he had a thought for Gabriel. No wonder he's so rude all the time.

#good omens s2 #whumptober 2023 #aziraphale #supreme archangel aziraphale #good omens spoilers