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bwabys-scenarios · 9 months

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Fixer Upper

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

Part 4

part 3

part 5

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Red.

It was all Kurapika could see.

The red clothing his childhood wore, the red eyes of his brethren when they were angry…

And the crimson red of their blood staining his childhood home.

They stared up at him with their empty eye sockets, bloody tears running down their cheeks.

“Why?”

Kurapika turned slowly, his eyes wide and terrified as they met the empty sockets of his dearest friend.

“Why do you get to become an adult?”

“Kurapika? You have to wake up…”

He ignored the voice calling out to him, running towards his friend.

“Pairo, please, we have to get you to a doctor. I’m so glad you’re alive. Everyone else-“

When he reached out to grab his friend’s arm, it withered away until only bones were left.

“Answer me, Kurapika.”

The blonde stared at his friends arm, his breath hitching.

“Why were you the only one to survive?”

“Kurapika!”

The blonde shot up, gasping for breath. His eyes flitted across the room, seeing most of his friends still asleep.

Who woke him up, then?

“Shh, Kurapika, it’s alright. You were having a bad dream.”

He turned to see (Name) behind him. Her hair was in disarray from sleep, and… he was lying between her legs.

Kurapika threw himself back, scrambling to the other side of the couch.

“Is something wrong?”

The blonde tried to make sense of why he’d ended up where he did. He’d been tired, leaned on her shoulder and…

‘Oh. She must of moved me to her lap so she could sleep too.’

He glanced at the girl. She was rubbing her neck, wincing.

She’d slept in an uncomfortable position so he’d be able to rest comfortably.

Kurapika sighed, trying to relax.

“I… I apologize. It was just a bit surprising to be so close to you when I first woke up.”

(Name) nodded, stretching before standing up.

“Well, it’s about 6 am. You gonna sleep a little longer?”

He pushed his hair out of his face, noticing it was wet with sweat.

“I don’t think I’d be able to.”

(Name) nodded. “I understand. I’m going to get started on breakfast, I can turn something on the TV to distract you if you’d like?”

“Please.”

She turned the TV onto a random channel before walking to the kitchen.

Around 30 minutes later, the others had woken up and were lazing around the living room.

“(Name), when’s breakfast going to be ready? I’m starving.”

Killua appeared behind her, peaking over her shoulder.

“Hey, careful. It’s hot.”

She pushed him back a little, the white haired boy swatting at her hands.

“(Naaamee)! Answer!”

She huffed. “About five minutes. Go get Gon and set the table.”

Killua rolled his eyes and scurried off, pulling Gon off the pallet.

“Alright, it’s ready. Come and make your plates!

——————

After a short breakfast, Killua and Gon left to play in a nearby creek, leaving Leorio, Kurapika, and (Name) to chat.

“So… how have you been doing, Kurapika?”

The blonde shrugged. “Alright.”

“Any luck with finding the scarlet eyes?”

“Sometimes.”

“Gotten any new information?”

“Not yet.”

Leorio groaned and leaned against (Name)’s shoulder. “Come on, give us something. Any more details?”

Kurapika sighed. “No, nothing that would interest you.”

(Name) pushed Leorio off her shoulder. “That’s alright. I’m just happy you’re here right now.”

Kurapika looked to the ground. “I’m… I’m glad I’m here too. It’s been nice.”

It was the first time in a while Kurapika had said his honest feelings.

“Really? Hehe…”

She squeezed his hand. “You can be so cute sometimes, you know?”

Before Kurapika could respond, he felt his pocket vibrate.

“Just a moment, I have to respond to this.”

Kurapika hurried out of the room, leaving Leorio and (Name) to stare at each other.

“It’s definitely his girlfriend-“

(Name) smacked his shoulder. “It’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“He blushes when I call him pretty and nearly died when he woke up sleeping against me. He doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

Leorio hummed.

‘Woke up against her? And he was worried I was going to be a perv…’

Kurapika closed the door to his bedroom as he unloved his phone.

A text appeared on his screen, from an unknown number.

Unknown Number: Melody said you needed information on the scarlet eyes?

His breath hitched, the scarlet returning to his eyes.

Kurapika: Yes. What information do you have?

Kurapika only had to wait a few minutes for a response.

Unknown: can’t talk over text. Meet me in York New.

Before completely reading the message, Kurapika grabbed his satchel and stuffed his clothing into it, along with his weapon and wallet.

He was out of his bedroom door and halfway through the living room before he was stopped by Leorio.

“Hey, where the hell are you going in such a rush?”

“York New. An informant wants to meet there to exchange information on the scarlet eyes.”

(Name) stood up, walking over slowly. “You’re leaving right now? But you’ve only been here a few days…”

Kurapika was glad he was facing the opposite direction, because he could hear the sadness in her voice. He knew if he turned to look at her, he would have trouble leaving.

“I know, and… I’m sorry, but-“

“Your mission comes first. I know.”

Hearing the words he’d spat in her face come out of her mouth stung, but they were the truth. Kurapika bit his lip.

“I’ll…”

Kurapika couldn’t bring himself to promise he’d keep in touch. He knew the minute he was out the door, he’d try his best to forget her again.

It was easier that way. If she didn’t exist to him, he wouldn’t have to feel guilty leaving her behind.

“Goodbye.”

With that, Kurapika left. Leorio attempted to follow after him, but was stopped by (Name)’s hand grabbing his sleeve.

She simply shook her head.

“He won’t listen.”

Leorio knew she was right.

——————

“So he just left? Again? Total Ging move.”

Killua and Gon had returned with little silver fish they’d collected in bags to a gloomy atmosphere.

“I mean, that’s my dad, but he’s not wrong.”

Leorio dropped the bag of fish into one of the numerous fish tanks so they could acclimate.

“Be nice. I’m sure after spending time with us he’ll… TRY to keep contact.” (Name) said, making her another sandwich for the boys to take with them to the creek.

“With Leorio, maybe, but not with you.”

Killua instantly regretted his words when (Name)’s lip quivered ever so slightly. It wasn’t something most people would notice, but acts living with her for two years he’d become an expert in detecting her moods.

“(Name), I-“

She waved him off. “It’s fine. You’re right, I’ve accepted that. As long as I know he’s safe, it doesn’t matter if he talks to me.”

She was lying, and they all knew it.

“Why don’t we talk about something else? The carnival is still in town, why don’t we go again? This time you won’t get thrown up on.”

She sighed. “I don’t feel like it today. Maybe some other time…”

‘She usually loves going out with us. This is affecting her more than I thought…’

Leorio watched her from his seat by the counter.

“Let’s stay in then. I can sleep over again and-“

A knock on the door caused the black haired man to jump. Killua rose from his seat, calling out that he was coming.

When the white haired boy answered the door, the person behind it made him scowl.

He instantly closed the door and locked it, strolling away like nothing happened.

“Who was it?”

“No one.”

(Name) placed her hands on her hips. “I can sense someone behind the door, you know.”

“No one important.”

She huffed, wiping her wet hands on her apron before storming to the door and unlocking.

“… Kurapika?”

The blonde stood behind the door, looking small.

“…hello.”

He didn’t meet her eyes, staring at his feet as the other three joined her.

“Did you forget something? I can go grab i-“

“No. I…”

Killua groaned. “Oh my god, spit it out already.”

‘He just started talking.’ (Name) thought, pushing the little gremlin away.

“The informant can’t meet for… another three weeks.”

Leorio raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And… I have nowhere to stay.”

“Yeah you don’t.”

Killua moved to slam the door closed, but was stopped with a look from (Name).

“Come on in. Lunch is almost ready.”

Kurapika glanced between Leorio and Killua, the first moving out of his way with a sigh, and the second staring at him with the intensity of a crazed chihuahua.

(Name) grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, Gon jumping up from the bean bag chair excitedly.

“Kurapika, you’re back! Did you finish your mission already?”

“Gon. His mission was in York New.”

“… and?”

“Oh my god.”

(Name) laughed. “Gon, York New is a few hours away. It would be physically impossible for him to finish it that fast.”

“Ohhh. Okay.”

He still didn’t completely understand.

Killua and Gon sat in the living room as they munched on their sandwiches and chips.

Leorio was kind enough not to bring up the fact he’d just left, sitting down at the kitchen table.

“(Name) what are our plans for today?”

Kurapika ate his sandwich in silence.

“Mmm, nothing. We might go out for dinner later because I’m tired of cooking, but that’s all I can think of.”

Killua watched as (Name)’s mood slowly improved with Kurapika’s presence. It almost pissed him off.

“(Name), Gon ripped his shirt again.”

She groaned. “Again? That’s the last one Mito sent… I’ll have to go shopping in the morning…”

Kurapika perked up, dropping his sandwich onto his plate. “I’ll go with you.”

Killua scowled. “No, I will. Why would you go with her?”

Kurapika frowned. “Because it’s not safe for a woman to be out in a city like this.”

“Okay, sexist, but I’m the one that goes with her. And it’s for Gon’s shirt.”

‘Sexist? Was that sexist?’

(Name) laughed. “Aww, Killua it’s fine. You have chores you need to catch up on anyways. You can come with me, Kurapika.”

“But-“

(Name) held up her hand. “No buts. Your room is filthy, and if I see another creature crawling out of it in the dead of night I will be banning chocolate robots from this house.”

Killua crossed his arms over his chest. “It was only two times…”

“One is more than enough. How the hell did you even catch a baby alligator? It bit me!!”

‘Did she say alligator? No I had to have heard wrong…’

Kurapika glanced between the two, becoming more concerned by the second.

“It was a CROCODILE. There’s a huge difference.”

(Name) smacked a hand over her forehead. “It was three feet long. I don’t care what it was, Gon.”

“You should. Crocodiles are scarier.”

Killua leaned closer to whisper into Gon’s ear. “You are NOT helping the situation at all.”

Leorio sipped on a cup of coffee. “Where did you even get it?”

“The zoo.”

“Now that’s some information you didn’t tell me last time.”

The two boys glanced at each other before sprinting out the door.

“See ya later, bye (Name)!”

Leorio placed his cup down, picking up the newspaper. “Free birth control.”

(Name) plopped down next to him. “Ain’t that right. I have enough on my hands with those two, and they aren’t even mine.”

Leorio shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Gon call you mom at least once.”

Kurapika perked up at that. “Mom?”

“Yes?”

The two stared at each other for moment, the words sinking in slowly.

“… I’m going to go take a nap.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The two watched as (Name) stumbled up the stairs.

“She’s so mommy material.”

Kurapika smacked his friend on the shoulder. “Shut up.”

———————

Killua and Gon snuck in an hour later, only relaxing when they were informed (Name) had fallen asleep.

“Ah, good. She was put into an uncomfortable sleeping situation last night.”

Killua glanced at Kurapika when he said this, a disdainful tone to his voice.

“… it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Sure. I’m sure you won’t leave her alone tomorrow on purpose either.”

Kurapika stood up, approaching the boy.

“What is your issue?”

“My issue is you. Why are you even here?”

Kurapika rolled his eyes. “It’s safe and convenient. That’s why I’m here.”

Gon frowned. “You’re not here for (Name)?”

The other three quieted down. There was a lot of things Gon didn’t know about the current situation.

“… I’m here to wait for my next mission. Being able to spend time with you all is just one of the… perks?”

Gon nodded slowly. “I see. Well… I’m glad you’re here. I know (Name) is happy you’re back as well.”

The blonde couldn’t meet his young friend’s eyes. “I… I’m glad she’s happy.”

That was enough to make Gon smile.

A few hours passed by before Killua was tasked with waking (Name) up so they could decide what to do for dinner.

“(Name)? Hey, I’m opening your door.”

When he did, he barely held back a laugh.

She was curled up in her blanket, looking like a sleeping caterpillar. He pulled out his phone to take s picture before shaking her shoulder.

“Wake up. We’re hungry, and Gon won’t stop threatening to chew on the table.”

She shot awake. “He what? Oh god not again!”

(Name) leapt out of bed, having to be steadied by Killua.

“Woah, don’t fall. Leorio’s a big baby when you get injured.”

“Ah, sorry. Thanks. I’ll be down in 5 minutes, tell everyone to throw on something decent.”

“… but Gon doesn’t-“

“Killua, let him borrow one of your shirts.”

He grumbled on the way down the stairs.

‘If he tears the shirts (Name) got me I’m going to drown him. Like she did to Ging.’

(Name) came running down the stairs in a simple sundress, wearing sandals and a headband to match.

“Okay, to the car. Before Gon starts on the chairs!”

They all piled into her car. Kurapika peeled out the window as (Name) followed suit.

‘Would he… would he really chew on the furniture?’

Gon pulled a piece of wood from his teeth.

‘He would.’

——————

“Why did we have to dress up to eat at Wendy’s?”

She rolled her eyes. “We’re not eating at Wendy’s, we’re just parking here. The restaurant we’re going to doesn’t have free parking.”

Kurapika watched as she held both of the boys hands as they crossed the street.

“I’m not baby, (Name).”

“Yeah but you’re 5’2. Have you seen the kind of trucks they drive around here? You’d be a Killua pancake.”

She pulled them to the opposite side of the road.

Leorio looped his arm with her’s. “And you’re not that much taller. Here, let me-“

Kurapika kicked the back of his legs, causing Leorio to fall.

“Let me.”

He walked beside (Name), making sure he was near Gon and not Killua.

Kurapika didn’t think he would push him into traffic, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

“Leorio, don’t fall too far behind.” Killua called, waving at him.

Gon turned to watch him as he stumbled to his feet,

“What is this, the Hunter Exam? Ugh…”

He followed behind the four, his suitcase dangling by his knees.

Killua blinked his eyes, staring up at the sign above them.

“Oh.”

Gon looked up as well. “Is… is that Chuck E. Cheese?”

(Name) nodded. “The rat casino, in all its glory.”

She patted their backs. “Go ahead. I put some money in Gon’s backpack. We’ll be back in an hour.”

She barely got to finish her sentence before Gon and Killua raced off.

“Rat casino? Is it gambling… for children?”

Kurapika stared at the establishment. He’d never seen such a thing, but judging from the smell of greasy pizza, smelly shoes, and vomit, he assumed it wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be.

“Basically. They’ve been begging to come for the past few days. It’s just chaotic enough in there to balance out their need for destruction.”

Leorio nodded. “Okay, but where are we going to eat?”

(Name) pointed next to the Chuck E. Cheese.

“There’s a small burger joint I like to go to while the kids have fun. It’s nothing fancy, but…”

She twirled around in her dress. “Going out with my handsome friends is enough reason to dress up.”

The two followed behind her, both hiding a small blush that had taken over their cheeks.

——————

The three ordered their food before sitting at a small booth. (Name) and Kurapika sat on one side, Leorio on the other.

“Why do you always get to sit beside (Name)?”

“Because you can’t be trusted around women.”

(Name) poked her lip out in a pout. “I trust Leorio. We’ve slept in the same bed and he didn’t try anything.”

“E-excuse me?”

Leorio gave him a smug look. “Yeah, I remember that. Have you and Kurapika slept in the same bed?”

“Does the couch count?”

Kurapika groaned as he slapped a hand over his red face.

“Well he was between your legs with his head on your stomach, so who’s really the-“

“Order for table 3!”

Kurapika stood up and rushed to the counter. “I’ll get it!”

(Name) smacked Leorio over the top of his head. “Don’t tease him. He’s already embarrassed enough that he had to come back after leaving.”

Leorio whined, holding his head. “Ouch, if you’re going to hit me at least do it when-“

She smacked him again, this time laughing. “Oh shut up.”

Kurapika watched from a distance away, his grip on the platter holding their order tightening.

‘They’re awfully close. Irritatingly so.’

He placed the tray down, throwing Leorio’s food before handing (Name) hers gently.

“Woah, you nearly spilled my fries!”

Leorio held the carton of fries to his chest, offended.

“Maybe you should focus on catching your food and not flirting.”

The two glanced at each other before looking to Kurapika.

“I wouldn’t call that flirting. This is flirting.”

He made kissy face at (Name) fluttering his eyelashes.

“(Name), please. Would you make me the happiest man on earth and give me a little kiss?”

She stared at him. “I hate you.”

“That wasn’t what you were saying when-“

“When nothing. Ya goof.”

She reached over to pinch his cheek. “Now stop before you embarrass me.”

Even this small display of affection caused a seed of jealousy to sprout in Kurapika’s heart. He would figure out what he was feeling in that moment for a while, all he knew was that he didn’t like the way Leorio was looking at her.

Wordlessly, Kurapika scooted closer to (Name), his eyes locked on Leorio’s. The man raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t say anything.

Kurapika placed a single finger on her hand that rested on the table. It was his pinky that he’d stretched out to touch her’s.

If she’d noticed it, she didn’t say anything. She ate her food and chatted with Leorio, trying to bring Kurapika into the conversation.

He’d attempt to participate, but often found himself preferring to listen to her.

“And then this bitch tried to stab me!! Over an ugly Christmas sweater! Can you believe that Kurapika?”

He thought back to the time he’d almost crankily killed someone in a grocery store for taking the last bag of cinnamon pecans.

“Yes. I can.”

(Name) finished the last bite of her burger, turning to Kurapika with something on her face.

“Thank you, because Killua wouldn’t believe me, he said-“

Kurapika reaches out and grabbed her chin, keeping her still.

“What are you-“

He wiped her face with a napkin, causing her to close her eyes. He wasn’t exactly gentle, rubbing it all over her face until he felt he was done.

“You had something on your face.”

He pulled back the paper towel to see her pouting lips. “You could have just told me.”

Leorio snickered next to them. “Nah, he wanted to hold your face close t-“

Kurapika threw the balled up napkin at the black haired man.

“Ew, Kurapika!”

He dodged the napkin, scowling at the blonde.

The three finished their food, still having 15 minutes before they were supposed to meet up with Gon and Killua.

“Mmm, let’s go grab the car. Then when we pick them up we can grab ice cream on the way home.”

“Sounds like a plan, (Name).”

Kurapika stayed by (Name)‘s side as they strolled through the city. It was dark out, the only light being the street lamps and stars.

(Name) yawned. She was still sleepy even after her 2 hour nap.

“Tired?”

She nodded at the blonde. “A little. It’s been a long day.”

He looked away, a frown pulling at his lips. Him leaving suddenly had saddened her, that much he could tell.

Kurapika didn’t want her to be sad, but it was better than her ending up dead. When they’d met up in York New, she’d nearly gotten herself killed trying to help him.

He wouldn’t take his chances again.

“I see…”

He watched her from the corner of his eye. She was swaying slightly, only enough for a trained eye to notice.

“Kurapika, she’s going to-“

(Name) suddenly fell forward, being caught by the blonde before she could hit the ground.

Leorio rushed forward, immediately checking her pulse before sighing.

“She’s alright, I think she just fell asleep.”

‘Asleep? How tired was she?’

Kurapika lifted her into his arms bridal style, taking a closer look at her face.

There were dark circles under her eyes. He remembered she’d stayed up the night he left, but she’d had a full night of sleep the night before… right?

“She hasn’t slept well the last three days. The night before the last she spent organizing our trip to the carnival and buying tickets online so it would be cheaper. She’s only had a few hours of sleep.”

Leorio glanced at Kurapika as he walked beside the blonde. “Ice cream will have to wait for another day. She needs to get home.”

Kurapika brushed a piece of hair from her face, frowning. “Does she usually have trouble sleeping?”

Leorio shrugged. “Only when she’s worried about something.”

The blonde winced. He hadn’t exactly been on his best behavior the past few days,

“I see…”

Leorio fished her keys from her backpack and unlocked the door to her car. Kurapika say her in the passenger seat and buckled her in.

“I’ll drive.”

Kurapika only nodded in response and climbed in the back.

——————

They arrived at Chuck E. Cheese.

“Kurapika, you go in and get the boys. I’ll watch over (Name).”

Kurapika frowned. “Wouldn’t it be better if I watch her? I know her… better…”

‘Wait, no I don’t. Not anymore…’

Leorio noticed his friends face turn into a saddened expression.

“I’m a doctor, and I’ve been friends with her for nearly three years now. I’ve got her. Promise “

Oh. Yeah. Kurapika had been absent for two years. In that time, the others had grown much closer, so of course Leorio would be the better pick.

He glanced at (Name)’s sleeping form one last time before exiting the car.

Kurapika didn’t know what to expect when he stepped into the Chuck E. Cheese, but it wasn’t the complete chaos he was met with.

Children ran around screaming, occasionally crashing into each other. The smell of greasy pizza, vomit, and depression permeated the air, causing the blonde to wince.

He stepped in, looking around.

“Hello Ma’am, how can I help you?”

Kurapika ignored being misgendered yet again. “I’m looking for… my children. They’re…”

He thought for a moment. “Maybe a little over 5’0? One with white hair, one with-“

The employee stopped him. “White hair? Oh, you mean that troublemaker. We have him detained in the back.”

‘Oh dear. The rat casino doesn’t play around.’

Kurapika followed the employee through the establishment, trying not to think about what was sticking to his shoes as he walked.

“They’re in here. I don’t know how they thought tearing of Chucky’s head and wearing as a trophy was okay behavior, but the little b- guy still won’t let it go.”

Killua sat huddled up in a corner while Gon attempted to take the severed head away from him.

“Come on, they said if we gave it back they wouldn’t press ch- oh Kurapika!”

Killua immediately dropped the head. “Where’s (Name)?”

It’s like he instantly knew something was off. He looked behind Kurapika, frowning up at the blonde.

“They didn’t have any other options but to send you, huh?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response. Come on, we have to go.”

The two followed behind him, Killua only complaining a little.

“I think you’d make a good replacement for Chucky, Kurapika.”

It was meant as compliment, but Kurapika scowled down at Gon. “… thanks?”

“Yeah because you’re a coward. Like a rat.”

“No, it’s because he’s nice! And I love Chucky!”

‘Aww. That’s kind of sweet.’

“And he looks like him.”

Kurapika glanced back at the severed head of chucky, not finding many similarities between him and… it.

“I… appreciate your compliments Gon, but please don’t associate me with that thing. It smells like someone has been crying an awful lot in that costume.”

Killua hummed. “Why did you smell it? Creep.”

Gon elbowed his friend. “Hey, be nice. I also smelled it, but I picked up the scent of cigarettes more than anything.”

‘That poor soul. I wonder if he felt relieved when Killua ripped his head off. The employee will get a break, hopefully.’

The three exited Chuck E. Cheese.

Leorio waved to them from the car. “Hey, hurry up. We need to get her home.”

Gon and Killua raced to the car, Kurapika not far behind.

“What happened to (Name)?”

Killua slid in to the backseat, quickly buckling himself before leaning to the side to get a glimpse of (Name).

“She passed out when we left to grab the car. Apparently she hasn’t been sleeping well.” Kurapika answered.

“Apparently? Isn’t it obvious? She’s been worried sick.”

‘Mostly about you…’ Killua thought. He folded his arms over his chest, hoping his glare would clue the blonde in to his disappointment.

“Yeah. I could hear her pacing around her room the night before the carnival.” Gon said, leaning against the passenger seat.

“You better be glad she’s asleep, or she’d be reaching back to make sure you buckled yourself in, Gon.”

Leorio pushed the boy back before focusing on the road.

————————

Kurapika carried (Name) to her room, much to Killua’s chagrin. He didn’t like that the blonde took over the role of her caregiver, as if he’d been there for her darkest moments.

He hadn’t. In fact, when she was at her lowest and dying, he hadn’t been there.

“Killua. Empty your pockets.”

Leorio stood before him, holding Gon up by the ankles as he shook him.

“Why should I listen to you?”

“Because you’d rather I search you than (Name).”

He couldn’t argue with that. Killua emptied his pockets, revealing an alarming amount of Chuck E, Cheese tokens he’d stolen.

“Jesus Christ- how did you fit that many in there? That’s a literal PILE of tokens.”

Killua picked up one of the tokens and tossed it in the air. “I have my ways.”

“Killua, I thought you said to steal tickets.”

Gon dropped the tickets onto the floor. “Those are next to useless. You can only use them the same day you get them, Gon.”

He smacked his friend over the head as Leorio gathered the coins.

“How you got these at all is something I don’t want to know. I’ll be returning these in the morning.”

He placed the coins into a jar. “If this goes missing I’m telling (Name).”

“Snitch.” Killua muttered under his breath.

Leorio shooed them away, telling them to brush their teeth and go to bed as he tidied up the messy living room.

‘She’s been running on empty, if she wakes up to a mess she’ll overexert herself.’

He started folding up the blankets, sighing to himself.

Kurapika placed (Name) on her bed. It was the first time he’d seen her room, and he wasn’t surprised.

The walls were pink, with random anime posters on the wall, along with several stuffed animals on her bed and dresser.

It was relatively clean, besides the odd article of clothing strewn across her floor or a random surface. He assumed it was because she’d rushed to change, considering he recognized the shirt thrown in the back of her desk’s chair.

“Why are you still in here?”

Killua and Gon peeked into her room from behind the doorway, the white haired boy frowning at Kurapika like he was some bug that had crawled out from under the fridge.

“I was just putting her to bed. Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

Killua scoffed. “Yeah, maybe, but I wanted to make sure (Name) was okay. A stranger took her to bed, after all.”

‘Stranger? I…’

Kurapika pulled the blanket over her torso and to her chin. “I’m no stranger. I’m a friend, you know that, right?”

Killua didn’t answer. His silence said everything.

“…”

Kurapika sighed, pushing himself up. “I hope you get used to having me around, or it’s going to be a long three weeks.”

“I won’t. After those three weeks are up I don’t expect to see you again anytime soon. After all, you just hate being around (Name), don’t you?”

Gon elbowed his friend. “Hey, that’s enough. You’re being a bit mean, Killua.”

His pale friend shrugged. “It’s just the truth. He hasn’t texted (Name) back ONCE since our trip to York New.”

Gon blinked. “Really? But (Name) said they talked all the time before York New…”

Kurapika brushed by the two. ‘I hate being reminded of what used to be…’

The blonde descended the stairs quickly, not bothering to look up when Leorio called out to him.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight, Leorio.”

He closed the door to his bedroom and flopped onto his bed.

‘Three weeks. Three weeks in the same house as (Name).’

Kurapika turned onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.

‘I just have to keep myself from getting too comfortable. That shouldn’t be too hard.’

The blonde looked to the bag of candy he’d picked out the other day.

‘Right?’

255 notes · View notes

wardenparker · 10 months

Text

The Viper’s Bride - ch 5

Oberyn Martell x female reader x Ellaria Sand x OC Co-written with @absurdthirst

The second Prince of Dorne has lived under the illusion that he would not be forced to wed for his entire life. He has enough lovers and illegitimate children to make him a legend across Westeros, and the love of his soulmate Ellaria Sand to content him. But a contract between his brother and a lord from the north will catapult him into a match that may prove to be as complicated as it is intriguing. Especially when he learns that you already have a soulmate of your own.

Rating: E for Explicit Word Count: 15.4k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this series: terrible parents, age gap 10+ years, arranged marriage, classicism, cursing, food and alcohol, internalized homophobia. Reader is described as having hair long enough to braid* A whole lot of nudity, reflections on poor sex education, internalized shame, Mom-frontation, absurd amounts of tension, we’re not even sorry, dialing up the yearning, anxiety, mentions of parental abuse, a whole heaping dose of inadequate communication. Summary: The day of King Joffrey and Lady Margaery’s wedding holds surprises for everyone. Notes: Y’all the WAY this chapter makes me cry. There is so much going on and the day is so intense to begin with. Keri really and truly out does herself with every step forward this quartet takes.

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4

The sun rise does not wake you, nor the sound of servants moving in and out of the room. The warmth and security of having Raeden's arm heavy on your waist has kept you deep in a blissful sleep more revitalizing than you have had in a very long time. Food has been laid and your trunks delivered from the Red Keep while you slept with your soulmate like a rock at your back, and it is not until the scent of freshly lit incense breaks through your dreams that you even have a sense of the world outside of your beautiful dreams.

The warm sun pours through the curtains that Leyth opens, and she hums to herself softly as she moves around the room. Prince Oberyn had given her specific instructions on waking the new princess and her lover gently and hanging the dress he had produced from his trunk, even making sure that the bath room would be emptied for you to have privacy. Though why you need privacy in a whorehouse makes no sense to her. It seems rather...precious. But she does not know your story.

The moment you stir, Raeden opens his eyes. He has spent the last hour awake, holding you close as you continued to dream. As a soldier, he is often up before the sun, training. This morning he had woken due to habit. For a split second believing that yesterday had been a dream until you had sighed softly and the weight of your body pressed against him registered. There were still noises from the chambers where the prince and his soulmate slept, this time it was softer, more intimate. Making him wonder at the paradoxical nature of the prince and if he had not been toying with you when he had said he was interested in a lowly soldier like him. A man who is reliant on his good graces for taking breath today. And why Ellaria’s eyes haunted him enough to dream of her last night.

Leyth catches the movement, smiling at the broad man in the bed and whispering when she sees you haven’t opened your eyes yet. “Meal is laid and so is her dress. When you are ready, Prince Oberyn has ordered the bathing room be emptied so she can have privacy.” That is all she came here to say, so she smiles once more at the handsome man and leaves, shutting the door gently behind her.

He’s grateful that the prince seems to accept your modesty, even if he might not share those same proclivities. His hand slides from his hold on you and he strokes your side softly. “Morning has come.” He murmurs softly, kissing your shoulder. “It is near a dream to wake up with you in my arms.”

“I thought I was dreaming still.” Rough with sleep, your voice is still soft as you open your eyes and turn to burrow into his side. The mix of dreams you had are still fresh in your mind’s eye, sleep barely receding enough to allow you to be present in this moment. “Did you sleep well, my love?”

“Better than ever.” He promises, smiling at your sleepy face. If he had stayed up late thinking on the sounds that had come from next door, it was nothing you needed to concern yourself with.

“Morning light becomes you.” Reaching up to kiss him in the sunlight that streams in through the windows, your fingers dance through the traces of stubble on his jaw and even the top of his head and you giggle to yourself. “Did I hear something about a bath?” He is meticulous about his appearance, and you know that on a day as important as the king’s wedding, you will both want to look your best.

“Your husband has arranged a private bath for you.” Raeden nods and leans in to steal a kiss. He wishes he could give you those things, give you everything you need, but he holds no power.

The sentence stings for a very different reason than it had yesterday, after spending a night dreaming about both men alternately. The guilt you carry for finding yourself attracted to the man you have already married is difficult to reconcile, and you wonder how angry Raeden would feel if he knew. Or worse, betrayed. “That…is kind of him.” You murmur finally, tucking in closer to Raeden’s side.

“It is.” Readen won’t deny that, and his eyes widen when he sees the gown that had been brought in for you. “Like the dress is…shockingly brief.”

“What do you…” Sitting up in bed, you find yourself face to face with a beautiful golden gown embroidered with elaborate flowers across the bodice and vines that extend down the skirt. The light material is silky and inviting, but the brief part of it is the sleeves that look as though they will simply dangle off your shoulders, and the deep dip in the front that would surely do everything in its power to highlight your breasts for any who might look. “It’s…exceptionally beautiful,” you admit, finding it to be stunning but a little shocking. You would never see the ladies of the Vale wearing anything so revealing. “It must be the fashion…in Dorne.”

“It is a most temperate climate from what I know of it.” He murmurs, wondering how jealous he will be with eyes on your skin. “Perhaps comfort is afforded over modesty?”

"Perhaps it will be more modest on the body than it seems to the eye." It is more intimidating than you would like to admit, to come to these changes all at once, but it is what you chose. A new gown is hardly a terrible price to pay for Raeden's safety. "Either way, it is what I will wear to the king's wedding. Dornish colors and Dornish fashion."

“You will be fit to cling to the Prince’s arm.” His own robes will be splendid as well, he will make sure to take great pains to shine his boots and his sword. “It will be a grand introduction to the new princess.”

"It will be a great shock to some." You can think of a half dozen names off the top of your head. "I only hope that Lady Margaery does not view it as an attempt to steal sunshine from her day. The last thing I wish is to offend a queen."

“I doubt she will view it as such a thing.” He assures you, turning and kissing your shoulder. “It is not like the prince announced your wedding and invited the kingdom.”

“Nor would I have wanted him to.” Turning your head, you plant two soft kisses on Raeden’s lips and smile. The moans and calls to gods and the prince himself are nearly at a crescendo – a sound with which you are now well acquainted. And that, you tell yourself, is the only reason you must have dreamt of him last night. “Let us break our fast and bathe, my love. Today is sure to be long and tiresome.”

Breakfast was far more elaborate than even you were used to. The brothel apparently sparing no expense to make sure that the prince was kept happy. Dates and fruits surround fresh bread and some eggs that were still steaming in their shells. All washed down with a mulled wine that was very pleasing to the palette. It was a meal unlike anything he had experienced before beyond last night.

The bathing room is at the other end of the not inconsiderably sized building, according to the man who escorted your trunks into your chamber last night. He was personable and handsome, like almost everyone else who seemed to do very well working in Baelish’s brothel. The arrival of your trunks with most of your belongings intact meant that you can wrap up in your dressing robe to walk to your bath this morning, a luxury you had not expected. In fact, most moments spent here seemed to be luxurious ones with the exception of the luxury of quiet.

Stepping into the room, Raeden is impressed with the size of the room. The tub is sunk into the middle of the floor, water already pouring into the large cavity from a pipe that comes from the kitchen – he can only assume – as steam swirls up. That is a luxury in itself, not using someone else’s water in a bath this size. The smell of incense and spices fills the air and makes him hum in approval.

“I admit, I had no idea a brothel would be a beautiful place.” Only ever having heard of them as places a lady should never go, you had assumed they would be as dank and unappealing as the men they attracted. As much as you dislike Lord Baelish, his establishment seems to be far above what you had imagined for this house of ill repute.

“I feel as if Baelish like to accommodate the lords that come to King’s Landing.” Raeden pulls off his undershirt and smirks when he sees the shaving tools set off to the side.

“So much the better for us, then.” Your robe joins his clothing on the tiled floor beside the bath and you slip into the steaming water, sighing at the way it relaxes you instantly. There are few things better in the world than a hot bath.

“It is good?” The washing cloths are to the side and Raeden lets you enjoy the warm water as he gathers the perfumed soaps and the cloths.

"It would be better with company." Waking with him has somehow only made you greedy for more time with him, and you admit that you are trying to wipe other thoughts from your mind. Seeing the gown that was left for you this morning now makes you wonder what the prince will be wearing to today's nuptials.

“Company you shall have.” The doors to the bathing room open and Oberyn and Ellaria stroll in, half naked and without a single care. The prince grins at you. “How was your wedding night, my dear?”

“My lord!” The shock of seeing them walk in so brazen and unashamedly has you attempting – and failing – to cover yourself with only your hands and the shrinking away of your body into the far corner of the bath as if the prince might have developed poor eyesight overnight. “You are—I—that is—what an unexpected visit.”

Oberyn tilts his head in confusion at your exclamation. “I had arranged for a private bath for us before the wedding.” He reminds you. “There is nothing that I have not seen before on either of you.” He hums, reaching over and helping Ellaria out of the thin, gossamer gown that concealed nothing.

“Forgive me. It must have…slipped my mind.” It is rude to stare, you know that it is, and yet the pair of them are so beautiful that it is difficult to tear your eyes away. And that certainly is not helping you remember whatever he might have said to you the night before about bathing together.

“Don’t tease, lover.” Ellaria pouts and turns to press her breasts against his chest. “She is not yet used to the way that you view nudity.” She turns towards you and Raeden with a sultry smile.

Caught in your own mix of utter confusion, the impulse to flee is incredibly strong and has you turning away from them to hide your face and body all at once. Even from Raeden. A naked body is a thing of shame, or so you were taught. Always to be covered and hidden away. Even sharing it with a lover or husband is a brazen act of licentiousness. It is unladylike. “Forgive me,” you manage to eek out again, not knowing what to do in this situation at all.

“Do not fret.” Oberyn has no shame as he drops his breeches, revealing every inch of his bare cock as it swings between his thighs. Flaccid, yet still impressive, he turns towards his new guard who is still in his own breeches. “Soon we will be comfortable with one another.”

“Is this…the accepted way…in Dorne?” If it is then you will have to make very large adjustments very quickly, and a knot of dread forms in the pit of your stomach.

“You will not be walking around Dorne for all to see.” He steps into the bath and turns around so he can help his lover into it, holding out his hand. “None but the servants and the people in this room will see you unless you take other lovers.” That might sting; if you were to reject being in his bed and take other men and women into yours.

“I cannot see that being a possibility.” Although Raeden is at your side, holding firmly onto your hand to be an anchor of comfort, the moment is nerve wracking only for you. The prince and Ellaria clearly are more interested than concerned, and Raeden’s years as a soldier have made him far less concerned with nudity in general. He may not examine the pair of lovers who have no intention of leaving, but he certainly is not offended by them. You squeeze his hand gently, hating to be the naive, sheltered child out of the four of you. At five-and-twenty, you have not been a child for many years.

“Do you not believe that love should be shared?” Oberyn asks curiously. “Pleasure is one of life’s greatest gifts, beyond children. Especially if the pleasure is creating them.” He chuckles, kissing his lover’s shoulder and glance at you from it. “Why limit yourself?”

“Your Grace, I was raised by a woman who deemed me a shameful harlot for sharing myself with the man that the gods themselves chose for me. And my father is a man who I do not believe ever touched her more than out of necessity or for her own manipulative ends.” Still clutching your own self, you swallow the moment of fear and turn halfway around in the bath. Enough to be able to see his face, at least. “Pleasure was not precisely a topic of conversation in my household. Even my brothers’ wives considered it unladylike to discuss.”

“Then allow yourself to ask any questions you may have.” He hums, picking up one of the cloths and dipping it into the water so he can slide it over Ellaria’s tits.

“It is not so much that I have questions.” Although you do. Desperately burning ones that you have felt too ashamed even to ask of Raeden. “But more that I wonder at how easily you can share yourself.” Realizing that that might not have sounded how you intend, you end up fostering immediately. “I—I mean it as an admiration,” you clarify, stumbling to explain. “You are very comfortable and free with yourselves. Both of you.”

Oberyn looks at you thoughtfully, sliding his hands up to cup Ellaria’s tits. “It does not take away from my appreciation of these tits to admire yours. Or her love of my cock when she is perched on another.” He explains. “We have our pleasures, separate at times, but most often together. And we find that it makes our own passions for each other that much sweeter.”

“Perhaps I am not enough of the world to understand.” An anxious glance to Raeden beside you does nothing to calm the riot in your mind, and you shake your head, ready to give up on it altogether. Attraction and love seem inexorably linked to you. Or they did, before you met the prince and his paramour.

“You will not be forced to join in on anything you do not wish to.” He squeezes his lover’s tits once more before he looks to Raeden. “Although I am curious as to your views on sex. Is your soulmate your only lover or have you had more?”

“There is not the judgement for bastards that there is for ladies, your Grace.” Though Raeden might not usually hide himself from the view of others, it is a different matter entirely when the others present are enticing to him, and try as he might there is no informing his cock that this is an inappropriate time to stand at attention. “There were others before her, but none since.”

“Good.” Oberyn approves of the idea that you had at least a moderately skilled lover. It is good that you might not be dealing with a man who does not satisfy you. “And do you make sure your soulmate is satisfied?”

“You would have to ask her for the most accurate answer.” It may be the most unconventional line of questioning he’s ever had from a noble, but somehow the part of him that is affronted that the prince would even ask is almost also glad of it? He gets the impression that if he were not satisfying you, Prince Oberyn would be disapproving. “But I believe I can rightfully boast that I am never satisfied until she is.”

“Very good.” Oberyn hums, nodding in agreement of his answer. “That is always the best when your lover is limp with pleasure and unable to cry out your name anymore.” He keeps his hands moving over Ellaria’s skin as he converses.

“With all respect to your meaning…crying out is not a luxury all of us have had.” Certainly before last night, you never had been safe enough with Raeden to do any such thing. He would have been punished severely for even touching you, and even in the beauty of spending last night with him, you never would have been as vocal as the men and women in the next room. You would not have known how. “That is…i—it is not the only way to show pleasure.”

“Even the softest moan of a name is a cry when a cock is filling you or a tongue fluttering against your clit.” Oberyn counters with a small smirk. “Your small whimpers are just as erotic, maybe more so, than the most skilled whore faking pleasure.”

“Your paramour agrees,” Ellaria smiles in her amused way, the one where mischief dances behind her eyes. “Or else he is very much enjoying something that he sees.”

“Yes, he does seem to be stimulated by the atmosphere.” Oberyn is also interested in the exceptional collection of bodies that are in the bathing room. His own reaction hidden by Ellaria’s body as he caresses and washes it. “I must wonder on what is causing it.”

Raeden’s complexion grays, embarrassed to have a condition he cannot control pointed out for all to witness. “It is only natural,” he insists, though the defense is quiet and he turns his back to the pair to retrieve the largest washing cloth he can find – as if that would be any help in hiding his condition.

“It is, there is no shame in it.” Oberyn insists as he sidesteps his paramour to reveal his own erection. “In fact, if you need to take care of it, we do not care if you fuck in the bath.”

The speed at which you avert your eyes is telling, but what it is that you’ve just revealed about yourself, you do not know. Instead it is Raeden who flusters and busies himself with becoming a human shield for you so that you can wash yourself. “She is innocent of such things.” He tells the prince with an edge of soft protection in his voice. As though your innocence is something very precious to him. “Such a thing would never have even crossed her mind.”

The hand that comes up to lay against his chest is soft, the only thing keeping him from sighing in disappointment. He had hoped that after the night, there would have been some thought on your part to the doors opened to you. “As you say.” He turns around so that you don’t have to see him and starts to wash himself.

"I—" Even hidden from view, your voice is just loud enough to be heard. Unsure, faltering more than slightly, you look up at Raeden and around his shoulder to find Ellaria still carefully watching. "It might..." Swallowing the fear that it might upset your soulmate, you have to admit that there are few things that you like more than being spoken for. Your mother would do it constantly – speak on your behalf – and to be out from under her thumb now should have meant you were free from it in private. "If it had not ever occurred to me before – to make love in full view of others – it certainly would have after hearing it." The fact that you also dreamt of it? That is more telling than anything.

Raeden’s eyes widen when he hears your words, a frown furrowing his brow and he reaches out to hold your shoulders. “My love, do not feel pressured to do anything.” He urges you softly.

"I feel no pressure," you promise him, laying your hand over his and squeezing it gently. As reassuring a gesture as such a small thing can be. "It is not something I may ever wish to engage in. But..." It takes more than a moment to gather your thoughts, and you end up sighing. "I want to understand," you say finally. "That is all."

"We are all a part of each other's lives now." Ellaria agrees, looking past Oberyn to offer you a smile. "Understanding is a noble goal."

For his part, Oberyn is impatient and thinks that it might be best to just send you away. But the yearning in your voice mixed with Ellaria’s immediate offer of comfort makes him hesitate. He turns around and stares at you. “Then we will seek to guide you to the answers.”

"I..." Raeden is looking at you as if you have grown a second head, but you look between the three other people in this room – in this one bath – and swallow fear once more. "I am sorry if having to guide me is a disappointment. But I doubt there is a book I could read on the subject."

“If there were such a book, my lover would possess it.” Ellaria assures you, making Oberyn chuckle.

“Forgive me, Princess.” He murmurs after a moment. “I am getting ahead of myself. I forget that you northerners are not raised with the freedoms that I have been afforded.”

"I may never be used to being called princess, and that is the simple end of things." His laugh is relieving, and you end up smiling in your own right. "I do not wish for any of us to be strangers. And if we are to be friends, then understanding is most necessary."

The problem is that he has already realized he does not just want to be your friend, he wants to fuck you. Oberyn wants to bring both you and your paramour into his bed to see how the dynamic would work. “Are you nervous for your entrance to the wedding?”

"Yes." That is not worth lying about, or being too proud to admit, since he will be right beside you and see your fear for himself. "Social grace has never been my greatest skill."

“If you prefer, you can just stay silent.” He hums, smirking slightly since that seems to be a skill you have not mastered despite your mother’s best efforts. “It will be shocking enough to have the Prince of Dorne escorting his wife and his paramour to a wedding.”

"I am afraid silence is not my forte, either." You shake your head, almost laughing at yourself. "Too curious for my own good, my eldest brother likes to say. And besides which, the future queen has...been very friendly to me. I fear keeping silent on such a day would offend her greatly."

“Then you will say what you say and damn whoever takes offense.” He shrugs one shoulder casually and leans back to wet his hair to wash. “You are a princess. Only two inside the seven kingdoms can truly tell you to be quiet.” He doesn’t add that it all depends on the day to determine if he would listen.

"I will endeavor to remember that." Raeden looks doubtful, though, and you urge him down with a hand on his shoulder so that you can kiss him. "It will do none of us any good to be rude, today, my love. I may not say much of anything of interest or importance, but you and the prince will both be there to make sure I do not stumble." Looking past him, you offer your unexpected ally a smile as well. "And Ellaria will be my guide for confidence. I am sure of that."

“You will be perfect.” She muses with a smile of her own. “Your dress will match my own and look splendid against Oberyn’s robes.”

You nod, glad to have Ellaria to bolster you, and set back to washing yourself as modestly and earnestly as possible. "It will be a day not soon to be forgotten."

******

“Do not fret and worry with it too much.” Ellaria murmurs to you as the carriage pulls up. “The more you do, the better chance you have at showing off your unmentionables.” You are very modest and have played with the low hem of the dress several times, drawing Oberyn’s and her own eyes to your breasts.

"I don't think I have ever worn anything as elegant. Or as revealing." You bite your lip when you look back up at her, holding back a self-conscious expression of concern. The gown itself is beautiful and not terribly immodest. While it certainly does show off your figure from the waist up, the thin skirts still envelope your legs and create a sort of flowing golden sea around them that would make even the clumsiest wearer appear elegant. The jewelry that was laid on your neck and hung from your ears gleams in the late morning sun, making you feel simultaneously extravagant and like a doll that has been dressed up by its owner. And perhaps you are exactly that, but the prince's gifts should be on full display today of all days. "I will try not to fuss too much."

"Your Raeden cannot keep his eyes off of you." She confides with a proud smirk, as if that had been her plan all along rather than making sure that everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew that you are Oberyn Martell's bride. "We will have to remind him not to draw his impressive sword on those that stare at you wantonly." He is not inside the carriage for the ride from Flea Bottom, but Oberyn has decided that he will be the guard brought for the wedding, making sure that your own soulmate is nearby.

“He has more propriety than anyone I have ever met. You need not fear his ability to hold his tongue.” What he might say or do afterward – in private – is another matter entirely. It would not be the first time that Raeden ravaged you after a particularly long day of standing by while you were wearing something he liked very much. Unfortunately, the blue gown that he always claimed was his favorite to see you in had been torn apart by your mother’s rage. Not everything in your trunks had been intact.

"Oh, I am not afraid of what he might say." Ellaria corrects with a smile as she glances over at her own lover. "It is unusual to have a man who does hold his tongue, for our prince has never learned that particular trait."

"I have no need to hold my tongue." Oberyn counters, his dark eyes fixed on you as he answers. "Whatever my position does not afford me, my spear does."

It is not your fault for taking his double meaning. Not truly. Not when he displayed himself to you so fully in the bath this morning and let his fingers graze your neck so enticingly while giving you the necklace you are wearing as a gift not half an hour ago. It is not reprehensible to be flustered slightly by the direct attention of such a worldly man. Not even when that man is your husband of less than one day.

He notices you fidget; he notices everything about you. The knowing light in Ellaria's eyes telling him that she is aware of his attentions. and it does not matter to her. She approves of his interest in his wife, as fruitless as it may prove to be. The fact that you have not fallen at his feet providing him with a curiosity that he has not had for a long time.

“We should not be late.” It would be most impolite, if nothing else, and you do not know how long you can stand between the two of them with their attention on you. Raeden’s gaze is comfortable and warming – when the prince and Ellaria look at you with such interest it makes you feel as if you might combust fully on the spot. “That would not do well for our first appearance as a party.”

Her hand is careful not to ruin the maid's work with your hair as her hands cup your cheeks. The carriage is at a stop and any moment the door will be opened. Your lips are plush and painted with the loveliest shade of lip color, making Ellaria lean in and kiss you.

The moment lingers, just the sweet pressure of her mouth on yours as your mind races to catch up with what is happening and realize that it is as sweet and gentle a kiss as any you have had before. By the time you remember yourself and reluctantly sit back in the carriage, you have more questions about what has just happened than anything else. "I—" Your eyes flicker between Ellaria and the prince, wondering if the amusement you see in their eyes is imagined or not. "I am not...entirely sure...what I did to earn such a response."

"Beautiful things deserve to be appreciated." Ellaria hums, smirking slightly as she pulls back and scooches towards the carriage door just as she raps on it to signify it is permissible to open it. "And you might be the loveliest of all Oberyn's possessions."

The driver helps Ellaria out of the carriage while you fluster measurably, avoiding the prince's eyes and knowing smirk by following directly after his paramour. The line of carriages extends in either direction as guests disembark, and empty carriages pull away to wait for their owners to be done with the day's festivities. Raeden stands resplendent in his regalia that marks him a guardian of House Martell and offers you a small but proud smile. The prince steps out behind you, making your party of four complete, and you raise your chin slightly to match Ellaria's easy confidence. It may be unconventional to look to her as an example, but your mind is still reeling from the feeling of her lips against yours and you could use the guidance.

Oberyn saunters, he doesn’t walk up to the pair of gorgeous women. Both of them belonging to him. His sun, his world and his…wife. “Ladies.” He hums. "Are we ready to shock the Seven Kingdoms and make every man here fume in jealousy?"

"A few of the ladies as well, I hope." Ellaria adds, a satisfied smile gracing her beautiful mouth as both of you take Oberyn's arms. Raeden is merely one step behind, ready and at attention.

"With our guard here, of course the women will be jealous." Oberyn knows the weight of his own appeal and wears it easily as your fingers twitch against the crook of his elbow. His own robes are exquisite and in total coordination with yours and Ellaria's gowns and Ser Raeden's uniform.

You had told your soulmate before leaving Flea Bottom that you thought he looked very handsome in his uniform, and the light in his eyes had shone a little bit brighter at your praise. Now he looks proud as a peacock as he walks behind you, and you glance back to offer him a broad grin. "It will certainly be a very interesting day."

There is an easy air of confidence as Oberyn starts his walk towards the large sept. His eyes watchful for the bitter harpy that is your mother even though no one would think that he has a care in the world.

There are eyes on you in such a way that you have never experienced before. People whispering, wondering who you are and why you are on the prince's arm. Everyone knows he brought a lover to King's Landing, but two? Two seems outrageous even for Oberyn Martell. Guided inside, the pews and aisles of the sept are separated by an ocean of guests extending greetings to each other and inspecting each other's wardrobes for the grand event. The voice of Olenna Tyrell seems to be boisterous and cheery in the center of things, and in this moment she is nodding along with the words of a woman whose voice you would recognize across whole continents. Olenna Tyrell is being talked at, at length, by your own mother.

He is aware the moment your mother catches sight of you. Her voice dies mid word, and the sharp inhale of disapproval nearly echoes in the inner chamber of the sept despite the din of conversation behind her. Never one to shy away from a fight, Oberyn guides you towards the two women with a charming and mischievous smile on his face. "Lady Tyrell." He nods his head towards the elder woman while subtly snubbing your mother. "It seems as if the gardens around the seven kingdoms have been emptied of their blooms to provide such lavish arrangements." He compliments. "No doubt your keen eye had a hand in it."

"You've been a flatterer since you were eighteen years old." Olenna Tyrell observes in amusement, the suppressed smile on her face peaked up at the edges in delight. "I'll bow my head, Prince Oberyn, to save my knees from the curtsy. But who are your exquisite guests? Rumours have swirled over who you might bring today."

“On my right, my lovely paramour, Ellaria Sand.” He introduces her to the head of the Tyrell household as if she were a lady in her own right. He says your name as he turns towards you with equal pride. “My own bride, newly gotten.” He looks at you as if you are a precious gemstone, irreplaceable to him.

"Bride?" The Tyrell matriarch's expression morphs into one of wolfish amusement. "My darling I did not even recognize you. Marriage has given you an absolutely radiant glow." She knew of your betrothal, of course, having been the one to encourage her granddaughter to befriend you as a suitable ally. But a swift marriage between a reluctant pair almost always yields an interesting story. "My most heartfelt congratulations."

“Many thanks.” His head finally turns towards your mother. “The Princess Martell, lady.” He keeps his voice steady but there is a clear warning. “Respects are to be extended.”

The fire in your mother's eyes is unmistakable. Of the hundreds of times you have seen it, though, nothing could compare to this. Not only did you and Raeden escape the grasp of her punishments, but you had run so far that you had become untouchable in the process. Drawn up to your full height on the prince's arm, you actually feel every bit as proud as you look in this moment. As proud as you look – your mother's anger and frustration may be more so.

The moment for courtesy passes silently, your mother’s eyes fixed on you and Oberyn feels the tiniest pressure of Ellaria’s hand on the crook of his elbow. A silent plea for him to not cause a scene that will attract the attention of every lord already in the Sept. The charming smile turns pointed, his eyes hardening as he watches her stubbornly refuse to extend his wife the respect her station now demands. It is an insult to you, but also to Dorne. The delicate necklace around your neck is not just a gorgeous gift, it serves a purpose. It is a smaller, lighter copy of the heavy gold chain around his own neck. The signet of House Martell crafted into the costly metal and indicating your place among royalty. His voice drops, tone cold enough to freeze any man currently sitting his ass on the giant ice block that is the Northern Wall. “You will bend your knee or I will bend it for you.” He threatens, eyes glittering with promise.

Your eyes widen, looking to the man beside you with immediate surprise. Demanding not just a modicum of manners from your mother but a complete bending of the knee is not at all what you expected from him, and you must wonder if this is not some play for power or else a rather public admonishment to your mother. There is no need to play for power for a prince, of course, but your hand unconsciously tightens on his arm anyway, as if you are trying to warn him of her rage without words.

Her smile turns so brittle it would crack underneath the smallest breeze and he can hear the fury in her words, sweet as she might have intended them, the venom pulses underneath. “My lord, this my daughter.” Her tittering laugh is meant to disarm him, but it does nothing.

“Your Grace.” He corrects, one eyebrow arching as he stares her down. “And your daughter is now my princess, the vows recorded in the Citadel.”

Olenna Tyrell watches with fascination, aware that Oberyn had waved away her own need to bend her knee, making a special point to not accept any other form of niceties. It is intriguing and she wonders what Margery had managed to learn during your walk through the gardens. You and your prince will be allies in coming days.

Your mother – the woman who has threatened your life more than any other creature in the world – is nervously realizing that she is being watched as eyes begin to turn toward your small group on the sept floor. Olenna Tyrell looks positively tickled but your own mother could spit fire until a voice from a few yards away breaks through the crowd.

“My darling girl!” Your father turns from his conversation with Lord Tyrion and in no less than a moment is at your side to embrace you. “We did not know where you’d gone,” he murmurs in your ear, the relief in his voice obvious. “Your mother said you ran away to spite us but I knew you would never do that.”

“No, Papa.” With your voice barely above a whisper, you hug your father back with one arm and wonder just how many armies of lies your mother has told him throughout the years. More than you can fathom, probably. “I will explain it all to you later, but the prince and I said our vows yesterday at the Citadel.”

“Truly?” He looks so proud that it almost breaks your heart, and there is a small rippling gasp from the crowd as your own Lord Father bends the knee without any prompting whatsoever. “Then you are truly now my princess,” he tells you with a watery smile. “Although you have long been that in my heart.”

Oberyn watches the fury etched on your mother’s face contort as she realizes that she has no choice to follow suit or call attention to her rebellion. When your mother finally dips down, it’s the barest inch as she nearly growls. Your father, jovial imbecile that he is, doesn’t even notice. His focus is on his daughter and the prince cannot help but wonder how such a pairing exists together without bloodshed. They seem to be such polar opposites. “Forgive the haste.” Oberyn takes your hand and kisses it sensuously. “After our meeting, there was no need to wait until we returned to Dorne to make this gorgeous creature my princess.”

“It is a relief to see such happiness in the match,” your father is beaming, nearly on the verge of joyful tears, and he looks past you only for the briefest moment to nod to Raeden behind you. “Ser Stone will serve your family well, your Grace. As he has served ours. We wish you every happiness and many children in the years to come.”

Your lover’s safety is assured. Oberyn realizes your mother had never taken her accusations to the lord, making it an ill-timed bluff on her part. He nods, his dark eyes fixed on your mother. “The safety of those under my protection is something that I take very seriously.” He replies, sending her a clear warning.

Your mother swallows heavily, looking between you and your new husband as she realizes she has made a calculated error. The tales of the prince’s promiscuity and prowess as a warrior had led her to believe that he would treat you as breeding stock. Like the way a northern man would – disregarding your opinions and teaching you submissions. The Prince of Dorne, against everything she had hoped before meeting him yesterday – seems actually to like you.

“Oberyn has been most attentive and kind.” It is the first time you have ever called him by his given name and it warms through you expectedly.

“It is easy when your kindness and grace is a trait that is a credit to your house.” Obviously not from your mother but the compliment from the prince makes your father beam with pride. “She will be most welcomed in Dorne.”

Your father finds his feet again and embraces you, and for a moment it seems as though everyone present has entirely forgotten your mother, who must push to her feet in her own. Lady Olenna Tyrell and Lord Tyrion are nearby observing everything, and your father regards you fondly, with a raised eyebrow. “Finding married life not so disagreeable now, your Grace?”

The fact that your father believes that you are happily wed makes Oberyn believe that while he might love you as a daughter, he does not know you. Ellaria stands off to the side and he turns to exchange a meaningfully amused look since he is well aware of his own daughters’ desires, even the younger ones.

“I could hardly think of anything as comforting as the care I have received since marrying.” As careful as your wording is, it is also very true. The prince has been nothing but kind and understanding, even sweet, since you came to him for help. Ellaria’s own attention to you has been only welcoming. And Raeden? Raeden has been the magnificent man that you have always known him to be. If you could not wed your soulmate, this is hardly a worst-case substitute.

“Good.” Your father is extremely pleased, especially since that means good relations with Dorne. It will prove very profitable to your former house.

“We should sit.” People are beginning to rustle around you, finding seats and turning their attention to the wedding at hand instead of the one no one was invited to. “We will have time to speak more later.”

“That we will, pumpkin.” Your father nods respectfully to you and Oberyn, frowning slightly when he sees the man’s paramour but he doesn’t speak on it since you seem undisturbed by her presence.

“Yes, I think we will indeed,” you mother murmurs unhappily, and you can’t quite tell if she’s going to have opinions for your father or for you. One thing is certain either way, Prince Oberyn won’t be hearing a single word of it.

“Come, my loves.” Oberyn offers both of his arms to you and Ellaria. “The Sept and the wedding of the king awaits us.”

It is for show. You must remember that. And yet the moment the word passes his lips it pierces something in you that you had not expected. It might be hope, or affection, or simply gratitude, but when you take his arm to walk together there is a moment where you could almost swear he means it. And that is not something you had ever even considered possible until this very moment.

Oberyn does not enter anywhere without causing a stir. Especially when he comes with not one, but two beautiful women on his arms. He smirks as he nods towards another noble that he has seen at the brothel over the past few days. Now sitting next to his wife.

People gawk when the prince is near. That is something you will have to adjust to in time. For now you are simply grateful when he situates you and Ellaria between himself and Raeden in the vast pews of the Citadel to bear witness to the Union of King Joffrey and Lady Margaery.

Oberyn allows you to sit beside your lover, his own body pressed against Ellaria’s, although he drapes his arm over the back of the bench so he can trail his fingers over the skin of your shoulder. Making sure people see him touch you. As if you are his wife in every sense of the word.

The painfully tedious ceremony holds no joy or wonderment for you. The couple at the altar do not seem happy to be standing with each other – more that they are playacting at it. The words seem insincere and the vows rehearsed, and it throws into sharp relief how different a turn yesterday had taken in your own marriage. That would have been you, three or four weeks from now standing beside the prince with dread in your mouth. Instead he had saved you without hesitation. Your marriage of necessity already holds far more affection than this match in front of you. Even if he is only touching you for show, the simple fact that you do not shrink from the prince’s touch speaks volumes.

Oberyn is well aware of the affect that touching can have on a person. He feels the slight shiver and goosebumps pop up on your skin. While no one should be paying attention, any that are would think that you are anticipating a more intimate touch later. He leans over to kiss his paramour’s shoulder when Joffrey speaks.

The king may as well be speaking gibberish for all the attention you are paying, too distracted by the ghost of a touch across your shoulder to register the words echoing over the assembled spectators. If you were in private you might have closed your eyes against the feeling but as it is you are left to wonder how something so simple is able to make you feel so much. It would be downright embarrassing if anyone could see the way your body is responding – and the thin sheen of shame at being aroused to the point of dampness between your legs from anyone other than Raeden is very real.

Raeden knows the prince is touching you, he can feel your body stiffen beside his. Confusion swirling in his gut because he’s jealous. Not only because he can touch you whenever he wants, but because the guard wants Oberyn to touch him.

Ellaria, for her part, seems amused by being in the middle of you and Oberyn's lightly flirtatious touch. Having been on the receiving end of so many of his touches before she does not feel jealous to know he is touching someone else that way, but is very much interested to know how you will feel in response. From the way you are watching the altar very deliberately with faraway eyes, she would have to say you are enjoying it – perhaps very much.

Finally the vows are exchanged and Oberyn grimaces when the kiss happens. Leaning in and whispering loud enough that you and his lover can both hear. “I think that there will be some wine hastily swallowed after that kiss.”

You know you should not react, but the way your cheeks tighten barely smothers a smirk. The fact that you did not have to suffer through a ceremony as painful as this one seems a mercy now.

“Lover.” Ellaria chides, although her tone is vastly amused. “They are young still.”

Oberyn snorts and shakes his head. “I had already sired Obara by that age. Killled a man in my first duel.”

The whole of the sept are rising to their feet to applaud the happy couple, and when you stand you throw an amused smile at Ellaria with the soft memory of her kiss in the carriage on your lips. "At their age I had not even been kissed," you admit under your breath.

“That is a shame.” She pouts, shaking her head. “You should be kissed often. Everywhere.”

If the gentleman in front of you heard her he does not show it, but you look away briefly as the sept goes up in applause and cheers as the people of Westeros celebrate their new queen and her marriage to the king. "Perhaps," you murmur under your breath, not knowing what else to say.

“Come.” Oberyn slides out of the bench and reaches for both of you. “There will be wine and food. Perhaps we shall find some entertainment as well.”

"Dancing, lover?" Ellaria hums as she casts a look back at Raeden. "I believe your bride and I should both like to dance."

“Then we will dance.” He smirks and leans into you. “Ellaria is a very seductive dancer, my love.” He confides playfully.

It is only for show, you remind yourself again when that word warms through you like fire. "Raeden is a wonderful dancer as well." Is what you say instead, offering up the morsel of information to be shared within your small group. The times you had danced together in secret were wonderful, romantic moments.

“Then you and my paramour must take turns with Ser Raeden.” Oberyn knows that it will be far less suspicious if he dances with both women, as if the prince had ordered it. It would allow you to have a moment with your soulmate, being open without it being common knowledge.

"We will all enjoy the festivities to their utmost, your Grace." Raeden's voice is low but warm, full of gratitude at being able to be a part of the moment instead of simply standing by and observing. It is not easy to forever feel like an ornament.

“Make sure you eat too.” Oberyn glances over at him with a grin. “Ellaria will wear a man out if he does not eat before tangling with her.”

"I will, your Grace." The invitation could even be considered an order, but Ellaria winks over her shoulder at him and Raeden actually smiles. To be treated well – as though he is wanted by people other than you – is a welcome feeling.

As the four of you make your way to the gardens, Oberyn swaggers, aware that many have their eyes on the unusual pairing, and he hums happily. “I think the queen mother will not be happy that the attention is taken off her bastard son.”

"I only hope Queen Margaery is not upset." She had been so kind to you, after all. You would hate to sour her wedding day.

“I doubt she will be.” Oberyn doesn’t believe the girl is stupid enough to believe that the day is supposed to be truly happy. Not with Olenna Tyrell as her grandmother. He looks around and spots her brother Loras. Smirking when the third son of Mace Tyrell catches his eye.

"Do you know that gentleman?" The curly-haired blonde looks familiar but you cannot place him, thinking only that you must have seen him in the halls of the Keep during the few days that you were there. The fact that he is looking rather lustfully at the man you are recently married to does not truly factor into anything. In fact, you understand it fully.

“Hmmmm.” Oberyn guides you to a table to sit down, plopping into a seat beside you as Ellaria sits on his other side. “Loras Tyrell.” He informs you. “Our queen’s brother and the Knight of Flowers.” He hums in amusement. He sends the man a small, sly wink.

"I do not think I am familiar with that title." There are pitchers of wine and goblets on every table even before the feast has begun, and bowls of fruit and nuts scattered around the gardens for guests to indulge in with their first glasses of wine. Even after only knowing the prince for a day, you know for certain that he will focus on those bowls of treats over any other food.

Ellaria leans over Oberyn and pops a berry into her lover’s mouth as he continues to make eyes at the other man. “He is also known as the knight of pansies.” She tells you with a smirk. “It is said that half the women in the seven kingdoms want to bed him, but….” She moans quietly when Oberyn sucks on her finger. “His interest lay elsewhere, preferring a cock over a cunt.”

"Oh." Your eyes widen for a moment before you can school your expression into something much more neutral, and you almost imagine feeling Raeden stiffen on your other side. "I see." So many other people in world seem so comfortable with that attraction – the pull between two men or two women – but you were raised differently. Making your own moments of attraction to other women all the more confusing and never to be spoken of.

“Do not tell me you disapprove?” Ellaria asks, hearing the censure in your voice. If you cannot accept Oberyn’s tastes, then your marriage will be a cold one.

"No." It is out of your mouth so fast that the word is almost too loud, which surely would have gotten your group even more attention. "N—no. It is only..." It is that you are jealous, you realize with a moment of regret, and you look down at your hands in your lap instead of at any of them. "It is only that we are not so free with such things in the Vale," you explain quietly. "It is an adjustment."

“It is not free in the majority of the seven kingdoms.” Oberyn reaches for a wine goblet and takes a swallow. “I just do not care what people think of me.”

"Perhaps that is a virtue, your Grace." If you could simply disappear in order to escape, you would do it happily. This moment has made you far too aware of things that you had been trying to tamp down and your discomfort is rising measurably.

“Lover, you are embarrassing your bride.” Ellaria tilts her head slightly as she looks over at you.

"Upsetting." Raeden corrects softly, knowing the look on your face as intimately as any lover possibly could. He cannot comfort you in public, but he can certainly alert those who can to how you are truly feeling. What he does not know is why you are upset. Unless the idea of two men indulging in each other is that dismaying for you after all.

That makes Oberyn look away from his potential conquest to look over at you. “Why is my princess upset?” He demands softly, reaching out and caressing your cheek.

"Please..." If they ask then you will be bound to say, and that could be more embarrassing for you than upsetting. Or perhaps it would be damaging altogether, you cannot tell. All you know is that someone is bound to be hurt by it and you do not wish to hurt anyone at all. "Please, do not fuss. I am simply not feeling myself."

Oberyn is not a man who listens, especially not when he can see now there is something bothering you. You might not be his lover, but you are his wife, under his care. And like everyone under his care, he listens. Turning to Ellaria, a silent conversation passes with a look and flirtations with Loras are put on hold as he stands and draws you to your feet. “Come with me.”

There is nothing you can do but obey, and not only because he is your husband. There are eyes on you from every direction and you refuse to cause a scene. So you are left to simply nod, letting him take your hand and lead you from the table as guests continue to arrive and mill about, greeting each other before the king and his new queen arrive to their own banquet.

He knows that some will think that he is stealing his wife away for an intimate moment, and he might have if circumstances had been different. As it is, he guides you towards a deserted part of the gardens before he stops. “Princess?”

"I am still not used to being called that." And you cannot bring yourself to meet his eyes, either, looking down at your hands and skirts to avoid it entirely. "And I apologize if I have upset you at all."

“I am not upset.” He captures your chin and tilts it up, watching you with serious eyes. “However, you are.”

"I am..." His eyes are warm despite their seriousness, and you are reminded that he has been a father almost as long as you have been alive. It makes you wonder if he is treating you like he might treat one of his daughters – which is a terrible thought for entirely separate reasons. “I am.” You admit softly, and your eyes close to avoid looking at him again. "But only with myself."

“Why are you upset with yourself?” He frowns slightly and looks back towards the garden where the clapping had started. Obviously the king and queen had shown up. “Does the idea of those things disgust you?” He had not gotten that feeling before, but maybe he had been wrong.

"Those things?" It takes a moment for your mind to catch up again, but you shake your head. It feels like you are swimming when you do, a very disorienting feeling to begin with and now it makes you feel like you are drowning. "You mean...no. No, it does not...love is not disgusting. That is not..." You sigh out a long, deep breath and wish to all seven gods that you had been able to simply keep your composure at that table. Or that Raeden had not ratted you out to your new husband. "My first experiences with intimacy were with a woman. It is not that I am disgusted at all."

He is stunned into silence for a moment before he slowly starts to smirk. “Princess.” He picks up your hand and kisses the back of your hand and squeezes it gently. “There is no judgement here.” He promises. “If you wish to resume those experiences, you are most welcome to. As long as your Raeden does not object.” He longs to ask what kind of intimacies you have experienced but you look like you are about to expire. “If Ellaria is not your choice, there are dozens of clean, gorgeous whores to choose room when we return tonight.”

"Ellaria is remarkable. Anyone she even looks at twice should be honored." The last thing you would ever want is for either of them to believe that you were not grateful for their help and appreciative of their attention. Having the prince and his paramour turn their attention on you for even a moment is like being bathed in summer sun. "I simply..." Although there is nothing simple about it. "Never met anyone before who ever seemed to be able to make the difficulties of caring for more than one person seem possible. And it is...more difficult to understand than I would like to admit." It breaks the very foundation of what you thought was true about love and attraction, and so it is causing you more discomfort to think about than you are willing to admit. "Forgive me if that is a disappointment."

“The only disappointment will be if you do not live how you wish to.” Oberyn assures you, starting to understand your dilemma a bit better. “Men can have their wives, their lovers, and whores while no one would think it odd. A woman is held to a different standard because men want things their way. They wish to never believe they might not satisfy the wife or there is no need for another lover beyond his visits to her bed.” He shakes his head and scoffs. “They are fools.”

"Before very recently, I thought I knew well what life I wanted." It was one you never thought that you would be able to live, but you were convinced that it would have been what made you happy. To be Raeden's wife in a small village somewhere in the unknown world would have been wonderful. To birth and raise his children, to work for his happiness would have made your own. That unattainable dream is now even further away and you find yourself wondering now if happiness might actually be attainable with the life you have been handed. Or if Raeden would despise you for being glad to have Prince Oberyn and his paramour in your life.

“If you wish, I will send you to a small estate.” Oberyn frowns, not liking the idea much. “You and your Raeden. A place without servants or pretense.” He really doesn’t care for the idea, but you don’t seem to know what you want.

"But then I would not see you." Your response is immediate, shaken slightly, and your eyes dart up to his with surprising speed.

He relaxes slightly and nods. “Then you will figure out what makes you happy and enjoy it to the fullest.” He predicts with a soft smile.

"I can only hope that it does not take too long to understand myself." Although, you have an immense fear that it will. Apparently you have been lying to yourself just as you have lied to others. Just about different things.

“It takes however long it takes.” He pats your hand. “Did you enjoy your night with your soulmate?”

"It was a relief to not be afraid," you tell him quietly. Being patted makes you feel like a child, and once again you wonder if he thinks of you with the same regard as any other young girl his daughters' age. "I hope you enjoyed your night as well?"

“There is much pleasure to be had within the walls of that brothel.” He hums happily. “Cal very eagerly bounced on my cock while Ellaria sat on my tongue and licked her pretty little redhead’s cunt.” He chuckles, “I am hoping tonight to find out how talented the Tyrell boy’s ass milks a cock.”

"And that much physical pleasure does nothing to diminish your love for Ellaria?" It is the bare minimum that you can do for him, in the way he has done so much for you, to try to understand him. The way he indulges his lust seems to be a fundamental need for him, so as much as it is new for you, you will do what you can to become more comfortable with it.

“Never.” Oberyn shakes his head. “Everyone would have to stand in line behind her.” He smiles and gives a very dreamy look. “It actually makes our own love sweeter. Her pleasure is my pleasure and she feels the same.”

"The way you love her is admirable." On your best days, you hope that you love Raeden half as well. It is only that the wish in the back of your mind for love and happiness is beginning to include him, and that is startling to you.

“Despite the fact that we share scars, I choose her.” He explains. “Every day we choose each other.”

"That makes you both very lucky. To be able to choose each other without fear." Your hands are still in his and they flex gently in his grip. Despite being married to this man under the eyes on the gods, you feel irrevocably shy in his presence.

“You can choose your soulmate, Princess.” He reminds you quietly. “Now, we must return and pretend that we were fucking.”

"I do choose him." A wave of boldness rises up from your toes that you do not understand or truly even want to comprehend, but it is there anyway. "I did not know before now that I could choose more than one person." His hands are firm in yours and before you can stop yourself, you are pulling him back to you and pressing your lips to his in earnest, only hoping that he does not consider you foolish for acting impulsively.

Oberyn had promised you that he would never take what you did not offer and he had meant it. However, you have initiated this kiss and as much as it shocks him, he reacts. One hand cups the back of your head and the other wraps around your back so he can guide you towards the nearest tree as his tongue pushes past your lips and he kisses you with a hunger that surprises even him.

The fire of the moment leaves you breathless, shaken to your core just the same way you were the first time you kissed Raeden. There is passion and need there, to such a degree that you cling to him as he cages you between his body and the nearest tree, letting him map every inch of your mouth as you eagerly do the same with him.

It is a change of heart from yesterday but he won’t question it. Not when you are pressing yourself against him and gripping his robes as if you are afraid that he would pull away. Making him groan quietly as his tongue strokes yours eagerly.

It is only the need to breathe that makes you pull away from him, and even then you feel your head spin. “I—” You do not need to apologize for kissing your husband, but still it feels like an intrusion. Like you ought to have asked, or spoken to Ellaria first. Spoken to Raeden first. But it was done in the heat of the moment. “I do not yet know exactly what I want,” you admit, your heart racing. “But I wish for you to be included in it. Somehow.”

“Then I will fit into whatever slot you determine.” He is panting slightly and he cannot deny that his cock has hardened under his robes. You are disheveled and that will play into the rumor that he fucked you in the gardens nicely.

“We should return.” Your body is on fire the way only one other person has ever managed in your life, and you have to consciously make the decision to let go of his robes and step back so you don’t do anything inappropriate.

“We should.” Oberyn wants to kiss you again, but the moment has passed. Offering you his arm again as Cersei comes into view. He huffs quietly and stares.

The flustered expression on your face coupled with the Dornish prince looking like the cat who got the cream makes Cersei rankle, but she says nothing as the pair of you glide past her. Another slut for Oberyn's harem, she thinks with a roll of her eyes.

“That will be a burr in her cunt for days.” He predicts quietly with a smirk.

"Surely she knows your reputation." You murmur, looking back at him. "It should not surprise her."

“One would think.” Oberyn hums, knowing it is only a matter of time before Cersei lowers herself to actually approach him with her real problem, her daughter. She has never been happy that Myrcella had been sent to Dorne, betrothed to his nephew. “She is not to be trusted.” He advises you quietly. “The Lannisters lie.”

“I do not believe a Lannister has ever spoken me to before our meeting yesterday.” You breathe as he ushers you quickly through the gardens.

“Count yourself fortunate.” Oberyn sneers. “Even more so if you do not have to converse with another until the day their house lays in ruin.”

“Do not let her presence sour your mood, my lord.” Until catching sight of the Dowager, he had seemed to be in a relatively good humor, and you are still very much buzzing from kissing him. The last thing you want is for that good feeling to be overshadowed.

He relaxes slightly, aware he was letting his personal animosity for the Lannisters get to him. “You are right.” He looks over at you with amusement. “Is it all women, or those that I am around?”

“I am not sure I understand?” Perhaps you might know what he is asking you if your mind were not so hazy, but with your hand wrapped around his arm as you walk, there is no escaping it.

“The women around me seem to always be right.” He jokes, sending you a small wink when your frown of confusion seems to make him want to kiss you again. While you might have kissed him a moment ago, he doesn’t believe that you have given him permission to reciprocate whenever he wished.

“Ellaria is very clever.” Something which you do not know if you can claim for yourself, but you certainly can praise her from sunrise to sunset.

“As is the woman who is my princess.” He hums, patting your hand. “Clever and brave.” He praises. “You decided that your lover’s life was worth everything when another would have never been brave enough to venture through the city or come to a man you had no interest in marrying.”

“You were my only hope.” There is no shame in admitting that, especially because he had proven to be so much more than just understanding. He has so much kindness to share. “And I am very grateful to you for your mercy. Not everyone would have opened their arms to their betrothed’s soulmate the way you did.”

“It would have been a shame to have such a man put to death for a lie.” He does not think he did much. “Nor would you have been happy if he had.”

“Yes,” you agree with a nod. “But do you realize how few would have taken either my happiness or the lie into account?”

“All but those few are fools.” He tells you with a shrug. “Liars will continue to lie and happiness in your home is the greatest treasure a man can possess.”

“And you are a good man, which I am grateful for.” When Raeden and Ellaria are in sight again, you can see plainly that they have been having their own intimate discussion and though you expect to feel nerves or jealousy, it is relief that washes over you.

“There are some who would not agree with you.” Oberyn sees that Raeden has shifted closer to Ellaria, his protective nature apparently extending towards your husband’s paramour. It is warming to see.

“Then perhaps it is that you are a good husband?” When he pauses in his step you offer him a shy smile. “And for that I am grateful as well.”

Retuning to the feast, Oberyn sets you down and nods towards your lover, assuring him that you are not upset any longer. Another, longer conversation would be needed, but it could wait for another time.

Ellaria tucks herself into Oberyn’s side easily when he sits again, and there is mischief in her eyes but the first thing she does is lean into him. “All is well?”

“Of course.” Oberyn leans in and brushes his nose against hers. “My wife feels guilty that your kiss is not the first she has ever shared with a woman.”

“No?” This seems to delight Ellaria, or at least it is unexpected enough that her eyes light up. “But that is not a reason for guilt. I do not desire to claim her innocence.”

“I think she does believe that to want another means that she does not love her Raeden enough.” Oberyn ventures quietly.

“Or is she afraid that he will think so?” Ellaria frowns, tutting softly. “I hope neither does. For their sake. Love should not include fear.”

“We know that.” His hand links with hers and he brings them up to kiss hers softly. “But we have been free to love for longer than they have.”

“I am fine,” you assure Raeden quickly after sitting down again, touching your hand to his leg ever so briefly under the table where it cannot be seen. “I was overwhelmed, but I am better. Did you…have a conversation with Ellaria? While we were gone?” The urgency of the question in your mind makes you wonder if you hope they did more than speak, but that is too vast of a thought to conquer right now.

“I did.” Raeden nods, sure that he hears hope in your voice and wonders about it. Something has shifted slightly, as if the bath this morning changed things and he is not sure how to align himself.

"And...all is well?" There is no reason it should not be, but the sudden guilt you feel at having enjoyed kissing the prince so thoroughly floods you and makes you reach for your wine.

"It...is." Raeden does not tell you what Ellaria said, you are aware of her interest in him, you have spoken on it. However, he wonders if you are really aware of her interest in you.

"You are upset." The weight on your shoulders presses down on you, chastising you for daring to enjoy the prince's attention while leaving your soulmate to be upset by someone else. " I—I should not have...have left you. Forgive me."

"I am not upset." Confused, confounded and wholly unsure of himself – but he is not upset. Especially considering that you are wearing a slightly dreamy expression on your face. One that reminds him of the look that you carried when the two of you were early in the days of your secret romance.

"If that is what you say then I believe you." After all, he has never lied to you. Or made you believe that he was hiding something. It is only you who are hiding things from him. At this very moment. The fear of what he would think if he knew you were feeling attraction for the man you married is deep and terrifying.

He is very aware of the fact that you do not sound completely convinced. And yet he finds himself nodding as he looks towards you again and then around the feast to make sure that no one is watching. "All is well." He promises, reaching down and stroking your thigh gently under the table.

"You are smiling, lover." Ellaria leans into Oberyn's side, her voice quiet and a berry between her fingers already destined for his lips. She has a feeling that whatever passed between you and the prince, it was more lighthearted than what was spoken between her and Raeden.

"She kissed me." Oberyn reveals quietly, accepting the berry eagerly and turning to watch his lover's reaction to that little bit of news.

Her eyebrow raises in interest, and Ellaria tucks her smirk into the corner of her mouth. "More than a polite peck? Otherwise you would not look so pleased with yourself."

"Much different from the shallow kiss we exchanged at the Citadel." He hums, finding it to be a small victory. The woman he had married yesterday had no intentions of ever kissing him again, by all accounts.

"So your idea to invade their bath this morning turned out the way you wished?" It had not been a malicious act, or even a manipulative one, but it had been Oberyn's intention to attempt to knock down the walls between the four of them this morning. Or at least to begin to fracture the strength of those walls.

"Perhaps." He won't say that you are willing to jump into bed with him, but the idea of more is certainly there. "How was your conversation with our Ser Raeden?"

"He is, I think, a harder nut to crack." Which is disappointing, but not exactly surprising. She reaches for his wine to put the goblet in Oberyn's hand. "As you say, we have been free to love for longer than they have. It is harder to admit one's wants when you have not been allowed to even think of those things in your own mind."

"They are both very repressed creatures." Oberyn sighs softly.

"It is not their fault." She tuts softly, feeling sympathy rather than pity. "Your princess is already making strides."

"Yes she is." He looks over at you and watches as you Raeden talk quietly between yourselves. "Perhaps Ser Loras would enjoy our company this evening?" He asks, shifting his gaze back across the garden towards the other man.

Taking that to mean that you have not made much progress, Ellaria simply nods and leans in to brush a kiss or two along her soulmate’s jaw. “A delectable choice. You will fit perfectly between us, or else I will enjoy my evening quite thoroughly with Cal and Leyth.”

The music starts quietly as the minstrels begin to play. Filling the courtyard with the sweet strands of joy and light. Oberyn looks over at his lover and leans in, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. "Whatever we do, it will be together, my sun."

The crowd applauds dutifully to see the newly married couple dance together, the steps long practiced and rehearsed. The queen is resplendent and joyful, laughing as she moves with elegance, and soon enough others are standing to join the festivities.

Oberyn leans over again, making sure that he keeps his voice loud enough for any nearby to hear. "Ser Raeden, would you take my wife to dance?" He asks, standing and holding out his hand for Ellaria to take. "I would wish for her to enjoy all the festivities this wedding has to offer."

“It would be my honor.” Standing to offer you his hand for the very first time under the public eye as though you had not danced dozens of times in the woods or your chambers, Raeden bows his head respectfully and keeps his smile soft when you take his hand. Most people here have no idea who you are – who Raeden is – but can follow the pattern of two guests in House Martell’s colors getting up to dance together. For the other Dornish nobles that surround you? They simply could not care less who you dance with. There have been polite nods and smiles but nothing more quite yet. For now, your only focus is not stepping on Raeden’s toes in the dance.

Oberyn and Ellaria move fluidly with one another. Years together has allowed them to move with a grace that compliments one another both in bed and when dancing. Sweeping out onto the area that is designated as the dance floor, Oberyn pulls his paramour into his arms and holds her close as he looks towards you and Raeden. If he weren't attracted to both you and the other man, some would say that his bemused smile might seem fatherly as he watches you dance with approval on his face.

“No one can stop us, love,” you whisper quietly, trying to soothe Raeden into relaxing a little in the hold he has on you. Not that you don’t appreciate his strength, but you can tell it comes from nerves. “We could dance until sunup if we liked.”

It's surreal that your mother could not interfere with your dance. Almost as if he is in a dream that is not quite perfection but close enough. His eyes slide over to your husband and he hums. "Unless the prince would not like it." He reminds you.

“He specifically asked you to dance with me.” The music is familiar and wistful, and you turn easily in Raeden’s arms. “There is no reason for him to object.”

"True." He murmurs quietly, pulling you closer and swallowing. "I wish I could kiss you now." He admits, just loud enough for you to hear. "That this was our wedding dance."

“We can pretend,” you murmur back, wishing the same in the depths of your heart. The voice in your mind that reminds you that you are wed – spoken for by a good and clever man – gives you only the smallest measure of guilt. It occurs to you in a wave of confusion that you wish you could have married them both. But that is truly impossible.

"It should be your wedding dance with the prince." He reminds you, not quite as bitter as the comment might have been if he had not experienced how generous the man could be.

“Why can I not dance with both of you?” Well aware of the question that you are not brave enough to ask, this is the best and closest you will probably ever come. And perhaps that is for the best.

"You can." Raeden's hand on your back flexes slightly, the thin material giving him a tantalizing closeness to your flesh that your normal gowns would never permit. "I would never deny you anything you wished, my love."

“You would not feel slighted? Or that I wanted to dance with you any less?” It feels unbelievable that he might actually understand your true meaning, but you have to ask. It feels as if you might burst if you do not.

Raeden pulls back, his dark eyes boring into yours for a long moment, interpreting the question with the same fears and desires that have been plaguing him since meeting both Ellaria and the prince. "Do you want to dance with them?" He is not misspeaking, he is including Ellaria into the question as well on purpose. "I— I would not feel slighted. It does not change my love of dancing with you."

“Do you want to dance with them?” A gasp catches in your throat, shock and that sheen of hope fluttering over you once more.

"Do not ask me that." Raeden begs you, biting his lip and looking across the dance floor. Unable to meet your eyes with the shame of his desires. You would not understand, not really. The things he wants are...unreachable. "You might not accept the answer."

“Do you really think so little of me?” You are not angry, only hurt that you are asking him if he wants the very same thing you want and he thinks that you would deny him. That you would think less of him. The man you love with your deepest heart, and he doubts you. “I would give you anything.”

"I think..." Raeden inhales roughly and meets your eyes. "That we know very little about lust and love." He confesses quietly as the dance comes to an end.

It is not the honesty of his answer that stings, but that he is so correct. That in your excitement and anticipation you had forgotten that there could be a difference at all. It does not matter much now, as you bow to each other in the changing of the music. He is already stepping away from you.

Oberyn appears next to Raeden, his hand on the guard’s back. "Ser Raeden, will you dance with Ellaria while I take the next dance with my wife?" He asks quietly, not sure why you both suddenly look so unhappy.

“As your Grace commands.” Raeden steps away from you fully and bows his head to the prince before moving to Ellaria’s side, leaving you and your husband alone on the vast dance floor.

"I had believed that you would be happy with a dance with your lover." Oberyn reaches for you as the music starts again. Pulling you into his arms and looking over to find Raeden doing the same with Ellaria. "Yet unhappiness clouds your pretty eyes."

“He is keeping something from me and I do not understand why.” Despite the matter of a day being all you have known the prince for, you have found yourself being fully honest with him this afternoon. Something which is more comforting than you might have guessed. “I fear I may have pressed him too far.”

"It is hard for a man to admit weakness to anyone, especially the woman he loves." Oberyn hums quietly, wanting to reassure you. "Especially if it is something that he is afraid of how it would be received."

“There is nothing he could tell me that would make me think less of him.” The prince’s presence is steadying, keeping you upright and grounded even when you feel near tears. “I do not understand what could be so terrible. Unless he intended to step back from me entirely, but even that…it would break my heart but it would not cause me to hate him. He would surely have a reason.”

"Your soulmate's bond with you is not one that is going to suffer." Of that, he can be certain. He moves around the floor with you effortlessly and bends you down when the dance calls for it before he pulls you back up. "I acknowledged unusualness when I was very young, my family did not rebuke me." He murmurs quietly. "No one dares to speak ill of it to my face because of my family name. Your Raeden has not had that luxury."

“There is nothing so unusual that it would make me love him less.” Not fully understanding what is being said, you do still know that for sure.

Oberyn hums, deciding that he will not push the issue, looking over at Ellaria draped over your soulmate and he smiles. She is very attracted to Raeden and the poor man is having a hard time hiding his own attraction to Oberyn's paramour.

“I have said too much and made you uncomfortable as well.” Your eyes drop from his face and you nod solemnly. “Forgive me.”

"You have not made me uncomfortable." He promises, his arms tightening around you. "I am aware you are not fully aware of what I am speaking of, and I hesitate to discuss it with you when it should be your lover."

“My brother says I apologize too much.” You offer, hoping it gives him some insight into who it is he had married. “Though if he knows the reason why, he has never said.”

"Because of your bitch of a mother?" Oberyn hazards a guess, his eyes finding the harpy watching unhappily from her seat in a relatively obscure area.

"Most likely." You blow out a sigh in that unladylike way that would normally get you reprimanded. "She is kinder to my brothers, though. It seems only to be me that she despises."

"Obara's mother was jealous of her." Oberyn hums. "Hated that I wanted her. Wanted to take her away from the hovel that she kept her in. Tried to prevent me from taking my blood, tried to convince me that she wasn't mine."

Grimacing slightly, you shut your eyes briefly and try not to look terribly upset, since there are eyes on you. "My mother has told me more than once that she wishes she had drowned or dashed me at birth. It is not easy to be told such a thing."

"Bitch." He hisses, eyes narrowing in anger at the abuse you had been dealt. "I am glad that she did not get her way." He promises you quietly. "The skies would be a much darker place without stars such as you."

"You are kind." At least, he is to you. And you are more certain than ever that you would never want the prince to be upset with you. You suspect it would hurt your heart if he was.

"No I am not." He shakes his head and chuckles. "I am arrogant, quick tempered and selfish." He knows that he is not the paragon of virtue that you are making him out to be. "I will kill a man if he angers me on the wrong day and think nothing of it."

"And yet?" Your eyes find his ever so tentatively. "It was you who I went to when I needed safety. And you who has comforted me when I was upset. So perhaps you are more than either of us says."

"I am safe." It amuses him to find that to be the case because most would believe that Oberyn Martell is not safe. "I do not hold your heart, so I cannot hurt you."

"You hold my life," you remind him gently. "It is in your power to hurt me in extraordinary ways if you wish. But I do not think you will."

"No, I will not." Oberyn assures you. "You are like the moon in the sky, lovely and unobtainable. Shimmering like a diamond that makes me wish to bask in the soft glow you give off."

It no longer surprises you to know that he occasionally writes poetry, although the new feeling is the wish that he would write some for you. "That sounds very lonely, even as beautiful as you make it out to be."

"The moon hangs closest when the waves lap against the rocky shores near Sunspear." Oberyn reaches up and caresses your cheek. "Making me believe that I could reach up and capture it in my palm, holding it with all the wonder it possesses." Your strength and resolve calls to him. Makes his heart stir like he has not felt in a very long time. Like he had imagined was not possible since he had met his paramour. Yet your eyes on his has his heart quickening.

"Oberyn..." His name is barely a breath when it floats from your lips, wide eyes looking at him with that same sense of wonder that he has described. The claim that does not hold your heart at all might be the most ludicrous thing you have ever heard, but that thought is something you have not tangled with enough to articulate.

"My moon and stars." He hums quietly, watching you with a softness that seems to make everything around the two of you fade to the background. He knows that it might be too much too soon, but he feels it. A connection between you that is impossible to describe beyond meant to be.

"I—" Wishing desperately for another surge of bravery like the one you felt in the garden, the presence of so many eyes on you is the only thing stopping you from kissing him again. Being acutely aware of being thought of as the prince's young or eager bride is not as horrible a thought as it might have been to you once, but you still have no wish to embarrass him.

"It is alright." He promises, seeing the conflicting emotions in your eyes and his fingers trail down your neck until they fall away from your skin. "Nothing needs to be said."

The moment of hesitation has lost you the feeling of his closeness – the feeling of deep intimacy between you – and in that moment you could weep for your own foolishness. But the song is ended and the other couples around you exchange their bows, forcing you to do the same. "It is only that I do not know the words," you insist softly.

"When you decide what they should be, they will come to you." He leans over and kisses your hand gently before straightening as Raeden moves back to your side. "Dance with your lover, star." He urges you gently and reaches for Ellaria when she stands within reach. "The day is still young."

******

A day so young and beautiful that no one present could ever fathom that it would end in blood, tears, and screaming fury as King Joffrey lay dead on the dais and Queen Margaery clung desperately to you in her grief and confusion. The terror of watching Lord Tyrion be carried away in irons, the chaos of the despondent on-lookers, the utter uncertainty of the entire situation have cast a pall over King's Landing by nightfall.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord

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My Masterlist!

#Pedro Pascal #Pedro Pascal character fanfiction #Pedro Pascal fanfic #Oberyn Martell #Oberyn Martell x reader #Oberyn Martell x you #Oberyn Martell x female reader #Oberyn Martell x f!reader #Oberyn Martell x Ellaria Sand #reader x m!OC #male OC #female reader #male original character #Game of Thrones #soulmate au #arranged marriage #purple wedding

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luxxtuxx · 9 months

Note

you’re comfortable writing it, you could have reader have adhd and that means she forgets things a lot, lots of things being necessary things like eating and putting on her glasses/ contacts, you could have her forget to eat one day and since hobie is busy he can’t check her vitals until he pays her an impromptu visit and sees that she’s super tired and sluggish and he realizes she hasn’t been eating (you could totally take this any route you want I just think it would be cute if he sets himself an alarm to check her vitals just incase)

Her Condition After Week-Long Mission

Im changing up the plot a little because I can /hj

CW: Hobie being sappy, ACCURATE Potrail of ADHD (I have ADHD, so these are sorta based on real events).

Little quip: does anyone else go to use words, but they are so often used in a sexual manner that you gotta rephrase so you don't sound nasty?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hobie knew of Y/N's Neurodivergentcy habits and made a pact with himself to not step in unless absolutely necessary. So the longer they were together, he always knew what needed to be stocked in the house at all times, and more ways to help during sensory overload.

This punk constantly checked on them, if he had the day off and they were hyper-focused on something, he'd keep all 3 different drinks at their respective temperatures and make sure they at least snack on something throughout working.

Then Miguel called him and told him he'd be gone on a mission for a week. Hobie knew it was important, so he tried to make sure they had everything in the apartment to be okay... with a kiss he left.

Day 1: Everything was normal, they woke up early, took a quick shower, started work, and worked all night, only breaking to go to the bathroom. They were so focused on work they had forgotten to eat something, and the light tinge from not eating they wrote off as 'Just missing Hobie"

Day 2: They felt a bit more drowsy than normal, but they made some eggs, ate half, and got distracted by the mountain of dishes, the dishes reminded them of the laundry, and doing the laundry reminded them to shower. And so by the time they remembered to sit down and work it was about....11:54pm Day 3: They had slept at their desk on accident so now, they were tired, in pain, and stressed because the boss moved the project date sooner. they only moved to go to the coffee pot and bathroom all day.

Day 4: They were knocked out in bed exhausted, they knew they had to keep working but they get so stressed out thinking about it. So at 8:30pm they grabbed hobies hoodie and sat on the floor curled up having mental paralysis because of the stress,

Day 5: The burnout started the fading hope of actually getting the work done. it came to the realization that for the past 2 days, they hadn't really eaten much.... sure they had snacked on some loose snacks and had a bunch of coffee, but no real full meals. They tried to shower to help calm the cricks in their back and how ill they were feeling

Day 6: They were back at work again pushing through, ignoring the stomach pain, and the headache. They had woken up and just felt like they were on the verge of a breakdown. Everything was too much right now, they just wanted their comfort human, comfort blanket, and comfort food all in the same place. They were so overloaded sensory wise, they couldn't speak on the company Zoom calls, they were using the chat, and even that felt like too much

Day 7: It was the day hobie came home... it was the day they had off from work. They drifted around like a zombie. They managed to eat a bowl of cereal in between waking up and taking a nap. After that nap, they just sat on the bed completely zoned out... after what felt like maybe 5 minutes, the clouds were gray and hobie was stepping through his portal.

When hobie saw they zoned out, all the coffee mugs towering on the desk and how pale they were. he knew immediately what happened. He quickly got out of all his spider gear, and he made sure to be careful as he moved them to lie down. He kissed their forehead... "Oh, my angel of music... it's okay, just rest. Tomorrow and Tuesday call in sick and I won't take any mission and we can just spend the next two days getting back into our routine, does that sound good?"

They meekly nod as they finally put themselves under the covers of the bed. "Im sorry, it was so much, the boss moved the project date up sooner. I really tried hobie. I mean it I really tried" they sniffle. hobie hugged them tightly and nods "I know angel, and I'm proud you tried, now rest."

BONUS: The next day in the evening

"Hobie..... thank you for everything," Y/N said cuddled into his chest, wrapped in their favorite blanket, eating their comfort food, watching their comfort movie. Hobie just hums "So explain to me again why you like this movie so much??"

#atsv hobie #hobie brown #hobie spiderverse #hobie x y/n #hobie headcanons #hobie x reader #hobie x you #spider man: across the spider verse #spider punk #spiderpunk #hobie brown x you #hobie fluff #fluff

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vadacore · 4 months

Text

happy fucking new year

ficlet // the fallout (2021) // word count: 587

“Happy New Year, Vadaaa!”

Amelia’s way-too-enthusiastic voice ripped her older sister from the 4-hour sleep she was working on.

Vada honestly felt hungover—that’s how tired she was. She’d stayed up ‘til 5 am on FaceTime with Nick, Mia, and Quinton, doing stupid shit and playing games through the celebrations and fireworks. They all took shots of champagne and timed who took the longest to pop a balloon with nothing but their own body. Long story short, she crashed hard and had full intentions of sleeping until 2 in the afternoon, at least.

Yet her door was busted open much earlier than that… like well-before-noon much earlier. That much, she could tell.

She kept her head in her pillow and refused to move, hoping her little sister would take the hint and leave her alone.

But that wasn’t Amelia’s style. She and their parents had gone to bed closer to 1 am, yet the walls were thin so she heard Vada shouting into her computer from her room. She didn’t get the sleep she intended last night, so it was time for some karma. She trotted up to the bedside and leapt up on the bed to shake her sibling awake. “Vada!”

The other kept her eyes closed as stirred with an annoyed whine. “What…?”

“Happy New Year!”

She reached back to try and shove her away. “Go away…” she grumbled and pulled her hood over her head to block the sunshine coming through her window.

But Amelia tugged it off. “But it’s the new year!”

“I don’t care, Ameliaaa!” Vada continued to whine. She yanked her comforter up over her head, her voice coming out slightly muffled as she curled in on herself. “Just let me sleep!”

The younger one just giggled though. “It’s 2024!” she expressed once again, “You’ve slept for a year. You went to sleep, feeling like it was 2023 and now you wake up and it’s a year later.” She shifted closer and jumped on top of her, shaking her again just to be as disturbing as she was last night. “Come on!” She pulled on the comforter.

However, her resisting force was greater. “I’m gonna go get Mom,” her older sister threatened.

“Okay, and? I already told her about you staying up so late with your friends,” came the retaliation, “This is just payback.”

Even though she couldn’t see her, Vada could just picture the smirk on her face and the hand on her hip, like she always did whenever she proved a point. “‘Kay, fine. Touché, now get out,” she ordered.

Luckily, Amelia took the hint, but that came bittersweetly as she slid off the bed to leave. “Okay, but Mom’s not gonna let you sleep much longer. We’re doing family stuff today, remember?”

Fuck. She forgot about that. Vada groaned and slipped her hand out from beneath her shelter to grab her phone off her bedside table. Her eyes squinted when the screen lit up to see just how far-off her plan to sleep until the afternoon was.

9:08.

Below the time, she had a series of text messages, all reading the same thing Amelia had woken her up with.

‘Happy New Year.’

As much of a celebration as it had been last night, it stayed being a celebration in the memories of last night. This morning, she didn’t want to hear about it at all. She just wanted to sleep.

She set her phone down with a groan and shut her eyes again.

“Happy fucking new year…”

#the fallout #vada cavell #vada cavell and amelia cavell #amelia cavell #ficlet #my fic #jenna ortega #jenna ortega fanfic #happy new year #2024 #this was random #and heat of the moment #writer's block #yolo i guess #vadacore

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gretavangroupie · 1 year

Text

Bloom (Chapter 5)

Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Official Bloom Playlist

Warnings: ALL of them. Angst, Smut, Smut, Smut. 18+ ONLY. Minors DNI

A/N: This is a long one, I just couldn't stop. We are talking 9k words. Enjoy.

“Now that I know you exist, how do I not love you.” -Butterflies Rising

You aren’t sure why your eyes are opening, something must have woken you. You feel for Josh and he is not there, his side of the bed is cold. You lift your head up and look around in the dark, the alarm clock reads 2:07am. You see light coming in underneath the bathroom door. You hear a little bit of what sounds like whimpering and you know exactly what’s going on.

You jump out of the bed and grab the boxers off the floor and quickly slide them on. You walk quietly over to the bathroom door, you don’t want to scare him. You gently open the door and Josh is sitting on the bathroom floor with his head resting on the toilet seat.

“Josh, are you okay?” You ask gently, squating down to kneel next to him.

“No, I woke up because I felt something coming out of my ear, and I came to the bathroom to clean it up, and I got so nauseous when I stood up I had to run straight to the toilet. I can’t even stand up with out vertigo, how am I supposed to continue this tour? I can’t even lay on my side because the pressure is so bad. I can’t jump or move without it causing pain.” He says venting. “What am I supposed to do?” he asks, and you can tell he is heartbroken.

You reach out and rub his bare back as he groans in pain. “What can I do?” You ask him.

“Be here, stay here with me.” He pleads. “Yes, okay, I’m here, whatever you need.” You reply.

He leans over, his head falling into your chest and you just hold him, rubbing his head until his eyes started to grow heavy and his breathing evens out, knowing you weren’t too far behind him.

You open your eyes and you’re not sure how you ended up back in bed, but here you are. Josh is sitting up next to you reading a book. You turn your head to look at him. “How did we get back here?” You ask with a groggy voice. “Well I woke up in the bathroom, basically laying on top of you, you were freezing from falling asleep on the tile, so I carried you back in here and got us tucked in. I can’t have you sleeping on my bathroom floor the first time you stay here.” He smiles at you.

“I have no recollection of this at all.” You laugh up at him.

“You were out pretty good, Im glad one of us slept well at least.” He says.

“Aw Josh I am so sorry that this happened and that you are hurting.” You say grabbing his arm craving the warmth of his body on yours.

Josh sets his book down on his side table and grabs your hand. “I missed you pretty girl.” He says.

“I missed you too, even though it was barely two weeks” you laugh.

“Really? It felt a lot longer to me” he smiles at you before leaning down and playfully kissing your cheeks, your forehead and finally your lips while laughing and not letting you move.

You pull him on top of you and deepen your kiss. You both feel the energy change between you, suddenly becoming more serious and needy. You look up at Josh silently asking if he is sure he is ok. He smirks and nods back at you, before taking your lips back to his own.

You snake your hands into his curls and gently tug his head back to gain access to his neck, he groans slightly at the pressure of pulling his hair.

You trail kisses down his neck nipping and biting until you reach his chest. He flips you both to where he is now underneath you and you are on top straddling him. You sit up and begin to roll your hips into his just to tease him. He raises an eyebrow and looks to you and says “Don’t start something you can’t finish babe.” You laugh and say “Oh I fully intend to finish” with a wink. “Oh, someone is a little bit dirty are they, I had no idea” He says with a surprised smile.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me…” you say grinding harder into him. His hands migrating to your hips pushing you down harder to where your center is directly on top of his now very hard dick.

“I think I am ready to find out” he says coyly.

You reach down and pull your shirt over your head exposing your bare chest to the cold, you nipples hardening in response.

“Stay still for just a second” Josh says. “What?” You ask confused. “Im committing this to memory” he says. You blush in response.

He lifts his hands like he is holding an invisible camera and snaps a picture of you before pretending to throw it behind him as you giggle a little.

He smiles and says “Ok now you can continue…”

Running your hands down his chest you push your self backwards and gently move your hands further down his stomach stopping when you reach the base of his dick and gripping it tightly while working it up and down, never breaking eye contact. “Babe, I…you…” he manages to say between heavy breaths.

“I know, just feel it” you reply continuing your movements. His fingers gripping tightly into your thighs and his neck and head arched back, you hear a slow groan slip through his mouth, an indication that you are hitting the right spot.

After another minute or so, you lean up and reach for his side table drawer, hoping to find condoms. Jackpot. You grab one and carefully rip it open, and slide it onto him, before leaning over to kiss him right at his base.

You look to him to make sure he is ready and he nods fast letting you know to hurry.

You raise up onto your knees and position yourself over his ready and waiting dick, his hands guiding your hips as you slide down the length of him. You both moan simultaneously as he fills you completely from this position. The stretch of him inside you the sweetest pain.

“Fuck if I did not imagine this every night for the past two weeks” he says, eyes closed in sheer bliss. “Trust me baby you are not the only one” you say and you begin to move your hips in a figure eight, reaching that sensitive spot deep inside, when you moan softly a clear indication of your pleasure.

“More of that.” he states

“What, you want to hear how good you make me feel? Is that what you want Josh?” You say as you begin to move faster.

“Fuck, yes” he says.

You start to move up and down the length of his dick, gripping as tight as you can on the ascent.

“Alright we have to change positions or I am going to cum right now” he says. “Hands and knees, now”. You feel a wave of warmth wash over your face and a warm feeling in your core.

“Oh, a little bossy are we?” You say playfully.

“You love it, don’t you? I can feel it. You’re wet as fuck.” He says.

He positions himself behind you and easily slides back into you with force. “Damn you are so tight and gorgeous like this.” He says. He continues his movement as you feel the coil inside of you growing tighter and tighter when he reaches around and grabs your tits and pulls you in tighter. The extra sensation sending you over the edge as your orgasm takes over your body.

“Fuck” he groans as he repeatedly drills into you another moan escapes your lips a little louder than the first.

You feel his dick flutter inside of you and you can tell he is close, so you embellish a little.

“Josh, oh my god, you feel so good inside me, you’re so deep and fill me so good, you know just how to make me cum so good for you.” you continue.

“Im gonna cum baby, i’m cumming right now” he pants.

You feel his dick twitch violently and he crumbles on top of you as he releases breathing heavily on your back. After a minute of catching his breath he pulls out of you and flips you over to your back and immediately climbs over you and begins kissing you anywhere his lips can make contact. He stops only to say “Be mine. Be with me, I can’t share you not even for one more minute”.

“You never did..” you say back to him “and okay, but only if you’ll be mine back.”

He smiles and nods and takes your face in his hands and kisses you slowly, memorizing your mouth and how it feels.

“Mine” he says with a huge smile before getting up and heading to the bathroom, motioning for you to follow him.

After a shower and fresh clothes you and Josh spend most of the day lounging around listening to music, quietly of course, and enjoying each others company.

You get a text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey, it’s Jake. Are you with Josh by chance? He hasn’t called or texted any of us back and we were getting a little worried.

You look over at Josh who is laying on his couch. “Hey have you looked at your phone since you got home?” You ask.

“Actually, no? I have only been keeping up with that thing to talk to you, and you’re here, so? Actually where is it?” He says nonchalantly.

“I’ll find it, but hey, your brother is worried about you. He texted me, what should I tell him?” you ask.

“Tell him that I am ok and that I’ll call him later.” He says. “Thanks beautiful” he smiles.

You: Hey Jake, I am with him right now, he is doing okay. Seems to be in good spirits today, but he has misplaced his phone. We are gonna look for it and he said he will call you later today. Don’t worry too much, he is in good hands.

Jake: Thank you for being there with him.

The next few days went by quickly just working, hanging out and various other activities with Josh. You had made a few runs to your apartment to grab clothes and your computer so that you could work from Josh’s house. A few quick grocery runs and a few visits from the guys filled the days, each of them asking how his doctor appointment went. It was not the news any of you wanted to hear. Josh had in fact ruptured his ear drum fairly significantly and his doctor recommended him taking a few weeks off to see if any progress would be made towards it healing. You knew that Josh was taking this harder than he let on. You spent the next few days holed up in his house together, trying to speed up the recovery process.

Around 5:00 Josh walks out of his home office, “Babe, I am going to go meet with our manager and the guys at the office. We have to come up with a plan. Will you stay tonight?” He asks gathering his keys, and looking for his phone.

“Again? Josh it's been like 9 days in a row, Amelia is going to think I have been kidnapped!” You laugh.

He stops what he is doing and grabs your hands in his.

“You know you don’t have to, I just like it better when you’re here. It's not so empty and cold.” He says.

You look at each other for a few seconds, and you cave. “Okay okay, one more night, but I do HAVE to go home at some point. My plants are probably all dying.” You smile at him.

“Good, I will see you in a bit.” He says with a smile, grabbing your face and kissing you quickly before rushing out the door.

Having his whole house to yourself, you decide to order in and watch a movie on the couch while you wait to see what time Josh will arrive back home. Some Lo-Mein and the Notebook really puts you in your feels. You must have dozed off because the next thing you know you hear the keys in the front door unlocking it. What time is it? You look at the clock with one eye squinted. 11:30. Josh looks upset and you know the meeting must not have gone well. You see him scan the room until he finds you.

He comes and sits down next to you on the couch and put his head in his hands. “We have to reschedule a bunch of shows. They don’t want me to even try to perform, they are afraid I will lose my hearing in my ear if I force it.”

You grab his arm and smooth your hand up and down “I agree with them babe, take time now so it can heal before you lose your hearing or worse” you say.

“I just hate rescheduling shows” he says.

You pat his arm agreeing silently.

“The only good part of this, is that I will be here for a little longer than expected. We were supposed to head back out in 2 days.” He says. “Looks like we have at least another week or two now.”

You shrug and smile up at him. “So now you’re really going to miss me when I go home and work this week.” You say coyly.

“You’re going home?” He asks.

“Yes, I have to get some stuff done and you are very…distracting” you say suggestively.

“Distracting you say?” He says leaning into you.

“Yes!” You reply laughing.

“Distracting like this?” He says almost a whisper, leaning in placing his lips on yours.

“Or distracting like this?” Sliding his hand up the hem of your shirt. “Or maybe like this?” Pushing you down onto the couch, hovering over top of you.

“YES exactly like this” you say looking into his eyes, now filled with lust.

Well maybe since you keep saying you’re going home I should show you what you’ll be missing out on.” He says pout playfully.

“Maybe you should take it easy like you brothers said” You retort.

“Not a chance in hell” he says pushing you back down, furiously finding your mouth with his, his tongue desperately searching for yours. You reach up and lock your arms around his waist pulling him closer to you.

“Josh should we move from the couch?” You ask.

“Mmmhm, you naked in my bed in 5 minutes” he says. He gets up and walks over to the kitchen, removing the whiskey from the cabinet and pouring two drinks. He looks over at you, still on the couch, “tick tock, darling. You won’t want to see what happens if you’re late.” He says smugly.

Your eyes about bulge from their sockets and you jump up and head to his bedroom. You quickly strip down and crawl underneath the blankets.

Josh is stepping into the room two seconds later, clicking his tongue, he says, “Just in the nick of time. You’re lucky angel, next time that may not be the case.” He says taking drink of his drink and handing you yours.

You take a large gulp wondering what exactly he means by that. You notice your body betraying you when you can feel the wetness pooling at your core. How could his words make your body react this way?

Josh seems to notice the gears turning in your mind and smirks, “What’s wrong sugar, are you feeling a little bit…aroused?” he asks, setting his drink on the side table.

“No…” you lie with a smile.

“Oh now you’re lying to me? That’s a very bad girl…” he says crawling towards you.

“I never said I was good…” you reply, challenging him.

“Oh you shouldn’t have said that…” he says before tackling you all the way down, pulling your arms over you head and pinning them there with one hand, his other pulling the duvet down the get access to you.

“I will never get tired of having you naked in my bed every night.” He says staring down at your form.

“You better get a good look, you’re leaving for tour again soon, and god knows the next time you’ll have me like this…” you say with a smirking smile.

He looks up at you, “Come with me”.

“Josh…” You reply

“Just think about it.” he says before continuing to kiss you.

You decide to leave it at that and let him continue on whatever mission he is on at the moment.

“Keep your hands there, don’t move” he says, releasing his hand to open his side table drawer. He pulls out a condom and quickly takes off what’s left of his clothes before rolling it on to his now, very hard length.

You nod your head in approval before he continues.

“Now where were we? Hmmm were you a bad girl or a good girl?” He asks.

“I was good, but I can be bad when I want to” you say.

“A smart mouth too? Very bold angel.” He says lining up with your core.

Reaching down, his hand finds your center and his fingers find their way to your clit.

“Wow, you really do like it, don’t you?” He says “you are completely soaked for me.”

He begins to circle around the sensitive bundle of nerves with his fingers causing a groan to escape your lips.

“There it is angel, let me hear that pretty voice.” He says

You begin to whimper again as you feel the tension start to build inside of you.

“All of that and i’m not even inside of you yet.” He continues.

“Then get there” you demand.

In a second he is pushing inside as far as he can, perfectly hitting that sweet spot inside you.

“Oh god, Josh” you cry out.

He starts to push in and out faster while making sure to hold your hands in place.

Gripping your hip for leverage he begins to slow down and concentrate on harder deeper thrusts.

“Fuck angel, it’s too good, I have to slow down or I am going to cum and I am not ready yet. Not done with you.” He says.

“Let me touch you” you beg.

“No, that’s what makes it fun. If you touch me I will have to punish you.” he says with a smirk.

“Punish me?” You ask confused.

“Yes angel, that’s the rules tonight.” He states.

“Rules? What kind of punishment?” You ask.

“That’s for me to decide, but don’t worry baby, nothing you can’t handle.” He says smugly.

He begins to pick up the pace pushing as hard and deep as he can. The sound of your skin slapping together, tightening the coil inside of you. Josh bends down and bites your nipple and it sends you through the ceiling. Your orgasm rips through you like a tornado. You tighten around him and Josh responds with a groan and is taken by his own orgasm. You lay together for a moment before he releases your hands and kisses you on the forehead.

He pulls out of you and takes the condom off tying it in a knot while making his way to the bathroom. He returns with a wet washcloth for you. It’s late now, nearly 1am.

“We need to go to sleep, I have to work in the morning, and suddenly I am not looking forward to that so much.” You say while cleaning up yourself. Josh takes the washcloth back from you and puts it in the dirty clothes basket in the closet.

“Did you think about it?” He asks.

“Think about what?” You ask.

“Coming with me. Well us, I guess.” He says.

“Josh, I don’t see how that would work. I have a job, a roommate, you’re on a bus, that’s no place for girlfriends.” you say.

Blushing about saying girlfriend out loud you turn away from Josh hoping he doesn’t see. I mean, you are his girlfriend now right?

“Angel you don’t have to be shy, you can say you’re my girlfriend. That’s what I have been saying anyways.” He says tucking the both of you into the duvet and turning off the lamp.

“We can figure it out. Make it work. I need it to. I don’t want to be away from you. I want you with me.” He says into the pitch black room.

You scoot over towards him and snuggle into his side, “I want that too.” you say before you lay your head on his chest and you both drift off to sleep.

You and Josh spend the next two weeks practically attached at the hip. He wants you to stay almost every single night, and you did except maybe two. Even then he still asked you to come back. You start to feel a little bit sad about the fact that he is supposed to leave to go back on tour tomorrow. He has asked you probably ten times if you will come with him, but you can’t leave Amelia. You have a job and responsibilities. If none of that existed, you would be there. You told him that but he still persists. If only there was a way to have both.

Josh insisted you spend the night at his since he was leaving the next morning. You spent the night completely wrapped up in each other talking and laughing and enjoying the little bit of time you had left together. Josh was sure that his ear was feeling better after a few test runs in the studio. They decided to head back out for a few shows, leaving tomorrow for Charlotte, North Carolina. As you woke up next to Josh this morning, things were a little bit somber. Both of you knowing that you’d have to say goodbye for a little while and neither of you willing face that fact just yet. He showed you, multiple times, how much he was going to miss you. And begged you to try and come to a few shows. With the promise of a maybe, you helped him go through his tour checklist and made sure he had everything he would need. Grabbing the t-shirt he threw haphazardly on the bed, you fold it up and put it in your bag.

“Oh you’re taking that I see?” Josh smiles.

“Only if i’m allowed I guess, it smells like you. It will for a little bit at least” you say.

Josh noticing that you are feeling sad, walks over to you and grabs it and puts it in your bag.

“Take it, take anything you want actually.” He says reassuringly. “At least I can be with you that way.” He says with a soft smile.

You throw your hands around his neck tightly and pull him as close to you as you can.

“I am going to miss you so much Josh.” You say into his chest.

“Ahhh this is the worst part about tour, I am going to miss you too. So much. More than I can even say right now.” He says, returning your embrace and kissing the top of your head.

“You know I will call you as much as I can, text you or FaceTime you when I can find my phone.” He laughs.

You nod your head knowing its just temporary. You help him grab his bags off the bed and head to his car to send him away, unsure of the next time you’ll see him. Putting your things in your car, he locks up his house and comes back to you.

With a final kiss and more sweet words, he jumps into the drivers seat and and heads down the road.

Later that night after settling back in at your apartment, you and Amelia catch up over dinner. You feel like you haven’t seen her in ages even though it’s only been a few days.

“Are you going to go to any shows while they are gone?” she asks casually.

“I think I might try to go to one or two, but I want to surprise Josh. I don’t want to tell him.” You reply.

“Oh! We can get Danny or Jake to coordinate it!” She says excitedly “That will be so fun!”.

“I have Jakes number, I will see if I can get him on the phone later.” You say.

You discuss details and plan while you finish up dinner, and cleaning up.

After a long hot shower and a long skincare routine you crawl into your bed for what feels like the first time in forever. It’s different than Josh’s bed, less inviting and slightly colder. Thinking about him you grab your phone and find that he had sent you a text a few hours ago while you must have been hanging with Amelia.

Josh: Made it to Charlotte, missing you.

You: It hasn’t even been 24 hours yet, and you already miss me?

You: I miss you too, my bed is cold and not nearly as comfy as yours.

He replies surprisingly quickly, for how long ago he texted you.

Josh: I thought you had already forgotten about me. ;) Trust me, these hotel beds are nothing to brag about. I would much rather be there.

You: Aw, I’m sorry, Amelia was prying into my life over dinner. I could never forget you, more likely you’ll forget about me. You’re off busy being a rock star, remember?

Josh: Don’t worry, I will always have all eyes on you, beautiful.

You physically feel your heart swell.

You: Show tomorrow, then where to?

Josh: I believe we head to Birmingham, Alabama and play there on Saturday, then we head to New Orleans. It is going to be a busy few days for us but I guess they have some fun things planned too.

The gears start to turn in your head, sure he only left this morning but, you can’t help but to want to be with him any time you can.

You send a quick text to Jake.

You: Hey Jake, can you call me when you get a chance? Away from Josh if you can manage.

Jake responds immediately.

Jake: Call you in 5

You quickly go back and reply back to Josh.

You: I am going to go to bed now, but I hope you have a good show tomorrow, call me after? Like last time?

Josh: As if that’s even a question, of course. Goodnight angel, dream of me.

You: Always do. Night Joshy.

A few minutes later your phone vibrates with a phone call from Jake.

“Hey Jake!” You say happily.

“Hey girl, what’s up?” He says in a husky sounding voice.

“You’re not with Josh right?” You ask.

“No, he is in his room asleep I guess, I don’t know” he replies.

“Okay great! So, right before you guys left this morning he begged me to come to a show, and I was just talking to him and he said you have a show on Saturday and then you head down to New Orleans, and I was kind of thinking about maybe surprising him? He seemed sad when he left this morning.” You say. “What do you think?”

“I think he would love it if you came out. We actually have a whole thing planned in New Orleans if you can make it. I can keep a secret.” He says. “I will talk to our coordinator when he isn’t around tomorrow and i’ll get back with ya” he states.

“Do you think we can pull it off without him finding out?” You ask.

“Definitely, i’ll make sure, our little secret.” He replies.

“Thanks Jake, I owe you one!” You say.

“Ah you don’t owe me anything darlin, he’s my brother and would do the same for me.” He says.

“Okay, well, thank you, talk soon?” You say.

“Yeah I will hit you up tomorrow. Have a good evening.” He says.

“You too, bye Jake!” You say hanging up.

You place your phone on your nightstand. Exhausted from your emotional morning you fall asleep quickly.

You wake up well rested and feeling content, you and Amelia chat over coffee and you tell her about talking to Jake last night and how plans are in motion. You get ready for the day and are feeling very confident with your outfit and makeup combo. You hear your phone buzz and go pick it up.

Josh: Good morning, I hated waking up without you. I hope you have a good day today, and I can’t wait to talk to you tonight? FaceTime maybe?

You smile to yourself while typing your reply.

You: FaceTime, definitely. Break leg tonight. :)

Your work day is uneventful and dragging on. Around 2:00 your phone rings and its Jake, hopefully calling to tell you the plan.

“Hello?” You say.

“Hey girl, I have a plan for you.” He says.

“Im listening…” you reply.

“Okay, so the coordinator told me that Nashville is only about 3 hours from Birmingham if you want to come to that show, but I was thinking maybe you should come to New Orleans instead and surprise him when we go out. Sam and I’s girlfriends will be there, should be fun.” He says.

“The coordinator said she can pick you up at the airport undetected by Josh and get you delivered to us.” He says, “ You just have to let me know, I know it’s kind of last minute.”

You think on it for a second, you’ve never been to New Orleans before, and you do have sky miles to use up…

“Lets do it, i’ll book my flight and text you the details.” You say.

“Sweet, i’ll talk to the coordinator and let her know you’re in. Josh is gonna be psyched.” He says giddy.

“Okay just make sure he doesn’t find out, and I will see you in a couple of days.” You reply.

“Trust me he won’t find out. See you then.” He says and hangs up.

You book your flight and text Amelia and tell her your plans, hoping she can keep it a secret from Danny, then you text Jake the info on your flight.

The rest of your day is chaotic but goes by quickly, packing and preparing to go out of town for a few days.

Around 11:30 you are ready for your FaceTime date with Josh and can’t wait to hear about the show.

As you’re scrolling through instagram, your phone begins to ring and you quickly answer.

“Hey baby!” Josh says with a huge smile.

“Hi handsome!” You reply “How was it tonight, how are you feeling?”.

“Ah, it was great, it was great, we had a great show and feels good to be back up there. My ear is ok, about as good as I expected, a little pain here and there but I was able to push through.”He says.

You give him a sad smirk and look at him. You can tell he has just gotten out of the shower, his curls still wet and hanging in his face.

“I don’t want you to “push” yourself too hard babe.” You say.

“Don’t worry about me pretty girl, I promise I am okay.”

“You know I will though.” You say. “How were the fans, were they excited?”

“Oh yeah, they were stoked, you know I searched the whole crowd but didn’t see you.” He said playfully.

“I was there in spirit” you joke back.

“Ahhh, I miss you. I looked today and our next break is in about two-ish weeks near Thanksgiving.” He says.

“Yeah, see I’ll see you before you know it!” You smile, knowing he has no idea just how soon it will be.

“I will be counting down the days.” He replies.

You see commotion in the background of his video, and see some people start walking away.

“They have summoned me to the bus. I have to go but I will call you tomorrow.” He says.

“Okay, well try and get some rest tonight, and I will talk to you then. Night night!” You say.

“Goodnight angel.” He replies.

The call ends and you are left with a small hole in your heart knowing that he isn’t feeling his best, and there is nothing you can do to help. However, surprising him in a few days should do the trick.

The next day or two goes by uneventfully and you are itching to leave for New Orleans tomorrow. You talk to Josh each night on the phone, probing to see if he has any clue about you coming down. When each call ends with an I miss you and a countdown on days you decide you are in the clear.

After an early morning at the airport, you wait at baggage claim to be collected by the guys travel coordinator. You have never met her but Jake sent you her number and you texted to let her know you had arrived. She finds you in the crowd of people and makes her way to you. You noticed few people in the airport wearing Greta Van Fleet t-shirts and smile to yourself knowing they must be fans coming in town for the show. On your drive to the hotel the travel coordinator who is named Lisa, tells you about how everyone is out exploring the French Quarter today and will be meeting back at the hotel later before going out for Halloween tonight. You arrive at the hotel and she gives you a key to Josh’s room so that you can surprise him when he walks in.

You take the elevator to his floor and find his room. You unlock the door and when you walk in your instantly greeted with the sight of Josh’s things. You see clothes laying neatly on the bed, various items on the desk, his pillow on the bed and toiletries on the bathroom counter. The only thing missing is him. You set your bags down, hidden from the view of the door. You plug your phone into his charger, almost dead from your long flight this morning. You aren’t sure exactly what time they will be arriving back to the hotel but you are impatiently pacing around the room. You decide to lounge on the chair in the room and turn on the tv and try to watch the news to calm your nerves. You don’t know why you’re nervous in the first place, it’s just Josh. You decide that maybe it’s just anxious energy. Jake did say that his girlfriend and Sam’s girlfriend would be here so you would have to meet them.

Lost in your thoughts you snap back when you hear talking in the hallway followed by the sound of the keycard in the door. You sit up and smooth your hair out and rub your clammy hands together before standing up. You shake out your limbs and stand out of view of the door.

The door opens, and you hold your breath, only to let it out when you hear Josh walk straight into the bathroom. He must have to pee, you tell yourself. After a minute you hear the sink turn on and know that he will be out any second. The door opens and Josh walks out looking down at his phone.

He stops suddenly, stunned when he sees you standing next to the bed. He lifts his phone up and turns it toward you gesturing that he was just about to text you.

“Oh my god? What are you doing here?!” He says running towards you.

Before you could even respond he is taking you into his arms and pulling you in for a kiss. He places both hands on your face and cradles your head in his hands. Deepening the kiss you pull him closer to you by his hips.

“How are you here? How long have you been waiting up here?! Dammit Jake. Said we HAD to get another drink before we came back. I should have known.” He says.

“I have only been here for about an hour, Lisa picked me up from the airport. Jake and I planned it the day you guys left for Charlotte.” You replied. “I think that answers all of the questions, now back to this…” you say pulling him in for another kiss. He shrugs his jacket off and kicks off his shoes to the side of the room. His hand finding the hem of your shirt, sliding it up underneath the fabric feel the warm and soft skin of your stomach.

You moan a little at the contact of his skin on yours. “Josh” you whisper into his mouth.

“Its only been a few days but I am dying to touch you angel.” he says into your neck, kissing along your jaw and down your throat.

“What are you waiting for?” You ask craning your neck to give him more access.

Like lighting he is carrying you to the bed laying you down and holding himself over you.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” He says staring at you with a smile.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” You say pulling him closer to you.

His eyes darken slightly, “That is naughty angel, any other day I would spank you for keeping that from me. But I have missed you so much I might let it slide. Maybe.” he says running his tongue over his bottom lip.

“So do it.” You say defiantly.

Cocking his head to the side he blows out a deep breath, “Don’t tempt me beautiful” he says.

“I will take you right here, and soon. But right now we have to get ready.” He states, standing up at the end of the bed.

“Ready for what?” You ask.

“We are all going out as a group to Bourbon Street tonight. It is Halloween, and we all have costumes.” He says.

“Oh really, what are you going to be dressed as?” You ask.

“Well, I am going to be the Pope.” he says smiling.

“Oh god” you say laughing.

“Not quite, but close.” he retorts

You push his shoulder for making fun of you.

As you both get ready, you talk about the past few days and anything else that interested you both. You tell Josh how you saw fans at the airport and how cool it must feel to have people fly across the country to see him perform.

“Actually we will probably see people tonight who will inevitably recognize us, but we will have security with us, so don’t worry.” He says.

“I am more worried I am going to see pictures of myself on the internet again” you say jokingly.

“I’ll tell security you don’t want pictures and they will do their best to make sure no one gets any, if that’s what you want.” He says. “Happens more often than you’d think.”

“I know it must be annoying to have people constantly speculating about your personal life.” You say.

“I am used to it at this point, but I would like to keep you to myself for a little bit longer.” He says taking your hand.

“I will hang out with the girls tonight, that should throw them off our trail.” You say.

Raising your hands to his lips he presses a soft kiss to your knuckles.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I don’t deserve you, angel.” He says.

You help him with his pope hat and you cannot stop laughing. Josh in this costume is hilarious. You opted for a tight black spaghetti strap dress that makes your tits look amazing, fishnet stockings and and heeled boots. You were not prepared with a Halloween costume, one detail Jake left out of the plan. After blowing out your hair, you step out of the bathroom and are greeted with Josh sitting in the chair in the corner of the room, still laughing at him in his costume.

“Angel, you look incredible.” He says.

“Im not an angel tonight, father…” You say seductively.

He raises his eyebrows and gets up from the chair making his way to you.

“Keep talking like that and I will make good on my promise from earlier.” He says.

“That’s the plan” you whisper in his ear.

He grabs your arm as you are walking away, forcefully pulling you into him. He grabs your head and pulls you into a kiss, both of your mouths slightly parting granting access to each others mouths. Your tongues begins to swirl together, hot and needy. His hands squeezing your perfectly situated tits through your dress. You pull away from the kiss with his bottom lip between your teeth causing him to release a low growl. Furiously he pulls you back, and imitates your actions. Feeling his dick growing harder by the second against the thin fabric of your dress, you grab it with your free hand and stroke it through the fabric. His left hand glides over your center over your fishnets. You can feel how aroused you are and you’re positive he can too. He moves his hands to the waistband of the fishnets to find entry beneath. Sliding through the top he returns his hand to your center and feels for the edge of your panties with two fingers. Sliding under the hem of the barely there fabric his fingers glide through your wetness and he lets out a desperate “fuck”. “Angel it has been too many days since I have been inside of you” he cries.

“I told you, tonight i’m not your angel.” You reply.

With that he sends two fingers plunging inside of you, curling into that overly sensitive spot. You knees buckle and he catches you with his other arm. Regaining your balance you feel his thumb circle your clit repetitively. Hitting both of your sensitive points so effortlessly, you feel the tension building when he whispers into you, “cum for me, cum on my hand I need to taste you. Do it now. Do it for me.”

The tension breaks as your orgasm begins to take hold of you. “Fuck Josh don’t stop!” You cry into his chest as you rest your weight on him. You are sent spiraling tightening around his fingers and feeling the wetness around them inside of you. When you finally regain control and look up at Josh he is staring directly at you. He removes his fingers from you and sticks them directly into his mouth, sucking them as he pulls them out.

“You are the most divine woman I have ever seen” he says. “But the next time i’m inside of you you’ll be begging first.”

“That sounds like something I can get behind.” You say coyly.

You meet everyone in the lobby, and group up to catch Ubers. You and Josh share an Uber with Jake and his girlfriend, who are dressed as Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Jakes girlfriend is so kind and welcoming you can see why Jake loves her.

After about 15 minutes the Uber pulls up and lets you all out on Bourbon Street. Reunited with the other guys and the security team you begin your descent down the incredibly crowded street in search of alcohol and debauchery. You and the other girls hang back and watch the guys make absolute fools of themselves while in costume. After seeing a few fans and a few blocks of walking, you all make your way into a bar where a blues band is playing. It was the music you heard from the street that lured the guys in.

When you all get inside you make your way to the bar for a drink. You order drinks for the girls and a Gin and Tonic Double for yourself. The guys all have some sort of mixed drink called a ‘Hurricane’. A drink you were not willing to risk. A guy dressed as Michael Myers approaches you at the bar making small talk, asking you what you’re dressed as for halloween and if you had seen any crazy costumes tonight. As he talks he places his hand on your arm, and you begin to get slightly uncomfortable. You step back a bit wondering where the bartender is with those drinks. While he is talking you scan the room looking for Josh only to find him already staring at you with a very serious ‘if looks could kill’ expression. You break eye contact knowing that you’ll be hearing about this in a second.

“Drinks up” the bartender calls to you. You grab the drinks and head back to the table the girls are sitting at.

“What in the world was that?” One of them asks.

“Yeah that guy was totally checking you out.” Said the other.

“I don’t know, I was just waiting for our drinks and he wouldn’t stop talking!” You say laughing.

Taking a large gulp of your drink you see Josh look over to you cutting his eyes at you before looking away. Oh, he is mad…but, you didn’t do anything?

“I think Josh is mad? He keeps giving me death glares from across the bar?” You say.

“Oh, yeah he is a bit of the… jealous type. Part of the twin thing you know?” Jakes girlfriend said. She has been with Jake for quite a few years from what you have gathered from stories. She would know Josh better than anyone, she’s with his twin brother after all.

“Should be an eventful evening” she says with a wink.

Josh keeps his distance from you for most of the rest of the night, and you’re starting to wonder if maybe you did do something wrong after all. Maybe you made a mistake coming down here too? You hang back with the girls the rest of the night, but towards the end of the fun, people are catching Ubers back to the hotel and you, Josh, Danny and his friends are the last ones left.

He walks away from his dwindling security team and approaches you for the first time in what seems like 2 hours.

“Are you ready to go?” He asks curtly.

“Only if you are.” you reply.

“Let me tell the guys” and he walks away. You stand there awkwardly wondering why he is being so cold towards you. After a few minutes he walks back pulling out his phone.

“Looks like the Uber is right up here, let’s go.” Putting his arm around you.

Ok maybe he isn’t mad after all? You’re so confused but decide to gather up the nerve and just ask him before it goes on any longer.

“Josh if I did something…” You question.

“Did something? Did something like flirt with that guy right in front of me, my brothers and friends, for all of them to see…” he says with an attitude.

“Josh I was not flirting with him, I was getting drinks. He approached me and wouldn’t stop talking to ME!” You retort.

“I saw his hand on your arm!” He yells.

He opens the door for the Uber and you both climb in the backseat.

You sit there quietly staring out the window when you feel your phone buzz.

Josh: We will finish this conversation when we get back to the room.

You: You want me to stay, still?

Josh: Of course I do.

You: Could have fooled me.

Josh: Don’t say that, you know how I feel about you.

You: Right now I’m not so sure.

Josh: Then I will show you.

The car pulls up at the hotel and you both climb out, heads fuzzy from the alcohol. You make your way through the lobby, up the elevator and into the room without a word to each other.

You sit on the edge of the bed, and Josh stands leaning up against the dresser. “Im sorry that I…” You begin before being cut off by Josh. “Stop. Don’t apologize. It’s me. I know you didn’t do anything.” He says before continuing “I have been drinking and I was feeling jealous. When I saw him touching you I… I don’t know what came over me. I am so sorry, I should be the one apologizing for ignoring you all night, I just thought… I just can’t stand the thought of someone else touching you. You’re mine. No one else can have you like this.” He says eyes turning dark and approaching you.

“When you said that I should know how you feel… what if I don’t?” You ask.

He leans over you kneeling, forcing you to lay back onto the bed. “I will tell you, then I will show you.” He says suggestively.

Leaning further down his lips meet your neck and begin biting and kissing small rough and wet kisses down to your collarbone.

He whispers quietly against your neck, “I feel like the world stops spinning when we are in the same room” placing a kiss behind your ear.

“I feel like I want you to be a part of everything I do” kissing your cheek.

“I feel like no one could make me feel the way you do” kissing your jaw.

“I feel like I am lost with you” kissing your throat.

“lost in you” kissing your sternum.

“lost without you” kissing your nose.

“and I feel like maybe I am even falling in love with you” he says, kissing your lips.

A gasp leaves your mouth.

Your hands reach up into his hair pulling him closer.

With hads softly exploring each other, you both push your legs to move further up on the bed.

Josh pulls the straps of your dress down and shimmies it down past your waist, leaving you naked, besides the fishnets and thong you’re still wearing. Josh still in his pope costume.

“Josh fuck me, please. I have been waiting” you beg.

Without another word he pulls your fishnets and panties down in one swoop. Jumping up he pulls his pope costume over his head and takes off the remainder of the clothes underneath it.

He goes to his toiletry bag and you hear “Fuck!” loudly from the bathroom.

He walks back over to the bed.

“Baby you are not going to believe this but I do not have a single condom. We must have missed that on our checklist.” He says whining.

“We don’t need one” you reply.

“We don’t?” He asks.

“I started birth control almost immediately after meeting you. Call it intuition. I am good to go and I for one cannot wait to feel you inside of me.” You say stroking his dick.

“Jesus Christ” he says climbing on top of you.

He runs two fingers through your soaking wet slit, “how long have you been like this angel?” He asks rubbing circles around your clit.

“Since you gave me the death glare at the first bar” you reply.

“You have been wet for me all night and didn’t tell me?” He asks picking up the pace of his hand.

“To be fair you wouldn’t come near me, and if you had I would have probably fucked you in a dirty bathroom, but this is so much better.” You reply.

Lining his cock up with your opening the feeling of his bare tip pressing against you made your whole body shiver with anticipation.

“Fuck me Josh, please” you beg and he obliges.

Sliding his dick into you stretching your wet pink opening to the max filling you deeper than you remember. “Josh baby you feel so good like this” you whine.

“Angel if you keep talking like that I am gonna cum and I am so far from done here.” He says as he begins a forward and back rhythm.

“Harder Josh” you beg.

“I told you you’d be begging” he says as he begins to violently slam into you, the contact of your skin slapping repeatedly against each other, echoing through the hotel room. Groans crying out from Josh’s throat telling you that he is enjoying this as much as you are, without a condom.

“Turn over, hands and knees” he demands.

Doing as he says he continues his assault of your sensitive g spot. Crying out in pleasure you tell him you are close. Suddenly you feel the stinging slap of his hand on your ass.

“That is for talking to another guy right in front of me.”

He slaps your ass again, “that is for letting him touch you.”

“Fuck Josh” you cry out in the most glorious pain.

He slaps you once more “and that is for being a cock tease earlier. I should have taken you over my knee right then”. He continues to pound into you from behind.

As the words leave his mouth your orgasm shoots through your body propelling you to another dimension only to be brought back to Earth when you hear Josh telling you of his impending undoing.

“Angel I am gonna cum, do you want me to pull out?” He asks hastily.

“No Josh, fill me. Im yours. I want it. Mark me as yours. ” You say completely fucked out.

“Goddamn” he grunts harshly and you feel his burning hot cum streak the walls inside of you. His cock continues to pulse inside of you giving you every last drop he has to offer.

“Jesus Christ, I am never wearing a condom again.” He says before collapsing on top of you.

“You know you should really watch your language, you were dressed as the pope tonight. Actually, should I call you father?” You ask playfully and he smiles at you he replies, “No, but you can call me Daddy.”

#greta van fleet #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fic #greta van fleet smut #greta van smut #josh kiszka #josh kiszka smut #josh kiszka fanfiction #joshua michael kiszka #gvf smut #gvf fic #gvf series #jake gvf #sam kiszka gvf #gvf #josh kiszka x reader #jake kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner

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azucarmorena97 · 5 months

Text

𝙽𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚊 (Taehyung Love Story || Pt.5)

Warnings: SMUUTTTTTTTT

Pt.1 || Pt.2 || Pt.3 || Pt.4 ||

𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚕 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚐, 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚛𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜; 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚘𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚙 𝚓𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜…"𝚃𝚊𝚎𝚑𝚢𝚗𝚐, 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎- 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍," 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏-𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞. "𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚗, 𝙽𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚊…" 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚋𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚋𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝- 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚕.

It's around 4AM when he finally slips out of your bedroom, though not before kissing you once more- his lips faintly tasting of the sins from only hours before.

Your body tingles in every place he'd touched; your neck, your back, your thights- it remembers every moment.

Even as you now stand in front of the stove waiting for the bubbles to stop forming in the pancake, you can't help but let your mind take you back to him.

You don't even realize you're in a daze until Jungkook calls out to you, "Mom!"

You jump, immediately turning to him, "Hmm? Oh, I didn't even hear you come in."

"Obviously," He says, taking off his jacket and tossing it on the counter, "Damn, it sure smells good in here. I thought for sure you'd be passed out still- or at least hung over."

"Oh, no- I'm feeling perfectly fine," You smile. "I'll say. I don't even remember the last time you made pancakes. You must have woken up in a really good mood."

Your mind flashes to Taehyung thrusting deliciously deep inside you- your head falling back in delight.

You blink twice, clearing your throat, "Uhm yeah. I slept really well last night. Woke up feeling pretty good."

"Oh gosh-" He squints, "Don't tell me you had a guy here last night."

Your eyes widen. How could he know? Does he know?

"What?" "The guy you were with yesterday- did he sleep over?" He asks, looking like he's absolutely dreading your answer.

You furrow your brows, "No. Absolutely not. I just met the guy last night. I would never-"

"Oh thank God. I was almost worried he'd be stumbling down the stairs at any moment to come eat pancakes with us. I mean, you gotta admit- you're in an uncharacteristically good mood, mom."

"Enough of this conversation, please," You say, flipping the pancake over, "How many do you want?" "I'll take four please!" Taehyung says, walking into the kitchen. His unexpected voice makes your heart flutter. Like Jungkook said about you, you had expected Taehyung to be knocked out cold- what with all the hard work he put in-

"No way, me first. I'm exhausted," Jungkook says, waving Tae away.

"Exhausted? From what?" Tae laughs, smacking 'Kook's chest.

"Excuse you, I'll have you know I'm famished from a vigorous night of-" "Do NOT finish that sentence," You snap at him. "-I was gonna say DANCING," Jungkook finishes.

You give a sigh of relief; it's enough knowing your son is sexually active; you definitely don't want to hear about his exploits.

"Not that you people would know how I feel, considering you both left so early," He says, walking around to the fridge to take out the milk.

You and Tae glance at each other, you can almost hear him swallow his saliva, and you can definitely hear your heartbeat in your own ears.

"Yeah well, I was tired," You say, turning back to the pancakes. "Yeah and, no offense, the club was pretty dry," Tae' says, sitting down and staring down at the counter.

"Well, you missed out, Tae'. Jennie was so bummed out after you left. You could've been hittin' that last night!" "Dude," Tae' says, furrowing his brows and motioning toward you, "Have some respect."

"Oh come on, my mom gets what I'm saying." You try to tune them out; the thought of that girl, the one THEIR age, pining after Tae- it's enough to make you feel a tinge of guilt.

"She'll be just fine," Tae' says, "Besides. I already said she isn't my type."

"Breakfast is ready!" You interrupt, desperate to change the subject.

"Awesome," Jungkook says, eyes lighting up at the sight of the pancakes stacked high.

And just like that, subject dropped.

You set the giant laundry basket on the floor, letting out a loud sigh as you sweep your hair out of your face. You slide the hall closet door open and then begin transferring folded towels onto the shelves. "'Kook!"

"Yeah?" He calls out from downstairs. "Bring me the last two towels from the dryer!" "Alright!"

You continue on, and when you hear heavy footsteps coming toward you, you don't even bother to look up from your task, "Thanks, baby."

"Don't mention it," Taehyung's low voice says from behind you, causing you to quickly turn around in surprise, "Tae-" You smile, trying to whisper as best you can.

He smiles down at you, dropping the towels into the basket and stepping froward so that your back is against the shelves.

"Tae, 'Kook is downstairs- he can come up any second," Your heart is racing in your chest, though you can't wipe the smile off your face.

"Oh please," He brings his hand up to your chin, raising it so you're meeting his line of vision directly, "He's plopped on that couch playing FIFA. This moment is all ours."

He leans in and grazes his lips against yours, though not quite kissing you, so much as he is teasing.

You want desperately for him to take you again. Right there and then. Fuck the towels.

"You're such a tease," You whisper, your hand coming up to the collar of his shirt.

"Now you know how it feels," He smiles, eyes still closed and lips very much still not kissing you.

"Hey, I never did it on purpose," You chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

He finally presses his lips on yours, one hand still on your chin while the other one rests gingerly on your waist.

"Tae! Can you bring me my hoodie from the room!?"

Tae' pulls away, leaving you breathless and desperate for more. "Duty calls," He says with a smile, kissing once more on your cheek before going to Jungkook's bedroom.

You have to fan yourself for a moment; the effect this boy has on you is completely unreal.

You look down at the basket of towels and decide on just taking it to your room. They can wait until later.

Fuck the towels.

You're sitting in bed, covers all the way off, AC blasting as you try to cool yourself off from the heat that has managed to penetrate the walls of your home; it's hotter than the pits of hell.

Your phone vibrates against your bedside table and you turn down the volume on the TV before picking up, "Hello?"

"Hey girl! How was the rest of your night last night? Sorry I let you go home alone," B/f/n sounds oddly energetic and cheerful, considering how drunk she was last night.

"Eh, don't worry about it."

"You had sex, didn't you."

Your eyes widen, "What? No. What?"

"Yes you did. I hear it in your voice," She sounds more and more animated by the second.

"You sound insane," You lie, trying to make your voice sound as normal as possible, "I just came home and slept off the drinks."

"Yeah, but with WHO is the question," You can hear the smile in her voice, "Was it that guy I saw you talking to on the balcony? He was a hot piece of ass."

"B/f/n," You say, almost embarrassed by how brazen she is, "I- I...."

You obviously can't tell her who you ended up with, but maybe you can validate her assertion, at least a little,

"Okay fine. I did end up sleeping with someone last night. But it wasn't that guy."

"Oooo, give me the tea."

"There really isn't much to it," You laugh, "It just...happened, I guess."

"What? I can't really hear you," She says, talking over some commotion in the vicinity of wherever she is, "Listen, I called to see if you wanted to come the pool to ride out this heat. You can give me all the dirty details there."

You think for a moment, biting your lip, weighing the pros and cons of going to meet her. You're positive she'll corner you to try to milk every last piece of information out of you, but if you don't go, you might just end up cooking to death in this house.

"Alright, I'll meet you in half an hour?" "Sounds good. Bring drinks." "You damn alcoholic, drink some water." "There'll be plenty of water when we get to the pool. I need a beer!" And with that, she hangs up.

You toss your phone onto your bed, sluggishly getting up and walking over to your closet. Tae' and Jungkook were supposedly gonna be meeting up with some of their friends for a bbq, so you wouldn't need to worry about them for at least a few more hours.

You pull out a swimsuit from the way back; black, with the high bikini line from the 80's- think Baywatch.

You put it on and then turn around to admire your ass in the mirror; it doesn't cover you too much- just enough to be passable at a family pool.

Milf.

You throw on a quick cover up along with some strappy sandals.

You grab all the beer in your fridge and then jump into your car, rolling down all the windows so that you don't pass out on the way there.

B/f/n lives in a nicer neighborhood than you so whenever she invites you to the pool, it's the one in her gated community.

It's cleaned regularly and almost always empty-

Almost.

You guess today is an especially hot day for everyone because it seems like the entire neighborhood came out for a swim.

It takes you a moment to even find B/f/n in the sea of people.

"Y/n! Over here!" She calls out, violently waving her hand in the air to catch your attention, "I saved you a seat!"

You make your way over to her, "Damn girl- at this rate, we may as well have gone to the pool on the other side of town!"

"Ugh, I know. Everyone's out today; I even saw the little booger face a little while ago."

"Who?"

"Your kid- and his friend. What was his name again? The tall, lanky one- well, not so lanky anymore," She smirks.

"Taehyung?" Your ears perk up at this information, "Where?"

You turn to scan the crowd along with her, "There!" She points to a far corner.

There's Jungkook and Taehyung, as well as a bunch of other people around them- the friends they were meeting for the BBQ, you presume, And also, Yeji and Jennie.

Your heart sinks in your chest.

"Jungkook!" B/f/n calls out.

"B/f/n, stop- I don't wanna bother them."

It's too late, they're looking in your direction.

You turn your face, trying to hide how red you've just turned. Jungkook and Tae turn to say something to the girls before making their way over to you both, "You following us?" Jungkook asks.

"Oh please," You roll your eyes, "I should be asking you the same," You say, glancing at Tae.

He's smiling at you, "Mm, I don't know- seems like you're stalking us."

"Well, I'm not," You don't mean to sound so sassy, but you can't help it; you see how Jennie stares at Tae', and it's really pissing you the fuck off, "So you guys can go back to your little friends."

"Damn, mom. Ain't gotta be rude," 'Kook says, exaggeratedly rolling his neck at you, mimicking your tone.

Tae' has his eyes narrowed at you, a calculated smile on his face. He knows what's got you so wound up.

"Bye," You bring your hand up and wave at them, and they go back to their corner of the pool.

"You tell 'em," B/f/n says, already having rifled through the cooler and opened a beer, "I've always felt you were too soft on the kid. Glad to see you laying down the law."

"Yup." You say, not really paying attention to her. Thankfully, your sunglasses are blocking your expression.

You stand up from your beach chair and take off your cover up, throwing it over the armrest; though you make sure you turn around so that your entire backside is facing their direction. It's subtle enough to look innocent, but you know exactly what you're doing.

"Okay girl, what were you saying over the phone?" She asks when you sit back down.

"About what?" "Stop acting dumb!" She says exasperatedly, "I didn't get any play last night so I need to live vicariously through you. I need details." You sigh, "Fine. Last night, I had...really great sex with...a guy."

"...and? How did it start? How did it end?" "Well," You reach into your bag and take out your sunscreen, putting your sunglasses up on your head so you can see better, "he's someone I've had my eye on for a little while and it just... happened."

"When did you meet this 'mystery man'?" She raises a brow at you, "You haven't mentioned a single guy in the last few years and now suddenly, you're having drunken sex with some guy you claim to have had your eye on for 'a while'?"

"Yeah, I've wanted to be a little private, I guess." "Mhm." You feel her eye on you, but you don't dare look at her.

You rub the sunscreen onto your legs slowly, with a quick glance in Tae's direction every now and then. His eyes are locked on you, even with Jennie trying desperately to hold a conversation with him. You smirk, pointing your toes ever so slightly to elongate each leg slightly.

"Oh my God." You turn to look at B/f/n, "What?"

"It's him, isn't it?"

Your heart feels like it stops in your chest. "Wh-what?"

She contorts her whole body to face you, positioning her own glasses lower on the bridge of her nose, "The 'mystery man'!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," You lie, frantically looking around in any and every direction just to avoid her gaze.

"Y/n, with him? He's your son's best friend!" She whispers, though you're starting to get the attention of some people around you.

"Would you shut the fuck up?" You say through your teeth. "Sorry- I'm just surprised," She says. Her tone isn't exactly disapproving; more taken aback, but her smile is ever growing.

"I mean, I don't blame you. He's really grown up, hasn't he?" She asks, settling back into her chair, staring him down like a piece of meat.

"It's not like that- I don't want to sound like some weirdo who was just itching for him to turn 18-" You put your face in your hands, "It's just that when he came to visit this time around, he was so...different."

"I'll say," She smirks. "Not like that," You shake your head, unable to truly express what you mean, "He's just so...mature. Put together. He's sweet, thoughtful, responsible- He's-"

"A man." You look at him, the way he keeps his distance from Jennie even when she tries to ask him to be her partner for chicken. "Exactly."

"So...how was he?" She asks mischievously, taking a swig from her bottle.

You blush, looking down at your knees, "He was...everything."

"Oh please, a guy his age? What does he know about a vagina," She scoffs. You shake your head, "Oh trust me, enough to teach a class."

"Hm. I might have to cradle snatch for myself."

"You? Give up sugar daddies? I'd pay to see that."

"I know, huh? I love a good grandpa."

You both laugh, and finally you're able to relax; a weight off your chest.

Now, the only one who doesn't know is... the most important person in your life.

You toss your house keys into the bowl next to the door and kick off your sandals, "Ugh, I'm so tired." You make your way upstairs and throw open your bedroom door, tossing your cover up onto your bed. Your time at the pool was short and sweet, but the sun has you feeling beat. All you want to do is take a long, hot shower and plop yourself down in front of your TV.

Jungkook and Tae' were still very much having fun, so you didn't even bother to say bye before leaving. You're not usually one for pettiness, but the fact that Jennie was even there was enough to make you want to torte Tae' a little bit. The silent treatment usually works on men, right?

You peel your bathing suit off and toss it into the hamper next to the sink and then wrap a towel around yourself.

You walk over to your tub and turn on the hot water; delighting in the visible steam, ready to lose yourself in the heat. You stand up in order to ready yourself to take off the towel, though you feel a slight soreness in your shoulder that you can't help but try to massage for a moment before doing so.

"Can I help with that?" Taehyung startles you, though when you realize it's only him you roll your eyes. "Oh come on, what's that face for, Noona?" He asks, the same calculated smile from earlier. "Don't 'Noona' me," You snap.

"I didn't know she was coming, you know," He says, stepping closer, "That was all your son's doing."

"You didn't exactly push her off though, did you?" "Do you want me to?" He asks, reaching out to sweep your hair to the opposite shoulder so as to expose your neck to him.

You look away, crossing your arms.

"Don't be like that, Noona," He says, hovering over your neck slightly. You try not to react to the feeling of his breath on your sensitive flesh, though your eyes give you away with how much your lids flicker.

"Noona..." He sings softly, his lips butterfly kissing your shoulder.

You give in almost instantly, letting your head fall to the side to allow him access.

"Were you jealous?" He asks before dragging his tongue up to the base of your neck.

"No," You lie, breath catching slightly.

"Liar," He pulls back and positions you so that you're standing right in front of your bathroom mirror; this is the first time you've seen how you look standing together.

A beautiful sight.

"I'm not lying," You blush, "I'm not the jealous type."

He smirks, "Oh yeah?" "Yeah."

"So it didn't bother you to see her trying so hard to get my attention today?" "No." "Not even those times she hit my shoulder when she laughed at my jokes?" His smile is absolutely menacing, and his touch is even worse as his arm sneaks around your waist, finger tips playing with the small opening in your towel. Each tug threatening to send the flimsy piece of fabric to the ground.

"You know, Noona, I really don't like being lied to."

He kisses your neck gently at first, then more and more hungrily.

"Tae', 'Kook's gonna hear us," You whisper, though your eyes are closed.

"Then I guess you better be quiet," He says, snaking his hand down under your towel to your bare pussy.

"Mm," You almost squeal but quickly stop yourself.

"Don't make me cover your mouth now, Noona," He hisses.

He's so different this time; yesterday, you were the one in control and he was the one who wanted to please you

but you've completely switched roles.

Now he's completely in control and you're in the palm of his hand.

He rubs circles into your clit, absolutely loving how you writhe in his grasp. "You're dripping wet for me, huh?"

You nod, "Mhm," Your face contorts in agony as you so desperately want to scream out loud with pleasure.

"You're so sexy," He can see everything in the mirror- as much as he can with this towel still wrapped around you, "But I think you're wearing far too much."

He takes his hand out from between your legs and in on swift motion, he undoes your towel and lets it drop to the ground.

"Fuck," He mutters, taking in the breathtaking beauty of your bare skin, his eyes swallowing you up.

He goes back to the previous position though this time, he's really able to see everything.

Unencumbered by the measly little towel.

His index and middle finger press down with more pressure on your sensitive clit, with one hand coming up to cup your naked breast. They look so much bigger now than they did last night, though of course, making love in the dark is much different than fucking with the lights on.

"Shit, Tae'. Oh God," You whisper. "That's right, Noona. Say my name."

He presses slightly too hard, and the overstimulation causes for your voice to go a few decibels too high, "Fuck!"

He lets go of your breast and brings that same hand up to cover your mouth, "What did I say, Noona?" He says aggressively into your ear, which only builds your arousal. "Mm. Mm. Mm." You whimper. "Touch me, Noona. I want you to feel what you've done to me."

He doesn't let you go, but does loosen his grip so that you can reach behind you. He's rock hard.

"Take it out, mama," He says. These pet names are driving you wild.

You obediently pull the waistband of his shorts down as far as you can take out the thick member, giving it a few strokes though he whips your hand away, "Bend over," He instructs, finally letting his hand off your mouth.

You lean forward onto the sink counter, making sure to perk your ass up for him.

He looks down at your perfect ass, mouth watering as he runs his enormous hand over the surface of it, before giving it a hard slap.

"Mm," You bite your bottom lip to keep from crying out, the pain and arousal mixing to work you up even more.

He grabs his dick and smacks it lightly onto your rear end, delighting in this view; one he didn't get last night.

"You want me to fuck you, Noona?" He asks. "Yes," You say, desperate to feel him inside you. "Yes, what?" "Yes, please."

He loves hearing you so submissive; he'd always dreamed of you in exactly this position, but no wet dream could ever compare to the real thing. He grabs onto one of your ass cheeks, opening it slightly to give himself entrance; slowly, he slides himself into you, and he has to keep from completely falling apart right away.

He's had quite a few partners before you, but none have been able to make him want to immediately unravel like you. He grits his teeth and continues thrusting, "God, I love your pussy, baby," He groans.

You grip the sink in front of you, letting your head hang slightly as you allow yourself to focus on that feeling; the feeling of fullness with every thrust.

He grabs your waist, stabilizing himself for a deeper thrust. Even over the rushing sound coming from the bath, you can hear the slapping of his pelvis with your ass.

"Reach down and touch your pussy, Noona. Come on, touch your pussy for me."

You reach down in between your legs, satisfying that part of your pussy- it's almost overwhelming how full you feel.

"I know it feels good, Noona," He says, menacing smile on his face, "I want you to make yourself cum for me," He says.

You nod, rubbing down harder. "But I want you to look at me while you do."

You look into the mirror at your reflection; the sight of him thrusting mercilessly into you is enough to bring you that much closer. He locks eyes with you and wordlessly pounds into your pussy, your torso sliding up and down on the counter and your fingers continuing to work on your clit.

He reaches forward and tangles his hand into your hair, his grip is hard enough to lift your head up "Come on, Noona. Cum for me. I wanna see that beautful face when you cum."

Your eyes want to roll back but as they start to do so, he jerks your head slightly, "I said look at me."

His grip, the forceful tone, the way his cock feels like it wants to split you open- within seconds, you feel it, "Tae," You furrow your brows but don't dare rip your eyes away. "Yeah, Noona?" He asks, his expression clearly wanting to contort the way yours does. "I'm gonna fucking cum," You say, just loud enough for him to hear. "Come on, Noona. Come on," he grunts, his thrusts getting faster and faster. "Tae, Tae, Tae, FUCK!" You scream, pussy releasing your orgasm all over his dick and also the tile. This sight is probably the most erotic he's ever seen, and moments later, he's wanting to followsuit.

"Come inside me, baby," You say. "Wh-what?" He asks, a worried expression on his face. "It'll be okay, just do it," You moan. "You sure?" "Yes, Tae. Come on, Come inside your Noona."

Music to his ears. In moments, he's spilling inside you, every centimeter of your walls covered in his thick, white, hot cum.

"Fuck," He groans, his thrusts slowing down as he relishes in every last second inside you.

"Mm," You sigh, letting your bodyweight rest entirely on the counter, far too exhausted to even try to get up.

He pulls out of you and for a moment, just takes you in one last time. The way your delicious ass looks bent over, the way your back glistens in sweat, the way he can see your legs trembling from having to support the rest of your weight that the counter doesn't.

"You're so beautiful, Noona," He repeats, his tone back to its usual sweetness as he picks the towel up that he'd previously ripped off of you, "The most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Oh, stop," You blush.

He helps slowly pick you up and then spreads your legs a bit, "I'm serious," He says, expression soft but firm as he gently wipes the cum off of you.

This boy is an entire green flag.

If you weren't so spent, this action alone would've had you bouncing on his dick for another round.

"Alright Noona, go get in your bath," He says with a kiss, "I'll make dinner in the mean time."

"You sure?" You ask.

"Positive," He gives your thigh a tap and then throws the towel in the hamper by the sink.

"Thank you," You give him a soft smile.

He simply smiles back and walks out of your bathroom, the door giving a faint click behind him.

You're falling for him more and more with every passing moment... you just hope you don't get scraped up along the way.

A/N: Sorry for making you guys wait so long for the next chapter! I hope you guys like it! I promise the story is gonna get even juicier as we go on. Stick around please <3

#bts #jungkook #suga #jin #namjoon #bts imagine #jhope #jimin #angst #bangtan sonyeondan #taehyung #kim taehyung #bts v x reader

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wombatcat1903 · 2 years

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Bokuto x bestfriend!reader headcanons(post-college au)

Backstory: you and bokuto have been friends since you were kids. Both have been in love with eachother since middle school but neither confessed. After a few years you guys lost touch but have recently become close again.

Warning: nsfw.

Tags: praise, fingering, overstimulation

Mdni

.........................................

1. Bokuto is very affectionate person and is always touching you in some way. Holding hands, playing with you hair, a hand on your back, etc.

2. He comes over to your place every chance he gets between practice and games. He barely goes to his own place.

3. He has a drawer in your house full of his stuff.

4. You always cook for him and in return he makes you breakfast if he had stayed the night.

5. Since you have a one bedroom apartment he sleeps on the couch and won't sleep on the bed no matter how many times you've asked.

6. There was one incident that happened when you guys had started to hang out again where he had stayed the night and slept beside you. He had been so excited and nervous that he had barely gotten any sleep and had woken up with the biggest morning wood ever.(since lets be honest he is not a small man in any way) he had woken up before you and had been mortified since he didnt want to make you uncomfortable. Cold shower did not work for him since just seeing your stuff and being surrounded by your scent would make him excited again. He had to rub one out in your bathroom and he felt so guilty about that.

7. After that incident he never slept beside you again.

8. You guys being affectionate is one of his favourite things about your relationship however that has its own downsides too. If he doesn't focus really hard even small touches from you can excite him.

9. He wears only sweatpants when he's at your house. Big baggy sweatpants so when incidents occur you wouldnt be able to see it.

10. He loves/hates when you guys cuddle while watching tv, cause you usually start drawing patterns on his thigh with your finger after you get lost in the movie. Blood rushes down so fast that he gets dizzy. He can never bring himself to tell you to stop. So he sits there painfully hard all through out the movie.

11.he once found your vibrator while he was looking for something. he laid there on the couch all night picturing you using it, naked on your bed with your legs spread, moaning his name.

12. After a while things got so hard for him that he stopped coming around for a while. Big mistake. Not even 5 days had past and he already missed you so much and you had stopped talking to him since he had stopped talking you out of nowhere and you were mad.

13. He shared his struggles with atsumu in that time who suggested that he should come clean(not about the horniness about his feelings)

14. Getting you to talk to him was a struggle on his own. You made him work for you attention and affection and he worked so hard.

15. After two weeks of him trying to win you back you finally agreed to meet him at a cafe so he could explain why he suddenly ghosted you.

16. He confessed his feelings for you and asked you out. You were so shocked since you thought he only saw you as a friend but you obviously said yes.

17. I headcanon that he is a soft service dom. He both loves being praised and praising you. Once he found out that being praised is one of your weaknesses he started using it against you. And he gets very dirty with it. Both in public and private. More subtly in public but still enough to have an effect(affect?) On you. In privaye though? He is on anothet level. He praises you in a low and calm voice which and doesn't stop untill you're stammering and you face is all red.

18. He has a size kink. One of his favourite things is to sit you between his legs and finger you untill you're crying from overstimulation. He spreads and traps your legs under his so you wouldn't be able to run away. He starts with whispering praises in your ear until you've completely melted and the only thing you can do is whimper for him to do something. He starts with featherlight touches on your thighs very close to where you want him the most but never touching it. He won't touch you where you want him untill you start begging and whining for him. He rubs you clit with one hand in slow circles untill you start bucking your hips, he then picks up the pace and inserts one finger inside you with(?) His other hand.

Everything about him is big. Specially his fingers and it takes sometime for you to adjust to them. He loves that. He loves the fact that even one of his fingers can make you fall apart.

He never stops at one though. Sooner than you can handle he is inserting another one and relishing in the way you throw your head back and moan, tears gathering in your eyes. He is merciless about it. He fingers you hard and fast, hitting and rubbing your gspot with no mercy. He doesn't stop even after you've come. He doesn't stop when your legs start to shake and you try closing them. He doesn't stop when you come again. He doesn't stop when the tears start to fall or when you begs.

By the time he stops you can't even form full sentences and can't even remember how many times you've come. But he does. He counts everytime. He wants to know how many times he can get you to come before you are completely spent.

#bokuto headcanons #bokuto smut #bokuto x female reader #bokuto koutaro x y/n #bokuto x you #bokuto koutaro x reader #bokuto x gender neutral reader #haikyuu!!#bokuto kotaro smut #bokuto kotaro x you #bokuto koutarou

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sivellevossen · 8 months

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Just An Act

~part eight~

Prompt: You and Sebastian broke up following the events of 5th year. Now it is 7th year, you and Ominis are together and all seems well… until you and Sebastian are casted as lovers in a play.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10 *completed*

You were woken up by birds chirping and the sun casting a warm blanket over you. You instinctively went to sit up, not fully aware of what exact situation you had gotten yourself in the night before. You instantaneously knocked something with your head as you tried to get a hold on your surroundings.

“Ow.” You heard a rough and tired voice say. It hit you what happened. You fell asleep with Sebastian up in the Astronomy Tower, it was morning, and students would very soon be out and about. Your heart skipped a beat at the thought, wishing you two would’ve been able to enjoy yourselves last night in different circumstances. Your realization hit you and you were fully awake in that same second.

“Sebastian! We have to go!~” You said hastily, laughing slightly at the boy who was just as dazed as you once were.

“What? No come here, five more minutes..” He replied, not even opening his eyes as he reached to pull you back down to him. You laughed , shaking him off,

“No seriously! They’ll be up here any minute!” You said, very lightly slapping his cheek. Slapping was an exaggeration, you just needed to wake this man up before he got you in trouble…again. He opened his eyes, realizing he wasnt in bed with the girl of his dreams, and rather exposed to the world in the Tower.

“Merlin!” He said, quickly getting up and smoothing out his clothes. His eyes met yours, a small blush painting his cheeks as he saw your disheveled and groggy appearance.

“I’ve got to go! I have a test first thing! Until we meet again Bash!~” You said hurriedly, offering him a small smile before scurrying off. He was left there for a second, replaying last night in his head. He wasn’t sure how he kept managing to get so lucky in the worst possible situations. He smiled, looking back at the spot where you two slept, before making his way to his first class.

As you went along your day, you still felt like everyone was still looking at you. How did everyone just magically know your business?! Not to mention the fact that you hadn’t even told anyone, nor was it that entertaining. I guess when you have the reputation you possessed, people were too interested in what was going on.

“MC!” You heard Natty call out across the hall. You smiled, heading over to them because it had been a few days since you last spoke to them, and you needed girl talk bad. These boys were too much drama.

“Natty! Poppy!” You smiled. “You look terrible..” Poppy blurted out before Natty gave her a slight elbow. You laughed slightly, she was always so oblivious.

“MC… although you have so much to tell me, you need to know what people are saying” Natty warned, her tone serious. She nodded her head to the corner of the room, following her direction you saw Octavia and rolled your eyes. “Go on..”

“Octavia is saying awful things about you. She’s starting to say you dumped Ominis for her boyfriend, calling you awful muggle names, and that you sabotaged her so that you could kiss Sebastian.” Natty said in a hushed tone. You rolled your eyes even harder this time.

“Great.. and I’m sure Ominis has heard all about this as well.” You sighed, opting to sit next to Natty on the bench, “She seems so insufferable.” You sighed.

“Speak of the devil.” You heard Octavia shout in your direction.

“Sebastian has quite the taste in women..” Poppy whispered, causing you two to giggle. Octavia started stomping her way over to you, her other Slytherin group trailing behind her. You stood up from your seat, not wanting Natty and Poppy to get involved in your little love square.

“Octavia, I truly dont care for whatever show you’re trying to put on.” You sighed, meeting her halfway.

“Crossed wands. Just you and me. After class.” She stated, head held high in confidence. You hadn’t dueled in crossed wants since you were partners with Sebastian. You narrowed your eyes, feeling the old you coming to the surface. Ominis heavily encouraged you to live normally and peacefully, in consequence, your spark slowly went out.

“I’ll see you then.” You smirked. A look of surprise quickly took over her face, as if she expected you to back down. Normally, you wouldnt care for petty gossip, but this was affecting Ominis, Sebastian, and now Natty and Poppy.

You hadn’t noticed, but Sebastian and Ominis were both present for this interaction. Ominis was already heartbroken, heard you accept her duel and felt terrible. You were already falling back into the darkness. He didn’t see that you were doing this for him, again. You didn’t want Ominis to be subject to Octavia’s wrath, even if he slightly deserved it. He couldnt help but feel nervous and even more guilty. He discouraged your combat skills, and now you were out of practice facing a girl who wanted your head on a stake. It felt like the world he built for you all came crashing down, and it was all simultaneously his fault. He needed to fix this, show you how much he regretted his actions, and make it all up to you…he loved and cherished you too much not to.

Sebastian on the other hand, he saw the sparkle in your eyes. Your actions reminded him of your time together. There was no way he would miss your duel. If you won, great, celebrate with dinner at Three Broomsticks, if you lost, comfort you and nurse you back to health. Win-Win! Kind of…not really. But he did not doubt your skills for a second, you far surpassed him in combat back in the day, and there was no way you just forgot everything because of Ominis. It was who you were, with or without dark magic. Although, he prayed for you to win..the play was only in two days and he desperately wanted that moment with you.

Truthfully, you were a little nervous. Aside from a handful of poacher encounters, you really didn’t duel in a while. You were confident in your skills still, but Octavia genuinely had it out for you. Taking a deep breath, you tied up your hair and changed into your dueling clothes. There were still small tears and holes from your past duels. It was also a little snug, hugging your curves a little too-perfectly, but it was all you had…it wasnt like you were planning on fighting a vengeful ex girlfriend when you signed up for the play. You took your wand, and headed out.

When you walked into the arena, you saw a small crowd of kids there. Octavia was talking to her group, you hadn’t really thought about inviting anyone… Poppy and Natty were not cut out for this scene, Ominis was out of the question..and you hadn’t seen Sebastian but even then it seemed inappropriate.

“She arrives!” Lucan smiles, announcing your arrival. Everyone turned to you..including a familiar Slytherin boy tucked away in the corner. He didnt want to distract you, keeping his presence hidden. His eyes lingered for what seemed like forever, you looked perfect. He recognized your clothing, smiling slightly that you had held on to that piece of history you two shared together. His heart fluttered slightly, noticing how your clothes now fit you. His face turned bright red, biting his look and breaking his gaze to stop any other thoughts from forming… but if one thing was confirmed, he knew you were the one for him. He could not fuck up this time. He so desperately wanted to go to your side and duel with you, but this was important for you, and he refused to interfere.

“Perfect..” Octavia smirked, already drawing her wand and stepping into the playing field. You took a deep breath, going up to the opposite side as her, drawing your wand.

“Eager aren’t we!” Brattleby smiled, before counting down and beginning the match. She shot first, casting Flipendo. You were out of it, missing your Protego and falling victim to her spell. The concrete against your back sparked a fire that you had thought you forgotten. Gripping your wand tighter, you stood up, eyeing her as she chuckled,

“I was only getting started…” She smirked, ready to cast again while you hit her with an aggressive, Confringo. It hit her unexpectedly. The battle had officially begun. She went hard, but you went even harder, only getting hit a handful of times while she got flustered and missed her Protego half of the time. You were both bruised, one more than the other and you were ready to end this. You were fired up, adrenaline running as you cast Accio, followed by a somewhat over powered Descendo, sending her right into the concrete floor.

The small crowd cheered as you put your wand away, catching your breath and wiping away a slightly bloodied lip.

“And the winner is….MC!” Lucan smiled, handing you a small ribbon of victory. You took it, putting it in your pocket before offering a hand to help her up, hoping this feud would be over. Past you would’ve practically walked over her, but you were different. Ominis nurtured your gentle side, causing an even balance between being ‘good’ and ‘bad’. She looked up at you, before taking your hand and standing up, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

“I…I’m sorry for overreacting.” She said, her words going unnoticed by everyone else around you due to the commotion.

“Are we okay now?” You asked, offering a small smile and she nodded slightly. She looked over, noticing something before giving you a sad smile, “I know why now..” She said cryptically. You gave her a confused look before she retreated to her friends. You looked around, before practically being knocked back by some unknown force.

“MC! You did great!” A very familiar voice said, and before you knew it you were in their arms. You looked up, seeing the familiar brown curls and freckled skin. A small blush formed, not realizing he had been watching you the whole time.

“Sebastian!” You smiled, parting from his embrace.

“Come on, lets ditch this place!” He smiled, grabbing your hand and pulling you away from he arena…completely forgetting that he had not mentioned his plan for the Three Broomsticks. Grabbing your hand was so natural to him, he didn’t even think about his actions as he did it. As you left, the chilly breeze hit your face, calling attention to the warmth at your hands. You both let go of your grasps, remembering that things were not the same as they once were.

“Where are we even going?!” You laughed, basking in the cool fall air…that arena had you working up a sweat that you hoped wasnt terrible.

“Oh! Oh..um..the Three Broomsticks… but if you dont want to that’s okay! I just figured..” He started rambling. This had been what you did back in the day after winning a duel. You smiled, heart skipping a beat as you chuckled, “Sounds great.”

As you arrived, Sirona was shocked to see you two together. Your face still had some dried blood on it, and she had just assumed you guys were back together.

“My favorite couple!” She smiled, “Been a while hasn’t it..” She winked, before taking your order and setting off. You two immediately blushed, him choking on his butter beer. You avoided eye contact for the next couple of seconds, trying to recover from the feelings Sirona brought to the surface.

“You were seriously amazing out there.” Sebastian complimented, taking a sip of his butter beer.

“I was so nervous…it had been so long since i was in that arena. I couldnt let her continue to drag everyone in drama, especially Ominis.” You explained. Sebastian was reminded of the harsh reality. This wasnt a normal night, there were so many more layers to it.

“Ominis…? You’re back together?” He queried, secretly hoping you would say no.

“Well..no? We’re on a break technically, but regardless of his actions, I don’t want him suffering from the gossip and rumors. I still care about him, I just dont know if I’m willing to forgive and forget.” You explained, “regardless of my presence, I want his last year to go as good as possible.”

“You’re so kind..” Sebastian said softly not really thinking what was coming out of his mouth. He noticed your change in maturity. You could now still hold your spark and have a good heart. He loved this version of you more than he did in the past.

“Thank you?” You laughed. You enjoyed your night together, yet again. It 100% felt like you two were on a date, but neither of you even thought of bringing that conversation up. At the end of the night, you two were feeling very bubbly due to the butter beers and feelings. He walked you to the common room, smiling sheepishly,

“I’m sorry for stealing you away from any of your night plans.” He smiled, holding your hand, which neither of you fully realized.

“Oh no…you ruined my plans of going up to the Astronomy tower in hopes that my knight in shining armor comes to greet me~” You smiled playfully, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He blushed at your comment, getting the confidence to subtly flirt back,

“Instead, your knight opted for intercepting your celebration and stealing you away.” You smiled, eyes meeting his and lingering for what felt like forever. Silence fell upon you, both of your hearts ready to burst out of your chests. His eyes never left yours, instead he started moving his head down to your level. Just as you were about to mimic his movements, footsteps approached,

“MC..” A familiar voice spoke. You both instantly sobered up in that moment, breaking apart and looking towards the voice. Your faces bright red, and minds flustered.

“Ominis..”

A/N: 2 parts left!!! One more Ominis chapter for you~ and then finale !! Working on the last parts asap!!

#fanfic #hogwarts fanfiction #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader #sebastian sallow x you #video games #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis x mc

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nellyofthevalley · 5 months

Text

ascendant, ch.4

astarion x fem!tav x gale

rating: explicit content: extremely DUBCON, abusive relationships, emotional manipulation, dead dove, use of aphrodisiac, m/m/f threesome, questionable emotional infidelity, porn with plot lol summary: this is a sad story about the transformation of ascended astarion's love for tav into a vampire's dark desire. obsession. possession. astarion says he would've 'ruined your love, used your trust until it was nothing'. that's this. and it's not just her he'll ruin.

It was true, he wasn’t mad about it; it was a profound sadness that made his dead heart hurt in a manner he’d not experienced before, not in two centuries of slavery, because this was different. To finally see freedom and watch the only person you’ve ever loved distance themselves and feel that you could do nothing about it except the one thing that brought up repressed memories, the one thing that would ruin the relationship with them, even if you gave it.

chapters: ch.1 | ch.2 | ch.3 | ch.4 | ch.5 | ch.6

read it on ao3 or below the cut

Tav wakes when it’s dark again outside; she slept deep, though somehow still not well enough, her body lethargic and resistant to even sit up. They’d stayed up until near dawn when a trickle of light poured through the curtains, when the energy seemed to dissipate from them all at once and they could hardly keep their eyes open. As she sits up and rests against the headboard, her head pounds and her legs feel weak and heavy.

Astarion lays beside her.

It’s been awhile since she’s woken up with him still in bed. Normally he woke up earlier than her and left, days always packed with something to do, as if it was a necessity to leave the palace. To get away from her, perhaps.

Why she goes for it, she’s not sure, but she nudges him and wakes him, throwing away her only opportunity at peace. Her only chance to spend time with Gale without him there. But Astarion had been so kind to her last night, not just by allowing her to have Gale over but his entire demeanor was softer, he indulged her fantasies, he kissed her like he loved her and fucked her like he loved her.

“Little love,” he says quietly as he stirs and wakes, “what’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I just… it’s not often you’re still in bed when I wake,” she answers. “I wanted you.”

It feels like a guilty admission after telling Gale how she missed him. But surely he didn’t take it that way—right? What’s a little ‘I miss you’ between friends? And besides that, Astarion and her were bound to one another by blood and marriage, so of course she’s not done anything wrong.

But she feels bad for it regardless.

“You wanted me?”

“I miss you. I miss this. Astarion,” she starts to speak, then swallows loudly and musters the courage to continue, “you never listen to me. You think I want impossible things, but I just want you.”

A lie. A lie! She couldn’t even say the full truth, fearing his wrath. She wanted freedom, too, to go outside and make friends and have her own life, though she couldn’t deny that having the old Astarion back would be a massive step up. Maybe if he’d at least reward her with that, then after things improved, she could broach the subject again—maybe she could thaw his fiery temper and then convince him of more.

Let her out for a short walk at first, with an escort, and then maybe she’d be allowed to go to shops or make friends… maybe in a year, after warming his cold heart, he’d fulfill his promise and fully turn her.

“You have me, darling,” he assures, moving over towards her and resting his head in her lap. “Tell me, if we had a day all to ourselves, what would you like to do?”

Tav looks down at him in disbelief and her hand moves on its own, to gently stroke his hair as she found it within her to respond, sure this is another trap or game of his. But when she looks into his eyes and he stares back with a light smile on his face, she thinks she might’ve never woken up.

“I want to see the city,” she answers. “I want to go to the flower shop and I want to pick out clothes for myself instead of having to choose from what the servants bring me. I want you to come on a walk with me in the park and be present for it, and I want to come home and relax with you. Take a bath, go out to the garden at night and stargaze, talk to you. You don’t tell me anything anymore.”

She waits for his anger, his berating and gaslighting and the terrifying stare he usually gives her like he had in the forbidden hall.

It doesn’t come.

“Is that all?” He laughs as he says it, as if it was such a simple ask he hadn’t said no to hundreds of times before! “When our guest of honor takes his leave, we’ll have your day, my love. We’ll find you new clothes and we’ll watch the stars together. Alright?”

“Thank you,” she responds, in shock.

Tav wants to be mad, wants to yell at him and make him acknowledge what he’s been doing; how he’s been stringing her along and twisting her feelings… but she can’t. When you’re trapped with someone for eternity, what options do you really have? Is she to kick and scream and make the rest of her life more miserable?

“How do you feel?” he asks, brushing his fingers over her cheek. “You look tired.”

“I am. I feel a little sore, and sluggish, I suppose.”

She hesitates to talk about the night before. Really, it was all absurd, and what if his surprisingly pleasant mood is ruined by the mention of Gale?

“Then we’ll have your bath now, my love,” he says. “It’ll wake you up and soothe your tired body.”

Astarion sits back up beside her; the sheets fall off his shoulders and reveal his chest and she stares at him like she’s never seen him before—like she used to. Even through all the pain and misery, he’s so… beautiful, and the way he looked at her and invited her to the bath, well, maybe there’s hope after all. He leans in and cups her face in his hand, guiding her closer and kissing her; they’re modest little pecks, different from the type of kiss he gives her lately.

“Stay here and relax, my dear. I’ll get it ready for us.”

He rises and heads to their private bath, drawing the water.

Her head spins, like she’d been hit with something and started seeing double, triple, quadruple. It all feels so sinister and so intoxicating and heavenly at once, she’d dreamt of Astarion spending real time with her for months now, and he’d done little more than tease and ridicule.

Tav thinks of Gale again and wonders how he’s feeling. Had he slept full day as they had, too? Or did he wake and spend time in the palace alone? It feels a little bad to delight in this bath right now, knowing their visitor may be left to entertain himself, but she wants this, she needs this. Not solely Astarion’s love, she craves the care and kindness that should and used to come after fucking for hours—to be reassured that she’s more than a body.

“Come,” Astarion calls, and she follows to the bath.

He’s already stepped and settled in on one end. Tav slips out of her nightdress and enters the hot bath, slowly submerging herself on the other. But she quickly thinks better of it and turns around, nestling into Astarion with her back to his chest.

They sit there in silence for a few minutes, Tav soaking up his company and touch and burying her less pleasant thoughts deep; nothing will ruin this for her. Astarion puts his hands on her shoulders and starts to massage her, firmly rubbing his palms and thumbs into her skin, and she reclines further into him, instantly lost in the relief.

“You needed this, didn’t you?” he asks.

She nods. Astarion trails his hands up to her hair and massages her scalp next. It’s an even more powerful move than her back or shoulders—he could win any of their petty fights with a scalp massage a year ago, and he used it to his advantage often.

“What else do you need?”

He continues rubbing her scalp with one hand and the other travels lower down her body, her back, then under her arm and grabs her breast in front. Astarion tilts her head back closer to his and presses his lips to her neck, then adds, “This?”

She nods.

Whether this is for him to take her blood or for sex again, she’d nod to both, even if she wishes otherwise.

His scalp massage turns into a loose grip, holding her while he presses the tips of his fangs to her skin; his other hand gropes at her breast, squeezing tighter and rolling his thumb over her nipple. The heat of the water almost makes her feel human again when he touches her, as if her body were producing it in response, as if she feels the familiar warmth in the pit of her stomach too, and not only the growing arousal.

Tav lifts a hand behind her as he bites down, tugging at his hair and she gasps as he sinks his teeth further in, from the initial twinge of pain and the fulfillment of her desire to be desired—for him to want her blood, and not the people he brought home.

Astarion moves from her breast to her cunt, sliding two fingers inside, and starts to drink; slowly at first, then taking deeper gulps as his fingers move faster, curving and extracting little moans from her. She could fade away like this so easily… the hot water consuming her weary body, blood leaving her and satiating her forever partner, his practiced hands loving her in every way, exactly like he did in their early days, the Astarion she missed…

He separates from her neck, withdraws his fingers and whispers into her ear, “Stay with me.”

Stay with me.

It was once her who said that to him. After his confession that he’d been manipulating her but then truly fell for her, and how uncomfortable he was with intimacy and sex, they started to experiment with little things to placate their need for some tangible form of affection and help him adjust to what touch could be like with a real, chosen partner. She started with small motions, taking his hand as they walked or rubbing his shoulders, scratching his back after he’d given her the okay to touch his scars with her gentle hands, eventually sleeping beside one another in his tent at night.

At times, he seemed to wander off. When Tav asked about it, he insisted it was fine, everything was fine. She knew better and, fearing she’d pushed him into something he didn’t want, took his hand less, touched him less, and asked to sleep beside him less. Astarion started to fear she’d lost interest and drifted away from him; surely that was the only reason she didn’t crave his companionship anymore, his burdens must’ve become too much to bear and frankly, from the beginning, he was waiting for the moment she gave up on him.

He thought he could handle letting her go, but the fact that she still came around occasionally and provided him a minor taste of love drove him mad, madder than he ever anticipated. He couldn’t stand to lose her.

So, one evening when she came to sleep beside him, he had to stop this. She crawled under the covers and nestled into his embrace; he’d become quite attached to this ceremony of theirs, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close without the pressures of sex.

That night was different.

Astarion kissed her from shoulder to neck to ear and slipped a hand up her shirt, falling back into old habits, thinking that he had to do anything to keep her around—

“Astarion…” She peeled his hand out and away from her and turned over to face him, and Gods, it was plastered all over his face how fucking far away he was. “Stay with me. What’s going on?”

It took a moment for him to return to his body and process the situation he’d found himself in. He was staring right past her, but then, he looked down into her eyes with an expression of sorrow that she would’ve done anything to cure.

“I’ve noticed your distancing, darling, and I can’t say I blame you. I hardly have much to offer—”

"What are you talking about?”

“You seem to desire me less, you rarely touch me or come to my tent anymore. I understand, I’m not the easiest to be around,” he said. “My burdens and all that…”

It was true, he wasn’t mad about it; it was a profound sadness that made his dead heart hurt in a manner he’d not experienced before, not in two centuries of slavery, because this was different. To finally see freedom and watch the only person you’ve ever loved distance themselves and feel that you could do nothing about it, except the one thing that brought up repressed memories, the one thing that would ruin the relationship with them, even if you gave it.

That night, he felt overwhelming relief, as if a gaping hole in his heart had been repaired with only her voice.

“It’s not like that,” she answered, placing her palm on the side of his face, his ear cradled between her thumb and fingers. “I can see when you’re not fully present, and I thought I might’ve been bothering you too much, that you needed more space.”

Astarion took her hand in his and kissed every fingertip.

“I want to be bothered by you.”

From then on, whenever she saw his mind was elsewhere, she uttered a simple ‘stay with me’ and he’d return to her.

And now when he says it to her, their roles reversed, she thinks that maybe for her, too, this would be a learning process. That if this kindness isn’t fleeting, she’ll have to readjust and begin to teach him how to love her right.

“I’m with you,” she answers.

Astarion pushes her, bending her forward over the edge of the bath and positioning himself behind her. He hastily enters her with a deep, guttural groan and towers over her, gripping her hips and pulling her body back into him in tune with his thrusts, taking a rough and fast pace with little time to adjust.

“Astarion,” she whimpers. “M-more, harder, please…”

Tav’s knuckles whiten as she holds onto the rim of the tub, but she curves her back to raise her ass and give him a better, deeper angle and he takes it, snapping her body back into him harder and quickening his pace until he can’t go any fucking faster. With his hard thrusts and grip on her, he fucks her just fucking right, just how she wants it—almost feral, a little painful, and plunging his entire length into her, but it’s not like before when he forced her or concerned her, it’s fucking perfect.

“You… you’ve been so good,” Astarion praises her between subdued moans. “Come for me, pet.”

Tav dresses and heads down to Gale’s room, to apologize for their absence and ask how he’s faring. Maybe he’ll cook dinner with her tonight, she thinks. He’d been a great cook around camp, and even if she couldn’t stomach real food anymore, it would be fun to put the apron back on and live vicariously through him at least.

She knocks at his door, and when she waits and waits and knocks again and he still doesn’t come, she turns the knob to find it unlocked and enters the room to see Gale packing his clothes.

“Gale?”

“I preferred to leave quietly,” he says, “and I sincerely apologize, but I cannot stay here for one more evening.”

He intended to sneak out without a word to her, leave her here alone again, to not see him for another year or more? And for what, what could be so terrible? Had she made a mistake telling him she missed him, getting on her knees for him? Perhaps he’d woke and realized it was a mistake, that he’d simply drunk too much wine, and she’d taken things too far.

“What? Tell me what happened,” she pleads, taking his arm and turning him to face her, to stop his packing. “Please. I don’t understand. I’m sorry if I… if I said the wrong thing.”

“I wouldn’t have consented to that. Not with him. Not with anyone, Tav,” he explains with a sickened look on his face that terrifies her; she wonders if she’d truly been so cruel, if she’d pushed him and not realized it and now he’ll never wish to see her again, he’ll be lost from her forever.

She cries again, fucking Hells, like a child who can’t control their emotions, but being left here alone without any friends after a year of being shut away from them scares her. This time it could be longer than a year, maybe forever if Gale’s that mad at her and only him and Shadowheart attended her party. Maybe the rest weren’t busy at all and had forgotten about her.

“Gale, please don’t go,” she begs. “I have no one here, I have nothing at all.”

He sighs and sets his hands on her shoulders in resignation, the sickened look replaced with his somber wide eyes and an odd sense of dread.

“That wasn’t me in your bed last night—it was… I don’t know, but it was unquestionably not me,” he continues, frustration showing through. “I hardly consumed a single drink!”

A single drink? She was sure he had a few more and allowed himself to get swept up in it all, the reunion after so long, and he seemed to enjoy himself—he said so, and he asked for it, didn’t he?

She remembers Astarion pouring the wine.

“I-I’m sorry. I thought…” Her voice trails off and she looks quickly around the room, searching for the right words to say, how to tell him the truth of her life here and how she should’ve fucking known better. “When I first arrived, it was perfect, he did everything for me, but now, he—it’s all fucked now! I should’ve known that you weren’t in your right mind, I should’ve stopped it, I’m just as responsible—”

“What does he do to you, Tav?”

“This isn’t about me! I’m fine, I’m used to it, but you didn’t deserve to get tangled up in this shit, my shit.”

“What does he do to you?”

“No, you don’t know what he’d do to me if he knew I told you,” she says. “You know, after I left him he said something to me. He said, ‘I would have ruined your love, used it until you were nothing.’ I thought he was just bitter. It didn’t matter anyway—because I walked away. But after you, I was lost. I was stupid. I should never have left or come back here.”

“Why did you leave? Why didn’t you stay and work things out with me?” Gale asks, dropping his palms from her shoulders and crossing his arms, holding back the anger, the gloominess that he’d spent the last year trying so hard to move past. “Didn’t you know how much I loved you?”

‘Loved’ says it clearly, she thinks, that he’d loved her once and no longer. It’s for the best; what would even happen if he did, with her a fucking slave to Astarion, an affliction that can be remedied only by his death?

There will be no Rite of Perfect Slaughter or Rite of Profane Ascension for her, and even if there was, could she really do it after seeing what he’d become? Could she bring herself to kill him at all, or would she spend eternity lamenting who he’d once been?

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“I regret few things in my life—even the worst mistakes were lessons learned. But you, you were like water I desperately tried to hold in my palm and could only watch drip through my fingers.”

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #bg3 astarion #astarion x tav #bg3 fanfiction #astarion fanfic #astarion #bg3 spoilers #dub con #dead dove fic #tav x gale #tav x astarion #gale x tav #my fanfic

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sc00tb00t · 1 year

Text

-- shove off (i) ¦¦ j.b.b

bucky barnes x fem!avenger!reader

bucky barnes masterlist

words ;; 1.4k

contains ;; pet names, fluff, explicit language, enemies to lovers

warnings ;; pills (tylenol, nothing bad)

short summary ;; moving in was supposed to be fun, well you thought it would be.

a/n ;; i just wanted some domestic avengers so this came out of that want.

𐬻𖤐𖤐𐬻

CHAPTER ONE

𐬻𖤐𖤐𐬻

it had been a week since you had finally moved into the avengers compound. you still had boxes in your room yet to be unpacked. steve offered to help you get organized but you didn't want to make him think he has to help so you turned the offer down. now sitting on your bed, you somewhat regret not taking the chance.

the first two days you were there you barely did anything, leaving your room was something you almost didn't do. according to nat, you left your 4 times, all to get food. over those first two days all you did was literally unpack half your clothes and set up your switch and xbox. you also slept, you moved all the way across the country for crying out loud, who wouldn't just sleep.

the third day you acquainted yourself with peter, vision, and wanda. immediately becoming best friends with wanda, it was like you two had known each other for years, since diapers. you and peter bonded over star wars, of course that day you wore one of your only star wars shirts. it was your favorite of the ones you had. vision and you really talk but he's definitely pleasant to be around, you can just tell he would be a good listener.

your fourth was spent doing barely anything. you and steve hung out a bit, trying to get him to play mariokart but ending up just watching terminator. still being a little lagged behind, you ended up falling asleep during the second movie, judgment day. walking up in someone's arms was a nice feeling, the warmth and pressure was calming. steve was asleep when you woke up though so you ended up falling back asleep, not after admiring his features for a bit.

steve is a handsome guy, no doubt about it but you didn’t like him like that. even if you did, there's no way he would like you back. you had your eyes on someone else though. you barely talked to him since you moved in, getting about 5 words in and that's it. before you moved into the compound, you barely exchanged words.

day five. it was boring, the only thing that happened also was the highlight of your day. waking up to steve playing with your hair. it was so cute but then almost immediately after he realized

you had woken up he was apologizing like if he didnt he would die. “steve you're fine, i promise.” you probably said it over a hundred times in just that moment alone. you unpacked a bit more, ending up to talking to vision while doing it. he is a really good listener.

six and seven the same. more unpacking, ignoring people, and sleeping. that was the same with eight too. sort of a weird move but you didn't really care. you were getting tired of having to unpack things, you definitely brought too many clothes, you could’ve just bought some when you got here but no you didnt think of that until you started to unpack. at least you had a, what you considered, big room.

at about 1 am on your eighth day, you finally finished unpacking. now it was time to get a schedule together, doing that was one of your favorite things to do. schedules for you are really just when you wake up, go to sleep, and work out. but it was still fun to do. accidentally staying up till 3 wasn't the best idea on your part but you didn't care that much.

ring ring ring ring ring ring ring

time to get used to hearing that again. “why do i chose to wake up at 7” groaning sitting up, you have a raging headache which is not the best, considering you actually planned stuff to do today. digging through your bedside table, you realize that you don't have tylenol.

“of fucking course,” getting up, your head pounds even more, you change into just a random sports bra, a hoodie and a pair of spandex shorts, that really accentuated your ass. quickly snatching your empty water bottle, you slip out your room heading to the kitchen. guessing some people are already up, you put your headphones in, not wanting to talk to anyone.

once you get to kitchen, there's only one other person in there, bucky barnes. of course, of fucking course. the one guy in the building who supposedly doesn't like you. “where's the tylenol?” you ask him, filling up your water bottle. turning around, he doesn't do anything, he just keeps standing there.

“hello? do you know where the tylenol is?” all he does is turn to look at you, then turns back, “find it yourself.” you aren't a morning person at all, the headache and now this, not helping your mood at all. “babe, just point to where the tylenol is, you act like i'm asking you to build a thousand piece lego set with no instructions.” spinning back around you grab the handle belonging to a lower cabinet so you can reach down and snatch a pop tart real quick.

in that time, the tylenol was on the counter near where you're standing. “wasn't that hard. thank you.” you open the small container, dumping two into your hand and closing the bottle. taking a sip of water, you dropped the pills in your mouth and swallowed. grabbing your water bottle and poptarts and start walking out of the kitchen, setting down the bottle next to the brunette.

you did know where most rooms were, since you had gotten a tour from steve earlier last week. walking to the track, you ate your poptarts, since having put your headphones back in.

⍟⍟⍟

an hour later, you finished your work out. dripping with sweat, you glupped down the rest of your water as steve walked in. “you need to tell your friend to not be such a jerk.” he tilted his head to the side, “who? bucky?” wiping the sweat off your forehead, you turn to leave.

“yes, him.” before you could get bombarded with questions from steve, you seize the chance to quickly escape, making a b-line for your room. hating the feeling of sweat on your body. your room isn't that far from really anything, it's just a floor or two above everything. it felt like it was in the middle of everything.

of course, right before reaching your room you run into someone, “i am so sorry!” you start saying before you even see who it is. looking up from your feet, you see your favorite person. bucky. “oh, nevermind.” you mumble under your breath, walking around him.

“what did you just say?” you continue on walking, barely hearing him, your music was a life saver. his hand is on your wrist, well maybe music isn’t an amazing life saver. “what did you just say to me?” now you're looking at him, taking out one of your headphones, you come up with a smart-ass response.

“well, it wasn't really directed right to you so do i actually need to tell you?” wiggling your wrist out of his grip, you start to turn to continue walking to your room. “no? okay, sounds about right.” answering for him, you pull your headphone back to your ear.

⍟⍟⍟

it was now 10ish so you could wait a few hours before actually starting your day, but you did have to choose what you're gonna wear. it doesn't really matter though so you just snatch a pair of b- knock knock knock

“oh come on” you walk over to your door, think about who it could be then open it. to say the least your guess is wrong, now you want to die. it has to be the guy with an attitude and long, greasy-looking hair. what is with this guy? “what do you want?”

—————————————————————————-

taglist

@wheatmouthed-crimeboi , @buckssstuff , @thinmint2 , @mcugeekposts , @sunshinemunchkin , @seaveysinn , @kehlanibarnes , @mha-oi-oi-oi

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sunoopsis · 3 months

Text

meow :3

6) macy's - written (1.1k)

warnings! : mention of suicide (jokingly), unnecessary yapping by me im sorry

Woken up by your alarm, your day was forced to start… You had to get out of the house by 9:15, any later and you’d be late. You sat on your bed, trying to regain your consciousness. Last night, you went to bed overjoyed from your small, but meaningful conversation with Jaemin. Fun fact, you tend to overthink in the morning. Sometimes, its a blessing, other times a curse. Your topic of overthinking this morning was Yizhuo’s message. Something about best friends, romance and Jisung not having the right to comment on it. What did it mean? Maybe it doesn’t concern you.. Oh, but what if it did?? Maybe you shouldn’t think so hard about something so unnecessary. No, seriously! You wasted 15 minutes thinking about this! That's, like, 5 more minutes than you normally waste! Before you can think about the topic again, you get up and wash your face, do your skincare, normal morning stuff. Now, you have very few tasks left, doing good!

You went back to your room and packed your bag. You packed your uniform instead of wearing it. Normally, back in middle school, you always wore tights and a shirt under your uniform, so you were super-protected. But, wow.. The high school uniforms were just TOO pretty to ruin by wearing something underneath. Last week, your team had a half-practice, which was just to set the basics for the team and get to know each other. And last week, you just wore your uniform as is, just with short-tights. You were energetic and ready to go, you went downstairs and… you were met with 2 unexpected faces. Lee Jeno and Na Jaemin. SHIT. You swore both you and Mark could’ve died right then and there from a heart attack. After that… incident… You decided you’d just change when you got there. Because of this decision, you just wore a short-sleeve and sweatpants and headed to the kitchen.

You shot your team’s groupchat a text asking them their coffee preferences then treated yourself to some cereal. By the time you were done eating and brushing your teeth, everyone’s orders were transferred to your notes app. Finally, you put on your rollerblades and headed out. Since you lived quite close to the school, you and your brother skated to school and just kept a pair of shoes in your lockers (skating to school? wtf is this, cardcaptor sakura??). You took a little detour to the nearest cafe and ordered everyone’s coffees. Clutching the bags of coffee, you continued your way to school. Some people’s orders, you had already memorised from earlier years. Like Yizhuo’s(duh), and the captain, Minjeong’s.

Your team had 2 consistent captains. It was either Minjeong, or it was you. Whichever one of you guys was the senior, that is. You had a lot of respect for Minjeong, she’s very passionate and hardworking, she’s also a very dependable leader, she’s always been like that, for at least 4 years. You felt quite thankful for the Koreans in your school. Jisung, Minjeong, Jaemin…the list goes on. You’re thankful, because its not usual for Koreans to attend an international school. Ugh, are you really overthinking again?! Well, I can’t say I’m exactly against it, check the clock! Its 9:15! Can you believe it? Normally, you’d barely be out of the house by now, I’m proud of you! I’d love to explain the rest of your day in detail but.. Saturday wasn't actually supposed to be this long.. Because this chapter is about sunday… sorry.

Good morning! You slept half an hour more than yesterday, impressive how you limit yourself, I’m jealous! Mark’s friends will arrive around 10 am. That means here's an hour until you get to see Jaemin again~ but it also means an hour until you have to work on your project… Its fine! You're quite prepared. You have all the supplies ready, plus 5 seniors to help you! (actually 4, but unfortunately you had no idea hyuck wasn’t coming. but its fine cuz his help probably would’ve been useless.) You went on with your normal routine, wore something cute (not too cute cuz then you’d be overdressed), and went downstairs. You were greeted by your brother and annoying news.

“Good morning, (n/n)! Bring whatever you have prepared for the project here, its better for you two to work here.”

how unnecessary…

“What? why?” you were obviously confused, as you had no knowledge of this beforehand?

“Because then, Chenle doesn’t get left out, plus you get to see Jisung, yeah?”

(translation : I’m gonna keep an eye on the both of you and don’t forget Jisung is here so you don’t focus on Chenle too much)

You hesitantly threw him a thumbs up and went to get the stuff. Sometimes, you’d wonder… why the FUCK your brother was this overprotective?! Did he want to be the only popular-with-the-opposite-gender Lee? Or does he have some really confusing but genuinely good intentions? Yeah that mystery’s got a lot of time until its solved…

You waited patiently, occasionally gossipping with Mark to pass time. Time passed, and passed… And everyone slowly started arriving. Jisung came first, who you ended up spending time with until the second guest, Chenle arrived. Obviously, after Chenle arrived, you two were redirected to the table, And you started working. Both of you were so invested in your work that you didn’t even notice the others coming in at first. Time went by as you worked your hardest. Did you argue a lot? yes. Did you ask Mark and Renjun for help like a million times? yes. But did you get half of the project done in 3,5 hours? oh absolutely. You were impressed with yourself. Normally, if you were paired with Yizhuo (like you constantly have been for the past 9 years, with some exceptions), you barely would’ve gotten anything done. Considering that, maybe Chenle wasn’t so bad, after all.

You excused yourself around 15 minutes before 2pm, barely before they had left. You dressed nicely, of course! You were meeting up with your best friend, and there was a 90% chance of jaemin seeing you… When you went down to get out, they’d left, just as you’d planned. You dressed in a casual, but fashionable style. Simple tank top with a design and a tennis skirt. Normally, Mark isn’t quite fond of you wearing tennis skirts in crowded places, since he’s afraid of others thinking its a regular miniskirt, but you were just feeling like taking risks today :3c

You arrived at the mall around 2:10 pm, all that was left was to wait for Yizhuo to arrive. Your plan was pretty simple. Treat yourself and Yizhuo to (a very late) lunch, and then look around to find and surprise your brother. Well, you… only managed to get half of the plan done.

because your brother was at macys and you fucking despised macys and would rather kill yourself than enter one ever again.

jeno is a vulgar lottle man plz forgive me im writing these half awake

no bc truly what were mark and chenle doing in macys😭😭

masterlist

not really a taglist but taglist: @thisisnotjacinta

#chenle smau #nct dream smau #nct smau #nct dream #zhong chenle #absolutely despise macys im sorry

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castershellwrites · 1 year

Text

Ghost of Tsushima CYOA Part 6

Jin/Tenzo Rated Teen

Link to part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5.

I thought we were going to be wrapping this up scooby-doo style with the samurai getting scared off the island (my vote, lol). But no! You're all cool people who are here for the ANGST! You want Jin to face Shimura!

That's just what he'll do! Let's see how it turns out! Part 6 of the fic and the poll for part 7 are below the cut! :D

Tenzo nodded after hearing Jin's plan. Even he had to agree the ghost of Kazumasa Sakai would be enough to get Shimura out the gates. the question was would he bring an army of retainers with him. “Let’s go back and tell the others … and hope they haven’t woken up yet.”

“Because they’ll be mad at us for leaving the camp unguarded to scout,” Jin agreed and backed slowly into the woods, picking his way silently through the underbrush.

“No,” Tenzo chuckled softly behind him, “because they’ll think we’re fooling around.”

“You fooled around! You kissed me!” Jin scolded harshly but quietly.

Tenzo patted him on the back and laughed again, “Says the man who wanted to keep going, right in front of his uncle’s encampment.”

Jin blushed, and was thankful the night’s darkness hid it. By the time they reached the camp, essentially five bedrolls and a shallow firepit, he and Tenzo had finished bickering. Thankfully their companions slept soundly and were all still abed. Tenzo roused them with a shove to the side … with his foot … a kick. He kicked them awake.

“Move your bones. We’ve got a plan. Get up!” Tenzo barked like a samurai lord at new recruits.

“What?”

“Are we under attack?”

“The sun’s nowhere near rising … ugh.”

Tenzo scowled. “Get up and move. We have a plan, one that will end with minimal casualties?”

The oldest of the raiders sneered, “How minimal?”

Tenzo smirked triumphantly. “Just the samurai.”

That got a laugh from the raiders and they dispersed to help Fune with the fortifications.

Jin frowned until they were out of sight. Then he smiled softly at Tenzo. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

“You’re not going to be able to pull this off without me.”

Jin whistled Kaze over and began unpacking his father’s armor. “I’ve been getting dressed by myself since before the invasion. I’ll do fine thank you.”

Tenzo helped Jin into his armor anyway, and Jin was glad for it. He could get dressed by himself, but it was more efficient with an assistant. Tenzo adjusted the strap when Jin donned his helmet. Jin felt his fingers shaking against his skin.

He held Tenzo’s hand, “Are you alright?”

“You look just like him,” Tenzo whispered.

“That is the point.” Jin smiled softly and brought Tenzo’s hand to his lips. The kiss made him shiver again. “You’re not the first person to say I look like him.”

Tenzo frowned, “That’s not a good thing.”

Jin nodded sadly, “My uncle would agree with you.”

Tenzo made a face of disgust. “Pease don’t ever make me agree with that Shimura bastard again.”

“We’ll see,” Jin laughed.

That was the last time he laughed that night. Jin sat astride Kaze in his father’s full armor. Kaze had on the matching gear, making him look larger that life. They decided to approach from the remains of the village. Tenzo had some smoking grasses to make mist, he’d run behind Jin and duck out of sight into the village. If—and only if—Jin’s plan worked, no one would follow Shimura out and Tenzo could escape undetected and unmolested.

Jin was counting on this plan working: on the superstitions of the samurai or the cleverness of his uncle. Either way Shimura would have to face him.

Jin sat, a ghost, just far enough away no one could make out his features, and close enough everyone knew whose armor he wore. He cleared his throat, and tried to speak from deep in his chest. Even as an adult he felt like a child trying to imitate his father.

“Samurai of Tsushima!” Jin shouted loud enough to be heard even in his uncle’s tent, “I am Kazumasa Sakai.”

Jin carefully signaled and Kaze reared, then kicked with his front hooves and hopped forward before crashing to the ground in time with Tenzo setting off a small explosion.

“Shimura!” He deliberately left off any and all honorifics, “You disown my son. You defile the land of my death. Come and face me! Come face Kazumasa Sakai! If not for your ambition, I would yet live!”

Jin waited, silently. Kaze was still as a rock, eerily so, his ears didn’t even twitch which just sold the ghostly illusion further. He had to be patient now, and hope the Oga samurai didn’t think to fill him with arrows. The Shimura retainers wouldn’t dare even if they saw through the illusion … he hoped.

The gates of the hastily erected fort opened. Jin resisted the urge to sit higher in the saddle. Shimura! His uncle was there. Jin’s heart was in his throat. Shimura wasn’t wearing armor, just his robes and coat over his yukata. He was vulnerable.

His uncle was making an effort at peace. Or he was laying a trap. But traps were dishonorable.

Jin swallowed heavily. He had to think positively about this. He had to tell his uncle what he’d decided. But was it the right decision?

#Ghost of Tsushima #jin sakai #ghost of tsushima tenzo #jin/tenzo #CYOA #CYO fic #CYOA poll #my fanfiction #ghost of tsushima fanfiction

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foxghost · 2 years

Text

Joyful Reunion

Translator: foxghost @foxghost tumblr/ko-fi1 Beta: meet-me-in-oblivion @meet-me-in-oblivion tumblr Original by 非天夜翔 Fei Tian Ye Xiang Masterpost | Characters, Maps & Other Reference Index

Book 5, Chapter 47 (Part 4)

Duan Ling had fallen asleep in a daze as soon as he finished eating his Mid-Autumn dinner. At dawn, he can hear someone talking out in the courtyard, and he identifies the voice as Wu Du’s.

“So we actually do have enough evidence … as long as Han Bin helps us make that first move.”

Still dressed in white underclothes, Duan Ling opens the door to find Xie You, Yao Fu, Lang Junxia, Chang Liujun, Zheng Yan, Wu Du, and also Li Yanqiu standing in the courtyard.

Duan Ling had just woken up, so his hair is dishevelled and he isn’t dressed properly yet. He apologises instinctively right away, closing the door behind him to get some clothes on. Wu Du quickly follows. He didn’t think that Duan Ling would wake up at this hour, and he comes over to help him brush his hair and change his clothes.

“They’re all here?” Duan Ling asks.

“They’ve been here for a while. I thought you were still sleeping so I didn’t wake you.”

After changing and washing up, Duan Ling heads back out expecting to apologise for his impropriety, but Xie You and Yao Fu are bowing to him instead — their offence being having blundered in upon His Highness.

“Han Bin now has the entire palace under his control,” Xie You says. “The city gates are closed, and the place is under full martial law. There was no morning assembly today and no one was notified either. Under Your Highness’s orders, the Black Armours has been withdrawn from the palace. As of now, all fifty-thousand men are in the outer city.”

Yao Fu says, “Fifth Princess has already left for Huaiyin to convene our subordinates so they can bring troops here. The projected size of the reinforcements will probably be about twenty-thousand men.”

Somehow, the city of Jiangzhou had gone under a drastic change overnight while Duan Ling slept. After Han Bin led his troops into the city, he barely ran into any Black Armours resistance before easily occupying the city, obtaining almost all of the hostages. The crown prince who hasn’t yet ascended to the throne, the empress dowager, as well as all the civil officials and military officers of the court — they have all fallen into Han Bin’s grasp.

It is exactly what Li Yanqiu wanted — up to the moment Xie You and Yao Fu are brought into this little courtyard, they didn’t even know this had all been a position meticulously set up by Li Yanqiu and Duan Ling. And with this knowledge, their tightly wounded nerves finally get a chance to unwind, and at the same time, they come to realise how guarded the Lis had been. Li Yanqiu never truly trusted them until he was entirely sure they have had no dealings with Mu Kuangda.

“'Tis no matter,” Li Yanqiu says. “Han Bin is busy digging his own grave, so for the time being we’ll leave the crown prince and the empress dowager in his hands. By the time I make my appearance, presumably, Mu Jinzhi won’t be able to smile anymore. Yao Fu, when will your army get here?”

“They can be here within three days. What do we do now?”

“We wait,” Li Yanqiu says, “we wait until Han Bin makes that announcement and exposes that guy’s true identity.”

“And then what?” Xie You asks.

“Let’s go to battle,” Li Yanqiu says. “It’s been years since there’s been any fighting in the south. Now, fighting is up to you people. The crown prince and I can stand in the vanguard for you to raise morale, but you can forget about having us run into the fray with weapons ourselves.”

When Duan Ling turns to see the look on Xie You’s face, the words written there are quite clear and concise — what downright preposterous behaviour. If he thinks about it in Xie You’s shoes, Xie You, Yao Fu, and even all the officials of the court have been played for fools by Li Yanqiu. Now that they finally found out that Li Yanqiu is still alive, he’s thus far refrained from appearing in public, and now that he’s finally willing to show himself, he’s actually going to attack his own Imperial City.

But Yao Fu looks like he’s already accustomed to this. “I will go make the arrangements right away.”

“You and Xie You cooperate and be prepared for the fighting to start at any time,” Li Yanqiu says. “My son, what do you think?”

Duan Ling says, “I still have to take a look at a map of Jiangzhou’s defences before I make any decisions.”

Li Yanqiu is of course going to go along with Duan Ling — it looks like he’s planning to hand him the power of command over the resolution of this coup.

The proprietor of the noodle shop is trapped in the city today so nobody’s bringing them food either. Everyone in the outer city is feeling anxious all of a sudden, and even by just standing in the courtyard, they can hear a cacophony of voices outside.

Xie You had already mustered his forces to this location, making the Black Armours encamp here so they could observe the situation; he’s saying it’s to control a major avenue in the outer city, but in reality, he’s concentrating his forces here to better protect Li Yanqiu. This is also what Li Yanqiu wanted least — he actually thought he could put on a disguise and go walk around with Duan Ling for a bit, never imagining that Xie You would assemble the Black Armours to surround his little courtyard house.

Zheng Yan had also come out of the city with Yao Fu. Meanwhile, Lang Junxia’s whereabouts are still unknown, and Chang Liujun remains in the Mu estate. The city may have been closed off, but that won’t stop assassins who can come and go as they please.

Duan Ling asks Zheng Yan to make a trip into the city so he can tell Chang Liujun to bring Mu Qing and come meet them. Once this is over, Mu Qing will have nothing to do with the Mus anymore. As for how to tell Mu Qing the truth, that will be left up to Chang Liujun.

Xie You and Duan Ling meet in the front courtyard, where Xie You unfolds a map of Jiangzhou. The Northern Command, led by Han Bin, is already occupying all of the city’s major roads, and he’s also set up heavy defences.

“All sixteen gates of the city have been renovated many times,” Xie You says. “None of them can be opened easily. Jiangzhou stands as a major hub, and as it’s an important strategic centre through three dynasties, several hundred years ago, the master of Jiangzhou City, Han Canghai, reinforced the city walls to the point of impregnable, and it is extremely difficult to take this city. Since Your Highness asked us to pull out of the city, I’m sure you already have some idea about how to get back inside.”

“I don’t have any ideas,” Duan Ling says with a laugh. “But since you’ve been in charge of Jiangzhou for almost twenty years, General Xie, I’m sure you won’t leave a defensive perimeter that you can’t get through yourself. If my predictions are correct, there has to be someplace where one can enter the city.”

Xie You watches Duan Ling; his eyes are smiling.

“Indeed, there are four waterways with which one can enter the city,” Xie You says.

Duan Ling’s predictions are indeed correct; Xie You has had control over this city all this time, and none are better acquainted with its terrain, secret passageways, major avenues, and alleyways than the Black Armours. If they really do start fighting, the Northern Command was never a match for Xie You to begin with. Before he asked Xie You to withdraw from the city, he’d already foreseen this outcome, thus he isn’t worried at all.

“The waterways are here, here, as well as in these two locations,” Xie You says, pointing to the dotted lines on the map. Each of the dotted lines leads towards the centre of the city, all the way to the edges of the palace. “But once we start attacking the palace, Han Bin will be on guard. All of the court officials are in his hands — I’m just worried that they’ll become his hostages.”

“No need to worry about that. Wu Du and I will lead another team to rescue the officials.”

Thus said, Duan Ling looks up at Wu Du. Wu Du says, “The water they use in the palace happens to come from those same wells, so if we really want to deal with them, we don’t have to go through all this trouble.”

“Watch out you don’t end up poisoning all our officials to death now,” Xie You says.

Wu Du smiles lazily and doesn’t bother to answer. Duan Ling, however, is studying the map carefully. He says, “If we decide on a specific time, can you and your army get into the city on a signal?”

“The entire offensive will take two hours at the very least. If Your Highness have everything arranged beforehand it can probably be done,” Xie You replies, then frowning, he asks, “You have to go into the palace too?”

As Duan Ling thinks, Xie You continues, “It’s too dangerous.”

“I have to stand in front of them,” Duan Ling says. “I cannot hide behind you.”

This will be the one moment that he has to face at last after coming all this way. He cannot wait until Xie You has taken the palace, and then appear under Li Yanqiu’s protection.

“Han Bin doesn’t know who I am yet,” Duan Ling says. “Cai Yan knows, but he wouldn’t dare tell him.”

“Not necessarily true,” Xie You says. “If by some chance, he sells you out, and Han Bin holds you in custody, then you’ll be in trouble. At this juncture, we cannot allow for anything to go wrong.”

“Let’s put off this decision for now,” Duan Ling replies. “Let me think about it some more.”

The day goes by surprisingly quietly, with the city under martial law, nothing happened. Xie You had assigned some of the Black Armours soldiers to disguise themselves as commoners, and sent them to infiltrate the city to get some news. What they find out is that Han Bin hasn’t notified the officials to enter the palace. Instead, he’s sent out soldiers to take control of the secretariat as well as the six ministries.

At dusk, Zheng Yan returns, bringing with him Chang Liujun and an ashen-faced Lang Junxia.

As soon as Lang Junxia steps into the front courtyard, he stumbles and nearly falls to the ground. Duan Ling asks, “What happened?”

Lang Junxia is wounded, leaning back into a daybed. Wu Du gives his diagnosis, “He got shot by an arrow.”

Chang Liujun says, “Mu Qing’s been taken to the palace.”

“What about Chancellor Mu?” Duan Ling asks.

“Not dead yet. He pulled through,” Chang Liujun replies. “The Eastern Palace is under martial law, and the crown prince has been placed under house arrest. We tried to get inside to get Mu Qing out, and ran into Wuluohou Mu.”

“Didn’t I tell you to come back here and meet up with the rest of us? What did you go back to the palace for?” Duan Ling says, frowning.

Lang Junxia lies on the daybed without a word. Wu Du gives him some medication, but thankfully he’s not hurt badly. A night’s rest will have him on the way to a gradual recovery.

Sometimes Duan Ling really wants to beat up Lang Junxia, but Lang Junxia just smiles.

That night, under the moonlight, Duan Ling turns the plan over in his head, while Wu Du is off to coordinate their advance with the Black Armours. When the time comes, Xie You will give Wu Du a division with which to control the situation inside the palace. By the time Wu Du returns to the front courtyard, still dressed in full armour, Duan Ling still isn’t asleep.

“Han Bin still lacks evidence,” Duan Ling says. “That’s why it’s taken him so long to convene the court officials to interrogate Can Yan. That or perhaps Mu Kuangda stopped him.”

“What would you like to do?” Wu Du removes his helmet and sits across from Duan Ling.

“I want to deliver this into Han Bin’s hands.” Duan Ling produces Cai Yan’s exam papers to show him what he means to do.

“They’ve already started suspecting you,” Wu Du says. “After Mu Kuangda was attacked, it was ages before you showed up. I kept getting this feeling that the way Han Bin looked at us that night wasn’t quite right. Most likely because he realised that Chang Liujun and I weren’t taking the fight seriously, that we let Wuluohou Mu live.”

There’s no reason that Wu Du and Chang Liujun together couldn’t capture Lang Junxia, but that night they’d let him get away just like that without even managing to catch the edge of his sleeve. Han Bin may not have been able to figure it out in the moment, but once he’s taken some time to go over the event in detail, he definitely would have realised that something was amiss.

If that’s the case, it would be inadvisable for Duan Ling to see Mu Kuangda again — that is nothing but an unnecessary risk.

“But then he won’t have any evidence,” Duan Ling says. “Unless they resort to using brute force, but I fear it would be difficult for them to convince the court. And besides, Qian Qi is dead.”

Duan Ling doesn’t even have to think to know who’s responsible for Qian Qi’s death. There’s no need to ask. It had to have been Lang Junxia.

An old man can only be a witness after all, and the people who matter already know the full story. If they make him testify against Cai Yan in front of the court officials, Cai Yan would actually have counterarguments ready to use against him. But Lang Junxia killing off Qian Qi himself would make the Eastern Palace seem like they’re going overboard to hide something.

And now, the Eastern Palace and Han Bin must have reached a stalemate. Duan Ling must find some way to break this stalemate, and the evidence is in his very hands.

“We could send someone to bring it to him,” Wu Du says.

“Who would we send? No matter who we send, it would rouse Mu Kuangda’s suspicions.”

“I’ll figure out something tomorrow. Don’t worry about it anymore. Go to sleep.”

Duan Ling tosses and turns and doesn’t sleep well this night. By the time the sun rises the next day, Li Yanqiu is still asleep, clearly rather fond of this leisurely life, not a smidgen worried about what’s about to happen next.

But this is going to be the last battle between Duan Ling and Cai Yan, their last face-to-face showdown. Duan Ling is well aware that he has a lot of things he wants to say to Cai Yan, and he cannot allow someone else to say these words for him.

At dawn, soon after Duan Ling wakes, and Wu Du is still in bed, there’s a knock on their door.

“My son,” says Li Yanqiu’s voice, “Xie You says that someone is here to see you.”

Duan Ling gets up immediately. He yawns, and Li Yanqiu tells him to go to the temporary bureau that Xie You’s set up for the Black Armours in the outer city, as someone is waiting for him there. Duan Ling thinks, maybe somebody he knows has escaped from the city?

This translation is by foxghost, on tumblr and kofi. I do not monetise my hobby translations, but if you’d like to support my work generally or support my light novel habit, you can either buy me a coffee or commission me. This is also to note that if you see this message anywhere else than on tumblr, it was reposted without permission. Do come to my tumblr. It’s ad-free. ↩︎

#相見歡 #fei tian ye xiang #joyful reunion #xiang jian huan #fox translates things

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candied-cae · 2 years

Text

And Who Are We At The End Of The World? - Absolutely Not Time To Cry

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Chapter 11/? - - - Read it on AO3

Word Count : 10,692

Summary: There's too much happening. And all the while, they have nothing they can really do. The Party is stuck until something changes. And feeling stuck like that can be suffocating.

More ST Fics

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Steve’s sleep was interrupted a little after 3 am. Surprisingly, there were no nightmares, no shaking, and no terror sweats. None of the things that usually follow their ‘special’ emergencies were what startled him awake. But Steve didn’t even have time to think about how nice it was to have slept so well, because the thing that did wake him up was the house phone downstairs. Ringing and clattering in the way that always pulled him from his dreams.

Steve’s always been a bit of a light sleeper, so it’s no shock that the phone would wake him up. Especially since he used to listen for it so carefully. Over the years, he’s practically trained his ears for it. But it was damn early to hear it that morning. He considered letting the person get sent to record a message. Well, he considered it for about a second, until he thought about all the other people downstairs who deserved to keep sleeping if they hadn’t already been woken up. And with that thought, he sprung up out of his bed and got all the way to the landing in what could’ve been record speed if he hadn’t pulled something in his side around his stitches that punched the air out of him for a moment.

He picked the phone off of the base to shut it up but hesitated in bringing it to his ear.

The moment he did, a harsh ”Stephen” barked through the line.

His dad. Of course. Already sounded put off even though Steve hadn’t spoken to him yet. Not a surprise. But there was a recognizable drawl to the word. The way he said it when he was just drunk enough to forget his manners.

This was going to be a fun conversation.

“Yes?” he asked, trying to keep the bother out of his voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

It was a stupid question, truly. Steve brought a hand to his temple and massaged it in an attempt to stave off his frustration as he answered,“ Sleeping? I was in bed when I heard the phone. It’s past 3 am over here, why are you calling?”

“Well, we were just getting back to the house after a very nice work dinner-”

A work dinner that went on until almost one in the morning over there in the Pacific timezone?

“-and your mother tells me that, in the middle of a disaster, mind you, you’re having a party at the house again.”

He tried to correct him,“ That’s not-”

But his father doesn’t listen, he never really does,“ Did you forget what we discussed the last time you threw a party when we left town? After you went and got into a fight with a boy whose damn brother was missing? After you defaced a local business? After that very public fucking embarrassment of your junior year? Did you forget?”

“No, but-”

“No what?”

Steve wanted to punch a wall. Even wanted to ram his head into one. Through grit teeth, he gave the man the obedient answer he wanted,“ No, I remember.”

“Then you should remember the conversation we had after graduation, too. About accountability, responsibility, and..." there was a pause that seemed like he was looking for another big word to use, but he couldn't find one and settled on," growing up. I am not spending my hard-earned money on that house just to let you laze around back there. You are supposed to be working and making plans. If you aren’t going to figure your bullshit out-" that word still made Steve's stomach twist every single time he heard it," -and make a man out of yourself, then at least don’t further add to my headache. Trashing the house with your unwelcome guests, getting fired from the one place in town that hired you-”

“None of that is happening!” Steve burst with the words. He immediately checked the living room, and thankfully no one seemed to stir at his outburst. He reined himself back in and corrected his father,“ I invited a few people to sleep here because they don’t have anywhere to go. There’s no party, no drugs, no alcohol, no loud music. It’s just four other kids who needed a place to stay and are crashing on the couch.”

“I’m not responsible for all the lost souls of Hawkins.” the voice came through in a singular kind of cold tone.

It didn’t really mean something as simple as ‘don’t adopt every stray off the street’. It meant ‘Get them out of my house, they are not my problem, and certainly not my bill to foot’. He said it final. Like the only respectful option Steve had, was to send them on their way at first light. Like Steve shouldn’t even dare argue, because then he was being the unreasonable one for costing his father more money on the house utility bills and pulling from the grocery money left behind.

There wasn’t any point in saying anything else to sway him, it wouldn't work.

“Understood, sir,” he answered, trying to press his voice into one of acceptance and indifference before he hung up the phone.

And just as Steve started trying to bring himself down, relax his muscles from the taut way they always got when he had to deal with his dad like that, Jonathan was rounding the corner from the kitchen. He hadn’t really been trying to eavesdrop. But he woke up a little while before the call came and decided to burn through a blunt before he tried to lie back down. He had thought he was being considerate by cracking the window above the sink and blowing the blissful smoke out of it instead of in the living room with the kids and making the house smell like weed. But now he felt kind of like he had hidden away and overheard a little bit of something that wasn’t really his business.

But weed makes him a little nosy. So he peeked his head over at Steve, brewing in some kind of tension, and asked simply,” What was that?”

Steve, on the other hand, had no idea anyone but him was awake. So the sudden question from behind nearly scared him out of his skin,” Jesus!” he yelped, spinning around almost too fast with a hand over his speeding heart. When he realized he was just looking at Jonathan, red-eyed and leaning against the wall from the kitchen, he steadied himself and brought his voice down,” God, what’re you doing?”

“Taking Argyle down to two remaining blunts.” he waved the last of it between his fingers, it was just about low enough to call a roach and throw out, but he just looked back up at Steve and asked,” You?”

“Well, the phone rang,” he answered matter of factly.

“Yeah, heard it but thought I’d let the fancy machine deal with it.” Jonathan said with a gesture to the ‘fancy machine’.

“Yeah,” Steve scratched at the back of his neck, honestly wishing he decided to do the same now that it seems the living room campers were pretty deep sleepers,” Just didn’t want it to wake you guys up.”

The other shrugged back to him before pressing again,“ What was it? Who calls someone at 3 am?”

“Inconsiderate people in Seattle,” he answered, more bite than he was intending. But he did want to bite. Or hit. Something. Just not Jonathan, though.

“Was it your old man?”

Steve's eyes widened slightly at Jonathan's correct guess,“ Huh?”

“I heard the ‘Understood, sir’ clear enough. Nobody really says it like that unless they’re talking to their’s.” Jonathan answered with a kind of knowing look.

Steve didn’t want him or the others to feel bad about his dad being an asshole. And he wasn’t going to make them leave. So when he saw Jonathan’s eyes, that despite his current condition, seemed like they wanted more details, he vowed none of them would know,“ Never mind, s’nothing. But, if anyone asks, you’re all the lost souls of Lenora, got it?”

“Uh, yeah?”, Jonathan agreed, sounding more confused than he had been a moment earlier," Sorry you ended up lying to him away. 'No drugs'. My bad."

“Don't worry about it," Steve told him as the short conversation stopped," Ugh, I need some water” he added as he rounded past Jonathan to the cabinet with glasses in it.

Jonathan still wasn’t exactly sure where they stood with each other. But he was more or less living with the guy right now, and there didn’t seem to be even a moment where Steve acted like he regretted the offer. Maybe he could stop being so wary around him.

“Get one for me, too?” he chanced.

“Why not.” Steve decided, grabbing a second glass on his way to fill them up. He knew the way weed stuck in a person’s throat after smoking, to help relieve that itch was the polite thing to do. He handed the other over and asked,” So is this why you’re different?”

“What?”

“The marijuana. I’m at least 90% sure that wasn’t something you messed with back here. And you seem different now. Or, well, different-er than the last time you became different,” He clarified with a sip, referencing how much Jonathan has changed since monsters and Nancy came into his life,“ So I was wondering if that’s what did it. If finding a friend in the bud made you so…”

“Different,” Jonathan finished for him.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It was something new for me. Just since we went to Lenora. And I haven’t really been running the same as I used to.” he pondered, pulling one last ashen breath from the thing barely pinched between his fingers, before casting it out the window respectfully.

“That why you were even up at this hour anyway?” Steve wondered, leaning against the marble island as he realized he was talking to Jonathan, one-on-one, for the very first time.

Jonathan shrugged off the suggestion,“ I’m pretty much half an insomniac these days.”

“Fair, the end of the world does that to people.” he figured.

“Nah,” the guest refuted, looking back out the window into the dim world, blanketed in only streetlight against the dark sky,” I’ve been like this for the better part of the year.”

“What’s going on?” Steve asked. He hoped it sounded sincere. He meant it to be.

And as nosy as Stoned Jonny is, he’s still not exactly open enough for that conversation,“ We don’t… have to talk,” he excused Steve from whatever unspoken rules meant he had to ask.

“But do you want to?” he offered anyway,” I know we don’t, you know, talk. But you do seem really different from before you left. If you wanted to… get it out, or something…”

And yeah, Steve was being really nice. Jonathan almost wanted to tell him what he was thinking. See if the retired king had any good advice to lend. But how could he? Really?

What was he supposed to do? Look at him and admit,“ Yeah, I think I need to break up with my girlfriend. You know the one. The strongest and most amazing girl this world has ever seen, the one we’ve both said ‘I love you’ to because she's that incredible, the one who’s already dealing with so much shit because she wants to save the world. And I’m supposed to add to that shit. Why? Oh, because I’ll hold her back. Because I’m not moving on the way she is, and she deserves to move on. Because I don’t know who I am anymore and she loves the person I’ve been letting her think is still in me. She loves him way too much, and he’s going to ruin her. Just like his dad tried to ruin his mom. And she’d let him. And he can’t stand doing that to her. I can’t stand doing that to her. But I don’t know how to let her go.”

He couldn’t say that. Even with one joint in his system and being deprived of enough sleep that he wouldn’t be all that surprised if he was hallucinating their whole interaction, he couldn’t say all of that. It was too much.

“I’m good.” He said instead.

“Are you?”, Steve offered one more time.

And Jonathan couldn’t explain why he said it if anyone asked him, but he looked back at Steve, sharing this dark hour of the night with him, and met him somewhere in the middle,“ Ask me again? Maybe another midnight dreary?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” he agreed, and somehow Jonathan really believed he would. Some other time, they could try again. See if it felt more right for Steve Harrington and Jonathan Byers to talk a little further down the road.

Unfortunately for Steve, this slightly vulnerable conversation wasn’t enough to dull the memory of his dad. He had hoped the glass of water would do the job, but he was still worked up. All strung out on what happened over the last week, how they were stuck at this standstill, and now even his father was causing problems. It filled him with all this anxious energy and raging hurt, and he had no way to get it out.

So he reached for his keys and told Jonathan,” I think I’ll take a lap.”

“What?” he questioned back, standing up straighter from where he’d been leaning against the counter of the sink.

“I - I’m just going to head out for a bit.”

“At 3 am?”

“I won’t be long. Just need to - I don’t know - get out. Get out of all this for a minute.”

And with that, Steve Harrington was gone. He was conflicted about the plan. A big piece of him wanted to crawl back into bed and close his eyes until a reasonable hour and get up then. Maybe be extra host-ly and make breakfast for his guests, pancakes and bacon and shit like that. Kind of like a real family, his mind dared to wonder. Which only served to make him madder. Because they weren’t his family, and he needed to remind himself of that.

His family was the man on the phone who wanted him to kick out his friends in need and the woman who probably stood right next to him and didn’t feel the need to argue in favor of her son. And the worst part was that it was probably his own fault. At least a little. His dad probably wouldn’t have blown up so bad if he had asked first. Would’ve instead said, with some kind of mannerly smile, that ‘Of course, they can stay!’ Because it wouldn’t be becoming of the Harrington name to say no to providing charity for those standing on their doorstep, he’d have to extend the proposal. But Steve didn’t ask. Steve said yes behind his back and let him come to his own conclusions. Drunk conclusions that said it was a party. Even if he had a chance to mention to his mom before Argyle answered the phone, maybe he could’ve swund it his way. But the very guest outted that he’d already made the decision himself. It might've gone smoother the other way. If only he’d just picked up the phone and got in front of it...

But he didn’t. And the only people he can truthfully call his family, expected him to throw away the people that - he’d honestly prefer to delude himself into believing - could be family instead. And he really needed to nip that idea in the bud.

Some space would help. Probably. The most familial thing is being cramped in close quarters together, right? So getting in his car and putting some distance between them and him before they made him cry was the smartest thing to do. He wasn’t going to cry. He had to say it out loud to himself a few times as he took his car down random roads.

“Not gonna cry. I’m not gonna cry. I’m not gonna cry. I’m not going to cry. I am not going to cry.”

He was not going to cry. Because he was not sad. He was mad. So he’s not going to cry. He’s going to be mad. Be mad and break something.

And finally, he decided where he wanted to go at damn near 4 am on a Sunday.

He turned down the route that ran through the forest and would take him to the junkyard on the hill past the quarry. It was only the second time he’d ever been out there - and the last visit was only because he’d walked the train tracks with Dustin to kill Dart - so he looked around for a minute as the car rolled into the clearing of forgotten things. There were a couple of trashed cars, the school bus they’d fortified and subsequently forfeited that same night, along with a few empty oil drums, discarded cans and glasses, spraypaint bottles, all the kinds of things a boy might like to break.

It was just what he needed.

He parked his car, popped the trunk, pulled out the nail bat he hadn’t gotten a chance to use on their latest escapade into hell, and got started smashing. He was so pissed. Pissed about everything, and determined to stay that way, too. So, he repeated it to himself over and over again.

As he dented the doors on a rusted blue Oldsmobile,” I’m pissed.”

As he beat in the sides of a graffitied oil drum,“ I’m mad.”

As he kicked away crinkled cans into scrap metal,“ I’m angry.”

As he swung down at the glass bottles, sending their shards around him,” I am so fucking mad. About the Upside Down. Vecna. Henry. One. Dr. Brenner.”

As he struck the bus, littering it with holes,“ Monsters. Demogorgans. Demodogs. Demobats. Mind Flayers. Possessions.”

As he climbed on a broken-down Pontiac and beat in its windshield,“ Russian Invaders. Lies. Secrets. Experiments. Black Eyes. Bruises. Scars.”

He kept swinging. Even when the glass was all shattered and all he was doing was denting the frame metal, he kept swinging. And that wasn’t all he was doing. He was crying.

“Using El! Trying to kill her! Nearly killing Eddie! Killing Max! Blinding her! Breaking her!”

He couldn’t even see anymore. His vision was completely distorted with salt water. He tried to ignore it. To pretend like he wasn’t actually crying. Like he was successfully pushing the sorrow down and only feeling the rage. Even when it was impossible to ignore, he kept trying.

“FUCK!” He finally screamed, throwing down the bat to try and wipe the tears away. Having to admit to himself what was happening.

“I’M PISSED!” He shouted again, like maybe if he kept saying ‘I’m just mad, I’m not sad’ he could convince the invisible audience watching him. He could convince himself. And that it wouldn’t hurt so much. It wouldn’t feel so crushing. He wouldn’t be weak if he wasn’t sad.

He stepped forward to jump off the car, letting out a body-shaking bellow into the sky to try and prove his point when,“ AUGHH-” when his footing missed the hood, and he fell right onto the ground. Landing, luckily not on top of any metal or glass shards, but right on his side.

And, fuck, he didn’t even need to look to know he ripped his stitches. He rolled onto his back and threw his head back into the dirt in frustration. Because that was just what he needed. Then he beat his fist against the Pontiac once for good measure, before he got to his feet and shuffled back to his own car. He even bothered to pick up the bat and put it back in the trunk before he dropped himself into the passenger side seat, figuring his tantrum was done for then.

He always kept first aid stuff on him those days. A little in the center console, a little in the glove compartment, and a little more in the trunk. Firstly, he popped open the glove box, which is where he had the thick gauze he’d be able to wrap around his torso, and in the console, he had the bandaging material to pack over any bleeding. When he went to retrieve that though, is when he remembered what else he had put in there.

Max’s letter.

It was sitting there right on top. Staring at him, his own name inscribed in the girl’s handwriting on the brown envelope. Right where he’d left it a few days ago after she gave it to him. He hadn’t wanted to leave it in Nancy’s basement or risk crumpling it in his jacket pocket. He figured the console was the perfect spot to put it to keep it pristine until she got out of the curse just fine and he could hand it back to her. Give it back with a cocky smirk and some line about how it was a waste of her time because, of course, nothing was going to happen to her.

He hadn’t read it yet. He didn’t want to. Didn’t plan to ever need to. She handed it to him and emphasized it was for some kind of ‘If I die I want to make sure you know…’ thing. Which hurt at the time because Steve had no plans to let her die. He still had no plans to let her die.

But he never read it. And, suddenly, he considered never getting the chance to read it while she was still with them. If she ended up being right- if things didn’t go their way- if the next time he entered her room, he heard that long line on the heart monitor… If that happened and he hadn't talked to her about her letter? It hurt worse to think about that possibility.

So he picked it up. Turned over the brown pouch and exposed the lined notebook paper she’d folded up for him to read. Because if they were going to run out of time, he wanted to tell her he read it before she went.

Dear Steve,

Jesus, he was already crying again. He wiped his eyes once more and started again.

Dear Steve,

I know you’ll probably be pissed at me for writing this. For making a big deal out of what’s happening. Because you think you’ll save me, and everyone else, by the end. Which is stupid. You can’t beat up a curse with a spiky baseball bat. And maybe I’m stupid because I almost believe you can. But this isn’t about now. It’s supposed to be about everything else. I want you to know that you were the only person who ever stood up to Billy for me. You were the reason I believed I could do it for myself. I was just some girl that showed up with Lucas at a junkyard, some girl that didn’t believe any of you about the monsters you fought. But then I found myself face to face one up the emergency exit, and you pulled me out of the way to take it on yourself. Then we went to Will’s, and even though Billy got in, you ran right after him and tore him off of Lucas. That was the scariest night of my life, but the minute I saw you get back up, I stopped being so terrified. Because you were there. Even if you got knocked on your ass, you were there. And I knew you’d go down swinging instead of letting anything happen to us. To me. And I’ve never felt safe like that with anyone. And then you filled our summer with back halls to skip movie tickets and free ice cream. Which you totally should’ve been fired for. And you kept doing it anyway. Getting to see you in that ridiculous sailor uniform, swearing all of us to secrecy, and serving El and me so quickly that you forgot she was supposed to stay out of town… I wouldn’t trade those days for anything. I need you to know how much I loved that summer for every moment it was good. And I have always cherished that time, every day since, despite what happened on the fourth. And I still smile every time the radio plays ‘Take On Me’, by the way. I think you were the kind of brother I always wanted Billy to be. The one I always hoped he could become if he just stopped being so horrible. I figured out I shouldn’t expect much from him, but you showed me I could still expect something from someone else. Even after he was gone, and I didn’t make it easy, you kept showing up. Being there for me when I needed someone but didn’t want to admit it. And I love you for that. For being the brother I needed and always wanted to have. If you’re reading this, then it didn’t go well. I know that. But I’m sure I would’ve ended up worse if it weren’t for you. I’m sorry if this sappy letter makes it hurt more. Like you should’ve done more to protect me. That’s not true. It hasn’t happened yet, and I know it’s not true. Because I know you’ll do everything you can. But even if I’m done and gone, I wanted you to know you spared me a lot of pain over this last year and a half. I’ll always be grateful to have known you. Thank you. And if I’m dead, (it’s narcissistic to assume, but…) please don’t be too sad for too long. Don’t do what I did after Billy. Don’t close off from the group. Stick with them through it all and make sure they keep smiling. I know you can find a way to make sure they don’t forget how to have fun, even if you like being a buzzkill. So watch out for them for me, and watch out for yourself. And, if it’s not asking too much, talk to me. Keep me updated on how they’re all doing. I didn’t use to believe dead people could hear prayers or conversations spoken on their graves or whatever. But if there are monsters, then anything could be true, and there’s a chance I could hear you. So send me the good stories. Let me know you’re all okay.

Love, Your Little Maxie (And if you tell anyone I signed off with that, I’ll haunt you)

And that… well that pushed him over the edge. He was sobbing. Sobbing to the point that he couldn’t deny it was happening anymore. He let go of the letter, allowing it to fall into the driver’s seat because he didn’t want to rip it in his trembling grip. Everything in him ached reading those words. It hurt worse than the reopened wounds on his side. It hurt so deeply because it was so nice.

Max actually took a pencil to paper and wrote the words ‘I love you’ for him. She called him something like a brother, and that’s nearly everything he’s ever wanted his whole life. To be family to someone. To really feel like it. And he kept crying. He curled into the passenger seat of the car as the hot tears fell down his face, as he wailed and his head began to ache with the misery. It was the kind of cry that hurts. His eyes get irritated and lids become puffy and red as he hopelessly tries to rub them to feel better. Until all that can be done to ease that hurt is to close them.

So he does.

And he falls asleep. Right there in his car. Parked in the same junkyard where he first met Max.

Across town, Nancy was flying awake in her bed. Heartbeat in her ears, sweat collected on the back of her neck under all her hair. That was somewhat new. She’d done a surprisingly good job of coping with the last few crises in their lives. Sure, she used to stay up later than she liked, churning with guilt and grief over Barb. But that was the worst of it.

Now, she finds that she really only sleeps in bursts. Something between an hour or two where she’s just started dreaming and she’d see him again. She was certain it wasn’t the real Vecna. Will said he didn’t feel as… ‘there’ as he had in the past. And, it didn’t feel like he was saying anything new to her. But she was back in that hall. With its white tile, blood splatter, flickering lights, and boarded-up doors. And she fought, every time to pull them down and get away. If she managed to, the door would open back up into the hall. And she’d do it over and over again until Vecna caught up with her and she woke up.

Her breath steadied as she got done checking her room for any sign that something was off. It all looked right, so she wasn’t somewhere wrong. She was fine. Or at least, she was supposed to be. They survived. Even if it’s not over yet, they survived to that point.

She was fine. She was supposed to be fine.

With a peek at her clock, she knew it was way too early to do anything about how messed up she felt. Too early to watch tv in the living room to distract herself. Too early to try and call someone. Too early to plead with her dad for the keys to the car back. Too early to find any relief.

So she just fell back onto her bed, flipping over the pillow and rolling onto her side to try and get the heat off her spine. She looked out her window into the darkness outside and wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Memories of both Steve and Jonathan climbing through it her sophomore year come back. She contemplated, for a moment, climbing out it herself. Walking to Loch Nora at an ungodly hour of the morning and knocking on Steve’s front door to pull Jonathan out. Bringing him onto the porch with her, cornering him alone so he had to answer. And asking him why he didn’t want to come back for Spring Break in the first place. Asking him why he still feels so far away when they were back in the same town for the first time in six months. Asking him if he even loved her anymore.

She didn’t do that though. She stayed in her soft, far too-warm bed. Alone.

Instead, she just thought back on the beginning of her sophomore year in general. It was kind of funny to look at in hindsight. Once upon a time, Nancy Wheeler was some sweet and passive little thing. She wasn’t that person anymore. She hasn’t been for a long time. But she can’t help but find herself missing parts of it. She liked the fire that grew since, don’t get her wrong. But everything used to be so much simpler. Easier.

She missed that.

That Nancy wouldn’t wake up from nightmares about telekinetic monsters who murder kids.

That Nancy wouldn’t get grounded after she practically went missing all Spring Break.

That Nancy wouldn’t be worried because she doesn’t know what’s going on with Jonathan…

And with that thought, she considered returning to the nightmare she knew was waiting for her. Because at least she understood what was happening in them. But just before her senses faded, she remembered the way Robin held her hand and told her ‘Everything’s going to be fine. I am sure of it’. The way she later kicked her foot and said that even her I-don’t-know’s seem to go ‘pretty damn well’.

And who can really say what that memory does to her? What it means?

But Nancy sat up, looked away from the window, and instead laid her eyes on her desk. At the grey purse where she knew she’d slipped her notebook. The one she’d taken notes in when she spoke to Wayne Munson back when it all started. And she gets up. Collects her things, flicks on her lamp, and starts working on that article again. To tell their side of the story. The version no one else has considered. The one where Eddie is innocent.

The next thing Steve knows, he’s waking up in his passenger seat with the sun peaking over the horizon at him. He squinted at the painfully bright light against his tear-sore eyes. He was all crumpled up uncomfortably in his car seat, a knot of muscle forming in his neck at the odd angle. He hadn’t even bothered to close the door or actually deal with the stitches he’d originally meant to mend. A groan escaped him as he dropped his face into his hands, using his fingers to try and work out some of the sleep and ache from those burning eyes.

How long did he nod off for?

With a twist of the keys in the ignition, the Beemer’s dashboard came to life, and the digital clock on it told him it was already 6:52 am. The voice of a radio host came through low on the speakers as Steve started putting his thoughts together. He checked his stomach, and there was some dried blood sticking his shirt to him. Barely noticeable, but it still added to his headache. The wounds didn’t hurt too bad, seemed like they’d dried shut, at least. So he was able to pack away Max’s letter back into the console with the first aid supplies and get himself into the driver’s seat without much trouble. He could wrap himself up at home or stop by the hospital later.

He rubbed at his worn eyes again before starting the engine properly and backing out of the junkyard. He wanted to get back to the house and hopefully sneak inside without waking anyone. Wasn’t exactly keen on dealing with questions about how long he’d been out, but a spare glance at his gas meter told him that he should probably top off before he did so.

By the time he was pulling back onto his street, it wasn’t just Argyle’s pizza van sitting in the driveway. The chief’s cruiser was parked, and Powell was already walking towards Steve’s front door.

“Wait!” He called to him as he turned into the drive and hastily got himself parked.

Chief Powell stopped in his tracks and turned around to see the boy all but scramble out of his car and run up to him,“ Son? What’re you doing just getting home?”

“I just, uh, got restless. Went for a drive.” he was quick to try and excuse himself,” I just- didn’t want you to knock. What’d you need?”

“Well, we got a call down at the station. Your father wanted us to check and make sure no one had broken into his house. Remove any extra persons from the property. Which we told him was ridiculous. Because if anything had happened, we would’ve heard it from you, the person actually in there. But he was insistent that, due to your injury, you might not be capable.” he crossed his arms and raised a brow at him,” Want to tell me what that’s about?”

“I’m fine. And no one broke into the house. He just wanted…” Steve trailed off, now wondering how much legal right his father actually had to kick out his friends from over two thousand miles away.

“What?”

“I have a few people over,” he answered, figuring that was his best chance,” The Byers, Joyce’s kids. They arrived back in town yesterday, and their mom is away at some work conference or something. They needed a place to stay, so I brought ‘em back here.”

“And those are the people your father wanted me to remove? A couple of children?” Powell asked him, voice clear with disbelief that Mr. Harrington would be so unreasonable. If only he knew.

Steve searched for a way to explain away his father’s demand so that Powell might not report back his intent to keep his guests,“ He just, wasn’t too fond of me doing so without asking. Worried about the water bill or something. I’m sorry he tried to make you deal with it…” Steve was being respectful, but he wanted to set his resolve firmly,” But I’m not letting anyone kick them out. Which is why I didn’t want you to knock. They’re sleeping and really deserve to keep at it. Sir.”

“So you’re planning to secretly squirrel them away here, under Mr. Harrington’s nose?” the man questioned him.

Steve’s notion was to give a sympathetic shrug and point a pair of desperate eyes at him,“ Was hoping to?”

“Say you get away with it. Next bill goes out on the first, just a few more days, so there’s hardly time to notice a big difference in it by then. But what happens in a month when the next one is much higher?” the chief questioned, crossing his arms.

“Um… I could pay the difference? Cover part of it and the city sends a normal-looking bill over to him?” he suggested.

“Kid…” Powell shook his head at him.

“That’s not allowed, is it?”

“No. City Utilities can’t just send falsified bills to him because you want to…” he had to admit,” do the right thing.“ he let out a huff,” Steve-”

“I’ll figure something out by then,” he promised, trying to just come up with enough of an answer to get Powell to walk away and let it be for now.

“Steve-” he started again until he was interrupted by Callahan’s snarky voice over his shoulder radio

”Chief, what’s the situation over at Harrington Manor?”

“Please,” Steve asked again.

Powell had his hand on it, hesitating to decide what he was going to do with the information he’d been given.

“No situation” he chose,” Boy answered the door just fine. Nothing going on we need to alert his father about.”

“Thank you,” Steve whispered while Callahan made some remark about bored rich guys giving them too much work.

“Figure it out, kid. Don’t make me drive back out here because the man with his name on the deed comes calling again.”

“Got it, sir.”

“Get inside.” he nodded towards to door to send the boy on his way, before he remembered,“ Oh, and we’re done going through the RV, so let everyone know they can stop by the station today and pick up any of their things from it. We’re giving it back to the Jamesons later this evening, around six, so anything that’s left then will be theirs.”

“Uh, yeah, will do.” Steve agreed.

And with one final nod, Chief Calvin Powell was climbing back into the police car and leaving Steve to the mess he’d made for himself. He turned around and went back into his house when he found himself cornered by none other than El standing just a few feet from the door. He froze, wide-eyed, like a deer in headlights.

“Hi?” he greeted her.

“Something bad?” she asked him, because, of course, she would.

Maybe she spotted the blood on his shirt, or overheard him and the chief through the door, or maybe she spied on him and saw him crying in his car a few hours ago. He really hoped it wasn’t that last option though. But whatever it was, El Hopper knew there was something off. Not that Steve was going to admit it, though.

“It’s fine. Why’re you up already?”

She didn’t really answer him, gave something of a half-shrug and seemed to wait like he was supposed to continue.

“You think you’ll be falling back asleep, or are you up for good this morning?”

“Up for good.”

“Want breakfast?” he offered.

“Eggos?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged and started walking into the kitchen,” I guess I’ve got some of those.”

Over the next hour, his house guests slowly woke up and trickled into the kitchen, each following the irresistible smell of store-bought frozen waffles as they popped from the toaster. He was less accommodating than he had been for their ice cream party the night before, only passing over a plate piled with them and letting each person douse it with maple syrup themselves. Thankfully, they all seemed to be getting used to each other a little bit more. Steve ended up giving a slightly more official tour than Robin had. She’d really only pointed out the bathrooms and living room. So Steve took them around. Showed them where his dad’s office was, told them to just kinda leave it alone as he does; showed them the basement, which was pretty much all storage and not a hangout like the Wheelers; showed off the dining room they technically have but never use; the attic, also storage. All that sort of stuff.

He also bothered to write down everyone in the Party’s house numbers in the contact book by the phone while he called around. Robin said there was no way she was getting out of church that morning after the disappearing act, Steve promised to grab the red beret she knew fell off when she helped pick up Max and anything else he spotted of hers. Nancy was able to convince her dad to let her use the car to stop by since it was part of ‘cleaning up their mess’. She agreed to grab Dustin and Lucas when Steve said he pulled his stitches sleeping and wanted to have someone at the hospital check on them before he was going to stop by. They all made plans to meet back up at his place later that evening though, to try and start re-strategizing.

And, originally, Steve was going to go with his California visitors to the store for grocery shopping, but when they heard him mention his stitches they told him to go ahead to the hospital while they dealt with it. He gave them some of the cash his parents had stashed for necessities and they headed off to the supermarket to get all the fixings for a taco night, as well as other various things to feed them throughout the… however long they were there.

When he stopped by the Urgent Care Clinic… there was something out of the ordinary, to say the least. There was some camera crew, or maybe it was a few, and a couple of people crowding around the front doors along a line of police officers trying to keep the way into the building clear. Steve pulled his jacket tighter around him as he turned away and tried to get in past them without getting pulled into it. What he heard was that they were calling the city a portal to hell again, and they wanted comments on the serial murderer, Eddie Munson… Great. The greatest. Absolutely what they all needed right now.

But besides that, he got inside and the nurse wasn’t very happy to see he’d already messed up their handiwork from just a few days prior. But she numbed him and retied the broken skin together anyway, all while gently chastising him for being too rough with himself. When she said he was good to go, he knew the other reason he came by was going to keep him there.

He needed to see them. So he went to the second floor, signed the visitors log like he was supposed to, told them it was for both Mayfield and Munson, and then walked into the girl’s room where she was alone for the first time he’d seen her. It broke his heart to see her on her own in the bed, but he was also incredibly relieved because he was not sure he could be as honest as he needed to be if there was anyone else there.

So he sat in the chair by her bed. He pulled the letter from where he’d put it in his pocket. And he leaned forward to say what he needed to make sure she knew.

“Hey, Max. I don’t know where you’re at. I don’t know if you can hear this. El says it's like your head is empty, but I don’t really get that. Doesn’t make sense. You’re way too snarky to not always have the engines firing, you know? But I wanted to stop by anyway. Talk to you because…” he stopped for a second and cleared his throat.

“I read your letter, Max,” He declared, like he was admitting to a crime,” I know you made a big deal about waiting to read it when Dustin and I tried to open them in the Wheeler’s basement. Because they were meant for just in case. Just in case you died, and I’m firmly believing that you aren’t dead-dead yet. And I'm not going to let you be. So, I’m sorry if I read it early. But I couldn’t stop thinking that, if I’m wrong - becuase I’m wrong a lot - and this really doesn’t go our way, if this does end with us losing you, I-… I don’t want to miss my chance to talk to you first.” his voice cracked and he looked up at the ceiling to keep the tears from building,” So I read it. And, fuck, kid. You really pack a punch when you want to, you know? I mean, I’ve been beat up plenty of times and I never cried about it. But man, you got me good, with just a piece of paper.”

He looked back at the letter between his fingers,“ Um, still can’t believe you actually said you thought of me like a brother to you. I thought you woulda been too tough to admit something like that. But you did. So I’ll admit I looked at you like a kid sister. The one I would’ve loved to have gotten to grow up knowing. God,” he sniffed and gently reached out to place his hand on her wrist,” A badass littler Max earning scraps on her knees because she’s determined to figure out skateboarding? That would’ve been someone cool to know… I would’ve wanted to go with you to the parks while you practice. But I wouldn’t have tried it myself. Would’ve run the other way if you told me to give it a shot. But you would’ve worn me down and I would’ve stood on it and instantly fallen off. Would’ve landed on my ass so hard I limped all the way back to the car and blamed you for it for the rest of the week.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit imagining it. A life where he wasn’t alone all the time. A life where he got to know Max earlier.

“Yeah, it’d been something like that, I guess. Just a thought. Anyway, I just wanted you to know…”

He hesitated before moving his fingers to hold hers,” I love you, too, Maxie. And I’m not ready for you to die. So you don’t get to. You have to hang on and get back up one of these days. Or you’ll break my heart, you hear? You’ll break my heart, and you’re not allowed to do that. We’re going to get you back. Whatever it takes. I really don't care what it calls for, it’s happening so we get you back. So you be stubborn like I know you are. And we’ll figure it out and handle the rest. We are getting you back.”

He finished off what he had to say and felt better. More revolved and ready to face Vecna again. He promised that little girl that she was going to live and, by god, he was going to be right. As he leaned back, wondering how long he should spend before crossing the hall and sharing his time with the other patient, the door opened. Max’s mother was walking in.

Obviously, she wants to sit with her daughter too. Steve just sort of nodded to her, gave a quick goodbye to Max and began to excuse himself when Susan pointed out the envelope in his hand.

“She wrote you a letter, too?”

He struggled with how he was supposed to answer that,“ Uh- uh- yeah. She did. I’m sorry, I just wanted to let her know I read it-”

“She left letters at home. I- it was like she knew something was going to happen to her. Do you- do you know why she- why she wanted to make sure she could say goodbye?” Susan was already tearing up. It was the first time she was able to ask anyone.

“I don’t know what-”

“You were with her, she wrote you one too,” she broke eye contact with the boy to look at her daughter as she pleaded,” Was there something else happening? Something I- Something I missed? Something I didn’t notice was going on with her?”

“I can’t…” he can’t tell her about the Upside Down, about the curse,” I don’t know how to tell you what she was going through. But I think she’s been struggling-”

“Struggling?” she echoed with a breaking voice.

“Since Billy.”

“You don’t think she would’ve-” she couldn’t finish the thought.

Because she was asking if Max would’ve killed herself. And that’s too painful a thought for a parent to voice.

“I don’t. Not really.”

It was the truth. From what Lucas had said, she blamed herself and thought about being the one gone. She closed herself off from everyone, but she wouldn’t have hurt herself. No, Steve didn’t believe it. Couldn't believe it.

“But I do think she needs a little more.” he added,” From all of us. So she doesn’t forget that, just because he’s gone, she’s not alone. We’re all going to do better for her, ma’am.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we are. Thank you…”

He gave a solemn nod as he went to pass her and go out the door.

But just before he reached it, Susan turned around and said,“ Before you go… did she really say that?”

“What?”

Susan stepped forward,“ I overheard… did she really say that she thought of you like a brother to her?”

“Um… yeah. Uh, it was something she put in my letter.” he lifted the envelope toward her,” Um, you could read it if you want."

Her eyes fell to it as he thought to add," There’s this inside joke we have about monsters and stuff, um, but besides that, it was really nice.”

“Inside joke?” she questioned him.

“Yeah. Uh, it’s a thing the kids do. Play pretend that we fought monsters and stuff. Nothing serious though.”

“Is it?”

“What?”

“A joke?” she sounded unconvinced.

“Yeah. Obviously, it’s a big stupid joke. Inside joke. For us, the few of us… a funny joke. Dustin started it-”

“Because… in my letter, she said she wanted to explain something to me. And it didn’t make any sense, but it didn’t seem like a joke to her.”

“I…”

Steve didn’t know what to say. What was he supposed to say? Break the NDA, get them all in trouble, and bring grieving Susan Mayfield into their hellish reality? Or hide it from her even though she deserves to know what really happened to her kid?

“Was it a joke? Or was something-”

“I can’t. Say anything. Here.” he emphasized in a low tone

“What does that mean?”

“Can I call you? Later?” he had to buy time, discuss it with the group, and figure out what to do,” To try and… explain?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’ll call and…” he still wasn’t sure what to say would happen,” I’ll just call.”

“Okay.”

He nodded and handed her the envelope,“ Um, if you wanted to read it… Goodbye.”

And he turned on his heels and nearly ran to the bathroom down the hall. Found it thankfully empty and braced himself against the sink while he let out shaking breaths. He squeezed his eyes shut, firmly refusing to keep crying that day. Once he got himself under control, he splashed water on his face and went to Eddie’s room.

It was a similar sight. The boy, all alone in a bed, mirroring the girl in the other room. Once more, Steve lowered himself into a chair by their bedside and scooted it forward so he could talk to the sleeping body before him.

“Hello... It’s Steve, stopping by during your post-apocalyptic, recovery nap. I see you’re still racking up that beauty sleep.”

He knew less of what he wanted to say to Eddie Munson. Eddie Munson didn’t leave him a heartbreaking letter to respond to, but the nurse said talking to him would be good. So, he started with the only thing that came to mind.

“You know, Munson... I used to run away too. I know you’re asleep, but I can hear you laughing. ‘Oh, King Steve, what do you mean you used to run? The only thing you “ran” was the school back in your heyday before Nancy softened you up.’ You’d be about half right with that one, but I was something of a coward, too.” he admitted, twiddling his thumbs together as he got to remembering who he used to be.

“I was a bully, as I’m sure you noticed. I hope our paths never crossed like that, but as embarrassing as it is to admit, I’m not even sure I’d remember if we did. I swear it’s not a lie to avoid taking responsibility or anything… If I did, I want to say I’m sorry. But I’m really not sure. I never really cared that much about ‘stomping on the ants’, as Tommy called it. I was more concerned with chasing tail, fulfilling my conquests, dominating sports, defending my position on the social ladder, all that useless shit.” he further explained,” I never tracked down the weirdos for the sake of hurting them - ‘for fun’ - but when my friends found a target, I jumped in the dog pile. Was on their side if they expected me to be.”

“It wasn’t right,” he insisted,” I know that. And it took me caring about Nancy enough to admit I was wrong. And then it took caring about Nancy enough to stop running away and instead go into the house with a monster. And then it took caring about those kids enough to stop running from the idea that I could ever be more than what I’ve always been. They made me confront myself and decide to be better.”

“Sometimes that’s what it takes, you know. Someone calling you on the shit you’ve done wrong… and them being there, needing you, so you have something to care about more than yourself. It kinda shocks you into doing the courageous things for the first time in your life. Just- I wanted to let you know that I know what it’s like. Being a coward and then getting the shit knocked out of you when you try to be brave. I’m still pissed you chose to play hero, we nearly lost you for a minute there… but I get it, man. Dustin was there, and that little twerp'll just crack a guy’s heart open like no one's business. So I get it.”

“Anyway, besides all of that nonsense, you did good. And we aren’t giving up on making sure you’ll be able to walk around freely again. We’re all on it. Nancy and Robin did a good job of making a game plan. We’ll be able to turn this on Jason Carver. So long as when you wake up, you follow the story. You’ve got nothing to worry about. So if you’re scared about coming back up because everything’ll be hopeless, and there’s no point in the fight, don’t be. Just wake up and we’ll all be right there with you while we fix it. You won’t go down for this.”

Steve was just starting to explain that everyone was back in town, that Eddie had some people he needed to meet, and that he missed out on an Ice Cream Party when a nurse came in.

“There’s a call for you,” she told him, which was pretty much at the bottom of the list of things he was expecting to hear while he was visiting.

“For me?” he questioned while pointing at himself.

“The same Steve Harrington who checked into the visitor's log this morning.”

“Alright?”

He followed her over to the nurse’s station and accepted the phone held out for him,“ Hello?”

“Steve,” a woman’s voice answered,” What’s this I’m hearing from Karen about all my children being at your house?”

“Ms. Byers,” he recognized.

“Joyce,” she corrected him.

“Yes, Joyce.” he amended, now remembering that’s not the first time she’d told him to call her that,” Um, yeah, Jonathan and his friend from California-”

“Argyle.”

“Yes, they showed up in Hawkins yesterday with the other two and Mike. Said they drove over because of a…” he looked at the nurse typing away at a computer just beside him before turning further away and simply putting it,“ Another situation.”

“And that’s why Karen made a point about my phone being disconnected,” she concluded.

“Yes. Lots of calls were made to your home, Ms. B- Joyce.” he caught himself,” And since your house in Hawkins was sold, and there was a bit of property damage around the city, and the Wheelers already have such a full house…” he excused,” I offered for them to stay over with me until we heard back from you about the business trip to Alaska. Sorry if that was-”

“No, no. Thank you for taking them in and keeping an eye on them. I can’t thank you enough, Steve.” There was a pause as she seems to get her bearings on what was going on,” Alright, I’m stopped at the house in Lenora - which is very much not in the condition I had left it in, by the way - but we’ll be on the next flight out there.”

“We?”

And there was another pause before she answered,“ Murray is over here. You met Murray.”

“Briefly.”

“I have him on the phone with the airport. Hey Ho- heeyyy, uh, how soon can we get to Hawkins?” He heard over the phone. Which was only a little weird.

There was some background noise, another voice, but not loud or clear enough to make out. But he thought he remembered Murray having a somewhat higher-pitched voice. The one he heard sounded lower, gruffer. Which only raised his suspicions that Joyce was being weird.

“Looks like there’s one later today we can squeeze into. Probably won’t be back until about dinnertime. And we’ll need someone to pick us up from the airport.”

“That’s fine, we’ll figure something out. Do you want the number to the house so you can check in and tell the kids yourself? They should be back from the grocery store by now.”

“Thank you, Steve. Yes, I’ll take the number, let me grab a pen.”

It didn’t take long for him to relay the number and make sure she had it right. Apparently, Nancy was already gone from the Wheeler’s, and Karen didn’t have it when she’d called. But when Nancy asked about the car keys, her father made a big deal about Steve driving them instead of giving them back. This resulted in Nancy saying he was going to be at the hospital, hence why Karen had sent Joyce that way to track him down, instead of digging through the phone book Nancy lost last summer that they hadn’t thought to replace.

“Alright. Thank you, Steve,” she said again,” I’ll give them a call.”

He began to brush past the thanks,“ Of course, Ms. Byers. You should know where your kids are, and I’m sure they really want to hear from you-”

But Joyce stopped him,“ No. Seriously, Steve, thank you. For watching out for them and keeping them together when they got back. And for being a part of this with us and being so much help every time.”

Now, Steve had told himself so many times that day that he wasn’t going to cry and absolutely wasn’t going to keep crying, but something about the way Joyce said it had him tearing up again,“ Yeah. Anytime, Ms.-”

“Joyce, Steve.”

“Anytime, Joyce”

There was silence on the line for a second, and Steve was about to give his goodbyes when Joyce said,“ You’re a good kid. You know that?”

Steve had to take a breath and stare back at that ceiling again to keep from letting the tears fall right there by the nurse's station. “Go talk to your babies, Joyce,” he dismissed her so he could run off and calm himself down again.

“Alright, you take care of yourself until I can catch up with you tonight,” she told him.

“You, too.” he agreed before handing the phone back to the nurse.

She made a lighthearted comment about not being his secretary, but that she’d let it slide since it was clearly about someone tracking down their children, and that’s serious enough right now. Steve returned to Eddie’s room and reclaimed his chair by the window as he pulled out the walkie he’d brought with him and bothered to give some of the group an update.

When that was taken care of, he leaned further in the chair to try and get comfy as he looked back at Eddie to ask, “Where was I, Munson?”

Obviously, the other didn't answer, so he thought for a moment,” Something about, 'Just wake up already' and 'The Party’s nearly all assembled again', right? Well, good news. Joyce Byers and Murray… I-know-it-started-with-a-B last name are coming back tonight. So we'll ALL be back together again and can make sure this whole thing stops this time. If you woke up right now, it’d be pretty convenient, just saying.”

He paused for a second, kinda hoping the guy would throw him a bone just this once and make it easy. He didn’t

“Fine, keep napping. Well, I didn’t bring anything to kill the time, so that’s on me. But they got you set up with a killer tv set, so we can crank that on for now. I can hang out until four, but then they’re going to kick me out. So, if you can’t do it now, but want to do your dramatic rise from the dead today, do it before then. Otherwise, your show will only reach the hospital staff, and, honestly, I think I’d make a much better audience.”

And with that final line, Steve was turning on the tv and changing the channel until he found something other than a news station. Turned out there was a rerun of Grease he was happy to sit through, even if he missed a bit of the introduction, they were catching it just in time for ‘Summer Nights’. He’d seen it enough times to not be bothered.

As far as he was concerned, he just gave a few meaningful speeches to people who couldn’t hear him. And while he certainly preferred to be listened to than ignored, he was grateful for that. He just said quite a bit of somewhat embarrassing stuff, so if they could never be used against him, he wouldn’t be too mad. He usually found it easier to talk about sensitive stuff if no one could hear him.

But in truth, Eddie heard every word. In his mind, he was still in the void El had left him in. When everyone was packed in the hospital room, talking fast and over one another, it was hard to follow. The words kind of slipped together and came through sloppy. But since Steve was visiting alone, talking slowly and carefully, it reached him much more clearly.

And he was far less alone as he fought to get his body up.

#Finally Steve gets to have a complete nervous breakdown #Been waiting to give him one and I plan to give him some more #This chapter fucked me up y'all. I was crying every time I wrote on it - worked on it- edited it - read it - every frickin time #But it was worth it (and we're going to get into more of Max's letter btw)#Anyway - I hope I'm successfully campaigning for my Steve and Max Sibling-ism while every mom in Hawkins fights to adopt him #Everyone gets custody until Steve has the biggest found family ever seen. I said what I said.#We're so fucking close to dropping the Steddie time bomb #(I mean. They're already starting a tradition of watching movies together and Eddie ain't even conscious sooooo...)#And then we're going to fly into Jancy breaking up and Ronance Bonding and Mileven tension and Byler and Elumax connections!#So much going to happen and I can't wait to start juggling all these relationships around fun activities once the big bad is gone #I mean what I said about this being a slowburn. There will be proper agonizing yearning. I promise.#Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson #Steddie #Steveddie #Steve x Eddie #Nancy Wheeler #Robin Buckney #Ronance #Robin x Nancy #The Fruity Four #Stranger Things #Stranger Things 4 #Stranger Things 4 spoilers #Stranger Things 4 volume 2 spoilers #stranger things fanfiction #ST4 fanfic #Steddie Fanfic #Ronance Fanfic

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